Fire Prophet (Son of Angels) (6 page)
Eliza wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, but what are they going to do if some Egyptian biker gang shows up? Just . . . pray?”
Taryn laughed lightly. “You have much to learn of the ways of spiritual battle, Eliza.”
Jeremiah wrinkled his brow as he looked up at his father. “What’s a nun?” he whispered.
“A nun is a woman who has dedicated her whole life to Elohim,” Benjamin said patiently. “So much that she doesn’t get married, lives with other nuns, and serves the community with them.”
Jeremiah thought for a minute. “So you’re kind of like a nun, right, Dad? Except that you’re married. And you’re a dude.”
Benjamin cocked his head and squinted at his son with his mouth open, but didn’t say anything.
Jonah was the first to follow Marcus inside, finding himself in a small, dank-smelling room. There was a wooden desk in the middle of the space, but no one sitting at it. A hallway stretched out behind it. They stood together in the small foyer and dropped their bags on the floor.
Jonah heard a rumble of whispering voices that seemed to be coming from a room off to the left. He walked over to the doorway and peeked inside.
A circle of women were kneeling together on the floor. Each had on the traditional black-and-white robe and veil. With eyes closed, they were praying.
He watched in silence, enchanted by the display of faithful devotion. Some were kneeling and others were standing, swaying slightly. None of them noticed, or at least acknowledged, Jonah’s presence there. They took turns praying softly to Elohim, speaking to Him in a way that Jonah had never heard before. Passionate, loving words that sounded more like talking with a friend than praying to a far-off God. Among the whispers, Jonah heard the words
children
,
protection of Elohim
, and
comfort
multiple times.
“Jonah. What are you—?” Eliza popped into the room beside
Jonah, causing him to jump and blink. She saw the nuns and whispered, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
One of the nuns picked her head up, saw Jonah and Eliza standing in the doorway, and quietly stood, leaving the others. She immediately smiled at them, putting Jonah at ease. Her dark skin radiated a glow, and her eyes were full of love.
“Hello, children,” she said. “We’ve been expecting you.”
She led them back out into the foyer, where she greeted Benjamin, Eleanor, and Jeremiah as warmly as she had Jonah and Eliza. Apparently Marcus and Taryn hadn’t stuck around. Jonah figured they’d gone to catch up with their friends on the roof, or more likely, discuss their strategy and get the latest developments on the attacks.
“It’s so nice to meet you all. My name is Sister Patricia. We will do our very best to keep your children safe and sound while you continue your own journey.” Turning to Jonah, Eliza, and Jeremiah, she continued, “I’m afraid you won’t find our accommodations similar to what you are probably used to. But we do have cozy rooms for you. You’ll be bunking with the others, of course.”
“What others are you talking about?” asked Jonah, feeling confused.
Sister Patricia gave him a blank look. “The others—the other children. The other ones like you, of course.” They continued to stare at her. “No one told you?” She studied the floor, hands on her hips, and sighed loudly. “Well, they really should have filled you in. It’s my understanding that you—Benjamin and Eleanor— were merely dropping your children off. It is not safe for the five of you to be together.”
Eleanor put her hand over her mouth. Benjamin put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
“So . . . you guys aren’t staying?” As soon as Jeremiah asked the question, Eleanor stifled a sob.
“It’ll only be for a little while,” whispered Benjamin to his three kids. “If the angels want to keep the nephilim and the quarterlings separate until they get this situation under control, we should trust them. Everything will be all right. I promise.”
But something in his father’s voice bothered Jonah. He was trying to put a good spin on it, but Jonah had the unsettling feeling that his dad was trying to promise them something that he couldn’t be sure of.
Two stone-faced warrior angels approached them in the hallway. They stood silently behind Benjamin and Eleanor.
Benjamin turned and his eyes grew wide. Jonah knew these angels were allowing him to see them now.
“I guess this means it’s time for us to go,” he said softly. The angels said nothing, but nodded, an urgency on their faces for all to see.
Sister Patricia spoke. “Take a minute and say good-bye to your parents, children.”
The five members of the Stone family gathered together in the hall. Benjamin and Eleanor gave multiple hugs to their kids, and Eleanor didn’t try to stop the tears now.
“We’ll see you soon,” she said, wiping them away. “You’re safe here, remember? This is . . . the best thing for all of us right now.”
Benjamin held her hand in his. “It’s time, Eleanor.”
She quickly kissed her children once more.
“Okay, Mom, okay,” Jonah said, but he hugged her again tightly around her neck, giving her a quick peck on the cheek too.
Benjamin and Eleanor walked down the hallway, under guard of the angels.
Jonah, Eliza, and a sniffling Jeremiah watched them leave until Sister Patricia shut the heavy wooden door, and the sound of the ancient metal latch was a jarring reminder that their parents were gone.
S
econd-floor accommodations are for the sisters of the convent,” Sister Patricia said as she led them up the stairwell after dinner, past the door with a large “2” painted on its surface. “Floor three will be for the girls, and floor four will be for the boys,” she said.
“So the other kids . . . they were attacked too?” asked Jeremiah.
The nun smiled thoughtfully at the youngest member of the Stone family. “Yes. One survived an attack on their home in the middle of the night. Another made it through a house fire. I’m sure when they arrive they will be in a bit of shock.” She sighed, and Jonah saw pain crease across her face. “But Elohim is Lord, even over days like this. He has a plan.”
They walked down the hallway, the dusty wooden floors creaking with each footstep. The nun ushered them past a handful of closed doors, each of them numbered, before she stopped in front of one. Room 312. She looked through a large set of keys.
