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

by Sarah Noffke

  Lunis strode beside her, giving those on the streets curious glances, earning whispers. This was an appearance that would get them worthy attention worldwide. Hiker had chosen the case well. She might even tell him that.

  “I’ve only frozen you so you don’t do something rash,” Sophia explained, seeing the caution in the men’s eyes grow.

  “What do you want?” the first guard asked. Sophia knew he wasn’t speaking a language she would normally understand, but the chi of the dragon translated it effortlessly for her.

  Sophia shook her head. “You don’t need to do anything but relax. Your leader has already been summoned.”

  The other man shook his head. “That’s impossible. He’s in meetings. He can’t be disturbed. They are very important.”

  “Yeah,” Sophia said casually. “I think he’s going to want to change his mind on that.”

  It would take more training to hone the skills of a dragonrider, and summoning disputing parties was part of them. In the current situation, it was requiring the most energy Sophia and Lunis had used thus far for the special spell.

  Apparently, according to what Sophia had learned from the Incomplete History of Dragonriders, when disputing parties were summoned, if the spell worked, they simply decided that whatever they were doing was not important. They would then go in the direction of the dragon and rider and meet them in the decided location.

  This only worked once on disputing parties, forcing them to face each other, talk, and give the dragon and rider an idea of what they were up against for a resolution. After that, nothing short of threats could bring two parties together when they chose to stay separate. That was the reason the first meeting was extremely important.

  A horde of politicians in much shinier suits than the guards exited a vehicle, an entourage surrounding them at once. Sophia didn’t have a chance to greet the leaders from Thleath because at that same moment, the very busy President of Reerca materialized, hurrying down the stairs of the capitol building.

  The guards turned, confused by the sight around them.

  “Open the gates,” Lunis said, and if there had been any doubts about the two outsiders, it wasn’t questioned at that moment.

  A third guard, having heard the command, started the process of opening the two large gates.

  “What is going on?” the frontman for Thleath asked, marching forward, intimidating figures flanking him.

  Sophia held her arm wide to the courtyard. “The Dragon Elite is here to resolve your disputes with Reerca.”

  The man’s eyes swept to Lunis and he softened slightly, another gift of the dragons when in negotiations. They calmed. They intimidated. And they urged resolutions.

  “Fine,” the man said. “We will talk. But I believe there’s little to talk about.”

  Sophia nodded. “We shall see.”

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  After an hour of discussions, Sophia was reluctant to admit that the leader from Thleath might be right. There was little to discuss. No matter how she and Lunis tried, there were no resolutions.

  Thleath had everything to offer a disparaging Reerca, and the impoverished nation had nothing. Thleath simply had no reason to compromise. If anything, at the end of the long dispute resolution attempt, they were more against any solutions than before.

  When it looked like Sophia and Lunis would fail, she felt her spirits bolstered by her dragon. She looked at him and wondered what he had in mind. Deciding against questioning it, she stepped in between the two leaders. “Give us one week. We will meet here at this time. If we don’t have a solution that both countries are happy with, then we will help to build the wall on the border and offer aid directly to Reerca.”

  “Without question?” the leader for Thleath questioned tersely.

  “Yes,” Sophia said. “We will be in charge of drawing up the treaty, and there will be no question when you refuse passage to Reerca citizens to your lands.”

  The leader nodded. “You have yourself a deal.” He turned at once, his entourage following him out.

  Sophia turned to the leader for the country of Reerca, a tough expression on her face. “One week. That’s all I ask for.”

  He shook his head, discouraged. “I hope you can fix things because although your being here is helpful, it will not save our nation. Only access to others will do that.”

  Sophia pulled in a breath, about to say something, but Lunis cut her off.

  “You might think that’s the only solution, but I believe you need to look deeper,” the dragon said. “That will be our job. One week.”

  “One week,” the leader of Reerca said, giving them a hopeful expression.

  “So, I have absolutely no idea how to fix this,” Sophia said as they soared through the skies, away from the disputing nations.

  “Me either,” Lunis said at once.

  “Are you serious?” Sophia questioned, tensing.

  “As a heart attack,” he stated.

  “Have you been watching episodes of Full House?”

  “No,” he answered at once, then said, “Yeah, maybe.”

  “How come you urged me to get them to reconvene for a solution when you didn’t have one?” she asked.

  “Because we need time to find the solution,” he remarked. “They weren’t going to come to an agreement, because Reerca simply has nothing to offer Thleath.”

  “So what’s the plan?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “But we have a whole week to figure it out.”

  “Yes, we have a whole week to solve two nations problems that if it gets out of hand will result in the deaths of thousands.”

  “No pressure, right?” Lunis swerved toward a plot of land.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, not used to him taking over navigation.

  “I think your face is looking like it needs some extra attention.”

  “What?” she asked, offended. “How rude!”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” he stated. “It’s just that your toenails are atrocious.”

  “Oh, please! What exactly is going on here?”

  “I’m telling you that you should pay a visit to Mae Ling,” Lunis said simply.

  Sophia nodded, getting what Lunis was hinting at before. “You think my fairy godmother from another creature might have some insight on this?”

