Horizon, Soul Guardians Book 3 by Kim Richardson Read Free Book Online Page A

ready. It flew towards her at great
speed, and Kara met it with a side slash. She cut through the flesh
easily. Yellow and red liquid sprayed the walls. She felt the
ground shake. Twenty more tentacles shot through the walls and came
for her. The more she cut, the more tentacles came back.
    Frantically, Kara cut through the
remaining tendrils around her legs. Chunks of tentacles sprawled
around her boots. She looked up. Another tentacle lashed at her.
She jumped out of the way and rolled on the ground. She jumped up
and was immediately assaulted by another wave of tentacles. Kara
ducked, jumped, and sliced her way to her friends. Yellow liquid
sprayed her face, and she saw David pull Peter free from the
creature’s grasp. Peter’s essence was seeping through large gaps in
his face. His skin was translucent; she could see the brilliant
light inside him. His skin was barely holding him together. He
looked sick.
    David glanced towards Kara. “Help,
Jenny!” he yelled over the commotion, as he squished a severed
tentacle beneath his boot.
    Kara kicked and slashed her way
towards her friend. She could hardly see her anymore. The creature
had covered Jenny completely in a tangle of red stringy limbs.
Frenzied, Kara began to slice pieces off, careful not to cut Jenny.
She could see David standing before Peter and doing a good job at
cutting the tentacles off of him.
    A sharp pain stung the back of Kara’s
head. She fell forward and reached out. She wrapped her hand around
a slippery mass that stuck to her head. It felt strangely like a
helmet. She moved her fingers around and touched a suction cup. She
shivered. She felt a tingling sensation on the back of her head,
like millions of little pricks at the same time. She felt her
energy draining away and knew the creature was sucking out her
essence. With her blade still clutched in her hand, Kara reached
behind her head and stabbed the creature repeatedly. She felt a
release and finally pulled the suction cup from her scalp and
tossed it. With her strength renewed somewhat, Kara assaulted the
creatures again. Chunks of limbs rolled onto the ground like logs.
Soon Kara could see Jenny, and with a final effort, she yanked the
last meaty tendril from her friend. Jenny collapsed in her arms,
her eyes barely open.
    Kara shook her gently. “Jenny? Jenny?
Can you hear me?”
    Jenny’s skin was nearly transparent.
Kara could see gaping wounds over her entire body. White light
spilled through them. It had been a mistake to bring them with her.
Jenny’s and Peter’s wounds were too severe. They had to go
back—
    The ground trembled... a sucking
noise... she turned to see dozens more tentacles sprout from the
fleshy walls. Dread rippled through her. How were they going to
escape?
    “ David! We can’t stay here.
We need to take Peter and Jenny back!”
    Kara dropped Jenny to the ground and
sliced the head of the nearest tentacle. Another ten tentacles
lashed out at her.
    And then all at once, the creatures
retreated. Like worms wiggling into the ground, the tendrils
recoiled back into their fleshy walls.
    A man stood at the far end of the
tunnel. His red robe billowed around him. The light of the torches
reflected off his bald head. Zadkiel! Even in the distance, Kara
could see the malevolent smile across his face. He held a small jar
in his right hand. And in the jar was a ball of brilliant
light.
    Zadkiel laughed softly. “You are so
predictable, Kara Nightingale. Just like all the others—a
mortal-loving blundering fool. I knew you would follow me. I knew
you would come for your mother. I’ve been waiting for
you.”
    Kara was relieved to see the luminance
of her mother’s soul.
    “ Give it back. And I’ll let
you live.”
    She raised her blade. Her anger had
awakened her elemental power. She called it forth, and it answered
eagerly. She could feel it opening up inside her like a blooming
flower. She saw the fear in the archangel’s eyes. He tried to hide
it, but she saw it,