Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

Kara paced around the chamber for what felt like an hour. Raphael repeatedly tried to get her to sit, but Kara was restless. Every time she sat down, she would jump back up, with images of her mother and David being torn apart by demons overwhelming her mind. She thought she was going mad.

  Kara shuddered at the image of a grey and solemn Horizon, with nothing but dark ashes rolling away in gusts of wind. No. She would never let that happen.

  “Kara, please sit down,” pleaded Raphael, as she fidgeted at Camael’s side. “You’re making me anxious. It won’t do any good to fuss about. You need to calm yourself.”

  “I can’t,” grumbled Kara. “This is all my fault. And I’m stuck here, helpless. How would you feel, if you were me? It’s not fair!” Kara kicked a chair. She realized how childish this was to the archangels, but she didn’t care. It felt good to vent.

  Raphael pressed her hands on her hips. “Well, it’s not your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself—”

  “It is my fault. Without me, none of this would have happened. Asmodeus wouldn’t have been able to use the Mirror of Souls to strike the mortal world, and use it as a diversion to attack Horizon. Don’t you see? This is my fault!”

  “You are not responsible for a madman’s plan. He is doing this, not you. It is his desire to dominate all things—that’s the cause for all of this madness. You were not abetting him, Kara. You tried to stop him—”

  “Exactly. I tried and failed.” Kara slumped into a chair. She thought suddenly of Jenny and Peter. “Raphael, do you know if my friends Peter and Jenny made it back safely?” Kara glanced at the archangel anxiously.

  Raphael, who had gone across the room to fetch a vial of purple liquid for Camael, returned and sat down next to Kara. “I know that they were still on their mission when all this mess happened. They’re probably on the eighth plane with the rest of the stranded guardians. They’re safe Kara, I’m sure of it.”

  Kara nodded. Part of her relaxed with the assurance that her friends were safe—at least they would be spared, if things went terribly wrong. She wondered if Michael’s special blade would be strong enough. Her powers might have been of some use to them. She could have found a way to help them, and not get caught by Asmodeus; she was sure of it. She should be there with them, fighting. Anything was better than sitting here useless, with the invalids. This was hopeless. Kara gripped the chair’s arm-rest. Her fingers dug into the soft wood. Her mother and David were out there—probably getting killed—while she sat and played house with the giant healer. It was wrong. It felt wrong. She had to do something.

  BOOM!

  The chamber door flew open. An oracle stood on his crystal ball behind the doorway. His wispy white hair stood on end on the top of his head, as though an electric current ran through his body. With crazed blue eyes he searched the room. He danced nervously atop his ball, his silver robe rippling around him. Finally, he found Kara.

  “Ah! There she is! Quickly, quickly, Miss Clara!” He waved his arms in the air theatrically, and Kara was certain he would slip and fall off his crystal at any moment. “We must make haste, we must make haste!”

  Kara jumped to her feet and ran up to the oracle. “What is it, oracle? What’s happened? Is my mother all right? Is it David?” Dread filled her mind. The image of a higher demon’s gaping jaw tearing out David’s soul haunted her. Coldness swept through her.

  The oracle tugged at his beard nervously. “Terrible things, terrible things, Miss Clara. We must go now. Quickly. There is no time to waste.”

  “But where are we going, oracle?” But somehow Kara already knew where.

  “To the High Council. We must hurry. They need you.” The oracle was hysterical. He kept glancing over his shoulder as if expecting someone were following him.

  Determined, Kara stepped forward, but Raphael pulled her back.

  “No, Kara,” said Raphael, her face set. “You heard what Michael said. If Asmodeus means to kill you … and he exploits your powers, all is lost. I cannot allow you to go. You must stay here with us.”

  “No!” The oracle grabbed Raphael’s front robe hastily. “She is meant to be there. I have seen it! It is how it’s supposed to be. She is the one. She will save us from this evil. If Miss Clara is not permitted to go …” the oracle let go of Raphael’s robe and stared above their heads to nothing in particular. “Then all shall be lost.”

  A shiver passed through Kara. What was the oracle saying? Kara was at a loss. She knew oracles could see into the future—and this one had seen her at the High Council. It was a sign. She had to go.

  “I’m going with him.” Kara stared into Raphael’s beautiful face. “You heard him. I’m supposed to be there. It’s important, Raphael. They need me.” She prayed the oracle’s foresight was enough to convince the archangel.

