by Sarah Noffke
Sophia started forward and again, the elf reached out and stopped her. She turned back to look at Ainsley.
The shapeshifter had a serious expression in her green eyes. “Do you know how to walk a labyrinth?”
“Is there a right way?” Sophia asked. “You get to the end, right?”
Ainsley sighed. “So you don’t then.”
Sophia simply stared at her friend, who was so much older than her and didn’t altogether look it.
Ainsley shook her head. “You know how hippies are. It’s not the destination…”
Sophia nodded. “Right, it’s the journey.”
“Exactly,” Ainsley affirmed. “So when you walk a labyrinth, there are three stages. First, you enter the maze by releasing your thoughts and letting go of any concerns.”
“Got it,” Sophia stated. “Releasing is step one. Not a problem.”
“It’s not about getting to a place and winning,” Ainsley continued. “So once you get to the center, that’s considered the spot where you receive. So you need to be open to receiving.”
“Like a magical spell that protects me from lava?” Sophia asked hopefully.
“Like whatever you get,” Ainsley stated. “Then you’ll leave the labyrinth, and that’s about returning to the world you left behind, but as something new and different than when you started the meditation, so you have to embrace this part.”
“Cool.” Sophia drew in a breath. “Release, receive and return. The three R’s. Got it.”
She started forward and paused, realizing that for this part of the challenge, Ainsley couldn’t be by her side.
“I’ll see you when you finish,” the elf said comfortingly.
“I’ll see you soon.” Sophia smiled, started forward, and entered the labyrinth.
Chapter One Hundred Eight
Although Sophia had meditated before, she had to admit she wasn’t that disciplined with it. She’d had to do it in Falconer cave with Hiker to pass a training exercise. She’d done it in the past with her old combat instructor, Akio Takahashi. But she didn’t practice it regularly.
For that reason, she didn’t expect much from the experience as she unhurriedly walked into the labyrinth, following the path. She thought about what she needed to release, aside from all the stress that being with the elves had caused her.
If she was honest with herself, Sophia had a lot of doubts about the future. About her role with the Dragon Elite. About how things would change when more dragonriders joined them. About how multiple dragon organizations could benefit the world. She didn’t know the answers and the unknowns scared her.
“I release my doubts,” Sophia said aloud as she wove her way toward the labyrinth’s center.
She didn’t remember treading the path or coming so far, but suddenly Sophia found herself close to the center.
For a moment, she worried that she’d rushed. That she’d sped up and broken one of the guidelines, but she didn’t feel like she had.
Drawing in a deep breath, Sophia paused in the center of the labyrinth, for a moment forgetting that Scotland was in danger. That her friends and fellow dragonriders could be blown up if she didn’t hurry. Ignoring the world outside the labyrinth.
At that moment, Sophia was there with herself, feeling as though she was the only person in the world. Then, something pinged in her chest. She wasn’t sure what it was at first, but a moment later, she felt so full.
Not like the way she ate too much pizza or too many nachos, but full in terms of capacity. Sophia felt like she could do so much more than she thought possible. She could manage more than she had in the past. She was cut out for bigger things than she’d done.
Without thinking about it, and still unhurried, Sophia started forward again, walking the labyrinth and retracing her steps. She wasn’t as focused as before on one thing or another, but this time, she felt as if she was walking back to the world she’d somehow left. Yet, she felt like she was reentering the world through a new door—as a new person.
Chapter One Hundred Nine
When Sophia stepped out of the labyrinth, firelight replaced the circle behind her. Around it, seven white figures slipped up from the earth. Slowly, as if she’d seen a ghost—or seven of them—Sophia turned to face the circle of the ancestors.
Ainsley stepped up beside Sophia and leaned close. “I think you did it.”
“Either that or I’m hallucinating,” Sophia whispered back.
