After about twenty minutes of apologies and excuses from the council, for not believing Kara and locking her up in Tartarus for so long under false allegations, the High Council removed all charges that were laid against her. Kara was reinstated as a guardian angel.
Before Kara was excused, Uriel informed her that he was going to set up teams of the most dependable GAs to arrest the traitorous Zadkiel and to search for her mother’s soul. But Kara answered that this was something she had to do personally. She welcomed the help, but she had to search on her own as well. Kara rushed out of the great hall with a smile on her face. She silently thanked the angel Legan for all his help. He hadn’t been mad after all.
The elevator jerked to a stop. The doors slid open, and Kara stared out into a sea of ruby-red dunes. She jumped out and landed with a soft poof in the smooth sand of Operations. She was tickled with glee with the fresh air that caressed her face and the distant smell of salt water. How she had missed that smell. In Tartarus, the only smells had been the constant fragrance of mold and the nose-burning stench of bird droppings. She could hear the soft splashes and plops of angels jumping into the myriad of salt-water pools, heading off towards their next missions.
Kara wiped her bangs from her face and pressed on. Zadkiel had about a half hour head start, but if she pushed herself more she might catch up to him. She clenched her fists and imagined herself punching the malicious smile off his face. He wouldn’t be so pretty after she was done with him. Every inch of her being screamed with the desperation she felt. Her mother’s soul was lost again. She knew she couldn’t fail this time. She had to find Zadkiel. Kara knew that if anyone could figure out where the traitor had gone who might help her, it was the archangel Gabriel.
With the sun blazing against her back, Kara raced down the rolling red hills. The memory of handing Zadkiel the glass jar with her mother’s soul helped her gain incredible speed. Kara felt as though she was flying. Was this another super ability from her elemental powers? She didn’t know— maybe it was just the anger. Either way, she couldn’t tell anymore if her boots touched the sand at all.
A figure came towards her and slowed down. From the way it moved its square shoulders, she could tell it was male. He came closer. She felt goose bumps all over her body. Warmth spread through her like a hot bath. She fought to control her emotions as she looked into David’s face.
He wore a pair of scruffy blue jeans with a tight black t-shirt that showed off his muscular chest. His signature brown leather jacket swayed at his sides as he walked. Clear blue eyes smiled at her. The beautiful face she had longed for and imagined so many times in Tartarus was even more beautiful close up than she remembered. With a lopsided grin, David sauntered towards her.
He stretched out his arms and lifted Kara in a tight embrace. She couldn’t find any words to say and let her face dig into David’s neck instead. She trembled with passion, with feelings that were forbidden in Horizon, but that were too strong to deny. She wondered if David felt the same. She didn’t want to let go. The distant memory of a kiss and his hard body pressed against hers—she felt him shaking and held him tighter. Her feet dangled in the air, and David’s strong arms wrapped around her affectionately.
Kara heard someone clear their throat, and then a short giggle.
“I hate to be the one to break up this happy reunion … but we have a job to do.”
David released Kara, and she turned to meet the voice. Jenny stood before them. Her short purple hair glimmered in the sunlight like a crown of purple sapphires. She had on the same black cargo pants and purple bomber jacket with the sleeves cut off that Kara remembered. Her eyes were rimmed with a thick line of black kohl, which made her green eyes stand out. Her pointy face and delicate features always made Kara think Jenny looked like a pixie.
“Can I get a hug too?” Jenny faked a pout.
“Come here you big baby.” Kara pulled Jenny into a tight bear hug. “I really missed you guys.”
“We missed you too.”
Kara looked up. Peter bounced into view. He wore the same CDD combat outfit as Jenny. It seemed far too big for him, or was he too small for it, she wasn’t sure. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You were gone a long time.”
Kara let out a small laugh. “Well, excuse me for being in prison. It’s not like I had any visitors or anything.” She was glad her voice didn’t betray the hurt she felt inside. The four lonely stone walls of her cell had not been much company for the past month.
David felt her disappointment. “I tried—we tried … but they didn’t let us.”
David took a step towards Kara. His gentle eyes studied her, and Kara felt her chest tighten. “It wasn’t as easy this time. We couldn’t risk getting caught … it would have made things a lot worse for you, Kara. Those douche bags had us watched constantly. We couldn’t do anything without being followed.”
Jenny let out a long sigh. “It was freaking annoying. I almost punched one in the face.” Her lips twitched into a smile.
“So what happened to you, Kara?” David studied her closely, his blue eyes blazing. “I mean, a few minutes after you entered the demon realm, all hell broke loose on Earth—literally. It was as though a dark shadow passed over the world, releasing evil as it went.”
