The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  The voice didn’t reply. The silence felt like a physical thing in the air pressing down upon me.

  I tightened my grip around the handle of the sword, worried I’d said something wrong. To a voice that was talking to me from either thin air or inside my mind.

  Maybe all this supernatural stuff had driven me crazy once and for all.

  You guess? he finally asked.

  “No.” I swallowed and stood straighter. “It’s not a guess. This sword is a powerful weapon, and I chose it because it gives me the most control.”

  With that, the cave wall before me cracked in two. Light shined out from the crack, like it was beaming inward from the Heavens. The walls moved outward like sliding doors, revealing a red clay path winding around a grassy hill. I knew it was red clay from my brief time playing tennis. Some of the courts I’d played on had been made of the same material.

  Thank you, Raven, the voice said. You’ve chosen well. Continue to follow the path and make any decisions necessary along the way. Good luck, and I’ll see you soon.

  A warm breeze blew through the cave. I had a feeling that the voice—whoever he was—was gone.

  “Seriously?” I looked up at the ceiling in annoyance. “That’s it? You’re giving me a magical sword, telling me to be off on my way, and not telling me where I am or why any of this is happening at all?”

  No answer.

  I huffed and threw down my arm. The tip of the sword met the ground with so much force that I was nearly thrown off balance.

  I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was supposed to be in Avalon.

  Unless… maybe this place was Avalon?

  There was only one way to find out.

  And so, sword in hand, I headed out of the cave, ready to see what waited for me outside.

  29

  Raven

  Once I stepped out of the cave, a belt appeared around my waist with a sheath for the sword.

  “Cool,” I said, sliding the sword into place. It clicked into position, and then was weightless. For a moment I worried it had disappeared entirely. But I pulled it out, and it was completely in tact.

  This sword had all kinds of nifty tricks up its sleeve.

  Placing the sword back inside the sheath, I walked along the clay path leading out of the cave. The sun shined brightly up ahead. It was a beautiful spring day, with birds chirping and the smell of flowers in the air. It was practically calling for me to hang out and bask in the perfect weather.

  But I didn’t have time to stop and enjoy the scenery. I needed to continue on.

  The cave had been inside a big hill, and the path led out and over it. So off I went. I crossed my fingers that once I came over the crest, I’d find Noah, Jacen, and the others waiting for me.

  I didn’t.

  All I saw were more and more grassy, green hills rolling out toward the horizon. It was the same way every direction I turned. Rolling hills, as far as the eye could see. It was like I’d been plopped right in the middle of nowhere in New Zealand. Except there were no sheep.

  The path I was on also continued out toward the horizon. How far was I expected to walk?

  The guy who’d told me to follow it must really want me to work on my cardio.

  But what other choice did I have? So I took a deep breath and trudged forward. I kept going and going and going.

  I wasn’t wearing a watch, so I had no idea how long I’d been walking. Hours, probably. All I knew was it was long enough that I’d worked up a good sweat and had blisters on my feet. It was also long enough for the weather to change. Clouds had rolled into the previously clear skies.

  Hopefully it wouldn’t start raining. Although, maybe rain would be a good thing. All of this walking was making me thirsty.

  Just when I was starting to feel dizzy from the thirst, the path led me to a burbling stream. It was like a fairy stream, with big mossy stones surrounding it. A line of stones led across the water to where the path continued on the other side.

  I sank down onto a large stone next to the bank, cupped my hands together to gather the water, and drank. I gulped down as much water as possible, not knowing when I’d get this chance again.

  Hopefully the water was safe. But the stream was moving fast and the water didn’t look dirty, so it seemed fine.

  After drinking so much water that my stomach felt like it might burst, I lowered my hands and looked up.

  I startled at what I saw and fell back onto my butt—hard.

  Because two animals stood on the other side of the stream, watching me curiously. And they weren’t just any old animals.

  They were a unicorn and a dragon.

  The unicorn was pure white, with a gleaming silver horn coming out of its forehead. It stood tall, proud, and majestic, its white mane and tail blowing in the wind.

  The dragon was all black except for its glowing yellow eyes. Its arms were melded into its wings like a pterodactyl. It would have been terrifying if it weren’t perched peacefully on its legs with its head tilted to the side, watching me expectantly.

  Once I’d gotten a good look at both of the creatures, the clouds in the sky above them formed into shapes.

  No, not shapes. Numbers. Moving numbers.

  A forty-second countdown.

  I knew what that meant. Choose.

  And given the short amount of time on the clock, I wasn’t getting a chance to learn about either of the creatures this time. I was going to have to go with my gut.

  Luckily, this choice was easy.

  I hopped over the stones to cross the stream and ran up to face the two creatures. I couldn’t believe they were real. But here they were, right in front of me, staring down at me and waiting expectantly.

  Thirty seconds.

  I needed to be quick. But these were living beings. I didn’t know how much they understood what was going on, and I wanted to be kind about my choice.

