by Sarah Noffke
Evan halted and turned to look at the three dragons and one rider regarding him with intense stares. “Oh…” He shook his head. “I’ve got no lock picking skills, do I?”
He backed away from the door, realizing he was going to be the reason Sophia Beaufont, probably the best thing to happen to the Dragon Elite since him, was going to die.
To Evan’s shock, Mahkah, the most reserved of the dragonriders, stepped forward, urging Evan back behind him. Evan got more than the impression he should back up. He followed the lead of the dragons and took several large steps away.
All but Lunis moved back as Mahkah held up his hand and directed it at the door with a focus Evan had never seen him wear in one hundred years.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Sophia never thought she’d die alone. She’d been hoping not to die in this century, but it looked like fate had a change of plans for her.
She gave up hope about the time the picking in the lock ceased.
All she could think about were the strange things Trin Currante had told her. Too many of her messages had hit a nerve in Sophia. How did Trin know about how long it took her to find the Great Library? That was as strange as her knowing how to take down Quiet so she could bring the Barrier down and ransack the Gullington.
Then there were the dragon eggs. Why would she want those? She’d mentioned to her men she wanted them to save them, but from what? There had been a strange sadness in her that made Sophia want to relate to her. The worst part of it all was when she said all she wanted was to be like Sophia again. But what could that possibly mean? Sophia was just a girl who was about to be killed, buried by a huge explosion.
Buried….
That struck a nerve as Sophia prepared herself to die.
Buried….
She was so stressed she couldn’t even form a connection to Lunis.
He had to be busy trying to save her. She was sad his efforts would be for nothing.
More than that, Sophia was sad she’d figured it all out and couldn’t tell anyone how Trin Currante had done it and where the dragon eggs were located. Sophia was sad she’d never figure out why the steampunk pirate cyborg was doing this all since Sophia sensed it was for a very good reason.
Chapter Seventy
Mahkah had never been good with mechanics or spells related to it, but he also knew there was no better way to enhance skills than to employ motivation. He needed to save Sophia Beaufont.
That was the most important. As he held his hand up, trying to disengage the lock that was binding the dragonrider behind the door, he knew he didn’t have what it took.
There was no way he alone could unhinge the lock. It was reinforced ten different ways, and breaking through the wards was beyond him. The dragons could fly through the opening of the roof where the plane had taken off, but according to Lunis, there were lasers all around Sophia, so that wouldn’t help.
It appeared they were out of options. Then Evan stepped up next to him, his hand out at the ready and fierce expression on his face. He flexed his hand, a meaningful expression in his eyes.
“Come on, brother,” Evan encouraged. “Together, we can do this.”
There was his motivation. Evan was offering his powers to help.
If that wasn’t enough, and Mahkah wasn’t sure it was, the three dragons by their sides, stepped up and channeled their energy to the two dragonriders, loaning them their strength so they could use it to undo the locking mechanism dividing them from the most important dragonrider they’d had in centuries.
The three dragons and the two riders concentrated like they’d never done before, using all their power to unlock the door and free Sophia Beaufont in time.
Chapter Seventy-One
Dying alone wasn’t so bad, Sophia told herself as she looked out at the empty airplane hangar, surrounded by the red lasers.
She’d tried to portal, with zero luck.
She’d tried to call Lunis, also with no luck.
She’d considered sprinting through the lasers but was pretty sure she’d be turned to ash. So she stood frozen, wondering how she could communicate what she knew so it didn’t die with her.
She heard a churning at her back. It sounded like a chainsaw cutting down a tree, but there were no trees around.
She spun around until she saw where the sound was coming from.
The lock on the exit.
It was glowing.
A moment later, before doubt or wonder could set in any further, the door to the airplane hangar burst off, flying far off into the distance and leaving a cloud of dust and bright light that streamed into the dark hangar.
Sophia covered her head, shielding her eyes until she saw figures approaching. Figures she recognized. Ones she loved.
With a rush of emotion, Sophia jumped up and sprinted out of the hangar, throwing her arms around the blue dragon’s neck and hugging him with a fierce love that expressed how happy she was to see him again in this life.
Chapter Seventy-Two
The reunion had to be short-lived. Sophia yanked away from Lunis, darting back in the direction of the airplane hangar, and ducking through the door she’d just escaped from.
“Are you mad?” Evan yelled. “We just got you out of there! What, did you drop your purse?”
“Shut your face and come and help me!” she exclaimed, reaching to grab equipment from the shelves lining the walls. “We don’t have much time.”
The lasers snaked around the entrance to the hangar, making an arch around the shelves lined with strange gadgets and devices. Sophia didn’t know what it all was, but she knew without a doubt she needed it for what would come next. The lasers cut into the shelves at about the halfway mark, so they couldn’t get to all the equipment, but this had to be enough.
The first thing Sophia tried to grab was too heavy, nearly falling on her toe as she tried to lift it.
“Damn, girl,” Evan said, catching the large object before it hit the ground. “You’re nicking her stuff? Is that the way you’re getting retribution for her taking the dragon eggs?”
