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

by Sarah Noffke

  Sophia nodded roughly. “Yeah, me either, but we need to follow them.”

  “I agree,” Lunis stated as he backed away, a careful expression in his eyes. “I’ll follow the dragon. You go after the rider.”

  “Okay,” Sophia said. “I’ll find you. Stay in contact.”

  “Of course,” he answered. “Always.”

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  The sun was starting to set at Sophia’s back as she followed Gordon Burgress’ tracks. Being that they were fresh made, it was incredibly easy to follow him.

  She moved quickly, keeping up easily with the lone rider, growing closer with each passing minute. Soon she’d be confronting him, and Lunis his dragon. She didn’t know what he had hit them with, or even that he had, but that would be one of her first questions. How did a lone rider who lived off the grid have magical tech? Something wasn’t right about the whole situation, but she’d figure it out once she had Gordon’s attention.

  He wasn’t far, she realized, hearing his heartbeat as she drew closer. The lone rider was crouched behind a set of rocks, his breath shallow from running. He wasn’t retreating any longer, which hopefully meant he knew it was time to surrender and talk.

  Sophia let out a long breath. I think I have him, she telepathically told Lunis.

  As usual, she expected him to answer right away.

  He didn’t.

  She shook her head, wondering if the cold was starting to get to her. Lun, have you closed in on the dragon?

  Again, nothing.

  Her heart began to pound in her chest, and she wondered if something had happened to her dragon. She would know, though, she thought. She would feel it, wouldn’t she?

  Lunis, are you okay?

  When the dragon still didn’t answer, Sophia nearly turned back. However, she had tracked the lone rider and could hear the small noises echoing from him just ahead.

  She slid behind a tree trunk, gifting herself a moment with her eyes shut. Taking that brief opportunity, she tried to scry her dragon, hoping to see what he saw and know what he was experiencing.

  There was nothing. Just blackness.

  Sophia’s eyes popped open. It didn’t make any sense.

  And even worse was that now that she was paying attention, the pulse that had beat within her since the moment she’d magnetized to Lunis’ egg, was gone. She didn’t feel like a dragonrider. Instead, she felt the way she had for all her life up until the moment she met Lunis.

  She felt normal.

  Deep in Sophia’s heart, she knew something very powerful had disconnected her from her dragon.

  That was the worst possible scenario.

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Whatever Gordon Burgress had hit Sophia and Lunis with had somehow severed their connection. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t communicate with him. No matter how much magic she used, she couldn’t scry his visions.

  It was a waking nightmare, and worst of all, Sophia didn’t know how to find her way to Lunis. He had taken off after Gordon’s dragon in the opposite direction, while she’d followed the lone dragonrider for maybe a mile. After the chaos of the bear attack and appearance of the other rider, Sophia wasn’t sure she could track her dragon. Worse, if something had severed the connection, could it ever be reinstated? She didn’t know, and that almost broke her heart.

  However, Sophia shook off the pain and focused on the present. Gordon Burgress would have answers. He’d have to. He was the one who’d hit them with something. What, Sophia didn’t know, but the dragonrider wasn’t backing down until she knew more.

  Tearing forward, she felt a relentless force propelling her toward the man she’d thought she was recruiting but might be murdering before the night was over.

  Few things made Sophia this angry, but the idea that someone had severed her connection with her soulmate made her extraordinarily dangerous.

  Although she couldn’t feel her dragon like she had before, she still had the gifts loaned to her based on their connection. She tore through the forest, streaking between the trees, sensing a presence just ahead.

  The sound of Gordon’s breathing echoed in her ears like he was right beside her. Each step reminded her of what had been stolen from her soul. Lunis was hers, and she was his. Somehow, something had torn them apart.

  Magical tech, Sophia assumed, thinking of the strange gun Gordon had been holding.

  But how had he gotten it? There were more questions for her now than ever.

  As Sophia jumped over rocks and branches covered in snow, she ignored the fear in her heart and focused. She had to find Lunis. Reconnect with him, if that was even possible. And find out where Gordon Burgress had gotten such advanced magical tech.

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  The yellow dragon, which Lunis knew to be Sulfur, streaked over the mountains, flying low.

  It wasn’t until the blue dragon realized he’d been led in a circle that he started to suspect something.

  What’s going on down there? Lunis asked Sophia.

  No reply came back.

  His gaze shot to the ground below, but he was too far from where he’d left his rider.

  Sophia, Lunis called again, nearing the large yellow dragon.

  She didn’t reply.

  Sophia always replied, he reasoned. Well, ever since they’d improved their connection to each other. Telepathic communication was effortless.

  Lunis reasoned that it could be because of the terrain. Or she could be busy in battle, magic overwhelming her senses.

  Following the other dragon, which wasn’t moving fast but rather seeming to trail Lunis along, he tried to scry Sophia, seeing where she was and what was happening to her.

  His vision remained his own.

  That didn’t make any sense.

  Even if she was overwhelmed, he should be able to see through her eyes.

  At that moment, Lunis knew one of the worst possible things had happened to him and his rider.

