Reconciliation Of Hate (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 11)

by Sarah Noffke

  He strode around the desk, disbelief on this face. “Where was it?”

  “In the Castle,” she remarked, the book pressed to her chest with her other hand.

  Mama Jamba chuckled at her back.

  Hiker rolled his eyes while taking the dangling red velvet pouch from her. “Very funny. I knew it was in the Castle. I was inquiring as to where you found it specifically.”

  “That’s the curious part,” Sophia began. “Didn’t you say that Oscar Beaufont had given it to you?”

  Hiker opened the pouch using the drawstrings and peered inside.

  “Is it there?” Mama Jamba asked absentmindedly, thumbing through a Rick Steve’s travel book on Naples: the Amalfi Coast.

  He sighed in relief and nodded. “Yeah, it’s here.”

  “What’s there?” Sophia dared to peer forward.

  Hiker snatched the pouch away and shook his head. “None of your business.”

  “Cool,” Sophia said casually. “I’ll remember that the next time you want me to go on a treasure hunt.”

  “Good,” he growled. “Do that. I’ll throw you out of the Castle the next time you mouth off to me.”

  “Are you back to making that threat after all this time?” Mama Jamba asked, grabbing a sticky note from beside her and marking a page.

  He nodded. “I never quit. It’s only that this lot quit taking me seriously when I’d try to fire them and throw them out on their butts.”

  Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. She remembered the first time that Hiker had told her she wasn’t with the Dragon Elite anymore and told her to leave the Gullington. She’d thought he was serious and almost left. Then she learned that he fired Ainsley regularly and was always tossing Evan out of the Castle. Everyone always returned because it was an empty threat.

  “Back to my question.” Sophia decided she didn’t need to know what was in the pouch. She simply felt relieved and proud that she’d found it—and also a handwritten journal, supposedly written by her ancestor, Oscar Beaufont. Sophia hadn’t had a chance to read anything in it. She’d peeled it open a tiny bit with the binding still around it to check that it was what she thought it was—a journal. “You said that Oscar Beaufont gave you that pouch, right?”

  Hiker closed the red velvet sack and slid it carefully into his pocket. He nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “Yet, you couldn’t find it, right?” Sophia continued to question.

  “Yeah, it had been in my office the last time I had it,” Hiker answered. “Where did you find it?”

  “That’s the curious part,” Sophia began. “It was in a locked safe inside Oscar Beaufont’s study.”

  Hiker’s eyes registered his surprise. “Oscar’s study? I haven’t seen that room in ages…not for centuries, I’d say. I didn’t know it still existed.”

  “I was surprised when I stumbled upon it too,” Sophia stated. “It was right after you asked me to look for the pouch.”

  “You said it was in his safe?” Hiker questioned.

  “Yes, which means the Castle must have put it there,” Sophia reasoned. “I mean, if the last place you had the pouch was in your office.”

  Hiker nodded. “Yeah, I figured the bloody Castle was behind taking it, but who knows why? I never know why it does half the stuff it does, but I’m relieved you found the…well, the thing I was looking for.”

  Sophia was sure that Hiker was about to slip and reveal the object in the pouch accidentally, but he’d caught himself. “I think I might know why it took the pouch and put it in Oscar Beaufont’s safe.”

  Hiker simply glared at her, an expression that seemed to say, “Go on,” written on his face.

  “The Castle must have assumed that you’d ask me to find the watch when you couldn’t,” Sophia said slyly.

  He shook his head. “Nice try. It’s not a watch. I’m not following you.”

  “Well, I think the Castle wanted me to find this.” Sophia held up the leather-bound journal.

  Hiker blinked at the book in confusion. “What is that?”

  “I think it’s Oscar Beaufont’s journal,” Sophia answered. “It was the only other thing in the safe. Quiet gave me the key earlier. It goes to reason that he knew I’d be looking for the pouch and wanted me to find this.”

  Hiker reached for the journal, but Sophia pulled it back. He gave her a punishing look.

  “Let me see it,” he demanded.

