Soulguard (3 page)

Chapter 5

              The whole end of the building exploded as Kharl and Kyra hit it at seventy miles per hour. I’ve sparred with both of them but what I saw that day was amazing. Kharl was glowing with Soulfire and where he walked Demon parts flew in all directions. He waded into the ranks of Soldier demons without slowing down and ripped them apart.

              Kharl and Kyra are like forces of nature. Kyra is five feet and six inches tall with a slim but firm build. She is of Native American descent with dark skin and black hair and she is a tornado, a maelstrom of death with a sword in each hand. She is so fast, it’s hard to even see her in action. Mostly you just see Demon parts falling to the floor as she flashes by.

              Kharl is the avalanche, the juggernaut. He is six feet and five inches tall and, I kid you not, four feet across at the shoulders. His fighting style is to wade in and destroy anything that gets in his path. Never go around, when you can go through it. It doesn’t matter what
it
is. No deception, no fear, and no stopping him.

              This is why they're legends in the Soulguard. This is why their names are even known to people like Mattie, who aren’t even old enough to have met them.

              The portal was pouring Soldiers into the gym but they were dying faster than the others were arriving.

              Suddenly something huge stepped through and with one sweep of its enormous arm, both Soulguards flew backwards through the air. They slammed against the shield and I opened a portal for them. Before I could close it, the Demon had crossed the room, one long arm reaching through the portal, to swipe at me. I felt fire run down my face and I pushed the shield out, pushing the Demon away. It backed up and I finished closing the portal.

              The Demon pounded at the shield and I felt every blow. Blood ran freely down the left side of my face.

              “Damn Wraith!” Kharl exclaimed, “What the hell is a Wraith doing here?”

              A Wraith is a much more powerful Demon than the soldier. Soldiers are sent to take people back across but a Wraith only comes across the dimensions with an agenda. They have a specific goal and they control the soldiers and lesser Demons under them.

              A Wraith can stand up to Soulguards without fear. It usually takes multiple Mages to kill one of them.

              “Oh hell, they know he’s here,” Kyra said.

              I knew what they were saying. All this for me, they wanted me dead. All these people had died because of me.

              “Four Soulguards can’t take a Wraith, even us.” Kyra said softly, “but we two can slow it down enough for him to get away.”

              “When I say to, Boy, you drop the shield and let us out. Then you get these people outta here and run like hell,” Kharl rumbled. He snapped his wrists and two huge swords of pure Soulfire were in his hands.

              He rolled his massive shoulders and said, “Drop”

              “No.”

              He turned to me, “We can’t win this one, Son, the best we can do is give you some time.”

              “A Mage can do it,” I returned

              “You’ve been in here,” he motioned toward his head with one of those massive swords, “You know what happens to Mages who try to use it without training.”

              He had made me witness a memory a long time ago to make sure I was convinced not to try to mess with the Source. A man had tried to pull from the Source and it burned him alive. He was ashes in minutes, the power in the Source is that strong. It was horrible and I’ve never been tempted to try to use that burning mass of power, always at the edge of my awareness.

              “No one else dies for me.”

              Kharl looked at me for a minute and nodded. I saw the resignation, in his aura and a great sadness. He turned to face the Wraith.              

              “We’ll keep it off you long enough for you to do what you got to, Son.”

              Up until this very moment I had never understood my real father, how he had gone off, knowing it was to his death. Now I did. After seeing how badly the Demons wanted me dead, I realized that he had died, not for revenge, but to give me a life, to have time to grow up, possibly defend myself. But they got here too soon. At least I could keep anyone else from dying for me.

              I looked at the massive back in front of me and looked to the left, at Kyra. She had tears running down her face. I’d seen her sad, mad, happy, even depressed, but I’d never seen her cry. I knew that
this
was my family, my father and mother in all ways except blood. I looked to my right to see Mattie, knives dripping with Soulfire, loyal because that is what Soulguards are supposed to be. I turned and looked at possibly the bravest man I have ever known, who not only escaped Hell, but ran right back in to save others, my friend.

              Kelvin Rourke had found the same thing I had, something worth dying for.

              “What are you talking about? What are you gonna do?” Trent asked, worried.

              I turned back toward the Demon pounding on my shields.

              “Burn,” I said softly

              Then I reached deep down into that writhing mass just below the surface of the Earth and Pulled.

              Burning agony surged up from the Earth and engulfed me, my shield exploded outward destroying everything in its path. The Wraith, carried backward, screaming, burst into flame. It still clawed at the shield until, it too, exploded. All the Demons were incinerated along with the portal, the gymnasium and about half the school.

              I was one with a roaring mass of life and death, twisted together to create a great pyre of destruction. From a great distance I kept hearing a voice.