“Sophia Beaufont of the Dragon Elite,” said a figure that was hard to make out, made of such a bright white that it shimmered in the center of the arch. “You have passed the trials to get to us successfully. On your path, you have put down your sword and chosen not to fight in the face of danger. You’ve slowed when the universe begged you to speed up. And you’ve reached into your soul to find its depths. In doing so, you earned the favor of long-ago ancestors of the elves.”
“Who have all day and not a wedding to plan,” Ainsley complained, not quite under her breath.
Sophia glanced at the elf. “Since when have you been planning any aspect of your wedding? I’m over here doing the cake and the food, and do you need me to find a piper too?”
“Could you?” Ainsley asked seriously.
“If the living have finished bickering?” the center ghost asked, quite seriously.
Sophia snapped to attention and gulped. “Sorry. Yes, and thank you.”
“We understand that you’d like the spell that once was created to allow the elves to withstand heat and lava.” The ghost rose a few inches before settling down again.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” Hope bounded in Sophia’s chest. She was so close.
“Well, we’re happy to grant you this power,” the ancestor ghost said in a wispy voice. “All you must do to complete this journey is throw that which you desire most into the volcano at the top of this island, then—”
“Seriously!” Sophia interrupted, her face suddenly flaming hot.
“S. Beaufont,” Ainsley warned quietly.
“No,” Sophia demanded, waving off her friend and focusing on the ghosts of the ancestors. “Seriously, I came here not for selfish reasons, but because I want to stop an evil that will take out millions. I came here to help protect my own, as you once wanted to do. The elves told me to take off my shoes. I did it. They told me to get dreads, and here I am. They told me to wear tie-dye.” Sophia pulled at her shirt. “Do you know what my sister would say if she saw me in this?”
“I think she looks good,” one of the ancestor ghosts supplied.
Sophia shook her head. “Then I came down here and didn’t fight a rock monster because that’s what I was told to do and nearly lost a few organs and broke some ribs and almost died in the process. Then I’m nearly run over by a boulder because your kind says I can’t run. Sure! Fine!”
She was raging mad at this point, stomping in the dirt, the ghosts all watching her. Ainsley wasn’t even close to interrupting again at this point.
“Then I had to walk a labyrinth when the country where my people live is about to be bombed,” Sophia continued. “But I did it! I calmly meditated and did everything that you all wanted. I changed, I dawdled, I didn’t fight, I released, I received, and here you are, telling me that I still have to journey to the center of a volcano and throw in my greatest treasure.”
Sophia stomped once more, thinking she had the power to break the earth open right then. She was so mad.
“Well, you know what, no!” she yelled. “I’m not doing it! I’m done. I’ve done enough. Either you give me the spell I seek or not. I’m not wasting any more time here when my own need me. I’m not acting like a hippie when I’m not one. I’m going to be who I am, a dragonrider, and we demand what we want. And I want that protective spell.”
The center ghost floated forward, making Sophia tense all over, wondering if he could blot her out right then and there.
Instead, she saw a shadow of a smile appear on his face. “Sophia Beaufont, somet
imes the journey is to teach us to surrender. Sometimes it’s to teach us to stand up to that which we don’t agree with. I’m grateful for you that you’ve passed the fourth and final test. We will now grant you the protective spell.”
He opened his hands, and from it, like flower petals on the wind, specks of blue light flitted through the air. Sophia instinctively held out her hands, and the bits of blue light landed in her palms—the spell registering in her mind as if she’d always known it.
“Wait,” Sophia whispered and looked at the ancestor ghost. “I was supposed to challenge you? I was supposed to rebel?”
He nodded, receding in color and light. All of the ghosts were dimming. “Sometimes we are to learn to surrender, to walk slower, not to fight. And sometimes we are to learn to face down that which is supposed to be bigger than us. We learn to make demands so that one day, when we fill the role meant for us, we will know we were big enough for it.”
