Rules of Justice (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 8)

by Sarah Noffke

  She put her other hand out, observing the same phenomenon. The gold dust pooled like water and then slipped away.

  Well, I’ll give you this one, Lunis began. The gold is right, but gathering it appears to be impossible.

  Sophia chewed on her lip, searching the land around them. “That can’t be.”

  Why? the dragon challenged.

  “Because all myths have a bit of truth around them,” she reasoned. “Every lore was based on something and even if it’s not literally true, there’s a shred of something that’s real.”

  I don’t like to be a Pessimistic Patsy on the subject but—

  “Why are you Patsy?” she interrupted, finding herself laughing despite the acute disappointment. “Why not a Patrick or a Pete?”

  Fine, we are in Ireland, he stated. I’ll be a Pessimistic Patrick, although as I was saying, I don’t mean to be, but I think you’re grasping for straws on this one, Soph. You might just want to face that there is no gold at the end of the rainbow.

  “I did face that,” she argued. “There isn’t any gold at the end of the rainbow, or if there is, I’m not getting to it in time. There definitely is gold raining down from this structure.”

  Raining down, Lunis said with a chuckle. Rainbow.

  For some reason, his bad joke made Sophia glance at the green and golden hills underneath them. The gold dust partially obscured the fields below. Then for a moment, Sophia thought it actually made her see something.

  Sitting in the middle of the barley field directly under them, surrounded by green hills, was something small and black. And round shaped, like…

  “Is that…” Sophia trailed away, squinting at the object below.

  Oh, I’m never going to hear the end of this, Lunis said. Yes, I think that’s an empty pot.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Hardly able to believe her eyes, Sophia blinked at the small empty black pot sitting in the field of barley directly below the apex of the rainbow. She wouldn’t have seen it, but the wind had blown when she was looking in that direction, making the long grains sway, and revealing it.

  When the breeze changed direction, it was obscured once more, but Sophia still knew where it was.

  “Why is it empty?” Sophia pondered.

  Maybe because we’re supposed to fill it, Lunis offered.

  “Of course!” In her chest, Sophia’s heart began to thump with excitement. “The golden dust dissipates if it is gathered by anything but the leprechaun’s pot.”

  That’s a theory, he said, the skeptical tone still present.

  “Well, let’s test it.” Sophia encouraged her dragon to dive toward the ground, remembering they were still limited on time. The rainbow wouldn’t last for long, and when it was gone, the golden dust would be too…and the black pot used to gather it.

  Tucking his head down at a sharp angle, sensing Sophia’s concern about the time, Lunis dove for the ground. The fresh air rushed past her, sending her hair back and making her eyes water.

  The earth was quickly approaching and the black pot was within view. Sophia’s stomach clenched from the sudden drop in altitude, but she swallowed down the feeling, remembering to keep her focus. Time was crucial, which meant they couldn’t land and grab the pot. Sophia had to pick it up but doing so would require precision. It would require both rider and dragon to work together in perfect unison.

  When Lunis was only a few yards from the ground, he leveled out, keeping his wings still and gliding over the waving barley that seemed to welcome them to the field. Sophia dared to climb out of her saddle and reach over the side of Lunis. She had to pin her boots around the harness to secure herself in place.

  The sheaves of barley sped by her outstretched hand as Lunis lowered, his belly nearly grazing the field. Sophia was extended just enough below her dragon. The black pot was coming up, its small cast iron handle extended above it.

  Sophia held her breath and reached out her fingers an inch farther. Missing it by even a tiny bit wouldn’t do.

  One of her boots slipped from its place laced around the harness, and Sophia slid down Lunis a foot, her head in the barley now. She lifted up at once, arching her spine just as they passed over the black pot. She reached out and cinched her fingers around the handle and picked up the surprisingly heavy pot. As Lunis rose into the air, victory rebounded in Sophia’s chest.

