Seals

by Kim Richardson

  Kara let go of David’s hand. “I had him. I was going to kill him. But they…” her eyes met the three higher demons, and she scowled wildly. “They stopped me.”

  Kara looked into those black, soulless eyes, and she knew they had stopped her on purpose. The demons had saved the knight from her wrath. The demons had seen that she had had an opening and was about to kill the knight. They had sensed that she might even survive.

  Kara knew that the demons had their own agenda. She didn’t know exactly what it was—yet—but she would find out.

  For now, all she knew for certain was that they had stopped her from killing the knight, and in the process they had ruined their chances of stopping the apocalypse.

  Her chances to become normal again were disappearing.

  “They stopped me from killing it on purpose,” she hissed.

  She moved slowly toward the demons, like a predator about to kill its prey. Her throbbing headache had gone, and it had been replaced by a pulsing hatred for the demons.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” David waved his blade menacingly toward the demons, but Kara was already there.

  She raised her blade and roared like an animal. There was nothing angelic about her behavior. She was projecting all her hatred for taking away her chance of becoming a normal angel again upon the demons. She heard the shouts of her friends, but she ignored them as she lunged for the higher demons.

  The higher demons hissed and snarled as they sprang at Kara with their death blades.

  Kara dove into the demons with a fountain of savage, unforgiving cold power. She could smell, hear, and see everything with heightened senses that gave her an advantage over the demons, over everything.

  “Kara, you can’t do this!” she heard David’s cry over the pounding of power in her ears.

  “Don’t do this! There’s a treaty! They won’t forgive you this time!”

  But Kara paid no attention. Kara would never have fought or wanted to fight three higher demons at the same time when she only had elemental power. But things were different now, she was different, and she bellowed her challenge.

  The higher demons answered her challenge. They rushed at her in a blur of gray. Their death blades glistened in the dull light as they attacked. She ran at them, flinging her blade and slashing at them with cold power.

  They dodged and blocked her every blow, hissing and grunting at her triumphantly as though they had already won. Kara knew that they were mocking her because she had seen through their lies. She knew that they had helped the knight escape from her grasp.

  She halted. Her soul blade was too weak. The demons smiled confidently.

  She tossed the blade on the ground and called forth all her cold, raw power. The demons tensed, as though they sensed what she was about to do. But it was already too late for them.

  Kara embraced her darkness. Enraged, she spun in the air and decapitated them all with a powerful swing of her giant razor blade wings. She landed on the ground next to their headless bodies, and their heads rolled to her feet.

  Their bodies and heads disintegrated into black dust and disappeared in a gust of wind.

  “Kara, what have you done?”

  Kara froze.

  She recognized that voice. It didn’t belong to any of her friends. Bracing herself, she turned around slowly and met the archangel Ariel’s fierce stare.

  Chapter 12

  Fugitive

  “What is the meaning of this?”

  The authority of the archangel Ariel’s voice cut through Kara’s dark madness.

  What was the archangel doing here?

  Kara wanted to shy away when she saw the look of horror that flashed momentarily in the archangel’s eyes. It was gone just as fast as it had appeared, but it lasted long enough for Kara to have felt it.

  “My. My. My.” Metatron stepped from behind Ariel, and Kara flinched. His angel entourage all had blades in their hands, and they all watched Kara with loathing.

  “She killed three higher demons with her wings. Remarkable,” said Metatron, although there was nothing commendable in his tone.

  Ariel frowned and examined Kara carefully.

  “Why? Why would you do this when you knew we had an accord with the demons? We have a treaty. We need them. If we’re to beat the archfiends, we need to collaborate with the demon legions. How could you do this, Kara?”

  Kara suspected that the archangel wanted an apology rather than an explanation.

  But she wasn’t sorry at all. She knew the truth. The treaty was a joke to the demons. They didn’t believe in it, so why should she? David looked shocked, but she could see that he feared what was going to happen to her.

