Mortal Read Free Page B

around
the giant circular room. It was like being on the bridge of a great
battle ship. GAs were huddled together around holographic screens
that flickered with images of major cities around the mortal world.
Were they looking for demon Rifts? What other possible threats
could the legion fear?
    As Kara and David made their way
quietly between desks with holographic screens, a silence spread
across the great room. Heads lifted, and Kara could feel their
stares burning the back of her head. She straightened herself and
prepared to challenge them with her own stone cold look. But her
expression softened as she realized they weren’t the angry faces
she’d expected. They were dumbfounded, speechless, with their jaws
hanging open. They were in shock. They had not expected to see her
again.
    Kara followed David to the large round
desk on a raised platform in the middle of the chamber. Their
footsteps echoed around them unnaturally loudly, as though they
were walking on drums. Kara couldn’t wait to sit down. A dozen
stone-faced angels sat around the round desk and watched Kara
warily.
    Then she saw Peter and Jenny, whose
grins were larger than life.
    Jenny jumped from her seat and wrapped
her arms around Kara’s neck, "I told Peter you’d be back. I told
him you would. I just knew it!" Her green eyes sparkled as she let
Kara go.
    "Hi, Kara," said Peter.
    He fumbled clumsily with a flat metal
contraption on the table. "You can’t imagine how happy I am to be
wrong. I didn’t think we’d see you again." He laughed nervously and
pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
    "Well that’s a first," said David. He
smacked Peter on the shoulder, and they both started
laughing.
    Kara smiled at her friends. "It’s nice
to see things haven’t changed around here."
    "Jenny got reprimanded for punching
another GA," blurted Peter suddenly.
    "You didn’t?" said Kara, looking at
Jenny who shrugged with a smirk on her face.
    "I don’t know what he’s talking
about." Jenny picked at her fingernails.
    Peter laughed. "It was
awesome. The guy had it coming though. He was teasing her about her
hair—and then whack ! It was great!"
    Kara smiled warmly, grateful to be
back amongst her friends again. "I still can’t believe I’m here. It
still feels like a dream." She looked around the table.
    The archangel Ariel sat at the end of
the table. Her mocha colored skin shone under the light, making it
look almost golden. She looked like a goddess who didn’t want to
attract too much attention. She wore a simple short-sleeved black
shirt and black cargo pants. Her toffee-colored eyes measured Kara
for a moment, and then she spoke.
    "Welcome back, Kara
Nightingale."
    "Thank you," said Kara awkwardly.
"It’s good to be back."
    She looked over to the angels sitting
around the desk and smiled. None of them smiled back, so she
lowered her eyes and stared at the desk instead.
    "Thank you for bringing her back to us
in one piece, David," said Ariel. Kara detected a little irritation
in her tone.
    David looked utterly abashed by the
statement. "I’m offended by your tone, your supreme godliness. I
promised I would get her back safely, didn’t I? Which, as you see,
is what I did, your royal holiness." He pressed his right hand on
his chest. "I am an angel of my word, your grace."
    Ariel favored him with the faintest of
smiles. "We shall see." She gestured to them with her hand.
"Please, sit down. We have lots to talk about."
    Jenny pushed an empty chair towards
Kara. David flung himself dramatically in an empty chair between
Kara and Peter, who did his best not to laugh at David’s theatrical
performance. But Kara could see the stress on David’s face. He was
putting up his usual front. Under his cheeky grin, she knew he was
hurt.
    "Well then," began Ariel,
her voice was smooth but demanded attention. She interlaced her
fingers on the table. "I’m sure you have lots of questions
regarding your return, Kara, and I will get to that in a