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

by Sarah Noffke

  Lunis shot all his fire in one hot and fast blast. It wasn’t long, but it was all that he had, having concentrated his efforts. When he closed his mouth, the blue dragon sank a few inches, having lost a considerable amount of energy. At first, nothing happened. The glacier hadn’t melted immediately, turning into water. It hadn’t done anything. It was almost like it hadn’t worked at all, which meant they needed to figure out another plan.

  Then there was a huge crack that echoed all around them like thunder in the sky. It created another set of cracks like an avalanche. The front of the iceberg broke off, falling into the sea and sending frigid water into the air, but thankfully not high enough to reach them.

  The floe didn’t melt all at once. It didn’t sink into the ocean as they’d expected. Instead, it split in half like a door opening, and it parted neatly, creating an exit.

  Like an opened flood gate, the baby narwhals instantly started swimming through the gap, excitement in their every movement. Sophia glanced down, watching reunions happening all around them.

  Adult narwhals surfaced all over the Arctic Ocean, splashing and making noises she could only characterize as ones of relief and joy.

  The two halves of the glacier continued to move farther apart as the last of the baby narwhals spilled through the opening. It was time to put things back together.

  Sophia looked at Liv and Rudolf with an expression that said, “Now it’s your turn.”

  Liv nodded, standing confidently and sturdily on the floating magic carpet. It was up to the unlikely pair to fix the ancient and irreplaceable glacier.

  Chapter Ninety-Three

  Without Rudolf having to say it, Liv knew what her part of this job was. She needed to guide the pieces back together after the last baby narwhal had left. Then it would be up to Rudolf to seal it into a whole.

  Standing firmly beside the king of the fae, Liv looked at the two halves drifting in opposite directions. She held up both hands and focused with all her being, knowing that it would take a huge amount of magic to pull the two structures back together.

  She gritted her teeth, trying with all her might to stop the glaciers from sailing in opposite directions. Beside her, she felt Rudolf’s attention on her. He knew what she had to do and just like she couldn’t help him with his job, he couldn’t do anything. Only watch and wait.

  The ice floes halted with an enormous lurch, sending water splashing sharply over the sides from the stopped momentum.

  Liv had done it.

  Well, she’d done half of her job. She’d stopped their progress. The next part was even more critical and challenging, and Liv didn’t know if she had the strength to draw the vast glaciers back together.

  Her knees felt weak. Her breath was short. The cold was quickly draining her.

  She needed help.

  Chapter Ninety-Four

  There was being confident in your friends and family, and there was recognizing when they needed help.

  Liv had been through so much. The baby was taking her reserves. Sophia knew that if she didn’t step in, they would fail. It was too big a job for one pregnant magician who needed her reserves.

  Holding out both her hands, copying Liv’s movements, Sophia focused on drawing one side of the glacier to the other. It had stopped drifting the other way, but now it needed to come back together.

  At first, it didn’t move. Then, as though it was trying to make up for lost progress, it sailed back the direction it had come like it wanted to reunite with its other half. The work was draining. Sophia at her full strength couldn’t have imagined Liv drawing both halves together.

  Yet, Sophia knew that once the half she was responsible for was in place, she wasn’t going to be able to do much more. Her reserves would be low, especially after lending so much to Lunis so that he could use his fire magic.

  When her half of the glacier was back where it had been, Sophia lowered her hands and slumped, not even having the energy to look at Liv to see if she knew that she had to take over for a moment. Sophia was so drained. She closed her eyes, knowing that she needed a moment to recharge. Otherwise, she’d be worthless.

  Chapter Ninety-Five

  Tears prickled in Liv’s eyes. Her little sister had come to her rescue and just in time. If she hadn’t pulled the other half of the iceberg back into place, then all would have been lost. It was simply too much for Liv.

  But Sophia had done it. Now it was up to Liv to do the rest.

  She directed all her focus on the glacier, finding a motivation deep inside her to complete this challenge. It was a new one and connected to her fear. Liv realized at that moment that it was also becoming her strength.

