SOUL GUARDIANS
* Book Three *
HORIZON
By
KIM RICHARDSON
HORIZON
Soul Guardians Book 3
By
Kim Richardson
SMASHWORDS EDITION
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
Kim Richardson on Smashwords
Horizon, Soul Guardians Book 3:
Copyright © 2012 by Kim Richardson
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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For Jacques
Chapter 1
Forgotten
Kara Nightingale sat on a cold stone floor. She felt numb and empty, drained of all feeling. She could hear a frayed chorus of distant moans from the other prisoners, and she wondered when she would start having hallucinations herself. She didn’t want to lose her mind to shadows in the perennial darkness of her prison cell. The voices of the dead and the forgotten were her only companions.
Over time, the jagged grey walls had become a comfort to her. She had had no visitors since the archangel Zadkiel himself had brought her to the prison and thrown her in the cell. He had ridden on the back of one of the great eagles, like a knight riding on a powerful steed. She had dangled below in the bird’s sharp talons, like a prey ready to be eaten. Zadkiel had been the last person she had seen, and she wondered if she’d ever see another soul again.
Kara sighed. She grabbed a sharp pebble and turned to face the wall behind her. She reached up and pressed the rock into the stone with just enough pressure to make a small indent and form a rough line. She sat back on her heels and admired her work. Each mark accounted for one day.
She counted twenty-eight tiny marks. She wasn’t sure if her calculations were correct; it was hard to determine time in Horizon, because darkness surrounded her all the time, and she never saw the light of day. But she figured it was about right, give or take a few days. But what did it matter anyway? Angels were not mortals. Time had an entirely different significance in Horizon. Her very first assignment as a guardian had taught her that.
She remembered the first time she had been locked up in Tartarus. She could see David’s smiling face when he had come to rescue her and had stood at the threshold of her prison cell. Her knight in shining armor, he had said. But no one had come for her this time. She had been locked up for nearly a month, forgotten like an old pair of shoes.
It wasn’t doing her any good to dwell on the past.
She was amazed she was still sane. The insane moans and howls of her neighbors led her to believe that there were at least a dozen others in here, locked away on separate levels. How many levels and cells were there in all of Tartarus? She could only guess—thousands perhaps. She wondered how long the other prisoners had been left to fade away until their minds couldn’t tell the difference between reality and illusion. How long until she began to moan and wither away? Perhaps counting the days kept her mind functioning and sane.
She burned with the desire to speak to the council and claim her innocence once more. It kept her going. She hoped that one day soon she could stand up to them and prove once and for all that she wasn’t a demon spy, but a regular teenage angel, if such a thing existed. She wasn’t the enemy they accused her to be. They could trust her. She was one of the good guys, wasn’t she?
Kara sat back. Her head smashed against the hard wall. She knew she had really made a mess of things. She had nearly killed a fellow guardian. Then, she had escaped from Tartarus, without waiting for her trial. She had forgotten her mandate to save the mortals and had been preoccupied with a selfish quest to save her mother’s soul. She had become an angel vigilante, an outcast from the supernatural world. What the council would do with her now, she could only guess. Though she knew it was going to be very unpleasant …
With a sigh, Kara let her head fall on her knees. She remembered the evil grin on archangel Zadkiel’s face. Dust and small debris had fallen from the ceiling and into her eyes when he slammed her prison door shut. His eyes had gleamed with gratification. Broad wrinkles, like potato chips, had formed on the top of his bald head. His deep-set black eyes and heavy brows had mocked her. She remembered wondering why he looked so satisfied. It seemed to her that the archangel had a personal vendetta against her and couldn’t wait till she was locked up. Zadkiel had ignored her pleadings to take her straight to Gabriel. He had ignored her information about Asmodeus’s plans . . . she wasn’t even sure he had heard her at all. It was as though he had become deaf. He wanted nothing more than to shut her up, throw her in prison and be rid of her for good.
Kara swallowed her resentment. She shook her head. “I’m so screwed—”
“Not yet.”
Kara froze. She strained her ears and realized the voice came from the wall behind her.
“Who’s there? Who said that?”
Kara turned around on her knees and faced the wall. Closer inspection revealed a large crack like a lightning bolt in the jagged rock. The voice came through there. She edged closer to it.
“You need to get out of here, Kara,” said the raspy voice through the fissure.
Kara imagined that the voice belonged to an elderly man. The image of Merlin, the wizard with wispy white hair and a scruffy white beard that brushed the floor, popped into her head. “You need to stop Zadkiel before it’s too late.”
“What—? Who are you? And how do you know my name?” asked Kara. Her lips brushed the sharp rock wall. She strained to see through the crack, but she was faced with only a shadow.
There was a moment of silence, and then the man spoke again.
“I heard the guards talk about you before. I know you are the guardian angel, Kara Nightingale. I also know that you are different from most angels, and that you possess unique and incredible powers, powers that frighten and anger the High Council. You have many enemies in the Legion, my dear.”
Kara heard the stranger clear his voice, and then he spoke again. “I understand this is your second time in Tartarus, and that you are Asmodeus’s daughter.”
Kara flinched at the last words. It was strange to her how the man had said it so matter of factly, as if it was common knowledge amongst all the prisoners. She found herself wondering if this man was another nut job and if some of his sanity still remained. Would he be the kind of nut case that never shuts up and keeps rambling on forever? Would his ramblings accompany her till the end of time or until she lost her mind all together? He knew who she was. Perhaps the other prisoners weren’t so insane.
“My name is Legan,” said the stranger. His voice was soft and kind, not at all the tone of a rambling madman.
He continued, “… and what I have to tell you now is very important. You have to promise to tell the council exactly what I’m about to tell you. You cannot forget a single detail. Promise me, Kara.”
