Arbitrate or Die (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  After not eating lunch and waiting for word about Mahkah, Sophia found herself back on the Expanse. Hiker wasn’t at lunch, and his office door was shut. No one seemed to know what was going on with Mahkah, although Ainsley said she thought he’d be okay.

  Too consumed with thoughts about what hurt the rider and his dragon, Sophia couldn’t eat any of her cock-a-leekie soup. Her mind was also reeling with how she’d find Devon’s bow. She had zero leads and a large territory full of possibilities.

  The bow could be in the Cave or in any of the nooks and crannies of the Expanse. It could be buried at the bottom of the Pond. And more terrifying than any of those possibilities was that it could be hidden in the Castle—where she’d never find it unless the Castle wanted it found.

  “Did you try asking the Castle if it had the bow?” Wilder asked, striding over to her. His question came on the heels of her thoughts like he was reading them.

  She turned, feeling a blast of cold on her cheeks. Winter was coming, and the autumn air was hinting at how unrelenting the season would be. “Yeah, I asked the Castle.”

  “And it didn’t offer up Devon’s bow?” he questioned, his chin high and green eyes narrowed on the hills in front of them.

  “It totally gave me the bow, which is why I asked for your help,” she replied.

  He glared at her through his long eyelashes, a smile tucked at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, you and your sarcasm. A true mark of a modern girl.”

  “I thought it was my phone and snazzy clothes with zippers,” she stated.

  “What’s a zipper?” he asked.

  “One day, I’ll teach you all about the magic of hoodies and zippers and Velcro,” she said with a smile.

  “And my head will explode, but I’ll have finally entered the modern era.”

  “So, I don’t think the Castle has the bow,” Sophia responded, returning to the subject at hand. “Which means we have to search the Expanse. Any clue where to start?”

  “We could try a finding spell,” Wilder offered.

  “Already tried that.”

  He nodded. “Of course you did. You know, I didn’t know how to do a finding spell until I was over a hundred years old.”

  “But boys mature slower than girls,” she said. “I think we are both too optimistic to think Devon’s bow can be found with a simple spell. It’s hidden for a reason, so finding it won’t be easy.”

  “It’s hidden because it’s probably the most powerful bow in the world,” Wilder pointed out.

  “How?” Sophia asked.

  “Only one way to tell,” he answered.

  “Okay, well, let’s set off,” Sophia said, holding out her hand. “You know this place better than me, so lead the way.”

  “I don’t think even after two hundred years I know the Gullington all that well,” Wilder admitted. “That’s part of the magic of this place. It shifts and changes based on who is inside of it and what’s going on outside in the world.”

  “That sounds a lot like the House where I grew up,” Sophia related.

  “You mean the location for the House of Fourteen?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Whoever named the House and Castle was lacking in imagination. Why couldn’t they be called something as extraordinary as they are? Why just call them House and Castle?”

  “Because that’s what they are,” Wilder said. “Sometimes, the most complex things in the world need to be called by the simplest names, like the elements or love or joy.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Sophia replied, marveling at how awesome and mysterious the Castle and House were. They shared similarities that often made her wonder if they could somehow be connected. Maybe it was just because both were enhanced with magic that they seemed alike. The Castle was much more mischievous than the House, though. Actually, the House was very reactive to the people in it, whereas the Castle was more proactive, seeming to be constantly scheming. There was no doubt that the Castle inside the Gullington was more powerful than the House, but that shouldn’t surprise her since it belonged to the dragonriders, which predated the House of Fourteen.

  For over an hour, Sophia and Wilder hiked over the Expanse, finding nothing of particular interest. The whole mission seemed futile, and Sophia was the first to admit what they were both thinking.

  “This is ridiculous,” she said, pausing on the top of a hill that overlooked the Pond.

  Wilder seemed happy for the break and nodded. “What if we can’t find Devon’s bow?”

  She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know. Subner asked me to.”

  “But you don’t need it to complete your training, right?”

