by Sarah Noffke
“But you could walk,” Evan sang in a high-pitched tone, mocking Sophia.
She didn’t pay him any attention as she studied Wilder, who whistled nonchalantly and picked up a scone, not taking a bite out of it.
Ainsley stole everyone’s attention as she trudged in from the kitchen, holding a platter of assorted meats and potatoes. “Here’s some boring food you’ve all had a bazillion times. It will taste the same as it always does.”
Evan stabbed his fork into a sausage, seizing it before Quiet, who was going for the same one—a plump link perfectly charred on two sides. “Same as always is what I like,” Evan said, taking a bite.
Ainsley puffed out a defeated breath, blowing her red hair off her forehead. “I guess if you like the same old same old. No variety. Just the same as what you had and experienced the day before and the day before that…”
Evan took another bite of his sausage, not at all sympathetic to Ainsley’s obvious bout of depression.
“You okay?” Sophia asked as she discreetly watched Wilder pocket the scone in his cloak and lean forward, appearing interested.
“Yeah, you seem down,” he said to Ainsley, a look of concern plastered on his face. “What’s going on?”
Ainsley glanced around the dining hall, lost in thought. “Oh, just contemplating life and the monotony of it all.”
“Sounds cheerful,” Evan said through a mouthful.
“Oh, you wouldn’t get it. You get to leave here. All of you do, but not Quiet and me,” Ainsley complained. She picked up his plate, still filled with food, and hurried for the kitchen.
“Hey, I’m not done with that,” Evan called to the housekeeper’s back, but she didn’t answer.
Sophia looked at Quiet, who was still spooning sugar onto his porridge. She knew why Ainsley couldn’t leave the Gullington for long—the curse that had erased her memory would finally kill her if she stayed outside the grounds for long. She didn’t know why Quiet couldn’t leave, according to the shapeshifter, he couldn’t leave at all. Not even for an errand like Ainsley could.
“So, you’re having porridge with your sugar, are you?” Evan asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the gnome.
Quiet stiffened, the teaspoon of sugar over his bowl. Without looking up, he muttered something that sounded like, “Mind your own business.”
Without asking permission, Evan reached over and stole Mahkah’s empty plate before loading it up with more meat and potatoes.
“Sophia,” Mahkah began, not at all annoyed by Evan’s usual rude behavior, “would you like to work on some flying combat this morning?”
Her eyes shifted to Wilder, catching him slipping another scone into his cloak. “Actually, that would be great. Do you want to join us?” she asked him.
Embarrassment crossed Wilder’s face briefly before he shook his head, trying to cover hoarding food in his cloak. “I would, but I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?” Evan asked through a mouthful of potatoes.
“Because,” Wilder simply answered, picking up another pastry.
Sophia studied him. He’d been secretive since working with Subner on side missions, which she had respected knowing she had her own secrets, but she sensed something was stressing him out more than usual.
“Because he’s training with me,” Hiker chimed in, striding into the dining hall and joining the conversation like he’d been there the entire time.
Wilder, who had been about to slip another scone into his cloak, brought it rapidly to his mouth and took a bite. “Actually, sir, I need to—”
The look on Hiker’s face cut Wilder off and made him go silent.
“Need to what?” Evan asked. He rested his chin on his propped-up hand and leaned forward, batting his eyelashes at the other dragonrider. “Go on then, Wilder. Tell us what you have to do and why you are pocketing scones.”
“Is that where they’ve all been going?” Ainsley asked, coming through the kitchen door with an empty platter. She set it in front of Hiker, a proud smile on her face.
The leader of the Dragon Elite eyed the bare plate before bringing his gaze up to meet Ainsley’s. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’s the deal? Why the empty platter?”
Hiker was noticeably different after stopping his brother and finally getting rid of the evil that had haunted him for centuries. That didn’t mean he was happier or lighter. If anything, he seemed burdened in different ways now.