A few minutes? Kara was sure she had been in the demon realm for a few hours at least. It didn’t make any sense. Perhaps time had no meaning in the Netherworld. It was her only explanation.
“There were demons everywhere, attacking mortals,” continued David. “It was nuts. The sun disappeared, and it became dark as night in the middle of the afternoon. We figured it had something to do Asmodeus. So, what happened in the Netherworld?”
All eyes focused on Kara. She wondered if she should tell them everything. Would they still be her friends if they knew that Asmodeus had used her to open the portals to the mortal world? How would they react once she had told them this was all her fault?
Life had been so incredibly easy for her back when she was mortal. She wasn’t faced with such challenges and horrible truths about who she was. She had been a normal teenager, with the same hopes and dreams for a better life as any other teen her age. It all seemed so long ago, a memory of a dream. She knew she would never have it back.
Kara decided to tell them everything.
She described the events as best she could. She recounted everything from the giant cockroach, Jean-Pierre, leaving out the kissing parts, to the Mirror of Souls and the opening of the portals, to finally how she had barely escaped. Once she had finished, she stood with her arms crossed and waited for their reactions.
David cocked his head and shoved his hands in his jean’s pockets. “You think this is your fault, don’t you. I can see it on your face.”
Kara hated that he could read her so easily. “You think? Of course I do. Without me, Asmodeus wouldn’t have been able to open the portals.” She remembered the beams of golden elemental current being sucked out of her and hitting the wall of mirrors, opening a passage for every demon imaginable to cross over into the mortal world. She shuddered at the memory.
Jenny grabbed Kara’s hand and squeezed. Her face was kind. “You have to stop thinking like that. You can’t blame yourself. He used you. This isn’t your fault, girl.”
“Jenny’s right,” said Peter, who Kara thought looked a little uncomfortable. “You couldn’t have known about his plans. You wanted to do something good. You wanted to save your mom.”
“Yeah, don’t beat yourself up about it,” said David, his expression thoughtful. “We’ll make things right, Kiddo. I promise.”
Kara hoped that they were right. She felt better telling them, but she couldn’t shake off the guilt. They couldn’t understand what it was like to be forced to do something terrible, with no way of stopping it. She knew it wouldn’t matter how many times her friends told her it wasn’t her fault, she would always feel partly responsible. She had to make things right again—no matter what the cost.
; Kara forced a smile. “Well … I guess you’re right. I’ll try not to think of it as my fault, but I can’t promise that I won’t.”
She noticed that David was about to reply, and she quickly cut him off. “Listen, I need to find Gabriel. I don’t have much time. He has to set up a team for me to look for my mother’s soul—”
“He already did,” answered David, with a cheeky smile. He lifted his arms. “We’re it.”
Before Kara could control herself, her face broke into a smile. “I don’t know how you managed that with Gabriel … but I’m glad it’s you guys.” She looked from one of them to the other. She couldn’t have asked for a better team. She knew she could trust them with anything. “Did Gabriel fill you in about Zadkiel?” Kara spit out his name. She was surprised at her hatred.
David cracked his knuckles. “You mean that lying traitorous piece of garbage? Yeah, he told us what happened. We all know that Zadkiel was a double-crossing demon lover. He turned the council against you … and tried to have you killed. I can’t wait to kick his ass.” David shook his head and laughed in spite of himself.
“Okay, listen up,” urged Peter, his voice louder than usual. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small contraption that looked like an iPad. He pressed his fingers against the smooth screen. “Zadkiel went through a Rift on Tartarus … near one of the entrances. If we leave now, there’s a chance the Rift might still be open. But we have to leave now.”
Kara felt a shiver pass through her at the mention of the angel prison. The idea of being near those grey stone walls again and hearing the dreadful incessant moans, terrified her. She could only hope it would be a fast trip. She felt a hand press against her shoulder and looked up to find David staring back at her.
“Don’t worry, Kara. Those giant turkeys can’t hurt you anymore. If they try anything, I’ll have them plucked and ready for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Kara shook her head. “The guards never hurt me. They never even spoke to me. It’s the solitude that makes someone go mad.” A cold spasm went through her body as she recalled the endless darkness and the eerie moaning from the other prisoners. Legan’s voice echoed in her ears. A wave of shame rippled through her. She had hardly even thought about him since she left. After all, it was because of Legan that she was free now, and she hadn’t even asked the council for his release. She had only thought of herself and her mother.
Her head felt heavy. “Let’s get out of here.”
David clapped his hands together. “All right, ladies and gents—let’s do this!”
After an intense and terrifying ride to Tartarus, Kara jumped off the sky-car and landed on hard concrete. She thanked the driver for a safe trip, turned and looked up at the giant stone walls. Jagged edges like razor blades perforated the stones. No one would dare try to climb these walls to escape, they would slice away their hands and feet if they did. Without handholds to hang on, they would simply plummet to their deaths.
