Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4 (21 page)

She ducked and kicked the clown on his
side. The demon faltered for a moment. He snickered, and black
liquid sprayed out of his rotten mouth. He drew his blades over his
head and launched another attack. Kara raised her arm and blocked
his onslaught. Her knees buckled under his weight. As she fought
the demon, she could hear David grunting and the loud clang of
metal clashing against metal. Despite his illness, he was still
hanging on.

Through the space under the creature’s
arm she saw another pair of dirty boots, and another leering demon
raced towards her. With a renewed sense of power, she pushed the
first creature away and sliced his throat. Its death howl shook the
air, and just as its body slumped to the ground, the other demon
swung a giant axe into Kara. She went sprawling to the ground; the
axe had slashed her abdomen. Kara cried out, and the poisoned metal
seeped into her body.

She wrapped her hands around the metal
handle and pulled it out.

Something pulled her hair. With the
axe still in her hand, she lifted it above her head and slammed it
down behind her. She heard a thump and turned to see the demon
crumble to the ground.

A blast exploded around them. A giant
cloud of white mist hovered for a moment and then dispersed.
Shattered clown limbs and body parts lay scattered around them.
Peter sat with black liquid smeared on his face. He looked up at
Kara with a determined expression and smiled.

A wail shook her. David lay on the
ground across from them. Three clown demons stabbed him repeatedly
with their blades. Kara rushed over. She sliced the first demon
easily. The other came at her savagely, and she kicked him hard in
the knee and then punched his laughing face. She blocked the third
demon’s attack with her blade. The creature laughed. It only
angered Kara more. With her blade raised before her, she struck him
in the eye. She pulled out her blade as the demon fell.

She knelt beside David and brushed his
white hair from his face. His eyes were closed. He lay in a
crumpled mess of broken limbs and shredded clothes. Black liquid
soiled the ground where he lay. Light shone from many wounds. Kara
tensed. He was in a bad shape.

“
I look terrible, don’t I?”
croaked David as he opened his eyes. “I can tell by the look on
your face.”

“
Shhh. Don’t talk. Keep
your strength.” Kara whirled around.

The last of the clown demons
scattered. Kara watched them limp away towards the back of the tent
and disappear behind a large ride with dilapidated
seats.

Without another word to David, she
grabbed him under the shoulders and dragged him towards
Peter.

“
I love a strong woman,”
said David romantically.

Kara ignored him. “Peter, can you
walk?”

With great effort Peter managed to
stand. “I—I think so. Whatever this disease is, the less strain I
put on myself the slower it seems to work.” He hauled his backpack
up on his shoulder.

“
If that’s the case, then
I’m a goner.” David’s head bobbed to the side. “I can hardly feel
my legs.”

“
Don’t say that. You’re
going to be fine.” Kara scanned the area. She pointed to an empty
ticket booth with a large portrait of a smiling Lilith painted on
the front. “Over there—you’ll be safe there until I get
back.”

David coughed up a laugh. “Seriously?
With the misses smiling at us like that?”

“
Yes—seriously. They won’t
look for you there.” Kara hauled David and dragged him across to
the booth. She laid him gently on the ground in a seated position.
He turned his head and blew a kiss to the image of Lilith. Peter
laughed and slid down beside him.

David’s smile evaporated. “Kara, I’m
sorry,” began David. “I’ve let you down.”

Kara shook her head to herself.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, David. I should be apologizing to
you both. I should have never let you come. This was a huge
mistake.”

“
It wasn’t your decision,”
said David. “Peter and I wanted to come. There’s nothing you could
have done to stop us from coming with you. And I’m glad we
did.”

Kara sighed. She looked at Peter’s
backpack. “Got anymore moonstones in there?”

Peter nodded. “Yup.” He pulled out
another moonstone. “I’ve got another five.” David whistled and
patted Peter on the back, impressed at his stock.

