The Soul Thief

by Kim Richardson

  All at once a guardian angel waiting by the pool cursed at them, the oracle sitting behind the desk stood up suddenly, and the door exploded behind her as the gorillas broke it down.

  She felt a gush of air behind her and made for Lance at the ledge of the small round pool.

  This time she didn’t fear the water. This time she didn’t even stop before she flung herself into the pool.

  She broke the water’s surface and disappeared.

  CHAPTER 28

  ALEXA AND LANCE BARRELED INTO Hallow Hall. She could smell cooked meat and spices and saw some operatives settling in the dining room after their evening meal.

  As they galloped down the hall, Alexa couldn’t help but notice the difference between the old M-Suit she wore now and the newer M-9 from before. Her legs didn’t move as fast, and her angel senses weren’t as sharp. It was like switching from a Porsche to a Ford Focus. There wasn’t any horsepower. But it was too late to change it, this body would just have to work for now. There was no other way. She hoped it would be strong enough to face whatever came out through the Hellgate.

  They passed the pool area and finally came to the common training room. She spotted the archangel Michael’s sigil and wondered what he would have thought of the traitorous head of his house.

  Lance waited patiently as Alexa pushed open the giant double doors.

  “Erik!” she called as she ran in.

  Only a handful of operatives were sparring in the training rings, but they froze when they saw her.

  Her spirit fell. Erik was not there.

  “He’s not here.” Rachel marched up to her and pointed a long sword in Alexa’s face. “You’re like a bad penny. No matter what I do, you just keep showing up here. What is your problem?” She pushed the tip of her sword in Alexa’s chest. “Don’t you get it? He’s just not into dead girls. Give it up.”

  “Get the hell out of my face, Rachel.”

  “Careful, Alexa,” warned Lance. “I mean, I do love a catfight, but we just don’t have time right now. Remember the plan.”

  Alexa knew Lance was right, but there was just something about Rachel’s perfect face and triumphant smile that ignited a rage inside her. She tried not to tremble.

  “Hey, Alexa.” Daniel walked through the doors. His hair was disheveled, as though he’d just stepped out of bed. He couldn’t have arrived at a worse time. “So, did it help? After you left, I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find any more information on the Hellgate. It’s an interesting puzzle. I’d be really interested in what the Legion had to say. I could update the Elder Codex—”

  “Now’s not really a good time Daniel,” said Alexa, motioning towards Rachel’s sword, which was still pointed at her chest.

  Daniel scratched the top of his head. “Oh. Right. Sorry.” He looked at everyone like he’d never seen any of them before, like he’d never stepped out of the library.

  Alexa recognized Ash, who approached her from one of the training rings. He said, “Erik left with Santo and a small group of operatives about a half hour ago.”

  Rachel’s sword now pierced Alexa’s shirt, and she did her best to ignore it.

  “Do you know where they went?”

  “They went to investigate reports of demon activity in Mystic Forest, a possible rift. Something’s scaring and killing people in and around that forest. Anyway, that’s what Michael said he heard from the police scanner.”

  “Michael?” Alexa leaned forward intently and continued to ignore Rachel’s blade.

  “Yeah, they went with Michael. He’s the one who told them about it.”

  The name sent a shiver down her spine, and Alexa tightened her fists. Lance looked worried, and Alexa looked back at Ash.

  “With Michael. Are you sure?”

  “I saw them leave,” answered Ash. “Why do you look so freaked?”

  Alexa knew this wasn’t the time or place to try and convince this lot that Michael was a traitor. She’d have to wait.

  Alexa swept Rachel’s sword away with the back of her hand, but she controlled her impulse to do anything more. While Rachel was a bitch, she was strong, and she could fight. Alexa needed her.

  “If you care at all about Erik,” Alexa’s voice trembled, “you should know he’s in real danger.”

  “What are you talking about?” The concern in Rachel’s expression only lasted a moment, but Alexa could see that the girl cared for him deeply. She lowered her sword slowly.

