Harmonize Hostilities (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 7)

by Sarah Noffke

  “Lunis likes to play trivia games and shares the information with me regardless of how much I don’t care.”

  Liv shook her head. “That’s the weirdest dragon in the world.”

  “Tell me about it. Tom Bradley must be the guy who runs the place,” Sophia reasoned. “Maybe we can find him and he’ll help us out.”

  “I doubt the landlord of this joint is hanging out at an information desk, waiting to answer our questions about Baba Yaga,” Liv stated. “From my experience, it’s going to be some homeless bum who is sifting through the garbage and offers up strange insights. That’s how Papa Creola likes to do things.”

  “Yeah, but he didn’t tell me who we were looking for,” Sophia muttered, starting to feel overwhelmed as the hordes of people crowded closer to them.

  “So, Papa Creola said there was someone here who could advise us?” Liv asked, scanning the people hurrying one way or the other. She randomly pointed at a guy with a ball cap in a Hawaiian shirt. “Is it that guy?”

  Sophia laughed. “I don’t know.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” Liv interrupted the guy as he crossed their path. “Do you know where we are to look for Baba Yaga’s grimoire?”

  He furrowed his brow at her and scratched his head. “I think that goes out of Delta, but shucks, I don’t know for certain. Is Baba Yaga in Brazil?”

  Liv’s face scrunched up as she concluded the same as Sophia. “I don’t think so. I think she’s in one of these terminals.”

  The guy laughed. “Oh, it’s a person! Well, good luck. There are only, like, seven terminals at LAX. I’m off to Honolulu.”

  “Use sunscreen,” Liv offered as the Midwesterner hurried off.

  “So,” Liv said, rounding on her sister. “Although I really want to crack this case so I can return to marathoning Schitt’s Creek, I vote we stop off someplace and grab something to eat. My reserves are low from the ogre case, which I rushed back from since I knew that Papa Creola would be angry that I was late.”

  Sophia nodded, pointing to the automatic doors. “Good idea. We need you up to your full steam if we’re going to battle a seven-thousand-year-old witch.”

  “Strangely enough, battling this cranky old lady isn’t the intimidating part,” Liv explained as they strode inside. They glanced up at the two-story terminal lined with people at the ticketing counter. A football length distance away was a set of shops and restaurants. Dividing them from it were angry travelers who all looked like the sisters were there to cut in line. “Finding this advisor feels like the most intimidating part we’ll face.”

  “Let’s get you something covered in frosting and high in carbs,” Sophia offered, tugging her sister through the crowd. “Then, we will figure out our next step.”

  Chapter Seventy-One

  The smell of sticky-sweet cinnamon buns was by far one of the best things in the world. Biting into the gooey center of the roll at Cinnabon almost made up for the fact that Sophia was sitting shoulder to shoulder with tourists and travelers at the small eatery.

  The little place would have been small under normal circumstances but add to it that most of the patrons had large suitcases they were wheeling behind them, and it made the place even more cramped.

  Liv speared her fork into her paper cup, stabbing one of the pieces of cinnamon roll. This place was smart enough to sell something called the “Center of the Roll,” so they were able to bypass the crusty edges and skip to the good part—the soft inside.

  Between bites, Liv said, “I feel sorry for mortals. This is how they have to travel all the time, like a bunch of cattle.”

  Sophia nodded, actually grateful to have the rare experience and appreciate how great they had it with portal magic. She did hope that this humbling experience ended inside this terminal, and she didn’t have to find out any more about how mortals were forced to travel.

  Mortimer’s notes had said the way to the grimoire was through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. The way it was phrased instantly worried Sophia.

  “Does it make you nervous what Mortimer’s report said?” Sophia asked her sister.

  Liv lifted her gaze and nodded. “‘The way to the grimoire’ makes it sound like we’ll be going on a wild goose chase and it starts here.”

  “But our advisor is probably here somewhere,” Sophia reasoned. “We’ll find them, they point us in the right direction and bam, we get the book, kill her with her own broom and portal home.”

  Liv laughed. “I like your optimism, but it’s nothing less than naïve.” She indicated the charred stick lying beside Sophia. “I wouldn’t even trust that thing to withstand a game of whack-a-mole, much less kill a seven-thousand-year-old witch with a nasty attitude. I mean, the book is hers after all, so I get it if she’s angry about us stepping in and taking it when she’s just learned its whereabouts after a long nap.”

  Sophia couldn’t help but agree, although the mostly scorched broomstick did have a strange power to it. It had earned her more than a few looks as they’d strode through the terminal. That also might have been because the Beaufont sisters were wearing matching black capes that covered swords strapped to their sides, and they had thundered along in thick combat boots. They stuck out in the mortal world, especially at an international airport filled with excited tourists.

  “I think that finding a bit of sympathy for your would-be enemy is very endearing,” Sophia complimented her sister.

  Liv looked up from her nearly finished paper cup of center of the cinnamon rolls. In true Liv style, she’d saved the crispy candy-covered pecans for last. She always saved the best part of desserts for last, eating the ice cream before the cookie or licking the frosting off and then eating the cake.

