Read Online The Fallen 3 by Thomas E. Sniegoski - Free Book Online Page B

Dusty from his apocalyptic vision with a start.
    The boy looked around the cab, taking a moment to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. He turned his attention to the truck driver, to Jack, who was staring at him.
    “What?” Dusty asked. It was obvious that the trucker hadn’t known he’d been asleep.
    “The doughnuts,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “I ate all of them.”
    Dusty had no idea what the man was talking about, but he managed to put on a smile, pretending to be amused.
    “Wow, that’s something,” he murmured, gazing out the eighteen-wheeler’s broad windshield at the night stretched out before it.
    Jack nodded and fell silent, having finished his tale of mass doughnut consumption.
    Dusty’s hand slipped into his jacket to find the warmth of the harmonica … of the instrument that could very well call down the apocalypse.
    The end of the world right inside his pocket.

CHAPTER SIX
    T he first thing Aaron noticed was how pale Lorelei looked. She seemed sick, her blouse appearing too large upon her frail form.
    The Nephilim magick user sat in a chair at the front of the room, bony hands clasped tightly in her lap. Lucifer stood at her side, glancing down from time to time, concern showing in his gaze.
    Aaron felt Vilma’s hand on his arm as she pulled him toward some chairs. The look on her face as she stared at the front of the room told him that she had noticed Lorelei’s appearance as well.
    The eight other Nephilim filtered into the room, choosing their seats. A nervous anticipation began to grow in the air. Jeremy Fox was the last to arrive, taking a seat against the wall, well away from the others. He glanced briefly over his shoulderand grinned smugly at Aaron and Vilma before turning his attention to Lucifer.
    Aaron felt his anger flare but was distracted when his father began to speak.
    “We’re all here?” Lucifer asked, scanning the room.
    Gabriel slunk in, head down, and went to where Aaron and Vilma sat.
    “Sorry,”
the dog grumbled as he sat beside Aaron.
“Had to do my business.”
    This got a laugh from the Nephilim in the room, but their mood quickly turned serious as Lucifer continued.
    “We have a bad one, I’m afraid,” he said, his gaze touching each and every one of them, ensuring that he had their undivided attention. “And we don’t have time to waste. A group of miners in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, have been trapped by a cave-in. They’re running low on air, and it appears that they are not alone.”
    Everyone seemed to sit a little straighter in their seats with Lucifer’s last statement.
    “What kind of beastie are we dealing with this time?” Jeremy asked.
    “For lack of a better name, I would say that they are trolls,” Lucifer responded.
    Laughter flared again in the room as the Nephilim made jokes about cartoons and fairy tales.
    “Guys,” Aaron warned, turning partially in his seat.
    “Did I say something funny?” Lucifer asked sternly,immediately quieting the room. “From what Lorelei has told me … shown me, there is nothing humorous about these creatures. These things are evil, and you’ll be in their environment beneath the ground,” he explained. “A creature is always far more dangerous when it’s in its own territory.”
    He turned to Lorelei, who seemed to be looking a little bit better, a little color having returned to her fair features.
    She rose to stand beside the Morningstar. “The vision came hot and heavy this morning; we’re not talking about a lot of time if we want to save the miners.” She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what was to come.
    “So, are we ready?” she asked.
    Aaron could see that Lorelei herself was still shaken by the effects of the vision. But as with so much of their lives lately, what choice did any of them really have?
    Aaron knew what was coming and mentally prepared himself for the confrontation that was sure to happen, and for that he needed to be thinking not as a man but