by Sarah Noffke
Sophia slid through the narrow opening that led to Quiet’s room, covering her mouth from the smoke slipping down from the upper story. She’d have to carry him back down. She could do that. First, she had to get to him.
When she entered his room, she was surprised to find him sitting up. There were no windows in his modest room, but he was looking at the wall like he could see out to the Expanse where the deadly battle was ensuing.
“Quiet!” she yelled. “I need to get you out of here.”
The stubborn gnome shook his head, keeping his eyes on the far wall.
“Come on!” she screamed. “You can’t die here, and that’s what’s going to happen.” She raced forward, pulling the antidote from her pocket.
“I know you don’t want to do this, and I don’t know why,” she said rapidly. “But you have to tell me your real name.”
He mouthed the word, “No.” She didn’t understand it.
“Fine, you want to die, then do it, but maybe you can remember what you have to live for.” Sophia closed her eyes as she tried to remember the words from the letter Quiet’s mother had sent him. They came to her fast. Her eyes sprang open. She closed the distance between her and gnome. “‘May your father’s captain hat house your soul on the days you need shelter. And on the days you don’t, I hope it reminds you of your purpose. We all need a reminder of why we serve, and this one will be yours.”
Sophia thrust the hat into the gnome’s hands, and only then did he look at her, shock written across his face at the sight of the heirloom.
Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
Hiker had to get to the Nest.
He had to stop Trin Currante.
He promised to defend the dragon eggs.
Pressing up to his feet, he saw he was the only one in the vicinity standing. All his men were lying flat, trying to get up. Liv and the giants were alive but looked as bad as the riders.
With the blimp gone, the dragons flew to the edge of the Barrier, where more pirates continued to spill through the opening. It didn’t matter. There were more on the way, and they couldn’t stop them all. Soon the pirates would overrun them.
Hiker had to get to the Nest. He stumbled, and nearly fell back to his knees again.
Trin Currante appeared at the opening of the cave, her wire-like hair flowing in the wind and a bag strewn over her shoulder as she smiled down at Hiker.
It was the motivation he needed to push forward. He’d kill her. He’d make her pay.
He didn’t get a chance, because the woman who had stolen their dragon’s eggs opened a portal and disappeared.
Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
“Quiet,” Sophia said, her voice urgent. “I need you to remember your purpose. I need you to want to live for that purpose. Whatever you lose by telling me your name will be worth it because we need you. The Dragon Elite can’t lose you. Please.”
She pulled the cork from the antidote and held it out to the sick gnome.
He brought his gaze up from the captain’s hat. Sophia had never realized how blue his eyes were. They were the color of the Pond, and reflected in them was the green hills of the Expanse. Written all over the wrinkles lining his face were things that reminded her of the Castle.
He opened his mouth, pulling in a raspy breath.
Sophia was about to argue with him more, to point to the hat, and tell him he couldn’t give up.
Before she could, he took the antidote from her shaking hands, and in a voice she could hear plainly, Quiet spoke.
“My name…is…Gullington.”
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
“NOOOOO!” Hiker yelled so loudly and furiously it shook the ground under his feet.
This had been his home for the last five hundred years. These were his riders. This was personal.
He turned at the pirates screaming as they sprinted in his direction, their weapons held over their heads and murder written on their faces.
Trin Currante had taken the dragon eggs, and yet the cyborgs weren’t standing down. They were going to finish the Dragon Elite, or at least they were going to try.
The power that had been building in Hiker’s veins pooled into his hand. He didn’t resist it or worry it would corrupt him, and burn him from the inside out. It didn’t matter even if it did.
He raised his hand and directed it at the storm of pirates yards away from attacking Liv Beaufont, the giants, and his riders.
With a scream, Hiker sent a wave of fury through his fingertips.
It was red as it sailed through the air, like the laser attacks the cyborgs had been sending using their magitech. There was no technology in the attack Hiker sent.
This was all magic. And it was all him.
The curse of red flew, knocking into every single trespasser who raced toward them and sent them flat to the ground, dead instantly.
In a matter of seconds, Hiker Wallace killed a hundred enemies with one assault.
Now that he had embraced his power, he was the most powerful magician in the world.
Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
Sophia sucked in a breath and let the truth wash over her.
Quiet was the Gullington.
He had always been here because he was the Expanse. He was the Cave. He was the Pond. Quiet McAfee was the Castle.
He was the one who made the flames rise in the chandeliers and the one who sent her strange messages. Who locked doors or made them disappear. He was Ainsley’s best friend and the one who healed the riders when they were injured. The one who had almost died because he didn’t want the Dragon Elite to know who he truly was.
Sophia had reminded him.
The gnome threw back his head and drank the potion in one big gulp.
The color in his face rose to the surface, making his cheeks and nose red. His eyes cleared. Strength took over as pure vengeance filled the gnome’s every feature.
Sophia stepped back as he whipped the covers off his short legs and slid off the bed, his movements sharp and powerful.
He swept his arm to the side, and the wall in front of them he’d been looking at disappeared. Suddenly Sophia was standing on the edge of the Castle looking out at the grounds of the Expanse.