Kara straightened. She couldn’t help but be astonished at what she heard. “Um … nice to meet you, Legan. But what are you talking about? What is it exactly you want me to tell the council? It’s not likely I’ll ever get out … so you might be wasting your time. I have a feeling I’ll be stuck in here for a very, very long time.”
Kara heard the shuffling of feet, and then a soft plop. She knew Legan had just sat with his back against the wall. She pressed her cheek against the wall and felt a cool tingle against her angel skin. The prisoner was silent again behind the wall. Kara wondered if he was preparing his next words carefully, to try and persuade her somehow.
“You need to tell the council,” said Legan finally, “that Zadkiel is a traitor,” he hissed.
Kara noticed the disgust in the pronunciation of Zadkiel’s name, as though the name itself rotted in his mouth. She had never liked the archangel Zadkiel; he had always made her feel unwelcome and grotesque. He had called her demon filth more than once. Kara smiled and felt an immediate empathy towards Legan for hating Zadkiel, too. Perhaps they could be friends?
“Never liked him,” announced Kara. “He always gave me the creeps. A traitor you say? Are you sure?” She crossed her fingers. “You got proof?”
“Not yet,” answered Legan, and Kara heard the disappointment in his tone. “He has all the council fooled. But I wasn’t fooled. I know which master he truly serves. That’s why I ended up here. He knew I was on to him. He had to get rid of me, you see. I was about to reveal his mark.”
Kara shivered at the mention of the mark. The demon mark was the symbol of loyalty to the demon lord who had made it. A nasty angry scar, a demon’s mark, like a spider’s web, had wrapped around her ankle once. The entire Legion had accused her of being a demon spy because of it. David had pulled away from her when he saw it. She recalled his angry and confused face when she had shown him her ankle. She had just brushed it off as if it were nothing. She could never have imagined the chaos it would cause later on. Although the archangel Raphael had removed her mark, she couldn’t remove the distrust it had caused. The damage had been done; she knew some angels would never trust her ever again.
“Where is he marked?” asked Kara abruptly, her voice higher than she would have wanted. She couldn’t imagine where the mark would be on him. Clearly, it was cleverly concealed.
“I do not know,” said Legan, and Kara heard him sigh. “The mark is hidden well on him. How he managed to conceal it, I cannot tell though he must be using some sort of illusion to mask it. A cloaking device of some sorts, I am not sure. But I know he is marked!”
Kara bit her lip. She questioned Legan’s story. Maybe Zadkiel had locked up the old man, and he wanted to get back at him somehow. Getting involved with a madman couldn’t help her present situation, she knew. With a sigh of resignation, she pushed herself off the wall slowly and sat back down with her back against the jagged rock. She didn’t want Legan to hear.
“You do not believe me,” Kara heard Legan say after a few minutes of silence. “You think I’m a crazy old fool, don’t you? You believe I made this all up.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore. If you have some issue with Zadkiel—that’s your problem. I have enough problems of my own. I don’t need this right now. Maybe you should ask someone else to help you out.”
Kara threw a stone against the opposite wall. She hung her head.
“I cannot ask anyone else. You are the only one. This is your task, and your task alone. You must believe me, Kara, when I say that only you can do this,” said Legan. Kara heard an urgency in his voice that made her feel uncomfortable. “Zadkiel didn’t return your mother’s soul to the Hall of Souls—”
“What!” Kara jumped to her feet and smacked her forehead on the wall of her cell. “How did you know about my mother’s soul?”
She remembered the disgustingly satisfied grin on Zadkiel’s face when she had given him the glass jar containing her mother's soul. She realized in a moment of horror that he hadn’t smiled because he could return the soul to the Hall of Souls—he was smiling because he wasn’t going to. It had given her the creeps then, now she felt a chill pass through her body. What had happened to her mother’s soul?
“I knew a lot of things that went on in Horizon, my dear.” Legan continued, “I’ve been around, let’s say…for a very, very long time. Nothing gets past me—well, nothing did get past me until they threw me in here. But that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is what you do now. Trust me when I tell you, he did not return your mother’s soul.”
The ground wavered slightly and Kara hung on to the walls so that she wouldn’t fall over. The only happy thought that had kept her going all this time in the prison was the conviction that her mother’s soul was safe amongst all the other brilliant hovering globes in the Hall of Souls. But now it was lost. She set her jaw. What a fool she had been. She was locked away in prison for absolutely nothing. Kara waited for the lightheaded feeling to pass before she spoke again.
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth and not some fabricated lie from your damaged mind? How do I know you’re not working with Zadkiel to get me killed?”
“You don’t. You have to trust me,” he said in a gentle voice.
When Kara didn’t answer, Legan continued. “You must believe me, Kara. I am telling you the truth. Part of you knows I speak the truth—I can sense it.”
Silence descended on the room. Kara ached to be with her mother again. If what the old man said was true, then her mother was in grave danger. She had to do something.
“What … what can I do?” said Kara, and she knew she couldn’t mask the trembling in her voice. “I’m stuck here! How am I supposed to do anything? Do you know a way out of here?” Kara threw her weight against the hard wall, but it was like trying to move an elephant. She knew she couldn’t break her way out. She thought about picking the lock. But was there a lock to her cell door? She didn’t remember seeing one. Desperation filled her. How was she ever going to get out?
“You will not be locked up in Tartarus for long,” informed Legan, as though reading her mind. “Soon you will be summoned to your hearing to face the charges laid against you before the High Council. It will not be easy, since the council has been misled by the poison from Zadkiel’s mouth. But you must stop Zadkiel. This will be your only chance—our only chance. Do you understand? If you do not succeed, we are all doomed.”