“
Good. If more demons show
up, do exactly like before. Blast them. I’ll be back in no time at
all. Don’t let them see you. Just try not to make any noise.
”

She looked over at David’s shrunken
face. His skin was chalky white. He wasn’t going to last very long.
The demons had nearly killed him. She hoped Peter would be brave
enough to keep them alive long enough for her to return to get
them. She prayed silently that he would.

Kara stood up and checked herself.
“Okay. I’m off—”

“
Wait! I need my good luck
kiss.” David puckered up his lips. “If I’m to die a nasty demon, at
least let me die a happy one.”

Rolling her eyes, Kara kneeled down
beside him. She cradled his face gently in her hands. “You’re not
going to die. Don’t be stupid. I won’t let you. I promise. I’m
coming back for you guys…and we’re going home. Promise.” Kara
leaned forward and pressed her lips against David’s. She shuddered
at the coolness of his skin but was glad at his soft touch
nevertheless.

“
I can’t believe you’re
kissing at a time like this,” laughed Peter, his voice almost a
squeal. “Just hurry up and get back in one piece. This place is
creeping me out. I know I’m going to have nightmares about clowns
for the rest of my days.”

“
I will. Promise.” Kara
felt as if the whole weight of the netherworld had fallen on her.
She hated leaving them like this, but she had no other
choice.

“
Be careful,” said
David.

With one last look at David and Peter,
Kara jumped to her feet and bolted in the other direction. She
passed the yellow and red striped tent cautiously and gripped her
blade firmly in her hand. She listened for the sounds of heavy
boots. Nothing. No more demons emerged from the tent. Relieved, she
wiggled her way through disintegrating rides where skinless imps
fought over their seating arrangements. Their red glowing eyes
turned as she passed, and then they continued to fight. Their feral
grunts were drowned by the blaring symphony.

Kara could see Jenny’s limp body sway
with the momentum of the giant wheel up ahead. She was nearly
there. She followed the music. It was leading her closer to the
Ferris wheel.

A sudden whisper came from behind her.
Kara turned to see a wall of rotten clowns wobbling behind her. She
quickened her pace. She heard the tread of their heavy boots
picking up speed. If they were all behind her, that meant David and
Peter were safe for now, unless another foe awaited them in the
shadows. She pushed the thought out of her mind.

The glowing Ferris wheel peeked over a
rotten white tent. Kara could see Jenny’s face clearly now. Her
eyes were closed. Her skin was the same chalky white as David and
Peter’s, but Kara couldn’t see any real wounds on her
friend.

She raced around the tent and came out
into a clearing. A large raised platform stood at the foot of the
giant wheel. Lights hung from wires that crisscrossed above the
platform. And at the opposite end a group of fat scabrous demons
howled and played shiny black instruments with sinuous arms and
legs. Their alien voices echoed their haunting
performance.

A beautiful young woman in a white
pantsuit with a tall white hat pranced around on the stage. Her
long white hair rippled behind her unnaturally, like a cape made of
mist. Her delicate features creased and broke into a sinister smile
when she spotted Kara. Her large black eyes shone with excitement.
She skipped and twirled dramatically around the stage.

“
Well, well, well. My
little sister, Kara, has finally decided to come and play with us,”
Lilith laughed softly to the four higher demons standing behind
her. Their identical white faces sneered at Kara.

A giant man sat in a wooden red chair
next to Lilith. The chair was carved with snakes on the armrest and
horned beasts for legs. The backrest was carved in the shape of an
eye that seemed to watch Kara. A long silky grey robe draped over
the man’s strong shoulders. His handsome face was wrinkled in a
deep frown. Light reflected off his bald head. He watched Kara with
dark eyes.

“
Zadkiel,” hissed
Kara.

Chapter 17

Jack-in-the-box

“
Y
ou two know each other?” questioned Lilith.

