theatrics from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the elevator jerked to a stop. The doors swished open, and Kara stepped off the elevator. Her feet pressed into soft ground.
“Wow, red sand!” Kara lifted her head and looked around. “Oh, my God…this is amazing!” Operations was like the Sahara Desert. Rolling hills of ruby red sand stretched out for miles, rippling like giant Ruffles potato chips. A soft breeze tickled her forehead, and she wiped her bangs away from her eyes. A strong salty fragrance filled the air around them. It reminded her of the times when she was about ten years old, running across the beach at her grandparent’s cottage, chasing the waves. Kara smiled. It was her happy place. Fluffy white clouds raced each other across a baby-blue sky and out of sight.
Whloop.
Kara turned. The top of the elevator disappeared into the ground, as though a patch of quicksand had swallowed it up. She followed David down a slope leading into a populated area in the middle of the red desert. Her feet pressed deep into the sand with every step as they got closer. Soon she was walking through a maze of tall white pyramids. She squinted. “What are those?” Kara side-stepped closer to one of them and stretched out her hand. Her fingers pressed right through it. She frowned. “Is this some kind of white sand?”
“No. It’s salt,” answered David.
Kara took a handful, brought it up to her nose and stuck out her tongue. She tasted it. “What the—it is salt!” She opened her fingers and watched the tiny white crystals escape through the gaps. She wiped her hand on her jeans and ran to catch up to David.
“Why is all this salt here?”
“It’s for the pools.”
“Right. And…why is that again?” asked Kara.
David smiled. “It’s for protection.”
He stared into Kara’s eyes. “Salt is a weapon against demons. It acts as a repellent, sort of. It hurts them—and we can use it to kill them too.”
Kara nodded her head. “Good to know.”
Loud thumping and squeaking noises surrounded around them. Kara peeked around one of the pyramids. Hundreds of large construction-like trucks dumped huge quantities of salt onto the ground. The vehicles wheeled themselves right into the salt pyramids and sucked out the salt with long metal hoses, like giant vacuum cleaners. Massive round glass containers rested on their backs. They filled up with salt. Her eyes flicked to the drivers. “Hey! These are the same yellow haired kids from the Hall of Souls?”
David turned and glanced over to the drivers. “Yup—they’re cherubs.
“Cherubs?” repeated Kara. “Aren’t they supposed to have wings and fly around like cupid?”
“Don’t believe everything you read.”
Before she could open her mouth again and ask more questions, David grabbed Kara by the elbow and urged her forward. She followed him through the jungle of the salt pyramids. After a few minutes, they came to a clearing with thousands of open blue tents arranged in rows across a flatter part of the red desert. Long white drapes of cloth on poles rippled in the breeze atop each of the tents, like enormous flags. The tents were alive and loud with the clatter of steel on steel and the clamor of fighting. Hundreds of guardian angels fought each other in combat practice. They stabbed and sliced with shiny silver swords. The clanking of wood hitting wood grew louder as she spotted other angels hitting and blocking each other with wooden staffs. Puffs of red sand shot up in the air. The combatants kicked up their feet and ploughed them into their opponent’s chest.
“Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.” Kara studied David’s face. “Am I going to learn all that?” She pointed to the fighting.
David turned his head and looked at her. He smiled. “Yup. And—you’re gonna learn how to kick demon butt! Today’s your first day of combat training.”
Kara’s face twisted in a grin. She felt tiny sparks of excitement. “I always wanted to learn how to
“Wow, red sand!” Kara lifted her head and looked around. “Oh, my God…this is amazing!” Operations was like the Sahara Desert. Rolling hills of ruby red sand stretched out for miles, rippling like giant Ruffles potato chips. A soft breeze tickled her forehead, and she wiped her bangs away from her eyes. A strong salty fragrance filled the air around them. It reminded her of the times when she was about ten years old, running across the beach at her grandparent’s cottage, chasing the waves. Kara smiled. It was her happy place. Fluffy white clouds raced each other across a baby-blue sky and out of sight.
Whloop.
Kara turned. The top of the elevator disappeared into the ground, as though a patch of quicksand had swallowed it up. She followed David down a slope leading into a populated area in the middle of the red desert. Her feet pressed deep into the sand with every step as they got closer. Soon she was walking through a maze of tall white pyramids. She squinted. “What are those?” Kara side-stepped closer to one of them and stretched out her hand. Her fingers pressed right through it. She frowned. “Is this some kind of white sand?”
“No. It’s salt,” answered David.
Kara took a handful, brought it up to her nose and stuck out her tongue. She tasted it. “What the—it is salt!” She opened her fingers and watched the tiny white crystals escape through the gaps. She wiped her hand on her jeans and ran to catch up to David.
“Why is all this salt here?”
“It’s for the pools.”
“Right. And…why is that again?” asked Kara.
David smiled. “It’s for protection.”
He stared into Kara’s eyes. “Salt is a weapon against demons. It acts as a repellent, sort of. It hurts them—and we can use it to kill them too.”
Kara nodded her head. “Good to know.”
Loud thumping and squeaking noises surrounded around them. Kara peeked around one of the pyramids. Hundreds of large construction-like trucks dumped huge quantities of salt onto the ground. The vehicles wheeled themselves right into the salt pyramids and sucked out the salt with long metal hoses, like giant vacuum cleaners. Massive round glass containers rested on their backs. They filled up with salt. Her eyes flicked to the drivers. “Hey! These are the same yellow haired kids from the Hall of Souls?”
David turned and glanced over to the drivers. “Yup—they’re cherubs.
“Cherubs?” repeated Kara. “Aren’t they supposed to have wings and fly around like cupid?”
“Don’t believe everything you read.”
Before she could open her mouth again and ask more questions, David grabbed Kara by the elbow and urged her forward. She followed him through the jungle of the salt pyramids. After a few minutes, they came to a clearing with thousands of open blue tents arranged in rows across a flatter part of the red desert. Long white drapes of cloth on poles rippled in the breeze atop each of the tents, like enormous flags. The tents were alive and loud with the clatter of steel on steel and the clamor of fighting. Hundreds of guardian angels fought each other in combat practice. They stabbed and sliced with shiny silver swords. The clanking of wood hitting wood grew louder as she spotted other angels hitting and blocking each other with wooden staffs. Puffs of red sand shot up in the air. The combatants kicked up their feet and ploughed them into their opponent’s chest.
“Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.” Kara studied David’s face. “Am I going to learn all that?” She pointed to the fighting.
David turned his head and looked at her. He smiled. “Yup. And—you’re gonna learn how to kick demon butt! Today’s your first day of combat training.”
Kara’s face twisted in a grin. She felt tiny sparks of excitement. “I always wanted to learn how to
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