by Sarah Noffke
“You have to realize that you can’t take up residence in the middle of the street here and destroy this city,” Sophia began, careful to keep her tone even. “The world is happy to welcome the Rogue Riders, the Dragon Elite will see to that, but you have to abide by the same laws as everyone else. No one is above them!”
That got a reaction from the crowd. If there had been any confusion on who was who, this ought to settle it. Those witnessing and recording the events unfolding on their mobile devices knew that Sophia and the two dragons and riders flanking her were trying to protect and uphold justice. In contrast, the two in front of them were about promoting chaos and their own agenda.
Although Sophia didn’t like that the education had to come out this way with so many dangerous aspects in proximity, she was grateful for the opportunity to inform the public. The videos would hopefully go viral and many across the world would know that there were the Rogue Riders and the Dragon Elite, and they weren’t the same. One could be trusted and the other…well, they were a loose wire, and no one knew what to expect from them.
Nathaniel grinned up at his dragon as sparks rained down from the traffic light it had just destroyed. “Aw, we’re only having some fun. What’s wrong with that? It is a free country, isn’t it?”
Sophia’s jaw tensed. He was trying to get under her skin. Trying to make her do something rash. She couldn’t allow the Rogue Riders to get the best of them. “It’s free for all, which means you can’t block the roads and disrupt traffic.” She pointed at the Bellagio fountains. “You can’t ruin a show that many enjoy.”
Nathaniel stuck his hands on his hips. “What can we do, Princess? You kicked us off the stupid elves’ island that they weren’t using.”
“They were living there,” Sophia argued through gritted teeth, watching as the dragon messing with the person in the Optimus Prime suit whipped his tail in the robot’s direction, coming dangerously close to knocking it over.
Nathaniel scoffed. “Whatever. We got off that stupid island as you wanted. Now we’re here, drifting and bringing the charm of our dragons for all to see, but you’re still not happy because the Dragon Elite have to control everything. Hanging out isn’t against the law.”
“What do you care about the law?” Sophia argued. “You steal what you want. Destroy without concern. You have no respect for what the rest of us value.”
With a cocky smile on his face, Nathaniel nodded. “Here I thought that you didn’t understand the Rogue Riders at all. What a relief. That’s right. We don’t operate above the law like you all. We don’t pretend to be the law. Instead, we govern all that are breaking the laws.” He looked out at the scene all around them. “What better place for such ventures than in the city of sin?”
“Do as you please in regard to governing criminals,” Sophia began carefully. “I’m not trying to stop you there. If you’re doing it right, I don’t have any problems with that. What we have a problem with is creating disturbances, endangering the public, and thinking that you own a city that belongs to the fae.”
There were cheers from the crowd all around them. Most of those expressing their support were magicians, who had come forward in large numbers and gave the Rogue Riders impatient glares.
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at the crowd’s reaction. He threw his arms wide at those supporting the Dragon Elite. “You think you know who you’re messing with? We own the criminal world. Want to feel safe in your beds at night? Then you better bow at our feet, not those of the Dragon Elite who only make the criminals hide while still doing their deeds.”
“You’re thieves!” a magician yelled, his fist in the air.
“You ruined my house!” another exclaimed.
“You have to be stopped!” someone else screamed from the road.
Sophia felt the crowd growing more hostile. Suddenly, tensions were high, and everything escalated faster than she had expected. She needed to quell tempers.
Nathaniel turned, reached for the reins to his dragon, and yanked hard on them, making the dragon’s head jerk to the side as it tried to resist being mistreated. “Who of you will stop the Rogue Riders? Line up, and we’ll pick you off, one by one. Then you’ll see who deserves your allegiance and not the Dragon Elite.”
Sophia glanced at Wilder and Mahkah. They both followed her line of vision, first to the fountains, then to the area of the Strip where the other demon dragonrider had finally knocked down Optimus Prime. Angry magicians tired of the bullying now surrounded him. They weren’t wrong, but they needed to handle the Rogue Riders the right way. Sophia reminded herself that if they didn’t, they’d repeat history and there would be no more dragons or riders left.
Chapter Forty-Six
Sophia’s eyes connected with Wilder and to the two dragons making a mockery of the Bellagio fountains. He nodded curtly, obviously following her silent direction.
Her gaze went to Mahkah, then to the dragon bullying the character of Optimus Prime. He understood the subtle gesture.
The pair lifted off on their dragons without having to pull on the reins or make demands, gracefully flying in different directions.
Nathaniel’s eyes skirted up, following Wilder as he took off after the other demon dragonriders, then Mahkah barreling in the other direction. He swung his leg around, not at all gracefully climbing onto his dragon, who resisted the rider getting into place.
“You can’t let us have anything, can you?” he fired at Sophia. Spit flew from his mouth.
“I’m prepared to help you.” Sophia sensed magicians moving in closer, some of them brandishing staffs or other things that could be considered weapons. “If you’re not careful, you’ll make enemies that I can’t defend you from.”
“We don’t need your help!” Nathaniel exclaimed. The other rider next to him also crawled onto his dragon’s back.
