The Unlikely Heroes

by Sarah Noffke

  Liv glanced up, wondering if… She noticed a seam in the boards above her head. A small trapdoor.

  Soundlessly, she backed away from the door, her hand at the ready. When she was sure she was a safe distance from the door, she muttered a single word and the flap opened, sending a blur down from the ceiling. The figure was holding something heavy and dropped into the rising water, getting completely drenched.

  “Freeze,” Liv said, wishing she suddenly had the power of the fae, who could freeze their prey. Instead, she produced a fireball as Shazia stood, holding the Hourglass of All of Time. The fireball rotated, gaining speed like it was eager to meet a new target.

  “Don’t!” Shazia yelled. “I can explain. I didn’t mean to get mixed up in this. It’s just that…”

  Liv remembered what Dakota had told her about Shazia. She had no soul. She’d say anything to get what she wanted. She’d do anything to win now. That was what the soulless did. They didn’t care about what was right or wrong. Sometimes you could save someone, and sometimes you couldn’t.

  Liv released the fireball.

  Shazia gasped in sudden fright before the fire connected with her but at the exact moment she dropped the hourglass, Liv swung her leg around, catching the Hourglass of All of Time on the edge of her heel. She swung her leg around as she pulled Bellator from her sheath, allowing the sword to take over. It was all instinct and hunger, slicing across the pirate’s throat in one swift movement. Liv didn’t have to see what she’d done. Her momentum had taken her all the way around, and her foot dropped just as the Hourglass of All of Time fell into her hand.

  Liv smiled and tucked the large object into her pocket, ready to go back up the way she’d come.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  When Liv came up from belowdecks, things were in chaos. Liv Beaufonts were fighting fae everywhere. The winds were yanking the ship one way and then the other, which sent the real Liv into the rail. She caught herself several times, doing her best to protect the hourglass from breaking.

  The dark clouds of the storm were hovering over them, their madness churning just above the ship. Shazia might be dead, but the evil she’d summoned was still here. And everyone was so intently fighting that they hardly noticed what was about to eat them from the sky, sending them deep into the ocean forever.

  Rudolf had one of the doppelgangers in a chokehold and was making really strange threats to it.

  “Say it!” he urged, tightening his grip. “Tell me I’m the king and that you know I’m smarter than you.”

  “Neeeeh!” the pirate yelled.

  Liv rushed over. “It’s over! I’ve won!”

  Rudolf straightened, dropping the pirate he had pinned. “Oh, Shazia, so we finally meet!” He began to bow, but Liv slapped him in the face before he could.

  “Seriously!” she yelled. “That storm!” Liv pointed to the clouds roaring overhead. Many of the fake Livs jumped over the side of the ship and started swimming away. Others simply ran below. Thankfully, the crew of the Serena all went back to the ship, which wasn’t as damaged as the Zephyr.

  However, Rudolf held his ground like a brave soldier as he peered between the hourglass and Liv’s face. “What did you do with my Liv? I will fight you to the death.”

  Liv almost wanted to smile. To laugh. To hug the man before her, but now wasn’t the time as the winds nearly knocked her to the deck. Instead, she allowed the momentum to push her forward. She grabbed Rudolf by the jacket with one hand, the hourglass pinned under the other one, and pulled him over her head as they rolled toward the bow of the ship. Through the wind and rain, she yelled, “Captain Rudolf, save the day!”

  Even though everything was a blur, she saw his face as he pulled away in amazement.

  “It’s you, Liv!” he yelled. “It’s really you!”

  “Yes, and now it’s your turn!” she urged.

  He nodded and created a portal they rolled through, landing on the deck of the Serena. Then that ship soared through another portal into calm waters just outside the port in Long Beach, California.

  The crew of the Serena were quite the strange sight as they rolled into the harbor, their hair blasted back and faces red from battle.

  However, as the crew tied them to the docks, Liv held the only thing that mattered that day. Rudolf Sweetwater had his arms as snugly around her shoulders as hers were wrapped around his.

