Angels and Djinn, Book 3: Zariel's Doom Read Online Free

Veneka nodded to Adina and Kiya. “We were talking last night, and now that the refugees are all safely here, I think we can do the most good if we go back to Shivala and help the clerics there. At the very least, they do need healers.”
    Zerai grimaced. “And you want to go through Odashena?”
    “The djinn have been very welcoming to me,” Veneka said.
    The falconer pressed his lips together and said nothing.
    Iyasu watched their strained, tired eyes and he could feel the weight of everything that wasn’t being said. Zerai’s mistrust of the djinn, Veneka’s need to help those in need, Zerai’s frustration at always being overruled, and Veneka’s frustration at always needing to overrule him.
    “I think that’s a good idea,” the young seer said. “You should go to Shivala. And you should see what Samira and her people can tell you about the eastern djinn. It’s a good place for you to start.”
    “But, we’re talking about Shivala. Your home.” Zerai turned his frown on the seer. “Aren’t you coming?”
    “Well, I was just thinking about that. And, well, no.” Iyasu shook his head slightly as he looked up at Raziel. “Rael and I may not have heard anything about Jevad Tafir in our travels, but we did hear about something else. A djinn relic called the Book of the Sun. People say that the Book of the Sun has some sort of power over the djinn, djinn secrets, ancient knowledge written by a djinn. Maybe it even says where we can find the lost city of Ramashad. And I was wondering if you knew anything about this book.”
    The angel Raziel rippled his fingers along the spine of his ancient tome as he gazed thoughtfully at the seer. “I know the book is real.”
    “Really? You’ve seen it?”
    “No. But one of my sisters has. If you can find the angel Simurgh, then perhaps you can find the Book of the Sun.”
    “Where is she?” Iyasu asked.
    “I don’t know. Her home tends to move.” The angel smiled thoughtfully with a faraway look in his icy blue eyes. “But she is not a shy person, nor a subtle creature. To say that she moves in mysterious ways would be to vastly oversimplify her methods. She plays games and speaks in riddles, but always with the best of intentions. She is a strange one. But I suppose if a keen-eyed seer went east beyond the White Desert, he probably could find her.”
    “Wait.” Zerai turned to Iyasu. “If you think that’s the right way to find the djinn and stop them from attacking Shivala again, then we should be going with you.”
    “I wish you could,” Iyasu said wistfully. “But Rael and I have a way of traveling. You, uh, you wouldn’t be able to keep up, I’m afraid. She may be able to fight a whole army by herself, but she can only fly with one passenger at most. Funny thing, really, angels. Strong arms, weak wings. But there it is.”
    The falconer nodded, clearly unhappy about his answer but not willing to challenge it. “All right.” He looked up at the dark-haired angel. “You’ll take care of him? I mean, I know you will, I just… Take good care of him.”
    Azrael smiled and rested her hand on Iyasu’s neck. “I will. I always do.”
    There was more talking, more planning. Veneka began assembling a small group of the young healers that she and Raziel had been training, and Adina found several of the Shivalan elders to oversee the refugees during their stay in Naj Kuvari.
    And during all the talking and planning, Iyasu quietly slipped away from the crowd and found himself a shaded little lane where the cobblestones were carpeted in soft green moss and the walls were draped in thin, delicate vines covered in brilliant violet blooms.
    “What are you doing?” Azrael asked as she stepped into the lane behind him.
    He sighed. “I needed some air.”
    “Air. Hm. Do you mind telling me why we’re going off on our own to look for a djinn relic?” Azrael put her warm hands on his shoulders. “We should be going to Shivala with the others. If the