  “If word reaches the demons about this…about what you’ve done,” said Ariel, her beautiful features twisted in a deep scowl, “there’ll be repercussions.”

  “They’ll take it as a threat and as grounds for retaliation.” Metatron made his way to Kara.

  “What you just did is a serious violation of our treaty with them. We can’t afford to lose the demons now, not when we face the biggest battle of our time. Yes, they’re slimly and ugly and they smell of death, but by gods they can fight. We need them.”

  “Was it those markings on your face?” asked Ariel. “Was it the mutation that made you do this? Where you compelled in some way?” There was a trace of hope in Ariel’s voice. She hoped that Kara wasn’t a murderer.

  But it wasn’t the case.

  Kara knew that everyone, even David, thought the exact same thing. She had to clear the air.

  “No,” she said, her anger still rippled on her lips.

  Even though the higher demons were gone, their foul stink lingered in the air and reminded her of their treachery.

  She looked at Metatron. “They didn’t respect your treaty. They’re not loyal to us, to the legion. I know they have another agenda. I had a clear shot. I had an opening to kill Pestilence, one of the four knights of the apocalypse. And just when I was about to finish him off, they stopped me. They came out of nowhere and pushed me down. And when I got back on my feet the knight was gone.”

  Ariel gave her a bemused look and then crossed her arms. “Is that what really happened?”

  “Yes. I swear it.”

  Metatron watched her with barely concealed surprise. Clearly, he didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth.

  “Can anyone else corroborate her story?” he inquired. “Did anyone else see this? Because all we saw was her assassinate three higher demons.”

  Kara’s team stared at one another. Jenny paled. She eyed Peter, who adjusted his glasses nervously. Ashley was stony faced, but her knitted brows showed that she was fighting with something internally.

  David had kept his eyes on Metatron.

  After a few seconds of silence he said, “I did. They stopped her just as she was about to kill the knight. I was there. I saw it all. What Kara’s telling you is the truth.”

  It took every ounce of Kara’s power to keep a straight face. David lied so effortlessly. She was shocked.

  Metatron looked at him for a very long moment. “And you’d be willing to swear on the souls that this is true?” He grinned with an odd twisted expression.

  David’s eyes flashed. “I would!”

  Metatron surveyed David from under his shades. He smiled slightly and twisted his cigar in his hands. “You’re lying, boy.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Don’t embarrass yourself any further, Mr. McGowan. I can always tell when someone is lying. That’s just one of my many talents. You don’t want to get on my bad side, Davy. That is my truth.”

  The air above Metatron darkened as though a storm was brewing.

  Rage started to fill Kara again, and she shifted on her feet. She turned to Metatron and gazed up into his smug, oily face.

  “Leave David out of this,” she said.

  Everyone looked at her.

  “I killed the demons. You saw it. Everyone saw that part. But w
hat you didn’t see, and what I’m telling you, is my truth. The demons made sure I couldn’t touch the knight. They jeopardized our mission. David has done nothing wrong. If you’re so good at spotting a lie, then surely you can spot the truth.”

  Metatron grinned evilly and pointed his cigar at her.

  “But that’s where you’re wrong. You are lying because there is no mission here. You’re all on an unauthorized mission. You shouldn’t even be here. We shouldn’t be here. You’re all in violation of the Angel Code. And if we didn’t need you tomorrow, you’d all be locked up in Tartarus for insubordination.”

  “What!” Jenny was outraged. “You can’t do that!”

  David stepped dangerously close to Metatron, who, although he wasn’t as tall as Ariel, was still much taller and broader than David.

  “What the heck are you talking about?” David did his best to look surprised.

  Metatron took a drag of his cigar and blew it in David’s face.

  “Like I said, there is no official mission here. And all of you,” he pointed to each guardian with his cigar, “are in violation of the Code. I’ve killed guardians for lesser crimes than this. You can look at it however you want, but the bottom line is that this is a crime.”

