Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4

by Richardson, Kim

  The three of them charged down the shady street. The asphalt split and rolled like thick piece of dough. The sky thundered. Blocks of concrete fell from above and crashed around them like bombs. Metal poles sprouted from below the ground like spears. Buildings popped up and slid into place, like a never ending 3d puzzle. The scenery was surreal. The city moaned as it crumbled and gave birth to new structures.

  Peter fell to his knees. He slid his backpack off his shoulders. He staggered, and he tried to stand.

  “Peter! Are you okay?” Kara grabbed his elbow and helped him to his feet.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” He put a hand over his forehead. “I just got a little dizzy. That’s all. We better hurry,” he yelled over the thundering roar of bending and twisting metal.

  He secured his backpack, and Kara let him go reluctantly. She shared a concerned look with David, and they took off running towards the only clearing they could see.

  They jumped over debris and ducked as buildings shifted and tried to knock them down. Violent gusts of wind pushed them back. Ashes flew into their eyes. Grime stuck to Kara’s eyelashes. With a piercing groan the ground rumbled and a fissure appeared on the road up ahead. With another loud groan, the crack spread until the entire block was split in half.

  They halted. Dark shapes crawled out of the crack. Twisted limbs scurried into the street like an army of ants. Scabrous humanoid bodies with white bones jutting hideously through their scorched black flesh and yellow liquid dripping from their sinuous arms and legs moaned as they approached. Their charred faces leered at them, and they charged.

  David sliced through the first line of demons easily. Black liquid sprayed his face and the ground at his feet. The creatures withered and imploded. More came. He twisted around, slashing feverishly. The demons wailed a chorus of death. Their bodies shriveled and exploded into dust.

  Kara stepped protectively in front of Peter. A lesser demon lunged at them. Its mouth opened, and Kara could see rows of sharp yellow teeth and smell its rancid vinegar-like breath. She sliced its head right off. The body fell limp to the ground and disintegrated.

  “Kara, behind you!” yelled Peter, as he crouched down.

  Kara whirled around. Three lesser demons leaped at her, their claws dripping with yellow ooze. With calculated precision, she sidestepped and swung her blade up and across. Warm liquid spattered her face. With a terrifying shriek, the demons fell. Their bodies twisted grotesquely as they wailed and withered away.

  “There are too many of them,” cried David. “We can’t keep fighting them off like this. Let’s get out of here. This way!” urged David. He kicked a demon in the gut, stumbled backwards, and fell.

  “David! Are you hurt?” Kara rushed to his aid.

  David pushed himself up on wobbly legs. He teetered for a moment and held his head in his hands. He looked confused and frightened. “I—I don’t know. I just felt really dizzy all of a sudden…and weak. It’s nothing. I’m fine now.”

  Kara laid a hand on his shoulder and steadied him. She studied his face and leaned closer. “Peter felt the same way a moment ago.”

  She looked into David’s eyes. Kara tensed in near panic. This had been a very big mistake. “David, I’m worried. Something is wrong. Maybe bringing you guys here wasn’t such a good idea—”

  “Uh—guys.” Peter pointed at the new mass of lesser demons charging at them. “I think we have to move.”

  Without a second to waste, Kara let go of David, and the three of them doubled back and headed back the way they came. Another giant building appeared before them. The ground shook. The street cracked and lifted Kara and the others into the air. She landed hard against the ground and rolled. She pushed herself up. Peter and David lay a hundred feet away from her. David scrambled up and ran towards Kara. His mouth moved, but Kara couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  Welcome home Kara…

  Kara struggled forward. A shadow appeared at her feet. She halted. She felt a presence behind her. She whirled around.

  A structure made of brick and metal loomed above her. Black windows lined the front. It hovered over her. A great door on the bottom flashed with green light and tiny bolts of lightning. She staggered back.

  The door swung open—and Kara was swallowed in.

