Light shimmered behind Kara’s closed eyelids. She felt groggy and sore, as if she had just wakened from a long sleep. Had she been in rugby game against the Big Girls with Tempers from Riverside High? Even her eyelids were sore. It must have been a brutal game—but she couldn’t remember. Her memories were drifting away like leaves in a breeze. She strained to focus, but it was no use. A dull throb welled inside her head, pushing away her concentration. Strange. Maybe she had been hit on the head?
I have to wake up. Eyelids open.
Nothing happened.
Her awareness wandered, and the ache in her head worsened. Her memories floated inside her head like pieces in a puzzle. Mr. Patterson was expecting her this morning. There was an entire horror section to categorize and scan through the new computer program, and Mr. Patterson couldn’t even work the cash register properly let alone decipher a new computer program. Her face curled into a smile. Mr. Patterson needed her, and it was nice to be needed. Then she would have the afternoon off—plenty of time to spend with David.
She concentrated on the sounds around her. Silence. Sparrows didn’t chirp outside her bedroom window, and the neighbor’s miniature schnauzer didn’t bark. Even the muffled sound of heavy traffic from her street was absent. The calmness unnerved her. This wasn’t normal.
Kara felt claustrophobic and struggled feverishly to open her eyes, but her lids would not part. She willed herself to wake. Slowly she forced her eyes open.
She was in a white room.
At first, she thought she was in a hospital, suffering from a head injury from the rugby game, but she quickly realized that she was in no mortal place. Gleaming white walls surrounded her on three sides and were lost into an endless white sky above. On the fourth side she could see four great wooden doors with intricate designs carved into the wood. They were painted in gold and red, like elegant jewels. Their golden handles were carved into the shapes of big watchful eyes. Bright red and blue neon signs sizzled and flashed above each door. Kara leaned in for a closer look.
The signs read:
Door # 1 - Unintentional mortal killing
Door # 2 - Mortal killing in angel-defense
Door # 3 - Intentional mortal killing
Door # 4 - Other
It all came back to her then. The Seirs’ attack on the Sensitives...the missing children...Lilith’s weapon...the infected mortals...the cabin fire...Elder Otis.
Ranab—she had killed a mortal.
Kara’s head fell to her hands. What had she done? Had she ended her own angel career by executing Ranab? This was by far the worst thing she’d ever done as an angel. It was a Tartarus offence, ‘a lock her up and throw away the key’ kind of violation. She knew this was worse than a trip to the angel prison—it was the end of the road for her.
Gathering herself, Kara raised her head slowly. She read the signs over and over, for what seemed like hours, not sure which door to open. Ranab had died as result of her strike, but she had killed him in order to protect the elder. He was going to kill him. Was it intentional mortal killing or mortal killing in angel-defense? It couldn’t be an angel-defense since Elder Otis was a mortal. She had fought to save his life—not another angel’s. Perhaps it was intentional mortal killing, since she had struck out at Ranab willingly. She had wanted to kill him.
She remembered the darkness she had felt inside her. Was it to blame?
She had enjoyed the sensation of the new cool energy flowing through her. It had revitalized her. In those seconds she had forgotten who she was and had lost control of herself and her mission. The darkness had compelled her. Deep down, she had always wanted to kill him—she had always been bad.
One thing was for sure; it was all over for her now. The elder had been wrong. She was no savior of the mortal world—she was nothing special—just an angel with bad blood.
Reluctantly, Kara stepped forward and wrapped her hand around the golden handle of door number three, Intentional Mortal Killing. She could feel the coolness of the metal. She pushed open the door and stepped through the threshold.
She walked into a giant bathroom.
Rows of stand-alone glass showers lined the back wall of the massive rectangular room. A single chrome shower head sprouted from the top of the showers, like long elongated arms. All the stalls were empty, but cherubs stood next to the showers, waiting. Their blue-forget-me-not robes shimmered in the light. Three oracles occupied a long wooden desk on the right side of the room and busied themselves with paperwork. Water dripped into each stall and an earsplitting suction noise rose from the drains. With determined faces, the oracles stamped documents loudly. They mumbled among themselves, but Kara couldn’t hear what they were saying. Halogen lights flickered and buzzed, and added an eerie melody to the gloomy place.
