Horizon, Soul Guardians Book 3 (19 page)

“
Well, you know me, I’m
indestructible.” David raked his hair with his fingers—his attempt
at flirting made Kara want to gag.

Raphael laughed softly. “Yes, but
always getting into trouble. Well, I’m glad you two are safe with
me now.”

“
I always feel safe when
I’m around you …” David’s blue eyes sparkled.

Kara rolled her eyes and wished David
would stop embarrassing himself. Her mother smiled at her. Kara
sighed and squeezed her mother in a tight hug.

Her mother kissed the top of her head.
“I’m so happy you’re safe. I was so worried.”

Kara buried her face into her mother’s
shoulder. “I missed you, mom.”

Danielle rubbed her daughter’s back.
“I missed you too, Kara. I wish I could have been there for you.
You must have been terrified with all this supernatural stuff …
about who you are … of how special you are. After Raphael brought
me back, she told me everything you did for me—and for the Legion.”
She pushed Kara back gently. “I’m so proud of you, my beautiful
daughter.”

Kara wished she could cry, but settled
on being held by her mother. She hadn’t realized how much she
missed her. Kara hung her head. “I’m sorry I never believed your
stories about demons, mom. You have no idea how sorry.”

Her mother laughed. Kara had forgotten
how much she loved her mother’s laugh. “Don’t worry about that. How
could you? I didn’t know you were chosen, like me. Had I known,
things would have been different, let me tell ya. But the Legion
only gave me back a few memories at a time after each mission. It’s
no wonder you thought your mother was nuts. I thought I was nuts. I
just wished I could have been there for you, when things got …
complicated.”

Kara smiled. Her mother always made
her feel better. Something occurred to her. “Mom … about my
father—”

The door to the chamber burst open,
and a woman collapsed to the floor. Her curly red hair was a
tangled mess and covered most of her face. Her green robes were
torn and covered in dust. Bright light escaped from her many
wounds. She wasn’t moving.

“
Camael!” Raphael rushed to
the woman’s aid. She held her to her breast and wiped the hair from
her face. “Camael! What happened? Who did this to you?”

The archangel struggled to open her
mouth. Her lips trembled as she strained to form the
words.

“
Asmodeus … killed Uriel.
He has conquered the High Council.”

Chapter 15

Inferno

K
ara watched helplessly as Michael and Raphael carried the
archangel Camael to one of the wooden tables. Raphael folded a
bundle of cloth hastily and used it as a pillow. She took Camael’s
hands and placed them at her side, whispering to her softly. Her
wounds were severe, and Kara wondered if she would
survive.

She watched silently as Raphael
pressed her hands together in front of her and closed her eyes. As
if in prayer, she stood there for a moment without moving. Her skin
gave off a soft white glow.

Raphael opened her eyes suddenly. They
had become glowing white spheres. She stared down at the injured
archangel, with eyes like tiny suns. With open palms, she placed
her hands on Camael’s chest. Rays of light poured from her touch,
and enveloped Camael’s body in a coverlet of white light. Kara
watched as Camael’s body absorbed the light like a sponge. After a
moment, the lesions on Camael’s body grew smaller until the skin
sealed itself. Soon every last cut was mended. Raphael helped
Camael to a sitting position and kept her arm wrapped around her
shoulders. Her face still held traces of agony, but otherwise Kara
thought she looked well enough. She sighed in relief.

“
She’ll be fine, Raphael is
an incredible healer,” said her mother.

“
Asmodeus is a monster. He
can’t get away with this—with everything he’s done.” Kara’s voice
rose unintentionally, and she lowered it when she saw the grave
expression on her mother’s face.

Kara’s mother gave her a weak smile
and spoke to her softly so that only she could hear. “About your
father … I’ve been told you know who he is.”

Kara stared into her mother’s big
brown eyes. Sadness reflected in them. “Mom … when you met him,
couldn’t you tell he was a demon?”

