Bloodlord (Soulguard Book 3) (17 page)

Chapter 32

We caught up to the rear of their forces as they crossed into Ethiopia.

"What do you suggest?" I asked Dakarai, "A Juggernaut run before an Alpha, or just drop an Alpha from nowhere on em?"

"It depends on what message you want to send," he said, "If you want to just kill them, Alpha. If you want them to know who did it, get up inside them and make it personal. I've been waiting for the chance to do that from the moment we evacuated the Academy. My opinion may be biased."

"You’re a man after my own heart, Dakarai," I said, "Let's do it. We want em to know who's back here so everyone get as personal as you can and lets rip em a new one."

"Yes Sir," Dakarai said with a savage grin.

"Juggernaut armor," I ordered over the com, "Form up in diamonds, We go in til I give the signal. If we see a Farrara'Ti, it's mine. Anything else is fair game. When I signal we reverse course and return to the back of the pack. Then Reyna raises a shield and we go Alpha. Any questions?"

There was silence as everyone assumed diamond formations. Each formation had fifty men. Ten per side and one at each point. Then six Mages in the center who would be using launchers on anything that came within range. There were nine formations.

"Pick an entry point and hit it." I said.

I opened my juggernaut shield and began running toward the horde of Kresh before us, my rage boiling through my consciousness. As I slammed into the rear of the Kresh, I roared my battle cry and Lashed with the same.

RASH'TOR'RI!
Ripped through their minds and the area in front of me erupted in blood as my shields carved a path through them as if they weren't even there. The rearmost Kresh were the lowest forms, both Kresh and Kresh'Far. Kresh'Far in numbers can harm a Soulguard but Mageguards plowed through them.

I wanted to drop my shields and rip them apart with my bare hands and my monster was pounding at the walls of my mind. This wasn't the time for him. If I let him out, I wouldn't stop and reverse as I had directed. I had to keep him in check for now.

My inner struggle may have been the reason I missed the Ma'Nar that came up on our left. He was moving fast and he hit our flank.

I felt him as he slammed through our formation and ripped through the shield of one of our Mageguards. Simon Marko had never Pulled before but when the Kresh'Ma'Nar hit him, something in his chest cracked and his breath was gone. He latched onto the Ma'Nar and dragged himself against the beast and Pulled. Fire erupted from his body and the Ma'Nar ran back out of our formation roaring in pain.

There was a huge explosion to our right and we were thrown outward into the mass of Kresh.

"Reform!" I yelled, "Everyone else reverse course and get ready for the Alpha. We'll be there in a minute.

I should have been watching more closely when the Kresh'Ma'Nar had been inbound. Another Soul to add to those who had died for me. And the rage came out.

I Pulled and jumped lashed out with power at the horde of Kresh I had landed in. With glowing hands I ripped and tore them apart. An inhuman roar escaped my throat and I reveled in the death of my enemies.

The beast was out for only a minute, before I beat it back down and reformed my Juggernaut shield. I was covered in blood and I could feel the beast screaming inside me. I glanced back to see a path of body parts growing smaller as the horde closed in the hole I had left. My Squad had reformed as I had ordered and I returned to the spot I had vacated.

"Sorry," I said, "Got a little carried away."

"Ya think?" Prada asked.

"Let's join the others and give Simon a great big road paved with Kresh Souls for his trip home."

"Let's do it," Rostov said.

Our formation burst clear of the rear Kresh. We converged on the rest of our forces.

"Reyna," I said and she raised a shield.

"Code Alpha," I ordered, "Mageguards, link up Mages Pull on my mark."

I waited long enough for the links to my Mageguards to open up.

"Pull!"

I closed my eyes and used my Sight to target. I could see their Souls ahead of us and I could see their thoughts. Then Seventy Mages Pulled and I snatched that enormous reservoir of power. Fire gathered in the sky as the power grew and I began ripping gouts of fire down amongst them.

As I focused, the world slowed as it does when I fight with weapons. I saw the stronger Souls ahead of us and dropped gouts of fire on them.

