Legions of Bone: Dragon Rider Book 3

Chapter 35: There Are Lies, But Where?

Nevaeha 

"I can't feel anything," Milo muttered.

Nevaeha stared at the ceiling, her head numb despite her pounding headache. "Same."

In the military, she'd thought her training rigorous. All the laps. The situps and squats and drills wrestling in the dirt. But Norah's training left her bones wobbly like jello. Like her body would just shake so fast she'd lift into the air.

She'd learned from the night before, and went into the experience open-minded. But Norah's training made her question what a sword was. Was her footing right? Was her jab effective?

Norah critiqued everything. Learning was one of the reasons they decided to join, but Norah wasn't kind about how she corrected everyone. She wasn't mean or rude, either. Just direct. No tippy-toeing around what she was trying to say.

Nevaeha appreciated it.

"You should put ice on your eye," Milo mumbled, slumped in a chair at the table. His dark hair was slicked back, still wet from the bath, and his dark skin glowed.

Nevaeha patted the bruise under her eye, wincing as the throbbing worsened.

"Dirty fighting," Nevaeha gasped when Dragon Bait had elbowed her.

"There's no use training with honor when our opponents won't," Norah had said.

Nevaeha hadn't liked that, but she'd said nothing. She also found great satisfaction every time Norah picked on Dragon Bait for his poor technique.

"It's only going to get harder from here," Milo muttered.

Nevaeha wished she could nod, but her neck was too sore.

Scylla slept on the mountain the cabin was embedded in, scavenging for food and water nearby. Norah promised to get Scylla a proper stable when the owner of the house returned.

As a dragon, Scylla was fine with the winds and icy rain that seemed so plentiful here. They were more concerned with the lack of Rima. On the Islands, Nevaeha had heard that other dragons could feel the Dawnwing before they even saw her. But Nevaeha didn't want to risk bringing up such a risky topic.

Though if Rima had died, it would have been on the news and the talk of Khalier for months.

Believing what you've been spoon-fed.

Nevaeha peeped an eye open, not expecting anyone to be there but still finding Dragon Bait come out of the hallway, his dark hair damp. He didn't look at them, didn't say anything or do anything to acknowledge that they were in the room as he ventured to the corner opposite of them. He peered behind the first stack of books that looked older than all of them put together.

The cabin was tiny and lacking in personality. Too much wood--the floors, the wall, and ceilings were all decorated with it. The front door looked made for a giant. There was no toilet in the bathroom with its stone tub and stone floors and walls. Books of every kind and age were stacked in seven or eight's, pushed to the sides of the walls. All the papers that had been neatly placed on the table were now in the corner, nearly out of view.

Nevaeha watched him, petting Fin laying on the floor between her and Milo. "Why doesn't he talk to us?" she whispered to Milo.

Milo's dark eyes slid from the ceiling to her, dark and resolute. "You did insult him within the first couple minutes of meeting him. What did you expect?"