Arbitrate or Die (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  She really couldn’t remember much since entering the shop, which was strangely empty now. Hadn’t it been full when I entered? Sophia wondered, looking around and seeing she was the only customer there.

  She glanced at the clock on the wall and couldn’t believe the time. She’d been at Mae Ling’s shop for hours, although she could have sworn it had only been twenty or thirty minutes.

  “Well, you seemed to have needed this,” Mae Ling stated, pushing back and beginning to clean up.

  “Thank you,” Sophia said, looking around, feeling disoriented. “I think you’re right.”

  Mae Ling leaned forward. “And I think you’re right about checking out the Nathaniel Facility in Catalina. That seems like a good lead.”

  “Nathaniel Facility in Catalina?” Sophia asked, swearing it was the first time she’d ever said those words together.

  “Yes, you told me all about how that was where you supposed strange activity was going on that could be connected to Thad Reinhart,” Mae Ling explained.

  “I did?” Sophia asked and then shook her head. “I mean, of course, I did. But where did I get these leads?”

  Mae Ling shrugged, trotting for the back. “Who knows? Maybe your fairy godmother?”

  Sophia laughed, but then the lights started to dim. “Wait, are you closing up?”

  “Yes, we’re closed,” Mae Ling called from the back. “Time for you to leave.”

  “But what do I owe you?” Sophia asked, peeling herself out of the chair, her back feeling more relaxed than…well, ever.

  “Nothing,” Mae Ling replied. “You’ll pay me in time.”

  “But how?” Sophia asked, feeling compelled to walk toward the front exit.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Mae Ling answered. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe we’ll trade, or you’ll have something I want, or you’ll save the world.”

  “What did you say?” Sophia asked, suddenly her fingers on the handle for the door, although she didn’t remember how it happened.

  “I said goodnight and see you next time,” Mae Ling sang.

  Suddenly Sophia found herself outside the shop. All the lights on the streets had dimmed, and the shop behind her was completely dark.

  She couldn’t shake the strange feeling that she’d just gotten a lead and a pedicure from her fairy godmother.

  Drawing a breath, she opened a portal right outside the Gullington, two words rolling around her mind: Nathaniel Facility.

  Chapter Seven

  His riders were counting on him…

  The world was…

  And Hiker Wallace worried that he was going to let everyone down.

  He picked up the stack of papers on his desk and threw them across his office, where they slammed against the empty shelves on the far wall and scattered over the wood floor. A deep groan of frustration ripped out of his mouth.

  The records he’d been able to dig up on Thad Reinhart were useless. Nothing gave him a lead on where he could find the man presently.

  As usual, Thad Reinhart had done his due diligence covering up his tracks. His business dealings were hidden behind corporations, making it even harder to determine what he was doing.

  The Elite Globe remained unresponsive to Hiker’s attempts to show him where Thad was located. He couldn’t find a single rider outside the Dragon Elite. It had been his own fault. Frustrated that so many riders didn’t want to be a part of the Dragon Elite, Hiker had erased anyone once they parted ways, making their location disappear from the globe. Getting them to show back up on the Elite Globe was proving impossible.

  Wrapping his hand around his forehead, Hiker felt the irritation well up in him, threatening to erupt.

  “For heaven’s sake,” Mama Jamba said at Hiker’s back. “The Castle is peeved at you, isn’t it hun?”

  Hiker glanced at her over his shoulder, letting out a hot breath. “The Castle and I aren’t seeing eye to eye anymore. I’m considering moving out.”

  Mama Jamba laughed, striding around the office, peering at the empty bookshelf. “Oh, you know you can’t do that. The Gullington was a gift to the Dragon Elite.”

  “Well, you should think of taking it back.”

  She ran her finger along the empty bookshelves as she walked. “And what are you going to do? Move into a condo in the city? Put Bell on an island in a nearby loch?”

  He grunted in reply.

  “Ainsley is doing an excellent job of caring for the Castle,” Mama Jamba offered proudly.

