The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  “What are Noah and the others doing?” I asked.

  “They’re in a similar room, getting placed into jobs on Avalon by Dahlia.”

  “Is she going to tell them about the Angel Trials?” I asked. “About no human has yet to pass them?”

  “She will,” Violet said. “At the end of their orientation.”

  I wondered how Noah would react. He’d probably freak out, just like I was doing now.

  How had so many months gone by with no humans passing the Angel Trials? And why was the Earth Angel allowing the supernaturals on Earth to believe she was successfully turning humans into Nephilim?

  It was so messed up. My grievances against the Earth Angel had just increased tenfold. She had a lot to answer to, and I had no idea how she could possibly explain herself.

  I also had no idea what I was going to do after speaking to her. Because if the Angel Trials were killing everyone who entered them… what was going to happen to me?

  It was terrifying to think about. Which was why I had to take this one step at a time. First, I needed to speak with the Earth Angel. Then I’d figure out what to do moving forward. Because I wouldn’t give up. Not on my mom… and not on the world.

  A knock on the door tore me from my thoughts.

  “Come in.” Violet sat straighter and ran her fingers through her dark hair.

  A tall woman with long brown hair let herself in. She wore a floor-length black dress, and her stomach protruded slightly, as if she were pregnant. Or she could have just had a really big meal. It was that confusing point where it would be rude to ask when the baby was due because it might insult her.

  “Camelia.” Violet nodded at the woman, who nodded at her in return. “What brings you all the way up here?”

  “A message from the Earth Angel.” She focused on me, her gaze pointed and hard. There was something off about her eyes. Something sinister. “She wants me to bring Raven Danvers to her quarters at once.”

  10

  Raven

  Camelia didn’t bother talking to me as she led me through the airy halls of the castle. She didn’t even turn to look at me. If I wasn’t hurrying to keep up, I was pretty sure she wouldn’t notice altogether.

  I didn’t bother making small talk with her. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for it. I wasn’t, either.

  I was too focused on the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of finally coming face to face with the Earth Angel. Sure, I’d put on a confident act back there with Violet. But I was ridiculously anxious. I mean, this was the Earth Angel. One of the most powerful beings in the world.

  And I was about to face her down and tell her how angry I was with her.

  Hopefully she didn’t incinerate me on the spot.

  She wouldn’t do that, right? Angels were on the good side. They wouldn’t incinerate people for speaking their minds. Especially when the person in question—AKA me—was correct.

  I was so lost in my thoughts that I was barely paying attention to where we were walking. I knew we took a bunch of stairs and walked down a bunch of halls. Big, castle-like halls that looked like they came straight out of a medieval romance story. I was only brought back to the present when Camelia stopped in front of a grand double door entrance, the wood engraved with delicate flowers and vines. Luckily, I stopped a second before walking into her.

  I doubted the frosty woman would take kindly to me stepping on her shoes.

  Camelia pressed a hand against one of the doors and pushed it open. “Earth Angel,” she said, “May I present Raven Danvers.”

  I took that as my cue, and entered the room.

  It was big and grand, with hardwood floors, a woven rug, a majestic chandelier, and a king-sized canopy bed. Reclining on the bed was a dark haired, pale girl who looked younger than me.

  She was an absolute mess.

  Her hair was greasy—like she hadn’t showered in days—and was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her legs were under the covers, and she was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that said Panic! At the Disco on it. Her face was drawn, like she hadn’t been eating enough. And there were puffy, dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn’t slept in weeks.

  But her eyes… they were gold. Not brown with a little hint of yellow, but gold. I’d never seen eyes like that before. They were downright inhuman. And somehow, despite how frail she looked, there was a glow about her that made her beautiful. Like she was surrounded by an aura of golden warmth.

  “Earth Angel?” I asked, question in my tone.

  “Raven Danvers.” She shot me a small smile, her voice light and kind. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  I stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe she was truly the Earth Angel. I guess I’d expected big fluffy wings, a white gown, a halo—the works. But this girl in front of me looked like a college student in bed with the flu. Not a powerful being in charge of a magical, mystical island.

  Still, it didn’t change everything she’d done to me.

  “This isn’t the first time we met.” I clenched my fists as anger fueled my veins. She might look fragile and innocent, but she wasn’t. “You remember that time. But I don’t. Because you took my memories from me. I told you not to, but you did it anyway.”

  She arched a brow. If I’d shocked her, she was certainly good at playing it cool. Then she turned to the intimidating woman who had led me into her chambers. “Camelia,” she said. “You can leave us alone now.”

  Camelia did as asked, shutting the huge doors behind her.

  Once she was gone, I turned back to the Earth Angel. Her golden eyes watched me with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.

  “How do you know about your erased memories?” she asked.

  “I’ve known something was off in my memories since returning home in January.” I stood straighter, finding it easy to stay strong when the Earth Angel looked so weak. “Then, when I arrived at the Haven after helping Noah complete his quest, Mary told me everything.”

  “Why would Mary do that?” she asked.

