Elemental, Soul Guardians Book 2

by Kim Richardson

  “M—mom?” she croaked. “Mom! Are you here? MOM!”

  Kara ran from the kitchen and stormed in the living room.

  “Mom!”

  It was empty. The cushions on the sofas lay unspoiled, perfectly placed. Soft light spilled from the large window behind the sky-blue loveseat, reflecting off the polished wooden surface of the coffee table. There wasn’t a speck of dirt in sight. Kara felt something was horribly wrong.

  Frantic, Kara ran to her mother’s bedroom. She pushed her way in and stopped. A chill ran up her back. It was empty. The room seemed untouched. She ran to her mother’s bed and grabbed a pillow. Pushing it against her face, she tried to find her mother’s smell. Nothing. Just the general detergent smell. What had happened?

  With her head swarming with questions, she walked out of the room and stopped. She leaned against the door frame. Her world was crumbling down.

  “Maybe she’s working or buying groceries or something?” said Tom. He smiled and tried to do his best to comfort her. “I’m sure she’s okay—I mean, why shouldn’t she be—right?”

  Kara realized that Tom had no idea who she was, and what had happened ten months ago. He didn’t know about Asmodeus or the higher demons. He was brand new, fresh out of the box.

  She cringed. Her mother worked from home and only did groceries on Tuesdays and Fridays. Today was Wednesday.

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  Kara walked slowly towards the couch and let herself fall into it. She felt numb all over. Where is my mother?

  She glanced at her watch. It was 10:05am. They had less than ten minutes to get back to Cavendish Boulevard and save Monica Smith.

  “We should get going. Let’s finish our assignment, and I’ll come back later for my mom.” Kara pushed herself off the couch reluctantly. “And we better hurry. We have less than ten minutes to get there. You ready?”

  “Okay.” Tom made his way towards the door. “I’m sure you’re overreacting. I’m sure she’s all right.”

  Kara followed closely behind. She couldn’t shake off the awful feeling that something was wrong. Could her mother be out on an errand? She watched Tom reached for the door knob—

  Chapter 4

  New Breed

  SPLINTERS OF WOOD FROM THE DOOR exploded as though a bomb had gone off. Tom and Kara flew backwards in the air. Tom hit the wall first and crumbled to the floor. Kara flew further back and crashed hard on the kitchen floor. Putrid gas blanketed her in smoke. She raised her head from the floor and gasped.

  A massive creature with four insect-like legs crawled towards them. Its humanoid head, torso, and arms sprouted from the beast’s middle. The human skin was blistered and raw. Green pus oozed onto the floor in thick puddles. It had two abnormally large red eyes, on a man’s face that looked as though it had been stretched like melted wax. The air smelled of rotten flesh. Kara could see a third eye on the creature’s forehead, as though it were branded there.

  The monster opened its mouth and wailed. The sound burned. Kara put her hands on her ears and cried out in excruciating pain.

  With a roar the demon leaped into the air and crashed down beside the terrified Tom. The creature snarled, black liquid dripping from a gaping mouth. The smell of rotten flesh was all around them. It stuck to her M suit like a filthy mist, trying to wiggle its way inside the skin.

  Tom staggered and fell. The demon lifted its molten head and sniffed the air, like a wild animal smelling out its prey. It cocked its head to the side, and pounced.

  Kara jumped to her feet. She threw her backpack on the ground, and pulled out a Soul Blade. She leapt to Tom’s aid brandishing her weapon.

  But the demon had Tom in its grasp. Tom kicked and screamed, like a rabbit caught in the talons of a great eagle, but with no effect. The demon lifted him up in the air like a ragdoll. Kara watched horrified as the demon pierced Tom’s forehead with one of its forelegs. Tom opened his mouth in a soundless scream. Bright white light spilled from his throat. The demon brought Tom closer to its putrid face. Its red eyes flashed hungrily. It opened its mouth and placed its bloodless lips around on Tom’s forehead. Kara moaned as it began to suck out Tom’s essence.

  “NO!”

  Kara threw her Soul Blade with precision. It hit its mark, and perforated the demon’s neck.