Sophia gulped, strangely feeling as though the elves' ancestor referred to something significant that pertained to her. Also, she was slightly irritated that she’d taken away so much from this journey. Despite all her resistance, the elves had taught her quite a bit in a short time.
Chapter One Hundred Ten
“Hold still, dear, or I’ll never get all these knots out of your hair.” Mama Jamba ran the brush through Sophia’s hair for what felt like the millionth time.
“Why is it that the elves used magic to put in these dreadlocks, but magic won’t get rid of them?” Sophia sat in front of the sofa in the Castle’s front room with Mama Jamba behind her, trying to comb out her hair.
“They have very tricky magic to reverse,” Mother Nature answered.
“I think you looked all right in the dreads.” Evan popped another of the haggis-filled croissants into his mouth. “Oh, wow, that’s my favorite so far. Put it on the wedding menu.”
Sophia wasn’t so sure and eyed the different wedding menu items on the plate in front of her that she’d sliced into and sampled. “I like the haggis, but I think we put it in a falafel.”
Trin dutifully nodded, her cyborg eye dimming as she internally registered the information. “I can do that.”
“Falafel?” Evan argued. “That’s going to ruin it.”
Sophia shook her head, and Mama Jamba immediately grabbed her and steadied it.
“Hold still, or I can’t get these knots out, dear,” she reminded her.
“Sorry.”
“Just buzz her hair,” Evan supplied.
“Remember that time you got electrocuted, and I saved your life?” Sophia reminded him. “Although I kept you alive, you still lost all your dreadlocks when your hair burned off?”
“Not really.” He popped another bite into his mouth.
“Anyway,” Sophia continued. “I think the menu needs to reflect Hiker’s simple palate mixed with Ainsley’s more distinguished style. So we have haggis but put it in a falafel. The point is not to make things overly simple or overly fancy. Instead, we find a balance.”
“That’s a good idea.” Trin’s eyes again lost their glassiness. “So how about instead of mashed potatoes, I make mashed potato patties? And instead of simple asparagus, I do one with a bearnaise sauce?”
“I love it.” Sophia nearly jerked away as Mama Jamba combed through a particularly stubborn knot.
“You’re going to get fired if you make the food for Hiker’s wedding too fancy,” Evan chimed in.
“Ainsley will burn all my clothes if I have meat and potatoes served at her wedding,” Sophia argued. “I’m trying to achieve a balance.”
“That’s very smart of you, dear.” Mama Jamba ran the comb through Sophia’s hair cleanly, to her surprise and relief.
“What are you going to have at your wedding, Pink Princess?” Evan asked. “Vegan fake chicken with lettuce made of pork belly? Is that how you achieve balance?”
She shook her head. “If and when Wilder and I get to that point, we’ll figure it out. I’m sure we can come up with a compromise, but a menu for a wedding, mine or someone else’s, is the least of my concerns.”
Mama Jamba patted her on the shoulder. “Go for the vegan chocolate cake. It’s a big hit.”
Sophia glanced back at the old woman, confusion on her face.
“I’ve heard,” Mama Jamba added quickly. “I mean, not that I…” She glanced up at the staircase suddenly. “What’s that, son? Oh, it seems that Hiker is calling for me.”
“I don’t hear anything,” Evan stated.
“He’s whispering,” Mama Jamba argued, standing at once and hurrying for the stairs.
“Whispering in his sleep maybe,” Evan joked.
Hiker wasn’t sleeping, and Sophia knew it. He was crafting the strategy for how they’d attack Versalee and the volcano known as Katla in Iceland. He told her to give him a head start on things and to join him soon. That time had come.
Her hair was brushed, and it was time she joined the Dragon Elite’s leader to hammer out the strategy that would hopefully deliver them a decisive victory. They could have no losses in this fight. All of the dragonriders would be riding into battle the next day, and none were expendable.
When there were only a finite amount of dragons left in the world, none could be lost that didn’t have to go, either angel or demon. The only person Sophia knew had to go down was Versalee, and that was because she’d failed multiple times to prove she could live in the same world as the Dragon Elite. They’d given her a chance—every chance.