Kara felt another chill crawl up her back. She shuddered involuntarily. “What do you mean exactly?” It was bad enough that she was partly responsible for allowing demons to cross over to the mortal world. She didn’t want to have the downfall of the angel world on her conscience, too. It would be too much for one soul to handle. “Uh … I’m completely lost. What is it that I’m supposed to do?”
“You must touch him.”
Kara shook her head. “Excuse me? Are you mad? Touch him?”
“Yes,” said Legan, “a single touch on him from you, and the mark will show itself.”
Panic welled inside her breast. She couldn’t see how she could get close enough to touch him. This plan was going from bad to worse. “They’ll never let me get close to him. I’m the demon spawn; remember? They’ll kill me if I get too close to the council. And then where will we be?”
“But you must, Kara. You must touch him and show the council whose master he’s truly serving. They will believe you once the mark reveals itself. I promise.”
“I don’t know. This doesn’t sound like a master plan.” Kara let her head fall against the wall. An image of her mother’s beautiful face danced before her eyes. Big-band music drifted in her ears. She remembered listening to Billie Holiday while doing the dishes with her mother as they sang along and spilled water all over the linoleum floor. Her nerves fluttered inside her. She owed it to her mother to try. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Good,” said Legan, and Kara was sure he smiled. “It won’t be long now.”
Kara wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Was this all a madman’s scheme? How did he know when the council would summon her? How deep were his connections to the outside world? She had been locked up for so long that she had started to forget what it was like outside these walls. Something nagged at the back of her mind.
“Legan. Why haven’t you spoken to me before? Why now?”
“Well, I wasn’t here before. That is to say, I was in a different place.”
“Like below a few levels or something?” Kara wondered just how many cells belonged to the concrete block they called a prison. It was an enormous structure. She figured it must hold thousands of cells. Were thousands of innocent angels locked away?
“Hmmm … yes … I suppose. Something of that sort,” said Legan. “Here they come. Get ready, Kara. We shall meet again soon.”
“What—?”
Kara heard a loud screech followed by a deafening boom. The cell walls shook, and for a minute Kara thought there might have been an earthquake, but she quickly realized that was impossible because they were floating in a giant cube. She whirled around. She wiped the dust and dirt from her eyes and blinked.
Kara stared into the piercing golden eyes of a giant eagle.
Chapter 2
Zadkiel
Kara walked along the endless corridor leading to the High Council chamber. Tall grey walls dressed with colorful tapestries and the occasional portrait of some important angel official surrounded her on either side. The stale air was hot, and dust tickled her nose. Her boots echoed through the empty corridors, cutting the eerie silence like a knife. The exquisite wooden doors of the offices reminded Kara of the monumental Chateau Frontenac hotel where she had spent a day exploring the different levels on a school trip. She peered through an open door. It was an office, she realized, and she stepped inside. It was cluttered with papers, and books were piled all the way to the ceiling like crooked ladders. Light leaked from a large window at the far end, lighting up thousands of dust particles floating in the air like miniature snowflakes. The office seemed deserted. Kara felt uneasy. Where was everyone?
Unlike the other times she had been summoned to the council, when the halls had been filled with curious onlookers, this time the halls were deserted. Not even an oracle came to greet her on the landing platform to escort her to the council, as they always did. No one came, and she felt a nasty chill roll up her back. What was going on?
Kara walked out of the office and continued to make her way towards the council chamber. She reached out and dragged her fingers along the walls, reassuring herself that they were real, and that she wasn’t back in her cell hallucinating. She wondered if she had gone mad—and this was all in her mind. Kara shook her head and pressed on. She figured that once she arrived at the council things would become clear. It would all make sense.
She spotted the giant metal doors of the council chamber at the far end of the hall. They stood before her, majestic and accusing. They judged her before she even pled her case. She walked up to them and pressed her trembling hands against the cold metal. Uncertainty flooded through her. She questioned what would happen once she entered the chamber. Would the High Council believe her now or would they simply lock her up again until she withered away, mad as a hatter. Why they had locked her away for so long, kept her guessing.
She steeled herself. She’d fight for the truth, even if it meant they’d throw her back in prison. But she couldn’t forget what Legan had told her... how important he had made her feel, the hint of desperation in his voice. She had a job to do. She had to get near Zadkiel somehow. She had to touch him. Once the Mark was revealed, the council would believe her—Legan had told her so. She decided to take that chance. Legan had handed her an opportunity; she had to take it. She fought to control her nerves. She readied herself and pushed the metal doors.
The doors screeched on their hinges as she pressed them apart. She sauntered into the chamber and stopped. The great round room was empty, save for seven archangels who sat behind a glistening black desk raised on a dais at the opposite end of the room, like a giant black diamond. Yellow light spilled through the rounded glass dome above her, like an enormous greenhouse, filling the room in a soft light. Spasms erupted all over Kara’s body, and she forced herself to stay calm. She didn’t want the archangels to notice her fear. Be strong.
Kara scanned the room again quickly. David wasn’t here either. She wasn’t sure why she actually expected him to show up. He hadn’t come to see her in Tartarus. But she wasn’t even sure if visitors were allowed. They probably weren’t. Maybe he had to lie low? She convinced herself that David was occupied elsewhere, or that he didn’t even know her trial was today... which was really unlikely...
She set her jaw. Legan’s words echoed in her head. She lifted her eyes and met Zadkiel’s gaze. She flinched. His black eyes stared back at her. A mixture of satisfaction and disdain painted his face. He was searching her face, reading the fear in her eyes. His bald head stood out against his red robes, like a severed head above a bloody stump. She forced herself not to look away. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Hatred filled her. What had he done to her mother’s soul? He would pay for this. Her chance had come. She knew exactly what she had to do.
