by Sarah Noffke
Suddenly she felt as safe as if she was sleeping in her bed at the Gullington and not thousands of feet up on a flying dragon with a plane about to crash beside them. She scooted back until she was on his back and between his wings.
Ready to save the day? she asked Lunis.
He flapped his wings, rising over the plane as the passengers watched with wide eyes as the pair took off.
It’s been too long since I’ve heard you say that, he replied. I’ve missed you, Soph.
Missed wasn’t the right word for Sophia. She felt like she’d been reunited with her heart and her soul as she clung to her dragon.
Chapter Ninety-One
If Liv thought she’d have an easy time of wrangling the little furries, then she was wrong. They darted in three different directions as soon as she called war on them. The plane was already going down, and there was little hope the pilots could do anything about that—at this point, that was up to Sophia and Lunis. But Liv reasoned she couldn’t leave the pesky chipmunks around to cause further trouble and aid Baba Yaga when they got to the ground.
How the three chipmunks managed to tie up two grown men was beyond Liv, but she guessed magic was at play. Which meant the little rodents shouldn’t be underestimated. They had managed to almost bring down a 747 plane after all.
One of the chipmunks jumped into the pilot’s lap, making his eyes widen as if he thought the vermin was going to turn rabid and bite him. He leaned back, pulling his chin as far from the creature as it could go. The chipmunk, which Liv called Alvin, climbed up onto the man’s chest and stared down at him with beady eyes, its teeth bared as it posed to bite his exposed neck.
Liv quickly registered where the other two troublemakers had gone. Simon had darted down under the copilot’s feet and quickly disappeared from view. Theo had climbed up to the ceiling and was clinging onto a control panel upside down as he flicked his tail and shot her a menacing glare.
“Fine, so we have to do this the hard way,” Liv droned, sounding bored.
Alvin’s closeness to the pilot didn’t leave Liv with a lot of options that wouldn’t put him in danger as well. Although the evil chipmunks were trying to take down a plane with hundreds of passengers, Liv didn’t think killing the animals would escape her conscience later. She guessed their cute little appearance worked in their favor that way.
Not to mention the council for the House of Fourteen would be all over her ass for harming animals during a time when magicians were feared and not trusted by mortals. The news would no doubt leave out the fact the rabid chipmunks were murderous and would just paint a picture of a deranged magician executing harmless woodland creatures.
Not killing the chipmunks would make this whole thing that much more arduous. Dragging in a long breath, Liv flicked her finger minutely and put a paralyzing spell on Alvin. Unfortunately, it also hit the pilot, but there was no avoiding that. He would be fine. He’d just have really dry eyes later when he could blink again.
As quickly as she could manage, Liv grabbed her knife from her belt and slit the binding on the copilot’s wrist. Before he could pull out the gag, she instructed him to clear the space. There were too many bodies in such a small area.
“Get out now!” Liv hollered. “And close the door. I can’t have Theo and Simon getting out.”
“But the plane!” he objected, pointing to the windows.
Liv had forgotten she had a front-row seat to the plane crash about to happen as the nose of the aircraft barreled toward the Earth.
“I’ve got someone more qualified on the job,” Liv argued. “Now get out of here.”
She traded spots with the copilot and dove under the seat to the floorboard to find Simon with a tube in his mouth and a threat in his eyes.
“What does that do, Simon?” she asked seriously like the creature was going to answer her back.
Before he could answer, if that were a possibility, Theo dropped down from the ceiling onto Liv’s back. She found herself simultaneously reaching for Simon and clawing at her back for Theo.
Her hand grabbed Simon, yanking him away from whatever damage he was about to do. Liv didn’t want to think how much worse the heathens could make things.
Her ears popped like crazy as the plane continued to descend. She ignored this, holding Simon up by the scruff of his neck as Theo invaded her personal space, racing down her back and legs and diving for the door as the copilot slipped out much too slowly, giving the creature the opportunity it needed to escape.
Groaning, Liv summoned a duffle bag and dropped Simon into it. Before he could crawl out, she darted forward and grabbed Alvin, sticking him in with his brother. Then she tied the drawstrings tight and slung the creatures over her shoulder, turning her attention to the cabin where Simon could literally be anywhere and was no doubt wreaking havoc on the passengers.
Chapter Ninety-Two
It had been too long since Sophia had been on the back of Lunis when he was in his supersized form. Much like the cliché went, it was like riding a bike
Hold on tightly, keep your balance, and try not to fall off, Lunis said in her head. That’s how the cliché goes, right?
Something like that, Sophia replied, kneeling low as Lunis rose higher.
Unlike when she rode him when he was normal-sized, there was no saddle on the large version of him. Standing was more adequate for keeping her balance, and it gave her the right view to navigate the huge dragon.
Can you get straight over the plane? she asked him.
Yeah, but I’m going to have to be fast because that thing is quickly approaching the ground, even with the dragonette’s help, he replied.
She’d been so distracted by his sudden appearance she hadn’t noticed what the dragonettes were doing until then. They were attached to different areas of the plane and appeared to be trying to slow it. It was having somewhat of an effect and was probably the only reason the plane hadn’t already crashed onto the tarmac below.