Twelve grim-faced angels filed in and stood in line, waiting to use the showers. Shame and regret painted their faces. Suppressing her feeling of awkwardness, Kara stepped closer for a better look. A plump woman with blond curly hair stepped slowly into an empty shower. She reached out and pulled a chrome lever. Immediately, sparkling water sprouted from the shower-head. The woman sobbed. Water trickled down her cheeks like tears. Within moments, her body was covered in brilliant lights like a coat of diamonds. Her body sizzled, popped, and then disintegrated. Her clothes floated to the bottom of the shower in a crumbled wet mess. The water receded and her dazzling soul hovered in the shower like a lonely firefly. A cherub holding a large glass jar stepped into the shower. He grabbed the soul gently and placed it carefully into the jar. Another cherub with broom twice his size swept the clothes into a mountain-high pile of clothes at the back of the room.
Kara frowned. At least the souls were kept alive. It was better than she had imagined.
This would be her fate. She felt the same humiliation that reflected in the eyes of the other angels—she had broken the sacred oath; they all had. Her guardian angel days would end with a cold shower.
“Kara Nightingale!”
Kara jumped. The three oracles sat above their crystal balls with their tiny arms crossed over their chests. Their bare feet peeked from under their long silver robes. Their expressions were unreadable. With feet like blocks of concrete, Kara sighed and dragged herself over to the desk. Her shoulders slumped as she stood and waited. She clasped her hands in front of her and picked at her fingernails nervously.
The oracle in the middle fumbled with some paperwork. He flipped open a file and his eyebrows rose. After reading for a moment, he slammed it shut with the palm of his hand. Finally, he laced his fingers and looked up at Kara.
“So...Miss Clara. You have killed a mortal with intent,” said the oracle in a concerned tone.
Kara lowered her head. “Yes, oracle.” It sounded much worse when she heard it out loud from the mouth of an oracle. She felt ashamed, as if she had been scolded by one of her teachers after she had done poorly in a test.
“Hmmm.” The oracle drummed his fingers on the desk. “The price of breaking this sacred oath is very severe. Angels are guardians of the Earth, soldiers sworn to protect all mortals...but you have taken a life.” He looked sad. “Do you understand the seriousness of your actions?”
Kara nodded. “I do...but...I was told if we killed a mortal we would suffer a true death.” Kara pointed behind her to the showers. “But I just saw the cherubs take the souls away.”
The oracle’s face wrinkled into a smile. “You are quite right.” He leaned back and twirled his finger around his long white beard. He shared a look with the other two oracles and their faces beamed contentedly. “You see my dear, if angels knew the truth...then they would not be so reluctant to kill a mortal, now would they? It’s best they believe they will die a true death if they break the sacred law. Don’t you agree?”
“I guess so. What does this mean? What happens next?”
He blinked up at Kara. “Those who forsake the oath will have their guardian status removed, with immediate effect. Their souls will become mort
al—they can never become guardians again. It’s not a true death, per say, but it is a guardian angel’s death—so to speak.”
Kara didn’t comment. She knew what she had done, and was prepared to pay the price. At least her soul would live on. Maybe she could even have a regular life with David. She wondered if her friends would be able to stop Lilith. Would she get the weapon? This entire mess with Lilith was her fault, and now she wouldn’t even be able to help.
“Ending a mortal life is very serious,” continued the oracle. “You were sworn to protect them, no matter how vile and evil they might be. It is the law.”
Kara looked the oracle in the eyes. “I’m not sorry about killing Ranab. I’m sorry I broke the rules, but he was going to execute the elder. It was a judgment call, and I made a choice. Maybe it was the wrong one according to the laws, but I’m not sorry I did it. I’d do it again if I had to.”
The oracles were speechless. They huddled together and spoke softly to each other. Kara leaned forward, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Kara stood waiting as they went on speaking to one another. She was getting a little annoyed. Had they forgotten about her completely?
“Ahem...excuse me, oracles?” she burst out suddenly. “So...do I go stand in line with the rest of the guardians?”
The oracles turned slowly to face Kara once more. The expressions on their faces were more hopeful. The oracle on Kara’s right spoke next.
“No.”
Kara’s jaw dropped. She stared at them dumbfounded. “No? I’m not sure I understand. I thought you just said that I wasn’t going to suffer a true death. I thought my soul was safe. This is different because I killed a Seir, isn’t it? I’m not going to have a normal mortal life now, am I?” She studied their faces, trying to make sense of it all.
The oracles shared another look before answering.