  “No,” she answered. “I need to bond to my sword for that. But I feel like the bow has to be a part of that.”

  “Why?” he questioned.

  “Just a gut thing.”

  He fired a finger at her. “Trust that, then.”

  “Okay, but we still don’t know where to look,” she grumbled. “We could be out here for the rest of our lives and not uncover the bow.”

  “Which is why we need to employ the help of someone who will know exactly where Devon’s bow is.” Wilder flashed her a sly smile.

  Sophia arched a curious brow at him and knew exactly who he was referring to. Striding up over the hill bordering the Pond was the groundskeeper. Quiet appeared cautious as he glanced over his shoulder, again like he was afraid he was being followed.

  “Do you think he will tell us anything?” Sophia asked and then realized how dumb the question was.

  “I think that he might tell you, in his own weird way,” Wilder answered, combing his hand through his hair.

  “Why me? You haven’t antagonized him like Evan.”

  “Yes, but Quiet likes you more than the rest of us,” Wilder explained.

  “Only because I’m new and haven’t gotten on his last nerve like the rest of you.”

  “True,” Wilder chirped. “But let’s go test my theory.”

  He took off in front of her, hurrying in the direction of the gnome. Quiet always seemed to be working, but never doing anything. It was perplexing. His hands were usually dirty and his brow covered in sweat, but Sophia never saw him actually doing anything.

  “Quiet!” Wilder called after the gnome. “Quiet! I need your help!”

  The groundskeeper pivoted at once, putting his back toward Wilder and hurrying in the opposite direction.

  “Quiet!” Wilder continued. “I have an important question for you!”

  The gnome held up his hand, shaking it like he was busy and running in the direction of the Pond.

  Wilder gave Sophia a challenging expression. “Okay, your turn, Miss.”

  She rolled his eyes at him. “Fine.”

  Speeding after the gnome, she yelled, “Quiet! Hey, there! I need your help.”

  The groundskeeper spun at once, his eyes bright and attentive. He muttered something, his chin out like he was waiting for her to say more.

  Wilder sidled up next to Sophia, a satisfied expression on his face. “Next time, we’re betting something.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention to Quiet. “Why is it that you’ll help me but not Wilder?”

  Sophia wasn’t sure what she expected, but his response was typical. He pointed at Wilder, muttering wildly. Making a wide movement around his head, he pointed at his own head covered in a cap.

  “Are you saying that Wilder doesn’t have a brain?” Sophia asked.

  “No,” Wilder interrupted. “He’s saying how my hair is too amazing and intimidates him.”

  Sophia glanced at the gnome, who now had his arms crossed over his chest. He shook his head radically. “Well, regardless, I’m grateful for your help, Quiet. I’m…we’re looking for something we believe to be in the Gullington. It’s a bow.”

  The gnome’s eyes widened before he covered his reaction.

  “Have you heard of Devon’s bow?” Sophia asked.

&nb
sp; To her surprise, Quiet nodded.

  “Do you know if it’s in the Gullington?” she questioned.

  Another nod.

  Sophia grinned at Wilder, feeling like she was finally making some progress. Turning back to Quiet, she asked, “Can you tell us where it is?”

  He shook his head.

  “And there you go,” Wilder said, throwing his hands up and spinning like he was headed back for the Castle.

  Quiet held up a short finger, a twinkle in his eyes.

  Sophia wasn’t sure why, but words fell out of her mouth she hadn’t expected to say. “You won’t tell me, but you can show me, right?”

  The gnome nodded.

  Wilder whipped back around. “What?”

  Sophia waved him off. “Go on then,” she encouraged the groundskeeper. “Where is Devon’s bow?”

  Quiet lifted his hand, and gold dust sparkled from his fingertips. It twirled over his head before flying off, creating a trail across the Expanse and the Pond from where he stood until it disappeared from view.

  “That leads to the bow?” Sophia asked.

  He nodded.

  “And all we have to do is follow it to find Devon’s bow?” she questioned.

