Ryan Leo jerked out of his doze as the car hit a rough patch on the road. Looking out of the window, he saw the forest opening up to a small town, the family's destination. Ryan was surprised at the look of the town – he'd been expecting a sleepy, old-fashioned village, not the modern buildings and facilities that actually existed. So much for preconceptions.

"Ryan, look out the left. That's the school you'll be going to for your final year."

"Yeah, great." Ryan glanced at the school, then turned away, looking back at the forest. As the forest moved further away, he saw someone moving between the trees. It looked like someone dancing. Either that, or fighting an invisible opponent.

"Weird." Ryan muttered. "Dad, how much longer? I'm starving here."

"According to the street map…it's about half a mile more. Take the next right, Ali."

Ryan's mother turned right and slowed to a stop. A well-dressed man was running up to the car and waving frantically.

"Hey! Excuse me!" The man shouted as he reached the car door. "Mr and Mrs Leo, right?"

Alison wound down the window. "Yes?"

"Richard Scavenger. We talked on the phone a few days ago?"

"Oh yes, the estate agent, wasn't it?"

"That's right. This is kind of embarrassing, but yesterday I found that one of my staff had sent you the wrong keys for the house. They were the keys for a house nearby that was demolished a few months back." Richard produced a bunch of keys from his pocket and passed them through the window. "I tried contacting you, but you'd already left."

"Well, I'm glad we ran into each other before we got to the house." Alison smiled, accepting the keys. "Thank you very much, Mr Scavenger."

"Glad to be of help." Richard stepped back and allowed the car to pass.

"Such organisation." Ryan commented.

"Everyone makes mistakes." Alex said. "It's called humanity."

It took the Leos a few more minutes to find the house, and before the end of the evening they had unpacked and started to settle into the house. Ryan was lying on his bed and considering his new room. It was a little bigger than his old one, but not much different. Once his furniture and other stuff had been put in, it would look just like his own room. The walls were the same colour, and even the door and window were in the same positions.

'Sod it. The other stuff can wait till tomorrow.' Ryan thought. 'I'm too tired to bother right now.' He turned on his side and stared out the window at the forest in the distance.

"Wha..?" Ryan sat up. The room had suddenly filled with darkness. Glancing at the travel clock on the floor, Ryan realised he'd been asleep for over five hours. He sighed and lay down again, but could not get back to sleep. Eventually, he got out of bed and headed downstairs for some water.

'Lionheart?' he wondered in the kitchen. 'It's official – I'm a history student. Better than geography I guess. I'd probably be woken up at night by a mysterious voice calling me "Italy".' He chuckled, flicked off the light, and started back to the stairs.

"What the..?" Ryan spun around. Nothing there. He turned back. Nothing. "Damn, I need to get some sleep."

The voice was coming from the front garden. Ryan looked out the window. For a moment, he thought he saw someone, but the figure became nothing but a shadow.

'Definitely need sleep.'

Ryan jumped, span, and felt the window shatter behind him. Something stuck in his back.

"Oh crap." Ryan sat up on the floor of his room. Looking on the floor behind him, he saw the crushed remains of the travel clock. He groaned and pulled himself back to bed.

"OK, class, this is the newest recruit to our motley little crew here."

Miss Jennifer Way looked around the class, most of whom were staring back with complete disinterest. "His name is Ryan Leo, and he's here studying history, as well as the core subjects."

Ryan scraped at the floor, half listening to Miss Way's introduction. He hated being the centre of attention when he didn't know anyone. Relief wasn't an adequate description when he was finally permitted to sit down. Miss Way started lecturing about the American Civil War, but Ryan didn't pay much attention, promising himself that he'd work hard after a week or so of settling in. About ten minutes into the lesson, the boy sitting next to him nudged him in the shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered. "You got a pen I can borrow?"

"Yeah." Ryan handed over a pen to the boy.

"Thanks, man. I just can't remember to put my pencil case in my bag ever…"

"Phillip?" Miss Way snapped. "If you're quite finished, some people here are trying to learn."

