by Sarah Noffke
Waiting.
It was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, to keep her eyes wide, knowing she couldn’t look at the gaze of the monster about to arrive. She could look at his horn, his hooves, his body, but one glance into the Phantom’s eyes would end her. Or at least it would end who she was currently. She’d be worse than a demon. Sophia would roam the Earth, spreading the legacy of the Phantom, sending hate everywhere she went. And that would kill her.
The thundering was almost overwhelming when it disappeared, leaving the marsh silent once more. For a second, she thought that it hadn’t worked. Or maybe the Phantom had taken its chance to escape, and she’d have to track it.
But then from the trees, something both incredibly beautiful and full of a sinister evil unlike any Sophia had ever known materialized.
The Phantom had arrived.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Careful to keep her eyes on its body, Sophia did her best to study the beast that galloped out onto the marsh, splashing up water. The evil unicorn was all black, its coat shimmering in the sunlight. Its long black mane flowed behind it as it ran, and the horn on its head was more like that of a rhinoceros than a unicorn’s. It curved up and was iridescent, strangely reminding Sophia of the weird sheen that covers meat that’s going bad.
The Phantom’s tail swished when it halted only fifteen yards away. Sophia allowed her eyes to trail over its body—its muscles rippled. The Phantom was back, and it was like it had never been gone as it assaulted the earth with its hooves, kicking up water and grass.
All at once, Sophia felt so many negative emotions spill through her. She saw war in her mind and wanted it. She felt pain in her heart, and it made her satisfied. Hunger, poverty, hate—all these feelings spiraled through her, the product of being close to the Phantom. But it hadn’t infected her yet, and she was damned if it ever would.
Stepping forward, Sophia held up Inexorabilis. “It’s time for you to die,” she said, standing in front of the Phantom. “Again.”
It huffed, steam spilling from its nostrils as though it breathed fire like a dragon. Sophia kept her eyes on the horn, her intention set.
The beast slammed its hoof into the marsh, throwing up water and grass once more.
Sophia turned her body to the side, her boots partially submerged.
When the Phantom charged, she was ready. She spun Inexorabilis in an arc to the side and caught the horn like it was another blade.
The sheer strength of the evil unicorn was overwhelming, nearly pushing her off her feet. Sophia kept her footing as the beast lowered its head, willing her to look into its eyes. She realized then why it hadn’t thrown her down, although she knew it could since its strength was easily more than hers. It was trying to corrupt her, not defeat her. There was an important distinction there.
She kept her chin up, staring at the horn, pressing her sword into the beast.
Sophia was just about to use her strength to push back when the Phantom rose on its back legs, front legs in the air, hooves about to come down on her.
She had seconds to react and fell to the ground, rolling in the water and mud just as the monster dropped back down, shaking its head.
It looked at Wilder and seemed strangely uninterested in him as he held Devon’s bow at the ready.
Sophia knew it would take Wilder several minutes to home in on the Phantom, finding the best way to hold the monster with magic. Only then could they harvest the horn. Her job was to stall the beast until he was ready. She waited for the cue.
Instantly, the Phantom turned, putting its attention back on Sophia. She closed her eyes as she brought her chin up, finding the horn once more.
That will belong to me, she told herself, leveling her sword as she waited for the monster to charge.
This time when the Phantom approached, it swerved to the side at the last moment, giving her full access to its body. Right then she could have killed it, but that wasn’t what she was there for.
Did the Phantom know they were going for the horn? she wondered.
And just as the thought streaked through her head, the back hooves of the beast kicked Sophia’s shoulder, knocking her back like she’d been hit by a bus. She flew several yards and landed on her back.
Sophia drank marsh water as she sank into the mud. She didn’t have a chance to get up before the horse charged her, stopping only a few feet away. Driven by instinct, Sophia covered her eyes with her arm, looking to the side and hoping not to be trampled. She held her breath, feeling the earth under her shake.
“It’s done,” Wilder said, just when Sophia thought her death imminent.
She couldn’t believe it. Turning her head to the side, away from where she knew the evil unicorn to be, she blinked to clear the mud from her eyes.
“It’s subdued?” she asked.
“Yes, but I can’t hold it for long,” Wilder said, his voice strained.
Sophia pushed to her feet, careful to keep her eyes low. When she turned, her chin was pointed at the sky. Carefully she lowered her gaze until she connected with the horn. There it was, sitting on the top of the frozen beast’s head. In her peripheral vision, she could see the muscles of the monster twitch, but Wilder had the Phantom paralyzed.
Sophia tightened her grip on Inexorabilis. Just two things to do, then the sword would really be hers. She’d be that much closer to gaining her wings as a dragonrider.
First thing, she thought, holding the sword at the ready.
A roar ripped out of her mouth as she brought the sword up and across. This time it didn’t meet the horn like it was a steel wall. Instead, Inexorabilis sliced through cleanly, completely severing it from the beast.
The horn dropped into the water of the marsh, disappearing.
Sophia’s gaze fell with it, searching.
She thought she knew where the horn had gone and knelt, reaching into the water and feeling around for the horn.