“Well,” Ainsley began. “I just figured I’d give you all a sampler platter of what I’m looking forward to today, this week, this year, and the rest of the decade.”
Hiker sighed, frustration edging into his face.
The housekeeper pointed to the far right of the platter. “For your starter, we have a pastry of naught, which is filled with long bouts of silence. And over here.” She pointed farther to the left. “We have a sandwich of nothingness, which has a rather boring sauce on it with a side of who gives a damn.” She directed her finger to the far side. “And for dessert, we have plain cake drenched in ‘am I dead yet’ syrup.”
Hiker pushed the platter away. “I think I’ll stick with bacon.”
“Have it your own way.” Ainsley shrugged and retreated to the kitchen.
“Is she okay?” Sophia whispered.
“Not in the least,” Evan answered. “That one is certifiably insane. There was this one time last week I found her setting out a bowl of milk. When I asked her about it, she told me it was for our new pet, a cat named Aristotle or something.”
“Do you mean Plato?” Sophia questioned.
Taking another bite, Evan shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter. There is no cat, and Ainsley lost her mind a long time ago.”
Quiet mumbled something as he held up a fist and shook it vehemently.
“Okay, little guy,” Evan said to the gnome. “You simmer down there, sir. We will have no hostility at the table.”
The groundskeeper muttered more forcefully, although his words were still inaudible.
“What is he going on about?” Sophia asked Wilder in a hush.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s been a bit more agitated lately, though.”
Sophia had wondered if Plato had entered the Castle in the past. The lynx had hinted at it, and now there were portals that joined the Castle to the House of Fourteen and the Great Library. There were supposedly laws in place to keep anyone not connected to the Dragon Elite from entering the Gullington, but most rules didn’t apply to Plato. He came and went from the House of Fourteen, according to Liv, although it should have been impossible.
It seemed to her the staff who cared for the Castle and Gullington had been more agitated lately. She knew why Ainsley was. She was obviously feeling the strain from not being able to venture outside the grounds for long. Maybe Quiet was too. Perhaps it had all started with the big victory, a reason that might seem strange to most but made sense to Sophia.
For centuries, the Dragon Elite had been confined to the Gullington with no real purpose. For Ainsley and Quiet, the confinement had given them purpose—to care for the lost and lonely Dragon Elite.
However, now the dragonriders had a new potential. The world recognized them once more as the world’s adjudicators. There were a thousand dragon eggs, and everyone had a renewed sense of purpose—everyone but Quiet and Ainsley. They were still confined.
Sophia was about to ask Quiet a question, one he would answer, even though she wouldn’t understand his response. Before she could, Mama Jamba bounced into the dining hall singing Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks. The woman had a beautiful voice. Immediately everyone froze, captivated by the words and melody.
The meaning of the song was strangely timed, Sophia thought, listening to Mother Nature rock into the chorus as she took a seat. She wasn’t in her chair for more than a few seconds when Ainsley buzzed back with a platter of blueberry pancakes.
Hiker was obviously frustrated by the special treatment Mama Jamba got, getting what she wanted for breakfa
st when the rest of them got whatever the housekeeper felt like serving up. Yet no one said anything as Mother Nature continued to sing about a woman needing wide open spaces to feel free and happy.
When she finished, everyone resumed moving around once more, Hiker pouring a cup of coffee and Quiet stirring his mostly bowl of sugar. Mama Jamba glanced at Sophia.
“You have something to ask me, dear.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“Oh,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “No, nothing really.”
“I sense that it’s of importance to you,” Mama Jamba fired back.
Sophia found her face blushing. “It’s only a curiosity.”
The woman as old as time cut into her pancakes, took a bite, and relished the sweet fluffiness. When she was done chewing, she wiped the corners of her mouth. “I’d venture to say curiosities are what start great ideas. Always follow them the same way a cat does. The same way one becomes a stray, following a lead and getting lost.”