Green and blue smoke drifted in the air, and the Expanse was covered in bodies.
Her heart leapt to her throat, but she recognized her own friends moving beside the Nest. They were alive. Liv was standing and helping Bermuda and Rory up.
Wilder, Evan, and Mahkah went to stand next to Hiker, who was looking out at the bodies in the distance.
Above them, the flames on the top of the Castle cast a blinding light down on the grounds.
Quiet snapped his short fingers, and the flames disappeared from the roof. The smoke laced with poison evaporated from the air, and all the bodies of the trespassers were removed from the Expanse.
A piercing sound echoed over the Gullington as all the eyes of the Dragon Elite looked up at the Castle to see the gnome gazing at them powerfully.
Sophia was going to keep Quiet’s secret and not tell anyone he was the Gullington, but she knew everyone had seen what she had. They would know the truth about the gnome.
Quiet clapped his hands together, making a booming sound that shook the entire Expanse. Everyone’s chins jerked into the air as a dome shot over the top of the Gullington. It reflected a bright blue light before shimmering and disappearing.
The Barrier was back in place. The Dragon Elite’s home was safe once more.
Quiet turned to Sophia, a grateful expression on his face. “Thank you. You didn’t have to save me, especially since you didn’t know my truth. Yet, you did because you always look out for others. A true dragonrider, you are, S. Beaufont, and it is a pleasure to serve you, which I hope to continue to have the honor of doing for a very long time.”
The gnome bowed to Sophia, her friends and family on the Expanse witnessing the whole thing before the wall of the Castle reformed once more.
Chapter One
Hundred Seventeen
Liv hugged Sophia for so long she had to finally encourage her sister to let her go. When she peeled away, the sober expression in her sister’s eyes nearly made tears spill.
Clark stood beside them, unmistakable adoration on his face as he stared at Sophia.
He pointed to the portal door. “Once we go through here…”
“You won’t be able to return to the Gullington again,” Sophia finished, answering the question. “After you are through, only the Dragon Elite and those who serve us can enter our grounds.”
Liv nodded and ran her eyes over the walls of the Castle, amazement in her gaze. “I can’t believe this is a person. Simply incredible.”
It was incredible, and yet, it made so much sense when Sophia thought of all the things she knew about the Gullington. The night before, Sophia had curled up with The Complete History of Dragonriders and randomly opened the book. That’s when she’d read about how the gnome known as Captain Gullington “Quiet” McAfee had sacrificed himself to save his ship filled with refugee fae.
Just before the gnome was about to die, Mother Nature came to him and made him an offer.
“Be the protector and home for my Dragon Elite and you, Gullington, will live on forever,” Mama Jamba had said centuries prior.
That’s how it had all come about. Sophia closed the book, her breath stolen away. When she went back to try and find that part of the text, she couldn’t. That was the mystery of the book and the mystery of the Castle. Of the Gullington.
“Thank you for everything you both did to help,” Sophia said, finding her voice scratchy. Clark had taken the triplets to the House of Fourteen, where they were now safe with their father once more. He had returned when the giants went through, informing him everyone was safe once more at the Gullington.
Liv shook her head. “We will always be here to help you, my love.”
“Always,” Clark repeated. “That’s what family’s for.”
The tears broke through and began running down Sophia’s cheeks. “Familia Est Sempiternum.”
“Familia Est Sempiternum,” her siblings repeated in unison before engulfing her in their arms and holding her tightly.
Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
“What are you looking for, dear?” Mama Jamba asked Sophia, making her jump.
She knocked her head into the bottom of the dining room table where she was crouched, looking under the chairs for her pocketknife. “Nothing,” she lied.
The old woman shook her head and gave Sophia a knowing look. “It’s not there.”
Sophia gulped. Of course, Mother Nature knew what she was searching for.
“You can have it back if you really want it,” Mama Jamba continued, “but only if you want what it represents. That’s the deal and the reason it was made. It’s the only way you can have it back.”
There was the question for Sophia, what this had all been building up to. “I think I do.”
Mama Jamba smiled proudly. “Then, so be it.”
The crazy, powerful entity had returned the night the Castle burned. She didn’t say a word about walking out on her Dragon Elite or anything about making Quiet the Gullington. She did look up at Hiker Wallace and say three words. “Good work, son.”
Liv had told Sophia about watching Hiker embrace his full power. Sophia knew Liv had seen more than most when in battle, but the warrior for the House of Fourteen said there was nothing comparable to the power the leader of the Dragon Elite showed. He had killed one-hundred men at once with a single spell, and that wasn’t even all his power. Hiker Wallace had been a formidable force before.
Now, he was as close to a god as any magician could become.
Evan, Mahkah, and Wilder entered the dining hall, all three men peering around speculatively.
“He’s not in here,” Mama Jamba sang to them, taking her normal seat.
“That’s why he didn’t want anyone to know the truth,” Sophia said, shaking her head at the men. “He didn’t want you to treat him differently, knowing he was the Castle, the Expanse, the Cave, the Pond, and now the Nest.”
