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knight.
Sounds reasonable enough, and the day is just beginning,” she said
almost to herself, nodding. “Piece of cake, right?”
    “If you say so.” Ashley’s expression was
dark.
    “Look,” said Kara. “Just think of them as
demons—only bigger and more powerful—but they’re still malevolent
creatures that have infected this world. And it’s still our job,
our mandate, to protect the mortal world with whatever it takes.
And we’re going to do what we do best. Hunt them down and destroy
them. All of them.”
    She felt David’s eyes on her but she ignored
him.
    “It’s already been three days since their
escape. How do we know if they haven’t broken one of the seals
already? And how will we know when they do?”
    “Of course, we thought of that.” Mr.
Patterson held his crystal with one hand and rummaged inside his
jacket pocket with the other. He pulled out four gold rings.
    “The oracle mothers were able to forge these
four rings from the same material that was used to create the
Keeper’s key. The materials are connected with the seals. They’re
bonded. If a seal is broken, one of the rings will disappear. And
as you can see, no seal has been broken, not yet.”
    He held out his hand. “Come on, take
one.”
    To Kara’s surprise, David was the first to
grab a ring and slip it on his finger. Then Jenny and Peter each
grabbed a ring.
    One ring left. But Kara couldn’t move.
    She suspected that she shouldn’t take the
last ring. What if it didn’t work because of her transformation?
The ring should go to an angel who wasn’t tainted, an angel of pure
essence. She pressed her hands into fists. Besides, she was wearing
gloves. The ring wouldn’t fit over them, and everyone would see the
marks on her hands if she took them off. She couldn’t risk it. Not
yet.
    She turned away from the ring momentarily
and looked at Ashley.
    “Take it,” said Kara. She was surprised that
the words had come out so easily, even though she felt a pang in
her chest. “Take the ring.”
    Ashley shook her head. “No way. We all know
it should be you, Kara. Besides, I’m new to your club, so I’m
practically a rookie. But if you want the truth, I’d really rather
not have that responsibility. Just being here with all of you is
enough for me.”
    Kara knew Ashley still mourned the loss of
her friends to the Reapers. Some part of her still blamed herself
for their deaths, even though there was nothing she could have done
to save them. Joining with Kara’s team had helped Ashley in her
recovery, but she’d never truly recover. Not really.
    “I wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,
especially yours.” Ashley grinned with a sincere friendship that
was loyal and would never break.
    Kara wanted to smile, too, but she feared
the repercussions of revealing too much too soon. Should she take
the gloves off? No. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready. They weren’t
ready. She wasn’t ready to see the fear and disgust in David’s eyes
when he discovered the black veins on her hands and body.
    “Go on, Kara.” Mr. Patterson moved forward
and offered her the last ring, like he had already decided it was
going to be her.
    “Ashley is right, it should be you. You should be the bearer of the last ring.”
    She couldn’t take her gloves off, so
she grabbed the last ring and examined it for a moment. It was
heavier than any gold ring she’d ever handled, more like two rings
in one. Then she put it in her pocket.
    “So you really think the archfiends will get
locked up again if we can stop the knights?”
    Kara tried to put the ring out of everyone’s
minds, so no one would ask to see her to put it on her finger.
    “I do.” Mr. Patterson gave her a bitter
smile.
    “And we must . Because if we don’t
succeed, then all living things in this world and Horizon will
cease to exist.”
     

Chapter
4
Hubei, China
     
     
     
    A fter a quick stop
back to level three so that they could replenish their M-5 suits,
Kara took