Soulguard (10 page)

Chapter 22

              “You had a meeting with the Archmage, didn’t you?” Paige asked, “I heard you went up to his office and everyone felt it when he dropped his screen. It was about the other day wasn’t it? It would have been better to leave it alone.”

              I nodded.

              “What was that you did in the Dome afterward? Some of the Guards told me you did something with a sword and destroyed three dummies right through the shield.”

              “I was venting some of the frustration from my meeting with that self-righteous bas... the Archmage.”

              She looked at me for a few minutes but I wasn’t about to tell her what the Archmage had said to me in his office. She might just do what they want to protect me and I couldn’t live with that. I know how I am and I would do something monumentally stupid if that happened. It’s not that I’m a jealous person, but she doesn’t want to sleep with Gavin. If she wants to, she’s free to do what she wants. But to be forced by someone else or even circumstance is unacceptable and I would probably kill Gavin Price, damn the consequences.

              “On a different note,” I changed the subject, “Did you get a chance to draw any of the shields we talked about?”

              “I drew the personal shield exactly like yours,” she reached into a black satchel she carried and pulled out a stack of papers, “and I started on the fireballer. I found some things in the archives, but no diagrams, there were just descriptions. There were surprisingly few papers in there about Mage skills. You would think there would be more. Everything has been passed down over the years by instruction alone. I don’t think new things are discovered very often because of the danger of experimenting with the Source.”

              “I think it was what Greyson Kent showed the first mages,” I said, “Think about it, it was in the 1200’s so if you wanted to create a strong weapon, what would you base it on? Maybe a catapult, throwing huge balls of fire.”

              “That makes sense, but you would think there would be some change over the years,” she returned.

              “I think there are some new things, I bet most Mages have skills that other Mages don’t know. Like a personalized skill that only you know. We need to talk to some of the other Mages and discover some of these things so we can do diagrams of them too.”

              “I can’t see their things to draw them, Colin.”

              “I can see them. If I learn these skills I can show them to you. You can draw diagrams and every Mage can learn.”

              “I’ll talk to some of the Mages, you talk to some of the Guards. I bet they’ve seen all sorts of things you might be able to use for this. Some of them are over a hundred years old and I know they’ve seen a lot.”

              “Do you think a Guard could make the personal shield? It doesn’t require a Pull and I can see great benefit for them. I’d like to take your diagram to the Guard barracks today and see if I can get some volunteers to try it.”

              She nodded in agreement, “Oh, Yeah, the Guard will definitely be able to use it. They learn as much focus as we do and they manipulate their streams to knot them like they do. I would almost guarantee that, at least, some of them could use the shield.”

              She pushed the papers away from her and looked at me, “It looks like we have a couple of hours before reporting. What could we possibly do to pass the time?” she said with a finger twisting a curl of her red hair.

              “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” I answered with a smile and leaned toward her. All the worries of the Archmage and his son, shield making, and Mage craft faded as our souls began to intertwine.

***

              “Today we will test your proficiency in the use of shields and the fireball. We will be testing speed and strength of both.”

              I’d spent the last few months practicing and a few weeks ago I’d had an epiphany. If I can carry around a personal shield ready to be activated, why can’t I carry a fireballer and a few different kinds of shield as well? The answer, no reason whatsoever. I designed three different shields with a portal to feed each one. They all had the same size feeder tendrils. Each could be used separately, or all could be used together to add to the strength. It all depended on the situation. If I was completely on defensive I could use all three. If I need less I can use one or two at a time and conserve the energy for offense.

              When I Pull I channel the energy before it reaches the shield so it doesn’t explode out like the one at Morndel. Or I can let it do just that if I so desire. I like it, it’s fast and strong.

              “We’ll start with Darrel.”

              Darrel stepped forward.

              “First make a shield when I say go,” Nora stated, “3...2...1...go.”

              Darrel projected his shield from inside of himself. He wasn’t quite comfortable with making them from his stream yet, but he was working on it.

              “Very good,” Nora approved, “Now we’ll try the fireball. First I want a standard shot, then I want a power shot.”

