by Sarah Noffke
Sophia nodded with confidence. “Yes, sir,” she replied, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders and the burden more than enough for her to hold.
Chapter One Hundred Twelve
The Dragon Elite ripped through the portal over Iceland one at a time, making fast progress toward the volcano known as Katla. As in Scotland, snow covered much of the land below them.
They’d planned the timing of this battle with great precision. Of course, with the danger of Scotland being bombed by Versalee looming over them, time was crucial. The day the Dragon Elite planned to storm Katla was on the full moon. That would be Lunis’ strength, lending that power to Sophia and the others.
That was one reason she was confident the protective spell she’d gotten from the elves would allow all the Dragon Elite to withstand the volcano’s heat. It was a powerful spell and took a lot of strength to perform on ten dragonriders, but Sophia was sure that it would last through the night of the full moon.
Lunis hadn’t supersized for this occasion although the moon granted him that power if he so desired. It was advantageous for him to remain in his smaller size at this point. Sophia wasn’t sure what getting inside the volcano would look like and how much space there would be to maneuver around. Strangely enough, she’d never been in a volcano.
I was born in a volcano, Lunis said in Sophia’s head.
You weren’t born, Sophia argued. You hatched in a giant’s backyard.
There was lava though, he countered.
Not really the same thing, Sophia said, at the front of the formation. Wilder was beside her on Simi—the white dragon glistened beautifully in the moonlight that reflected off the snow.
Behind them, the six new dragonriders flew stealthily through the air. Sophia was grateful to see that they rode with precision and grace, having put a lot into their training to ensure that they were ready for battle—this battle in particular. All of them had found the Great Library, although it had taken a team effort on their parts. Sophia liked that they had that opportunity to bond together. Seeing the Great Library was a crucial step in the final part of a Dragon Elite’s training, but they weren’t required to do it alone. Sophia had because she was the only new dragonrider at the time.
Sophia’s gaze ran over Alina on her dragon, Frost. It was a strange sight to see a werewolf riding a dragon. It was a first. Still, this was the age for firsts. Sophia had been the first female dragonrider. Alina was the first werewolf rider. After today, it was hoped that the Rogue Riders and the Dragon Elite would no longer battle each other, but rather work together to better the world—managing their individual domains.
Behind the newbie dragonriders, Evan and Mahkah brought up the rear, pure confidence on their faces.
Sophia turned and spoke into the comm in her ear. “Evan, are you texting right now?”
A series of chuckles followed her question.
“Trin was worried,” he replied. “I was assuring her that I’d save the day and be back in her lovely cyborg arms in no time.”
“No texting when riding your dragon,” Wilder chided.
“Hey, just because you need two hands to ride that flying hippopotamus doesn’t mean that I do,” Evan argued.
In the distance, contrasting brilliantly against the white snow, was bright glowing lava that Sophia could see peeking from the volcano’s mouth. She nodded to Wilder, a silent movement that he understood at once. He threw a quick cloaking spell on himself and the rest of the riders, camouflaging them until it was time for the Rogue Riders to notice their presence.
First, they needed to do some reconnaissance to see exactly what they were in for. Sophia angled Lunis down and hunched low on her dragon, preparing to land on Katla’s rim.
It was time for it all to begin. Hopefully, this would be the beginning of the end.
Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
What do you call an extinct volcano? Lunis asked in Sophia’s head as they landed on Katla.
Oh, I should have seen this coming, Sophia grumbled while sliding off her dragon.
Wrong. That’s a horrible answer, he replied. You can’t see an extinct volcano because they aren’t spurting lava.
Sophia sighed but laughed despite her attempts not to. What do you call an extinct volcano?
A volcannot. He snickered.
Katla wasn’t an extinct volcano, Sophia observed, peering into the opening after using Bellator to open the invisible barrier. Once again, she had to give it to Versalee. The demon dragonrider wasn’t leaving anything to chance, using many different security measures. However, the locking device hadn’t been a challenge at all for Liv’s sword.
The intensity of the scorching heat was almost overwhelming initially. The high temperature didn’t burn Sophia or the others, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t making them sweat, especially until they got used to it.
“Man, who would want to live in a volcano?” Evan mopped his forehead as he joined Sophia on one side, Wilder and Mahkah on the other.
Sophia shook her head. “A very deranged person, so take note of that.”
Evan cackled. “You take note. You’re the one who has to take her out most likely. I’m only here to make you all look good.”
“We do that all on our own,” Wilder retorted. “If that’s your job, you need to work on your image first.”
Sophia studied the inside of the volcano below them, amazed by all that she saw. It was incredible and wrong on so many levels. “I don’t get it,” she remarked to the guys. “I understand wanting to be stronger and make your riders more powerful, but you don’t see me relocating to the moon.”
“Please don’t,” Wilder stated at once. “I hardly get to see you enough as it is.”
Evan nodded. “Yeah, we knew this Versalee was nuts, but now I’m calling this chick certifiably deranged. Coral loves water, but that doesn’t mean I’m becoming a merman.”
“Well, no, because you’d have to be a man first for that to work,” Wilder joked.