RASH'TOR'RI!!
Rang through their minds as four Kresh'Ma'Nar were incinerated by the dropping fire. I saw no more of them within range so I began dropping the gouts all over the horde that we had just gutted.

SCREAM FOR ME!!!
My mental lash rolled through them.

I felt the fear in horde and it was contagious. It spread and they ran faster.

BUUURN!!

"Cease," I ordered and took what was left in the sky and slammed it down in a single blast that shook the ground.

There was silence.

"I hope there were enough of em for you to get home, Simon," I said softly.

I turned to find Dakarai looking at me. His soul showed fear, but it also showed much more. Perhaps Lyrica had been right. I always focused on the fear and never looked to see what else there was. There was satisfaction, there was hope, respect. If I just stopped with fear, I would have been wrong.

Just as I have probably been wrong for so many years. Sure, the fear is there and it hurts. But there is much more to people than that.

"I have heard of this Code Alpha," he said, "But to see it is truly beyond words."

"It's an experience," I said, "How many losses did we take?"

"Three," he said, "The Demon Mage hit two other formations before hitting yours. It killed two men before your man took it."

"I shoulda seen it," I said.

"You can't see everything, Rourke," he said, "None of us can. We just do our best and make our deaths honorable deaths."

"We bled them," Rostov said, "We lost three. They lost five Ma'Nar and thousands of soldiers and Kresh. Now we should go do it again and again. We will bleed them until they reach Cairo. Then we will show them what Hell looks like."

"You're right," I said, "Let's go do what we do best. Kill Kresh."

I saw nods from those who were close by.

"The juggernauts showed them one death," said Dakarai, "The Alpha showed them another. Let us show them a death that we are all well suited for. We should do as you did. Let them see it up close and personal."

"Ok," I said, "but you'll have to call it, this time. When I let the beast out, I can't be the rational one."

"The Beast?"

"You saw a little of him back there," I said, "When I let it free it's hard to get the control back."

"He isn't lying," Prada said, "And those of us who're near him are the same."

"The Kresh DNA?"

I nodded. At least he knew about it and I wouldn't have to explain it again. Most of the higher ranks knew since my episode in Kansas where I tortured a Farrara'Ti's Soul after I ripped it from his body.

"Then I'll call it when we need to turn back and prepare for the Alpha," he said.

"Thank you," I said.

I hadn't done this since first Kansas. I had a hundred and ten men and women with me in my Squad. I would be projecting and we would move as a single entity. One seriously bloodthirsty entity.

We headed north again to catch up with the horde of Kresh, once more.

As we hit their rear, I let the beast out of its cage once more. Rage flooded my consciousness again and I was amongst them.

My emotions were projecting toward those with me and we all roared our fury. I let the beast run on autopilot and I watched with my Sight. This time, I saw the Kresh'Ma'Nar long before he reached us. He was surrounded by twenty Wraiths.

The second I saw them, everyone know they were there through the link we shared. Ten Mages and a Soullord Pulled and discs exploded into the midst of the Wraiths, ripping them apart.

I continued forward and, before the Ma'Nar could launch its own fireballs at us, ripped its Soul from its body. Contact for that split second with their Source made me erupt with rage and hate. I had to stop doing that.

We continued our path of destruction through the center of the horde and I Lashed with my mind, as well.

I AM DEATH! DEVOURER OF SOULS!

My mental attacks served to add to the terror, I hoped. Otherwise I was just sounding corny quoting old sayings. Along with the fact I had just ripped the Soul from one of their "Cherished Ones", I think it was working.

"Reverse course, prepare for Code Alpha," Dakarai said through coms.

I began the struggle with the beast to push it back in the box I kept for it in my mind. It took a few moments to push it back down. It was harder than before. My dark side was getting stronger every time I touched their Source.

I managed to reestablish control and turned our group toward the rear again. There were more Kresh between us and the clearing but they scattered when they saw us coming. They had already gone through one of our passes and they didn't want anything to do with another.

Scattered or not, when we did the Code Alpha, hearing my telepathic lashes in their minds, they burned.

