Lord of the Crows, Artemis Nightshade [best books to read for young adults txt] 📗

Raining, and in the dead of night, Dalton, Lord of the Crows, waited for the taxi cab, with no umbrella to protect himself from the rain.

The rain poured harder and Dalton started getting irritated, ‘where the heck is the taxi guy?’ Dalton wonders getting his umbrella ready to open and use.

The taxi came within five minutes later and the driver stepped out of his car and opened the passenger door so Dalton can get in. Before he did, Dalton nodded his head as a thanks but his eyes glared cold at the driver who began to look a bit worried.

“Have you found him? Your heir?” The taxi driver asks drifting his eyes to the driver’s window to look at Dalton. When Dalton noticed, the driver quickly swifts his eyes to the main window. “No, no I haven’t…yet.” Dalton looking out the window looking at only a blue jay’s eyes and nothing else.
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“Okay tell me this. Why in the world would you do something like this?!” Amanda, Stone’s ex-girlfriend shouted out as Stone covers his ears, to protect his eardrums. Sitting up from the hospital bed, Stone rubs his eyes and exhales in irritation.

“Oh don’t you dare use that tone mister.” Amanda commanded as she smacks his head hard. “Ow! Geez why did you do that?!” Stone shouted out, rubbing his head.

They continued their argument, which was one of the reasons why they broke up. Their loud noises alerted the doctors and nurses so they rushed to the room where Stone and Amanda were.

“Break it up!” Dr. Lock shouts out as the nurses try their best to separate them, it took also some aids to get them to separate and calm somewhat. “Now, what’s wrong this time?” Dr. Lock asks after he made sure they calmed down.

After what seemed like an hour, Stone and Amanda starting shouting at the same time, making the other doctors, nurses, and aids going “what the?” and the patients wonder as well.

“Stop! Stop it right now!” Nurse Cyndi screams in frustration as everyone stopped and looked at her as if she were mad. Cyndi soon calmed down after she realized how everyone looked at her and went off to do her work.
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“I still don’t understand why you did that. I know we broke up but I still care about you, as a friend, seeing you being strolled into the hospital made me worried.” Amanda explains in an apologetic tone.

“It was foolish of me wasn’t it?” Stone replies rubbing his broken arm which was in an arm cast-holder. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her and said thanks, she nodded and smiled as she helps him open the hospital door.

The Doctor told them that Stone was free to go as long as he didn’t do anything more stupid than he did before he came to the hospital with Amanda walking beside him, her arm in his good arm.
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When they finally stepped outside of the busy streets of New York at night time, Stone notices that something was weird and wrong. There were fewer people than before and the weird part is crows are starting to follow him.

‘What the heck? Where is everyone and what’s with these bloody crows!?’ Stone thought as he and Amanda quicken their pace as well as the crows. Soon their quick pace turned into a run for their lives. The crows then swoop down and took hold of Stone’s felt leg and it was still in its cast.

‘Oh heck.’ Stone thought as he’s being lifted higher and higher up in the sky. The crows finally dropped him when they reached the roof, luckily they flew down so Stone wouldn’t have a hard fall and die but he did landed pretty hard and was out cold.
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Stone woke up in pain and rubbing the back of his head. “Where am I?” Stone whispers as he slowly gets up, clears his vision and looks around at where he was.

He notices a double large, black decorated door, grabs a hold of one of the golden handles and opens the door, only to discover that he’s on the roof…again. On the roof, he saw a man, a pretty tall man, about 6’4 Stone guessed. The man had his back towards him, a long black coat, a black hat, his hands were in his pocket but on his shoulder was a crow.

The crow turned his head ninety degrees to look at Stone and he noticed that the crow’s eyes where not black but red, daemon red, that made Stone jump and yell and the man turn around fully to see who did it.
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“Ah you must be Stone. Pleased to meet you, I’m Dalton Crow.” Dalton explains holding out his hand for both a hand shake and to help Stone up. Hesitating a little, Stone then grabs his out reached hand. Once he was fully up, Stone and Dalton shook hands.

“Where am I?” Stone asks as he and Dalton walk downstairs and head out the main door. “You are at my home.” Dalton explains as he opens the door and lets Stone out into the night first.

“That was your house?! It’s a mansion!” Stone shouts out gesturing towards Dalton’s house. Dalton nodded, took his keys out, pressed a button, and it started the mustang.

