Seirs, Soul Guardians Book 5 (6 page)

The sound of battle reverberated
against Kara’s chest. She listened for signs of her friends.
Nothing—only inhuman grunts. Had the Seirs captured her friends as
well? Her body tensed as she fought to control her anger. Lilith
was probably having a good laugh right about now. This wasn’t how
things were supposed to work out.

“
There’s a loophole in the
law,” lied Kara. “I
can
kill you, and I will if you don’t let me
go.”

“
Ha! You think I’m stupid,
little angel? I know your laws better than you. I know you can’t
harm a hair on my head.”

“
You don’t have any
hair.”

Ranab kneeled down and ground his
boots on Kara’s fingers. His sour breath stung her nose like toxic
waste. With a flick of his wrist, he pointed a death blade in her
face. “I’ve been looking for you—Kara Nightingale. You see, you’ve
got something I need.”

“
Lucky me,” growled Kara
and did her best to avoid his hot breath which was closer to toxic
waste than mere dog breath.

“
There’s a bounty on your
soul.” Ranab smiled at the confused expression on Kara’s face.
“Ah—so you didn’t know, did you?
Your
soul is worth more than a
thousand miserable angel souls. It’s the key to the gates of the
netherworld. Still no idea what I’m talking about, huh? Well, it
doesn’t matter. Truth is, the brethren have been looking for you
all over the globe. And here you fall into my hands in a pretty
package. Must be my lucky day.”

“
Luck had nothing to do
with it.” Kara glowered and wished she could slap the smile off his
face. “You’re just as psychotic as your mistress. I’m warning
you...you better let me go.”

Ranab lowered his brows. “Or what?
You’ll tickle me to death? You’re not going anywhere. It’s the end
of the road for you, angel. It’s over; you’re done. But my life is
just beginning. Your soul will get me far beyond the third
plane.”

He grinned widely,
revealing rows of stained brown teeth like rotten corn. The tip of
his blade grazed against her cheek, burning her mortal flesh. She
blinked the vapors from her eyes. “A Seir needs one thousand angel
souls to pass through the third plane and into the gates of the
netherworld. I’ve been waiting thirty-seven years for this chance.
My mistress has promised me unimaginable power. I will be immortal
once I give her
your
soul. I will join my brethren in the netherworld—and we will
feast on the souls of mortals forever.”

Rage rippled in Kara’s breast. Once
again she was a pawn in Lilith’s game. How better to get rid of her
than to have an army of Seirs chasing her for the very thing they
desire above all else—access to the netherworld. Kara knew she
would be hunted wherever she went. Lilith was up to something, and
she needed Kara out of her way.

The exhilarating warmth of her
elemental power soared through her like a shot of adrenaline, and
she strained to control it.

Shaking from the poison in her body,
Kara met Ranab’s glare. “You’re sick, all of you. You’d kill your
own innocent people for power and for the chance to become a
demon—it’s disgusting, and totally crazy.”

Ranab’s dark brows wrinkled into a
scowl. He moved closer to Kara. “They’re not innocent. They’ve
destroyed this world, plagued it with their own greed.” He looked
over to the crowd of fighting mortals.

Kara pulled her right hand free from
under his boot.

“
They don’t deserve to
live,” he continued. “Look around you, angel.”

Ranab lifted his arms. Wails and
frantic cries filled the night air. “They’re weak, pathetic—
they’re a virus that we need to exterminate—and we will destroy
them all.”

Kara gripped a hand full of dirt with
her free hand. “What did you do with the children?” She winced as
the death blade dug deeper into her back.

Ranab bent closer and smiled at her
discomfort. The smell of rot oozed from the pores of his skin.
“That is no concern of yours.” He leaned back on his heels.
“Besides, you’ll be dead in a few seconds, little angel—your soul
will buy my immortality. There is no one here to save you. Your
soul is mine.”

