The Beloved Exiles

'If that stubborn vine which has held you prisoner to this place with its unyielding hold wereto somehow lose its grip, what would you do with your newfound freedom?'' Jacob has returned home to Cain's Corner, desperate to escape the recent tragic events thatvisited Havenhid and darkened its halls. There he tries to forget Nephilim ties and return tobeing a normal teenager when he reunites with his best friends Ty and Wray. Eden's reach,however, proves to be one Jacob finds difficult to outrun when he is visited by a xxxfalcon andserved with a notice summoning him to appear before the powerful Iudicium Tribunal to answerskeptics claims he is not the Light Bearer foretold in the Apocrypha prophesies. Far moretroublesome are the nightly dreams that visit Jacob and replay the traitorous Thaniel's lastmoments in the Silent Forest, and more specifically the last word he uttered: "Zophiel!" It's notuntil Max, pursued by an annoyed Damiel with the rest of the two boys' tight-knit group offriends in tow, shows up unexpectedly in Cain's Corner that Jacob learns what-or rather who-Zophiel is. The discovery convinces Jacob that Thaniel has left behind a cryptic key to ariddle in need of solving, and he manages to persuade Damiel and his friends to help himunravel the bizarre mystery. The impromptu quest leads the group to the seedy underbelly ofLas Vegas where the Fallen outnumber the hypnotic lights illuminating The Strip, and then tothe romantic-and dangerous-canals of Venice where the search for answers reveals a hostof unexpected and shocking revelations. But when Ty and Wray show up unexpectedly insearch for their friend who has once again suddenly disappeared from their lives, Jacob findshimself in he precarious position of keeping hidden the one great secret he has struggledmightily to conceal from the two persons closest to him. It will be, however, an unforeseen actof deception that will forever alter the course of the future for Jacob and his companions