Marked (21 page)

“Ahem—members,” said Uriel, “there are two matters to discuss regarding guardian angel, Kara Nightingale, of the class order # 4321. First, let us begin with the delicate subject of the demon’s mark.”

Kara lifted her eyes and gazed at the speaker. Uriel sat back down and brought his hands together in front of him. For a moment, he considered the council; his face stained in discountenance.

An archangel with a shaved head dressed in a long grey robe pushed his chair back and stood up. His hands clasped together in front of him. “Let me be the first to object at bringing her to the council. She is a demon spy! She wears their
mark!
We should cast her out to join her filth!” He turned his attention to Kara and glared at her with deep set eyes.

Kara bit her lip. “This is so not good,” she whispered.

A woman stood up. Her curly red hair rippled all the way down her back. Her robes were green, and her skin gave off a milky glow. “We understand your concern, Zadkiel. But under these new circumstances, I feel it is our obligation as elders to this council, to seek the truth and believe in our guardians. From what Gabriel has told us, she had no previous knowledge of the mark. There is no evidence that implicates her to any demon activity. The demons could have marked her, without her knowledge. Without any proof—I must believe she is innocent.”

There were a few mumbled consensuses amongst the council members.

Zadkiel pressed his lips together. “Camael, do not be fooled. The marked are best at concealing themselves—they are true chameleons. She is a danger to us all. Having her here will only bring death to our world! Can you not see this? Her soul is evil!”

Those last words rang in Kara’s brain. She felt herself sinking on the bench.

Camael lifted her hand in a calming manner. “There’s no need to shout. I understand the dangers involved if we are wrong. But I believe she is innocent. There is no evidence that points to her deceiving us.”

Kara’s anxiety rose to an uncontrollable level, her head was spinning. She rocked back and forth on her chair, fumbling with her fingers.

“This is against all High Council laws. Never before have we permitted a marked angel to stay in Horizon. This cannot be! I forbid it!” bellowed Zadkiel. His lips trembled as his face was cloaked in a scowl.

Another member of the Council stood up. His night black skin contrasted against his blood red robes. His face was twisted in contempt. “I agree with, Zadkiel. Letting this angel stay amongst us will only result in our
ruin
. She should not be permitted to stay!”

“She will be killed if we cast her out. She must be allowed to stay!” protested Camael.

Kara heard some members gasp.

“Members,” said Zadkiel. His tone had changed into a soothing melody of words. “How can we trust this angel? We know nothing of her. Who is to say she is not a spy? She might not look evil, but do not let your eyes deceive you…evil has many faces.”

“I’d like to hear what Petty Officer David McGowan has to say about this,” Uriel’s voice silenced everyone one in the room. Kara felt its power. His eyes darted over to David. “He’s been with her since she arrived in Horizon, some short time ago. He’s watched over her. I’m sure he can give us a better understanding of her temperament. David?”

Wide-eyed, Kara shot a glance at David. His expression was unreadable.

David stood up. “Um—she seems to be a regular sixteen year-old girl—a bit of a loner at times—but I haven’t seen her do anything suspicious…or against our ways. I don’t sense any evil in her heart.”

Kara frowned.
Did he just call me a loner?
She searched David’s face.

“How can you be sure? You cannot know what’s in her heart! No! We cannot allow this!” Zadkiel hit the table with his fist.

“This angel is innocent!” said Camael. “There is no proof supporting your claim!”

“She is a
traitor
! Have you already forgotten that she was marked!” shouted Zadkiel.

“ENOUGH!” said Uriel. His voice thundered through the great dome. “Let us vote on the matter now. All those in favor of banishing Kara Nightingale from Horizon—raise your right hand.”

Panic moved down her body slowly. Kara counted the hands. Three.

“All those in favor for keeping her in Horizon, so she may continue to excel as a prominent GA?” continued Uriel. And he raised his hand. He pulled back the corners of his lips and showed her his teeth.

Kara waited patiently as she watched the hands go up. Four.

“The council has spoken—Kara Nightingale will stay in Horizon. Without conclusive evidence, we find no fault in her actions, nor do we find any in her Petty Officer.”

Uriel looked at Kara, his deep set eyes searching. She felt as though he was trying to see through her. Uriel lifted his brow. “And so, the council has closed this matter—let’s move on to the next.”

Kara had only just begun to feel calm again, when she realized it wasn’t over yet. The archangels who were standing seated themselves. She looked at David for help. But he wasn’t looking at her. He stared at the floor.

Another woman archangel from the council stood up. Her long blond hair covered the front of her white robes. She was looking at Kara.

“The council has been informed about a grave matter. An elemental child, born of mortal and angel parents—has gone missing. The elemental are very powerful creatures. They possess power of great magnitude. The mixing of mortals and angels is forbidden. But, unfortunately it has happened, and we have to deal with the consequences. And to make this serious matter worse, we have now learned the child has been taken.

“This child is
very
special, both to us and to the demon ruler, Asmodeus—for the power it can give the demons, is unimaginable. Asmodeus and his kingdom of demons, could perpetuate their stay in the world of the living. He wants to create havoc and take possession of Earth. It is our belief that the child is being held by some demon troops, hidden in the mortal world. When the time comes, Asmodeus will kill this child and use its power to rule the mortal world.”

There were a few acknowledgments among the council.

