by Sarah Noffke
Her eyes flicked to the writing across the main wall. It had been in her old home too. It made her proud that Clark had ensured the words were written here: Familia Est Sempiternum.
“Yes, it is,” Liv said in a whisper, headed for Sophia’s room.
Liv was surprised to find Clark kneeling and looking up at the little girl when she entered.
“Are you sure it’s him?” Clark asked. He was wearing a tan suit and a gray bow tie. It was like he enjoyed being uncomfortable, Liv thought.
Sophia similarly was dressed. She looked like she was going to the horse races in a poofy emerald dress with white lace at the hem. “Yes, I know intuitively it’s him. I can feel it in a way that’s hard to explain.”
“Who is ‘him?’” Liv asked, sliding into the room.
The little girl’s face brightened at the sight of her sister and she ran over, wrapping her arms around Liv’s waist and hugging her fiercely. Liv thought she would bowl her over with her strength. “Hey there!” she said with a laugh. “What have they been feeding you lately?”
Sophia released her, looking up with a proud expression. “It’s probably my sessions with Akio. He has me doing conditioning exercises. I had to hold a plank for two minutes.”
In contrast to her siblings, Liv looked like a homeless ninja. She was dressed in all black, her pants ripped from when she was sparring with the asshole demon in Montana. The cloak on her shoulders was still singed at the edges from when she was practicing her fireball magic, which apparently could ricochet off a brick wall in the back alley of the repair shop and chase her. She had learned this the hard way.
“Oh, yes,” Liv related. “That man and his planks. They are the bane of my existence, but what a Takahashi fighter tells us to do, we should do.”
Clark shook his head. “Are you sure Akio doesn’t suspect anything? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with him training Soph in combat.”
Liv shook her head. “She’s next in line to be Warrior. It’s common for those in her position to start training about now. And don’t worry; although I realize that just by saying those words, you had three mini-panic attacks. Worry as much as will make you feel comfortable, dear brother.”
“Guess what, Liv?” Sophia said excitedly.
“Ummm…I’m super bad at this game and usually loathe when people ask me that, but for you, Soph, I’ll play. Is it that Clark has decided that bowties are cool and added them to his collection?”
Sophia shook her head of blonde ringlets.
“Bianca Mantovani got her nose stuck in a ceiling vent, but that hasn’t deterred her from being the biggest snob in the magical world?”
Clark rolled his eyes. Sophia giggled.
“All right, here’s my last guess,” Liv stated, thinking hard. “Adler got a buzz cut because he’s tired of having to shampoo and condition those gorgeous white locks of his, but now he regrets the decision and is sporting an awesome red wig.”
“How do you even come up with this stuff?” Clark asked, looking slightly amused.
“It’s a gift,” Liv stated.
“Adler wearing a red wig,” Sophia said, overcome by laughter.
“You know he wants to see what he’d look like with colored hair,” Liv said. “And red would match his complexion.”
“That’s not what I was going to tell you, though,” Sophia stated. “I’ve been communicating with my dragon, and know he’s somewhere in the House.”
Liv’s jovial demeanor dropped. “Are you serious? That’s wonderful, Soph. Did he roll away? Has he hatched?”
Clark held up his hand. “Now, we don’t know for sure that what Sophia’s hearing is real or actually her dragon.”
Liv shot him a disgusted look. “She says it is, then it is. And she communicated with the dragon before when he wanted you all to turn off the lights and keep it quiet.”
Lowering his chin, Clark gave her a cautious glare in a way that Sophia couldn’t see the intent in his eyes. “Don’t you think it’s possible that imagination is coming into play here?”
“No,” Liv said flatly. “And just because you don’t have any imagination, that’s no reason to dismiss what Sophia is experiencing as not real.”
Clark huffed. “I’m not. I just think that we need to be careful with all this.”
Liv dismissed him, kneeling so she was even with Sophia. “What did the dragon say? Besides that, he’s still in the House.”
