Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  Kara was immediately sucked into a giant vacuum of nothingness. The void of blackness that surrounded her reminded her of the wrenching sensation she had felt when she had stepped through a Rift before. She hated it. She tried to turn her head to search for the others, but she couldn’t move. She was being dragged helplessly into a giant funnel. A speck of red light appeared. It seemed so far away, like a twinkling star. The speck grew until her surroundings exploded in red light.

  Kara was thrown to the ground. She sneezed into red fluff. Two other bodies crashed onto her, and she let out a yelp. With great effort, she squeezed herself out from under them. She grabbed a handful of blood red velvet drapes and pulled herself to her feet. In the process, she knocked her head on a twirling disco ball.

  A giant cockroach greeted her with a bow. “Kara! Ma chéri! I knew ’u would come back to me, mon amour!” He sprung upwards and landed on the panel next to her, his long red tailcoat rippling around him. His antennae shaped the form of a heart. “’You cannot live wizout moi!”

  David scrambled to his feet. “Are you freaking serious? We’re in an elevator with a giant cockroach who’s in love with you? Please tell me I’m dreaming.”

  Peter sat on the ground and adjusted his glasses. “Whoa…is it friendly?” He cowered against the back panel and grabbed his ankles. “I never liked roaches. Especially big ones.”

  “Check it out—the bug’s wearing clothes.” David inspected the giant cockroach. “Kara, is this where you landed the first time? In here? With this giant bug?”

  “Yes and yes.” Kara rubbed her head and steadied the disco ball. “This is exactly where I arrived the first time. Where I met Jean-Pierre.”

  “Ah ha! Iz ’ee ’ur boyfriend?” Jean-Pierre poked David in the chest with his cane. He observed David suspiciously with beady black eyes. “Iz not very good looking, ’u know. ’Ee does not smell very good.”

  David slapped the cane away. “Easy there bug. You don’t want me to go all terminator on you.”

  “Bug! Non, non, non!” the bug spat angrily. He tipped his black top hat with his two forearms. “I am Jean-Pierre. And ’oo are you? What are you doing ’ere?”

  “Jean-Pierre,” Kara stepped forward. “I’d like you to meet my friends David and Peter. We’re on a mission to save our friend who was taken against her will into the netherworld. Will you help us?” Kara flashed her best smile. She remembered having to kiss the cockroach in order for him to help her. She prayed he would not ask her to do it again. Not with David and Peter watching. It would be too humiliating.

  Jean-Pierre studied Kara with large black eyes. Every second or so, he looked over to David and Peter, then back to her. It was unnerving to be scrutinized by a giant bug.

  “Angels are forbidden into ze nezerworld,” said Jean-Pierre at last.

  “But you’ve let me go before. Please, Jean-Pierre,” Kara pleaded. “This is really important. Wouldn’t you do everything you could for a friend in trouble?”

  She watched the cockroach’s eyes carefully for a sign of understanding. She had hoped that Jean-Pierre would let them pass without question. She hadn’t anticipated his reluctance.

  “’Zat was différent, ma chéri. You are not like zem.” Jean-Pierre followed her every move with his bulging black eyes. “You ’ave ze demon in you.”

  Kara sighed. “Tell me about it.” Kara started to feel more desperate. Jenny was out there somewhere being tortured—and Jean-Pierre was giving her a hard time.

  Jean-Pierre studied David and Peter for a moment. His antennae folded over like a question mark. “But zey do smell a little différent—what iz dat? Why do you smell different?”

  “It’s a long story.” Kara held her head in her hands. David and Peter had not been part of the original plan. She had to think of something.

  “Jean-Pierre…I’ll…I’ll give you what you want, if you let me and my friends pass through. What do you say?”

  “What’s going on, Kara?” David stepped in front of the cockroach. “What does it want?” Kara saw David reach inside his jacket.

  Kara sprung between David and Jean-Pierre and pushed away his blade. “Jean-Pierre, my friend Jenny needs our help.” She pressed her hands together. “I beg you. Please let us pass.”

  Jean-Pierre eyeballed David. The disco ball reflected in his eyes. “I zee that you ’ave replaced moi with ’im.” He pressed his forearms against his chest. “My ’eart iz broken.”

  “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 li
ke 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 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 buildings. 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. Kar
a 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