The boy grumbled a reply, and Miss Way went back to teaching.

Time passed slowly, but eventually lunchtime arrived. As Ryan grabbed his bag, Phillip invited him for a tour of the grounds. This consisted mainly of places to go, such as the fields and computer rooms, places to avoid like anywhere near where the teachers usually went, and the highlight of the tour – an area where centuries before witches had been burned at the stake. Also a popular area for kids to hang out when they didn't want to do anything constructive. It was here that Phillip introduced Ryan to two new friends.

"This is Max, and that's Sara. Max is the shy type, and Sara escaped from an asylum a few weeks ago."

Sara laughed. "It's not true, I tell you, it's not truuuuuuueeee…" She cartwheeled up to Ryan. "So you're Ryan Leo. Leo as in lion?"

"Uh…yes?"

"We have a Lionheart amongst us!" Sara grabbed Ryan and started swinging him around and singing.

"Lionheart, brave soul, Champion of the Free,

Destroyer of the Evil wherever…"

Phillip grabbed Sara's shoulder mid-swing. "This is what happens when local history rears its ugly head."

"Excuse me?" Ryan asked while regaining his balance.

"Just some stupid local legend that Miss Way keeps harping on about. That's what Sara's like, picks up one or two details then uses them as a method to her madness. Ow! Quit hitting me!"

Sara punched Phillip in the shoulder. "Not very nice of you!" The two started arguing until the bell rang for the end of lunch.

"That's it? One word for you, Ryan – coincidence! And not a word from you, Sara."

Sara pouted. "Fine."

The four friends were sitting in a café near the school, which had finally drawn to a close after the kids had learned just how boring english literature could be. Ryan had mentioned the dream he had had, and it had somehow become the topic of discussion.

"So is this Lionheart legend about THE Lionheart?"

"You mean that English king? Nah. Just some guy who came, did something and left."

"Y'know, Phil, you've got a talent for taking the soul out of a legend."

Phil stuck his tongue out at Sara, who threw a pepper pot at him.

"If you really want to know about the legend, Miss Way is the one to talk to." Max said quietly. "She's almost obsessed with it. Local history and a history teacher, you know?"

"Maybe I will."

"OK, OK! Mercy!" Phil cried. Sara grinned and let go of his arm.

"So, Who's coming to the arcade?"

"I wish." Ryan sighed. "I have to be home soon to get all my stuff into my room."

"What, your clothes and stuff? They can wait."

"No, my wardrobe and stuff. Something that I can put my clothes into."

"Oh. OK, then, see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you then."

"Bye Lionheart! Hey, give that back Phil!"

A week passed, and Ryan started to settle into his new home. As well as Max, Phil and Sara, he was making other friends in school. He'd settled well into the local kids' normal out-of-school routine (hanging round and doing nothing). He'd asked Miss Way about the whole Lionheart thing and, after enduring several minutes of a happy teacher going on and on about how great the legend was, he'd got the names of some books about the legend he could find in the library.

The books told him of how witches had been burned in the town of Hayleside at an alarming rate by a vicious witch hunter whose dedication to his cause bordered on obsession. The final burning had gone wrong. First it had started to rain, putting out the fire. When the burning resumed, a strange armoured man on a horse had ridden up, clobbered the hunter with his mace, grabbed the girl's corpse and ridden into the forest. The hunter had survived, but never tried to burn a witch again. Ever since that day, the legend said that the ghost of the girl could sometimes be seen dancing in the forest, sometimes even singing. One witness, a man who'd been camping with his young son over twenty-five years ago, had claimed to have come close enough to hear the song the Dancer, as he called her, had been singing. The book recorded it as:

So that was where Sara had got that song from. Still, it didn't explain why Ryan had had that strange dream on his first night in the town. Could he have overheard one of his parents talking about it? He remembered his mother mentioning how that Scavenger guy had told her about some old legend, but he couldn't remember her saying anything else on the subject.

