by Sarah Noffke
Sophia’s heart suddenly warmed. She was tempted to tell Trin that Evan had feelings for her, but that wasn’t her place. These two were tough, but that simply meant getting them together might be tricky. Trin had high walls, and Evan was overly flippant at times but deep down incredibly insecure and sensitive. “I’m happy to help. What can I do?”
“I don’t know, but I need help,” Trin answered. “If left to my own devices, I throw divorce parties and prepare Evan food he doesn’t like because I want him to know I care.”
“What if you stopped trying and were simply yourself?” Sophia suggested. “That way, you know he likes you for you, which is important.”
Trin nodded, the gears in her neck making noise. “Yes, that’s a good idea. I know that these things take time, and I have that. But we’re always surrounded by everyone else at meals.”
“Look,” Sophia began, “I’ll feel Evan out and lay the groundwork. You be yourself and don’t give him any special attention. He likes you for you, after all. When the time is right, I’ll find a way to throw you two together. If things are meant to be, then it will work out.”
“And if they aren’t?” Trin asked, fear in her somewhat robotic voice.
Sophia offered her friend a sensitive smile. “Then at least you know you tried and were the real you, bits of human and bolts and wires and all.”
Chapter Seventy-Nine
It felt like it had been years since Sophia had set foot on Roya Lane. That was what battles and adventures did to her. They skewed the time and made everything feel longer. However, no matter how much time went by, there were certain things she never forgot.
“Seriously magician, you need some Heals Pills,” King Rudolf Sweetwater yelled from the front of a new shopfront that sat right next to the Rose Apothecary. Hurrying away from the fae was an older magician who had her head down, her face red with anger. “Have you looked in the mirror this century? Oh, or maybe you’ve cracked all the mirrors you’ve glanced at. I’d understand that.”
The woman sped up as she stomped down the road and disappeared into the crowd.
Rudolf shook his head, turned, and glanced up at the shiny new sign. It was neon green and pink and read, Heals Pills—the One-Stop Elixir.
Sophia had to give it to him. The king of the fae had pulled off an entire inviting storefront, and all without much involvement from her. That had been their agreement. She’d supply the dragon egg shells, and he’d do all the rest of the work, having Bep make the potion and setting up the business.
Before, they’d talked about simply selling the products that healed and also beautified in stores, but Rudolf again surprised Sophia by coming up with a business plan for their retail store. He’d stated that they could maximize profits if they sold it directly and also create exclusivity.
“This looks great,” Sophia said at Rudolf’s back. “But are you making a habit of scaring away customers?”
He spun, and his face lit up with a broad smile that made his eyes dazzle. “Sophia! You got my message. That’s great. And Liv said that it didn’t work.”
“Message?” Sophia pulled out her phone and glanced at it. “I didn’t. What message?”
“My telepathic message,” Rudolf explained. “Your sister likes to play games with me and say that our telepathic link doesn’t work.”
“She’s not playing games,” Sophia stated blandly.
Rudolf wagged his finger in the air. “No, no, no. You’re here.”
She pointed at the Rose Apothecary. “I’m here to see Bep about that fix for Happily Ever After College.”
“Yeah, you need to get that fix from the potions lady and get back over here before I tear down her store,” Rudolf whispered.
“Tear down her store? Why would you do that?”
“We have to expand, baby!”
Sophia clenched her eyes shut for a moment. “If you ever call me baby again, I will have my dragon scorch every single hair off your head.”
Rudolf screamed suddenly, like a schoolgirl falling off the monkey bars on the playground as he grabbed for his full head of blond locks. “Such vicious threats. Is that necessary?”
“If you insist on the name-calling,” Sophia stated firmly.
“Fine, no pet names.” He sighed.
“We just opened this retail store,” Sophia argued. “We don’t need to expand now or maybe ever. The Rose Apothecary is an important shop on Roya Lane, and we’re not going to run Bep out of business. Besides, who will make the elixir?”
“All right,” Rudolf acquiesced. “We’ll stay small. I think it will be fine anyway. Sort of quaint like one of those barbeque places with only a few tables but the best food in town. When there are only a few customers in the store, it looks like it’s crammed full and makes people on the street pause to see what’s so popular.”
“Well, we do sell a magical elixir made from dragon egg shells that heals many ailments,” Sophia pointed out.
Rudolf held up a finger. “Most importantly, it might be what keeps magicians from not dying out since your race is too ugly to want to mate with each other.”
Sophia shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a real issue.”
“Well, not for you and that boy toy of yours.” Rudolf tilted his head. “Are you sure that you’re not a halfling? Maybe your boyfriend Kyle is too, and you have fae blood.”
“I’m one hundred percent magician and so is he. Remember, I’m from one of the founding families. And my boyfriend’s name is Wilder.”
The king grimaced as though he was suddenly in pain. “It’s bad enough when I’ve had to look at him. I thought that looking at ugly magicians was difficult, but that one, well, he might be more attractive than me, which I’ll remind you in my kingdom is a Class Seven offense, punishable by imprisonment.”
“Such a civil and just government you run,” Sophia said dryly.
