Soullord (Soulguard Book 2)

by Christopher Woods

  As I now understood the feeling that tried to insinuate itself into my mind, I latched onto it with my mind. Then I reached down into the massive well of rage, and hate I knew lived inside of me, and I Pushed back.

  I was looking into his eyes when it hit him. His face went completely white, and terror burst out and flooded his Soul. The Senator was looking right into my eyes, and he knew. Yes, he knew, without a doubt, what I was, and he knew I was much more powerful than him.

  "Kharl is relatively new as a Mage, so he fights like a Guard would fight. He is just way more powerful."

  "Jesus," one of the Senators muttered.

  "A well trained Mage would have destroyed the tank before it could even fire. Kharl is working on his weapons at the moment, so he did it the way he knows best."

  The interference from the Senator in the rear had stopped completely.

  "What would a trained Mage have used?" a woman who sat near Deacons asked.

  "We have an assortment of offensive weapons, if you would like to see them. But the important thing I need you to understand is that even with all of this power, it will be nearly impossible to stop them all without the aid of the U.S. military. We need to clear out the general vicinity of the gate, and evacuate any civilians for miles around. But we can get to that later. Let's see what a Mage can do from a distance."

  "Gregor," I said as I turned, "you're up."

  I nodded toward the tank operators, "Send three please."

  I turned back toward the observers as I knew Gregor was stepping forward.

  "Recently we have learned that the Demons have Mages as well," Gregor Pulled, and I saw eyes widen in awe, and some of them winced as they felt the power he Pulled. "That sensation that you are feeling is what it's like when you are near someone who is Pulling from the Source."

  I heard explosions behind me as Gregor ripped through the three tanks with disks and a huge Soullance. I know I had hedged my bets with my choices of participants in this demonstration. Gregor is as powerful now as the former Archmage, probably more, since he can use the majority of the power at his call.

  "The Kresh call their Mages Kresh'Ma'Nar, and there aren't near as many of them as the Wraiths and Soldiers. We have come into contact with two so far, both killed."

  "Did one of those Mages kill them?" Gasper asked, pointing at Gregor and Kharl.

  "As a matter of fact," I heard Paige as she walked up behind me, "Colin here killed both of them."

  One of the Generals I hadn't met looked at me. "Young man, I've spoken with a great many of your people, and I've heard several terms of rank you use. I've heard of Soulguards and Soulmages, but I also hear the term Soullord. I would love to have someone explain what that is. Every time I ask, mouths stop moving."

  "A Soullord can do a great number of things, General," I said, "They can see all of the power flows around them and can tap into a much greater source of power due to this."

  "And is it true that you are, indeed, a Soullord?" he asked.

  Someone had been blabbing. Of course, it's not really a secret.

  "Yes," I nodded, "it is true."

  He stated, "I understand that you were planning one more demonstration with your Archmage, here. But what I would like to see is what a Soullord can do."

  I turned to Paige who was smiling at me and she shrugged. I could see the mischief rolling through her aura, and I didn't need to look far to know who was blabbing.

  "I can bring a great deal of power down on them, but once they're into the ranks with our own, I am as limited as anyone else. This scale of destruction would be indiscriminate. But I will show you what you want."

  I turned and walked toward our ranks, "Mages to the front! Five supports, link up! The rest send it straight into the sky when I say Pull!"

  Then I looked toward the operators. "Send all the rest of them except one."

  The commander's eyes widened, "That's forty three tanks Sir."

  I nodded and turned back to the field. I felt hands land on my back and shoulders as I looked out to see tanks start tearing across the plain.

  "Pull!"

  It felt like the world was being Pulled inside out. I reached up with my mind and raised my hands, more for the theatrics than need. As my mind touched that power, the Source began to surge from my Supports into me. My body sucked it up. My stream pulsed as well. My stream may have been enough, but there were a lot of Mages here so why try something that may be dangerous.

  I began steering that huge maelstrom of power into a spinning vortex, and as I dropped my hands, huge gouts of Soulfire began to slam into the tanks. In moments there was nothing but the wreckage of forty three tanks. The metal glowed with the heat that had been applied.

  "Cease!" I ordered and let the rest of the Soulfire in the sky dissipate.

  I turned back to see awe in the auras of most of the observers. The Senator in the rear showed terror rolling through his. I was definitely going to have to do something about this man, and soon. If he was working for the Kresh, I would end him.

  "G-Good God man," I heard a voice stammer.

  There was one more thing I wanted to show them. I wanted to show them the imbued barrel of one of their tanks.

  "So, do you have any solid rounds for the main gun on the last tank? I have something I think we should get together on..."

  Chapter 11

  I approached the walled property from the north in the dead of night. I would say the wall surrounded close to five acres right in the center of Chicago. This was one of three such properties the man I stalked owned, and I was certain this would be the one he was located at currently.

  I leaped over the wall easily, and stopped there leaning up against it. I opened my inner eye, and looked at the power flows of the world around me. There were several Souls I could see patrolling the inside of the wall. None were near me, so I moved forward silently.

