Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

Kara walked along a dirt road. Her boots crunched the gravel as she strode up a path that curved up a hill. She felt amazing in her M-suit, despite the fact that she was on a mission with her two arch enemies, Al and Devon. Her M-suit made her feel somewhat invincible, like a superhero.

  Rain pattered the top of Kara’s head. A soft wind brought with it the smell of wet earth and leaves. It was early spring. Clumps of snow still covered the ground in places, refusing to melt. Squirrels, opposed to the group trespassing on their land, chattered loudly and jumped from the branches of a large evergreen tree. The evening sky was a mixture of browns and blacks, not exactly pretty. The M-5 series suits gave everything an ugly and depressing green tint to it, increasing the tension of their gloomy mission.

  Kara had read about this asylum online. It was the most haunting in the entire state. She wondered if ghosts really existed. She had learnt firsthand that angels existed, and demons. Why not ghosts? She shook off a chill, and imagined the sky as a warm orange color.

  Distant screams echoed from the town below. Kara stopped abruptly and turned around. The little town was covered in a cloak of darkness. No street lights shone. No house lights. There was no electricity anywhere. Shapes moved in the darkness. Some moved swiftly from door to door, while others glided slowly along the streets, like black specters. A wail pierced the night air. Kara shivered. She recognized the voice of a girl crying out for help—demons. Kara realized in horror that they were attacking the town. She felt her insides tighten. The scream was close. She could help. Involuntarily, she took a step forward—

  Something strong caught her arm.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Kara met Al’s glare. He looked wild. His jaw tightened, and he leaned down towards hers.

  She shook off his arm. “Don’t touch me,” she growled, and stood her ground. She squared her shoulders. She wasn’t about to let Al intimidate her, even if he was nearly twice her size.

  “What’s going on here?” Cassiel pushed his way between the two of them. His giant body towered easily over them. He studied their faces. He repeated his question again, annoyed. “I said … what’s going on?”

  Since Al wasn’t about to say anything, Kara pointed to the town. “That town’s in trouble. Demons are attacking the mortals. They’re defenseless against these demons. We need to help them.”

  Cassiel looked over the town in silence. His hazel eyes shimmered in the night light. His face bore no expression. “There’s nothing we can do for them now. We can’t stray from our mission.”

  Kara was outraged. “But we can’t just leave them there! They’re all going to die if we don’t help them! There are children down there. Innocent children!”

  Devon and Al exchanged an amused look. Kara’s rage flared. Innocent children were dying and these two were laughing about it, as if it was some good joke. It was obvious whose side they were on. Why couldn’t Cassiel see it too?

  “I understand your feelings … but it’s not our mission,” said Cassiel, after a moment.

  “But we’re guardian angels! We’re supposed to save them! We swore an oath. We must help them!” Kara threw her arms in the air in a fury.

  “Sometimes for the greater good, a few innocent lives will be lost, in order to save millions. We can’t save them all, Kara. But we must find the demon lord. That is our mandate. He is the cause of all this suffering. We must put an end to it. And to do exactly that … we must find him first, before he can continue to hurt the mortals.”

  Kara shrugged. Part of what Cassiel said made sense. But she was sure they could save some lives and still come back to look for Asmodeus. This whole thing smelled rotten.

  Cassiel shook his head. “Let’s go. We’ve already wasted too much time.” He walked away purposely. Devon and Al followed, but not before they both gave Kara menacing looks.

  Kara was left alone. She gazed out on the little town. It had become quiet again. Kara strained for the sound of the girl’s screams again. But they didn’t come. The town lay silent against the night sky. Nothing moved, not even a shadow. It was a ghost town—now that the demons had killed everyone. Was this what would become of the entire world if they failed?

  While Kara ached at the wrongness of it all, she forced herself to follow the others. A mammoth red brick building appeared on the top of the rise. It stood tall and decrepit, like an abandoned castle from another land. Rows of windows decorated the front and sides of the building. A heavy fog covered the tall grasses of the grounds in a thick blanket. There was no forking in the path. The dirt road led them directly to the abandoned building, like an invitation.

