“Dude, I’d lay off the herbs, if you know what I mean,” Evan imparted.
“My business is to enjoy and have fun and why not, if in the end everything will end, right?” Subner stated, quite seriously.
“Amen, my brother,” Evan commented. “I can’t argue with you there.” He flashed a smile at Sophia. “Maybe this guy doesn’t need to be fixed after all. I like his attitude.”
“He needs to be fixed,” Papa Creola insisted.
Sophia nodded. “And it’s not his attitude. It’s the words and thoughts of Janis Joplin.”
“Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers,” Subner mused.
Dr. Freud had simply been observing, not saying anything up until then. “This is very interesting. What a fascinating disorder.”
“I’m one of those regular weird people,” Subner said in an airy voice.
“Can you help him?” Sophia asked in a hopeful voice.
“It’s hard to say,” Tiffannee answered. “It might take some time.”
“It will take roughly three days, eight hours and thirty five minutes,” Papa Creola stated dryly.
“Roughly,” Sophia joked with a laugh.
“You’re the Father of Time?” Dr. Freud asked in amazement.
“Yes,” he stated calmly. “And I’m not a patient man, so you should get started.”
“Don’t compromise yourself,” Subner stated. “You are all you’ve got.”
Dr. Freud nodded. “We will need a quiet place for me to start my full assessment.”
“You can destroy your day now worrying about tomorrow,” Subner imparted.
“You can use my office downstairs.” Papa Creola ignored his assistant and gestured at the door at the back of the shop.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” Subner stated dryly.
“That’s right,” the doctor said sensitively as she strode forward and led Subner toward the door to Papa Creola’s office.
“I just want to feel as much as I can, it’s what soul is all about,” he said with a dreamy expression on his face as they walked away.
“I’m gonna miss that guy,” Evan commented and pushed away from the glass counter.
“I’m not,” Papa Creola stated. “And you should go ahead and get that.” He pointed at Sophia’s cloak.
She gave him a confused expression. “Get what?”
“Your phone,” Papa Creola answered. “Hiker Wallace doesn’t know how to message you so that it activates the volume on your phone when it’s on silent.”
“I’m surprised he knows how to send a message,” Evan stated.
“He’s coming along.” Sophia retrieved the phone from her pocket. Then her eyes widened at the message from the leader of the Dragon Elite.
It read: Get back to the Gullington. We have an emergency.
Chapter Fifty-Two
“You’re so lucky to have me as a friend,” Evan remarked as he and Sophia hiked across the Expanse.
She sighed. “Although I’m certain that I’d disagree with you, why is it that you think that?”
“Because who else would marry someone for you?” he answered.
“Well, it’s so we can fix the Protector of Weapons, so that he can outfit the Dragon Elite with a proper weapon to fight an unknown evil so that we don’t die.”
He shrugged. “I get that it’s difficult for you to say thank you. You’re welcome anyway.”
Sophia hurried, worry buzzing in her chest over what could be wrong that Hiker pulled them both back to the Gullington. “I like to think that I have some pretty good friends who would marry a mortal to help out.”
“Yeah, but will they also later help you hide the body?” Evan challenged.
She shook her head. “Why would you need to do that?”
“Well, because our romance maybe turned bad,” Evan explained. “I mean, you saw that my wife strode off with another guy, right?”
“You mean Subner, who has lost his mind and is the reason that we recruited the doctor?”
“Don’t make excuses for them,” Evan stated.
“You’re very strange.”
“I’m a regular Casanova. When I love, I love deeply—passionately. That’s why I’m such a good friend.”
“You’re the friend who fills me with multiple regrets,” Sophia teased, grateful not to find the Castle on fire or any other noticeable dangers on the grounds of the Gullington.
She sped up, even more curious about what could be wrong if there wasn’t a battle going on there. Sophia half-suspected that more strangers might have come through the portal from the Great Library.
She rushed up the steps to the Castle and burst through the door, expecting to find a commotion in the entry way. There wasn’t. It was strangely quiet, but her enhanced senses told her that Hiker was in his office, thundering back and forth—worrying his way across the floors as he usually did when upset.
Sophia took the steps two at a time and did her best to keep up with Evan’s long strides. He gave her a mischievous glare, and she knew it had suddenly become a race to the finish.
Increasing her speed even more, Sophia bolted forward, but was reminded that she wasn’t playing with someone who fought fair. Evan pushed her into the railing at the landing to the stairs, took the lead, and rushed into Hiker’s office.
She darted in behind him, but Evan was already lounging on the sofa with his legs propped up and lying in Mama Jamba’s lap. She didn’t appear to care or much notice as she sketched something on a pad of paper. Wilder and Mahkah were stationed behind the sofa, their hands pinned behind their backs and astute expressions on their faces.
“Gosh, Sophia,” Evan complained. “Way to keep us waiting. I thought that our esteemed leader pressed the importance of this meeting.”
“Sorry, sir,” Sophia said to Hiker, and caught the look of stress on his face. “I got here as soon as I could.”
He nodded. “Evan, is that powdered sugar on your armor?”
Evan glanced down at his shirt and rubbed the stain before licking his finger. “Cocaine, sir. I had to drag Sophia out of this drug house in Baton Rouge.”
Hiker let out a breath, and to Sophia’s surprise nodded. “As long as you weren’t dawdling at a pastry shop again.”
“Sir, I would never.” Evan put his hand to his chest and looked offended. “I didn’t get a wedding cake after getting married although Sophia kept begging for us to stop.” He glanced back at Wilder. “This one and her sweets. Good thing she’s a magician or you’d have to buy her two airplane seats.”
“Can we focus?” Hiker growled.
Evan nodded. “Of course, sir. I’m sorry that Sophia keeps derailing this meeting.”
She rolled her eyes and focused on Hiker. “What is it, sir? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Pink Princess,” Evan remarked. “Hiker always sends messages saying that there’s an emergency when everything is all right.”
“I’ve become aware of a serious danger,” Hiker began. “And defeating them will require all your efforts.”