The remaining fragments of the Arath floated in the air like a light rain, and then disappeared into the breeze as though it never existed.
Lilith screamed. “What’s happening? It’s burning!” She held the other piece of the Arath before her. Blue flames licked the edges of the pyramid, as though it were on fire. The inside brilliance of the weapon shimmered and intensified.
“Get it off! Get it off!” With a terrified expression on her face, she tried desperately to peel it off her hand. But it wouldn’t budge. The weapon was glued to her palm. Wailing hysterically, she stumbled backwards. A blue ray shot from inside the Arath suddenly and hit Lilith in the chest. Her body convulsed as it was engulfed in blue light.
And then the weapon in her hand burst.
Lilith’s body was thrown in the air with incredible force. She landed hard on the ground. A moan escaped her lips, and then she was still.
Kara examined herself. Besides the lesions on her M-5 suit, she had returned to normal. There were no signs of the green energy on her body. The link was lost.
The mortals who had been fighting stopped and clutched their heads, perplexed. Some cried silently at the horror of what they had done, but mostly they walked away as though nothing had ever happened, as though it had been only a dream.
The sound of battle filled the night air once more as the Sensitives crushed the Seirs. Kara saw their pallid faces disappear as men and women in black with fedora hats chased them through the maze of buildings until no Seir remained.
David rushed over to Kara. “Kara, what was that? Why were you covered in green? You scared the crap out of me.” He pulled her into a tight embrace, squeezing her gently against him.
Kara let herself fall into his arms, enjoying every minute of it, not knowing when she was going to disappear. She didn’t care how it looked in front of the Sensitives, who were probably aware that romance was forbidden to the guardians. Her head fell into the nape of David’s neck, and she closed her eyes for just a moment, pretending that she was just a regular mortal girl with the guy she so desperately wanted to love.
But Kara knew that dreams didn’t always come true.
As she held on to David for another moment, she wondered how upset the oracles would be that she had destroyed both weapons accidentally. She doubted that they would have kept them to use on the mortals. In the end, she was glad the weapons were gone. No other angel or demon could use them against the mortals now, and that was a good thing. The children were safe. The weapons were destroyed, and her mission was accomplished.
The last crystals were dropping through the timer on her chest.
At last Kara pulled away from David.
“What happened to you guys? Why weren’t you at the fountain? I looked everywhere.”
“I’m sorry, Kara. It was Lilith.” David glanced over at Lilith, moaning in pain on the ground.
Kara frowned. “What do you mean? Did she capture you?”
David shook his head. “Not exactly. I feel like such an idiot telling you this. I can’t believe I fell for it, I should have known...”
“Known what?”
“She was you.” David looked into Kara’s eyes, and she felt herself tense.
“You’re not making any sense,” said Kara. “She can’t be me, I’m me.”
Jenny and Peter appeared at their side and Kara looked at them and smiled.
“The white witch morphed into you,” said Jenny. “She looked exactly like you. We all thought it was you. She tricked us and led us on a wild goose chase around the city.” Jenny glowered at Lilith still on the ground. “If she didn’t look so dead, I’d kick her.”
David edged closer. “But I knew something wasn’t right. You...weren’t you...if you know what I mean. She couldn’t really pull it off. And after two hours of running around the city, she finally showed herself to us.”
“So, what happened?” asked Kara, and she tried to imagine another version of herself. Did David like that one better?
“She laughed and disappeared,” answered Peter. “Completely psychotic. After looking for the real you for hours, we met up with Tatiana and the others. They told us that the children had escaped the clutches of the Seir king with your help—but you were still in danger.”
David grabbed Kara’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.”
An electrical current fluttered from her hand all the way to her toes. She squeezed his hand back and gazed into his eyes. “It’s okay. As you can see, I made it out in one piece.”
“I’m glad you did.” David gave her a lopsided grin. “I hear you had quite an adventure without me.”
Peter stepped closer, his eyes wide. “What was the Seir king like? I’ve only heard rumors about him. Did he have a crown? Was he as old as Elder Otis?”
A shudder passed through Kara as she remembered the foul tubes protruding from the king’s insect-like flesh and iron body.
“He was a creature of the worst kind, and I hope never to see him again.” Kara glowered as she stared into space.
“Oh.” Peter pursed his lips and was silent.
David let out a sigh. “Well, things will get back to normal, now. The kids are safe, and the weapon’s gone. Everyone’s happy. I’m throwing a party back at the legion. Yup, I’m doing it, and they can’t stop me. It’s going to be a killer party!”
Kara bit her bottom lip and grabbed the crystal timer with her other hand. “David, I have to tell you something.”
A terrifying scream filled the air.
Lilith wiped her face frantically. She lifted her hands for everyone to see. “What is this? What’s this liquid coming out of my eyes?”
Kara let go of David’s hand and edged closer to Lilith—and stopped dead in her tracks.
Lilith’s eyes were blue, a sparkling blue. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, and her skin was a natural pinkish mortal color.
“Why isn’t it stopping?” cried Lilith as she rubbed her eyes. “It keeps coming out. It’s disgusting!” She wailed.
A smile appeared on Kara’s lips. “Those are tears. That’s what happens when people cry. When mortals cry.”
Lilith froze. She stared at the tears on her hands. “No, you’re crazy. I’m a demon princess! I’m not mortal, you stupid monkey-lover. This must be a temporary glitch because of the Arath. It’ll go away. You’ll see.”
Kara laughed. “You’re now mortal through and through. Demons can’t cry; even angels can’t cry. It’s one of the advantages of being mortal—to feel emotions. You’re mortal, little sister. Get used to it.”
“Impossible!” spat Lilith. “That makes no sense, I can’t be mortal. There must be an explanation for this. It’ll go away, I’m sure of it.”
Kara examined Lilith closer. Her hair had become more blond than white. Her face was flushed from crying, and her chest rose and fell as she gulped down buckets of air. “I think that when the weapon was destroyed, it must have changed you into a mortal. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”
David grabbed Lilith’s hand and poked her palm gently with his blade. She cried out. A blob of red seeped from her palm. He looked up and beamed. “Blood. She’s mortal all right. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”
Lilith pulled her hand away and backed up, shaking her head. “No! No! No! This can’t be happening! I’m a demon! Not a mortal!”
With a flick of his wrist, David sheathed his weapon inside his jacket. “How does it feel to be amongst the living, Snow White?”
Lilith threw herself at Kara’s feet and grabbed fistfuls of her pants. “Oh, please, Kara. Change me back, I beg you! You’re my sister...don’t you care about me? Please don’t leave me like this. I smell. I can’t smell. I’m disgusting. I can’t live like this! I’ll...I’ll die!”
Kara knelt down and grabbed Lilith’s hands in hers. “I think this is the best thing that can happen to you, Lilith. Being human is a wonderful thing. You might even grow to e
njoy it.”
“No, please, Kara. I’ll do anything you want, anything!” wailed Lilith. “I will never hurt you, I promise. I want us to be sisters. Please don’t leave me like this.”
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1 Page 105
