Crow’s heartbeat quickened in excitement as his attack successfully threw her off balance. He was finally starting to get the hang of fighting. After he had stopped trying to think through all of his movements, he was beginning to develop some of his own techniques by letting his natural reflexes do the work for him. All that was left was for him to come up with some way to end the fight before she could find a way to recover and overtake him again.

With the turn of the tide also came a feeling Crow hadn’t experienced before. He felt genuinely powerful; like he could influence someone else by the force of his hand. It was simultaneously exhilarating and frightening to him. He enjoyed having such control, but he also didn’t like playing with a fire that had the potential to unleash something dark from within himself. If such a side existed, he wanted to keep it locked up deep inside.

[i]I won’t let myself become like those tyrannous nobles,[/i] he thought determinedly. [i]I won’t become my father—using and abusing others simply because I have the power to do so.[/i]

Focusing again on the battle at hand, he moved in to take advantage of Penelope’s imbalanced weight. He stepped into her defense and swiped his dagger towards her left side, attempting to end the fight by causing her to fall to the ground so she would have to surrender.