To Sophia’s further surprise, they were just over an airport.
That is convenient, she thought.
I think the pilots were trying to make an emergency landing here, he replied.
Peering down, she noticed several fire trucks and emergency vehicles waiting to welcome them.
The pilots must have radioed ahead, Sophia observed.
But they weren’t expecting a show, he said gleefully.
If we pull this off, it will be huge for the Dragon Elite’s reputation, Sophia told him.
As a bonus, we rescued a ton of mortals, he added. Don’t worry. We’re totally pulling this off.
The wind blasted Sophia in the face as they worked to position themselves over the hurtling plane. It wasn’t as easy as she would have thought since the craft was tilting dangerously from side to side. Lunis had to stay a safe distance to keep from getting hit.
He must have communicated with the dragonettes because in unison, they fell away from the plane, making room for him to do the next part.
The three dragonettes moved into position, flanking Lunis as though to provide moral support.
Sophia dared to close her eyes, knowing that she and Lunis needed to work together seamlessly for this next part. He was the brawn, but she was the pilot here. That’s what made the duo so strong. The dragon could sit back and use its power if the rider took the control and steered them, fully utilizing both talents.
With her eyes closed, Sophia could see what Lunis saw, which was more than intimidating. From the back of the dragon, she didn’t have as much of an up-close and personal view of the racing plane. But it was straight in Lunis’ face and shifting wildly, making him have to rise up higher at times to avoid getting hit.
Sophia worried she’d fly off, losing her sense of balance on Lunis with her eyes closed. She knelt and held onto him with both hands. She felt the power he radiated—a unique and beautiful strength.
The ground was quickly approaching. Those on the ground watched with fearful eyes. The world around
the plane felt like it held its breath as Sophia silently instructed her dragon to grab the wings of the plane with his front feet, his back legs securing the tail.
Sophia held her breath, knowing that one false move and their only chance to save the plane would be devastating for everyone.
Chapter Ninety-Three
The plane was like riding on a tilt-a-whirl ride at the county fair. Liv thought that riding one of the things that was dismantled and put together by carnies in different cities was probably safer.
All of the passengers were white-faced and frozen with fear when she burst out of the cockpit. Many of them wore oxygen masks and gave her a look of surprise when she emerged, staring around and searching for Simon.
“Anyone see a chipmunk?” Liv asked. She wondered where the copilot had gotten off to.
The copilot popped out from behind the middle partitions, nearly stumbling from the turbulence. “He got into one of the overhead bins, but I didn’t see which one.” The guy, whose name badge read Captain Bali, pointed to the bins on the right.
Liv nodded. “This should be fun. Like a game of whack a mole.” She shoved the bag of chipmunks into a guy’s lap and gave him a stern look. “Hold onto this, and don’t let the jerks out unless you want to answer to me. I promise you that’s not something you want.”
He nodded behind his mask full of condensation.
Liv knew she and Sophia could never be flight attendants since they were too short for the height requirements to reach the overhead bins. That was fine because Liv liked the career she’d fallen into as a Warrior for the House of Fourteen. It was funny to her that Sophia didn’t qualify to be a flight attendant but fit the bill to be a dragonrider for the Elite.
Liv often entertained herself with such hilarities when in the heat of battle. Plato had demonstrated to her long ago that it was a good way to focus her energy, relying on instinct to direct her, rather than overthinking everything.
Jumping up, Liv grabbed the handle for the first bin. She had to jump a second time to see that there was only luggage and boxes stored in it.
The plane jerked hard, like something had grabbed it. A suitcase flew out and nearly took Liv’s head off. She threw both her hands into the side of the suitcase, struggling to get it back in before more stuff fell out and onto the passengers below.
Captain Bali ran forward and assisted her by shoving the large bag back into the compartment and slamming it shut.
“Thanks,” Liv said, noticing the plane was not experiencing as much turbulence suddenly. Glancing out, she saw a long stretch of tarmac with emergency vehicles lining the area. They were close to the ground. Really close. She crossed her fingers, hoping Sophia and Lunis had things under control. It was all about faith at this point, and she believed in no one more than Sophia.
“Will you help me with that bin?” Liv asked, pulling Bellator from her sheath, intending to whack the chipmunk when he flew out at her face. Whack him gently, she amended in her mind. Whack-a-Mole was her favorite carnival game, and more and more, this experience was making her feel like she was at a rowdy county fair.
“How did you get that on the plane?” Captain Bali asked, his eyes wide as he took in the large sword.
“Magician,” she said.
He nodded and gave her a tentative expression as he prepared to open the overhead bin. “Ready?” Captain Bali questioned.
Liv nodded.
The plane lurched hard to the side as Captain Bali opened the compartment. This time a suitcase didn’t attempt to make an escape, but rather a dozen or more pages burst out and rained down. Pages that Liv recognized immediately.
They were all from Baba Yaga’s grimoire.
Chapter Ninety-Four
Lunis’ claws clamped onto the wings of the plane and were suddenly tugged down with a force that it was hard to resist. It took him a moment to fix his balance, overcompensating for the way the plane moved and making steering more complicated.
