Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  Kara’s anger erupted. “Lilith! I’ve should have known you’d be involved in something like this.”

  Kara tried to move out from under the drooling creature, but it was like trying to move a car.

  Lilith laughed. “I guess you wish you had killed me when you had the chance—right? But you couldn’t, could you—your pathetic conscience wouldn’t let you. It’s always been your greatest weakness—so totally predictable—you’re just so good. It’s sickening.”

  Kara struggled under the snow beast’s weight. She felt warm liquid trickle from down her left eyebrow.

  “What’s this?” Lilith bent down and traced her finger on Kara’s forehead. “Blood? You’re mortal? Yes, I see it now—you’re not a glowing puppet like them.”

  Lilith stood up and shook her head. “Tut—tut—tut, how delightfully perfect. It’ll be even easier to kill you, and this time you’ll stay dead. Your cursed angel soul is going to die tonight, dearest sister, along with your angel friends. I can’t say I feel sorry. Nope. It’s time for you to feel the pain and suffering that I did in this blood—bag of a body. You’re going to pay dearly for doing this to me.”

  Kara glowered. “I didn’t do anything to you—you did it to yourself. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be in a girl’s correction facility or something.”

  Lilith’s red lips spread into a smile. “I broke out of that easily after I was caught robbing a jewelry store, then a Mercedes Benz, and after that a few ATMs. Those stupid mortals weren’t very happy when I got my hands on a few automatic weapons.”

  “News flash—you’re a mortal too.”

  Lilith’s smile disappeared. “Yes, an unfortunate oversight thanks to you, but not for long.”

  Kara screwed up her face. “What? What are you talking about?”

  Her half—sister ignored her and called out to the snow beast. “Bring the others. It’s time.”

  The snow beast released Kara, and she gladly filled her lungs with air. She winced as she stood up. She knew she had a few bruised or broken ribs, but she was still alive.

  Something hit her in the back, and she staggered forward. The snow beast prodded her with its nose, urging her forward.

  David and Jenny stumbled beside her, each with a snow creature nudging them on. Jenny turned around and punched the creature on its snout. The beast retaliated with a powerful blow to her head and knocked her to the ground. Cursing loudly Jenny struggled to her feet, more angry than hurt.

  David’s expression darkened at the sight of Lilith. “Well, isn’t it my favorite albino—Barbie? I thought you’d joined the freak show by now. But I guess the circus couldn’t fit you in between The Elephant Man and The Four legged Lady. I thought you’d make a splendid Queen of the Freaks.”

  Lilith giggled and raked her long blonde hair with her fingers. “I knew you’d tag along, David McGowan. You always seem to appear whenever I have dealings with my sister.”

  “I’m like a bad habit—I always turn up.”

  “Take their weapons. Search them.”

  The beasts obediently took away their soul blades and Jenny’s bow and quiver with the few arrows she had left.

  With a red manicured finger, Lilith counted their heads. “Aren’t you missing someone? Yes, the boy with the glasses—the mousy looking one. Didn’t something unfortunate happen to him?” she laughed.

  “Shut up,” growled Jenny, “Don’t say another word.”

  Lilith raised her brows at Jenny, a hint of a smile on her face. “Ah yes, Janet. I see you still have that abominable purple hair.”

  She inspected Jenny more closely. “You’d think the angel legion would have had higher standards. You look so trashy—with that hair and those clothes. I’m surprised they let you out looking like that.”

  Jenny glared at her and said in an icy tone. “The legion isn’t shallow and fake like you—they don’t care what we look like, as long as we do our jobs.”

  “I can see that.” Lilith grinned wickedly. “But don’t worry, you won’t be an angel for much longer.”

  She snapped her fingers. “Come along, Wergoth would like a word.” She strolled ahead of them.

  The snow creatures pushed them along behind her. David and Kara shared a look. Her heart rang in her ears, and she shook her head with dread.

  “Lilith, please tell me you didn’t...”

  Lilith laughed and kicked some snow with her boot. “But of course I did—what did you expect? That I’d stay in this pathetic disgusting weak mortal body? Never. I did what I needed to do to get back to my home, to where I belong.”

  Kara stumbled forward, numb from the realization of what her half—sister had done. Jenny looked confused, and she mouthed the word what?

