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

The Sacred Forest

We landed before the Mountain Regions' sacred forest of towering trees two days after we'd buried Calla's body.

The thought still made my heart ache terribly with sorrow, but we had a mission. With every passing second that we hesitated to do had to be done, another warrior fell by the Darkness' hand. Because that was the only logical explanation for those monsters' appearance.

The veil between our dimensions was cracking, and the Darkness' powers were leaking into ours.

It was a terrifying thought. Those monsters had to be a mere fraction of the powers lurking behind that veil. The prospect of its entire power being unleashed made my stomach churn and my skin itch.

We had to hurry.

I grunted when my feet touched the ground, my legs trembling to keep from buckling. We didn't have time to be weak. We had to—

"Hold on, Will," Caiden said, placing a hand on my shoulder before I could wobble inside the forest. "I know time is of the essence, but let me heal your sore muscles before—"

I whipped my head toward him. "We don't have the time, Caiden," I said through gritted teeth. "We must get these gauntlets to Pangea, or Heliac is doomed."

Caiden's lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes whirling with conflict. "I know, but waiting two minutes might offer us ten minutes in the end. You cannot run like that, let alone fight if we should encounter another enemy. Let me heal you, Will."

The wheels inside my head turned, grinding hard. "Fine," I grumbled and sat down. "Just hurry."

A rush of relief shot through me when Caiden placed a chilled hand against the exposed skin of my neck. Water gathered as dew across the small hairs, flowing down my spine and spreading along my limbs.

The tension making my throat close up faded to a knot the size of a pea. It was still there, but I could breathe again. I could move properly again.

"There," Caiden said, grunting.

I looked across my shoulder and saw him fall back. "Caiden!" I said, scrambling to his side.

He looked exhausted, his breath heavy, and his brow dappled with sweat. I bit my lip. "Perhaps you should stay here and—"

"No," Caiden said, pushing my hands away. "I should be there. It is my responsibility as the crown prince and the traitor's son."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before the dew clinging to his skin vaporized. Steam rose from his body, heat shrouding him—rapid healing.

A slight fright surged through my chest when Caiden suddenly opened his eyes again. "Okay," he said, jumping to his feet as if the fatigue from before had been nothing but my imagination. "We should go."

I didn't waste time questioning him and just nodded. "Nariyath, stay here.."

"What? I will do no such thing."

"You have to. This forest is sacred, and you can't fit without causing chaos." I stood my ground, glaring steadfastly at her.

This place was said to be where the war ended and Heliac was finally born. Ancient temples had been built inside this forest, and only the prodigies from the Genesis Academy were usually allowed to roam the area freely. In the middle of it all stood the temple, erected to celebrate Jonathan after his death.

I shifted my weight. I'd always wanted to visit this place. However, now that I knew the truth about Heliac's origin and the battle between Jonathan and his brother, that alluring thought no longer felt as alluring.