He'd taken the trio of friends up on a trip into the forest looking for any sign of the ghost, but after almost an entire day of searching and finding nothing even Sara had got bored. He'd suggested another trip, but the others didn't want to know. So for the last few days he'd just left the legend alone.

Today, though, he was just wasting time staring out of his window at the forest. As he stared, the idea of returning alone seemed to pop into his head. Just to make sure.

'OK, one more trip.' He decided. 'Just a quick check. If I don't find anything, I'll forget about it.'

Three hours had passed, and Ryan still hadn't found anything.

"What a waste of a day. I'm going home." Ryan growled. He turned round and took a few steps. Then he stopped as something dawned on him. "Oh no…where the hell am I?" He looked around, but couldn't see anything he recognised. All he could see were numerous trees.

"OK, don't panic, just keep going in one direction and you're bound to get out of the forest. Then you can go home." Ryan picked a direction at random and started walking. Sadly, he had no idea just how big the forest was. Nor did he realise that he was heading deeper into the heart of it.

By the time it had started to get dark, Ryan was close to panic. There was no end to the forest, he had no idea whether he was going in the right direction or not, he was getting hungry and tired…eventually, he stopped and leaned against a tree to get his breath back. It was here that he started to get the feeling that he wasn't alone. There was no sign of anyone else, but…

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Ryan went unanswered, but he still couldn't shake the feeling. He started edging through the forest cautiously, looking for any sign of another person. Minutes passed like years, until Ryan lightly stepped into a small clearing. As he crossed, his feeling got more and more noticeable, until he suddenly realised that someone was behind him…

It was a girl. She looked a year or two older than Ryan, and was dressed in strange, black, flowing robes. Her long black hair seemed to move in step with her clothes as she moved in a bizarre yet flowing dance, spiralling her through the clearing towards Ryan. Without breaking her dance, she smiled at Ryan and started to sing.

"Uh…hello?"

The girl's dance slowed and tightened as she reached Ryan and started to dance around him. When she spoke, her voice seemed not-quite-right, as if it were somehow lighter than air.

"You know my name?"

"Who are you?"

"You're the dead ghost?"

"Then what are you?"

"I know the legend, but…"

"Weren't you?"

"Why are you telling me of this? And how do you know who I am, anyway?"

"What? What did I start tonight?"

The Dancer chuckled quietly. "Why, the Dance, of course."

And only then did Ryan realise that at some point, he had unwittingly joined the Dancer in her strange ritual. Her dance had changed ever so slightly, enough to entice his body to hers in the flowing movement that was her own. And somehow, he'd found the silent rhythm that she danced to.

"Look to your left, Ryan. We have danced to the outskirts of the town that you call home. Where you were once lost, the Dance has guided you back to your desired path." The Dancer locked eyes with him. "In soul as well as body."

"Dancer, what..?"

The Dancer smiled. "I follow the Dance, and all who hear the legend know me as the Dancer. You are different. Listen to the silent tune. Who am I?"

Ryan closed his eyes and, for a moment, allowed himself to be swallowed by the dance.

"Rain?"

"Thank you…I think."

"The time has come to return to your normal life, Ryan. Keep alert and follow the Dance." Rain started to fade into the forest. "You made a promise once. The Dance will make you remember. Please keep it."

"What promise?"

Rain's voice faded as she disappeared from sight. Ryan stared after her for a while before returning home.

Ryan stared out of the class room window. A week had passed since his encounter with the Dancer. Still he wasn't quite sure if it had really happened, only that it had made an impression on him. He was quite aware that Rain had filled his dreams every night for the past week. He hadn't mentioned it to his friends. They wouldn't believe him, and he wasn't even sure what to say.

"OK, class, home time." Miss Way announced. "I want you to answer up to question seventeen before next lesson."

"C'mon Ryan!" Phil grabbed his shoulder. "I want to get to the park before Sara."

"Er…why?"

Phil looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean, 'why'? I just want to get to the park before Sara, so I can demand to know why she's so late!"

Sadly for Phil, Sara and Max were waiting in the park for them. Sara grabbed Phil by the shirt.

"OK, why are you so late?" she demanded.