  Chapter 13

  A voyage in the Dark

  Kara couldn’t move. Her body floated in impenetrable darkness as if she were soaring through space but without the stars to illuminate the way. Whatever had captured her had enormous strength. It was like trying to fight against a god. She felt hopeless, but she pushed her desperation away. Whatever pulled her, would eventually release her, she hoped. She wondered if the others had been taken as well. Maybe they would all end up in the same place. She felt a sharp tug. The force released her, and she fell down on a hard surface.

  Kara steadied herself and looked around at the darkness. Something was burning out there in the darkness. The air was strangely hot, too hot for such a dark place. She reached out her hands before her—nothing. Where was she? The silence was ominous. How could she get out if she couldn’t see anything? She was blind. She couldn’t tell what was north or south. Completely disorientated, Kara yelled out in frustration.

  “David? Peter? Where are you?”

  A soft green light appeared. A mist poured along the ground and neared her. Green light flickered in the mist. Kara could see that the lights were a green electric current that snaked around in the haze. The sudden mist gave her the creeps, but she was thankful for the light it gave off.

  “David, are you in here? Peter? Hello?”

  The mist continued to pour around her. The sparks of green light intensified, and soon a large passageway revealed itself. The mist curled around her legs. Where was the mist coming from? It flowed towards her like a white stream; she knew it must be coming from somewhere up ahead.

  With her soul blade clutched tightly in her hand, Kara ventured forward. Every hair on her body stood on end. There was something very wrong with this place. She wanted to run, but she made her way stealthily through the haze. Her boots hardly made a sound against the hard floor. Maybe this was Lilith’s lair? Kara had to find out. She had to look for Jenny. She only prayed that Jenny’s body hadn’t been ripped to pieces. She shook her head and tried not to think about what Lilith might be doing to Jenny.

  She concentrated on Lilith instead. Lilith’s greenish-white skin, white flowing hair, black eyes, and sharp delicate features didn’t look at all like that of Kara. Kara looked like a normal teenager girl, whereas Lilith looked like a demon who needed serious help with her wardrobe. In fact, Kara found it hard to believe Lilith had had a mortal mother, when there was nothing mortal about her. She had killed her own mother. Kara grimaced in disgust. She would have loved to have a real sister. But under the present circumstances, she hated Lilith as much as she hated Asmodeus. Whatever Lilith was, Kara was her exact opposite.

  She walked through the mist for what seemed like hours. The passageway kept on going into the bleak darkness. Maybe she was walking around in circles? Perhaps this was what Lilith had intended all along, to trap her in the netherworld. She had wanted Kara to suffer. What was worse than to spend the rest of your days in total darkness without ever seeing another soul? She would be trapped here forever and never see her friends or David again.

  David…

  She cursed out loud. How could she have been so stupid? This was her mission, not theirs. And yet she let them come. It was because of her that Jenny had been taken in the first place. What’s worse, she might not even be able to save Jenny. Perhaps she was already dead. And now she was burdened with the guilt of losing Peter and David—if only she hadn’t agreed to their plan—

  Something moved inside the mist. Kara froze. A shadow of a creature scurried across the passage and disappeared under a wave of fog. What the—? Kara searched the ground with her boot. Nothing. Just rolling mist. She took a step forward. Rattling sounds echoed behind her. Kara whirled aroun
d, her weapon brandished in her hands. The white haze poured out behind her for hundreds of feet and was lost in shadow. What was going on? Surely Lilith wanted her to go mad. Then she’d be an easy kill.

  “I know you’re here, Lilith. Show yourself, you coward!” Kara rushed forward in the darkness. She regretted calling Lilith a coward. Kara knew that Lilith had dangerous powers, and she only had a soul blade with her. She doubted if she could do any real damage to the demon girl. A storm of anger rushed through her. How was she ever going to get out of this mess? She knew there had to be a way out. And she was determined to find it. If David and Peter weren’t in here, then they were somewhere on the outside, still fighting the city’s metal creatures. She had to get to them. They needed her help.