  The creature threw its head back and wailed, momentarily distracted from its feast. It reached out with one of its insect legs and pulled out the soul blade. Black blood oozed out of the wound and spilled onto the floor in heavy droplets. Kara watched in horror as the soul blade bubbled and smoked. The black blood ate away at the metal like acid. The blade dropped to the ground, like a thick mass of silver pudding.

  “Kara—help me!” Tom wriggled desperately, hitting the creature with his legs and arms.

  Hopping she could distract the demon long enough, Kara pulled a Firestone out of her bag and threw the glowing red orb at the demon. It hit. With a thundering boom, red light exploded and for a moment Tom and the creature disappeared into a cloud of red smoke. Then it dissipated.

  The demon stood with Tom in its grasp, and it was unharmed.

  She watched in horror, helpless as the demon pressed its mouth against Tom’s forehead again, sucking out his soul like a vanilla milkshake.

  Desperate, Kara ran into the kitchen, grabbed a large butcher’s knife, and charged to meet the demon head on—

  She staggered back. Tom’s mortal clothes lay crumpled in a pile on the ground. Kara blinked. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she could see an illuminated figure as bright as a star dangling from the demon’s grasp. She knew she was staring at a naked angel desperately clinging to his delicate soul.

  Without a second thought, Kara flourished her knife and charged at the demon. She raised her arm and slashed with her knife, slicing off a leg. Black blood exploded in a fine spray out of the wound. It showered at Kara’s chest. She leapt aside. Grey smoke coiled from her clothes. The cotton withered and peeled back. The demon’s blood burned its way through her mortal clothes, and Kara wailed in pain as the creature’s blood burned at her core like liquid fire. She dropped the knife and fell to her knees. She trembled and rolled on the ground. The stench of burnt flesh burned her nostrils. Was she going to die? For good this time?

  She heard a faint cry and lifted her head. With a final ingestion, the creature sucked up the rest of Tom’s life form until he was no more. Tom the rookie had vanished.

  Kara stared in disbelief, unable to move. The demon threw back its head and released a revolting moan. It shuddered in ecstasy. It turned its misshapen head turned her way. Its eyes grew wide and flashed with white-hot energy. Its body shivered, twisted and cracked, as its severed leg grew back. The face of her nightmares grinned hungrily at her with a mouth full of pointed teeth.

  With the will of life still strong in her, she struggled to her feet and staggered into kitchen. But something hit her in the back. She fell hard, and her vision blurred with the burning pain.

  I’m on fire! She rolled on the ground. She was covered in the demon’s acid blood.

  She felt her M suit melt away, like ice-cream on a hot summer day. She wasn’t going to make it. Black vapors rolled off of her mortal body as her M suit’s skin melted like wax. She watched in horror as clumps of her human flesh roll off and exposed the bright luminance beneath. Whatever new demon this was, Kara knew she was no match for it. If only she could use her elemental power somehow? But she still didn’t know how it worked. And she didn’t think she had enough strength to summon it.

  She shut her mind from the rest of the world and searched around inside her. She willed the power to come. A tiny spec of warmth lingered in her soul, like a small ball of light. She reached out to it, but it didn’t come. It wasn’t answering her call.

  Desperate to escape the pain, she wanted the darkness to take her. She couldn’t bare it anymore.

  She was dying—yet again.

  The demon twitched and moved towards her, a
sickening smell oozed from it. Kara’s eyelids grew heavy. Her body crumbled to the floor. If only the pain would stop. Blackness crawled at the edge of her vision. She felt herself letting go—

  Kara… said the voices inside her head, Kara…don’t give up!

  It was like listening to a radio far away, where the sounds were scratchy and hard to hear. The same voices who had given her the strength to vanquish Asmodeus, were only a memory now. What energy she had left she used it to open her eyes. She would stare death in the face, she decided.

  Like a fly cleaning its front legs after a meal, the demon clicked its forelegs together in anticipation. Hunger flashed in its lifeless eyes.