  The dragon nodded as he descended. “It’s worth a shot.”

  “Since you got us into a predicament and we have a problem to solve in under a week,” she said, sounding overly dramatic.

  “Oh, cut it out,” he said, impersonating Uncle Joey from Full House.

  Sophia laughed. “You got it, dude!”

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  The entrance to Mae Ling’s nail shop was blocked by construction barriers. Sophia’s spirit sank, thinking the salon was closed. She peeked through the glass and tried to figure out what she’d do if Mae Ling wasn’t available.

  It was bizarre to Sophia that she’d come to rely on the little old Asian lady who did her nails. So far, her advice had been reliable, although delivered in the most confusing way.

  It was hard to see through the glare of the window. When Sophia did make out what was on the other side of it, she nearly jumped back.

  Mae Ling’s face was right up against the glass, her large brown eyes staring at Sophia.

  “Are you open?” Sophia mouthed, pointing at the door.

  The woman shook her head.

  “Oh, okay,” Sophia said, backing away and forcing a smile.

  She caught movement behind the glass as Mae Ling made for the door. A moment later, she pulled it back, sticking her head through. “Where are you, child?”

  “Well, you’re closed,” Sophia explained.

  Mae Ling rolled her eyes. “That is because Sophia Beaufont is coming to see me, and I didn’t want others bothering us.”

  Sophia blinked. “You closed down the shop for me?”

  “Of course.” Mae Ling held the
door open. “You’re my current assignment.”

  “Assignment?” Sophia asked.

  The woman sighed. “Yes, although I get that it’s a bit strange for you to think of yourself that way.”

  “You mean that you’re assigned to me as my fairy godmother?”

  Mae Ling waved her into the shop. “Yes, dear.”

  “Does everyone have a fairy godmother?” Sophia asked, sliding by the little woman and entering the salon.

  “Angels no,” Mae Ling said, pulling the door closed and locking it.

  The inside of the shop appeared to be under construction as well, plastic tarping covering many of the workstations.

  “So who gets a fairy godmother?” Sophia asked.

  “Those who need one,” Mae Ling said simply, ushering her to the only open seat.

  “And who makes the assignments?” she continued her questioning.

  “Mama Jamba, of course.” The woman snapped at Sophia. “Now, let’s see those nails.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do them. It looks like you’ve got enough going on here.” She swept her arm around at the shop.

  “Don’t be silly, child. Of course, I need to do your nails. That’s why you are here.”

  “Actually,” Sophia began, “I’m here for advice.”

  “Naturally,” Mae Ling said, taking a seat on the other side of the table. “Famil. Rapoo. Bermuda Laurens. Now that I’ve told you what you need to know, give me your hands. It’s time to get your nails done.”

  “Umm, I don’t know what those first two things you said are. And what does the giantess have to do with anything?”

  Mae Ling snapped again. “She’s how you’re going to find the rapoo.”

  Reluctantly, Sophia slid her hands across the table. “Why do I need to find a rapoo?”

  “Because that’s how you’re going to mine the famil. Are you even paying attention, dear?” She went straight to work, trimming Sophia’s nails, which were in a sorry state. “You’re getting pink today.”

  “Actually, I was thinking—”

  “Pink,” Mae Ling said forcefully.

  “It’s just that the guys—”

  “Pink,” she repeated. “And you tell Evan he should get that wart on his face checked.”

  “What?” Sophia asked. “He doesn’t have a wart on his face.”

  “He does now,” Mae Ling said proudly.

  “Oh, no. Please don’t do that. Evan is annoying, but I like him.”

  Mae Ling pursed her lips. “Even after he stole half your stash of gummy bears?”

  “What? He didn’t do that,” Sophia argued.

  “And you know that because you’re at the Castle right now?”

  Sophia ground her teeth together. “Just give him a small wart.”

  “Of course, dear,” Mae Ling sang. “And the Castle will clear it up the next time he sleeps. That place never lets me get away with anything for long. So intent on protecting its riders.”

  Sophia smiled proudly. “Okay, so I need to ask Bermuda Laurens where to find a rapoo, and that is…”

  “A creature that mines famil,” Mae Ling said, filing Sophia’s nails.

  “And famil is?”

  “A rare gem with many protective and practical purposes,” she answered.

  “And I find that where?” Sophia continued to question.

  The old woman’s eyes darted up to Sophia, impatience heavy in them. “In the only place on Earth where it can be found, of course.”

  “Which is…”

  Mae Ling sighed. “The country of Reerca.”

  “Of course,” Sophia said, looking around the shop but not really seeing as she began to put it all together. “Do the leaders know that Reerca has this natural resource?”

  “Absolutely, they do. But they have no way to mine it and refuse to contract with other countries. More importantly, they know that traditional methods of mining would pollute their lands, making their people sick and ruining their air quality.”

  Sophia nodded. “Which is where the rapoo comes in?”

  “Yes, dear,” Mae Ling said, sounding bored by the conversation, as if she were explaining basic math to Sophia.

  “And Bermuda Laurens will know how to find the creatures,” Sophia said to herself. “I give them to the government of Reerca and they mine these gems, bolstering their economy and erasing border tensions with Thleath.”