  Keeping her distance, Kara followed Cassiel and the others up the hill and to the front of the massive structure. They stopped before two majestic wood doors. Cracked red paint and graffiti covered the doors and the front wall. A large padlock held the doors closed securely. Devon pulled out a blade and cut through the metal as easily as if it were butter. He pulled open the doors. A loud screeching sound cut through the night air as the doors swung on their hinges. Kara could make out a dark entry way and a decrepit hallway that opened up to other passageways that were lost in shadow. A thick mildew smell mixed with rot permeated the air around them. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. It had a sinister feel about it—the perfect fortress for a fallen angel.

  Devon turned and smiled at Kara. He stepped to the side and gestured with his arm. “Ladies first.”

  Kara shifted her weight uncomfortably. This felt all wrong. She turned to Cassiel. “We can’t just barge in here. This place is huge. It’s perfect for demons to hide. How do we know even where to look? I suggest we make a plan so we don’t get lost in here.”

  Devon looked smug. “I’m sensing fear.” he said. “How can the great Kara Nightingale be frightened of a little adventure? You’re not afraid of the dark, are you? Surely with your kind of power, the demon lord doesn’t frighten you?”

  Cassiel laughed softly, and Kara was reminded of another archangel, with white skin and black hair. No. Cassiel was good. He wouldn’t put her in any danger. But why were they with Al and Devon? Clearly he must know about their traitorous intentions? She tried to convince herself that he was just really naïve. It didn’t work.

  “Well, then. I’ll go first.” Cassiel drew a moonstone from his jacket pocket. Immediately, the stone shone a brilliant white light, giving off enough light for Kara to see where they were heading.

  Kara pulled out a soul blade and followed the archangel inside the great doors. She felt the presence of Al and Devon closely behind her. She forced herself to stay calm.

  The rotten smell was a hundred times worse inside. Black mold covered the walls and pieces of tile and metal peeled from the walls and the ceiling, leaving large gaps that oozed an orange liquid. It was as though the entire building was infected with a flesh eating disease. Parts of walls lay crumbled into white piles of plaster, as if a bomb had gone off inside. Orange water dripped from long neglected pipes that ran the length of the hall. Kara thought about reaching out and touching the liquid, but decided against it. The rot smell seemed to be coming from the orange water.

  The hall opened up onto a lobby with several doors and hallways branching out. Pieces of broken glass and smashed furniture were scattered on the floor. An old television in a wooden case stood in the far corner on top of crumpled newspapers. Kara wondered what this place had looked like fifty years ago, with nurses in white uniforms helping patients to their rooms. She imagined halls with beautiful white and orange walls and shiny tiled vinyl floors. It must have been beautiful once. But that was a long time ago.

  Cassiel pulled out blueprints and studied them for a moment. “Okay, guardians. We’re going to split into two teams. The first team will go through that door and down to the basement level.” He pointed to an area on the blueprints. Kara stepped closer for a better look. “The other team will go through this door to the left and up two floors. We think he’s either hiding in the labs, or in the mor
gue.”

  “There’s a morgue in this building?” Kara pictured grey rotten corpses lying on metal beds.

  “Not anymore,” said Cassiel. “We’ll meet up back at this lobby in an hour. Al, you’re with me. Devon and Kara—you two take the basement. Stay out of sight.” He folded the map and shoved it back inside his jacket.

  Just her luck, Kara thought. She would have preferred to have been paired with Cassiel. She watched as the archangel and Al disappeared behind a door. His moonstone lighted up the walls for a moment and went out.

  Kara and Devon were left in the darkness. After a moment, Kara’s eyes adjusted to the blackness around her. With the M-suit she could see better in the dark than when she was alive. She guessed this was how cats saw in the darkness.

  “Let’s go, freak.” Devon sauntered towards the door leading to the basement.

  “Wait!” cried Kara. “Shouldn’t we use a moonstone for some light? It’s pretty dark in here.”

  “No, moron. We don’t want anyone to know we’re here. Unless you’re looking to die—then by all means … light one up.”

  Kara made an obscene gesture behind his back. I really do hate this guy.

  Grateful that her eyes were adjusting better to the darkness, she followed Devon through the doorway and down a flight of stairs. A wall of blackness hit her. The basement was nearly pitch black. She could only make out a few feet in front of her. The sound of their boots scraping the floors echoed around them. Kara couldn’t tell where the basement walls ended and where they began. She could see Devon’s back move up and down in a rhythmic motion.

