The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  Noah brought an arm down to hit the surface of the water, splashing it up into the flies.

  The water disintegrated the flies on contact.

  “Nice.” I also splashed the flies, smiling when they disintegrated as well.

  The Holy Water destroyed them. I splashed again, watching the flies I hit disappear. Amazing.

  Camelia and Darra splashed them too. There were way too many flies for us to kill them all, but after the way the insects had attacked us, it felt good to get back at them.

  Before I knew it, we’d all gotten in a water fight, and were squealing and laughing as we splashed each other and the flies. Even Camelia was partaking in the fun.

  Eventually, we tired and stopped the splashing. I did a back float, staring up at the masses of insects above me. “Will Dr. Foster be okay?” I asked. “He’s trapped in that boundary and can’t run away…”

  “He’ll be fine,” Camelia said. “The plagues are designed to avoid him. Killing him was supposed to be your job.”

  I rolled my eyes. We were back to that now, were we?

  But she’d already agreed to my terms, so I wasn’t going to let her words bother me.

  “How long until the flies go away?” I asked instead.

  “I can’t tell you that,” Camelia said. Of course she couldn’t—she’d created the spells as a punishment for me. It was against the rules for her to give away their secrets. “But we’ll be safe waiting here until they pass.”

  “Great,” I said. “Since we’re safe, how about you teleport to the Vale right now and talk to King Alexander about bringing a lower level demon here so I can kill it and ignite my powers?”

  I was sick of being a weak human. The sooner I could ignite my Nephilim powers, the better.

  And I was thrilled I’d get to do it my way. Yes, Dr. Foster was still sentenced to death—a situation that didn’t sit well with me—but at least it didn’t have to be by my hand.

  “The sooner you ignite your powers, the better,” Camelia said. “I’ll see you soon. And when I’m back with that demon, you better not let me down.”

  I waited for her to teleport away.

  But she remained in the pond, staring straight ahead. She stood there a few seconds more, her brows creasing in frustration.

  My stomach sank in dread. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I can’t teleport.” Her eyes darted around, trapped. “It feels like there’s a boundary spell around the entire island. Like the one I cast around Dr. Foster, but bigger.”

  “Are you sure?” Noah asked. “Or could you be having issues with your powers because of your pregnancy?”

  “I already told you that the pregnancy strengthens my powers—it doesn’t weaken them.” She narrowed her eyes at him, like she thought he was an imbecile for asking.

  It had been my first thought too, but I said nothing. Best to explore other options before returning to that one.

  “Can you still teleport around the island?” Darra asked.

  “Good question.” Camelia refocused, and flashed out.

  She reappeared in the exact same place a few seconds later.

  “Where’d you go?” I asked.

  “Back to the cave,” she said. “So yes, I can still teleport around the island. I just can’t leave or send any fire messages through the boundary around it. None of us can.”

  “Who would have cast a spell like that around the island?” I asked. “Who else but us can even get to this island?” Only the citizens of Avalon knew the location of this satellite island. And no one on Avalon wished me harm. If they did, they wouldn’t have made it past King Arthur’s simulation.

  “A dark magic spell big enough to contain us on an entire island could only be cast by an extremely strong dark witch,” Camelia said, her voice taking on a chilling tone. “Dark magic that strong hasn’t been seen since the time of the Foster circle.”

  A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind. I didn’t know where to start. It didn’t help that the flies were still buzzing like crazy above our heads, making it hard to think.

  This plague needed to end already.

  “I don’t understand.” I blinked, trying to process what was going on. “Dr. Foster has no magic. He couldn’t have cast the spell.”

  “No,” Camelia confirmed. “He couldn’t have. Especially not through the boundary I cast around him.”

  “So did someone from his circle come to rescue him?” I asked. “How did they even find this island? And if they did come to rescue him, why cast a spell to keep us locked in here? Why not just take him and leave? Because they have to stay close for the spell to keep working… right?”

  At least, that was what I thought I remembered from my academy classes about dark magic boundary spells.

  “Whoa.” Camelia held her hands up for me to slow down. But she looked as troubled as I felt, which didn’t sit well with me. “One question at a time.”

  “They’re good questions,” Darra said. “They all deserve addressing.”

  “Yes, a spell this large and strong can only be maintained as long as the witch who cast it remains in close proximity,” Camelia said, answering my last question first.

  “But the only reason to stay and lock us in here would be to fight us,” I said.

  Noah nodded. Apparently he’d already drawn the same conclusion. We looked at each other, and I knew he was thinking the same thing as me.

  My final Trial was about to get a lot more interesting.

  “I know you said you won’t fight Dr. Foster,” Darra said. “But this other dark witch here… would you consider fighting her?”

  “I’d more than consider it.” I felt for Excalibur’s handle in the water, and the weapon buzzed with energy in my grip. The female Foster witches had been actively using their magic to ally with Azazel. They weren’t any better than the demons themselves. “I’m ready for it.”

  21

  Raven

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t hunt down the female Foster witch just yet. We had to wait another hour for the flies to clear.

  Once they were gone, we hurried back to the tree where we’d left Dr. Foster.

