by Sarah Noffke
A mecca of budding life radiated around Sophia and Hiker when they stepped through the portal onto Cornelia Street.
The beanstalk was at least ten feet in diameter. It was as green as grass on the Expanse at the Gullington and glowed brightly on the road. However, it wasn’t the only bit of new life.
Vines had sprouted off the stalk and were snaking through the air and covering the road where they stood. Birds, reptiles, and woodland creatures scurried behind large flowers or rocks in ponds a short distance from the beanstalk.
Sophia wouldn’t have known the street as the one where they’d planted the seeds except that she recognized a few of the shop signs on the sidewalk. They were mostly obscured by the vines and greenery quickly taking over. She worried if they stayed still for too long, they’d be wrapped by vines and made a part of the framework of this new ecosystem.
“Where are we?” Hiker asked in awe, looking around at the strange sight.
“Not Kansas,” she answered with a joking tone.
He lowered his chin, not at all amused. “I meant, what the hell happened here?”
Sophia pointed to the beanstalk that rose up above the buildings. Past the clouds in the sky, she could see between the buildings since they’d been pushed back, their exteriors crumbling as Mother Nature made way for more plants and trees.
“Mama Jamba seemed to have happened,” she answered.
He sighed. “I know that, but still.” Hiker shook his head. “That damn woman and her devilish ways.”
Sophia pursed her lips. “I think she’s trying to help.”
“I know what she’s trying to do,” he spat, his face flushing red as the ground under their feet started to tremble.
Sophia was certain it wasn’t because another beanstalk was about to rise up through the ground. The ground was shaking because of the man standing before her. Hiker needed to figure out how to control his temper before it got the best of him and everyone around him. It would be best for the Dragon Elite and therefore the world at large if Hiker Wallace got control—and sooner rather than later.
“I realize Mama Jamba’s mysterious ways can be frustrating,” Sophia began, trying a different approach. “I get that. She wants the best for you and for us. I think that’s what’s important to remember.”
“No, Sophia,” Hiker argued. “She wants what’s best for her planet. We’re just pawns in all of this. The Dragon Elite works for her, even if it’s to our detriment.”
The ground shook more violently. The birds that had been singing so loudly were suddenly silent.
“I’m just supposed to blindly climb up some stupid beanstalk and find what? All because that woman has some agenda for me because my powers are supposedly out of whack!”
The façade of the remaining buildings crumbled from the Viking’s power as it radiated out in all directions, even if it was unseen. His face blossomed red as he ground his hands into fists.
“I’m so tired of following things blindly!” he spat. “I’m supposed to be the leader of the Dragon Elite, yet I feel like you came in and turned everything upside-down. The men, they follow me, but there’s always been doubt. Adam planted that!” Hiker stomped, making the beanstalk shake and sending all sorts of debris raining down from the sky where something seemed to live high above. “Then you brought back Mama Jamba, and she’s always orchestrating something.” He whipped his head back and forth as though trying to dispel a gnat going for his face. “Now Ainsley! I can’t deal with this anymore! You’ve done this, Sophia, and you’re going to damn well help me to fix this, or you’re out of the Dragon Elite! Do you understand me?”
Sophia simply regarded the angry Viking before her for a long moment before drawing in a long breath. She waited for the birds to start their chorus once more.
“Are you done, sir?” she asked, her voice measurably calm in comparison to his.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “No. You want me to go back into the past. You want me to see who I was or what happened or whatever. Well, you know what, I’m done with doing things how you or Mama want.” Hiker pulled the gold token from his pocket and held it in his palm. “You can have this back because I’m not interested in fixing things. I’m not even interested in fixing me anymore. You will just have to put up with my anger and my unbalanced power because Hiker Wallace is tired of doing things the way you all want. I’m going back to my way.”
The gold token winked in the sunlight streaming through the canopy overhead for only a second when a bird cawed overhead. Sophia watched as a black and white bird swooped from the vines and stole the gold token from Hiker’s palm before he knew what had happened.
The bird, a magpie, soared back up into the air, flapping its wings as it made its way up to the top of the beanstalk.
Chapter One Hundred
The garden rules had apparently changed, Sophia realized, looking around at the strange forest where she and Hiker stood. Magpies were common in Scotland, but there was little reason they should be in North America. The only explanation was that things weren’t operating as expected, which meant she had to throw out the rule book. They were playing a game dictated by the strange and never predictable Mother Nature.
“Well, there you go,” Hiker said, his eruption of anger dissipated by the crow stealing the gold token. “Let’s cut down this beanstalk and be done already.”
Now it was Sophia’s turn to have a tantrum. “No!” she yelled. “That gold token is the reset point for Father Time. If anything goes wrong, then that’s where all the world gets reset to. It’s the moment right before everything went to hell. He entrusted it to me. I gave it to you, thinking in my delusional brain you could use it to fix your life! I realize there’s no fixing an angry Viking, but hell if I’ll get my ass handed to me because I tried to help you.”
Hiker narrowed his eyes at her. “Sophia, you watch your—”
“No!” she argued. “I’m not scared of you. Everyone else is. Do you think I’m more scared of you than the entity who controls time?”
