The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1)

by Gwyndolyn Russell

  Reaper hurried over to it and sat upon his knees. He touched the thick, furry hide of the beast’s head and looked it over.

  “You’re...dying.” He said softly.

  Its eyes turned to look up at him. It chuffed, the breath from its nose kicking up loose dirt.

  Jackal and Fenris joined Reaper. They watched him quietly.

  “It’ll come back, right?” Reaper asked.

  “Strong.” Fenris clacked its jaws. “It will breathe again.”

  “How did you turn it to our side anyway?” Jackal asked. “I thought they were mindless.”

  “I reached into its gut.” Reaper said.

  “You did what?”

  “I didn’t know what else to do!” Reaper sighed. “The soul is in there somewhere, right? If you rip it out, the body is a lifeless shell. Right?”

  Fenris nodded.

  “That’s what I thought. If I could get it and pull it out, then maybe it wouldn’t try to eat me anymore, but when I got my arm in there all the way, it stopped. It looked me in the eye.”

  “That’s disgusting…”

  “I could feel its...thoughts I guess. It didn’t want to die. It would fight with us instead of against us if I let it go. So, I did.”

  Fenris gave a huff and knelt down next to Reaper.

  “Not safe here.” It said. “Skuladr will eat it. Betrayed master.”

  “Even if it comes back to life, that thing is gonna come back and eat it? Can’t it fight it again?” Jackal asked.

  “Without pack, death.”

  “It helped us. Can’t we help it?” Reaper asked.

  “Not safe.” Fenris shook its head. “Hunger. Eat everything.”

  “It didn’t eat us after it joined us.” Reaper stated.

  Fenris stabbed its hand into the beast’s chest. Reaper and Jackal both jumped up in shock.

  “What are you doing?! Stop!” Reaper grabbed its arm.

  Fenris dug around in the reldul’s chest for a moment longer. Then in a mess of tendons, wires, veins, and flesh, removed its hand. An orb with shades of purple swirling inside as if it were a galaxy speckled with stardust. It shook the orb mostly clean and held it out to Reaper.

  “Safe.”

  Reaper took the orb with both of his hands and looked it over. He had not gotten the greatest look before at the one from the skaginvar. Now that he could take his time, he saw just how beautiful and familiar it looked. A cosmos of sparkling stardust painted every shade of purple he could imagine.

  This was a soul.

  Did they all look like this?

  Did his?

  He could not get over the fact that what he was holding was something unimaginable. What he thought was intangible. The smoothest glass he ever felt. Frail like a crystal ball, yet it held something powerful. It held life. He held the orb close for a few moments.

  “Come. Jackal, we should eat as well. Regain our strength. We still have a ways to go.” Reaper smiled.

  Everyone gathered around to sit near each other. Some pulled up crates, or logs so they would not have to sit in the dirt. As Fenris and Jackal sat down with the group, the two soldiers who had slipped away returned with a crate full of glowing orbs. Hands and faces covered in the pearlescent oily blood of eos. The crate, albeit small, was filled to the brim with the orbs. It was set down right in front of Fenris and both young men grinned, showing off pearly white teeth.

  “What the hell?” Jackal lowered his meal packet to his lap.

  “Well, we were thinking that Fenris has to eat, too, right?” The taller of the young men rubbed the back of his head.

  “And he eats these crystal ball things! I think…” The other nodded.

  Jackal smiled. When he looked at Fenris, his smile only grew bigger. The valkyrie sat there, staring at them. While it looked like a ferocious statue, Jackal could feel the shock it couldn’t show. As a wolf, its tail thumped softly against the ground, ears straight up.

  “Got...souls for...Fenris?” Its head tilted.

  “Yeah!” The taller one said. “You gotta eat to get your strength back!”

  “That was one hell of a fight. I wish I could do that.” The other showed a fist.

  “You wish you had the balls to do it.” His friend teased.

  “I do, too have the balls! Did you see the size of that thing? It was as big as the ship!”

  “Hey, Mervyn, Elijah!” Sparrow shouted. “Get your asses over here and eat! Where the hell have you two been?!”

