Seirs, Soul Guardians Book 5 (13 page)

“
Just tell them that the
legion owed you a debt—one last chance. You can tell them that
Ranab hadn’t much human blood left in him, but that’s
it.”

“
Okay, I promise,” said
Kara. She hoped she was a good enough liar to pull it off. She
probably wasn’t.

“
One more thing,” continued
the oracle with a serious expression. “If you kill or injure
another mortal severely, the crystal timer will empty and your
mission will be over. You will find yourself back here. Do you
understand?”

The crystal timer felt cool against
her angel skin. She tapped it gently beneath her shirt and sighed.
“I understand. I won’t kill any more mortals, not matter how
evil.”

The oracles shared a grave look again.
“And one last thing. Your priority is to find the weapon before
Lilith does. No matter what, you must secure the weapon. The sake
of the mortal world depends on it. No matter how delicate a
situation you find yourself in, and no matter who may need your
help—you must bring back the weapon. Lives may be sacrificed.
Nothing else matters.”

Kara frowned. “I’m not quite sure what
you mean. Are you saying I’m going to let some mortals die? I won’t
let anyone die.”

“
I’m afraid you won’t have
a choice; sacrifices may be inevitable.”

The oracles sat in silence, lost in
thought.

A strange feeling crept in the back of
her mind, but she pushed it away. The oracles knew best, whatever
sacrifice they were talking about was for the greater good. She had
to trust them.

“
Okay, then,” she nodded
her head. “I’m ready. How do I get out of here?”

The oracle gestured behind
her. “You can go through the same door you came in. Once you step
out that door, you will be back at the exact spot where you were
before you were
transported
here.”

“
Right.” Kara turned toward
the great wooden door with the number three sign. Its gold and red
paint stood out against the white walls of the giant bathroom; out
of place, just like her. Kara frowned.

“
Thank you, for giving me
more time—for this second chance.” Kara smiled. She clutched the
crystal timer beneath her shirt. “I won’t let you down. I
promise.”

“
Go, and may the souls
protect you,” said the oracles.

With one last look at the showers,
Kara walked to the door, pulled it open, and stepped
through.

Chapter 11

Back from the
Dead

K
ara...Kara...

Kara’s eyes fluttered open. She
blinked. At first, dark shadows clouded her vision, and then the
dark was replaced by bright light. She blinked away the brightness
as her vision gradually adjusted to her surroundings. David’s
anxious face stared down at her.

“
Kara! She’s awake! She’s
awake!”

A gathering of worried faces gazed
down upon her. Jenny’s bright green eyes shone with concern. Her
bottom lip trembled. Peter’s pallid face was pinched tightly, and
he looked about to pass out. A few curious Sensitives huddled
around her, whispering amongst themselves. Half a smile formed on
the corners of Santo’s lips. His dark eyes danced playfully. At
least, he seemed pleased to see her again.

The moist smell of earth and the stink
of smoke filled Kara’s nostrils. The back of her head was wet. By
the look of shock on almost everyone’s face, she knew it wasn’t
going to be easy to lie herself out of this. She hoped her acting
skills in front of the mirror were going to pay off. After a
moment, she raised her hand.

“
David, can you help me up
please.”

David reached down and pulled Kara
gently to her feet. The ground wavered for a moment, but then she
steadied herself. The crystal timer bounced against her chest, a
reminder that she had only twelve hours to complete her
mission—starting now.

“
I can’t believe you’re
standing here,” said David. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” He
grasped her hand tightly and didn’t let go, as though if he did she
might suddenly explode and vanish again. He examined her more
closely, his nose inches from her face. “This is incredible. It’s a
freakin’ miracle.”

Kara pulled her hands from David’s
tight grip and shook them. “I’m fine, David, really. No need to be
making a big deal.”

“
This is a big deal; you
were gone and now you’re back. But...but...this doesn’t make any
sense.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “You killed a
mortal. We saw you die. We all did, Kara. Your body
disappeared.”

Kara remembered the strange coolness
she’d felt seconds before her vanishing act. It must have been
horrible for her friends to watch her body disintegrate into thin
air, to think that it was the last time they would ever see her. If
it had happened to any of them, she knew that she would have been
devastated. Her friends meant the world to her. She met David’s
eyes and saw the hurt in them. Her throat ached, and she couldn’t
find her voice. She so desperately wanted to reach out to him and
tell him the truth, to wrap her arms around him one last time
before her twelve hours were up. But she knew she
couldn’t.

Peter stepped closer,
“

and then five
minutes later you reappeared. How’s that possible? You should
be...dead, so to speak. You should have died an angel’s true death.
How is it that you’re standing here now?”

Kara felt everyone’s attention on her,
waiting to hear her story. She prayed silently that she had the
strength to pull off the lies. The legion counted on her to keep
her secret. Her mother had always told her that she could always
tell when she was lying because her face would turn red. At least
this time, the flush on her cheeks wouldn’t give her
away.

She avoided David’s eyes and gazed at
the ground and tried her best to look cool. “They gave me a
one-time free pass. They said the legion owed me, so they gave me
another chance.” Kara pressed her lips together and glanced up to
see their reactions.

The Sensitives observed her silently
from a safe distance. Was that fear she saw flash in their eyes?
Santo stood close by, his head tipped to one side, stone-faced.
Apparently, he was the only Sensitive who wasn’t freaked out about
her reappearance.

Jenny reached out and squeezed Kara’s
hand, her face beaming. “Well, I’m so happy they did. Didn’t know
what I was going to do without my girl. The four of us are a team,
you know.”

Kara smiled and relaxed a little. She
knew she wouldn’t get any fussing from Jenny. “You can’t get rid of
me that easily.” She laughed, hoping it would ease the tension a
little.