“W-w-well,” the Viking stuttered, “no. He scares even me.”
“Exactly,” Sophia stated, starting forward. “So whether you like it or not, sir, we’re going to do what Mama Jamba intended. We’re climbing this beanstalk and going to find out what’s at its top. I’m going to get that damn gold token back, and you’re going to try and fix your power problems.”
“Or what?” Hiker demanded, crossing his arms.
Sophia had just started to find her footing on the leaves and vines of the huge beanstalk when she came back down again and strode over to the hulking man who was acting as stubborn as a toddler. “Or I’m going to go back to the Gullington and tell Mama Jamba you’re refusing to take the help she offered. Then I’m going to Papa Creola and tell him you’re the one who got his reset point stolen.”
He stuck his nose in the air, undeterred by her threats. “They probably already know. It was your gold token to keep safe. That’s on you.”
“Then I’m going to leave the Gullington because as much as I want to be a Dragon Elite, I refuse to work for a coward,” she declared, trying to remain strong although fear was vibrating in her chest.
“How dare you,” he said through clenched teeth, his blue eyes rimmed by red.
“I dare, sir,” she stated. “If you can’t face what’s up there, then how can I trust you to help us face what’s out in the world? You climb the beanstalk with me, or I leave the Dragon Elite. I believe the others, Wilder, Evan, and Mahkah, well, my absence would make them question their own reasons for staying at the Gullington.”
Sophia didn’t wait for Hiker Wallace’s reply. Instead, she took off for the beanstalk and resumed climbing.
She didn’t know if what she said was true, but she knew it wasn’t an empty threat. What was the point in doing something under the wrong leadership? No, if they were going to save the world, the Dragon Elite needed the right person at the wheel or they’d always fail, and she didn’t want to be
a part of that.
Sophia was about eight feet up when the beanstalk shook under her. She heard a sigh and looked down to find Hiker glaring up at her as he started to climb.
Her expression remained stone, although her heart leapt. Of course, the one thing that would always inspire Hiker Wallace to face that which he didn’t want to, was the threat of losing what he loved more than anything else—the Dragon Elite.
Deep down, Sophia suspected the man below her loved something else more than his dragonriders and their mission. He just had to remember what that was.
Chapter One Hundred One
The lightning strike that shot past Sophia and Hiker as they climbed nearly made her pee her pants. She clung onto the beanstalk branches as the storm around them intensified. The leaves of the magical beanstalk were coarse and prickly in places, scraping against her face and arms and making cuts that stung instantly.
I know of a way to get up a massive beanstalk easily, Lunis said in her head, his timing both awesome and awful.
She tried not to laugh since that might be the death of her right then, making her lose her balance. The leaves she had to use as rungs were increasingly slippery and the handholds bit into her fingers. You know you couldn’t join me on this mission.
I know I’m not there, he stated sullenly.
I wish you were, believe me, Sophia told him. She prepared to continue the climb that had gotten exponentially more difficult as they progressed. As soon as she set foot onto the branches of the beanstalk, everything around them changed—growing darker and colder and sending a storm that only intensified by the minute.
Sophia paused for a moment to catch her breath, noticing Hiker below her was doing the same. This is something Hiker needs to do on his own, without his dragon, which means I have to. Besides, I believe taking a dragon ride up the beanstalk is considered cheating. I suspect Mama Jamba wants us to climb to the top on our own.
Well, don’t look down, Lunis offered.
Thanks, but I sort of have to in order to ensure that man below doesn’t bail.
Sounds like a babysitting job, Lunis said.
Yeah, that sounds about right, she admitted.
Then my only other advice is not to fall, Lunis suggested. Oh, and don’t die. Key tip there. You’re welcome.
Sophia finally allowed herself to laugh. Okay, I’m ringing off so I can concentrate on the not dying part.
Click, Lunis said like he’d just put down a phone receiver.
I have the strangest dragon in the entire universe, Sophia admitted to herself, shaking her head.
I heard that, he chimed.
Go work on your YouTube channel, Sophia hinted, nearly losing her grip as she took the next step.
YouTube is so five minutes ago. He scoffed. I’m working on a TikTok video.
Oh, dear angels, Sophia said, shaking her head. I didn’t know you could do the floss.
Yeah, I’ll totally teach you when you return, he stated, then added, If you don’t die.
Right on the heels of his words, Sophia slipped, and her feet came out from underneath her. The only thing that saved her from falling was the death grip she had with her right hand, her left not catching a grip. She kicked her legs to find her footing. The branches she’d been using had broken under her feet, giving her nothing to step on. Improvising, she wrapped her legs around the beanstalk and used her upper body to progress.
As a woman, she knew climbing with her legs was much more advisable. However, when climbing up a slippery beanstalk in a torrential downpour, one had to adapt. Her biceps burned as she pulled her body weight up with both arms, but finally, after a ton of effort and more grunting than she cared to admit, Sophia was able to pull herself to the next branch and give herself a few moments of respite.
She glanced down, realizing Hiker had witnessed her near-fall, but he seemed relieved that she’d recovered. Shaking off the adrenaline rush, Sophia continued up toward the unknown.
