"And that is something I never expected," he said. "It is truly amazing what you can do."

"And these Shak'Tar?"

"The Kresh use them on Human worlds to keep the populations in line. If someone gets hard to deal with, the Shak'Tar removes them. They are what the Kresh use to keep those of us who aren't as loyal to them in line as well."

"Then why were you so surprised to hear that they were used?"

"I was under the impression that Earth had been slated for a worldwide purge. But now they send the Shak'Tar. I don't understand what the reasoning behind this is unless the Kresh'Ma'Nar you killed was the head of the faction advocating the purge and another faction has assumed control. This is pretty new to me as well as them. I've never even heard legends of a time when the Kresh'Ma'Nar were killed."

"None of them?"

"None," he said, "Their name, roughly translated, means cherished one, and the race does cherish them. You have upset them dearly by slaying not one, but two of them."

"How many of these Shak'Tar are there?"

"Thousands," he said, "But they're scattered about fifteen worlds. It's feasible that they would have fifty to a hundred assigned to this one for their program. They would be used for assassinations of key people. You say they came for you?"

"Yes, they tried."

"Tried and failed?"

"They tried and died," I returned. "There were thirty of the bastards after we finished counting."

I could see the disbelief rolling through his aura.

"You killed thirty of the Shak'Tar?" he asked.

"No," I said, "Rictor got one and Prada got another. I only killed twenty eight."

His mouth was hanging open.

"I see why they want you dead," he said, "How did you withstand the Lashes of that many of them?"

"I Lashed back."

Chapter 20.

I sat across the table from a man I had only seen three times before. Jim Duke, also known as the Whisper in the Night, sat there staring at me. His Soul as black as night. There was a coldness about the man, but in his line of work, it was to be expected.

"Will you consider working directly for us as a Security Consultant?" I asked after I had explained what was going on with the Shak'Tar and their attacks on the Soulguard.

He was silent for a moment, "You know my methods, and I will not change them to suit your Oath."

"You don't need to," I said, "When the security of my men is at stake, we have to defend ourselves. I can't be everywhere and I'm the only one on our side with this mental skill that they seem to possess."

"These men," he asked, "They aren't completely Human?"

"No," I said, "but neither am I."

"How strong are their mental powers? What kind of range do they have?"

"Unknown," I answered, "I think the mental power is limited in range but if its anything like that of a Demonmage, it's at least several hundred feet. Probably farther. When I killed the Mage in Kansas, their reactions spread from the center outward. But I can't give any exact details, I was a bit distracted."

"I can imagine," he said with the calm, even tone he had used from the beginning of our conversation, "I need to be able to pick my own teams, and you probably won't like some of them. Your Soulguard doesn't really approve of the methods of the kind of people I need to work on this."

"You might be surprised at some of the methods I would approve of," I said, "But you have free reign to build your team. Right now speed is of the essence. We lost a powerful Mage and twelve Guards this week. They almost got me as well. I don't think they can get to me now as long as I keep the personal shield up. They can't overload my brain as they did to the guys in China."

"This will be expensive," he said, "We're talking multiple nations and a lot of people to cover."

"We have deep pockets," I said, "And if you find where they are based, they won't be a problem long. They'll have a hard time when I turn the world inside out underneath them."

"I've seen some of the shit you guys have done, and I actually believe every word you just said."

I slid a card across the table, "There are two numbers there. One is a phone number where I can be reached at any time. The second is an account number with the money you will need to get started. The password is Rash'Tor'Ri."

I spelled out the password for him. I would use the name they had given me for more than scaring their children.

"Odd password," he commented.

"They call me that, the Kresh," I returned. "They say it translates as Ender of all Life, or Life-Ender. I like it and I will make them know that they named me aptly."

"I saw the numbers after Kansas," he said, "They named you aptly."

I stood and shook his hand, "Good hunting and remember, the second you find their base, call me."

"I will," he said, "Perhaps I'll get to watch as you work. I saw that you and Hughes were both watching in Knoxville. That isn't how I usually work, but I know Hughes, and you are the ones to tip me on that guy, so I let that one slide."

"I had to see it done, or I would have had to violate my oath and done it myself."

He looked at me speculatively, "I see."

I nodded once more, and exited the room we had used to hold this meeting. It was a back room of a bar in Chattanooga that Jim was a part owner of. I kept my head down so that no one would recognize me, now that I was somewhat of a celebrity.

This plan seemed to me to be the best way to handle the situation with the Shak'Tar. I don't know anything about assassinations and covert operations, so I thought I would put someone who does in the position to try to stop the attacks on our men.

I just hoped he could get set up in time to prevent any more attacks. I had no idea how frequent the Shak'Tar would make their strikes, nor could I guess accurately where those strikes might occur. I was a definite target as well as Paige and several of the Mages that headed up the other Academies.

And Lyrica, she could be a target as well. They had tried to get her as a child, just as they had tried to get me. But she was surrounded by the Mages at the Academy, and I was afraid to bring her back to Kansas yet. Since the healing had started, many people had gone to Montana to see if she could help them. She had many more people around her than I, and it would be much harder to get to her.

And they were welcome to try me again, I thought, and my rage tried to surface. I must have been snarling, because a woman who had been walking toward me turned suddenly to move away from me. Her face was pale and I could read fear in her aura.

I can't help it sometimes. I think I project my emotions toward those around me much more than I used to. Maybe the telepathic skills from my Demon blood grow the more they are used, and I had used the Lash a few times now.