Her mother shook her head. “I didn’t
know he was a demon. If I had known … I would never have married
him. How could I? I was in my mortal body when I met him the first
time. He was tall and so handsome. He told me his name was Samuel.
I fell in love with him that very first day—don’t look at me like
that—he was good to me, Kara—and to you, too. He wasn’t this evil
thing that he has become. I believe he wasn’t always evil … he
changed.”

“
And not in a good way.
He’s evil, mom. The worse kind of evil you can imagine.”

Her mother twitched uncomfortably. “I
know. And it’s hard to believe I ever felt anything for someone so
cruel.”

“
And being a guardian,
couldn’t you tell he was a demon? Couldn’t you see demons back when
you were a mortal? Why couldn’t you see through him,
mom?”

“
It wasn’t like that. I
never saw demons when we were together. I only saw him as a mortal
man, with mortal flesh. And then I got pregnant with you, we were
happy. And then five years later … he died suddenly … well, his
mortal suit died. I had no idea that he had been planning this all
along, Kara—believe me. Then a few months ago, I was in the kitchen
and three higher demons attacked me. I don’t remember anything else
after that.”

Kara put her hand on her mom’s
shoulder tenderly. “It’s okay, mom. I get it.”

“
The last thing I do
remember is waking up in the Healing-Xpress. Raphael had a towel
ready, and she told me everything. She told me who Samuel really
was, and how he had used me. She also told me that you were a
guardian, too, but with a special talent. After she explained about
your elemental power, I was terrified for you. This
elemental
power is
dangerous. I’m so angry at what he’s done to you.” Danielle
embraced her daughter. “I’m so sorry, Kara. If I could take it all
away for you, and give you a normal life … I would.”

“
I know, mom. It’s not your
fault. You didn’t know. Besides, I like being a guardian. It has
its moments.” Kara laughed softly into her mother’s shoulder. “I
just wished I could have stopped this somehow. Stopped the
killings.”

“
Don’t worry. The Legion is
stronger than you think. We will survive this.”

Kara hoped her mother was right. She
felt a presence behind her, and looked up to see Michael
approaching the table. He hovered above the injured archangel. He
took Camael’s hand in his gently. His beautiful face was
transformed into something terrifying, almost feral. His eyes were
wild. Kara felt suddenly cold. But when he spoke his voice was
gentle. “Camael. Can you tell us what happened?”

The archangel Camael stared at the
table for a moment before answering.

“
It happened so fast.” She
shook her head. “We never imagined the High Council could be under
attack—never. We weren’t prepared.” She stared at her trembling
hands, and wrapped them into tight fists. Kara wanted to reach out
to her and comfort her, but she feared what Michael would do.
Perhaps it wasn’t her place. So she took a step forward
instead.

“
Do not fret, Camael. You
cannot blame yourself for what happened,” said Michael, his voice
was full of compassion. He pressed his hand over hers
kindly.

“
The doors burst open,”
continued Camael, her voice wavering. “So many of them … so many of
them.” Her eyes were filled with terror. Her body shook
uncontrollably. Kara wondered if she had gone mad with what she’d
witnessed. She wouldn’t blame her if she had.

Michael squeezed her hand tenderly.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now. Please, Camael—tell us what happened,
it’s very important. Don’t be afraid.”

Kara and the rest of the team waited
patiently as the archangel composed herself and started her story
once again.

“
We were taken by surprise.
At first, hoards of lower demons ravaged the chamber, destroying
everything. Then the higher demons came.” Camael stared into space.
“And then … he came.”

“
Asmodeus,” said
Michael.

“
Yes.” Camael raised her
head and met Michael’s eyes. “He just started killing council
members—ripping them apart. Their screams … their screams.” She
covered her ears with her hands and shook her head.

“
He drank in their
essences, Michael! Like a beast! How could he have done that? He
took their life forces into himself and strutted around the chamber
laughing. Uriel tried to stop him. He really tried. He was the
strongest of us. But Asmodeus just laughed at him. He mocked him,
and then he … he killed him. He killed Uriel!” Camael screamed his
name and collapsed into Raphael’s arms.

