The Dragon's Descent by Laurice Elehwany Molinari

Kane back. The group stepped outside into a lush courtyard, something Monet would have loved to capture on canvas.
    â€œSit,” Uriel instructed, pointing to several benches.
    The fledglings sat down on stone benches surrounded by immaculately manicured bushes and flowerbeds.
    â€œAda,” Uriel said, “what do you know about the Book of Raziel?”
    Vero looked, trying to make eye contact with the other fledglings. Did they also think it was strange that there were no pleasantries? That Uriel was jumping right into it?
    â€œWell, not too much. There’s really nothing about the Book of Raziel in the Torah or other sacred scriptures, but according to Jewish mythology, the Book of Raziel was given to Adam after he was kicked out of the garden. Adam and Eve were so repentant for their sins, and so unprepared to deal with life outside the garden, that God sent a great book to Adam that contained many great secrets of nature that would help him adapt to life on earth,” Ada said while twirling her curly hair through her finger. “Supposedly it listed secrets of the universe . . .”
    â€œSuch as?” Raphael interrupted.
    â€œThe laws of creation and of the planets and stars. It listed the names of all the angels and how to summon them,” Ada said. “It contained the names of every human yet to be born. The book had information that even the angels don’t know . . .”
    Vero looked over to Raziel, wondering if it were true. Vero knew that Raziel was the angel who had stood next to God’s throne and had written down everything he had heard—hence the name of the book. So how could he not know certain things that were written in the book he’d compiled? Raziel caught Vero looking at him and glared back. Vero quickly returned his attention to Ada.
    â€œSome of the angels grew jealous and took the book from Adam, throwing it into the sea, but per God’s instructions, the angel Rahab retrieved it and returned the book to Adam. From there it was passed down through Adam’s generations and eventually given to Noah. Its secrets taught Noah how to build the ark. It was also passed down to Abraham and to Joseph. Joseph used the book to discover the true meanings of dreams. Moses had it at one point and took the book with him as he fled Egypt. Eventually the book taught King Solomon great wisdom, and he used the secrets to help build his temple, where he kept the book with the Ark of the Covenant,” Ada said. “The temple burned to the ground, and the book was lost.”
    There was a moment of silence as everyone digested the information. Then Greer responded, rolling her eyes. “I thought you said you didn’t know much about this book!”
    â€œOh, I don’t. Like I said, there is no direct reference to the Book of Raziel in the Torah, or scriptures. Though Genesis 5 does mention Adam’s Book of Generations, and some say that is a reference to it.”
    â€œSo what happened to the book after King Solomon?” Pax asked.
    â€œNo one knows. It disappeared. Thousands of years later, in medieval times, there was an actual published book that went by the same name, and was full of Jewish mysticism and magic, but no one knows what happened to the original book,” Ada said.
    â€œIt just vanished,” Raziel said, matter of fact. “Never to be seen again.”
    â€œWhat does the book have to do with us?” X asked.
    Uriel spoke next. “The book was and is very real. Abraham, and mankind itself, could never have adapted outside the garden without this precious gift from God. Vero must find the book—and soon. Lucifer and his demons are searching for it, desperate to possess all of its knowledge. We need to find it and return it to its proper place before he can seize it. If he gets his hands on it first, his ability to sway and influence humanity will be unimaginably multiplied.”
    â€œBut Raziel”—X