by Sarah Noffke
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Well, looking at the symbols, it sort of makes a dance,” Zac explained and then tapped out a number in place. “You see in tap dance, the steps are done in sets of ones, twos and—”
“Oh, for the love of the angels,” Sophia said, turning to face Wilder. “We were told to bring Zac here to tap dance. Can my life get any more bizarre?”
“I’m sure there’s been a mistake,” Zac protested. “There’s no way I could tap dance across that pond. I mean that’s a long way and according to you the sign says if I mess up, it ends in doom. I haven’t even gotten an Oscar yet.”
Sophia didn’t want to risk the life of the star. That was never the point. She pulled out her sword and decided to experiment. She extended the sword out and tapped the first stone marked with a single red dot. It glowed gold, sending a beam of light into the air.
“Cool,” Zac exclaimed.
Sophia reached out farther and tapped the next stone with the two red circles twice. It also glowed gold. Then really having to reach, she hit the third stone also with two red circles, but this time only once.
A wall of fire shot up, blasting at the three of them. Wilder pulled them back, saving their eyebrows from the scorching flames.
Thankfully, after a few seconds, the wall of flames retreated, but the idea of one false move weighed heavily in the air.
“I don’t want to die!” Zac yelled, his eyes wide with fear.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five
“Shut your eyes,” Sophia suggested, realizing things were only going to get worse for the star who was unaccustomed to risking his life in such ways. “Just try breathing and we’ll figure this out.”
Zac did as he was told, pressing his hands to his head and singing a song to himself. Sophia gave Wilder an urgent expression that said, “What the hell are we supposed to do?”
Wilder was uncertain then his eyes widened with excitement. He pointed to her pocket. At first, Sophia didn’t know what he was referring to, but then it hit her. The magical chewing gum!
Of course, she thought. Smile Despite Reality Chewing gum was the only way to get Zac to tap dance across the pond without fearing for his life. Sophia didn’t think there was another way across since the pond since the stones stretched several dozen yards and there was no way she or Wilder could tap on the stones otherwise.
Sophia was talented at many different things, but tap dancing wasn’t one of them. It should have been strange to her that she needed a random star to tap dance across an ancient Japanese temple to help recover a magical katana, but it wasn’t and maybe that was the strangest thing of all.
“You know what, Zac,” Sophia said, pulling the wrapped candy from her pocket. “I have some really good gum. Do you want to try it?”
He opened his eyes, giving her an uncertain expression. “I’m good right now. Do you have whiskey?”
She smiled at him. “No, but I think you’ll like this gum. It’s very refreshing.”
“Yeah,” Wilder added. “One might say it will help you to forget all your problems.”
That seemed to do the trick. Zac held out his hand at once and Sophia dropped the only piece of magical chewing gum into it, hoping it did the trick. They had one chance to get this right. They also had only one Zac and she really hoped not to lose him for many reasons.
He popped the gum into his mouth and began chewing at once. His expression changed gradually. Several seconds later, he was smiling widely, blowing bubbles and moving about, as though itching to dance.
Sophia turned to Wilder with a tentative expression. “I guess it’s now or never. What do you say?”
He nodded, offering her a confident grin. “Don’t worry. That sword is moments away from being ours.”
That was the push Sophia needed. She turned to Zac chewing happily on his gum and pointed. “Can you do me a favor really quickly and tap dance across this pond, hitting each stone with the number of red circles indicated?”
He thought for a moment. “Like it’s Dance Dance Revolution?”
Sophia tilted her head to the side, thinking. “Yeah. Exactly. Remember, you want to get the high score, so don’t mess up.”
“This is for a high score?” Zac asked. “Like a championship?”
“Exactly,” Sophia said, taking a step backward with Wilder just in case the wall of fire shot up again. “Good luck, Zac. We can’t wait to watch you dance.”
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six
“A youth writhing in fire could be what we see next,” Wilder whispered from the corner of his mouth.
Sophia shook her head, encouraging him to shush it. She needed Zac to concentrate and she felt that meant she needed to as well.
The movie star shook out his arms, preparing himself for the dance number of his life. He didn’t seem at all nervous as he chomped away on the gum, continuing to hum a tune to himself.
Zac’s knees bounced as he prepared for the dance. It was a strange sight to watch, knowing that one misstep could harm the actor. Sophia told herself he was a professional and nothing was going to happen to him. It was worth the risk. Really, the only thing that let her allow Zac to do this was there was no turning back now. Sometimes in life, you go so far that turning back isn’t an option.
“Don't you wanna get away to a whole new part you're gonna play,” Zac began to sing under his breath softly as he studied the tile stones that stretched between him and the other side of the pond.
He continued to smack his gum and sing at the same time. “'Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride.”
Sophia gave Wilder a look of uncertainty as the dancer took his first step, his soft-soled shoe hitting the first stone.
“To the other side,” Zac sang, as light as a feather as he bounced to the next stone, tapping that one twice, with a light but deliberate force. “So if you do like I do. So if you do like me.”
