by Sarah Noffke
Sophia snickered as she spied the jets retreating. They had seen her and Lunis and appeared to be giving them a chance to fight the monster. They didn’t retreat too far and seemed to be waiting to see what would unfold.
“If we don’t take out Evil Hatch,” Sophia began, “I think they are going to want a turn.”
Lunis grinned. Well, too bad for you, Bob, you’re not getting one. Go get coffee because we’ve got this one.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ready for it? Lunis asked as they approached the flying tentacles that sped through the water-soaked air.
“I don’t think I could ever be ready for this,” Sophia joked. “My training doesn’t involve fighting a huge deranged octopus.”
Well, we have fought giant sea creatures, Lunis reasoned, veering around more unknown debris. Think of this like when you fought Hydra.
“Please tell me the tentacles don’t grow back like its heads,” Sophia groaned.
Only one way to find out, Lunis teased, turning to the side, and diving over a tentacle before it swung up, nearly clipping his tail. Get ready. I’m getting you into position.
“Okay,” Sophia said, sucking in a breath. “We’ll take out the tentacles and then the beast itself.”
I think once the tentacles are gone, so will the monster be, Lunis imparted.
She lifted Inexorabilis over her head, preparing to slice through the tentacle they were racing toward. Sophia stood up atop her dragon, her legs pressing against him tightly to keep her balanced and upright.
With both her hands tightly around the hilt she let out a guttural yell, yanking the sword as a purple tentacle soared straight in her direction. Evil Hatch was going to make this easier for her by bringing its wild limbs to her.
The blade hit the tentacle, but unlike when it had cut through giant worms or dragon’s necks, it didn’t slice through. It didn’t even puncture the skin. Instead, the blade hit the tentacle like it was coated in reinforced steel and bounced back off, making every part of Sophia’s body vibrate like she’d struck the inside of a large bell in a clock tower.
She thought she could recover from the assault, but the combination of the wind and Lunis swerving to avoid colliding with another mad tentacle headed straight in their direction sent her off the side of her dragon. She dropped her sword. It went one way and she went the other, ungracefully falling down Lunis’ back and knocking into several spikes on his side and tail.
She was certain she’d fall to the churning water below, but at the last possible moment, she caught herself on his back leg.
Nice one, Lunis commented with relief. Good save.
“Thanks,” Sophia said, her legs flying out behind her as they soared high and then low to avoid colliding with the impenetrable tentacles. Sophia felt remorse about her sword that had fallen into the ocean below. She was more concerned with her survival, so she centered her attention on getting back up onto her dragon.
I’ll give you a boost, but you better be ready for it, Lunis told her.
“I don’t think we have time for me to get ready,” she disagreed, feeling her grip slipping. “Just do it.”
Here goes, he said, flicking his back leg back and up high.
Sophia released when at the top and surprised herself by doing a flip in midair. She came out just as she was over the saddle and slid down onto it like an acrobat in a trapeze act.
Well, that was impressive, Lunis said, swerving to avoid several attacks.
“It was totally unplanned,” Sophia said, leaning away as she came eye to eye with the angry octopus. It was like looking into a giant abyss full of death and destruction. She had no idea where this thing had come from or what had made it, but she’d figure that out after she stopped it from creating more upset in the Atlantic.
“What are we going to do now,” Sophia mused, looking around, hoping her sword was somewhere she could see—maybe floating on the water, pushed up from by Evil Hatch.
She knew it was a pipe dream. The sword would have sunk.
Survive, Lunis said, his word clipped as he dove around a large sucker inches from sucking off his face.
Sophia reached out, considering using her magic to summon the sword. Since she was bonded with Inexorabilis, she could draw the weapon to her.
No, don’t, Lunis exclaimed. Inexorabilis didn’t work anyway. Don’t waste your magic right now trying to summon it.
“Do you have another idea of how we can stop this beast?” she asked, thinking maybe his fire would work.
I don’t think fire will work, especially with the influx of rain. You do have another weapon that might work.
“I do?” Sophia questioned, chancing a glance down at her waist.
The ax. She’d forgotten about the ax they’d taken from the Unseelie fairy. There was a strange magical property about the weapon. Although the battle wasn’t a good time to tap an unknown object, she could still use it like she would any blade.
Yanking the ax out of her belt, she remembered how heavy it was. Thankfully it had a long handle, which would hopefully mean they didn’t have to get as close to the flying tentacles.
“Let’s give it another go,” Sophia stated, attempting to stand up again.
Okay, this is going to be a roller coaster ride, just so you know, Lunis said and then dipped into a ninety-degree dive toward the surface of the water.
A tentacle as big around as Sophia whipped up like a wall to stop their progress.
Sophia yelled, forcing all the air out of her lungs as she brought the ax down decisively. She half-expected to hit the tentacle and bounce off it like before. To her surprise, the ax sliced through cleanly, and the majority of the tentacle fell into the ocean.
Lunis used a burst of speed to avoid colliding with the broken-off tentacle as Evil Hatch screamed, its mouth opening wide, easily the size of a small vehicle.