  The creature opened its unnaturally elongated jaw. It spit. Long black tendrils hit Kara. She felt her body lift in the air and spin. She could feel thick sticky strands wrap themselves around her. She felt her limbs press against her body. The creature was packaging her in a cocoon. The spinning stopped and the creature grabbed her by her feet. It dragged her like a body bag down the hall.

  She felt another sharp pain at her side, and she was thrown against a wall.

  The demon wailed a sound that was primal, of something that had been human long ago. Then blinding white light engulfed the demon. It dissipated and through squinted eyes Kara recognized David.

  He and two other GAs rushed through the damaged doorway. They stabbed and sliced the demon with gleaming silver swords. Black liquid sprayed the walls. The taller of the angels sliced off one of the demon’s legs. But with incredible speed the demon lunged at him and knocked his sword out of his hand. In the next second, it opened its mouth and sprayed him with its acid-like puss.

  David’s companion screamed and desperately tried to wipe it off. But it was no use. His entire body dripped in the demon’s blood. A moment later he fell over like a bowling pin and was still.

  The demon whirled around and locked eyes with Kara. It made its way towards her.

  “Over here! You oversized bug!”

  David threw himself in front of Kara. He slashed and stabbed at the creature with his blade. In one rapid movement he hurled his Soul Blade into the creature’s neck. Spurts of black blood escaped through the wound. It stumbled. Its eyes rolled back in its head. David saw his opportunity and took it. He brandished another blade from inside his jacket, leapt forward and slashed at the demon’s neck.

  It took three full strokes to cut off its head. The headless demon teetered momentarily on the spot. Then it collapsed. It twitched and jerked. A mixture of black and green liquid spilled from its severed neck. Within seconds the demon’s body was nothing but a bubbling puddle. It slowly evaporated until nothing remained.

  Everything felt like a dream to Kara. Her vision blurred. David looked up and then ran over to her.

  “She’s in bad shape, David,” Kara heard the other guardian say. “I don’t know what this sticky stuff is. I’ve never seen it before. She’s like in a cocoon or something. And it looks like the demon’s blood did a number on her. It’s eating away at her. She won’t last long like this. We have to get her back to Horizon—and fast.”

  David gently touched her cheek with his fingers.

  “Kara,” he whispered. “Kara, stay with me. You’re going to be okay. I promise. Kara? Don’t close your eyes! Stay with me! Kara!”

  Kara wanted to stay awake more than anything. She tried to answer back, but nothing moved. And as she tried to muster the strength to smile—the darkness took her.

  Chapter 5

  A new post

  KARA WOKE UP IN THE HEALING-XPRESS. The archangel, Raphael forced her to stay in the healing chambers for several days so that she could monitor her progress.

  Kara didn’t remember much. She did not want to remember that she had caused Tom’s death. The demon had caused a great deal of damage to her angel core, maybe she couldn’t remember. She wasn’t sure.

  Kara pleaded to be released—that she was being held prisoner. She explained to Raphael what the demon that had attacked her looked like—they had never seen or heard of such a demon. Was it a new breed? Was someone or something breeding them?

  Raphael finally released Kara from her protective custody on condition that she meet with the archangel Gabriel at Operations. She set off quickly for the quiet of the dunes.

  As she treaded through the soft red sand, Kara heard running footsteps behind her. Her body tingled when David jogged up to her.

  “Hey! How are you feeling?” He smiled. “I was just looking for you on level three…so Raphael finally let you out of her cage. I was beginning to think she’d kidnapped you.”

  He smiled again, but Kara could see concern, almost fear, flash for a second in his eyes.

  She brushed a long strand of hair behind her ear. She bit her lip. She didn’t know how he felt about her anymore. She didn’t want him think she was too happy to see him.

  “Yeah, finally. I think she took my well-being a little too seriously,” Kara forced a laugh and hoped David didn’t notice the shakiness in her voice.

  David sighed. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I was really worried. You were barely holding up your M suit—I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

  Unease flashed in his face again.

  Kara started to grow uncomfortable. She averted her eyes.

  “…but I did.” Something nagged in the back of her mind. “Hey, how did you know I’d be at my mom’s apartment? Did you follow me? —Don’t get me wrong, if it weren’t for you I’d be dead, and I’m grateful. But how did you know I’d be there?”