  They’d been disconnected.

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  Sophia leaped over a large boulder, spinning to the right and pulling Inexorabilis out and to the side.

  Gordon Burgress didn’t have a chance to react before she was on him, her sword inches from his neck.

  He tensed, pressing into the large rock at his back. The whites of his eyes were large as his gaze darted to the side, his neck not turning, fearful any movement would get his throat slit.

  “What have you done?” Sophia asked through clenched teeth, her arm extended straight, each muscle in her body ready for the fight she was sure would come.

  The lone dragonrider narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t know.”

  She blinked with confusion. “How can you not know?”

  His face constricted.

  Sophia pulled her sword back, offering him some room, but still keeping proximity.

  “I don’t know,” he repeated. “I awoke the other day, and I haven’t been the same. Who are you? Why have you come after me?”

  The hint of crazy in the man’s voice was palpable. Maybe he hadn’t been right in the head for a while, or maybe whatever had happened to him recently was responsible. Sophia had never seen the deranged look that bounced around in his eyes before. Gordon Burgress had his own unique brand of crazy.

  “Where’s the weapon that you used on us?” Sophia asked, running her gaze over the man’s clothes. He had a short knife strapped to his belt. His clothes were dirty and worn, and his hands were covered in scratches. His eyes were sunken, and his lips cracked. This wasn’t a man who’d had an easy life.

  He shook his head. “I threw it. I don’t know where it is.”

  Sophia’s hands tensed on her sword, brandishing it closer to him, making him straighten. “What did you hit us with?”

  “I-I-I don’t know,” he stuttered.

  “How can you not know!” she yelled, her voice echoing all around, making a flock of birds lift from the trees, sending snow down to the forest f
loor.

  “I don’t know!” Gordon answered. “I awoke the other day, and I knew that if I saw anyone, I was to shoot them with that weapon. I don’t know where it came from or even how I knew how to use it. Sulfur and I have been in a daze for days. Something happened to us…”

  Sophia carefully considered what the lone rider was saying. “Do you want help?”

  It was hard for her to consider this since this man had done the most detestable thing to her, but her instincts told her he was innocent, although he still had that deranged expression in his dark eyes.

  “You can’t help me,” he moaned.

  “I’m with the Dragon Elite,” she stated, lowering her sword slightly. “I think your mind has been poisoned. I think someone has pitted you against us.”

  “Maybe,” Gordon answered, his eyes following her sword before rising back up to look at Sophia. “How do I know it wasn’t you? I’ve been alone up here all this time, and now this is happening.”

  “It wasn’t us,” Sophia argued. “We are here to help. I came for the express purpose of asking if you wanted to join us. There’s a war brewing, and we can use every dragonrider out there.”

  “I never wanted to be a Dragon Elite,” Gordon answered. “Sulfur and I are better off alone. We always have been.”

  “Why?” Sophia asked, perplexed by this and wishing Lunis was in her head, offering insights. It made her ache all over not to feel her dragon. “We are stronger when we stand together.”

  A cold laugh issued from the man’s mouth. “That’s what Hiker Wallace would have you believe, but he’s wrong. He was then, and if he still lives, he is now. He gave me that speech once, and it fell on deaf ears.”

  “I don’t understand,” Sophia said. “How can you not want to be a Dragon Elite?”

  Gordon shook his head, his shifty eyes roaming over her sword and then her body. “I was not born to serve humanity. Neither was Sulfur. We both know that to be true. We were born to serve each other.”

  Right then, Sophia understood Hiker Wallace better than she ever had. He had been right to disqualify Gordon Burgress. This man wasn’t a team player, as adjudicators needed to be. He only cared about himself and his dragon.

  For some reason, Sophia had thought all dragonriders were good, born with the express intention of solving the world’s problems, but now she knew that wasn’t the case. There were some like her and Wilder and Mahkah, and even Evan, who wanted what was best for the world at the expense of their own safety. And then there was Gordon Burgress. There was Thad Reinhart. There were those who, as Hiker had stated, were born bad.

  It hurt Sophia’s heart that she’d pushed this mission. Asked for it. Gone for it. And now she’d lost the most important thing to her and learned a devastating truth.

  Gordon Burgress couldn’t come back to the Gullington with Sophia. He was best suited as a lone rider, as he had been. She was ready to back away and search for her dragon, repairing whatever had been done to them.

  Sophia would have left Gordon there, even after what he’d done. She truly didn’t believe he was responsible for it. She figured he was a pawn, and Thad Reinhart was somehow behind him.

  She was not given the choice to leave because while her thoughts roamed over all the details she’d learned, Gordon made his move.

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Lunis’ mind screamed with panic. He was about to turn back in the direction of Sophia, knowing that he needed to find her.

  However, Sulfur, the yellow dragon with an overwhelming spark of evil in her eyes, turned and shot fire at Lunis.

  It was a quick movement, so fluid he almost didn’t have time to react and avoid the attack.

  She was fast. He had to give her that.

  Rolling to the side, Lunis sped out of the path of the fire.

