Soulless: The Story of Shayan (Prequel to The Soul Quest Trilogy) (4 page)

I could feel myself coming undone so I took
a deep breath before I responded to her accusation.

“I’ve done the best I can. The ending result
could have been much worse. John wouldn’t see reason and the people
of the colony revered his every word. I had to take some drastic
measures but the colony is stable now.” I reassured her. “…and I’ve
been more than fair to the natives. They’re still here aren’t they?
They have food and shelter and everything they need to survive.
Unlike some leaders, whose name I will not mention, I did not
banish the Indians from their home.” I defended myself.

“Stable? Fair? Are you serious, Shayan?” Ana
laughed with out humor. “Do you honestly believe the lies that are
spewing from your own lips?” she insulted me.

“It’s not so bad, Ana. Listen to me. I don’t
want to fight with you. I love you, I miss you and I want you. We
could get married and settle here in Plymouth. We could be human,
together…” I changed the subject.

“Human? What are you talking about Shayan?
Hala has refused to make you human, you know that.” she
insisted.

“I don’t need him to change me. I’ve already
done it myself, or close enough.” I admitted. Ana’s eyes studied me
warily. This was the part of the conversation I dreaded broaching
with her but I had to be honest. I did not want there to be any
secrets between us. “I’m not crazy, Ana. I’ve changed… for the
better. I’m not mortal but I appear mortal enough to them.”

“What? They can see you? How, what have you
done, Shayan?” she demanded.

So, I told her what I had done to the sad
woman I found suffering alone. I explained the transformation my
body endured in becoming a Daeva and the benefits that followed.
She was in shock but I didn’t stop talking. I finally invited her
to join me, to become a Daeva just like me… and instantly regretted
it.

“You are a murderer, Shayan! Your heart is
as black and cold as the void within it. I want no part of you or
your darkness. You are never to speak to me again.” she warned
before she flew off into the cloud scattered blue sky toward the
Heavens.

Anastazja had abandoned and rejected me for
the last time. I gave up on her and Arcadia for good. I began my
new life as a Daeva, disguising myself as a mortal. I changed my
name to Shyam, tacking on the surname, Donovan in an added effort
to blend into the human world. I no longer wished to be addressed
by the name chosen for me by Hala, the Great Spirit.

“Never again shall I embrace the name or
life intended for me by my enemies. Answering to that name only
serves as a consistent and painful reminder of the disappointment
and betrayal I was unfairly dealt. Shayan, the Oracle of Humanity,
is forever dead.”

I finally succumbed to my new destiny as a
spirit of darkness.

Chapter Nine

Shyam Donovan

Time: 1923

Place: Munich

Beer Hall Putsch

“Humanitarianism is the expression of
stupidity and cowardice.”

~ Adolph Hitler

“Generals think war should be waged like the
tourneys of the Middles Ages. I have no use for knights; I need
revolutionaries.” I growled at Adolph Hitler, leader of the
National Socialist German Workers Party. “The Chancellor’s decision
to end the general strike in the Ruhr and pay reparations to France
has created the political instability we need to move forward with
our plan. The cowards of the triumvirate, Kahr, Lossow and Seisser,
will be our window of opportunity.”

“What do you suggest we do, my lord?” Hitler
uttered nervously.

“We will capture the triumvirate on
Totengedenktag (the German Memorial Day). Kahr, Lossow and Seisser
will be on a stand taking the salute from the troops during the
parade. We’ll arrive early and shut off the street by setting up
machine guns. Then we’ll force the triumvirate to join the
revolution.” I explained.

Hitler was considering my words.

“I will meet with the others and set things
in motion.” he finally replied.

His face was scarlet red and beads of sweat
formed on his forehead and trickled down his temples.

On the day of the parade we arrived in
Munich to find the streets well protected by the police. We needed
to devise another plan, and quickly. Initially, we decided to march
into Munich and seize its strategic points on the anniversary of
the armistice but we decided to scrap that idea after learning of
Kahr’s meeting at the Buergerbraukeller (a beer hall). The entire
triumvirate would be there and we could force them at gun
point.

