by Sarah Noffke
Sophia wanted to tell Ainsley everything was going to be okay, but as soon as she stepped over the threshold, she knew dinner wasn’t going to be all right. The smell of burned food was strong in the air.
Sticking her arm up to her nose, Sophia caught sight of Quiet on the stairs, a guilty expression on his face. She shook her head at the groundskeeper. “You can’t give her a break, can you?”
He muttered as he toddled past her and through the doors of the Castle.
Sophia hurried for the kitchen, her phone already out. “Don’t worry, Ainsley. I’ll call for food.”
The smoke in the kitchen was strong, making Sophia’s eyes instantly water. The housekeeper was already fast at work, trying to put out a fire and throwing towels over a smoking mound of meat.
“Oh, I can’t believe this,” Ainsley cried, working fast to lessen the damage. “The first meal I have made entirely by myself in centuries, and it all went to hell because you dragged me out of the Castle.”
Sophia lowered her phone and regarded Ainsley with a mildly annoyed expression. “I totally take the blame for all of this.”
Ainsley nodded, swiping her hand through the air to try and dispel some of the smoke. It only partially worked. “As you should, S. Beaufont. Now go ahead and order Chinese, but ensure it’s all gluten-free. You know how my allergies spring up if I have breaded chicken.”
Sophia paused, scrolling through her phone for the Uber Eats app, but decided now wasn’t the time to argue with the housekeeper. She wasn’t sure if after this there would be a good time. She’d really been looking forward to the dinner that night, but no one would enjoy it more than Ainsley.
“Hey, you can always try again tomorrow,” Sophia offered. “Same meal, but this time, without the distractions.”
Ainsley shook her head, continuing to clean up. There was literally nothing from the dinner that could be salvaged. “Oh, what is the point. Quiet probably made that black dragon hatch just to get me distracted and mess up. He’s always got the upper hand.”
“Well, then maybe you two have to find a way to make up,” Sophia suggested.
Ainsley considered this, pausing from her cleaning to look up at her. “Do you think I like being his best friend for the last five-hundred years and also kept in the dark?”
“No, of course not.”
“He is always playing pranks on me,” Ainsley went on. “And being elusive, but now I know it was him whereas before I thought it was a just a possessed Castle.”
“I get you are upset—”
“Upset,” Ainsley replied. “I have half a mind to leave this place for good. Hiker treats me like I’m a second-class citizen. Quiet is a jerk, and the rest of you have your own lives to live. Where does that leave me?”
Sophia could tell the housekeeper was close to tears, but Ainsley didn’t realize how much sadder her story could get, because there was no escape for her.
After tapping her screen several times, Sophia offered her friend a sympathetic smile. “I’ve ordered some food. I’ll just go out past the Barrier to get it. We will put it in dishes and tell the gang you made it.”
Ainsley sighed. “Thanks, S. Beaufont.”
“Also,” Sophia said, a hint of mischief in her voice, “I ordered mostly tofu and all gluten-free options.”
That seemed to make Ainsley feel slightly better. She pulled a set of small plates off the shelf using magic. “Do you think these will do? I’m hoping they are just small enough they anger Hiker when his kung pao tofu keeps tumbling off the plate.”
“I think they are perfect, but you are missing something,” Sophia teased, winking and flicking her hand in the air. Beside the plates appeared a set of chopsticks. “That will surely irritate him to no end, trying to use those.”
The smile that broke across Ainsley’s face made Sophia feel immeasurably better. “Thanks, S. You are the best.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Forks,” Hiker grumbled, irritation heavy in his voice as he eyed the wooden chopsticks sitting beside his undersized plate. “Would you fetch them?”
Ainsley slid into a chair next to Sophia and smiled discreetly at her. “No, for several reasons.”
The Viking rolled his eyes. “Reasons you’ll no doubt tell me instead of giving me a fork.”
“First off,” Ainsley began. “My name is Ainsley, not Would Ya.”
“That joke got old several centuries ago,” Hiker said, taking one of the dishes of Chinese food being passed around the table.
