The Crippled Angel

The Crippled Angel
Sara Douglass

The third book of The Crucible, the exciting historical fantasy series from the author of the popular Axis Trilogy.The crises enveloping Europe begin to alter the mentality of the world. People are no longer content with their lot in life; they have grown ambitious and disruptive. The Church is losing its grip, not only are the heresies raging out of control, but more and more priests are speaking out against the Roman Church… the order of the world is dissolving into chaos.Neville faces his own crisis as he begins to question his faith. Inflitrating many social circles, gathering information for the Church, he meets the heretic priest John Wycliffe and the peasant rebel Wat Tyler. He suspects strongly that they are shapeshifting demons… yet he cannot help but agree with their criticisms of the traditional structures of society and of the Church itself.Neville does not know it, but his soul has become the ultimate battleground. The choices he makes will dictate the final outcome of the battle between the forces of good, and those of evil.

The Crippled Angel

Book Three of the Crucible Trilogy

Sara Douglass

The Crippled Angel is dedicated, fittingly, to the bestest bunch of Apostolic Wreakers of Havoc ever: Alana, Corey, Craig, Elizabeth, Justin, Karmela, Mark C, Matt, Matthew, Michelle J, Michelle L, Patrick, Tanya and particularly to Tracey who has so obligingly taken over the reins of Tyranny whenever I felt a tad fragile. Thank you all so much for your help.

With thanks to Rachel Smallman for her vision of heaven, and to Stephanie Smith and all the team at HarperCollinsPublishers Australia for seeing me through to the end of another trilogy.

He married his wife on Sunday

Beat her well on Monday,

Bad was she on Tuesday,

Middling was she on Wednesday,

Worse was she on Thursday,

Dead was she on Friday;

Glad was he on Saturday night,

To bury his wife on Sunday,

And take a new wife on Monday,

To beat her on the Tuesday.

Version one of a traditional English

nursery rhyme

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u80eb4b3f-0494-56c7-89a4-22bb3bbb6d5a)

Title Page (#u7ff2281f-4a49-5eba-90dd-ad4f93ecbeba)

Dedication (#u08c05215-b6d3-521d-bbd9-31b251b35643)

Epigraph (#uc12f0eb7-b51d-58fd-928d-1e0a0956ddbc)

Prologue Friday 1st March 1381 (#u94c2053e-9022-5829-904d-9510908a6f78)

PART ONE WINDSOR (#u77a2755d-c795-5f20-a69c-9ff47d12c051)

I Tuesday 30th April 1381 (#ua74c8e4e-38a5-5865-960a-fd1b51d0b39d)

II Friday 3rd May 1381 (#ubbecc92a-da54-52fc-bced-b238769957a0)

III Saturday 4th May 1381—i— (#u80c6f184-bccb-5605-8dd2-39572761a292)

IV Saturday 4th May 1381—ii— (#u7058f5e9-dab3-564f-b0fa-8a50b11b37be)

V Saturday 4th May 1381—iii— (#u13f0c000-43f8-5be5-bf00-4d6c783e5fd8)

VI Saturday 4th May 1381—iv— (#uc87a6c82-f9d9-5d84-93e6-3ac3f2053dc9)

VII Friday 17th May 1381 (#u588ce8d0-e8b4-5e99-acb9-3b5381a0658c)

PART TWO The Dog of Pestilence (#u3659f61d-7b61-51ef-b304-968cc9481753)

I Tuesday 21st May 1381—i— (#uf7afc270-3a5c-5bb2-baa2-e2c1e0f2b1f9)

II Tuesday 21st May 1381—ii— (#u02d2792a-86ea-5b36-9442-9e04e120913e)

III Tuesday 21st May 1381—iii— (#u1101e20b-792f-537b-8bb2-a3ac62b025c1)

IV Thursday 23rd May 1381 (#u445f15b5-acc8-5910-8119-63b4cb82c3fc)

V Friday 24th May 1381—i— (#u36d7831a-0ba5-5c0a-ab3b-2869c9b21dfa)

VI Friday 24th May 1381—ii— (#litres_trial_promo)

VII Friday 24th May 1381—iii— (#litres_trial_promo)

VIII Sunday 26th May 1381—i— (#litres_trial_promo)

IX Sunday 26th May 1381—ii— (#litres_trial_promo)

X Sunday 26th May 1381—iii— (#litres_trial_promo)

XI Monday 27th May 1381—i— (#litres_trial_promo)

XII Monday 27th May 1381—ii— (#litres_trial_promo)

XIII Monday 27th May 1381—iii— (#litres_trial_promo)

XIV Monday 27th May 1381—iv— (#litres_trial_promo)

PART THREE Shrewsbury (#litres_trial_promo)

I Wednesday 29th May 1381 (#litres_trial_promo)