I shook my head a bit to clear the rage, and walked across the street where I could see a restaurant that looked interesting. It was a burger joint named Checkers.

I found that their hamburgers are probably the best burgers I have ever eaten. I bought a whole sack full of them to take back to the plane with me.

As I turned to walk away from the window, a young man stopped a few feet from me.

"You're that guy from the TV," he said, "That Soulguard guy."

I looked around for the ugly Souls but there were none of the Shak'Tar around us.

"Yes I am," I said, "can I help you?"

"How would I go about joining the Soulguard, Sir?" he asked, "I've been to all the Military recruiters to weigh my options, but I haven't found a recruitment office for them."

"That's something we'll have to do something about," I said as I pulled a card from my shirt pocket, "Call this number and ask for an interview. I'll see to it you get one. I can't say they will accept you, there is a very comprehensive background check done on applicants. But I can say you definitely will be given the chance. Give me your name so I can tell them."

"Jackson Kenner, Sir," he said, "I'll surely make that call and thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Kenner," I returned, "We need all of the recruits we can get. This is only going to get bigger from here out. They have us in numbers, but as long as men like you are willing to fight for our world, we'll always have the edge in quality."

Chapter 21.

The darkness closed in on me as the creatures of nightmares died on my blades. I danced with death on the pitch black plain. Creature after creature fell, and I stood atop a pile of dead bodies as they still flooded toward me. I felt blow after blow as they struck me. They seemed to be infinite.

I felt weaker and weaker as the battle continued, but I would not quit. If they took me, I wouldn't be there for my family when the hordes of Demons came. I wouldn't be there for my friends who fought and died for me in Kansas. I wouldn't be there for Lyrica, my little angel.

So I fought on. My strength was fading but my rage was unfaltering. It flowed through me and kept me going.

Suddenly, I felt strength returning to me, and I could see figures to each side of me. It was my Guards. I saw Rictor and Prada, Ramirez and Jacobs. Power flowed through me as the forms fought alongside me, and the horde of creatures poured up the mountain of bodies we stood atop.

The battle continued for ages. Even with my Guards alongside, my strength began to falter once more. At one point I saw Kharl at one side of me and Kyra on the other. But the creatures wouldn't let up.

I went down on one knee after a particularly hard blow from an ogre-like creature, but it too died on my blade as I staggered back to my feet.

The darkness dispersed as a brilliant golden light poured from a form that strode past me to confront it. It was a woman of Golden armor. She shone like the sun, and the shadows fell back from her in stark terror.

One word thrummed across the plain as a huge, golden sword swung in an arc in front of her and the blackness was shattered.

"Mine," reverberated across the plains, and I heard screams behind the darkness as it retreated.

The golden Valkyrie turned toward me, and I couldn't see her face for the brilliance of the golden light.

She touched my face gently, "Rest now, you are safe."

As I slumped in exhaustion she knelt beside me, and I felt a jolt run through my entire being as she placed a kiss on my lips.

As my mind settled into unconsciousness, I heard a whisper that sounded like music, "Mine, forever."

I awoke with those words echoing through my mind. It was the dream/memory again. That is what scared me the most about it. Was it a dream or a memory or both? I've spent most of my life without wondering about the afterlife, but my brush with death has put me on a track where I can't help but think about it, now.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my face, trying to get the memories to return to the unconscious so I didn't have to face them.

"Time to begin building some shields," I muttered to myself.

Today I would place the first shield around the first facility completed out near the Gate. It was a barracks of sorts so that we can keep a force near the Gate at all times. It would house five hundred Soulguard troops and would contain nearly a thousand people for short term, such as while an attack was in progress. It would give us a place to mount our attacks from a strong point of defense.

If all went well, we would have four of these facilities up and running before the Kresh came back. But we couldn't count on that, so we build them one at a time and hope for the best.

Rictor knocked at my door, I could see his Soul through the walls.

"Come in Ric," I said.

"Hey, Boss," he said in greeting, "Jacobs is here to see ya."

"Send him in," I said.

Jacobs stumped in on his one leg and the shield prosthesis we had built and tied directly to his Stream. I could see the excitement rolling across his aura.

"It works!" he was practically jumping up and down, "We took the AC130 up and it worked like a charm. It takes two Mages and they can even be Support Mages."

"Great!" I said.

"Of course, I have some bad news too," he said, "the shielding is a bit more complicated."

"Shielding?"

"Yeah, we were toying with having another Mage putting shields around the plane to protect it from Demonmages. Unfortunately the shields messed up the whole process of flying so we almost crashed the plane."

I raised my left eyebrow.

"I said almost," he said quickly, "We just have to come up with a way to shield without affecting the aerodynamics of the plane."

I thought for a minute. We were trying to come up with things that were able to be done by Mages as well as a Soullord but I had an idea that I may have to do the shielding like I had done with the stuffed bear for Lyrica back in Knoxville. I had tied it directly to the Source and interwoven the shield throughout the bear, making it nearly indestructible.

"I might have a thought on that, Ivan," I said, "You remember Bearguard?"

"Yeah," he answered, "But there's no way I can do something that intricate."

"I'm thinkin' there are some things I'll just have to do myself," I said. "I don't want those planes flying unprotected if there was something I could do to prevent it. If you guys can come up with something easier that the Mages can do, then it's fine. But I'll work on how to do it that way, in the meantime."

"Sounds good, Boss," he said.