Not wasting a moment, Lunis shot into the air, like climbing the hill of a roller coaster, giving Sophia perfect access to the neighboring tentacle. Fueled by her recent success, she swung the ax at the tentacle. She didn’t use as much force as before. It sliced through easily, splashing the tentacle down into the waters, now filling with crimson.
Lunis then dove, making Sophia’s stomach jump into her throat. Again and again, she swung the ax into the tentacles, nearly being hit in the head several times by the limbs. They were starting to slow down, making her job easier. The screams of the octopus were almost unbearable.
Thankfully, Sophia only had two more tentacles left, and they mostly flailed haphazardly, like a blind creature trying to feel its way forward. For a moment, Sophia felt sorry for the angry octopus. Maybe it had been confused, placed into a world where it didn’t belong, or maybe it was misunderstood. She didn’t know, but she had to think of others first, and the dangerous creature posed a risk to many and therefore had to go.
That was her last thought as she sliced through the final tentacle. It fell off the creature like a tree falling in the woods.
Timber, Lunis joked as the monster’s black eyes closed slowly before opening again. It opened its large slit of a mouth and mouthed two words that took Sophia by surprise.
She thought she was hearing things as Evil Hatch sank into the red water and slid under the tumultuous waves.
In case she had any doubt about what the octopus was saying, it repeated it several times, and the last time before its face sank below the surface, she heard it plainly and knew without a doubt.
“Thank you,” she heard Evil Hatch gurgle before it disappeared.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Shake it off, Lunis encouraged as they took a victory lap around the spot, which was red with blood and bubbling up with debris from the chaos.
Things were starting to calm, although that seemed strange to Sophia after slaughtering a very magical creature.
Two, Lunis corrected. If you count the Unseelie fairy. Those are pretty rare. That might have been the last of its kind. This Evil Hatch might have
been the only one of its kind.
“If you’re trying to make me feel better, it’s not working,” she grumbled, rolling her shoulders, which were already sore from swinging the heavy ax.
Soph, you did what you had to. Sometimes we have to take out spiders in the Australian outback who are posing a risk to our lives, only to find out they were the last of an almost extinct species.
“Seriously, this isn’t helping,” she muttered.
My point is, you did what you had to do. Look at how many you’ve probably saved, Lunis remarked.
Sophia glanced over her shoulder at the jets in the distance. They circled for a moment before zooming in the other direction, having determined the creature was no longer a danger to anyone.
Sticking the ax into her belt, she reached out and summoned the sword that had once belonged to her mother, Guinevere Beaufont. When Inexorabilis shot out of the water and the hilt landed in her hand, Sophia smiled with relief. She would have moved on if she’d lost this last and very important part of her mother, but that wasn’t a heartache she wanted to experience.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to. She and Inexorabilis would go on to fight another battle and slay more monsters.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Welcome to New York, Lunis sang as they entered the sprawling area of Manhattan.
“I’ve never been here,” Sophia said, overwhelmed by how much concrete there was. That was saying a lot, coming from a native Los Angeles girl.
So, we’re looking for holy ground, Lunis mused, looking around.
“Should we try a church?” Sophia questioned.
Well, sure, he said, mischief in his tone. Do you want to narrow down the hundreds of thousands of options?
Sophia pursed her lips. “Yeah, good point.”
She pulled the pouch of magic beans from her pocket. “Didn’t Mama Jamba say these would help us to find the right area?” she asked.
Yeah, maybe they are little magic compasses, he teased.
Sophia emptied the contents of the pouch into the palm of her hand. She was underwhelmed by how ordinary the beans looked. They were…just beans. There was nothing special about their brown color or hard texture. Sophia didn’t know how something so normal could help them to find the holy ground they were looking for.
Maybe any church will do, Lunis reasoned.
Sophia pulled her gaze away from the beans to the skyline of New York City. “Well, over there I see a cathedral. Take us in that direction.”
You got it, Uber customer, Lunis said with a laugh.
“Hah-ha,” Sophia stated, closing her fingers tight around the beans, not wanting to lose any as Lunis flew forward toward the church.
When they were over the grassy cemetery and grounds of the church, she dared to open her fingers again, expecting them to have changed.
They hadn’t.
The beans simply rolled around in her palm like any old beans would do.
Well, any bright ideas? Lunis questioned.
“Nope,” she said with defeat. “I guess we turn around and go back to the Gullington.”
Very funny, he said, not sounding amused. How about instead we continue to fly around New York City, and you tell me if the beans do something?
“Like jump around?” she asked.
Or hum or glow or whatever Mama Jamba said they might do.
“I’ll let you know,” Sophia said, patting her dragon. “Don’t you think you could use a break? Like, a pit stop to get some water or something?”
Yes, like a donut, maybe, Lunis agreed, inhaling deeply. The smells of New York City are intoxicating.
“I think that’s the smell of sewage bubbling up from the underground.” Sophia chuckled.
I don’t know about you, but I smell curry, Lunis declared, gliding toward a busy street, glamouring himself as he neared pedestrians.
Mortals could see dragons, but it didn’t mean they needed to.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Cornelia Street,” Sophia said when they touched down on the pavement of a narrow road lined with tall buildings full of shops and restaurants.