  “I think the Castle wanted me to find it and read the contents,” Sophia argued.

  “That was an order,” Hiker stated angrily.

  “She’s right, son.” Mama Jamba put another sticky note on a page in the travel book.

  “Stay out of this,” he argued.

  “I won’t,” she said stubbornly. “I think your reasoning is sound, Sophia. The Castle wanted you to find the journal but didn’t have another way for you to search. So it took Hiker’s object that it knew he’d want soon and hid it in the safe with the thing you were to find. Great detective skills.”

  Sophia pressed her lips together. “The question is why.”

  “If you’d let me see the journal, I might be able to help,” Hiker seethed.

  “If you let me see what’s in the velvet bag, I’ll let you see the journal,” Sophia offered.

  Hiker cut his gaze to Mama Jamba, who was giggling again. “No deal.”

  “Well, then there’s your answer,” Sophia said firmly.

  Striding back around his desk, Hiker shook his head. “Fine. Let me know if you learn anything of interest.”

  “I will,” Sophia stated, not moving. “Let me know how the compass works.”

  He lifted his head and gave her an annoyed look. “It’s not a compass.”

  Sophia tapped the journal. “Well, maybe at least you’ll tell me a little about Oscar Beaufont.”

  Hiker sighed and relented a little. “He was a dragonrider.”

  Sophia laughed. “Okay, I guess I deserved that.”

  “For the Dragon Elite,” Hiker added.

  “Incredibly helpful, sir.”

  Hiker’s beard twitched from the subtle smile on his face. “Adam was my second in command, but Oscar Beaufont was my third. Incredibly dependable and brave. Also a very good friend.”

  “Were you ever going to tell me that my ancestor was a friend of yours and dragonrider?” Sophia questioned.

  He shrugged and sat. “Not really. It didn’t pertain to you. Then I lost the…thing and realized you might be able to help.”

  “Yes, the mysterious thing.” Sophia pretended to be annoyed, but she was more amused at that point.

  Hiker nodded. “Anyway, Oscar was many things, but what he was most valuable for, well, it wasn’t something most knew about him...” He let the sentence die, hesitation on his face.

  “Are you going to tell me or should I ask the Castle to steal the pouch back from your pocket?” Sophia threatened.

  Reflexively, Hiker’s hand went protectively to his pocket. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “I would,” Sophia fired back.

  “The Castle can take something out of your pocket or pretty much anywhere it likes,” Mama Jamba added, continuing to page through Rick Steve’s book on the Amalfi Coast.

  “I know that,” Hiker said through clenched teeth. He let out a long breath and sat back in his seat. “Fine. I’ll tell you. I’m not sure it matters at this point. Your ancestor, my friend Oscar Beaufont, was a seer.”

  Sophia tensed. She hadn’t realized there were any seers in her family. Many times it was genetic and showed up every few generations, but because most regarded it as such a taboo and disgraceful ability, they often hid it.

  “Based on your expression, I guess you didn’t know you had a seer in the family,” Hiker observed.

  Sophia nodded and pressed the journal more firmly to her chest.

  “Anyway, I don’t know what’s in the contents of Oscar’s journal,” Hiker admitted, indicating the book. “I’d guess that it includes a few prophe
cies. He didn’t often tell me of the visions he saw, but he did a couple of times, and they always came to pass.”

  “And the Castle wanted me to find this book,” Sophia said, mostly to herself.

  “There’s probably a prophecy in there that pertains to the Beaufonts,” Hiker stated. “Or maybe something to do with the Rogue Riders.” He shrugged. “Or it could be a family history. Do let me know when you find something of interest, although I’m getting tired of the Castle giving you books that really should belong to me.”

  “He was my ancestor,” Sophia argued.

  “I realize that, but he was my dragonrider,” Hiker countered. “And my friend.”

  “Well, if I come across a book from one of your relatives, I’ll be sure to hand it over.” Sophia winked.

  A sliver of a smile danced in Hiker’s eyes. “Thanks, but I doubt that will happen.” He pulled himself closer to his desk and indicated the door. “That journal isn’t going to read itself. Go on then.”

