Ghostknight: Resurrection - Excerpt 2 (beginning)

P. crept through the halls, the first guard was not far away and P. had not yet regained his former stealth. He suspected bitterly that he never would. His actions were more powerful than ever but his soul was no longer bound tightly to his body. It had been removed and replaced and no longer fit quite right. He had lost the fine control necessary for silent motion. He could be quiet, but that was not enough when one was dealing with Ghostknights. The increased strength and his new abilities almost made up for the loss, almost.
The first guard heard him when he was still three steps away. P. was certain he would not have gotten even that close if the Ghostknights had placed more experienced guards at his tomb. The man turned at the noise, his hand on the hilt of his sword, but he never drew his weapon.
He just stared at P., his mouth open in shock and horror. P. was filled with loathing for the man, disgust at the terror evident on his face. This ghostknight had everything P. had left behind. P. reached out and took it from him. He could see the faint shimmer of the man’s soul as it flickered in fear. Without thinking about the action, he stretched his hand out to the stuttering soldier, grabbed the shimmering soul, and pulled it from his body. The man’s face lost its terror and the body collapsed. P. regarded the soul in his hand calmly. It twisted and screamed in a voice no mortal could hear. It continued to writhe until P. drew the Krymmon and cut it in half. The faint halves of the soul wailed and then dissipated under a wind P. could not feel.