Read Fire Prophet (Son of Angels) for Free Online Page B

lives?
    The thought made him shiver. Benjamin must have had the same idea because he turned the car back toward the main road, away from the city dump.
    “Keep going fast, Dad,” Jonah said. “You never know what else we’re going to run into on the way to New York.”

SIX
    T HE S AFE H OUSE
    W e’re here.”
    Marcus stopped in front of a collection of older buildings on a quiet side street in central Manhattan. The Stone family set down their bags and looked up at the darkened stone walls and filmy windows. Eliza peered up at the tiled rooftops, shielding her eyes from the sunlight with her hand.
    “Looks like we’re not the only ones,” she said, pointing.
    Across the top of each building were dozens of angels, standing guard.
    “Wow,” said Jonah. He turned to look at the buildings on the other side of the street. They were there too.
    “What are those angels doing?” Jeremiah said, wonder in his voice.
    Taryn touched the back of his head, smiling. “Standing watch, young friend.”
    Their eyes returned to the building in front of them. It wasdusty and looked old, with a set of heavy wooden doors beneath a large archway.
    Across the top of the arch were the words:
    C ONVENT OF S AINT J OHN OF THE E MPTY T OM
    “Convent of Saint John of the Empty . . . Tom ?” said Jonah. “Who’s Tom?”
    “It’s tomb , genius,” Eliza answered, rolling her eyes. “Look closely. The b is missing.”
    Jonah squinted. She was right. It was supposed to say empty tomb .
    “What’s a convent?” asked Jeremiah.
    Benjamin straightened his glasses. “It’s a place where nuns live.”
    The five of them stood for a minute, staring at the building, angels behind them.
    “So,” Jonah said, “the safest place for us in New York is in a convent with a bunch of nuns?”
    His dad cleared his throat. “It . . . uh . . . appears that way, son.”
    Marcus walked down the four steps from the street to the entrance.
    “The nuns in the Convent of Saint John of the Empty Tomb have graciously offered their help to us. They have always aligned themselves closely with the will and voice of Elohim. You will find no stronger, more faithful women of prayer than these.”
    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