“Good, then it’s working as intended,” Ainsley fired back, feistier than ever. “Secondly, we are eating with chopsticks tonight to keep festive.”
“I don’t know how to use chopsticks,” Hiker remarked, spooning rice onto his plate.
“You don’t know how to use a fork either, just like most of the rest of you,” Ainsley said, pointing around at the other men.
“Haha,” Hiker grumbled, obviously about to lose this battle and realizing it. Thankfully the hatching of the first dragon’s egg had put him in a better mood to deal with Ainsley’s rebellious behavior.
“And lastly, I’m not a dog, and therefore, I don’t fetch,” Ainsley declared, looking at Hiker and then Quiet, a serious expression in her green eyes. “I don’t clean up fake messes only to turn around and find them there again. I don’t appreciate finding my things missing on a regular basis. I’m thoroughly sick and tired of you all being ungrateful. Yes, I take care of this Castle. I take care of you all. I value my job and take it quite seriously, but things are going to change unless you all buck up and start showing me some respect and gratitude.”
Everyone at the table froze, having never seen the housekeeper act like this. It was overdue, really, but still, to see her face grow two shades darker as her voice rose was quite chilling.
Finally, Hiker broke the silence as he picked up the chopsticks. “Are you quite done?”
Ainsley, undeterred, narrowed her eyes at him. “I can be. Are you going to stop being so grumpy and demanding and show a bit of courtesy?”
“Where is this coming from?” Hiker asked in response to her request.
To Sophia’s horror, her new bestie, Ainsley, indicated her. “S. Beaufont has encouraged me to stand up for myself.”
Evan let out a low hiss like he’d been burned.
Wilder slid down in his seat, covering his face.
Mahkah gave Sophia a commiserate expression.
Mama Jamba and Quiet didn’t appear to be listening to any of it, continuing to dig into their Chinese food and using the chopsticks.
Hiker rotated to face Sophia directly. “I should have guessed.”
“The food is great,” Sophia said, paying extra attention to her tofu and broccoli.
“I’m having a hard time finding the meat,” Hiker complained.
“If you find any, then it means a rat crawled into one of the dishes because I didn’t put any in this meal,” Ainsley said with a delighted cackle.
“You what?” Hiker asked her. “And we don’t have rats.”
Ainsley shrugged. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we did. The Castle is a real hell hole.”
Quiet’s chin jerked up. Apparently he was listening. His eyes turned into narrow slits as he muttered something inaudible.
“What is that, Gullington?” Ainsley asked, having way too much fun with torturing the two men who had spent centuries torturing her. “There’s an infestation of roaches. That does not surprise me. This place is falling apart.”
“Maybe the problem is the housekeeper doesn’t do her job,” Hiker seethed, not eating any of the food on his tiny plate.
“Probably,” Ainsley chimed. “You should fire her.”
“I’m very much considering it,” he grumbled back, pushing his plate away.
“This food is delicious, Ains,” Mama Jamba sang, having finished and digging into the rice for seconds.
“Thanks,” the shapeshifter announced proudly. “I made it myself.”
Quiet shook his head, muttering again.
“What is that, Gullington?” Ainsley asked. “You have another bad bout of gas? Maybe you should excuse yourself from the table.”
Evan, who was sitting closest to the gnome, scooted closer to Mama Jamba.
She smiled at him, pointing to a dish. “Be a dear and please pass the dumplings.”
“Why is there no meat in this meal?” Hiker questioned. “And what is with the small plates?”
“It was S. Beaufont’s idea,” Ainsley said because she obviously wanted to make enemies out of everyone at the table.
Hiker leveled his gaze at the young dragonrider. “You must really tell me why you want to ruin this meal. I’m quite curious.”
Sophia cleared her throat. “Lo mein? For sure, I’ll pass that over, sir.”
She indicated the dish beside Wilder. When their eyes met, there was an obvious hesitation in his gaze. “Will you please?” Sophia asked, pointing to the noodle dish.
“I don’t want vegetarian lo mein,” Hiker complained.