  Quiet tilted his head to the side, giving her a challenging expression.

  “Yeah, it probably leads to a maze, a pit of hell and a deadly beast,” Wilder said with a laugh. “But yeah, if we get past all that, I’m sure the bow is ours.”

  Sophia shook her head at the other rider and smiled at the gnome. “Thanks so much for helping. I’m always here to return the favor.”

  Quiet muttered in reply. Although Sophia couldn’t make out exactly what he said, she could have sworn it sounded like, “Oh, you definitely will.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  “Well, that all worked out,” Sophia said proudly as they followed the trail of gold dust.

  Wilder sighed beside her. “Your optimism that this will be so simple is amusing.”

  She leveled her gaze at him. “Oh, and your cynicism is annoying.”

  “Do you think that this trail is just going to lead us to the most powerful bow in the world without any challenges?” Wilder asked.

  “Now I know why Quiet doesn’t want to help you,” she remarked.

  “Yes, because I’ve got great hair, and I’m devilishly handsome,” he replied.

  “And a bad attitude.”

  “I’m just saying,” he began, “that nothing in this place comes without a challenge. That’s the way it works. Nothing is handed to the dragonriders. We fight for it.”

  “You all fight,” Sophia argued. “I strategize.”

  They climbed down the steep hill that led to the placid waters of the Pond. Sophia had never been this close to the shore and wondered why. There was an instant calm that came over her as she neared the water.

  “How are you going to strategize that?” Wilder pointed to the trail of gold dust streaked out over the shore and across the water, disappearing into what appeared to be the middle of the Pond, although it was hard to tell since the body of water was so large.

  “Easy,” she replied proudly. “I’ll just call Lunis.”

  Wilder pursed his lips, a smile in his eyes. “Go for it, hotshot.”

  She gave him a defiant expression before reaching out to her dragon.

  Lunis, I need your help.

  I can’t right now, he answered at once. We are attending to Tala.

  Oh, is she…

  She will be okay, but it is taking our collective energy to heal her, he explained.

  Okay, well, let me know if I can help, Sophia said, feeling slightly less pumped.

  Find that bow, Lunis stated. And bond to your sword.

  Working on it, she said, realizing an expression of defeat was showing on her face.

  “So you realize the dragons can’t help right now,” Wilder stated, a cocky tone in his voice.

  “Yeah,” Sophia admitted. “We just need a way across the Pond so we can follow the trail.”

  “Summon a boat,” Wilder suggested.

  “I don’t own a boat,” Sophia stated, slightly annoyed. “I can only summon that which I own or have access to.”

  “Looks like someone should have been saving her gold instead of spending it on shiny devices,” Wilder teased.

  “Our currency isn’t gold, and what use do I have for a boat?”

  He held up his hand at the trail. “Well, if you had one right now, we’d be cruising across the water.”

  Sophia searched the area around the Pond. “How is there no boat around here?”

  “You really haven’t been paying attention, have you?” Wilder asked. “There’s not much in the Gullington, just a Castle, a Cave, and a Pond. The Expanse is just hills and the flock. We don’t have anything extra. No vehicles or equipment or barns.”

  Sophia grunted with frustration. “Well, it seems that between the two of us, we should be able to figure out how to get across the Pond.”

  “We should,” he replied, a hint of mischief in his voice.

  “I mean, the answer has to be obvious,” she went on, keeping her face neutral.

  “So obvious,” he sang.

  “I just wish I could figure it out,” she stated, continuing to play the game he had no idea she was playing.

  Wilder pulled off his boots, shaking his head. “Yes, and sometimes the obvious is the answer.”

  “What are you doing?” Sophia asked, watching him take off his belt and sword.

  He pointed at himself, putting a spell on his body. “I’m going to follow the trail.”

  “But you’ll freeze,” Sophia stated.

  “No, because I just put a warming spell on myself,” he answered, wading into the water.

  “You’re going after the bow?” she asked, trying to keep the cheer out of her voice.