Then many of the magicians around the street decided not to hold back and charged forward, their fists and weapons up, their mouths open and screams and complaints flying from them.
Sophia didn’t have to worry about herself because one thing was clear—they were going after the Rogue Riders. Still, the way that Nathaniel’s dragon bowed up and swung around, his tail knocking over a nearby car, Sophia knew that everyone was in danger if things got out of control.
Yes, the Rogue Riders needed to learn their boundaries. Yes, magicians had every right to be mad. However, the disagreement between the two couldn’t happen right then. Sophia’s chief job now was to stop a fight rather than start or finish one. If she did her job, hopefully no one would get hurt, and it would humble the Rogue Riders in the process.
One could hope, she thought as she sprang into action.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ever since the Rogue Riders had captured and tortured Wilder, he’d longed to get his hands on them. He’d had to witness as they abused their dragons and each other, not at all working together as a team like he was used to with the Dragon Elite. The Rogue Riders were out for themselves and only formed a team for selfish self-preservation reasons.
Before, when Wilder worked with the Dragon Elite to get the Rogue Riders off the elves’ homeland, he’d been trying not to cause any unnecessary damage. That was the right thing to do, and Hiker had ordered it.
Wilder respected the Dragon Elite’s leader and would do whatever he ordered, as he respected Sophia as a leader and would dutifully go after these two clown Rogue Riders ruining the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas. However, she hadn’t said anything about not harming these riders, and Wilder didn’t know how he could stop them without breaking a few bones. He wouldn’t kill them. He’d ensure they understood what was right and wrong and when they broke the rules, they got broken too—at least a little bit.
Speeding over the crowd on Simi, Wilder stayed hunched over. The tourists he flew over could have reached out a hand and nearly touched the white dragon’s belly they were so low.
Wilder smiled when the crowd oohed and ahhed at the sight of the Drag
on Elite member flying close overhead toward the disobedient Rogue Riders in the fountain. They all seemed to know that he was there to defend them from getting splashed and their tourist experience ruined.
Wilder grinned over the side of Simi as mortals took pictures and videos of him flying past, hopefully creating social media that would speak of the Dragon Elite’s good name. They hadn’t planned this public relations campaign, but it probably couldn’t have worked out any better for them. Hiker had worked on some positive propaganda and promotions for the Dragon Elite to recover their reputation after everything the Rogue Riders had been doing. Still, this organic approach was leagues better, Wilder thought as he neared the other dragonriders.
They caught sight of him from the other side of the fountain, all of the spigots going straight up at that moment. If Evan were there, he could use Coral’s water magic to mess with these guys by turning the fountain into a gnarly weapon. Who knew where he was though? Probably sleeping in the basement, or flirting with Trin, or eating a bag of mega-stuffed Oreos in his bedroom.
The demon dragonriders cackled as Wilder neared, maybe recognizing him as the guy they captured and beat with his arms restrained because they were cowards. Or perhaps they thought because there were two of them and one of him that this fight would be decisive. One thing was clear—they knew a skirmish was coming. It had to be evident based on Wilder’s expression and how he’d poised for an assault.
The other dragons were smaller than Simi, not yet fully grown. One was gray like the color of stone and looked about as ugly as a rock wall battered by wind and dust. The other was brown, the color of dirt.
“Man, you guys have ugly dragons,” Wilder observed, sure that they could hear him even with the sounds of the fountains and music and crowd at his back. The chi of the dragon would make it so that they had enhanced hearing and other senses. One thing the chi of the dragon couldn’t do was make them skilled. That took practice, training, and expertise, and something told Wilder they didn’t have that.
The gray dragon heard the insult and jerked its tail so it hit the wall of water and sent it straight at Wilder like a blast of bullets. Easily, using only his intention, he pulled his dragon up a few feet to avoid getting hit by the spray.
Wilder studied the area around them. He needed to stop these guys. He wanted to teach them a lesson. He also knew he didn’t want any innocent people harmed. Now, damage to the area was less avoidable. He simply hoped that King Rudolf wouldn’t mind making the repairs, knowing it was for a worthy cause. Teaching demon dragonriders how to behave was a valuable lesson.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The strange sights around Las Vegas made Mahkah feel like he was on a different planet. A lot had changed in the last few hundred years that he’d been locked away at the Gullington. The world before that was a simpler place, and where Mahkah grew up was basic and natural.
There was no concrete or buildings or dazzling lights in the world that Mahkah came from. However, he’d spent enough time in the modern world recently so that the sights around him weren’t totally foreign although they still took some getting used to. Mahkah’s best approach to keep himself from getting disoriented by all the strange newness was to expect to see things he didn’t understand and come at it from a place of acceptance.
That’s how he viewed the strange large robotic creature that currently lay on the ground and suffered from the abuse of the demon dragonrider who bullied it. Mahkah didn’t know if the robot was a strange magitech, a real robot or a fake one, or a person in a suit. It didn’t matter. No matter what it was, it was evident that it was in distress and needed help.
No one deserved bullying—no matter what. Some needed to be stopped. Some needed to learn a lesson. Others needed punishment. Still, even bullies shouldn’t be bullied. That was an eye for an eye, and that didn’t work for Mahkah. He had to be better than his enemies.