As they climbed the beanstalk, the storm around them surged, getting worse. The day had receded quickly, making everything black. The winds had picked up and rain started to splatter them, whipping Sophia’s hair into her face like ropes.
When the lightning began, real fear started in the pit of Sophia’s stomach. She knew one thing about lightning storms—stay low. Tall objects were targets. She and Lunis had learned this during flights where they had to avoid lightning. If a bolt struck the beanstalk, there would be no avoiding it.
Instead of heeding the knowledge of staying low in a storm, Sophia was climbing ever higher chasing after a thieving bird.
Too many times during the climb that grew more arduous with each step, thanks to the rain and wind, Sophia wanted to quit. All she had to do was look down at the man below her to realize she couldn’t. No one wanted to quit this more than Hiker Wallace. She wouldn’t give him that way out.
Sophia had to persist. The leader of the Dragon Elite had to get to the top or he’d never conquer his fears. He’d never balance his powers, and without the reset point token, he would not remember who he used to be.
As they climbed higher, the air grew thinner, colder, and less forgiving.
Looking up, Sophia felt there was no end in sight. The beanstalk seemed to go on and on, and she doubted her decision not to use the dragons. Hiker hadn’t suggested it either, and she’d thought he also knew this climb had to be done manually.
A cautionary glance down told her he was easily keeping up, but she wished she had followed Lunis’ advice and not looked. The ground, as far as she could tell in the dark, was a mile away.
Sophia gulped and took another step as the beanstalk shook violently, nearly sending her flying off.
Jamming her fingernails into the trunk, she hung on for dear life as the whole thing vibrated wildly. As she held her breath, the shaking subsided. Thinking it was safe to start the climb again, Sophia lifted her hand and foot just as something knocked the beanstalk, making it bend drastically to one side.
Despite Sophia’s grip, the assault was enough to send her flying. She had no time to think before something grabbed her by the shoulder and held her suspended in the air.
Breathless, she looked up to find Hiker holding her as she dangled. He had a tight grip on the beanstalk, and his boots were firmly planted as he held onto her with his free hand.
She would have thanked him for saving her life, but fear had left her speechless. It didn’t matter because he wouldn’t have heard her with the winds soaring around them.
Swinging her away from the beanstalk, he launched her back the other way. She reached out and grabbed one of the branches, holding it with a new desperation. She glanced back at Hiker and knew he intended for her to take the lead again.
Nodding once, Sophia continued climbing, ensuring she had three points of contact on the beanstalk at all times.
Chapter One Hundred Two
I’ll never let go, Sophia thought as she clutched the beanstalk, the evil winds seeking to pull her off.
Just as she made up her mind not to let go of the beanstalk she’d found solace clinging to, the next handgrip was absent. Reaching overhead, Sophia clutched at wet air for something to grab, but there were no branches or vines or anything.
She hadn’t chanced looking up or down since her near-fall. Now she dared to bring her chin up and found a thick ring of clouds hovering just above her. They were so dense she couldn’t actually see her hand reaching through it on the other side.
“What is it?” Hiker yelled up to her, the first thing either one of them had said since the climb began.
“I think we’re at the top,” Sophia replied, having to scream to be heard over the racing wind and rain.
Lightning clapped in the distance, sending a blinding light across the city and showing just how high they were. The two dragonriders were at the same height as many skyscrapers.
“Hold on!” Hiker ordered, and a second later, the thunder that followed the lightning violently shook the bean
stalk, making Sophia’s teeth vibrate in her skull.
Thankfully the thunder didn’t last long, but it only reminded Sophia they were in a dangerous place holding onto a wet beanstalk that rose as high as any of the nearby buildings.
She dared to take her hand off the beanstalk again, this time to feel for an edge. At first, she didn’t find anything which was confusing. The beanstalk had to have a top. Trying a different direction, her hand knocked into something. Instead of grabbing it straight away, she felt along, trying to make out its shape.
It was a large hole. Maybe the opening to the top, she thought with excitement. She squashed her hope. She shouldn’t delude herself into thinking that just because they got to the top, the danger was over. More likely, it was only beginning.
Grabbing the edge, Sophia managed to get her other hand to meet it and shuffled her feet to pull herself up. She was right; a thin blanket of clouds soaked her as she brought herself through the narrow opening. It was large enough for her, but Hiker was going to have to squeeze to make it.
Sophia had her first bit of relief in what felt like hours when she clambered over the top and found a soft patch of wet dirt. She rolled onto it and saw it went on for a great distance in both directions. In the distance were structures she couldn’t make out clearly.
Finally finding some safety, she allowed herself to rest. Her arms ached from the climb, and her skin was burning from the cuts. Her legs were shaking from fatigue. Lying on her back, Sophia sucked in breath after breath. It wasn’t raining anymore.
As her eyes adjusted, she realized it was dark around her, but there were signs of sunlight seeping in from one of the structures in the distance. She didn’t have time to investigate because the sound of grunting stole her attention.
Glancing at the large Viking trying to squeeze through the opening, Sophia nearly laughed. Hiker looked like a fat worm wiggling up from the ground as he tried to fight his way through.