“Less talking and more moving,” Sophia demanded. “This place is set to blow any moment.”
Evan’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Why aren’t we running?”
“We are going to, but we need this stuff,” Sophia urged.
Mahkah didn’t argue, simply went to work, hauling things off the shelf and delivering it back to the outside where the dragons were.
After two loads, they had as much as they could get to. They had loaded it precariously on the dragons, and for a short flight, it would hold. They didn’t bother tying it down before lifting off and flying as fast as the dragon’s wings would carry them away from Medford Research—the place where Trin Currante thought she’d left her secrets, but Sophia had figured them out.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Thankfully there had been a delay on the timer for the bomb.
Yay for timing, Sophia thought as they landed just as the facility blew, sending a wave of heat and fire in their direction.
No one spoke until they landed outside the Gullington. Lunis didn’t even communicate with Sophia, although they were sharing thoughts again and he now knew what she did. If anything happened to her, he’d know what to do. But nothing was happening to her, not now that her team had risked everything to save her.
Sophia slid off Lunis’ back before his claws even touched down on the grassy lawn. She ran as fast as she could for the Gullington, screaming over her back as she crossed the Barrier. “Drag that equipment in here. I’m going to the Castle.”
“Please,” Evan yelled. “I think you meant to add a please in there.”
Sophia was breathless by the time she barged into Hiker’s office. He jerked his head up at the sight of her, his eyes scanning her for injuries. Mama Jamba was stretched across his sofa, doing a crossword puzzle.
“You’re back!” he said, jumping to his feet.
“And she’s got answers,” Mama Jamba agreed
in a sing-song voice.
“Did you find the dragon eggs?” Hiker asked, continuing to look her over like she might have the thirteen eggs stashed somewhere on her person.
Sophia shook her head. “No, but Mama Jamba is right. I know where the eggs are and how to get to them. More importantly, or probably just as importantly, I know how Trin Currante discovered how to take down the Gullington.”
Chapter Seventy-Four
As Sophia had expected, the portal door to the Great Library was closed.
“There’s no way in there then?” Hiker asked. “It’s locked from the other side?”
Sophia nodded. “It doesn’t matter. She’s not there anymore.”
Mama Jamba smiled at Sophia from behind Hiker, a twinkle in her eyes. “Good on you, figuring it out, my dear.”
Sophia held in the prideful look, returning her attention to Hiker. “That’s how she knew so much about the Dragon Elite. I dare say, she now knows more than we do. That was how she knew who Quiet was and that he needed to be poisoned to bring down the Barrier. She knew if he was sick the Gullington’s defenses would go down.”
Hiker chewed on his lip, his eyes darting to the book which had magically appeared in Sophia’s hands when they’d halted outside the portal to the Great Library.
“She’s read The Complete History of Dragonriders,” Hiker stated bitterly.
Sophia nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was her.”
“How were you supposed to know, dear?” Mama Jamba questioned. “Trinity has been the keeper of the Great Library for centuries. It appears he’s been gone for a while and was replaced by a cyborg who can glamour herself to look like him.”
Hiker was really going to town on his lip as he studied the door to the portal. “You gave him the book, but it was Trin Currante, and that’s how she knew all of our secrets?”
“She must have done something to Trinity long ago,” Sophia guessed. “She wanted to get her hands on that book so she could find out about the Dragon Elite. She’s been planning this for a while.”
“But why?” Hiker questioned. “So she could steal dragon eggs? How would she know we’d get a new batch?”
“Maybe she didn’t,” Sophia mused. “Maybe she just wanted to know more about the Dragon Elite or thought we had some eggs. I mean, we did have a few before the new crop that went bad. She was definitely taking a risk by impersonating Trinity. This has been a long game.”
“Taking up residence in the Great Library would benefit her even if Trin Currante didn’t have you waltz in there,” Mama Jamba explained, strangely offering up information. “I’m sure she thought she’d hit the jackpot when you did, but it’s also inevitable for a new Dragon Elite to visit the Great Library. Remember, it’s a rite of passage for you to complete training and get your wings.”
Sophia nodded, remembering having to enlist King Rudolf to help her find the Fierce, which led her to the Great Library.
“Even still,” Mama Jamba went on, “if a new Dragon Elite didn’t enter that library and give her the hope of finding the Complete History of Dragonriders, the Great Library is quite possibly one of the most powerful places on my Earth.”
Sophia’s eyes widened with comprehension. “Because besides this book,” she held up the volume in her hands, “it has every book ever written in the history of mankind.”
“That’s right, my dear,” Mama Jamba stated proudly. “And knowledge is power.”
“Trin Currante obviously wants to do something of great significance,” Sophia warned, telling Hiker about what she’d overheard the cyborg say to her men.
“She needs the dragon eggs to save them,” Hiker speculated, his brow creasing. “She wants to be like you. Does she think that by having the dragon eggs, she’ll become a dragonrider?”
“I don’t know,” Sophia replied, not having worked out that part. That would come later. She smiled victoriously. “I’ve figured out roughly where the dragon eggs are and how to get to them.”