"No way!" Phil cried. "No way in Hell you could get here before us!"

Sara grinned. "I cut my final class today."

"That's cheating!"

"Win if you can, lose if you must, but whatever happens…always cheat!"

"Why you…" Phil tackled Sara and they rolled on the grass laughing and mock fighting. This went on for several minutes before Max poured some of his bottled water on them.

"What did you do that for?" Phil snapped, picking himself up.

Max shrugged. "The looks on your faces?"

"My hair! It's all wet!" Sara shouted, dramatically brandishing some damp strands of hair. "The boy must die!"

"You want more water, Sara?" Max threatened.

"I'll be good." She pouted.

"Anyway, we've got better things to do than watch you two lovebirds play your sick little games."

"We do?"

"Like what?"

"Who are you calling lovebirds?"

Max ignored Sara's outburst. "Like investigating the girl who's been checking us out from the tree here."

A rustling came from the leaves and branches of the tree, and a girl dropped from above. Ryan's eyes widened. The girl was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, along with a lot of silver jewellery, but he'd never forget the face, the eyes, or that unearthly presence that came with Rain.

"Observant one, aren't you?" Rain smiled at Max.

"Er, I guess."

Rain turned to Ryan. "We meet again."

Ryan tilted his head slightly. "Meet again? Would you be here if I wasn't?"

"Do you two know each other?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. Guys, this is my…friend, Rain."

"Hi."

"Hey there."

"Hey Rainy!"

"Rain, this is Phillip, Sara and Max."

"Sooo…." Sara grinned. "How close friends are you? Close friends….or bosom buddies?"

"Sara…"

"Actually, we're soulmates." Rain smiled mischievously.

Sara cackled. "Then we'd better let you two soulmates get on…if you have a kid, I get to name it!"

Laughing, Sara and Phil ran off. Max rolled his eyes, said goodbye, and ran after them. Ryan was left looking at Rain. He wanted to ask her about…well, everything, but he couldn't find the words. Rain, for her part, seemed content just to look back at him.

"Er…"

"You're real?"

"I mean…I was starting to think you were a dream."

Ryan blinked. "What do you mean by that?

Rain laughed. Her laugh was even more unearthly than the rest of her, as if it was coming from a far away star rather than the girl in front of him. "It doesn't mean anything. It just came out."

"Uh, OK."

There was a pause.

"Rain?"

"What are you?"

"I know, but I mean…what is the Dancer?"

"Oh, Ryan…" Rain sighed. "I wish I could tell you. But I don't know how to explain something to you when the words to describe it don't exist."

"You said you weren't dead, but you weren't alive."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh…I think I get what you mean. Like a jigsaw piece that's slightly warped and doesn't fit…"

"…even though it has the right design." Rain finished.

"Wow!" Ryan gasped. "It's like you read my mind."

"Oh. Rain, you said before that I'd saved your life. What did you mean?"

"Ah…" Rain lowered her head, letting her hair hide her face. "In a way, we met before. The first time I saw you, I was tied to a stake and preparing to be burned to death."

"Burned to…but that was hundreds of years ago!"

"And I'm not four hundred years old!"

"So how could I have saved your life?"

Rain looked up, brushing her hair back. "A twist of fate. Destiny."

"I don't understand."

"Then learn. Research. Discover. Dance." Rain lightly gripped Ryan's arm. And pulled him to her. For a moment Ryan thought she was going to kiss him, but she turned his head slightly to the side, so that her mouth came up close to his ear.

"Lionheart…" She whispered.

"But…"

"Shh…" Rain whispered. "The first step you have to take yourself."

Rain was embracing Ryan now, swaying slightly to the music only she could hear. Ryan was becoming aware of a strange feeling of déjà vu, like he'd held the Dancer like this before, a long time ago.

"Where do I begin?"

"In the deepest part of your mind. In your dreams." Rain slowly slipped a finger along his neck, sending shivers through Ryan's body. Rain kissed his cheek, then pulled away.

"Don't think too hard. This revolves around your soul, not your mind." Rain's face took on a concerned look. "And be careful."