“He says he was taken,” Sophia said earnestly. “He doesn’t know where he is or who took him, but he didn’t roll away.”
“Someone came in here, then,” Liv said, looking around the room. She’d suspected as much but hadn’t wanted to believe it until it was confirmed. “How did they know about the dragon’s egg? And how were they able to get in here? Only Beaufonts can enter this apartment.”
Clark cleared his throat in the way he did when he was about to “explain” things. “Although the House rules dictate that only those of the family can enter their dwellings unless invited, there are certain provisional clauses that allow this rule to be broken.”
“Which are?” Liv asked.
“Things related to cleaning, maintenance, and renovations of the space,” Clark stated.
“So what you’re saying is there are loopholes,” Liv gathered.
He nodded.
“Sophia, keep communicating with your dragon. Ask him to listen for clues or anything else that can help us to determine where he is,” Liv ordered.
The young magician nodded adamantly. “I’m already on it. He says he was asleep when he was taken, so he didn’t hear anything. Currently, he’s in a place that is warm and dark, but he hasn’t been able to find any other clues.”
“And I guess hatching and slaying the person who stole him is out of the question,” Liv posed.
Sophia giggled. “Although that would fix one problem, I wouldn’t be there for the hatching, and that’s really important.”
Liv nodded, understanding at once. “Well, don’t worry. We’re going to find Herbert.”
Clark grimaced. “Herbert?”
“I’m trying out names for Sophia’s dragon,” Liv stated. “We can’t keep calling him ‘the dragon.’ That will get confusing, and it’s a bit impersonal.”
“Because there are so many other dragons around that we’ll confuse him with?” Clark asked.
Sophia giggled. “I like Herbert, but I don’t think it will fit.”
“We’ll keep running through options,” Liv assured her. “Maybe there is a baby dragon name book in the library.”
It was good to see Sophia laugh. Liv had been pained when the little girl lost her egg. Watching her cry had been heartbreaking. Then she’d presented her with Inexorabilis, and that had mended things some. But now she was going to have to disappoint her sister, and that was excruciatingly difficult.
“Hey, Soph,” Liv began carefully. “I’m going to need to borrow Inexorabilis.”
The disappointment that fell on the young magician’s face made Liv speak more rapidly.
“It’s not for long, I promise. And I will be extremely careful with it. I wouldn’t take it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s the only way to find the elf who made it.”
Sophia’s expression softened as she nodded. “It’s okay, Liv. I totally understand. It’s been nice to have it close by, but it’s more important to find out what memories Mommy locked into the sword.”
Liv lightened with relief. “Thank you. I agree. Once we know that information, we’ll make incredible progress.”
“Actually, I was going to recommend you take the sword anyway,” Clark cut in. “If someone can get into our apartment, we need to be careful about what we have in here. We aren’t supposed to have Mother’s sword, and if someone knew we did, they’d piece together a lot more.”
Liv nodded as Sophia went and retrieved the sword from her dresser. “Yes, so I’ll work on finding the maker. You, Clark, figure out how to protect your home. And
Sophia, let’s find your dragon’s egg.”
The other siblings approved of this plan at once. As they chatted about the details, they had no idea that hiding under Sophia’s bed was Indikos, Adler Sinclair’s miniature dragon. He hadn’t moved from that spot since helping Adler find and steal the dragon’s egg. He wasn’t sure when the right time to come out and help the Beaufonts was.
Many times he’d doubted if he was doing the right thing by betraying his master, and yet, it was Adler who had done something so unspeakable in the dragon world that the path should be clear. No one was to ever come between a dragon and their rider. That was sacred, and Adler knew it. Working for his own selfish gain had gone too far this time, and that was not something Indikos could overlook.
Chapter Five
“Is it my imagination, or is the Black Void bigger today?” Liv asked Plato as they stood between Chamber of the Tree and the residential wing of the House of Seven.