“How can you be sure they will bend to our
will?” Hitler worried.

“It is as simple as appealing to basic
senses, my friend. Those who want to live, let them fight, and
those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do
not deserve to live.”

I stood outside of the Buergerbraukeller
with Hitler. The hall was filling up quickly with thousands of
people gathering for the evening to drink beer and engage in
political or social debates. Soon this rally would be corralled and
reassigned.

“Are your cohorts set in place, Adolph?” I
had to ask.

Hitler saw Germany’s central government as
betrayers. After the aftermath of World War I, Hitler, then an Army
corporal, was ordered to infiltrate the German Workers Party. He
quickly rose to its top post in the midst of the political chaos.
His current political standing gained him access to about fifteen
thousand brawlers, mostly ex – soldiers.

“The Sturmabteilung (SA – paramilitary
organization of the German Nazi Party) and my associates are all in
place. We’ve got the hall surrounded, complete with a machine gun
aimed at the auditorium doors.” Hitler nodded.

“It’s eight – thirty, surely the
triumvirates guests are all present and accounted for. Let’s go!” I
shouted.

Myself, Hitler, his twenty associates and
some six – hundred Sturmabteiling men rushed the building. We
laboriously waded through the mob of stunned people. The crowd
panicked when Adolph fired a single gun shot into the ceiling and
jumped on a chair commanding everyone’s attention.

“The national revolution has broken out! The
hall is filled with six – hundred men. Nobody is allowed to leave.”
Hitler announced threateningly. “The Bavarian government and the
government at Berlin are deposed. A new government will be formed
at once. The barracks of the Reichswehr and those of the police are
occupied. Both have rallied to the swastika.” he lied.

Hitler, accompanied by Hess, Lenk and Graf,
forced the triumvirate into a side room and demanded they support
his putsch or suffer death. Meanwhile, some of Hitler’s associates
were attempting to maintain calm in the main hall. Others made
phone calls to additional supporters and issued orders to seize key
buildings through out the city. Irritated with the lack of
cooperation from the triumvirate, Hitler returned to the main hall
to redirect the people being held captive. His words were simple
but I enhanced each one of them using all of the compulsion I could
muster as he quietly spoke.

“Outside are Kahr, Lossow and Seisser. They
are struggling hard to reach a decision. May I say to them that you
will stand behind them?” Adolph mused and the audience roared in
approval. My compulsion had worked. “You can see that what
motivates us is neither self-conceit or self-interest, but only a
burning desire to join the battle in this grave eleventh hour for
our German Fatherland ... One last thing I can tell you. Either the
German revolution begins tonight and the morrow will find us in
Germany a true nationalist government, or it will find us dead by
dawn!” he finished with zest.

Upon hearing the reaction of the crowd and
additional coercion from Ludendorff, whose personal prestige was
being utilized to give the Nazis credibility, the triumvirate
reluctantly caved in. Hitler announced the concession of the
triumvirate to the crowd in the auditorium and the group of people
was permitted to leave the beer hall. The rest of the evening was
marked by chaos. People were confused about where their loyalties
should lie. They began taking sides. As a result the first
casualties of the putsch occurred in the wee hours of the morning
at three AM.

“What time is it?” I asked of Hitler.

“Eight, maybe nine o’clock. Still fairly
early… I’ve ordered the seizure of the Munich city council as
hostages.” he added.

He looked tired and forlorn.

“… then why so glum?” I challenged.

“The putsh is going nowhere. I am at a loss
of what to do next.” he begrudgingly admitted.

At that moment Ludendorff burst into the
room. “We will march!” he shouted.

Ludendoroff and Hitler’s forces together
totaled approximately two – thousand men. On the spur of the moment
Ludendorff led them to the Bavarian Defense Ministry with out a
plan. They were met with resistance in front of the Feldherrenhalle
resulting in the deaths of four state police officers and sixteen
Nazis. Hitler was injured and attempted to escape but was captured
shortly thereafter.

Kahr and Lossow were not as easily compelled
as Hitler. Both triumvirates were convinced to repudiate the
putsch.