  “Lilith...what did you do?” her voice came out as a whisper of desperation.

  Lilith turned her head as she walked. “When I was transformed into this disgusting human body, I still had remnants of my superb demonic self—I could still see and sense my servants, just as I can see angels and other supernatural elements. They called out to me. I knew I couldn’t stay in this weak shell—I needed to do something. I needed something to turn me back into a demon queen.”

  David snorted. “Pftt. You were never a queen—just a Barbie with an oversized head.”

  Lilith shot him an evil look, but continued. “I knew I needed a powerful energy to transform my mortal body into an immortal one. Necromancers and warlocks are the only ones who can channel such powers. Warlocks and demons have a lot in common. I knew about dark creatures, and I knew where to find the most powerful one. So I dabbled in a little dark magic. With the help of my servants, and after breaking through the first planes of death, I found a specter—and I made a deal with him. I would raise him back from the dead in exchange for transforming me back into a demon.”

  “Lilith, you don’t know what you’ve done! He’s a dark warlock. He can’t be trusted.”

  Lilith’s expression darkened. “Right, just like I trusted my own sister.”

  “You tried to kill me?” protested Kara. “Or have you forgotten that?”

  “Ah, the devil is in the details,” said Lilith smiling mischievously.

  Kara didn’t know what Lilith meant. “What—”

  “Who says he’s going to keep his side of the bargain,” interrupted Jenny.

  Lilith didn’t answer right away. “He will. I’m not worried. Now, enough with the chitchat, let’s keep moving.”

  Kara stole a look behind her. There was no sign of Gideon anywhere.

  “Are you hoping for reinforcements?” laughed Lilith. “Forget it. The park is surrounded by dark magic. Even angels can’t get through anymore—you got here just in time. Your guardian friends would be foolish to try; their souls would disintegrate into dust. Poof!” She mimicked an explosion with her hands and laughed like it was some sick private joke.

  Kara ignored Lilith’s theatrics. Even if their original plan had failed, there was still hope. Gideon must have a plan of his own. The old witch doctor was clever enough to disappear just at the right time. Or was he just a coward and had abandoned them? Her insides churned.

  They passed tall snow banks and snow—covered trees on either side of the path. Slowly they emerged into a large clearing.

  Cleopatra’s Needle was surrounded by snow covered magnolia and crabapple trees. The obelisk was even bigger than she had first thought. At least seventy feet tall, its sharp granite point stood out like a giant’s pencil. Its rough granite surface glowed an eerie green. The six hooded men continued to chant but didn’t look up as the group approached.

  Kara walked as slowly as she could. She needed time to come up with a rescue plan that didn’t involve getting killed. She only needed to fight off the snow beasts, save David and Jenny, and in the process kill all the warlocks, and save the mortal world—no biggy.

  She searched for her elemental power. A shimmer came from deep inside her, like a spark of light. It pulsed mome
ntarily, full of promise—and then it went out. It was hopeless. She wished her powers were bottled up in little grenades, like Gideon’s. It would be so much easier.

  David sensed her discouragement. His smile told her that he didn’t want her to feel this was her fault—even if it was her half—sister that started the whole thing. If Kara had finished Lilith off, none of this would be happening. But Kara wasn’t like that—she couldn’t kill Lilith in cold blood, not even after everything she had done. It wasn’t up to her to decide if Lilith lived or died.

  Lilith caught Kara and David’s tender moment. “Oh, how cute, the ongoing love affair that never goes anywhere,” she laughed. “Aren’t you two tired of pretending? It’s not like I can’t see the way you’re looking at each other. It’s so painfully sad. Angels and mortals are a no—no, if I remember the rules correctly.”

  “Shut up, Lilith,” hissed Kara. Blood gushed to her face. It was awkward enough having strong feelings for David while she was mortal. She didn’t need reminding. David winked and seemed rather pleased with himself. Her face burned even more.

  “Oh, look everyone. Look at how red Kara’s face is—it’s like a tomato,” taunted Lilith. “My guess is that your face is so red because you don’t want him to know how much you love him, am I right?”

  Kara’s ears burned, and she kept her head down. She didn’t dare look at David. If she did, he would see that Lilith was right.

