by Sarah Noffke
Then, from behind Wormy, Wilder rose, having recovered from his fall. “All right, you, son of a dirt-eating mother of all that’s despicable! It’s time you met your match!”
Wormy screamed and swung around to face Wilder. The name-calling must have finally hit a nerve because the beast was furious based on the long piercing sound that came from its mouth. It vibrated with hostility. Sophia spied the muscles on its back telegraphing the striking move it was about to do next to take Wilder down, who had nowhere to go to escape.
At that moment, faced with so much stress and the potential loss of Wilder, she knew something with certainty. Something that surprised even her. She was utterly in love with the man on the other side of this beast. No matter what divided them, monsters, Vikings, or age.
She didn’t hesitate and swung Inexorabilis around with a furious force, combining the effort with a combat spell. Her sword sliced through the veiny monster, cutting off its head in one quick movement.
Blood and guts, covered in a slimy green shot up from the body of the beast like a volcano erupting. They covered Sophia and Wilder at once, drenching them in a hot liquid that smelled like sewage. The head of the monster flew backward, landing and creating a cloud of red sand that rained down, also covering them, sticking to the glue-like substance of Wormy. The creature’s body swayed slightly before it crumbled to the ground in a heap.
Looking horrible and gross, Sophia offered Wilder a relieved smile when it was only them standing on the rock archway, nothing dividing them anymore.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“What? No bad puns about how we have been tarred and feathered?” Wilder asked as they got down, careful not to land in the swamp of dead Wormy pooling underneath them.
“I think the joke would go something like, looks like we have been slimed and sanded,” Sophia teased, finding her skin tightening up from the guts and sand covering her.
“I hope this stuff isn’t poisonous,” Wilder remarked, seeming to read her thoughts on their current predicament.
She nodded. “Yeah, because I doubt there’s an Airbnb we can go rinse off at anywhere nearby.”
“What is an Airbnb?” he questioned.
“Or a pond,” she remarked, too exhausted to explain her modern reference right then.
“Yeah, there usually aren’t many bodies of water in the desert, hence making it the desert.” He surveyed the area they had come from.
Sophia was still having no luck calling her dragon or creating a portal, which was frustrating. On a positive note, they were alive and not being hunted by a giant man-eating worm anymore.
She’d learned to count her blessings at this stage of the game. Right now, she could use a drink of water and steak dinner but guessed there was no Outback Steak Houses in these parts either.
Pulling the canteen from the snack bag, she took a sip and then offered some to Wilder.
He gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks. So what do we do now to find Cupid? Do you think Wormy was part of leading us in the right direction based on your inside source?”
“I think he was a bonus to this whole mission,” Sophia joked, searching through the bag of snacks but not interested in any of it. “I’m certain later I’ll find out we just slaughtered the last remaining tiggly wig worm in existence and Bermuda Laurens is going to chew me out for it.”
“Why does this sound like something you’ve encountered before?” Wilder asked with a laugh.
“Because I did in the Australian Outback,” Sophia explained. “Leave it to me to find the last remaining Spindle spider during my walkabout. Lunis and I killed it and all her babies.”
“That’s so you,” he said with a laugh and held out his hand. “Shall we walk and find out what is on the other side of these rock structures? If nothing else, they should provide some shade so we can enjoy the snacks you brought.”
Sophia nodded, thinking it was impossible for her to enjoy the taste of anything with her mouth coated in sand and the smell of dead Wormy covering her body.
“You almost gave me a heart attack when you stopped running when that monster was after us,” Wilder remarked, his eyes continually scanning the terrain.
“It was a risk,” Sophia agreed.
“It’s funny the way you wager on certain things,” he stated, giving her an impressed look. “Your brain doesn’t work like anyone else’s I’ve ever known.”
“I’m just glad my wager paid off. I can thank movies from the nineties for it all.”
They strode around a large set of rocks to find a mirage. It had to be. There was no other explanation.
Sophia clapped her hand to her forehead, her mouth popping open. “Oh, good. I have lost my damn mind.”
Wilder’s expression mimicked hers. “Then they can cart us away to the looney bin together because I have too.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sophia reasoned she must be losing her mind and the heat of the desert was getting to her. She’d heard about mirages in the desert. They were brought on by dehydration, heat exhaustion, and apparently near-death experiences. That pretty much summed up her life right then.
“If this is a dream, don’t wake me up,” Sophia said in a whisper.
Wilder reached over and pinched her arm.
“Ouch,” she yelled, yanking away.
“It isn’t a dream, Soph.”
“But that can’t be real.” She pointed.
Her version of an oasis would include a regal mansion on a vast estate flanked by her and Wilder’s dragons and is what stood in the distance, completely out of place with the Sahara framing it.
Oh good, you two found us, Lunis said, striding over like a golden retriever who had been lost from his owner.
Conversely, Simi appeared much more elegant as she walked over to Wilder’s side and lowered her head down close to his, an unmistakable expression of affection in their gaze. “Simi, are you real?”