  She’d worried about having a child. She was still. However, she was no longer worried about being a mother. She’d watched the narwhals trying to rescue their baby and knew that feeling instinctively. Liv might not know how to parent, but she knew how to protect. Taking care of her child would come as easily as her job as a Warrior. She’d know how to be a mother. Somehow…some way…

  With a shaking hand, Liv sent a huge force of magic at the other half of the glacier. It didn’t drift back in the direction in which it came. It soared across the gap and attached to its other half straight away, like the narwhal babies that had reunited with their parents.

  Once the two halves were up against each other, Liv lowered her hand, feeling light even after the considerable feat. Now the next and final part was up to King Rudolf Sweetwater.

  Chapter Ninety-Six

  The look of concentration on Rudolf’s face was so different from his normal jovial expression. Sophia watched as he lifted his hands, but not focusing as she and Liv had done. He looked like he was the conductor of a symphony, about to start a show.

  A great cracking sound filled the air.

  The air suddenly grew thicker as if the water molecules in it had all turned to ice, making it harder to breathe.

  Sophia felt frost forming on her face and looked down to see ice growing like fungus on her cloak. She stiffened but realized that she was simply experiencing a byproduct of Rudolf’s extensive use of magic.

  The two parts of the glacier were sewing back together, becoming one again. Even more impressive was that the hole the poachers had dug in the center to cage the narwhals was refilling. The glacier was becoming anew.

  The fae was repairing all the damage. It wasn’t an easy feat, but with the help of three other incredibly strong magical beings and some impressive teamwork, it was happening.

  It didn’t take as long as Sophia would have expected for a single man to repair a one-hundred-thousand-year-old glacier. When he finished, there was no evidence that it had ever been damaged.

  Rudolf casually lowered his hands and let out a breath that looked like a cloud of mist. He turned and smiled at Liv and Sophia, relief flooding his eyes.

  That instance reminded Sophia of how a few people could save the world. It didn’t take much. It only took the concerted effort of a small group who would rather lose a little of themselves to save the greater good.

  The world might not know what they’d done that day, but Sophia knew, and it reminded her of why she regularly risked her life. It was worth it. The world would always be worth saving—no matter what.

  Chapter Ninety-Seven

  “I need nachos,” Liv said when she stepped off the magic flying carpet back onto the ship. She was so happy to be on a more stable surface that she looked ready to kiss the deck.

  “I need a hot fudge sundae,” Sophia added, sliding off Lunis after also landing on The Serena.

  “I’ll take a chili cheese hotdog,” Lunis supplied, shaking out his wings before folding them against his body.

  “I could really go for some green beans,” Rudolf stated.

  All eyes turned to him, regarding him with disbelief.

  “Seriously?” Liv questioned. “We’re all zapped of our magic after that ordeal and need a substantial amount of calories to refill reserves, and you want green b
eans?”

  “Or edamame,” Rudolf answered.

  “Good thing he’s good-looking,” Lunis muttered loudly to Sophia.

  Liv shook her head. “I wonder if Uber Eats delivers out here?”

  Rudolf scratched his head. “If so the food would probably be cold by the time we got it.”

  “I was joking, you Cracker Jack,” Liv retorted.

  Sophia pulled a protein bar from her cloak. “You want this, Liv?”

  Her sister eyed the chocolate chip protein bar like it was a steak dinner, then shook her head, seeming to shake off the longing. “No, you have it.”

  Sophia opened the bar and broke it in half, handing it over to Liv.

  Reluctantly, her sister took it, knowing that she was no good to anyone if she passed out from low magical reserves. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, can I have some of that?” Rudolf asked.

  Sophia nodded, breaking her half in half and handing it over to the king of the fae. They all ate their cold protein bar pieces in silence.

  “I think I’ll go eat a penguin.” Lunis scanned the area, trying to decide which was the best direction to take off to find such a thing.

