Elemental (11 page)

With Jenny and Peter over her shoulders, Kara sprinted across the roof towards the ledge of the building. She stretched her neck to look down into a dark alley blanketed in shadow when she jumped. A soft light glimmered below from a single lamp post, giving enough light for Kara to see the bottom. It stood alone amongst the tall stone buildings. Hard concrete ground was fifty feet below them, she figured. She prayed her M-5 suit could make the jump—and stay intact. She knew if she ended up like a squished tomato at the bottom, the demons would have a feast with their souls.

Kara heard the scraping of boots behind her. She knew she had only five seconds before the higher demons were upon them. Using all the strength her mortal suit could muster, she grabbed a hold of Jenny’s arm and pulled. She didn’t look back. She prayed for the strength of the M-5 suit as they fell.

Kara, Peter and Jenny smashed onto the alley with a thundering crash. Kara rolled over—her limbs were all still attached. Peter and Jenny were stunned, but okay.

With the eerie cry of angry higher demons spitting and hissing at her from above, Kara carried Peter and Jenny out of the dark alley and into the shadows.

Chapter 8

The power within

RUMORS SPREAD MORE QUICKLY IN
Counter Demon Division than in the rest of the Legion. Before Kara had time to wrap her head around what had happened, most of the division had come to congratulate her on saving Jenny and Peter from the higher demons. She felt more trust within the unit. Soon Jenny and Peter left the Healing-Xpress and were back on duty joining in the conversations about their rescue. Cassiel, on the other hand, was more interested in how Kara had defeated the new breed of demons and got away.

“So this power of yours—this golden light—just shot out of your hand and killed the demon?” asked Cassiel, a strange eagerness flashed in his hazel eyes. He leaned across the great table studying Kara as though she was a ticking time bomb. He rubbed his chin. He looked straight at Kara again. “You think you could reproduce it for me? Can you control it?”

Kara hesitated then shook her head. “I don’t think so. When I tried to do it again—I couldn’t. I don’t know how to explain it. I can’t even tell you how I managed to do it in the first place. It just—happened.”

“Hmm.” Cassiel crossed his arms. “You think with some practice you might be able to do it again?”

Kara shrugged. “Uh—I guess so.”

But inside she wasn’t sure she could do it. She had only done it twice before—once with the elemental child against the demon lord, Asmodeus, and now against the new breed demon. She started to feel anxious. Cassiel expected her to be able to do it again, as though it was a simple task like riding a bike. She wondered if she should just tell him
no.
Would she still be a part of CDD then?

But it all made sense to her now. Jenny had told her that most the guardians in CDD had something special about them. Kara knew now why she was here—she was to use her elemental power against the demons. David wasn’t chosen because he didn’t possess a unique skill like she did.

Cassiel clapped his hands. “Well then! Let’s get started!”

He pushed his chair back and stood up, a smile spread across his face. His great body towered easily above everyone else. “Gabriel agreed to let us use one of the tents at Operations to practice. We’ll need the room, I think.”

He looked at Kara, and then turned to face the others. “Jenny. Peter. Al. Devon—I want you to come with us. Let’s see if we can help Kara conjure up her powers. On your feet guardians.” Cassiel moved easily through the cluster of chairs and desks and headed towards the elevator.

Kara watched him go. Dread made her feel heavy. It was bad enough that Cassiel expected her to be able to use her powers, now she would have an audience.

It wouldn’t be easy to get away from all the attention to look for her mother’s soul either. She still didn’t know where to look, but she knew she didn’t have much time. Asmodeus obviously wasn’t defeated, but very much out there, and he was using her mother’s soul as bait. She knew she would have to bite eventually.

She saw a head of purple hair bouncing towards her. “Hey…what’s up girl? You doing okay? You look a little spaced out.” Jenny and Peter stopped in front of her.

“Your face is white,” remarked Peter. “Do you want us to take you to Raphael? The woman can’t stop talking about you, by the way. It’s like she’s obsessed with your well-being.”

“Yeah, it’s really freaky.” Jenny widened her eyes.

“No. I’m fine. Thanks.” Kara forced a smile.

She sighed and looked at Jenny. “Actually, I’m not fine,” she whispered. “I don’t think I can do it again. That—that power. I don’t know how to summon it. And Cassiel thinks that I can.”

“You worry too much.” Jenny gave out a little laugh. “Come—I’m sure it’ll be fine. Cass is cool. He won’t be angry if you’re having trouble. He’s one of the good guys. He’s very patient, trust me.” Kara wondered what Jenny must have done to witness Cassiel’s patience.

Kara considered telling Jenny and Peter the whole truth. She wondered if she could truly trust them with the knowledge of her mother’s soul. Only David knew, apart from the archangels, and right now she needed friends more than ever. She took Jenny and Peter by their hands and pulled them closer to her into a tight circle.

“I have to tell you guys something,” she whispered, and looked over her shoulder.

“What?” said Peter and Jenny at the same time.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“We promise,” said Jenny, her eyes wide and glittering like jewels.

Kara narrowed her gaze. “I’m sure you heard about what happened a few months ago. With me, the elemental child, the life-quest—”

“Yeah. You kicked Asmodeus’s butt!” blurted Jenny.

“Shhh!” Kara looked over her shoulder. “Listen. I think he’s back—”

“Asmodeus? Are you sure? How do you know?” Peter pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a trembling hand. Kara thought for a minute that he might topple over.

“Pretty sure. And I think he took my mother’s soul.”

Both Jenny and Peter were silent for a moment. Kara wondered if she had done the right thing in telling them. A trace of regret started to form, but then Jenny and Peter shared a look and grinned, and she realized she had been right to trust them.