“And I refuse to call Kyle by his real name.” Rudolf shook his head. “He has too many good things going for him. I bet he made a deal with an imp.”
“He didn’t.” Sophia felt her patience wane.
“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you if some imp insists you name your first child after him,” Rudolf stated. “That will be the final payment that Kyle owes the sprite.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I think we’ll be good.” Sophia pointed at the shop. “So is everything in place? Are we really in business?”
Rudolf waved her into the store. “We are. Things have been going great. I can hardly keep the product on the shelves.”
“Wow, it’s already starting to sell out?” Sophia asked.
He shook his head and looked back at her over his shoulder. “No, I’ve had awful vertigo lately and keep running into things. As I said, the shop is small.”
Sophia didn’t know what Rudolf meant by small because the shiny new store was plenty large to display the one product they sold. In the roughly one thousand square foot shop, there was row after row of iridescent bottles of Heals Pills. The labels were modern yet artistic. Everything about the store was visually pleasing.
“This looks amazing, Rudolf. Great job.”
He beamed but glared around. “Yeah, it’s okay.”
Sophia glanced at the fae. “Why do you have vertigo? Maybe try some of the elixir?”
Rudolf shook his head. “No, you’re not supposed to dip into your supply. Haven’t you heard?” He waved his hand. “It’s fine. It’ll pass. I get a spell every few centuries. It’s usually related to something insignificant, like a real battle for supreme authority in the world. The last time I had this was right before the Great War. Once the evil magicians took over the House of Fourteen, changed it to the House of Seven, and made it so mortals forgot magic and the Dragon Elite were seemingly ineffective, the vertigo went away.”
Sophia lowered her chin and regarded Rudolf from hooded eyes. “That doesn’t sound very insignificant.”
“Well, it was to me because it had no bearing on my life,
but my intimate connection to the balance of magic and the world at large makes me sensitive to such things.”
Sophia sighed and restrained her hands from wrapping around the fae’s throat. “No bearing? You forgot that mortals could see magic too and that the House once had fourteen founding families. The Great War changed everything for everyone for centuries.”
He shrugged. “Honestly, most of that was a blur. The fae sort of shut down when there’s war. We’re all about making love if you know what I mean.”
“I do because you said it plainly.” Sophia thought for a moment about what Rudolf had said. “So are you inferring that there could be a power struggle on the way? Like another war?”
“Most certainly!” he exclaimed. “I feel bad for whoever the ruling authority in the world is right now because they’re in store for some trouble.”
Sophia’s fingers twitched again with the desire to assault the fae. “That ruling authority would be the Dragon Elite.”
Rudolf whistled through his teeth and shook his head. “Well, sorry for them. Things are about to get complicated.”
“I’m one of the Dragon Elite,” Sophia stated as her voice rose.
“Oh!” he chirped. “You know, it’s not too late to quit. I’m looking for someone to run the register here. You can do that full time and forget this dragon-riding business.”
“Thing is I can’t because I stand for justice, and if someone is preparing to try and take us down, then I have to defend the Dragon Elite and our mission.”
Rudolf nodded and straightened some of the products on the shelf. “Question. Does this self-righteous save the world business ever get old?”
“Exhausting,” Sophia answered. “But no, it’s who the Dragon Elite are at our core. But this challenging force will be our shadow selves, the Rogue Riders.”
“Oh, I have a shadow self,” Rudolf related. “She steals all the covers and will no doubt be the death of me, but you know what they say, keep your friends close and marry your enemies.”
“No one says that.” Sophia headed for the door. “I have to see Bep about the cure for Happily Ever After College. Good work with the store. It’s surprisingly impressive. I expected you to screw it up somehow, or really in multiple ways.”
“Thanks, Soph. Good luck not losing your ruling authority. If you survive what’s sure to be a brutal war that’s brewing, then let’s do lunch.”
Sophia waved over her shoulder at the fae and had a fleeting moment where she sort of wished this war headed her way did take her out if it meant getting out of lunch with him. She laughed at the notion and tried to quell any real fears connected to what the Rogue Riders could have in store for the Dragon Elite. Whatever it was, she couldn’t allow them to be successful. She had to stop them, and that started with fixing Happily Ever After College so she could get through the Rogue Riders’ barriers.
Chapter Eighty
Sophia rubbed her head as she entered the Rose Apothecary—the usual tension headache coming on after a conversation with Rudolf. He’d done an excellent job, but there was always a price to pay when interacting with the fae.
“Wipe your feet!” Bep exclaimed as Sophia stepped into her shop.
She froze and looked down at her boots. “They’re clean.” Glancing at the street at her back, she noticed that it was dry too, not covered with fresh rain as usual for Roya Lane nestled in the center of London.
“Are you blind?” Bep called from behind the counter and pointed at her boots. “They’re covered in the new store smell from that blasted shop next door that some creeps opened.”
Sophia halted, drew in a breath, and wondered if she should have used a patience spell on herself before venturing to Roya Lane that day. “First off, if my boots are covered in a smell, then why would you ask me if I’m blind? Second, I’m part owner of that shop next door. Last, you’re the potions person who makes our products.”