  “Thanks, Soph,” she said, winking. “I try and be a little empathic, but it’s getting increasingly harder in this business full of politics and red tape.”

  Sophia thought of Nevin Gooseman and all the problems he’d created for the Dragon Elite. “Tell me about it. I haven’t even been doing this for that long.”

  Liv gave her a reassuring look. “All the more reason for us to change things so that defunct systems stop running the show and making more work for people like us.”

  “I like the way you think.” Sophia smiled wide at her sister.

  Liv pinched her fingers together and went in for one of the pecans when something blurred just behind her. Sophia tensed, noticing the strange wisps of magic covering the object. It was glamoured, meaning mortals couldn’t see it, but she definitely could.

  “Watch out!” Sophia exclaimed, grabbing for her sword.

  Everyone in the eatery glanced up from their food, eyeing Sophia like she was a deranged terrorist.

  Before she could pull her sword from its holster, a chipmunk with large brown eyes and spots on his back grabbed the container of candied pecans and bolted off.

  Liv’s hand was flexing by her side as well, but neither sister yanked out their sword. Good thing because it would probably have gotten them more attention than they already had.

  Standing with their chests rising and falling from the sudden burst of adrenaline, Liv lowered her chin and glared in the direction where the chipmunk streaked through the crowd, headed for the escalators.

  “Did a magic chipmunk just steal the favorite part of my dessert?” Liv asked.

  Sophia nodded, keeping her eye on the creature as he negotiated his way through the crowd, running clumsily, thanks to having to hold onto the container.

  “Well, let’s not just stand here,” Liv suggested. “Let’s go after the little jerk.”

  Sophia agreed and took off, sprinting through the crowded airport after the strange woodland creature.

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Sensing the sisters were hot on his tail, the chipmunk abandoned the container of candied pecans, which earned a good bit of cursing from Liv.

  “Seriously!” she exclaimed, leaping over some suitcases belonging to a family in beach attire, all looking confused.
“I was going to eat those pecans, you good for nothing roadkill.”

  It wasn’t lost on Sophia they’d been hanging out in a mortal place when a magical chipmunk who could use glamour had stolen their food. Either he was leading them to their destination or into a trap. It was a coin flip at this point.

  Their pursuit through the busy airport hadn’t gone unnoticed by security. The guards were now pushing to follow them, probably wondering if they were going to do something dangerous.

  “Just late for a flight,” Sophia called over her shoulder as one of the closer security guards started after them.

  That seemed to stop them from following any farther. Thankfully, they didn’t notice the swords the girls had concealed as both sisters jumped onto the escalators.

  “Stand to the right!” Liv ordered as a father and son stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the path. They were deep in conversation and didn’t seem to get the very direct hint.

  Liv was jumping the escalator stairs two at a time, rounding past travelers who saw her coming and sucked in to make room for her.

  “Seriously, Billy and son! Move to the right!” she hollered. “Coming through.”

  Maybe they didn’t speak English or weren’t used to the idea that those moving faster passed on the left on escalators, roads, and bike paths. For whatever reason, when they were still six steps from the top, Billy and son hadn’t moved.

  “For the love of Father Time!” Liv yelled, hopping up on the rubber railing in the center and running up the center aisle between the escalator on the other side going down.

  Her feet moved fast, and Sophia was about to copy the movement when Liv jumped onto the floor and spun around, her eyes wide. “MOVE to the right!”

  Billy jumped over in front of his son, which made room for Sophia to speed by.

  “Thanks,” she muttered, leaping the last few steps and arriving beside Liv.

  Her sister shook her head. “Seriously, I have no time for people who don’t know etiquette. We risk our lives to save their mortal lives, and they can’t even observe simple rules.”

  “The chipmunk,” Sophia said, studying the lines up ahead for the creature.

  He should have had more than enough time to get away since he was small enough to dart through legs, going unnoticed with his glamour. To her surprise, the little creature with white spots and a mischievous glint in his eyes was waiting on the lid of a trash can up ahead.

  “There’s my future hat,” Liv spat, taking off after the rodent.

  Sophia grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “What if it’s a trap?”

  “What if it’s not, and he’s leading us to where we need to go?” Liv reasoned. “Because I didn’t have any other leads after eating the cinnamon roll. I was just going to stroll around this place and make friends until someone had heard of Baba Yaga.”

  “Good point,” Sophia agreed. She didn’t have a clue what to do either. She was actually close to ringing Mae Ling for help, but following a chipmunk through the international terminal of an airport seemed more fun, and where was the harm?

  “Okay, let’s go get that thief,” Liv said, striding forward toward the line for security.

  The chipmunk hopped down from the trash can, apparently not caring about the bazillion germs in the place.

  “Be sure to wash your hands,” Sophia yelled to the creature, hurrying to catch him as he sped under the feet of those queued to go through security.

  There were dozens of lines of people with passports in hand and irritated expressions on their faces as they waited for a TSA agent to check their boarding passes and identification.

  Liv darted under the flimsy rope barriers, bypassing lines trying to get to the chipmunk, who had paused to wait on top of a metal detector flanked by two agents. The agents didn’t seem to notice the glamoured chipmunk.

