Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  Kara rushed over and knelt by David’s body. She ignored Lilith’s sick laughter and triumphant dance. The world around her vanished—only she and David remained.

  Kara leaned forward and grabbed fistfuls of David’s t-shirt and shook him. “David! David, wake up! Wake up!” She searched his stone-cold face for any traces of life. Vapors coiled above his scorched body, and she smelled his burnt flesh.

  Her head fell forward and she let go of his shirt. What have I done? She had wanted to knock him out, not kill him. Gently, she laid her head on his chest and she sobbed.

  “K—Kara?”

  Kara flinched. David’s eyelids fluttered open. The blue of his eyes startled her. “Kara. I—I’m sorry,” he croaked, “I’ve been a major dumbass.”

  Pokerfaced, Kara leaned over him and covered his face with hers. “Hush. Don’t talk—pretend you’re dead. If they think you’re dead, they’ll forget about you.”

  She brushed her lips against his cold cheek. “I’ll be back for you later. Lie still and don’t move. Whatever happens, just don’t move.”

  She kissed his forehead and jumped to her feet, hiding her relief with a frightening scowl.

  “You killed him!” she roared and stormed across the platform. “You did this! You made me do this to him!” Golden current snaked around her fingers.

  Lilith beamed and flicked a long strand of white hair behind her shoulder. She pulled on her jacket to straighten it. “No, dear sister. You did this to him. It’s not my fault you brought him here. Did you honestly think he would survive in this world? Are you that incredibly stupid? Yes. I guess you are. Let me remind you that the netherworld is a realm of demons—not angels. Angels cannot survive here. It was only a matter of time until your precious David turned. I must say that I’m delighted with the outcome—although I had nothing to do with it. You killed your boyfriend, not me.”

  Kara sauntered towards Lilith. Her power danced, sizzled and popped around her like tiny golden fireworks. “No—you and your world did this to him. You’re going to pay for this, sister.”

  Without turning her head, Kara glanced up at Jenny chained to the Ferris wheel. There was no chance of getting to Jenny without fighting Lilith and Zadkiel. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to fight them all, but she had no choice.

  “Kill her and be done with it!” ordered Zadkiel.

  He slammed his fist on the armrest and shot to his feet. His dark grey robes billowed around him, and he scowled with hatred at Kara. “What is this madness? Kill the abomination once and for all! Do it now!”

  The demon clowns murmured and grunted. Their death blades and machetes hung in their white skeleton hands. They clanged their blades against their legs in anticipation and began to march towards Kara.

  Lilith lifted her hand in command. “Get back! I give the orders here.”

  The army of clowns halted, their bulbous yellow eyes watching their mistress. “...and I still want to play with her. She has yet to suffer as I have suffered. She needs to pay for what she has done. I have a few surprises for her yet—”

  “You foolish girl! This isn’t a game!” roared Zadkiel and shook his fists at her. He turned his scowl over to Kara and pointed. “You must kill her now. She is too dangerous. She will kill us all! Her soul must die. Kill her, you fools! I command you to finish her.”

  Lilith’s face darkened. She lowered her body like a wild cat ready to pounce. “You are on dangerous ground, angel. Do not forget where you are. You are in my realm. Do not insult me again by trying to command my army, or you will regret it.”

  “Ha! Is that a threat? You cannot harm me, you stupid girl. Your father couldn’t—and neither can you.” Zadkiel’s handsome face was twisted in an ugly scowl as he glared at Lilith. He towered over her like a grown man over a babe.

  Kara suspected that he was much stronger than Lilith. The archangel lifted his arm and pointed to the demons. “Kill her! I command you! Enough of these games—kill the abomination!” The clowns leered and turned on Kara again.

  “Stay where you are!” bellowed Lilith. Her hair floated in the air as though she were under water. The demons hesitated, not knowing which master to follow. “How dare you oppose my orders? I am the mistress of the netherworld—daughter of the great demon lord, Asmodeus.” She sneered proudly, “Who are you to give me a command? You are nothing! You are pathetic—an angel who came here to hide—even your own kind want nothing to do with you.”