  Something moved in her peripheral vision. A tiny misshapen leg the size of her finger disappeared into the fog. Kara edged closer for a better look. A shape scurried near her feet. Kara yelled out in surprise. ...and then another. Soon, hundreds of tiny creatures surrounded her. With their crab-like bodies, they wiggled around in the mist but never ventured too far from it. It was as though they were connected somehow. Their white bodies were camouflaged in the fog. It was no wonder Kara hadn’t seen them before.

  A sudden tug pulled on her pants. One of the creatures crawled up her leg. She pulled it off immediately. She inspected it closely. She cringed. It had six legs, and at opposite ends atop its carapace-like body were two small twisted humanoid heads. Their black beady eyes watched Kara, and the pointy teeth in their large mouths snapped at her. Suddenly the demon twisted out of Kara’s grip and braced itself on her leg. Kara screamed as it bit into her angel flesh. She sliced the demon in half with one strike, and it fell to the ground in a puddle of black liquid.

  The deep gash on her calf poured out brilliant light and illuminated her hand. For such a small creature it had done real damage. She had nothing to cover up the wound. She’d be really easy to spot now, glowing like a flashlight.

  Wails erupted around her. The crab-like demons formed a line in front of her. Their small claws scraped the floor. There were hundreds of them. She knew she couldn’t fight so many. Only one had caused serious damage. She glanced over her shoulder. More scurried in and around the mist. There was only one thing she could do. Run.

  Kara bolted. The demons launched themselves at her. She slashed her soul blade in the air and sliced through their hard bodies. Pain exploded on the back of her neck. She pulled a creature off of her and threw it against the wall. More jumped out of the mist and came for her. Kara feverishly fought her way forward. She ignored the pain on her back and continued on. Claws pricked her legs and back. Their teeth punctured her flesh. The pain was excruciating. She slammed her back against the wall. She heard the pops as their shells burst. Cool liquid poured down her back. She pushed herself off the wall and kept running. She heard the crunches of the little creatures under her boots. The demons kept coming, and Kara kept whacking them down with her blade.

  A shadow appeared and a creature suddenly fastened itself on Kara’s face and scratched at her eye with tiny claws. She screamed. The demon’s mouths bit at her cheeks and forehead savagely. She tried to pull it off, but the creature held on, eating away at her face. She took her blade and slid it under the demon, careful not to injure her own eye. With a flick of her wrist, she cut the demon in half. It slipped from her face.

  Liquid sprayed her face as she fought through the horde of flying demon crabs. She wished she had a blowtorch to fry the little monsters. There wasn’t much she could do with only a blade. She was running blindly in the dark, following a mist that teemed with demons. She tried to call upon her elemental power. There was a flutter of an answer deep inside her. Her power awakened for a moment, and then nothing. It was dull, as though it had never existed.

  There had to be a way out. Kara continued to slash away at them as she ran. Then the mist subsided and evaporated. As though they were frightened, the crab demons disappeared with the fog.

  Kara sighed in relief. She couldn’t believe her luck. She reached up and touched large gashes on her forehead and on her cheeks. The wounds burned at her touch. Those nasty little buggers had done a number on her face. Still, she wasn’t too gravely injured. She was sure she had enough strength to find the way out—to get back to her friends.

  Green light flashed up ahead. A tiny green sphere hovered in the air. It flickered and then grew brighter. She averted her eyes until they became acclimatized to the light. She felt pulled towards the light, like a longing for comfort. She walked towards it curiously. The green light shimmered and grew brighter until Kara stared at an enormous green sphere.

  The giant sphere hovered above a massive chamber that seemed to grow in size as though it were breathing. Kara approached it cautiously. She looked carefully around. There were no signs of Lilith or Jenny anywhere, or even of demons—just a giant green sphere. Loud humming sounds reverberated around the chamber. The ground vibrated beneath her boots. The burning smell increased and charred Kara’s nose. The brilliant green sun grew in size for a moment, and then it shrank again. It repeated the motion as though it was breathing.