Kara clenched her fists and walked forward. She knew the drill, and she walked over to the lonely bench conveniently placed below the council members. She figured they sat on a raised platform so that they could look down upon the poor soul who happened to be summoned—a power trip. But it was her turn now. She let herself fall onto the bench. She sat calmly with her hands on her lap and looked up. She met Uriel’s eyes. She watched him raise his eyebrows, but his face was as unreadable as ever.
“Kara Nightingale,” said Uriel, in a musical tone. “How delightful to see you again so soon—”
“This is soon?” blurted Kara before she could stop herself. She pressed her lips together, eyes wide. She saw annoyance flash in Uriel’s perfect face momentarily, and then it was gone. His dark eyes glimmered as he studied Kara. The light from above illuminated his delicate features and silky brown hair.
“There are two serious charges laid against you.” Uriel interlaced his fingers. His golden robes glistened in the light, and Kara thought he looked like a golden statue. “Both are very serious indeed, and I find myself very disappointed in you, Miss Nightingale. We had high hopes for a guardian of your special talents, who showed so much promise. We are faced with terrible times, and this is very unfortunate.”
Kara stared back in puzzlement. She wasn’t sure what he meant by terrible times. Had she missed out on something? Was he referring to the mass release of demons into the mortal world? She fidgeted in her seat, and tried not to feel culpable. She knew that striking Al had been an accident, but escaping from Tartarus wasn’t. She hoped the council didn’t know that David or the others were involved in her break out.
“The council has had time to review your cases extensively,” continued Uriel, his mouth pressed in a hard line. “After listening to the eye witness accounts and reviewing the evidence in your first case, the council has voted and has found you guilty of the crime of attempted murder of a fellow guardian—”
“What! You can’t be serious!” Kara couldn’t hide the anger in her voice. She jumped up and threw her hands in the air. “It was an accident! Who are your eyewitnesses? Did you speak to David McGowan? He was there … he can tell you it was an accident. What about the archangel, Cassiel? He can tell you—”
Uriel lifted his hand to silence Kara. “We have questioned the archangel Cassiel on several occasions. He believes it was an accident … but the evidence speaks for itself. Unfortunately for you, we never found the dagger you spoke of. You viciously attacked an unarmed angel … and nearly killed him. Fortunately, he lives, the archangel Raphael mended him, so your sentence will be more lenient.”
Kara trembled. Anger flared inside her. She fought to control her temper. She had run the entire scenario in her head for weeks; this was not how she had imagined it. She glowered at Zadkiel. To her surprise, his face openly showed his immense satisfaction.
“This isn’t fair! This isn’t a trial. Your witnesses are liars! It was an accident!” yelled Kara before she could stop herself. She felt herself losing control.
Uriel leaned closer. “Compose yourself, Miss. Without the evidence of the knife, it’s your word against his.” His dark eyes flickered as he studied Kara momentarily. “And from what we’ve gathered, you were not injured … correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“A terrible crime was committed,” continued Uriel as if he hadn’t heard Kara. “One party was nearly killed, while the other party didn’t even have a scratch. The eyewitnesses all say that you attacked him from the back, leaving him defenseless—without the ability to fight back. How could he have defended himself from such an attack? So tell me now, Miss Nightingale. How do you expect us to believe you when all the evidence points to you?”
Kara suppressed the scream rising in her throat. Her bottom lip trembled. She clenched her fists. “Because it’s the truth. I never meant to hurt him. It was an accident. We were training … and then Al and David started fighting. I saw him pull out a death blade … he was going to hurt—”
“Yes, we’ve all heard this before.” Uriel sat, poker faced, drumming his fingers on the gleaming black desk. “Unfortunately for you, there is no blade. There was never any blade, was there? You made up this silly story to hide your crime.”
Dread welled inside her. This was much worse than what she had imagined. “No, that—that’s not true,” she said, her voice wavering. “There was a blade! I saw it. It was black … and it had marks—”
“Enough of your lies!” boomed Uriel. He pushed back his chair and stood up. His robes billowed before him like liquid gold. “We have voted, and the council has found you guilty. The decision is final. You are therefore sentenced to serve out your term in Tartarus … for five hundred years.”
Shock exploded in Kara—they didn’t believe her. Fear ate at her core. She knew she couldn’t survive even a few more months in Tartarus, let alone five hundred years. The weight of Uriel’s words pulled her down, like a metal chain wrapped around her neck. The room started to spin. Kara strained to keep from fainting.
“But …” Kara heard Uriel say, as she tried to focus. “If you give up the names of the angels that helped you escape from Tartarus … the council has agreed to lessen your sentence.”
Kara lifted her eyes. “It was just me. No one helped me.” Her voice wavered, but she didn’t care.
“Liar!” The archangel Zadkiel jumped up and pointed a large finger at Kara. His face screwed up in disgust. Kara stared back, wishing she could punch him in the face. “She lies! The guards told us that she had help. They saw three other angels. Give us their names!”
“The guards are mistaken,” replied Kara, glad that her voice was even. She glowered at Zadkiel—the true traitor posing as the good guy. He made her sick. “I escaped on my own. I had no help.” She remembered David’s cocky expression when he had come to rescue her. It had been a great moment for both of them.
Zadkiel struck the desk before him with a giant fist, and Kara wondered how it didn’t break. He leered at Kara from his seat. “How can we let this filth live and spread her lies? She is the demon lord’s daughter. You are all aware of this. He created this monstrosity and disguised her as a girl to fool us all!”
He turned to face the council and waved his arms theatrically. “Do not be fooled by her. She is a creature of evil, a spawn of the netherworld, sent here to destroy our world. She will try and kill us all! I vote for the true death. Kill the demon. Be rid of her once and for all!”