  Sophia shook her head at the leader of the Dragon Elite. “Yeah, okay.”

  “Thanks for finding the thing I was looking for,” Hiker said as she turned to the door.

  “Well, I know how important those cufflinks were to you,” Sophia teased, winking at Mama Jamba.

  Hiker didn’t reply, only huffed with annoyance.

  When Sophia was at the office door, she paused and regarded Mother Nature. “Those travel books are written by a mortal. Why would you use them for reference when… Well, you know?”

  Mama Jamba pressed the book open to keep her place as she glanced up at Sophia. “It’s all about perspective. I might have created a place, but I want to know how others view it to shape my adventures. I thought that Antarctica was a beautiful place, but after reading about others’ perspectives of it, I realize that it might not be everyone’s favorite.”

  Sophia pursed her lips and nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “Oh, and also, I want to know the best places to eat and drink,” Mama Jamba stated. “The travel experts know that. You can create the planet, but that doesn’t mean you know where the best pasta places are.”

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Although Sophia looked forward to diving into Oscar Beaufont’s journal, she didn’t have an opportunity to open it. As soon as she left Hiker’s office, her phone began vibrating, stealing her attention. The call was much more of a priority than learning about an ancestor’s prophecy or discovering any family history.

  “Hey,” Sophia said, knowing that Liv was on the other side of the line. “What’s going on?”

  “Not a whole lot,” Liv replied over the phone. “I ate Indian food for every single meal for the last few days, and I’m pretty sure I’m sweating out curry at this point.”

  “How do you feel?” Sophia didn’t want to ask about her obvious concern.

  “I have an awful headache, but I’m sure that will pass.”

  “Oh, probably from hormones,” Sophia guessed, striding for her room.

  “Maybe,” Liv replied. “But also could be from an orc that tried to take me out today. That guy had horrible aim, which was to my advantage, but dude, could he scream. My eardrums are still ringing.”

  Sophia tossed Oscar Beaufont’s journal on her desk upon entering her room and immediately started to pace from worry. “Are you sure that you should be working cases for the House of Fourteen? Maybe Rory was right.”

  “Rory isn’t right,” Liv stated. “He never is. I remind him of that regularly. Besides, this wasn’t connected to a case for the House of Fourteen. It was some creep I caught breaking into the pawnshop down the street from John’s electronic repair store.”

  “Wow, that’s crazy,” Sophia offered, continuing to pace.

  “Total cray-cray,” Liv answered. “That just goes to show you that I should keep working for the House of Fourteen because trouble will follow me around regardless of whether I’m conducting my Warrior duties or not. So I might as well be doing something to make the magical world a better place.”

  Sophia nodded, not saying anything.

  “Don’t worry, Soph. I’m careful, and everything is going to be fine.”

  Slumping into her chair, Sophia let out a long breath. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I hope your headache goes away.”

  “I hope the orc problem goes away,” Liv related. “Otherwise, the headaches will keep coming back.”

  “I’m sure it was a rogue orc and it won’t be a continuous problem.”

  Liv didn’t sound so sure. “I don’t know. There are a few things out of whack around town and by that, I mean the planet.”

  Sophia sat forward. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Liv answered. “Some want to believe it’s because the criminals in the mortal world are overrunning cities.”

  “I’m working on stopping the Rogue Riders,” Sophia argued.

  “I know,” Liv said with confidence. “I didn’t say that’s what I believe. The Rogue Riders are only part of the problem. Criminals are getting cocky, acting like they own things because they think they’re invincible. There’s also the fact that we’re down a Warrior for the House of Fourteen.”

  “Which is also my problem,” Sophia said heavily.

  “Our problem,” Liv corrected. “We’ll fix it together. First, I need your help with something.”

  “Sure.” Sophia wondered if she needed to quell the Council’s fears again. Or maybe this was about Clark and how she and Liv usually went in on a Christmas present for him. “What is it?”