A shadow fell across her and a hot stream of air rustled her hair. Wilder had lost his hold on the Phantom. It was bearing down on her, ready to attack and madder than hell.
She quit searching and tightened her grip on her sword. Carefully, she brought her eyes to the ground between them, noticing that its legs were only a few feet away.
Too close. Right in front of her face, she could see the thumping of the monster’s chest. It lowered its head, and Sophia knew she had few options. She would have to be fast, and she’d also need a miracle.
Still crouched, Sophia brought her other hand to Inexorabilis, ready for the second part of this mission, but her hand never connected with the hilt. The Phantom charged her, the jagged stump of its horn slamming into her side, sending her through the air like a football being kicked.
Again, Sophia landed on her back, breathless and in pain everywhere, but that wasn’t the worst part. The toss had made her lose her sword. She glanced around, keeping her eyes low. Inexorabilis was buried under the waters of the marsh, and finding it would take time she didn’t have the luxury of.
Sophia was about to try to summon it when the dark shadow fell on her again. She didn’t dare look up at the beast that was bearing down overhead.
She was out of options.
Unlike her mother, she wouldn’t kill the Phantom. She had failed just as everyone feared, and the worst part was, she’d freed a monster who, left unchecked, would spread evil.
Hot breath sent her hair away from her face. The Phantom dared to lower its head until it was even with her face. It was willing her to look into its eyes, and what was the point in resisting? Either way, she’d lost. It would either trample her or turn her at this point.
Wilder, she knew, was working to paralyze the monster again, but she had little hope he could do it in time. Still, she held onto that tiny hope in her heart.
She felt the smooth black nose of the monster press into her cheek and shivered, although she wasn’t cold. She could feel the heat radiate from the hellish beast. It lifted one leg and held it righ
t in front of her. She was certain he would bring it down hard next, crushing her body.
Sophia prepared to roll out of the beast’s way, but she knew that the chances of being fast enough were slim.
And then she felt the Phantom’s head sway next to her. It tensed, rocked to the side, and fell back, landing with a giant splash.
Sophia took the opportunity to roll in the opposite direction. Ironically, she rolled over her sword and picked it up in one fluid movement as she jumped to her feet, staring low and finding a sight that at first didn’t register.
Lying lifeless in the marsh was the Phantom, an arrow protruding from its midsection. Strange magic radiated like electricity, wrapping the unicorn’s body.
In the distance, on the other side of the marsh, was Wilder, Devon’s bow in his hands and a look of total regret on his face.
“I’m sorry, Soph,” he said. “I had no choice. I had to save you.”
Sophia nodded and dared to look at the face of the monster. Its eyes were closed, its body lifeless.
The Phantom was dead once more, but she hadn’t been the one to kill it. Wilder had—in order to save her.
And although she was grateful, her chance to bond to Inexorabilis was gone.
Chapter Sixty-Six
It took Sophia and Wilder an hour to find the Phantom’s horn in the mud of the marsh. The entire time, Wilder kept flashing her apologetic looks.
“It’s fine,” she said for the billionth time, trying to console him, even as her heart was aching increasingly by the minute.
“It’s not, though,” he argued on his hands and knees, partially submerged in water filled with slippery creatures and plants. “You faced the Phantom, even though it’s probably the biggest danger any of us have seen in centuries, so you could bond with your mother’s sword. Now there’s no way.”
“You saved my life,” Sophia argued. “There are always risks in battle. We don’t go into it with certainties. I was never guaranteed to get the horn, kill the Phantom, or even survive. We did two out of three, and that’s how it is.”
He looked at her for a long moment with a strange expression on his face. “How are you not at least a hundred years old, saying things like that? Wisdom like that takes almost a lifetime to understand.”
Sophia shrugged, feeling through the mud, and finding something sharp that felt like war and wrongness and evil. It was the horn, and it shot away from her fingers like it was trying to escape her grasp. Even severed, it had power. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. “My mother named me Sophia and told my father, according to my siblings, that I was born already grown up.”
Wilder smiled as he continued to feel around in the marsh waters. “Oh, yes, ‘Sophia.’ It means wisdom, skillful, and clever. You were appropriately named.”
She felt something pulse a few inches from her finger. It was a strange sensation. Without hesitating, she darted forward, throwing her body weight down and clasping what she believed to be the Phantom’s horn. Her face and body submerged fully in the water, she held onto the horn as it tried to escape her attempts to remove it.
“Pull it up!” Wilder urged, standing beside her and opening a small bag. It was the one they’d used to hold the dragon eggs and had assorted characteristics.
As if holding a small bull, Sophia yanked the horn out of the water, trying to keep it in her grasp. The tip of the horn was aimed at her chest. It tried to stab her, but she was able to keep her arms stick-straight.
Wilder scooped the bag over the horn and she released it just as he tied it up. Instantly the bag went still, making them both relax.
Covered in mud from head to toe, Sophia shook her head and let out a breath. “How is it that something full of so much evil might be used to erase just that in the world?”
Wilder handed her the bag, shaking his head. “I don’t know, but apparently Father Time does. Things are mysterious like that. Maybe it takes evil to erase evil. Like in the morning after too much whiskey, the only cure is more whiskey.”
