Bloodlines: Dragon Rider Book 2

Chapter 13: It Starts To Go Down Hill From Here

^^^ Clarika when Norah says okay and leaves. Same vibe.

Guys we're getting to the good part of the book! We're almost there, just a few more chapters and we're going to see Norah fucking wrecking both factions (you'll understand in a few chapters). 

The grass flattens in waves with each gust of wind. Pieces of long, coarse grass find their way into my mouth and eyes with every breeze. With each gust, I find it harder not to freeze the entire meadow.

"Adam, can't you do something about this wind?" I ask, eyes sliding over the weathered cursive letters in my book. I flip to the next page and internally groan when I glance at the thousand or-so pages left.

Beside me, the air mage rolls onto his stomach, keeping his book clutched to his chest. He buries his face into his red and black flannel jacket bundled on the ground. "Yeah, but that takes effort."

I roll my eyes but feel his laziness on a deeper level. For a moment, I stare at him, contemplating why I keep him around. He could be working for my mother, waiting to take notes on any information that slips from my mouth. But I invited him into the meadow because it feels nice to have the possibility of someone keeping me company other than Rima. It feels nice to have a friend, even if there's a chance he may actually despise me.

"I know but-"

Adam waves a lazy hand. Another burst of wind sends the grass curling over me, hitting me in the eye. My eyes flutter furiously, trying to blink away the tears and pain.

Total spy.

His laugh makes me want to frost him too. I sneer at him, hoping my tears won't ruin my mascara. "Did you finish the book yet?" He asks, noting my glare with a playful smiles.

My tongue runs over my teeth and I shift, debating if I should indulge in my childish emotions to push him over. "No," I grumble.

He snorts, bringing an arm over his eyes. "Amateur."

"Sorry," I sneer, sounding anything than apologetic. "Not all of us can read an entire book in two minutes, bookworm." There's a long silence that follows after and though he doesn't look at me, I feel his question burning into my whole body. "No, we're not going to the archives."

Adam sits up, huffing dramatically. "But Rosity is known for their library. They have one of the oldest in all of the mage cities. Just imagine what'd we find there. Maybe more books on that." He juts his chin to the book in my hands.

I glance down at the large book with yellowed edges. After Thrawlers killed the guards in Belonia, my parents were forced to take action. They started shipping students to different academies or sending them home if it wasn't near any city near the red zone, places close to the 'plague.' During the chaos of moving students, I slipped back into Professors Hariek's room and snatched the book again.

I doubt he ever noticed it missing from his shelf.

I sit up, shoulders slumping. Every muscle in my back aches from the long hours of travel. When my parents announced that students would be leaving, Clarika made sure to find me before Rima and I could even blink. She reminded me of my promise to stay with her, and that meant following her and our mother to Rosity while Father stayed behind to oversee the armies in Belonia.

With a sigh, I gaze across the flowers and grass that have been planted so beautifully. Riveta would love the yellows, reds, and blues that mix with the trees and giant bushes. She wants a vegetable garden in the back to make her food taste fresher. I know Yulemas is approaching and though it's a mage holiday, I think about getting her some seeds for a garden.