Everyone turned their heads as she automatically strode in Quiet’s direction.
“Yeah, fine,” Evan called. “Just go gallivanting off with that troublemaker while the rest of us clean up the messes. Sounds good, pigtails.”
Sophia ignored him as she headed for the door where Quiet strode out to the Expanse, seeming to know that she was following him. At her back, she heard Evan say, “Man, Wilder, that short guy is gonna steal your gal. How you feel about that?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Once on the grounds of the Expanse, Sophia had to pull her attention away from the angel dragonettes streaking through the air in the distance, their various colors like kites in the wind. She was always mesmerized by how the tiny dragons moved, so graceful from the beginning.
But like Lunis, they were playful and enjoyed gliding on the breeze and diving toward the grass. Their landings were less practiced than the elder dragons and more like that of football players victoriously rolling over the touchdown line.
Sophia pulled her gaze to the groundskeeper and tried to focus. “What is it, Quiet?”
He didn’t look at her right on, but instead, pointed his stubby finger toward the little white specks that lined the hills. It didn’t take Sophia’s discerning eyes long to zoom in and determine that the spots on the grassy slopes were the herd of sheep.
A moment later, a small explosion scattered the herd in the opposite direction from the commotion. The sheep that was the epicenter of the ignition was only a scorch mark on the earth, which made Sophia grimace with regret and disgust.
“What’s happening?” she asked Quiet.
He had his attention on the glossy lawn too, and looked back at her with somber eyes that very distinctly said, “I don’t know.”
She lowered her chin. “I have to figure this out, don’t I?”
He nodded gravely.
Sophia sighed and wondered where she could go to figure out this complexity. It was true that someone had to figure out what was going on with the sheep. It was so ill-timed with the strange appearance of the mortals in the Castle. She wanted to ask why one thing couldn’t happen at a time or what was Quiet doing about the invader problem in the Castle, but she realized that he was overwhelmed. As usual, they were all overwhelmed. The Gullington was overwhelmed. That was status quo at this point.
Finally, she nodded. “Okay, so find out why the sheep are exploding and stop it, right?”
Quiet simply gave her a nod that said so much more than yes.
“Okay.” Sophia drew out the word. “I will devote my attention to the sheep problem. There must be a reason for why they’re exploding.”
Quiet nodded again. His eyes said, “Are you ready to set off yet?” Impatience hung heavy in his every movement. His Castle was being invaded and his sheep exploding. It must have been annoying. More than annoying. He was used to being in charge of this territory and suddenly so much was outside his control.
Sophia turned to him. “Don’t worry, Quiet. I’ll devote my attention to this. Keep the portal door to the Great Library sealed until I check with Plato.”
He agreed simply.
“I’ll find someone to help with the sheep,” she went on, and jerked her chin back in the direction of the Castle. “But first, I need to check on someone.”
Quiet mumbled, and Sophia could have sworn it sounded like, “It won’t help.”
However, she still set off for Hiker Wallace’s office.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Son, I’ve told you a hundred times—”
“I don’t need to hear it again,” Hiker interrupted. His voice boomed into the hallway and made Sophia halt before she came to the crack between the door and Hiker’s office.
She gasped, feeling very much like a voyeur similar to when she watched Ainsley and Hiker’s goodbye that final night. She still felt guilty for witnessing their intimate moment. But, she couldn’t help what she saw or that she saw it. The Castle woke her and led her to it, and showed her what was now imprinted on her soul…the goodbye of two souls who had spent five hundred years together and were now separated by circumstances—and choice.
“What does the message say?” Mama Jamba asked after a moment, sounding like her usual calm self.
Hiker blew out a breath. “It says… It says…” He seemed unable to get the words out.
“Do you want the youngest dragonrider to join us before you read the message from the Elfin Council?” Mama Jamba asked.
“No!” Hiker boomed at once. “I’m not calling Sophia up from the dining hall or away from the Expanse or from whatever mission she’s on to hear this.”
“Oh, but son,” Mama Jamba began casually, “she’s outside the door.”
Sophia tensed on the other side of the wall and thought of running. She suddenly felt like an invader.
Hiker hiccupped and looked at the Dragon Elite globe. “Of course she is. I knew she was home.” When he said the last word, he sounded relieved. “Sophia!” he boomed.
She straightened against the wall, feeling like she was playing the world’s stupidest game of hide and go seek with the best finder, and was doomed no matter what. Sophia pressed her eyes shut and pretended like she wasn’t there.
When she peeked through one eye, she knew the game was over. There between the crack of her lids, staring at her from his office door, was none other than the leader than the Dragon Elite.
“Hey, sir,” Sophia said when she saw Hiker Wallace.
“Get in here,” he ordered while looking at her hiding place outside his office.
“Yes, sir,” she replied as he marched back inside.
Once in his study, Sophia found Mama Jamba arranging sunflowers and whistling like there was nothing else of consequence going on in the world. “Well, isn’t it better in here with us than spying in the corridor?”
“I wasn’t spying,” Sophia began, but decided there wasn’t any point. “Honestly. I was about to knock.”
“Doesn’t matter anyway. Now Hiker can stutter through the message that’s been getting the better of him for an hour or more,” Mama Jamba interrupted.
“It hasn’t,” he argued, but didn’t seem that adamant about. “Anyway, it’s nothing. It’s a message from Ainsley.”
“Ainsley?” Sophia was excited to hear the elf’s name. “How is she? What’s she up to? What did she say?”
All the questions fell out of her mouth without her permission, and now she stood there looking excited and young as she stared at the two and felt dumb. But Mama Jamba simply cut the stem to a sunflower and smiled. Hiker sighed and looked at the message in his hand, then sighed again.
He began, “It says that Ainsley is gaining insights at the council and getting more intel on things that could become of interest to the Dragon Elite. Resources we could use to our advantages in the future if we forge certain alliances.” Hiker suddenly snorted. “It’s like in the old days. She wants us to create partnerships.”
“What’s wrong with partnerships, son?” Mama Jamba tried a large sunflower in a position and changed her mind.