Those statements felt too pointed, but Sophia shook them off. “Well, I was just wondering, why do you take the form of a southern woman from America? Why not something else?”
Mama Jamba took another bite and winked at Sophia. “That’s a lovely question, my dear. The truth is, I’ve been in many different forms over my time. Many at this table can attest to that.” Her eyes diverted to Quiet and then Hiker. “I’ve decided to take on this form because southern women are nurturing and polite. I can’t think of anything our Earth needs more right now.”
“Even though Thad Reinhart has been killed and his companies disbanded?” Sophia asked.
Mama Jamba took a long sip of water and nodded. “The dangers are never completely gone. Such is life. But yes, I like this form for right now, but who knows what the future will demand? It always depends on the global climate—both literally and figuratively.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Sophia said. She glanced down at her empty plate and realized she hadn’t eaten a thing yet.
“As I was saying,” Hiker interjected, looking at Wilder. “I require your help on the Expanse this morning for training.”
“Well, sir—”
Hiker held up his hand to cut the dragonrider off. The leader of the Dragon Elite pushed up from the table. “Whatever you have going on with Subner will wait. I’ll need you until further notice.”
Sophia drew in a breath. “I could actually use your help, Wild—”
“Just he and me,” Hiker interrupted. “I need Wilder’s help with something…important.”
Sophia glanced around the table for clues as to what Hiker could mean. Everyone suddenly seemed busy with their food. Quiet shoveled porridge laced sugar into his mouth. Mama Jamba licked her lips as she drenched more of her pancakes in syrup. Evan stabbed another sausage before plunking it on his plate. Only Wilder seemed to share her curiosity.
“Wilder, five minutes,” Hiker ordered. “I’ll see you on the Expanse.”
“Yes, sir,” Wilder replied, a disappointed expression on his face.
When Hiker strode for the hallway, it broke everyone’s concentration.
“If it makes you feel better,” Mama Jamba said to Wilder without looking up from her meal, “it doesn’t matter if those scones go stale. They were never going to work as bait anyway.”
“Bait for what?” Evan asked as he leaned across Sophia, a curious expression on his face.
Wilder removed the crumbling pastries from his cloak and rolled his eyes. “For the rats I’ve been trying to lure to your room.”
Sophia knew he was joking, but she desperately wanted to know what Wilder was up to. More than that, she wanted to know what Hiker needed his help with.
Chapter Five
Even though spring had arrived in Scotland, the winds howling across the Expanse held onto the winter chill, unwilling to accept warmer weather was supposed to be on the way.
“The weather is just being disrespectful at this point,” Evan said bitterly, pulling up his muffler and covering his neck.
Mahkah glanced back toward the Cave. On the Expanse, in front of the Cave, Bell could be seen surrounded by Simi and Tala. Lunis and Coral were parked in front of Mahkah, ready to practice.
“Winter retreats when it’s ready,” Mahkah said in his usual calm voice. The top portion of his long black hair was pulled up, and the bottom half draped down his back.
“Well, I wish spring would boot it out of the way,” Evan complained, rubbing his hands and trying to bring warmth into them.
“It can’t,” Mahkah said simply. “Spring bows to winter, and will not take the stage until winter has exited. It’s every season’s right to stick around until it is done.”
Evan shook his head and rolled his eyes. “That’s hogwash. You should write farmer’s almanacs because you’re as full of bullshit as those books.”
Sophia allowed the two to argue, pretending to pay attention to them but in reality, honing her focus in the direction of Hiker and Wilder on the other side of the Expanse by the Castle. She found if she directed her attention just right, she could listen in on their conversation, but it required she lose the details around her.
Like looking through a telescope, she focused on the leader of the Dragon Elite and the combat expert to try and make out what they were saying. She could see Hiker brandishing a sword, his form awkward as if it was the first time he’d held such a weapon.
“I just don’t know how to control it,” he explained, his eyes heavy with frustration.
Wilder nodded sympathetically. “Unless you embrace the power you inherited from your twin, it will overpower you.”
