Marked (19 page)

“So, this is Raphael?” whispered Kara, “she’s a woman.”

David had a huge grin plastered across his face, his eyes fixed on the beautiful lady.

Kara rolled her eyes. “You’re so predictable.”

They walked towards the impressive woman. She looked up, and her perfect face melted into a brilliant smile.

“Ah, David.” She put the glass container on a table and walked towards them. “I’m so glad to see you again.” She reached out and hugged him.

Kara noticed a golden shield crisscrossed with two silver swords marked on her forehead.

“I’m very happy to see you too, Raphael,” David was smothered in Raphael’s bosom as he spoke. She let him go, and Kara thought she could see the blush on his cheeks.

Raphael’s brown eyes locked onto Kara. “So, this must be Kara—let’s have a look.”

She took Kara’s hands in hers as she examined her closely. Kara felt a strange ripple pass through her body, as though she had just gone through an internal x-ray.

“Well, then—I’m going to put my hands on your face, okay? I need to make sure there aren’t any traces of the death blade inside you.”

“A what kind of blade?” Kara wrinkled her face.

“A death blade—a demon blade. It’s poisonous to any angel,” answered Raphael, “it can kill you.”

“Right…I remember those.”

The archangel studied Kara’s face closely. “Are you ready, Kara?”

Kara blinked and looked over at David. He gave her a reassuring nod. His eyes flicked back to Raphael. Kara bit her lip and turned back to face the archangel.

“I feel a little weird with you staring at me like that,” she said.

Raphael smiled. “Don’t worry. It won’t take long,” she laughed, “I promise I’ll stop staring at you in just a minute.”

Raphael’s almond eyes hypnotized Kara, and she could only nod.

Raphael pressed her hands around Kara’s face and then closed her eyes. Immediately, Kara felt a soothing warmth spread from her head to the rest of body, as though someone had just poured a bucket of warm water over her head. The sensation turned to little pricks inside her, like tiny lightning bolts bouncing on the inside walls of her core.

And then it stopped.

Raphael took a step back and her face broke into a smile. “Wonderful. You show no signs of the poison. And the demon mark is gone.
That
, is
very
good news, Kara.”

She turned around gracefully and walked over to large wooden table.

“The mark! Oh, I forgot!” Kara bent over and stuck out her right leg. She twisted it inwards so that she had a clear view of the bottom part. She smiled. It was olive colored, smooth and clean. The mark was gone.

“Ha! Take that! Stupid Mark! You’ve been zapped!” She danced around on the spot, flashing her clean leg. She locked eyes with David and smiled. But he didn’t return her smile. Instead, he focused on Raphael.

Raphael rummaged through piles of clothes neatly placed on long wooden shelves. Kara studied her angelic face, wondering if she thought her a spy or not. Raphael didn’t act like she thought Kara was a traitor. Raphael was kind to her and wasn’t giving her the cold shoulder like David.

“Raphael—is there a way you can sense—I’m not a traitor somehow? That I’m telling the truth when I say I’m not a spy?”

The archangel turned to stare at Kara. Her eyes switched to David’s momentarily, then back to Kara. “I’m afraid I cannot help you with that. I’m a healer. I don’t get involved with Horizon politics.”

She smiled. “I cannot read your mind.”

Kara sighed. “Oh. Well—thanks anyway.” She stared at the floor.

Raphael stacked a pile of clothes and handed them to Kara. “Here—these are your new clothes. You can get changed in the back.” Her voice was so soothing and motherly; just having Raphael close to her made feel as though she was with her own mother.

“Thank you. I can’t wait to be out of this towel.”

Kara took the clothes and went to change in a small room with a round door and no ceiling. Red light flooded from above, as a smell of moist soil filed the air. She pulled on some undergarments, a cami, blue jeans and a grey hooded sweater and walked back to join the others. She smiled as she watched David with the archangel Raphael, putting on his best moves: the winks, the famous smile, the cocking of the eyebrow, the tossing of the hair
. Is he flirting?
He’s dumber than he looks if he thinks she’ll fall for
that.
Kara felt a little jealous.

“I’m back,” announced Kara, “but I’ll need some shoes.” She wiggled her toes.

“Here—” David handed her a pair of running shoes.

Raphael clasped her hands in front of her and cleared her throat. “The archangel Gabriel is expecting you both back at Operations shortly. There are lots of jobs for the two of you.”

Her eyes shifted to David and didn’t move again. “And please
try
to be nice, David.”

David pursed his lips. “I will, if he will.”

The archangel sighed loudly and shook her beautiful black hair. She looked at Kara. “Please try and talk some
sense
into this one? It’s not helping his case to be insubordinate to the Legion commander.”

“He’s a putz,” said David.

“But he’s also three times your size,” said Kara. She pushed her feet into her new shoes.

Raphael placed her hands on her hips. “Gabriel is a bit intense at times, but he is your superior. Come now. He is waiting. I will accompany you back to the elevators.”

