Seirs, Soul Guardians Book 5 (3 page)

“
The High Council will need
to be informed about this,” Kara heard Ariel say.

“
Well, I had a feeling
Lilith wouldn’t give up so easily,” she continued. “Her anger
towards you seems to have worsened immensely. She’s taunting us.
She believes she is more powerful than the legion. Her arrogance
will be her downfall, mark my words. She will suffer the same fate
as her late father. She cannot enslave the mortal world—it’s not
possible. Demons are not powerful enough. But while her plans are
delusional at best, they are still extremely dangerous. We cannot
allow her to harm any more mortals on her quest to avenge her
father. We must protect the Sensitives at all costs. They’re our
only allies against the Seirs. We cannot fight back without them.
Angels will die.”

Kara met Ariel’s gaze. “Isn’t there a
way we could fight them?” When Ariel didn’t answer she continued,
“I mean...is there a special weapon we could use against them or
something? Maybe there’s something we can use that we just haven’t
discovered yet. There’s gotta be a way to fight back.”

Ariel pressed her lips in a hard line.
“I’m afraid not. As angels, we have sworn an oath to protect all
mortals, no matter how evil they turn out to be.”

“
Well, that just sucks,”
blurted David. “So we just stand there and let these freaks kill
us? Is that it? We can’t even defend ourselves?”

“
It’s more complicated than
that, David.” Ariel brushed a black curl from her eyes. “Angels
cannot harm any mortals. No matter how vile or evil they are. You
just can’t. It’s forbidden.”

“
What would happen if I
did?” asked David, “Let’s say I killed one of those
tards
during my attempt
to defend myself. What then? Would I disappear into a puff of
smoke?”

Ariel folded her hands calmly on the
table. She cocked her head to the side. “Your soul would die
immediately. You would cease to exist.”

David rolled his eyes. “Well, that
stinks.” He leaned back into his seat with a scowl on his face.
“Who’s the moron who thought of that rule anyway?”

“
The Chief.” Ariel’s face
darkened. The light dimmed in the chamber as though a dark cloud
had suddenly cast a gloomy shadow over them.

David blanched, averted his eyes, and
picked at his fingernails.

Kara kicked David from under the
table. “What David means to say is, why would such a law exist?
What if the entire human race went bad? We won’t be able to do
anything about it.”

Ariel’s face relaxed a little. “It’s
not that simple. There are things you are not aware of, and that
you are not allowed to know as guardian angels. I’m sorry, but I
don’t have the liberty to discuss the matter any further. All I can
tell you, for now, is that angels cannot harm mortals. If you
do—you will suffer the true death.”

“
That’s just stupid,”
whispered David so that only Kara could hear.

Kara shared a sidelong glance with
David and then leaned forward. “Archangel Ariel, how are we
supposed to fight the army of Seirs that Lilith is
building?”

Ariel’s expression was serious.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to fight them. The Sensitives will help
us, but we must concentrate on Lilith. We need to figure out what
her plans are, and we need to get the children back before it’s too
late. Our teams’ first priority is to find the children. I want no
harm to come to them. Once the children are safe, then we destroy
the creature Lilith.”

“
Sign me up! When do we
start?” David’s brazen smile returned and he rubbed his hands
together.

Ariel ignored him. “Our scouts have
determined three possible locations for the children’s
whereabouts.” Ariel held up her fingers. “Scotland, China, and
Australia. A team will be assigned to each of these locations.
Field teams will be the same as before.”

The archangel pushed back her chair
and stood up, her hair bouncing on her head like springs. “Angels,
let’s bring back the children. And may the souls protect
you!”

The cool winds of Scotland smelled of
soil and pine trees. Kara let her hands fall to her sides. Tall
grasses grazed her fingers as she made her way through a vast
country field. Shapes were cast in hues of blues and blacks and the
night was loud with the sounds of crickets and other nocturnal
animals on the hunt. The moon was a brilliant white sphere in the
black starlit sky, and shadows crept in every corner.

A twig snapped.

Kara gripped the hilt of her blade and
searched the area where the sound had come from, but she found
nothing. Large Scots pine trees loomed over Kara and her team like
giants from another world. She had never seen such tall pine trees
before. Once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she was
surprised at how well she could see with only the moon’s soft light
to guide her.

Rolling hills of rich agricultural
lands spread out for miles all around and disappeared into the
edges of the night. Eerie shadows moved along the rippling fields
like fish in a stream. A winding road came into view. It snaked
around the roots of trees in the forest and led into a small valley
with a mass of flickering orange lights in the distance.

Kara and the others crept down the
valley in silence, the tread of their boots muffled by the grasses,
as if they were walking on a lush carpet. Only the constant rustle
of leaves broke the stillness around them.

The darkness lives within
you...

With a surge of rage, Kara kicked away
at the tangle of tall grasses. She stamped through the weeds and
underbrush. She gritted her teeth and sighed inwardly. Her darkness
was like a door waiting to be unlocked. She would fight it. She
wouldn’t become a danger to her friends. She would control her
power, and she would resist the call of the netherworld.

Kara closed her eyes for half a second
and wished her fears would go away...

“
What’s going on with you?”
asked David, waking her from her reverie. “You haven’t said
anything since we got here. I can tell something’s bothering you.
What is it?”

Kara gazed at the rolling hills.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it. I’ve just got a lot on my
mind.”

“
You want to talk about
it?”

Yes
, Kara wanted to say, but instead she shook her head. “No,
it’s fine really. But thanks.”

“
You’ve been different ever
since we got back from the netherworld,” David pressed, but he kept
his voice low. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You’ve
been...distant. Kara...what’s going on? Tell me, what is
it?”

