Kara stared at the old man dumbfounded. “Central Park?”
“That’s what I said,” said Gideon in a nonchalant way. He leaned on his staff.
David and Kara shared a look. “Can you give more information, Gramps? Like—where it is in Central Park? You know how big the park is?”
The witch doctor turned and pointed eastward. “It’s the obelisk in Central Park. There is only one and quite easy to find.”
“So...what is this obelisk?” asked Kara.
The witch doctor squared his shoulders. “The ancient artifact was commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmosis III around 1450 BC in celebration of his 3rd jubilee or the 30th year of his reign. Two of these obelisks were constructed and around 13 or 12BC—I can’t remember exactly—they were transported from Heliopolis to Alexandria. The Khedive of Egypt separated the pair in the late 19th century. He sent one to London and another to New York City, both in exchange for aid in modernizing his country.”
Kara was speechless. She had had no idea that something so old and precious was in a New York City park.
“It has its own primeval power,” continued Gideon. “It is extremely dangerous. Think of it as a giant electrical transformer. The warlock will use the obelisk to amplify his power. It will make him a hundred times more powerful.”
“Great, that’s just what we needed,” said David.
Gideon ignored David and looked to Kara more intensely. “He will use the obelisk’s power to summon his minions at sundown today, the winter solstice. If we don’t stop him—nothing pure or good will remain on earth.”
“You’re just full of joy, grandpa.” David looked at Kara. “We’ll get there faster if we grab a cab.”
Kara nodded. “You’re right. Let’s grab a cab.”
David jumped to the side of the street and hailed a yellow cab. Gideon refused to sit next to the spirit walkers and he climbed in the front passenger seat. He was oblivious to the strange looks the cabby was giving him. The cab smelled strongly of cigarette smoke and dirty socks. David’s leg brushed up against Kara’s, and the blood rushed to her face. From the corner of her eye she could see him staring, but she kept looking straight.
“Central Park, please,” she said. She could feel her ears burning. “Uh—near the obelisk?” Kara wasn’t sure the driver would know what Cleopatra’s Needle was or where it would be.
The cab driver turned on his meter. “I know where that is. It’s that tall pointy thing. I’ll drop you off on the corner of 81st Street and Fifth Avenue. You can see it from there.”
They all scrambled into the cab just as a tidal wave of green mist surged down 42nd street and engulfed everyone out in the open.
The cab ride was longer than Kara had anticipated. Traffic was congested. By the time they had arrived at 81st Street, and David had paid for the fare, Kara’s chest was about to explode from nerves. She felt electrified.
4:03 pm. They had approximately half an hour left. Her insides churned, and she fought to control her panic.
Kara turned towards the enormous park. The metal benches and wrought iron gates that lined the outer walls of the park were blanketed in snow. It was a winter wilderness steps away from the busy city. And through the trees in the distance stood the giant obelisk in all its splendor. It looked more like a giant pencil than a needle.
Thunder rolled in the distance. It was loud and unnatural for this time of year. Darkness was quickly approaching. The carpet of green fog that covered the city would soon reach Central Park.
They started down the snowy pathway. Kara stopped and turned. “Gideon? Are you coming?”
The witch doctor stood by the metal gates and rang some of the bells on his belt. His expression was a mixture of determination and fear. “There is a great evil here. We must be vigilant—the dark warlock knows we are here. It’s too late to hide from him now—he has seen us—he is watching us right now.”
“Well that’s just great,” grumbled David.
Gideon raised his staff. “We are about to enter the warlock’s lair. Be on your guard, spirit walkers, he will strike at us hard. May the stars help us.”
Kara walked towards Gideon. “Then we will fight him face to face, and do our best.”
She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.
Suddenly the old man grabbed Kara’s hand. His icy fingers were as strong as iron, and Kara couldn’t pull away. He shook his staff, and his bells rang hypnotically.
Images suddenly started to play inside Kara’s head—cities burning; creatures of the darkness roaming the streets; demons sprouting up from the Netherworld; howls of dying mortals as demons and warlock creatures join forces to massacre them; warlocks at the head of government; demons enslaving, chaining and whipping humans; forests burning—the earth charred and barren like a desert.
Kara became conscious of the bells again, and then the images faded.
Kara shook free from Gideon’s grip. “What...what was that?”
Gideon’s face fell. “That is what will come to pass if ya don’t stop him.” He paused for a moment. “When the time is right, ya must do as I say. Ya must strike him down when I tell ya.”
Kara stared at her open hands. “But my power isn’t like a gun. I can’t just pull the trigger, and it goes off. It’s not like yours. I don’t have it bottled up in a vial that I can throw. It doesn’t work like that. Gideon, what if I can’t do this? What if it doesn’t work?”
The old man’s brown eyes gleamed. “But it will. It must. Think of your power as a light. When the darkness approaches from the outside, you must resist it. You must destroy it with your light—the light within you. Your power is your light. Let it light up the darkness. The warlock pulls his magic strength from the depths of darkness. And darkness can only be defeated by light.”
Kara nodded, but she only understood part of what the old man said. Whatever light she had—she prayed it would be enough.