“
You’re crazy.” Kara spat
out the last of the dirt in her mouth, glad to add to the effect.
It hit Ranab in the face. “The last I checked, my soul belonged to
me—not some deranged mortal who likes to play dress up. You’re
worse than the demons. You had a choice, and you picked the wrong
side.”

Ranab laughed and wiped the dirt from
his face with his hand. “I like you, you’re feisty. At least you
should be thankful because your death means something. This will be
a glorious day for my brethren—the precious Kara Nightingale’s soul
is the key to my glory. And of course, we can’t forget the other
three angel souls. All in a day’s work; it’s quite a catch.” His
dark eyes glistened eagerly.

Kara set her jaw. Anger flared inside
her. She wasn’t about to let this clown do her in. Golden sparks
illuminated her skin, and a rush of warm energy washed through her
body. She would have to be careful. She knew just a small amount of
her elemental power would kill the Seir. She had to do
something.

Kara tried to pull her left hand free
from under Ranab’s boot, but it wouldn’t move.

“
Kara!” Kara heard David
shout. Boots trampled nearby. She heard him yell again and then the
sound of fists hitting flesh. She had to help her
friends.

She squirmed against the hard ground,
but it was like trying to move through cement. The poison blade dug
deeper into her back. Soon it would devour her completely, and she
would die. Kara trembled in rage. She struggled to stay focused and
calm.

She was ready.

Ranab loomed over her and smiled. She
scowled back. He grabbed a fistful of Kara’s hair and pulled. Her
head snapped back forcefully. Cool metal grazed her neck and his
hot breath soiled her face.

“
Say goodnight, little
angel . . .”

“
Not yet.”

Kara threw a handful of earth in
Ranab’s eyes.

He yelled and stumbled back. Kara
struggled to her feet. The death blade hung in her back, tearing
her flesh. With tremendous effort, she reached back and pulled it
out. She smelled burnt flesh. The hilt of the blade burned her
fingers, and she tossed it away. But the poison gushed into her
body like sick blood, hungry for her soul. Her M-5 suit was
weakening. It wouldn’t last very long.

“
I’ll make you suffer for
this.” Ranab rubbed his red eyes with the back of his hand. “You’re
dead!” With a giant leap, he lunged his death blade towards
her.

With lightning speed Kara ducked,
swiveled, and side kicked Ranab in the shins. He staggered and fell
to his knees. Cursing, he glowered at Kara.

Kara smiled. “Looks like I’m not dead
after all.” Without a second to waste, she bolted towards the
gatehouse. She pushed her M-5 with all it had left, feeling the
energy drain with every step.

She could see Peter and Jenny behind
the exterior gatehouse wall. Their petrified faces were fixed on
the horrid battle. Jenny caught Kara’s eye and motioned with her
hand impatiently.

David was nowhere in sight.

Terrifying wails and the smell of
death filled the air around her like a nightmare on the repeat
button. The cold stone floor and darkness of Tartarus were a five
star hotel compared to this. Lilith was like the black plague,
striking the innocent as she went. It was time to put a stop to
it.

A sting shot through her
arm.

Kara staggered and turned. A glint of
silver flashed off the blade of a knife. With her reflexes in
overdrive, she blocked another strike, inches from her eyes, kicked
her attacker in the gut and jumped back.

Her assailant was a short blond girl,
about Kara’s age. But her eyes were glazed with madness, and she
snarled at Kara like a wild dog. Her once beautiful face was
contorted with hate. Her dirty fingers were curled back like claws,
and blood dripped from her nose. Her white shirt was torn and
stained with dirt and blood, and her pants were unrecognizable
under the layers of grime. With a wild grunt, she charged at Kara
with a kitchen knife.

Kara dodged the attack and knocked the
girl down with a blow to her shoulder. The girl fell and rolled
onto the ground. She looked up at Kara. Her wet hair stuck to her
face and made her look even wilder. A mixture of sorrow and anger
welled inside Kara. She was supposed to protect mortals. This girl
had probably been studying or talking on the phone with her
girlfriends when Lilith had enchanted her. Kara saw herself in this
girl.

