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

Buried Memories

Sweat poured down my face, leaving the ground beneath me dark.

I could barely breathe. My lungs burned with every breath, and my muscles ached with every contraction. It was brutal.

"Again."

Spirits... Pangea was relentless.

"Again, Willow!"

I grunted and pushed myself to my feet. My legs wobbled, but I locked them down.

This was not the time for me to show weakness. I felt her watching me from the shadows, observing my every move. She'd been there for the past hour.

I'd looked for her, but I'd failed to find her hiding place. Yet, I knew she was there.

I steadied my trembling fingers and raised my hands to aim for the target painted on the pillar fifty feet away from me.

Pebbles and large chunks of stone lay scattered around the pillar from the shallow holes all around the target. I had hit it once, but the force of my attack hadn't been acceptable, according to Pangea.

I squinted my eyes, peeking through the diamond-shaped hole between my fingers.

Focus.

I summoned my powers, gritting my teeth as my veins caught fire. I didn't release it, letting it build until it felt like I would burst. It still didn't feel like it was enough, but I couldn't stomach the pain any longer.

The blast almost knocked me off my feet, sending a concentrated current of wind shooting toward the target.

A sting of disappointment struck my chest as I saw the point of my attack penetrate the rock five inches too far right. Then the rest of my attack hit, and shock gripped my heart.

Large chunks of rocks and moss shot through the air as if the pillar had been hit by a massive explosion. I raised my arms to shield my face from the debris, still not entirely sure what had just happened.

When I dared to look again, two-thirds of the pillar's width had disappeared, leaving no traces of the target.

"Um," Pangea muttered, staring stunned at the aftermath of my attack.

The structure that remained suddenly cracked and moaned loudly. I looked up, watching the platform above wobble.

"No, no, no, no, no," I muttered, raising my hands as if I'd been granted the powers of the earth to stop the pillar from collapsing. "Please."

No spirits heard my prayer, and I squeezed my eyes shut as the pillar crumbled before us.

Caiden, fortunately, reacted quicker than I did and forged a thick wall of ice to shield us from the stones flying everywhere.

"I— Um..." Pangea said again as the dust slowly settled around us. "I guess— I guess that is one way of eliminating a target."

She wasn't wrong, but... I couldn't do that during battle. Someone on our team might get hurt.

"You certainly have enough power inside that tiny body of yours to match a dragon's," Pangea said, sighing as she placed her hands on her hips, still analyzing the mess behind Caiden's ice wall. "Perhaps we should shift our focus toward control tomorrow."

Control... My worst enemy.

"I'm sorry, Pangea," I said. "I didn't mean to—"

The world suddenly started spinning, and the ground turned into oscillating waves. I had overexerted myself. That last attack had been the last drop of power I could muster.