Soulguard (16 page)

Chapter 36

              “So how do the patrols work?” I asked Rictor. “I think I have the other stuff in hand. Keller was right about Grimes and the twins, so now I can get down to business with the patrols.”

              “We have a hundred Guards stationed in Knoxville. Half of them are on duty at any given time. There is always a rapid response team of twenty Guards ready to go at once to join a patrol. Typically there’s a Mage on duty at all times too, but there’s only one of you, so we have to do the best we can.”

              “I’m supposed to stay here with the rapid response team?”

              “Ideally, yes,” He looked at me with a grin, “Somehow I don’t expect it to work out that way so we got you a sat phone. It picks up anywhere and you can get some experience with the patrolling aspects of the job.”

              “A patrol is two guards who, basically, drive around looking for trouble. You know as well as I that we can feel them if we get close. The first thing we do when we sense them is call in the RRT. Then, when they arrive we wipe out a nest. If we find one Demon, we follow it to the nest while the RRT is in route.”

              “I see,” I said, “so the smart thing would be for me to stay with the RRT and come in with them.”

              “Yep, if you choose to patrol, I’d say keep it close to base so you can join the RRT when they get the call.”

              “How often are the nests found?”

              “Maybe one or two a year,” he said, “we don’t see a great deal of action but when we find one there’s plenty of fighting to go around.”

              “How many Demons are there in a typical nest?”

              “The ones I’ve been into had around a hundred or so with Soldiers controlling them. All except one, it had a Wraith and about a hundred and fifty soldiers with around three hundred lesser demons. We took forty Guards and two Mages down into that one.”

              “Ok, I’ll be around Knoxville for the most part. If you need the RRT I expect to be called. I think you should send someone east, though. I don’t know why I feel this way but I feel that there’s something to the east.”

              “Will do. You want to head that way with me?” He asked, “It’ll let you see what we do in a patrol.”

              “Yeah I’d like to go,” I hesitated, “But should I go? I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do here.”

              “Keller went on a patrol at least twice a month, so it’s not bad for you to go,” He answered with a grin, “I know you don’t want to stay here all the time waiting and it’s alright. We’ll get the call if the RRT is called in.”

              I felt relief because he was right, I wanted to go hunt down Demons, not sit and wait for them to attack. The researchers hadn’t uncovered any missing persons reports or animal attacks recently, but a feeling just kept nagging at me. There was also a feeling from the North, but it was different. It wasn’t evil, and I felt evil to the east.

              “Tell the Guards to be ready,” I said, “I’ve seriously got a bad feeling about the east.”

              He looked at me for a moment and nodded his head, “You got it, Boss.”

              We went to the armory and gathered the standard short swords for the Guard and some black body armor that was standard wear for a RRT. As we exited the armory, Andrea Prada saw us and turned our way.

              “Are you two going on a patrol?”

              “Thought I’d go out and show him the ropes,” Rictor answered.

              “Any chance I can go with you? The secretary called in again and I just know they’ll want me to be her replacement.”

              Rictor laughed, “Rather fight Demons than answer phones, huh?”

              “God, yes.”

              “Get your gear and come on.”

***

              We headed east and veered onto I-81 headed toward Johnson City. After driving for close to two hours, I began to see a darkness in the distance to our right.

              “They’re out here, all right.” I said and pointed toward the hills to our right, “We need to head that direction as soon as we can.”

              “You felt this from all the way back at the base?” Rictor asked.

              “I felt something evil in this direction. I can see them now, they have a darkness that surrounds them that I can see.”

              “That’s gonna help when we send out patrols,” He returned. His aura showed that he was impressed.

              “You may as well call in the RRT, Rictor,” I said. “That darkness is pretty big.”

              “You got it, Boss.”

              Prada didn’t say a word, but I saw doubt in her aura as she glanced in my direction. Rictor must have read her mind, because he chuckled.

              “You’ll find, Andrea, that when the kid says something, it tends to be true,” He said, “trust me.”

              She looked my direction again and I smiled, “You can always tell me ‘I told you so’ if I’m wrong.”

              She shrugged, “You’re the boss.”

              I could still see the doubt in her aura until we reached the distance where they could feel the Demons themselves. She looked at me with surprise and amazement in her aura.

              “I stand corrected.”

              We drove down some back roads to get a little closer, then pulled to the side and got out of the SUV. We went to the back and began putting on the body armor and I strapped my harness with the twin swords to my back. Excitement was coursing through me and my ever-present rage was building as I looked at the darkness ahead of us.

              I looked closer and my rage grew, “They’ve got prisoners up there.” I pointed into the hills ahead of us.

