The New Elite

by Sarah Noffke

  The ogre apparently didn’t understand they were having a moment and pressed both of his large hands into the wall, pushing off hard and unsticking himself.

  “You see what I saw?” Sophia asked.

  “I, in fact, did.” Wilder brandished a victorious smile. “We can’t break the ice.”

  Sophia stepped up close to Wilder, putting her back to his as she unfroze Mr. Wrinkles. “But they can break it.”

  “And that is how we are going to release Simi,” Wilder said, relief in his voice.

  Mr. Wrinkles awoke with a start, shaking his ugly head and looking around for his prey. His eyes landed on Sophia, and just like a cranky baby, he yelled, a long-pointed tongue hanging out of his mouth.

  “You take Fourths, and I will take Mr. Wrinkles,” Sophia suggested.

  “Fourths?” Wilder asked, looking over his shoulder at her. “Do you name all the enemy monsters you fight?”

  “Always,” she answered, sliding forward under Mr. Wrinkle’s arm span as he tried to put her in a bear hug. “Get your guy to hit the wall. I will do the same. But try not to kill this one.”

  “Why?” Wilder watched as his ogre lumbered in his direction.

  Sophia shot a dizzying spell at Mr. Wrinkles, making the ogre instantly disoriented. It began to spin in a circle on the spot like it had just stepped off a merry-go-round.

  Fourths whipped around before Wilder could plan his next attack, knocking his legs out from under him and sending him to his back. Excalibur fell out of his hands, rolling to the side.

  Sophia spun around and kicked Fourths in the stomach using a combat spell. The ogre shot back, knocking into the wall behind him. One of the horns on the back side of his shoulder stuck into the ice.

  Mr. Wrinkles had finally made himself too dizzy to stand, and like a building collapsing, he fell to the side, the wall catching him. Immediately his horn stuck deep into the wall.

  Sophia took the opportunity as the two ogres tried to free themselves from the ice to extend a hand to Wilder. “Because I think when we summon more ogres, they get stronger with each new one,” she said, answering his question about why they shouldn’t kill the ogres unnecessarily.

  Wilder popped up to his feet, nodding at her gratefully for her help. “That makes sense because Fourths has a lot more power to his punch than Two-Eyes McGoo Head. How did you figure that out?”

  Sophia watched as Fourths worked to try and free himself from the wall. The ice splintered out from the horn, making a cracking sound that sounded like progress. “Because things usually make sense in these scenarios. If we can get unlimited ogres, there must be a reason. They are relatively easy to kill, but it gets harder if you don’t use them correctly.”

  Fourths finally pushed himself off the wall, the hole he left behind sizable. He shook his head, seeming to try to orient himself.

  “And we are supposed to use them to break the ice,” Wilder stated, retrieving Excalibur.

  “Exactly,” Sophia said, watching as Mr. Wrinkles struggled to free himself. He was really pinned into the wall. “I think it would be good if you could get Fourths to break down the rest of that area of the wall. I will get Mr. Wrinkles to take care of this section.”

  Wilder feinted to one side and then the other with the sword, teasing his ogre. “You think we have to destroy the whole dome?”

  “I think,” Sophia answered, jumping back as Mr. Wrinkles freed himself and nearly fell on her from the momentum of pulling off the wall. “A few well-placed hits and the whole thing will come down.”

  Wilder lifted Excalibur into the air and spun out of Fourths’ grasp like he was a ballerina turning across the stage. This disoriented the dumb creature, making it shake its head as if the spinning caused it to be dizzy. With its focus momentarily distracted, Wilder shot a wind spell at the monster, and it flew back into the same spot as before, both of its shoulders hitting the wall—the horns piercing the ice.

  “Seriously, Soph, how do you figure this stuff out?” Wilder questioned as he turned to face her like they were having a casual conversation and not sparring with angry ogres.

  “I pay attention,” she said and, ironically, caught an ogre fist straight on the chin. It brought her up off her feet and threw her across the air. Thankfully, Fourths’ meaty chest broke her landing. She slammed straight into the still-stuck ogre and fell at its feet. Before it could play soccer with her, she rolled out of its reach, her face aching from the last assault.

