Rules of Justice
Exceptional S. Beaufont™ Book 8
Sarah Noffke
Michael Anderle
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2020 LMBPN Publishing
Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
A Michael Anderle Production
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US Edition, August 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-1-64971-130-4
Print ISBN: 978-1-64971-131-1
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Sarah’s Author Notes
Michael’s Author Notes
Acknowledgments
Books By Sarah Noffke
Check out Sarah Noffke’s YA Sci-fi Fantasy Series
Books By Michael Anderle
Connect with The Authors
The Rules of Justice Team
Thanks to the JIT Readers
Angel LaVey
Dave Hicks
Deb Mader
Diane L. Smith
Dorothy Lloyd
Heidi Bauer
Jackey Hankard-Brodie
Kerry Mortimer
Paul Westman
Peter Manis
Veronica Stephan-Miller
If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
The Skyhunter Editing Team
For my first reader, Juergen.
— Sarah
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
to Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
to Live the Life We Are
Called.
— Michael
Chapter One
The target skipped and sang down the cobbled road known as Roya Lane like an idiot rather than the grown man he was. King Rudolfus Sweetwater was notorious for being brainless, but watching him from the shadows, Nevin Gooseman saw firsthand how much of an imbecile he was.
Abducting him shouldn’t be hard. Once Nevin had him in custody, then the dimwit would lead them to the Great Library, according to Lorenzo Rosario, a Councilor for the House of Fourteen. Lorenzo was a longtime resource who often gave Nevin the inside scoop on private matters.
Currently, the Great Library was closed, but someone like King Rudolfus could gain entry. Nevin needed that if he was going to find a spell to remove the shield on the evil dragons. Then his military forces could take the beasts down, once and for all.
No good came from allowing such awful creatures to prowl the Earth. The Dragon Elite was entirely too powerful. The mortal world didn’t need to be governed by a magical organization. Even as a magician, Nevin knew that. The magical world was policed by the House of Fourteen. The mortal one should be governed by its own—with the exception of Nevin, who could oversee matters from public office.
Until Nevin could remove the shield from the evil dragons, he’d have to rely on other methods for discredi
ting the Dragon Elite. Several things were already in the works and would be such a blow to their reputation, Nevin was certain there would be no recovery for the dragonriders. Once the world saw how dangerous and lethal dragons were to mortals, they’d be begging him to get rid of the new population. His military forces were prepared to do just that.
Currently, the goons he’d hired to grab King Rudolfus were hiding on the other side of the Crying Cat Bakery, waiting for the fae to cross their path. He was so much in his own world, this wasn’t going to be hard. If Nevin hadn’t preferred not to get his hands dirty, he could have just done it himself, but he wasn’t the muscle. He was always the brains, the instigator.
King Rudolfus was almost to the narrow alleyway that ran along the shabby bakery run by two looney women. Nevin didn’t understand how such establishments were able to survive with their strange, eccentric style and disregard for orderly practices.
It was rumored the bakers used illegal magical ingredients and indulged in other questionable activities. However, because they were associated with the Dragon Elite and people like King Rudolf, they got away with their crimes, which angered Nevin to no end. Once he had time, he’d go after the bakery. Things in his jurisdiction were run his way, and everything was under his authority.
When the fae crossed the stretch of darkness by the alleyway, a pair of strong hands reached out and grabbed him. One covered King Rudolf’s mouth, and another went around his chest, restraining his arms.
There would be no fighting the giant Nevin had hired. He was so much bigger and stronger than the puny fae.
Still, King Rudolfus put up a fight, and a muffled scream echoed in the deserted alleyway as he kicked and tried to resist. The giant picked King Rudolfus up and held him against his chest, squeezing him so tightly that Nevin spied his face flush red.
“Don’t kill him,” Nevin muttered into his earpiece, knowing the giant could hear him.
The barbarian nodded at once and let up on King Rudolf. The giant backed into the darkness of the alleyway where an illegal portal had been created that emptied straight into Nevin’s secret headquarters. It was there he’d have the fae interrogated and find out how to get into the Great Library, and anything else of use the king might know. Nevin wasn’t holding out much hope there would be a lot of useful information. It was unlikely King Rudolfus knew much of anything, but if he got them into the Great Library, that would be enough.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Nevin strode casually for the alleyway, intent on following the giant through the portal. He ducked into the dark passage just as the door to the Crying Cat Bakery swung open. A woman with short hair and a ruthless expression poked her head out.