Kara noticed Zadkiel’s skin flicker to a darker shade, and then it went back to its normal olive tone. Murmurs reached her ears, and she saw some council members nodding their heads in agreement.
Once the whispers died down, a beautiful archangel woman with rolling red hair and flowing green robes said, “Let’s not get in over our heads, Zadkiel.” Kara recognized her immediately. She was the archangel Camael. She had always shown kindness towards Kara. And Kara wondered if Camael believed her.
“She will be punished for her crime,” continued Camael. “As we have discussed previously, the true death will not be applicable in this case.”
“I say that it should! We should take another vote.” Zadkiel turned and faced Kara, his eyes blazing. “She should die for her crimes! We cannot let her live and corrupt other angels!”
“Enough!” roared Uriel. “We have already spent too much time discussing these cases. Kara Nightingale is a unique angel … and should be treated as such. She will not suffer the true death. The council has voted.”
Uriel shared a look with Zadkiel.
Kara had the impression that they must have had this discussion many times before.
Uriel turned his attention back to Kara. “Now, Kara. If you want a lesser sentence, give us the names of your accomplices.”
Kara watched Uriel’s lips move. Her mouth wouldn’t open. How could she betray her only friends? She wouldn’t. She forced the words out of her mouth. “Like I said—I escaped on my own. I used my unique powers to blow down the door, and then I jumped.” For a moment, Kara saw a look of surprise pass over Zadkiel’s face. He seemed to have taken the bait.
“It was that David McGowan again,” growled Zadkiel, his voice rising. “I’m sure it was him.”
“Be quiet!” bellowed Uriel, and Kara noticed that he had lost his patience with Zadkiel. It gave her an idea.
“Why are you so intent on having me killed, Zadkiel?” asked Kara, in her most innocent voice, and tried to keep a disinterested expression.
“Because you are the demon’s progeny! Sent here to trick us!” spat Zadkiel.
“Right. So, in your eyes … I’m a traitor?”
“You are a traitor! I’ve always known you were a traitor.”
“I’m the traitor who saved the elemental child from Asmodeus, right? But then, tell me why did I do that? Why didn’t I just give the kid to Asmodeus, if I’m a traitor?” Kara took a step forward.
“Because you are trying to deceive us into believing you are good,” said Zadkiel in disgust. “You want the council to trust you, so that you can destroy them with your demon powers when they are least expecting it. But you don’t fool me, demon.”
Kara met Zadkiel’s stare with a level gaze. “I see. So you think that I’ll use my demon powers to kill everyone in this room. You’re saying that I’m powerful enough to kill all of you now—” She snapped her fingers. “Like I can snap my fingers and—poof—all gone. So then why aren’t I doing that now? Why am I letting myself be thrown into prison instead of killing you all and then going to hang out with my dad in the Netherworld?”
Zadkiel’s jaw was a hard line. “Maybe you’re waiting for better timing... or for orders from your true master.”
“Don’t you mean your true master, Zadkiel?” Kara saw recognition flash in the archangel’s eyes, and wondered if anyone else had seen it too.
Zadkiel began to laugh. “Everything out of your mouth is a lie! You just can’t help yourself—it’s in your nature.”
Kara watched Zadkiel without expression. “Isn’t it your nature to serve the demon lord, your true master? You want me gone because you fear that I can kill him.”
“Nonsense, the demon lord is our sworn enemy,” said Zadkiel, and Kara saw his fingers twitch. “The council is in the process of planning his demise, we will—”
“—but you know that’s not true.” Kara’s tone was casual. “You believe I can destroy him, and that’s why you want me dead.”
“I heard enough of her lies!” hissed Zadkiel, with a look of intense hatred. “Take her back to her cell. We can continue the deliberation later.”
“I’d like to hear what else Kara has to say,” said Camael suddenly. She flicked her eyes towards Kara for a moment. “If they are all falsehoods, then you have nothing to fear, Zadkiel.”
“Lies from the demon’s tongue! Don’t listen to her.” Zadkiel pushed his chair out of his way and stepped down from the dais. He strode towards Kara. His bald head glistened in the light. “Take her back! I demand she be put back into her prison!” shouted Zadkiel to no one in particular.
“Why don’t you tell him about the archangel, Legan?” said Kara. “You locked him up because he found you out. Isn’t that true?”
Zadkiel frowned, then threw his head back and laughed. “There is no archangel with the name Legan in Tartarus—or anywhere else in Horizon. You lying filth.” He turned to the council. “You see. She lies. You all know there is no one of that name. She is delusional.”
Kara saw confusion spread over the council’s faces. Did she get his name wrong, she wondered. It was hard to hear from the other side of the wall, perhaps she did get his name wrong.
“Maybe I didn’t get his name right, but I know what he said was true.” She glared at Zadkiel. “What did you do with my mother’s soul?”
Zadkiel flinched. “What are you talking about? More lies. She cannot help herself. Can’t you see she is mad?”
“My mother’s soul was in a glass jar. I gave it to you. What did you do with it?”
Zadkiel smiled and observed the council. Kara noticed that Uriel seemed distraught. She saw Zadkiel noticing it too as he fought to control his composure.
“I have no idea where your mother’s soul is. Perhaps it is lost. What does that have anything to do with your crimes? Send her back!”
Zadkiel stood beside Kara. She could see the delicate ruby red trimmings around his large collar and sleeves. His hands twitched.
“You’re the liar, and the traitor. And I’ll kill you if I find out you hurt my mother.”
“Ha! There she goes again. A mad demon should be locked away for good. I had enough of the filth from her mouth.”
Come closer, Kara thought.