Kara felt numb. Uriel was dead.
Asmodeus had killed him. It was unreal that someone so powerful
could be gone. He had been kind to her at times. Her soul mourned
his loss.

Camael pulled Michael closer to her.
“He tortured him, Michael! Tortured him! They held him down and cut
off pieces slowly. Asmodeus laughed and danced as Uriel cried out
in pain. It was horrible. He took his essence, and then came after
me. I … I thought I was going to be the next.” She closed her eyes.
“He hurt me. It—burned. I wanted the pain to stop. I wanted to die.
But then he stopped. He said he wanted me to get out … to deliver a
message to you.”

“
What’s the
message?”

“
That it’s over. The Legion
has lost.” Camael opened her eyes and terror flashed across her
face. “To join him now … or die. He said he would gladly fight
you.”

Michael let go of Camael. “If it’s a
fight he wants, then a fight he shall have. He will taste the
bitterness of true death. He will die at the hands of an inferno
blade.”

Michael’s silver and gold robes
rippled out behind him as he crossed the chamber. He stood before
the parcel wrapped in golden cloth. Kara watched as Gabriel eyed it
suspiciously. She shifted her weight nervously. What was wrapped in
that piece of cloth? And what exactly was an inferno? The tension
was driving her nuts.

After a moment, Michael reached out
and removed the cloth. Kara gasped. Flames rose from the spot where
the item lay. And for a moment, the table was bathed in a soft
golden color. Kara crossed the room. She could see yellow flames
reflected in Michael’s eyes. She looked down. A single golden
dagger rested above a piece of cloth. Flames flickered and danced
around the handle and around the blade. The blade shimmered. It was
a blade made of fire.

Michael lifted the dagger in the air.
Golden flames wrapped around his hand and spilled towards his arms.
His entire arm was aflame in golden fire. With his face tightly
determined, he looked taller and more fearsome. Kara wondered if
that was an after effect of the blade. He looked terrifying. She
realized she was more fearful of him, than any demon. Kara felt
herself stepping back. If anyone could defeat Asmodeus, she was
certain it would be Michael.

Michael lowered his arm and examined
the blade more closely. “A weapon built by the creators from the
flames of the heavens, for one purpose only—to bring the true death
to an archangel. The blade that kills archangels will eliminate the
demon Asmodeus.”

Kara watched the fire licking around
Michael’s hands and down his arms. It came as no surprise now why
Gabriel had eyed it with a reproachful glare. He knew it could kill
him.

“
Wait!” Camael threw her
arms in the air. “You don’t know what he’s done. You don’t
understand the power he has now—”

“
No archangel can survive
the strike of the inferno. He will die.”

Camael shook her head. “I don’t think
… you don’t understand. He’s not just a demon anymore. He’s
changed.”

Raphael exchanged a look of concern
with Michael, but he ignored it. She brushed a long lock of hair
from Camael’s face. “What do you mean, Camael? In what way has he
changed?”

Camael struggled with what
she was about to say. “He has
ingested
the souls of archangels.
Their energy flows inside him. Their strength—is now
his
strength. He will
not be easily defeated.”

“
He
will
be defeated, nonetheless.”
Michael’s eyes blazed with hatred.

“
He has been planning this
for a very long time. He’s always wanted to control
Horizon—”

“
He has?” blurted Kara
before she could control herself. All eyes were on her, and she
wished she could disappear.

Camael turned and regarded Kara for a
moment. Her voice was calm when she spoke. “Yes. Even as an
archangel, I could see his lust for power, and it worried me. His
soul slowly corrupted itself. His charm and his natural ability to
lead created a following. Angels and archangels alike listened to
and adored him. It was too easy for him, and his hunger for power
grew. He contemplated a takeover with a group of our most powerful
and talented angels. He nearly succeeded, you know. But in the end,
he didn’t have enough members, and the Legion vanquished them.
Asmodeus and his followers were banished to the
Netherworld.