  Zadkiel laughed in a sickly manner. “The great demon lord? Asmodeus was no great demon lord. I was the mastermind. Who do you suppose got him all the information he needed to invade Horizon? How do you think he got through the veil? Did you think him clever enough to fool the Council? For over a century, your fool of a father did everything I told him to do. I was his master. I have always been his master.”

  Kara watched the spectacle unfold. It all made sense to her now. But she couldn’t just stand and wait till their argument was over. She needed to get to Jenny. This was the distraction she needed.

  Lilith backed away, horrified. She pointed a shaking finger at Zadkiel. “No! You lie! My father was the most powerful archangel there ever was. He told me so. That’s why you banished him here—because you were afraid of him—afraid of his great power! He gave you the demon elixir so you could hide in the netherworld. Without his help, your miserable angel soul would die.”

  “My father bred the elemental demon child. He created the Mirror of Souls to open a gateway between the worlds! He brought down Horizon in a day! And where were you when all this was happening? Hiding like the miserable coward you are.”

  Zadkiel inspected the folds in his robes casually. A small laugh escaped his lips. “The demon elemental was a mistake—a mistake that can easily be corrected. Your father was merely a pawn. I played him—right up to his death at the hands of your own sister. And you, too, have done exactly everything I asked, haven’t you?”

  Zadkiel laughed softly. “I wanted Asmodeus dead. And now if you don’t want to suffer the same fate, you will do as I say—and kill the abomination.” With a crack, black tendrils danced dangerously from his fingers.

  Lilith’s face twisted grotesquely. She glared at Zadkiel for a moment, and then she smiled strangely. “I am not afraid of you, angel. You’re going to die for what you have done.”

  Lilith raised her arms. Gusts of wind slapped at her clothes, and her hair rose above her head and spread out like a great white star behind her. Green sparks jumped off her skin, and Kara thought she might burst into a ball of green flames. Wild green energy danced around her.

  Zadkiel laughed maniacally. Black electricity flickered on his fingers.

  “You think you scare me with that? I’ve had enough of you—” He threw his hands out. Black lightning blasted Lilith backwards with an ear splitting crack. She crashed in a cloud of wood splinters and dust.

  A tall white hat rolled to Kara’s feet. The clowns were transfixed as they watched their mistress. Kara kicked the hat with her boot. She resisted the urge to run to Jenny. Not yet, she told herself.

  “Stupid girl. Did you really think you could beat me?” Zadkiel lifted his robes as he crossed the platform towards Lilith. Her hair covered her body like a white blanket. He leaned over her with a self-satisfied smile. “You’re just as stupid as your father. Fools. I am the true ruler of the netherworld. If I have to finish you off to prove it, then I will. It will be easy. This realm is mine to take—”

  Green lightning blasted into Zadkiel’s chest. He staggered and nearly lost his footing. Lilith came at him savagely. Her white hair flowed around her like a mist. Her once beautiful face was twisted in malice. Her white skin was ablaze with green fire. Lilith was part of the green energy of the netherworld.

  Kara watched and waited.

  Kara could see that Zadkiel was unnerved by Lilith’s power. He composed himself quickly.

  A wicked smile twitched on his lips. “You’re nothing. Just like your fath
er. And I’m going to finish you!” A blast of black energy shot from his hands. The current was instantly met with a bolt of green lightning. The black and green currents intertwined like a flaming braid, dancing between the two combatants. Sparks scorched the wooden platform. Tiny fires ignited around Kara. She jumped as liquid green fire sputtered at her feet. Lilith and Zadkiel were at war.

  Lightning lit the air about them. A blinding bolt struck the platform. The ground shook with the impact and sent a shower of wood splinters skyward. The clown demons stood amazed as the war exploded around them.

  Kara started to run. She bolted past the fight and crossed the platform to her left. The giant Ferris wheel loomed over her like a skyscraper. She leapt over a small metal gate and threw herself onto the metal wheel. Cold metal stung her hands as she pulled herself up. She climbed the great metal lattice without looking down. All her attention was on the crumpled body thirty feet away.