  “You pay attention, do you?” Wilder teased, after checking she was okay.

  Sophia wasn’t just in pain now. She was freaking angry. Taking off at a sprint, she ran up the side of the arched wall next to Mr. Wrinkles and jumped into the air, throwing a roundhouse kick into his face as she gracefully twisted around and landed on her feet, her sword still in her hand.

  The ogre tottered like a tree being chopped down.

  Right on cue, Sophia yelled, “Timber.”

  The ogre tipped over to the side and landed on the ice wall, its horns on its shoulder sticking deep into the ice.

  Sophia narrowed her eyes at Wilder. “And yes, I pay attention.”

  “Do you?” he asked beside her, a grin on his face.

  Both of their ogres were working to free themselves from the ice walls where they were stuck by their own horns. The cracking was like music that grew louder with each passing second.

  Sophia wasn’t paying attention to the ogres or the game of escaping the ice dome. She was locked on Wilder and the strange look he was giving her. There was something his gaze seemed to be saying, and something in her heart that seemed to be trying to say something too.

  She felt the urge to run, although there was nowhere to go, trapped inside the igloo.

  She remembered the story Mae Ling had told her about Cinderella, and it made more sense than ever.

  Cinderella ran when she didn’t have to because the logical part of her brain thought it couldn’t work. She thought the prince would never accept her for who she was, but because her heart wanted to be found, she left behind the glass slipper.

  Sophia tensed, about to say something, but then both ogres yanked out of the ice. The dome shattered from the action, ice raining down on them.

  Wilder dove forward, sending Sophia to the ground and covering her head with his own body. She shielded herself, tugging him in closer and hoped he was covering himself properly too.

  The crashing was over almost as soon as it began, and both dragonriders popped to their feet, knowing the fight wasn’t quite over. Wilder whipped around to face Fourths. Sophia put her back to his, facing off with Mr. Wrinkles.

  In perfect unison, like they had choreographed and performed it a million times, they brought up their swords and swung them, slicing cleanly through the ogres, sending bright light everywhere as the beasts disappeared.

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  For a second time, Sophia ducked, hiding her eyes from the light. She felt Wilder’s arms around her, cocooning her from the blinding force as the ogres disappeared into the ether.

  When the tension in his arms released, she stood up, pushing him away. He stood next to her, the two trying to right themselves after the series of disorienting events.

  They stood on an ice platform, and a strange green land surrounded them.

  It went on forever in all directions like they had been dropped into a weird utopia.

  Sophia was nervous about taking a step away from where they were, but Wilder sprang away immediately.

  “Simi!” he yelled.

  Sophia spun to find the white dragon holding up her front leg regally, like a dog about to shake hands. Wilder didn’t stop until he was almost underneath her. He looked up at his dragon in awe, his smile and eyes wide.

  Sophia gave them a moment to reunite and tried not to watch as the white dragon dipped her head, running it next to Wilder’s, enjoying having him close.

  Wilder combed his hand over the large dragon’s face, closing his eyes and whisp
ering to her as she soaked him in.

  Sophia let this go on for as long as she could, but knowing they were in a strange world they would have to leave soon. Otherwise, who knew what other strange magical creatures would join them next.

  “Hey there,” she said discreetly, walking up to the cuddling dragon and rider.

  Simi batted her long eyelashes at Sophia and gave her a look of respect. “Thanks to you, S. Beaufont. You didn’t have to risk everything you hold dear to save me, and yet you did.”

  Sophia shrugged, not knowing what to say. “Well, I only did what anyone else in the Dragon Elite would do for one of their own. If it was Lunis...”

  Wilder laughed. “Evan would have told me ‘hell no’ and Mahkah would have researched the whole thing for too long for my liking.”

  “Oh, well, I’m more of a woman of action,” Sophia said. “Why wait when we can create solutions together?”

