Bloodlines: Dragon Rider Book 2

Chapter 3: Babble, Babble, Babble

Hey everyone!

How are you guys liking the book so far? Any questions, comments, or ideas on what you think might happen later in the book?  Also, I've always wondered what you think Norah or one of the other characters looks like because in every book every reader imagines the book differently. If you want to tell me, I'm all ears. 

Enjoy :)

We land on the lawn in front of the Special Tactics dorms. Air whirls around us and before Rima's feet touch the ground, I am already sliding down her side and running to find our team leader. My eyes search the forest behind us, trying to find the shadows of sleeping dragons within them. My heart surges in my ears and a light sheen covers the small bits of exposed skin.

I turn to the red and grey stone bricked dorm that curves into a U-shape. The roofs come to a sharp point, allowing the snow to slide down instead of clinging to the roof and forcing the ceiling to cave. I take a step forward, feeling the way my legs shake. My knees want to give but I refuse to let that happen. Not now, not until after Ekon has been informed of what happened.

Rima's snout nudges my spine, gently reminding me to hurry up. She is much more focused than I am. After all, she has been around much longer than me and has been in countless fights before. I have only participated in brutal training exercises and to actually have your first real fight doesn't feel like I imagined it would.

Even in the night, with the clouds spread through starless skies, I feel a shadow loom over me. I ready for a fight, head snapping up only to see the black wings of a dragon. A small amount of relief rushes through me as the black dragon lands, far away from us.

Normally, Rima and I keep our distance from Ekon. After all, he only puts up with us -- me. Still, I run towards the four-horned dragon and the brute man with dark purple hair. I have to remind myself that he is much kinder than he lets on. Donovan told me he died his hair for his little sister when she became a Dragon Rider.

Ekon climbs down from his dragon, making way straight for the dorms without glancing to me or Rima. My family does the same thing to me, purposefully avoiding eye-contact and pacing off in the opposite direction.

I know when people are trying to avoid me.

"Ekon!" I holler. The muscled man stills, his large shoulders tense before relaxing in a sigh of defeat. He turns and the shadows along his face define the crooked nose he got from Valerie in a training exercise.

"Norah, what are you still doing here? You were supposed to be gone six hours ago." The sharpness of his voice makes me stop and stare. My mouth open and closes and Rima too is stunned by the accusation in his voice. He doesn't usually talk to me like this.

A sheen of sweat glissens under the moonlight while it trickles down his neck. The sides of his head are shaved and the top is tied into a bun. Brown eyes, sharp and stern burn into me and for a split second, I imagine his fist in my face

"What is it?" He snaps, earning a hiss from Rima.

I step back, snapping out of my daze. "I was attacked by dead people." I sound too unsure of myself.

He scoffs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Gods -- y-you know normally, I can handle this." A large hand waves towards me in gesture. Ekons problem isn't with Rima, he respects her tremendously, but her rider is half mage and that is all he sees in me.

A mage.

A Crimson.

My eyes flick to Stormcutter who remains silent. Unlike his rider, Stormcutter understands that I too am a Dragon Rider, and having the last two-colored dragon around helps with that. But Stormcutter doesn't like me enough to go against his rider and keeps quiet.