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  Getting back into the saddle with the pot in one hand was no easy feat. Lunis helped by tilting to the opposite side to give Sophia some momentum in the right direction. It helped, but almost too much, and she slid past the saddle and nearly off the other side. It was the heavy pot which felt like it weighed over fifty pounds.

  With her free hand, Sophia caught herself as Lunis leveled out, helping her to stay on his back. Not as gracefully as she would have liked, and with the pot banging around and hitting her, Sophia found her way back to the saddle.

  Immediately, she steered Lunis back to the rainbow, which was still vibrant with colors. The gold dust continued to rain down, and Sophia held up the pot under the shower, letting it collect into the container.

  As Lunis streaked across the bottom of the rainbow, Sophia felt the weight of the pot grow heavier. She wasn’t sure if that meant what she thought it did. After a pass, Sophia chanced a glance at the contents. To her surprise and relief, the gold dust had piled up, creating a soft mound inside.

  By that point, it would have evaporated from her hand. That had to mean…

  “It’s working!” Sophia exclaimed.

  That’s the good news, Lunis said, a catch to his voice.

  Extending her hand back out, Sophia kept gathering the golden dust, which was starting to rain down less than before. The rainbow was fading, and she thought that was why Lunis sounded tense.

  “What’s the bad news, Pessimistic Patrick?”

  That we have company and they don’t appear happy about you stealing their gold, he answered.

  Sophia jerked around to look at the ground, not seeing anything at first. Then she saw them, streaking through the tall barley fields, their eyes murderous and their sharp teeth bared.

  Not only was Leprechaun gold real, but so were the mean, little creatures.

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  A tiny fireball streaked by Sophia’s head. She nearly didn’t duck in time.

  Pulling in the pot, she decided they had collected enough gold. Apparently, it was more than enough, according to the angry Leprechauns shooting fireballs at them from the ground.

  The little men were as Bermuda Laurens had described. They were a bit bigger than a Brownie, but not as big as a gnome. Like they were attending a Saint Patrick’s Day party, each was dressed in a green suit, with a gold buckle and pointy shoes. On their heads of red hair perched green top hats, and covering their pudgy faces were chin beards.

  Lunis swerved several times to avoid being hit by the many fireballs now being hurled at them. There had to be a dozen or more Leprechauns on the ground, each launching attack after attack at them.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Sophia encouraged, hunching down low on her dragon.

  About that, Lunis stated with a new tension in his voice.

  “What?” she asked, perking up to look around. Immediately she saw what he meant. The rainbow wasn’t a single arc of a bridge anymore, connecting one part of the land to another. Instead, it had spread out and formed a dome that connected with the ground. The walls of the dome were semitransparent, taking on the appearance of the rainbow, and reflecting streaks of color. It was actually quite beautiful.

  What wasn’t so nice was the realization they were under this dome.

  They were trapped.

  Chapter Eighty

  “Well, this just got a bit more complicated,” Sophia said, blinking and having trouble seeing clearly with all the lights streaming in through the colors of the rainbow dome. The golden dust had stopped raining down and was now replaced by fireballs flying up from th
e ground. They streaked by Lunis, who was now doing laps, trying to stay moving.

  The fireballs crashed into the walls of the dome, proving it was solid and they couldn’t pass through it. When the fireballs connected with the dome, they exploded, sending sparks raining down on them. It wasn’t as nice as being sprinkled with gold dust.

  Sophia tried to cover her head with both arms, pinning the pot between her legs and ducking as flames rained down on them. The fire didn’t affect Lunis, but she was exposed on the top of his back and quickly getting burned in multiple places.

  Any bets on whether portals work here? Lunis asked.

  Sophia thankfully had enough magic left after creating the rainbow to try a portal. However, she was unsurprised to find that the Leprechaun magic prevented them from portaling when under the dome.

  No such luck, Sophia answered.

  Well, looks like we’re going to have to make a decision, Lunis began. Fight the little tater tots or give them back their gold.

