A Dragon's Rider (Unedited)

Chapter 18

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'Little one,' it replies softly 'I am you.' 

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'I am you from the gods. I am here to help you. I will help you destroy your enemies, reward your friends. All mortals have one like me, but only a handful ever access it. Your dragon called me out. You should be grateful. I sense evil in the one before you.' I see the boy on the floor in my minds eye.

'Will you please let me have control again?' I ask politely 'We were in the middle of sparring when you showed up. I was about to submit. My physical body cannot take much more.'

'Well,' she said 'that won't do. Let me give you some strength. You will be able to control it, provided you practice a bit. For now, I will give you just enough to win, not enough to be consumed by the power.'

'Thank you.' I reply 'Is there anything you would like me call you?'

I feel more than see her smile. 'You may call me Rayne. ' 

Ryan retreats from my mind though I can still feel her, milling around the recesses of my conscious. My body feels like it just woke up from a long sleep and my limbs hum from the energy. The instructors get up when they sense it's me again and the boy stands up. His arms shake but he grabs his sword none the less. The sword shakes but the holder's eyes are firm. The man in green signals to start again and the boy lunges. Everything slows down and I block with fierce precision. I can tell, in the next 5 minutes, that he is giving it his all, short hard thrusts followed by long, powerful strokes. I block them all  until I see his exhaustion is his movements. I then attack and disarm him with a series of complicated moves. His sword lies in the dust and we are both covered in mud, dirt, and whatever else is on the ground. 

I stand above him, both daggers on either side of his neck. Ryan applauds in my head and I do a mock bow. Stepping back, I look out at the students. None of them notice anything wrong and I think that Rayne or the instructors wiped their memories. 

"Come with us." I look around to see Hunter staring at me apprehensively. "If that's okay." he winces, seemingly scared of Rayne's temper. I sigh, drop my daggers, and follow him and the other instructors. They all give me a wide berth and I roll my eyes. 'Wimps.' Rayne snickers in my mind. Our group approaches a small hut looking thing before Hunter stops us. Everyone steps back and looks at me expectantly. 

"What?" 

"Go in." Hunter urges me.

"Uh... Okay?"I walk slowly up and push open the door. It swings open without a sound and I step in. The door slams shut and I whirl, try as I might, the door is locked and bolted shut. A scratching noise alerts me to somethings presence. My mind runs pictures of de-formed monsters and giant animals. I back up to the door and press hard against it. Maybe it won't notice me. The noise sounds again and the creature steps into the light. I gasp and my heart thumps hard in my chest. Rayne is silent for once and that makes me apprehensive. The creature turns to me and I can see its face. Rayne screams in my head and I blackout, welcoming the cool silence.