THE EXCITING CONCLUSION TO THE EPIC LAST DAYS SERIES

“We have this one chance,” Brucius told Sam. “If you can get him, if you can locate and extricate King Abdullah, then we can punish him. Justice will be served. We could stop the final world war. Find him, we'll try him and hang him. Don't, and we'll have to retaliate.”

The United States, stunned by the nuclear detonation in Washington, D.C., and further crippled by the EMP attack on the whole country, is on the brink of destruction. The unscrupulous leaders who have banded together to toss out the Constitution and divide the ruling of the world between themselves have all but achieved their objective.

But they haven't factored in one thing. They haven't considered the chance, however slight, that good people remain who will continue standing up for what they believe in. A daring plot to reinstate Brucius Marino to his rightful position as president of the United States, with an even more audacious plan to bring King Abdullah to justice — everything hinges on the courage and skill of Sara and Sam Brighton and their friends. The thrilling conclusion to The Great and Terrible series will keep you riveted to the very end!

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The two angels stood on the highest point within the sacred cemetery and looked east, taking in the destruction of the once-mighty city. Behind them, on the west side, below the crest of the hill and thus protected from the nuclear blast, were rows and rows of untouched marble markers surrounded by grass and trees. Farther on, beyond the borders of the cemetery, the capital struggled still to live, but before them, on the blast side of the hill, the center of the city was nothing more than ash, the cinders so light and feathery they were caught up in the slightest breeze. The center of destruction was utterly bare, smooth as black glass—no trees, no grass, no living thing, certainly no people. Farther from the center of the destruction, the shattered buildings became somewhat recognizable. Here and there, a few marble pillars protruded from the landscape, and the roads were still identifiable by the lines of tumbled cars. Two of the main bridges across the Potomac River lay in a ruin of twisted steel and black cement, but the north bridge was still open although the downtown portion of the city had been abandoned and might never be reclaimed.

Behind them, crowds of people filled the cemetery, for the grassy knolls and open grass had become a makeshift sanctuary. Farther west, the city looked fairly normal, though it was not nearly as busy as it used to be. One in ten people who once lived here had remained. Others were leaving now, but some were returning, too, having discovered there was little reason to go elsewhere. There were no safe havens in other places. Wherever they went, things were pretty much the same.

Overwhelmed with emotion, the two men didn’t speak as they took in the devastating scene. Overhead the sky was dark and lonesome, a flat-gray plate of clouds that capped the sky. Finally, after nearly half an hour of earthly silence, the father turned to Teancum. “Too many cities have been destroyed now.” His voice was strained.

Teancum nodded sadly. “Parts of Israel. Most of Gaza. Cities in Iran. Other places throughout the Middle East.”

The father closed his eyes as he remembered. He and Teancum had walked those parts of the earth together. He knew what things were like there, having seen the devastation for himself. Entire regions of the mortal world smoldered in radioactive ash. Millions were surrounded by hunger and death and despair. Sin and depravity were so overwhelming there was hardly hope at all. “How could they do it?” he asked. “I simply don’t understand.”

Teancum thought before he answered. “Let’s not blame them all,” he said. “There are many good still left among them. And that is true everywhere. Whatever country or region you chose to take me to, I could find you good and righteous people living there.”

The father brought his hands up to his face, then slowly shook his head. It was just too painful to see the suffering and too frustrating to know it could have been avoided if the people had only seen, if they had only cared.

Teancum watched him thoughtfully for a moment, then touched him on the shoulder. “You’ve forgotten, my good friend, what it was like to live here. You’ve forgotten how powerful the voice of Lucifer can be. You’ve forgotten the pull of temptations, the anger, the lust and greed and weakness of the natural man. Your memory has been washed—although just a bit, perhaps—of the intensity of the experience, which is fine. Mortal life can be so acute, so severe and powerful, sometimes it’s hard for us to remember how difficult it really was. And the Dark One is even more dangerous now than he was before.”

The father shook his head. “No, Teancum, I haven’t forgotten. Not a moment. Not an hour. Every day, every emotion, every joy and every fear, every lesson learned is branded upon me. You know we don’t forget.”

Teancum didn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t suppose we do,” he said at last.
The father shook his head again. “No, we don’t forget.” Then he nodded to the mortals huddled in the tents below. “They think that we forget them, though.”

Teancum smiled, his eyes shining. “A bit of irony, I suppose. I mean, how could we forget them? How could we forget our own children? We love them now more than we ever did, for our love is more perfect, which makes it more powerful.”

“If only they knew. If only they believed. If they would just try to listen for us, then they might hear our tender words.”

Teancum folded his arms, his face relaxed. It was as if he knew a secret that he wasn’t telling. “They are so busy,” he answered carefully. “There are so many battles for their time. It’s hard for them, just like it was hard for you and me.”

The father thought a long moment as he studied the grassy cemetery that fell below him to the west. “So you think that I can help him.”

“Yes, I know you can.”

The father hesitated. He was a younger spirit than Teancum and not as sure.
Teancum watched the uncertainty in his eyes. “He’s your kin,” he reminded him. “The earthly bonds between you are deep, the heavenly bonds even more powerful.” He moved his head to the side and pointed to the west, almost laughing. “And remember this, my friend: his mother is out there praying. You’ve heard her many prayers. They are so strong and faithful, they almost drive me to my knees. Could you deny such faith?” He shook his head. “I don’t think either of us can.”