  A hiss sounded from somewhere behind her.

  Kara whipped her head around. Something moved in the shadows. She blinked and it was gone. Only darkness stared back at her. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? At times, back when she was mortal, she would wake up from a nightmare to see a black shape hovering before her eyes. It would freak her out, but as soon as she blinked, the shape would disappear, and she would be left staring at her empty room. Maybe this was the same thing. She wondered if Devon had seen it, too. She turned back around. Devon had disappeared.

  “Hey, Devon? Devon!”

  No answer came. Her voice echoed through the darkness. What the hell?

  Kara leaned against the wall. This must be part of Devon’s plan. He would try and kill her here. This was his chance. He was probably hiding in the shadows ready to strike at any moment. She cursed herself for being so foolish. She thought about going back.

  Something moved in the shadows.

  Kara flattened herself against the wall. She reached inside her jacket and drew another soul blade. She wielded the two blades before her. She strained to see. She wasn’t about to let herself be beaten down by Devon. She would get him first. Gently she pushed herself off the wall and took a step. She concentrated on the sounds around her—a drip of water from an old pipe, the screeching of metal against metal—but no Devon.

  Red eyes flashed in the darkness.

  A dark shape rose. Kara could just discern the shadow of a human form, small and childlike. It was bent like an insect. Abnormally long arms brushed the ground. Claws scraped the concrete floors. A low cackle sounded in the darkness. The foul smell of rotten flesh burned her nostrils—a demon.

  The red eyes moved lower, and Kara could see the demon crouch down, about to leap. She leaned forward and steadied her arms. She was ready.

  Hands grabbed Kara by the throat, and she flew into the air. She crashed against the wall behind her and slipped to the ground. The hands wrapped themselves around her throat. Her neck was on fire. She lifted her blades and hacked at the limbs around her neck. The demon let go.

  She heard the sound of scraping to her right. Ignoring the pain in her neck, she flailed her arms in front of her, cutting through the darkness like a mad woman. Kara strained to see, but it was no use. There was only darkness. Another cackle of laughter caught her attention. Her anger rose. It was taunting her. The demon knew she couldn’t see it.

  Kara reached deep inside and called upon her elemental power. She desperately tried to tap into that energy she knew was hidden inside her soul. And once again, it let her down.

  Frustrated, Kara cursed herself for not bringing a moonstone. Her only weapons were her two soul blades, and they weren’t exactly helping her to see. Red eyes danced before her. The demon was enjoying itself.

  Pain pierced at her back. She staggered forward. Her back was on fire. Kara cried out in excruciating pain. She turned and swung her blades at her invisible foe. But she only cut the air.

  She steadied herself. Another pair of red eyes watched her from above. It hung from the ceiling like a fly. Now there were two of them. What were these demons? She felt the panic rise in her. How was she to fight back when she couldn’t see? She was an easy prey for them.

  A scraping sound came from down the hallway. Kara counted a dozen more pairs of red eyes coming her way. She didn’t have time to think. There were too many. Too many, and it was too dark. They would be upon her in seconds. The sound of their gaping maws echoed in the dark. The hairs on her arms rose.

  Kara whipped around and pushed her blade into a demon’s eye. Wetness sprayed her face. The creature let out an ear-piercing wail. With her other blade, she slashed at where she imagined its head would be. She heard a soft thud, like a chunk of meat hitting the floor. The demon crumbled at her feet. She jumped over it and dashed down the hallway. She didn’t stop to see if the others had chased her. The eerie scraping of claws against the concrete floor sounded behind her.

  Kara ran blindly down the hallway. She stretched out her left hand and ran her fingertips against the wall. Suddenly the wall ended. Kara dashed into the opening to her left. Something caught her foot, and she crashed into some kind of glass wall. Shattered pierces of glass exploded all around her as she fell onto the floor. She staggered to her feet, shaken. She felt something in her head. She reached up and pulled a large shard of glass out of her forehead. Light poured from the gash. Kara was able to see a little. Chunks of glass poked out from her M-5 suit. She was covered in broken glass. She could hear the demons approaching. She didn’t have time to remove the glass.

  With the little light coming from her forehead, Kara bolted down another hallway. She could still hear the demons’ claws scraping the floors behind her. The putrid smell of rot reached her nose again, and she sensed hot breath near the nape of her neck.