The lynx tilted his head to the side and squinted one eye. “Maybe. But it could just be your imagination.”
“I remember when I thought you were just a figment of my imagination,” Liv stated.
“And have you firmly concluded that I’m not?” he asked.
“Depends on the day,” Liv replied. “When you turned into a griffin to save me, I think that really swayed the factors.”
“I don’t recall that happening,” Plato said coolly. “How much did you have to drink during this alleged incident?”
“Remember when you saved me after I fell off the side of the Matterhorn and flew me down to safety.”
Plato shook his head. “Not ringing any bells. Sounds like you had elevation sickness and hallucinated. Common problem that magicians have.”
“No, it’s not,” she fired back, turning to face the Door of Reflection. “I don’t know why you have to be so coy with me.”
“It’s part of my charm.”
“Is it?” Liv questioned. “I’m not sure it’s working for me.”
“Well, it’s working for me.”
Liv strode for the Door of Reflection and halted, something suddenly occurring to her. She swung around to face Plato. “Is that it? If you tell your secrets, do you lose them?”
His eyes slid to the side.
“But if that is true,” Liv continued when he didn’t answer, “it means you can’t answer that question. You can’t tell me anything, which is about right.”
Still Plato remained silent.
What had Bermuda’s book said about lynxes? Something about how they hid the truth? Maybe the truth was part of Plato’s power, and if he revealed it, that took away from who he was. It would explain why he’d never told her he was omniscient and omnipresent and could change into multiple different cat-related things. However, it still didn’t explain why he detested Rory’s kittens. More questions.
“Okay, well, I’m going to go and face the council since apparently the cat’s got your tongue,” Liv stated.
“Ha-ha,” Plato said humorlessly.
“Oh, you like that one, do you?” Liv asked. “Well, I just happen to have many more cat clichés for you on the way.”
“I. Cannot. Wait.”
Liv shook her head, facing back toward the Door of Reflection. “Oh, I sense your sarcasm, but that’s fine. When it comes to expert joke telling, I can’t be deterred.”
“Don’t quit your day jobs,” Plato said as she stepped through the mirror.
Liv thought she’d be prepared for the carnage or heartbreak the Door of Reflection served up to her from her subconsciousness. However, what she saw when she stepped through the door wasn’t what she expected, and it therefore knocked her off balance.
Standing in the middle of a dark, nondescript room was a much older version of Liv. She had known for a while what she’d look like when she aged because she’d seen that image in a hand mirror she’d looked into in Papa Creola’s shop. Still, looking at her older self was disconcerting. Worse than that was the state of her appearance. She wore the same clothes she had on presently, although they were seriously worn, like she’d never taken them off.
“How could I have not figured any of it out?” the older version of Liv stated in a morose voice, tears close to the edge. In her hands, she held Inexorabilis.
“I never found the sword’s maker, or the truth, or who was behind all this,” she said to the darkness before falling to her knees, the sword clanging to the ground in front of her. Crying now, Liv covered her face, shaking her head. “I failed my parents. I failed my family. I failed everyone.”
Unable to watch a moment more of the self-pity, which was so unlike Liv, she stepped through the Door of Reflection, grateful to be in the Chamber of the Tree, even if Adler was giving her a sharp look of disapproval.
Decar was absent, as usual. Liv had no idea what cases he was ever assigned. Probably something fun that didn’t endanger his life. Where was the fun in that? Maria Rosario was being addressed by the council when Liv took her spot next to Stefan. She was surprised to see him there since his cases were always the same: kill demons.
“It is most disappointing that you weren’t able to make any progress with the elf negotiations,” Lorenzo said.
“I honestly tried,” Maria began, but Adler cut her off, holding up his hand.
“Your efforts simply didn’t work,” he stated. “We need someone who can get the elves to agree to our terms. Anything short of that is unsatisfactory.”
