The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 29: The Mirror

Ragin walked slowly back to his room, his mind awhirl. He had kissed her. The action surprised him. He didn't think Freya was aware, but that had been his first kiss. He had never really been so close to a girl before to even think about that sort of relationship, and while he was open to something happening, for it to be Freya, it hosted an enormous amount of complications.

He sighed, shaking his head. His head was too muddled to be having these rational thoughts. The alcohol was not helping, nor were the rather ravishing and passionate thoughts and feelings originating from his dragon in the back of his mind. He closed his head off to her a little more with a soft sigh. He wondered what Akaysha would think once she found out what had happened. He chuckled softly at the thought.

Stuck with his thoughts swirling he approached the sliding door that would lead to his room. From the other direction walked someone else. A bit of a shadowy figure, with a long dark grey cloak that Ragin himself was fond of when sneaking around. As the rider glanced at the figure he frowned, a worm of suspicion trickling into him. In his alcohol induced state he wasn't quite as quick to notice things as he usually was. That changed however as a knife appeared in the figure's hand.

His eyes widened as the figure rushed him, stabbing toward him. His wards deflected the blow, causing him to flinch. It was surprising how quick one sobered up when their life was in danger. The assassin thrust his dagger again at the rider, and Ragin leapt to the side, deflecting the dagger with one hand and smashing his fist into his assailant's nose, causing them to stagger backwards, grunting in surprise. They broke Ragin's grip on their hand and leapt back, allowing the rider time to draw his sword.

They faced each other a moment, silent. Realising that he had failed to take the rider by surprise, the figure's eyes continued to dart around, realising that he was likely about to loose this quick clash. Ragin narrowed his eyes, realising his attacker was a human, likely someone that had managed to sneak into the dragon city with everyone else that had arrived. He spotted a ring around the man's finger, and when he tried to reach out his mind to mentally attack his opponent he couldn't find it.

"Who sent you?" Ragin growled between his teeth.

The man's eyes flashed in annoyance at the question, before seeming to realise there was no chance he was getting out of this alive, "Foeswarn sends his regards."

He pulled back his arm in an attempt to throw his dagger at Ragin, knowing it wouldn't really work but deciding to try a last ditch effort. The rogue rider didn't let him. As soon as the man moved, so did Ragin, leaping forward and slicing Wyrda's starlight blade across his assailant's throat. The man gasped, staggering backward, a line of blood appearing where his blade had struck. He quickly grasped his neck, before pulling his hand back and blinking in surprise when he realised it was covered in blood.

He glared at Ragin angrily, before falling to his knees, blood now flowing freely down his throat, "We will get you... you can't hide. You can't... stop... us..." the man collapsed to the ground, dead.

The rider cleaned his blade on the corpse's cloak, finding himself a little shaken up. He had grown complacent. No one had attacked him in over a month, the most negative reaction he had had was Theaden's, and he hadn't seen the elf for a while. He suspected the black rider had been scent to Alageasia.

He gently sheathed his blade, realising with grim humour that this man had been the first one to fall before his sword. He wouldn't be the last either, considering what the man had just said. Narrowing his eyes he knelt by the body, taking the ring off the finger and pocketing it. As he did, something else caught his eye, a flash of gold in the man's clothes. Curious he reached for it and pulled it out.