  David scuffed up some red sand with his foot. “Because I’m psychic, babe.”

  Kara listened nervously as he continued, “Well, I’d like to think I know you a little. I had a feeling you’d take the first chance you got to check up on your mom. And it appears I was right.”

  A sudden anger spread across David’s face. “It turns out—so did the demons.”

  Kara started to feel frightened again. “What? What do you mean?”

  “It seems the demons were waiting for you. It was a trap, Kara.”

  Kara remembered a tall handsome man with short manicured black hair and a cunning demeanor. She could see hunger in his eyes. She could hear the roar of black lightening and recall, for a moment, the excruciating pain as her body burned.

  “Asmodeus! He’s still alive! It has to be him. He wants to suck the elemental power out of me, and then kill me!” Kara realized she was shouting.

  “I don’t know if the demon lord is still out there. But something is breeding new demons. Those damned things back at your apartment, we’ve never seen anything like them before. They’re like part insect and part humanoid—nasty freaking creatures—and really hard to kill. And someone or something is definitely after you.”

  David must have read the fear in her eyes, for he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Kara. I’m here to protect you.”

  Somehow that didn’t really comfort her.

  “Asmodeus wanted the elemental power from the little boy I saved from him, and now he wants it from me.” Kara shook her head. “But—that still doesn’t explain how my mother—” Kara looked at David.

  He looked away. His face narrowed. She studied his expression. She knew that whatever he was about to say would be bad.

  “We weren’t a hundred percent sure at first…but now—with the attack at your apartment—it proves that the demons are after you. They used your mother as bait. We don’t know where your mother is, Kara. I’m sorry.”

  “What! No…you’re lying. I don’t believe you. You said she was protected. That there was a team watching over her.”

  David jammed his hands in his pockets. He stared at the ground. “I’m sorry you have to find out like this. But it’s the truth. She’s gone. I’m sorry.”

  Kara hit David in the chest. “It’s not true! It can’t be. Why are you doing this to me?”

  David grabbed her wrists and held her. “It is true. Kara she’s
gone—”

  “No!” Kara fought against David’s hold and cursed. Her throat tightened, and she sobbed. She fell to her knees.

  David knelt down beside her. He took her head in his hands.

  “Listen. Ramiel told me that your mother’s soul is still alive. It’s still shinning—her life source lives. That means her mortal body is gone, but her soul is not dead.”

  “Are you sure?” Kara raised her head in relief and looked up beyond the rolling red hills, half expecting to see her mother.

  “We think they took her.” David’s eyes glistened. “We don’t know why, but it has to have something to do with you. That demon in your mom’s apartment wanted to take you somewhere. It wrapped you up nice and tight. It wasn’t planning on killing you, Kara.”

  “So, my mother’s soul is still alive. It’s out there, in the demon realm? Are you sure?”

  “It has to be. Otherwise it would have made its way back here. Her soul is trapped somewhere, I’m sure of it.”

  “So we have to go get it!” Kara jumped to her feet. “We have to save my mother.”

  David lifted his hands in protest. “Whoa…hang on, cowgirl! It’s not that simple. You don’t just walk into the demon realm and ask for it back. You’ll need a plan of attack and an army with you. Besides, we don’t know how to get in.”

  “Aren’t there doorways or something? There must be, otherwise how can the demons travel to Earth?”

  David smiled kindly. “Well, we know of portals that they use. But they’re never open long enough. I’ve never heard of an angel crossing over. I’m not sure it can be done.”

  “It can be done!” Kara said crossly. “And it will be done. I’m going to save my mother, with our without your help!”

  “Okay, okay, keep your panties on,” he laughed. “I never said I wouldn’t help you.”

  “You said it couldn’t be done.” Kara crossed her arms on her chest.

  David sighed. “I said I’m not sure it can be done, not that it couldn’t. There’s got to be a way. We’ll have to talk to Gabe about this. I’m sure the big boy has some ideas. And speaking of his royal sexiness, he wants a word with you. Probably to discuss what happened at the apartment.”