Adapt Or Be Crushed (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 9)

by Sarah Noffke

  Chapter Fourteen

  Standing outside the Barrier at the Gullington, Sophia frowned. She’d continuously failed to create a portal to one of the islands around the Reflective Sea. And stepping through a portal close to the islands would have her swimming in the South Pacific.

  “I think you have to go with me,” she said to Lunis, who stood beside her with uncertainty written on his face. “We must need the map to find the hidden locations and that’s why I can’t portal there.”

  “But if I go, then there’s no way to protect you,” he argued. “The hallucinations…”

  “The only way to remove the mark from my soul is to go to the Reflective Sea,” she stated with confidence. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do there, but this is what Papa Creola told me I needed to do—find the source of the Door of Reflection.”

  He hung his head, obviously not liking this new plan. “It’s just that leaving the Gullington is one thing and puts you at risk, but me not protecting you is another.”

  “I left the Gullington with you before, while I had the curse,” she countered.

  “It’s getting worse.”

  They both knew he was right. Early on, the curse hadn’t been so bad, but it was progressively worsening and Sophia knew that there were many risks if she left with Lunis. “Then that’s why we have to do it now, rather than waiting any longer.”

  Although she knew that he was reluctant, her dragon obediently knelt and extended his wing so she could climb onto his back and slip into the saddle.

  When she was in place, he took off at once, probably wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

  Sophia didn’t look forward to being unprotected from the hallucinations, but she was intrigued by the idea of seeing a hidden land. With the book of maps tucked inside her cloak, she enjoyed the wind whipping through her hair as she opened a portal to the South Pacific.

  It shimmered bright and colorful in front of her and Lunis as they flew. Soon they’d step foot on an island that most had never seen or knew existed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When they slipped through the portal and flew over the sparkling waters of the South Pacific, Sophia expected to find little islands sprinkled throughout the area, like she’d seen on the map she’d studied all night. However, the blue ocean simply went on for what seemed like eternity.

  Are you sure we’re in the right place? Lunis asked in her head.

  Not at all. It happens to be my first time using a magical map of hidden locations.

  She pulled the book from her cloak and flipped it open to the map of the tiny islands in the South Pacific. There was no other landmark to give her reference.

  I think whatever you did, worked, Lunis said, excitement in his tone.

  Sophia jerked her head up and saw little islands covered in lush trees materialize, springing up one by one in front of them.

  Oh. I guess I have to use the map or I can’t find them.

  That makes sense, Lunis imparted. You can’t simply know about the hidden places. The maps are the key to finding them.

  Sophia studied the map and located the islands around the Reflective Sea, looking for discernable traits. There was one that was shaped like a cat’s paw and another like a crescent moon. The sea was right in between them, and one of those places seemed like the best spot to land.

  She glanced up and searched the islands littering the South Pacific in front of them. There were so many that it was hard to believe no one knew they existed. Suddenly, she wondered what other strange things could be hidden in these places besides the source for the Door of Reflection. Then that begged the question of why the lands in the book, Hidden Places, were concealed in the first place. Maybe they had dark magic that if in the wrong hands would be dangerous. Or maybe there were secrets buried there. Sophia suspected that each hidden land had a different reason for being secret. She looked forward to exploring them more—when time allowed.

  There, Sophia exclaimed to Lunis. She pointed to a small island that sat next to a bright blue sea that sparkled so much it nearly blinded her. The crescent-shaped island was directly across from the paw-shaped one. However, that one was covered in thick trees with little beach. The crescent one was mostly sand, and would hopefully offer them the best opportunity to investigate the Reflective Sea all around it.

  Sophia didn’t know what they were supposed to do at the sea, but it worried her. The Door of Reflection was the entrance to the Chamber of the Tree. Although it didn’t work on her as a dragonrider, when Councilors and Warriors passed through it, the door served up their worst fears in an effort to cleanse them of it. If the door was sourced from the Reflective Sea, Sophia worried about what she’d encounter.

  She knew without a doubt that it would have to be major to clear the mark from her soul. Although she was more than a little intimidated by the unknown challenge that lay before her, she would do anything to lift the curse. Sophia swallowed as Lunis dove in for a landing, realizing she would probably have to do what she feared most…

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lunis’ claws slid deep into the white sand of the crescent-shaped island when they landed. The smell of salt and the ocean breeze rippling the pristine waters of the Reflective Sea made Sophia long for a vacation.

  According to the map, the island was called Buddha’s Temple and had a long stretch of beach, which was why Sophia chose it for the landing. There was also a tropical forest that filled the center of the island. And lapping up on it was the Reflective Sea, which was what Sophia figured she’d come for.

  However, as she slid off Lunis and made her way closer to the waters, she felt like something was pulling her back. Sophia picked up her boots one by one, wondering if she was sinking into quicksand.

  The white sand of the beach wasn’t easy to trudge through but it wasn’t pulling her down like she thought. Sophia glanced over her shoulder, seriously feeling like something was tethered around her waist, tugging her back from the Reflective Sea.