  “Don’t tell her that,” he stated. “It will go to her head, and then she’ll be even more intolerable.”

  Mama Jamba halted next to Hiker, looking out the tiny window on his wall. The wall that used to have a long bank of glass that showed a breathtaking view of the Pond. “I wasn’t sure if she’d be right for the job when you assigned her, but the Castle likes her.” She glanced up at Hiker. He towered a couple of feet over the small, unassuming woman with large silver hair and long eyelashes. “Really, it seems that you’re the only one who doesn’t get along well with the Castle.”

  He scowled down at her. “It doesn’t like Evan, either.”

  “Well, that should tell you all that you need to know,” Mama Jamba said. “What happened to all your books?”

  “The Castle,” he answered plainly.

  She giggled.

  “It’s not funny,” he complained. “Ever since Sophia showed up, the Castle has been antagonizing me.”

  “That’s because she’s new blood,” Mama Jamba explained. “You’re old blood. It’s trying to get you to evolve.”

  He threw up his hands. “What’s the point? I can’t even find Thad.”

  Mama Jamba nodded like she expected this.

  “Tell me where to find him, Mama?”

  “Oh, no,” she answered at once. “Sometimes it’s better if you figure out things on your own.”

  “That’s what I have been doing for centuries,” he nearly yelled.

  “No, you’ve been sitting on your hands.”

  “And you have too!” he exclaimed, and immediately regretting yelling at her. “I’m sorry, but it’s frustrating. I can’t find anything on Thad. And the Elite Globe is rubbish.”

  “Well, maybe you should consider new resources,” Mama Jamba offered, rocking forward on her toes and back again, a sneaky expression on her face. “It does appear that the Castle is trying to force you in that direction. But I bet you’re glad that it took the Complete History of Dragon Riders at least.”

  He shook his head. “No, if I had that book, I might be able to find Thad. There’s a lot that I’d know if I had it.”

  “And there’s a lot that others would know as well,” Mama Jamba offered.

  “No,” he argued. “I kept it locked up. No one will find out.” He gave her a measured glare. “Unless you’re talking?”

  “Oh, no, darling,” she said slyly. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  He sighed with relief. “Thank you. And you know, the others are curious to see you. Why are you avoiding them?”

  She shrugged, taking a seat on the couch in front of the flickering fire. “I’ve been right out in the open for them to see. They just don’t know how to look anymore.”

  He huffed. “Oh, you and your riddles. You’re just like this bloody Castle.”

  “Well, it is a part of me,” she explained. “Sophia sees me, though. How do you explain that?”

  “She sees a lot,” he stated.

  “The riders have been conditioned to see what they expect,” she continued. “You have made them complacent like that. But to survive, you’re going to have to train them to have a fresh perspective. Otherwise, they will fix new world problems with old thinking, which we both know, or at least I hope we both do, would never work.” She gave him a pursed expression.

  “And that’s why you sent Sophia here, isn’t it? To give us that new world perspective?” he asked.

  “That’s not it entirely,” she answered, something mischie
vous simmering under the surface.

  A soft growl made his beard vibrate. “You and your ways, Mama.”

  She smiled, satisfied with herself. “Yes, me and my ways.”

  “Why can’t you save things?” Hiker asked, immediately knowing the answer.

  She answered, “You know that it has never been my job to save this planet. That has always been the job of the Dragon Elite. I can protect you only so much. Which is why I’m here.”

  Hiker had been telling himself lately that Mama Jamba wasn’t doing enough, but he also knew that she worked through mysterious ways. And she was right, she looked after the planet, but it was the Dragon Elite’s job to look after the mortals. And he’d obviously failed if Thad Reinhart was polluting, exploiting mortals, and taking advantage of everything he could.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he said after a moment.

  “But you’re madder than hell about that one thing, aren’t you, hun?” she asked, a coy smile on her face.

  There was no point hiding it from her. He nodded. “You promised me, after the last time, no more twins. Sophia is one. You know that, right?”

