Burning Sky

Chapter 24

Mo and Katie hurried back practically screaming Sora's name. She hugged them and quickly assured them she was okay. Sora explained that Oliver saved her and they all agreed to follow him so he could lead them to Drake and Ben.

She didn't tell them that Oliver also knew what she was. She shot him a quick glare. She was terrified at first, but she calmed down after she sensed nothing malevolent about his intentions. He'd been excited when he called her a Dragoncaller. He definitely was grateful that she had managed to save Duke. Regardless of Oliver's intention, they couldn't stay in the burning forest. The flames were closing in. They needed to get out of there and alert the fire department. Also, Sora worried that the Harrisons were already on their way. It was unlikely they had missed the dragon fight.

As if he was reading her mind, Mo said, "We have to move." As usual he had come to the same conclusion as Sora, only a moment faster. She smiled at him and nodded.

The flames were quickly closing in, almost ready to encircle them. They ran quickly. Sirens screamed through the night and Sora wanted to be as far away as possible before the fire-fighters arrived. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the middle of another raging fire.

They quickly maneuvered out of the forest and headed up to the mountains, following a small tracking path. It was getting harder to walk by the minute as the rain pelted down on them, and the air grew colder. Sora and Katie clutched to each other as they walked hoping to draw extra body heat from one another. Up ahead, Oliver appeared oblivious to the cold, and the big hole that Sora had burned into his shirt with her palms.

"Are we close?" asked Mo from behind.

Oliver half-turned, giving Sora a brief view of his flawless profile. "Almost," he said and then flashed a faint smile. Sora knew he must have caught her staring.

They trudged ahead for a few more minutes, and then suddenly, Oliver came to a stop. "We're here," he said spreading his arms out to present the location. The rest of them quickly joined him. Ahead of them on the path headed downhill, there were a couple of pick-up trucks parked. There were some embers glinting in the night from a fire that had died awhile ago. The dying fire was surrounded by three sleeping bags, covered by a plastic see through curtain to keep the rain out.

Sora smiled at what she saw. Sitting on a fallen log next to one of the trucks was Drake. Seated next to him were Ben and Duke and a girl around her age whom Sora didn't recognize. Everyone appeared to be fine. More than fine when Drake shot her a smile. He obviously wasn't concerned about Oliver and his group. More importantly, they were all fully dressed. Probably with Duke's clothes, she guessed. Sora was glad that she wouldn't have to endure more naked men for the rest of the night.

Oliver headed down the hill to the camp, Sora, Mo and Katie tagged behind him. When Oliver reached Duke, he quickly assessed him from head to toe before walking over to the girl and giving her a huge hug. Sora thought the girl looked uncomfortable with Oliver's fingers brushing through her blond hair. She could relate.

Sora turned her attention to Drake who was still resting on the log. "Are you okay?" she asked, barely able to keep her hands from giving him the once over to make sure there were no broken bones. He nodded that he was fine, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am peachy, too, thanks for asking," Ben stated as he joined them. His tone was aggressive, but Sora didn't flinch, she was used to Ben's temper. He brought his head down to hers, their foreheads almost touching, his index finger raised in front of her nose. "Next time you get into my head I will kill you."

Sora didn't even have the time to get out a flippant response before Drake jolted up from the log and shoved Ben away from her. "Don't touch her!" he yelled, his voice filled with rage.