  Lunis was scowling at her with an undeniably angry expression on his face.

  She wasn’t sure why, but Sophia’s words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “What’s your problem?”

  It was such an uncharacteristic way for her to talk to Lunis, or anyone. And the tone of her voice didn’t sound like her.

  “You, for starters.” Lunis’ scowl deepened. “You kicked up sand on me when you dismounted. And I don’t know what you’re waiting for, standing there staring at the Reflective Sea. We don’t have all day. I’m ready to get back to the Gullington.”

  And now it was war. Sophia’s head filled with heat. “Kicked up sand? Really! It’s a freaking beach, Lunis. We’re going to get sandy. But I guess that’s too much for you to understand.” She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so hostile or how to make it stop. As she spoke, more angry thoughts came to her. Ones that she’d felt like she’d always had.

  “And really, you don’t have all day?” she continued. “What, do you need to go back and watch Santa Clarita Diet and veg on cheese puffs?”

  His eyes narrowed with anger. “I have lots of important things to do at the Gullington. Most recently, I kept you from having hallucinations.”

  “You took a long nap,” she spat. “Real freaking hard.”

  “I take care of the dragonettes while you gallivant, hang out with Liv, and eat nachos,” he bellowed, his voice rising.

  She stuck her hands on her hips. “I go on missions to save the world.”

  “Oh, I go on missions to save the world,” he said in a high-pitched voice, impersonating Sophia.

  Before, she was mad. Now she was livid. “To answer your question, I can’t get next to the Reflective Sea or otherwise I would have already because being here with you is further marking my soul.”

  The dragon’s face shifted suddenly. “Here…this place. It’s causing us to be like this.”

  “Like what?” Sophia insisted, still fuming.

  �
��Soph, this isn’t us. Well, it is and this is how we’re acting, and right now I despise you, but that’s not us. It must be some weird magic of the island or the sea or this whole area.”

  That made sense. Sophia couldn’t understand why she didn’t see that from the beginning, but the argument exploded so fast and all she could see was red. Lunis was right. For some odd reason, she couldn’t stand looking at him right then. She disliked him more than anyone on the planet…and dislike wasn’t the word rebounding in her head, but that word, well, it made her soul ache more.

  How could she hate her dragon? She had never loved someone that much before him. And now, for seemingly no reason at all, they were close to being at each other’s throats.

  “You’re right,” she said slowly as she processed it.

  “Of course I am,” he barked.

  She cut her eyes at him with a look on her face that said, “That’s not helping.”

  He nodded at once. “Yeah, I’m sorry. As much as it pains me to say it.”

  “So what are we supposed to do? And why are we so angry with each other?” Sophia asked.

  “I think you need to stay away from the Reflective Sea,” he offered.

  A rude laugh popped out of her mouth. “We’re on an island. How exactly do you expect me to do that?”

  Lunis lowered his head and regarded her with a murderous expression. “I realize that it won’t be easy, which is why this is supposed to be a challenge.”

  They were doing it again. Sophia wanted to yell, to battle the magical beast before her. But if they did, they would destroy each other. And that would be the worst possible way to die, by the teeth of her dragon. His heart punctured by her sword. She instinctively knew that if they started to fight it would be impossible to end, so powerful was the urge drumming through her body.

  She let out a breath and tried to clear her head. “You’re right. It’s the water. So what do we do?”

  “Well, I think you’re repelled from it for a reason,” Lunis stated. “Maybe it’s your soul helping you, communicating to stay away. What else do you feel?”

  That made sense, Sophia realized as she felt something ancient and wise flowing in her now that she was tuned into it. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on that internal flow. The voice of her soul.

  For a moment, she heard multiple voices. Male. Female. Young. Old. It was like a compilation of everyone she’d ever been or known or loved across many lives. It was a chorus of voices, all with different messages that spoke the wisdom of the ages.

  Sophia wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did, with all her being. Then the voices all wove together and didn’t sound like they were speaking words anymore. It was a sound. It was music. It was the sound of water flowing.

  Her eyes popped open. “We have to go to the center of the island.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Buddha’s Temple was thick with vegetation and appeared to be an unforgiving land full of dangerous animals and thorny plants and sinking mud.

  After the first step under the canopy, Sophia and Lunis were cast in darkness. The cacophony of birds squawking in the trees overhead was nearly deafening, and made Sophia have to adjust her hearing. Through the darkness, she spied many yellow eyes blinking at her up ahead.

  “We have company.” Sophia felt a little better as they moved away from the Reflective Sea, although she was still irritated at Lunis for no apparent reason.

  “Whatever they are, they smell delicious,” Lunis stated in a low voice.

  Whatever they were, they moved fast and made little squeaky noises as they darted between large leaves and the undergrowth.

  Sophia halted after a few steps and gave Lunis a sideways expression.

  “What?” he asked, his tone still not the one she was accustomed to.

  She tentatively glanced up at the many colorful tropical birds in the trees that glared down at them. “Do you get the impression that we’re not welcome here?”