  “Hey, just a second,” Ashley raised her hands. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Clearly there’s been a misunderstanding.”

  David barked out a laugh. “This is crazy.”

  “No, not crazy,” said Metatron. “According to the legion, and your boss—” he turned and looked at Ariel. “The five of you have abandoned your posts.”

  Kara glared at Metatron.

  His smile widened. In some sick way he enjoyed watching her get angry. There was no point in lying anymore. He knew.

  “The oracle lied.” Metatron blew a sphere of smoke out of his mouth and then poked a hole in it with his finger.

  “Yes, your beloved Mr. Patterson took it upon himself to send you on an unauthorized and dangerous mission. There is no mission. There never was.”

  He raised his brows. “I knew you were hiding something when I saw you lurking in the shadows. I know when someone’s hiding something from me. That’s when I knew the oracle you call Mr. Patterson was involved. I knew he had sent his favorite on this ridiculous quest.”

  Kara felt a jolt of tension. Her anger simmered, barely in control.

  She cared deeply for Mr. Patterson. She loved him. Having anyone destroy his good name was like a kick in the face. She had never liked Metatron, but now her animosity toward him was more like deep loathing. She wanted to punch that smug face more than ever. The world around her disappeared and only she and Metatron remained. Where was that dagger of hers?

  “Oracles fill the heads of angels with tall tales, myths, legends…their fables are legendary,” said Metatron. “Unfortunately, they do have their uses. But I think this Mr. Patterson has been stationed on earth too long. Clearly it’s affected his mind. It wasn’t his place to give out missions, especially ones that are destined to fail.”

  Kara shared a look with David, but he kept his face blank.

  “Mr. Patterson’s been challenging me and my methods for centuries, a lot longer than you’ve known him,” continued Metatron. “I’ve always had trouble with that oracle…always stirring up nonsense, spreading fear. He already came to us with this ridiculous scheme about the four knights and seals.”

  He waved his arms in the air. “All of it a fabrication, a figment of the oracle’s imagination. There is no proof or guarantee that any of it would work, and so he was turned down and ordered to keep his big mouth shut and to forget his master plan.”

  Metatron frowned. “But I see now, that he didn’t.”

  “The guardians aren’t to blame,” voiced Ariel. “They thought they were acting on orders from us, from me, which isn’t true. They would have never sought out this mission if they’d known it wasn’t authorized.”

  Kara and the others kept their faces blank. She had to remember to commend them for such great acting. It was the only thing to keep them from Tartarus. If Ariel knew the truth, there was no way of telling what would happen to them.

  “They’re my best team, and I see no reason to pursue this any further. I need them back, Metatron.”

  Metatron smiled lazily at Ariel.

  “Sure. These four, you can have back. I don’t care.” He turned on Kara. “But this one. This one almost ruined everything. This one’s mine.”

  Kara’s rage took her to a place where she only knew three things: that she was a weapon forged to end lives, that if she went to Tartarus the archfiends would win, and that her hopes of becoming a normal angel were being crushed.

  She didn’t care what sort of information they expected to twist from her. She wasn’t a traitor. They could torture her for all eternity. She didn’t care because she did not intend to let them take her.

  Metatron turned his head and addressed his girls. “Take her prisoner. And when I’ve finished with her, once and for all, we’ll see what finally bleeds out of her.”

  “You can’t do this!”

  David moved and shielded Kara with his body. Kara felt tenderness for his loyalty. But this wasn’t the time to be brave.

  Metatron smiled smoothly. “Oh, but I can and I will.”

  He cleared his throat. “Kara Nightingale, you are under arrest for a violation of the Angel treaty with the Netherworld, and for the murder of three higher demons. You are to be sentenced to Tartarus for an undefined term.”

  “Ariel, do something!” cried David. “You can’t let him do this. This is crazy. You know Kara. You know she’s not a liar. The higher demons betrayed us. They’re not on our side.”

