Soulguard (20 page)

Chapter 45

              On my twenty-first birthday the newest batch of recruits from the Academy arrived at the base. Fifteen new Guards were added to the roster but there were still no Mages. And no replacement for me as Mage Captain, either.

              Rictor was looking the new recruits over and I joined him. The first recruit I saw was Trent Deacons and I waved to my friend as I entered the Dome. I recognized several of the others as well. All of them were at the Academy when I was there.

              “He’s the one...”

              “Unblocked that Mage who was attacked...”

              “Hell on wheels with a blade...”

              I heard the whispers from across the Dome but acted like I couldn’t. No point in embarrassing anyone so soon.

              “The first thing I’ll tell you,” Rictor said to the recruits, “is that here, you’ll definitely find Demons to kill. Our Mage Captain has been particularly good at sniffing out the bastards. He’s pretty damn good at killing em, too.”

              He noticed me off to the side and laughed, “Speak of the devil. Anyway, we’ve logged more nests in the last year and a half than many Guard bases log in five years. They’re either getting more plentiful or Colin, over there is just better at finding em. I’m thinking it’s a bit of both. Regardless, you’ll see action at this posting and we train hard here, because a mistake in the field will kill you and kill your brothers and sisters of the Guard. Welcome to Rourke’s Rednecks.”

              I had heard rumors that the Guards had decided to give themselves a name for our unit, but this was the first time I’d heard it. My Guards have a sense of humor, that’s for sure. My money was on Jacobs as the culprit who’d come up with that one. I was still known as Jaegher to most but my Guards know me for who I really am.

***

              I awoke from a dead sleep. There was a feeling of evil to the west. I jumped from the bed and got dressed then headed out the door to find Rictor. I found him with the RRT. We had made it a point to have one of us awake with the team.

              I walked in to find everyone laughing as Trent described something. Since everyone shut up as I walked in, I assumed it was some sordid tale about me.

              “Don’t believe him,” I said, “He’s a notorious liar.”

              “Honestly, how can you say something like that about me?” he returned, “It hurts my feeling.”

              “I’m so sorry I hurt your only feeling,” I said with a smile. Then I turned to Rictor, “We’ve got something in the west.”

              “We get a call from Prada?” Jacobs asked.

              “No, but we probably will,” I answered, “But I don’t need a call. I feel the bastards from here.”

              “Load up, men,” Rictor ordered, “Let’s go kill some Demons.”

              He turned to me, “Can you tell if it’s big or not?”

              I shook my head, “I can just tell it’s there. I say we load for bear and if it’s overkill, it’ll be like a working vacation.”

              “Gotcha,” he nodded and turned back to the team, “Load the whole team up. You heard the man, let’s get on the road.”

              We were loaded and leaving the base in less than fifteen minutes. Five black SUVs loaded with weapons, armor, twenty-one Guards, and one sleepy Soullord. I leaned my head back on the headrest.

              “Wake me when we get there,” I said.

              “Uh, Boss,” Janicek said, “You’re the one with the directions.”

              “West,” I pointed toward the evil feeling, “Prada should call soon enough with specifics. She was supposed to go all the way into Arkansas. Surely she’ll come across it, if not, I’m sure I can’t sleep through it if we get closer.”

              “You got it, Boss.”

              As I dozed off I heard Janicek, “At least, if he’s asleep we don’t have to hear that racket he listens to.”

              I managed to doze for close to six hours before the evil presence sparked the rage inside and I jerked awake with my eyes smoldering. I was looking at a startled Guard named Nikoli. His face was pale as he looked into my eyes. Fear rolled through his aura but it eased as he saw I wasn’t freaking out or anything.

              I beat down the rage and looked around, “Where we at?”

              “Just went through Memphis and Ric just got the call from Prada,” Janicek answered, “Sometimes you’re a scary bastard. You felt them all the way past Little Rock. Prada wasn’t surprised at all that we were already on the way. She says it’s a big nest.”

              Prada had quit being surprised a while back and just accepted my abilities.

              “They’re still some ways off,” I said to Janicek with a smile, “I brought some new music to ease the ride a little.”

              Janicek groaned. I laughed and plugged my MP3 player into the jack for it.

              “I don’t think you guys have heard Godsmack yet.”

Chapter 46

              Two and a half hours later we pulled in behind Prada’s SUV. She was right, the nest down in the cave system below us was large. I could see hundreds of ugly souls down there. They weren’t bunched together like the ones in West Virginia had been. No Soulbombs this time.

