Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4

by Richardson, Kim

“Jean-Pierre, please—”

  “I will die of ze broken ’art.” The cockroach raised its middle legs to silence her. “I request a lock of your ’air. And zen you may pass.”

  David laughed. “That’s it? Man, you want some of mine, too?”

  Kara elbowed David in the chest. She reached up and cut a lock of her hair with her soul blade. She twirled the hairs together gently and handed the lock to the cockroach. “Thank you, Jean-Pierre. This means the world to us.”

  Jean-Pierre took the hair, smelled it, and folded it carefully in the front pocket of his jacket. He leaped into the air and landed on a plush red chair facing the control panel. With a crooked arm, he reached out and pressed a black button with the word DOWN. Immediately, the elevator shuddered, and they started their decent.

  Seconds later the elevator doors slid open with a screech. Kara stepped out. Wind hit her face. The smell of rotten flesh burned her nose. She looked down. “Thank you Jean-Pierre. We’ll see you again soon.”

  Jean-Pierre threw himself dramatically over his chaise, a forearm over his forehead, “Au revoir, mon amour!”

  “Okay. Let’s get out of here before he changes his mind.” David came up beside Kara. His blades hung at his side. Peter followed behind David.

  Kara hesitated for a moment, and then drew her soul blade. She readied herself. David and Peter stepped into the netherworld behind her.

  Violent gusts of wind slapped their faces and tore at their clothes. Kara covered her eyes. She couldn’t see anything past the blizzard of dust. Impenetrable grey skies rained thick embers down on them. Thunder cracked from above. She called out to David, and he took her hand. She struggled forward blindly. The winds had not been this strong the first time she ventured into the demon realm. It was as though the winds were trying to push them out. They were unwelcome here. Kara gagged at the horrid stink of rotten flesh. She could almost taste it in her mouth—

  Kara…help me.

  Kara staggered back. Jenny’s voice echoed in her ears. She wasn’t sure if it was really her friend’s voice. It was most probably Lilith trying to trick her. But it sounded just like Jenny. She shook her head and pressed on.

  They’re hurting me, Kara…please help me…

  A cry formed in the back of Kara’s throat. She did her best to ignore the voice. She told herself it wasn’t Jenny’s and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Her head snapped back. Brutal winds circled her. She lost her footing for a second and then balanced herself. With a renewed sense of determination, she lowered her head and pushed through the wall of wind. She heard David and Peter struggling behind her.

  Kara, why are you letting them hurt me? I thought you were my friend?

  Kara cried out into the blizzard. Her knees shook, and she dragged her feet forward. It’s not Jenny’s voice, she repeated to herself. She let go of David’s hand and ran forward angrily. Her fists tightened as she shook with rage. She flailed her arms savagely against the strong winds. The smell of rotten flesh choked her. She made her eyes into slits and strained to see through the storm. A grey desert spread out for miles before them. Where was the casino? Dread crept inside her. Were they lost?

  Something grabbed hold of Kara’s boots.

  She looked down. Two blood-red human hands sprouted out of the sand and wrapped themselves around her ankles. With sudden force, the hands pulled. Kara lost her balance and fell down to her knees. Her soul blade slipped out of her hand and vanished under a wave of sand. The sand around her knees rippled like grey waters. She kicked out her legs savagely. Six more hands shot out of the sand and latched onto her legs. Her legs were pinned together forcefully. She tried to jerk her legs free, but it was like kicking through a cement block. She was terrified. More hands grabbed hold of her legs from under the sand. She could hear echoes of laughter above the howling storm.

  Welcome home, Kara…

  Her body was wrenched down deeper. Kara screamed at the top of her lungs as the quicksand sucked her in. Liquid sand brushed against her waist. She reached out and grabbed a fistful of sand. It was no use. There was nothing solid to rescue her. Frantically, Kara felt around inside her jacket for another blade. Her fingers brushed the handle—

  You belong with us…

  Another sharp tug. Fluid sand swept against her chest and under her armpits. Red hands grabbed fistfuls of her jacket. Kara’s neck jerked forward. She wailed as she tried to pry the fingers off of her, but the hands were like solid rock. Coldness spread to her neck. Something red caught the corner of her eye. A hand covered her face as she tried to scream. She retched at the stink of blood. Desperately, Kara fought against the hands that pulled her down. She heard her name above the whistling winds. Through the spaces between her fingers, a silhouette of a figure moved through the storm—a toss of blonde hair—a brown leather jacket.