The girl screamed like a banshee in a
wild tantrum and threw herself at Kara again, slashing the night
air with her nails and knife.

Kara jumped back. “Please, stop. Don’t
do this.”

She studied the girl’s face for a
glimpse of sanity, but there was nothing there but the wild eyes of
madness. Had Lilith turned her into a zombie?

The girl swung the knife at Kara’s
throat. Kara caught the girl’s hand easily, grabbed the knife, and
pinned her arms at her side. The girl howled and thrashed against
Kara’s grip. Heads turned in their direction. Men and women grunted
angrily as they detached themselves from the killing mob and
stumbled forward. Foaming from their mouths, they charged
again.

The young girl snapped her teeth
together like a piranha, inches from Kara’s face. Kara jerked her
head back just in time. “Seriously? I don’t have time for
this.”

The mob approached. The girl kicked
and screamed violently in Kara’s grip.

In the corner of her eye, Kara caught
a glimpse of black coats. Two enormous Seirs charged at her like
two great black bulls and blocked her way to the gatehouse. Her
situation was worsening by the second.

The mass of mortals was upon her.
Their dull maddened eyes shone with hatred, teeth bared and
ready.

Swish
. A death blade flew in the air . . .

Kara averted the blade and flung the
snapping girl toward the Seirs.

Instantly the mob followed the girl
and turned on the Seirs. The Seirs lashed out at the wild mortals.
Howls echoed throughout the courtyard. Kara’s hairs stood on end at
the sound of fists hitting flesh. The Seirs hacked at the crowd
with their blades like made butchers. But the crowd kept coming.
The blond girl tackled one of the Seirs, and they both went down.
The Seirs disappeared under the flood of mortals.

“
Kara, quickly, let’s go!”
Jenny’s purple hair stood out in the gloomy darkness of the
courtyard, and almost made Kara smile. “We’re going to bring the
gate down and lock them in. Everyone’s safe outside. You’re the
only one left. Come on!”

Jenny turned on her heels and ran back
towards the gatehouse. Kara ran closely behind. The frantic screams
and dull thud of fists hitting flesh tapered off behind them. The
gateway loomed up ahead, and Kara could see shadows moving beyond
the gate. They were almost there.

Then something bright illuminated the
darkness for a moment and went out.

Kara halted.

Jenny stopped short and turned around.
“Kara, what are you doing? We have to go. We’ll all get killed if
we stay any longer. This is crazy!” She pulled at Kara’s
arm.

Kara gently peeled her friend’s
fingers from her arm. “There’s something I have to do first—bring
the gate down if I’m not back in sixty seconds.”

“
Kara! No!”

Kara turned and ran back towards the
angry mob.

As she rushed back ignoring Jenny’s
pleads, a sudden spell of dizziness gushed through her body. Her
legs bucked and she fell on her knees hard. Flailing arms reached
out and grabbed her. Sticks probed, and something hard hit her on
the side of the head. A fork perforated her thigh just as stinging
pain erupted in her back. Rough hands pulled at her jacket and
pinned her arms back. With a surge of strength she wiggled her arms
free, only to be punched in the gut several times by large boots.
Her face hit the ground. The smell of earth filled her nose.
Distorted faces plagued her vision. Her screams were drowned under
the wails of the crazed mortals. Rough hands groped her arms and
legs. They pulled with enormous strength. They were going to rip
her apart. Lilith was right. She would die in the hands of those
she was sworn to protect.

Kara closed her eyes.

With a blast of golden light, Kara’s
body was aflame in a shower of golden brilliance. The mortals
hissed and backed away, maddened with fear.

Glowing like a sun, Kara searched
above the crazed mortals and around the courtyard . . .

She saw Ranab and the five brilliant
white spheres bouncing in the net on his shoulders. The souls were
her priority. If she couldn’t save the mortals, she could at least
save the souls.

Kara dashed across the courtyard. She
couldn’t feel the poison from the death blade anymore; she felt
free. She dodged the men and women who scurried away from her
golden body like rats.