David stepped closer and lowered his
voice. “I thought I’d lost ya.” He struggled to compose himself.
Kara’s knees buckled.

“
I thought I’d never see
you again.” His voice croaked. He lowered his eyes and brushed the
earth with his boot. “I was losing my mind just now...you have no
idea.”

Kara reached out and pressed her hand
gently on his arm. “But you didn’t lose me. I’m still here, at
least until I screw up again.”

For a moment only she and David stood
in the grassy meadow staring at each other.

“
That’s it?” inquired
Peter, his eyebrows twitched. “They just conjured you back and here
you are? There’s got to be more to it than that?”

Kara shrugged. “That’s all I know,
Peter.”

“
Interesting.” Peter
watched Kara curiously. “I’ve never heard of the legion granting
any angel’s life back after they killed a mortal.” Peter shared a
look with David. “In fact...I’m sure this is the first time it’s
happened.”

“
So what are you saying,
Peter? Aren’t you glad they did?” Annoyance tinted Kara’s voice. “I
thought you’d be pleased to see me again.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Well...yes, of
course. I didn’t mean anything by it. If anyone deserves to be
granted a second chance, it’s you. It’s just I’ve never heard of .
. .”

“
Where are the Seirs?” Kara
studied the grounds. There had been a huge battle before she had
killed Ranab, and now the land was silent, except for the rattling
of leaves and the chirping of birds. A few Sensitives were
scattered across the field, attending to the wounded and the dead.
Signs of battle dotted the grounds. The green grass was trampled
and stained with red. Fedora hats lay alone. But where were the
Seirs?

Elder Otis sat on the grass with his
back against the trunk of a large pine tree across from Kara. His
head rested against his chest. Kara couldn’t tell if his eyes were
open. His sadness was lost in his wrinkles. Tabbris’s body lay at
his side, and the old man still held on to his hand. He looked so
fragile now—a gust of wind might finish him off. He had lost many
friends today. It pained Kara deeply to see him suffer.

Twelve hours. Would it be enough to
stop Lilith and get their children back?

“
What happened after I was
gone?” asked Kara.

“
The Seirs all spazed out,”
answered David. “They got all weird when they saw Ranab explode
into a million little clown particles...and then after you
vanished, they just took off like a bunch of scared little
cats.”

“
They had lost their
quarry,” said Santo, cutting in. Blood trickled from his nose, and
his left eye was a swollen angry red color. His bloody hand rested
on the hilt of his sword, but apart from that Kara couldn’t see any
other injuries on him. “Without Ranab to lead them, they had to
leave to regroup. There was nothing else here for them. I’m only
sorry I wasn’t the one to kill him.” He smiled at Kara.

Kara returned his smile and looked
away.

“
These clowns are too
stupid to think for themselves,” said David, with a lethal
expression on his face. And then he added in a baby voice. “They
needed their
daddy
to tell them what to do.”

Kara stifled a laugh and turned to
Santo. “I hate to do this now, but I need to speak to the elder.
It’s important.”

Santo squared his shoulders and
nodded. “Come, I’ll take you to him.”

Kara followed Santo over to where the
old man was resting. She kneeled down beside him following Santo’s
example. The Sensitive touched his elder on the arm
gently.

“
Elder Otis?”

The elder’s lids opened and he raised
his head slowly. Kara stiffened at the sight of his blood-red eyes.
“Yes, Santo. What is it?”

“
The angel Kara would like
to have a word.”

With great effort, the elder turned
his head and met Kara’s eyes. He smiled, and Kara felt a stab in
her chest. “It’s nice to see you again, Kara. I had a feeling you’d
be back soon. What is it my dear?”

Kara leaned forward on her heels,
wondering how he could possibly have known. “I need your help,
Elder Otis,” she said gently, even though her body raced with
urgency. “I don’t have much time...I must find the other piece of
the weapon before Lilith does.”

Wisps of hair floated about his head
as he shook it gently. “I wish I could help you, Kara, but I do not
know the whereabouts of the other piece.”

“
It’s in Rome, hidden
somewhere inside the Pantheon. That’s what the oracles told me. I
just need Sensitives to help take care of possible Seirs that might
show up. I can’t let my temper get the best of me this
time.”

The old man raised his brows and his
eyes lit up. “You are full of surprises, Kara Nightingale.” He
smiled warmly. “I will see to it that our Sensitives in Italy
attend to your needs.” His glanced to where the timer lay beneath
her shirt for a second and then back to her. “Time is of the
essence my dear. You must hurry.”

Kara frowned and restrained from
touching the crystal timer. She wasn’t sure if the elders could
read minds, but the way Elder Otis watched her told Kara that
perhaps he knew more than he let on.

“
Thank you, Elder Otis.”
She reached out and grasped his bony hand. “I will bring back the
children, I promise.”

Tears welled up in the elder’s eyes,
and he smiled. “I know you will. The prophecies have foreseen it. I
have great faith in you, Kara. May the souls protect you on your
journey.”

With a last light squeeze of his hand,
Kara pushed herself up. Santo rose to his feet and grasped Kara’s
shoulder. His dark eyes pierced hers, and she shuddered.

“
Take care of yourself,
Kara the guardian.” He grinned, his long scar distorted, making it
look even angrier. Kara averted her eyes away from his
scar.

“
I’m sure you’ll find many
new friends amongst our kin in Italy,” he continued, “May the souls
guide you on your quest.” After a moment he let her go and settled
back down with the elder.

Kara could not hear their muffled
conversation as she walked away to join the others. For only a
moment, she reached inside her shirt and stole a peek at the
crystal timer.

The bottom of the glass was already
covered with sandy crystals.