Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4 (13 page)

“
I know that,” said Ariel,
“It just doesn’t feel right. You should always be with your
team.”

As she wiggled in her seat, Kara
drummed her fingers on the table. “Right. Listen—if that’s all, I
really have to go. I don’t have much time.”

Kara started to get up but froze as
she met Ariel’s frightening glare. She sat back down.

“
We need to know if there
are more of these offspring.” Ariel lowered her head a little, her
hair bobbing gently. “The idea that Asmodeus has been breeding can
have catastrophic consequences. You, for example, you inherited
powers from demons, fallen angels and mortals. What powers would
other offsprings have?”

“
Lucky me,” blurted Kara.
“I’ll do what I can. I promise. But she’s pretty powerful. Did I
mention that she can take on different shapes? I can’t do that. I
know she won’t be an easy opponent. I’m not even sure how to handle
her. Hopefully, I won’t have to. We don’t even know what she
is.”

“
From what you’ve told us,”
answered Ariel, “we know she’s part demon, mortal, and something
else. I know it’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got. You are our
eyes in this matter, Kara. You’re the only one of us who can enter
the netherworld. You must succeed. We will not survive another
attack. Asmodeus was cunning and merciless. He cared nothing for
the souls of mortals and angels. He had more than one plan in
action. Lilith may be even more dangerous!”

Kara shifted in her seat. Faces of
dead mortals wavered before her eyes. Their dying wails filled her
mind. She suppressed a shiver. Jenny wouldn’t be one of them. “I’ll
do my best. Well, if that’s all, I really must be going. Thanks for
the pep talk.”

Ariel leaned forward and caught Kara
by the arm. “Kara. I know you think your friend’s soul still
lives—but don’t let your emotions get in the way of your mission.
Don’t get sidetracked with the possibility that Jenny is still
alive. She’s not. Lilith only wants you to think that she is, for a
reason. Kara, be on your guard. She probably wants you to suffer.
Revenge is an ugly emotion.” Ariel let go of Kara’s arm
gently.

“
I know.” Kara pushed her
chair back and stood up. A slight feeling of guilt welled inside
her chest. She understood the importance of her mission, but she
couldn’t let Jenny down either. She gave Ariel a sober nod. “I’ll
be fine. Don’t worry—”

“
We’re here!” David
sauntered towards them. “You can start now.” He smiled cheekily.
Peter came up behind him looking smug. Kara did a double
take.

“
What’s up, queen Ariel?
Miss me? Has the fort collapsed in my absence?” David smiled at the
archangel, who despite Kara’s shock, smiled back.

“
Actually, we’re done
here.” Kara interjected, “I’m just about to go. I just need the
location of a Rift to the demon realm. Peter, you think you can
help me with that?”

“
Already done.” Peter
beamed at her. His voice rose with pride. “I know where it is. I
found it. It’s in Brazil. And we’re going to accompany you there,
you know, to see you off,” said David. It was more of a statement
than a suggestion. The blue of his eyes still mesmerized her. A
jolt of electricity rippled through her body. She tore her eyes
away from him.

“
Seriously, guys?” Kara
shook her head and smiled in spite of herself. “Thanks, but there’s
really no need. I can manage on my own. Besides I’m sure the
archangel Ariel has other jobs for you.”

“
We insist!” David grabbed
Kara by the elbow. “Let’s weapon up, shall we?”

Ariel eyed them suspiciously, and
David steered Kara towards the weapon wall.

“
David, what are you
doing?” whispered Kara. She yanked her elbow out of David’s
grip.

David lowered his voice. “We have
something to tell you. Something to do with your mission.” He
grabbed a golden blade and inspected it closely. He raised his
voice dramatically. “This one is very good! Yes! Can do some real
damage! Easily cut through some ugly demons!” He yelled over his
shoulder to make sure Ariel heard him.