  “This isn’t that bad,” Rudolf said in between bites. “I mean, it’s probably not as good as one of the meals that the five-star Michelin chef on the lower deck of this ship could make us.”

  Liv slowly lowered the rest of her protein bar. Sophia stopped chewing. Lunis’ mouth dropped open.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” Liv nearly yelled. “You have a personal chef on this ship?”

  Rudolf continued to eat his part of the protein bar. “Yeah, Sergio. He makes the best…well, I don’t know what they are, but they’re like little clouds of heaven dripping in a sauce made of angels.”

  “He’s here now?” Sophia asked in disbelief.

  Rudolf nodded. “Yeah, he’s always on The Serena. I make him live here. I can’t stand having to make my own grilled cheeses when we take boat rides.”

  Liv glanced at Sophia and back at Rudolf and once more at her sister. “Should I kill him or do you want to?”

  “I’d actually like that honor.” Lunis bared his teeth at the fae.

  “Oh, do you guys want Sergio to make us some food?” Rudolf asked, confused.

  Liv rolled her eyes. “No, after melting ancient ice, freeing a bunch of narwhal babies, and fusing a glacier back together, we’d like a stale protein bar.”

  “Me too!” Rudolf exclaimed. “I never get to eat commoner food. You guys all have handy food that’s easy on the go.” He sighed. “I’m always forced to eat at candlelit tables with the finest linens and choke down filet mignons and saffron-infused potatoes with truffle sauce. It’s so annoying.”

  “Sounds horrible,” Liv stated dryly.

  “Seriously, I could eat him, and no one would know,” Lunis offered.

  Sophia shook her head. “We would know.” She glanced at Liv. “You want to head to the lower deck and get some braised lamb and roasted duck?”

  “I’ll race you.” Liv started for the main hatch that led to the lower deck of The Serena.

  Sophia gave Lunis a pleading expression. “Will you stay up here and keep an eye out for when Heathcliff returns? I’ll bring you a rack of lamb.”

  “And some chocolate mousse,” he added. “Of course. You two get some food. I’ll ensure that King One Brain Cell steers the ship back in the right direction.”

  “Thanks, Lun.” Sophia smiled over her shoulder at her dragon. Her stomach rumbled something awful. She hoped there was bread with warm butter—a crusty baguette. If so, she would eat all of it and still have plenty of room for some dinner, dessert, and more dessert.

  Chapter Ninety-Eight

  Feeling a thousand percent better, Liv and Sophia made their way back up to the main deck after filling up on cheesy tartiflette, rich phyllo-wrapped beef Wellington, lobster fra Diavolo, chocolate truffle layer cake, and lots and lots of bread.

  Sophia had one of the waiters bring up a rack of lamb for Lunis, only lightly seared—the way he liked it. Liv told the waiter to pass along a few insults from her to Rudolf when he was on the upper deck.

  Based on the broad grin on the fae’s face when the sisters met him and Lunis up top, the waiter hadn’t complied. Or, as was more likely was the case, Rudolf had taken the insults as compliments.

  Lunis licked his chops as Sophia arrived beside him, looking much more content than when she left him.

  “Feeling better?” He looked her over.

  “I feel like I ate an entire cow.” She held her stomach but was grateful for the fullness. It would fuel her for whatever she had to do next, which was always a surprise.

  “I’ve eaten an entire cow before, and if you did, you’d be asleep right now,” Lunis offered with a laugh.

  Liv patted her stomach while smiling wide. “It wasn’t nachos, but it was delicious.”

  “Sergio could have made you nachos,” Rudolf stated. “He makes these spa nachos for Serena. Instead of chips, he uses slices of cauliflower, and instead of cheese he uses a nut paste, and instead of jalapenos he uses—”

  “Stop murdering my soul,” Liv interrupted.

  “They’re delicious and good for you,” Rudolf argued, looking offended.

  “Instead of joy, does he use pain and torment?” Lunis questioned quite seriously.

  Liv laughed. “Good one, Thomas.”