  “Of course I do,” she answered. “But her twin is dead.”

  “But why choose a twin?” Hiker questioned. “You know the result is never good. One is always pure goodness, and the other, well, you remember…”

  Mama Jamba nodded. “I know. But I think we know what side Sophia lands on, and there’s an important reason for me choosing her as a rider.”

  “Which I’m suspecting you won’t be sharing with me?” Hiker asked.

  She waved him off. “You know that you don’t want spoilers, darling.”

  He growled again. “I wouldn’t hate them.”

  “Hiker, why do you think I made her a rider?”

  He thought for a moment. “She inherited her twin’s power when he died, didn’t she? That’s one reason she’s so powerful, isn’t it?”

  Mama Jamba nodded.

  “You did it so that she would be powerful? Marking a new age of dragonriders?” he guessed.

  “I did it to save you all, or at least I hope that’s what it does, but you won’t see that for quite some time, if at all.”

  Hiker wasn’t sure how he could love someone so much and still want to strangle her.

  Mama Jamba must have read his frustration with her, because she said, “Oh, Hiker Wallace, you know, despite your bad attitude, you’re still my favorite.”

  “You’re not supposed to have favorites,” he said, trying to keep his tough attitude but softening despite himself. There was nothing quite like the affection of Mama Jamba. There never had been, and he’d forgotten how much he missed it.

  She shrugged. “Well, sue me then because you’re one of my favorites, hence the reason I appointed you as the leader of my Dragon Elite.”

  “I thought it was because you never wanted me to have a day off or a moment of peace.”

  Mama Jamba laughed. “We both know that you wouldn’t know what to do with rest and relaxation.”

  Hiker strode over to his desk and looked at the papers strewn across it. “If I can’t locate Thad, I’m not sure what we will do. Not much of a leader I turned out to be.”

  “If you don’t find Thad Reinhart, this planet will perish from his evil deeds,” Mama Jamba said matter-of-factly. “But that is the least of your problems.”

  He glanced up, irritation heavy in his eyes. “Strangely, it’s not. I like this planet and would prefer not to lose it.”

  “Well, you still have a good century, maybe even two, until you have to worry about that,” she said, lying back on the sofa and covering her forehead with her hand. “If you don’t find Thad sooner, rather than later, then you won’t see the destruction of this planet.”

  He gritted his teeth together, anticipating what she was about to say.

  “I’m certain that Thad will make the dragonriders extinct well before he destroys my lovely Earth,” she said, a rare sadness edging into her voice.

  “Mama…”

  She sniffed. “You know it’s his ultimate mission. He won’t rest until you’re all dead.”

  “I know…”

  “And I believe he’d rather this whole planet perish with him on it, than live in cooperation with mortals or magical creatures,” Mama Jamba continued. “The thing about the soulless is, when they lose, they would rather bring everyone down with them than search for redemption.”

  “He’s not soulless,” Hiker attempted to argue, guilt prickling beneath the surface. He was the reason Thad had gone over the edge, the reason he couldn’t be redeemed. At least, that’s what Hiker believed.

  Mama sat up, giving him a meaningful expression. “We both know that Thad is soulless. If he wasn’t before, then he is now.”

  “Then why did you have him become a rider?” Hiker questioned.

  She laid back down, covering her eyes with her forearm. “It was the angels’ idea. I haven’t a clue what they were thinking, but I know they are rarely wrong.”

  “I will never understand how you all operate,” Hiker said, having never met an angel before. He knew they protected Mama Jamba’s riders, but information other than that was murky at best.

  The Complete History of Dragon Riders probably explained it well enough, but he had never taken the time to study it. Really, he had mostly kept that book locked away, afraid of what would happen otherwise. And now it was missing, and who knew what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands?

  Chapter Eight

  “Your nails look great,” Mama Jamba said when Sophia entered Hiker’s office.

  Mother Nature was laid across the couch in front of the fire, her eyes obscured by her forearm lying over her head. Furthermore, Sophia was wearing boots.