  “I pretended I remembered more than I did.” I shrugged. “It was enough to get her to admit to enough that she had to come fully clean.”

  “So… you tricked the vampire queen of the Haven?”

  If I didn’t know better, I’d say the Earth Angel sounded impressed.

  “I guess.” I couldn’t help but smirk. “I suppose it was part of my gift.”

  “Your gift?” The Earth Angel tilted her head, like a curious bird.

  I was starting to wonder if she was capable of speaking more than a few parroted words back at me at a time.

  “I take it you know about gifted humans?” I didn’t bother hiding my irritation. We weren’t going to get anywhere if the Earth Angel kept faking dumb. And I assumed she was pretending, since there was no way she could become the Earth Angel if she was truly clueless.

  “Of course I do.” She smiled a bit, as if she could read my mind.

  Maybe she could read my mind? I didn’t know what powers she had.

  So I quickly thought of something ridiculous—the way my grandma’s cat twitched and gave a serious side eye whenever someone tried taking her favorite stuffed toy from her. The Earth Angel didn’t crack a smile.

  Good—she couldn’t read minds.

  “What’s your gift?” she pressed.

  “Stubbornness,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I like getting my way.”

  That elicited the first true smile from her since I’d arrived in her chambers. “That’s the least surprising thing I’ve heard all day,” she said. “I had a feeling you’d be trouble when you tried fighting Mary’s compulsion when she got you to drink the memory potion. And I only mean that in the best way. I’ve always been a bit of a troublemaker myself.” Her eyes got a mischievous glint to them then, as if she was remembering a time long past.

  I couldn’t see the girl in front of me right now being a troublemaker… but something about that look told me she wasn’t always th
is way.

  I had so many questions for her. But right now I was too mad about what she’d done to me to think about anything else than getting her to admit she’d been wrong.

  “You had no right to take my memories from me,” I said, returning to the point. “You dropped me back home, completely clueless about the supernatural world. I knew something was off—that something awful had happened to me. But I didn’t know what it was. Then Azazel took my mom, and I was thrown into this crazy supernatural world unprepared. If you hadn’t taken my memories away, I might have been ready for what was coming. I might have been able to protect my mom.”

  “If I hadn’t taken your memories away, you wouldn’t have been able to return to a normal life,” she countered. “It might not seem like it now, but I was doing what was best for you.”

  How ridiculously condescending.

  “You had no right to decide what was ‘best for me,’” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re not my mom. You don’t even look like you’re out of high school.”

  “I’m nineteen.” She studied her hands, which were playing with the edges of her blanket. “At least I was nineteen before becoming immortal this winter.”

  “So you’re younger than me.” Despite my anger, I couldn’t help feeling bad for her. Because whatever she’d been through until now, it had more than taken its toll.

  But I needed to get back to the point—that she had no right to take my memories from me.

  “Why did you do it?” I asked. “Why did you erase my memories when I asked you not to?”

  “I just told you.” She sighed, as if this conversation was exhausting her. “I wanted you to have a normal life.”

  “And look how that turned out.” I glared at her. “You have no idea what I’ve been through these past few weeks.”

  “Yes, I do,” she said. “Jacen told me everything.”

  “Right.” I pressed my lips together—I should have figured he would. And truthfully, I was glad for it. The last thing I wanted was to rehash what had happened to me for the thousandth time. I’d done enough of that in the bunker and in the Haven.

  But she needed to know what it had been like. From me—not from anyone else.

  “I’ve been attacked by demons and have no idea how to fight them,” I said. “I’ve been nearly killed multiple times. I was thrown into a bunker by demons, with no idea if I’d be able to escape. If it hadn’t been for Noah and Sage, I’d be captured right now, just like my mom. Everything I’ve done since she disappeared has been to save her. Everything. Rosella told me to come here, enter the Angel Trials, and become a Nephilim. She promised that’s how I could save my mom. Then I get here and learn everyone who’s entered the Angel Trials has died. And now Violet wants me to take memory potion, leave Avalon, and forget everything that’s happened to me? I swear, the only good thing that’s happened these past few weeks has been Noah. If I didn’t imprint on him, I’m pretty sure I would have lost it by now.”

  Honestly, I was pretty sure I was losing it now. Learning that the Angel Trials were a death sentence might have been my breaking point.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have come here. I should have gone to Noah instead.

  Why did I think the Earth Angel would be able to fix things? I guess I’d expected her to apologize, or to tell me there was another way. But seeing what a frail mess she was just made this all worse.

  At some point when I was talking, the Earth Angel’s eyes watered, like she was about to cry. I think it was when I mentioned the part about everyone dying. But I couldn’t be sure.

  She scooted over on the big bed, curled up her legs, and patted the empty spot next to her. “Come sit,” she said gently. “It sounds like we have a lot to talk about.”

  “The last time we talked, you forced me to take memory potion,” I said. “How do I know you won’t do the same thing again?”

  “I shouldn’t have done that.” She pressed her lips together, regret shining in her golden eyes. “I thought I was doing the right thing when I took your memories from you, but I was wrong. And you might be right that not knowing about the supernatural world made everything harder for you later. I don’t know. But I do know that I made a mistake in making you take that memory potion, and I’m sorry for it.”

