Wings of Grace

Chapter 18

 You want to play, do you?

Eyes still locked with Greno after their initial introduction, Lara felt a strange sensation, like the tingling of millions of tiny ants crawling across her flesh, her mind filled with echoes of the past.

Only... not her own.

The vision of vast rolling hills; colours dancing as the breeze tantalised the delicate petals of each flower in the meadow; a path leading to an old wooden two-story house; shimmers of laced cobwebs carefully woven in the corners of a beautifully furnished study; flames playfully licking the hot coals within the hearth as the warm ambient light flickered across hundreds of book titles.

 A flight of ornate wooden stairs appeared, beckoning Lara's descent into the uninviting room below. Pools of melted wax glistening beneath the naked flames, of the candles peeping out from the old ceiling chandelier, shed light on an enormous, medieval oak door.

Suddenly feint scratches appeared on its clean surface, abruptly transforming into deep-trenched claw marks. Lara could feel her heart thumping within her chest.

Mesmerised, she watched as the door slowly opened, displaying a small creature, no bigger than an adult house cat, hiding in the shadows. Shyly, the little animal plodded out of the darkness and into the well-lit doorway. A beam of light captured the soft translucent amber folds of a wing as it unwrapped itself from around its endearing, scaly plump mottled green body.

Black pools of dark energy stared intensely at her, before sneezing out a tiny puff of smoke.

Then without warning the miniature became a full-fledged adult. 

The puff was replaced by real fire. 

Adoration turned to horror.

The door slammed shut... All was gone.

What was that?

It had only lasted several seconds. The dragon had looked so real, she was sure she hadn't imagined it.

Greno silently looked on, just watching her.

Lara, still shaken, became aware that Ennar was speaking to her. Breaking eye contact with Greno, she turned to face her tutor.

"Fighting the Deathbrone, within human limitations, can only end in death. Your death." Ennar, was obviously unaware of what had just happened.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Lara sighed. Trying to put the dragon's image behind her so she could fully concentrate on what Ennar was saying.

"You have to open your mind to the realization that everything is not as it appears."

Ennar's parchment had been moved by Greno, to another table directly in front of the boxing platform. As directed, Lara picked a mottled brown, wooden staff, from a large cabinet filled with some of the most extraordinary weapons she had ever seen. From heavily ornate knives and swords, fine crafted bows and arrows, battle axes, maces, Warhammers, and even a... parasol?

"Your body is a vessel that allows you to sail between the many hidden oceans within the mind. But, so long as you keep yourself anchored to one ocean floor, you'll never be able to attain your true potential and see what you're really capable of."

Lara's attention was more focused on admiring the weaponry, than Ennar, who upon noticing her diversion, increased in volume until he was almost shouting, then lowering it again when he successfully gained her full concentration once more.