His feet moved so fast it was hard to determine if he was hitting the tiles the right number of times as he progressed. Sophia reasoned he hadn’t been knocked back by a deadly wall of fire, so he must be doing it right. Not only was his tap dancing impressive, but his singing was growing louder.
“Forget the cage, 'cause we know how to make the key. Oh, damn! Suddenly we're free to fly,” Zac sang, now adding hands to the mix, making graceful movements that seemed to be helping him to maintain his balance as he hopped from stone to stone, always hitting it square in the middle with light taps.
“We're going to the other side,” he belted out. His movements were getting jerkier and making Sophia nervous.
“He’s just getting into it,” Wilder explained, trying to console her after witnessing the fear spring to her face.
She nodded. Zac hit a stone three times with the toe of his shoe before going to the next one.
“So if you do like I do,” he sang, only four tiles from the end.
He was so close, but the dance had grown more complicated with multiple taps pers square.
“So if you do like me,” he sang, nearly losing his balance on the next move.
Sophia held her breath. She could hardly watch. If something happened to Zac…
Recovering his movement, he took the momentum of the near fall with him, bouncing once off the next to last stone before tapping the final one twice.
“We're going to the other side,” he sang and jumped to the solid area opposite them next to the altar. He spun around and slid down on one knee, his arms wide and a broad victorious grin on his face.
His chest was rising and falling heavily, but he had made it. They had done it. Almost.
Sophia didn’t know how they were getting across, but at exactly that moment the glow of the stones Zac had tapped grew. They met each other and intensified for a moment, bringing strange piercing music with the display.
Then all at once, it stopped.
Before Sophia’s eyes, the area was replaced with a gold path that led to Zac on the
other side.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven
“Lifening just got more interesting,” Wilder stated, peering skeptically at the yellow brick road that divided them from Zac Efron.
“That’s not a real word,” Sophia joked.
“Sure it is,” he argued, putting his hand out and directing her backward. “Now, I’m going to take a step out. You stay here.”
“The hell you are,” she refused. “This is my mission. If anyone is going to test this to see if a trap results, it’s going to be me.”
He gave her a look of annoyance. “Are you always going to be this much of a pain in the ass, fighting me on everything to prove you’re just as brave and all?”
Sophia gave him an incredulous expression. “Why would you ever expect anything different from me?”
His dimples surfaced when he smiled. “I was hoping you were going to say that. Otherwise this whole thing was off. I can’t have a girlfriend who doesn’t challenge my patience and push my buttons and get under my skin—”
“Okay, I get the point,” Sophia said with a laugh.
“Hey guys,” Zac called, still chewing on the happy gum. “Are you going to join me?”
Sophia nodded, returning her attention to the gold floor. “Yeah, I’m coming.”
“We are,” Wilder corrected, holding out his hand to her.
She pretended to be offended. “Seriously, now you can’t cross without holding my hand? Are you always going to be so needy?”
Not missing a beat, he nodded. “Yeah, without a doubt. I’ll need your constant reassurances and a lot of handholding. Is that a problem?”
Sophia laid her hand in his and squeezed. “Not at all. I guess in the best relationships, we get to take turns being needy.”
He pressed his fingers into hers as they took a step out together. When their boots pressed into the gold stone the dragonriders paused, waiting for an explosion. When it didn’t happen, Sophia let out a breath and alongside Wilder, she took another step and another until they had progressed all the way to the other side, meeting Zac who looked relieved to have them join him.
He pulled the gum out of his mouth with a grimace. “Do I have to keep chewing this? It’s lost its taste.”
Sophia shook her head. “No, but don’t litter. I’m certain it will be trial by fire again if we litter in an ancient Japanese temple.”
He deposited it into a piece of paper from his pocket as Sophia brought her attention to the altar on the wall. Now that they were right beside it she could see set into the wall were three recesses with sheer fabric covering them. The fabric had been obstructing the view of their contents when they were on the far side of the room.
Stepping up close, but careful not to touch anything, she spied what was inside the recesses. All three were the same. Sitting on a stand behind the fabric were long and brilliantly crafted katanas. They were identical with long handles wrapped in red and a curved blade and a sheath lying on the surface next to the stand.
“What do you make of this?” Sophia asked Wilder.
He flashed her his trademark grin. “I think I know why you had to have a weapons expert with you for this mission.”
“Because he’s the only one who laughs at my jokes?” she teased.
He nodded. “There’s that. Also, I’m guessing two of those swords are fakes. Only a true weapon expert who can feel the memories of the sword will know which one is real.”
“If we picked the wrong one,” Sophia began slowly, working it out in her head as she spoke, “then it would probably produce another wall of fire or something else deadly.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Wilder said, suddenly serious.
“So can you determine which one is real?” Sophia felt worry starting to pool in her chest. They’d come this far and couldn’t fail. More importantly, she didn’t want anything to happen to Wilder. She never wanted anything to happen to him. He’d quickly become her favorite person and that was saying a lot since she had a lot of people who competed for that spot in her life.