“Yes, maybe someone who has shown exemplary skills working with other races,” Raina Ludwig offered, winking at Liv.
“That would be ideal,” Adler stated, reviewing his notes.
“And someone who implements creative problem solving to achieve fast results,” Hester DeVries stated, also looking straight at Liv.
“Yes, that would also be very useful.” Adler glanced up, staring straight at Liv. “Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone who meets those criteria.”
Clark cleared his throat. “I believe Councilor Ludwig and Councilor DeVries were referring to Liv. She was successful with the fae negotiations.”
“If by successful, you mean that she helped a new leader to take over power from Queen Visa, then sure, I guess,” Adler stated.
“A fae she has personal dealings with, and asked to attend his coronation,” Raina corrected.
“I don’t think that’s relevant to this current case,” Bianca said.
“That’s the first time a Royal has been invited to a fae’s coronation,” Hester said, leaning forward to talk to Raina.
“I was there as well,” Emilio stated proudly.
“As Warrior Beaufont’s guest,” Hester corrected.
“And you’ve already botched up the elf negotiations, Mr. Mantovani,” Adler added.
“I wasn’t asking for that case,” Emilio said. “Actually, I wanted to say—”
“That you’re ready to take your leave, having already been assigned your case,” Bianca cut in.
Emilio’s scowl deepened. “No, speaking of the fae—”
“We’re actually discussing the elves,” Adler interrupted. “And your sister is correct. Why are you still here?”
Letting out a breath, Emilio deflated. “Yes, I’ll just be leaving.”
After he’d left the chamber, Adler glanced around like he was trying to decide where they’d left off. “Now, I think we only have one option left for the elves, and unfortunately it’s you, Mr. Ludwig.”
Having been off in thought, Stefan glanced up. “Me? Really? I get a different case?”
Adler sighed. “I don’t see what choice we have. Try to remember that the elves pride themselves on their intellect, so if you can manage to string together coherent sentences, that will help.”
Stefan bowed. “Me will do my bestest, but I ain’t as learned as you.”
Liv suppressed a grin. She had to give Stefan credit. He was every bit as much of a smartass as she was.
Adler rolled his eyes. “Just get the agreement sign
ed. We can’t have any more delays. The information will be sent to your codex.”
“Do not worry, Councilor,” Stefan said proudly. “I’ll report back to you with successful results as soon as possible.”
“Although I highly doubt that,” Adler began, “I most likely won’t be here when you return.”
This was apparently news to the council, causing many of them to stir.
“It’s true,” Adler said, cutting through the noise. “I’ve soon got to take leave to attend to personal matters.”
“Are you getting married?” Liv dared to ask.
The crow known as Diabolos swooped down from above. Okay, so apparently it was a lie that Liv thought Adler was getting married. Sue her. Everyone could deduce that he wouldn’t be a good lover, based on his sour attitude.
“What I’m doing is none of your business, Ms. Beaufont,” Adler stated. “And the reason you were not assigned the elf case, as my peers seemed to be pushing for, is that you are now receiving your orders from Father Time. Isn’t that correct?”
“I call him Papa, but yeah, I guess so,” Liv stated. “At least for the time being.”
“Does he have a case for you?” Adler asked, a strange curiosity in his voice.
Liv shrugged. “Yeah, he wanted me to do something with this chicken.”
Adler blinked impatiently at her. “We don’t have time for your antics. Does Father Time have a case for you?”
“Okay, since the truth isn’t working for you,” Liv stated. “Yes, Papa wants me to fix all the clocks in the Underground. Apparently, they are all off by two and a half minutes.”
Diabolos cawed loudly at her, telling the council she was lying. But at least they knew she had been telling the truth before.
“And will you be meeting with Father Time on this case?” Adler questioned.
“I’m not sure it’s our business,” Hester dared to say. “Father Time supersedes our jurisdiction. If he has a case for one of our Warriors, then we have nothing further to say on the matter.”