  Yes, she’d saved the hourglass, but there were some things more important than time. Sometimes the unlikely heroes were the ones who won the battles. The ones that weren’t written about in history, but were the reason most all stood to fight another day.

  Liv pulled the hourglass from her pocket, held it close to her chest, and smiled at her friend, grateful they might be able to have another adventure on another day…when the time presented itself.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Subner didn’t need to tell Liv to hurry to get down to Papa Creola when she entered his shop, the Fantastical Armory. She had already gotten a dozen text messages from Papa Creola telling her just that. He followed up the first few messages with You’re not hurrying enough.

  Then he said if she wasn’t constantly checking her phone she would be there faster. And when she rolled her eyes in response, he followed it up with another remark about how gestures slowed down forward motion by up to twenty percent.

  Liv was completely out of breath by the time she’d sprinted down the dozens of flights of stairs to where Papa Creola was pacing in front of his fireplace.

  “Finally!” he barked, hurrying over and looking her over like she was missing something. “Where’s the Hourglass of All of Time?”

  Liv opened her cloak, removed the hourglass, and handing it to him. “I didn’t think strolling down Roya Lane with that thing on display was a good idea.”

  He nodded, studying the way the granules were moving through the bottleneck. The hourglass was almost half the size of him. “Time is again being threatened.”

  The way the sand progressed didn’t seem strange to Liv, but Papa Creola was flustered by it. He set the hourglass down and began pacing again.

  “Is it the one who had the hourglass stolen?” Liv asked. “Are they messing with time?”

  He nodded. “Yes, and I’m a threat to their mission, which is why they want me gone. That means that I can’t stay here.”

  “What? Where will you go?” Liv questioned.

  “It’s better if I don’t tell you or anyone that,” he answered.

  “So you’re disappearing again?” Liv asked. “You’re abandoning us?”

  “Not like before. I’m still going to help. And I have you, and you’ll get orders from me. But it’s not safe. I have a feeling I know who is behind this, and they aren’t going to stop until they track me down and kill me.”

  “Who is it?” Liv asked. “And why do they want to kill you?”

  “I don’t know much. I’ve only seen flashes. I’m peculiarly blind to this. But I do know it’s an ancient evil who can’t rise to power as long as I’m out there. He knows that if he does, I’ll take him down.”

  “Why?” Liv asked, although she realized “ancient evil” should have been a sufficient explanation.

  “Because my job is to ensure that everything and everyone preserves the passing of time. Vampires threatened that, so what did I have you do?”

  “Take them out,” Liv answered.

  “Exactly,” Papa Creola. “We are all allotted a certain amount of time on this planet. We don’t get more than we should have without causing ripples in the fabric of time.”

  “But Rudolf brought Serena back,” Liv argued.

  “Yes, and it took me forever to fix the problems that created,” he said with a tired sigh.

  “Forever? Really? You don’t think that’s an exaggeration?”

  Papa Creola batted his eyes at her in annoyance. “My point is that no one gets to live forever. Well, I do, but that’s by design. There are few like me, whose longevity actually pre
serves the folds of time rather than destroys it.”

  “Like Plato?” Liv asked, the lynx coming to mind suddenly.

  Papa Creola was caught off-guard by this and halted his pacing. “Yes, actually. The lynx’s long life has helped more than it has hurt. But he’s not a typical creature. The person I think is trying to rise not only broke many moral laws to preserve his life, but if he comes into power, then not only time will be in jeopardy, but also magic.”

  “Okay, well, then I’ve got my next case,” Liv said, slapping her hands together. “Tell me who this jerkface is, and I’ll hunt him down and put a stop to his evil designs.”

  Papa Creola shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “Because that would be too easy, huh?”

  “I can’t,” Papa Creola continued, “because I’m not entirely sure. I’ve only ever sensed his presence lurking beneath the surface. I don’t know enough to direct you, and therefore it would be a waste of your time. All I know for sure is that I must hide until we have more information. Then you can properly dispose of this evil.”