  “Impression?” Lunis questioned. “The welcome mat has pretty much been ripped out from underneath us. Are you certain we’re supposed to go to the center of this island? Maybe it’s a different one, like the one shaped like a paw or any of the others.”

  Sophia closed her eyes and listened again to the chorus of voices deep within her soul. She felt a pulse. Watched in her mind as the voices took shape and wove together like DNA. Heard them sing a song that again was unmistakably the sound of rushing water.

  Her eyes snapped open. “We have to go to the center of this island or one of the others, but what we’re looking for is the same on each and our experiences to get there will be the same as well.”

  “So there’s no avoiding facing the little beast ahead or getting away from the birds that appear ready to bomb us with poop then,” he groused.

  Sophia shook her head. “Or any of the other obstacles that lay after that.”

  It was weird how she knew this information and yet, it was something she was absolutely certain of. The islands were all different, like souls, yet they were all the same. They were one. What happened on one affected the other. What lay at the center of one, lay at the center of the others. More poetic than that was the Reflective Sea connected them all—in essence making them one.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “So do we deal with the birds first or venture toward the yellow-eyed beasts that I don’t think are cuddly little creatures ready to assist us on our journey?” Lunis asked.

  “They might be,” she argued. “But I don’t think there’s anything to be done about the birds. They just seem to be throwing us death stares.”

  “I could torch them,” Lunis offered.

  She shook her head. “I don’t think going on the offensive will do us any favors with the natives. Let’s wait until they make the first move.”

  “I’m certain that’s going to involve trying to murder us, but you can hold out for a fruit basket if you so desire.”

  She grinned. “I’m an optimist.”

  Sophia was grateful that the negative feelings towards Lunis evaporated as they moved farther into the jungle. They’d come on so fast and receded as quickly. Who knew why, but it seemed to have been a test of some sort. Or maybe it was a way to push her farther away from the Reflective Sea.

  If Lunis and she hadn’t had that argument, then there wouldn’t have been any need for reflection and she might not have gone within and listened to the voice of her soul. The irony of the sea’s name and this experience wasn’t lost on her.

  On Sophia’s next step, a twig cracked under her boot. Suddenly, the loud calls of the bright-colored birds in the tree ceased. The sounds from the yellow-eyed creatures halted. The entire jungle fell silent, but not in a peaceful, “all is well on the prairies” way. More like a, “you’re not welcome and about to pay” way.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sophia pulled Inexorabilis from its sheath. She had stalled doing that, not wanting to put the jungle creatures on the defensive. Now this was about self-preservation rather than avoiding offending the natives. And that’s exactly the effect it had.

  The birds overhead dove like kamikaze fighter pilots with no regard for their lives, it seemed. This left Sophia no choice but to swing her sword at them and knock them away like fly balls. Lunis opened his mouth and blanketed the canopy with fire.

  This did little to deter the suicidal birds. They streaked through the flames, caught on fire, and dive-bombed the dragon. This made Lunis abandon his strategy and use his claws and head to bat the balls of fire to the ground.

  Thankfully, the forest was wet enough that the trees didn’t burn for long before the fire extinguished. Being on a burning island would make things much more difficult when Sophia didn’t think she could handle any more complications.

  Sharp beaks tore at Sophia’s armor and face. A few times, she felt close to losing an eye. The birds were out for blood and not willing to negotiate. Since there was no reasoning with the murderous avians, Sophia had
no choice but to slice through bird after bird until it seemed they’d slaughtered every single one.

  Lunis’ claws and tail made quick work of the little feathered monsters. But still, the dragon took quite a bit of damage since he was unable to protect himself from being assaulted from every angle.

  There had to have been over a hundred birds, but as Sophia and Lunis stood in the once again quiet jungle, it was hard to count all the bodies that littered the jungle floor. Feathers and beaks and broken birds lay all around them, but for some reason there was no blood, which perplexed both Sophia and Lunis.

  A chill ran down the dragonrider’s spine as she looked up at the forest canopy to see it lined with more birds. But then when she brought her chin down, all the ones they’d slain were gone—simply vanished. So not new ones. The same birds.

  Well, that’s annoying, Lunis said in her head.

  Annoying wasn’t the word I was going to use. Her hands gripped her sword as she backed up to her dragon.

  Irritating, bothersome, frustrating. Take your pick, the dragon replied with laughter in his tone.

  Troublesome is the one I choose, Sophia stated while eyeing the birds. This new set didn’t appear any more endeared to the dragon and rider.

  The jungle was once again quiet and in the distance, the yellowed-eyed creatures still blinked through the dark leaves.

  The waters of the Reflective Sea still stood at Sophia’s back, promising to bring other dangers—like fights with her dragon.

  So what does your soul say to do now? Lunis asked in her head.

  Sophia didn’t have to go within to ask as the birds dove from overhead in attempt number two to take them out.

  “Run!” Sophia yelled and sprinted for the unknown dangers that no doubt lay ahead.