"Careful?"

"Sometimes, I feel…I think there may be something else in this town. And it may know you're here." Rain retreated into the shadows. "You'll see me again soon…"

Ryan stared after her for a few minutes, then started to walk home. He'd gotten out of the park and a few streets from his house when a car pulled up beside him. The driver's window wound down, and Ryan recognised the face of Mr Scavenger, the man who'd called to his parents when they'd first arrived in town.

"Ryan Leo?"

"Uh…yes?"

"I just recognised you and thought I'd say hello. How are you and your parents settling in?"

"OK, I guess."

"Good." Scavenger paused. "Just out of interest, have you seen a girl around here? About your age, black hair, pale skin? You'd know her if you saw her."

'Could he mean Rain?' Ryan asked himself. "No, I don't think so."

Scavenger frowned. "I see. Take my advice, Ryan. If you see her, keep well away from her. She's trouble." With that, Scavenger drove off.

'What was that about?' wondered Ryan.

Hours later, Ryan was lying in bed, thinking. 'She said to look in my dreams…OK, maybe if I go to sleep thinking hard about her, I'll remember the dream when I wake up.'

Ryan closed his eyes, thinking about the Dancer. He thought about the way she moved as she danced in the woods, her hair and robes flowing like some strange solid kind of water. The soft yet powerful sound of her voice. The eyes that seemed to glow with darkness somehow. He turned, trying to get a better view of the pool. He saw Rain laughing, reminding him more of a dark angel than…

Pool?

Ryan jumped to his feet. He wasn't in his bedroom anymore. He was standing in the forest he'd first met Rain in. Except there was no pool in that forest, as far as he knew. He looked back into the pool. In its waters he could see people, as if it were a watery TV screen.

'Is this a dream?' He considered. 'Do I find answers here?'

The pool was showing himself and Rain, but there was something not quite right. He was dressed in a style of clothes he'd never seen before, except in museums, and he looked a few years older too. Rain was wearing her black robes, but she seemed more…real somehow.

'More like a human.' Ryan realised. 'More like a human, less like…like the Dancer.'

"You know you won't survive this, don't you?" the Rain in the pool was saying sadly. Her voice was different too, the same voice but more human.

"I know." The other Ryan replied softly. "But sometimes you have to fight even when you know there's no chance for you to win."

"No chance?"

"He's too strong. But that doesn't mean I can't defeat him in death. He's not invincible…" Ryan put a hand on Rain's cheek. "…unless he gets you."

"Maybe there's something I can do." Rain said. "Death doesn't have to be the end."

Rain gently pushed Ryan to a sitting position on the floor, kneeling in front of him. She put a hand into her robes and produced a small wooden knife.

"Promise me something, my Lionheart."

"Anything."

"Promise me that one day, we'll stand here together again, and dance. Just like we did on our wedding night."

The Ryan watching jumped back at this. 'What!? Rain and I were married??' He shook his head in confusion. 'This doesn't make sense. How could I have been there to marry her in the first place? Does she think I'm a reincarnation of her husband or something?' He paused, thinking that last thought again. 'Oh man…'

He turned his attention back to the pool and got another surprise. Rain had taken her knife and cut open his other self's upper lip. As he watched wide-eyed, she did the same thing to herself. Her tongue briefly shot out and licked the knife blade before she set it down and leaned over to her Ryan.

"Lionheart, brave soul, Champion of the Free,

Destroyer of the Evil wherever it you see,

Waiting here forever shall I be

Until you keep your promise and Dance with me…"

As she finished whispering she kissed Ryan deeply, allowing their blood to mix and flow into their bodies…

Ryan turned away. He knew somehow what was coming, and he felt like a voyeur. Even if one of the people he'd be peeping at was himself.