  Raphael’s worried expression made Kara more nervous. She could see the woman struggling with something internally. At last she spoke. “If it is as the oracle has seen it, then it shall be. I cannot change what is foretold by the oracles. Go, Kara. And may the souls protect you.”

  Kara jumped into the woman’s large arms and hugged her as best she could, even though her arms couldn’t wrap themselves around Raphael’s extra large shoulders. She kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Without another second to waste, Kara followed the oracle out the door.

  Kara ran alongside the crystal ball up a dirt path leading away from the mountain and down to a lush valley of green and yellow hills. The loud crushing of rock coming from under the crystal ball silenced the sound of her boots hitting the ground. She struggled to keep up with the oracle. He was surprisingly fast. His enormous crystal rolled up the hills effortlessly, without slowing down. Soon they had crossed the valley and found themselves in a dense forest.

  A flicker of movement appeared in the corner of Kara’s eye.

  A large creature charged from the trees. Before she had time to react, it slashed at her face. Pain exploded from her head, and she was knocked to the ground. She rolled over and looked at her attacker. It stood on two muscular hind legs with hoofed feet. It had long arms and hands thick with razor-sharp yellow claws. Its skin was wet and raw, as though only flesh covered the bones without the skin. Black liquid spilled from a large gaping maw in the center of its bulky chest. Much to Kara’s horror, it had no head.

  The demon leaped into the air. Kara sprung to her feet as the creature landed inches before her. The scent of decay reached her nose. Its large claws lashed out at her. Kara jumped back. With her soul blade clutched in her hand, she struck out at the creature—and missed. The demon eluded her attack easily. With its powerful legs it moved unnaturally fast. It came at her again, its mouth stretched wide. Kara could see hundreds of pointy yellow teeth with flesh wedged in between some of them. She sidestepped and thrust her blade into the creature’s abdomen. She yanked her arm across in an arc. The cut was deep. The creature wailed in anger. It fell to its knees, cradling its wound. She walked towards the creature, her blade at her side, ready to finish it off—

  Suddenly, the oracle’s giant crystal ploughed over the demon. Kara heard a muffled cry and then only the crushing sound of bones turning to dust. Kara stared at a flattened mess of flesh and bones. There was no way to determine what part of the creature she was looking at. She glanced at the oracle in surprise. His face was set in a hard line.

  “Dirty little beasts. All of them, dirty, filthy beasts! Think they can come here and destroy our home! I don’t think so!”

  “Wow … you really showed him, didn’t you,” laughed Kara. She looked over the ball to see if it were stained with some of the demon’s remains. It wasn’t. It was perfectly clean, as if it had never crushed through flesh.

  Kara heard a twig snap. She whirled around. Ten more headless demons came thrashing through the forest. Their angry limbs flailed as they scampered towards them. Kara froze. She tried to call forth her elemental power, but there was nothing but a dull ache inside her chest.

&n
bsp; There was a sudden pop, and a tiny round door swung open from the crystal ball.

  The oracle jumped down and pointed hastily towards the door. “In you go! Quickly, Miss Clara! We don’t have much time. The beasts are coming.”

  Kara gawked openmouthed at the perfectly cut round hole on the giant crystal. The edges were smooth, as though someone had cut it with a laser. She had never noticed a door before. But now it stood ajar like a well-hidden secret.

  “You want me to go in there?” Kara picked at the edges with her blade.

  The oracle looked nervously down the path towards the oncoming horde of demons. “There’s no time to argue, Miss Clara! There are too many of the nasty beasts!”

  “How am I supposed to get though? The door’s way too small and I’m way too big to fit in there—” She poked her head in the glass compartment. It looked exactly like the inside of a large bowl. The sun’s rays shone through the smooth surface and reflected a myriad of colors along its curved walls. Brilliant little rainbows blinked into Kara’s eyes. It was beautiful inside and she wondered if the oracles slept in there.

  She felt a sudden pressure on her back and flew into the crystal ball’s belly. She landed head first, her legs followed and twisted clumsily behind her. Once her feet were in she managed to get herself into a sitting position. It was tight, can of sardines tight, but Kara fit nonetheless. What choice did she have? She could see shadows of trees around her. It was like looking through a thick bottle. The shapes were distorted, but she could still make them out.