“They are cowards, conforming to whatever
power dangles a sword over there head. We shall see how well they
are forgiven for their weakness. They will forever be labeled as
Judases and traitors. This is only the beginning.” I promised
myself.

Chapter Ten

Shyam Donovan

Time: 1963

Place: Los Angeles, California

The Assassination Conspiracy

“I am as innocent regarding any conspiracy
as any of you gentlemen in this room.”

~Jack Ruby

As I gazed around the familiar hall housing
the gun show I was greeted with a familiar smiling face. I’d met
the gentleman several years ago and on many occasions. This is not
an unusual or chance meeting in my line of work. These days I pass
my time and earn my fortune by selling fire arms. The face of
relaxed recognition approaching me now is a regular customer.

“Hello Sirhan. How has life been treating
you?” I inquired politely.

“Not too bad… and yourself?” he returned
easily.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to
gain the trust and respect of this man just as I have the three
other human men I’ve recently rallied to my cause. Today’s goal
will be to compel Sirhan into my ranks too.

What is this cause I refer to, you may
wonder? Perhaps I should begin with the secondary priority in the
matter. The priority that is necessary to support my primary cause.
The secondary priority is necessary only to insure my innocence
along the journey. This has been my motivation for pursuing and
acquiring assistance from Sirhan and the three other humans. These
men lack credibility. They are introverts, loners and a few are
just plain crazy. I intend to compel them into doing my bidding and
watch them suffer the consequences. Afterward I’ll walk away with
out an ounce of suspicion to deface my exemplar reputation.

So, how will I get these men to help, you
now puzzle? It’s simple, hatred. Whether their hatred manifests
itself in the form of revenge, prejudice or insanity I have no
concern because it is this hatred that binds them to my task. I’ve
lured them in by forming an assassination conspiracy. Everyone
needs someone to blame for their problems, right? Of course they
do. So, my little assassination conspiracy will target the culprits
to these supposed betrayers, the most powerfully influential
American political and spiritual leaders of the day and time; John
F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, what is my primary cause? Power, of
course… It is my sole objective to weaken and cripple the order and
spirit of the American people. I will wreak havoc on The United
States of America so that I may one day take my rightful place as
the President of this awesome country. Securing the political spot
as leader of one of the world’s largest and most powerful nations
will be the beginning of my quest toward world domination.

“So Sirhan, my dear friend, have you made a
decision regarding the opportunity I extended toward you on our
last rendezvous?” I prodded.

Hopefully my compulsion is taking effect.
Sirhan looked at me sternly for just one moment before tossing his
head back in laughter. He was teasing me.

“Of course I have Shyam. I wouldn’t pass up
this chance up for anything.” he grinned. “What’s next?”

Sirhan’s eyes sparkled with intensity and
excitement. I had him for sure.

Two weeks later in Manhattan I found myself
sitting with the four gentlemen. We gathered around the dining room
table of my suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was time to make
plans.

“Thank you for coming Sirhan, James, Lee and
David. I’m delighted to know that I am not alone on my mission for
justice in this newly misguided world.”

“Amen to that.” echoed David.

This man is about as dense as they come but
his heart is one hundred percent committed.

“Here is what I propose we do. It seems
obvious to me that the major threats at hand politically are
President Kennedy and that brother of his, Robert. I want to
silence this black preacher man too but these fools continue to
support his cause.” I began.

“So, we knock off John Kennedy, Robert
Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr?” Lee inquired. “Fine with me,
but I get to put a bullet in the President as payback for what he
did to Castro.”

“Speaking of bullets… tell us about this
magic bullet of yours again Shyam.” James smiled.

This was another strategy I used to lure the
men into my plans. It is true that I have created a magic bullet of
sorts but I don’t dare share all of the details involved in
developing it. What makes this bullet magic is my DNA. I’ve
injected each bullet with enough DNA to dissolve the fired shell
and destroy the surrounding flesh of the newly made wound. This
effect will make it impossible for the authorities and medics to
trace any bullets to their source.