Zadkiel laughed softly. “I wanted Asmodeus dead. And now if you don’t want to suffer the same fate, you will do as I say—and kill the abomination.” With a crack, black tendrils danced dangerously from his fingers.
Lilith’s face twisted grotesquely. She glared at Zadkiel for a moment, and then she smiled strangely. “I am not afraid of you, angel. You’re going to die for what you have done.”
Lilith raised her arms. Gusts of wind slapped at her clothes, and her hair rose above her head and spread out like a great white star behind her. Green sparks jumped off her skin, and Kara thought she might burst into a ball of green flames. Wild green energy danced around her.
Zadkiel laughed maniacally. Black electricity flickered on his fingers.
“You think you scare me with that? I’ve had enough of you—” He threw his hands out. Black lightning blasted Lilith backwards with an ear splitting crack. She crashed in a cloud of wood splinters and dust.
A tall white hat rolled to Kara’s feet. The clowns were transfixed as they watched their mistress. Kara kicked the hat with her boot. She resisted the urge to run to Jenny. Not yet, she told herself.
“Stupid girl. Did you really think you could beat me?” Zadkiel lifted his robes as he crossed the platform towards Lilith. Her hair covered her body like a white blanket. He leaned over her with a self-satisfied smile. “You’re just as stupid as your father. Fools. I am the true ruler of the netherworld. If I have to finish you off to prove it, then I will. It will be easy. This realm is mine to take—”
Green lightning blasted into Zadkiel’s chest. He staggered and nearly lost his footing. Lilith came at him savagely. Her white hair flowed around her like a mist. Her once beautiful face was twisted in malice. Her white skin was ablaze with green fire. Lilith was part of the green energy of the netherworld.
Kara watched and waited.
Kara could see that Zadkiel was unnerved by Lilith’s power. He composed himself quickly.
A wicked smile twitched on his lips. “You’re nothing. Just like your father. And I’m going to finish you!” A blast of black energy shot from his hands. The current was instantly met with a bolt of green lightning. The black and green currents intertwined like a flaming braid, dancing between the two combatants. Sparks scorched the wooden platform. Tiny fires ignited around Kara. She jumped as liquid green fire sputtered at her feet. Lilith and Zadkiel were at war.
Lightning lit the air about them. A blinding bolt struck the platform. The ground shook with the impact and sent a shower of wood splinters skyward. The clown demons stood amazed as the war exploded around them.
Kara started to run. She bolted past the fight and crossed the platform to her left. The giant Ferris wheel loomed over her like a skyscraper. She leapt over a small metal gate and threw herself onto the metal wheel. Cold metal stung her hands as she pulled herself up. She climbed the great metal lattice without looking down. All her attention was on the crumpled body thirty feet away.
Within seconds, Kara reached Jenny. A thick metal chain secured her to a chair. Her skin had the same pasty white look that both Peter and David had shared. Streaks of white tinted her purple hair. Jenny frowned in pain, and her eyes were closed.
Kara balanced herself between two iron poles. Her fingers tingled with golden warmth. The chain vibrated. Golden tendrils wrapped themselves along the chain, and it broke apart with a crack. Kara caught Jenny and held her in her arms. She shook her gently.
“Jenny? It’s Kara.”
Jenny’s lids opened and she looked at Kara with black eyes. It took a moment before she spoke. “Kara…Lilith…she wants to kill you. It’s a trap.”
“I know. Don’t worry about her. I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going home.”
Jenny nodded and closed her eyes. Kara ignored the pain in her chest, pulled her friend over her shoulder, and began her climb back down.
Lightning thundered and cracked. The giant wheel shook. Kara jumped to the ground and whirled around. Green and black lighting lit the air around them. A blinding bolt struck the ground at Kara’s feet. She jumped back and heard a chuckle. Four higher demons watched her from a few feet away. Their sickly sunken faces leered, and death blades twitched anxiously in their hands.
“Where do you think you’re going, little angel?” said one of them. “Our mistress has promised us a feast of your soul—you’re not going anywhere.”