  Wilder put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close, hugging her tightly. “If everyone saw things the way you did, Soph, the world would be a different place.”

  “Well, we all need a job, so maybe it’s good that it’s not,” she remarked, moving out of Wilder’s grasp. “I guess we should get that sword back, huh?”

  She pointed to Excalibur, still in his hands.

  Wilder glanced down at the sword and tightened his hand on the hilt as he lifted it with pride. “Yes, I think Subner will be happy to see this. Let’s return it.”

  He turned and looked at his dragon with unmistakable affection. “See you soon?”

  “Always,” she replied.

  Sophia understood then something profound and deeply important. Dragons loved their riders unconditionally. The love a rider had for their dragon was comparable to nothing else. Maybe because of the magic that surrounded a dragonrider, it was easy for someone to fall for them without even meaning to.

  The whole thing was very confusing.

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  Roya Lane seemed almost balmy compared to the chill of wherever they had just been. Sophia and Wilder still hadn’t figured it out by the time they opened a portal and left. They figured it was a strange alternate plane King Arthur had created for the person who pulled the sword.

  “He was a dragonrider, you know,” Wilder informed Sophia as they strode through Roya Lane.

  “I didn’t actually,” she replied. “But it makes sense.”

  Sophia made a mental note that she needed to spend some time reading The Complete History of Dragonriders. Then she would have known this information, along with a lot of other stuff, although she didn’t know what. That was the thing. Sophia didn’t know what she didn’t know.

  “I know we need to get to the Fantastical Armory,” Wilder said, walking beside her. “I’m sort of famished after that fight.”

  Sophia pulled a packet of broken crackers from her cloak. “You want halfsies?”

  He shook his head at her. “No, those are all yours, but thanks for offering me a bunch of crumbs.”

  She laughed. “Hey, if you were really starving, you would beg for these.”

  “There are a lot of things I would beg for.” He pointed at the crumbly bag of crackers. “That is absolutely not one of them.”

  “It always depends on circumstance, Mr. Thomson.”

  “Oh,” he said, drawing out the word. “Using surnames. I didn’t realize we were so formal, Ms. Beaufont.”

  Sophia waited for a group of gnomes to pass on the street. They never watched where they were going and seemed to think others should watch out for them. That was a contrast to many of the other magical races on the lane who were giving Sophia and Wilder curious glances as they walked by. That might have been because they recognized them as dragonriders. It could also have been because Wilder was carrying a gigantic sword strapped across his back.

  “You can fill up on those stale bits of cracker, but I vote we stop in at a bakery I found the last time I was here,” Wilder suggested.

  “Are you okay with carrying that sword around a bit longer?”

  “Well, I’m definitely not worried about anyone messing with me while I have it on my back,” he answered. “And yeah, I will be fine. I do need some sugar to refill my reserves after wielding this thing.”

  “Okay, show me this bakery,” Sophia agreed, holding out a hand and inviting him to direct their path. “Maybe I should leave you here to return the sword to Subner on your own. I’m not sure if he’ll be happy with you if he finds out I was a part of the mission. He did tell you to keep the whole thing a secret.”

  Wilder shook his head. “Oh, no, you are going with me and getting all the credit. I will get in trouble if I have to, although I’m not certain how I could have avoided telling someone about it once Simi was taken from me.”

  Sophia nodded. “Yeah, I’m curious to hear what Subner has to say.”

  “I’m certain he’ll avoid all questions,” Wilder joked. “He is good like that.” He halted suddenly, making a group of elves veer around them to avoid hitting him. Their faces would have paid for it if they rammed into Excalibur on his back. “But oh, I’m sorry. I totally stole you away for this mission, and I’m sure you have your own thing going on. If you need to bail and not get your gold star from the Protector of Weapons, I understand.”

  Sophia giggled. “Me? Have something going on? No, I was just welcoming all of my friends and family from my former life into the Castle, where no outsiders have ever been.”

  “Oh!” Wilder chirped. “So, you are totally free then.”

