Free Seirs, Soul Guardians Book 5 by Kim Richardson

street.

Chapter 7
    Elder Odis
     
     
     
    S anto had killed the engine and told them they would make the
rest of the journey on foot. He had been very quiet along the
drive. The only piece of information he had given them was that the
safe house in downtown Toronto had been compromised, and that he
was taking them to another one. His reluctance to give them any
more information made Kara uneasy.
    Santo led the way along the winding
gravel road. Kara and the others crunched along behind him. Blue
Jays and Chickadees chirped happily as they swung from tree to
tree, and Kara wondered if they were announcing the arrival of
angels in their forest. A light rain slipped through the branches
of thirty-foot high hemlock trees and wild raspberry bushes lined
the road on either side. Kara loved raspberry pie, especially her
grandmother’s. She’d give anything to taste the sweetness of it on
her tongue just this one time.
    The smell of earth and pine filled her
nose as tall grasses swayed back and forth in the soft breeze. Kara
was glad to be out of the city, with its rowdy noises and stuffy
exhaust-filled air.
    Mosquitoes buzzed around Jenny’s ears
searching for blood. She cursed and smacked at her own face.
Somehow the bugs enjoyed her essence, but not the
others’.
    Even Santo seemed immune to the bugs.
He strode ahead of them purposely, his face pulled in a tight
scowl. Kara watched him as he scouted the land, his hand clutched
around the hilt of his sword at all times. His suit and fedora hat
seemed out of place in the wilderness, but he carried himself
easily, as though he had been here countless times before. She
realized that she couldn’t even hear the sound of his boots
scraping the stones in the path. His steps glided over the gravel,
soundless, never touching. She wondered where he had been brought
up. Santo was indeed a great mystery.
    After they had walked for half an
hour, the road veered to the right, but Santo continued straight
through and crossed a wild field. David and Kara shared a look, and
then followed quickly behind. Within moments the wall of trees
ended, and a light grey sky peered down at them. It was as though
giant doors had opened and let the sky in. The darkness of the
forest lifted, and Kara felt her mood rise.
    A single log cabin sat on a small
rise. Hidden amongst the tall hemlock trees, it was the only
manmade edifice for miles. It looked out of place in the middle of
nowhere. Large logs formed a wraparound porch that was littered
with handmade chairs and broken flowerpots. Red and blue striped
curtains were drawn over the windows. The smell of onions and
cabbage reminded her of her grandmother’s cottage. The eerie
similarities made her tense.
    Santo stepped up to the front porch.
Strips of red paint peeled from the front door. Dried leaves slid
around the porch in tiny whirlwinds. The floorboards creaked under
his weight and sounded like the creepy music from an old
organ.
    Kara climbed up the steps two at a
time. “Santo, what are we doing here? You haven’t said much since
we got out of the car.” She kept her voice low and hid the anxiety
in it. He had saved her and the others many times, but the fact
that he was silent and keeping things from her now made her
nervous.
    “ You’re here to meet Elder
Otis,” said Santo casually.
    Kara looked confused.
    He elaborated further. “There are
elders amongst the Sensitives, the wisest and eldest of our
members. The elders are the leaders of our groups—they lay down the
laws—and we abide by them. Our world is divided into seven
districts, and each district is governed by an elder.”
    Kara pondered this new information. Of
course being somewhat new to the entire GA thing, she wasn’t as
educated in terms of the supernatural as her comrades. Their calm
expressions told her that they already knew. She felt a little
annoyed.
    “ I had no idea.” Kara’s
eyes followed Santo’s deep scar across his face. He caught her
looking, and she