  “Hang on, Clara. It could get a little bumpy.”

  “Yeah, thanks for the heads up,” yelled Kara from inside the crystal’s stomach, a little annoyed, and suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic.

  The door shut with a bang, and the edges disappeared. Kara couldn’t make it out anymore. It was as though the door had never existed. The oracle hoisted himself back up atop his crystal and swung his beard over his shoulder. The sounds of grunts reached her and she saw silhouettes of the demons approaching. They were almost upon them.

  Suddenly, Kara was thrown against the wall with unimaginable force. Pinned to one of the sides of the crystal, she looked around. Shapes passed her by in a blur. She couldn’t tell what was up and what was down. It was like a maelstrom of images thrown together. She felt herself spinning endlessly. It reminded her of one of the rides from the town fair, the one that used to make her throw up. She was glad she couldn’t, it was too tight a space.

  And when Kara thought the spinning would never end, the crystal stopped suddenly. She fell flat on her face, her legs bent awkwardly behind her. With a pop, the door flew open and Kara saw the oracle’s face peer inside.

  “I apologize for the bumpy ride, Miss Clara. But it was necessary.” The oracle looked behind him. “It’ll take a good long time before they catch up, those filthy creatures.” He beamed at her.

  “It’s okay … really.” Kara climbed out of the confining space. She fell to the ground and rubbed her head. “Just glad to be out.”

  She looked around and realized they were out of the forest. A large brass elevator stood before them; the metal gleamed in the sunlight. Kara blinked the light from her eyes. The doors were open, and Kara couldn’t see an operator. It was empty, save for a small wooden stool propped against the side wall.

  “Where’s the operator?” Kara searched the grounds around the elevator. There were no primates of any sort. It seemed the elevator had been abandoned.

  The oracle clambered up his crystal and rolled over for a closer inspection. “I don’t know. There’s no one there, that’s for sure.” He straightened himself. “No matter, it’ll work just the same.”

  Kara remembered the flesh wedged in the demon’s teeth. She had the nasty feeling that one of the headless demons had eaten the elevator operator. She prayed she was wrong, and that it had run away and was hiding in the woods. She wouldn’t blame the poor creature if it were hiding. Their world had gone mad. Their torn bodies were scattered around the desert floor. She shuddered and pushed the thoughts out of her head. They needed to get to level six.

  Kara stepped into the elevator and turned around. She frowned. “Are you coming?”

  The oracle shook his head sadly. “No, Miss. I must remain here. This is your journey, not mine. You must go alone.”

  Kara had hoped for the oracle’s company on the way to the council. She didn’t know what to expect. An extra person would have been appreciated. “So what am I supposed to do when I get to the council? What did you see, oracle?” Kara tried to hide the regret in her voice, but it sounded more like fear.

  The little man interlaced his long beard between his fingers. “I cannot tell you, for fear that it might change the outcome of the events. I cannot change what is to be, just as you cannot change your fate. I can only tell you that you must go to level six. The rest is up to you, my dear.”

  Kara cringed. She wanted more information from the oracle. She hated riddles.

  “Well, thanks anyway, oracle. Wish me luck. And I hope there was a happy ending in those visions of yours.”

  The oracle smiled and waved his little hand. “Good luck, Clara. May the souls protect you.”

  “It’s Kara—not Clara,” laughed Kara at the look of surprise on the oracle’s face. She turned to the control panel and pressed the button for the sixth floor. There was a ding, and the doors slid shut.

  After about a minute, there was another ding, followed by a jolt, and the doors opened to reveal a dark grey sky. Powerful winds rolled into the small compartment, and Kara felt the elevator shake as though a giant was tossing it to and fro like a ball. She held onto the sides and struggled to the doorway.

  The dark skies were heavy with black clouds and the crack of thunder. There was no trace of the beautiful white clouds and the piercing blue sky of level six. It looked sick, plagued by the Netherworld.

  Kara clutched the sides as another gust of wind shook the elevator. She squinted. Were there any sky-cars left or had they all been destroyed, too? She couldn’t hear the tap-tap-tap of their motors over the roar of thunder. Maybe they were there, hiding in the clouds.

  “Sam! Sam!” cried Kara into the wind. “Sam, I need your help! Sam—are you there?”