What could she say? Kara pressed her
lips together. The pain of his harsh words when he had realized she
had been marked came back to her, like being hit by a bus all over
again. She couldn’t lose David now. As it was, she could barely
keep it together, so she needed him with her. Her friends kept her
from losing it; they were the glue to her sanity.

“
I’m just angry with
Lilith,” she said after a while. It was partly true, so she figured
she wasn’t really lying. “She’s hurting innocent people because of
me. I never thought she’d go this far. It’s not easy to
swallow.”

David nodded and pitched a pebble into
the rolling fields before them. “I know, it sucks. She’s a real
basket case, your sister.”

“
Half-sister.”

David laughed.
“Okay,
half-sister
. She’s got it in for you, you know. She’s really pissed you
killed your father.”

“
He was never
my
father...not like a
real dad, anyway.” Kara kept her eyes on the countryside. “I never
had a dad growing up. But I can’t complain. My mother did an
amazing job on her own.”

“
I know she did.” David
smiled playfully.

Kara dragged her legs through the tall
grasses. She desperately wanted to tell David what the creature
Morthdu had said. The words danced on her lips. Her eyes met
David’s, but the words died in her throat. As she looked away
guiltily, an overwhelming feeling of tiredness washed over her.
They had only just started their mission, and she felt
drained.

“
You’re sure there’s
nothing else you want to tell me?” David leaned closer. His blue
eyes shone with concern.

Kara forced a smile. “No, I promise.
It’s just a lot to process right now.”

“
If you say so,” said David
in an unconvincing tone. He watched her for a while, slowed his
pace and then joined the others behind her.

Kara had to use all her willpower to
bury her dark thoughts. She clenched her jaw and fought down her
disruptive anger towards her half-sister. She tried to focus on
their mission to save the children, but her rage clouded her mind.
It swelled inside her, ready to burst at any given moment. It had
been the same ever since the dying woman gave her Lilith’s message.
Her half-sister had inconceivably managed to put her in an
uncomfortable situation, once again.

Ariel had said that it was impossible
for a demon to rule the mortals, but Kara wasn’t so sure. She had
seen Lilith’s power with her own eyes. She had witnessed her easily
kill the archangel traitor, Zadkiel. She knew beyond a shadow of a
doubt that her half-sister had unlimited, unknown powers. Kara
didn’t underestimate Lilith.

Kara kicked the grass with her boots.
Her dark temper matched the blackness around them, and she was
thankful the others couldn’t see her face.

Within a few minutes she discovered a
dirt road.

“
Do you know where we’re
going?” asked Jenny. She smacked her forehead. She pinched her
fingers together and flicked something into the darkness. “Got ya,
you little bugger.”

Kara laughed softly. “We should reach
the village at the end of this road. Dirleton Castle should be
straight through, at the other end of the village.”

Pebbles crunched under the weight of
Jenny’s boots. “You think the children are in the castle? You know
it could be a dead end. God, I hope she didn’t hurt
them.”

Kara shook her head. “I don’t know.
Lilith is full of surprises. If the children are there, we’ll get
them out safely. I won’t let her touch a hair on their heads. I’ve
lost my patience with her.”

David whistled loudly. “My money’s on
you, Kara.” He gave her a wide smile.

“
Geez, thanks.” Kara
laughed softly.

“
The last time I placed
bets with some fellow GAs back at the legion on how many higher
demons we’d score, the archangels nearly threw my handsome angel
self in Tartarus.” David stroked his face. “My beautiful rose
complexion can’t handle such a rough environment.”

“
Oh, please, spare us,”
said Jenny.

David straightened himself and swept
his gaze across the fields. “Scotland, land of the brave.” He
turned and pointed at Jenny. “Yer oot yer face!”

“
What?” Jenny touched her
face. “What’s wrong with my face? There’s something on my
face?”

David leered at Jenny proudly. “As
daft as a yett on a windy day.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “You’re a
spaz.” She cursed out loud and smacked her cheek hard. “Am I the
only one getting eaten alive by bugs? I thought they were attracted
to blood? Why are they all over me?”

David and Peter shared a look and
laughed uncontrollably.

“
Whatever

morons. You’re supposed to be guardian angels—not
children
.” Jenny stormed
ahead of them crossly.

Shadows of buildings formed up ahead.
Warm orange lights flickered from lampposts with curled tops, and
Kara thought of lanterns being carried by invisible giant hands.
The scraping of their boots on the pavement reverberated around
them as Kara and the others followed the dark paved road that led
to the old-world village.

Quaint stone homes lined the street on
either side. Soft light spilled through small windows at the front
of houses with red doors and lush gardens. The smell of
wood-burning stoves and summer blooms caused Kara to remember the
nights she spent at her grandma’s cottage with her mom, burning
marshmallows with a stick over a camp fire.

As they got closer, golden light
leaked from the homes. A few doors stood ajar. Televisions blared
into the night and cars sat in lonely driveways. Kara thought it
strange to have the doors open at night, especially with all the
bugs. It would be a blood-fest for them. The sound of their boots
clanking the pavement echoed around them. The village was as still
as a grave. An eerie feeling crept into the back of Kara’s mind.
The stillness was unsettling.

“
Is it me...or do you guys
get a weird feeling like everyone left in a hurry?”

David peered through an open doorway.
“Hello? Tourists here...Can you spare a pint of lager for a poor
tourist?”

Kara inspected the town more closely.
“There’s nobody here to give you a beer, David. It looks deserted
to me.”

The sound of an engine running reached
her ears. She walked over to an old Volvo wagon parked in a nearby
driveway. She pulled open the front door and killed the
engine.