Legions of Bone: Dragon Rider Book 3

Chapter 46: River Monster

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Norah shut the door behind her, leaving Holland to do more, as he called it, pencil-pushing duties.

Holland's office was still on the student side of the Main Halls. The halls were unusually empty due to the evacuation, but she still passed a few instructors - most giving her the usual disdain.

Once, it might have bothered her. Now she could only imagine their reactions when they found that the girl they hated most was their only hope.

She noted the steady heartbeat in the hall she was turning into, her ice ready to be called upon. She turned, easily avoiding the tower of a human being-

"Miss Crimson."

Norah was already turning to look at him. She blinked, taking in his dark brown eyes and brown skin. He was built like most dragon riders. Strong enough for two mages. Taller than most people, but at least as tall as Holland. He looked like he knew his way around a sword but Norah was most interested in his demeanor; the calmness he radiated and certainty he held himself with.

"You're the woman from the meeting," he said swiftly, professionally.

"And you're the man with the envelope."

"Rhyker," he amended. "My name is Rhyker." His dark eyes flicked around the halls, sharp and intelligent--searching for any eavesdroppers. "You're working with a god."

"I am."

Rhyker looked back at her in a way that most people did not. With calm, respectful eyes. Like she was an equal. But she also noted the way he studied her--assessing her the way she did him.

"The council's declared war," he went on, "and Cedric's told it will be against a powerful god."

He was leading onto something and Norah did not have the patience to wait.

"Get on with it," she said.

If he was nervous, he didn't show it. "I want to help your team."

"I have quite a few people on my team. And a god," she told him impassively. "All of which are skilled fighters and knowledgeable people. What would you bring to my team?"

Rhyker didn't hesitate, which meant he was either quick-witted or he'd prepared for this. "I have over three-hundred-and-fifty-years of military experience under my belt," he began. "Mostly as a soldier. But in the last two hundred years, I left to attend the daily estate and work with my family until the Thrawlers started to attack. Then I joined again, working as an aid for Cedric and overseeing things at the front."

Norah dropped a line, seeing where he'd lead it. "You seem more like a hands-on kind of warrior."

He nodded, dark eyes stark with honesty. "I am, but Cedric needed an overseer and someone he could trust."

Trust. The words didn't settle right with Norah. Trust implied loyalty. He could be a spy, even if he didn't look like one.

"And now you want to move to another team?" she drawled. "Why?"