  Desperation filled her as she waited for the little bird. If he didn’t come, how would she get across? She couldn’t fly. Even the prison guards were busy fighting off demons at Operations. She couldn’t hope to catch a ride with them now. How did the others get across? Maybe they used the last of the sky-cars. Kara searched the dark skies for any sign of movement. Her hair blew into her face. Nothing moved but the wind. How was she going to get across?

  A faint tap made its way to her ears. She heard it again, only closer this time.

  Kara gazed into the blackened skies in search of the sound. A tiny white spot pierced through a grey cloud. She recognized the sky-car’s white body. The car dove towards her, and in a flash it hovered at the door. A large white bird with black wings stood at the front of his flying device. He wore a red cap with the numbers 2555 stitched across it in gold. The corners of his yellow beak were pulled back into a smile.

  “Sam, at your service, Miss Kara!” cried the bird. He flapped his wings and hopped onto the metal T gear. He tipped his hat and bowed overdramatically. “Like my new ride? The prison guards destroyed my other one. I had to use all my tips to purchase this new baby.” He puffed out his chest and beamed.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Kara jumped into the sky-car. It swayed to the side with her weight, and she clung to the seats. It looked exactly like the other sky-car. “It’s beautiful, Sam. Look, I’m so glad you’re here. I need to get to the Council of Ministers right away. How fast can this thing go?” She fastened her seatbelt. She had ridden in the flying cars before and recalled the bumpy ride.

  Sam spread his wings. “Faster than lightning! Here we go. Hang on!” Sam pushed all his weight forward onto the gear. The sky-car kicked into life and sped
away.

  Kara was pinned to her seat as the flying car gained speed. Shapes passed her in a blur. She could see the floating buildings approaching fast. Before she knew it, the sky-car slowed to a stop and hovered above a large landing zone. Kara unclasped her seat belt and jumped down. She stood on a metal platform on the highest part of the council building.

  “Oh, dear.” Sam took off his cap and placed it on his breast. His eyes were wet.

  Kara looked around. Weapons lay broken in piles of metal. Piles of uniforms and robes were scattered on the ground. A chill rolled up her back. There had been a bloodbath here. She thought of her mother and David. A cry escaped her lips. Were any of these clothes theirs?

  Without thanking Sam, or giving him payment, Kara ran madly down across the platform and pulled open the metal door at the far end. Hot stale air brushed her nostrils, and a faint smell of rot. She raced down the hallway. More piles of clothes lay crumpled on the ground. Another whimper escaped her lips. She held onto the soul blade her mother had given her, suppressing the trembling in her fingers.

  Soon Kara reached the massive brass doors leading to the council chamber. She noticed one of the doors wasn’t closed entirely. There was enough space for her to sneak in. She could hear a loud commotion as she neared. Her nervousness increased. She heard a scream. It sounded like her mother’s voice.

  Kara squeezed herself through the doors.

  At first she saw Asmodeus standing up on the dais at the opposite end of the round chamber. His hands were clutched around something in his chest. He was laughing. Michael stood a few paces before him. An expression of shock plastered over his face.

  The glass dome was shattered and shards of glass littered the floor like a giant crystal carpet. A gust of wind blew dust into Kara’s face. The only source of light came from the few metal lanterns that lined the round chamber. She crept closer. Angels lay in broken piles, their bodies twisted unnaturally. Their insides spilled out from many wounds, as demons feasted on their life lights. Cries of anguish reached her ears. Cold rattled inside her. It was the massacre she had feared. She searched for her mother and David, but there were no signs of them anywhere.

  Laughter rose above the whistling winds and the cries of angels. Kara watched as the demon lord pulled out a blade made of fire from his chest, laughing. It was the inferno. He stood unscathed, without any sign of injury or pain. The demon lord twirled the inferno dagger in his fingers with a look of triumph on his face.

  There was a sudden flash.

  A mixture of fire and black lightning surged into the air. Kara heard a cry. Michael collapsed to the ground, the inferno blade protruding from his chest. Instantly, he was ablaze in a golden fire. Kara heard a crackling sound, and then the fire went out. With a soft clang the blade hit the floor. A cloud of brilliant particles hovered above where the body had lain. They glimmered in the soft light and disappeared in a gust of wind.

  Michael, the Legion’s commander, was no more.

  Chapter 17

  Making a choice