An opening stood before them at the other end of the platform. The entrance to Tartarus was a black rectangle, etched in darkness. It was as though a perfect piece of the wall had been cut out by giant hands. It was a small hole compared to the colossal stone cube. Kara strained to hear the cries from the prisoners. A sudden scraping sound reached her ears, and Kara looked up and saw a giant eagle pass through the entrance.
His magnificent golden feathers rippled in the soft wind like golden waves. He wore a large metal breast-plate and a metal helmet, and Kara thought that was what gave him away as a guard. A long silver chain with a glowing blue star swayed and bounced against his powerful chest. His toffee colored eyes watched Kara, and she had a feeling he wasn’t so happy to see her again so soon.
“The Rift is right here.” Peter pointed to the right side of the doorway, where a giant wall of rock rose up into the blue sky and disappeared within the clouds. Kara hadn’t noticed it before, but now she could see a wave rolling against the wall, as though a part of rock was made of water. “This is where he passed through.”
“Is this another Rift to the demon world?” David hovered before the Rift. He lifted his hand and moved it slowly above the Rift without touching the stone. “You think I can go through this one? Or is it just Kara who can pass.”
Peter touched the screen on his pad. He looked up. “I don’t know. I can only monitor the changes in the fields. I don’t know where the doorways lead to—”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out—” David plunged his arm through the Rift.
“David! No!” yelled Kara, Jenny, and Peter at the same time.
After a moment, David retrieved his arm. It was unscathed.
“Ha! Look, nothing happened!” David laughed as he paraded his arm. He started to do a dance and moved his hips in a strange way that made Kara look away embarrassed.
Jenny was pleased with this new discovery and jumped beside David. Her green eyes sparkled in delight. “So … we all go. I wonder where it leads if not to the demon world.”
“It doesn’t matter where it leads, as long as it leads us to my mother.” Kara studied the Rift for a moment, and then glanced over to the prison’s doorway. “There’s something I have to do first,” said Kara. She watched Jenny pluck out one of her earrings and hand it to the sky-car’s driver, who accepted it graciously. “Zadkiel had an angel locked up in here because he was on to him. He’s the only reason I knew how to make his mark appear. He’s the reason why I’m out. He told me how to do it. He deserves to be freed. I can’t go anywhere before we do this. I owe him that much.”
“Sounds good to me,” said David. He turned and walked up to the guard. “Hey … big bird! Think you can get us inside to release our friend? Think you can do that? Or do I have to go and have a chat with your boss?”
The giant eagle lowered its head towards David. It regarded him for a moment before it spoke. “I have special orders to answer to her,” he cocked his head towards Kara, and she heard David mumble something under his breath.
“Who is this friend of yours you speak of?” said the eagle.
Kara shuffled closer and looked up. “His name is Legan. He was in the cell next to mine—”
“That’s impossible,” said the guard.
Kara wrinkled her face and kept her composure. “I’m telling you … he’s in there, and I want you to let him out!” She felt her temper rising and was glad for it. She wouldn’t stand for his attitude. These birds didn’t exactly warm her stay in the prison. She would have preferred to be treated badly, than to be forgotten altogether.
The guard ruffled his feathers in annoyance. “You are mistaken. It is impossible that your friend as you say was in a cell next to yours. There are no cells next to yours. You were in a high security cell, with nothing but thick walls surrounding you.”
A chill passed through Kara. She wondered if she had indeed imagined the entire thing. She felt the stares of the others on her, and suppressed a shudder. What if they thought she was mad? Had she made up a friend to ease her loneliness? But then how would she have known about Zadkiel’s mark? No. Legan wasn’t a figment of her imagination, but a real angel who had been in the cell next to hers. The eagle was mistaken, or worse, he was lying.
“That’s not true,” said Kara, as she remembered Legan’s raspy voice coming through the wall. “He’s here. I know he is. You’re lying. You’re hiding something. I demand to see him at once!”
The eagle’s face was expressionless. “There is no one by that name in Tartarus, and as I have told you … there are no cells or rooms that neighbored yours. Only thick walls of stone—”
“Now you listen here, you big piece of poultry,” said David and pointed to the large bird’s face. “If Kara says he’s in there, that means he’s in there. Now let’s go!”
“As you wish.” The eagle turned its massive body. It bent its head and stepped through the doorway. David beckoned to Kara to follow the guard, and he stepped in after her, followed closely by Jenny and a wide-
eyed Peter.