Below them and inside Katla—which was huge, the opening six miles wide—two large pillars rose high above the bright glowing lava. Stationed on top of each were large chained dragons.
“There are the guard dogs.” Sophia pointed at the hostile demon dragons snapping at riders as they flew by, landing on the rock below or exiting the volcano. Thankfully none of them could see the Dragon Elite spying on them in plain sight, but Wilder couldn’t keep the cloak on much longer, so they needed to hurry with the plan.
“We need to release those dragons, obviously.” Sophia counted the number of dragonriders she could see. She estimated there were roughly a dozen.
“I can release them,” Mahkah offered stoically.
Sophia nodded. “Take two of the newbies with you. I don’t want anyone alone on this mission. We stick together in case something happens.”
“I’ve always liked the buddy system,” Evan cheered with a wide smile.
“Too bad no buddy likes you,” Wilder teased.
“Oh, man, that one was bad, even for you.” Evan chortled.
“You two don’t stop even on the top of a volcano, do you?” Sophia deadpanned.
Wilder shrugged. “I bet Lunis is still telling you bad jokes. So why shouldn’t we?”
Sophia glanced over her shoulder at her mischief-prone dragon. She nodded. “You know him so well.” Returning her attention to the scene in front of them, Sophia took in the magma lake at the bottom, fed by lava falls from the center and lower sections of the mountain. Around the inside of Katla were cliffs and other rock structures where demon dragonriders were visible. However, Sophia didn’t think that all of the Rogue Riders lived inside Katla. Only Versalee, probably. The heat and magic to protect the dragonriders would simply be too much.
“We need the Rogue Riders drawn out of here,” Sophia began. “There’s too much that can go wrong once I confront Versalee. I don’t want one of them getting hit in the line of fire.”
“I can lure them out,”
Evan offered. “I’m great at playing cat and mouse. I’ll be the big badass mouse and let them chase me.”
“That’s a good job for you,” Sophia agreed. “Take two of the newbies to assist you. Remember not to attack. Simply get them to follow you. Then gather them on the ground and tell them that if they cooperate and remove their allegiance to Versalee, that they’ll get a peace offering.”
“Is it a cake?” Evan asked. “Everyone loves cakes.”
“I’m not that much of a sweets person,” Wilder admitted.
“Clarification,” Evan chirped. “All cool people love cake.”
Sophia grinned and shook her head. “It’s not cake, but I think that based on the Rogue Riders’ current situation, they’ll like what I have for them.”
Wilder, who didn’t know what Sophia had in the works, raised a curious eyebrow at her.
“I can’t tell you right now because it’s a surprise for all of you,” Sophia stated.
“Wait, you have a peace offering for us too?” Evan twisted his finger in his ear, trying to get a sudden deep itch. “I thought you had an inkling that I despised you. I’m good that you were taking the hints, but I don’t think whatever baked goods you’re offering will win me over. My loathing for you runs deep, Pink Princess, like the lava in this volcano.”
“Then your contempt can last for as long as time,” Sophia retorted, turning her attention to Alina and waving her over.
She was a pretty werewolf, not all hairy and ripped muscles like in the movies. She looked like a wolf but walked upright, with agile grace. She’d proved what Sophia knew was true—these creatures weren’t monsters. It wasn’t as if Alina was gone and had become a werewolf. It was still her, and she had her reason and wasn’t deranged or barbaric. Other than feasting on a sheep before they left, Alina was pretty much herself except with a snout and pointy ears, and sharp teeth.
“Your senses in werewolf form are heightened even more than usual, correct?” she asked Alina when she paused beside them.
She simply nodded in reply, still fairly shy around the others.
“Man, that’s rough,” Evan imparted. “The chi of the dragon already makes it so I can smell Wilder’s dirty feet across the Castle. You poor dear, I bet you can smell Hiker’s boots from here.”
“I can’t,” Alina answered seriously, as though he hadn’t been joking.
“I think that the bombs meant to destroy Scotland are hidden somewhere around here,” Sophia began. “Do you think you could find them?”
“Using a werewolf as a bomb-sniffing dog.” Evan laughed. “Smart thinking.”
“I could,” Alina stated with enthusiasm, looking grateful to have her skills as a werewolf useful. “I picked up on something to the west of here when we landed.”
“Great,” Sophia affirmed. “Take Cooper with you. I want you all to locate the bombs and disable them. No one ever needs weapons like those. They aren’t going back on the black market.”
“Disable them?” Alina asked.
“I believe that freezing bombs deactivates them,” Sophia said. “Frost, your dragon, has that special power.”
“Oh man,” Evan cheered. “She can sniff out the bombs and defuse them. Talk about cool.”
Alina blushed. “I think I can, but I’ll need a lot of power.”
“You will because the bombs have to stay frozen for a sufficient time to defuse,” Sophia instructed. “This is where Cooper can help. Have him lend you his strength.”
Although Alina looked like she might throw up the sheep she’d had earlier, she nodded, trying to appear confident.
“What do you want me to do?” Wilder asked Sophia.
She glanced down inside the volcano. “I need you to have my back with your trusty new weapon.”