Sophia considered this as she tried to wipe the mud off her face, which only made things worse since every part of her was covered. “Yeah, I guess so. Certain diseases can be vaccinated against by using blood samples from those infected.”
“Well, there you go,” Wilder said. “But you’ve done your job and gotten the horn. You’ve done well even if you didn’t do what you set out for.”
“Thanks for accompanying me and…you know, saving my life and all.”
He flashed her an irresistible smile. “Any time.”
“I better portal us to Roya Lane,” Sophia said, realizing that Wilder had probably never been there. That would be a treat to see his face when they entered the magical street.
“Oh, but first, Soph…”
She gave him a questioning look. “What?”
He pointed at his cheek. “You have something just right there and pretty much everywhere else.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Thanks. It’s my new look.”
With a laugh, he said, “Well, the muddy warrior look suits you.” He fidgeted with his clothes. “I’m not sure about me, though. I think I have a tadpole in my pants.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The smells and sounds of Roya Lane were a stark contrast to those of a marsh in Florida. Wilder was like a child in a large toy store, looking around at the sights with his eyes wide and his mouth agape.
“I don’t get it,” Sophia said, trying to encourage him forward. “You have been locked in the Gullington for about two centuries, but you also went out.”
“Mostly only to go to Tanzania,” he mentioned, watching as an elf shaved a pig, showing a group how well his hair growth formula worked. He pointed at the animal. “Isn’t that animal testing and sort of bordering on abuse?”
Sophia smiled at him. “You are a true adjudicator. However, that’s Phineas, and the pig is his wife Krysta. She changes into the pig for the demonstrations. Don’t worry, the animal is consenting.”
He gave her a perplexed expression. “Why doesn’t he just do the hair growth thing on her as a human?”
“Would you have stopped if he was demonstrating on a person?” she asked.
It dawned on him. “Clever Phineas.”
“Anyway, as I was saying,” Sophia continued. “You’ve been out of the Gullington, although sparingly.”
“And I was born outside of the Gullington,” he admitted.
“Where?” she questioned.
“Scotland,” he answered.
“Right, so not really then,” Sophia said. “And you’ve been out recently on adjudicator missions. So why is it that this world and the rest of it is so strange for you?”
“Because usually when I’ve left, it’s to go on diplomatic missions where I meet with leaders, have chats, and then ride off on Simi. It’s not like I take a detour to see the sights.”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. But man, you and the rest of the men are like newborn babies.”
“Well, even when I see things, if I’m not with you, I don’t even know what they are,” Wilder explained. “We need you to explain things to us. Like when you showed me that video of a dinosaur—"
“Guy in a dinosaur costume,” Sophia corrected.
“Exactly, but how would I have known that?”
“Because dinosaurs are extinct,” she argued.
“No, they aren’t,” a familiar voice said over Sophia’s shoulders. She rolled her eyes, preparing for the ridiculous. “I saw one walking down the Las Vegas Strip the other day.”
King Rudolf Sweetwater came around, a wide smile on the fae’s face.
“No, again. That’s a guy or a gal in a suit,” Sophia stated, already feeling impatient.
Rudolf crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I thought so too, but this one was a T-Rex and had tiny arms. Where would they find a human who had tiny arms for that costume?”
“King Sweetwater, I’m not sure if it’s worth taking
the time to explain this to you,” Sophia said with a groan.
“Hello, I’m Wilder.” The dragonrider extended his hand.
“Wilder than what?” Rudolf asked, not taking his hand.
“That’s my name,” he explained.
“That’s a weird name,” Rudolf said.
“And what are you naming your triplets?” Sophia asked.
“Captain,” he answered.
“Oh, what are you naming the other two?” Wilder asked.
Rudolf shot him a look of offense. “I just told you.”
“You’re naming all three of your triplets Captain?” Wilder questioned.
Sophia looked up at him. “And he thinks your name is strange. Just drop the whole thing.”
Wilder lowered his hand. “So, you’re a king?”
Rudolf suddenly looked like he’d swallowed something without chewing. “I was, but not anymore. That’s what my wife told me.”
Sophia blinked at the fae impassively. “What exactly did Serena say?”
“Well,” Rudolf said, drawing out his word. “She said, ‘Rudolf, if you don’t get out of here right now, I’m going to break your crown.’”
“And then what happened?” Sophia asked in a bored voice.
“Well, I couldn’t get out of there because my muffin still had a few minutes left in the Easy-Bake Oven,” he explained.
“Then what happened?” Sophia continued her line of questioning.
“Well, so my dear, sweet, very pregnant wife threw my diamond-encrusted crown at the oven. Needless to say, the meeting of the two was bad for both.” Rudolf frowned. “I think it was going to be the best chocolate chip muffin I’d made so far.”
“Serena still has that sweet disposition, I see,” Sophia stated.
“Yeah, I’m so glad I brought her back from the dead,” he said fondly of his wife.
“Okay, but you get that her breaking the fae’s treasured crown doesn’t actually take away your title as king, right?” Sophia asked.