He reached out and stroked the side of her face, and she nuzzled into him.
Of course I am, she declared.
“Lunis, where have you two been, and why couldn’t we communicate with you?” Sophia asked, thrilled to see her dragon and also a bit miffed to find them casually hanging out next to a mirage.
He lowered his head and nudged her, looking for the same attention Simi was getting. She giggled, nudging him back with the side of her head.
We were stuck here until you found us, Lunis explained.
“I don’t understand.” Sophia looked between the two dragons.
We don’t either, Simi explained. We could only determine we couldn’t leave from this spot or communicate with you.
We guessed you had to complete a challenge in order to find us, and that would lead you to Cupid, Lunis added on.
“Those are a lot of assumptions, but I’ll go with it.” Sophia pointed at the mansion. It was right out of a movie, rising up from the grassy lawn surrounding it.
A circular drive ran the length of the space in front, and pulling up in old fancy cars were elegant guests dressed in their finest clothing. They were greeted by men in jackets with long tails and white gloves, who dutifully took their keys and drove the cars away.
The whole picture was very confusing, and not just because a mansion flanked by large columns on an elegant lawn was something she didn’t expect to find in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The cars appeared from nowhere and then disappeared as though there was a mysterious street that brought everyone to the house party and then away again.
“Are we hallucinating, or can you two see that mansion too?” Sophia asked.
Lunis blinked around, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Mansion? What are you talking about?
Yes, we see it, Simi said at once.
Lunis rolled his eyes. It’s a joke. They are these devices we employ to interject a bit of humor into things. You should try them sometime.
That’s quite all right, Simi pointed out, turning her attention to Wilder. It isn’t a mirage fr
om what I can tell. I believe it to be the place where Cupid is inhabiting presently.
Lunis coughed snottily, and looked at Sophia. Yes, we have deduced through constant observation if we hold our noses high in the air and think only serious thoughts we can talk like we are stuffy old dragons.
“I see your time together has only brought you closer to one another,” Sophia joked. “Good team building.”
Simi didn’t appear amused, but thankfully Wilder was for the both of them. “Are we just supposed to waltz onto this fancy property and attend whatever soiree?”
“What is going on? Why is everyone speaking so strangely?” Sophia asked.
Wilder grinned at her. “Oh, all of a sudden, I’m not allowed to talk like I’ve got a bit of sophistication?”
Sophia glanced down at her outfit, covered in slime and sand. “I feel like we are a bit underdressed for the party.”
We aren’t going to see Cupid for social reasons, Simi stated dryly.
Lunis shoved his face in close to Wilder’s. Make her stop. Please.
Wilder laughed. “I get Simi isn’t as colorful as you, but she also didn’t grow up watching modern television or with an eccentric rider like you.”
“I’m not eccentric,” Sophia argued.
Need I remind you all we are here for a mission, Simi interjected.
Need I remind you all that…what the hell happened to you two when you left us? Lunis asked.
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, I guess we could use magic to clean ourselves up.”
I wouldn’t until you’ve filled your magic reserves, Simi suggested. Wilder’s is quite low.
Yours are too, Sophia, Lunis pointed out. But I almost think you should risk it because you are hard to look at and that’s almost more important than anything else.
Sophia laughed. “Thanks, Lun.”
“Well, I guess we better pop off to this strange party even if we weren’t invited,” Wilder teased, giving Sophia a proud expression. “If we pretend we don’t look horrid, you think they’ll notice?”
“I think they will smell us a mile away,” she stated.
He nodded, holding out his arm for her. “Shall we then?”
She took his arm, not even hesitating. Things had changed once more between them after they faced Wormy.
Oh, hey Sophia, Lunis said at her back.
She swung around to face him. “Yeah?”
You’ve got a little something on your face, he offered.
She rolled her eyes, which were probably the only part of her not covered in slime and sand. “Thanks. You’re a doll.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Just as when Sophia and Wilder had come around the rock structures and found their dragons, it felt like they crossed through a strange barrier, similar to the one that surrounded the Gullington.
Sophia imagined she’d walked through a portal as she stepped from the soft sand of the Sahara Desert and onto a paved driveway surrounded by manicured hedges and a pristine lawn. If any of the party guests were surprised by their appearance, they didn’t show it as Sophia and Wilder approached the front entrance.
The cars, many of them driven by chauffeurs, pulled up to the front steps, and let off distinguished individuals wearing the finest clothing from the 1920s. Women in flapper dresses and pearls spilling down their front and men in three-piece suits with bow ties and flasks giggled as they were greeted by a butler standing on the first step. They all had paper invitations they showed to the man with a boxy jaw and a dignified expression.
“We don’t have invitations,” Sophia said in a hush to Wilder.
He patted his side, where his sword was sheathed. “I’ve got my invitation right here.”
She gripped his arm tighter, smiling. “I like the way you think.”
“Same to you, Soph.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find both dragons were following them up to the door, although she was certain there wouldn’t be much room for them inside. Maybe in the back where she noticed signs of an outdoor area and could hear orchestral music. It was more than strange none of the valet staff seemed to think it was weird that two people covered in worm guts and sand or their dragons were casually strolling up to the party.
