Rainbow Magic (Dragon Rider #1) {EDITING}

Chapter Four: The Outer City

Raelynn was a twitching bundle of energy after a few hours, and Sora was glad Cynthia was there. She could barely keep up with their conversation as it was, and if it had all been directed at her she'd have been lost. Yawning, she sank further into her seat, staring out the window all the while. It was getting darker by the minute, the last rays of sunlight just about illuminating the rocky cliffsides they were passing through. Thankfully, both the tracks and the train were protected from any falling rocks thanks to a bit of handy magic so Sora didn't need to worry about that. Cynthia had reassured her enough.

"You really think a few rocks would keep us from being on time?" Ethan scoffed, going back to his reading in seconds.

Sora shrugged, resuming her staring out the window, noting the fact they'd passed through the canyon. Trees blurred together, their tops covered in a fine layer of white snow but the further north they went, the thicker it became. Whatever magic protected the tracks clearly kept the snow at bay, otherwise they'd be waist deep in the stuff by that point.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Cynthia peered over her shoulder.

"What?" She blinked, spinning to face her, sniggering slightly when she caught sight of an exasperated Ethan trying to deal with Raelynn. "I mean... yeah, I suppose."

"Not a big fan of statues then?"

"Statues?" She turned back to the small window, eyes widening when she spotted what had to be one of the Landmarks of the North. They were carved from the cliffs behind them, two distinctly male heads and shoulders jutting out of the ground, swords held up high – creating what looked to be a gateway to their side... and Sora could see the train tracks running through them. Movement caught her eye, her gaze snapping up to the figure she could just about see standing at the very tip of one of the stone swords. "Who the hell is up there?" she asked, pressing her face up against the glass, scowling when the train curved around the corner and both the man and the statues vanished from sight.

"Relax, I recognise him. He's a rider," Cynthia said, patting her shoulder. "The worst he'll do is jump on the train."

"Jump?" She froze. "From all the way up there?"

She winked. "Magic."

"Of course..."

A loud thud sounded on the roof of the train, a stone neck flashing past her in her peripheral, and then they were in yet another narrow valley. The sound of the doors opening made her pause, her eyes flicking over to the snow-covered figure swinging himself inside.

"Phew," he mumbled, dusting the snow from his hair. "It's chilly out there."

"Beckett," Ethan said, nodding at the man.

He was tall, his hair a dark chestnut brown, half his face covered by the warm mask he soon pulled down. "Sorry for interrupting your fun... thought I'd hitch a lift back with your ugly mugs," he said, grinning at the pair.

"Why're you even out here?" Cynthia asked, staring at him sceptically.

"Patrol," he said. "Seems like somebody is testing how well we can actually guard our borders..."

"Patrolling? On your own?" Ethan tilted his head, eyebrow raised.

"What about Lorri?"

"She's enjoying the snow. I'm not," Beckett mumbled, shivering as he sat down on the other side of the carriage, pulling his white coat further around his chest.

"What is it with dragons and snow?" Cynthia sighed. "They're obsessed with it..."

"Why do you think the Founder built the Outer City up here?" Beckett sneezed.