Kara watched Peter pretending to be
interested in a glowing silver net that looked strangely like a
large spider’s web. “What are you guys doing? Whatever it is you
want to tell me—you better make it quick, Ariel is watching us.
She’s not stupid. She won’t be fooled for long.”

“
We’re coming with you.”
David continued to eye the gleaming dagger in a nonchalant
manner.

Kara frowned. “Seriously, David. You
know you can’t. Remember the last time you tried to go through a
Rift—you nearly lost your arm. It’s impossible. I really don’t have
time for this. Jenny needs me. I have to get out of
here.”

David smiled and placed the
blade back on the shelf. He took her right hand in his. “There’s no
way I’m letting you go alone again. We’re
both
coming with you to the
netherworld—brain boy has figured it out.”

“
What?” Kara’s voice rose.
She glanced back at Ariel who still regarded them skeptically, and
then lowered her voice. “That’s crazy. You know you can’t. You’ll
both die. This is stupid, stop this right now.”

Peter squeezed in beside them and
lowered his voice. “It’s not stupid. We figured out a way. And it’s
going to work. I’m positive.”

Kara studied their faces. They didn’t
seem to be joking. They had their serious faces on. “And how do you
suppose to do that? You guys don’t have any demon essence in you.
Only those with some demon spirit can travel into the demon realm.
You already know this. I won’t let you go on a suicide mission. I
won’t. Forget it.”

Peter nodded, still wearing
a smile tight with excitement. “But it’s not a suicide mission. I
overheard the archangel Raphael talking when I was coming back from
the Healing-Xpress. She said that if only they could take some
of
your
strength
and give it to the others, it would make them more resistant to
demon threats. So it gave me an idea.”

Kara lifted an eyebrow. “And what’s
this crazy idea of yours?”

Peter looked over his
shoulder. “If we can somehow take some of
your
essence and put it into
us
…then we might have a
chance of getting through to the other side.”

Kara’s stared at them bewildered. Had
she heard right?

“
I really think this could
work,” said David, flashing his handsome smile. “I think we’ve got
a real shot. We’d be a team again.”

“
You two are insane!”
Kara’s voice rose, and she lowered it immediately when she saw
Ariel looking over their way again. “It’s
not
going to work. There’s no way
I’m letting you do this. How can you take some of my
essence?”

“
It
is
going to work,” pressed David. He
squeezed her hand. “Kara, listen. I’m coming with you this time—no
matter what. You can’t stop me.”

Kara studied David’s face. She had
seen him this determined before, and she knew she wouldn’t be able
to talk him out of it. The last thing she wanted was to lose Peter
and David. They didn’t seem to understand what a dangerous,
diseased, vile, and treacherous place the netherworld was. Angels
weren’t safe there.

“
And how are you planning
on doing this, Dr. Frankenstein?” Kara imagined herself pinned to a
metal bed with tubes protruding all over her body while Peter,
draped in a white lab coat, loomed over her with wide eyes and a
crazed face.

David whispered, “We’ll show once
we’re out of here.” He looked over to Ariel who was still staring
at them distrustfully. “Let’s get out of here before Ariel figures
out what we’re up to.”

With reluctance, Kara selected her
weapons. “All right. Let’s go then—Sherlock, Watson.”

David and Peter shared a smile, and
the three of them moseyed towards the elevator. Kara doubted
whether their outrageous plan would work. She had a bad feeling
that this was only the beginning of a very eventful day.

Chapter 10

A Cocktail of Angels

H
umid air brushed against Kara’s face. The hot sun beat down
on her head. Exhaust fumes moved in clouds of grey, choking out any
fresh air. The aroma of roasted meat and the tang of smoke drifted
from the streets. The concrete megalopolis of São Paulo was
overwhelming. Millions of mortals flocked to and from their jobs
and lounged at nearby restaurants. Loud conversations in a language
she didn’t understand surrounded her. She didn’t know one word in
Portuguese, but the language sounded exotic and beautiful. Endless
stands of skyscrapers defined the horizon from every
angle.