Her long white linen dress swished behind her. “Oh, I almost forgot,” said Raphael as she turned around. “He has also informed me that the two of you will be summoned to the council of ministers.”

David jogged to catch up to her. “The council of ministers? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” answered Raphael and kept walking.

Kara ran next to David. “Why do you look so freaked out?” She studied his face. “And angry? What’s going on, David? You’re making me nervous! What’s this council?”

David turned to look at her. “It’s where all the big decisions are made in Horizon.”

“And this is bad?”

David’s face was grim. “It is when you’re
summoned
.”

Chapter 12. The Council of Ministers

A
fter Kara and David left the Miracles Division, they went back to Operations. They could only wait until the council of ministers decided to summon them. Gabriel handed them piles of new job files instead—never mentioning the demon’s mark. It was as though it had never happened.

Their first assignment: Mr. John Yong, 1240 Peel Street—sidewalk, 1:24 pm. Suffocates due to a severe allergic reaction to cherry gum. And while David was on the lookout for demons from the shadows of a building, Kara sneaked behind Mr. Yong as he popped in his gum and gave him the Heimlich maneuver of his life. The gum came rocketing out of his mouth and landed in some woman’s hair. Too shocked and confused to speak, Mr. Yong’s bulging eyes were a good enough sign that he was alive and that the job was done.

Moving on, they then tackled: Mrs. Rose Roy, at 359 Messier Street apt. # 34, 6:12pm—who fries her brain, by using the convection oven to dry her new perm. Impersonating students selling the Montreal Gazette, Kara and David were able to sneak into the retirement home, go up the third floor and talk Mrs. Roy out of using the oven to dry her hair.

During all this time on the job, David gave Kara the silent treatment. Her stuck to small talk and work related conversations. She hated him one day and was totally into him the next. She hated herself for being so
sensitive
, so typically
female
.

Good one Kara. I’ve become one of those girls I hate
.

At times she wanted to give up and leave him to hate her—to ask for a new Petty officer. But Kara was determined to prove her innocence to David and to the rest of the Legion.

Kara and David hopped out of the elevator back to level two when they had completed their rescue missions. Gabriel greeted them with a scowl.

“Files!” he barked. He took the job files from David and waited for the oracle to roll over and take them away. Kara watched the archangel as his dark eyes darted from David to her and back again. The look in his eyes was fierce, and it frightened her.

“It is time,” said Gabriel, his perfect face showed no emotion.

“Time for what, big G?” David flashed a set of pearly whites.

Gabriel’s fixed his eyes onto Kara. She shook, as she felt a tickle inside her, moving from the top of her head to her toes. Then her forehead got really cold, like when you eat ice cream really fast and get brain freeze. She looked at Gabriel. He wasn’t blinking, as if he were in a trance. Somehow, she could feel a part of him inside her, searching her core. And for a long moment, he didn’t speak. He turned his attention back to David as he spoke.

“The archangel Uriel is ready for you. The council will see you now.” And with that, Gabriel turned and left Kara and David to contemplate their fate.

“Why was he staring at me like
that?
” she shuddered. “I feel a little violated. It was like he was trying to see through me—a bit freakish.”

David flipped the collar from his leather jacket. “I don’t know—but we better get going.”

Kara searched David’s face. “So what are the council of ministers going to do?”

David turned around and started to walk back to the elevator.

Kara ran to catch up. “Do you know why we have to go?”

“It’s a
council
. And we’re going because we have to,” said David, back to his usual avoiding-Kara-game.

“Right—but why? This has something to do with the demon’s mark doesn’t it?”

David kept staring at his boots as he pattered onward. “I’m sure it’s because of the mark. You don’t just get summoned to the high council for tea.”

“I knew it! Everyone thinks I’m a traitor!” Kara could feel herself starting to shake. “I’m starting to
freak
out
here—what are they going to do to me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is this like a trial? Am I going to be able to defend myself?”

“I don’t know.”

“Great. I feel so much better.”

The ride up to level six, the council of ministers, was a silent one. Kara glanced angrily at David. He looked as he were frightened, too. He stared at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest.

A large brown monkey operated the elevator. Its orange eyes flicked back and forth from Kara to David. It adjusted its purple bowtie around its neck, mumbling to itself. After a moment, the monkey picked at its tail and popped things Kara couldn’t see into its mouth. It checked its fingernails, then scratched its bottom.

“You’re disgusting—you know that?” Kara made a face.

The monkey lifted its chin. “You’re just saying that because you can’t have some.”

“I don’t want some—that’s the point. It’s gross.”

It smacked its lips. “You don’t know what you’re missing!”

When Kara turned away from the monkey and looked at David, his brows were scrunched, and he was staring at the floor again—
so
not him. She missed the old David—the new one hated her guts.

“What happens to traitors in the legion?” she asked.