  Within seconds, Kara reached Jenny. A thick metal chain secured her to a chair. Her skin had the same pasty white look that both Peter and David had shared. Streaks of white tinted her purple hair. Jenny frowned in pain, and her eyes were closed.

  Kara balanced herself between two iron poles. Her fingers tingled with golden warmth. The chain vibrated. Golden tendrils wrapped themselves along the chain, and it broke apart with a crack. Kara caught Jenny and held her in her arms. She shook her gently.

  “Jenny? It’s Kara.”

  Jenny’s lids opened and she looked at Kara with black eyes. It took a moment before she spoke. “Kara…Lilith…she wants to kill you. It’s a trap.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about her. I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going home.”

  Jenny nodded and closed her eyes. Kara ignored the pain in her chest, pulled her friend over her shoulder, and began her climb back down.

  Lightning thundered and cracked. The giant wheel shook. Kara jumped to the ground and whirled around. Green and black lighting lit the air around them. A blinding bolt struck the ground at Kara’s feet. She jumped back and heard a chuckle. Four higher demons watched her from a few feet away. Their sickly sunken faces leered, and death blades twitched anxiously in their hands.

  “Where do you think you’re going, little angel?” said one of them. “Our mistress has promised us a feast of your soul—you’re not going anywhere.”

  Kara shrugged. “Figured you’d say something like that. But no one is eating my soul today. I can promise you that.”

  The demons brandished their weapons and charged savagely.

  Kara stood her ground. A beam of golden light hit the first two demons. Their bodies lifted in the air and spun as though they had been caught in an invisible whirlwind. With a loud crack their jagged bodies exploded into a brilliant cloud of golden dust. The rest of the demons charged with renewed vigor and hatred. A death blade came straight for Kara. She sidestepped, and felt the whoosh of the air lift the bangs from her forehead. Her anger flared, and she unleashed her elemental power.

  A golden wall rose in the air and enveloped the demons. When the golden light diminished, the demons crumbled and disintegrated.

  Black and green lightning still lit up the sky at the other end of the platform. Lilith hovered above the ground. Her long hair floated behind her as she blasted green energy from her fingers. Zadkiel blocked her fire with a blast of black electricity.

  Kara heard Jenny moan. Her head lolled against Kara’s back. She needed to get her out of here. She looked across the platform. David’s body lay exactly where she had left it. She secured Jenny on her shoulders and dashed across the platform to David. She knelt down carefully. His eyes were closed, and his white skin was speckled with moisture.

  “David? David, can you hear me?”

  David’s eyes opened immediately. He focused on Kara and smiled. “Do you think I could get a decent beer in this joint?”

  In spite of the urgency of their situation, Kara smiled back. “You’re such a moron. Can you walk?” She scanned his body carefully and prayed her elemental power hadn’t damaged him too much.

  David pushed himself to a sitting position. He leaned over and inspected Jenny. “Is Jenny still with us…or is she one of them?”

  “She’s still Jenny as far as I can tell. But she’s hurt, and if we don’t get her out of here soon…I’m afraid she’s going to be transformed.”

  David hauled himself to his feet. He straightened himself and brushed the dirt from his jacket and jeans. “Being a demon sucks—majorly sucks. I had some seriously creepy thoughts. It was like being stuck in a nightmare—and you could never wake up.”

  “Sounds terrible. You can tell me all about it later. We need to get Peter and get out of this horrible place. I don’t think I can stand it anymore.”

  Another boom thundered around them. Across the other side of the platform two giant fireballs of energy battled each other as Lilith and Zadkiel attacked each other with deadly lightning bolts.

  David pointed across the platform. “Hey, your sister’s fighting lord moron over there. I was wondering what that noise was.”

  “She’s not my sister. Let’s get out of here.”

  Kara steered David by the elbow and ran back the way they had come. They ran around the rotted white tent and then between the disintegrating rides where skinless imps with red eyes still fought over seating arrangements and watched them pass, but did nothing.

  David struggled alongside her. Kara stole a look behind her—no clowns followed them. Lilith’s green fireball had grown twice its size. Her green tentacles lashed out and penetrated Zadkiel’s black energy. She heard a scream, and then averted her eyes from a blast of brilliant light.