  “They’re walking into a trap,” said Alexa. “They’re going to get killed. We need to get to him and the others before it’s too late.”

  Rachel’s face flushed. “Stop talking in riddles and give it to me straight.”

  “What they think is a normal rift isn’t a rift at all. It’s a Hellgate. And it’s a lot worse than it sounds. Much worse.”

  Daniel perked up, and he leaned forward with interest.

  “A Hellgate?” asked Ash. His white eyebrows rose on his forehead, and he looked years older.

  Lance trotted forward. “It’s like a rift, but worse. A normal rift is only big enough for demons to break through. But when something extremely powerful wants to get out, it has to use a Hellgate. But for a Hellgate to work, someone or something needs to feed it. The more it consumes, the bigger the opening.”

  “Feed it what?” asked Daniel, hopping from foot to foot like a small boy at Christmas.

  “Souls,” said a strict voice behind them.

  Valerie gave them all a stern look. Her black pantsuit contrasted sharply with her pale skin and snow-white hair. “What’s all this about a Hellgate?” she demanded. “What’s going on here? And what are you two doing back here?” She cast a cold gaze towards the two angels and put her hands on her hips.

  Alexa felt stupid that she hadn’t thought of asking the older woman. “You know about Hellgates?”

  “I do,” said Valerie. “But more importantly, what I’d like to know is how you know about them. They are rare, and there hasn’t been a Hellgate recorded for over three hundred years. They usually appear where there’s a weakness in the Veil.” Her eyes moved to Daniel and her lips thinned. “There’s hardly any information about Hellgates here.” She looked back at Alexa. “Start talking.”

  Alexa blinked numbly. “There’s one in Mystic Forest, and that’s where Erik and the others are heading. They don’t know what it is. They think it’s just a rift. They’re not prepared for whatever is trying to get out.” She felt Lance’s eyes on her, and she could see that he was wondering why she hadn’t told them her theory about Michael.

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Valerie squaring her shoulders. Rachel sneered at Alexa.

  Fury flared in Alexa and she gritted her teeth. “Are you calling me a liar?” Her voice was low, and she was dangerously close to losing control. She felt something brush against her leg and looked down to see that Lance had lowered his ears as a warning that she should lighten up.

  Valerie spoke more gently. “I’m just saying that maybe you’re mistaken. How do you know it’s a Hellgate? Chances are it’s just a rift, and we have been dealing with them for hundreds of years.”

  “It’s not a rift,” said Alexa. “I know because I saw it with my own eyes. And because someone’s been feeding it souls.”

  The room went completely still, and Rachel looked horrified. She had finally realized what Erik and the others were up against.

  “The killings—all the girls that were murdered—” Alexa, raised her voice so that everyone could hear. “They all had their souls taken. They were right next to the Hellgate. And I saw something feeding on a soul.” She remembered seeing a flash of white light in the forest just before she discovered the Hellgate.

  “I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t make the connection until Lance told me how a Hellgate needed to feed on souls. It’s here in Coffin Grove, in Mystic Forest. And it’s not your regular Netherworld demons who are trying to break free. It’s another creature, something way more powerful and terrib
le—”

  “A deity,” said Valerie, as she finally put all the pieces together. And from the panic in her eyes, Alexa knew for sure that she believed her. “Deities haven’t walked this Earth for thousands of years. And when they did, they killed millions of innocent people just to taste their innocent flesh and mortal souls. If a single of one these creatures escapes…” The room went completely still, mirroring Valerie’s face.

  “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s close it,” said Ash. He turned to Valerie. “How do we close it?”

  Valerie blanched. “You can’t. But it will only fully open for a few seconds before it seals itself.”

  Alexa saw the fear ripple on everyone’s faces like a domino effect. “Listen, we might not be able to close it, or even kill the thing that’s planning to get out, but I guarantee that together we can stop it from crossing over to our world. We know Hellgates can’t stay open for long. All we need to do is keep the thing from stepping out until the Hellgate closes.”

  “If it shares the same properties with a rift,” interjected Daniel. “I mean rifts are like black holes. They’re just ruptures in the atmosphere that are caused by changes in the Earth’s magnetic fields.”