  “Maybe,” Mae Ling sang. “Or they could become so incredibly rich that they lose sight of the values that kept them from mining in the first place, losing their souls to greed.”

  Sophia pulled her hands back. “Are you serious? That could happen?”

  “Anything is possible,” Mae Ling warned. “It’s all about how you set it up. That’s the key here.”

  Sophia nodded, looking down at her nails. Glittery pink winked back at her. It made her feel dainty, not the state usually associated with dragonriders. “Okay, well, thank you.”

  “And you owe me nothing in return,” Mae Ling said, standing but her height not really changing.

  That had been Sophia’s next question. “Well, thank you. And thanks for seeing me while you have construction going on here. What are you doing to the shop, anyway?”

  “Demolishing it,” Mae Ling answered.

  “Wait! What?”

  The old woman looked around fondly at the tiny nail salon. “It’s been a good run, but it’s time to tear this place down.”

  “B-b-but where will I find you?” Sophia asked.

  “No stuttering, my dear,” Mae Ling stated. “And you’ll find me.”

  “Will you be here?”

  “I’m not sure where I’ll be, but one thing is true no matter what.”

  “And that is?” Sophia questioned.

  “When you need to find me, the universe will lead you,” Mae Ling said with a smile. “You’ve got less than a week to find a creature most don’t know exists. And my Hot Pocket is getting cold in the microwave.”

  Sophia blinked at the strange woman and nodded slowly. “Okay, thank you.”

  Chapter Seventy-Four

  Sophia had no idea where to find Bermuda Laurens. The explorer and author of Mysterious Creatures was constantly off on adventures. Sophia decided to pay her son a visit, knowing he’d be aware of her current travel plans.

  When she arrived in front of the giant’s modest house in Los Angeles, Sophia knew something was off. Music spilled from the open door of the usually quiet bungalow, and the smell of apple pie was strong.

  Tentatively, she slid up next to the door and poked her head into the house.

  “You came!” Rudolf exclaimed, nearly knocking his very pregnant wife over to sprint to Sophia.

  “Of course, I did,” Sophia said, her eyes bulging as he swept her into a hug. Liv spied her over Rudolf’s shoulder and appeared to be restraining her laughter. “I wasn’t going to miss your baby shower.”

  Rudolf released her, smiling wide. “Your mean sister said you probably weren’t going to make it because of some dinosaur-riding business.”

  “Dragon-riding,” Sophia corrected.

  Rudolf waved her off. “Same thing. Oh, and just so you know, we aren’t all showering together, so it’s okay if you don’t have your bathing suit.”

  “Good to know,” Sophia said, hugging Liv when she came over.

  Rudolf held his hand out to her sister. “Liv, you remember your sister Sophia, right?”

  Liv batted her eyelashes at the fae. “Yeah, thanks, pal.”

  “No problem. She’s grown a lot, so I figured you might not recognize her,” Rudolf stated.

  “I don’t think there’s anything my little sister could do to make me not recognize her,” Liv said, giving Sophia a ridiculous fond expression that was making her feel soft inside.

  “Rudolf!” Serena yelled on the other side of the room. “Captain is kicking me in the bladder again. Do something!”

  “Oh, duty calls,” Rudolf chirped. “I’ll just leave you
two to get to know each other. Liv, Sophia has this awful friend who has the worst name in history. Sophia, I love the nail color. Tell me who your person is. I must get an appointment.”

  “She doesn’t take referrals,” Sophia said, giving him a confused expression. “And what are you going to do to help Serena?”

  He sighed. “Serena tells him that their father will hear about this when he gets home. It usually does the trick.” Rudolf pivoted, his hands on his hips. “Captain, is what your mother says true? That’s going to result in a time out.”

  The king of the fae marched away, his chin held high and a pursed expression on his face.

  “You totally forgot about the baby shower, didn’t you?” Liv muttered when Rudolf was gone.

  “Yep.”

  “So why are you here?” Liv asked.

  “Because I need to find Bermuda Laurens. Is she here?”

  Liv shook her head. “I’m afraid not. She’s on a research trip to London. I can message you her coordinates.”

  “Thanks,” Sophia said, watching as Rudolf wagged his finger at Serena’s belly, disciplining one of his unborn children. “What’s going to happen when that man is in charge of three humans?”

  “Total chaos,” Liv answered. “However, he’s in charge of an entire nation of fae, and Las Vegas hasn’t gone to hell yet. Well, no more than usual. Somehow, I think he’ll manage, and probably end up accidentally raising three prodigies who save the Earth.”

  “That sounds about right,” Sophia said with a laugh.

  “Speaking of saving the Earth,” Liv began, “how are you doing?”

  Sophia quickly filled her sister in on all the happenings in the Gullington with the dragonriders.

  Liv’s usually cheerful face turned serious. “It sounds like Thad Reinhart might have the upper hand.”

  “There’s no might about it,” Sophia stated. “He’s had time to get us to a major disadvantage, but we have Mother Nature now.”

  Liv laughed. “How is it that we went on to work for Father Time and Mother Nature?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that Soph was here,” Clark complained, sliding through the crowd.