  Jackal started to laugh.

  “Didn’t you do something like that?” Reaper asked, pointing at the two soldiers hurrying over to Sparrow.

  “Huh?” Jackal leaned forward to look at him around Fenris. “What are you talking about?”

  “After Spec joined us.” Reaper stuck a full spoon in his mouth. “You snuck her some food after we hadn’t seen her eat in a few days.”

  “You would’ve done it if you weren’t such a pussy.” Jackal grinned.

  “You mean like that time she had you by the neck over a cliff edge?”

  “Whoa, yo, that was different. She was going to kill me.” Jackal had almost spat his food out.

  Fenris looked between the two as they bickered back and forth. Absentmindedly, it picked an orb from the crate to eat.

  Reaper laughed.

  FORTY-NINE

  After everyone had eaten, Reaper gave the order to mount up. He could see the unease in moving forward with this. So many of them had already passed on in a way they wished they never saw. The dead deserved better. Mjolnir reasoned it as a warrior’s death and an honorable one. Jackal drove the lead vehicle, switching Nostradamus out for Ianisse. This put Mjolnir in the rear gunner’s seat with the biggest weapon of their arsenal, nothing more than a heavy, metal bat.

  “Cap,” Jackal said into the radio, “Are you sure this is a good idea? We barely have any ammo.”

  “Well timed shots is all we can go for. We have heavy hitters, let them take the lead and we’ll back them up with what we have.”

  “Yes!” Mjolnir cheered, raising his oversized hammer into the air. “I’m itching to bash some monster heads in!”

  “How many you got?” Yaaranam called.

  “Fifteen! My hammer is thirsty for more.”

  “Bet I’ll kill more than you.” She grinned behind her helmet.

  “You’ve a deal, friend.”

  Jackal clipped the receiver back on the dash and cursed under his breath.

  “Man, this is gonna be bad.” He grumbled.

  “There’s no way for it to be any better.” Ianisse’s bird squawked. “Captain nearly emptied out our entire stock of ammunition.”

  “What? That fucking…” Jackal looked out the window to see Fenris standing not much further away. Vactubstein and Tunaaka were with it. They seemed to be conversing, but Jackal couldn’t hear anything.

  “At least he brought all the fuel canisters for the flamethrowers, so we’re not entirely unarmed.” Yaaranam said from the hatch.

  Vactubstein gave a thumbs up to them. Tunaaka marched on. Fenris took the lead. This time it did not hurry forth.

  The radio crackled to life once more.

  It was Reaper, following a request from one of his soldiers.

  “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

  “Wish there was a mute button on these.” Jackal sighed.

  “The Captain is quite religious.” Yaaranam stated. “It irritates you?”

  They were headed out of the fjord. They would have to loop around northward to the shore several miles out. At the slow pace of Tunaaka being unable to run, it would take hours.

  “Every chan
ce he gets, he quotes that stupid Bible.” Jackal rolled his eyes. “You know, it’s all fine if you need the comfort of some fake guy watching your every move, but to think he actually does anything? Divine intervention? Pah, that’s bullshit. If there really is some almighty thing in the cosmos, I doubt it would bother with us. Besides, what all-loving being would make its children suffer? There would be no war, or pain, and these fuckin’ monsters wouldn’t be a thing.”

  “We denounced the use of religion thousands of years ago.” Yaaranam said. “Our gods no longer spoke to us. We were without their guiding light, according to the tales anyway.”

  “No point in wasting valuable time and breath talking to someone who never listens.” Jackal sighed.

  By time they made it up and out of the fjord, Vactubstein put Tunaaka to rest in the shade of an outreaching tree. He knelt down next to the creature, checking its wounds, then patted it on the head. Fenris joined him, standing there in silence.

  “It’s unfortunate she does not heal as quickly as you.” He said, his hand upon the side of Tunaaka’s head.

  Fenris put its hand to the beast’s head. After a moment, it stepped away.

  “Fen? Is everything good?” Yaaranam asked as it approached.