Kara’s head was spinning.
A Elemental child?
Kara frowned.
Is this the same child Benson was talking about when we spied on him?
Twisted images of demons torturing a child flashed before her eyes, as a faint echo of a baby’s cry made her shiver. A feeling of dread crept inside her. She looked across at the council members. Her eyes rested on Uriel. His face was unreadable. Amongst all these wise men and women, she felt insignificant, as if her body had melted into the bench.

The archangel Uriel glanced over at the speaker and motioned her to sit. “Thank you, Jophiel,” he said, as he placed his hands flat in front of him. “And now, at this time, you have been summoned to the council, Kara Nightingale, to be given a
life-quest
.”

At these words she heard David gasped. She turned to see his eyes bulging out of his head. He mouthed the word
what!

She heard another gasp behind her, then a
thump
. And when she turned, she could see that the oracle had fallen off his orb. He clambered back up on his crystal and threw his arms around it.

Kara shook her head. “David!” she whispered, “what’s a life-quest?”

David spoke with the side of his mouth. “It’s a special assignment. If you succeed, you get your life back—your mortal life back as it was before you died!”

Kara could only blink.

“It’s very rare,” he continued whispering.

Kara’s jaw dropped, as she let David’s words sink into her brain. “
Your mortal life back
—
are they freakin’ serious—!”

“Kara Nightingale,” said Uriel quietly. “Your life-quest, will be to retrieve the elemental child. We have called upon you to fulfill your duty as a guardian angel and to complete the life-quest which is now appointed to you.”

His dark eyes glittered, and he waited to meet Kara’s eyes. “Will you accept this quest?”

Kara had lost her voice. She stared at the council, wide-eyed, her lips were glued together. She looked up at Uriel. His face was lost in shadow. Visions of her past life came crashing down upon her, nearly knocking her off balance on the bench.

“I—I can have my life back? Is this for real?” her voice cracked.

“It is very real,” answered Uriel. A hint of a smile reaching his lips.

“And I can see my mother again?” She hoped for the chance to make up past wrongs.

“Yes. You’ll have your whole life ahead of you.”

As crazy as it sounded, she had already made up her mind. She just couldn’t utter the words. She forced open her mouth and stammered, “Y…yes? Yes. I’ll do it.”

Uriel nodded, apparently pleased with her decision.

“Good. And for your information, this life-quest has also been appointed to five other guardian angels. This will be a
difficult
challenge, and we will need as many chosen angels as possible. Each guardian was chosen for their specific skills.”

“Elementals are very rare—and very dangerous,” he continued. “They are not born evil, but their power tends towards the darkness, unless we can prevent it. But I must warn you: Elementals can only be touched by mortals. If an angel or a demon touches an elemental, they will die. You will be given a pair of silver gloves to wear. With these gloves, the elemental’s touch cannot harm you.”

All eyes were on Kara. She hated being the center of attention. She felt like a freak. She cast a quick glance in David’s direction, but he did not meet her gaze. She did not know what would happen next. She felt her body jolt as an electric shock burned from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Uriel cleared his throat.

“As the appointed minister of this council, I call this meeting adjourned. We will look forward to your progress on this quest, Kara Nightingale. You will report to the archangel Gabriel for your briefing with the others. That is all.”

Kara watched David stand up. She heard the echo of an oracle’s orb rolling towards them.

“Well now. That wasn’t so bad? This way please,” said the oracle with his tiny arms outstretched, “no point in hanging around—the meeting is over.”

He pointed towards the door. “Let’s get going, angels. There is work to be done!” The oracle rolled away.

Kara pushed herself off the chair and followed David. Before she left the room, Kara turned around and stared back at the council one last time. Uriel fumbled with some papers, but did not look up.

As silent as a grave, the threesome walked and rolled back down the hallway leading to the landing zone. Kara stole a side glance at David. She could see that he was preoccupied in thought. And she was doing some thinking of her own. Dizzy with the events that just happened, Kara’s mind was but on one thought only—to be with her mother again.

Chapter 13. Life Quest

O
n the ride back to operations, travelling by sky-car and then the elevator, Kara relived the events from the council in her head. If she succeeded in her new mission, she would be with her mother very soon. It was her only chance to make things right. Failure was not an option.

But some of the events with the High Council had left her feeling less than perfectly happy. Clearly, some of the members didn’t believe her and wanted her
dead
, which meant a big part of the Legion was also in doubt. But Kara was even more determined to prove her innocence. She wasn’t a liar, or a traitor. Her new mission, this life-quest, was the perfect opportunity to show them all—and David.

She thought of all the possibilities that having her life again would offer her. She’d be with her mom again. She’d have a chance at her career as an artist, and she could maybe even slip in a little love? She stole a look at David and felt herself go limp. He had accused her of playing with his emotions—of using him—did that mean he cared for her? Now he was giving her the cold shoulder again. And something was different about the way he looked at her. She thought she saw fear flash behind his eyes a few times. But why? What was he so afraid of?

They strolled along in the ruby sand on their way to the large white tent. Gabriel hovered over a table and examined some documents. Five other guardian angels lingered around and talked amongst themselves. None of them turned to greet Kara and David. They all ignored her. Some smiled at David, but most of them avoided eye contact with Kara.

I’m like a freaking leper to them.

She felt a sting in her chest. “Does the entire Legion know about the mark?” she asked David.

“Words travel fast here. I’m sure everybody knew about it before we were called to the council meeting.”

“Great,” she sighed. “They’re all treating me like I’m guilty. But I’m not!”