  “Leave her alone, albino,” said David.

  Lilith laughed softly. “Whatever—love is so overrated anyway. It’s a disease for the living, for the weak. I don’t need love—it’s a distraction from what is really important.”

  Kara watched Lilith. There was something odd in the way she said love. It almost felt like she was angry. Had something happened to her?

  A snow beast came up to Lilith. It brushed its nose against her hip with a pleading look in its eye, like a dog. Lilith smiled and stroked the creature tenderly. It closed its eyes, enjoying the attention. Lilith’s face lit up, and Kara saw a kindness in her half—sister that she had never seen before. There was good in her. She saw it.

  They were only a few yards away from the obelisk now. Kara’s insides twisted at the sight of the men in the black cloaks. Her throat started to close up, and her lungs felt on fire. She took a chance and walked alongside her half—sister.

  “Lilith—you don’t have to do this.” She searched her sister’s face.

  “You can let us go. You can have a life of your own—you can find love.”

  “Love? Don’t patronize me. I’m not in the mood.”

  “I know that part of you knows this is wrong. We can help each other. You can come stay with me and my mom after this is finished—you’ll love her. We can be sisters, be a family.”

  Lilith’s eyes filled with tears. For a moment, Kara thought she had reached her.

  “Stop talking, or I’ll cut out your tongue. Move!” Lilith shooed the snow creature away and stormed ahead. She wiped her eyes and clenched her fists.

  Kara stared at her half—sister walking away—she even walked more like a girl now and not some demon—diva. Perhaps there was more human in Lilith than she was letting on.

  A snow beast prodded her in the back, shaking her out of her thoughts. After stumbling through knee—high snow, the beasts led them right up to the obelisk.

  Kara came face to face with the ring of warlocks. The growling creatures retreated, as though they weren’t allowed to come any closer.

  As she edged nearer, Kara sensed evil that made it difficult for her to breathe, as though cold hands gripped at her throat. Her heart raced, and she felt weak. She stared at the circle of warlocks around the obelisk. She noticed that five of the warlocks’ bodies were semitransparent, almost like holograms. Were they specters of lost warlocks? She was sure her fingers would simply pass through their bodies.

  But there was one who stood out amongst the others, one whose body was as solid as hers—the dark warlock himself.

  A green shadow mist rolled in from the line of trees. It crawled into the clearing and wormed towards the obelisk like a collection of toxic snakes. Kara’s heart sunk. Thousands of glowing spheres floated in the mist. It coiled around the obelisk and disappeared into it, taking the souls with it. The obelisk shimmered and expanded as though it were taking a breath.

  A hard knot of anger formed in Kara’s chest.

  A whisper of bells reached her ears. She searched again for Gideon, but there was no sign of the old witch doctor. Gideon, where are you?

  David and Jenny’s saddened faces were illuminated by the thousands of souls that glowed in the mist.

  “Kara—we have to stop them,” whispered David, as he fidgeted on the spot. “We have to do something.”

  “I know...I’m thinking,” she whispered back.

  “Well you better do it fast, because it’s starting,” Jenny pointed to the sky urgently.

  Kara stopped breathing. The sky had turned a deep purple, and the snow had taken on hues of gold. It was as if the park had suddenly been painted. To the west, the orange semi circle of the sun disappeared behind the skyline of Manhattan. Kara glanced at her watch.

  4:39 p.m. She was too late.

  “You can forget about whatever you were planning,” laughed Lilith.

  She stared at the obelisk like it was some kind of expensive jewel. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  As darkness touched the tip of the obelisk, glowing green runes appeared on its surface. The obelisk became a glowing green totem pole. The ground trembled and moaned. At the foot of the obelisk, a fissure broke the frozen ground and made its way around the warlocks in a perfect circle. Green vapors rose into the air from the ring of open ground.

  Bells rang. Kara’s pendant burned against her skin. She staggered forward. The one solid hooded figure turned towards her. He stared at her with gleaming red eyes, and she felt invisible bonds strap her wrists. She couldn’t move.

  You’re too late elemental witch, whispered a voice in her mind. There’s no stopping it now. The ritual has already begun. My brothers will rise again—all of you will die!

  Chapter 19

  The Dark Warlock