“We need you to finish your mission,” said the same oracle. “You are a strong guardian with unique abilities. Your talents have proven useful to us before, and the legion has much to thank you for. We know of Lilith’s plan. We know she has acquired a piece of the Arath. We are hoping you can stop her. The legion needs you, Tara . . .”
“It’s Kara.” Kara measured their faces. Had she heard right? “So...what does this mean, exactly? Do I get my job back?”
The three oracles leaned forward and answered as one. “You have twelve hours to complete your last mission.”
Things were looking up. Kara couldn’t believe her luck. Even if it were only for a short time, she was a guardian angel again.
She wondered if she should tell them about Morthdu, but decided against it. They wouldn’t grant her this last chance if they knew that her unique abilities included dark power.
“Is there something you wish to say?” inquired the oracle gently, seeing Kara’s internal struggle.
“Uh...no. Thank you, I guess.”
The oracle on Kara’s left reached over the desk. A tiny golden hourglass on a golden chain dangled from his hand. He lifted it to Kara. “Please take this. You will need it.”
Kara grasped the chain in her hand. She held it up to the light. A slow trickle of crystal sand fell from the top to the bottom glass bulb.
“What is it?”
“It’s a crystal timer.” The oracle folded his hands together on the desk. “You need to finish your mission before the rest of the crystal runs through. It’s exactly twelve hours.”
Kara pulled the chain over her head. The crystal timer fell against her chest. “What happens if I don’t?”
Sadness washed over the oracle’s face. “Then the mortal world will have been lost. You will reappear here and stand in line with the others, waiting to use the showers.”
She didn’t like the sound of that.
Twelve hours. It was tight, but it might be enough to scout out Lilith and get the other piece of the Arath. That is only if she knew where it was.
“Do you know where the other piece of the weapon is?”
The oracle nodded grimly. “The other piece of the Arath is in Rome, hidden amongst the ancient treasures of the Pantheon. We depend upon you, Clara. You must find the other piece of the weapon.”
Kara fumbled with the crystal timer. “I will, don’t worry—”
The oracle lifted up his hand. “And you mustn’t tell anyone about the crystal timer, or this place. You cannot even tell your friends. You must promise. Angels must continue to think that killing a mortal will result in their true death.”
Kara lifted the collar of her shirt and slipped the crystal timer underneath. “Okay, but won’t they wonder why I’m back? What am I supposed to tell them?”
“Just tell them that the legion owed you a debt—one last chance. You can tell them that Ranab hadn’t much human blood left in him, but that’s it.”
“Okay, I promise,” said Kara. She hoped she was a good enough liar to pull it off. She probably wasn’t.
“One more thing,” continued the oracle with a serious expression. “If you kill or injure another mortal severely, the crystal timer will empty and your mission will be over. You will find yourself back here. Do you understand?”
The crystal timer felt cool against her angel skin. She tapped it gently beneath her shirt and sighed. “I understand. I won’t kill any more mortals, not matter how evil.”
The oracles shared a grave look again. “And one last thing. Your priority is to find the weapon before Lilith does. No matter what, you must secure the weapon. The sake of the mortal world depends on it. No matter how delicate a situation you find yourself in, and no matter who may need your help—you must bring back the weapon. Lives may be sacrificed. Nothing else matters.”
Kara frowned. “I’m not quite sure what you mean. Are you saying I’m going to let some mortals die? I won’t let anyone die.”
“I’m afraid you won’t have a choice; sacrifices may be inevitable.”
The oracles sat in silence, lost in thought.
A strange feeling crept in the back of her mind, but she pushed it away. The oracles knew best, whatever sacrifice they were talking about was for the greater good. She had to trust them.
“Okay, then,” she nodded her head. “I’m ready. How do I get out of here?”
The oracle gestured behind her. “You can go through the same door you came in. Once you step out that door, you will be back at the exact spot where you were before you were transported here.”
“Right.” Kara turned toward the great wooden door with the number three sign. Its gold and red paint stood out against the white walls of the giant bathroom; out of place, just like her. Kara frowned.
“Thank you, for giving me more time—for this second chance.” Kara smiled. She clutched the crystal timer beneath her shirt. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”
“Go, and may the souls protect you,” said the oracles.
With one last look at the showers, Kara walked to the door, pulled it open, and stepped through.
Chapter 11
Back from the Dead
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1 Page 95