by Sarah Noffke
He nodded and swallowed as he held up the object. “I spoke for a solid two hours about the evolution of dragons and how caring for them is beneficial to both the bond of the rider and the magical creature.”
He sounded so articulate and confident that it made Sophia smile. She studied his statue. Engraved into it were the words, “South America.”
Pointing to it, she said, “That must be where you have to go to do the spell.”
“Yeah, and I got Africa,” Evan stated.
Wilder picked up his statue and hers, which had been resting in their respective circles. “Looks like I got Europe and you get North America.”
He handed her the statue, and she noticed they were complimentary.
“Hey, it’s like these are all pieces of the same puzzle,” she mused, holding out her statue, which was carved bone of some sort.
The others did the same, and the pieces all fit together to create an infinity symbol.
Wilder smiled at her and then the guys. “It’s like us, all connected by our mission to the dragons and this planet.”
Sophia nodded. “Which we can now complete to keep the dragons and the Earth safe until we can quell the fears of mortals.”
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One
Although Sophia had assumed she could create a protective spell in any area of North America, she thought it best to do it in a place she knew well.
Los Angeles had been Sophia’s home for all her life before moving to the Gullington. She thought that being grounded in her hometown would help her to complete the complicated spell.
Grounded, Lunis questioned in her head as they passed through the portal into the city of Los Angeles, the full moon at their backs.
Sophia was getting better at riding the dragon when he 747ed, as they had taken to calling it when he went into super-size mode.
“Well, I get that I’m on your back, but I meant grounded more in the figurative sense,” she replied, feeling that familiar fondness for her city as they passed the skyline headed to West Hollywood.
The other requirement to the complex spell, besides having the artifact, was that it had to be done atop their dragons. That didn’t make things too difficult for Sophia, but for Mahkah, who had a demon dragonette in tow, it made things a bit more complicated. That’s one of the reasons he was going to be the first to start his spell.
They all had set times, and they had to be precise. Not following that rule would cause the spell not to work, and all of this would be for nothing. Dealing with the hobgoblin in the Great Library to get The Forgotten Archives, fighting Baba Yaga for the spell book, and then securing the artifacts and locations from the temple in Cyprus. It had all built up to this moment. The Dragon Elite had one chance at making this protective spell work and shielding the demon dragonettes.
It appears that we couldn’t be a moment too soon or too late, Lunis said, flapping his wings to halt their progress over the streets of West Hollywood.
Maybe Sophia knew on an instinctual level they needed to come to LA, or maybe the whole world looked very much like the scene below her.
In the streets, as she’d witnessed recently, there were protests that had broken out between Dragon Worshippers and Anti-Dragonites. However, things had intensified from before and gone from peaceful demonstrations to something bordering on chaos.
Before, it had been easy to see which side was which, but now with the screaming and fighting, the groups all meshed together and not in the way Sophia wanted to see them mesh.
From the air, it appeared the protest had turned violent, and some had started to destroy the streets as their emotions took over. The authorities had been called in, and lining the streets and circling in helicopters were police and military personnel.
News trucks also lined the busy streets, recording footage as the different sides communicated their concerns.
It was clear to see the Dragon Worshippers were grateful to see Lunis appear large and impressive in the sky. They began screaming and throwing victorious fists into the air. Just as passionate were the Anti-Dragonites who threw trash at the blue dragon, none of it coming anywhere close to hitting him. However, when it did land in the crowd, it angered those impacted by it, starting more fights.
“Wow, maybe we are part of the problem,” Sophia said, shaking her head at the scene below her that stretched for miles.
Don’t be absurd, Lunis stated. If a child smacks their head, looking up when a parent enters their room suddenly, that doesn’t make it the parent’s fault for arriving, he advised. The problem is what they are attributing things to. They see me and react, and that incites others. It perpetuates itself.
Sophia eyed her watch. They had one minute until they needed to start the spell. Not a moment sooner or a second too late.
Right then, three dark figures appeared in the sky, giving Sophia a start. It was about to be the longest minute ever.
Mahkah would be the first to start his spell. As he soared on Tala cruising over Buenos Aires, he kept the invisible leash he’d constructed tight around the demon dragonette’s neck. The creature flew beside them, not at all compliant, but spelled to be so.
It hurt the dragonrider to force the demon dragonette to do this. It would ache to make any dragon do something against their will. That was one of the beautiful parts of dragons—they had free will and employed it so readily, never feeling forced to magnetize to a rider. That was one of the wonderful parts about when they did choose a rider. They didn’t do it out of obligation but rather choice.
However, Mahkah knew that under these circumstances, it was necessary to force this demon dragonette to be there on the leash. He felt like a parent doing what was best for a child, although at the time, they’d resent them for it. But if they didn’t have this demon dragonette for the spell, then it wouldn’t spread to the others out there in the world. They’d be targets for attacks as the world heated up, mortal’s fears and anger toward evil dragons growing to a level that was hard to argue against.
