Legions of Bone: Dragon Rider Book 3

Chapter 22: Basically Just A Lot of Panic and Worry and More Panic

As someone trying to become a firefighter, I'm taking detailed notes. ^^

Holland

Holland was heading for the forest.

He didn't need to start at the beginning to figure out where Norah was going. She left the islands once and now she was doing it again.

Galeur was already on his way as he ran through the halls. And Holland was already packed from the trip, if he needed to be gone for more than a few days, he could do it.

"Holland!"

He spun back to Riveta, already reaching to hug her as she wrapped her arms around him. "He's here. He took her, didn't he?"

"She left," he said, feeling the clock ticking and the distance between him and Norah growing. "Etin was here but she left, and I have to go, I have to find her before he gets her."

She waved him off. "Tell me everything later."

"Riveta!" Her head snapped as a woman in dark scrubs waved her over. Holland kissed her goodbye quickly and left to find Galeur already waiting for him. His dragon dropped his shoulder for him to mount and took off into the chaos of the sky.

The last time the skies were this chaotic was in the last war, the earliest most people who aren't dragon riders remember. It was a minor war compared to the others, but Holland remembered dragons filling the skies, patrolling the grounds.

Galeur flew close to the destruction. He followed Norah's warpath out of the Main Halls and into the student training grounds. The grass was black beneath her feet but as soon as she reached the forest there were burn marks, not withered plants but burned. There were large vines that hadn't been in the forest before.

He found the remains of bodies. Of soldiers in armor. Of mages with rotted skin and caved heads and missing limbs.

Everything had fallen into a sharp, precise focus. Like his thoughts were in a hallway.

He saw every broken branch he passed, every indent in the dirt.

Galeur sniffed the ground when the path of destruction ended. He sneezed, fire and smoke blooming. He sneezed again and again until Holland was several feet back, making a face.

"Pollen," Galeur said. "It's everywhere. I can't smell anything."

Holland searched the woods, found a clear path of flowers and newly matured plants. Anything weird meant Norah, but Holland couldn't imagine how she had done that. Unless it wasn't her. Etin had used air when he possessed her, who's to say he couldn't make flowers bloom?

They followed the path into the city and Galeur's sneezing stopped once the crowded streets and plants had fallen away.

He followed Norah through the alleyways once Galeur's sense of smell returned. Holland raked a hand through his hair and found the nearest place to take off and flew to the tram station.

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The tram was filled with people. Some were sobbing and Holland didn't know if it was the news that was making them cry, if they'd lost loved ones, or if they were just crying to cry. But he didn't care. He and Galeur had just found Norah's scent again when his phone buzzed.

He fished it out of his pocket, reading the notification. Girl Falls From Window! Insane fight!!!!

Holland and the entire inner circle had set their phones to alert them of anything strange. He'd checked hundreds of news articles, blogging posts about monsters, and anything supernatural.