Kara shrugged. “Figured you’d say something like that. But no one is eating my soul today. I can promise you that.”
The demons brandished their weapons and charged savagely.
Kara stood her ground. A beam of golden light hit the first two demons. Their bodies lifted in the air and spun as though they had been caught in an invisible whirlwind. With a loud crack their jagged bodies exploded into a brilliant cloud of golden dust. The rest of the demons charged with renewed vigor and hatred. A death blade came straight for Kara. She sidestepped, and felt the whoosh of the air lift the bangs from her forehead. Her anger flared, and she unleashed her elemental power.
A golden wall rose in the air and enveloped the demons. When the golden light diminished, the demons crumbled and disintegrated.
Black and green lightning still lit up the sky at the other end of the platform. Lilith hovered above the ground. Her long hair floated behind her as she blasted green energy from her fingers. Zadkiel blocked her fire with a blast of black electricity.
Kara heard Jenny moan. Her head lolled against Kara’s back. She needed to get her out of here. She looked across the platform. David’s body lay exactly where she had left it. She secured Jenny on her shoulders and dashed across the platform to David. She knelt down carefully. His eyes were closed, and his white skin was speckled with moisture.
“David? David, can you hear me?”
David’s eyes opened immediately. He focused on Kara and smiled. “Do you think I could get a decent beer in this joint?”
In spite of the urgency of their situation, Kara smiled back. “You’re such a moron. Can you walk?” She scanned his body carefully and prayed her elemental power hadn’t damaged him too much.
David pushed himself to a sitting position. He leaned over and inspected Jenny. “Is Jenny still with us…or is she one of them?”
“She’s still Jenny as far as I can tell. But she’s hurt, and if we don’t get her out of here soon…I’m afraid she’s going to be transformed.”
David hauled himself to his feet. He straightened himself and brushed the dirt from his jacket and jeans. “Being a demon sucks—majorly sucks. I had some seriously creepy thoughts. It was like being stuck in a nightmare—and you could never wake up.”
“Sounds terrible. You can tell me all about it later. We need to get Peter and get out of this horrible place. I don’t think I can stand it anymore.”
Another boom thundered around them. Across the other side of the platform two giant fireballs of energy battled each other as Lilith and Zadkiel attacked each other with deadly lightning bolts.
David pointed across the platform. “Hey, your sister’s fighting lord moron over there. I was wondering what that noise was.”
“She’s not my sister. Let’s get out of here.”
Kara steered David by the elbow and ran back the way they had come. They ran around the rotted white tent and then between the disintegrating rides where skinless imps with red eyes still fought over seating arrangements and watched them pass, but did nothing.
David struggled alongside her. Kara stole a look behind her—no clowns followed them. Lilith’s green fireball had grown twice its size. Her green tentacles lashed out and penetrated Zadkiel’s black energy. She heard a scream, and then averted her eyes from a blast of brilliant light.
Only a green fireball remained. It flickered and dissipated. Lilith threw back her head and howled in laughter. The hairs on Kara’s body sprang up. She turned away from the terrifying scene and bolted. She never looked back.
Peter sat where she had left him,
with his back to the ticket booth. His jacket hung over the booth, and he sat in his t-shirt. He broke into a wide grin when he saw them. His expression softened at the sight of Jenny, but his eyes widened at the sight of David.
“David! What happened to you? You took off so suddenly.”
David shrugged and shook his head. “I’m sorry man, I don’t remember. Apparently, I changed into a demon. Yup. The last thing I remember was talking to you about the awesome cars the sensitives drove—then just darkness—then Kara’s face looking down on me.”
Peter’s jaw dropped, and he struggled to find his voice. “...am I going to change into a demon, too?”
“Not if we get out of here, soon,” said Kara.
Peter frowned when he saw Jenny. “Is she all right? She looks really bad.”
Kara steadied Jenny on her shoulder. “I know. But she’ll be fine once we get out of here.”