  The humming intensified. Bolts of green electricity flashed out of the sun. It was like a giant electric plasma ball. The electricity licked the walls and ground. The current flailed like arms trying to grab something. A bolt shot out of the sun and scraped the ground at Kara’s feet. She took a step back.

  The electric current cracked and boomed. Kara shivered. The hair on her head stood on end. The current streamed inside her. Her teeth chattered, and she clenched her jaw. Her clothes swayed and ruffled in an invisible wind. Kara stood before the green sun. She wrinkled her brow. What the heck is that thing?

  “Welcome, Kara.”

  Kara stumbled backwards. The voice reverberated across the chamber like a whale song. It echoed through Kara. The voice came from the sun. It was the same voice she’d been hearing all along.

  “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  Chapter 14

  Captive

  Kara stared at the sphere in disbelief. Had she just imagined a talking green sun? No, it couldn’t be. Was this one of Lilith’s games? Like father like daughter, she realized. Asmodeus loved to torment the souls of others. She raised her fist in the air angrily.

  “Lilith! Show yourself! What have you done with Jenny? I don’t have time for your games. Show yourself!” Kara stood her ground and waited. She wasn’t in the mood for any amusements. “You wanted me to come here, and so here I am. Your fight is with me. Let my friend go, Lilith!”

  “Lilith?” said the booming voice. Kara flinched and took a step back. “We are not Lilith. But Lilith exists in us.”

  Kara lifted her head slowly towards the brilliant green sun. Her eyes burned, but she kept staring at it anyway.

  “Uh—and what exactly are you? I’ve never heard of a giant demon ball. Is Lilith your mistress? Do you know where she is or how to get out of here?”

  The humming increased. The ground vibrated and sent ripples through Kara’s feet. The sun shimmered and grew brighter.

  “We are the heart of the netherworld. We are a collective consciousness. We are in everyone and everything. We have existed since the beginning of time. We live, and yet we are dead.”

  “That’s just great,” Kara mumbled to herself. She gave the sun a curious frown. “Well, you obviously know Lilith…can you tell me where she is? How about an angel girl? Do you know where they took my friend? Where is my friend Jenny?”

  Something inside told her the sun was truthful. She wasn’t entirely sure the entity would answer her, but it was worth the try.

  A low rumble erupted from the sun. “The demon Lilith lives in us. She belongs here…as do you.”

  What? While Kara puzzled over what she just heard, a strange yearning welled up inside her. She blinked into the sun’s rays. Overwhelmed by a feeling of longing, she stepped towards the green sun without thinking. When she realized what she h
ad done, she shook the feeling off and stepped back, terrified that she was losing control. She gripped her blade tightly in her hand. She gathered her wits and courage.

  “So…since we’re exchanging information, do you know if Asmodeus had more than one daughter? Did he have more offspring apart from Lilith…and me?”

  The entity was silent for a moment, and Kara thought it might never speak again.

  “The creature Asmodeus had only two offspring—two female entities of great power. Lilith was one…and you, Kara, are the other.”

  Relieved, Kara let herself relax a little. At least that was good news. One Lilith meant only one threat for the time being, until a new threat revealed itself. Kara could now concentrate all her efforts on Jenny. But first, she had to get out of there.

  “Please…where’s Jenny? My friend was brought here by force. She’s very sick. Do you know where she is? I need to find her.”

  The sun shimmered but did not answer.

  Kara tried hard not to show how eager she was to escape. “Where am I exactly? Please, can you tell me how to get out of here? I’ve been to the netherworld once before, but I’ve never been here…in this place…it feels...”

  Kara fought a sudden internal force that pulled her towards the sun again. It called out to her. Part of her wanted to walk up to it, to touch it, while the other part screamed for her to run. She took a step forward.

  Kara trembled. Something wasn’t right. She began to feel even more anxious. She stared at the sun. She could feel an emptiness in her core, where her power belonged.

  The sun hummed and blazed brightly.

  “You are in the realm of supernatural beings, where layers of existence travel along an axis between the worlds—where the dead and the undead meet in darkness. This is where you belong. You know it is true—you can feel it—you belong with us.”