  “Out with it Daniel,” said Valerie. “We don’t have time for a lecture on quantum physics.”

  Daniel gave her an irritated look but continued hurriedly. “Black holes actually evaporate and slowly return their energy to the Veil. But what if we could speed up the process? Reverse the process altogether? We might be able to cause a shift in the Hellgate’s magnetic field by disturbing it with a powerful blast. We could weaken it.”

  “Like a bomb?” asked Alexa.

  “Yes. The energy carried away by the blast would decrease the Hellgate’s mass. It could be enough to cause a ripple effect and shut it down.”

  “I think that might actually work.” Valerie turned to Alexa. “How many angels is the Legion sending to help?”

  All eyes turned on Alexa. “About that,” she swallowed. “No one else is coming. It’s just me and Lance.”

  Valerie looked stunned. “What do you mean, just the two of you? The Legion would never be so careless as to leave us unprotected with such a threat. Stop this nonsense at once, girl, and tell me the truth.”

  “It is the truth,” said Lance saving Alexa from further guilt. “The Legion hasn’t acted on it yet because they’re not sure the threat exists.”

  “But you just told me you saw it with your own eyes?”

  “I did,” said Alexa. She decided to tell the truth. “But I’m not to be trusted at the moment. I’ve…I’ve had some issues with the Legion, and they were going to send me to Tartarus—”

  “Are you serious? Excellent. She’s a convict.” Ash laughed, and he and some other operative did some fancy handshake as if they had been betting that Alexa would be discredited.

  Valerie’s cold gaze never left Alexa. “Then how is it that you’re here and not in Tartarus?”

  Alexa ignored the boys’ laughter. “Because I escaped. Yes. Yes. I know how that sounds, but I felt it was more important to close the Hellgate than to argue with the bureaucrats in Horizon. They can drag me back to Tartarus once I’m done. Once we close the Hellgate.” Didn’t they know that angels felt compelled to protect mortals? That it was as natural as breathing?

  Valerie let her arms drop to her sides. “Well, I can’t say I understand the Legion’s motives for sending a girl to that prison. But I’m indebted to you, Alexa.” Her eyes lowered. “And to you Lance. I know what bravery it must have taken for you both to disobey the rules and risk your lives for us. I admire your courage.” Valerie took a hard breath and then said, “You truly believe this is a Hellgate?”

  “We do,” chorused Alexa and Lance together.

  “Then, I pray that the Legion will come to realize in time that the threat is real and send us help before it’s too late.”

  “So do I,” said Lance. He wagged his tail, and for a moment Alexa almost forgot he wasn’t a real dog.

  Alexa tried to look cool and strong in front of the operatives, but she had been very moved by Valerie’s words. No one had ever praised her like that before, not even her parents. No one.

  “Then we better hurry,” said Valerie. She raised her voice and addressed everyone. “Listen up. The Legion needs you. I’m putting Alexa and Lance in charge of you all. That means you do what they tell you to do. No questions. I’ll do what I can to find reinforcements, but for the time being…you’re on your own.”

  Alexa didn’t know how long they’d been in Hallow Hall, but she knew they’d be too late if they didn’t leave now. Every single minute here was a minute lost for Erik and the others.

  “We need to leave now,” said Alexa. “Who has a car?”

  “I do,” said Ash. “Both of you can ride with me.”

  Alexa was too shocked at Ash’s change in attitude to speak, so she just gave him a nod of her head.

  “I can take four in my car,” said another lanky operative as he nodded towards the operatives he’d been fighting with moments ago. He looked too young to drive, but his voice was older, and there was a calm confidence in the way he stood. They would need that.

  Alexa knew this was crazy. They had a makeshift plan that might not even work. They were a group of kids who were going to try to fight a God. But they had no other choice. It had to work. Failure wasn’t an option.

  “Good. Then it’s settled.” Valerie let out a long breath. “I’m going to call an emergency meeting with the Elders.” She turned around. “Daniel. I know you have something to do with all this. You’re coming with me.”

