Sophia brushed her hands over her cheeks, realizing that some of her battle marks were still there. “Well, you know how it goes.”
Liv nodded. “That I do. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. How about you?”
Sophia thought for a moment. “Every day is an adventure. It’s exhausting and terrifying and often heartbreaking, but you know what? I want to be the one who saves the world so the rest of the population can sleep in. Even after coming off a battle, I look forward to the ones of tomorrow and I know there will be more because evil never takes a day off. So no, I don’t want a do-over or a different job. I want to keep doing this for the rest of my life, which I hope will be very, very long.”
Liv wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulder and hugged her tightly. “I have a feeling that you, Sophia Beaufont, will outlive us all. Or at I least hope you do. Because you’re the absolute best of us all.”
Sophia smiled at her sister. She didn’t know about that, but she hoped that tomorrow wasn’t her last day…or the next. She had exploding sheep to fix, bad guys to take down, and a whole list of things she needed to do—and that was all before the epic battle that approached, full of unknown evils.
However, after fighting the giant bird and sea monster, she wasn’t scared anymore. Whether her enemy meant it or not, sending something huge to try and take down the Dragon Elite only made her braver…tougher.
Sophia was ready for the next challenge. And she was hopeful that she’d defeat it.
The world depended on it.
Chapter Eighty
A guttural howl echoed from the horned creature’s mouth. It sounded both like a bitter threat and a promise of bad deeds yet to come.
Nevin Gooseman watched his “pet” from the safety of the box office at the top of the abandoned stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The tarrasque had grown considerably and was now threatening to break free of its restraints. It was more important than ever that Clyde Jackson, its handler, kept it subdued when the monster wasn’t eating. The magically enchanted chains kept the beast from demolishing the stands and trampling through the streets of Dallas.
That time would come very soon though, Nevin thought with satisfaction. However, the timing had to be perfect. If they released the tarrasque now, it would be easy enough for the Dragon Elite to take it down, based on how they handled the simurgh and the leviathan. Nevin had to give it to them—the dragonriders shouldn’t be underestimated. But they weren’t invincible, and he thought he’d found their match. Something that would overpower the dragons and outsmart the riders.
However, when Nevin released the tarrasque, it would be because it could no longer be contained. Then there would be no stopping it.
Technically, Nevin had no plans to release the monster. He would simply allow the handler’s magical wards that kept it asleep to wear off. Overwhelmed by hunger, the beast would break free of the abandoned and rundown sports stadium. Then it would feast on mortals until the Dragon Elite undoubtedly showed up and finally met their match.
It wouldn’t be much longer now. The tarrasque was as big as the football field. Soon it would fill up the entire space, including the stands. The spikes on its back were already close to the domed ceiling. When it was allowed to sober up completely, all the monster would have to do was rock back on its heels, then it would bust free of its confines.
Nevin Gooseman would be long gone by then.
A tarrasque had never been allowed to get as big as the one he had Clyde Jackson rapidly maturing. This was the last one in existence, and it wouldn’t live long after breaking out due to all the magical enhancements they’d used to make it grow, but it would live long enough. According to Clyde Jackson, the tarrasque would live at least a month before its heart gave out. That was more than enough time for it to do massive damage. Nevin thought that the beast would take down the Dragon Elite within minutes. Then, left unchecked, it would further destroy the city and probably all the military forces that came after it.
The tarrasque’s armored skin was impenetrable by most weapons, and like diamonds, its claws and teeth could tear through just about anything. The Dragon Elite wouldn’t be prepared for this. There was no way that they could be.
The simurgh and leviathan should have been more of a challenge for the dragonriders. They had, after all, been enchanted to be extra difficult to fight and aggressive. However after watching the battle, Nevin was hopeful that he’d at least injured the Dragon Elite. That was the plan all along. It hadn’t been hard for him to locate the beasts with Bermuda Lauren’s unknowing help and aided by Clyde Jackson’s expertise.
The creatures had been in hiding, but it was easy enough to draw them into place and create a disturbance that would get the Dragon Elite’s attention. As Nevin suspected, the do-gooders came running right on cue.
Imagine when the Dragon Elite learn that the city of Dallas is under attack by a giant dinosaur creature. They won’t think first. They’ll simply run so fast into battle with their smug attitudes that they’ll be picked off within a matter of minutes.
Then the tarrasque could overrun the city, and mortals would get the punishment they deserved for taking Nevin Gooseman for granted.
Nevin smiled with satisfaction at the beast that would be the Dragon Elite’s final demise. Without them, he could destroy the other dragons and eggs. It was all coming together. Soon, he’d have the revenge he was so hungry for.
Chapter Eighty-One
“Would you scooch over?” Evan pressed his feet under Sophia’s butt on the leather couch. “You’re taking up too much room.”
She took up hardly any space on the oversized sofa—less than three-quarters of the space where Evan was stretched out with his head on the arm rest.
After tucking her legs up to her chest, she shook her head. “If you don’t stop, then I’m going to chuck you out the window.”
Evan laughed at her threat. “You mean throw me into Lunis.”
Sophia looked up to find her dragon striding in the direction of the sitting room’s open window. It wasn’t raining at the Gullington for once, but all the dragonriders had congregated in the room that was hardly used, right off the entryway to the Castle. After their battle with the leviathan and simurgh, they all recognized that they needed a break. Hiker had authorized them to have a single day off, to which Evan made a sarcastic remark about how giving he was after they’d risked their lives to save the world.
“Hey, Lun.” Sophia smiled as the blue dragon stuck his head through the open window. He winked at Sophia before turning his attention to Wilder sitting in the oversized armchair beside the window.
“What are you watching?” Lunis glanced down at the tablet in Wilder’s hands.
“Zefrank,” Wilder answered. “He does all these nature videos on animals on YouTube, but teaches nontraditional information on them.”
“Sounds intriguing.” Lunis watched the screen. “What’s this one on?”
“Marsupials,” Wilder explained and held up the iPad so the dragon could get a better look. “Did you know that koalas don’t have those folds in their brain, also known as the ‘thinky-thinky parts’?”