  The last thing he wanted to do right then was battle another dragon. He wanted to find Sophia. Reconnect with her.

  Sulfur had another agenda, though, and there was no getting away from it as she flew toward him, her neck craned to the side and pure craziness in her eyes.

  She, like her rider, had been born bad.

  Lunis knew that instinctively. Those two were better off alone.

  But something had found them before Lunis and Sophia.

  And now they were paying the price for it.

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  The lone rider knocked into Sophia so hard that her vision went black momentarily. When she shoved up from the hard, cold ground, Gordon was bearing down on her with his knife, murder in his eyes.

  Regret filled her at the thought that she’d sympathized with the man. He was deranged, that much was clear. He had been since Hiker had rejected him, and whatever had infected him recently had made matters worse. Regardless, there was no saving this man, and he might have just ruined everything for Sophia and Lunis.

  She tensed on the ground, the weight of the man atop her making it hard to breathe. Her hand was still on Inexorabilis but with the huge man pressing into her, she couldn’t maneuver her sword into place.

  Gordon rammed his knee hard into Sophia’s gut and her breath spilled out of her. She coughed, trying to struggle free.

  Magic escaped her, outrun by her fear. That was always the easiest solution. Just summon the magic and fix problems. The caveats were always that magic couldn’t be used when fear was too high, stress was overwhelming, or the body was at a total disadvantage.

  Gordon bore down on Sophia, bringing the blade of his knife to her throat, similar to what she’d done to him upon their meeting. “How do you like it now?” he asked, spitting in her face.

  She shook her head, reaching out for Lunis and not finding him. Sophia had nothing. Her sword was in her hand, unable to help her. Her dragon was somewhere close, unable to find her. And her magic was pulsing in her veins, unable to surface.

  Sophia had everything, and also, she was completely screwed.

  Chapter Ninety

  The yellow dragon slammed into Lunis, knocking him into the side of the mountain. That sent a barrage of snow down, covering him and making his wings ineffective.

  He tried to press up, but Sulfur sent a huge wave of fire at him.

  Thankfully, it melted the snow pinning him, but it also scorched his skin, burning him and sending him back down to the ground.

  He had to fight, but finding the advantage when he was simply a dragon was difficult.

  It was at that moment that Lunis recognized how fortunate he’d been from the beginning.

  Many dragons lived centuries before electing to choose a rider. He’d found Sophia early on because he believed that if soulmates existed, she was his and he was hers.

  But they hadn’t known life as dragon and magician separate from each other. Not really. Dragons elected to have riders because the bond made them both stronger. And when dragons magnetized to a magician, it was purely a gift for the human, lengthening their lifespan, enhancing their senses, and increasing their skills.

  The partnership was mutually beneficial. Dragons understood so much more when connected to a rider. They lost the savage part of their being and sank deep into the roots of humanity, connecting to the planet in a new way. Making them better. More conscious. More fulfilled.

  Lunis and Sophia had had that from the beginning. To not have that now felt like a curse. Lunis was nothing without Sophia. He might have power and strength, but she was his heart, and that was everything.

  He closed his eyes for a moment, trying yet again to reach out to her. Feeling nothing. Feeling hopeless.

  Sulfur sent another attack his way, and Lunis knew he had to fight or lose the love of his life forever.

  The blue dragon shook off the snow and launched into the air, even though he already felt defeated.

  We aren’t out until the end. I will never give up as long as my Sophia is out there.

  Chapter Ninety-One

  There were no options for Sophia. She was close to death. One more inch and Gordon would cut her
throat. She knew it. He knew it. And if Lunis was there…well, he would have saved her. But that option was gone, maybe forever.

  Gordon leaned down, his breath cascading into her face. “You want death, but that’s too easy.”

  Sophia looked into his eyes and noticed the tiniest difference. He was him and slightly different. Was it possible that whatever had taken him over before was back, summoned for some reason?

  “Don’t kill me,” she found herself begging.

  He laughed. “I have no plans to kill you. My orders are to allow you to live, losing everything you hold dear.”

  With that, Gordon Burgress released Sophia and stood over her, evil heavy in his eyes.

  “You are now as cursed as anyone else who has loved and lost,” he said, and then the lone dragonrider disappeared.

  Chapter Ninety-Two

  Just when Lunis expected Sulfur to attack him again, the yellow dragon disappeared. He didn’t know where she went or if he’d blacked out. He was having a hard time trying to assimilate time.

  And then the worst possible reality occurred to him. Without his rider, Lunis would perish. Even if Sophia was alive, their connection was what held them to this Earth. Without that, they’d lose their hold on reality. They would black out. They’d hallucinate. They’d forget each other until they were nothing.

  That was the new reality he was presented with, and it was the worst he could ever consider.

  It startled Lunis when he realized why Sulfur had abandoned their fight. She wasn’t bowing out. She simply knew the damage had already been done, and she’d left him with his broken heart to suffer alone.

  The blue dragon tried to stand, and although nothing was wrong with his legs, he found the task incredibly difficult.