              We call the shot where you use all the power you are comfortable with a power shot. Darrel brought his fireballer up. This he had gotten the hang of now. When his portal opened the fireballer was active. He’d designed two of them, one for a standard and one for a power shot. The standard rolled with power for a second and his fireball shot true.

              He closed the portal to that one and opened the powerballer and power flowed through it to roll around inside the shield for a few moments until a much more powerful fireball screamed down the range to hit the shielded dummy. It was a strong shot and took a moment to dissipate.

              “Excellent, Darrel, a great improvement,” Nora smiled and glanced at me. There was an approval in her aura as she looked toward me. Most Mages don’t share their skills with others and she could tell that I had been working with Darrel and Paige both.

              “Paige,” Nora turned to her and motioned for her to start, “First, a shield.”

              Paige, like me, had designed her shield with a portal and raised it in an instant. It was a powerful shield for someone with a small stream, and Nora smiled.

              “Very good, let’s see the fireballs.”

              Paige had done the same as Darrel and designed two fireballers and she let fly with the first one. It was a standard shot and flew true. Next she let fly the powershot. It rolled for a moment before it shot true as well. It was much more powerful than the first but it had taken some time to build up.

              “I see a massive improvement there Paige,” Nora said with another glance at me, “Gavin.”

              Gavin took his place and projected a shield much like he’d done before. Then he let fly his fireball. It was perfect like always. His power shot rolled in his shields more than he was comfortable with, but he refused to be beaten by someone with less power than himself, so he pushed himself. The powershot shot true and he sneered at Darrel as his was stronger.

              If Gavin would try to be halfway human, I could show him the stream shields as well but he wouldn’t even look at me. Much less try to learn something from me.

              Nora called several more names and critiqued their performances. Most of the trainees did well, without incident.

              “Colin,” She motioned for me and I stepped forward. I’d spent some time with Nora, going over the shield techniques and she was familiar with my shield by now but I had added the triple shield since then and she was surprised when I raised them. First I raised the outer shield then number two and pushed it out to slam into number one. Then the third to do the same.

              Her eyes widened and surprise rolled across her aura, “You’ve been experimenting again, I see. That’s the strongest shield I’ve ever seen, Colin. And it seems that you’ve fixed the speed issue. Very good. Now let’s see the fireball.”

              I opened the portal to my number one fireballer and Pulled. My fireball flew true and I opened the powerballer. It rolled for almost fifteen seconds before it ruptured and roared downrange to slam into the shielded target dummy. It was about like the first one I’d shot several months ago.

              “That’s not any more powerful than the first time, Colin, you’re holding back. We need an accurate read on your powerful attacks to know where you need to be in the Mages. Now do it again and don’t hold back.”

              I frowned, I had already alienated half of the trainees because of the first one and I had enough problems with Gavin already. But I guess she was right so I opened another portal and shut the powerballer. This was something I was experimenting with. I had created a triple shielded fireballer. On the side with the rupture, I had also formed a rifled barrel.

              With a small shrug, I Pulled fairly hard and sent it into the fireballer. It rolled inside the shield for a full minute before rupturing and hurling down the rifled barrel. It had enough force to push me backward almost ten feet. Once again I broke several dummies through the shields before the shot weakened enough to be absorbed into the shield. Power surged across the dome as it was absorbed into the shield and I heard several gasps behind me.

              “That’s more like it,” Nora looked at me, “Now you get to come in after the tests and show me exactly how you did it. Was that a gun barrel on the front of it?”

              Paige was looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I hadn’t shown that one to her yet. I glanced at the others and saw fear flowing around their auras and Gavin’s ever present hate as well.

              “Yeah it’s a rifled barrel to put a spin on the projectile. Makes it shoot farther faster,” I answered.

              “Interesting,” Nora said thoughtfully, “Interesting, indeed.”

Chapter 23

              “I’ve got something you may be interested in, Master Yueh,” I said after sparring with the Weapon master, “It’s something I think any guard can do but I wanted an opinion from you, first.”

              “What might that be?” he asked, “I hear your innovations are quite, interesting, to say the least.”