The 747 was the largest thing he’d ever “towed.” To complicate matters, it had a mind of its own as it sputtered and jerked from side to side wildly.
We have to get it steady, Sophia encouraged, her eyes still shut, seeing what Lunis was seeing.
The ground was quickly approaching, but the plane was at an odd angle, and landing it like this would put its nose down—endangering most on the plane.
The blue dragon flapped his wings aggressively, pulling them up several yards and gaining distance from the ground.
Hopefully, this will give us the opportunity we need to straighten out, Lunis said, a rare bit of nervousness in his tone.
The dragonettes, Sophia exclaimed. They couldn’t do this on their own. The plane was simply too heavy and out of control. They’d need more strength to get it on the ground safely.
I don’t know if they can handle this, Lunis said, straining in every way.
We have to try, Sophia urged, knowing it was risky to put the dragonettes in this situation where they could potentially get severely hurt or worse.
The momentum of landing the plane was going to be huge. It was like being on a sinking ship. It would have the capacity to pull down anything that was on it. All the other possibilities of things that could go wrong with landing the 747 were too numerous for Sophia to think about it.
They can do it, she stated with confidence. They’ve been watching you.
But they don’t have a rider to help them, he argued.
No, but they have you, she countered. And you have me. And we’re going to land this plane safely, Lunis.
Those were the words he needed to hear because from his vision, a moment later, she saw the dragonettes move into position. One grabbed the very end of one wing with its claws, and another took the other wing—much like before. Sophia guessed the third had its grip on the tail.
Have them hold it steady, Sophia said with her eyes closed, bouncing around so hard she was certain the next one would throw her off.
Lunis’ wings went still as she instructed him to glide. Sophia thought it was the best way to stop the imbalance of the plane. The gush of wind from the beat of his wings was adding complications, but the problem with that was they were quickly losing altitude. It wouldn’t be so bad as long as they slowed down and got the plane’s nose level with the body.
Like the flaps on the wings of the 747 they were carrying, Lunis tilted his wings to brake against the wind, slowing them down so severely that Sophia slid back and didn’t catch herself until she was nearly halfway down his back.
She bit her tongue, throwing her body weight down and hugging her dragon, desperate not to fall off. If she did, everything would be over because Lunis couldn’t choose between landing the plane and saving her. The choice would always be her, and she knew it. Losing a plane full of people would be horrible. Losing Sophia would be the death of Lunis.
Don’t let go, he encouraged, his tone stressed.
Daring to open her eyes, Sophia found they were closing in on the ground. The good news was she’d been able to secure her balance because Lunis had leveled out. If he was even then that made her confident the plane was too, its nose only slightly tipped forward and both wings even.
Since there’s no landing gear down, Sophia advised, our best bet is to drop the plane and let it skid, hopefully coming to a natural halt after losing momentum.
I can land with it, Lunis argued.
No, Sophia said with pure conviction. It’s too dangerous. That’s when you could get seriously hurt, and also the dragonettes. No, we’re going to let it go when it’s close to the ground. It will be a bumpy ride for the passengers, but a much better landing than they were going to have. There’s miles of runway for it to slow down.
Okay, Lunis agreed a bit reluctantly. Get ready and pray this works.
Sophia rarely relied on such methods to get by in situations, but right then, a simple prayer might be the difference between life and death.
Chapter Ninety-Five
Liv woul
d have rejoiced at scoring so many pages from Baba Yaga’s grimoire, but someone else apparently got the memo about the great find.
The overhead bin beside the one where the pages flew from popped open and Simon stuck his head out, his eyes bright with evil delight.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Liv yelled, shooting a look at Captain Bali. “Get that rodent. I’ve got to get those pages.”
The copilot, for all the stress he’d had to recently endure, was pretty resilient. He shut the compartment immediately before Simon could escape. Liv was immediately reminded the chipmunk had magical powers as it fought the effort to trap him, trying to open the bin back up.
Captain Bali’s face constricted with tension as he pressed hard into the overhead bin, fighting the chipmunk who seemed to have super strength.
Liv didn’t waste any time as the plane slowed suddenly, nearly knocking her into a seat with an elderly woman. She righted herself and dove for the pages. “Help me get those if you can!” she ordered, pointing to the pages littering the floor for anyone who would listen.
To her surprise and relief, many of the passengers ducked down and began gathering the pages from around their seats, then passing them in Liv’s direction.
A cursory glance out the window told Liv they were nearly on the ground, but they were still moving fast. Dragon claws gripping the wings and dragonettes holding up the wings’ tips was one of the more surreal sights Liv had the honor of seeing during her career as a Warrior for the House of Fourteen.
Several passengers shoved pages from Baba Yaga’s grimoire into Liv’s hands just as Captain Bali lost the battle with Simon. It might have been unbelievable to most that a tiny chipmunk could overpower a grown man, but that was the beauty or curse of magic—depending on who wielded it.
“A chipmunk should never have magic,” Liv complained to herself, stuffing the pages into her cloak and summoning the duffle bag of chipmunks from the passenger she’d charged with holding it.