They passed many lush green parks, and
the avenues were all landscaped with tall leafy trees that swayed
in the breeze. Remembering lessons from her high school geography
class, Kara knew this was the largest city in South America, and
São Paulo even made New York City seem small in comparison. She
felt claustrophobic, small, and very insignificant. Much to her own
surprise, Kara realized she preferred quiet small-town life, where
she could hear herself think.

Peter held a square contraption that
looked like a television remote control with wires sprouting from
the top. A flash of green electricity flowed through it. After
reading it for a moment he gestured to Kara and David and led the
way through the surge of humanity. Kara was relieved to see that
the sidewalks were large enough to accommodate so many people at
once. But she still got nicked and pushed by the mortal mob. After
ten minutes of fighting the crowd, she was grateful when Peter took
a sudden turn and led them down a quiet street. He stood in front
of a beige stucco building with a large bay window that displayed a
variety of female mannequins. He raised his hand and
pointed.

“
It’s in there. Come on,
follow me.” Peter climbed up three steps and pulled open a large
green door. Kara and David followed quickly behind.

The smell of mildew and cigarettes hit
her on the way in. She gagged and covered her nose. They followed
Peter through a multitude of racks crammed with dilapidated
clothing. The fluorescent lights on the low ceiling hummed
incessantly. Kara avoided stepping on large brown stains. Small
black burn marks peppered the beige carpet that ran the length of
the shop. After passing a selection of half-naked mannequins
dressed in clothes from the seventies, they moved to the back of
the store and down a hallway.

A door stood at the end of the
hallway. Peter wrapped his hand around the metal handle and pulled.
A staircase lay beyond the threshold. Together, they climbed down
four sets of stairs to a basement. Boxes were stacked all the way
to the ceiling. Clothes spilled out of open crates. The air was
stale, and a musty smell of incense surrounded them. Large black
beetles scattered across the walls and disappeared into crevices as
Kara ducked around a half-fallen halogen light fixture that flicked
on and off and covered the room in eerie flickering
shadows.

“
It’s over here.” Peter
pointed to a spot on the wall that shifted and wavered as though
the wall was made of liquid plaster.

Kara crossed the room and stood by
Peter. “So—now what, Dr. Frankenstein?”

Nerves fluttered around inside her.
She folded her arms across her chest, hid her trembling hands
beneath them, and tried to look calm.

Peter pocketed his contraption. “We
begin. Let’s start with our special cocktail.”

He lowered his green backpack to the
floor. After rummaging through it for a moment, he pulled out a
tiny silver dagger. The blade had a curve in it like a hook. He
shared a sidelong glance with David and smiled.

“
So what are you planning
on doing with that knife?” Kara didn’t hide her skepticism. She
eyed the dagger suspiciously. “Seriously, what are you going to do?
Skin yourselves?”

“
This is where the fun
begins,” said David proudly. “Give it here.”

He took the dagger from Peter and held
out his hand. “Give me your hands, Kara.”

Kara pressed her hands on
her hips and glowered. “Excuse me? You can’t be serious. You’re
going to…
bleed
me? No way. This is not happening.”

“
We can’t
bleed
you. You have no
blood, remember,” replied Peter, a little hesitantly. “But we do
need to cut through your M-suit to get some of your
essence.”

Kara backed away. She
pointed a finger at David. “You
are
going to bleed me! I thought you were joking!
Forget it. There’s no way I’m letting you do this. This is
nuts.”

“
We each need a cut, not
just you,” said Peter. “For our plan to work, your essence has to
pass through our hands and into our bodies—from yours. Your essence
needs to mix with our own for this to work.”

Kara considered his words briefly. She
wiped her brow. “You’ve gone mad—the two of you have gone
completely mad—you know that. This is never going to
work.”

Kara watched David nervously. Whatever
essence roamed inside her body, she knew it was dangerous. It was
the darkness she felt sometimes in the corners of her mind. It
could be poison to another angel. What if her essence made him
sick? Or worse…killed him.