It was time to extinguish the Rogue Riders’ leader from this planet so it could continue to exist in peace for centuries to come…hopefully.
Chapter One Hundred Eleven
In the winter months, the sun went to bed early, and the moon took an extra shift. It was a bright, super moon shining down on the Expanse as the Dragon Elite prepared to set off to Iceland.
Hiker Wallace strode back and forth in front of his riders, his hands pinned behind his back and boots crunching in the thick snow covering the ground. He wasn’t dressed for battle because his place was at the Castle, watching the Elite globe, relying on his riders to follow his orders.
The leader of the Dragon Elite was a pillar of strength to his riders. His leadership wasn’t meant for battle. Instead, it had become clear over the last year that Hiker Wallace was excellent at raising riders that could do great things, whether that meant fighting or stopping fights.
Hiker was respected globally, but that had come with challenges. He’d had to take down his brother—something that no one should ever have to do. Yet, the Dragon Elite did just that, the hard jobs that no one wanted. Hiker had then faced down Nevin Gooseman, recovering the Dragon Elite's reputation before it was tarnished worldwide.
Presently, Hiker had ten angel dragonriders ready and willing to sacrifice whatever it took for the greater good. Real leaders, ones who others loyally followed, were beacons of power, sending their signals out with an intensity to impress.
Hiker had done so much to get the Dragon Elite to this point. He’d had the new dragonriders trained and instilled the core values in them that they’d need in their first battles. It felt more like the battle of a century and not ideal for a newbie dragonrider’s first trial—but that was life. One didn’t get to choose to have the easy fights first. If one entered the ring, they simply had to fight whatever opponent came their way.
With the strategy for confronting the Rogue Riders and taking down Versalee handed off to Sophia, it was now her turn to take the reins and lead the Dragon Elite into battle.
“Winning this war doesn’t mean that we destroy the Rogue Riders,” Hiker began in a clear, loud voice that echoed over the Expanse, demanding all of the Dragon Elite members’ attention. “We must learn from history. Demon dragonriders shouldn’t be our enemy. They can be, and then we will battle until neither one of us survives. It’s taken me the better part of a few centuries to see that leadership is either the root of evil or goodness. Therefore, our aim toda
y is very specific—take down Versalee, the leader of the Rogue Riders.”
Hiker’s gaze fell individually on each of his riders for a brief moment. “To accomplish that goal, that will take all of you, all working as a team.”
The Viking’s light-colored eyes landed on Sophia. “While in battle, whatever Sophia says is law. If you follow her orders directly, I have every confidence that we will take little or no damages in this battle and accomplish what we set out to do. If you hesitate to do exactly as she says, that will be the beginning of our downfall. Do you all understand?”
There was a collective “yes” from the row of riders, each of their dragons stationed dutifully behind them. The newbie dragonriders didn’t look nervous about entering their first fight. Sophia believed that was because of the leadership that Hiker had demonstrated—the confidence of the one in charge was everything. She hoped to show that same level of strength in Iceland, but she’d never had to lead more than just the guys. This felt like a lot. But it also felt right, as if her intuition told her she was in the right place at the right time, playing the right role.
“When we win this war, it will change the landscape of this planet forever,” Hiker continued. “The dragonriders were created to maintain balance in this world, which has been off-kilter for too long. We aren’t the only ones who need this victory. The world needs this victory. Our planet deserves it.
“Once the evil dictator running the Rogue Riders is removed from power, I have every confidence that the demon dragonriders can become useful—as they were intended by Mama Jamba long, long ago. What you’re doing today will mark a very important and crucial day in history. As you set off, don’t forget that.”
Hiker halted his pacing through the snow and turned to face Sophia directly—a brand-new intensity in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “Be swift. Be strategic. And be safe. I plan to see you all back here soon.”