David grabbed Peter’s jacket. “Were you hot or something?”
Peter shrugged and looked away embarrassed. “Lilith’s picture was freaking me out. It was creepy. So I put my jacket over her picture so that her black eyes would stop watching me.”
With a hearty laugh, David pulled Peter to his feet. He slapped him on the back. “How you feeling? Any dark thoughts swimming in that head of yours?” He inspected Peter.
“No. I’m still fine.” Peter put on a brave face. Kara saw his fingers tremble before he shoved them in his pocket. He had grown paler, and almost all his hair was white. He couldn’t have more than a few minutes left before he morphed into a higher demon. Time was of the essence.
Kara scanned the area. “We’ll have to figure out a way back to the elevator. We’ll have to make a run for it across the city. And then pray we find the elevator in time. We need to move fast. Jenny’s doesn’t have much longer. Peter, you think you can run?”
Peter nodded. Kara wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but they didn’t have a choice. If she had to, she would carry Peter as well.
“Come on!” Kara turned and sprinted towards the park entrance.
Luckily, the front gates opened with a combination of singing and screeching metal. She was sure she heard a voice say, “thank you, come again.” as she ran past the two iron doors.
They made it past the first buildings. Peter fell quite a few times, and David hauled him back to his feet every time. The city was a maze—every building looked the same—but somehow Kara knew exactly where to go. It was as though a map had suddenly opened up inside her head. She was confident she knew the way back.
“Come on. I think it’s this way,” Kara shouted. She pointed past a clearing between two enormous black buildings. She couldn’t explain how she knew where to go.
She heard laugher.
Lilith.
Kara ignored it and pressed on faster. Peter stumbled suddenly and fell, and as David tried to help him up, he collapsed as well.
“Kara…where are you?” A voice echoed around the buildings. “Come here…I have something to show you…”
Kara ignored the voice and pulled Peter and David back on their feet. “Guys, come on! If we stay here, we all die. Push yourselves harder. Let’s go. Hurry!”
She let her elemental power surge through her for renewed strength. With Jenny balanced on her shoulder, she grabbed Peter and David by their arms and pulled them along with her. Jenny bounced on her back, and Kara prayed she wouldn’t fall off. They didn’t have time to stop.
A grey sky loomed up ahead. They had nearly reached the end of the city.
“Kara? Where are you going?” she heard the voice whisper. “I still want to play!”
The voice drifted in her ears, so close that Kara expected Lilith to jump down from one of the buildings.
After the city had blurred past her, Kara ran through the grey desert. David and Peter’s feet dragged as she struggled forward. Strong winds pushed against her, but she ploughed on.
“KARA! THIS IS NOT OVER!” Lilith’s voice rose over the wailing winds.
A red rectangular box appeared ahead. Kara blinked the dust out of her eyes. It stood like a lonely star in a pitch-black night. She shot towards it at full speed.
Then, with a gasp, Kara, Jenny, Peter, and David collapsed inside the elevator.
Chapter 20
The Debrief
Rays of yellow light spilled through the glass dome, and illuminated the dust motes like sparkling jewels. Majestic stone buildings floated above in a perfect blue sky. The air was hot and musty.
Kara stood before the Council. She clasped her hands behind her back and waited patiently. While the silence unnerved her, the glaring eyes from the Council members were torture. She had just finished recalling the events of her mission for them, and now she waited for their counsel. Their faces were bleak. They huddled together in deep conversation. Every now and then, a face would turn from the group and watch her, before turning back.
She wished David were with her. At least he could make her laugh and find a joke in all the excruciating seriousness. But he was still at the Healing-Xpress with the others. Kara had been thrilled to hear that Jenny was going to be all right. It had been a close call, but the archangel Raphael had successfully healed her, and her friend would be back on her feet shortly. Kara was even more pleased to hear that Peter and especially David had suffered no permanent damage either.
Kara had told the truth, and now she didn’t dare look at Raphael. In a matter of minutes, she would be summoned back to the High Council. Raphael’s deadly stare had unnerved her during the debriefing. She thought the archangel might rip her to pieces.