  “Yes, Soph. Because some of us find solutions while others sit on the shore, all dry.” Wilder dove into the water, disappearing under its surface.

  She grinned. “And some of us strategize, knowing that ego-driven ones will get wet for us.”

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  It wasn’t Wilder Thomson’s first time to swim in the Pond. His first summer in the Gullington as a dragonrider, he’d stripped off his clothes and dove in to escape the boredom, tired of having nothing to do.

  Hiker had sped out of the Castle like an angry parent, commanding Wilder to get out immediately. He, of course, did as he was told. Still new to the Viking and afraid of him, he’d stood on the shore dripping wet and shivering as Hiker tore into him. He was told that under no circumstances was he ever to enter the Pond. It was for the dragons. It was part of Quiet’s domain. It wasn’t a place that any of the riders were allowed to enter.

  As Wilder swam through the green water, he finally knew why Hiker had made the Pond off-limits. It was where Devon’s bow was hidden.

  Clever approach, Hiker, Wilder thought.

  He started to wonder how many other things Hiker had made off-limits that were actually guarding some sort of treasure. Wilder trusted the leader of the Dragon Elite like no one else. He knew that in Hiker’s weird way, he had their interests at heart. Never before had he ever wanted to challenge his trusted leader…but then Sophia Beaufont had come along.

  She didn’t necessarily defy Hiker as much as bend rules and attempt things that had never even occurred to the rest of them. Sophia was a unique brand of dragonrider who would either save them from their dark plight or get them all killed. Strangely, Wilder smiled at the notion as he came up for air.

  He waved to Sophia on the shore, amazed by how much progress he’d made. Swimming on top of the water, he continued to follow the golden trail made by Quiet.

  After several yards, the trail seemed to disappear. A cursory glance down told Wilder where it went. The bow was buried at the bottom of the Pond.

  Maybe Sophia was right, and this isn’t going to be so difficult, Wilder thought.

  Of course, wit
hout Quiet’s help, finding the bow would have been impossible. But with the gnome’s help, it only took a bit of ingenuity.

  Taking a deep breath, Wilder kicked under the water and followed the shimmering trail. It, unsurprisingly, led down.

  Sunken treasure, he mused, swimming hard so that he didn’t run out of air. The bottom wasn’t far.

  When the trail ran out, Wilder noticed something shiny only a few yards away on the floor of the Pond.

  It was a large chest.

  Nice, he thought, kicking harder.

  His magic didn’t work well underwater, usually due to lack of oxygen and movement, so he was grateful to find there wasn’t a lock on the chest. That was a relief since it was too big for him to carry up to the surface.

  The top of the chest was held shut with a single latch.

  This was turning out to be a straightforward mission. It must be the way of Sophia Beaufont, he thought, pushing on the latch.

  It was stuck, rusted in place. That seems about right.

  Bubbles spilled from Wilder’s mouth as he struggled with the latch. He held onto the side of the chest and kicked at it, trying to make it budge. Launching his heel, he kicked as hard as he could.

  The latch shot back, making the lid open. Wilder helped to pull it back, finding it resistant due to age. Inside he found what he’d only read about but never thought he’d lay his eyes on. He had thought it was the stuff of legends and didn’t really exist. But Wilder’s gift with weapons told him immediately that this was Devon’s bow. As soon as he laid his hands on it, the battles it had been in through the ages poured through his body.

  He saw its construction during the dawning of the ages. He saw the bow in the first battles the Dragon Elite had ever fought. He saw centuries of fights, all from the vantage point of the arrows launched from the bowstring.

  Wilder had no idea what Devon’s bow’s special power was, but in his hands, he knew he held one of the most incredible weapons on the planet.

  And all I had to do was swim for it, he thought, putting the bow over his back and preparing to kick up to the surface. He closed the chest and only then saw it.

  Staring at him in the distance was a sea creature with green eyes that glowed through the water and several rows of teeth. And though Wilder didn’t know what the beast was, he knew with absolute certainty it was hungry.