              “Shut it down! Shut it down!”

              I felt something on my arms and looked down to see two huge hands holding my arms and shaking me. Blisters were already forming on them. I fought to close off the Source but it was massive and I was so full of that awesome power. It was like a high you might get from some drug. I wanted to keep it forever but I couldn’t hold this much power and it was killing me.

              I formed a shield in the shape of a tube just around me and Kharl was flung back, his arms blistered and smoking. Then I looked up and released it all with a scream. As the flow moved through me I finally forced myself to close the connection to the Source. Power flooded out of me for minutes after the link was severed, straight up into the sky. Finally it was over, all that remained was pain and the memory of Power.

              As darkness closed in on me I heard Kyra’s voice.

              “Soulmage, my ass,” She said as she caught me, before I could slam into the floor.

Chapter 6

I heard voices in the dark.

              “...not a Soulmage...something else...Mage can’t channel that much power.”

              “What else would you call him?” I heard Kharl’s voice.

              “I think I’ll call him Sir,” I heard Trent say and I tried to laugh.

              It came out more like a rasping cough and I felt coldness against my face. Then I was gone again.

              The next time I came to, I was in my bed at home. When I opened my eyes I found that it was dark but I could see perfectly well without the light.

              I’d always had better night vision than regular folks, but this was much more. My hearing was sharper as well and there was a horrible noise in the corner where my recliner was.

              I looked over to see Trent sleeping there, snoring loudly. Mattie was sitting on my sofa in the dark glaring daggers at Trent until she noticed me moving around.

              “Wake up!” she threw a pillow at him.

              “Wha...” He snorted as he jerked awake

              “You’re not an ox, no, you sound like a moose. I can’t believe your family didn’t strangle you in your sleep!”

              “What, what’d I do?”

              “I think you woke the dead,” she answered as she turned on the lamp on the end table.

              Turning toward me he said, “Well, unless he died with that goofy smile on his face, I’d say he’s awake. So how you feeling Col? After, uh, blowing up the school.”             

              “I feel like I was hit by a train. Or Kharl.”

              “That guy is awesome, Col. I saw the trail of destruction he and that crazy woman left behind on their way to the school. Looked like a tornado had come through and demolished everything in a straight line from the road to the school. And what they did to those things in the gym,” he shook his head, “I saw you fight those two in the hall, but they killed forty or fifty before that other thing showed up.”

              I could detect a little hero worship going on here and I figured Kharl had definitely gotten a new fan.

              “I now know why you guys are so tough, though,” he said, “I think your mom’s been putting carburetor cleaner in your food.”

              “Oh God, don’t say anything to her about it,” I said with a snort. I would never dream of telling her, but Kyra’s cooking is truly wretched.

              “Too late,” Mattie chuckled, “You should have seen it. Everyone was sitting in the living room and your mom said she would fix some dinner. The moose over there jumped up and offered to fix it. He actually said something about gasoline and rat poison.”

              “You could have heard a pin drop. Three
mighty
Soulguards cringed in fear and looked at your mom. She just looked at Trent for a minute, and then just busted out laughing,” She giggled, “I do have to admit, moose boy can cook.”

              “Why I gotta be a moose? I think you’re just jealous, since you’re about the size of a squirrel.”

              I laughed aloud and made myself sit up. I started to stand up and realized I was naked. I snatched the covers back around me, my face burning. Mattie smiled and winked at me then turned and ran upstairs. My face got even redder.

              Trent laughed loudly, “That one’s all yours, buddy, she’s way too mean for my taste. The way she plays with those knives all the time is scary.”

              “I have to ask, is there some way I can get what you have? I always planned to join the Marines but this is much bigger. The way Kharl and Jack talk, there’s a huge organization here. I want to be a part of that.”

              “Yeah, they recruit from everywhere and I’d say Kharl already has ideas on the subject, but I’ll put in a good word for you if you want me to,” I answered, “and who’s Jack?”

              “That’s Mattie’s dad. He got back from the west coast earlier today.”

              “How long have I been out of it?”

              “It’s been two days and we’re waiting for my dad to get here. The group upstairs is trying to do damage control, but some very important people’s kids were killed and a lot of their kids are telling some very scary stories. I convinced them that they really could use a Senator as an ally and that my dad is one of the few with scruples.”

              He got up and headed for the stairs, “And Kyra told us to tell you when you wake up to get your shield back up.”

              I opened my Inner eye and gasped, my Soul stream was the size of a tree trunk and every tendril of the weave I’d spent so much time creating was swollen almost as big as a Soulguards Soul stream. I guess my body had adapted to the power output I was subjecting it to.

              My passive privacy shield was in tatters. I began weaving a new one, slowly building around my soul stream and much bigger aura.