Chapter 33

Forty two times, we hit them over the day and a half it took to cross Ethiopia and the first half of Sudan. The Kresh had chosen the Nile River for their landmark, it seemed and they followed it north. After the fifteenth attack, we began seeing survivors behind the horde. They were feeling the pressure we were putting on their rear units.

"Sir," Dakarai said, "I understand the need for the Psychological impact you have on the enemy. Have you considered the impact it may be having on our own men? What is that horrible noise?"

"That, my friend," I said, "is heavy metal."

I had taken out my mp3 player about four runs in and mounted it on my neck with a small shield. I put the earbud in on the side that I didn't wear coms. And I was projecting the music instead of threats by this time. It seemed to work as well as the telepathic taunts so I had continued. I didn't have to create a playlist, I love all of it.

"Drowning Pool, to be exact," I said, "What could be more appropriate than Bodies at a time like this?"

My group burst out the rear of the horde of Kresh we had just hit with juggernaut shields.

"But think of our men," he said, "the sheer emotional damage they must be suffering."

"That's funny, Ekene," I said, "Your daughter was singin along, a few minutes ago."

"Is this true, Adanna?"

"It might be," she said with a grin.

"A son," he said miserably, "It was all I asked for and I receive another crazy daughter."

She laughed and continued toward her spot in the formation.

"I can't believe he brought that stupid thing," Prada said, "At least the battery should die soon and we'll have a little piece and quiet."

"Then you get to hear my jumbled versions as I try to remember all the words," I said.

"Good God," Brighton said, "Does anyone have a charger? We can use one of the cars to charge it. Anyone? Please?"

"It's not that bad," I said.

"My ears bleed to even think about it," Adaya said.

"Hmmph, no appreciation for good music in the crowd."

"Pull!"

They Pulled and I grasped the power and thundered it down on the running Kresh. It just happened to accompany a scream from the song on the player. It was glorious. I may have giggled.

We can strive for peace as much as we want, but this is what I was made for. Despite the losses we had taken, the sheer death toll from all the civilians, all of it, I was having more fun than I had ever had.

And that's why I'm a monster. I feel the losses and they eat at me but I was still having the time of my life as we killed them as fast as we could catch them.

Here we stood, covered in blood and dirt, looking at a plain littered with the twisted and burned bodies of the Kresh and I was grinning like a fool. What the Hell does that say about me?

My player shut down.

"Shit!" Adaya swore. Adaya never swore.

Adanna Dakarai stepped forward and handed me a charger for a car.

"Why would you bring charger?" I asked.

"Why would you bring an mp3 player?" she asked with a shrug.

"Touche," I said.

"Traitorous woman," her father mumbled, "A son would never have done this to me."

She laughed and returned to the formation.

***

"They don't retreat," Hicks said, "You can say that much for em."

"Yeah," Bill Tanner agreed, "I'll never understand the bastards. After the losses they took when they hit the Israelis, how do they keep coming? It's like something is driving them. Those Farrara'Ti must have some serious mojo to keep them coming this strong."

Bill Tanner was a Soulguard who had been assigned to Hicks' squad, along with twenty others. They were to keep the snipers safe while they pick off Kresh. There were four snipers and four of what Hicks had discovered were called support Mages. They charged the ends of the barrels with their energy and the bullets would absorb that energy.

He'd seen Corn take out one of the big bastards a few hours earlier. The rest of his Marines had set up a perimeter along with the group of Guards.

"Corn," Hicks said, "Two o'clock."

"I see it," Corn answered and his rifle boomed.

"Good shot," Hicks said, "One less Wraith in there."

"Oo-rah!"

"Wait a minute," Tanner said, "Did you see that?"

"Yeah, I did," Hicks said, "They all just turned west. What do ya think caused that? I know it wasn't Corn. He's a good shot but that was thousands that just looked like they panicked."

Corn's head popped up.

"What the Hell?" he asked, "Is that Five Finger Death Punch?"

They were all hearing it. Hicks could swear they were all hearing 'House of the Rising Sun' in their heads.

"Check your nine o'clock," Corn said, "That looks like a group of ours. Jesus, those boys look rough.