A small distance away, the Dancer sat in a tree smiling at the stars above. She could sense what Ryan was dreaming, a memory of their last night together. She closed her eyes and sighed. She'd always known that Ryan would find his way back to her, but she had been surprised when she recognised him. He was still a child, still going through adolescence. He was younger even than he'd been when he'd rescued her from the stake. Rain cursed herself for not anticipating this. She'd just assumed that he'd appear same as before, ready to continue their life together from where it had so abruptly ended. It had never crossed her mind that she'd have to coax the memories from a young boy's mind.

And there was the other presence she'd felt for the last few years. Somewhere out in the forest was Dante, who'd got it into his head…his mind that their enemy was back. Rain couldn't believe that was true, but she still worried. She worried for herself, her brother, and her confused young love.

'Just like in the movies.' Ryan mused. 'There'll be the hero considering the dream he had the night before, and someone'll bring him back to reality. Someone saying "Whadd'ya think, Ryan?" Or a tap on the shoulder. Or...' Ryan wiped his now sticky face and glared at Sara. 'Or a splash of gravy in the face.'

"I'm sorry! It was Phil's fault!" Sara wailed.

"Why?" chuckled Max. "Because he dodged?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, sure. I'm going to get cleaned up." Ryan sighed. As he made for the bathroom he heard a second crash, a yell of victory from Phil, and some teacher demanding to know what the hell was going on, as if that wasn't incredibly obvious. No doubt either Sara or Phil would reply that they were having a food fight, can't you see that, now quit bothering us I'm trying to throw these peas here. Ryan had asked Sara about tact once, and she'd merely replied that he shouldn't swear in front of a lady.

It wasn't shaping up to be a good day. The dream he'd had the night before had made him sleep in, and he'd been ticked of for being late. Then he'd realised he'd left his wallet at home, which meant that he'd not only had to borrow money of his friends but he didn't have his house keys, and his parents always seemed to arrive home a few hours after him, no matter when he got home. Then he'd received a portion of Sara's dinner in his face. And now, judging by what he was seeing in the mirror, Rain had apparently deemed it perfectly acceptable to appear in the men's toilets in a black PVC halter-tight pants set.

"Uh...hi?"

"Hi." Rain was sitting on a long metal rail that shouldn't have been able to support her weight. She said nothing else, but just smiled at him.

"Yeah. Um, I couldn't help noticing...you're in the men's room."

Ryan blinked. Was she trying to needle him?

"Stupid question, but did you have to meet me in the school toilets at all?"

"No." Rain chuckled evilly. "You've still got some gravy on your cheek."

Ryan wiped his cheek with a paper towel. "So what's up?"

Rain's face became serious. "You dreamed, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"I saw...us. Kind of...being together."

"Come with me, Ryan." Rain stood up and took Ryan's hand. "We'll...talk."

"That night was what would eventually lead to us meeting here and now." Rain said quietly. "I linked us with the bloody kiss you saw. A little of our blood flows through each other."

"And your...I died soon after, right?"

Rain bowed her head, so that her hair covered her face. "Less than a day after."

The was a short silence. Ryan looked round. The park was deserted, most people being in school or at work. He wasn't surprised. Rain seemed like the type of person who could always find a quiet spot.

He looked at Rain. She seemed distraught. The memories that were still incomplete for him troubled her deeply.

'I wish I could help her. But what can I do?' Ryan sighed. He wished he was her Lionheart. That Ryan would know what to do. 'If I was her Ryan, what would I do? What would make Rain happy? What would...' He paused in his thought. A small smile appeared on his face. 'What would make the Dancer happy?'

He stood up, taking Rain's hand. As they stood, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

The words came to Ryan naturally, as if he'd waited a hundred years for the chance to say them.

"I'm keeping my promise, Rain.

I am your Lionheart, your Champion of the Free,

Destroyer of the Evil wherever it I see,

Waiting here for me no longer shall you be

For now I keep my promise to Dance with thee…"

The pair were dancing properly now. Rain stared up into Ryan's face in wonder.

Ryan couldn't reply. When he looked into Rain's dark eyes he'd felt his throat tighten and several misty memories slowly fade into being. He remembered dancing with Rain so long ago.

He remembered her face when they'd finally disappeared into the woods, escaping the stake.

