Free Forgotten Souls by Tiffany King

threatened itself to near extinction through conflict and war."
     
    "So, if God created us to help humanity, where was he when things like 9/11 happened?" I asked.
     
    "Oh, he is here, but not every disaster can be avoided. He does hope each time that humanity will learn from their mistakes and ratify them. Evil is always present and for every evil person stopped, there is another more than willing to take over," he said, sounding frustrated or as close to it as he was capable of.
     
    "Like Mark's dad?" I asked.
     
    "Yes, like Victor."
     
    Victor. I ran the name through my head. For so long, I had thought of him only as a monster. To have him referred to by name threw me off.
     
    "You were created to be celestial beings, but this does not mean The Light wanted to strip you of your own freewill. Your gifts, however blessed you are to have them, are still yours to do with as you choose. You are here to serve mankind and keep them from ruination, but as has always been the case, as a human, you have your own freewill. Unfortunately, that also makes you as susceptible to the temptations of evil as anyone else. It is rare, but Victor is not the first Protector we have lost. We are grieved with the outcome of his deeds and the actions he took for his own personal gain. Unfortunately, he had already gained the protection of the Dark One before we realized how far gone he was. Freewill is one thing, but destroying something so precious to The Light will not go without retribution. We are just biding our time for the right opportunity."
     
    "Do Guides ever turn?" I asked, feeling a slightly panicked given what I had done earlier that evening.
     
    "No, we have never had a Guide turn. It is certainly possible, however your emotional compass should always steer you down the right course. I know you are concerned about what happened earlier, but remember, you are still trying to understand your gifts and how to use them. The fact that you understand the illicitness of your actions and displayed repentance shows the beauty of your soul. You have nothing to worry about. You already show more promise than any Guide I have trained throughout the years. Saving yourself and your Protector a few weeks ago put you at an advantage over other Guides. You used knowledge that was not yet bestowed on you, and because of that you are the leader of the Guides in your band."
     
    "Haniel, what about the two that aren't with our band, the ones that Victor stripped from us?" I asked, cringing at how dirty the name tasted in my mouth. "Have their souls already been compromised? Will we be able to save them?" The questions tumbled out of me in a rush.
     
    Haniel held up a hand to stop my onslaught of questions. "We are unsure if they have truly been turned. However, The Light feels that all hope is not lost and has not given up on them."
     
    "Then why don't we go and save them now?" I asked my voice escalating.
     
    Haniel once again held up his hand to quiet me. This time, I fought the temptation to slap it away. Why were we idly sitting by playing war games? None of it made sense to me. First God had left me and Mark on our own a few weeks back, and now he was abandoning two lost souls or forgotten souls , whatever they were called.
     
    "Krista, have you not heard the words I have spoken to you? The Dark Angel has the protection of a very powerful being right now. To intervene now would mean the loss of more Guides and Protectors. The moment is fast approaching that The Dark Angel will have to answer for his choices, but now is not the time. If we sent your band in now, you would not survive. There are no second chances in this."
     
    "If things are so dire, then why doesn’t The Light send in the Archangels to take care of it? I mean, surely you are more powerful than us lowly celestial beings that don't even have wings?" I asked.
     
    "Krista, The Light cannot send us in. We do not exist on the same plane as you or humans. If we were to