              I grinned and went over to the folder I brought with me. I pulled out the sheet with Paige’s diagram for a personal shield. It showed a person from three angles. The shield was very detailed, Paige does very good work and her memory is amazing. I handed the page to Tien. He was quiet for a moment and looked up at me in surprise.

              “Even if I didn’t know you, Colin, this one act would prove, beyond a shadow, that you are more than any other Mage to ever walk these halls,” he said quietly.

              My face turned red, “It’s not just me, Paige Turner made the illustration and Darrel Barnes has been right there, working with us.”

              He looked at me, “Never has a Mage done something like this for the Guard. Not even Gregor Kherkov and he’s been a friend of the Guard for many years. This will revolutionize the way the Guard does everything. I don’t know if you truly understand the scope of what this is.”

              “Yes, I do,” I answered with a steady gaze. “It will save lives and make us better at destroying the Demons. I don’t have much practical knowledge of fighting the Demons but what I have learned showed me what it would have meant if I had been using one of these.”

              I motioned toward the ugly scar down the left side of my face. As I had gotten to know the Guard, I had seen many of the scars from their battles. A wounded Guard is not as deadly as a healthy one, if you want to look at it coldly.

              “Perhaps you do,” he nodded, holding up the paper, “How did you describe this much detail to someone else for them to draw this?”

              I looked around to see only Guards around us in the Dome. I turned back to Tien and concentrated. My personal shield lit up and I didn’t need an aura to see the surprise Tien felt.

              “I can see everything without lighting it up, but I’ve been able to do this for almost every shield I’ve been able to make. Paige has a photographic memory, so I don’t have to do this very long for her to get the details.”

              Tien was smiling, “You can see them without lighting them up?”

              I nodded and turned the lights back off. He was looking at me with a wide smile on his face.

              “I never thought that it would happen in my lifetime,” He said softly, staring intently at me, “Colin, I’m two hundred and forty years old and I’ve seen things no one else has ever even thought of. I’ve studied every manuscript I could find and I know what you are.”

              I looked at him in surprise, “What do you mean?”

              “You know you’re different from other Mages. A long time ago there was a man they called Soullord. He could do amazing things and he’s the one who taught the Mages their skills.”

              “Greyson Kent,” I nodded.

              He nodded in return, “Most people don’t know it but he could see the Soulstreams and the Shields and all the power flows of the world. One of my ancestors was one of the Mages who worked with him. My family learned several new ways to use shielding from him.”

              I smiled, “The shiny cover that keeps me from looking in.”

              He nodded with a small smile, “At least, I know for sure it works, now.”

              “So I’m a Soullord? Paige has found a few references that might turn our thoughts in that direction, too. I’m not sure what that will mean later but for now, I’m just a Mage,” I said and changed the subject a little, “We’ve been working on some new Mage innovations as well as this shield for the Guard. I tried a rifled fireballer yesterday.”

              “Fireballer, heh, I heard about that. At the rate you’re going, there won’t be any more test dummies by the end of the year.” He laughed, “Have you got more copies of this diagram?”

              I smiled, “Oh yeah,” I reached into the folder and handed him a stack of them, “I was going to give each Guard one. If they choose to try it, anyone who needs it is welcome to come to me and I’ll help in any way I can. I can see what they are doing, whether they can or not. I’m willing to help any of you.”

              “The Guard will be forever in debt to you for this, Colin, Thank you,” there was respect in his voice and it felt good.

***

              “I wonder how long a shield can stay active once the link is cut to it,” I muttered to myself. I was alone near the test dummies at the lower end of the Dome.

              I created a shield about two feet around, like the fireballer and disconnected the link. It stayed active for a second then dissolved.

              “Hmm,” I rebuilt the shield and Pulled a small amount of power into it. Then I disconnected and the shield held for several seconds. “Hmm, I say.”

              I crafted a shield like the second one, with power in it but there was no weak spot in it. I rolled it across the floor. it dissolved about ten feet away. I tried again and I rolled it harder than before. It dissolved about thirty feet from me.

              “That should do it,” I mumbled but I opened the portal on my personal shield, just in case.