“Say hi to my father for me when you see him. I’m sure the two of you will have lots to talk about—”
Zadkiel grabbed Kara roughly by the arm and threw her down. She landed hard on the marble floors.
She grinned. She had him exactly where she wanted. This was her chance. She jumped up with incredible speed. Before Zadkiel knew what was happening, Kara had reached out and pressed her hand on his bare chest above his collar.
A puzzled expression appeared on Zadkiel’s face. Kara backed away. She scanned his body for the mark. She frowned. There was nothing... Had Legan lied to her? Dread crept inside her as she took an involuntary step back.
Zadkiel laughed. He looked up at the council. “Isn’t this clear enough? The girl is mad—”
Kara heard Camael gasp. She pointed to Zadkiel, horror coloring her face. “He’s Marked! Look!”
Kara saw a black mark like a spider’s web slowly materialize until it covered half of Zadkiel’s face, like a mask.
Uriel’s face was frozen in shock. “How could you? How could you betray us?”
A strange laugh escaped from Zadkiel. He smiled. Everyone was staring at him now. “Why? Why you ask? Because you are fools! Mortal-loving fools! You love the weak. It’s pathetic.”
Uriel glanced over to Kara; his eyes were filled with remorse. He shook his head and pointed to Zadkiel who smiled back. “You will pay for this! Summon Michael—”
Black lightening shot out of Zadkiel’s hands like electric tendrils.
They hit Kara.
She rocketed back into the air and crashed into the wall. She crumpled to the floor and winced. Black smoke coiled from her body, like a smoking log. She heard a thundering roar and looked up. Millions of glass shards exploded from the sky, like sheets of glass rain and the entire room was showered in diamonds. They hit the ground in a cacophony of breaking glass. Kara caught a glimpse of a red robe dash across the room and disappear behind the chamber doors.
Chapter 3
Disappearing Act
After about twenty minutes of apologies and excuses from the council, for not believing Kara and locking her up in Tartarus for so long under false allegations, the High Council removed all charges that were laid against her. Kara was reinstated as a guardian angel.
Before Kara was excused, Uriel informed her that he was going to set up teams of the most dependable GAs to arrest the traitorous Zadkiel and to search for her mother’s soul. But Kara answered that this was something she had to do personally. She welcomed the help, but she had to search on her own as well. Kara rushed out of the great hall with a smile on her face. She silently thanked the angel Legan for all his help. He hadn’t been mad after all.
The elevator jerked to a stop. The doors slid open, and Kara stared out into a sea of ruby-red dunes. She jumped out and landed with a soft poof in the smooth sand of Operations. She was tickled with glee with the fresh air that caressed her face and the distant smell of salt water. How she had missed that smell. In Tartarus, the only smells had been the constant fragrance of mold and the nose-burning stench of bird droppings. She could hear the soft splashes and plops of angels jumping into the myriad of salt-water pools, heading off towards their next missions.
Kara wiped her bangs from her face and pressed on. Zadkiel had about a half hour head start, but if she pushed herself more she might catch up to him. She clenched her fists and imagined herself punching the malicious smile off his face. He wouldn’t be so pretty after she was done with him. Every inch of her being screamed with the desperation she felt. Her mother’s soul was lost again. She knew she couldn’t fail this time. She had to find Zadkiel. Kara knew that if anyone could figure out where the traitor had gone who might help her, it was the archangel Gabriel.
With the sun blazing against her back, Kara raced down the rolling red hills. The memory of handing Zadkiel the glass jar with her mother’s soul helped her gain incredible speed. Kara felt as though she was flying. Was this another super ability from her elemental powers? She didn’t know— maybe it was just the anger. Either way, she couldn’t tell anymore if her boots touched the sand at all.
A figure came towards her and slowed down. From the way it moved its square shoulders, she could tell it was male. He came closer. She felt goose bumps all over her body. Warmth spread through her like a hot bath. She fought to control her emotions as she looked into David’s face.
He wore a pair of scruffy blue jeans with a tight black t-shirt that showed off his muscular chest. His signature brown leather jacket swayed at his sides as he walked. Clear blue eyes smiled at her. The beautiful face she had longed for and imagined so many times in Tartarus was even more beautiful close up than she remembered. With a lopsided grin, David sauntered towards her.
He stretched out his arms and lifted Kara in a tight embrace. She couldn’t find any words to say and let her face dig into David’s neck instead. She trembled with passion, with feelings that were forbidden in Horizon, but that were too strong to deny. She wondered if David felt the same. She didn’t want to let go. The distant memory of a kiss and his hard body pressed against hers—she felt him shaking and held him tighter. Her feet dangled in the air, and David’s strong arms wrapped around her affectionately.
Kara heard someone clear their throat, and then a short giggle.
“I hate to be the one to break up this happy reunion … but we have a job to do.”
David released Kara, and she turned to meet the voice. Jenny stood before them. Her short purple hair glimmered in the sunlight like a crown of purple sapphires. She had on the same black cargo pants and purple bomber jacket with the sleeves cut off that Kara remembered. Her eyes were rimmed with a thick line of black kohl, which made her green eyes stand out. Her pointy face and delicate features always made Kara think Jenny looked like a pixie.
“Can I get a hug too?” Jenny faked a pout.
“Come here you big baby.” Kara pulled Jenny into a tight bear hug. “I really missed you guys.”
“We missed you too.”
Kara looked up. Peter bounced into view. He wore the same CDD combat outfit as Jenny. It seemed far too big for him, or was he too small for it, she wasn’t sure. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You were gone a long time.”
Kara let out a small laugh. “Well, excuse me for being in prison. It’s not like I had any visitors or anything.” She was glad her voice didn’t betray the hurt she felt inside. The four lonely stone walls of her cell had not been much company for the past month.