  “Okay, fine,” Liv said, wishing things didn’t always have to be so complicated.

  “Actually, I know something else,” Papa Creola stated, conviction in his voice. “You need to find the Mortal Seven. I’m not sure how, but I think they are connected to all this. As long as the House is incomplete, there will be an imbalance in the world.”

  “I agree,” Liv stated. “But I don’t know where to find the next one. I’ve been researching, and there are so many potentials. What am I supposed to do, go serenade every person in each family until I find the right one?”

  “Use your resources,” Papa Creola urged her. “Take the list of names to Mortimer. See if he can help narrow it down for you. Brownies have a way of observing patterns you won’t see. My guess is that since mortals can see magic now, things are shifting for the Mortal Seven.”

  “But they could always see magic,” Liv argued, thinking of John.

  “Yes, but the world around them is waking up,” Papa Creola explained. “Maybe because things have shifted, they have new enemies. Mortimer’s brownies will have observed this.”

  “Do you think that whoever is after you will come after the Mortal Seven?” Liv asked, thinking of the person who impersonated the elves. “Is it possible all this is connected?”

  “Warrior Beaufont, I can’t say for sure, but I believe so,” Papa Creola said, a grave quality to his voice. “I believe whoever doesn’t want mortals connected to magic, whoever started this in the first place—erasing the real history—is the one who wants me gone.”

  “So it wasn’t Adler Sinclair?” Liv asked, realizing how naïve she sounded.

  “Adler was a problem. He always has been, but this has been going on longer than him.”

  Liv’s mouth fell open at a sudden realization. She’d thought all this time that Adler was the source of the evil, the one who had orchestrated so many of the injustices connected to the House. However, she now realized that he was only a pupil—a servant. She’d been chasing Adler all this time, not realizing he wasn’t the master.

  Which meant that out there was the real villain she needed to take down once and for all.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Liv couldn’t get her conversation with Papa Creola to stop playing on repeat in her head. Of course. There was someone that was bigger than Adler Sinclair behind all this. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Someone had awoken Zeno Dutillet, more commonly known as the SandMan. And then there was the illusion of Spencer Sinclair in the swamps of Louisiana. Someone had stolen Papa Creola’s Hourglass of All of Time, and was impersonating elves, and who knew who else. Liv suddenly felt that she couldn’t trust anyone, but she’d only come this far as a Warrior by relying on her friends, so she was going to have to get over her anxiety and plunge ahead.

  So overwhelmed by the thoughts in her head was Liv that she passed the official brownie office and had to double back. She was about to “knock” on the invisible door by announcing her presence when a familiar figure sidled up next to her.

  “What are you doing here?” Liv asked Emilio Mantovani.

  He stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with her. “I was checking to see if you’ve made any progress with the stuff we spoke about.”

  Liv shook her head. “I’ve had more pressing issues than helping you with your dating life.”

  “It’s not just about me,” Emilio argued, staring at the brick wall. “It’s about everyone. The House dictates every part of our lives. They tell us what to do and when to do it, and that’s not enough. They also tell us who we can date and marry.”

  Liv nodded. “I know. I’ve got some ideas about how to change things, but it’s going to take time. Currently, I’ve got more pressing issues to deal with.”

  Emilio sighed. “I know. I just saw you here, and thought I’d take the opportunity to ask you.”

  Liv believed him. She didn’t particularly like Emilio, maybe because he wore the same snobby expression as his sister, Bianca, but she didn’t totally distrust him. “Hey, your sister.”

  “Yes?” he asked, raising one of his black eyebrows at her.

  “She’s got a bad attitude but do you think…well, I realize you won’t tell me if she is, but is she an evil mastermind?”

  Emilio actually laughed. It was probably the first time Liv had ever heard him do that. “Bianca is a stuck-up elitist, but she’s definitely no mastermind.”

  “But she hates mortals, right?” Liv asked.

  He shrugged. “I think many in the House have a prejudice against mortals.”

  “But why?” Liv asked. “We know now they used to be a part of things.”