  They were close.

  Kara ran down more halls and through corridors. She passed many openings and rooms that were littered with junk. She couldn’t see beyond that. She had just enough light to see five feet in front of her. The M-5 series were strong, and Kara was thankful she hadn’t tired—just yet. But one thing was for sure—Kara knew she was lost.

  She was deep into the bowels of the asylum. With the demons on her trail, her prospects didn’t look very good. But she was determined to find her way out. She knew she was in the basement. She needed to find stairs to go up to the next level. At least on the first floor she could jump out of a window if she had to. She doubted whether she could find enough water to make the plunge back to Horizon. If she had some luck on her side, maybe she could find some washrooms. There had to be washrooms in this enormous building—maybe on the upper floors. Yes. Kara increased her speed and ran down the corridor—a dead end.

  The hallway stopped abruptly. A large white wall stared back at her. She remembered passing an opening only moments before. There was no escape. She would have to fight her way out through a corridor of demons.

  Kara whirled around and brandished her soul blades. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  At least thirty demons scurried towards her. There were too many. Some crawled from the ceiling and the walls. Glowing red eyes flashed with hunger. She would cut as many as she could and make a run for the doorway. The light coming from her forehead illuminated them clearly. They were definitely humanoid, with unusually large heads and slimy black
skin that covered their skeletal bodies. They looked bent and broken, with abnormally long arms that dragged behind them as they crawled closer. Their foul smell burned into Kara’s nose like acid.

  They lunged.

  Kara lifted her blades and struck down as many times as she could. Their claws ripped at her head, her limbs. They were trying to rip her apart. Kara slashed off the hands that tried to grab her face. Pain erupted in her side. She cried out. Three demons had their mouths attached to her sides. They were eating her m-flesh—they were eating her. She tried to call out to her power, but she was too frightened. There were just too many. Her panic rose as she hacked away at their black limbs. Her face was wet with their blood.

  More demons came.

  She felt the weight of a dozen or more bodies on top of her. Their hands covered her eyes. They pulled at her head. She felt her soul blades yanked from her hands. Panic engulfed her. She wasn’t going to make it out.

  Then they were gone.

  Kara stumbled and fell. She looked around. The demons had vanished. She examined herself. Large gashes and bite marks covered her entire body. Light spilled from the many wounds. Her M-5 suit was stronger than the regular suits, but she felt that it had been damaged. The demons had done a number on it. She pushed herself up and staggered back towards where she had last seen an opening—

  Hands grabbed her.

  “Got her.”

  Kara thrashed around. Devon and Al held her tightly by her arms.

  “What are you doing? Let me go.” Kara struggled against their grip, but she couldn’t pull free. She was lifted in the air and carried down the hall. She kicked and screamed as hard as she could. She smiled when she hit Al in the face with her boot. A soft yellow light poured from a room up ahead. They dragged Kara through a doorway and into the room, never letting her go.

  The room was filled with old rusted medical equipment. Jars of blue and yellow liquid covered the entire back wall. A single metal bathtub stood at the far end of the room. Large metal restraints were welded into the concrete floor and against the wall behind the tub. Another pair of metal restraints dangled from the ceiling by a chain above the tub. Dark stains covered the floor at the foot of the bath. A chill passed through Kara. This is where they experimented on the patients.

  Cassiel stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “Ah. There she is.” He lifted his brows. “And injured, as I hoped she would be.”

  And then it hit her. This was supposed to happen. Like an idiot, she had been lured into another trap. “You wanted this to happen to me,” Kara spit the words out of her mouth. “Didn’t you?”

  Cassiel smiled and pointed to the tub. “Put her in.”

  Devon and Al threw Kara into the bathtub. They pinned her down easily and fastened the restraints. Kara pulled at her restraints.

  “Of course. I wanted you weak. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to kill you.”

  Kara scrambled around and managed to sit up. “How … how can you do this,” she hissed. “You’re an archangel! You’re sworn to protect the mortals! Let go of me!” Kara kicked with her feet as hard as she could.

  Cassiel shook his head. “Ah … Kara … Kara … Kara. How little you know. The mortals are the problem, dear girl. Don’t you see? For thousands of years we have been forced to save their miserable souls. And for what? What do we get from it? Nothing. Why should we waste our energy on lesser beings? Why should we care about their mundane lives?”