“I can,” he replied, but he didn’t sound confident.
“What is it?” she questioned, sensing his trepidation.
“It’s hard to distinguish the difference without touching them,” he answered.
“And you can’t, can you?”
He shook his head. “I’m certain that’s akin to choosing, so I can’t do it until I know.”
“Can you feel their memories from afar?” Sophia asked.
He tilted his head back and forth, uncertainty in his eyes as he studied the closest sword. “I can, but the energies are muddied between the three of them due to the proximity. It’s hard to figure out which one is broadcasting the signal of the real sword.” He indicated one of them. “I don’t think it’s this one because it feels new, like it’s never been in battle or had any experiences. That wouldn’t be the right sword.”
Sophia stepped to the sword in the middle and Wilder followed before moving to the other one.
“It’s one of these two, but they have competing energies,” he explained. “The one in the middle feels really old and powerful. The one on the right has an extraordinary history. The question is, which one do you think is the magical katana?”
“Well,” Sophia began, drawing the word out, “the right katana apparently has ten different magical properties and heals the person who wields it.”
“So it’s powerful,” Wilder stated, stepping close to the sword in the middle and reaching out but pausing.
“However,” Sophia interjected, “it stands to reason the right katana would have an extraordinary history. Maybe that’s how it became so magical.”
Wilder nodded, chewing his lip. “We have to make a decision between power and history. The one in the middle has never been in battle. The one on the right has seen over a thousand. This has to be your call, Soph. I’m sorry, but I can’t offer you any more than that. Which one do you think it is?”
So it came to this, Sophia thought, anxiety building in her head from decision fatigue. Wilder was right to put this on her. It was her mission and therefore her choice. He’d given her what she needed to know, but the decision rested with her.
She patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him back. “Unlike before, we can’t hold hands. I’m going to grab the sword and take the risk of choosing the wrong one. I want you to take Zac out of the temple, just in case I’m wrong.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but Sophia shook her head at once—an adamant expression in her eyes. “Please, Wild. I can’t guarantee I’ll make the right decision, and I’m not sure what the repercussions will be. Zac shouldn’t be put in any danger as a result of a mistake I make. Neither should you.” She nodded toward the exit. “Just wait for me out front with Lunis. I’ll be out as soon as I make my decision.”
“Or you won’t,” he seethed, not liking this decision. However, as stubborn as they both were, he respected her decisions when she made them. Backing away, Wilder waved for Zac to follow him. “Don’t be long.”
Sophia nodded. “I won’t.”
“Also,” he said when they’d crossed back over the gold path, “pick the right sword.”
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight
Time won’t go slowly when you want it to and when you want it to speed up, that’s when it crawls by, Wilder thought, standing with Zac Efron and Lunis outside the Japanese temple.
You just left her, Lunis argued, shaking his head. Some boyfriend you are.
Wilder lowered his chin, daring to roll his eyes at the dragon, something he could never get away with, with Simi. She’d torch him, but Lunis liked the playful behavior because he was born in the modern world, and also because he was Sophia’s dragon.
“I think we both know there’s no arguing with that one when she’s made up her mind,” Wilder stated firmly.
Lunis harrumphed. I see who wears the pants in your relationship.
“We both wear pants,” Wilder joke
d. “We’re dragonriders. Kilts would be a poor choice for us.”
The dragon closed his eyes, no doubt seeing what Sophia was doing. Choose the blue pill.
It never ceased to surprise Wilder that the blue dragon could joke during the most stressful and dangerous times. He was very much like Sophia in that way.
“All the swords are identical in appearance,” Wilder argued.
Lunis opened his eyes, glaring at the dragonrider. That should be you in there, about to choose the wrong sword and get blown up.
“She’s not going to choose the wrong one,” Wilder said, offended. “Sophia will make the right decision, and even if she doesn’t, we don’t know death is the inevitable result.”
Oh, sure. Lunis scoffed. I’m sure the gods who protect this ancient Japanese temple will simply slap her on the wrist when she fails the final task. Maybe they will even give her a consolation prize like a travel mug or a t-shirt.
Wilder spun to face the dragon, his frustration at having to sit out this round building in him. “You don’t have to be so melodramatic about this. I didn’t want to leave her.”
“Guys,” Zac said from beside them.
Hold up a minute, Lunis said to the actor, his focus on Wilder. I’m not being melodramatic. I care about Sophia and I’m showing it, unlike you, Mr. Hollow Emotion.
“I’m not hollow,” Wilder argued. “I love her and she knows it. She’s the most important person—”
“Guys,” Zac advised again, urgency in his tone.
Seriously, Zac, not right now, Lunis complained. I’m going to tear this pansy’s petals off and then you can show me how to tap dance.
Wilder shook his head. “You wouldn’t touch so much as a hair on my head. Sophia wouldn’t talk to you for a century if you did.”
Lunis pressed his head close to Wilder, taking up most of his vision. Or maybe she’d thank me. She’s been trying to figure out how to dump you since you locked her down.