  “It’s not just mortals. It’s fae and elves. It’s anyone different from us. That’s why I’m trying to change things. That’s why I need your help.”

  There was a rare pleading quality in Emilio’s voice. It softened Liv, making her drop her suspicions of Bianca. The Mantovanis may not be the best family ever, but they weren’t evil masterminds. No, whoever was behind everything had an agenda and a ton of power. How they’d gotten it, Liv would have to find out.

  “I’m going to help you,” Liv stated. “Just be patient, and be ready to do your part when the time comes.”

  “What will be my part?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure yet,” she admitted. “It will probably be big, though. Once we try to change the House, we will put ourselves at risk. You won’t be able to step down from that.”

  “I don’t think I’ve always been the most courageous Warrior,” he said in a hushed voice. “I used to think that was because I was a coward or because I wasn’t strong enough. However, I get it now.”

  “What is it?” Liv asked.

  “It’s because I hadn’t ever found something I was really passionate about fighting for. Not until now.”

  Liv wanted to object that the missions to protect magic or mortals or other races had been important, but she didn’t. Those things mattered to her. They got her out of bed in the morning, and kept her fighting when she was exhausted. If this was the one thing that finally made Emilio brave enough to risk it all, how could she question that?

  “Okay, we’ll be in touch,” Liv said, taking a step closer to the brick wall, dismissing Emilio.

  Liv tiptoed past Pricilla, who had her head on her desk and was snoring loudly. The baby was also asleep in his crib, sucking loudly on a pacifier.

  When she got to Mortimer’s door, she pushed it open and put her head inside.

  “Come in, come in,” he said in an excited voice.

  She held her finger to her mouth. “Pricilla and the baby are sleeping.”

  He scrunched his shoulders, appearing remorseful for his loud voice. “Of course. The baby has her exhausted.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it’s a lot caring for a child and also working,” Liv said.

  He shook his head. “Oh, no. Ticker sleeps a lot. It’s the one she’s pre
gnant with who has her exhausted.”

  “Wait, Ticker is the name of your child?” Liv asked, then shook her head. “And Pricilla is pregnant again? You two don’t waste any time.”

  “Well, most brownies have a dozen or more children. We do have quotas to fill.”

  Liv was suddenly grateful she wasn’t a brownie. “Well, still, that’s a lot for your wife. Maybe consider giving her a vacation soon. Maybe you can leave Ticker with someone so you can actually relax.”

  “Thank you!” Mortimer cheered, then covered his mouth, realizing his outburst was too loud. “Anyway, I’m honored that you’ve offered to watch my son.”

  “What?” Liv asked, her eyes wide. “I didn’t…” The sudden disappointment on Mortimer’s face made her stop. “I meant to say, I didn’t realize how much you two needed a vacation. I’d be happy to watch Ticker once you’re ready to part with him for an overnight trip. I know new parents don’t like to leave their little ones.”

  He waved her off, turning at once to his computer. “Don’t be silly. We encourage independence. And he’s pretty easy, especially since he is walking.”

  “Your child is already walking?” Liv asked.

  “Since day two,” he stated.

  Liv nodded, trying to swallow the new situation she’d gotten herself into.

  “I mean, he still needs a great deal of care,” Mortimer said, typing on his computer, “but you’re about the only one I trust for the job. And Pricilla and I could use the time together.”

  “Mort, what are you doing?”

  He tapped a single key. “Booking a trip, of course.”

  “Of course,” she said, taking a seat on the small chair in front of his desk.

  With a triumphant expression, he turned his attention back to her. “Okay, that’s all set. I’ll drop Ticker off in a week, before we set off for Hawaii.”

  “Hawaii, you say?” Liv questioned. “I heard they have a problem with pirates.”

  He smiled, undeterred. “Pirates don’t bother me. I think we could really use some warm weather and good vibes. Hawaii is perfect because we can stay with the elves, which is nice because when we’re around mortals, we can’t relax since we feel the need to help them.”