  “I don’t know if this is of interest to any of you,” Rudolf began, squinting in the distance, his hand over his eyes. “A flying monkey carrying a shiny gravy dish is headed our way.”

  Liv and Sophia both jerked their heads up to find the winged otter flying in their direction, a golden genie lamp in his front paws.

  “That’s not a flying monkey, you special needs chimp,” Liv said in a rush. “That’s Heathcliff.”

  “That’s not a gravy dish,” Sophia corrected. “That’s Stan’s genie lamp.”

  Rudolf deflated, looking disappointed. “Oh, so no gravy then, huh?”

  “There’s a five-star Michelin chef below deck,” Liv stated blankly.

  “Yeah, but he makes it all fancy, and I like it like the stuff they make at KFC,” Rudolf whined.

  Sophia shook her head. “Hey, that genie’s lamp will have Stan in it,” she said to the fae.

  His face transformed. “It will be nice to hear how he’s been. I wonder what he’s been doing?”

  Liv lowered her chin and regarded him with hooded eyes. “He’s been locked in a lamp at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.”

  “Oh,” Rudolf groaned. “That sounds boring.”

  “He’s been at the bottom of the sea because that’s where you put him,” Sophia added because the fae didn’t seem to be putting two and two together.

  “Right!” Rudolf exclaimed, fear springing to his face. “Well, I better be off then. Don’t want to be murdered today. Or any other day. Bye ladies. Bye silly guy.” He waved at Lunis. “I love your costume.”

  Then the fae opened a portal and disappeared as Heathcliff landed on the deck and dutifully handed the genie’s lamp to Liv.

  It was finally time to make the wish and hope that it saved her and Stefan’s baby.

  Chapter Ninety-Nine

  Sophia spied the nervousness in Liv’s every movement as she reached down and took the lamp from Heathcliff. Having completed his job, the winged otter flew up to the mainmast and perched next to Beatrix.

  “Remember that wording is key,” Sophia urged.

  Liv nodded, holding the golden lamp that was encrusted with turquoise and red jewels. She gripped it by the handle and looked it over. After bringing her other hand to the shiny surface, Liv hesitated. Sophia knew that so much was riding on what happened next. If this didn’t work, who knew what would happen to Liv’s and Stefan’s baby?

  “I think that you might as well not throw away two wishes,” Lunis interrupted, making both Beaufonts suddenly look up at the blue dragon.

  “You don’t,
do you?” Liv asked. A smile whisked to her face, taking over from the tension.

  “Well, I know you can’t risk it and shouldn’t make three wishes,” Lunis continued.

  “Because of that whole not wanting to be murdered by the genie thing?” Liv teased.

  “Yeah, that,” he answered. “But there’s no reason to waste a perfectly good wish before you chuck the genie’s lamp back in the ocean.”

  Liv considered him for a moment. “Well, I have everything I want. A fantastic family, a gorgeous husband, my dream job. Sure, I’d love world peace, but according to the genie handbook, you can’t wish for that.”

  “World peace would put you out of a job, anyway,” Lunis replied.

  “I’d wish for Trudy to be returned safely,” Liv stated.

  “Or the Rogue Riders’ treachery to stop,” Sophia added.

  Lunis shook his head. “Neither of those can be wished for, not with confidence. There are too many variables that can go wrong depending on how the genie fulfills the requests. It could backfire. Fixing an unborn child isn’t as risky because you have nothing left to lose. However, Trudy could be freed and put on a deserted island where we still can’t find her. The Rogue Riders might be stopped by a worse evil we then have to fight.”

  Sophia and Liv exchanged nervous glances. That was the risk of genie magic. It wasn’t as straightforward as most thought. One could wish for a million dollars and get it, only to find out that it’s in an offshore account they can’t get to. Or one might wish to get a mansion, only to discover that it’s made out of marshmallow. Genies were cruel and mischievous creatures, probably because they’d been enslaved for so long. Time alone in a lamp allowed them to craft all sorts of diabolical ways to mess with their would-be masters.