  “You both are beautiful,” I said, looking back and forth between the two of them as I spoke. “I wish I could choose both of you to come along with me to… well, to wherever we’re going. But I can’t.” I turned to the dragon now, putting as much apology into my tone as possible. “Unfortunately, I’m not very good with heights. And while I’ve never flown on anything, I’ve had experience horseback riding in the past.” I bit my lip after saying that bit and glanced at the unicorn, hoping I hadn’t accidentally insulted it.

  I must have, because the unicorn hoofed at the ground with its front leg and gave me what I could only describe as an irritated side eye.

  “Not that a horse is anywhere near as magnificent as you are, of course,” I said, as if such a thing would be ridiculous. “But I feel like the experience will be beneficial.”

  That must have placated the unicorn, because it stilled once more and lifted its neck proudly. Its mane shimmered as it blew in the wind.

  I could have stood there admiring both creatures for hours. But a glance up at the sky showed I had fifteen seconds left.

  I needed to hurry up.

  I also needed to make sure I didn’t accidentally turn either creature into an enemy. They were both acting peacefully now, but I had a feeling that both of them had the potential to be very, very dangerous.

  So I turned once more to the dragon. I couldn’t be sure, but I could have sworn its lips were curved up into a small smile. “I hope to meet you again in the future, when I’m better prepared for flight,” I finished up. “Then it’ll be your turn. But right now, I choose the unicorn.”

  I stepped up to the unicorn and placed my hand on its warm neck, sealing my choice.

  30

  Raven

  Three things happened when I placed my hand on the unicorn and declared my choice.

  The countdown cleared from the sky.

  The dragon raised its wings and took off. It flew away until it was a mere dot on the horizon, and then, until it disappeared completely.

  My mind was flooded with information about the unicorn.

  She wa
s female, and her name was Annar. She was two hundred and thirteen years old. She had a mate and a child back home. Her favorite food was watermelon.

  And she was happy I’d chosen her.

  “I’m happy I chose you, too,” I said as I ran my fingers lovingly along her neck. Her fur was softer than the finest silk.

  It was a good thing humans didn’t know about the existence of unicorns. I shuddered to think of what they’d do with fur as soft as this.

  As I stroked her, I wondered how I was supposed to get on her. The horses I’d ridden back in summer camp had always been saddled. But from the tall, proud way Annar stood, I had a distinct impression that unicorns weren’t the type of creature that liked to be saddled.

  Apparently I’d have to wing this.

  I also didn’t want her first impression of me to be my trying to jump onto her back, missing, and somehow falling with my face next to her hoof. Because knowing me, that was something that might happen.

  “I guess you can’t kneel down so I can get onto your back, can you?” I asked lightly.

  She dug her hoof into the ground, let out a small huff, and stood taller.

  Well, there was the answer to that question.

  So I looked around. My gaze instantly landed on the big rocks along the stream. Some of them were definitely tall enough to give me the step up I needed.

  I walked over to one of the larger rocks—it went up to about my knee—and stepped up onto it. “Annar?” I said her name tentatively. I didn’t want to give the unicorn commands, since she seemed like the stubborn type. We needed to work together. “It’ll be easier for me to get on your back from up here.”

  She held my gaze, her kind black eyes focused on mine. Then she headed over to where I was standing on the rock. Once she reached me, she rotated so I could get on her back.

  She was still tall, even given my additional height. But with what little physical strength I had, and with a lot of determination, I managed to pull myself up onto her back. Not as gracefully as I would have liked, but hey, I’d work on that.

  Sitting on her bare back was as cozy as sitting on a cloud. It must have been special unicorn magic.

  From this view, I could see her horn from much closer. It was large, probably about half the size of my arm. Sunlight glinted off of it, and it sparkled like diamonds. But it wasn’t diamonds, because it was silver. It took my breath away. Clearly it was some kind of magical, otherworldly material that wasn’t from Earth.

  Again, I was relieved that unicorns hid themselves from humans. Given what humans did for elephant tusks, I’d hate to know what they’d do for the unearthly material in a unicorn horn.

  Annar nodded her head, as if agreeing with my thought.

  “So,” I said, looking forward along the path. “My instructions in the cave were to continue along the red clay path. It’s been a pretty long journey so far, and I don’t see an end in sight. Would you like to help me get there faster?”

  I was careful to phrase my request as a question and not a command.

  Annar flipped her mane up and over her shoulder, so the hair rested near my hands. Then an image formed in my mind.

  It was of myself sitting on top of her back, my hands fisted tightly around the hair of her mane.

  She must have put the image into my mind somehow. She was telling me to use her hair to hold on.

  I did as instructed, twining her gleaming white hair tightly through my fingers. The moment I did, my body hummed with magic, from my hands all the way down to my toes. It was like a tether formed between us, connecting me to Annar. I felt solid on her back. Like no matter what crazy moves she made, I wasn’t going anywhere.

  She shot forward in a full out gallop. My stomach lurched, like at the start of a roller coaster. It was a miracle I hadn’t fallen off her back.

  No, it wasn’t a miracle. It was unicorn magic.