"Holy Shit!" he continued, "It's that Rourke guy. Your girlfriend's with em."

"She's not my girlfriend," Hicks said.

"Never say no to a woman who can bench press a truck, Sir. Corn's rule, number one."

"I thought number one was just never say no to a woman."

"That was before I saw one that could bench press a truck."

"They all just headed west, Sir," Santos said, "Is it possible they were runnin from them."

He was pointing toward the group of incoming Soulguards.

"Hard to believe they were runnin from a couple a hundred guys," Hicks said.

"I was at Second Kansas, Mister Hicks," Bill Tanner said, "They were running from him."

Hicks looked at him with a doubtful expression.

"Imagine what you saw in that valley you told me about. Then imagine it on a scale where the earth beneath the battlefield was turned to molten slag, and there were hundreds of thousands of Kresh burnt to ash."

Hicks nodded.

"They were running from him," Tanner said.

"Meanest son of a bitch on the planet," Hicks muttered to himself with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I told Rourke it's our job to be the meanest sons of bitches on the planet, once."

"He is," Tanner said.

"For a mean son of a bitch, he's a Hell of a nice guy."

***

I saw their Souls on top of a building that looked like a steel plant or something. There were quite a few of them and one had just sniped a Wraith. I smiled as the imbued bullet hit the Wraith at the base of the skull.

"Prada," I said, "Your boyfriend is on top of that building."

"Oh, no," she said.

"You'd think she'd be happy," Rostov said.

"Look at us, Alexei," Reyna said.

"We're covered in blood and dirt," Adaya said, "What kind of impression would that make?"

"We're about to see," I said, "Hicks and a couple more are on their way down to meet us."

Hicks walked toward them with a Soulguard that I recognized. He was from California and was at Second Kansas.

"Hicks," I said, "Tanner, is it?"

There was a fear in Tanner I was well familiar with. I see it in a lot of the ones who were at Second Kansas.

"Yes Sir," Tanner said.

"Looks like you been busy, Rourke," Hicks said. He was looking past me and I could see what he was looking at in his mind.

Prada was hiding behind Samuel Drake, one of her Mageguards.

"Excuse me a minute, Rourke," Hicks said and walked straight toward Drake, who stepped aside.

Hicks walked up to Prada and planted a kiss on her dirt and blood smeared lips.

"You said something about comparing scars," Hicks said, "I'm holdin ya to that."

He turned back around and grinned. Then he came back to the front of our group where I stood. Prada was like a deer in the headlights. Standing with her mouth hanging open.

"You seem to have taken my words to heart," he said, "They're runnin from you?"

"Well, they're runnin from us, actually," I said.

"I am going to say they are running from him," a seven foot tall black man said, "Or more accurately, what he calls music. I have never been so happy to reach a war zone in my life."

"It wasn't so bad," one of the women behind him said.

"Silence! O treacherous daughter."

She laughed.

"What's our situation up here?" I asked.

"They tried for the bridge across the canal," Hicks said, "But they hit the Israelis instead. Those Source Weapons ripped em up pretty bad."

"I had hopes for em," I said.

"The Egyptians came in from above the Israelis and hit em as well. Then the warships in the Red Sea opened up on em. We took huge losses because they wouldn't retreat. But they took worse."

I winced, "We may have had something to do with that."

"The Brits hit the scene about that time and the Chinese too. It was a Hell of a dust up. They were about to retreat and blow the bridge when the Kresh suddenly headed west into Cairo."

"Maybe we were a little too rough on em," I said, "We've been hittin their rear from Ethiopia to the upper Sudan. There we took off east and headed up to join the forces up here. Where's our main base set up?"

"Our main command is in Israel but the local command is across the canal and north of the bridge. The Kresh don't swim, it seems."

"Their planet is mostly land mass," I said, "Kil'Sin'Deres told me they have about as much land as we have water and they aren't used to the restrictions it puts on em. That's why they stayed in Manhattan Island when they hit New York."

"That explains a lot."

"I think I should head to the local command and see what the whole situation is and then we'll see where they want me to hit em."

"We'll accompany you," Hicks said, "It seems our area has a lack of targets."