“I think you need to have a backup for that backup plan,” Wilder teased.
“Well, at least I have a backup plan for when this whole Dragon Elite thing falls through,” Evan argued. “All you have are bad jokes and those dainty hands.”
Wilder laughed. “Sounds like I have options as a comedian or a hand model.”
Sophia glanced at Wilder’s hands. They weren’t dainty at all. Callused definitely. Strong, for sure, and most importantly, capable.
“No one is getting another job,” Hiker declared with confidence, finally pulling his hands from his hair. He had an exasperated glare on his face when he looked at Mama Jamba. “How did this man find out about the dragon eggs hatching as either good or evil?”
She shrugged and slid her feet under Mahkah’s bottom to keep her toes warm.
The good-natured dragonrider either didn’t seem to notice or he simply didn’t care.
“How does anyone find out anything, son?” she questioned.
Hiker groaned. “Oh, good. More riddles. So you don’t know, or you’re not saying.”
“I think finding out how Nevin Gooseman knows about the divide between the crop of dragon eggs is a poor use of your time,” Mama Jamba explained.
He narrowed his eyes and looked out the bank of windows at the Expanse and Pond. “I think that if there’s a traitor in our midst, I need to know about it.”
“I didn’t say anything, sir,” Evan stated at once.
“Nor I,” Wilder chimed in.
“I don’t think it would have been any of us,” Sophia reasoned. “This Nevin Gooseman obviously has another source.”
Hiker swung around to face them. “And we need to find out what it is. But more importantly, we’ve got a lot of damage control to do.” He shook his head, chewing fiercely on his lip. “Just when we were making strides with the mortal governments. Now they are going to be distrustful of us, denying our authority in adjudication missions.”
“Not to mention,” Evan said, petting NO10JO’s half metal belly, “we might have a bunch of mortals with pitchforks coming after us, trying to take us out because we house dragon eggs that will spawn evilness.”
“Wow.” Wilder’s tone was overflowing with sarcasm. “You have such a good knack for extinguishing frustrations. How ever do you do that?”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Hey, if you want to bury your head in the sand, then go ahead. I’m just pointing out to our esteemed leader the problems we’re facing.”
“I’m well aware of the problems this senator has caused us,” Hiker nearly yelled, stalking over to his desk. He looked at it as if the many pieces of paper might offer refuge from this new set of problems. After a moment of deliberation, he glanced up. “Mahkah, I need you to set off on a set of goodwill building campaigns. People like you, especially mortals, and you’re our best hope of garnering trust that will inevitably be lost from this.”
“People like me,” Evan complained.
Everyone in the room, with the exception of Hiker, laughed in response.
The leader of the Dragon Elite shook his head. “Evan, you and Wilder need to continue our work on adjudication missions. This Nevin Gooseman wants us to devote our attention to saving our reputation, but the best way we can do that is to prove our worth.”
“Yes, sir,” Wilder agreed at once, standing tall.
“I’ll be issuing a statement right away, but there isn’t much I can do to dispute these new claims,” Hiker said, frustration heavy in his voice.
“Because the truth is that inevitably you will have five hundred evil dragons on your hands at some point, son,” Mama Jamba told him matter-of-factly.
He nodded, continuing to chew on his lip. “That’s just the thing. I still don’t get how he knows. Trin Currante was aware of that information.”
“She wouldn’t have said anything,” Sophia urged, defending the cyborg. “Trin is on our side now.”
Hiker didn’t appear convinced. “Then, you’ll help to find information on how this politician found out about us?”
Sophia nodded. “Of course.”
“And I’d also like you to make a visit to the House of Fourteen,” Hiker ordered. “We recently saved their butts with that Saverus Corporation business. I think it’s time they repaid the favor. We are inevitably in this together as magicians.”
Sophia didn’t know if that was such a good idea since she knew there were those on the House of Fourteen council who would like nothing more than to see the Dragon Elite lose their authority. Still, she thought she could diplomatically figure things out with a visit to the House of Fourteen. “Yes, sir. I’ll see what I can do.”
He swallowed, glancing at Mama Jamba. “And to your point, I realize that we will have evil dragons in our midst, just as we did centuries ago with the first crop of eggs. You’re in the best position to tell me why the angels had to make it so that for every good dragon, there was an evil one. If we were meant to protect, then why did you and the angels put our enemies amongst us?”
She smiled at him and winked briefly. “Things are so cut and dry, son. You are set on thinking of the dragons as good and evil, but it’s more complicated than that. The Dragon Elite was meant to bring balance to this world, and I ask you, how could you do that if there wasn’t balance among the dragons? Good doesn’t exist without evil, nor the reverse. I assure you, that if we had only created courageous, pure-hearted dragons, this planet would have perished long ago. The key to maintaining peace is learning how to exist amongst one another with all of our differences. Not in shutting out the ones we don’t approve of.”
“So you’re saying,” Evan began, drawing out the words as he put them together in his mind, “the lives of those, good or evil are important?”
“What I’m saying,” Mama Jamba replied, “is simple. All lives matter.”
Chapter Eight
Without a doubt, Sophia knew Hiker was right to be worried about the global unrest that would come from the news about the Dragon Elite. At the top of her list was finding out how the politician had learned about the divide in the dragon eggs. If there was a way to learn the Dragon Elite’s secrets, she needed to know about it.
As far as Sophia knew, she still had the only copy of the Complete History of Dragonriders, the only place where she knew this information regarding good and evil dragons could be found. Assuming there were no other sources wasn’t a smart approach.
Sophia decided to visit one of her favorite places in the House of Fourteen before meeting with council in the Chamber of the Tree. After stepping through the portal between the Castle and House, she headed up the stairs to the library located at the top of the magical building.
Most of Sophia’s childhood had been spent in the strange and mysterious library. It was where she learned how to work spells long before she should have been able to—and especially before she would have been allowed by the House of Fourteen. More importantly, it was where Sophia hid to escape the scrutinizing stares of the other residents.
The Great Library in Tanzania was by far the most impressive one Sophia had ever seen. The tiny hut perched atop a crumbling rock off the coast was a most unassuming structure. Few would have guessed that inside the building was the largest collection of books in the entire world. Not only that, but it was home to every book ever written—save for the Complete History of Dragonriders, which couldn’t be duplicated. That was apparently to protect the Dragon Elite’s secrets, but something had obviously gone awry.