Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4

by Richardson, Kim

  Shops blurred past her in hues of browns and reds. The smells of exhaust fumes shot up her nose as she ran. Mortals did their best to jump out of the way as Kara tore down the street. But some weren’t so lucky and were tossed aside like pins from a bowling alley. She shouted out apologies as she rammed into people and kept going. The white dress fluttered ahead of her. Kara heard the swish of the material with the girl’s every move. She almost had her within reach. The elemental was only fifty feet away.

  But why was she running away from her in the first place? It was as though Kara frightened her. By how could that be? The girl had reached out to Kara for help. It didn’t make any sense. She remembered the familiar connection she had felt the first time she had seen the girl from the bookstore’s window. It had to be the elemental part. That’s what they had in common, a shared supernatural energy. She knew the girl could feel it, too. Maybe that’s what frightened her?

  The elemental whipped around abruptly to the left, and disappeared around the corner at the end of the block. Kara was right behind her. She swiveled around a metal post and tore around the corner—

  Crowds of mortals passed her by. Kara blinked several times. The girl had vanished.

  She searched above the mass of bobbing heads. Nothing. Kara pushed her way through a wall of mortals who shouted at her angrily. She disregarded them and slowed to a jog along the street to be less conspicuous.

  She whipped her head around and searched for the elemental. Where had she gone? She couldn’t have just vanished. Kara peered through windows for a glimpse of a white dress. Nothing. The elemental could be anywhere, and it would take a whole day to search the entire block. She groaned in frustration. She searched up and down the block frenetically for spaces between buildings where the girl could have found a secret hiding place. Nothing. She had lost the elemental.

  “Where’d she go?” David jogged into view, followed by Jenny and Peter. “You had her? I mean…she was right there in front of you? Did she just pull a vanishing act on us?”

  Kara scratched her head and paced on the spot. “I know. I know. I don’t get it. It’s like—she disappeared into thin air. But I don’t get it? Why was she running? It’s as if she thought I wanted to hurt her—but why? I don’t understand why she would be so afraid of me. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “You can’t blame her for running though,” said Jenny as she rearranged her silver quiver across her shoulders. “She’s been on her own for a long time. She’s confused and terrified. Who knows what’s been chasing her all this time? Maybe she thought you were a demon in disguise.”

  “I hope not.” Kara sighed loudly. “I just wanted her to see that I meant no harm, that I was her friend. But she just kept running without stopping—like a freakin’ machine. But, my God, she was fast. I had to push my suit to its limit just to keep up with her, I was so close!” Kara yelled out in frustration. “I have to find her before anyone else does. We need to protect her.”

  “Well, she can’t be that far.” Peter opened his palm. A small red orb the size of a marble hovered above his hand. He waved his hand towards the nearest stone building. Light flared suddenly from inside the orb. It grew brighter and illuminated his palm in shades of red. “We should search the entire block. She’s gotta be in one of the buildings.”

  “I agree with Peter,” said Jenny. She cast her gaze over the buildings that loomed over them. “I’m sure she’s here somewhere. She has to be hiding. The poor thing’s probably scared out of her wits.”

  Kara let her arms fall to her sides. She saw no evidence of a white dress through the building’s windows. “I hope you’re right. But she can’t keep running like that for long. That speed has to be draining her. Hopefully she’s going to get tired soon, and then she’ll be an easy target for the demons. The more she runs away from us, the more energy she wastes. We have to find her…and soon.”

  “Don’t worry about it, we’ll find her before they do,” said David confidently. “If not today, then tomorrow, I promise.”

  “No.” Kara shook her head. “Tomorrow will be too late. If we can’t find her today, then she’s lost to us. Whatever it takes, we can’t leave until we find her. And it has to be today.” Kara forced the panic from her mind. She needed to stay focused. The safety of the elemental depended on it.