David felt her disappointment. “I tried—we tried … but they didn’t let us.”
David took a step towards Kara. His gentle eyes studied her, and Kara felt her chest tighten. “It wasn’t as easy this time. We couldn’t risk getting caught … it would have made things a lot worse for you, Kara. Those douche bags had us watched constantly. We couldn’t do anything without being followed.”
Jenny let out a long sigh. “It was freaking annoying. I almost punched one in the face.” Her lips twitched into a smile.
“So what happened to you, Kara?” David studied her closely, his blue eyes blazing. “I mean, a few minutes after you entered the demon realm, all hell broke loose on Earth—literally. It was as though a dark shadow passed over the world, releasing evil as it went.”
A few minutes? Kara was sure she had been in the demon realm for a few hours at least. It didn’t make any sense. Perhaps time had no meaning in the Netherworld. It was her only explanation.
“There were demons everywhere, attacking mortals,” continued David. “It was nuts. The sun disappeared, and it became dark as night in the middle of the afternoon. We figured it had something to do Asmodeus. So, what the hell happened in the Netherworld?”
All eyes focused on Kara. She wondered if she should tell them everything. Would they still be her friends if they knew that Asmodeus had used her to open the portals to the mortal world? How would they react once she had told them this was all her fault?
Life had been so incredibly easy for her back when she was mortal. She wasn’t faced with such challenges and horrible truths about who she was. She had been a normal teenager, with the same hopes and dreams for a better life as any other teen her age. It all seemed so long ago, a memory of a dream. She knew she would never have it back.
Kara decided to tell them everything.
She described the events as best she could. She recounted everything from the giant cockroach, Jean-Pierre, leaving out the kissing parts, to the Mirror of Souls and the opening of the portals, to finally how she had barely escaped. Once she had finished, she stood with her arms crossed and waited for their reactions.
David cocked his head and shoved his hands in his jean’s pockets. “You think this is your fault, don’t you. I can see it on your face.”
Kara hated that he could read her so easily. “You think? Of course I do. Without me, Asmodeus wouldn’t have been able to open the portals.” She remembered the beams of golden elemental current being sucked out of her and hitting the wall of mirrors, opening a passage for every demon imaginable to cross over into the mortal world. She shuddered at the memory.
Jenny grabbed Kara’s hand and squeezed. Her face was kind. “You have to stop thinking like that. You can’t blame yourself. He used you. This isn’t your fault, girl.”
“Jenny’s right,” said Peter, who Kara thought looked a little uncomfortable. “You couldn’t have known about his plans. You wanted to do something good. You wanted to save your mom.”
“Yeah, don’t beat yourself up about it,” said David, his expression thoughtful. “We’ll make things right, Kiddo. I promise.”
Kara hoped that they were right. She felt better telling them, but she couldn’t shake off the guilt. They couldn’t understand what it was like to be forced to do something terrible, with no way of stopping it. She knew it wouldn’t matter how many times her friends told her it wasn’t her fault, she would always feel partly responsible. She had to make things right again—no matter what the cost.
Kara forced a smile. “Well … I guess you’re right. I’ll try not to think of it as my fault, but I can’t promise that I won’t.”
She noticed that David was about to reply, and she quickly cut him off. “Listen, I need to find Gabriel. I don’t have much time. He has to set up a team for me to look for my mother’s soul—”
“He already did,” answered David, with a cheeky smile. He lifted his arms. “We’re it.”
Before Kara could control herself, her face broke into a smile. “I don’t know how you managed that with Gabriel … but I’m glad it’s you guys.” She looked from one of them to the other. She couldn’t have asked for a better team. She knew she could trust them with anything. “Did Gabriel fill you in about Zadkiel?” Kara spit out his name. She was surprised at her hatred.
David cracked his knuckles. “You mean that lying traitorous piece of garbage? Yeah, he told us what happened. We all know that Zadkiel was a double-crossing demon lover. He turned the council against you … and tried to have you killed. I can’t wait to kick his ass.” David shook his head and laughed in spite of himself.
“Okay, listen up,” urged Peter, his voice louder than usual. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small contraption that looked like an iPad. He pressed his fingers against the smooth screen. “Zadkiel went through a Rift on Tartarus … near one of the entrances. If we leave now, there’s a chance the Rift might still be open. But we have to leave now.”
Kara felt a shiver pass through her at the mention of the angel prison. The idea of being near those grey stone walls again and hearing the dreadful incessant moans, terrified her. She could only hope it would be a fast trip. She felt a hand press against her shoulder and looked up to find David staring back at her.
“Don’t worry, Kara. Those giant turkeys can’t hurt you anymore. If they try anything, I’ll have them plucked and ready for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Kara shook her head. “The guards never hurt me. They never even spoke to me. It’s the solitude that makes someone go mad.” A cold spasm went through her body as she recalled the endless darkness and the eerie moaning from the other prisoners. Legan’s voice echoed in her ears. A wave of shame rippled through her. She had hardly even thought about him since she left. After all, it was because of Legan that she was free now, and she hadn’t even asked the council for his release. She had only thought of herself and her mother.
Her head felt heavy. “Let’s get out of here.”
David clapped his hands together. “All right, ladies and gents—let’s do this!”
After an intense and terrifying ride to Tartarus, Kara jumped off the sky-car and landed on hard concrete. She thanked the driver for a safe trip, turned and looked up at the giant stone walls. Jagged edges like razor blades perforated the stones. No one would dare try to climb these walls to escape, they would slice away their hands and feet if they did. Without handholds to hang on, they would simply plummet to their deaths.