  Daniel’s face lit up, and he moved next to her like an excited puppy.

  Valerie looked back at Alexa. “Go. And may the souls protect you.”

  CHAPTER 29

  ALEXA TOOK A FEW MINUTES to suit up with as many daggers and knives as she could attach to her body without impaling herself. A tall operative named Stephen surprised her and Lance when he produced a special dog harness. He explained that the harness had been used back in the early 80s when Hallow Hall had a K-9 division. Unfortunately, all the dogs had all been killed on a demon raid, and the operatives were so brokenhearted that they vowed never to use dogs again.

  Stephen strapped the harness around Lance’s back and then fitted it with daggers, homemade demon expelling grenades, bags of salt, and strange canteens that smelled of rotten milk. If dogs could smile, they would have looked like Lance. When Stephen was done, Lance looked like a search and rescue dog.

  “Have you even seen anything so magnificent?” he said as he admired his reflection in the window proudly. “If a dog were a god, I’d be it.”

  They planned to hit the Hellgate with everything they had. Alexa, Lance, and the other operatives strapped on backpacks filled with salt bombs, holy water, even guns with custom salt bullets. Alexa prayed it would be enough.

  Ash’s ride was a gray Dodge Ram truck, which he’d named Dozer. While Erik’s car had smelled of clean leather and oil, Ash’s car reeked of old chips, beer, and something else Alexa didn’t want to think about.

  Much to Alexa’s surprise, Rachel sat in the back next to Lance. She still ignored Alexa and gave her the if-something-happens-to-Erik-I’m-going-to-kill-you look, but she spoke with Lance about the Hellgate and the unknown deity. Alexa wondered if Rachel had chosen to ride with them to keep an eye on her, or if she felt she needed to compete. No doubt Rachel’s mind was on Erik, and it was pretty clear she wanted to be the one to find him first.

  Well then, let the better woman win.

  Alexa borrowed Ash’s iPhone and tried to reach Erik, but there was no answer. After that she tried everyone on Ash’s list, including Santo and Haru, but no one picked up. Either there was no service where they were, or something had happened to them.

  Rachel pulled out her phone. Her fingers flew over the screen faster than anyone Alexa had ever seen texting, but after a few minutes she slipped the phone back in h
er pocket and looked like she was on the verge of tears. She’d gotten nothing either.

  Michael’s name was the second one on Ash’s list, right after Susie. Alexa was tempted to press his number, but she didn’t call him because a call would only warn him that they were coming.

  The ride seemed painfully long, even though it only took them about twenty-five minutes. What had happened to Erik and the others? Why weren’t they answering their phones? Where was Michael? Were they going to be too late?

  The way Alexa saw it; there were only two possible outcomes when it came to her future with Erik. The first was that he hadn’t managed to hold back the Hellgate. In that case the deity would kill them all, and it wouldn’t matter how she felt about Erik since they would both be dead. The second was if they did manage to shut the Hellgate. If that happened she would probably be sent back to prison in Horizon and would not see him again either.

  Either way it ended badly. She might as well let Rachel win. It made more sense anyway. She was, after all, a warm-blooded creature just like him.

  Alexa knew she had to let him go. He mortal feelings were a dangerous hindrance, and she understood why they were illegal. Feelings got in the way of her duty to the Legion. It was her job to save mortal lives. She tried to forget about Erik and focus on the real issue.

  The truck pulled into a deserted driveway next to the FEAR FAIR, and Alexa could see the gap in the chain-link fence through which Michael had run.

  Ash killed the engine, and everyone jumped out.

  “So, what’s the plan?” asked Rachel. Her disdainful tone made it clear she was not happy that Valerie had put Alexa in charge, but at least she had stopped calling Alexa names.

  Alexa looked down at Lance. He was technically her superior, so she figured she should give him the opportunity to take the lead. “Lance?”

  “You’re the only one who’s been there before,” he said. “I’m a Scout. I don’t lead missions. That’s your job.”