Chapter 10

Dining Hall, The Castle, The Gullington, Scotland, United Kingdom

Sophia strode over through the open double doors. She appeared extremely stressed, but that was probably because of Hiker's bad mood that she had to endure. "Is this all of the people who live in the Castle?" Gen asked, motioning to the four of them.

Ainsley shook her head. "No, no. As you've learned, all our dragon's eggs have hatched. Before Sophia, there were a thousand dragon eggs, spawned when the first male rider was born. Then S. Beaufont spawned the other thousand. Your dragon appears to have been the first and completely spawned on his own."

Mahkah nodded in agreement to this. "Over the centuries, most of the first thousand riders and dragons died."

"That's because they were all men who fought too much and drank like fish," Ainsley teased, winking at Gen.

"True," Mahkah stated. "Then about forty or fifty years ago, the new eggs spawned. Half of the last batch of a thousand became Dragon Elite. The other half became Rogue Riders. It depended on whether they were deemed angel or demon dragonriders. Anyway, as is with dragons and riders, many have died out, but our numbers are fairly strong on both sides with roughly eight hundred active still. They've all been assigned various roles in the world and therefore many are away on missions. They only return to their homes when they need rest or new orders."

"That must be why Hiker was so cross about me showing up and putting a wrench in his organization," Gen related. "He said that he'd figured out the ranks and assignments and now I was going to cause him a headache."

"Hiker was looking for a reason to complain," Ainsley offered. "He keeps asking for a vacation, but we all know that man doesn't really want one. He wants a problem so then he can gripe about it. He's probably secretly being giddy in his office that you showed up, requiring him to have to rethink the structure of the Dragon Elite."

"I didn't realize that a new member would cause such an upset," Gen muttered, glaring at her plate.

"Oh, well, you're not just any new member," Ainsley stated, giving Mahkah a knowing look. "You're something…special…"

"Come sit, S. Beaufont." Ainsley patted the seat next to hers when Sophia neared the end of the table. "Let's call Hiker various insulting names and you can tell us all about your problems."

Sophia slid into the seat with a sigh. "I don't have any problems. That's just the thing. The Commissioner of Los Angeles has been murdered and it's absolutely not my problem, but Hiker wants it to be."

"Los Angeles?" Gen asked, all the places and words new to her. "That's where Clark and Liv live, right?"

"Right," Sophia chirped, watching as Quiet dove into the covered dishes, not waiting a moment longer. "It's also where the entrance to the House of Fourteen is and the Rogue Riders. It's an epicenter for magic due to many factors."

"Like show business, which is quite literally a bunch of spell work," Ainsley said, uncovering a tray of rolls and offering one to Gen.

She took it with a polite smile. "That's unfortunate about the Commissioner of Los Angeles, who I'm guessing is a high-ranking official, but why does Hiker want this person's death to be your problem?"

"Yes, the Commissioner is the head of law enforcement in Los Angeles," Sophia explained. "And this official and I had an arrangement, but that was when I was the leader of the Rogue Riders. I've since been relieved of that title by the Elders, also known as the Founders now, who make the appointments through the House of Fourteen. Things were falling apart and with the evolution of the riders, I was struggling to keep things organized. It was only right that I be replaced."

"The Founders…" Gen said, chewing on her lip.

It had recently been learned that the Founders of the House of Fourteen hadn't died. Instead, their magic sealed them into another realm so that they could observe the magical world and make appointments to the various governing agencies like the Rogue Riders, Dragon Elite, Fairy Godmother Agency, and of course, the House of Fourteen.

That meant that Gen's father and sister, William and Elizabeth Beaufont, were hanging out in this other realm, known as the Land of Chimera, watching over her—making decisions on everyone's behalf. That was one reason that Gen could never go back to her timeline. Unlike some things that can be undone with time travel, the Founders had been cemented into history when they moved to the Land of Chimera.

That would have been Gen if she hadn't gone missing. At the time that the Founders all chose, they simply moved instead of dying. But Gen reminded herself that this was how her life was supposed to go. She was always supposed to step through that time travel gate and live her life in this modern world.