She was in a world of her own when she heard someone clear their throat. Her eyes met the Council, and she flinched.
The archangel Jeremiel’s face was grim. “And that is how Lilith destroyed the archangel Zadkiel—so easily?”
“Yes,” answered Kara, trying to keep her voice level. Even if she had spoken many times before the High Council, her insides were still tight.
“It’s as I said. She had some energy field around her…there was a loud boom, and when I looked back, Zadkiel was annihilated. There was nothing left of him.” She studied the Council. Their faces had grown darker, and Kara noted real concern in their eyes. They were frightened—frightened of Lilith.
Jeremiel lowered his brows in thought and considered for a moment. “I’ve never heard of a demon killing an archangel so easily. From what I understood—they were not strong enough. Asmodeus must have discovered something to enable this Lilith to do so. Not only is she the daughter of a powerful archangel, and a demon shape shifter—she is also a demon who can kill archangels. This information, I’m afraid, is very grave indeed.”
The council erupted into an argument about the welfare of Horizon. Kara shifted her weight and lowered her eyes. She waited until the voices tapered off. And when she looked up at the Council, the archangel Jeremiel was staring at her.
“I hear your friends are recovering nicely with the help of the archangel Raphael.” Jeremiel lifted his brows. “They seem to have misunderstood their instructions.”
Kara pursed her lips. She gave a small nod. “Uh…yes…they should be back on their feet in no time.”
The archangel gave her a reproachful look. “The breaking of sacred laws seems to be a pattern with you, Miss Nightingale. You knew the dangers pertaining to your mission…and you still let them come with you. That was very foolish of you. You are lucky their souls still live. I don’t even want to know how you managed to get them across. But with the success of your mission, the Council has agreed to let your friends off the hook, as you say, for this time only.”
Kara gave the archangel a tight smile. There was nothing she could say to that.
Jeremiel rubbed his chin. “Kara Nightingale. You are positive this…this green entity spoke the truth with regard to your late father, Asmodeus—that you and this Lilith are the only two offspring?”
Kara glanced at the ground momentarily. She had decided n
ot to reveal every conversation she had had with the green sun, especially when it had said that she had darkness in her, and that she belonged in the netherworld. She thought the Council wouldn’t understand and would probably consider her a threat once again. They feared what they didn’t understand. She was already a freak amongst the angels—she didn’t want to wait in Tartarus while they figured out what to do with her. Kara rubbed her temples.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Kara said finally. “The green entity had no reason to lie.” Kara wanted to say, because it was about to suck my brains out, so that I would become one of them. “It didn’t plan on my escape.” She knew it had told her the truth.
Jeremiel arched an eyebrow questioningly. “But how can you put so much faith in this wicked entity—rest assured it is evil—it could have been lying to you.”
Kara shook her head gently. “It wasn’t. I could feel it. I’m good at telling if people are lying.”
“This thing isn’t a person, Kara,” said the archangel Muriel. Her long wavy brown hair sparkled in the light. She folded her hands on the table and regarded Kara with a concerned expression. “It’s a creature of the worst possible evil.”
“So you know what it is? You know what the green sun is?”
Muriel shared a long side-glance with Jeremiel. “Yes. It is the creature Morthdu, the mother of all darkness, the keeper of the netherworld.”
Kara fought the panic that threatened to reveal itself—the creature had said that she belonged with it, with them—that she had the darkness in her.
“Perhaps this creature wanted you to think it was telling the truth,” said Jeremiel. “It knew you would come back and tell us what we wanted to hear.”
Kara watched the Council. “I’m positive it was telling the truth. Lilith and I are the only ones. And believe me, Lilith is going to be a handful. From what I saw and told you—she’s going to be back soon, and with a serious vengeance. She’s pretty angry with me.”
The Council pondered silently. They leaned forward and bent their heads together in mumbled conversations again. After a moment, the archangel Jeremiel leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table.
Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4 Page 17
