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

A Fallen Star

Dragons gave Jonathan his powers—not the golden cave.

My head spun, struggling to rearrange the information I'd spent years carving into my memory from reading Jonathan's memoirs so many times I supposed I could recite every chapter word for word. Those texts were so convincing—as if reading them had allowed me to enter Jonathan's mind and see the world through his eyes. Was any of it true?

A blurry memory of white feathers flashed before my eyes.

Kaoru.

Art told me that the Templars had spent centuries researching dragons and formulated all kinds of theories about their role in this messy world. Could he have been right when he said that one dragon's death could mean the end of an entire class of powers?

I stiffened. What about the other dragons? There were at least twenty here alone and probably a lot more somewhere on this island or close by. And what about Arok? He just demonstrated incredible powers of healing, just like Kaoru. What would happen if he died?

"Willow."

I twisted my head to look at the golden queen's scarred face. Her eyes were humorless and hard—as if she recalled a painful memory. "I understand that what I am about to tell you must contradict everything you have been taught about our world. You will likely have many questions as I unravel the past, but I need you to listen carefully first. I will answer any questions you may have after."

My throat knotted, clenching so tight it felt impossible to breathe, let alone utter a sound. Instead, I nodded, careful never to let my eyes leave hers.

Queen Pangea's shoulders dropped half an inch as she raised her head and looked past us to Arok.

"You too, Miss Piper," she quickly added.

Piper didn't nod in agreement, but she didn't argue either. I guess that must've been enough for the queen.

"Long ago, before humanity existed—before the air could sing, the sea could dance, and the flame could roar, there was earth. Barren of life and silent as the darkness ruling the lands. It was an era of nothing, where time had no meaning.

"No one knows how long this world existed like that, but one day, a young star emerged from the unending darkness, disturbing the somber peace. The darkness thought nothing of it as it was merely a speck of dust in its vast domain until the day it fell.

"The young star crashed into the ground and split the surface into seven major sections. The shift formed mountains and valleys where no apparent inclination had been before, grinding rock to sand and releasing the burning magma from its core. However, what made the darkness coil was the intense, white light gushing from the star's heart, pushing the shadows back.

"From the light came warmth, and with it came the wind and sound."

A startled gasp fled past my lips as a cough sounded behind us. A faint feeling of acute relief brushed my drumming heart when I realized it was Alia. It meant she was breathing.

Queen Pangea cleared her throat, attracting our devoted attention again.

"The star rejoiced in its creation and called for its friends to witness the transformation. Curious, more stars approached, but none dared fall like the young star had done.

"The darkness riled at the sight of its once-bleak sky now twinkling with hopeful lights, all because of one single star. However, the star's light was yet too bright and powerful for the darkness to act. So, it waited, hidden beyond the light."

Pangea exhaled and looked back toward the row of dragons still glowing between their shadowed scales.

"Oblivious to the danger, the star continued admiring the sight of the silence transforming into something living and breathing. Eventually, the star shed a tear, but when the tear came into contact with its blazing surface, it turned into a droplet of the clearest liquid. When the tear hit the ground, a green stem flourished, lush leaves uncurling and reaching for the star.