"Yes, and S. Beaufont, they were right to relieve you as leader of the Rogue Riders," Ainsley cut in, ladling creamy mashed potatoes onto Gen's plate, like a mother taking care of her charges. "You were already second-in-command as the field leader for the Dragon Elite. You started the Rogue Riders but you were never meant to keep the role as their leader."

"True," Sophia said, taking a bite of the fresh-baked roll. "And it's like Ron Swanson says, ‘Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.'"

Gen laughed, taking the ladle that Mahkah handed her for the brisket in the center of the table. "Is this Ron Swanson a dragonrider? He sounds smart."

"He's a fictional character on television, which I realize you don't know about," Ainsley answered. "Have S. Beaufont get you a phone and start watching YouTube and Netflix. That will give you a crash course on pop culture references."

Gen spooned juicy brisket onto her plate, nodding along. "Yes, Liv, Clark and the others have kept me sheltered, saying they didn't want to overwhelm me with too much too quickly. But at some point, I'll just have to dive forward."

"Just know that the world has changed in ways you can't even imagine in six hundred years," Ainsley advised, taking a bite of her string green beans. She held up her fork and laughed. "Like forks! We have forks now and use them at most meals."

"I've practiced." Gen winked at her before glancing back at Sophia. "It sounds like it's a good thing that you're not the leader of the Rogue Riders with this new drama in Los Angeles."

"That's the thing," Sophia began with a sigh. "Hiker thinks that it's going to cause a problem with the Rogue Riders since we had an agreement with the Commissioner and had worked with him for years. But it's not my problem. I've stepped back from the group and that's for the best. I wasn't an effective leader because I'm an angel dragonrider and the Rogue Riders are made of demon riders."

"Can you explain that to me?" Gen asked. "There are good and bad riders and dragons?"

"Life isn't black and white like that," Ainsley answered, probably because Sophia was chewing. "Bad isn't the absence of good. There is light and there is dark and both are necessary. Mother Nature made it so that there were angel riders and dragons who were self-sacrificing and altruistic. They are perfect as peacemakers for the Dragon Elite. But we can't dismiss the fact that crime will always exist, so the Rogue Riders manage the criminal world because they, as demon riders and dragons, are rebellious in nature. Each is perfectly suited for their role. And only angel magicians are attracted to angel dragons and vice versa."

"That's fascinating," Gen mused. "The idea of not eradicating crime, but keeping it organized and at bay is very unorthodox. I like that."

Sophia nodded. "When the first batch of dragon eggs hatched, all the demon riders became rogue and created problems because they had no purpose. They were deemed horrible and therefore outcast. When the second batch of eggs started to hatch, Hiker and I knew that we had to find a purpose for the demon dragonriders. So we played to their strengths."

"It was the first time the two types of dragons and riders were able to get along," Mahkah offered in a low voice. "Before that we warred over our differences. Now we realize we have separate missions."

"And the idea is to have balance both between good and bad, like with the Rogue Riders' mission to monitor criminals," Sophia added. "Crime is a pressure cooker and if we tried to squash it out, then it would explode. So we allow crime on a low level and usually those contacts with criminals gives us valuable insight into bigger rings that we can take down."

"So don't get rid of the guy selling knock-off designer purses because he can tip you off on the guy who is murdering in the back alleys," Ainsley said with a laugh.

Gen didn't know exactly what knock-off designer purses were but she could fill in the blanks. "That's really smart and realistic. Crime is inevitable but can be managed, it seems."

Sophia huffed. "It sort of was, although I was struggling with it. However, the Commissioner kept things tight in the City of Los Angeles, while also allowing the Rogue Riders to manage and supervise the crime rings. It was a good partnership. Things will be in flux when a new official takes his place, but again, that's not my problem."

"I wonder who murdered him," Ainsley said, staring off in wonder.

Sophia shook her head. "Again, not my problem. That's under the jurisdiction of the leader of the Rogue Riders—Dwayne Stone."