  I could also see several dogs that had been wandering inside the fence. They, wisely, had all relocated as far from me as they could get, and huddled together in the darkness. I really didn't want to hurt them, or the guards around the house.

  After a few moments, I found a window that was open. It was on the third floor, so it was assumed it would be safe from intruders. I think not. I jumped up easily, and landed on the balcony outside the window. I slipped inside, and proceeded to search for the room I needed.

  Inside the room, a man lay asleep in a large, canopied bed. I sat down in a very comfortable looking chair, and looked at the ugly Soul that slept there. It would be the simplest thing to snatch the life right out of him along with his Soul.

  But I needed information badly. I needed to know who he served, and why he was here, and if my suspicions were true about human traitors working, and living among us. Perhaps he was a fluke like I was, or maybe something much more sinister. The only way I would know was to question him, and I had to be prepared to do whatever would be necessary if I took that road.

  My decision would have to be a quick one though, because Senator Calvin Heltor opened his eyes, and looked straight into mine.

  "One sound, Senator," I said softly, "and it will be your last."

  Fear rolled through his aura, "Are you here to kill me?"

  "To be honest, I haven't decided," I said. "The answers I have to the next few questions will decide your fate."

  "I've heard of your oath not to harm humans.."

  I was suddenly standing directly beside him, looking down at the man, "We both know you aren't exactly human though, don't we?"

  He was silent, and I could see his fear and several memories flowing through his aura. I saw him actually speaking to the Kresh, and my first question didn't even have to be asked.

  It would have been to ask if he was some sort of fluke like me, or was he some sort of spy for them?

  "How much do you know about your masters?" I asked. "Is there enough to convince me not to rip your heart out right here?"

  "I-I will tell you everything I know," he
stammered.

  "How did they recruit you, and why were you willing to betray the whole human race?"

  "They took thousands of us and injected their DNA into us," he answered, "There were very few survivors. Some refused to serve them, and were killed and eaten. A few of us accepted their offer. We live as long as we serve them."

  I stared at him for a few moments, "Where were you taken from for these experiments?"

  "They rounded us up on the Homeworld, Kresh," he said, "most of us, anyway. Some they dragged back through the Portals to the other Colonies."

  "Colonies?"

  "Fifteen worlds where they harvest humans to be slaves and food for their larders."

  "Enough," I interrupted. "There are two ways you can survive this night, Senator."

  I actually saw a bit of hope flow across his aura. He was sure that I would kill him, and there was no doubt that I really wanted to.

  "One, you flee back to your masters, and trust that they won't have you destroyed for failure. I don't think they reward failure, but that's just my thought. Perhaps you know them well enough to make your own judgment."

  I saw the terror run through him at the thought.

  "I thought as much. They would kill you and eat you, I would think. Am I right?"

  He nodded.

  "Option two. Tomorrow, you turn in your resignation and leave. You report to the Academy in Montana, and turn yourself in to the Soulguard. There you will confess everything, but you will live. You will give us everything you know about them and their plans. Everything you know."

  I leaned closer to him. "And if you ever Push another human being with your mind, you'll wish that you'd gone back to your masters."

  I reached out with mental talons, and raked them through his Soul. His body seized and shook, losing his control over his bowels, and every other part of his body.

  "I am a Soullord. I can rip your Soul to shreds with a thought. And you know as well as I do what the monsters inside of us feed on. It would be so easy for you to become a feast for mine."

  "I-I see," he said after the spasms ended, "why they want you dead so badly. You're one of us gone rogue."

  I laughed then said, "They don't even have a clue about that. They want me dead because I'm a Soullord. I'm strong enough to fight them, and they can't have that. They don't have a clue what they created when they tried to slaughter my mother before she could give birth to me. They created their end when they failed."

  My rage was almost pouring from me as I spoke, and the Senator cringed away from me. "My resignation will be tendered in the morning."

  "Good choice," I said. "If I have to come back for you, you will surely regret it."

  I stood straight and turned away. I walked calmly out of his bedroom, and back to the window I had entered. There were no alarms, and I made my way back outside the property.

  I sat down on a park bench some distance away from the Senator's home, and held my head in my hands. I was feeling a bit nauseous. Not because I had tortured the Senator, but because when I did it I enjoyed it. Something inside me actually enjoyed it, and it sickened me.

  But no matter what the monster wants, I have to fight to be the man I was raised to be. It was just so hard sometimes.

  I stood back up, and headed east toward the airport where the jet awaited me. I was on a trip to meet a couple of Generals in Washington when I had received the call from the man known as the Whisper in the Night. He'd located the Senator for me and I'd been sorely tempted to let him take care of it. But it was my job, I felt, to deal with people with the Demon blood. And I'd needed to know if he was truly working with the Kresh.

  Several of the things he had said led me to the conclusion that we needed this man alive. We needed to know what he knows, and if we had to deal with the Devil to learn it, it would be my responsibility to do so.

  Fifteen total colonies? There were fourteen more planets of humans being slaughtered and eaten by those bastards. I know my responsibility is to my world, but does it end there? I don't think it does, and I think there is a much longer war in our future than we had ever thought. And do I have any right to ask my Guard to do what I feel might need to be done?

