Determine the Future (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 10)

by Sarah Noffke

  Sophia laughed. “Yeah, when you were still in the shell.”

  He glanced at her with a fond expression on his face. “I knew. What was the point in waiting?”

  “There wasn’t one.” She smiled at him. “Now we have more time together, and none wasted.”

  Lunis agreed with a nod before looking back at the phone. “But yes, if the old fogies are grumpy about the dragonettes, imagine when there are riders here. The dynamic is about to shift.”

  Sophia thought about this for a moment. It was exciting to think about the Castle full of riders once more, like how she’d seen during the reset point when she time-traveled to the past. However, the idea of a bunch of new riders entering the Gullington was also a little intimidating. She’d had the opportunity to be the first in a long time, and she and the guys had bonded because of that.

  They’d only had each other for all this time. How would things change for everyone when the dining hall was full for meals and all the bedrooms occupied? Sophia tried not to worry about it, but change was inevitably one of the scariest things for anyone, her included. To make things more intimidating, she would be the field leader of these new dragonriders. The guys had accepted this from the beginning because Sophia stood up to Hiker, which he needed. She didn’t blindly take orders like the men. But exerting this dominance over new dragonriders, well, that could be challenging. If they found out that she was almost as new as them, would they still follow her? There were so many questions that arose from the change that would inevitably happen. Sophia knew there would be time to adjust. There would be sleepless nights to worry. There would be many late-night discussions over the matter with Wilder. Right now, Sophia wanted to spend her time as wisely as possible.

  As if sensing her idea, Lunis knelt and laid on his stomach so she could see the game too. “Do you think I should put the pirate hat on my avatar or the beret?”

  Sophia grinned at her dragon and leaned close. “Pirate hat all the way.”

  Chapter Four

  The portal door that led to the Great Library had been sealed since strange things started happening at the Gullington due to the move. However, now that the Great Librarian, Paul, was in place, and the library in a fixed location, it could be reopened.

  Sophia stood with Quiet in front of the door and gave it a cautious look. “I think it’s safe to open it, but just in case.” She pulled her sword from its sheath and prepared herself for whatever came through the door once they unlocked it.

  Quiet nodded minutely, and a clinking sound like a key turning a lock came from the door.

  Sophia slid to the side, prepared to open it and fight whatever soared through. “Ready?” she asked the gnome.

  He mouthed the word, “Yes.”

  She whipped the door back in a fluid movement, brandished Inexorabilis, and searched the familiar area for dangers. The front entrance of the Great Library appeared as it normally did with row upon row of shelves going on for as far as one could see. However, a black and white cat stood casually in front of the first set of shelves and licked his paw.

  Plato glanced up at the sight of Sophia, seemingly unsurprised to find her there holding her sword and ready to kill whatever monster she found.

  “There you are,” Plato stated matter-of-factly. “When you’ve finished acting like a hero, you can pop in here. I have jobs for you.”

  Sophia looked back at Quiet and nodded. “Looks like all is clear. Thanks for unsealing it.”

  The groundskeeper didn’t say another word, simply turned and strode down the corridor of the Castle, whistling as he did.

  “I like that chap,” Plato commented when Sophia strode into the Great Library. “Liv could take a page out of his book.”

  “And be quiet,” Sophia supplied.

  “You said it, not me.”

  Sophia strode into the largest library in the world, noticing that it appeared the same as before and yet, strangely different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why though.

  “It’s the lighting,” Plato stated.

  “What’s the lighting?”

  “The difference you’re spotting,” he answered.

  Sophia raised an eyebrow at him. “Stay out of my head, lynx.”

  “That’s impossible,” he retorted. “If you’re done playing ninja, then you’ll see why the lighting is different. Come through.”

  Still tentative, knowing that changing the Great Library’s location had caused all sorts of problems worldwide and with the portals, Sophia took each step with careful deliberation. She peeked around the corner and looked toward the main entrance.

  Before, the Great Library had looked out on Zanzibar at the front. The banks of windows that ran the building's length on both sides had the perfect views of the white-capped ocean. However, what she saw in the Great Library's new location was the exact opposite of a cascading sea and colorful Stone Town.

  For as far as she could see through the banks of windows was brown. The flat city that lay around the Great Library was so monochromatic that at first, it hurt Sophia’s eyes. Sophia initially thought she’d time-traveled into the past because the city streets weren’t filled with cars and traffic lights but rather donkeys and carts.

  “Where are we?” Sophia studied the large stone structure in the distance that rose higher than all the other buildings.

  “You know this area as Timbuktu,” Plato answered through a yawn as if this revelation was a bore-fest for him.

  Sophia whipped around. “Like the Mali Empire? That’s where you put the Great Library?”

  “It fit the requirements,” Plato stated.

  “What are these requirements?”

  He shrugged. “There are quite a few, but for instance, there needs to be a certain grounding force for the Great Library’s location. That structure in the distance is the Great Mosque of Djenné.”

  Plato had indicated the large adobe structure that rose high above all the rest.

  “That’s the grounding force,” Sophia guessed.