“Ya must draw strength from the pendant. It is the light when you are in darkness. Ya know it’s in there. The pendant will help ya.”
As the old man walked away to join the others, Kara held the pendant in her hand. It was a lot warmer now, hot to the touch like it had been sitting on a hot stove. Was that a warning sign? It had been acting up since they got closer to the park. She ran to catch up to the others, and together they entered the park.
It was like stepping into a holiday card. Normally, Kara would have found the snow in the park beautiful, but she felt numb. Her nerves were shot. Her mind was loud with worry. She didn’t think she could pull this off.
“Keep your eyes open for anything magical,” said David, waving his soul blade through the falling snowflakes.
As they ventured further in the park, the obelisk stood out like a giant amongst the trees. Its grey stone frame contrasted against the winter white background. She could see it clearly now. There was no sign of the warlock anywhere, or anything magical. The shadow mist hadn’t touched the park yet. She felt like she was walking into an ambush. It was less than twenty minutes to sundown—where was the warlock?
Tall lampposts flickered, and the lights came on as the grey skies darkened. The park was unusually deserted for a winter day like this. It should have been crawling with families with their kids making snowmen and snow angels. Kara scouted the grounds. They only footprints in the snow were their own. Something wasn’t right.
“Something feels wrong,” said Jenny, as though reading Kara’s thoughts. “Where are all the people—?”
“Duck!” David dropped on his belly behind a rise of snow. Kara and the others followed his example. She peered over the edge of the snow bank.
Two hundred yards beyond the clearing, six dark robed figures walked towards the obelisk. Slowly they formed a circle around the ancient monument. Their faces were covered by their hoods, and Kara couldn’t tell which one was the dark warlock—they were identical in every way. Then they all lifted their arms and chanted in a langua
ge Kara didn’t recognize. The chanting grew louder and reverberated around them as though it had been amplified.
Then a shimmering green mist coiled around their hands like glowing ribbons. The mist shot from their hands and hit the obelisk. The ground shook. The obelisk groaned as the mist spiraled around it, then the mist disappeared as though the obelisk had consumed it. The great stone began to gleam green, like a giant toxic cucumber.
Kara’s pulse raced. The ritual had already begun.
David lowered his voice. “Did Ariel forget to tell us a crucial piece of information—like that there are six freaking warlocks and not just one? What are we supposed to do now?”
“We need a diversion,” Kara decided. “If we can draw half the group out into the park, we will have a better chance fighting them if they’re separated. I think the real Dark warlock, whoever he is, will stay near the obelisk. He won’t leave it.”
Kara didn’t want to face six warlocks as a mortal. It terrified her, but she didn’t see any other way.
“She’s right,” said Gideon, scowling at the warlocks in the clearing. “The Dark warlock will stay and perform the ritual. He will not stray from the obelisk when the hour is near. He will not take that chance—he needs the power of the obelisk.”
“Okay then,” agreed David, “sounds like we have a plan. I know of a few ways to get the warlocks to chase me, and it’s not with my pretty face.”
Jenny crawled closer to the edge. “No, it’s because you’re a moron. But you’ll still need my help, pretty boy.”
David smiled impishly. “Jenny and I will be your distraction. We’ll draw them out over to that little bridge over there and keep them busy. That should give you and Gideon enough time to take care of the dark warlock.”
He twirled a soul blade skillfully between his fingers like a baton. “I’m feeling out of practice—I need to kill something.”
Kara turned to the others to speak, but her mouth wouldn’t open. Could she really defeat a warlock?
“Fight magic with magic,” whispered Kara to no one in particular. She felt a gentle squeeze on her arm and turned to see Gideon’s smiling eyes.
David watched her. “The sun’s almost gone, we have to hurry.”
Kara’s fingers dug into the snow. “Be careful, something feels off. I still have a feeling it’s a trap.”
Jenny crawled out of the warlocks’ sight and stood up. “At the rate we’re going, traps are our lot in life—we’re used to them by now. You be careful, too.”
“I’ll be fine, it’s you two I’m worried about.” Kara did her best to sound determined. What choice did she have? She couldn’t let her friends down.
David stood next to Jenny. “The show’s starting. Come on, let’s go.”
“Uh...guys...where’s Gideon?” Kara wiped the snow from her face and searched the grounds. “He’s gone!” She turned on the spot and whispered. “Gideon? Gideon!”
“I’m telling you, gramps is off to Broadway or something,” said David. “That was his one act—the disappearing grandpa act.”
Kara studied the snow around her. She could see Gideon’s tracks. They led away from them. But how could that be? She followed the tracks.
“What the...?” She knelt down and brushed the snow with her hand. Gideon’s tracks stopped suddenly. Could witch doctors fly? Had he gone into another supernatural plane? It made no sense.
David looked amused. “It’s not funny.”
“The old fart abandoned us.”
“No, he wouldn’t do that. But something’s off. How could he have just disappeared like that—?”
Kara tensed. “Did you guys hear that?”
Strange howls pierced the cold air.
“What...what was that?” Kara looked over her shoulder. “That sounded really close.”
David stood by her side. His blade trembled in his hand. “I don’t know, but I do know that there aren’t any wolves in New York.”