              “I see human Souls very close to em.”

              “You see Souls?” Prada asked in amazement, “What kind of Mage are you?”

              I jumped half the way up the hill, directly toward the darkness, my eyes focused on the human Souls clustered in the middle of the black souls.

              As we got closer, I saw a cave mouth ahead of us and the darkness seemed to be centered in one large area under the ground. There appeared to be about twenty or twenty-five humans down there in the dark.

              “How much longer for the RRT?” I asked.

              “An hour.”

              “We can’t wait that long, guys,” I said, “We’re gonna have to cut our way to the people where I can shield them till the team gets here.”

              “Can you sense how many Demons are down there?”

              “A lot, and I see a very dark spot at the back of the cavern that has to be a portal.”

              Rictor had a grin on his face as I talked of cutting our way in, I realized that Rictor really loves killing Demons.

              My rage was boiling dangerously close to the surface and I didn’t see any reason to wait any longer.

              “Let’s do this, I’ll take point. Ric, left flank, Prada, right flank. Stay with me till we get to the people so I can raise a shield.”

              Both nodded, Rictor wasn’t surprised about me taking point but Prada was. But she knows how to follow orders and fell in at my right without hesitation.

              “Go.”

              We shot into the darkness ahead and my swords burst into Soulflame, lighting our way. Seconds later, both Soulguard’s swords lit up as well. The cavern was just ahead and I charged right into a mass of Demons. My rage soured and I began to dance the blades. It felt so good to let the rage free, even if it was only for a moment.

              We reached the group of captives, who were screaming in terror, but they couldn’t run from us. They were backed against a wall in some sort of alcove in the cavern. I turned and slammed a shield across the front of the opening, just before the Demons slammed into it.

              My rage burned and I paced the inside of the shield, my eyes never leaving the Demons on the other side. I wanted out there. I felt like I was vibrating, I wanted out there so badly.

              “Boss!”

              I beat the rage back down inside of me and turned back to Rictor and Prada. The people in the alcove cringed as my gaze crossed them. I was still seeing through what looked like heat waves.

              “Calm down, Colin,” Rictor said softly, “We’re in and the people are safe now. The team should be here soon and we can wipe this nest out.”

              Rictor thought it was adrenaline or just the excitement of my first battle. He had no knowledge of the rage I feel when I see Demons, or how hard it is to beat that rage back down once I let it out.

              “I’m ok,” I answered quietly where the captives couldn’t hear me, “I just hate the waiting. I want them dead.”

              Prada was staring at me like I was some sort of crazed lunatic. She turned to the captives and sheathed her swords.

              “You’re safe now,” She said softly and began to try to calm the terrified people.

              People don’t calm down when I try to calm them so I didn’t even try. I left it to Prada and turned back to the shield and began slowly pacing back and forth in front of it while we waited for the RRT to get there.

I thought about throwing some Source grenades, but I was afraid it might collapse the cavern and that, I’m pretty sure, would be a bad thing.

              Finally, after what seemed like forever, Guards poured into the cavern and the Demons outside my shield turned away from us.

              “Let’s hit em from behind!” I opened a portal in the shield and after we exited the shield, I left it attached to my stream and closed the portal we’d used as a door.

              Then with a joyous cry, the world slowed and I began the Dance once more. It was one of the greatest feelings I’d ever had to destroy the monsters that had hunted me my entire life. They’d taken my parents, they’d killed hundreds of innocents. All to get to me. They’d regret it, now that I was ready for them to come. The hunter was now the hunted.

***

              As it turned out the captives had been on a tour bus, coming down I-81, when the Demons attacked it.

              Rictor sent several Guards out and had a bus rented and sent out to pick the terrified tourists up and take them and a few of the Guards back to Knoxville. I sat in the rear seat and no one sat in the adjacent seats. There were several scared glances in my direction.

              Most of the people stayed closer to Prada. I guess she looked less dangerous than I did. They’d taken our SUV to go rent the bus and headed back to Knoxville already, so here we were riding a bus down I-81, back into Knoxville.

              “Scary son of a bitch...” I heard Prada’s voice whisper to the Guard next to her. She was unaware that I could hear her.

              “He paced the inside of that shield like a wild animal in a cage. He couldn’t wait to get at the Demons outside.”

              “I’ve never seen a Mage fight like that. Hell, I’ve never seen a Guard fight like that,” another voice said softly.

              I closed my eyes and lay my head back. I guess it’s just how things are for me. Everywhere I go, people fear me. Normal people, Guards, and Mages all.

              “Good thing he’s on our side,” Prada said.

Chapter 37

              “Pull in up here,” I pointed to a store up ahead, “I need something to drink.”