  “In Zanzibar, it was the ocean,” Plato offered. “This one, well, I wasn’t taking any chances after the Great Library was found and nearly destroyed.”

  Sophia nodded, not wanting to chance anything happening to the incredible place that housed every single book ever written, except for two that were in her possession.

  She understood what Plato meant about the lighting. The desert of Timbuktu brought in a yellowish light that created an eerie glow. “What does the Great Library look like from the outside?”

  “A modest dwelling,” Plato answered.

  “That seems about right.” Sophia remembered that the Great Library had looked like a shack perched on a rock when it was in Zanzibar. She loved the irony that the most powerful place in the world appeared as anything but.

  “You need me to do something?” She recalled what he’d said about him having jobs for her.

  “My taxes, chiefly,” he replied dryly without missing a beat.

  Sophia laughed. “Rory can help you with those if he’s not working on his novel.”

  “He is,” Plato stated. “And he doesn’t know how to hide certain things. Too morally strict, that one.”

  “Why in the world does a lynx have to do taxes in the first place? Do you even exist to the United States government?”

  He scowled at her. “I exist, and I have feelings. And when you make money, the IRS knows about it.”

  Sophia shook her head at the enigmatic magical creature. “You’re very strange.”

  “True,” he chirped. “Anyway, I’ll do my taxes since I suspect you’re the wrong person for the job.”

  “Good call.”

  “However, I need you to go to Happily Ever After College and reopen the portal to the Great Library since you’re the one who sealed it.”

  Sophia nodded. “Yeah, and I guess you can’t open it from this side.”

  “I can do all sorts of things,” Plato retorted smugly. “I simply choose not to. Why do t
hings when I can require you to do them?”

  “How endearing of you,” Sophia joked.

  “Well, you need to go there for other reasons too.”

  Sophia thought for a moment, trying to remember if there was a task that she needed Mae Ling, her fairy godmother’s help with. She couldn’t think of anything presently. “What are these other reasons?”

  “I’m not sure what the question is,” a voice that wasn’t Plato’s replied. “But if you’re looking for answers, you came to the right place.”

  Chapter Five

  Sophia spun around to find Paul, the man she and Liv had recruited at Plato’s direction to take the Great Librarian role. He wore long burgundy robes and looked very regal standing with his palms pressed together as if in prayer with a placid expression on his face.

  “Oh,” Sophia hiccupped and looked around for Plato. He had disappeared on cue when Paul showed up. “I was talking to Plato.”

  Paul nodded and strode forward. His robes flowed elegantly around him. “I often talk to the great philosophers. Whether they can hear me isn’t the point. It’s more for my amusement and encouragement. Sometimes…” He held up a single finger and smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. “I swear I can hear them respond.”

  Sophia returned the smile. “Maybe in a way they do, but I was talking to Plato—the lynx that had Liv and I recruit you for the Great Librarian position.”

  Paul combed his hand over his beard. “I haven’t met this lynx named for the great philosopher.”

  A loud laugh popped out of Sophia’s mouth and echoed in the large space. She covered her lips, feeling embarrassed for being so loud in the library. “Sorry, I’ll keep it down.”

  Paul shook his head. “I’m not sure why that’s at all necessary. There’s no one here but you and me at the moment. If you want, you can run through the aisles and scream.” He leaned forward with a conspiratorial expression on his face. “That’s what I do at night for fun.”

  Sophia continued to giggle. “That does sound like fun. The philosopher was named for Plato the lynx. That was the reason for my abrupt laughter.”

  Paul nodded as if that was easy to accept—an ancient philosopher named after a cat. “Maybe I’ll find a book on this Plato and can learn more.” He spun with his chin in the air. “If there’s a book on that subject or any other, it will be here somewhere.”

  Sophia glanced out at the two-story library, which was full of all the great knowledge in the world. It was truly the most magical place in existence. As books were edited or amended, they were updated in the Great Library.

  “You’re enjoying your role as the Great Librarian then?” Sophia felt responsible for the person that she’d pretty much forced into the position. “Running through the aisle screaming isn’t a sign of dissatisfaction, is it?”

  He chuckled and waved his hand. “Heavens no. Quite the opposite. I’ve never felt so free. I get to do what I like, reading books and helping others. There’s an abundance of quiet time to meditate and relax and always an adventure to be had.” Paul swept his arm at the rows that went on for as far as they could see. “How could I ever be bored in a place like this where so many stories are waiting for me to read them?”

  Sophia smiled while realizing how perfect Paul was for the Great Librarian position. Plato had chosen well—not that she was surprised. “I’m glad that you’re enjoying it and not too lonely here.”

  “Lonely isn’t something I’ve ever known, to be quite honest with you. However, you’re my first visitor, so it is nice to see a face.”

  “That’s because no one knows where the Great Library is yet, with the location having moved,” Sophia explained. “I opened the portal from the Castle at the Gullington.”

  “I read about the Dragon Elite’s location in the Incomplete History of Dragonriders.”

  “You have been busy,” Sophia said, impressed.

  “I love to read. What can I say?”

  “Well, there’s supposed to be a new generation of dragonriders, and many of them will visit you although they will need to find the Fierce,” Sophia imparted. “I don’t think it would be right to take that challenge from them. It’s a rite of passage for members of the Dragon Elite.”