  A group of teen boys approached. They passed by, interrupting their conversion for a moment. They strutted like proud peacocks, and Kara was reminded of one of the pop boy bands she used to listen to—dashing good looks—always dressed with the finest clothes. A handsome teen with black hair and grey eyes smiled at her as he walked by. Embarrassed, she looked away hoping David didn’t see. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling back. She refused to look at David, just in case.

  Kara waited until the boys were out of earshot. “Guys. I don’t think there’s anything dark about this elemental.”

  David turned and stepped towards Kara. “What do you mean?” He cocked his head to the side.

  “Well, I think the Scouts were wrong about her. I think the entire legion is wrong about her—just as they were about me. That darkness Ariel was talking about—it’s not around the elemental.”

  “But how can you know?” Jenny leaned in closer. “You never got close enough. How can you tell she’s not surrounded by evil like they said?”

  “Because I felt her…sort of. It’s hard to explain. I felt her presence, and there was nothing evil about it. Whatever darkness the Scouts felt, I think it’s because she was encircled by demons. I think that’s what they felt. The demons’ evil aura…but it wasn’t hers. She’s not evil. She’s just an innocent mortal girl who’s probably scared to death.”

  “Elementals aren’t my specialty,” said David. “But I don’t see how the Scouts could be wrong about something like that. Besides, in my experience with the legion, Scouts are never wrong. Ariel did say this was a special case. I know you feel you have to protect her—I can see it in your eyes—and I’m sure I know why you feel this way. But we have to be careful, Kara. There’s something evil lurking around her. We have to trust the legion with what they’ve told us—”

  “They’re wrong! I know it.” Kara was irritated at David’s reluctance to believe her. She knew he couldn’t possibly understand, he wasn’t an elemental, but she had hoped her friends would’ve believed her, as farfetched as it all was. But she was wrong. She sighed in frustration.

  David shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Listen, Kara. Don’t get angry with me. I’m just trying to make you understand that there’s a chance the elemental has something dangerous about her. I’m just not sure you understand the dangers—”

  “I do understand.” Kara’s voice rose with her temper. “I understand everything. And I’m telling you there’s nothing evil about her. I know—I felt it. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. But I’m still going after her. And I’ll prove it to you.”

  “Kara, don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable?” said David, a sharpness to his voice.

  “Is that what you think? After all that’s happened—you think I’m being a little unreasonable?” Kara ground her teeth in frustration.

  David didn’t answer. He watched Kara with solemn eyes. Kara glared at David. They stood staring at each other. After a moment, Kara was confused as to where all the anger came from. A wave of shame washed over her, and she looked away. It wasn’t David she was angry with. She knew he was just trying to make her see reason. She felt badly about her attitude, but the damage had been done. When she turned back to apologize to David, he was walking stiffly towards Peter. Kara shrugged and kicked a pebble with her boot.

  “Hey guys! I think I got something.” Peter stood by a brown stone apartment building. He waved his hand with the glowing orb. “Definitely something over here—see that? See how the light changed? You guys should come check this out. I think she’s in there—”

  A door swung open with a loud crash. A girl in a white dress flew p
ast Peter and knocked him down hard. The elemental sprinted up the street with unbelievable speed. Her red bow rippled behind her, and she dashed down the block.

  It took a few seconds for the group to react. David took off after the elemental in hot pursuit. Kara rushed over to Peter, grabbed him by the arm, and hauled him to his feet.

  “Please don’t tell anyone I got run over by a little girl.” His face was pinched in humiliation. After scanning the ground for his glasses, he collected them and pushed them onto the bridge of his nose.

  Kara tried hard not to laugh. Everyone knew Peter wasn’t much of a fighter. “I won’t, promise. But don’t feel too bad. She’s no ordinary girl.”

  Peter forced a smile and pocketed his orb. “Ordinary or not, we still have to get her.” He took off running in the direction where David had disappeared.