              “You got it,” said Rex Louder.

              It had been a couple of weeks since my first patrol and I worried about how the Demons had affected me. I think I had gotten a little carried away and I knew I needed to work on it.

              I decided to go on another patrol, to get a better feel for things so I joined a regular patrol as a passenger.

              We pulled in at a store that looked as old as the hills and I jumped out, “Want anything?”             

              Rex shook his head and I looked at Jenna Seymore, “You?”

              “Get me a Coke.”

              I nodded and entered the store. The sign over the cashier claimed the best chili dog in Tennessee. I went to a cooler and got a Coke and a Dr Pepper.

              “Let me get a couple of those chili dogs, too.”

              “You want slaw on em?”

              “Coleslaw?”

              “Yep.”

              I shrugged, “Sure, why not.”

              After I paid, he handed me two styrofoam containers. I slid the bag with the drinks under my arm and opened one of the containers as I walked to the door. The frigging thing was great! Who would have thought coleslaw would be good on a chili dog?

              “Jesus, is he eating again?” I heard Jenna ask from inside the SUV.

              “Looks like it,” Rex answered, “I’ve never seen someone eat as much as this kid.”

              I got in the car as I finished the first one and handed Jenna her Coke, “Man, these things are awesome. You ever put coleslaw on a chili dog?”

              “Eww,” Jenna said, but Rex looked thoughtful.

              “It might actually be good, but we just ate two hours ago. Where do you put all of it? Is one of your legs hollow?”

              “It’s like we’re patrolling with a baby, you gotta eat every two hours,” Jenna shook her head.

              I opened the other container and waved it under her nose, “Sure you don’t want one?”

              “And again, I say, eww.”

              I laughed, “I’ll take that as a no. Rex?”

              “Nah, you go ahead, boss,” He shook his head.

              He started the SUV and we headed toward Knoxville. It was only about an hour away and we were headed in from a week patrol in Kentucky and Virginia. I hadn’t felt anything out there like the Demons. I was still feeling something to the north of Knoxville, though. It wasn’t evil, and I had a feeling I should check it out sometime soon.

After we pulled into the base, we unloaded our gear and headed inside. Rictor was walking out and stopped dead still as he saw me.

              “I’ve had Marines come in with blood on their uniforms,” Rictor was staring at my shirt, “I’ve had Marines come in with mud, dirt and even grease on their uniforms. But this is the first time someone has come in with chili on their uniform.”

              He shook his head sadly and walked away. Rex and Jenna burst into laughter.

              “What? What’d I do?”

***

              I drew the blades Kyra had given me. They were a matching set of beautiful short swords. They were three feet long with double edged blades two and a half feet long. They were made with some exceptional steel and had intricate etching along the blades.

              In the center of our miniature version of the Dome I started the Dance. It had been a few days since I had been able to do this. When I really get into the Dance I can let loose of the rage in me and use its focus to add to it.

              I started at a normal pace for a Guard. I hadn’t noticed as several Guards had entered the Mini-Dome. And more began arriving as I proceeded into the Dance. After each completed run through the Dance, I would add speed and do it again.

              I completed seven repetitions before I Pulled as I had done while at the exhibition with Len Yueh. My focus sharpened and I glowed with Soulfire. As I finished the last stance, sweat rolling from me, I noticed that there were Guards crowded into the Dome, watching.

              It started on the far left when someone clapped, then the whole Dome echoed with applause. My face was burning a bit. I had been so focused, I didn’t even know they were there.

              “That’s awesome every time I see it, Boss,” Rictor said as he walked toward me.

              “Thanks,” I returned, “My mom trained me since I was five in the Dance. I didn’t even notice anyone was here.”

              “I actually came to see if you’d take some time to make sure the Guards have gotten the new shield working right. But I saw you start the Dance of Blades and sent for the others to watch. It really is something to see and none of us have seen it except a very few. I’d like to get you to do it again sometime for the ones who haven’t seen it.”

              “They should really see Kyra do it,” I said, “She’s a master at it.”

              “She’s very good but she’s not as fast as you,” Rictor said, “I never thought I’d be saying that Kyra Nightwing is not as fast as someone but you move like fluid lightning.”

              I felt a mix of embarrassment and pride. I guess Paige was right, I have a hard time taking compliments. I just try to do the best I can and most times I come up short of what I should have done.

              “Yeh, tell the Guards to come to me whenever they’re ready for me to check the shields. And I’ll do the dance again later if you guys want. Hell, if anybody’s interested, I’ll teach them the Dance of Blades. It looks like we’ll be here for a good while, maybe some of em want to learn it.”