  I’m not giving them back their gold, Sophia said with conviction. I haven’t taken that much, and it’s for a good cause. I’d give them something for it if they’d give me a chance.

  I think they want your life in exchange, he teased, veering around, and avoiding colliding with several fireballs.

  We’re going to have to fight them, Sophia concluded. I don’t want to hurt them, but it’s kill or be killed.

  Do you think creatures with fire magic can be hurt with flames? Lunis wondered.

  Only one way to find out, Sophia reasoned, pointing her dragon at the mob of angry Leprechauns, and directing him to cut across them.

  As he soared, the dragon opened his mouth and hot fire shot down at the small creatures.

  The answer to the question was immediately apparent. The Leprechauns repelled the fire and sent it back in their direction. Lunis had to do some fancy flying to avoid being hit by his own fire—which would have been a huge insult.

  So the little redheads can’t be burned, Sophia muttered. Why am I not surprised?

  They can’t be burned, which means we should employ the opposite element in our favor, Lunis offered.

  Sophia thought for a moment, and then it occurred to her. It was a good idea Lunis had. She only hoped she had enough magic to make it rain.

  Chapter Eighty-One

  Sophia held her arms out wide, hoping against all hope that this worked. It was hard to hold on with just her legs as Lunis ducked and rolled, trying to avoid being scorched. Several embers had singed Sophia’s hair, and the smell of it was strong in her nose.

  She knew she’d need both her hands to make a rainstorm, something she’d never really tried to do on this large of a scale.

  The fireballs and angry shouts from the ground were growing in intensity.

  Anytime you’re ready? Lunis urged, nervously.

  I’m trying, Sophia stated, pouring all her focus into the task. She clenched her eyes shut and funneled a power usually only the elves had in such strength, as water was their element. However, she was a dragonrider and as such, she could borrow elements from other races. That didn’t guarantee it would work. Creating a rain shower was more of a task than a single rainbow.

  Sophia was about to admit defeat when she was nearly slung off Lunis as he banked hard to the right to avoid a quick succession of attacks. Then she felt something drop onto her nose. She flinched, worried an ember had fallen on her. She felt it slip down like a tear, rolling over her chin and neck.

  Sophia’s eyes sprang open to find the dome of the rainbow filled with droplets of water as a spring shower grew in intensity, drenching the Leprechauns below, and making their fireballs extinguish before they came close to Sophia and Lunis.

  They held up their little fists and yelled inaudible insults at the pair who had stolen their gold. The best part of the rain shower was that it was making the rainbow fade and with it the dome.

  Can’t have a rainbow in a storm, Lunis imparted, sounding encouraged by the change of events.

  No those come afterward, Sophia said as the dome disappeared completely and a gray sky and clouds replaced it.

  Lunis sped forward with Sophia hunched down low. The rain drenched her, soothing the little burns on her skin from the fireballs. She held on tightly to the pot of gold they’d successfully stolen from the Leprechauns and left them far behind in the barley fields of Ireland.

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  Sophia would have reloaded her reserves once Lunis and she got back to the Gullington, but a message from Liv came through saying she had an important update about Rudolf.

  With the pot of leprechaun gold disguised to avoid thieves, Sophia stepped through the portal to Roya Lane and hurried to the Mermaid’s Tavern, the place Liv had told her to meet her.

  She’d never been in the place and immediately knew why upon sitting down at a table with Liv.

  “Did you say fifty-year waitlist?” Sophia gawked at her sister.

  Liv nodded. “Yeah, on average, it takes about fifty years to get a reservation into this place.”

  The restaurant was dark and glowing blue. The ceiling was glowing with a blue light that resembled water, making Sophia feeling like she was at the bottom of the ocean. Stone and coral covered much of the floor, and various columns flanked the hung aquarium that filled up most of the wall space. Between the floors, ceiling and aquarium were rivers of lava that gave off steam and bubbled.