“So, what are
we
going to do about it?” Jenny arched her brows and her smile widened.

Relief washed through Kara. And she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Kara couldn’t help but smile.

“The archangels know my mother’s soul is missing. But they won’t look for it because their first priority is finding out who’s killing the guardians, and not one missing soul. So I have to look for it myself. I need to find a way to sneak out after the practice session—and go look for it.”

Peter’s gaze moved from Jenny and Kara to the many onlookers around them. “It could be anywhere,” he said. “Do you have an idea of where it might be? If we had a location, it would be a lot easier.”

Kara shrugged. “The only place I can think of…is the demon realm.”

Peter didn’t seem to hear her.

“Asmodeus is using my mother’s soul as bait. I’m sure of it. It’s me he wants, not my mom…probably to kill me. He’s threatening to destroy my mother’s soul—I can’t let that happen.” Kara suddenly realized she was nearly shouting, and fought to control her emotions. She lowered her head and ignored the questioning glances she got from the GAs walking by.

Jenny met her eyes. “We’ll help you. We’ll find your mother’s soul.”

Peter bent forward. “I’ll start looking on the holographic monitors when we get back. We can start looking for any kind of strange anomalies that are happening.”

“We’ll find her, don’t worry.” Jenny rested a hand on Kara’s shoulder. “You saved our lives, girl. This is the least we can do to pay you back.”

“She’s right. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Kara.” Peter’s face twitched, and a nervous smile reached his lips.

Kara nodded. She wasn’t sure how to explain how she did it. All she knew was that rescuing them was the right thing to do. There was no way to explain what really happened. The elemental power within her was wild and intense—and it wanted to kill. Kara didn’t feel comfortable about telling anyone that.

“We should get going.” Jenny urged them on. “We’re being watched.”

A group of guardians eyed them suspiciously, and Kara realized how alone she really was. While Level Five was a special division, the guardians weren’t different from the rest of the Legion.

They walked to the elevator in silence. Kara hoped that she would find a way to distract Cassiel and the others long enough to sneak out.

The group trotted across the red dunes and headed towards the blue tents where the angels practiced their combat skills. Kara wondered if she was to practice in the open. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, since nothing was going to happen anyway.

Cassiel walked graciously inside the tent and pulled out a wooden bench.

“Kara, stand in the middle over here—” said Cassiel. He placed the wooden bench twenty feet away from her. He stepped back, beyond the borders of the combat circle, and placed his hands on his hips.

“Later.” Jenny and Peter broke away from Kara and walked towards a bench at the far end of the tent. Jenny let herself sit with a loud thump and kicked out her legs. Her purple combat boots glistened in the sun. She waved at Kara.

Kara did as she was told.

“So now what? Do I just stand here like this?” She let her hands fall at her sides. She felt like a total fool. It was bad enough to have Cassiel and the few members of the CDD watching her, but now a few GAs had stopped practicing and were watching, too.

“Okay,” Cassiel folded his hands before him. “Let’s give this a try. I want you to focus, Kara. Try to remember how you conjured that power—and once you get it—try aiming it towards the bench. Go ahead, now. Try it.”

Kara glanced at the wooden bench. She wondered how long she would have to practice. She considered her options. She would have to try, or at least pretend to try, even though she knew she couldn’t wield the elemental energy. After a long moment of staring at the bench, she lifted her arms and aimed her palms at the bench. She tried desperately to remember what triggered her power. Nothing happened. She felt so stupid and useless.

“Kara. Clear your mind and focus on the elemental power you have within you—search for it inside. You can do this. You’ve done it before. Now, concentrate!”

Kara closed her eyes and concentrated. She searched within for traces of the elemental power, but the massive flow of power she’d drawn on while battling the new breed seemed to have faded. She knew it was inside her somewhere, she sensed it. It was like a wild energy fueled by emotion—the wilder and more intense the emotion, the more likely that the elemental power would surface. Yet she couldn’t access it now.

She tried to tap into those emotions.

Where are you guys?
She whispered inside her mind.
I need you now. Don’t make me look like a fool. Come on! Help me!
Kara’s body shook as she strained to access that small fragment of power she felt hidden inside her. She pushed with all her might. But nothing happened.

Kara opened her eyes and relaxed her arms. “I told you I can’t do this!” She stared at her palms. “I can’t access it. It’s like I can’t control it. I can’t will it—”

A sudden snort of laughter came from some of the guardians watching her. Al and Devon whispered to one another and laughed at Kara again. Anger flared inside her.

Cassiel walked towards Kara. “You need to relax. Take your time. Stop worrying that you can’t do it, and try to focus on where it is. You can sense it, can’t you?”

Kara began to regret this practice session. Al and Devon’s mocking only made it worst. She hated to be the center of attention. And with Cassiel pushing her, she just wanted to leave. But she knew she couldn’t—for her mother’s sake.

She met Cassiel’s eyes and shrugged.

“Sort of. I can feel a warm tickle inside, but I can’t reach it.”

“Do you remember how you felt the first time it happened?” asked Cassiel. “Were you afraid—or angry? Can you try to tap into those emotions? I think it’ll help.”

Kara stared at her hands. “Sure. I’ll try.”

“Good. Let’s try this again.” Cassiel turned on his heel and walked back to the group.

Kara rubbed her forehead and lifted her arms again. She closed her eyes and travelled back to her encounter with Asmodeus. She remembered the fear she had felt—and the anger. A warm sensation started to flow.

Come on guys, don’t let me down,
she whispered.

The warmth increased and continued to spread. But as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

Another chuckle reached her ears.