  In silence, it moved to the back of the truck. It did not eat all of the souls given to it. The crate was strapped down in the bed. When it was opened, Fenris took out a few of the souls. Shut the crate. Hurried back to Vactubstein.

  “What’s going on?” Jackal asked.

  “I think Tunaaka is too injured to go on.” Yaaranam answered.

  “Help.” Fenris said, leaning over to hand the crystal orbs to Vactubstein. Then it dug its claws into its side where it had been wounded earlier. Ripping what healed open again, the wolf dug deep into its own body. It cringed, biting back the pain.

  When it finally pulled its claws out, black, rotten flesh tangled in sparking wires came out like an endless string. It pulled and pulled until the flesh and wires snapped. About a foot of indescribable entrails.

  The valkyrie held this out to Vactubstein.

  “Geihildra eats. Grow strong.” It hummed in thought, searching for the words. “Get Fenris...Essence?”

  “Eating some of you could transfer the ability to heal?” Vactubstein questioned.

  Fenris gave a nod.

  “Thank you, wolf friend.” He took the entrails and one of the orbs. Wrapped the soul in what Fenris had given him. Then he held it out to Tunaaka’s mouth for the beast to take. He piled the other souls right in front of it and gave it a pat to the neck.

  “Rest, Tunaaka. Come and find us to the north when you are healed.”

  The creature chuffed at him.

  Vactubstein stepped away, climbing up the roof of the truck without a gunner. Once seated, Fenris moved on at a much quicker pace. Tunaaka was left behind to rest.

  Now they could make better time. Around the edge of the fjord, they headed north through a small patch of forest branching from the larger evergreens. On this side of the continent, grass was the only fauna save for the occasional grouping of shrubs and stones, oftentimes with a tree or two. The fields of grass rolled up and down like choppy ocean waves. The chilling breeze crisp with the smell of salt.

  They could have forgotten everything that had just happened. Forgotten they were on a suicidal planet infested with soul eating monsters. The simplistic beauty of the fields and how the wind brushed over the long blades of grass far as the eye could see in all directions.

  In the distance, lit up by the light of the stars, was a herd of ginormous beasts. Seemingly on the edge of the horizon, they towered far over the tallest trees. Their shoulders peaked over the canopy, well armored in heavy sheets of metal to deflect attacks. Their necks made up the majority of their length, and their height, with their puny heads reaching into the clouds. Long, whipping tails acted as counterbalances to their phenomenal tonnage. Short sails traced down their necks at either side of the vertebrae, thin and light reflecting, they flowed in the wind. Down the sides of their necks were a series of lilac lights that pulsed downward with each of their breaths. Similar lights ran down their front legs, where metal plungers stuck out from the top of the elbow. Pillar shaped legs carried them at a leisure pace wherever they wanted to go. The distinctive part of their bodies were the unfathomably large rail cannons seated down into their backs. The end of the rails stretched up towards the sky, facing their tails. The same lilac lights lined each rail and each metallic petal at the base of their backs.

  The team did not slow down, but they admired the colossal creatures. If they listened closely, they could hear the mockery of whale songs from the aether as each of the creature’s sang their own tune unique as snowflakes.

  The largest of the titans at the lead slowed down until it stopped in a field. The others continued on, moving off to either side to give it space. Starting at its head, each of the lights lit up bright enough to make it seem like a sun was shining from them. One at a time, each light shimmered. They could not hear, at this distance, the electricity whirring down their necks, sparking the cannon to life. Like thunder roaring through the clouds, bolts of lightning ran up and down the rails.

  Tendrils lifted up from its sides to tuck down into the bottom of the cannon.

  When it was fully charged, the titan gave a call in song, then all the sound around it seemed to suck down into the cannon. An explosion of lightning burst from its back and down the rails, carrying with it a black sphere. Lit in the lilac electricity, the sphere launched skyward, bursting through the clouds and into the atmosphere. Dust and air rushed out in rings from the cannon, knocking over trees and burning the leaves straight off the branches. A trail of lightning followed the sphere, pushing it forth into the emptiness of space beyond.