  David fell to his knees inches away from the quicksand. More black hands sprung from the quicksand. With a thrash of his arm, David slashed at the hands. Black blood sprayed the ground around him.

  “Kara—give me your hand!” David threw out his right hand. Kara leaned forward and grabbed it. He tossed his soul blade away and clasped his other hand around her wrist. He arched his back and pulled. Her body lifted slowly.

  More hands gripped around Kara’s legs and body. With a sudden powerful jerk, they pulled her down again. David’s grip started to slip.

  “It’s not working!” David yelled through the gust of winds.

  Peter appeared at his side. He lunged forward and grabbed a hold of Kara’s arm. With tremendous force, the two of them yanked. It was like a game of tug-of-war, only this time Kara’s body was the rope. She was sure her arm was about to rip off.

  David and Peter pulled with all their might. With a pop, she felt a sudden release. Kara soared out of the quicksand and crashed into her friends. She rolled over and coughed up the sand from her mouth. She patted herself down. All her weapons were gone. Her pants were torn, but she was unharmed. David pulled her into a tight embrace. His body trembled. He sighed against her neck and squeezed her tenderly. Kara shivered against him, and wished silently that she could stay like that forever. He pushed her away slowly. He studied her face with gentle eyes and smiled.

  “Told you you’d need our help.” David’s voice rose slightly against the howling wind.

  Kara’s lips trembled, but her voice was steady. “Thank you. I don’t know how I could have gotten out without your help.”

  David’s face lit up in a triumphant smile, and Kara was lost for a moment in his brilliant blue eyes.

  “Look!” Peter pointed to the quicksand. The round sand pool started to boil. Sand bubbles popped above the surface. A whirlpool formed in the center. Black liquid emerged and mixed into the sand, until the entire area was covered in a thick black goo.

  “I don’t even want to know what that is,” said David. He pulled Kara to her feet. She eyed the black pool apprehensively and stepped back. She remembered the laugh she heard above the howling storm. The laugh was Lilith’s, but the voice wasn’t.

  Kara searched the ground. “Those things took all my weapons,” she yelled above the wailing wind.

  David offered her the blade in his hand. It glimmered in the ghostly light. “Take this one, I’ve got lots more.”

  With a nod of her head, Kara took the blade. Her fingers curled around the handle. “Thanks. Let’s get out of here,” she yelled. “And watch where you step.”

  With their hands clasped together, they made their way across the grey desert. The storm wailed and thunder cracked above them. Kara bent her body forward and fought against the strong winds. Each step was a tremendous effort. She scanned the grey sands before them and pressed on. The winds diminished slightly. Whirlwinds lifted and dissipated. Finally, Kara could see a few yards in front of her. A wall of dust scattered, and she gasped.

  A giant burning city loomed over them. It stretched out for miles in every direction. Yellow and red flames snaked up buildi
ngs. Embers and soot rained down from a black starless sky and covered the ground in a soft grey carpet. The city was blanketed in darkness. The only light source came from the flames that licked out of windows and coiled around the decrepit buildings. Black puddles spotted the ground. Kara dropped David’s hand and stepped forward to look at them more closely. She realized they were puddles of blood. A gust of wind slapped Kara’s face, intensifying the stench of rotten flesh and blood. A cacophony of moans and wails echoed around them. An eerie laugh sounded from one of the buildings.

  Kara, help me…it hurts…please hurry…

  The skin on Kara’s arms prickled. She gripped her blade so hard that she couldn’t feel her fingers anymore. The ghostly voice had come from somewhere beyond the city. Somewhere past the dead city was her friend Jenny. The voice echoed in her ears like a chant. A flash of movement caught her attention. She stood her ground. Shapes moved in the shadows. A clawed hand vanished behind a door. Glowing red eyes flickered and disappeared. Whispers of her name floated to her ears.

