Rainbow Magic (Dragon Rider #1) {EDITING}

The Dragon Council

"So..." Oz paced in front of where they sat, each nursing their own bruised head. "You're telling me you had a team discussion in a bathhouse?"

Beatrice met his accusing stare. "Yes. Problem?"

A fist slammed down on her head yet again. "Might I remind you that one of your number is of the opposite gender?" he asked. "Do I need to tell you how inappropriate that is?"

"But he's an honorary girl," Raelynn grumbled, earning herself another conk. "Besides... we went to a bathhouse that allowed us to wear towels..."

"Look between his legs and you'll find a different story!" Oz muttered, shaking his head as the only other male in the room turned an alarming shade of red.

Beatrice's head snapped up. "Can I?"

"No!" he hissed, whacking her over the head again. "That wasn't meant to be taken literally... honestly, don't you have any sense of boundaries?"

"Boundaries...? Like skin?"

Sora somehow managed to keep herself from snickering, watching as Oz struggled to keep himself from bashing his own head against the wall. His eye was twitching, his gaze drifting between the apparently confused redhead and Raelynn who was rolling around the floor with laughter.

"Beatrice, you're the best!" the blonde giggled.

"No, I mean like—"

"Oz..." Callum said, his expression unreadable. "Don't worry about it."

"But—"

"Leave it," he growled, grabbing Beatrice by the hand, pulling her towards the doors.

Sora blinked, confusion written across her face as she stared after them – wondering what the hell was going on. Callum had never spoken back to Oz. It seemed to her he didn't have the nerve to, but her assumption was apparently wrong.

"Twin..." Eir nudged her counterpart. "What's up with our honorary girl?"

"Hormones?" Eisa suggested, her face blank.

Sora shook her head, watching as Beatrice stuck out her tongue at Oz.

It was a bad move.

For her.

Sora sat back, sighing in relief as Oz chased the couple out of the room, leaving her and the rest of the rabble alone.

"Tch, how long till he's back?" Silver grumbled. "He said he had an important announcement to give us."

"He'll be back eventually." Raelynn grinned, sticking her thumb up. "We just need to wait for a few minutes," she said, twitching with nervous energy.

"You really think those two will be able to escape Oz for a few minutes?" Eisa asked, glancing over at the trio. "I'm betting more like seconds... Twin?"

"Five minutes."

Eisa grinned. "You're on," she said, slapping a large silver coin into her twin's hand.

Raelynn perked up, glancing at the two. "I suppose we have about five minutes to get away then..." she said, jumping to her feet.

"What happened to waiting around patiently?" Sora stared at her incredulously.

"Patience is overrated," Raelynn said, all but charging for the door.

Silver scowled, leaping up to follow her. "God knows how much trouble she'd get into on her own..." she muttered, racing out after her.

Sora sighed, eyeing the twins lazing about on the floor behind her. "Dammit! Don't leave me behind!" she yelled, chasing after the pair, barely able to hear the last of the conversation between the twins.

"Ten minutes."

"More like two, I'd say—"

The door closed with a small click and then Sora was on her teammates' tails. "Where are we even going?" she asked.

"Wherever this idiot is!" Silver called, racing around another corner, eyes widening. "Raelynn! Don't go that way!" she yelled.

Sora smiled grimly, knowing it likely wasn't going to end well. At the end of the day, though, they were a team. And teams stuck together no matter what.

Raelynn might've been a bit of a reckless idiot, but she was their reckless idiot.

"The Dragon Council is meeting in that room!"

Sora skidded to a stop.

"You damned brats! GET BACK HERE!" Oz's voice echoed through the corridors behind them, the man himself soon appearing around the corner, and Sora's legs made the decision for her.

She sprinted after them, uncaring as she charged through the room filled with important looking figures and Ethan – who had his head in his hands as the three of them ran in one archway and out the other. Sora could feel every single eye on them, her breath held until she'd reached the corridor on the other side without anything, or anyone, stopping them.

She relaxed ever so slightly, the burning stares gone.

Her fatal mistake.

A hand closed around the collar of her coat, yanking her off her feet as Oz ran by. "One down... two to go..." he mumbled, sprinting after the pair in front of her, dragging her along behind him like an unruly kitten.

"He's gaining on us," Raelynn muttered ahead of them.

"This is all your fault by the way," Silver said, promptly crashing to the ground from a well delivered punch.

Her blonde partner soon followed, the pair sprawled across the floor, completely unconscious.

Sora slumped to the ground, partly due to Oz dropping her but more so from her survival instincts which told her to play dead.

"Sora."

She didn't move.

"Sora."

Nothing.

"Sora, do you want me to punch you?"

She sat up. "No."

"Then get on your feet and get back to the rest of your teammates," he said, glaring at her pointedly. "I only have two hands, so I can only drag back two idiots."

And with that said, Sora began her walk of shame.

"Honestly... it's a good thing we're going for a little camping trip tomorrow... otherwise I'd hate to think about what the hell all the higherups would think of you idiots."

"Camping trip?" Sora asked, shivers raking up her spine as she felt his eyes on her.

"That's right," he said. "A fun camping trip."