Read The Angel Knights-Prequel (The Angel Knights Series Book 1) for Free Online

ever made me feel the way Father did for Mother.
    “Are you coming?” Zach looked at me with a questioning expression. He must have been wondering what I was doing.
    I didn’t realize my wings flapped, ready to take flight, as I stood there staring at the ground. “Yeah.”
    Zach and I ascended, and the air brushed my face. I hardly had to use my wings; the wind took us where we needed to go. Over my shoulder, I watched the marvelous, grand castle shrink. Never had I ever seen a more beautiful place than the home where we lived—made from clear crystal, the same kind used to make the Divine Elders’ swords. No evil could penetrate the walls, so we were safe there—one of the main reasons our parents had decided to move to Crossroads.
    When we landed, we tucked in our wings. The race had just started. Though we stood on solid ground, it felt like we were floating. Thick clouds blanketed the ground, making it difficult to see what was underneath. I have a bad feeling about this.
    At the signal, the first group of Venators advanced into the mist of clouds. They held their bows in front, ready to shoot. All seemed fine until I spotted a tiny spark of light. I wanted to tell them to stop, but it was too late. Paint blew up right in front of them, drenching their hair and dripping down to their clothes and wings.
    Uncle Davin cackled with the rest of us. “This group is out. Next!”
    The second group passed to the end of the trail. They had shot the shiny objects before paint blasted out. Looking triumphant, they marched on to the next, where they had to shoot a moving target inside a flying ring. I bit the inside of my cheek when it knocked them down. That must have hurt. Another group had failed.
    “Lucia, Zachary, Isaac, Jude, Victoria.” Uncle Davin read from a list he held. A smirk spreading on his face, he waggled his brows. “You’re up. Good luck. Let’s see how far you can go.”
    Our team huddled, keeping our voices down. Zach directed, “Isaac, Jude, and Victoria, stay behind us. Lucia is our best shooter. She’ll get the ones to the left and I’ll stick to the right. The rest of you need to cover the sides. Jude, you watch our backs. We’ve got this. Go!”
    After the fist-bump, we proceeded. I had been keeping my eyes on the shiny objects covered by the mist, so I knew their location. Light escaped from my bow, hitting the targets on the left. Zachary successfully blasted them on the right. We had completed the first stage and moved on to the second. But the rings darted faster than before, preventing us from moving further.
    “I’ve got this.” Light from Isaac’s bow went straight to the target, splitting it in two.
    “Great job,” Zach praised, hitting two at the same time.
    “We need to split up,” I suggested. “Duck!” I ordered.
    Countless rings dropped lower, one almost nicking Victoria on the head. I spun around and blasted with my light. Dropping to one knee, I focused with one eye closed. My teammates did the same. Streams of five lights—one after the other—beamed from our bows, shattering the rings on impact as they came at us from all different directions. When none were left, we moved on.
    In the midst of battle, not only did we have to be skilled with weapons, we needed to fly with precision. One might think simply having wings would allow you to do so, but flying was a whole other ability, especially when dodging or fighting off an opponent. Up ahead, we had to pass through large rings. Having to go through them in sequence by numbers was the least of the problem. Inside the glowing rings, we had to endure and force our way through huge gusts of air, which had the ability to knock us down.
    “Ready?” Zach asked sternly, talking like a true leader.
    “I think the best way to pass through the rings is by letting the wind guide you,” I suggested. “Close your wings just before you enter, and make sure to fly through smack dab in the center.”
    “I don’t know if I