Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  “Uh...uh...” was all Kara could muster.

  She closed her mouth and scratched the back of her neck. She remembered Morthdu’s blazing green mass and the warning: The darkness lives in you.

  An angel with dark and light powers—was she this angel? Could there be truth in what this old man was saying? Was her elemental part to blame? Was it dark? She shook her head slowly. She had enough pressure on her shoulders with the missing kids and with Lilith’s latest atrocities; so much weighed on her already. And now, according to the old man, the fate of the mortal world rested on her shoulders.

  Her leg bounced up and down and she couldn’t stop from shaking. At first, she had thought they had accompanied Santo all this way because they had some insight into the whereabouts of the children, or maybe even Lilith. But so far this wasn’t it. What was this old man talking about? She hadn’t planned on sharing fairytale prophecies with a two hundred year-old corpse, no matter how delicate the situation is or how odd. They were wasting precious time.

  The elder’s eyes glistened with certainty. They locked onto hers, and followed her every move. His irises shrunk and nearly vanished. Kara leaned back. It was as though he was trying to read her mind. She averted her eyes. She didn’t want to upset the old man; he looked frail enough as it was. From the confident smile on his face, she could tell he was positive she was this angel the prophecies spoke of.

  She wasn’t even convinced she actually believed in prophecies. Part of her didn’t want to admit what the old man was saying could be true. It was all just crazy. Maybe there was another angel with tainted essence. They couldn’t all be pure-blood. Could they?

  The room was silent, as if everyone was waiting to hear more about this prophecy, or just Kara’s reaction to it.

  Though it was very unsettling, she met his eyes again and tried to read his face. Could this elder know about her elemental power? Did the legion share delicate information with the Sensitives? Did all the Sensitives know who she was?

  “Yes, it is true,” he said, as if reading her mind. “You are the one—the angel of mixed essence.”

  “You know about me?”

  “Yes,” said Elder Otis. “I’ve been following your progress. All the elders have. We are kept informed about the latest otherworldly events. We share a bond with the angel realm. It is the reason why we are here—to keep an eye on the rest of the human population, and to help out as much as we can. The Sensitives have been dealing with the legion for over two millennia. After all, we have the same essence flowing in our veins.”

  Kara glanced at the old man’s arms. Bulging blue and purple veins stretched beneath his paper-thin skin. Unconsciously, she pressed a hand against her own wrist. Her skin was smooth and vein-less. It made sense to her that the legion had created a unique kind of mortals who had teamed up with the angels to keep the rest of the mortals safe. The legion couldn’t be everywhere at once, and the Sensitives could take care of the Seirs when the angels could not.

  Elder Otis studied Kara excitedly. “Your actions speak for themselves, my dear Kara. You have already destroyed the demon lord, Asmodeus.”

  Kara leaned forward. “I feel like an open book. Is there anything you don’t know about me?”

  Elder Otis laughed and wheezed painfully. He winced every time he coughed. Kara reached over to the glass of water, and helped him with some.

  “Thank you, my dear.” He smiled at her. “I thought that was the end for a moment.”

  Kara smiled, too, and placed the glass back on the table. She folded her hands on her thighs and waited. Already, she was beginning to form an attachment to the old man. He reminded her of her grandpa, a very skinny version of him.

  “We know a great deal more than you would think,” said the elder, and Kara thought she saw him wink. “I’ve spent all my life studying the great books. Not all the prophecies come true—but I am certain that you are the special angel from that particular prophecy.” Elder Otis grinned confidently and nodded his head.

  Kara pressed her lips together and shook her head gently. “But how can you be so sure if you say that not all prophecies come true? Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe this one won’t come true either.”

  The elder’s face softened. He spoke with absolute confidence. “It will. It has. You see, Kara—it has already begun. You have put the prophecy in motion already.”

  Kara leaned back. She had never believed in prophecies.

  “So...what else do the prophecies say?” Kara watched him with great interest. Maybe he had read some ancient scrolls that she had not seen? Maybe Lilith was somewhere in there as well...

  Elder Otis’s lips quivered. “Well, that depends. The old scrolls tell us that a young girl will replace me when I’m gone—which is unheard of—all elders are over a hundred years old.” He looked away for a moment, lost in thought. “But that doesn’t concern you, my dear.”

  Kara was completely confused. Surely everything Elder Otis had said should concern her. She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

  “Do you know anything about the creature Morthdu?”

  Elder Otis raised an eyebrow and was silent for a moment. “I’ve read about it. The keeper of the netherworld, they say—a creature of the darkest and most evil power. But I’m afraid that’s all I know. There wasn’t much about Morthdu in the old books.” Elder Otis studied Kara’s face. “Why do you ask?”

  Kara shook her head and leaned back. “No reason. It’s nothing, never mind.” She bit her lip. “Is there more in the prophecy about me? Or this special angel?”

  “No.” The elder shook his head. “But it is as clear as rain to me. You are this angel, Kara, and we need your help. The Sensitives are a dying race. Only a few are born every year, and girls are very rare now. And with the killings and the kidnappings of the children, our chances for survival are slim. You need to make things right again. You must stop Lilith from finding the second piece.”

  “What second piece? What are you talking about?” Kara glanced back at David. He leaned forward in his seat; his face was intense.

  Kara turned back to the elder. His bony knees stuck up from under the blanket like knives. “I’m not sure what you mean. Is this part of the prophecy too?”

  Elder Otis shook his head. He lifted a shaking hand. “Give me your hand, Kara Nightingale.”

