Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jerel Law is a gifted communicator, pastor, and church planter with over twenty years experience working full-time in ministry. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Seminary and began writing fiction as a way to express his faith and communicate God's love to others. Law lives in North Carolina with his family.

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Fire Prophet

Thomas Nelson

Contents

PART I: QUARTERLINGS..............................11. Chinatown......................................32. Boys' Bathroom Battle..........................133. Outside Mrs. Little's Room.....................214. A Short Flight Home............................275. The Peacefield City Dump.......................376. The Safe House.................................477. Greetings......................................53PART II: ANGEL SCHOOL.............................578. New Faces, Old Friends.........................599. Class Begins...................................7110. The Giftings..................................7911. The Spiritual Arts............................9112. The Angelic Vortex............................10113. Dagon's Plan..................................10714. A London Flat.................................11315. A New Gift....................................12116. A Vivid Dream.................................12917. Challenge to a Duel...........................13318. Vanishing Angels..............................14119. The Prayer Barrier............................15320. The Woman in the Chair........................159PART III: THE PROPHET.............................16521. Out into the Darkness.........................16722. Alleyway Brawl................................17323. A Cabbie Named Sisera.........................18324. Alphabet City.................................19125. A New Weapon..................................20326. The Prophet Abigail...........................21127. A Troubling Message...........................22328. Battle at the Convent.........................23129. Prophet of Fire...............................23730. Messengers....................................249Acknowledgments...................................255About the Author..................................257

Chapter One

Jonah and Eliza walked down the street together, trailing their parents and their younger brother, Jeremiah, who was stopping to ask every street vendor he saw a question, not worrying that they were all old Chinese men and women who didn't speak English. Jonah, however, was looking for something much more sinister than kind old men and women selling vegetables and toys. He stopped to look at the wooden cart full of strange-looking vegetables, but continued to keep one eye on the crowd of people milling by.

He and Eliza had been practicing their newfound angelic powers every day they could, back in the woods behind their home in Peacefield, always careful to make sure no one was spying on them. After all that had happened last year, they figured they couldn't be too careful. But even though Jonah felt his skills getting sharper, he couldn't deny that he had been even more on edge recently.

"You've been paranoid all day," Eliza said. "Can't you just relax and have some fun?" She threw a ginger root at him playfully.

He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and threw the ginger back at his sister.

"No!" shouted the glaring merchant behind the vegetable table. "Stop!"

Jonah felt his face flush as they hurried away from the table, continuing to cut his eyes back and forth across the street.

He'd felt like this ever since they'd stepped off the subway and set foot in New York this morning, like a shadow had fallen over him. Even though it had been almost a year since they'd been here last, it seemed like it was yesterday.

Last September, Jonah had discovered their mom was a nephilim, a child of a human and a fallen angel, which made him and his brother and sister one-quarter angel, or quarterlings. His mother had been kidnapped by Marduk, a fallen angel who was Abaddon's right-hand man, and Jonah and Eliza had raced to New York City to rescue her, with the help of their angel friends. They had discovered the world-behind-the-world known as the hidden realm, battled fallen angels, and finally faced Marduk himself. Jonah's mind flashed back to the battle, and how, with Elohim's help, they had defeated Marduk and the rest of the Fallen. In spite of their victory, there were days Jonah still couldn't believe he and Eliza had made it back, with their mom, alive.

"Maybe you don't remember what happened last time we were here as clearly as I do," Jonah said with a grimace. He and his sister had won a battle, but the war between Elohim's and Abaddon's forces was still raging, and he knew that they could be attacked at any time. He wanted to be ready.

Jonah raised his eyebrows at Eliza as he watched his mom and dad haggle with an old lady selling shiny purses. They had been the ones who suggested the trip into the city, a final day of summer fun before school started.

"Really, Mom? New York?" he had said, trying to plead with his eyes. You do remember what happened there last time, don't you?

"Jonah," she had said lovingly. "We can't live in fear, now, can we?"

He had come without complaint, but the feeling he had today made him wonder if they would all regret the decision.

Up ahead, Eleanor motioned for them to hurry up. As they turned the corner after her, the crowd grew noticeably thicker.

Benjamin Stone grabbed seven-year-old Jeremiah and lifted him up onto his shoulders.

"Whoa!" Jeremiah said. "Check out the parade!"

Jonah craned his neck around the tall couple in front of him. When he saw the participants in the parade, he breathed in sharply. Bloodred lanterns hung from wires across the street, and a line of what looked like giant, twisted puppets moved in a circle. Awful faces that made him think immediately of the Fallen, on top of pencil-thin necks, stretching high above the crowd.

The scene made him feel even more uneasy.

An explosion went off overhead, causing Jonah to throw his arms up over his face. A shower of blue light cascaded down all around them.

"Relax, Jonah," his mom said, smiling. "It's just a Chinese festival and some fireworks."

Eliza and Jeremiah giggled at him.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Isn't it about time to go?"

"You want to leave during the fireworks display?" Benjamin laughed. "Come on, Jonah. Just hang in there for a few more minutes."

He started to protest but was distracted by a young woman walking along the sidewalk, against the crowd. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and for a second before she passed by, she turned toward Jonah.

She smiled a small, knowing smile, and her green eyes pierced him like icicles.

Then, for the briefest moment, they shimmered yellow.

Jonah sucked in his breath as he turned to watch her. She quickly disappeared around the corner behind them. He felt his legs begin to move in her direction, almost on their own, and before he knew it, he was following her, his eyes darting everywhere at once in search of the fallen one.

He reached the corner and peeked around, only to see a blonde ponytail turn into a doorway. Glancing back, he saw his family still caught up in the fireworks display. No one had noticed that he was gone.

He felt his breathing quicken as he crouched down, his back against the wall. Nine months ago, he and Eliza had entered the hidden realm for the first time. Now it had become almost second nature. He remembered what Henry, his family's guardian angel, had said about entering—that it took two things: being an angel, of course. And then, heartfelt belief.

If only Henry were here now. He'd been promoted to warrior-class angel after he helped Jonah and Eliza...