“Thad Reinhart had a team though, and they were all demon dragonriders,” Ainsley stated, new anger suddenly welling up in her.
“Yes, but Thad was a leader who could bring people together,” Hiker told her, his eyes still not meeting hers.
“Unfortunately, only for the detriment of my planet,” Mama Jamba declared and shook her head.
“Unfortunately,” Hiker repeated. “But it’s still my responsibility to make the introduction and warn them. They’re brand new to this world, and I hope that they might want to contribute to it rather than be a drain on it. Most demon dragonriders, except for Thad and his band, have simply wanted to exist on their own and lead a quiet life, which is fine. But this is a new generation, so I think it’s hopeful to expect new things from them.”
“Those are high hopes, son,” Mama Jamba stated.
“You’re the one who recently said that evil knows no bounds, but that if paired with good, then great things could happen,” Hiker argued.
“That’s one hundred percent true and exactly what I said,” Mother Nature countered. “However, I’m simply warning you not to get your expectations too high. This is a new generation, so you should expect new things. It might be good, and it might be bad.”
“Being self-serving isn’t always a bad thing,” Sophia mused, her eyes on her plate but not really seeing it.
“That’s appropriate for the spoiled LA girl to say,” Evan teased.
She shot him a repulsed look. “If you’d let me finish, I was going to say that self-serving isn’t inherently evil. Good can come out of it.”
Evan put both his elbows on the table and leaned in her direction. “I’m going to challenge you on that, Pink Princess.”
Sophia thought for a moment. “Well, think about the railroad in the United States. It was an endeavor done by those who wanted to make a profit and to the detriment of those forced to build it. They were self-serving, but then look at the good that came out of the railroad system.”
“So you’re promoting slavery?” Evan asked with a sly grin.
Sophia’s eyes widened. “Are you insane? Of course, I’m not. I’m highlighting that self-serving people can be connected to contributions that benefit society. So like Mama Jamba is saying, if good and evil come together, great things could happen. It’s simply that the demon dragonriders would need governing so that they don’t abuse the system.”
Wilder nodded. “Yeah, if the railroad was done right, and by that I mean morally, then you’d have the benefits without all the problems it created.”
“So you’re saying that the goals of a demon dragonrider as a self-serving person can be good and provide direction,” Mahkah said in a careful voice, like working this out as he spoke, “but that’s where they would need the moral compass of an angel dragonrider.”
Mama Jamba smiled at him. “Well put. That was always the intent of creating both angel and demon dragons. It’s about creating balance. It just so happens that the balance was never fully achieved. Many of the demon dragonriders were seen as bad and hunted by the House of Fourteen, dwindling their numbers. Then Thad Reinhart came along and created more problems with his army. Then of course, we had the Great War, which made you all ineffective for centuries. What we have now with the new generation is a great opportunity.”
When she finished speaking, no one said anything for a long time, all seeming inspired and overwhelmed by the possibilities that lay before them.
Finally, it was Hiker who broke the silence. “So you all go after the new demon dragonriders out there. Extend a hand to them. Invite them here, and we’ll see if we can finally create balance in this world among the angel and demon dragonriders.”
Everyone nodded as Trin strode in from the kitchen carrying an empty tray to clean up the dishes.
Ainsley glanced up at the cyborg and smiled. “Breakfast was lovely, Trin. You’re doing a fine job.”
The sideways, half-mechanical smile Trin flashed was full of nervousness. “Thank you, Miss Ainsley. I had a good teacher.”
Evan wadded up his napkin and threw it on the table while shaking his head. “Is everyone around the Castle going to start being all nice to each other from now on?” He stuck his nose in the air and did an impression of Ainsley. “Hiker, please pass the jam? Trin, you’re doing fine work. Sophia, you’re not an annoying pest.”
Quiet muttered something from the other side of the table, and Trin laughed in response. “I agree. We should all be nice to each other and exclude this one.” She pointed in Evan’s direction.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s fine. When I tried being nice to that one, he made my life hell.” Evan thumbed in Quiet’s direction.
The gnome mumbled, and everyone at the table except for Evan, nodded in agreement.
He widened his eyes and looked at Wilder. “Wait, you understood what he said?”
Wilder nodded. “Of course, mate. That was as clear as day.”
Evan shook his head and glanced at Hiker. “Sir, you didn’t really get what Quiet said, did you?”
Without planning it, they’d all joined in on the joke—even Hiker, surprisingly. The leader of the Dragon Elite nodded and combed his hand through his beard. “I did.”
Evan stood at once and glared down at all of them. “I don’t believe it. You can’t all understand what that gnome says.”
On cue, Quiet muttered something else inaudible. In unison, the entire table all laughed, like they understood what he said.
“Oh, for the love of the angels,” Evan declared, threw his arms up, and marched from the dining hall. “I’m done with you people.”
“We were done with you first,” Trin called after him before exchanging a delighted wink with Ainsley. She was getting on well as the housekeeper, and it was benefiting everyone, even Evan who secretly loved the attention. There were many ways that the changes in the Castle would benefit the dragonrider, but he wasn’t ready for them quite yet.
Chapter Three
The green of the Expanse seemed brighter when Sophia set off in the direction of the Cave after breakfast. Hiker all but booted the dragonriders out of the Castle, saying they shouldn’t delay with the tasks he’d assigned them. He was usually impatient, but it was a little elevated and Sophia thought she knew why.
Although Hiker could get the riders out of the Castle, Mama Jamba wasn’t going anywhere. She was probably perched on the Viking’s sofa in his office like usual, giving him and Ainsley no privacy at all. What was the point anyway since Mother Nature was privy to pretty much everything?
Sophia enjoyed the cool wind that swept across her face. It was a clear morning, and the dragonettes were “playing” on the grounds of the Gullington, wrestling or attempting to fly. On the other side of the Expanse, Sophia spied the “mature” dragons: Bell, Coral, Simi, and Tala.
Her dragon Lunis was somewhere between where the dragonettes gathered and the older dragons. It was almost like the positions of the various groups spoke volumes. The older dragons were removed from the new generation, unwilling to fully embrace their casual ways, which were much different than how they’d matured. Back in the day, it wasn’t acceptable for dragons to play. Then there was Lunis, who was somewhere in between the two generations and seemingly connected them. The older dragons had accepted him from the beginning. The new generation followed him around, copied everything he did, and idolized him.