Sophia pointed to the island in the distance that she’d studied. “That’s the Elfin native lands.”
“Where those blasted demon dragonriders are squatting,” Wilder fired back.
“You said squatting,” Lunis teased.
“What’s wrong with that word?” Wilder asked.
“Commandeered is better,” Lunis argued.
“They aren’t pirates,” Wilder countered.
“Aren’t they?” Lunis questioned. “They’ve taken over that which isn’t theirs, and they smell like rum and fish.”
“How do you know that?” Wilder leaned low on his dragon and studied the island they were approaching. It wasn’t large but as big as the Gullington and capable of housing hundreds of elfin families or a few dozen demon dragons and their riders, as it was presently.
“Okay, so what’s the plan, Ms. Strategist?” Wilder asked her.
Sophia had trouble making out much detail from that distance due to the tree coverage on the tropical island, even with her enhanced vision. “I think we have to get closer, but stay as covert as possible, as Hiker asked.”
“There’s going to be a problem with that,” Lunis stated with disappointment.
On cue, both dragons slowed and nearly hovered in place.
“What is it?” Wilder searched the area.
“Well, if your dragon weren’t so senile, then she’d know that there’s a barrier up ahead,” Lunis explained. “Very similar to the one we have at the Gullington.”
Sophia kept the smirk off her face, but she was secretly grateful that Lunis had a victory by spotting the barrier before the much older dragon.
“I was busy searching for enemies,” Simi argued.
“You were busy trying to keep your arthritis from acting up, old fogey,” Lunis quipped.
Sophia turned her attention to Wilder. “A barrier. That’s going to complicate matters.”
Wilder nodded. “It also begs the question, where did these newbie dragonriders get the idea for such things that are so similar to what protects the Gullington?”
Chapter Twenty-One
“The demon dragonettes,” Simi said bitterly as she continued to hover in the air, staying aloft beside Lunis and Sophia.
“Of course.” Sophia put it all together. “They hatched at the Gullington and would know about the Barrier and all the other properties that protect our land.”
“And therefore transfer the knowledge to their riders,” Wilder added. “Of course, the pirates would steal our ideas to protect their new land.”
“So we can’t get in,” Sophia stated bitterly.
“We can’t get in yet,” Wilder countered. “We have to figure out how.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Sophia hoped he had a good idea since she was currently out of them.
He smiled at her and winked. “You throw one of your famous disguising glamours on us, and we wait.”
“Are you proposing a good old stakeout?”
To her shock, he dug into his cloak and pulled out a white paper bag. “I brought the donuts. I hope you brought the stories.”
Sophia laughed. “I brought all the stories. I hope you have a chocolate cake donut in there.”
He nodded. “Knowing you, I brought half a dozen.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Stakeouts are a lot more fun in the movies,” Lunis complained after a few hours of hovering outside the barrier to the elfin island.
Nothing had happened during that time—literally nothing.
At first, they thought they’d see a bird fly by or a dolphin in the ocean, but it appeared that the barrier the Rogue Riders had in place was powerful and kept anything but their own as far away as possible.
Sophia and Wilder had run out of stories after an hour…and donuts. Now they were both trying to stay awake as the rhythm of dragon wings beating sought to rock them to sleep, and the waning sunlight urged them toward respite.
“Stakeouts in the movies are fake,” Simi stated matter-of-factly.
“You’re fake,” Lunis countered childishly.
“I think the key is patience,” Sophia offered. She sensed the annoyance building in all of them as they had to hang out in the cold elements, sitting uncomfortably high above the sea.
“I think the key is donuts,” Lunis argued.
“We’re out,” Wilder declared and held up the empty bag.
“Dragons are supposed to eat a protein-rich diet,” Simi stated.
“Look, you’re not my mom,” Lunis shot back. “You can be all keto, but I’m plant-based. By that, I mean that I eat all the chocolate.”
“I was playing with the idea of going vegan,” Wilder said mildly, which made the other three pause.
Sophia slowly turned to face him. Lunis and Simi copied the movement. “Is the altitude affecting you, Wild?” she asked her boyfriend.
He laughed good-naturedly. “No. I’m used to it, thanks. I’ve been reading up on the effects, and I wanted to up my game.”
“And ruin dinners,” Lunis stated.
Sophia laughed too. “Vegans don’t ruin meals. What others eat is their business.”
Lunis scoffed. “Yeah right. Have you ever been at a dinner table with a vegan? You can’t chew and swallow a bite before they tell you what’s right, wrong, and how best to do it. The worst is when they’ve shoved their vegan agenda down your throat and have nothing else to talk about. What else is there to say when they’ve lectured and preached and you already know they’re the holy ones?”
Sophia shook her head and smiled. “Wild, if you want to be a vegan, I support it.”
He nodded. “I’m only doing it to annoy Lunis.”
The blue dragon seemed to appreciate this since a spark radiated in his eyes. “Good on you. I appreciate that approach. Don’t do things for you. Instead, do them to annoy those around you.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Simi questioned.
“You’re different, Sim,” Lunis said casually. “I can annoy you without even trying because you have that stick shoved so far up your—”
“Oh, hey,” Sophia interrupted, finally catching sight of something. “I think we have some activity.” She pointed as a dragon and rider she recognized exited the barrier to the elfin island.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Riding through the barrier of the land the Rogue Riders had commandeered from the elves was none other than the demon dragonrider Tanner atop his steed Coal. They looked as smug as the first time Sophia had seen them and left him alive and unbruised. She currently regretted that decision.
“We should follow him,” Sophia suggested. She’d glamoured them to look like they were part of the darkening sky.
“Or beat him to a pulp until he tells us how to get through the barrier,” Wilder countered.
She pursed her lips at him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea because he might not have the solution or can’t provide it like us at the Gullington.”