Ariel Slick writes original fiction including short stories, novels, and memoirs to spread the joy of imagination and creativity. She also helps clients achieve their fiction writing goals with her ghostwriting skills on Upwork.com and Guru.com. Although she has  worked as a freelancer for three years, she has been dedicated to the craft all her life. Her fiction focuses on themes of love, justice, and magic, and her most popular works include romance and fantasy romance. 

What would make a girl, terrified of everything, go into the woods? Knights chasing after her, for starters. All Elaine wants is to stay in her small village forever, baking bread with her family. All that changes when she discovers that she is one of seven girls with the gift of magic. Elaine must leave behind her family and flee into the deep, dark woods where anything and everything can happen. Only guided by a talking fox, who may not be who he says on the surface, Elaine battles thieves, murderous plants, and magical creatures of all sorts. She will discover her powers and why they matter: to dethrone the evil king.  Will she be brave enough to embrace her powers?

Valient

Mariel once again donned her armor. Her helmet glinted in the winter light, and her spear pointed straight at the sky. Her look was as steely as the sword strapped to her side, and hidden among the folds of her pleated skirt, there were at least a dozen knives. She and Avril had spent years gathering weapons, and now she wore every single one she possessed. Mariel gripped the rough fur of the bear. Riding atop him like a horse, she felt as ferocious as she looked. 


She knew that the bear was an impressive sight. Hundreds of pounds of sheer muscle and razor-sharp claws, jaws strong enough to break through metal, and the ability to run almost as fast as a horse made the bear and the warrior atop him a fearsome sight. 


Chapter 53