“Well, I do,” Sophia said, her gaze still connected to Wilder’s. He was unmoving and just stared at her with so many messages in his eyes.
Quiet glanced between the pair and muttered something.
Ainsley leaned forward, forgetting she was mad at the gnome. “I know. I didn’t realize it until now, but Quiet, you are completely right.”
“Right about what?” Hiker asked, slamming his palm down on the table and making the dishes hiccup slightly.
“Nothing, son,” Mama Jamba remarked, pushing her food around on her plate as she eyed the table, trying to decide what platter to empty next.
“Not nothing,” Hiker said, his gaze drifting between Sophia and Wilder, who still had their eyes locked on each other.
It was almost a point of pride for Sophia now, a staring contest she wasn’t going to lose. He was mad at her—that much was obvious. But he didn’t have to do it right there at the table, making things exponentially more tense with so many other things going on.
“What is going on between you two?” Hiker asked, still studying the pair.
“Nothing,” Sophia stated. “I think Wilder is just excited about our upcoming mission for Subner tomorrow.”
“So excited,” he commented, sticking a bite of noodles in his mouth and chewing without taking his eyes off her.
“Where are your adventures taking you?” Ainsley asked.
“The Sahara,” Sophia answered.
“Lucky,” Ainsley drawled, doing a Napoleon Dynamite impression.
“Yeah, you two get to go trudge around the hottest place on Earth,” Evan whined, taking a bite of an egg roll. “I bet you can’t contain your excitement.”
“It’s taking all my restraint,” Wilder said with no inflection in his voice.
“Mine as well,” Sophia fired back.
“Well, I vote we make a toast to the newest dragon being born,” Mama Jamba declared, holding up her goblet.
Reluctantly everyone at the table joined in, holding their own glasses. Wilder was the first to pull his gaze from Sophia’s, making her feel silently victorious.
“Cheers,” Mama Jamba began. “To the beginning of a new generation. To the new crop of dragons.”
“Cheers,” everyone said collectively, clinking glasses.
The laugh that fell out of Hiker’s mouth made everyone tense as they regarded their fearless leader. He froze, realizing he’d gotten everyone’s attention without meaning to.
He offered them an embarrassed smile. “I was just thinking how weird it’s to have all those dragon eggs. This is just the beginning. Soon we will have more dragons and then riders. It would be good if we all take a moment to remember how far we have come.” He glanced down the long thirty-person table. “One day, all those seats will be filled. One day, the Castle will be full, and it all rese with us. Men…Riders,” he caught himself, correcting his usual way of calling on his own. “Don’t ever allow yourself to forget the dark times, for they make the journey to the light that much richer.”
Mama Jamba smiled wide at Hiker. The rest all wore dumbfounded expressions.
It was Ainsley, though, who broke the silence. “Are you running a fever, sir?”
He shook his head, not even angry at her comment. “No, I’m well. I could use some meat at the next meal. But even your antics tonight can’t get me down.” He dropped the chopsticks and picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, chewing with a smile in his eyes.
“Who knew it just took a dragon hatching at the Gullington for you to not be such a grump.” Ainsley shook soy sauce onto her fried rice.
“Yeah, it doesn’t take much to put a smile on this man’s face,” Evan teased.
Hiker stood suddenly, pushing his chair out with his legs. “You two,” he indicated Sophia and Wilder. “Finish up this Subner mission fast. I need you both using your efforts to find the missing dragon eggs.”
“Oh, isn’t it nice you two get to go on another mission together after this one.” Ainsley patted Sophia’s hand resting on the table.
“That’s fantastic,” Sophia said dryly, this time refusing to look across the table at Wilder, sure they would stay locked in another staring contest.
Quiet mumbled as he finished off another serving of fried eggplant.
“Even though you are a repugnant and conniving runt, I agree. They do make a smart match,” Ainsley agreed, nodding at the gnome.
He muttered in reply.
“Awe isn’t that sweet,” Evan gushed. “Ainsley and Quiet are making up.”