  Only a green fireball remained. It flickered and dissipated. Lilith threw back her head and howled in laughter. The hairs on Kara’s body sprang up. She turned away from the terrifying scene and bolted. She never looked back.

  Peter sat where she had left him, with his back to the ticket booth. His jacket hung over the booth, and he sat in his t-shirt. He broke into a wide grin when he saw them. His expression softened at the sight of Jenny, but his eyes widened at the sight of David.

  “David! What happened to you? You took off so suddenly.”

  David shrugged and shook his head. “I’m sorry man, I don’t remember. Apparently, I changed into a demon. Yup. The last thing I remember was talking to you about the awesome cars the sensitives drove—then just darkness—then Kara’s face looking down on me.”

  Peter’s jaw dropped, and he struggled to find his voice. “...am I going to change into a demon, too?”

  “Not if we get out of here, soon,” said Kara.

  Peter frowned when he saw Jenny. “Is she all right? She looks really bad.”

  Kara steadied Jenny on her shoulder. “I know. But she’ll be fine once we get out of here.”

  David grabbed Peter’s jacket. “Were you hot or something?”

  Peter shrugged and looked away embarrassed. “Lilith’s picture was freaking me out. It was creepy. So I put my jacket over her picture so that her black eyes would stop watching me.”

  With a hearty laugh, David pulled Peter to his feet. He slapped him on the back. “How you feeling? Any dark thoughts swimming in that head of yours?” He inspected Peter.

  “No. I’m still fine.” Peter put on a brave face. Kara saw his fingers tremble before he shoved them in his pocket. He had grown paler, and almost all his hair was white. He couldn’t have more than a few minutes left before he morphed into a higher demon. Time was of the essence.

  Kara scanned the area. “We’ll have to figure out a way back to the elevator. We’ll have to make a run for it across the city. And then pray we find the elevator in time. We need to move fast. Jenny’s doesn’t have much longer. Peter, you think you can run?”

  Peter nodded. Kara wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but they didn’t have a choice. If she had to, she would carry Peter as well.

  “Come on!” Kara turned and spr
inted towards the park entrance.

  Luckily, the front gates opened with a combination of singing and screeching metal. She was sure she heard a voice say, “thank you, come again.” as she ran past the two iron doors.

  They made it past the first buildings. Peter fell quite a few times, and David hauled him back to his feet every time. The city was a maze—every building looked the same—but somehow Kara knew exactly where to go. It was as though a map had suddenly opened up inside her head. She was confident she knew the way back.

  “Come on. I think it’s this way,” Kara shouted. She pointed past a clearing between two enormous black buildings. She couldn’t explain how she knew where to go.

  She heard laugher.

  Lilith.

  Kara ignored it and pressed on faster. Peter stumbled suddenly and fell, and as David tried to help him up, he collapsed as well.

  “Kara…where are you?” A voice echoed around the buildings. “Come here…I have something to show you…”

  Kara ignored the voice and pulled Peter and David back on their feet. “Guys, come on! If we stay here, we all die. Push yourselves harder. Let’s go. Hurry!”

  She let her elemental power surge through her for renewed strength. With Jenny balanced on her shoulder, she grabbed Peter and David by their arms and pulled them along with her. Jenny bounced on her back, and Kara prayed she wouldn’t fall off. They didn’t have time to stop.

  A grey sky loomed up ahead. They had nearly reached the end of the city.

  “Kara? Where are you going?” she heard the voice whisper. “I still want to play!”

  The voice drifted in her ears, so close that Kara expected Lilith to jump down from one of the buildings.

  After the city had blurred past her, Kara ran through the grey desert. David and Peter’s feet dragged as she struggled forward. Strong winds pushed against her, but she ploughed on.

  “KARA! THIS IS NOT OVER!” Lilith’s voice rose over the wailing winds.

  A red rectangular box appeared ahead. Kara blinked the dust out of her eyes. It stood like a lonely star in a pitch-black night. She shot towards it at full speed.

  Then, with a gasp, Kara, Jenny, Peter, and David collapsed inside the elevator.

  Chapter 20

  The Debrief