  Kara started to run but stopped short. She glanced behind her. “Jenny, you coming?” Jenny stood motionless and faced the opposite direction. She was staring straight at the group of teens that had passed them earlier. As Kara got closer, she noticed that Jenny was paying particular attention to the young man with black hair who had smiled at Kara moments earlier. A look of pain on Jenny’s face sent tightness into Kara’s chest.

  “Jenny, are you all right?” called Kara gently. “Who is he? Is he someone you knew…before?”

  Jenny jumped back startled. “Huh? Uh…no. I...I was just looking, that’s all. I thought I saw something. I guess I was wrong. Where are the others?” By the quiver in her voice, Kara knew instantly she was lying.

  Kara studied her friend’s face for a moment. Jenny was a true friend. She had never betrayed or lied to her before, which made it all the more intriguing. Who was that mysterious boy with the grey eyes? And why was Jenny so upset to see him? She had a feeling Jenny wasn’t ready to tell her. She didn’t like to see her friend suffer. Whoever he was, Kara decided she would get to the bottom of it later.

  “They’ve gone after the elemental,” answered Kara after a minute. “We should go now if we want to catch up with them.”

  “Right. Let’s go.” Jenny brushed past Kara. “Which way?”

  “This way.”

  Kara led the way. She ran down the block and caught a glimpse of the back of Peter’s head. Passersby jumped out of their way as they charged down the street like two lunatics. Kara could hear Jenny’s feet slap the asphalt noisily behind her. Wind smacked her face. She blinked through long strands of hair. Peter dashed around the next block and disappeared behind a convenience store. For someone so small, his legs moved unnaturally fast. Kara and Jenny bolted down the street right behind him—

  A black SUV charged directly towards them.

  Pushing their M-5 suits, Kara and Jenny vaulted easily over the hood of the SUV. Kara’s left hand hit the rear side mirror, and she heard a snap. They landed effortlessly on the other side, without interrupting their momentum. With a thundering crash, the SUV collided with a parked car and was still.

  They followed Peter down an alley with enormous graffiti murals of jazz musicians with dancing men and women. The smell of rotten fish filled the air and stung Kara’s eyes. The alleyway ended, and the girls found themselves on another street. They zigzagged their way around the moving mass of mortals, trying hard not to knock more down than was absolutely necessary. Kara finally caught sight of David running down the block a few yards away. She glimpsed a flash of white cloth a few paces ahead of him. Then it disappeared into the wave of humanity again. Kara charged down the block.

  Another black SUV hurtled down the street toward her.

  The tires screeched, and the vehicle propelled itself savagely towards them. Kara jumped out of the way. Her legs hit the front bumper with a loud crack. She was thrown in the air and hit the ground hard. The vehicle swerved and stopped, facing her. The headlights flicked once.

  “Watch it!” Kara yelled angrily at the shadow of a chauffeur behind the tinted glass. She realized that the SUV had driven in the opposite direction down a one-way street.

  “Kara, come on!” Jenny pulled her up and dragged her into a run with her. Relieved that her legs worked just fine, Kara ignored the looks of the many eyewitnesses. If they had tried to be inconspicuous on this mission, they were failing miserably.

  “I’m okay, seriously,” Kara called out to the worried faces. “I’m wearing a suit!”

  Kara dashed behind Jenny at full speed. Her only focus now was on the elemental. She didn’t have time for clumsy drivers. Soon Peter and David came into view. They ran up the next block and then vanished into an alley between a decrepit building with boarded up windows and doors. A pink painted brick building with a flickering neon sign that read, Loulou’s Laundry Lovers, fastened to a giant wooden heart panel, stood watch over the quiet alley. Kara and Jenny ran in after Peter.

  Tall stone buildings loomed on either side, casting long shadows and covering most of the alleyway in darkness. Weak light filtered through small cracks from above. Black puddles covered the ground. The air was hot and stale and Kara caught a whiff of the underlying stink of rotten meat. A swarm of flies buzzed around large garbage bins, whose entrails were spilled out onto the ground. The traffic hummed behind her.