“Rudolf?” she barked, looking back and forth as Nevin watched from the shadows, his back cemented against the brick wall. “Where is that damn man? Always late.”
She shook her head and pursed her lips. “I could have sworn I heard that crazy-ass man singing.”
“I told you that you were losing your mind and hearing things again,” another woman called from inside.
“No, I believe I heard you plain and clear when you said you robbed the sundry shop the other day,” the first woman said, still looking to the cobbled street like King Rudolfus Sweetwater was hiding somewhere and about to jump out and yell “Boo!”
“See, that’s what I’m saying,” the woman inside the bakery argued. “You’re not hearing things right. I said that I wear a robe on Sunday.”
“Really? Then why did I find a whole box of beef jerky and cigarettes in your sock drawer?”
“Because you’re a snooper,” the woman answered. “Stay out of my stuff, or I’ll start lacing your food with hallucinogens.”
“Again?” the woman in the doorway asked, quite seriously. “I’m not sure I mind that so much. The year you did that was really memorable. I made lots of friends and backpacked all over the world.”
A laugh echoed from the bakery. “You never even left our basement.”
The woman gave the alleyway one last look before abandoning her search. “Let me help you cut that dough. Remember it needs to be really dark in here. Let’s turn off all the lights. The faster you do it, the better.”
Nevin shook his head at the absurdity of the two women as the door to the bakery shut. He really couldn’t understand how businesses like that were allowed to remain open. They wouldn’t be much longer. First, he had to plan the demise of the Dragon Elite. That was already going as planned with King Rudolfus in his custody.
Smiling with satisfaction, Nevin Gooseman stepped through the portal to his secret headquarters, excited to start the next phase of his plan.
Chapter Two
Ainsley cleared her throat and shook her head. “No, let’s try this again.” She stuck her hands on her hips, giving Trin Currante a stern expression.
Looking up at the tall cathedral style ceilings in the dining room of the Castle in the Gullington, Ainsley sang, “The rafters look quite nice today, Castle.”
The cyborg, who was also the newly appointed housekeeper for the Castle, let out a long breath that was marked by electronic noises. Her training hadn’t been going as expected…well, as she’d expected. “The rafters look nice,” she said.
The shapeshifter, who had traded her usual brown burlap dress for a yellow silk gown that hung off her shoulders, sighed. Ainsley didn’t look much like a housekeeper anymore. With the return of her memory, she’d taken on her former role as a diplomat for the Elfin Council. They were amazed to have her back and were waiting for her to be cured so she could leave the Gullington safely.
“No, you’ve got to really mean it, or the Castle will know your heart isn’t in it,” Ainsley scolded.
Trin, who looked like her usual self in all black clothes and covered in bits of metal, wires, and gears, grunted with frustration. “I just don’t get it. I figured as a housekeeper for the Castle that I’d sweep and mop and whatnot.”
Ainsley laughed a high-pitched sound that made both Sophia and Wilder flinch. “Oh, you thought wrong. This isn’t like a normal castle, and it requires a lot more work than if it were. You might dust a bit here and there, and you’ll cook from time to time. If you’re doing the job right, then the Castle takes care of most of the work for you. Your job is mostly to make it feel good. It’s about caring for its soul.”
Trin shot Sophia a look that said, “What in the hell have you gotten me into?”
She slid down in her seat at the dining table, avoiding the cyborg’s gaze.
“I still don’t understand.” Trin returned her attention to Ainsley. “The Castle is Quiet, the groundskeeper, right? Why can’t I just say nice things to him?”
Evan laughed from his place at the table next to Wilder. “I tried doing that mate, and it only makes the grumpy gnome madder than hell. He’s a very strange little guy. Total masochist from everything I can tell.”
Ainsley shook her head, ignoring the dragonrider. “Quiet is the Gullington, but the Castle is a very specific part of him. It’s like you doing crunches to strengthen your arms. It just doesn’t work. So, if you want to do the job right, you focus on the Castle. Focusing on Quiet is the wrong approach.”
“That was a good analogy,” Wilder complimented, narrowing his gaze at the phone that Sophia had gotten for him. Watching the two-hundred-year-old dragonrider learn how to use modern technology was even more fun than watching Evan. Although the devices were intuitive, for the ancient, out-of-date riders, it was taking a lot of getting used to.
“I don’t have to do crunches to maintain my six-pack abs,” Evan boasted.
“Must be nice,” Trin muttered, looking overwhelmed.
“Yeah, but for all his learning, he can’t fix stupid,” Ainsley teased, trotting off for the kitchen.