  Sophia glanced down, confusion making her brow wrinkle. “Ummm…thanks.” Sophia assumed that Mama Jamba simply knew that she’d had her nails done as she was ordered to do and was being polite.

  “And what a pretty shade of pink,” Mama Jamba continued.

  Sophia’s eyes darted to Hiker, who had paused his nervous pacing and was studying her. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and continued to stride back and forth behind his desk.

  “Did you really have to miss an entire day of training to get your…whatever it was that you were doing?” Hiker asked her, disapproval heavy in his voice.

  “Yes, she did,” Mama Jamba answered for her.

  “An entire day though, Mama?” he argued.

  “Mae Ling has a process that can’t be rushed,” she explained, her Southern accent making the words sound polite, although irritation was creeping into her tone.

  “And really, if you’re going to be around here, then I can’t have you overstepping your bounds with my riders,” Hiker said to Mama Jamba.

  “You do know how a hierarchy works, my dear, don’t you?” Mama Jamba asked him.

  “Of course I do,” he answered with a heavy breath.

  “Oh good, because I was worried I was going to have to teach you about managerial structure,” she stated.

  “Mama…” he said, a warning in his tone.

  “The angels protect my riders,” she continued, undeterred. “And they protect my Earth through the rules of adjudication since disagreements, greed, and abuse between mortals and magical creatures are the greatest risks to the health of this planet. You oversee the Dragon Elite, and I do…well, whatever I damn well please.”

  “But if you expect me to do my job then you’ve got to—”

  Wilder came to an abrupt halt upon entering the office, interrupting Hiker. The rider’s eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of Mother Nature stretched across the couch. He pointed at her, mouthing to Sophia. “Is that her?”

  “Yes, that’s her,” Mama Jamba replied, loud and clear. “And Wilder Thomson, is that really any way to greet me since I haven’t seen you in a couple centuries?”

  He dipped into a bow. “I’m sorry, Mother Nature. My sincere and deepest apol
ogies. How may I earn back your favor?”

  Mama Jamba giggled like a young schoolgirl as she sat up, blushing slightly. “Oh, dear, you’ve lost no favor with me, but you’re as charming as ever. Do stand, so I can take a look at you.”

  Wilder rose to his full height, his shoulders back and chin held up proudly. “It’s lovely to see you, Mother Nature.”

  “Oh, good,” Hiker said dryly. “They can see you now.”

  “Well, Sophia is here and she sees me, so they are forced to,” Mama Jamba explained before returning her attention to Wilder. “You walked right by me in the corridor this morning.”

  “I did?” Wilder asked. “I’m terribly sorry. If I would have known—”

  “You would have stopped doing that cute little dance and singing that song, which was wonderful entertainment for me,” Mama Jamba interrupted. “But yes, it appears the men will be able to see me after this, which is why Evander McIntosh is hanging out in the hallway, pretending that he hasn’t arrived yet.”

  A loud cough erupted from the hallway.

  “Get in here, Evan,” Hiker scolded.

  The young dragonrider slid into the room, gliding down to one knee, his hands extended to Mama Jamba. “Mother Nature, it is a true honor to make your acquaintance.”

  She smiled good-naturedly at him. “And you missed me this morning too.” Mama Jamba nodded at Hiker. “But he was picking his nose.” She glanced at Evan. “You did find what you were looking for, didn’t you?”

  He flushed as he stood. “Oh. Sorry you saw that. I…”

  She waved him off. “I hope you all aren’t going to start acting all stiff now that you can see me. That will make for a really boring time.”

  Mahkah entered the office, giving a polite nod to Mother Nature before taking his position beside Wilder.

  “Good to see you again, Mahkah Tomahawk,” Mama Jamba said.

  “You as well, Mama Jamba,” he said stoically.

  “Of course, Mahkah saw her,” Evan said with a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Mahkah didn’t answer.

  “Well, make yourself comfortable,” Mama Jamba said, scooting down to the side of the couch, making room.