  The elemental reached the end of the alleyway, which was blocked by a large grey brick building. She turned around and faced her pursuers. She had nowhere else to run.

  David twisted around and shared a concerned look with Kara. She brushed past him and lifted her palms up in surrender again.

  “Don’t be afraid. We are not here to hurt you. We only want to help. I promise.” Kara walked slowly towards the girl with her hands still in the air. She tried to look as innocent as possible, and smiled tenderly. She attempted to imitate that soft, caring voice her mother used whenever Kara had been sick. “Please, I only want to help you.”

  The elemental girl watched her with dark eyes. Her face showed no expression. She didn’t move a muscle. Kara found it strange that her chest wasn’t moving. She should be gulping down buckets of air from all the running. It was as if she was frozen solid. She didn’t even blink.

  “I’m an angel,” continued Kara, “and so are my friends here. I know you can see through our mortal shells. And I think that’s why you ran. You’re afraid. And I can understand that. But we are your friends. So there’s no more need to be afraid. We know what you are. We know you are special, just like us. We want to help you. I want to help you. Let me be your friend. Can you tell me your name?” Kara stepped forward.

  The elemental took a step back. Her eyes locked onto Kara’s, watching her every move.

  “Please,” Kara pleaded. “It’s me, Kara. I know it was you who spoke to me earlier. You asked for my help. Now I’m here.”

  She searched the little girl’s face for any sign of recognition.

  “Please, let me help you. I just want to be your friend. I know how scared you are. Let me help you.” Kara pressed her hands against her chest. Slowly, she took another step forward—

  A deafening screech erupted in the air as two black SUV’s roared into the alleyway behind them. Kara averted her eyes from their strong headlights. She blinked away the black blotches in her vision. When she regained her sight, she saw the glossy midnight black exteriors with chrome finishes and impenetrable tinted windows. They were the same make as the ones she had seen earlier. One black SUV could be an accident, but two identical SUVs were indeed a message.

  The vehicles’ doors flew open, and a group of ten wicked looking men scrambled out. Long leather black coats swished at their heels as they positioned themselves in front of the SUVs. The soft light reflected off their baldheads, and Kara could see the black tribal-like tattoos that covered most of their scalps. Their faces were covered in white powder, which made the black kohl rim around their eyes stand out even more. Kara was reminded of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics she had seen in the bookstore’s National Geographic magazines. Much to her horror, pairs of eyes were also tattooed on the back of
their heads. The eyes leered at them, ever watchful.

  David and Jenny backed away slowly and joined Kara. They formed a defensive line. From the corner of her eye, Kara saw David reach inside his jacket and pull out a soul blade. The silver blade glimmered in the eerie light as it hung by his side. Kara rummaged around under her jacket and drew out one of her blades. She gripped the handle firmly in her hand. Jenny lifted her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the ominous strangers. Peter shrank into the shadows and did his best to become invisible.

  The largest of the men stepped forward. The tread of his enormous boots echoed around them. “Well, well, well. What do we have here, boys?” he said in a guttural voice. A wicked smile twitched on his lips and revealed rows of rotten teeth. “Four little angels have lost their way...”

  Chapter 5

  Seirs

  Kara frowned and looked over to David. His eyes were glued on the men. He clenched his jaw, and his blade twitched in his grasp.

  “Angels shouldn’t be allowed to roam around in my city without my permission,” laughed the man, in a deep menacing voice. He moved his hand. A dark blade glided down from under the sleeve of his leather jacket to his wrist. Black vapors rose and coiled around his arm. He clasped the blade in his hand and lifted it to pick at his teeth. Kara recognized the death blade immediately. “I haven’t killed an angel in these parts lately—mind telling me what you’re doing here? In my city?”

  Kara’s elemental power awakened with the threat. It flared at the limits of her core and then settled, waiting. Sure enough these were mortal men, but how could they have death blades in their possession? Kara peered at them. Their foul stench reached her nose. She could sense they weren’t demons, but why did they smell like them? What were they?