Legions of Bone: Dragon Rider Book 3

Chapter 37: Old Wounds Cut Open

Smut warning

Norah

Norah made the cabin as livable as she could. She'd received a list from everyone on what they wanted in the cabin, and she'd created a floor plan. It was her place, but Norah wanted everything to flow correctly. She had even run everything past Nevaeha, who had an unsurprising gift for design.

They'd all given her a list of things they'd wanted in the cabin, and the quiet, reserved commoner had surprised her the most. He'd asked for a workshop to test out explosives and solder wires in safety. Apparently, he had a knack for technology and an interest in chemistry.

Nevaeha wanted a nice bathroom and an indoor training room with padded floors to fight on.

Dagen got high vaulted ceilings and wooden beams he could access from the second floor to perch on and watch the others below. He had also requested a loft on the second floor, secluded from the others.

Modifying the house for them was easy enough for Norah, but for herself...

It felt like exposing her ribs to Vaella. Giving the goddess more information on how best to manipulate her.

Most importantly, Norah didn't fail to see what the goddess was doing by giving her this slice of control. Creating an illusion of what this place was. A cage.

Etin was always better at illusions.

Nevertheless, Norah had given herself a nice gym with mirrors on the walls to check her form and storage rooms for their findings and weapons.

Norah walked into the main room, seeing Milo and Fin crouched by the opposite wall, their backs to her. She thought about letting a kernel of her magic swell from the chest she locked it in. The commoner would certainly feel it--everyone in the house would feel her darkness, but fear among her teammates would get her nowhere but silence and betrayal. 

Milo was crouched in the living room, staring at the wall with an intense frown. He murmured to Fin, "This place is run on magic, Fin. Magic. We have lights and electricity but no wires. How am I supposed to get a T.V. set up with no wires?"

That was the one thing Vaella's magic hadn't been able to do. The house knew power, but a T.V. and internet were beyond its limits.

Norah crept past the living room and up the stairs to the second floor. All it would take is for one of them to look up and notice her, but mercifully they didn't, and she climbed up another flight of stairs until she got to a door.

She crept in, shutting it behind her only to be greeted by another staircase that she managed to climb in just three, large lunges. The tiny hall opened into a room with a wide, pointed ceiling and dark wooden floors surrounded by what Nevaeha called steel grey walls.

Dagen was crouched over a hole in the floor. He'd asked her to include these caches in the room—they were built under the floorboards, the walls, hidden behind shelves. There was no physical means of spotting these troves; it was entirely up to memory to find them.

Tiny boxes piled with jewels and gems were surrounding Dagen. His cloak pooled around him, hiding everything but a dark-haired head. He didn't turn to look at her, but Norah was sure he knew she was there.

Norah moved towards his side and saw the glare he cut her. He went back to his work, snickering something under his breath.

Norah's lips curled in a wry smile. She crooned, her voice like velvet, "Feeling snarky today, are we?"

He side-eyed her, lips twisting in a sneer. "Shouldn't you be busy raging somewhere?"

"Normally," she sighed, tugging at a lock of his hair. "But I'm afraid those business hours have passed."