Chapter 7

Hiker Wallace's Office, The Castle, The Gullington, Scotland, United Kingdom

When Sophia led Gen into the Castle, she hurried her upstairs, giving her a guilty look. Gen didn't ask any questions, as she was taken to a second-floor office which apparently belonged to this Hiker Wallace. However, Gen's silence was mostly because she was overwhelmed by the grandness and whimsy of the Castle's interior. It was unlike anything that Gen had seen and then also, ironically, very much like the places she'd grown up. It had the bones of a medieval castle, but the flare of the modern world.

Gen had stepped through the towering front door, its stained-glass window of angels casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the stone floor in a silent welcome. The grandeur of the entryway unfolded before her with its exposed beams. They were a testament to the craftsmanship of her time, intricately carved with old charm.

A grand staircase swept upwards, inviting exploration leading to an open loft. Paintings adorned the walls, each a portal to a moment frozen in time. Overhead, a rustic chandelier dangled, its light flickering like stars caught in a net of iron.

A coat of arms stood on the second-floor landing, bold and proud. It seemed to guard the artworks of dragons and their riders. Portraits of people long past gazed down, their eyes alight with the echoes of their achievements, inviting her into their ranks.

She felt a surge of familiarity, the architecture and adornments a mirror to the life she'd been ripped from. And yet here, her old world was touched with a whimsy that danced on the edge of magic and was very inviting.

Every detail, from the warmth of the hearth to the scent of aged wood and the soft glow of candlelight, spoke of old-world elegance that seemed to infuse the very air with anticipation. This was a place where the past met the present, where stories were not just told but lived, and where every corner held the promise of discovery.

Gen, with her warrior's heart and medieval soul, felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. It was as if the castle itself had extended an invitation to step into its embrace and become part of its ongoing story. She didn't know for sure, but she wanted to believe that even after her brief meeting with Quiet, that he liked her. That he, as the bones and living breath of this place, was saying that he welcomed her.

Sophia breezed into a regal office, the back wall lined with hundreds of volumes of old books. On the far side, there was a bank of windows that overlooked the Pond and Expanse in the distance, framing them perfectly. And to the left, sitting with his head down and attention on a set of papers on his desk, was a large, hulking man.

Gen guessed this was Hiker Wallace, the one Sophia hinted at having a bad attitude. He had blond hair to his shoulders and a beard to match, but she couldn't make out much more about him. His head was bowed low and his eyes focused on the paper before him.

Without looking up, the man said, "Is this about the Commissioner of Los Angeles?" Hiker had a thick Scottish accent that made Gen think she was still in the 15th century.

Sophia halted suddenly, giving Gen a look of uncertainty. "No, sir. This is about something…else…"

With an annoyed sigh, Hiker glanced up, his mustache vibrating from the gesture. His eyes screwed up with confusion at the sight of Gen. "And who is that?"

"This is…well, sir, it's a funny story," Sophia began, actually looking a bit nervous for once.

Hiker grunted, narrowing his light-colored eyes at Sophia. He pressed his hand down on his armored tunic, growling low. "You and I almost never find the same things funny."

"True," Sophia chirped, pretending to laugh. "But isn't that because you don't find most things funny?"

Hiker didn't seem to think this warranted a reply and simply glared at her.

Sophia motioned to the chair in front of Hiker's desk, encouraging Gen to take it. Not wanting to be rude, Gen did as instructed, sliding into the high-backed, intricately carved chair, just as Sophia did the same thing beside her.

"You see, sir," Sophia began. "This is Gen and I couldn't tell you about her, well, because at first I didn't know because my sister Liv hadn't shared with me about the snafu in time travel. And then I did find out, but I was planning the right time to share this information with you and lo and behold, today's your lucky day."

Hiker lowered his chin, giving Sophia a pointed look that accurately spoke of his bad mood. The dragonrider was right, this man didn't seem like the cheerful type. "Get to the point. Why have you brought this actor from medieval Times into the Castle? How did you even get her in here?"