  “We can’t stay here. We have to move,” said Kara in a low voice. A long scaly tail slithered behind an open window.

  “Is this how you remembered it?” David inspected the buildings. “I thought you said there was a casino?”

  “There was a casino before. This is different. We must be in another part of the netherworld. I don’t recognize this place.” Part of her wished to find the dreaded casino. At least she would have known what to expect. But this city was something entirely different. Something inside told her that this charred and burning city had been conjured out of nowhere just for them. She ignored the sense of foreboding that welled inside. There was no turning back. They had to push forward.

  Peter groped for his backpack’s straps. “This place is huge. How are we ever going to find Jenny? It’s going to take forever to search this city.”

  Kara watched shadows moving in the streets. “We’ll follow her voice.”

  “Her voice?” Peter cocked his head to the side and looked at the other two. “What voice? I don’t hear her? You can hear Jenny?”

  Kara knitted her brows and motioned to her head. “I can. I’ve heard it since we arrived. But it’s not Jenny’s laughter I hear, it’s Lilith’s—she’s playing with me—but if we find Lilith, we’ll find Jenny.”

  “She’s right.” David brandished his weapons in front of him. He studied the city for a moment. “This place gives me the creeps. Let me guess—the voice is coming from in there.”

  Kara met David’s eyes. “Yes…somewhere past the city, I think. We’ll have to cross it to make sure.”

  “Great.” Peter shrugged. “Well, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”

  David patted him on the back. “I got your back. Well, there’s no time like the present. Kara, lead the way.”

  With Kara in the lead, the group ventured deeper into the city. They walked along a deserted street lined with bent light posts with burned out lights. Kara was grateful the winds had died down, so that she could concentrate on her hearing. Flames crackled as they passed and gave them their only source of light. A sudden hollowness spread through her chest. She passed a window but she could not see her reflection in it. The glass was greenish black. Every single window was black, she realized, like black bottomless eyes. Kara had the nasty feeling they were being watched, and from the fidgeting in their steps, she knew David and Peter had the same feeling. Shops and buildings that had perhaps once been lively with color were scorched black by the fires. Kara found it curious that no signs rested above any of the shops. Could this have been a real city at one time? She strained her ears, but she couldn’t hear Jenny’s voice anymore. Had they gone the wrong way?

  Kara thought she heard chanting, though it could have been the wind. It grew louder. The screeching of metal being torn thundered around them. The ground shook. Earsplitting screeches and cracks boomed. There was a loud crack, and a whole city block dislodged and moved towards them—the wall of buildings shifted and stopped—it blocked their way.

  David lowered his weapons. His jaw dropped. “What in the—?”

  Suddenly, the ground split open. Metal sprouted from the ground and rose above them as if the steel were growing. Pieces of stone and metal intertwined and created levels and structures. A building soared above them. Dust and pebbles rolled to the ground near their feet. With a groan, the front of the building split open. Steel fangs spiked out from the opening. A row of black windows rested above the mouth. Kara shuddered as she looked into the steel creature’s eyes. A terrifying sound escaped the gaping maw.

  “Uh oh,” whimpered Peter. “That can’t be good.”

  Kara backed away. Choking panic clawed her throat. “What in god’s name is that thing?”

  David took a step back, terrified. “The city’s alive. And I think we’re next on the menu.”

  Chapter 12

  Skyscrapers with a Vengeance

  “Run!” David bolted in the opposite direction.

  Kara sprang into a run, but then skidded to a stop and turned. “Peter! Come on! What are you doing?”

  He stood frozen and shaking in front of the iron creature. His mouth quivered.

  “Peter! Peter, run!”