  He walked over to the shelves and grabbed a large white plastic bottle. He read the label and shook the contents. “Do you know what this is?” He turned and sauntered towards the tub.

  “Who cares?” Kara’s anger flared. Cassiel’s betrayal ran deep. “I trusted you. How could you! Get me out of this, Cassiel.”

  “I’m afraid not.” He unscrewed the top. “You see my dear, I need to get you out of the way. You’re the only one with enough power to do some real damage to our lord. And we can’t have that now, can we?”

  Kara pulled at her chains. “You’re following the words of a madman. Can’t you see? This is madness. The mortals are not the enemy. Asmodeus is!”

  Cassiel held up the bottle for Kara to see. “This here is acid. Just a drop burns through metal.” He smiled wickedly at Kara. “Your mortal suit will melt away within seconds. You’ll be left without a shell—an easy kill. It’ll be quick, I promise.”

  Kara watched Cassiel tip the bottle. “Stop!” she cried desperately. “The Legion will find out. You’ll pay for this.” She tried to stall for time.

  The archangel laughed softly. “How can they? There won’t be anything left of you to be discovered.” Cassiel tipped the bottle.

  A scraping sound came from beyond the threshold.

  Suddenly, a large dog lunged at Cassiel’s throat.

  The archangel staggered sideways, and dropped the bottle. It splashed onto the floor, barely missing the tub. Cassiel fell to the ground as the great dog tore at his neck. Cassiel was lost in a layer of dark brown fur. But the archangel was strong. He tore the dog from his body and snapped its neck. He tossed the dead dog to the side. A smirk materialized on his face, pleased at his success.

  Four more dogs appeared.

  The giant dogs all leaped onto Cassiel. The canines tore at the archangel’s flesh with incredible force. The weight of the great beasts forced him down. His eyes were wide with terror. Fear rose in Kara’s breast as she watched the dogs rip and tear away at the archangel. With a great pull, Cassiel lost an arm. Kara’s jaw dropped.

  Devon and Al jumped to his aid. They slashed their black blades at the dogs. But the dogs didn’t stop. More dogs charged into the room. They didn’t even glance at Kara. Their eyes were fixed on the others. Kara counted a dozen giant dogs. They leaped into the air and opened their massive jaws. The sound of tearing flesh froze her in her place. She had never witnessed such a terrifying scene. She loved dogs. She never imagined how scary they could be when they were angry.

  Cassiel managed to push off his attackers. He fled through the door without looking back. He abandoned his teammates.

  The bodies of Devon and Al disappeared as the dogs ate them. Then they turned their eyes to Kara, and she felt a shiver roll up her back. Were they coming to eat her now?

  A white and tan dog trotted in. He was short and bulky, with a large square head. His tongue hung on the side of his jaw. He walked up to the tub and sniffed.

  “You look like hell. If you really needed a bath, I could have helped you with that,” said the dog.

  Kara collapsed in relief. “Thor! I’m so glad to see you.”

  The bulldog waddled along the floor and went to inspect the bottle. “Just in time I see. This is acid. You were about to become angel stew.”

  “How did you find me?”

  Thor sat on his hind legs and began to scratch his ear. “Jenny sent me a message. She said you were on a rotten mission with some traitors. I followed your stench.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You’re lucky you smell so bad, otherwise we might have missed you.”

  Kara didn’t respond. She thought she smelled great. She glanced over at the great dogs. Some lay comfortably on the floor while others sat staring at her. They seemed to be listening in.

  “Are they Scouts, like you?”

  Thor jumped up and stretched proudly. “Yes. My comrades, the king shepherds.”

  Kara examined the dogs. They were all very large with long fluffy brown and black fur. The markings on their faces were distinctly those of a shepherd. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  “You’re welcome,” chorused the dogs. They seemed to smile at her. The largest of the group trotted over and dropped a key in her lap.

  “Found this on one of the traitors. I almost swallowed it,” said the large dog.

  Kara thanked him and began to unlock her restraints.

  Thor lifted his head and smelled the air. “Demons. We should get going.”

  Kara j
umped out of the tub. She watched the shepherds file out together. She rubbed her wrists. “You don’t have to ask me twice. This place gives me the creeps. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 9

  Castello di Zena