  “Hey!” a set of guards yelled, running after them.

  Sophia, realizing there was about to be a conflict, slipped the scorched broomstick into the armored pocket on her back where she sometimes kept extra weapons. It slipped down into place, disappearing at once while the guards were looking away, trying to negotiate their way through the crowd.

  Another darted forward from his place perched at a desk and held up his hand. “You’re going to need to get to the back of the line.”

  Liv paused, holding up her hands.

  Sophia sighed, doing the same.

  “Follow my lead,” Liv said from the corner of her mouth.

  “Cool, because I’ve got zero plans here.”

  Her sister shook her head at her. “Watch and learn.”

  “Sorry, but we are super late for our flight and need to get through,” Liv explained, and Sophia picked up a hint of magic laced into her words. She wasn’t brainwashing the agents, something their family was very much against, but she was using a persuasive spell, which made her more convincing to those hearing her.

  “Let them through!” many at their back encouraged.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to miss my flight!” another person yelled.

  The agents considered this before nodding. “Let’s see your ID and tickets.”

  “I’ve got both of ours,” Liv said, giving Sophia a pointed expression.

  From her pocket she retrieved two passports that had to be fake because Sophia didn’t have a passport as far as she knew.

  From her other pocket, Liv pulled out two tickets.

  One guard checked Liv’s passport, holding it up and studying her face, searching for similarities. Deciding the picture on the identification was in fact her, he checked the tickets.

  “Okay, Biv Leaufont, enjoy your flight to Serbia,” the guard said, handing back the ticket and identification to Liv.

  “You too, Bophia Seaufont,” the other guard stated, giving Sophia her paperwork. “We can expedite you through this line.”

  They led them to the conveyor belt and x-ray machines, and a metal detector they’d have to fool.

  “You don’t have any luggage?” one of the guards asked, looking the pair over.

  Liv shrugged. “We’re traveling light.”

  “For a trip to Serbia?” the other guard asked, but the persuasion spell seemed to be working because he shook this off. Standing next to the metal detector, he pointed to the conveyor belt. “Empty your personal belongings there and step through.”

  Liv gave Sophia a look full of meaning. “Yeah, Bophia, place your personal belongings there. Like that umbrella and the other nonlethal items you’ve brought.”

  Not thinking anything of the strange directions, the guard on the other side of the x-ray equipment pointed to their capes. “Those will need to go in the bins, as well as your boots.”

  Sophia glanced over her shoulder to where they’d seen the chipmunk before. He had disappeared. She almost thought of quitting right then but reasoned they’d come this far and had persuaded the TSA agents to let them bypass the lines. They’d have been waiting for hours. This place was a hot mess, she thought, taking off her cape and wadding it up and putting it in a bin that made its way for the x-ray machine.

  Liv removed Bellator from her holster and laid it on the conveyor, but Sophia knew it had been glamoured to look like an inconspicuous umbrella. Following her sister’s lead, Sophia glamoured Inexorabilis to look like a walking cane.

  Glancing at her sister, she realized there were several other weapons and items attached to her belt, like the holster at her side and a knife, an hourglass, and a few vials of potions. On Sophia’s person, she had her own holster, the compass Liv had given her, a few other hidden magical objects, as well as the scorched stick she didn’t think she should try and get through the x-ray machine since she didn’t really know anything about it and also didn’t trust the magic radiating around the object.

  As casually as strolling into a coffee shop, Liv stepped through the metal detector and went through without setting it off.

  It was Sophia’s turn to hope she’d done a good enough job magi
cking the objects she was carrying so they didn’t set off the metal detector and, more importantly, went unnoticed by the guards.

  She stepped up to the rectangular doorframe looking device and paused, waiting to be waved through by the guards. Sophia smiled broadly, hoping she got extra points for a good attitude.

  “Go on then,” the TSA agent on the other side of the metal detector stated, waving her forward.

  Sophia held her breath and stepped across the threshold, preparing to hear a loud beeping noise. Then she’d have to sprint for the conveyor and get her sword and take off. That was the plan if everything went to hell. She’d considered abandoning this plan and portaling to the other side of security, but there were several risks with that. They were already committed to fooling these mortals. Just a few more steps and they’d be done.

  “You’re good,” the TSA agent said to Sophia’s relief and ultimate surprise.

  She nearly jumped up and down but caught the warning expression from Liv. Sophia nodded like she’d completely expected to pass through without an issue.

  “Collect your belongings over there,” the guard said flatly.

  “Thanks,” Sophia offered, moving fast now to recapture the time they’d lost having to go through security.

  Liv was already sheathing Bellator and scanning the area when Sophia arrived beside the conveyor belt and found her own sword.

  “He’s there!” Liv exclaimed, pointing in the direction of a newsstand, where the chipmunk was resting on a countertop and staring at them.

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  “Don’t run,” Sophia advised, stepping carefully in the direction of the newsstand.

  “Good idea,” Liv commended.

  Sophia reasoned that since running after the creature only made him scurry away faster, and also caused them to earn a lot of unwanted attention from security, which only slowed them down, they should play this cool. After all, the chipmunk wanted them to follow him. He definitely seemed to be playing a game.