  With a gentle bow of its head, the titan sang once more and continued forth, following its herd.

  Sparrow popped out of the hatch of one of the trucks. She stared up in complete awe at the sight of the titans.

  “What the hell did it launch?” Reaper wondered aloud.

  “I’ve seen those before.” Vactubstein stated, crossing his arms. He rested against the door of the hatch. “Shortly before your ship made landfall, that big one sent one of those things up there.”

  Jackal brought the receiver to his face. “Wait, are you saying there could be another ship up there?”

  “With any luck, Reynolds would have already gotten that thing off the Syndicate.” Reaper said confidently. “They’ll be fine if there’s anyone up there.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Jackal replied and hung the receiver up again. He was not quite sure if he believed that.

  “Hey, look at that!” Sparrow pointed up into the sky.

  Coming through the white glow of sunlight were black specks, growing rapidly. They came to shape as creatures with leathery wings and heads impractically large, each adorned with a crest of equally bizarre proportions. They circled overhead, following the trucks through the field. They squawked at one another with a few of the smaller ones diving down lower.

  “Don’t take any chances!” Reaper said into the radio. “Shoot those fuckers dead!”

  It was at a time like this he thought having safety straps for the gunner’s was a smart idea.

  Those sticking out of the hatches fired a few shots up at the leathery birds. This seemed to encourage the creatures. They swooped down low, pecking at the trucks and the gunner’s as they soared right by.

  Fenris stopped running and stepped to the side to let the trucks keep pushing over the hills. It waited for one of the birds to swoop down into its range. Then it leaped, caging its head and neck between the claws of its larger hand. It brought the creature to the ground and stepped on its back. Pulling up with its hand, the valkyrie easily tore its head free of its neck.

  It then tossed the head like a spear, its beak and crest creating the perfect shape to be thrown. The beak pierced right through the body of another one, launching it sidewa
ys and into the ground.

  Flamethrowers ignited into a roaring inferno overhead, scorching those that got too close and keeping the others at bay. Fenris even blew its own fire of khexide into the air, freezing their skin instead of burning them.

  One of the birds, hladrun, swooped down to dig its talons into Vactubstein. Lucky for him, his armor withstood, deflecting the talons. The miscalculation caused the creature to land in the bed of the truck before it could take off again. Two short, stubby legs hobbled forth as its wings, three times the size of its body and twice the size of its head, folded up to tuck away the metallic membrane and still be able to walk on a couple of tiny fingers.

  Another swooped down, choosing to take out the gunner in the middle, Sparrow. She shot at it as it came for her, but it got its talons into her chest piece and yanked her from the hatch of the truck.

  Sparrow dropped her rifle to the ground and held onto the short legs of the hladrun. It cawed, flapping its wings harder to stay at speed. Seeing one of their own with easy food, the others came in. One bit into her leg as it soared by, yanking her out of the mouth of the first. Then that one was bombed from above, forcing it to let go to right itself from a series of flips dropping it towards the ground.

  “Fuck! Sparrow!” Yaaranam shouted. She reached for her rifle, aimed it at one of the birds diving after her. It whirred to life only to click and shut back down. “Fuck! I’m out of ammo!” She picked up the flamethrower again.

  Fenris leaped between two of the moving trucks to be underneath Sparrow. It bounced in place until jumping straight up with one of its hands extended to catch her.

  Another hladrun soared overhead, snatching her into its beak before Fenris could get her.

  The valkyrie roared and swiped up, knocking down another bird.

  Sparrow was carried off, further north. The creature did not make it far before it was swarmed by its own kind. They pecked and yanked, stealing her from the mouths of each other, slowly dropping towards the ground.

  She screamed as loud as she could. Kicked her legs in hope of scaring them off.

  They dropped low enough for Fenris to reach again. He bellowed out khexide at the surrounding hladrun forcing them away from the one clinging to Sparrow. By now she was no longer screaming. She was not even trying to hold onto anything. Fenris snatched up the bird by a wing and dragged it down. With its other larger hand it gently took hold of Sparrow and stomped on the bird’s back to crush through its body.