“Not yet, we aren’t,” Ainsley declared, pushing up from the table and standing beside Hiker. “Now, I’m going to go clean up the kitchen, which will take me much longer than usual since I have no help.”
“I’ll help,” Evan offered with a wink, not moving.
“You’ll rest up for your adjudication missions tomorrow,” Hiker ordered before glaring at Sophia and Wilder. There was a heated suspicion in his gaze, but he shook it off as he strode for the exit. “Don’t stay up late partying, you all. No whiskey, Wilder. Mahkah, ensure Evan does not eat too much. And Sophia?”
She jerked her chin up. “Yes, sir.”
“Try not to fill my housekeeper’s head with ideas that ruin my meal again,” he ordered.
“I’ll try, sir,” she retorted, realizing no matter what she did, she’d probably be in trouble with Hiker Wallace.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Oh, morning breeze,” Sophia muttered, curling up on her sofa in front of the fire. “What is it you want to tell me so desperately you’ll not let me sleep?”
She pulled The Complete History of Dragonriders closer to her. She couldn’t sleep since her usual wake up at 3:33 in the morning, and yet her thoughts were too unfocused to allow her to read. She was being forced to stay awake, with nothing to do with the time. It seemed like a waste.
Finally, she abandoned the impossible task of reading and got ready. By five in the morning, she was ready and out the door of her room. She and Wilder had planned to meet at the front of the Castle, but she decided since she couldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t either.
A moment after exiting her room, she knocked on Wilder’s door. There was quite a bit of rustling noise followed by the sound of something falling.
“Ouch,” she heard him grumble as he stomped in the direction of the door.
When he pulled it back, she laughed at the sight of him wrapped in a sheet.
“What are you doing?” he asked her, his eyes squinting from the firelight.
“Waking you up in case Quiet had you oversleep again,” she answered.
He glanced over his shoulder at a clock on the wall. “We’re not supposed to go for another two hours.”
“Why wait?” she argued.
He grunted in protest. “Okay, fine. You win. I’ll get ready.”
Wilder turned, dragging his sheet behind him.
Sophia used the time it took for Wilde
r to get ready to send Lunis a message, knowing he’d communicate to Simi, although her rider probably had too.
A short while later, Wilder pulled the door back again to reveal himself fully dressed in armor, his brown hair more presentable than before and his blue eyes bright and awake. “You just couldn’t wait to go on this mission, could you?”
“Something like that,” Sophia answered, kicking off the wall where she’d been waiting.
“The Sahara, huh?” Wilder asked. “Sounds romantic.”
“Cupid must be up to something there,” Sophia related, having thought about the reason why the God of love and desire would pick a place that wasn’t inhabited by many to hang out, especially if he was on a streak with a faulty bow and arrow.
“I’ve heard a rumor the Sahara is quite large,” Wilder mentioned as they strode through the quiet Castle.
Sophia gave a mock huff. “I guess. If you consider three and a half million square miles large.”
He tilted his hand back and forth. “Sort of. Please tell me you packed the snacks.”
Right on cue, Sophia held up the rucksack she put together the night before when she was helping Ainsley do dishes. The housekeeper kept giving her sideways looks, filled with curious expressions. Sophia assumed she knew something about her and Wilder but was thankfully being polite enough not to say anything.
“See, you are my perfect partner in crime,” Wilder said, flashing her a grin.
“We are world adjudicators,” she corrected. “We do the opposite of crime.”
“It’s an expression, Soph.” He rolled his eyes at her. “Are you going to be this difficult for the whole mission?”
“Yes, and also for the rest of my life,” she stated.
“Challenge accepted,” he told her, pulling the front door to the Castle back and waving her through.
She shook her head at him, wondering if he was going to keep saying things like that all through this mission that made things even harder between them. Probably, Sophia reasoned, spying their dragons waiting for them on the Expanse.
“So the Sahara,” Wilder began, catching up with her after pulling the heavy Castle door shut. “Do we comb over all three and half million miles, or do you have a more specific location for Mr. Bare Butt?”