Dalton then gestures to Stone to get in as well, Stone hesitated but had a little help of “encouragement” from one of Dalton’s crows, a female, Dalton told him just as Stone was buckling his seat beat.

“So why did those crows swoop me up, dropped me on your roof, and…you?! Who or what are you!?” Stone asks in a loud panic voice. Dalton starts speeding the car and Stone felt as if he were going to hurl, seeing this Dalton slows down.

“First, those crows swoop you up because I told them to. Two, they dropped you because… well that I can’t seem to answer for I don’t know why. I specifically told them not to drop you like that. And third, I am Dalton Crow, Lord of the Crows and I need an heir,” Dalton explains then stops the mustang to look at him.

“And you Stone, are the heir, the crows will listen to your every command, you will be able to understand them no matter where they came from, you will be the next Crow Lord whether you like it or not.” Dalton explains as he gets out of the car and so did Stone.
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The only thing Stone noticed was the building; it was much bigger than Dalton’s place. “This is my real home the other was like an out house. You know for vacationing.” Dalton explains as they stepped inside.

The first thing that Stone saw was an exact replica of a dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus that is. Its mouth was open, showing the jaws that could rip flesh out of any person or animal’s body.

“Magnificent isn’t it? Bought it not too long ago.” Dalton explains not turning around to see what Stone was looking at, he just continue walking and Stone rushed to be beside him again.

When he reached the Lord, Stone asks how he was going to make him Lord of the Crows. “Practice and this.” Dalton explains as he throws something to Stone and he caught it with his good arm.

“A rifle? How is that going to make me a lord?” Stone asks as Dalton steps closer to Stone and leans forward. “Spell casting doesn’t always come easily or fast, so that rifle will protect you until your powers can trust you.”
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Dalton began training Stone but he noticed that it wasn’t going to be easy; in fact it was going to be much harder than he thought. Every time, Stone always get a counter attack from his own powers.

Sighing, Dalton said that they’ll call it a night and he sent Stone off to his new temporary room. As Stone stepped inside, he felt his wounds healing, when he looked down, his casts were gone and black feathers were taking their place.

Panicking, Stone starts plucking out the feathers only to discover that the more he plucked, more feathers come out of his arms. Stone runs towards the bathroom and notices his eyes were no longer golden, no they turned pitch black, darker than black in fact.

“Dalton!” Stone shouts out as Dalton runs to his rescue and smiles when he saw Stone’s “transformation”. “It seems like some of your powers trust you. Say hello to shape-shifting lad.” Dalton explains as he watches Stone get smaller and smaller until he finally turned into a crow.

Dalton then turned Stone back and he pleaded to be trained further and wouldn’t rest until he fully mastered all of his powers. Dalton smiled and nodded as a yes thus beginning their actual, full training.
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Stone woke up and realized that it was New Years but something else, the sky was still dark and now no one was out there in the streets, at home, or anywhere else. The only thing he did see was another man, slightly shorter than Dalton but with an ugly aura.

Stone rushed downstairs to tell Dalton only to find out that the man was inside and Dalton knew all along. His hands were behind his back while the man’s left hand was on a staff and the other in his pocket.

“Dalton, good to see you…I think.” The man said as he tightens his grip on his staff as if he were ready to fight. “Zorak, nice to see you again… I think also.” Dalton says as Stone shifts his eyes to see that Dalton’s hands were glowing.

“I’ve come for him.” Zorak explains as he begins walking forward to Stone. “Not on my watch.” Dalton explains as he motions with his head for Stone to get behind him, Stone did what he was told and went behind him, but not too close.

Zorak raised his staff and blue fire came out at the tip, Dalton and Stone dodged as Dalton then fires purple electric powers as he tries to get his apprentice to a safer zone but that’s nearly impossible.

“Go over there and stay there, if anything of his comes closer to you, run until you get to the roof, my crows will help.” Dalton shouts out as he shoots his powers which Zorak deflects.

As Stone was about to get up and go to the roof, he over hears Dalton and Zorak arguing about him. ‘Who the heck?’ Stone starts wondering but then something inside of him told him who Zorak really was and his weakness.

“Hey Zorak! Come and get me.” Stone shouts out as Zorak turns himself into a panther and charges towards Stone, making Dalton fall hard on his back before he could save his apprentice who was running up the stairs.
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When Stone got on the roof, he told the crows in silence what to do. The crows knew exactly what to do and how. Some of the crows gather around Stone and hid him, like as if he were just a shadow while the others got into