Reapers (11 page)

Ariel searched every face,
challenging them to defy her. “
I
trust everyone here, and that should be good
enough for all of you. Do you understand?”

“
Sure, I understand,”
answered Ashley as she brushed her blonde hair from her face. “It’s
fine by me, really. I didn’t want to get
infected
by her anyway.”

She turned around laughing, and her
followers erupted in laughter with her.

“
I mean it, Ashley,”
warned Ariel. “One more word out of you…and you’ll be sitting this
one out. Got that?”

Ashley crossed her arms. “Yes,
archangel Ariel. I get it.” She looked at Kara with cold,
calculating eyes, like she was challenging her silently to a fight
where Ariel couldn’t stop them. It was clear to both girls that
this wasn’t over.

Ariel watched Ashley for a moment
longer then addressed the rest of the group.

“
Now listen up, everyone.
I don’t want or have the time to repeat myself. You’ve wasted too
much time as it is with your bickering.” She raised her voice.
“Kara is here because we need an experienced guardian. Kara is a
skilled guardian and a valuable asset to the legion. I need her.
You need her. She is one of us, the same as you. We are a family.
And what do families do? They stick together. Is that
clear?”

Everyone nodded a silent consensus.
Ashley knew better than to start another fight in front of the
archangel. Their battle would continue at another time and
place.

“
Good.” Ariel turned back
to Kara. “If you don’t feel up to it, if you feel a little off,
there’s no shame in saying so, Kara. I just want you to know
that.”

“
I’m fine, really, I am,”
said Kara. “I would tell you if I didn’t feel up to it.”

She heard Ashley snort, but she paid
no attention to it. She was more aware of the anxiousness and
urgency in Ariel’s voice.

“
But, Archangel Ariel,”
Kara continued, feeling that she had to ask. “What’s going on? What
are you not telling me?”

She wondered if the archangel was
worried Kara’s body wouldn’t survive the vega jump. Or was it
something else?

Ariel’s mouth opened halfway, but she
said nothing for a moment.

“
Jenny will fill you in
with the details.”

“
Here.” She handed Kara a
silver-blue blade, the length of her forearm. It was lighter than
it looked, and cool to the touch. Small markings were etched into
the blade in a language Kara couldn’t decipher. Tiny stars were
engraved around the hilt like fingerprints. It was stunning. Kara
knew it was one of Ariel’s personal blades.

“
Don’t get too close to
them,” said the archangel as she stepped away from the green
tanks.

“
Don’t get too close to
what exactly?” Kara looked over to David for an explanation of whom
or what was
them
,
but he narrowed his eyes and mouthed the word
later
.

“
Quickly now.” Ariel
looked worse than Kara felt, as though she had the weight of the
mortal world on her shoulders. “May the souls protect
you.”

Before Kara could wrap her head around
this new threat, Ashley and her team stepped into the vega tanks.
Their bodies disintegrated into sparkling specks of sand, and then
they disappeared as though they had never been there.

“
Come on, Kara, our turn,”
said Jenny. She pulled Kara with her toward the tanks. “I’ll go
first.”

Kara narrowed her eyes. “But where are
we going?”

“
Las Vegas, Nevada.” Jenny
stepped into the green waters and was gone.

Kara had never been to Las Vegas as a
mortal or on the job as a guardian. She’d always wanted to go,
especially to see the shows, but this wasn’t the time to play the
tourist. By the looks everyone had on their faces, this wasn’t
going to be a fun trip. She began to dread what they weren’t
telling her.

“
Let’s do this.” David
stepped forward and was followed quickly by Peter. They vanished in
a blink of an eye.

Kara was the only one left. She looked
over at Ariel, whose face showed the same fear and urgency. She
gave a nod of her head to Kara.

Kara realized how nervous she was.
Would her strange, semi-transparent body survive the jump? Would
she come apart in millions of pieces and disappear forever? There
was only one way to find out.

With her blade clasped tightly in her
trembling hand, Kara willed herself to move. She fell forward into
the wall of emerald waters and was gone.

Chapter 7

Lord Beelzebub

B
eyond the planes of the living in a world of shadow and
death, a man sat on a great black marble throne. Black veins pulsed
under his gray-colored skin, and a long black braid of his hair
hung down the side of his large, bare, muscular torso. Golden loops
hung from his ears, and the many rings he wore around his fingers
glimmered with the torchlight. He sat in the semi-darkness that he
liked the best, in a vast dark dungeon. Torchlights sparkled off
the black stone walls that looked like sheets of black
diamonds.

An orange translucent wall of energy
divided the chamber and disappeared into the darkness of the
chambered ceiling. It hummed and shivered as an ominous warning to
intruders.

The man on the throne liked things
that sparkled. He admired the globe that represented the mortal
world, and he clutched it firmly in his right hand.

He heard soft footsteps
approach.

A man dressed in simple black leather
clothes strode into the throne room. His long black hair and cape
billowed behind him like fluttering wings. He was tall and thin,
but he walked confidently and in a manner that showed off his
athleticism. His face was fierce but handsome, and in his ears were
golden loops. The sound of his tall boots echoed from the dark,
slippery chamber walls, and his yellow cat-like eyes glimmered in
the torchlight.

A servant-creature, a
bow-legged
dwarf with long, ape-like arms, a flat nose, and a face
that was twisted repulsively, followed behind the man. Its dark
gray skin was thick as leather. It looked like a cross between an
ape and a pig. Its g
lowing red eyes shone
in the dim light as it scurried along like a frightened pet dog at
its master’s heels.