Bep waved her off dismissively. “All that is irrelevant. A new store has unsettled energy. I can’t risk it coming in here until it’s established.”
For a moment, Sophia considered allowing Rudolf to level the Rose Apothecary to expand their shop. She laughed at the notion. It wasn’t that she would do that. It was that everyone on Roya Lane found their unique way of being a pain in her butt.
“So if I wipe my feet at the door, then we’re okay? Is that right?” Sophia asked. “All the newness dust or smell or whatever will stay out of the shop?”
Bep nodded. “Yes, enough so that it won’t be a problem.”
Sophia made a dramatic act of stomping and wiping her boots before throwing her arm in their direction. “Happy?”
“Yes, come on in, but you can’t stay long.”
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” Sophia muttered dryly.
“Do you want to save your precious fairy godmother college or not?” Bep asked her matter-of-factly.
“Of course I do. That’s why I’m here. I didn’t get a message from you. Do you have the fix yet?”
“No, but I will by the time you run a few errands for me,” Bep stated.
Sophia nodded and quelled her annoyance. “Errands. Cool, need me to pick up some eggs and milk from the store? Seems like a great use of my time. Maybe my dragon can plow some fields for your farmer friends.”
“I don’t have any farmer friends,” Bep replied at once as if that was the ridiculous part of Sophia’s statement.
“What is it that you need me to do?” Sophia asked. “I’m recovering from being impaled by a dragon, so hopefully this errand doesn’t involve jumping off a building or fighting a minotaur.”
Bep shook her head. “Why didn’t you take any of the healing elixir?”
“Apparently, we’re not supposed to take from our supply,” Sophia joked. “But honestly, I’m almost back to normal. Merely some scratches that are mending.”
“Well, the errands I have aren’t dangerous. Really, it’s something I think you have the best chances of getting for me. I’m not done with the fix yet, and you do owe me.”
Sophia couldn’t argue with the potions maker on that. “You have created a lot of things for me, and I appreciate it. I’m happy to run an errand for you.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Bep said dismissively. “It’s all those imbeciles you bring around that I have to deal with. Now the king of the fae has moved in next door, and I have to listen to him bumping into things all day.”
“I have the worst friends,” Sophia agreed. “But be careful because I count you among them.”
“I’m well aware and hope I’m the exception.”
Sophia decided it was better not to say anything. All her friends were eccentric in their way, but they were also highly talented and had kind hearts. The strange antics they all dealt her were part of the entertainment, she reasoned.
“So this errand,” Sophia encouraged this to move along.
“Yes, I have a craving for something sweet. I guess it’s the time of the year.”
“Oh, with Halloween and harvest coming up?”
“Hallo-what?” Bep gave her a confused look. “No, I was saying because of the time change. Daylight savings ending always makes me crave sugar.”
Sophia nodded while thinking she should have seen this illogical connection coming. “Right. So you want me to pop over to the store and get a candy bar?”
“I’m afraid that won’t do,” Bep countered. “My tastes are a little more refined.”
“I’d expect nothing less. How complicated will this seemingly easy task be?”
“Well, the ingredients for this sweet treat can only be secured from a Brownie,” Bep explained. “Of all the people I know, I’d guess that you have access to those little helpers who hardly associate with anyone.”
“You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes.”
Bep nodded. “I thought so. Anyway, so you ask them for their special chocolate nibs, rainbow sprinkles, and ganache.”
“That’s easy enough.” Sophia
made a mental list of the ingredients.
“Then you should ask them how they would be best put together for the most delectable and sophisticated treat,” Bep continued.
“Sophisticated?” Sophia questioned.
“I don’t eat desserts often. It needs to be worth it,” Bep answered.
“Of course.”
“They’ll advise you and tell you who can make the dessert.”
“So it’s more than a shopping trip. I’m sure that nothing whatsoever could go wrong on such a simple journey,” Sophia said sarcastically.
“Knowing you, Sophia Beaufont, it will turn into a complete circus with tons of hidden dangers,” Bep said formally. “But do try and hurry. This craving is quite stubborn, and I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
Sophia saluted the potions expert. “I’ll be back in two shakes of a dragon’s tail.”
Chapter Eighty-One
Once back on Roya Lane, Sophia headed straight for the Official Brownie Headquarters while telling herself that this could be an easy errand.
“Grab some magical ingredients and have them made into something sophisticated,” Sophia said to herself. “How hard could this be?”
She realized that she’d spoken the powerful jinx curse with that last phrase. Before she could curse herself, the phone in her pocket rang. Recognizing the ring, Sophia grinned, welcoming the distraction that was about to come.
“Hank’s Automotive,” Sophia sang into the phone. “You wreck it. We’ll repair it.”
“That sounds like my company motto,” Liv said with a laugh. “The magical world of jerk wads wreck things, and I’m expected to repair it.”
“Oh, how we live parallel lives,” Sophia related. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“Wish I was calling under better circumstances,” Liv began, her tone shifting, “but unfortunately there’s no honor related to this phone call. You might delete my number after this.”
Sophia paused on the busy street. “I expected this. Everything is going along too smoothly right now.”