It was time, Mahkah realized, checking the position of the moon. He pulled out the bone statue he’d recovered from the temple in Cyprus, closed his eyes, and began the complicated spell that Sophia had given him. It drained his magical reserves immediately. He pulled from Tala’s. The statue in his hands immediately turned to dust so that it couldn’t be used again. They had one chance to get this right.
Opening his eyes, he watched the dust get swept away in the wind as a gold glow traced itself around the demon dragonette. When the spell worked, if it worked, then he’d be the first to know because the dragon would be covered in the golden light. For mortals, the dragonette would disappear, shielded from their eyes.
As Mahkah finished the spell, he held onto hope that it had worked, and the others would be successful with their spells.
But hope he’d found was often tested, and at that moment, it was almost shattered when forest fires ripped across the jungles below—a direct result of the spell.
This, he knew, was a common trade-off of magic. For one thing, or in this case, for several dragons to be protected, something had to be destroyed. He closed his eyes, feeling the pain of the forest as the fires spread, hoping this was worth the sacrifice.
Evan wasn’t going to freely admit to anyone the temple experience in Cyprus had humbled him, but that’s exactly what it had done.
As he looked down on the Sahara Desert, he felt a quiet reverence for Mama Jamba’s vast Earth. He’d seen much of the landscapes of the globe from high atop his dragon, Coral. Now, sitting on the back of the purple dragon, it somehow looked more beautiful. More fragile and serene.
He pulled the bone statue from his pocket and right on schedule began reciting the spell for the protection of the demon dragonettes. Almost immediately, he felt the power deep at his core recede. He sensed Coral lose considerable strength. The two willingly gave it, knowing it was fueling the very important spell. All they needed to do was buy some time by shielding the demon dragonet
tes. Then they could persuade the world they were necessary. That everyone and everything was necessary. That living together was the key.
This notion filled Evan’s heart as something in the rolling hills of the Sahara Desert took form. At first, from high above, he couldn’t make out what it was, and then it was clear. Evan’s instinct was to run and to get as far away from the natural disaster as possible, but he knew he couldn’t. The spell only worked if he and the other dragonriders remained in place until all had completed their spell. That communication would come from Coral via Tala when and if the demon dragonette Mahkah had disappeared from mortal’s eyes.
But sitting up there on Coral and watching a huge sandstorm build below was terrifying for Evan. He wasn’t safe there. Nothing was safe from the dust storm. And that was the cost of the protective spell. To save some, others must be put at risk.
Flying over Portugal on Simi, Wilder watched as boats came and went in the coastal region of Lisbon. It was a beautiful city with old architecture and blue waters.
He looked forward to exploring cities like this with Sophia. She made everything better. Sunsets were brighter. Ocean breezes were more inviting. The nights less lonely. It wasn’t being with her as much as watching her take in the world. To Wilder, it seemed she was always looking for the magic in the world, whether ordinary or fantastical. She opened her eyes to the possibilities of miracles, and in doing so, she’d opened him up in ways he’d never known, not in two hundred years.
Wilder reasoned he could travel the world for several lifetimes and not find the magic he felt when he looked into her eyes. He hoped never to have to go too long without doing just that. There were some people worth saving the world for, and it just so happened this person for Wilder was also charged constantly with the mission to protect the planet.
Holding out the bone statue, Wilder began the incantation for the protective spell. Almost immediately, the statue he’d grown so fond of so quickly crumbled to dust in his hands. He almost thought that his tight grip was responsible for breaking it to pieces, but Wilder felt the sudden weakness from the spell and knew. Simi was also severely weakened. Once the spell was done, they’d have only enough power to portal home. But there he’d be reunited with his family and with his girl. They could all celebrate.
Swept away with ideas of how they’d celebrate, Wilder nearly didn’t see the large wave building in the Atlantic Ocean.
“So, this is the trade-off,” he said aloud, his voice grave as he watched the tsunami headed in their direction—coming for the city.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two
Right then was the absolute worst time the demon dragonettes could have appeared in the skies over West Hollywood. It was annoyingly ironic to Sophia the Dragon Elite had been searching for the little runaways all this time, and they showed up a few hundred yards away at that exact moment.
Aren’t they just so cute that you want to bite their tails off? Lunis said bitterly, having spent a huge chunk of time away from Sophia searching for the demon dragonettes.
“Maybe you do,” Sophia replied. “I would just like less drama right now and a way to protect them before things get worse.”
You just had to say that didn’t you, Lunis muttered as someone on a rooftop fired a crossbow in the direction of the clan of dragons in the sky.
The demon dragonettes didn’t react pleasantly to this. The first, Blackey, swung around, sending fire at the rooftop and making the man with the crossbow drop it and run for cover.
To Blackey’s credit, Sophia was certain he could have hit the mortal without issue, but he’d scared him away. However, the crowd didn’t see it that way, and they revolted immediately, throwing more things in the dragonette’s direction.
Police officers with guns with rubber bullets took aim. The helicopters moved in closer. In the distance, Sophia spied fighter jets soaring in their direction.