“
Did you find the girl?”
asked the man on the throne.

His deep, commanding voice had the
authority of a king who had spent many years in battles. His yellow
cat-like eyes stayed fixed upon the globe in his hand.

The man stopped just in front of the
moving energy wall and clasped his hands behind his back. The
servant-creature bowed low and stayed in the shadow of the other
man.

“
Yes, my lord,” said the
man, his voice contented.

“
And were you
successful?”

“
Yes, Lord Beelzebub,” the
man’s black pointy teeth glistened. “I was
very
successful. The legion thought
they could hide her in the body of a mortal, but her energy flows
with such potency that I found her very easily. The angels haven’t
changed their ways; they are still fools.”

He hesitated for a moment and then
added with a smile, “She is a feisty little creature. She fought
hard against it, but I got her in the end. I imagine she should be
showing signs of her transformation very soon.”

Lord Beelzebub looked up from the
globe and tilted his head toward the two figures.

“
I am pleased. That is
very good news, Betaazu.” His gaze returned to the globe. “And the
legion knows nothing of her…transformation? They don’t suspect
anything?”

Betaazu shook his head. “No, my lord.
They will not notice any changes in her, not until the final stages
of the transmutation. After that, it’ll be too late for them.
She’ll be in our control. The darkness will have taken over. They
don’t stand a chance. They will not know how to control
her.”

Lord Beelzebub was silent for a
moment. He seemed to be thinking. His fingers fiddled with the
globe in his hand. His eyes slid to Betaazu and
lingered.

“
When my
confinement
is lifted,”
he pointed to the energy field, “and my brothers and sisters are
free, we will take back what is ours. Horizon will burn for keeping
us prisoners in this forsaken place. We will crush the light and
let in the darkness—the true and only power.”

Lord Beelzebub’s voice boomed. “Get
the armies ready. We strike in two moons.

“
Yes, my lord,” said
Betaazu.

He shifted his weight, and his face
and lips contorted as though he was struggling to say something.
Finally he cleared his throat.

“
My lord, if you’ll
forgive me for being impertinent…but there is something I’ve been
curious about, something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“
Yes?” said Beelzebub
lazily. “Say it. What is it?”

“
Why her?” asked
Betaazu.

The servant-creature cowered behind
him as though he had gone too far.

“
Why
this
girl…
this
angel? Rumors of Asmodeus’
downfall have reached deep into the Netherworld. I’m sure you were
aware that the demon tried to recruit
this
particular girl-angel. But she
didn’t turn. She’s loyal to the legion.”

“
Not for long.” Lord
Beelzebub’s face twitched with annoyance and anger.

“
Asmodeus was a fool, and
he deserved what he got. Demons have always been too arrogant, too
self-absorbed to see the real value of things—a fault from their
angel days, I’m sure.”

He leaned back into his
chair.

“
She
is unique. Not just amongst her own kind, but in
all
the worlds. It is
that uniqueness that makes her a creature of unparalleled
power.”

Betaazu raised his brows. “But why,
your lordship? What’s so special about her? I sensed her energy. It
was strong, yes, very strong, but I didn’t sense anything else that
would strike me as exceptional. She is no fiend.”

The Lord Beelzebub smiled.

“
No, she is not like
us…not yet. Asmodeus thought he knew what he had; he thought he
knew what he was doing, but he was a fool. Yes, she had the
exact
amount of
elemental essence mixed with the
exact
amount of angel and demon
lifeblood to make her the most powerful angel that ever existed…but
in his eagerness to seek power for himself, he failed to learn
the
real
truth,
the
real
secret
about where she comes from. About her bloodline.”

He paused for a moment, pleased at the
intrigued expression on his officer’s face.

“
Her bloodline has been
traced back to the beginning of all things, to the very first
archfiends, before we were cast down to this
prison
and replaced by archangels.
Before my brothers and sisters were destroyed. I’ve traced her
bloodline back to those times.”

“
Once the transformation
has taken place, she will become an unstoppable bringer of death.
The darkness will feed on her energy. It has a life of its own—it
wants to live. With her alongside us, the Order of the archfiends
will be stronger than it was when we warred with the archangels. We
will destroy the archangels, the angels, and all the living things
that are so dear to them in their precious mortal world. No trees,
no water, no humans—only darkness and fire will remain. And then,
my dear Betaazu, we will rejoice in the darkness and live
forever.”

Betaazu smiled. “Yes, my lord. I
believe we will.”

“
Imp!” cried Lord
Beelzebub.

The shadow creature stepped forward,
keeping its eyes on the ground, trembling.

“
Yes, your eminence,” it
said. Its voice was high-pitched and wailed like the sound of a
dying animal. “I am your humble servant. Your wish is my command.
Anything you ask, my lord. Anything at all. I await your
instruction.”

“
Yes, yes, yes. What of
the reapers?” said Lord Beelzebub impatiently. “What do you have to
report, imp?”

“
Yes, of course, your
eminence,” said the imp, bowing again with due reverence and nearly
scraping the ground with its head. The creature raised its red eyes
for half a second then lowered them again.

“
The reapers are
assembling, my lord. Cities around the mortal world have been
affected by the reapers’ scythes. Many souls have been
taken.”

The imp began to laugh, a sick, wet
laugh, pleased with what it was telling its master. “One hundred
thousand denomites have already found hosts.”

“
And can you control the
denomites?”

Kyton lifted his gaze to his master
for a moment, fumbling his fingers nervously.