              When I finished, I stood up shakily and began getting dressed. As I walked by the mirror I stopped, I hadn’t come out of this unscathed. There was a livid scar on my face running from my hairline, down across my eye, and along my left cheek.

              On my chest was a patch of scar tissue from a severe burn. I turned around and there were two more of these scars on my back.

              A Soulguard heals fast. If it doesn’t outright kill him or her, they can generally heal from it. As severe as the scars were, I think I healed much faster than I should have. The enlarged soul stream probably caused that.

              Why did so many people have to die? Was it because I had dropped my shields to let Mattie see I was Guard? I still had the metallic smell of blood in my nostrils, or maybe I was just remembering it. Was it really all my fault? Did they want me dead so badly that they monitor that closely for me, or was it a huge coincidence? I don’t believe it was a coincidence, they attacked a place with not just one but two Soulguard trained kids. I just don’t know.

              I could sense Kyra on her way down as well as hear her. I never used to be able to hear her coming. My hearing was affected just as my sight was, it seemed.

              She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked at me. I could see all the emotions flash across her aura, relief, joy, and love. I almost broke down right there. I walked to her and hugged her tightly.

              Most people take for granted so many things in life. When you come so close to losing all of those things, you really learn how to cherish them.

              She stepped back and looked me in the eyes for a moment, then smiled and shot back up the stairs without saying a word.

              I finished dressing and made my way upstairs. I had to concentrate to keep from going too fast. It had taken a few days to get used to the extra strength and speed a Soulguard gains when he twists his Soulstream to enhance himself. And it looked like I was about to have to do it again. The enlarged stream amplified me to a much greater extent.

              With some concentration I kept myself to a normal pace. With my Sight I could detect six auras in the dining room, sitting around the table and two of them were strangers. I checked my privacy shield once more and walked through the door.

              Kharl smiled and I could see the relief flash through his aura.

              “Welcome back to the living,” he rumbled. He stood up and met me with a hug, “We thought we lost you, Boy.”

              He turned to the two men sitting at the table. “This is Jack Riordan, Mattie’s dad.” He motioned toward a Medium sized man with black hair. He was, in appearance, just an average man. Average height, average build, but his aura was almost as intimidating as Kharl’s. “He’s an Elite, like me and Ky.”

              The Elites were the best of the best. They are at the top of the heap in the Soulguard hierarchy, outranked only by the Mages, and judging by his stream and aura he was probably as old as either Kharl or Kyra.

              I’d never really nailed down how old the two of them were yet but I was making progress. It’s hard to use my Sight as a lie detector if they won't even answer the question. Both of them were older than one hundred years and less than two hundred, I was sure.

              “Good to meet you, youngster, and I’m glad to see the shield back up. It was hard to concentrate with all that racket,” Jack Riordan said with a smile.

              Kharl motioned to the other man, an Asian, but I couldn’t tell from where in Asia he’d come from. His aura was also huge and very tightly knotted.

              “This is Tien Yueh, also an Elite and the Weapon Master of the Academy.”

              The small man nodded at me and I saw no emotion pass across his aura. It had a shiny sort of film around it and I realized that it was a complex shield that even shielded his aura from my Sight. But judging from what I
could
see, his aura was possibly even bigger and older than Kharl’s.

              I nodded back to Yueh and turned to the others, Kyra, Mattie and Trent. Trent jumped up and started toward the kitchen.

              “I’ll get us something started for dinner.”

              “There’s some carburetor cleaner under the sink,” Kyra smiled, “It makes a great base for a soup.”

              Kharl snorted and Mattie laughed aloud. Trent’s stride picked up and he almost ran into the other room.

              “Crazy women...hear everything...bionic ears...” mutters came from the kitchen.

              “Son, where’d you find him? I really like that boy.”

              “He’s the only person at that school I liked, at least till Mattie showed up. And I’m not really sure about her yet. She may still want to stab me.”

              “Nah, I think I got most of that outta my system, now,” She grinned, “But things may change, so don’t rush to any judgments yet.”

              “I’ve been around him all his life, and I’m still not sure whether to stab him or not,” Kyra shook her head, then looked at me, “Speaking of stabbing, I think a little sparring, to see how well you have recovered, would be in order. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle”

              “In all seriousness, Boy, the Mages will be here soon. We need to see if you can defend yourself if you need to,” Kharl said.

              “Defend myself?”

              Kharl nodded, “Protocol is to block any one who channels early from the Source, if they survive it. This is not acceptable, not with Demons actively searching for you. So you may need to defend yourself, depending on who they send.”

              “What the hell,” I returned, “I thought we were all on the same side here.”

              “It’s complicated,” Tien Yueh said softly.