Uprising (Alternate Earth Series, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

they inhabited, and then killed them so they had to live inside a rotting human corpse.”
    With a heavy sigh, Rafe says, “The reason I can’t heal the monks is because their bodies are already dead. Whatever the birds are doing, it seems to be trapping their souls, and not allowing them to move on to Heaven or Hell.”
    “That’s horrible,” Jai Lin says, lifting a trembling hand to her lips as tears shimmer in her eyes. Brand places a comforting arm around her shoulders. “I’ve known these men for many years. They don’t deserve such an existence. Is there anything we can do for them?”
    “With the princes,” Malcolm says, “Lucifer was the one who had to release their souls from the bodies.”
    “Well, I don’t see Lucian being that generous,” Daniel says with certainty. “But, what about your Lucifer? Would he be willing to help us?”
    “Honestly?” I say. “I don’t think we have a hope in hell of that happening either.”
    “He might,” Mason says, looking meaningfully at me, “if you asked him to, Jess.”
    “We don’t even know where he is,” I reply, thinking this a good enough reason to drop the subject of seeking Lucifer’s help.
    “Noel is still trying to locate him for you,” Brand informs me. “I’ll tell her that finding him is even more crucial now. I don’t think she was in too much of a rush, since it will probably be a while before you return to your Earth. Maybe she can figure out a way to hasten her search.”
    “Tell her not to put her life in any danger just because we ‘think’ Lucifer might be able to help the infected,” I say. “Like I said, I don’t think the odds are in our favor where he’s concerned. Lucifer doesn’t do a lot, unless there’s something in it for him.”
    “It’s worth a shot,” Brand says, with a small shrug. “We don’t seem to have a lot of other options open to us at the moment. You wanted him found, and now we have another reason to find him as soon as possible. We have to try everything we can, Jess. At this point, we don’t have anything to lose. This will at least allow us to offer some of the infected a quick and merciful death.”
    “Just don’t count on his cooperation,” I caution. “He’s been nothing but a pain in my ass since I’ve known him. I certainly don’t expect him to change now.”
    “Until Noel finds him,” Nina says, “maybe we should concentrate our efforts on using Jess and Leah’s powers. Which cities should we try to help first?”
    Thus starts a long discussion (or is it argument?) about which cities we should clear the birds from first. Most argue that we should choose one large city in each country, and work our way down from there. Others, like Jai Lin and Xiulan, suggest that we start small by going to rural areas first.
    “I think Jai Lin has a point,” Mason tells the others. “Leah and Jess should practice flying together first. If they go into a large metropolitan area and become over- run by more than one flock, they’ll be in trouble. They need some time to work on a strategy that works for them.”
    “I agree,” I tell everyone. “Give us a day or two to figure some things out first. For one, we need to find a better way for Leah to fly with me. The two of us trying to hold onto one another will just end up exhausting us both.”
    “I have a suggestion to solve that problem,” Malcolm tells me before turning to Brand. “Do you think you could find us a harness, like the ones they use in tandem skydiving? That way, Leah can stay attached to Jess without either of them having to hold on to one another.”
    “I’m sure we can find one,” Brand says confidently. “Nina, would you mind procuring it for us?”
    “Yes, I’ll take care of that,” Nina says.
    “This is a little off-subject,” Rafe says, looking at me warily, “but I would like to make a request. I want to be taken somewhere I can actually be of help to people.”
    “You help people at the castle,” I