Wilder nodded. “Of course, because that’s how he keeps tabs on you.”
Tanner shot him a scathing look. “You know nothing, and it shows. It’s how we get through our barrier to the headquarters.”
“Oh, with a pretty little rock,” Wilder joked. “How quaint. The Dragon Elite use real magic, but I get that you all haven’t mastered elementary spells yet.”
Tanner laughed coldly. “Coming from the guy we have imprisoned, that’s pretty funny.”
“Imprisoned? I let you all catch me,” Wilder boasted.
Narrowing his eyes, Tanner shot him a wicked expression. “Why would you do that?”
“How better to learn all your secrets?” Wilder’s eyes skated to the pocket where Tanner kept his soul stone.
He suddenly felt hot all over. “Whatever. You’re only saying that after being caught. A real dragonrider wouldn’t be so foolish.”
Wilder tapped the side of this head and winked. “That’s where you’re wrong. Our leaders have taught us to be strategic. Sounds like yours has taught you how to be their servant.”
“You don’t know anything!” Tanner yelled, which earned a contemptuous glare from Nathan. Before the second in command could say anything else to him, Tanner hurried away while holding the flask and wondering if he’d messed up everything.
He hadn’t, he told himself. Wilder was their prisoner, and he wasn’t going anywhere so why would it matter what he knew?
Chapter Fifty-Two
There it was, Wilder thought victoriously. He had finally learned how to get through the barrier to the island. Or at least he had a lead.
Getting caught hadn’t entirely been part of the plan, but it hadn’t not been part of it either. He’d gotten restless trying to find information on the Rogue Riders, and somehow that had led to him being more daring. Once his disguise slipped off, then he was in custody and had been okay with that ever since. From his place stationed next to the demon dragonriders guarding him, he’d learned much more than when trying to spy.
These guys had egos the size of Texas and constantly bragged about their endeavors or let little things slip. Wilder had learned a lot he could pass onto the Dragon Elite. He needed to get out of there and to the Gullington, but Sophia knew he’d been captured, so it was only a matter of time.
Wilder didn’t mind that his girlfriend had to come and rescue him. He’d do the same for her. They were partners. That was the key difference between the Dragon Elite and the Rogue Riders. These guys all competed with each other for rank and prestige. Wilder could only guess that this was a result of their leadership. Conversely, the guys had accepted Sophia as a leader from the beginning, but that didn’t change things between Wilder and her because at their core, they respected each other, something that went a long way among riders. The Rogue Riders didn’t understand that at all.
“Whoa!” one of the demon dragonriders exclaimed and sprang to his feet. His gray dragon jumped up too, waking from a nap. Wilder didn’t know his name, only the second and third in command—Nathaniel and Tanner.
“W-Wh-Whhat the hell is that?” the other no-name newbie stammered and dropped the stick he was whittling.
From down in the pit, it was hard for Wilder to get a glimpse of what they saw. However, he had felt the rush of air mixed with a light spray of water. It felt like a storm was approaching, but from his experience, this didn’t seem like a normal one.
Apparently, Nathaniel thought the same thing. “That’s not right!”
“It could be a trick, sir,” one of the other demon dragonriders offered.
“It might be,” Nathaniel agreed. “We need to figure out what’s going on. That thing could tear this island in half.”
“Or go after headquarters,” one of the guys added.
“Yeah, we have to warn the boss,” Nathaniel stated.
“That thing is simply massive,” another dragonrider observed with awe in his voice. “And it’s getting bigger.”
As the wind picked up, it sounded like the storm was getting closer. Wilder glimpsed something in the air as he backed up and pressed his spine to the far wall to give himself as much perspective as possible. He spied the top of a water spout far in the distance, reaching up to the ominous clouds overhead and no doubt spiraling through the ocean.
He grinned to himself when he realized that help was definitely on the way.
Chapter Fifty-Three
“I want one of you to go with me to check out that cyclone. You,” Nathaniel ordered and pointed at the guy with a gray dragon. “You’re going to go warn the boss about this. It seems like something nefarious, but it might be a regular natural disaster.”
“What about angel boy?” One of the dragonriders looked over the pit at Wilder.
“He can’t get out of there,” Nathaniel stated. “Magic doesn’t work from the inside.”
Wilder rolled his eyes, having learned that annoying piece of information after many attempts to get the netting off or dig through the walls using magic. Thankfully he still had his telepathic link to Simi, which was how he could notify Sophia.
“Yeah, but what if this is a trick and the Dragon Elite are out there?” one of the minions asked.
“Then we’re going to teach them a lesson but honestly, looking at the size of that,” Nathaniel pointed at the waterspout, “It’s highly unlikely that a dragonrider can make that. Something like that would take serious power, and I don’t think the Dragon Elite have it in them.”
“You’re probably right, chief,” one of the guys said. “But you still think it’s safe to leave pretty boy?”
“The natives around this place can’t be trusted,” the other man added.
“They’re also about as useless as the Dragon Elite,” Nathaniel added.
“But they keep looking for a way to stay,” the guy with the gray dragon stated. “I’ll be happy when they’re gone for good, and we have the run of this place.”
“Yeah, but as a precaution. The boss would have my butt if something happened to the prisoner.” Nathaniel waved his hand, and a wall of fire sprang up from the pit’s perimeter, momentarily blinding Wilder and instantly making it hotter.
That would complicate things if Sophia were trying to rescue him. However, if anyone could figure out how to get around the various security measures the Rogue Riders had in place, it would be Sophia Beaufont.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Evan could thank his recent tutorial sessions with Mama Jamba for the very impressive water spout he and Coral had been able to create by pulling on their element of water.
Although Mother Nature wasn’t always overly helpful, she could surprise now and then by offering up some incredible knowledge that only she’d know and could teach. Manifesting a huge water spiral that resembled a cyclone in the ocean was impressive by anyone’s standards.
It had been a pretty good idea on Sophia’s part to use the new talent as a diversion, but Evan couldn’t tell the young dragonrider that or he’d never hear the end of it. In truth though, he enjoyed working with Pink Princess. She was smart in battle. Calculated and reliable. Most importantly, she made it fun with her quick wit and antics. All stuff he also wasn’t sharing with her. It was better if they kept up the ruse that they couldn’t stand each other.