              “There’s a crapload of em down there,” I said to Rictor as he walked over to our SUV. I was buckling the straps of my armor and I reached down and pulled the twin shorts words out of the back and slipped them into the sheaths on my back. “They’re scattered all through what looks like tunnels down there. There’s one spot that they’re bunched together. Must be a central cavern or something.”

              “We’ll have to do it the hard way, it looks like,” he said with a grin. Marines are so cool. Rictor lives to fight and loves it.

              “Do me a favor, Ric, this is Trent’s first patrol. Put a couple of vets around him, I don’t want to lose him on his first patrol and he may get a little overzealous.”

              I heard a snort from behind me, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Prada said, “At least there are twenty of us around his overzealous ass, there was just two around yours.”

              I laughed and turned to the cave mouth we could see in the distance, “That one didn’t turn out too bad, let’s try to make this one a little less exciting.”

              As we entered the cave, I took point and raised a shield across in front of us. No surprise attacks from the darkness. We worked our way down into the earth and the large cavern was closer than before. They had to be aware of us by now but they waited, instead of charging into the tunnels after us.

              That was ominous, that sort of control was usually the influence of a Wraith.

              “Odds are there’s a Wraith down here,” I warned, “keep a sharp eye out for it.”

              The large cavern was right around the bend and we turned to find ourselves facing a horde of silent Soldier Demons. At the sight of us they roared and charged. There was no time to look around for the Wraith. We formed a wedge formation with me on the point and the world slowed to a crawl as I began the Dance.

              Many of the Guards had been learning the Dance as well and we tore into the horde of Soldiers. Demon blood and parts flew through the air as we cut our way into the crowded cavern.

              Something slammed into me from behind and launched my forward across the cavern. Fire burned on my left side. Whatever it had been it went right through my shield. Pain ripped through me and the rage burst free. The world slowed again and everything was moving in slow motion. I turned my head back to see the Wraith that had hit me, except it wasn’t a Wraith. It’s clawed hands were glowing with an ugly purple and black flame and its Soulstream was nearly as big as mine. Power was pulsing up that stream. The damn thing was Pulling.

              I saw it Tear through Janicek’s shield like it wasn’t there, raking those burning claws through his chest. It grabbed Wilson and literally ripped him in half and turned for the next. It’s eyes rested on Trent Deacons as I felt the wall approaching behind me.

              I flipped and landed with my feet against the wall and Pulled as hard as I could. I Pushed against the wall as I sprang back out into the air and shot back across the cavern with Soulfire pouring through me. I raised my swords in front of me and crossed them. Then I poured power into them.

              The Demonmage was inches from grabbing Trent and Trent was turning to face it. The way Trent had knotted his stream made him much faster than the average Guard, but this thing was moving faster than a Wraith. Fortunately, I was moving like a burning comet and flew right over Trent’s head. I pulled my crossed swords apart just as they connected with the thing’s shield and they sliced through the shield and its neck both. The head flew up and I saw the wall behind it coming fast.

              I Pushed against the wall with power but it wasn’t good enough. I dropped both swords and raised my arms to protect my head and slammed into the rock face with a sickening crunch. Pain lanced through my body as I felt my right arm break and something gave in my shoulder.

              As I fell to the floor in a pile, I saw every Demon in the cavern scream in fury and they all looked dead at me.

              Oh crap.

              They all charged at me, not even paying attention to the Guards. There were so many, the Guards were bypassed and they came straight at me. I struggled to get me feet under me and pain lanced through my body.

              Then Trent was standing before me and his swords were blurring with speed as he stood his ground and held off a horde of Demons alone. He was struck several times but he didn’t stop. He was freaking awesome. Then Prada was there on his left. And Rictor was on his right. Then the others arrived and they formed up with Trent Deacons at the point position. The Demons kept coming, and they all were staring straight at me with hate and rage rolling through their ugly auras. There was also fear because I had killed something very important to them.

              I struggled to my feet, “I got one good Pull left in me, I soaked up a lot of juice back there. I can give you a good burst though.”

              “Yell when you’re ready!” Rictor answered.

              “Duck when I say to!”

              “Got it!”

              I opened my Soullance and aimed straight down the middle of the pack of Demons.

              “Duck!”

              The whole wedge went low and I Pulled hard, The lance of fire ripped across the Horde of Demons as I turned it back and forth across the front ranks, facing us. I kept it going as long as I felt safe to do it. I was feeling the heat from the Source building inside me and I shut it down.