  When we arrived back at the tree, I recoiled in disgust.

  Dr. Foster was sprawled out on the ground. His vacant eyes stared out at us, and blood puddled beneath him. Numerous claw marks had torn through his clothes and into his skin. It looked like a wild animal had mutilated him. A bear, or a tiger, or a lion or something.

  I didn’t need to check for a pulse to know he was dead.

  If the Foster witch who’d cast the boundary spell around the island had come to rescue him, she’d done a terrible job of it. Something else was going on here.

  “Crap.” I backed away from the body and looked at the others. “What do we do now?”

  “I still can’t teleport off the island,” Camelia said. “Whoever did this to him must still be here.”

  My eyes met Noah’s, and neither of us had to speak to know what the other was thinking. Because whoever had done this to Dr. Foster had to be after us next.

  “Can you guys smell a dark witch anywhere?” I asked.

  Sure, they weren’t supposed to help me during my final Trial. But now that the Trial had been breached, surely the rules could be thrown out the window.

  No one had a chance to answer before a huge figure dropped down from the top of the tree. He crouched down in front of us, his red eyes gleaming as he grinned maliciously.

  Azazel.

  I reached for my sword at the same time as Noah and Darra reached for theirs.

  But I didn’t have a chance to pull the sword out of my weapons belt before Camelia flashed to my side, grabbed my arm, and teleported us back to the cave.

  When I raised my sword above my head, she’d already flashed back out. I was standing in the cave alone. Well, it was just me and what was left of the boar. But he didn’t count.

  A few seconds later, Camelia returned with Darra. Then she flashed o
ut again, returning with Noah a few seconds after that.

  Once I confirmed they were all unharmed, I turned to Camelia, furious. “What was that for?” I fumed, my sword still raised and flaming in front of me. The shadows of the flames danced across the cave walls. “I have Excalibur. I could have killed Azazel.”

  “No, you couldn’t have.” Camelia was as levelheaded as ever. “Excalibur is a strong sword—the most magical in the world. But not even Excalibur can slay a greater demon if it’s not wielded by a Nephilim. By bringing you back here, I saved you. I saved all of you.” She looked to Noah and Darra, punctuating her point.

  “How do you know Excalibur can’t slay Azazel on its own?” I asked. “You didn’t give me a chance to try.”

  “Witches make it our business to study the history of the supernatural world.” She held her chin up high like the snob she was. “Once you pulled Excalibur from the stone, I brushed up on its history. It can kill lower demons, like any other holy weapon. But only Nephilim have enough magic to slay a greater demon, Excalibur or no. If you’d tried fighting Azazel, you would have wasted valuable energy and likely gotten yourself killed. I just saved your life. A little gratitude would be nice right now.”

  “Great.” I shoved the sword back into my weapons belt, trying to think of a new plan. “I guess we have to find that dark witch who’s here, don’t we?” I asked, mustering more confidence into my tone than I was feeling right now. “So I can kill her, become a Nephilim, and take care of Azazel once and for all.”

  Now that Dr. Foster was dead, the other Foster witch on this island seemed my best chance of becoming a Nephilim. I just had to find her and kill her without Azazel finding and killing me first.

  This was going to be tough.

  It was a good thing I had Noah, Darra, and Camelia on my side to help.

  Suddenly, something big slammed against the invisible boundary wall that covered the entry to the cave.

  Azazel.

  How had he found us so quickly?

  He kept throwing himself at the wall, trying to force his way in. Luckily, the boundary was strong enough to keep him out. But that didn’t stop him from continuing to try.

  Each time he collided with the invisible barrier, my heart beat faster, and dread built in my stomach. Before, at least I stood a chance of finding the Foster witch before Azazel found us.

  Now we were trapped on this island, cornered by a greater demon none of us could kill. How were we all supposed to get out of this alive?

  I looked around at the others, hoping one of them had a brilliant idea. But they all looked as concerned as I felt.

  This wasn’t good.

  I glanced back at Azazel. He’d stopped throwing himself at the wall. Now his lips were moving, although we couldn’t hear a word thanks to the soundproof boundary Camelia had cast to keep out the sounds of the storm.

  “He’s trying to talk to us,” I said. “Can you let us hear what he’s saying without weakening the barrier?”

  “I can.” Camelia nodded and raised her arms to perform the spell. Her bright yellow magic shot out toward the cave entrance, lighting the boundary up so it glowed. After a few seconds, the yellow glow dimmed out and disappeared.

  Azazel tried strolling into the cave, but he walked straight into the invisible wall. “Damn it,” he said, rubbing his nose. “I thought you were being nice and letting me in.”

  “Why would we do that?” I walked straight up to the boundary and crossed my arms, not wanting to look intimidated.

  “Because of the deal I offered you.” He smirked.

  That must have been what he was rambling on about when we couldn’t hear him. “I’d never take a deal from you,” I said. “Save your energy.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” He raised an eyebrow. “Because unless you plan on killing one of your friends in there with you—which I know you won’t do, since your heart is so soft you couldn’t even bring yourself to hurt dear old Dr. Foster—you’re at my mercy. It might benefit you to hear me out.”