Chapter Seventy-Five
“What exactly am I looking at?” Hiker Wallace said, peering down at all the strange equipment they’d recovered from Medford Research. The guys had dragged it inside the Barrier and now it lay just outside the Castle in the brisk morning sunshine. For once, it wasn’t raining inside the Gullington, but Sophia didn’t trust that, so they’d move it all into the Castle soon.
She shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea.”
Hiker’s eyes fluttered with annoyance. “Then why did you take it from Medford Research?”
“Yeah,” Evan complained. “You made me risk my life to nick that stuff. Are you planning on selling it on Tbay?”
“Ebay,” Sophia corrected, realizing she’d have to help him with his modern cultural references. “I don’t know exactly what it’s or how it works, but I know people who will. I recognized this equipment from reviewing those files on Trin Currante’s computer. This,” she waved her hand at all the strange equipment, “is part of some of the devices Medford Research uses to see into the ground to recover UXOs.”
“What did you call it?” Hiker asked. “LiDAR?”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, it stands for light detection and ranging. It’s a system that uses the idea of radar but with light. Anyway, they use this at Medford Research to look deep into the ground to recover unidentified ordnances and other explosives that could go off, harming innocent people.”
“That’s all very fascinating you’ve figured out what Trin Currante’s company did after she blew it up, but why do we care?” Evan asked, toeing one of the larger pieces of equipment.
“Because Trin Currante let a few things slip when she was holding me,” Sophia stated. “She’d just returned from a mission when we got to Medford Research. I think Trin Currante was using what she knows about LiDAR to her advantage, namely, she didn’t take things out of the Earth, but instead put them back in.”
Hiker’s blue eyes shone when they widened with surprise. “You think she buried the dragon eggs?”
Sophia nodded triumphantly. “Yeah. She let something slip about burying stuff. It was just a hunch. I pieced it together with what I’d recently learned in The Complete History of Dragonriders about how the original eggs were all buried in the ground where Archangel Michael and the demon Negal’s blood seeped into the dirt, making the eggs either good or evil. That wasn’t enough, so I asked Lunis, and he confirmed my suspicions.”
Hiker’s mouth popped open, a smile actually lighting up his face. “Dragon eggs buried in the ground will hatch faster, won’t they?”
Sophia nodded. “So now we know Trin Currante wants the dragon eggs to hatch.”
“Because she wants to be a dragonrider,” Hiker guessed.
“I don’t know, but it makes sense,” Sophia agreed. “We now know she used her company resources to bury the dragon eggs somewhere.”
“But where?” Hiker asked, looking out at the ground, an overwhelmed expression on his face.
“Well, I have another guess based on something I saw when doing reconnaissance at Medford Research,” Sophia explained. “There was this topography map that was pretty prominent in Trin Currante’s workspace. It was of a military base in Colorado. I don’t know that it’s the site, but it’s worth checking out.”
“And the files you recovered?” Hiker asked.
“They will probably confirm or deny parts of this,” Sophia guessed.
Hiker nodded. “And this equipment?”
“It’s going to help us find the dragon eggs,” Sophia declared proudly.
“But we don’t know how to use it,” Hiker argued, eyeing the equipment with slight disdain.
“No, but my scientist friend in Los Angeles can help,” Sophia replied. “We have what we need, we just have to figure it out, and I’m certain we can.”
Hiker was silent for a long moment, thinking all of this over. Finally he nodded, giving Sophia a sturdy expression. “I have every confidence we can, and that’s mostly because I k
now you’re not going to rest until we do. Good work on this, Sophia.”
Chapter Seventy-Six
Springtime in the Gullington was like a dream out of a movie. The Expanse was a gorgeous shade of green that almost hurt Sophia’s eyes, it was so bright. It contrasted perfectly with the blue skies. All of the constant rain had done something for the grounds and now it was the picture of fertility with the thistle blooming everywhere and new life springing up all over the place.
Sophia couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate Easter. Yes, she missed being with her family, but the Dragon Elite was her family now.
To make the celebration even more magical, all of the dragon eggs had been moved out of the Nest. Quiet had done that overnight, so when everyone came out to the Expanse that morning, it looked like a magical field with Easter eggs everywhere, waiting to be hunted.
Although no one knew why the groundskeeper had moved the eggs out of the Nest, Lunis had some ideas on the subject.
The bad eggs have less of a chance of fighting if they are spread out, he explained to Sophia as they stood on the Expanse, looking out at the green grounds speckled with large dragon eggs of every color.
“Bad eggs,” Sophia said with a laugh.
Well, that’s what they are, Lunis muttered. Those heathens who have hatched so far are making me want to move out of the Cave. They steal my food and fight incessantly, and Blackey snores something awful.
Sophia continued to laugh. “I’d offer to have you move in with me inside the Castle, but I think you’ve outgrown those days.”
Lunis leaned in close to her. Don’t tell, but I’m moving my things to the Nest since it’s no longer occupied.
