Bloodlines: Dragon Rider Book 2

Chapter 18: Frostbite

A rider with dark red hair cringes with disgust. "So we're like actually training with them? Like training, training and without our dragons? I don't understand why they have to be fighting across the school. It's not like we're going to have them hurt the mages."

Holland stops, silencing him with a firm stare. "That's exactly why they aren't here. And yes, we're training with the mages, and the sooner you get over that, the more you'll take away from this exercise. It may even save your life when the time comes."

Another instructor inhales and runs his fingers through his raven hair. "This exercise is going to be a drastic change from your normal training. Mages are aggressive, far more than you may think. Be prepared for that and do not hold back."

In the distance someone scoffs. "What's their version of aggressive? A splinter?"

I press my lips together and run my fingers over my single braid. It's tighter than usual, meant to stay in place while I'm being thrown around.

Donovan shoves my shoulder. "If they're anything like, Norah, we'll be fine."

My lips spread in a grin as I look over my shoulder. "You guys couldn't handle me if I fought like a mage."

"Doubt that," Ekon mutters from a few students away, brooding as usual.

"During the training," Holland resumes, raising his voice to reel us back into focus. "There will be four groups, each with nine students chosen by your team captains-" Please be me. Please be me. Please be me. "Every group will start in the same spot and when the match starts you will need to get through the city and to the mountain. The first team that reaches the mountain will need to hold it for five minutes. Leave the spot and the time ends and you have to start over."

Clarika strides just a few feet away from Holland, hands clasped behind her. "Have you picked your students?"

He nods. "Have you?"

"Norah," she says with a smirk glinting in her eyes. She turns her head fully to me, knowing exactly how much satisfaction I'll have beating my opponent. "And Vexian has so graciously volunteered for the second position."

A grin splits across my face as I glance to the stout mage. I want to wink and start my antagonizing now but Holland would disapprove. Vexian is already looking at me, her grin so sharp I expect fangs. I make my way to the other mage instructors with her following close behind until she's standing by my side.

"Ready, mutt?" she whispers.

My only response is a sly shrug.

Holland doesn't seem to be fazed by my sister's choice and jutts his chin to each student. "Easton. Ekon, get up here."

Despite myself, I smirk and watch the two as they march up to the instructors and turn to face the group. Easton glances sidelong at me while Ekon ignores my existence entirely. We take turns picking people from the crowd, and Adam seems more than surprised when I call him up first. Gently, he pushes his way past the mages and steps beside me, ignoring Vexian's snicker about the half-breed choosing a mix of each faction. As expected, she picks Lillian and Scarlet, one a light mage and one an earth mage, along with six others.

Teams begin to form and Adam whispers the names and the elemental abilities of each mage I ask about. By the time we're done, Easton and Ekon have a full team of dragon riders and Valerie one of all mages. But to everyone's surprise, and my teammates dismay, I'm the only person with a mix of both. A shadow mage, two fire mages, and five dragon riders, myself, and Adam whom I expect to drive a knife in my back.