The forsaken (Rainimator book4)

Dragon's fire

POV Rain 

I blocked the nertherite sword and swung the Ender great sword, spinning around, but my target was gone, Then I was kicked in the back and knocked to the floor, I turned onto my back and my sparing partner helped me back up. 

Sheila was Crystal's mum, that much was clear at a look, the same eyes, the same feeling of lost around her. "You're a good fighter but you trust too much in your eyes," 

I blinked. 'What does that even mean?' I thought. "Yeah, I'll try fighting blindfold next time, I'm sure that can't go wrong," 

"When you rely too much on sight, you can fooled, Trust me, I have been doing this longer than you've been alive," Sheila answered. 

I walked over to the bench and drank from a bottle of water. "Why am I doing?" I asked. "We're not fighting anyone right now, why can't I just rest? or have fun...or do anything else," 

"Because danger lurks around every corner," Sheila answered. 

"Gods, have you been speaking to Patrick? you sound just like him," I said back. "Sometimes we just need to have a break," 

"Evil doesn't have breaks," Sheila said. 

I sighed and sat on the bench. "Give me strength," 

"How well do you know Charlie?" 

That actually made me stop and look at her, I really wasn't expecting that. "Fairly well I imagine, I think we're close," 

"I think he's an unlikeable ass," Sheila said back. 

"And you'd be wrong, yeah he seems like that on the outside, when you first met him," I answered. "but thats just the way he expresses himself," 

"I think he's the wrong person to be dating my daughter," Sheila answered. 

"Then you're blind," I answered. "Charlie and Crystal are the best for each other, they bring out the best in each other" I answered, 

Sheila looked at me. "explain," She ordered. 

"one of the first times Charlie and Crystal spent time together, I was there, I heard the way he explained his home to her, and I have never heard him talk about it like that again, Neither of them have ever ever given up on each other, and if she needed to Crystal would walk to the ends of the overworld and back, to protect him," I explained. "and Charlie is just a good person, yes he is rough around the edge, yes he struggles with his emotions, but he is a nice person," 

Sheila stopped to think, and I walked over to a door. "I've got to meet with Azura anyway,"

Azura was in a courtyard, with an odd setup, she had a bench with different weapons on it, and sitting on a bench nearby was Alex, not sure why. "Why is he here?" I asked walking over to Azura. 

"I told him he could shoot you, to be honest, what I've heard about their parrel version of you it'd be therapeutic," Azura answered loading a small handgun. 

"Right...Wait what?" Azura pushed a bracelet on my arm.

"I promised Charlie I'd test his mark 3 version of the shield bracelet," she pressed a button and the light blue wall appeared between us. 

I blinked and wanted to ask something but Alex was already at the table holding the pistol, and fired, three bullets hit the shield and Azura wrote some notes. "Move to the next size Alex," 

Alex looked at the table for a moment, I expected him to pick up a rifle, not a handheld cannon. "Now wait..." The ball hit the shield with enough force that it sent me flying backwards onto the stairs.