Seeing Light (The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

there’s a way back into town to save Bishop’s family.
    “Eh, he’s like an amnesiac cat with a new toy. He’ll be there until the next new soul arrives and distracts him,” she says. “Don’t worry, you’re safe for the moment.”
    We walk down the main aisle between the pews, then weave past the altar and enter a side room, perhaps an old office, dusty and overflowing with books and cobwebs. An elongated stained glass window rises on one wall, casting a design of rich colors on the wood floor. Perpetua lowers me into a large wingback chair.
    Now that I’ve had two seconds to collect my thoughts, I remember why I’m here. “Have you seen Terease?”
    She nods, opens a drawer, and pulls out a towel.
    “Is she—”
    “Dead? Ha!” She shakes her head. “That old cockroach would survive a nuclear attack.” She pours water from a pitcher into a basin, dampens the towel, and then uses it to dab at my forehead where I’m bleeding.
    “So you’ve seen her?”
    “Yeah. Been waiting for you since she arrived.”
    “Waiting?”
    “Apparently you two have something to discuss,” she says with a quizzical expression. “I’m sure she’s on her way. You’ve practically warned all of Nocturna that you’re here. Didn’t you notice the bands around the moon?”
    I frown with confusion. “Does that mean something?”
    “The black ring, it means there’s a new soul that shouldn’t be here, which means the Reaper wants you dead, not just your soul.”
    “Figures.” With my luck, this doesn’t surprise me. “What about the other rings?”
    “Those are the number of souls taken today. Probably students who decided not to take the Oaths to the Society. Turns out, it’s more like a stay-or-die proposition. If you’re not one hundred percent committed, dedicating your life to the Society, then they don’t want you. Or in my case, if you’re not one hundred percent perfect.” She stands up straight and tosses the bloody towel on the nearby table.
    I look down at the floor. “Actually, I think it was Bishop’s family—not students.”
    “Sorry.” She huffs and shakes her head. “I didn’t know.” She grabs a jar from the drawer, unscrews the top, and dips her fingers into some thick ointment. She leans in close to rub the salve on the wound at my hairline.
    “What about your team, Stu and Jess? Did they…” My words drift off as I realize I might not like the answer to my question.
    Perpetua immediately stiffens and pulls away. “Stu’s here.” She swallows hard. “Jess—she, she didn’t make it to shore.” Her black eyes turn away from me to gaze uneasily around the room, then they glass over. Even if the Reaper has taken her soul, it’s obvious he hasn’t taken her emotions. But she pulls herself together quickly, adopting a stoic expression, and busies herself clearing her workspace, returning everything to its proper place.
    “Sorry.” For the first time ever, I want to give Perpetua a genuine hug. Something I never dreamed that I would do considering how horrible she’s been to me in the past, but as I stand, someone screams.
    Two dark silhouettes battle outside the stained glass window. From what I can discern, one is the Reaper, mounted on his horse-beast. He slices the air with his scythe as the other person flips over the weapon, right before they crash through the church window. Colored glass implodes and Perpetua and I duck, shielding our faces. The woman rolls across the floor, pops up, and grabs us.
    “Run!” she screams.
    Two flaming arrows fly through the missing window’s frame. One explodes on impact, the resulting concussion launching us into the air, and we collapse near a row of pews.
    There’s no time to recover, so I sit up and brush debris from my body, lean over, and retch from the suffocating smoke.
    Before I can compose myself, Terease stands over me. “Took you long enough.” She extends her hand. “With your, shall we say, insatiable curiosity, I