Of All Things I Became A Crow Novels & Stories

His eyes are wide and he looks at a loss for words, like he can't believe what just happened. The crow caws again, and I spin around, waiting for another attack. Todd steps in front of me. The crow studies us with a black, beady eye. He hops to the edge of the table, opens his beak, and caws shrilly again. Todd lobs the book across the room. The book clips the crow, and it takes to the air, flying back into the bathroom and out an open window, disappearing into the night.

When you are underneath the surface, all the sounds are completely drowned out, and finally, I could feel the chaos drain away from my body. When I resurfaced, I was immediately thrown into a water fight with Tessa and a Medoran girl named Annelise. I hadn't spoken to her before, but she was registered in my head as the least bad out of all of them. She had at least smiled at me once, I think.

Damon drifts toward center ice and stops at the logo. I follow. For a moment, we stand where the game began. Where so much between us almost ended. “Funny,” he says. “All that fighting over who gets the crown.” “And?” He looks at me fully. “There was only ever one.” The words hang there. Not competitive. Not sharp. Certain. Only one crown. And it doesn’t belong to one king. The arena lights dim slightly as the crew prepares to clean up. I feel his hand brush mine. Not by accident.

When the crown was placed, when the vows were spoken, the roar that followed shook the very bones of the city. A new Beta pair was named alongside them—Rowan Ashford, steady and sharp-eyed, and Lyra Ashford, whose voice carried authority without cruelty. They bowed, pledged, and took their place without spectacle, content to serve rather than shine. And then the music began. The streets of Ancnix erupted into celebration—food, drink, laughter spilling out into every corner. Elora found herself swept along with her friends, pulled into dances she did not remember agreeing to, laughing harder than she had in months.

A crown of shadow floated over my head. The Crown whispered through me. This is justice. Heat spread under my skin. Not warmth. Power. Dark and intoxicating, rushing through my blood like wine after starvation. The red roots around my arm became silver. The pain dulled. Then disappeared. The village returned in fragments. Smoke. Screams. Cassian shouting my name. Damien’s face above the square. The Crown whispered again. Take it. Make them kneel. All of them. My fingers curled.

I used you to get what I wanted, he protects you from people like me’ ’He loves you, Avery, and right now there is a war being fought that you need to take part in’ my eyes widened. Everything was so calm in here, I wasn't awake. The warriors had given me a sedative. ’I’m useless’ I breathed out as panic started flooding me. ’You’re not useless’ Crow grabbed my hand. ’Not in the slightest, but it is time that you meet with your demons’ I took a shaky breath and nodded my head. ’Is everyone there?’ Crow nodded his head. His eyes fell again. ’It’s not good, and it won't get any better but you need to wake up now’ He said and stood. A loud screeching sound started drilling in my head, I held my

Steeling myself, I stepped out and looked all around the room. I froze, taking in the sight before me. A crow sat on the breakfast bar, calmly standing on the back of a book. It let out a caw when it saw me. “You!” I shrieked, throwing reason and logic out the window. I was sure at that moment that it was the very same crow that had been on my car this morning. “Get out of here,” I cried, and grabbed the nearest thing I could, a folded newspaper, and chucked it at the bird. It hopped to the side, and ruffled it’s feathers indignantly, like I was the rude one.

The first time I really heard the words "old crow" was during the company's Monday morning meeting. Sadie Laurent kept her eyes down as I scolded her, a teardrop glistening at the corner of her lashes. And during the short break, someone muttered under their breath, "She really is an old crow—always picking on the young and pretty ones." For a moment, my thoughts froze. That single line stirred up a storm. Whispers rippled across the room, each one sharper than the last.

“I won't let these mongrels steal a chance at real happiness.” Warren spun and spread the wings, the adlets spread out on instinct, Warren gutted two more and raced to the second mounted leader. Heavy gunfire and smoke hailed the coming of the Scald Crow, “Did somebody order back up?” Jack's disembodied voice shouted. The adlets tripped over themselves to get away, and several hurled spears only to have them clatter against the Scald Crows Superior armor. The heavy guns roared until the furry invaders were out of sight.

Inside, everything was still. For the first time in a long while, nothing was chasing me. Nothing was waiting to be exposed. I gathered my things. It was time to go forward.