“They have weird levels of competencies, I’ve noticed,” Wilder explained. “Their dragon-riding and combat skills aren’t honed, as one might expect. They rely on less-magical strategies, like using soul stones to get through a barrier instead of a spell, which would be more foolproof. Then they surprised me with the reinforcements they had on the pit where they kept me, so they have the capabilities but don’t use it in all aspects.”
“That’s interesting,” Sophia mused. “It does seem like they’re the opposite of us, who use magic for pretty much everything and shy away from magitech unless we have to.”
Lunis yawned, apparently not finding the notion interesting. Sophia patted the side of his neck as he lowered like he was falling asleep—something that wouldn’t be good since they were several hundred feet up in the air.
“Wake up!” she encouraged.
He shook his head and willed away the tiredness. “Fine. Who knew that stakeouts were so boring? There’s all this suspense around them in the movies, where the cops have to watch through binoculars or slide down in the car when the suspect hurries by.”
“I left my binoculars at the store,” Wilder joked.
Sophia laughed, grateful that they didn’t have to rely on such methods.
“What is it when one bull spies on another bull?” Lunis asked quite seriously.
“What?” Wilder asked.
“A steak-out!” Lunis laughed loudly and rose in the air a little.
When Wilder laughed, Sophia shot him a scolding look. “Don’t laugh. That only encourages him.”
“What is it when one butcher spies on another butcher?” Lunis asked again.
“What?” Wilder replied.
Sophia shook her head. “Seriously…”
“A steak-out!” Lunis answered.
Wilder smirked. “I really should have seen that one coming.”
“You really should have,” Simi said without inflection.
“What do you call a reconnaissance mission carried out by two Australian cops?” Lunis asked, and before Wilder could reply, he shouted, “An Outback Stake-Out!”
“No more stakeout jokes,” Sophia ordered.
“Fine,” Lunis muttered, sounding defeated. “Do you know why Dracula is a vegan?”
“Why?” Wilder asked, holding back an amused smile.
“Because stakes kill him!” Lunis exclaimed. “And that’s not a stakeout joke, Sophia, so there.”
“Okay, no more jokes that involve stakeouts, stakes, or steaks,” Sophia ordered, pretending to be serious.
“That’s fine,” Lunis stated. “But I do need to confess something about one of my friends, who I do have lots of, Simi.”
“Sure you do,” the white dragon replied.
“Real friends? Not just the animals on Animal Crossing?” Sophia questioned.
“Those count!” Lunis insisted.
“What’s your confession?” Wilder asked because he didn’t know any better than to be led on by the blue dragon.
“I think that this friend of mine is a vampire,” Lunis confessed, very convincingly.
“Oh?” Wilder mused. “Why is that?”
“I stabbed him in the heart with a wooden stake, and he died!” Lunis’ laughter rumbled under Sophia.
She was going to complain that she had ordered no more stake jokes, but a demon dragonrider appeared suddenly, flying through the barrier around the elves’ home island. Sophia tensed. Of all the ones it could be, she couldn’t believe which Rogue Rider had appeared first.
Chapter One Hundred Six
The demon dragonrider who had finally passed through the barrier was none other than Tanner on his black dragon, Coal.
Wilder tensed beside Sophia, then jolted forward on Simi although she stayed in place. If anyone wanted to murder Tanner more than her, it was Wilder who had to suffer his abuse and insults when held prisoner.
“Remember we’re going to try talking,” Sophia warned after seeing the vengeance written on Wilder’s face.
He nodded, but his jaw flexed, and he didn’t at all appear like he wanted to “just talk.”
“Okay, let’s cut him off before he gets away.” Sophia steered Lunis into a dive and flew after Tanner.
“We could start a day late, and we’d still catch up with him,” Wilder grumbled. “The demon dragonriders are that slow.”
Sophia laughed as the wind sped by her. However, she reminded herself not to get overly confident with her skill. Wilder might be over two hundred years old with plenty of training and riding experience, but Sophia wasn’t that much older than the demon dragonriders. However, she had the other riders' expertise and had trained with them since day one. The Rogue Riders appeared too good for such things. Instead, it seemed they spent their time stealing and bullying.
Despite not talking about how they’d coordinate their efforts to cut Tanner off, Sophia and Wilder atop their dragons seamlessly synchronized. One went to the right and the other to the left.
The two dragonriders moved fast and crossed the distance between them and Tanner in seconds. The rush of air and the smell of saltwater was a welcome experience after sitting for so long on the stakeout.
Sophia pulled down their cloaks when they were close to Tanner—going for the element of surprise. The other dragonrider noticed them right away, definitely spooked by the Dragon Elites’ sudden appearance.
To Sophia’s relief, Tanner didn’t try to run. If they were there to kill him, that was probably a dumb move. But she’d observed that this guy had an overabundance of confidence. When Sophia and Wilder were only a few yards away, Tanner yanked back hard on Coal’s reins and swiftly brought him to a halt.
Sophia used the reins mostly to keep her balance on Lunis. Mahkah had taught her how to steer and control her dragon’s speed using her intention. He’d explained that riding a dragon wasn’t at all like riding a horse. The rider was in full control of the dragon only when they connected to their thoughts for steering and controlling them.
With a single intention, Sophia brought Lunis to a halt, slowing him gently. Next to her, Wilder did the same a safe distance away, effectively surrounding Tanner. He studied them for a moment, maybe sensing that they weren’t necessarily there to fight. If they were, their weapons would be out, or they would have started with an attack. Or done it with their cloaks up.
Tanner narrowed his eyes at the pair. His knuckles were white from gripping the reins so hard. “You two decided that you’re tired of the Dragon Elite and want to join a real group of riders?”
A rude laugh popped out of Wilder’s mouth. “Yeah, but unfortunately there isn’t one.”
Tanner’s face contorted with hostility. “Whatever. The boss would never let the likes of you into our ranks anyway. Angel dragonriders aren’t welcome in the Rogue Riders. You’d no doubt beat us down with all your holier-than-thou talk.”
“I know,” Wilder agreed and nodded. “Having a conscience is tough. I’m sure you psychopaths sleep like babies at night. There are so many ways that you’re like a baby.”
Tanner’s hands yanked off his reins and darted into a satchel on Coal’s side.