Jenny nocked her arrow and drew back the taut string of her bow. “Whatever they are, they don’t sound very friendly.”
Kara had the horrible feeling that something terrible had happened to Gideon. The winds suddenly wailed like the howling of beasts. Snowflakes melted on her hot face, and she saw red eyes glowing faintly through the falling snow.
A dozen creatures emerged from the snowstorm, as though the snow itself had molded them. They were massive. At first Kara thought they were polar bears, but she quickly realized her mistake. They had muscular upper bodies like apes, but with a row of icy spikes sticking out from their hunched backs. They flexed the shiny black claws that protruded from their large furry paws, and their razor—sharp fangs gleamed. They looked like a cross between abominable snowmen and albino wolves on steroids.
They moved effortlessly and soundlessly through the snow, as though they were gliding over it. Their thick white fur was a perfect camouflage in the winter—white background. Their long purple tongues flicked out of their enormous maws, like packman mouths that opened all the way back to their necks. They circled around the group, boxing them in like a pride of lions around their prey. Kara and her friends were lunch.
David stood protectively in front of Kara. “Looks like the Bronx zoo had a sale on big white ugly beasts.”
The creatures snarled as though they understood David. Ice and snow fell from their thick hides. The white beasts stood and waited. Unnatural intelligence glistened in their eyes. Kara’s heart pulsed in her throat.
Green runes rippled through their white fur, and Kara knew instantly what they were. “This is the dark warlock’s doing. They have the same markings as the other creatures. They’re his.”
“I don’t care who they belong to,” said David. “If they come any closer—I’m going to skin them.”
Hatred flashed in the beasts’ red eyes. Then they lunged.
“Stick together!” David ran and met their onslaught head on.
He swung his blade skillfully at a giant white beast. Before it had time to react, he sliced the creature’s stomach with an upward stroke. It crumbled into a white powder at his feet, shimmered, and then disintegrated into snow and blew away.
David stood shocked for a moment. But as he turned, another creature jumped him—and he disappeared under the heavy hide of the beast.
“David!” Kara pulled her soul blade from her jacket and charged forward. She didn’t have time to think about how small her blade was compared to those giant snow beasts—she just ran. She had to save David.
Two howling snow beasts blocked her way. They bared their gleaming fangs.
Kara skidded to a stop and readied herself.
She heard a cackling sound over the wind, as though the creatures were laughing at her. The first creature lowered its head and crept closer. It jumped out for her, and Kara crowned it with the base of the dagger. Its head fell sideways with a loud crack, and it fell. She kicked it to make sure it wasn’t moving.
A massive blow hit her from behind, and she staggered forward. She turned into the thrashing arms of another creature. It hit her in the chest and knocked the breath out of her. She cried out and nearly dropped her blade. As its fangs grazed her throat, she stabbed the creature in the neck with a downward stroke. It disintegrated with a pop.
Kara screamed frantically for David. She could see him trying to fight his way out of the crowd of beasts that surrounded him. He used his elbows like a seasoned soldier. He knocked one in the face and then stabbed it in the head. It withered and disintegrated. With an upward swing, he sliced through another creature’s neck, decapitating it. It disappeared with a frosty flash.
More snow beasts emerged from the blizzard. Kara was trapped.
They leaped.
She faked to her left, then swiveled and jumped out of the way, kicking out with her legs. She heard a satisfying crunch, but she wasn’t fast enough. As she jumped up from the ground, a burning pain exploded on her left arm, and white feathers from her jacket flew in
to the air. She felt the wetness of her blood. But she couldn’t stop and look at her injury.
A powerful hit caught her in the side, and Kara went down. Instinctively, she rolled and pushed herself up just in time to avoid a big white paw that smashed the snow where her head had been seconds before. She grasped her blade and thrust it with all her strength into the creature’s head. The beast toppled over and pinned Kara to the ground for a moment. Its weight crushed her and its putrid smell choked her. The creature’s body shimmered and vanished into snow. She breathed again.
She saw two white beasts charge at Jenny. She released her arrow, ducked sideways, and nocked a second arrow even as the first one pierced the snow beast’s chest. She released it and hit a second beast. But the arrows didn’t seem to have much of an effect on them, except to make them angrier. The creatures came thrashing at Jenny. They knocked her bow out of her hands, and she staggered back.
She was surrounded. They were going to tear her apart.
Kara struggled to her feet and jumped to Jenny’s aid. Something hard crashed into her, and she fell on her back. Pressure crushed her chest, and her cry died in her throat. She looked up. The massive jaws of a beast were poised to bite off her head. She winced at its putrid breath. Its purple tongue flicked out of its chops, and warm drool dribbled onto her face. But it didn’t attack.
“Well. Well. Well—what do we have here?”
Kara recognized the voice and the cruel blue eyes of the girl immediately. She wore a white down coat with a fox—fur hood and knee—high white leather boots. Her long white—blonde hair waved behind her in the wind like a cape. Her pointy features were twisted in a fake smile.
“Hello, sister dear,” said Lilith in a pleasant voice. “Didn’t expect to see me again, did you?”
Chapter 18
Channeling
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1 Page 126