Mama Jamba nodded, unfolding her napkin. “He, as he was centuries ago as a captain, didn’t want to be treated with favoritism based on his power. Quiet despises that sort of thing.”
“How can I be mean to him now though, knowing he is the one who throws my belongings on the hills outside?” Evan complained, sitting down across from Sophia.
“How could you have been mean to him in the first place?” she argued.
He shook his head. “That was always our thing.”
“That was your thing,” Sophia spat.
Evan rolled his eyes. “Whatever suck up. You’ve always been his favorite.”
“I’m his favorite, and that’s how it should be.” Ainsley came through from the kitchen, looking like her old self. She set a large tray of blueberry pancakes in front of Mama Jamba.
“Thank you, dear,” Mother Nature said, taking a few off the top.
“Ains, did you know…” Sophia asked, not finishing her question.
The shapeshifter shook her head. “I didn’t. Now it makes sense because I’ve always understood Quiet even though the lot of you couldn’t.”
Sophia’s eyes drifted to the side as she thought. Quiet was what had kept Ainsley alive all these years. Maybe he would know how to save her.
Sophia made a mental note to investigate this more. She wanted to find out how to help the housekeeper. Ainsley may not have been willing to leave the Castle when it was burning to the ground, but what she didn’t know was whether she stayed in the burning Castle or left, she would have died. There were no options for her. This Gullington was her entire life.
Sophia wanted to give her the option to leave and give her memories back. Ainsley should have the choice to leave the Gullington if she wanted.
Love was giving others the option to leave, knowing they may but hoping they didn’t. Or at least hoping one day they would return. Real love couldn’t be caged.
Every one of the dragon riders stood when Hiker Wallace came into the dining hall. He paused, a look of uncertainty in his eyes as he stared at the Dragon Elite, all giving him silent respect.
“At ease,” Hiker said after a moment and continued forward.
Mama Jamba, who hadn’t stood, snickered as she poured maple syrup over her pancakes.
“What’s so funny?” Hiker asked, taking his chair at the head of the table.
“You’re not used to it, and you nicked yourself shaving, didn’t you, son?” Mama Jamba asked, putting a bite of fluffy pancakes in her mouth.
Hiker frowned, running his hands over his face. “Yes, apparently, the power I wield comes out when I’m in battle or shaving or even trying to fall asleep at night.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Mama Jamba told him. “Or you won’t, and you’ll shave off that beard on accident. I’ve always liked your chin and wouldn’t mind seeing it.”
Hiker shook his head. “Real men have beards.”
Evan looked between Mahkah and Wilder, his mouth open. “Are we going to be offended by that statement?”
Wilder laughed and combed his fingers over his smooth chin. “You can, but I don’t think I’ll be talking back to our leader anytime soon.”
“Not until you’ve had too much whiskey,” Mahkah said, making a rare joke.
Everyone at the table laughed.
When they were quiet once more, only the sounds of forks and knives scraping plates, Hiker cleared his throat.
Everyone paused and looked up.
“The eggs,” Hiker said simply. “We’re getting them back.”
He looked at Sophia with conviction. A dozen eggs had been stolen by Trin Currante in her magical sack.
“I’m sorry she took them,” Hiker apologized, regret filling his tone.
Sophia nodded, knowing he’d done everything to try and stop it from happening. There had been an explosion, but the magitech bombs didn’t stand a
chance of bringing down the Barrier now. Not with Quiet back in commission.
Sophia wondered how Trin had known how to bring the Barrier down. How had she known how to make the groundskeeper ill with the herbs? There were more questions that had to be answered.
“I hope you do get those dragon eggs back,” Mama Jamba said, her eyes on her plate as she devoured the pancakes. “However, today, you all need to rest. Celebrate. Count your blessings. Tomorrow the battles outside the Gullington will demand your attention.”
Evan raised his arms, stretching. “I’m going to make Quiet something special. Maybe a picture of the two of us together.”
Mahkah shook his head but laughed.
Mama Jamba turned her attention to Sophia. “You should take a walk, my dear. The thistles are blooming by the Pond.”
“You mean Quiet is making the thistles bloom,” Hiker commented.
“I guess I do,” Mama Jamba agreed.
“Why don’t you think I want to see the thistles?” Evan asked, pretending to be offended.
Mama Jamba shook her head at the young dragonrider. “You stay off the Expanse. Hiker, you and I have a meeting in the dungeon after breakfast.”
“Why the dungeon?” Hiker questioned.
Mama Jamba winked at Sophia. “Because there are no windows there.”
Although Sophia had no idea what that was all about, she was certain Mother Nature was orchestrating something in her life, and she was okay with that.
Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
The winds blew Sophia’s hair back from her face as she hiked toward the Pond. The thistles dotted the Expanse with pink, contrasting nicely against the green hills.
Yes, Trin Currante had stolen more dragon eggs and figured out how to get into the Gullington. But out of everything, the Dragon Elite had gotten stronger. Sophia didn’t regret any of it. Without hardship, it was impossible to get stronger.