An opening stood before them at the other end of the platform. The entrance to Tartarus was a black rectangle, etched in darkness. It was as though a perfect piece of the wall had been cut out by giant hands. It was a small hole compared to the colossal stone cube. Kara strained to hear the cries from the prisoners. A sudden scraping sound reached her ears, and Kara looked up and saw a giant eagle pass through the entrance.
His magnificent golden feathers rippled in the soft wind like golden waves. He wore a large metal breast-plate and a metal helmet, and Kara thought that was what gave him away as a guard. A long silver chain with a glowing blue star swayed and bounced against his powerful chest. His toffee colored eyes watched Kara, and she had a feeling he wasn’t so happy to see her again so soon.
“The Rift is right here.” Peter pointed to the right side of the doorway, where a giant wall of rock rose up into the blue sky and disappeared within the clouds. Kara hadn’t noticed it before, but now she could see a wave rolling against the wall, as though a part of rock was made of water. “This is where he passed through.”
“Is this another Rift to the demon world?” David hovered before the Rift. He lifted his hand and moved it slowly above the Rift without touching the stone. “You think I can go through this one? Or is it just Kara who can pass.”
Peter touched the screen on his pad. He looked up. “I don’t know. I can only monitor the changes in the fields. I don’t know where the doorways lead to—”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out—” David plunged his arm through the Rift.
“David! No!” yelled Kara, Jenny, and Peter at the same time.
After a moment, David retrieved his arm. It was unscathed.
“Ha! Look, nothing happened!” David laughed as he paraded his arm. He started to do a dance and moved his hips in a strange way that made Kara look away embarrassed.
Jenny was pleased with this new discovery and jumped beside David. Her green eyes sparkled in delight. “So … we all go. I wonder where it leads if not to the demon world.”
“It doesn’t matter where it leads, as long as it leads us to my mother.” Kara studied the Rift for a moment, and then glanced over to the prison’s doorway. “There’s something I have to do first,” said Kara. She watched Jenny pluck out one of her earrings and hand it to the sky-car’s driver, who accepted it graciously. “Zadkiel had an angel locked up in here because he was on to him. He’s the only reason I knew how to make his mark appear. He’s the reason why I’m out. He told me how to do it. He deserves to be freed. I can’t go anywhere before we do this. I owe him that much.”
“Sounds good to me,” said David. He turned and walked up to the guard. “Hey … big bird! Think you can get us inside to release our friend? Think you can do that? Or do I have to go and have a chat with your boss?”
The giant eagle lowered its head towards David. It regarded him for a moment before it spoke. “I have special orders to answer to her,” he cocked his head towards Kara, and she heard David mumble something under his breath.
“Who is this friend of yours you speak of?” said the eagle.
Kara shuffled closer and looked up. “His name is Legan. He was in the cell next to mine—”
“That’s impossible,” said the guard.
Kara wrinkled her face and kept her composure. “I’m telling you … he’s in there, and I want you to let him out!” She felt her temper rising and was glad for it. She wouldn’t stand for his attitude. These birds didn’t exactly warm her stay in the prison. She would have preferred to be treated badly, than to be forgotten altogether.
The guard ruffled his feathers in annoyance. “You are mistaken. It is impossible that your friend as you say was in a cell next to yours. There are no cells next to yours. You were in a high security cell, with nothing but thick walls surrounding you.”
A chill passed through Kara. She wondered if she had indeed imagined the entire thing. She felt the stares of the others on her, and suppressed a shudder. What if they thought she was mad? Had she made up a friend to ease her loneliness? But then how would she have known about Zadkiel’s mark? No. Legan wasn’t a figment of her imagination, but a real angel who had been in the cell next to hers. The eagle was mistaken, or worse, he was lying.
“That’s not true,” said Kara, as she remembered Legan’s raspy voice coming through the wall. “He’s here. I know he is. You’re lying. You’re hiding something. I demand to see him at once!”
The eagle’s face was expressionless. “There is no one by that name in Tartarus, and as I have told you … there are no cells or rooms that neighbored yours. Only thick walls of stone—”
“Now you listen here, you big piece of poultry,” said David and pointed to the large bird’s face. “If Kara says he’s in there, that means he’s in there. Now let’s go!”
“As you wish.” The eagle turned its massive body. It bent its head and stepped through the doorway. David beckoned to Kara to follow the guard, and he stepped in after her, followed closely by Jenny and a wide-eyed Peter.
Kara stepped into darkness. Tall shadows surrounded her. A deep roar sounded from the depths of the prison, and Kara felt as though the monstrous cube was welcoming her back. Three brilliant green orbs appeared. They hovered before them like large fireflies and gave off enough light to see through the blackness. A low rumble came from the deep. The sound rose until the tremors were all around them. Kara watched as pieces of rock detached themselves from the walls to form the path below their feet as they went. It was too bad the lights couldn’t mask the burning stench of bird droppings. She heard Jenny complain rudely about the smell.
The group walked in silence for a while. The light tread of their footsteps reverberated in the darkness, followed by the eerie sound of sharp talons scraping the stone floor. The prison’s walls rumbled and shook with every step, as though commanding respect of all those who entered. Kara had a nasty feeling the walls could come crashing down upon them at any moment, sending them all to the black void below. She felt dreadfully uncomfortable wandering inside Tartarus again. She had hoped to forget about it, to shake it off like a bad dream.
Soon the group found themselves standing before a chamber. A large concrete door stood ajar. Kara glanced to the side nervously. There were no adjoining cells to either side. Just walls of more thick rock, she realized. What was happening?
“This isn’t the same cell.” Kara eyed the large bird. “This is a trick. Where’s my prison cell?”
The eagle cocked his head towards the room. “This is it.”
“It can’t be,” said Kara stubbornly. She watched the eagle’s expression, and she swore he looked annoyed.