He pulled the ice bow and arrows from his back, smiling proudly. “I’d be happy to.”
“First, to get the Rogue Riders and chained dragons out, we’ll need a diversion.” She glanced at Wilder.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
She smiled wide. “I think we need to greet Versalee with a steam bath.”
Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
Sophia was on Lunis and perched on the volcano’s crater, ready for the next phase of the plan.
She looked at Mahkah and Evan. Both gave her reassuring nods that they were ready too. Alina and Cooper had already set off to find and defuse the bombs. The other newbie riders all gave her sturdy expressions when she turned to look at them.
Wilder, the only one of them not on his dragon, stood a safe distance away, also perched on the edge of the mouth of the volcano, looking down into it.
“Ready?” Sophia asked him.
He nodded, pulled up the ice bow, and pointed it at the lava fall closest to the bottom. The steam bath wouldn’t last for long, but it would be sufficient for Wilder to pull off the cloaks camouflaging them as Sophia entered the volcano under cover of the steam.
Wilder pulled back the arrow with precision to impress and released it. The arrow spiraled downward through the air and hit the lava fall silently, but soon the sound of ice forming echoed through the chamber. The ice arrow wasn’t powerful enough to seal that much lava, but for a brief moment, it created a sheet of ice that quickly melted, sending steam issuing up through the volcano, making it hard for anyone inside to see.
Sophia didn’t waste a moment as she dipped forward on Lunis and soared down into the throat. The intensity of the heat mixed with the steam was almost unbearable. She felt like they were flying blind, but Lunis assured her that he could navigate through this. He knew where he was headed—to a patch of rock at the bottom next to the magma lake where they’d noticed a set of tunnels that led further into the sides of Katla. That had to be where Versalee was sitting on her throne of coal, concocting her evil plans for genocide.
To Sophia’s relief, and faster than she thought possible, Lunis landed on the rock next to the magma lake that glowed brightly, bubbling dangerously close to them. The steam had already started to dissipate, and the effects of the confusion it had caused were immediate. Many of the demon dragonriders jumped to attention and mounted their dragons or had already taken flight. Things were so chaotic that no one noticed Lunis perched at the volcano's base before he and Sophia made their way to the tunnels.
So far, everything was going to plan.
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
Evan atop Coral, two of the newie dragonriders at his back, prepared for the right moment to draw attention to them. He was pretty sure that the new riders’ names were Stephen and Will, but to keep things interesting, he’d told them he was calling them Noobs One and Noobs Two. Evan had been the new guy for a hundred years until Sophia came along. He figured it was his time to haze the freshmen.
“Noobs One,” he pointed at the dragonrider closest to him. “Stay on my right.”
The guy nodded.
Indicating Noobs Two, Evan said, “Stay on my left. Both of you fly fast and efficiently. This isn’t combat, so pull out all the stops. Use the wind to your advantage. Above all else, having a freaking blast.”
Seeing the steam below that Wilder’s ice arrow had created, Evan put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loud into the volcano, where he spied several demon dragonriders mounting or flying in his direction. “Hey, guys!” he yelled, waving his arms. “I have something mega cool to show you! Follow me!”
With his arms still in the air, Evan silently directed Coral into the air, their minds connected. The purple dragon launched upward with minimal effort, flying fast, Stephen and Will on their dragons beside them. Following them with less agility were the demon dragonriders. They’d taken the bait and were spilling from the volcano one by one.
Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
The dragons on the pillars weren’t magnetized to riders, Mahkah observed. He’d spent enough time with dragons to know the difference. A magnetized dragon was slightly less intimidating, if that word could ever be associated with a
dragon. Still, there was a distinct difference between the temperament of a magnetized dragon versus one that wasn’t. Mahkah knew it when he saw it, even if he couldn’t articulate it.
That must have meant that Versalee had trapped these demon dragons and chained them up to be the guards for her lair. They snapped and were willing to fight anything that came near them, whether it was trespassers or Rogue Riders.
It sickened Mahkah to see dragons tethered like this, knowing they’d been captured. This woman was pure evil, and the more they learned, the worse it got. Hiker and Sophia were right that they had to stop her, and it appeared death was the only punishment.
Unfortunately, the fact that these demon dragons hadn’t magnetized to a rider meant that they were aggressive, and freeing them that much more difficult. However, Mahkah had met every single dragonette that hatched at the Gullington, and he knew these two. He knew all of them.
Looking to the side where the new dragonriders held station beside him on their dragons, he gave them sturdy looks. Their names were Rob and Fred, and he was grateful for their assistance on this part of the mission. He was going to need it.
“The key won’t be in releasing them,” Mahkah stated. “I can do that from here, but then they would go after Sophia, Wilder, or one of you. They’re hungry and mad. Can you both break those chains using magic when the time comes?”
Rob and Fred nodded dutifully.
“Very good.” Mahkah prepared to take off on Tala. “Then wait for my signal.”
“What are you going to do?” Rob asked.
“I’m going to station myself on the other side of them,” Mahkah stated. “Then you’ll release them, and their only and best option will be to chase me out of the volcano.”
“Will you be okay?” Fred asked. “There are two of them and only one of you.”