Kara stepped into darkness. Tall shadows surrounded her. A deep roar sounded from the depths of the prison, and Kara felt as though the monstrous cube was welcoming her back. Three brilliant green orbs appeared. They hovered before them like large fireflies and gave off enough light to see through the blackness. A low rumble came from the deep. The sound rose until the tremors were all around them. Kara watched as pieces of rock detached themselves from the walls to form the path below their feet as they went. It was too bad the lights couldn’t mask the burning stench of bird droppings. She heard Jenny complain rudely about the smell.
The group walked in silence for a while. The light tread of their footsteps reverberated in the darkness, followed by the eerie sound of sharp talons scraping the stone floor. The prison’s walls rumbled and shook with every step, as though commanding respect of all those who entered. Kara had a nasty feeling the walls could come crashing down upon them at any moment, sending them all to the black void below. She felt dreadfully uncomfortable wandering inside Tartarus again. She had hoped to forget about it, to shake it off like a bad dream.
Soon the group found themselves standing before a chamber. A large concrete door stood ajar. Kara glanced to the side nervously. There were no adjoining cells to either side. Just walls of more thick rock, she realized. What was happening?
“This isn’t the same cell.” Kara eyed the large bird. “This is a trick. Where’s my prison cell?”
The eagle cocked his head towards the room. “This is it.”
“It can’t be,” said Kara stubbornly. She watched the eagle’s expression, and she swore he looked annoyed.
“This is it,” repeated the guard.
Frustrated, Kara stomped into the tiny room...the hair on her entire body stood up. Small indents covered the back wall, spaced out equally in sections like days in a calendar. They were her marks, she realized in horror. This was indeed her cell.
Kara’s mouth fell open in silent protest. “How is this possible—?”
She ran over to the back wall and pressed her hands against the sharp rock. It felt cool against her angel skin. Kara ran her fingers up and down the wall and searched for the opening from which she and Legan had shared information.
“Where’s that stupid crack?” Kara frantically moved her hands all along the wall. Her fingertips tapped every inch of the rough wall, passing over every little bump and probing into every tiny hole. But she didn’t find openings of any kind. It was as though the wall had swallowed up the crack.
Kara fell to her knees. “I … I don’t understand. He was here. We talked for like an hour—he told me about Zadkiel! I couldn’t have made this up. It doesn’t make any sense. He was real. I’m not crazy!” Kara hit the wall with her hand. “What is happening?”
“It’s okay, Kara.” David stood beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “No one’s saying you’re crazy. I’m sure there’s a very good explanation—”
“The explanation is that there was never anyone on the other side.” Kara heard the eagle say. Her temper flared.
Kara’s hands shook, afraid of what she might do to the bird. She kept looking at the wall. “I didn’t imagine this, David. He was there. I swear it.”
“I believe you, Kara,” said David, and Kara saw the concern in his face. She wasn’t sure if it was a concerned it’ll-be-okay-face, or a concerned the-girl-went-crazy-face. She figured it was the latter.
Kara’s eyes flicked to Jenny who only offered a shrug and quickly looked away. Great, now her friends thought she was a mental case. But she knew the truth. Legan was real.
“Uh … guys?” Peter popped his head inside the cell. “If we want to go through the Rift and be able to come back before it closes—we have to leave now. If we don’t … we won’t be able to get through.”
“Come on, Kara. He’s right.” David strolled towards the doorway. “We have to go now, or we’ll lose your mother’s soul for good.”
Reluctantly, Kara pushed herself up and ignored her friends’ stares. She knew how this scene must look to them. She had lost her sanity to the grey and lonely walls of Tartarus, and they felt sorry for her.
Kara struggled to keep her legs steady and staggered through the door. She kept her head down and avoided their eyes.
“Let’s go find my mother’s soul.” Kara ran back to the platform. She wondered what had happened to Legan? Was he really a figment of her imagination, a temporary glitch in her brain caused by the isolation and solitude from inside the walls of Tartarus? Or did something awful happen to him? Fear welled up inside her. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence the Rift was on Tartarus. Maybe Zadkiel came here to finish him off before disappearing back to his true master. Something didn’t fit, and she promised herself that she would figure out what happened to Legan—after she rescued her mother.
Kara stood before the Rift. She felt the anxiety rising inside her, like an uncontrollable panic attack. This wasn’t a Rift to the Netherworld, so where did it lead? She saw David standing to her right in her peripheral vision, and heard the shuffling footsteps of the others behind her.
“You ready?” asked David. Kara noticed a slight waver in his voice.
Kara just nodded. She didn’t want David and the others to hear the panic in her voice. She fought to control her composure. The black wall rippled, but Kara saw only the laughing face of a bald archangel.
She clenched her fists—and stepped into the Rift.
Chapter 4
Lost Soul