  “You’re talking like my friends here are the only other supernaturals on this island.” I somehow managed to sound a lot more confident than I felt. “Like your witch isn’t hiding in the shadows somewhere, waiting for us to find her.”

  “My witch isn’t on this island anymore,” he said. “She wouldn’t leave herself vulnerable like that. She cast the spell and left.”

  “Impossible.” Noah growled. “She needs to stay on the island to maintain the spell.”

  “Maybe a normal witch would need to stay on the island.” Azazel shrugged. “A Foster witch doesn’t.”

  I spun around to look at Camelia. “Is that true?” I asked.

  “The Fosters use ancient magic,” she said. “It’s different from the magic used by any other witch circle. So yes, it’s possible.”

  “Great,” I muttered. Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did.

  My other Trials had gone so smoothly. I supposed it was too much to hope that this one would be the same.

  “It is great.” Azazel smirked again. “And you know what’s even better? The deal I was offering you. Why don’t you let me in your humble abode here so we can discuss it?”

  “In your dreams,” I said. “If you want us to hear your deal so badly, tell us from out there.”

  I had no intention on taking him up on any deal. But humoring him wouldn’t do any harm… and it would also buy us time to figure out what to do from here. Maybe he’d slip up and say something we could use to our advantage. And Darra was being pretty quiet so far—hopefully she was coming up with a plan.

  “You’re being cautious,” he said. “I can respect that.”

  I said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

  “I want all of you to come over to my side,” he said. “Come live with me and the others in the Montgomery compound, where you’ll be safe. Do that, and all of your past transgressions will be forgotten. Easy.”

  “Seriously?” I scoffed. “You really expect us to say yes to that?”

  He was either playing with us, or he was delusional. I suspected the former.

  “I do,” he said. “You see, Raven, your mom is already staying with me. Now that she’s a vampire, she’s a powerful prophetess. How else do you think I knew to find you in that alley in Chicago, and now here on this island? She told me where you were. She wants me to bring you home to her. She wants you to join our side.” He smirked, apparently thinking he was getting somewhere. “Isn’t that what you want? To be with your mom again? Because she wants to be with you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, believing none of it. “My mom would never betray me like that,” I said.

  “She would, and she did,” he said. “Come with me. I’ll have you turned into a vampire too, and you can be reunited with your mom. We’ll be one big happy family. Noah, too.” He turned to Noah, his eyes glinting with excitement. “I know all about the First Prophet of the Vale. You were the driving force that helped open the Hell Gate and free us from that rotting place below, giving us a chance at a new life on Earth. You’re a legend amongst our kind. Of course you’ll be welcomed back. We’ll do a blood binding ceremony to make it official and everything.”

  I shivered at the mention of the blood binding ceremony. That was what Azazel had used on Sage and the other Montgomery shifters. The spell that bound their souls to him and took away their free will.

  I’d never let that happen to Noah.

  “Keep dreaming, Azazel,” Noah said, apparently not fazed in the slightest. His hand was wrapped around his dagger, and his entire body was tense, like it was taking all his self-control not to run up to Azazel and run the weapon straight through his heart.

  I stepped away from Azazel, moving to Noah’s side. I trusted Noah to control himself and not make any sudden moves against the greater demon. But I felt better being closer to him.

  “Darra and Camelia here will make extraordinary additions to my growing family,
too,” Azazel said, ignoring Noah’s comment. “Darra is one of the strongest fighters from the Ward Kingdom—a vampire kingdom that only drinks the blood of children, if I’m not mistaken?” He looked to me after saying that last part, as if he expected me to be surprised.

  Darra remained as calm as ever. “You’ve been doing your research,” she said. “Good job.”

  “Thank you.” He grinned. “I have.”

  If he was trying to use Darra’s past to shock me, it wasn’t going to work. I already knew all about the Ward Kingdom, where Darra had lived before coming to Avalon. Yes, they survived on the blood of children, which was admittedly disturbing. But they kept the children alive. It was more than the Tower Kingdom did with their victims, who were all murdered outright.

  But everyone had a fresh start once they came through King Arthur’s simulation and entered Avalon. Even the vampires from the Tower and Carpathian Kingdoms—the most brutal of the six vampire kingdoms.

  “On Avalon, we judge each other on who we are on the island,” I said, holding my gaze with Azazel’s. “Not on who we were before it.”

  “Because of that rowboat ride through the fog you go on to get there,” he said. “Correct? The fog brings you to some other world, where you’re judged on your inner character and either given entrance to Avalon or sent away.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “I have my ways.” He smirked. “Your mother isn’t the only one who’s found herself in my care. How do you think I was able to locate this satellite island? Only a gifted vampire with an excellent sense of direction would be able to find it…”

  “Kara,” I said, my heart dropping as I put it together.

  From his amused expression, I’d guessed correctly.

  “How did you get her?”

  “Details for another time.” He waved off my question. “Because Camelia here was a vicious little witch back when she lived at the Vale.” He looked to her, smiling. “You didn’t have to go through the simulation, did you?” he asked. “You wouldn’t have made it through if you had.”