She stopped twirling and was still.
She watched Kara and Zadkiel for a moment, and then she lifted her
arms dramatically in the air and laughed. “How delightful! This is
going to be even better than I had imagined. To think that I’ve
reunited two old pals from the legion.” Zadkiel kept his eyes on
Kara. He never blinked.

Lilith gawked at her. “Oh my god, what
happened to you? You look terrible,” she giggled. “Did you have a
hard time getting here? Did you meet some of my friends along the
way?”

Kara ignored her. She studied the area
quickly. She felt the presence of something behind her. She turned
around. A group of clown demons scrambled up behind her. She
stepped away as they formed a circle around her. They whispered and
leered at her as they poked at her with their weapons. One jumped
forward brandishing a spiked club. He beat the ground near Kara’s
feet. She didn’t move.

Lilith lifted her hand. The
clown demon bowed his head and backed away. She smiled at Kara. “I
knew you would come. I knew you couldn’t resist the urge to help
your
pathetic
little friend—what was her name again? Julie? Ginger?
Janet?”

“
Jenny,” hissed Kara. She
hoped her face matched the wrath she felt.

Lilith laughed softly. She twirled a
lock of her hair between her fingers. “Ah, yes—poor little
pathetic, Jenny—it’s all over for her now.”

She looked up behind her and smiled at
the lifeless figure tied to the Ferris wheel. “I hate her hair.
Isn’t it awful? I don’t agree with young women who cut their hair
short. They look like boys. Why would you want to look like a boy?
I think all women should have long beautiful hair like
mine.”

Lilith tossed her hair back with a
flick of her wrist. She flashed Kara a pretty smile. “Well, if her
soul’s still alive, then it’s holding on by a thread. I gave her
some of my essence to try and keep her alive for as long as I
could. I wanted you to see her suffer. But alas, she is weak, and
probably already dead now. So I guess you came all this way for
nothing. Ha!” Lilith laughed excitedly. The higher demons cheered
with her.

Kara resisted the urge to run up and
smack the smile off Lilith’s face. She looked up and searched
Jenny’s face. There was no movement. Her body was stiff, like a
corpse. Guilt and anger rose in her chest.

“
You know,” Lilith
continued conversationally, “…you guardian angels are
so
overrated, don’t you
think? One would think that with your grand reputation you’d be
smart. But you’re not very clever, are you, Kara. This is so
obviously
a trap. Hello?
Didn’t you know this was a trap? Are you that ugly and stupid for
real? You just waltz right in, without questions, like a good
little soldier. And you call yourself Asmodeus’s daughter? I think
not.” She waved her arms theatrically and giggled.

Kara eyed Lilith but didn’t reply. She
knew she wanted to get a rise out of her. She glared at Lilith, her
lips pressed together in a tight line.

Lilith raised an eyebrow.
Her smile was empty. “One would think that the
infamous
Kara Nightingale would have
more brains. Kara this…Kara that…it’s all over the netherworld, you
know. It’s clear to me that
I
inherited our father’s intellect and not you. I
would never have been so stupid as to risk
my
precious soul for another. What
is that about? Your weakness, my dear sister, is your love for your
friends.”

“
I’d rather give up my life
to help a friend, than be a self centered psychopath who needs an
audience to help her feel important.” Kara’s voice rose, but she
strained to stay calm. She needed her wits about her.

Lilith’s lips twitched into an ugly
smile. Her black eyes darkened into a scowl. “I am important. And
powerful. I’m the greatest thing that ever was in the netherworld,
if you cared to know.”

She glared at Kara. “You’re just a
pebble in my shoe. Don’t think that because we are sisters I will
spare your insignificant life. You mean nothing to me. It will give
me great pleasure to see you suffer, as I have
suffered.”

“
I wouldn’t expect any
less.” Kara watched Zadkiel. He hadn’t said a word yet, and that
made Kara nervous. He could only be contemplating some scheme. He
tapped his thumb against the armrest of his chair. His deep scowl
was the only indication of his hatred for Kara. He was worse than a
traitor. He was the scum beneath her boots.