The desert was still all around them, although Sophia had expected when they stepped into this strange land, the Sahara Desert would disappear. Something very curious was at work in this place…wherever it was.
“Excuse me,” Wilder began when the butler brought his chin up and smiled politely at them. Suddenly the constant flow of cars with guests dissipated, and it was only Sophia and him at the front of the house, their dragons behind them.
“Good evening, Mr. Thomson,” the man said kindly. He nodded to Sophia. “And a pleasure making your acquaintance, Ms. Beaufont. I know our host will be happy to have you attending tonight.”
“You know who we are, and we are expected?” Wilder asked, arching an eyebrow at the butler.
“Naturally,” the man replied.
“We don’t have invitations,” Wilder explained as if looking for a reason to keep them out of the party.
Sophia understood. This could be a trap. One of their many enemies could have set up a whole ruse to trick them.
“You don’t need one,” the man told him. “Mr. Cupid is expecting you and hoped you made it through the obstacles to get here.”
“He knows we are here?” Sophia asked, wondering if everything was ruined. They needed to get the bow Cupid didn’t want to part with, afraid of being decommissioned by Subner and Father Time. If he knew they were coming, getting the bow away might be impossible.
“Of course,” the butler answered. “Mae Ling, a wonderful friend of my masters, called ahead and said you’d be coming.”
“Mae Ling?” Wilder questioned.
Sophia tugged on his arm, still locked in hers. “My inside source.”
He nodded. “Of course. And these obstacles?”
“Well, all guests have to get through them to get here,” the butler explained. “Mae Ling asked for yours to be a bit more unorthodox. Usually, they require a lot of self-loathing and doubt. That’s what the path to love is paved with, my master always says.”
“Oh…” Sophia said, everything dawning on her. She knew Mae Ling’s, as well as most other fairy godmothers’ missions were to arrange love for couples. She must have used that excuse to get them into this party. Cupid thought they were there to find love.
“Now, would you like us to valet your dragons for you?” the butler asked them like this made perfect sense.
Sophia glanced over her shoulder at Lunis and knew she was going to enjoy this a lot more than she should. She held out her hand and a key fob appeared. “Sure, that would be great.”
A man in a short jacket ran over at once, grabbing the key from her hand.
He clicked it, pointing it at the blue dragon.
Right on cue, Lunis beeped like a car being unlocked. The valet strode off, all perfectly natural, Lunis trotting off behind him.
Have fun, he called to her, Simi rolling her eyes and following behind him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“I can’t help but point out we aren’t really wearing the same attire as the other party-goers,” Sophia told the butler.
He nodded. “Not to worry, Ms. Beaufont. Just cross the threshold to Mr. Cupid’s house and all will be taken care of for you.”
“Um…do you mean there are clean clothes and a shower waiting for us?” Wilder asked.
The butler shook his head. “No, Ms. Beaufont’s fairy godmother has ensured you’ll be dressed appropriately. All you must do is cross the threshold.”
“Fairy godmother, eh?” Wilder gave Sophia a curious expression.
“I guess my secret is out now,” she said, smiling at the butler before making for the house where wonderful smells and sounds were emanating.
“Are you like Cinderella and about to be transformed?” Wilder asked her. “Do you have a curfew?”
“I have no idea,” she answered, pausing at the threshold to the mansion. Sophia drew in a breath, catching sight of the elegant entryway and the party going on inside. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
In unison, Sophia and Wilder stepped across the threshold. She instantly felt clean, all the grit and slime magically washed from the many crevices where it had been stuck. Sophia was no longer wearing her armored clothes and boots. Instead, she was adorned in a tight black dress with a fringe on the end that shook when she walked. Draped around her neck were several strands of pearls and heavy earrings hung from her lobes. Around her sleek blonde hair was a headband filled with feathers and beads. Without looking in a mirror, Sophia knew she appeared exactly like she’d stepped out of the 1920s, ready for a roaring party.
Just as impressive as her was Wilder by her side. He had on a three-piece suit that matched her dress. Hanging from his pocket was his usual watch, and around his neck was a plaid bow tie to match his pocket square. But the best part of his outfit was the wing-tipped shoes, which made him look like he was ready to do the Charleston.
“I do declare, Sophia Beaufont, you look like a sight for sore eyes,” Wilder declared, giving her a devilishly handsome smile.
She couldn’t help but return it. “Why, you do as well, Mr. Thomson.”
Gracefully he reached out and grabbed two champagne flutes as a waiter passed with a tray.
“I think we deserve a cheer to this adventure,” he said, handing her one of the glasses.
She took it and held it up. “To defeating Wormy.”
“To passing the obstacle that inevitably led us here,” he said, clinking his glass to hers.
Sophia took a sip, the bubbles nearly making her hiccup. She remembered she was hungry. Thankfully, looking around the party, they were in the perfect place for dining.