  Ariel’s face was full of sorrow. “I’m sorry, David. There’s nothing to support her story. There’s nothing I can do. She broke the laws. I’m sorry.”

  The archangel avoided Kara’s eyes. Peter and Ashley both looked like they were about to break down, and Jenny swayed unsteadily like she might pass out.

  David turned to Metatron.

  “I won’t let you do this. I won’t.”

  Metatron shook his head. “Davy, Davy, Davy. If you try and stop me, then I’ll have no choice but to throw you in Tartarus with her. But in separate cells, of course.”

  “Do it then,” barked David.

  Even though Kara was overwhelmed by David’s affection for her and for the sacrifice he was willing to make, she couldn’t let him do this. She would never let him suffer for her.

  Kara pushed David aside and turned to him. “I can’t let you do this."

  His eyes traced the black lines over her face. "I won’t let them take you away from me.”

  Kara pressed her lips firmly together to keep them from trembling. And then she said softly. “They won’t.”

  Kara knew what she needed to do. There was the only way to keep everyone safe.

  And before anyone could react, she pushed off hard with her wings and soared in the air.

  They called after her, but she didn’t look down. When she’d decided she’d ascended high enough, she glanced down at Metatron and his groupies below.

  The women flashed their blades and pointed in Kara’s direction, like they were about to shoot them at her, like darts.

  Metatron looked like a tiny rat from where Kara was, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “Don’t!” he growled.

  Even from a distance she couldn’t mistake his glare through his shades.

  “If you go, there’s no coming back. You’re assuring your own death sentence.”

  “I’m already dead,” called Kara.

  She winced at the pain she saw in in David’s eyes. She turned away. If she looked at him again, she might actually decide to stay. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

  “What’s the point now?” she hissed and flapped her wings savagely.

  “Look at me! Look at what I’ve become. Look at what the archfiends did to me. I’m not even an angel anymore. I’m
just a thing, a dark corrupted thing.”

  “Don’t,” warned Metatron. “I won’t tell you again.”

  The groupies raised their weapons and smiled at the chance to hurt her. They wanted to see her squirm in pain. Metatron’s groupies were much more like him than she had first thought. They wanted to inflict pain, and they were going to like it.

  Kara stared down at the stunned faces of her friends. David gave a slight nod of his head.

  It was all she needed.

  “Shoot her down!” ordered Metatron.

  His groupies’ blades flew like spears into the sky toward Kara.

  She did the only thing she could.

  With a great push of her wings, Kara climbed higher into the air and disappeared in the dark gray sky.

  Chapter 13

  Friends and Foes

  Only one blade nicked her thigh, and she didn’t even notice it until later when she felt something wet roll down her leg.

  She flew above the clouds. The two-hour journey from Boston to Mr. Patterson’s bookstore was nearing its end, and she hoped to get there before Metatron’s cronies. She didn’t want to imagine what they’d do to the old man. She banked slowly and tucked in her wings a little as she began her descent.

  What would she do if she came face to face with Metatron? The thought that his ugly face would be twisted in fury made Kara smile. She’d enjoyed seeing him squirm.

  The lights of the city gleamed like stars, and her chest tightened as her thoughts moved to David. She remembered the last night they’d been on a date together. The night lights had lit up his eyes, and she remembered how desperately handsome he was and how she wanted to kiss him.

  Would she ever get to have a normal life again with David? Would the end of the world come too soon?

  Hopefully Metatron wouldn’t take his revenge out on David. But Metatron was such a loose cannon of an archangel, who knew what would happen to David. Hopefully Ariel would knock some sense into the legion’s commander. Hopefully. But even if Metatron pardoned David and the others, they would be ordered to fight the archfiends in a few hours anyway. The thought of the legion fighting alongside the black-eyed demons sent a wave of fury through Kara. The demons weren’t in alliance with anyone but themselves. Ice in her gut spread into her black veins. Somehow she would prove to everyone just how treacherous the demons were.