Somewhere he felt himslef and Rain move closer together. Reality and his memories were blurring together.

He remembered making his wedding vows, staring at Rain in her black wedding gown.

Their lips were barely seperated now.

He remembered promising to keep her from danger...

Danger?

Ryan grabbed Rain tightly and pulled them both to the floor, moments before the gunshot shattered the silence. Rain was on her feet before Ryan had even hit the ground, glaring with a face full of hate at Richard Scavenger.

Scavenger ignored the Dancer, turning his gun to Ryan. "I warned you to stay away from her. You should have listened."

"What the Hell are you doing?"

"He's the descendant of the Hunter, Ryan. More than four hundred years later, his family's obssesion still burns in him. Pitiful." Rain laughed. It wasn't like her normal laugh - as her previous laughs had seemed otherworldly, this laugh sounded almost demonic.

"Not as pitiful as your protector." Scavnger replied. "Look at you, shielding him from me. Ironic, don't you think?"

Scavnger growled and fired again. Rain twirled her entire body in a rapid yet graceful movement, then displayed the bullet she'd plucked out of the air. Scavenger's eyes narrowed.

"I see...there'll be another time, witch. I will have your soul."

"There'll be no pathetic Lionheart to save you this time. Your knight in shining armour is a snivelling babe in your arms." Scavenger glared at Ryan. "You'll see me again, Lionheart. I'll be the last thing you ever see." With that, he turned and walked away.

"Rain, what just happened."

Rain tossed her hair back. "He intends to do what you stopped the Hunter from doing centuries ago. Ha! If he relies on weapons like that, he doesn't have a prayer."

"What now?"

"Weapon?"

Rain took Ryan's hand and lead him from the park into the forest. About half an hour's walk into the forest, Rain came to a stop.

Ryan looked around. "Where?"

"What, did I bury it?"

Rain laughed. "No. I mean, this is where you hid it. You didn't actually hide it here."

Ryan thought about this for a moment. "OK, now you've lost me."

"Oh. Right. I guess that's no more wierd than everything else. How do I get it back?"

"And then?"

Ryan blinked. "No idea!?"

Rain looked almost embarrased. "You were the one who hid it. I don't actually know how you did it."

"Perfect."

"You seem to know a lot about my dreams. Didn't you see the dream I had back then somehow?"

"OK. So what do I do?"

Rain gently moved Ryan to the ground, kneeling beside him, resting his head in her lap. She started to sing. The words sounded like Latin to Ryan. He didn't understand them, but the tune sounded like a lullaby. Minutes passed and he started to doze.

Ryan's senses returned. He was in a courtyard of some sort. He wasn't sure if he was in a castle or cathedral of some sort. Nearby was a statue that looked like the Ryan he'd seen in his dream of the past. The statue was holding a large sword, with a bright, glowing blade and an ornate handle. He reached out to take the sword, but the statue suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

The statue opened its eyes and looked at Ryan.

"We've returned for the sword."

"Who...who are you?"

"Think of me as a little of yourself you left in the dream with the sword. You can not retrieve the sword from this dream and take it back as you think of it."

"I can't take it?"

"That's not what I said. Listen carefully, once you entered this dream, you began a process of decay. The dream will disintergrate in minutes, so I must instruct you before then. Our sword was made especially for us. It was named Tigerbite by its creator. When we hid it in this dream, we placed it into our mind. On our death, it was sealed in the..." At this the statue paused and stared into Ryan's eyes. "...subconcious? Yes, I think that's what your time calls it. Our subconcious. It can no longer exist as a physical sword. You must take it out of our dream and store it in the part of our mind where it can be accessed. Take it."

Ryan cautiously took Tigerbite. He felt a very faint tingling in his right arm, but nothing more. The statue nodded approvingly.

"When you need it, feel it. Know that you wield it, and you will wield it." The courtyard was fading fast, along with the statue. "Listen! I have to tell you about the Hunter. He's more dangerous than Rain believes..."

"What?" Ryan cried, but the dream was gone, and he felt himself returning to the waking world...