Lunis had covered himself in glamour, thankfully not attracting the attention of those enjoying meals on the patio of the nearest café.
It was better if they saw him as something less interesting, like a drone in the sky or a Volkswagen bug on the street.
So, you want a donut? Sophia asked, gauging the options available to them. There were many different venues with colorful fronts and awnings hanging over the outdoor areas.
This didn’t seem like a place where they could plant the beans. For the most part, it was concrete. There were a few patches of ground, but they were tiny and usually filled with a stick-straight tree that looked to be struggling to grow among the smog and pavement.
Those are pee spots, Lunis offered, indicating the closest patch of dirt that had gotten Sophia’s attention. She was so used to seeing the green rolling hills of the Gullington that to be surrounded by so much gray hurt her heart. It didn’t feel natural and made her want to return to the Expanse, where the green was overwhelming.
How is that? Sophia asked him, glad they were talking telepathically so she didn’t look like she was talking to her car.
That’s where the people of New York City take their dogs to pee, Lunis explained.
As he did, Sophia noticed a man with a small poodle stopping off at a tree down the road. The dog hiked its leg and peed on the twig-like tree before they trotted on.
Oh, wow, she stated. I guess that’s what you have to do when you pave every part of Mother Nature in the name of industry and urban development.
Yeah, it’s definitely different than what we’re used to, Lunis said as they strode down the road toward a bakery in the distance.
Lunis halted, looking down at Sophia. Do you hear that?
How could I not? she asked. It’s overwhelming.
She, of course, was referring to the helicopters overhead, the sirens in the distance, and the honking. All the noises of the city competing for her attention.
Lunis shook his head. That gentle buzzing.
Sophia’s eyes slid to the right as she concentrated. Over the orchestra of chaotic noise, she did hear the faintest sound. It was coming from her hand.
Opening her palm, she noticed to her utter surprise the magic beans were glowing.
Turning in a complete circle, she surveyed Cornelia Street.
Is there a church here? she asked, looking around.
It didn’t appear so.
The holy spot they are supposed to be planted in must be close, Lunis offered.
She nodded. We walk on?
Absolutely, he answered.
The pair walked down Cornelia street, Lunis watching that Sophia didn’t get hit by a pedestrian or traffic while she kept her eyes trained on the beans in her hands.
As they progressed, the beans began to hum louder and glow brightly, bouncing slightly in her hand.
After several yards, the beans glowed so brightly they hurt Sophia’s eyes. They hummed so intensely she squinted.
The spot must be close, she said, halting and searching around. There’s no church, though, or anything else that could be considered holy ground. Just shops and bars and stuff.
Lunis cleared his throat. Oh, Soph. I get it.
She glanced up at him. What do you mean?
It’s hole-y ground, he explained. Not holy ground.
Furrowing her brow at him, she blinked, trying to understand what he meant.
He pointed his chin down, indicating with his eyes. Hole-y ground. See.
She followed his gaze and saw what he was talking about.
On the side of the pavement was a small patch of dirt. A tiny stick-like tree had been pulled up, probably because it had died. In the broken dirt were a bunch of holes where the roots had come out.
Oh, Sophia exclaimed, having to close her fingers to keep the magic beans from jumping loose. It’s hole-y ground, n
ot holy ground.
Exactly, Lunis stated with pride.
That tricky, tricky woman, Sophia said, kneeling by the patch of broken earth. She opened her hand and had no doubt this was where the magic beans should be planted. She wasn’t sure what they’d produce or why, but she trusted the sneaky woman who was Mother Earth enough to do as she was told without question.
With a heart hopeful that the magic beans would bring goodness to this dead piece of earth, Sophia gently laid them in the soil. She was going to help cover them with dirt, but they sank into the ground, disappearing at once.
Looking up, she gave Lunis a surprised expression. Well, I guess we’re done.
He nodded. Now I think we deserve that donut…or twelve.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Gorgeous, Lunis remarked when they had flown through the Barrier over the Gullington. The grassy hills were a nice contrast to the gray streets of New York City.
Sophia too was grateful to be home. Her home reunion was short-lived because as soon as she landed, she got a message from Mortimer.
I have information. Please come to Roya Lane to see me.
Well, it looks like you won’t be getting a nap and a bubble bath like you wanted, Lunis stated.
She gave him a curt look after dismounting. “I believe that’s what you wanted.”
I can’t argue with that, he said, sauntering in the direction of the Nest. I’m going to Netflix for ages. Do call on me once I’ve rested so we can adventure through peril and fight strange magical creatures.
“Will do,” Sophia said, realizing she wouldn’t have a chance to change before heading off. Or see Wilder, not that she knew where he was or even if he was at the Castle.
Maybe he didn’t want to see her, she told herself. They were still so new, and there was all this pressure and so many impulses to run. Well, she had those impulses, but they were real, and not giving into them was hard. Most days, she had the fleeting feeling to throw away her life and change her name, erase her identity, and become a barista at Starbucks. Her life wouldn’t be easy, but it would be different. She would have fewer worries but more demands, since making coffee at breakneck speed seemed harder than riding a dragon, but it was all relative she reasoned.
