Free THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) (The Rapha Chronicles) by Chana Keefer

In his hand, Rapha spied a long, thick branch. Did he expect to duel the beast?
    But Adam was aiming for a point several yards behind the confused creature. The young man’s intent dawned over Rapha as he saw Adam wedge the stick beneath a large boulder and attempt to topple it from its precarious perch. He swam to Adam’s aid and, with their combined efforts, the huge rock shifted and fell. With a final roll it settled into place, blocking the creature’s corridor of escape.
    Once again Adam shot to the surface and Rapha followed, thankful their morning’s adventure was over.
    “That was cutting it a bit close, don’t you think,” Rapha began his lecture as soon as he clambered onto a sunny rock. Yet Adam grabbed an armful of surface plants, took a deep breath and dove again. “Adam!” He yelled as the boy’s shape disappeared once again into the depths. Rapha carried on a mumbled, frustrated, one-sided conversation as he stood to re-enter the water. Curious, he shot a glance where he had spied Lucifer earlier, but fallen angel and monkey were nowhere to be seen.
    He dove to where their guest mucked the water, attacking the rock over and over in attempts to free itself. Through the murky cloud, Rapha saw Adam with an arm poked into the hole of the makeshift cage. The young man was yanked forward and almost through while Rapha froze, fully expecting to see a pool of red join the expanding cloud of silt—but all grew still and Adam withdrew an unscathed arm. Rapha swam closer until his glow lit the interior of the large, rocky chamber. There curled the beast, munching the plants Adam had provided and keeping a wary, luminescent eye on its benefactor.
    After several more trips to the surface for Adam to secure more of the plants the beast favored, Adam and Rapha emerged to flop onto the sun-warmed rock. Adam’s formidable lung capacity had been sorely tried by their exertion but the expression on his face as he gasped for air was exultant.
    “He’s one of the ancient ones isn’t he!” Adam proclaimed.
    “He’s magnificent! Did you see the size of those teeth?”
    “They would not be so exciting from the inside.”
    “That was
amazing
!” Adam’s enthusiasm soared. “I thought they were just legend! And then whoosh! There he was staring right at me!”
    “He was sent to kill you… or at least to test you.”
    “How do you know that? He probably survived in some hidden cave all these years and….”
    “Lucifer was here to watch the show.”
    “Lucifer! THE Lucifer? Where?” Adam craned his neck to look everywhere at once. “What does he look like?”
    “Your fascination is disturbing….”
    “I’m not fascinated. It’s just….” Adam knew he was denying the obvious, “Aw Rapha, you must admit he’s a legend too. He must be pretty powerful to have… I mean,
war
against
Adonai
.”
    Rapha remained silent. Finally he sighed, “Perhaps I have been too careful. Trying to protect you, I have left too much to your active imagination.”
    “I understand.” Adam’s young face flushed as he hurried to protest the accusation of ignorance. “You’ve told me his history.”
    “Yes, but cursory knowledge does not acquaint you with the horrors of which he is capable. Your heart has not been destroyed in his quest for power.” A niggling foreknowledge in Rapha’s mind added a disturbing
yet.
    “What else do I need to know? He’s the enemy of Adonai and therefore he’s my enemy.”
    How could Rapha convince Adam of a hideous, consuming ambition that would stop at nothing to achieve dominance? How could he explain such hatred when the protected manchild had no point of reference?
    “What? I should fear him? Why should I fear the one Adonai defeated?” He searched Rapha’s face, striving to read his tutor’s thoughts. “Wait,” Adam’s eyes narrowed in concentration. “Why is he allowed here? If he was defeated, why does he still roam free?”
    In truth, Rapha had wondered the same thing.