              The Guards were back up and ready long before any more Demons reached them.

              “Trent, step back, check on Rocket Man,” ordered Rictor.

              Trent stepped back close to me and I saw blood all over him. He was bleeding from cuts everywhere and he staggered as he stepped close. I eased my back to the wall and sat down.

              “Have a seat, buddy,” I motioned with my left arm.

              He slid down the wall beside me, “I think that’s a good idea.”

              We sat and watched as the rest of the Guards cut through every Demon in the cave system. They were all pouring into the cavern aimed at me. The Guard only had to stay in formation and cut down every Demon as it tried to get to me.

              “I think you pissed em off,” Trent said, “You don’t seem to have changed much, everywhere you go you make so many friends.”

              I laughed and it hurt like hell, “Don’t make me laugh. Hurts when I laugh.”

              “He said Trent might get overzealous,” Prada said as her sword severed a demon’s head from its shoulders, “I told you, pots and kettles.”

              When the final Demon ran to its death on the sword of Nikoli, the Guards relaxed a bit. Every single Guard was wounded in some fashion. Some were minor and some a bit more extreme, but I was by far in the worst shape of us all. Three enormous gashes ran across my left side, although the amount of life-force still held inside me had stopped the bleeding. My right arm was broken and something was out of place in my right shoulder as well.

              “Come on, Boss,” Prada said as she helped me to my feet, “Quit sitting around watching us work.”

              Ric was helping Trent back to his feet, “That, my boy, was impressive.” He said.

              I looked toward where Janicek and Wilson had gone down and felt a great sadness. Wilson had bared his heart to me about what he had been doing for the Council. I felt the loss of a good Guard and a good man in him. Janicek had been a friend as well as a Guard and he would be missed.

              We staggered into the tunnel that led to the surface and I stopped. Guards aren’t buried, they’re burned. We are born in blood and die in fire. Some believe our souls are not set free to go to the afterlife until our bodies burn. Janicek had been one of these believers.

              I turned back toward the caverns and released the excess power out of my body in a flaming wave that crossed the cavern and set the bodies of the demons and our friends aflame. A weariness settled on me. It happens when a Mage draws too much power and has to release it as I had done. That is why a Mage tries not to build too much power up inside themselves. After release they are pretty much useless for some time.

              “May the road to Paradise be paved with the Souls of your fallen enemies, my friends.”

              I turned to find every Guard right behind me, watching the fire.

              “Prepare a place for us there, men,” Rictor said softly, “We’ll join you soon enough. Just not today.”

              Our group made our way up to the surface and Rictor called in to HQ. After he was through he turned to me.

              “They say we have a doctor in Little Rock who can take care of the wounded,” He said, “We’ll head there first, I don’t like the look of that arm.”

***

              “You should have come here as soon as it occurred, Young Man,” the skinny old man said. “The bone has already started to heal and it’ll have to be rebroken before I can set it.”

              “We did come straight here,” I said, “I heal fast.”

              “You Soulguards never cease to amaze me,” He said in wonder, “There’s no way I can even put enough pressure on it to re-break it.”

              “Ric!”

              “Boss?” was the reply from just outside the room.

              The door opened and he walked in, “What’s up?”

              “He needs someone to re-break my arm and it’s got to be one of you guys,” I said, “But pain wakes the beast, so be careful.”

              He raised his personal shield and didn’t hesitate.

              The arm broke with a crack and the rage surfaced for a second and my other fist slammed into his chest before I could even think. He flew backward and crashed through the wall into the room beyond. I beat down the rage but I was still seeing through heat waves.

              The doctor stood staring at me with a pale face as I got the rage under control.

              “Ric! You ok?”

              “I’m good, Boss.”

              “Sorry!”

              “Sure, anytime!”

              I heard laughter in the other room and turned to the doctor, “I’m all right now you can set it.”

              I looked at the hole in the wall, “Sorry bout that, I got rage issues. I’ll pay for the damages.”

              He looked at the hole and back at me, “I see.”

              The resetting of the bone hurt but nothing like the re-breaking of it had. Putting my shoulder back in place had hurt some too but I’d kept it under control through that part. It was too late to get stitches in the gashes, they’d healed much faster than I thought they could and had already gone too far for that. Thank god for duct tape. Even with the tape holding the gashes closed, I’d have some pretty scars from this one.

              “Thanks, Doc,” I said to him, “Don’t forget to send me a bill for the hole. Send it to the base in Knoxville for Colin Jaegher.”