The demon dragonrider harassing the strange robot caught sight of Mahkah as he flew in their direction on Tala. The new dragon was one that Mahkah recognized from when it hatched at the Gullington months ago. It was a shimmering silver and quite attractive, but not full-grown and hadn’t come into all of its powers yet, Mahkah observed. If it had, then it wouldn’t need to run to take off for flight, but when it circled the robot as Mahkah and his dragon neared, it did just that, nearly knocking over a group of tourists standing too close and taking pictures like this was all a show put on for their amusement.
The demon dragon and rider circled low, struggling to maintain a slow speed as they flew. It was true that it was easier to fly fast than slow and in a small, deliberate movement. That was the case for most things, Mahkah had often noted. It was easier to sprint than to stroll. It was easier to charge than it was to retreat. It was easier to soar than it was to hover. Still, it was the latter in all these instances when real changes could occur.
Peaceful negotiations didn’t usually happen from fighting. They resulted when people listened, one of the hardest of all skills.
Slowing Tala, Mahkah nearly came to a halt in the air directly across from the demon dragonrider. His dragon hardly had to move her wings to keep them aloft. Mahkah simply looked across the space at the other rider, hoping that it wouldn’t come to violence. The Rogue Rider would know that Mahkah was there to stop his bullying. He would understand that Mahkah was the more skilled rider and if provoked, the demon dragonrider would suffer from his attacks. The question was, would the Rogue Rider have the good sense to retreat or make amends for his misdeeds?
The silver dragon opened his mouth and shot a stream of fire straight at Tala.
It appeared a peaceful end to this situation wasn’t in store.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Everything happened so fast.
The magicians charged forward at once. The demon dragons struck defensive stances, rose on their hind legs, and spread their wings, taking up way more space on the road. The Rogue Riders pulled out their weapons and brandished them at the aggressive magicians.
Sophia and Lunis sprang into action, not needing to communicate to know what they were doing next. The blue dragon swung around and put himself between the Rogue Riders and the approaching magicians. Sophia held up her hands, encouraging her fellow magicians to halt.
“Get out of the way, Dragon Elite,” a magician with a long white beard and a lazy eye said, holding a sword in his hands. “Our beef isn’t with you. We heard you trying to talk sense into the maniacs!”
“Yeah, get out the way so I can rearrange these guys’ faces!” Nathaniel yelled, but he hadn’t come forward. Instead, he was enjoying the safety behind Lunis like the coward that he was. The blue dragon was almost as long as the street and created a sufficient barrier between the magicians and the Rogue Riders.
“You all have to listen to reason,” Sophia urged in a rush, watching as a magician in the crowd held up his hand.
“This has gone too far!” the man yelled.
“No!” Sophia yelled, but it was too late to stop him from releasing the spell.
A red light shot through the air like a laser beam. Lunis ducked, but the attack wasn’t on him. It hit the dragon belonging to the other rider in the side and knocked him down at once. His legs shot out straight as if paralyzed and he teetered back and forth on his side like a board wobbling.
“No!” the Rogue Rider yelled and charged forward, trying to make it around Lunis and to the magician who had sent the attack.
Everything was escalating too fast. No one would listen to reason when violence was an option. That left Sophia with no choice but to use her reserves to create a visible shield in the shape of a dome that covered the Rogue Riders and stopped the charging demon dragonrider from leaving the protected area while also deflecting the magicians’ attacks.
That didn’t stop them right away, and a few magicians joined the first, sending their stunning spells at the barrier, but it worked as Sophia designed and the attacks bounced off.
The Rogue
Riders were caged. They were also protected. The magicians were at a standstill.
Now, hopefully both sides will listen to reason, Sophia thought and sighed in relief.
Chapter Fifty
Gray and Brown, as Wilder had taken to calling the dragons ridden by the Rogue Riders challenging him, zipped back and forth on the other side of the wall of water like it was an impenetrable barrier. Wilder thought he knew what was going on. These guys were making a show of intimidating, but neither wanted to make the next move, knowing that they would be the one Wilder attacked first.
Doesn’t matter, Wilder thought to himself. You’re both going down anyway.
He heard the song playing on the speakers near its end, which meant the water display would too. That would be Wilder’s opportunity—when the Rogue Riders were disoriented and without the water barrier between them and the Dragon Elite member.
Right on cue, the wall of water fell at the song’s conclusion, making Brown and Gray completely visible.
Wilder shot after them on Simi. As he suspected, the rider farther away retreated, probably not wanting to get the punishment he knew he deserved. That left his mate vulnerable, and they both knew it.
“Where you going?” the guy on Gray yelled.
“I’m out of here!” the man on Brown replied.
“He thinks he is,” Wilder sang and shot his hand in the direction of Brown, who was quickly retreating.
Combined with the speed of the fleeing dragon and rider and the shot of wind that Wilder sent at them, the momentum carried them fast across the waters where they collided with the corner of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. There was no one in that vicinity since it was on the far side of the water. Those inside the building felt the impact when Brown slammed into it and cracked the wall before falling and landing on the pavement below.