The Raven Flame [The Crown Saga III] (First Draft)

Star Blessed

"How are you doing?" Caiden squatted beside me, his soft gaze silently counting my injuries.

I smiled. "Never been better." I tried chuckling, but the sound made me cough instead.

Caiden chuckled. "I can see that. Should I assume you do not need my help healing those bruises then?"

"Perhaps a little help would be nice," I said, fighting to suppress the cough still tickling my throat.

I held my breath as Caiden helped me to a seated position, clenching my teeth tightly. A wave of relief washed over me when he placed his healing hands against my back, gradually erasing the pain.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"You are doing great, Will." Caiden moved to sit in front of me and placed a cool hand on my brow. "Fifty warriors is no easy feat, but we still need to work on your landings and your balance."

I nodded and accepted his hand to help me up. "I know. The last five shadows would've knocked me out cold if Apollo hadn't been so tired."

"Are you prepared to try again?" Caiden was being polite. I knew what the only appropriate answer to that question was.

"Hold up!" Apollo grunted as he pushed himself onto his feet again.

I heard Caiden chuckle at the sight of Apollo's weakened state. "Do you need a bit of healing as well, Apollo?" Caiden lifted his hand, and a small sphere of water emerged in the hollow of his palm.

Apollo sneered at Caiden. Their relationship may have improved, but they still didn't get along that well. "I'll be fine in ten minutes, your Highness. But I don't think my shadow warriors will serve the purpose you seek. I can't conjure more than fifty warriors, and a few strong warriors won't pose the threat Willow needs to advance. I can't control them well enough yet."

"What do you propose?" Caiden asked.

I swallowed tensely when Caiden folded his arms across his chest, flexing his brawny arms in his sleeveless shirt. I bit my lip, digging my fingers into the hem of my shirt to keep them occupied.

We hadn't had a single moment alone since that day. I'd wanted to touch him. I'd wanted to kiss him, but I'd been too nervous.

"Pull yourself together, human."

I twisted my head to look behind me. There was no one there.

"I have an idea." Reza dropped her knife and half-finished figure and jumped to her feet. "My animations and your shadow warriors are good opponents for training, but they depend on our control. Their reactions are delayed, and their strength is not an extension of our strength but our ability to harness our star-blessed powers. I say we should test her against a real warrior. I would like to volunteer."

I wasn't sure what Reza's problem was, but she somehow always found a way to belittle my progress.

"Don't mind her, Will," Apollo said, rubbing his neck. "She's been like that since this morning—something about a bad dream. But she isn't wrong. Our puppets are great for sparring, but they are far more limited than a human opponent. Would you be comfortable accepting her challenge?"

Reza crossed her arms and lifted her chin, challenging me. I had undoubtedly gotten stronger and more agile since our first battle, but I still wasn't nearly strong enough to beat her. However, that wasn't the purpose of this exercise. I needed to learn how to fight a human at some point, and our deal still applied. One hit was all it took, and she would remove this cursed ring from my finger.

"I accept," I said, rolling my shoulder to test its mobility. No pain.

Reza smiled, content, and stepped into the ring.