  “Yeah, I can only imagine the many ways King Rudolf Sweetwater is giving Hiker a migraine right now,” she said with a laugh. “If he isn’t, by some rare stroke of luck, my sister is most definitely getting on the Viking’s nerves.”

  Wilder chuckled. “You know Hiker isn’t a Viking, right?”

  “Of course, but that is what I’m calling him. He loves it. Just like he loves my jokes.”

  He winked at her. “You do have good jokes. What is going on at the Castle?”

  “My friends came to help,” she told him, knowing she wasn’t really addressing the question.

  “Two giants, three magicians, a fae, and three halflings,” Wilder stated. “You have a very strange assortment of friends.”

  “You have no idea. When I was little, I used to enchant my stuffed animals to move and talk, so at least these friends are real.”

  “You are making progress.” He continued to lead the way, directing her to a narrow alleyway she had never ventured down before. Sophia hadn’t spent much time on Roya Lane. Before joining the Dragon Elite, Sophia hadn’t spent much time out of the House of Fourteen, either. Her brother, Clark, had been very protective of her growing up. It was understandable since she had unregistered magic at a very early age, and Clark had lost most of his family, so for a while, Sophia was all he had.

  “Are you really okay with joining me for a pain au chocolat?” Wilder asked. “This bakery has the very best I have ever tried.”

  Sophia nodded. “Yeah, another hour away won’t hurt. It’s probably better if I force that lot to figure out how to get along on their own. I can’t hold their hands through everything.”

  Wilder’s eyes slipped down, looking at Sophia’s hand. “And after you mediate things with Hiker and your friends, what is on your agenda?”

  “I have to go break into the Fae’s National History Museum to steal Quiet’s father’s hat,” she said in a rush of words.

  A fake yawn fell out of Wilder’s mouth. “Wow, that sounds pretty boring.”

  “Just a regular Tuesday,” Sophia teased.

  “Here it is.” Wilder pointed to a blue awning that read: The Crying Cat Bakery. In front of the glass door were spiral topiaries.

  Just walking past the window displaying many of the pastries made Sophia’s mouth salivate. She was about to push through the door when Wilder caught her hand, making her turn around in surprise. Sophia expected there was some sudden danger he wa
s alerting her to. The sneaky grin on his face put those fears at ease immediately.

  “About this place…”

  “What?” Sophia asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “The couple who run this bakery is a little on the eccentric side,” he warned.

  Sophia lowered her chin. “You really should meet my friends. They make eccentric types appear normal.”

  “No, I don’t think you understand,” Wilder argued. “These two are their own brand of weird.”

  Shrugging, Sophia said, “My sister’s sidekick is a talking cat who is as old as Father Time. He day trades and writes novels when he is not helping her save the magical world. I think I can handle a new brand of weird.”

  Wilder looked impressed. “I must meet this cat.”

  “You probably already have and just didn’t know it,” Sophia explained. “I’m pretty certain the lynx has been stalking around the Castle for a while now.”

  “Maybe since the Barrier came down,” Wilder amended.

  Sophia shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m sure he has been around way before that.”

  “No, that would have been impossible,” Wilder disagreed.

  Sophia winked at him before pushing open the door to the Crying Cat Bakery. “You don’t know this cat. Nothing is impossible for Plato.”

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  The bell on the door chimed as the two entered the Crying Cat Bakery. The smell of fresh-baked bread and coffee hit Sophia’s nose, making her stomach rumble. She was pretty hungry after battling those ogres.

  The bakery was buzzing with fairies, many of them seemed to be working. Some were dusting the decorations, and others were cleaning tables while a few were glazing donuts. The case of baked goods was like an art piece one would find in a museum.

  The cinnamon rolls, which were the size of one’s face, were so perfectly round they didn’t seem real. Small cakes that were expertly decorated lined the bottom row. The flowers made of pastel frosting were enchanted to open and close like they were blooming on a spring day. Above those were cupcakes of almost every flavor Sophia could think of. There was red velvet to lemon coconut and everything in between. There was a sign on the counter that read, “If we don’t have it, then it doesn’t exist.”