  Wind rushed past my face, the hills whizzing by. Annar was galloping faster than a car on a freeway. We must have been going eighty or ninety miles per hour. And once I settled into the speed, it felt amazing. The sword sheathed to my waist kept hitting her side, but it didn’t seem to bother her. I felt through the bond that she was enjoying running as much as I was.

  After about thirty minutes, something peeked into view along the horizon. Tree tops.

  The hills were ending, and we were approaching the beginning of a forest.

  Would Annar be able to run as quickly in the forest? Or would the trees get in the way?

  I was contemplating it as she ran around the corner of the final hill and came to a jolting stop. If I hadn’t been on a unicorn, I would have gotten whiplash. As it was, I was just startled.

  I looked up, curious about what had caused her to stop so suddenly.

  And the moment I saw what was blocking our path, I froze in fear.

  31

  Raven

  Blocking the path straight ahead of us was a monster that looked to be a cross between Big Foot and Chewbacca.

  He was a giant, ape-like creature, naked minus a loincloth tied around his waist. He was half the size of a tree… and chained to one by one of his wrists. He tugged and tugged at the chain, but no matter how hard he tugged, the tree didn’t budge.

  It must have been a strong chain. Magically strong.

  At the sight of us, he let out a roar so loud it vibrated in my chest. He tried running toward us, but the chain pulled tight and stopped him in his tracks. He bared his teeth and let out another angry wail.

  Annar stood firm in the ground. From where we were outside the radius of the chain, the monster couldn’t reach us. But we couldn’t continue on the path with the monster there, either.

  “Maybe we can go around him?” I asked once he’d finished screaming. “We can find another way into the forest and rejoin the path there. He can’t hurt us if we don’t get within the radius of his chain. Right?”

  Annar remained where she was standing. Unbelievable. I thought my suggestion was perfectly logical. Yet she was acting like I hadn’t spoken at all.

  I tried using my feet to nudge her to the side. But she held her head higher, ignoring me.

  Wow. This unicorn was more stubborn than I was.

  I looked off to both sides, trying to see if there was another entrance to the forest. There wasn’t. The trees were so thick it would be impossible for Annar to walk through them without getting tangled in their branches.

  What other options did I have? I certainly didn’t plan on jumping off Annar and going into the forest alone. We were a team now—we were getting to the end of this path together. Plus, I didn’t want to leave her alone with this monster. She’d probably just turn around and go back to wherever she’d come from. But leaving her here alone didn’t feel right.

  That only left me with one choice. If we couldn’t go around the monster, we’d have to go through it.

  This was normally the point where I’d sit back and let Noah and Sage do the dirty work. But they weren’t here right now. And I had the perfect weapon to get us out of this mess.

  I reached for the handle of the sword and pulled it out of its sheath. The sound of the metal coming out of its casing sounded downright melodic. I held the sword in front of me with both hands, red magic dancing around the blade as it came to life.

  It was now or never. Surely it wouldn’t be easy to fight this monster, since he was many times the size of me. But this sword could cut through anything. All I needed was the right angle to get in a clean sweep that would slice him neatly in two.

  I could do this. I needed to do this, so I could continue along this path and hopefully find Noah and the others again.

  And so, I eyed up the monster before me and took a deep breath, readying myself to ask Annar to run forward so I could attack.

  Before I could, the monster looked out to the hills, threw his free arm back, and let out a long, agonized wail.

  His cry was so loud that the treetops rustled. And it sounded like he was in pain. Not
physical pain, although I imagined it couldn’t be comfortable to have your wrist chained to a tree. His cry was that of emotional pain. Deep, emotional pain that shook me down to the core.

  His wail finally stopped when he ran out of breath.

  I studied him over the tip of my sword. “Why are you chained to this tree?” I asked. “Who put you here?”

  He watched me with sad eyes and let out another long, sad cry. I didn’t know if he understood me. But he clearly couldn’t answer back.

  I lowered my sword, not wanting to appear like a threat. Because I knew eyes like his. I’d seen them when I’d been locked in the bunker with the other gifted humans.

  They were the eyes of someone who was trapped, scared, and helpless.

  It was easy to assume this creature was dangerous because of his size. And upon first encounter, his loud screams were frightening.

  But looking into his eyes, I believed they were the cries of a creature chained up for something he couldn’t control—what he’d been born as. Not as someone who wanted to attack.

  There was only one right thing to do here.

  I placed my free hand upon Annar’s neck, sending my plans to her through the bond. “What do you think?” I asked her. “Will you help?”

  She nodded her assent.

  Next, I raised my hand in the air, trying to communicate with the giant. He watched me like I’d lost my marbles. So, trying again, I pointed to him and raised my hand once more.

  He raised his free hand in return and shook it manically.

  I shook my head and pointed toward his other hand. The hand bound to the tree.

  He frowned and gave another tug on the chain. He followed it up with another sad wail, still giving the chain the occasional tug.

  The fur under his eyes was wet now. He was crying.

  I nodded and raised my hand again. Then, with the hand holding the sword, I slowly swung the open air next to my hand. Then I pointed back to him.