  “Really?” My mouth dropped open.

  “Really,” she said. “Why do you look so surprised?”

  “I guess I didn’t expect the Earth Angel of Avalon to apologize so easily.”

  She looked me over, as if seeing me in a new light. “I think we got off on the wrong foot,” she finally said.

  “Yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “You could say that.”

  “So how about we start over?”

  I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation right now. “How do you want to do that?” I asked.

  “To start, I don’t want any formalities between us,” she said. “Call me Annika.”

  “Okay.” I shifted from one foot to another. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” She laughed, although it was kind of self-depreciating. “You didn’t expect me to be like this, did you?”

  “Not really,” I admitted. “I thought you’d have wings and a halo and stuff. And that you’d be strong and scary.”

  “Oh, I’m strong—don’t get me wrong there.” She laughed again. “But scary? Not so much. Because yes, now I’m the Earth Angel of Avalon. But a few months ago, I was a human girl, just like you. I make mistakes all the time. And this whole supernatural world is new to me too. I’m doing my best, but recently it feels like my best just isn’t enough.” She shrugged, and I was surprised by her raw honesty. It was refreshing.

  “All right, Annika,” I said, testing the casual way she’d asked me to address her. It felt good—like I was talking to an equal. “I know you’ve heard about what happened to me from Jacen and maybe even from Mary. But do you want to hear about it from me?”

  Sure, before I hadn’t wanted to go through the details again. But now that she’d apologized and the line of communication was open between us, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to talk to her. Especially because she was the one who was supposed to be helping me save my mom… even if she didn’t look capable of saving anyone right now.

  “Yes.” She motioned again to the empty spot on the bed next to her. “I’d like that very much.”

  And so, I plopped myself down next to her, made myself comfortable, and told her everything that had happened to me since the night of my birthday.

  11

  Raven

  Annika and I must have sat there talking for over an hour. At some point, she’d had mana and hot chocolate brought in.

  There were tears, hugs, and even a bit of laughter. There was even girl talk when I got to the part about imprinting on Noah and how frustratingly distant and moody he’d been in the beginning. Apparently, Annika and Jacen had had their share of troubles in the beginning of their relationship, too. She’d told me there was a lot more to that story, which she’d tell me about eventually. But right now, we were focusing on my long, crazy journey that had led me to Avalon.

  “Now I finally get to Avalon, I’m ready to enter the Angel Trials, and Violet drops the bomb that no one has passed them yet,” I finished. “That it’s killing them all. I just… don’t know what to do with that information.” I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them in a small attempt to comfort myself. It didn’t work. I was still as scared as ever.

  “Tell me about it.” Annika sighed and buried her face in her palms. She dropped her hands down a second later and continued, “It’s why I’m such a mess right now. These are my people. They trusted me, and they entered the Trials because they wanted to fight the demons. We went into the Angel Trials with such hope. Then the first candidate—one of the strongest to ever enter the Trials—completed all the initial tests with flying colors. His name was Toby. He proved he was ready to drink from the Holy Grail and accept the blessing of the angels. But he dra
nk from the Grail, and he died. And he didn’t just fall over peacefully. His death… it was brutal.” She shuddered, and horror crossed her features, like she was watching his death all over again. Her golden eyes actually dimmed a bit.

  “I’m sorry,” I said the only thing that came to mind.

  “At first, I thought it was a fluke,” she continued, as if I wasn’t even there. “I thought there was a reason Toby wasn’t fit to be a Nephilim. That is the point of the Trials, after all. To determine who’s destined to be a Nephilim or not. I figured there was something wrong with his inner self—something deeply ingrained that I hadn’t been able to see—and that destiny knew best. And so, we continued on with the Trials as normal. But then the next human drank from the Grail—a girl named Hannah. She was good to the core, I know it. But she died too, just as painfully and as brutally as Toby. After her death, a handful of humans dropped out of the Trials. But most stayed, determined it would be different for them.”

  “They were strong,” I said.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “And the Trials were all they had to live for. You see, most of the humans here came either from the Vale, or from a human area on Earth. Those who came from Earth tended to be lost and afraid. No family or friends—they lived on the streets, surviving by sheer grit and determination.”

  “How did you find them?” I asked.

  “We sent scouts out,” she said. “We needed to build an army, and had to start somewhere. Humans who were already fighters seemed like the best bet.”

  “Makes sense.” I nodded.

  “But they kept dying,” she said. “At first I thought it had something to do with my blood, since that’s what they were drinking from the Grail. I thought the pure angel blood was too strong for them to handle. So I tried diluting it. But when diluted, it did nothing. The only test left to do is have them drink Nephilim blood and see if they’re able to handle it, but I can’t test that when there are no Nephilim left. It’s a catch twenty-two. And I’m honestly not sure if I have it in me to do any more tests at all. The guilt I felt each time they died…” Her eyes went distant again, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned away and wiped them from her face, as if she thought her tears were a weakness.