  “I need to locate Stan.” Liv suddenly sounded serious.

  Sophia rose to her feet, automatically feeling outside herself. “Your…”

  The breath Liv released riffed over the phone. “Yeah, Renswick just gave me the results. It appears that the baby has a predominance of demon blood. The antidote didn’t cross from Stefan so the blood was passed on and has taken over. If we don’t make a wish using the genie’s lamp, I’ll give birth to a demon.”

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Liv hadn’t wanted Sophia’s apologies and sympathies. She knew that about her sister. What Liv wanted was a solution. There was no point wasting energy on regret when they needed to focus on changing the future. That’s why Sophia worked to keep the remorse on her face corralled when she met Liv outside the circus where Bermuda Laurens still kept her magical creatures—educating the mortal world about the strange and exotic animals.

  “You know, in my next life, I’m going to run away with the circus.” Liv looked very much out of place as she and Sophia strolled through the magical circus’ straw-covered grounds. Performers dressed in bright colors and practicing their various acts stopped to stare at the sisters as they made their way to the big top at the back.

  In contrast to the jugglers wearing orange spandex and tossing bowling pins in the air, Liv and Sophia wore long black traveling cloaks, their swords strapped to their sides.

  “Oh, really?” Sophia questioned. “I never took you for a circus person.”

  Liv shot her a look of offense. “I heart the circus. Where else can you go and be dazzled by amazing acts and reminded about the fun of magic?”

  Sophia gave her sister a surprised look. “You’re sort of sounding dreamy and romantic.”

  The Warrior slumped. “I know. It’s the hormones. I cried last night.”

  Wanting to hug her sister, Sophia pressed her lips together. “That’s understandable. You’ve got a lot going on, and this news is a big deal.”

  Liv laughed. “Oh, I didn’t cry because I’ve got a demon baby. That’s a point of honor at this point. How many people can say that they’re carrying a demon around? I’m probably the first. I cried because Clark finished the Oreo cheesecake and didn’t leave me any.”

  “That was so rude of him,” Sophia said, shocked by her brother’s behavior when he was usually so thoughtful.

  “Well,” Liv drew out the word. “I had told him that he could when he asked because I’d already ea
ten half of it for lunch and most of the rest of it for dinner. So I figured he could have the last piece. But he should have known when I said, ‘You can have the rest’ that I was lying.” She stopped and looked at Sophia quite seriously. “I hadn’t even had dessert.”

  Sophia giggled. “You poor thing. I can see why that made you cry.”

  Liv joined her, chuckling as they continued. “You should have seen Clark’s face when I cried. I thought he was going to make another Oreo cheesecake to make things better.”

  “Poor guy,” Sophia said. “I can appreciate your thoughts on the circus. It’s such a great place. I’m glad to see a small traveling one like this still operating. I thought it was sort of a dying art form.”

  Liv nodded. “Thanks to YouTube and millennials, it sort of is. People can’t be bothered to leave their house to watch acts when they can get fat on their couch and watch it on a screen. And what’s cool about a woman flying through the air when you can watch funny cat videos?”

  Sophia smiled at her sister. “I realize now you have strong feelings on this subject.”

  Liv waved at two pairs of acrobats who were standing on each other’s shoulders. They glanced at the magicians like they were the freaks and didn’t return the gesture. “I mean, these art forms have been passed down through families for centuries. These guys have a lifestyle that most can’t fathom, living on the road and traveling from city to city all to bring entertainment to people. Most of them don’t even have healthcare. They settle for less to do what they love. I wish people like that were better rewarded.”

  Sophia shot her sister another look of surprise. “Wow, I had no idea you harbored this kind of passion for these things.”

  “I didn’t either.” Liv shook her head. “Stefan thinks my emotions are going to the extreme opposite of evil to preserve my wellbeing and make up for what the demon baby would be doing to me otherwise.”

  “That makes sense,” Sophia offered, not having thought about the actual physical and emotional implications of having a demon baby inside a person. “It’s pretty impressive that your body and mind seem to know how to react to preserve you.”