A Dragon's Rider (Unedited)

Chapter 36

John shakily gets to his feet and looks around. He sees Soul lying face up in the dirt and has the audacity to laugh. I growl. His gaze snaps up to me and a malicious grin spreads across his face.

"Little bird. Here I was thinking you were a small dove. Apparently you're a eagle. Well then." He slides into a fighting position. "Attack me little eagle."

And so I do.

I come at him, a flurry of punches and kicks. He bats each one aside as if he was playing with string.

"Is that all you can do? Well, I must say I'm disappointed in you little bird. I guess you are a dove after all."

I grimace. That last attack made a large dent in my energy stores and he didn't even break a sweat. My back and forehead are sticky and damp as I shift my weight and ponder my next move. John though gets impatient and steps into action. He feints left and swings fight, grazing my thigh with a knife and getting in a punch to my abdomen. He swings low and as I reach to block it, changes to an uppercut with his bare hand. It hits me right below my ribs and the wind gets knocked out of me.

As I lie on the ground and think about how such a horrible day to begin with got any worse, I hear a dragons roar. It sounds strangely familiar and I wince at the thought of Amipere. A black shape swoops overhead and lands in front of me. It's Amipere in all her black and gold glory. Bright eyes shining in fury at the man who stands before her. She's the size of a big dog but seems to grow in front of me. Her form rippling and quickly doubling, tripling in size until he is about the same height as a large bear. Her horns mature and grow out to curl delicately around her face and her scales darken to a pitch black. The light speckling of gold on her spreads to appear as though she is covered in a gold spiderweb. Her eyes remain a fierce violet and you can see her anger at John. She clutches three delicate swords in her claws, each covered by a scabbard. Two are black and gold with an amethyst in the handle and one is silver with a ruby in the handle. The black and gold she leaves next to me and she throws the silver to John. He stares in awe at my beautiful creature before running for the sword. I myself pick up the swords and can immediately tell that they are meant for me. The handles are worn yet new and I caress the blades with a gentle hand. They feel cool and smooth beneath my trembling hands. I stare down at them before looking back at my dragon.

Rider heart. I hear Amipere. I have missed you. Tell me, what has happened since I have been gone?

Nothing much. I tell her sarcastically. John just decided to turn on us. She blinks in surprise before once again baring her teeth at him.

Thou art the lowest of men in this world. She speaks harshly and I can tell John hears her by the way he jumps, startled by her words. You dare defy me and my rider? You shall feel our wrath!

John begins to shake for a moment before composing himself. "Bring it." he says, getting into a fighting position. I merely stand still; Amipere's presence giving me strength. John rushes towards me, sword outstretched as though to skewer me. I dart to the side, parrying his thrust without a word. He stumbles past me and quickly changes his course, turning so he's facing me again. His attacks come as a powerful onslaught and I narrowly avoid getting shish-ka-bobbed. My two blades flash in the light, cutting in and out of the air but John avoids each and everyone of my attacks. I growl my annoyance and decide to end this.

Johns POV (Oh!! A twist!)
The girl before me is battered and bruised, cut and bleeding and yet I find myself quivering. She displays the aura of a wild animal, nay, an animal would be driven by instinct. She is something more. Every move is carefully evaluated and executed. She is a warrior. The stone in her eyes could cut metal and it is only made creepier by the fact that she has said nothing. She slices and spins through the air, a whirlwind of motion. Time seems to make her stronger as her attacks keep coming. I am scared for my life.

Zircons POV (aka back to normal)

I can smell his fear. It's a pungent aroma, one that I savor. This fight will end soon. I see a small opening in our dangerous dance, the slightest hesitation on his part and I don't think twice. I stab with one sword, knowing fully well that he will block me, and slice with the other. The second stroke hits home and slices Johns arm. He gasps and looks down. I can see the bones in his arm and John can see them as well. He smiles tightly around the pain before looking back at me. His legs buckle and more blood shoots out of his wound. I must have hit an artery. He falls to his knees with a sickening crunch and I know he is done for.

"You know." John says "I am just the beginning. I am just the messenger. If you think I'm sick, you haven't seen anything yet." He grins, arterial red gushing from his arm. The light slowly go out in his eyes as he keels over onto the ground. I say nothing, just watch his prone form fall. I breathe heavily and stare at the body of my enemy. Before my eyes, John starts to disintegrate until he's nothing but a pile of ash and salt. 

"From ash and salt they come, to ash and salt they go." I hear Amipere behind me and collapse into her. Deep down I know John was right.

He was just the beginning, the messenger. He was meant to give us a taste of the puppeteers' power. And it worked; except now I'm mad. He killed my friend. If he thinks he can get away with that, he is sorely mistaken.

End of Book 1, "A Dragons Rider"

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This book is finally done. I never actually thought it would happen. I always expected myself to wake up one day and be bored of it. That never happened!! I want to thank everyone for all the love and support you gave me. I couldn't have done it without you.

I also want to thank everyone who hated my book. I know that sounds strange but seriously. Without all the haters I never would have kept going. I kept writing this book because I wanted to show them that I could do it. And I did. Even if you despised the book with all your being, you helped me and for that I am grateful.

Yes there will be a second book. No I don't know when that will happen.

Thank you!!

Look at this. 2000 words exactly.

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