He looked Gen over. She was still wearing her warrior clothes from back in the day because mostly it was all she had and it was what she felt comfortable wearing. Liv and the other Beaufont women had of course offered for her to have some of their clothes but she didn't feel right about it. Therefore, Gen was wearing an armored top with cross stitching in the front, a half skirt, several belts strapped across her chest and hips and knee-high boots. It was the kind of things that medieval warrior women wore in her day. But since she was the only one, it was really only something worn by her.

Sophia cleared her throat. "She's not an actor. She's from the 15th century. And you will know her as Genevieve Beaufont, the first warrior and Founder for the House of Fourteen. She came through a time travel gate, following my sister and my niece, Rose, when they were repairing holes in the space-time continuum. But she's stuck here in this time." Sophia said all of this in quick succession, not even pausing to breathe between sentences.

If Sophia was worried that Hiker was going to be mad, then she was in for a surprise. The leader of the Dragon Elite put his head in his hand, resting on his elbow on his desk and regarded her with mild annoyance. "This sounds like a real pain in the rear end for Papa Creola. I bet that man wants to murder the Beaufonts. Genevieve Beaufont was a pretty big deal and if she's here, then she's not in the 15th century creating the history that we desperately need her to establish. She's the very foundation of the governing world of magic. So please, tell me, why is it that you've brought your colossal problem to me?"

Sophia held up a finger, pausing the man seated before her. "I'm getting to that. But good news, sir. Apparently, Liv, Rose and Father Time learned that Gen here was never supposed to go back. This is her timeframe."

He shook his head. "Of course, it's not. I know my history. Hell, I lived that history. I've been alive for close to six hundred years. I met Genevieve Beaufont and she was the cornerstone of the magical world."

"That's nice to hear," Gen said proudly, now knowing the truth of what happened and feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude to her sister, Elizabeth, for her courage.

Hiker cut his eyes to her. "It is and you look younger than I remember. But it's nice to meet you again. Now get out and back in your own time before you make ours disintegrate."

Gen couldn't help but laugh. "We haven't met. Not until just now anyway."

"Of course we did," Hiker argued, growing even more annoyed. "Your son, Oscar Beaufont was one of my riders."

"Oscar," Gen said, fondly. "That's a nice name she chose."

Hiker's eyes widened with annoyance. He jerked his head to look at Sophia. "What in the bloody hell is going on here?"

Sophia let out a long breath. "Gen never went back to her timeline—ever. She simply went missing in 1426. So her father, William Beaufont, who had just founded the House of Fourteen with his daughter, became worried when the first warrior went missing. He thought that her absence would put his leadership in jeopardy. So even though he was upset about the mystery of losing Gen, he had her twin sister, Elizabeth replace her."

Hiker seemed to think for a moment. Shook his head. Narrowed his eyes. "No, Elizabeth is the one who went missing. I know my history. It was a mystery and William never quit looking for his daughter…" His voice trailed away as his eyes widened with understanding. "He never found her, because she came through a time gate to the modern world… You're Genevieve Beaufont, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I prefer to go by Gen. But yes. My sister Elizabeth would have taken my role, pretending to be me. My father wouldn't have been able to explain to the Founding families how the first warrior for the House of Fourteen just disappeared. It would have tarnished his reputation when he had just established himself as a leader over the magical world."

Hiker pushed back in his chair, seeming overwhelmed. "Wow, this is a lot to process. But at least you being here won't unravel the fabric of time." Hiker brought his distant gaze up, looking straight at Sophia. "So although this is fascinating family history and more, why have you brought this first of the Beaufonts here to me?"

"That's the part most relevant to us as dragonriders," Sophia began with a tense smile. "Gen found a dragon egg in the 15th century and buried it."

"Oh, did she?" Hiker laughed. "And now she wants to know what happened to it, then?" He glanced at Gen. "Well, they've all been found. They've all hatched. Sorry, Missy. You're a couple decades too late."

Gen's face remained neutral. "Actually, last week, I dug up the dragon's egg I buried."

Hiker scowled. "That's impossible. There were only ever two thousand dragon eggs. They've all since hatched."

Sophia shook her head. "There were two thousand and one eggs. And Gen, my long-lost ancestor, found the very first one. And she has it now—unhatched."