“Are you the janitor here?” Jeremiah asked, staring enviously
at the key ring. Her cheeks creased, and she laughed loudly, the sound echoing down the empty hall.
“No, dear, but you would think so with all of these keys, wouldn’t you?”
She opened the door to Eliza’s new home. There were two single beds against either wall, a small wooden desk with a chair and lamp, and a small sofa. A worn rug had been placed across the floor. Someone had made an effort with the room, trying to make it comfortable. There just wasn’t a lot to work with.
Eliza put on a brave smile and set her bag on the bed. “This will be . . . fine,” she said. “Thank you.”
“There will be another child who will join you in here eventually,” Sister Patricia said. “We don’t have enough lodging for everyone to have their own space. It’s rare that we ever have this many staying here at one time.” She smiled. “Elohim will provide, as He always does.”
Eliza nodded, the prospect of a roommate darkening her face. “I’ll just take some time to get settled here. You can go ahead and help the boys find their rooms.”
The nun nodded. Before she pulled the door closed, she said, “Come down to the main hall at ten thirty in the morning. We’ll gather there for some important information and then have a meal.”
Jonah wondered what important information they would receive. Maybe they would get an update on the attacks. They walked up one more set of stairs and onto the fourth floor, Jeremiah sticking closely by his side.
“This is the top floor, if you don’t count the attic,” Sister Patricia said. “You’ll be in room 408, Jonah. Third room on the right. It’s much like your sister’s.” She slid a key off her key ring
and handed it to him. “Why don’t you go on down the hall and get yourself settled? This young man will be in room 420, right here,” she said, touching Jeremiah on the shoulder as they stopped in front of his room.
“I’m going to get a roommate too?” Jeremiah said, excitement in his voice. “Just like them? Jonah’s my roommate at home.”
She patted the top of his head. “Just like Jonah and Eliza, dear.”
Jonah left them, continuing down the hallway on his own. The only light came every so often from the small lamps with faded yellow lampshades that were attached to the walls.
He didn’t like walking alone down the hall, even if they
were
in a convent. After hurrying to find his room, he was soon sliding the key into the door with 408 on the outside.
His room looked exactly like Eliza’s. He threw his book bag onto the floor and flopped himself down on one of the beds.
He tried to relax, but his mind kept playing back the scenes from the day. So much had happened it almost felt like three days had passed.
They’d been attacked, and almost killed, by the forces of Abaddon.
Jonah had been accused of vandalizing the boys’ bathroom.
Now they were on the run. They had to fight off a gang of Egyptian bikers from the hidden realm on the way here. Jonah had hoped he would never have to go up against long-dead Bible villains ever again after facing the Leviathan last year on the Brooklyn Bridge. But it seemed Elohim had different plans for him.
And now they were staying with a bunch of nuns, hidden away in New York City.
On top of all those things, they were about to meet a group of kids who were just like them. Who might have the same kinds of powers and abilities.
“There’s no telling what’s going to happen next,” Jonah said to the ceiling of his small room.
Light shone into the room through one small window. He stood and peered out through the blinds. It faced another brick building. Straining to look up, he could just make out the shadow of wings cast by the sunlight onto the brick.
The angels are there.
Somehow, this didn’t bring him the comfort he hoped it would. That many angels guarding up above meant that somewhere, down below, fallen angels were plotting their revenge.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.”
Matthew 10:26 TNIV
J
onah woke with a start at the light knock on the door. He sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes. He looked at his watch, which read 9:38 a.m. The knock came again, and he heard someone outside say, “Hello?”
“Yes?” Jonah said, standing up slowly by the edge of his bed.
The door swung open, and Jonah stood face-to-face with a dark, smiling face. More like face-to-chest, actually. In front of Jonah stood a skinny kid, much taller than him, with an outstretched hand.
“Hello!” the boy, still smiling, said again, with an unfamiliar accent. Jonah, looking up to the boy’s face, took his hand and shook it. “Can I come in?”
Jonah moved away from the door. “Yeah, sure, come on in.”
The boy had to duck under the door frame to keep from bumping his head. He had an old brown backpack and a couple of worn leather books tied by a cord. He threw these down on the other bed, opposite Jonah’s.
“Well, it looks like we are roommates!” he said with enthusiasm. “My name is David. I just arrived here with my sister.”
“Jonah,” Jonah said, sitting down on the edge of his own bed, running his fingers through his tangled hair, still trying to wake up. David turned toward him and cocked his head to the side.
“Jonah . . .
Stone
?”
David sat down on the bed facing him, his knees higher off the floor than the mattress.
“That’s me,” he said, wondering why he had said it with that tone. He shifted uncomfortably as David stared at him, finally saying, “What?”
“I’m sorry. I do not mean to stare,” David said, barely able to contain his excitement. “It’s just that . . . Jonah Stone. Wow . . . In our family, you are a hero!”
Jonah raised his eyebrows at him and felt his face begin to flush red. “A hero?”
“Of course!” said David, standing quickly. He banged his head against the small ceiling fan. “Ow!”
He held his hand on his head, but it did nothing to diminish his enthusiasm.
“I know the whole story,” he said, pacing around the small room. “My entire family does! Just last year, how you and your sister saved our mother from the fallen angels. From Abaddon himself!”
Jonah cringed a little, just hearing the name again.
“It was . . . not that big of a deal,” he said feebly, eager to get the attention off him.
“Not a big deal?” said David, sitting back down again. He
spoke more softly. “We were heartbroken. We thought we’d never see her again. But you rescued our mother. Elohim used you in a mighty way, my brother. It was a huge deal.”