  The aquarium was unlike anything Sophia had ever seen. It was huge and full of magical sea creatures, like a sea goat, a strange animal with the front half of a goat, and the back half of a fish. It tried to half climb and swim through the clear blue waters in the aquarium.

  Similarly, there were sea unicorns that weren’t like the mortal version of sea horses, but rather more like actual unicorns with a horn on their head, fins, and a fishtail.

  There were also dozens of varieties of strange fish, eels and snakes that were all brightly colored and full of strange magic.

  “How did you get us in here?” Sophia asked, flipping through the menu, hungrier than ever after depleting her magic.

  Liv gave her an expression over her own menu that said, “How do you think?”

  “Is this another place that you nearly closed down?”

  “I like to think of it as I helped them to stay in business,” Liv said, setting down her menu and leaning back.

  “There’s no seafood on the menu,” Sophia noted, thinking this was odd. Usually, at aquatic-themed restaurants, the menu was full of fish options.

  Liv shook her head. “How offended do you think that Zonker fish would be if you were over here eating its cousin? No, there’s just meat. Get the dinosaur steak. It’s the best.”

  “What is it made out of?” Sophia asked.

  Her sister gave her another incredulous look. “You do get out of the Gullington, right?”

  “A bit more than I’d like at times,” Sophia admitted. “You’re not saying the steaks are actually made out of dinosaurs, are you?”

  “Brontosaurus, I believe,” Liv answered. “They are really tender.”

  Sophia shook her head. “I’m not even going to ask how that’s possible.”

  “Well, there was a time travel issue with Papa Creola,” Liv explained. “But we fixed all that. Now the Mermaid Tavern has enough in the freezer to last a few hundred years. I mean, one Brontosaurus goes a long way.”

  “Wait, we’re going to have a steak from an extinct animal?” Sophia asked. “That seems wrong.”

  “They are extinct,” Liv reasoned. “I mean, we’re just making the best of them. Someone should enjoy their tender meat.”

  “If time travel was used to bring them back here, then why not bring them here to live?”

  “Because it doesn’t work that way,” Liv told her patiently. “We can’t change the events that made them extinct. That’s messing with the timeline and a big no-no for Papa Creola. Bringing back the dead dinosaur so that we can cover it in steak sauce
, that’s A-Okay.”

  Sophia scratched her head. “Just when I think I understand this place.”

  “Hey, and if you want to know why dinosaurs are extinct,” Liv began, “then you have to ask your Mother Nature. That was all her.”

  Shrugging, Sophia said, “It was probably a Monday. She says a lot of mistakes in her creations happened on Mondays. She apparently hates them.”

  “What’s a Monday?” Liv asked. “All the days feel the same. For me, they are all Wednesday, halfway through with a long way before any downtime.”

  Sophia laughed. “Mine are all Thursdays. So close to getting a break…”

  “That rarely comes,” Liv finished.

  “I’m working on that at Hiker’s insistence,” Sophia related.

  “Wow, can you have your boss talk to mine?” Liv asked. “When I mention a break to Papa Creola, he tells me we don’t have time for that. When I say he’s literally in control of time, he pretends like he can’t hear me and starts humming.”

  Sophia laughed. “Yeah, Mama Jamba influences Hiker a lot the same way. He’s chilled out a bit since she came back.”

  “Then there’s your influence,” Liv mentioned.

  Sophia should have been unsurprised that the waitress was an elf since this was an ocean-themed restaurant, but she was so hungry she wasn’t even thinking.

  The elf was like many she encountered—of the hippie variety.

  “What nourishment does your soul need today?” the elfin woman wearing bangles and a nose ring asked.

  “My soul needs you to not talk like that,” Liv told her.

  If the waitress was offended, she didn’t show it. She nodded and put her hands in the prayer position.

  “You going for the steak, Soph?” Liv asked.

  She nodded in reply. “Yeah, whatever you recommend.”