Plague of Angels Read Online Free PDF Page B

down upon them. And Nyx knew it would continue until she left this place.
    “We have to go!” she screamed, raising her voice loud enough so that Mary could hear her above the storm.
    Tribunal’s mother shook her head. “We must take him down first!”
    “I can’t,” said Nyx, knowing the destruction would continue until she was gone. “I have to go! Now!”
    “What?” Mary pushed herself out of Nyx’s arms. “Why? You were closest to Him! I had hopes that you two…”
    “I’m sorry, Mary!” Nyx’s voice rose above the din of the storm, the wind blowing her purple-black hair away from her face. “I have to go!”
    “I don’t understand!” Mary cried, her voice weak against nature’s fury. Mary struggled to see as a thick gust of wind threw sand into her face. She cried out, briefly blinded.
    Nyx seized the moment and broke away from Mary. She needed to transform, to get away from this place. She stepped far enough away that Mary could not see her, then began transforming.
    Another bolt of lightning struck, knocking Mary to the ground and turning the world momentarily white. Rock shattered, and its dust rained down on Mary’s face and hair. She choked on the wet, muddy air, squinting at the chaos around her.
    The winds stilled, the rain stopped, and Mary saw Nyx transforming into the snake.
    Mary screamed and pointed and Nyx knew at once what had happened. She cursed herself for changing so close by, and then cursed the Angels above who had seen it, and had made sure Mary had seen it, too.
    The naked Roman soldier ran to Mary, putting himself between her and Nyx. It was a moment of clarity in his madness, and Nyx knew without question who had sent it.
    “Please, you have to get away from here!” he bellowed. “Get up and run. And tell all what has befallen here! Fast!”
    Trouble for trouble’s sake, thought Nyx, disgusted. Mary telling the story of what she had seen would do no real harm to Nyx, but she could never see Mary again, and those who heard it might doubt her sanity. Mary had suffered enough. Nyx hissed and changed her direction, slithering toward Mary. The mad soldier jumped back so far that he fell. He crawled in a frenzy, kicking wildly until he could pull himself to his feet and flee towards the welcoming walls of Jerusalem.
    In front of Mary, swaying in a motion that had nothing to do with the storm, was the largest snake she had ever seen. It was Nyx, and Mary knew it. And Nyx knew that could not be allowed.
    Forget.
    The command reverberated through Mary’s body, shaking her to her soul. She could do nothing but obey, and the sight of Nyx changing into a snake fell from her mind, even as she collapsed over backwards.
    Nyx raced away, still cursing the Angels in her head. What she had done to Mary was not enough. The woman would remember soon, if Nyx did not do more, but it would buy her enough time to escape the storm and spare Mary any more of the Angels’ wrath.
    Mary blinked and found herself looking at the cross. The sight of her son’s body, hanging loosely on the cross, soaked through her like the rain had soaked her clothes, embedded itself into her mind and drove away all other thoughts.
    The rain and wind raged and warred for control of the air around the hill, but Mary saw none of it. There was only her son’s body. Even now, it was beautiful. But He was gone. Her son was gone.
    The winds abated, the hail ceased, and the rain stopped driving sideways and fell steadily to Earth. An eerie silence came over the hill and Mary, her wet clothes clinging to her skin, shivered. The few who remained with Mary rose to their feet. Hannah, Mary’s dearest friend, put her strong hands on Mary’s shoulder.
    “Come, Mary,” Hannah urged gently, seeing the agony in her friend’s face. “We need to find the others. We need to take Him down.”
    She felt John’s strong arms come around her—silly John, she thought absently. She saw Joseph and Nicodemus stepping forward with a box