“That’s been the problem,” Hiker related. “I crushed my water basin this morning. My bed is in shambles. And I don’t even want to tell you the state I left my chest of drawers in when I finally conceded defeat.”
A scream from the Castle stole the attention of all the dragon riders on the Expanse.
“Hiker Wallace!” Ainsley’s voice rang out from an open window on the second story.
The leader of the Dragon Elite twisted around and caught sight of Evan, Mahkah, and Sophia staring in his direction. “Don’t pay attention to that looney woman. Get back to training.”
“Okay, let’s run some drills,” Mahkah encouraged, waving the two forward. “Mount your dragons.”
Evan took off for Coral immediately. Lunis, catching the expression in Sophia’s eyes, yawned.
You know, the blue dragon began. I was with Bell all night. Maybe I can sit out for a bit until I rest up?
Mahkah, who would never refuse a dragon asking for accommodations, nodded. “Yes, I think Sophia observing Evan will be beneficial. Please rest, Lunis.”
Sophia came to stand next to the dragon expert as Evan jabbered on about how he was about to show her something amazing. She smiled as she honed her attention back on Hiker.
“This power is a gift,” Wilder explained. He held a sword in front of Hiker, ready to spar.
The leader of the Dragon Elite shook his head, his hands around a sword, but his eyes uncertain. “It doesn’t feel like it. This is a burden.”
“You realize that is a choice,” Wilder challenged. He slid his blade across Hiker’s and pivoted to the side, bringing his weapon down and stopping it just before it sliced across his opponent’s leg. He sighed and took a step back. “You’ve got to at least try.”
Hiker backed up. “Do you know I could slice you in two? I’d end everyone on the Expanse with a simple bad mood. This much power isn’t natural.”
Undeterred, Wilder shook his head, his chaotic and devilishly handsome hair taking note of the movement. “You’re simply not used to it. You can do great things with the power you took from Thad.”
“And I can do horrible things too,” Hiker argued.
Wilder pointed an arm in Sophia’s direction and looked at her. She pulled her gaze away and pretended to be studying Evan as he shot into the air on Coral, demonstrating a flying combat move. “She do
esn’t use her powers to do horrible things. It’s always a choice. We both know your power won’t corrupt you, or it already would have. You would have killed long ago for it. But as it was, you took power regretfully, since Thad wouldn’t listen to reason and succumb to justice.”
Wilder knew Sophia had a twin, she realized.
That had been between her and Hiker prior to everything falling down. She had suspected the truth would come out after the ordeal with Thad and Hiker. She was a part of the example he was obviously following, and he’d enlisted the help of his combat expert to help him figure it out.
Hiker didn’t know how to control his power. But that wasn’t what was most evident to Sophia. Of more importance was Hiker didn’t know how to embrace it, which was worse.
Chapter Six
Knock, knock, Lunis said, walking beside Sophia as they made their way across the Expanse toward the Pond.
Sophia remained silent, mulling over what she’d just learned about Hiker.
Knock, knock, he repeated.
“Did you see the ‘No soliciting’ sign out front?” she asked him dryly.
I’m a dragon. I can’t read, Lunis replied.
“Oh, well, way to exacerbate stereotypes about dragons being uncivilized creatures.” She gave him a challenging expression. “And that’s funny because weren’t you just writing a blog last night?”
He shook his head. I was using voice dictation.
She shook her head, dismissing him. “Whatever.”
Knock, knock, he repeated once more.
“Who. Is. There?” she asked, articulating each word with great boredom. It was the role she was expected to perform when they played the knock, knock game. He didn’t like it if she played along.
Interrupting dragon. He snickered to the side like he didn’t want her to see him trying to control his laughter.
Sophia sighed. “Oh no…”
I believe you’re supposed to say, ‘Interrupting dragon who?’
She squinted at him as if she couldn’t understand what he was saying. “What am I supposed to say?”