  “Yes,” Paul mused. “I also read about the Fierce. Very clever way that one must prove they are worthy enough to enter this place full of so much knowledge and therefore so much power.”

  “That’s exactly the idea. After I leave here, I’ll open the portal from here to fairy godmother college.”

  “Oh, Happily Ever After College,” Paul supplied.

  “Wow, you have been busy reading,” Sophia gushed.

  He nodded. “With so many books about the magical world, I’ve been reading extra fast.”

  “You’ll be an expert in no time.”

  Paul glanced out at the many shelves and shrugged. “I think that will take a lot more time.”

  Sophia nodded. “Well, the portal to fairy godmother college will allow the students and professors to come through. I think the House of Fourteen royals have access as well, some fae, giants, and gnomes, but for the most part, the Great Library is off-limits to many. It’s not about hoarding the books, but rather about protecting them.”

  “I agree with that notion. These portals to the Gullington and Happily Ever After College, do they go both ways?”

  Like a college student, Lunis interrupted in Sophia’s head, obviously having been listening to the entire conversation and waiting to throw her off with a rude joke.

  Would you shush it and go back to your game? she quipped. Those butterflies aren’t going to catch themselves, and momma needs a new pair of shoes from the market.

  I’m waiting for my pumpkin patch to grow, so therefore I’m taking a break.

  Great use of your time, she teased. Now don’t interrupt. This guy already thinks I’m insane, talking to myself and telling him Plato the philosopher was named after a cat.

  Tell him that you’re talking to your dragon, Lunis offered. Then he’ll understand.

  Most don’t get that, even those in the magical world.

  Having paused to talk to Lunis, she offered Paul an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. I was taking a call, of sorts. Anyway, barriers around the Gullington and Happily Ever After College prevent entry for those who aren’t allowed. Only the Dragon Elite or fairy godmothers can use the portals.”

  “Very interesting,” Paul mused. “Barrier magic is fascinating. I’ll have to study up on it some more.” His eyes lit up with excitement. “I have so many things to learn, and I’m in the perfect place for it! Thank you so much Sophia Beaufont for making my wildest dreams come true. I really couldn’t be happier.”

  Sophia smiled as her heart warmed in her chest. She didn’t think she could take credit for Paul’s happiness since she was simply the one who recruited him. Who he should be thanking was Plato, but she suspected that they’d never meet. That would be fine because Paul had many other things to occupy his attention.

  Sophia waved to the Great Librarian while striding back to the Gullington’s portal. “I hope to see you again soon. I’m going to open the portal from fairy godmother college, which will bring you visitors.”

  Paul clapped delightedly. “Well, then I’ll get back to work familiarizing myself with the books so I can be of assistance. After all, the Great Librarian must be great at his job.”

  Sophia’s grin widened. “I have zero doubt that you will with enthusiasm like that.”

  Chapter Six

  Sophia knew something was wrong at Happily Ever College as soon as she arrived. Unlike the last time she was there and attacked by the stone statues that had come to life and terrorized the professors and students, there was another indication that danger was running rampant at fairy godmother college. Mostly it was the screaming students hurrying out of the front of the building that gave it away. They rushed and nearly shoved her over while yelling, “Save us! Save us! Save us!”

  Sophia
tensed but didn’t otherwise react as she waited in place to see what happened next when the gang of students disappeared to somewhere on the grounds. The door to the school swung back and forth before settling shut.

  Something in the building caused the panic. Something that Sophia needed to investigate. She drew in a breath and started forward, then entered the premises with the same trepidations she had when she had opened the portal door to the Great Library, afraid of what danger she’d find lurking on the other side.

  To Sophia’s relief and surprise, she found her fairy godmother Mae Ling standing on the other side of the entrance, her arms crossed and her gaze directed down the hallway.

  “Is everything okay?” Sophia asked the shorter woman, then felt dumb for the question. Based on the girls that had run screaming from the building and the pursed expression on Mae Ling’s face, everything was far from okay. However, they had to start the conversation somewhere, Sophia rationalized.

  “Oh good, you’re here.” Mae Ling looked at her watch. “Right on time.”

  Sophia nodded and realized she should have expected this. Lately, her life was full of appointments she was late for that she didn’t even know she had. This must have been the reason that Plato said she needed to go to Happily Ever After College. A little heads-up on the impending danger was apparently out of the question. The people in her life liked her to be surprised while they were in the know about her appointments and schedules.

  “What’s going on?” She flinched, startled by a great commotion that echoed down the hallway.

  “A science project gone wrong.” Mae Ling pointed in the direction of the noise.

  Sophia nodded. “Of course science would be the problem.”

  “It’s usually that and the solution, ironically.”

  “Well put.” Sophia laughed. “What happened?”

  Steam issued from one of the open doorways at the end of the corridor and Mae Ling’s eyes widened. “I really can’t stay much longer or go into much detail. We tried a new course, and it backfired and has started to infect the school with…well, whatever it is. It’s growing and at a much faster rate than I or any of the professors could contain.”