  He backed away slowly, his eyes wide. He came to life suddenly, turned, stumbled backwards, and fell. The creature wailed overhead and loomed lower over them. It moved towards Peter. In a second it would devour him. Rage swelled in her, banishing the momentary sensation of panic. In a flash, Kara bolted towards Peter. She grabbed him by the arm, and with a sharp tug she yanked him to his feet and pulled him with her into a run.

  The three of them tore down the street. David suddenly halted, turned, and hurled a glowing red orb across the black sky. It shattered with a blast against the metal creature. A ball of red-hot light exploded in the darkness for a moment and illuminated more buildings shifting around them. A red mist covered the spot where the creature had stood. The mist lifted and revealed a gaping metal mouth. The thing wailed and rose into the air unscathed. It grew in length and twitched like a metal worm. It bent at an angle, and with great speed it came cascading down toward them.

  Kara leapt out of the way just as a metal structure crashed to the ground. The metal monster roared in anger as it realized its prey had escaped. It rolled back and hovered for a moment. Kara sheathed her soul blade. It would be no use on the metal creature.

  She called for her elemental power in desperation. She could feel it loosen inside her. A surge of warm energy started to rise. The warm tingling sensation flickered. But something was wrong. It didn’t surface. The flame fizzled and went out.

  “Kara! Move! What are you doing? Get out of there!”

  She heard David’s cry, but she ignored him. Kara shut out the world around her and concentrated as hard as she could. She tried to feed her power with her angriest emotions and fears. She reached out to her wild energy and it responded with a soothing warmth. She reached deep inside herself and called her power again. It rushed through her from her fingertips to her toes. But as soon as she felt the warmth, a cool followed, then a sudden release, and then nothing.

  She tried again. Nothing.

  It was like trying to start a car with a dead battery. She tried repeatedly to light the ignition—but her own battery was dead.

  What have I done? Had she used up too much of her essence in sharing it with Peter and David? Had their Frankenstein experiment gone way wrong? The dark clouds and lightening had been a warning. In trying to help her friends, she had lost her ability to protect them. She was just an ordinary angel now. Her legs felt as if they would give out at any second. She could hardly focus her eyes. This was all wrong.

  David grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her reverie. “Kara, wake up! What’s the matter with you? We have to get out of this city before it eats us!”

  Kara eyed the building. It shifted and swayed. Its mouth jerked as though preparing itself for its next meal. She stood mute for a
moment, and then finally said. “I—I can’t use my elemental powers. I think we used too much of my essence to get you two across. David, I don’t have any more power.”

  David frowned. He raked his hair with his fingers.

  “It’s too late now to do anything about it. We’ll just have to use what we’ve got. Come on!” David pulled Kara with him and ran down the street. Peter followed close behind.

  Kara’s legs were like cement blocks. It took all of her focus just to run. She couldn’t shake off the dread of being powerless. She had been a fool.

  After passing under a low bridge building, they entered a clearing. They turned left and ran down the next block. A building sprouted out from the concrete in front of them.

  David skidded to a stop, and Peter crashed into him. Kara stared open mouthed as the thing broke off pieces of itself and flailed them around like arms. It waved its limbs dangerously. An arm lashed out, and David jumped as the limb crashed on the spot where he had been a second ago.

  “This way!” cried David.

  They turned and ran down a narrow alley. Flames like blow torches licked at them as they ran. A wall of flames sprang up before them and burned painfully into Kara’s angel flesh. Her arms were scorched black and part of her jacket melted way and exposed her crisp and smoking tissue.

  The alley shifted suddenly. The ground shook. They were thrown to the ground. Buildings disappeared into the ground and made way for other structures that sprouted in the air. More metallic creatures loomed over them.

  “The city keeps changing! We’ll never get out of here! It’s got us trapped!” cried Peter, his face streaked with nasty burn marks.

  “Yes we will!” Kara looked over the buildings. “There’s gotta be a way out. The city can’t go on forever. We’ll have to keep going.”

  “There!” David pointed towards a clearing between the buildings. “I think I see an opening.”

  Kara followed his gaze. Light seeped through between the tops of two tall buildings. It had to be a clearing. Hope recharged her strength. “I see it too! Let’s go.”