“We have to help them,” Sophia urged. “They are going to get blasted from every direction.”
They are getting incited, Lunis stated. The more they are battled, the worse this is going to get.
He was right. Blackey’s eyes flashed red from the intimidation of having weapons aimed at him and the helicopters moving in closer. The dragon opened his mouth and sprayed fire on a building, lighting it up immediately. The fire burned hot and fast, making something on the ground explode, and sending a car over, making the crowd scream and retreat.
It was a war scene below and quickly getting worse.
“Those fighter jets are going to aim to kill,” Sophia said, indicating to the planes fast approaching.
And the demon dragonettes aren’t skilled enough yet to escape a missile attack, Lunis stated somberly.
“We’ve got to help them,” Sophia encouraged.
Lunis shook his head. Our help is to protect them. Any attempts otherwise will be misinterpreted.
Of course, he was right, Sophia realized.
Currently, they weren’t being attacked, but that was probably because no one wanted to tempt a dragon hanging out in the skies over West Hollywood that was the size of a 747. The first moment they intervened, the fighter pilots would be coming after them. Then they’d lose their opportunity to do the spell.
It’s time, Lunis said, and Sophia knew what he meant.
She lifted the bone statue into the air and began the incantation, doing her best to block out the screams and the sounds of dragons blasting cars and buildings, the sirens, the chaos of her city fighting her dragons. It broke her heart, but she couldn’t focus on that. She had to concentrate. That’s all she did until the spell was done, and the statue crumbled to dust in her hands. Her knees gave way and Sophia slumped against her dragon, feeling him lose considerable power too.
Lifting her head, she had to block out the fire, the noise, and the devastation all around her and focus on the three demon dragonettes in the distance.
“Please disappear from mortals,” she begged aloud.
Screams erupted from the ground. The asphalt of the main road split, quickly turning into a huge chasm, cars, and large objects slipping down into it. Buildings shook and crumbled as an earthquake like Sophia had never seen before wrecked the streets of West Hollywood.
If her heart could break anymore then, it had crumbled to bits like the bone statue. She wiped tears from her eyes, pushing herself up to her feet on Lunis’ back as the war scene intensified below them.
The three glowing forms in the night sky, lit by the full moon, shone brightly as the fighter pilots arrived on the scene, sending missile after missile in the demon dragonettes direction. Thankfully they never found their targets because not only did the dragons disappear from mortal’s eyes, but they were protected from attacks.
Sophia slumped to her knees and cried tears of both relief and heartache.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three
Nevin Gooseman watched on the television as the demon dragonettes, as the Dragon Elite insisted on calling them, creating chaos in the city of Los Angeles. They’d shown up and done exactly what he’d suspected all along. Completely unprovoked, the evil creatures had fired on innocent civilians. In a matter of minutes, they’d destroyed a historical stretch of West Hollywood.
The large blue dragon with the girl rider had been there too. Although they weren’t participating in the destruction, Nevin believed them to be supervising it. Dragons that large were unnatural. All dragons were unnatural.
That blue one was the reason flight 2126 had nearly crashed over Omaha. This had gone too far. To his frustration and total disappointment, the Dragon Elite had pulled ahead.
Nevin knew they were behind whatever spell had caused the demon dragonettes to disappear from mortal’s eyes. He could still see the creatures in the sky, glowing gold, but mortals couldn’t, which would make his campaign against them that much more difficult. Even harder would be hunting them down since at his disposal were military forces powered by mortal soldiers.
It was a moment
ary setback, but he wasn’t out for the count.
Picking up his cell phone, he called someone he hadn’t spoken to in a very long time. When they picked up, he said, “I need to find out how to reverse a protective spell put on dragons.”
He waited while the powerful and knowledgeable magician supplied an answer.
“The Great Library, you say,” he muttered, tapping his fingers on his thigh. “How do I get in there?”
The voice on the other side paused, deliberating. Finally, the man came through with his best solution.
“King Rudolf Sweetwater?” Nevin questioned. “He can get me into the Great Library, and there I’ll find the way to undo this spell?”
The man replied.
Nevin laughed. “Of course, King Rudolf won’t help me willingly. Why would he? That’s why I plan on taking him by force.”
Without saying another word, Nevin shut off the phone, grateful he’d helped Lorenzo Rosario out all those years ago. The Councilor for the House of Fourteen had just returned the favor, and now Nevin knew what he’d have to do next.
Abducting the king of the fae wouldn’t be easy, but if it got him what he wanted, it would be worth it.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four
The haunted looks in the other dragonrider’s eyes made Sophia certain they’d seen their own tragedies at their locations. She slid off Lunis as soon as they landed outside the Barrier to the Gullington and ran into Wilder’s arms. He picked her up and spun her around, pressing her into him with desperation.
When he released her, Mahkah and Evan were there, folding the two in more arms. It was rare they all came together for a mission like this. It was even rarer they all wrapped each other in their arms, needing the comfort that only another dragonrider could provide, having understood the stress and struggles of battle.