Kara...Kara...
Kara’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked. At first, dark shadows clouded her vision, and then the dark was replaced by bright light. She blinked away the brightness as her vision gradually adjusted to her surroundings. David’s anxious face stared down at her.
“Kara! She’s awake! She’s awake!”
A gathering of worried faces gazed down upon her. Jenny’s bright green eyes shone with concern. Her bottom lip trembled. Peter’s pallid face was pinched tightly, and he looked about to pass out. A few curious Sensitives huddled around her, whispering amongst themselves. Half a smile formed on the corners of Santo’s lips. His dark eyes danced playfully. At least, he seemed pleased to see her again.
The moist smell of earth and the stink of smoke filled Kara’s nostrils. The back of her head was wet. By the look of shock on almost everyone’s face, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to lie herself out of this. She hoped her acting skills in front of the mirror were going to pay off. After a moment, she raised her hand.
“David, can you help me up please.”
David reached down and pulled Kara gently to her feet. The ground wavered for a moment, but then she steadied herself. The crystal timer bounced against her chest, a reminder that she had only twelve hours to complete her mission—starting now.
“I can’t believe you’re standing here,” said David. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” He grasped her hand tightly and didn’t let go, as though if he did she might suddenly explode and vanish again. He examined her more closely, his nose inches from her face. “This is incredible. It’s a freakin’ miracle.”
Kara pulled her hands from David’s tight grip and shook them. “I’m fine, David, really. No need to be making a big deal.”
“This is a big deal; you were gone and now you’re back. But...but...this doesn’t make any sense.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “You killed a mortal. We saw you die. We all did, Kara. Your body disappeared.”
Kara remembered the strange coolness she’d felt seconds before her vanishing act. It must have been horrible for her friends to watch her body disintegrate into thin air, to think that it was the last time they would ever see her. If it had happened to any of them, she knew that she would have been devastated. Her friends meant the world to her. She met David’s eyes and saw the hurt in them. Her throat ached, and she couldn’t find her voice. She so desperately wanted to reach out to him and tell him the truth, to wrap her arms around him one last time before her twelve hours were up. But she knew she couldn’t.
Peter stepped closer, “... and then five minutes later you reappeared. How’s that possible? You should be...dead, so to speak. You should have died an angel’s true death. How is it that you’re standing here now?”
Kara felt everyone’s attention on her, waiting to hear her story. She prayed silently that she had the strength to pull off the lies. The legion counted on her to keep her secret. Her mother had always told her that she could always tell when she was lying because her face would turn red. At least this time, the flush on her cheeks wouldn’t give her away.
She avoided David’s eyes and gazed at the ground and tried her best to look cool. “They gave me a one-time free pass. They said the legion owed me, so they gave me another chance.” Kara pressed her lips together and glanced up to see their reactions.
The Sensitives observed her silently from a safe distance. Was that fear she saw flash in their eyes? Santo stood close by, his head tipped to one side, stone-faced. Apparently, he was the only Sensitive who wasn’t freaked out about her reappearance.
Jenny reached out and squeezed Kara’s hand, her face beaming. “Well, I’m so happy they did. Didn’t know what I was going to do without my girl. The four of us are a team, you know.”
Kara smiled and relaxed a little. She knew she wouldn’t get any fussing from Jenny. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She laughed, hoping it would ease the tension a little.
David stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I thought I’d lost ya.” He struggled to compose himself. Kara’s knees buckled.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” His voice croaked. He lowered his eyes and brushed the earth with his boot. “I was losing my mind just now...you have no idea.”
Kara reached out and pressed her hand gently on his arm. “But you didn’t lose me. I’m still here, at least until I screw up again.”
For a moment only she and David stood in the grassy meadow staring at each other.
“That’s it?” inquired Peter, his eyebrows twitched. “They just conjured you back and here you are? There’s got to be more to it than that?”
Kara shrugged. “That’s all I know, Peter.”
“Interesting.” Peter watched Kara curiously. “I’ve never heard of the legion granting any angel’s life back after they killed a mortal.” Peter shared a look with David. “In fact...I’m sure this is the first time it’s happened.”
“So what are you saying, Peter? Aren’t you glad they did?” Annoyance tinted Kara’s voice. “I thought you’d be pleased to see me again.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “Well...yes, of course. I didn’t mean anything by it. If anyone deserves to be granted a second chance, it’s you. It’s just I’ve never heard of . . .”
“Where are the Seirs?” Kara studied the grounds. There had been a huge battle before she had killed Ranab, and now the land was silent, except for the rattling of leaves and the chirping of birds. A few Sensitives were scattered across the field, attending to the wounded and the dead. Signs of battle dotted the grounds. The green grass was trampled and stained with red. Fedora hats lay alone. But where were the Seirs?
Elder Otis sat on the grass with his back against the trunk of a large pine tree across from Kara. His head rested against his chest. Kara couldn’t tell if his eyes were open. His sadness was lost in his wrinkles. Tabbris’s body lay at his side, and the old man still held on to his hand. He looked so fragile now—a gust of wind might finish him off. He had lost many friends today. It pained Kara deeply to see him suffer.
Twelve hours. Would it be enough to stop Lilith and get their children back?
“What happened after I was gone?” asked Kara.
“The Seirs all spazed out,” answered David. “They got all weird when they saw Ranab explode into a million little clown particles...and then after you vanished, they just took off like a bunch of scared little cats.”