              I crafted another shield ball and powered it. Then I Pulled and channeled enough power for a fireball into it. I pulled my arm back and rolled it. There was a huge explosion and a brilliant flash two feet in front of me and I felt like I was hit by a truck.

              That was about when I realized I hadn’t anchored my shield, because the world was spinning as I was flipped through the air and across the Dome. I hit the shield wall of the Dome at the other end about thirty feet in the air and it felt like a second truck had run into me. I hit face first and upside down, and then fell straight down right in the middle of seven Soulguards who’d been playing dice.

              I know all this because I watched the memory of it in one of their auras a few minutes later. As for me, I had my eyes screwed shut and was screaming all the way across the Dome.

              I opened one eye and looked around at seven faces looking down at me. I felt around on myself to make sure all the parts were still there, and then opened my other eye.

              “Ouch.”

              A tall black haired Guard named Riley snorted, “I’d say.”

              I stood up and, as nonchalantly as I could, walked back to the scene of the crime.

              There was a roar of laughter behind me from the Guards and I made it a point to not look in their direction.

              Perhaps I could leave the tendril that feeds it connected till it was farther from me.

              “Probably just blow myself up again,” I muttered.

              I had been concentrating and hadn’t seen the Guard who coughed behind me to get my attention. I jumped and turned around to see a blonde haired Guard I’d seen several times around the Dome. She was usually sparring when I’d seen her before. Now she was trying to hide a grin.

              “I usually wouldn’t interrupt a Mage when they’re talking to themselves,” she started, “But when you started talking about blowing yourself up, I figured I better talk to you before you try that again.”

              I laughed, “What can I do for you? Before I blow myself up, I mean.”

              “The Weapon master said that we should come see you when we get the new shield built and have you check it out before we try to use it much. Would you mind giving me a minute of your time to see if I have it right?”

              “No problem,” I said and opened my Inner eye. She had gotten it very close to what the picture portrayed. Her portal was closed at the moment.

              “Ok, open the portal just a tiny bit and let’s take a look at the flows.”

              “You can actually see the flows?” she asked and surprise rolled through her aura.

              I wasn’t hiding it from the Guards, “Yeah, I can see them. There are certain people that I don’t really want to know this. But I trust the Guard, I was raised by two of the best.”

              She smiled and I saw approval roll through her aura, “You're right there, Jaegher and Nightwing are two of the best. And Guards don’t talk a whole lot with the people who
don’t
need to know, now do they?”

              “True.”

              She opened her portal and I watched the energy flow through her shield. It was pretty even except a small area in back where the weave hadn’t been as tight as it should be.

              “There’s a spot right here that is weak and needs to be tighter,” I was pointing at the spot and realized I was staring straight at her backside.

              “And just what do you think you’re doing?” I heard Paige’s voice and jumped, my face burning.

              “I was just checking her shield for her,” I stammered.

              “I’m sure it was her shield you were checking,” Paige returned looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I seem to get that look from everyone, because the blonde woman was giving me the same look.

              “Really, I was,” I couldn’t think of anything better so I concentrated on the Guard’s shield and tried to light it up like I do mine. Everyone’s mouths dropped open, including mine when the blonde’s whole stream, aura and shield became visible. The gap in the shield was plainly visible, and the Guard easily adjusted it with her mind.

              I felt dizzy and I broke out in a sweat so I Pulled a little from the Source into myself. The dizziness went away. Apparently, what I was doing took some strength to hold.

              “Holy crap,” I mumbled.

              “You can say that again,” Paige returned with surprise and awe in her aura.

              “Holy crap,” I repeated and she gave me the look again. I let the Guard’s aura disappear once more, and stopped Pulling energy into myself.

              “Please try not to blow yourself up,” the blonde looked at me with gratitude rolling across her aura, “You don’t even know how much this means to the Guard. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask for it. Thank you.”

              With that, she nodded at me and headed back toward the exit to the Guard barracks.

              “Blow yourself up?” Paige asked looking at me with her head cocked to the side a little, “Experimenting, are we?”

              “Nothing that can’t wait,” I answered, “Wanna go get something to eat?”

              “Sure,” she locked her arm in mine and we headed for the Mess hall, “Admit it, you were looking at her ass.”