  I don't know the answer to that one. But first, we must win a war on our own planet. That will be hard enough without thinking of a war of liberation afterward.

  ***

  "General Gasper," I greeted the man who met me at the door, "it's good to see you again."

  He looked at me a moment, searching for the mockery he half expected. He didn't find any, to his surprise. I truly meant what I said to the man.

  "I must say, Mr. Rourke," he said with a nod and a budding respect rolling through his aura, "I believe I do owe you an apology for my previous attitude."

  "No apology necessary, Sir," I shook his hand, "we only know what has been shown us. And it really seems ridiculous that men with swords can do so much. We've found that weapons that are connected to us can gain a lot of the same benefit as the body after the Soulguard training. Until recently, we haven't had much success with guns."

  "Your demonstration with the last tank would say you've had some breakthroughs in this area?"

  "Yes, Sir we have," I said as we seated ourselves across the desk from each other. "Back when guns were fairly new, it just wasn't feasible to put a Mage to imbue the single weapon with his essence. But guns are so much better now. I've got a few ideas I'd like to cover at a later date if you don't mind."

  "Certainly, Mr. Rourke."

  "Colin, Sir," I said. "No need for formality."

  He was a bit hesitant. The military is steeped in formality. It's part of the whole discipline of military service.

  "Not asking to be on an informal basis with you General. I do understand a little bit of the situation here. My former Guard Captain is an Ex-Marine Master Sergeant. I do understand military discipline. I just don't have a clue what title to address the Warmaster of the Soulguard," I laughed and continued, "So just call me Colin if you don't mind."

  He chuckled, "Colin it is then."

  He stood up, "Now that I've gotten my apologies out of the way, what say we head to the meeting room, and meet some of the folks you'll be working with when the approval goes through. And after what I saw in Kansas, I'm relatively certain there will be some sort of agreement."

  Chapter 12

  "You want us to turn over an AC-130 to you and your people?" Colonel Travis Wayston asked.

  I could see the almost outrage rolling through his aura.

  "No, Sir," I answered, "What I want is several AC-130's placed at the airport in Wichita where we can work with your men to use them in a battle to defend our world."

  He sputtered, "We just don't let anybody have access to..."

  "Read your orders, Colonel," I said with rage nearing the surface, "Read them now. I'll wait."

  He took a step back. I think I was probably doing that whole Crazy Eye thing Prada had been talking about at the Hooters. But there were so many of the officers we had to deal with that hadn't been at the demonstration, and they keep seeing an eighteen year old talking about using multi-million dollar pieces of military hardware for experimentation.

  "If I'm not mistaken," I said after a moment, "they say you are to give us any military hardware we request. I stress, any hardware. This includes aircraft, assault vehicles, cargo vehicles, and cargo aircraft. I can even get a staff vehicle if I want to request it. All I need at this moment is three AC-130's at Wichita to use in our defense. Count on the fact that there will be much more needed before this is done. Get used to it, because I've waited as long as I'm willing to for government support."

  "It's been approved by the President, himself." I stepped closer to him-- "I will not wait any longer to get started down there. The Kresh could return at any moment, and we will be prepared for them when they come back."

  The things that Calvin Heltor had revealed so far to the interrogators at the Academy had sent chills up my spine. They would com
e back. Not an if, but a when. We hadn't even scratched the surface of their numbers. The figures I'd come up with from the interrogation of the Wraith were not even close to the true numbers of Kresh. And I know that Heltor spoke true, or at least what he thought was the truth. I'd watched several of the interrogations just to test him for truth, and for his skill at Pushing people.

  I was never where he knew I was there. And terror would spike through his aura every time my name was mentioned. The Kresh even had a name for me. Rash'Tor'Ri. In their language it meant ender of all life, or life-ender. I liked it.

  "I will be relocating my forces to Kansas over the next few weeks, Colonel," I said with finality. "I expect to see my planes there when we arrive. Soon after, I expect to see cargo craft there to take us, and our forces where we are needed if they choose to show up somewhere else. These are things that have already been discussed, and approved at the highest levels."

  I turned around, and walked away from Colonel Wayston before he could say something else that would spark my rage even more. It seemed that I had to fight the rage almost constantly. The only time I seemed to be able to escape it was when I could get away from everyone and just sit alone for a time.

  It wasn't easy to get the time to do so, but it was necessary for me to function. So I would take the time. As soon as I got back to Montana, I would hit the Guard trail and run through the mountain tops. That always seemed to calm me. Sometimes, Lyrica would join me and she was one of the few people who I could be around at those times. She never seemed to awaken the rage in me.

  ***

  I love to run in the woods above the Academy. There are rock bluffs and sheer drops all across the mountain range in Montana. The air was cool and I spent nearly as much time airborne, leaping from one outcrop to another, as I did on the ground.

  I had run for nearly two hours and sweat was pouring from me. Two hours at extremely high speed. I stopped in a quiet spot and sat down, leaning against the trunk of a large oak.