“They had lost their quarry,” said Santo, cutting in. Blood trickled from his nose, and his left eye was a swollen angry red color. His bloody hand rested on the hilt of his sword, but apart from that Kara couldn’t see any other injuries on him. “Without Ranab to lead them, they had to leave to regroup. There was nothing else here for them. I’m only sorry I wasn’t the one to kill him.” He smiled at Kara.
Kara returned his smile and looked away.
“These clowns are too stupid to think for themselves,” said David, with a lethal expression on his face. And then he added in a baby voice. “They needed their daddy to tell them what to do.”
Kara stifled a laugh and turned to Santo. “I hate to do this now, but I need to speak to the elder. It’s important.”
Santo squared his shoulders and nodded. “Come, I’ll take you to him.”
Kara followed Santo over to where the old man was resting. She kneeled down beside him following Santo’s example. The Sensitive touched his elder on the arm gently.
“Elder Otis?”
The elder’s lids opened and he raised his head slowly. Kara stiffened at the sight of his blood-red eyes. “Yes, Santo. What is it?”
“The angel Kara would like to have a word.”
With great effort, the elder turned his head and met Kara’s eyes. He smiled, and Kara felt a stab in her chest. “It’s nice to see you again, Kara. I had a feeling you’d be back soon. What is it my dear?”
Kara leaned forward on her heels, wondering how he could possibly have known. “I need yo
ur help, Elder Otis,” she said gently, even though her body raced with urgency. “I don’t have much time...I must find the other piece of the weapon before Lilith does.”
Wisps of hair floated about his head as he shook it gently. “I wish I could help you, Kara, but I do not know the whereabouts of the other piece.”
“It’s in Rome, hidden somewhere inside the Pantheon. That’s what the oracles told me. I just need Sensitives to help take care of possible Seirs that might show up. I can’t let my temper get the best of me this time.”
The old man raised his brows and his eyes lit up. “You are full of surprises, Kara Nightingale.” He smiled warmly. “I will see to it that our Sensitives in Italy attend to your needs.” He glanced to where the timer lay beneath her shirt for a second and then back to her. “Time is of the essence my dear. You must hurry.”
Kara frowned and restrained from touching the crystal timer. She wasn’t sure if the elders could read minds, but the way Elder Otis watched her told Kara that perhaps he knew more than he let on.
“Thank you, Elder Otis.” She reached out and grasped his bony hand. “I will bring back the children, I promise.”
Tears welled up in the elder’s eyes, and he smiled. “I know you will. The prophecies have foreseen it. I have great faith in you, Kara. May the souls protect you on your journey.”
With a last light squeeze of his hand, Kara pushed herself up. Santo rose to his feet and grasped Kara’s shoulder. His dark eyes pierced hers, and she shuddered.
“Take care of yourself, Kara the guardian.” He grinned, his long scar distorted, making it look even angrier. Kara averted her eyes away from his scar.
“I’m sure you’ll find many new friends amongst our kin in Italy,” he continued, “May the souls guide you on your quest.” After a moment he let her go and settled back down with the elder.
Kara could not hear their muffled conversation as she walked away to join the others. For only a moment, she reached inside her shirt and stole a peek at the crystal timer.
The bottom of the glass was already covered with sandy crystals.
Was that amount equal to about an hour? She dropped the chain back under her shirt and kept walking. Time was already running out.
David approached her immediately. “What was that you were holding? I’ve never known you to wear jewelry. Is that a necklace?”
Kara froze. Pricks ran over her mortal skin. It seemed the crystals were already testing her loyalty. The fact that she had stopped made it even worse, as though she was hiding something and just got caught. She did her best to look nonchalant. “It’s not really a necklace; it’s more of a lucky charm.”
“Well, I guess you can say it worked. Luck brought you back. Can I see it?”
“No,” said Kara briskly. She immediately regretted the anxiety in her tone. David studied her silently. David was clever, maybe even too clever for his own good. He might figure it out eventually. Kara had to keep his mind off it.
The only thing that kept her going was the prospect of returning to her mortal life with David—and to have that she needed to find the other piece.
Kara avoided David’s questioning stare and put on a brave face as Peter and Jenny joined them. “Listen up. We need to get a move on. We need to find the other piece of the weapon before Lilith does.”
“And do we know where to look? It could be anywhere?” asked Peter.
Kara nodded. “Rome, Italy, in the Pantheon. That’s where we’ll find the other piece.”
David whistled loudly. “I’ve always wanted to see the Pope. You think he’ll receive us? I’ve got some tips for him on his wardrobe.”
Kara nudged David playfully. “We are not going to see the Pope, you ninny. We don’t have much time, and we need to scout the entire building. It’s huge. I’ve seen pictures on Wikipedia—stop staring at me like that, David. We’ll need to split up in pairs, and we’ll have some help from the Sensitives in Italy, in case more Seirs show up.”
“I have a feeling the freaks will show up,” said David. “There’s still a bounty on your soul. They won’t give you up so easily.”
“But at least for now, they think I’m dead—that should give us some extra time before they figure it out.”
“That could take a while.” David sneered. “All that makeup’s bound to affect their brains.”
Jenny rocked on the balls of her feet. “So, when do we depart on our next adventure?” A mischievous smile spread across her face.
Kara clenched her jaw.
“Right now. Let’s show Lilith the meaning of payback.”
Chapter 12
Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1 Page 96