  He offered his bony white hand to Kara. Reluctantly, Kara took his hand into hers. She could feel his long yellow fingernails in her palm. His hand was ice-cold.

  The elder squeezed her hand with a firm grip. Kara was surprised at his strength. He cleared his throat.

  “You must stop the demon princess, Lilith...before it’s too late. Just like her father before her, she is filled with hatred for living creatures—but what is worst is her toxic hunger for power. She wants to rule over all things. She plans to exterminate all Sensitives and enslave all mortals with her army of Seirs and demons. If you do not succeed in stopping her, all free people will be murdered or enslaved. There will be no peace for Earth until Lilith is crushed.

  “She has in her possession a weapon of great power. You have already witnessed its devastation.”

  Kara frowned and nodded. “The madness of the villagers in Dirleton,” said Kara after a long pause. “I knew she had some sort of weapon. I remember seeing something glowing blue in her hand.”

  “Yes. She has acquired the first piece.”

  “The first piece? There’s more than one? What is this weapon?”

  Elder Otis’s eyes were sad. He loosened his grip on Kara. He glanced down as he spoke and closed his eyes. “Thousands of years ago the archangels created a weapon to control the humans—a terrible weapon called an Arath, a blue diamond cube of unimaginable power. But when they used it, they felt a terrible shame about what they had done. The archangels decided to break the weapon into two pieces, two pyramids of lesser power, and to hide them in two remote places of the world. Centuries later, the archangels had forgotten about them, but somehow L
ilith learned of this weapon. She has already discovered one piece. If she discovers both pieces, it’s enough to annihilate the entire human race. She will be as powerful as a God.”

  “That can’t be good for her giant ego,” interrupted David loudly. His laugh caught in his throat as Santo shot him a vicious glare. David glanced over to Kara and shrugged innocently.

  “The weapon responds to the will of the user,” continued the elder calmly, as if David hadn’t interrupted him, “which is why this is so grave. If the operator is evil...then the weapon becomes evil. If Lilith gets her hands on the other piece, no one...and nothing...will be able to stop her.”

  The elder’s eyes filled with tears suddenly, and he was unable to continue for a moment.

  “Kara...you must get the other part of the weapon before she does. All will be lost if you fail.” Tears trickled down his face.

  A lump formed in Kara’s throat, and she squeezed the elder’s hand gently. It pained her to see him cry. “I will find it, I promise you. I will find this weapon and get the children back. I swear it.” She shifted her weight and leaned a little closer. “Elder Otis, do you know where the other piece is—?”

  BOOM!

  Both front windows exploded in shards of glass as two fireballs burst into the cabin. The smell of gasoline rose in the air, and a giant orange tidal wave of fire engulfed them.

  “FIRE!”

  “Get the elder to safety!” someone shouted.

  “Protect the elder!”

  Kara leaped off the couch and stood in front of the elder protectively, but she was pushed roughly out of the way by Tabbris who charged past her like a great bear. He scooped up the elder easily as though he weighed no more than a little child. Ashes rained down and covered the floors in a soft grey carpet. Frantic shouts erupted in the cabin as the Sensitives ripped off the curtains and scrambled to put out the fire, but it was too late. Flames licked up the walls. The entire cabin would be in flames in a matter of seconds.

  “Kara! Get out of there!” cried David.

  Flames spilled around the wooden beams above his head. He ducked and waved for her to come. Jenny and Peter did their best to try and stamp out the fire with their boots. Santo kicked open the front door. Immediately, the fire grew. Santo flailed his arms frantically and urged them out. With their faces buried in the folds of their arms, the Sensitives rushed past him and disappeared out the door. The woman from the kitchen scrambled out behind them cursing loudly about her dinner.

  Kara glanced over her shoulder at the elder. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get you out of this.”

  Tabbris wrapped the elder protectively in his strong arms. “Quick, follow me.”

  Kara stepped forward.

  A wall of orange flames erupted in front of her.

  She jumped back and blinked through the flames and black smoke. She couldn’t see David and the others anymore. The elder coughed behind her. She had to get him out. If the fire didn’t kill him, the smoke would.

  Kara took a step forward. Would fire kill an angel? She stuck her hand into the flame, and three fingers melted, fell off, and brilliant light poured out from her hand.

  Kara cradled her injured fingers and cursed herself for being so stupid. She felt an uncontrollable protective instinct ripple through her. She wouldn’t let any harm come to Elder Otis. Her anger flamed inside her, and she raised her hands. A surge of elemental power surged through her body to her fingertips. Kara could feel a darkness as well. She ignored it.

  Golden electricity danced on her mortal skin. The power’s survival instinct kicked in.

  Kara stepped into the fire.

  Golden rays blasted from her body. The air cracked. She was aflame in a golden shower. She felt invincible. She embraced her power and let it loose. The rays soared around with powerful gusts of wind and extinguished the wall of fire. Smoke coiled from the floor and hovered in the air. The floor shook. The cabin wailed as burning logs broke off from the ceiling and crashed on the floor. Embers filled the air like red rain.

  Jenny rushed through the front door followed by Peter. David bounded towards Kara. She waved him off with her hand.

  “Go!” Kara yelled. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Reluctantly, David turned and disappeared through the door.

  Kara grabbed Tabbris’s jacket and pulled him towards her. “Quickly, before the fire comes back!” She bolted towards the front door. The big Sensitive cradled Elder Otis protectively in his arms and charged behind Kara. Black smoke choked out all the light and nearly blinded her. She ran through the threshold and leapt off the front porch.

  Thirty Seirs stood waiting on the front lawn.

  Chapter 9

  The Killing