“Yeah, okay,” she replied, putting even more distance between them. “I have stuff to do.”
“As do I,” he said.
Darian watched her walk away, and he shook his head. Her fear and suspicion gutted him. He needed her to be his partner, but all she’d seen was a crazy man spouting about the end of the world. He’d approached it wrong, and ruined his chance to take her willingly. He pulled the air around himself and disappeared once again.
“How long has that been happening?” Stephen’s whispered voice startled him.
“Which part?” Darian asked softly, turning to see the silhouetted outline of his scout.
“The pain in her chest.”
“Several months,” Darian replied. “How did you know where to find me?”
“You’re rather predictable when it comes to her.”
They walked into the tree line bordering the pasture and released their concealment.
“You could’ve called,” Darian said, irritated that someone had witnessed his failure.
“I thought about it,” Stephen answered, the corners of his mouth twitching up. “But I didn’t want the vibration in your pocket giving you away.”
Darian rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass.”
“Probably.”
Stephen chuckled and looked towards Seraphina’s house. Darian followed his gaze, but his Sentinel was nowhere in sight. She’d probably gone inside to call the police.
“Two more days before our lives go to hell,” Stephen quipped. “It would sure be nice to have your bond with us.”
“I assume you saw our conversation,” Darian hissed. “The only way she’s going anywhere is unconscious over my shoulder.”
“For a minute, I thought you might convince her. She was willing to talk right up until you showed your ugly mug,” Stephen said.
“That’s not helpful.” Darian watched Sara emerge from the house and glance towards the fencepost several times. “Do you have word from Mikel?”
“Yeah, Australia received the same threat as all the others,” Stephen replied as he pulled a budding leaf from the nearest oak. “It looks like they delayed announcing it because their political leaders couldn’t agree on what to do.”
“So, no one’s been able to find the origination point?” Darian asked.
“Nope. I sure hope they do before Thursday. Otherwise, their meeting will be pretty unproductive.”
Darian grunted in agreement. “No word from any of the other scouts?”
“Not yet.”
“I’m going to the Citadel,” Darian said. “You want to join me?”
“Certainly,” Stephen replied. “It’s better than sitting around waiting for the inevitable.”
Darian laid a hand on Stephen’s shoulder and teleported them both to the edge of the field of death.
Chapter 5
Darian
They arrived in the midst of Canada’s towering white pines on the southeast side of what the Council named the field of death. Darian looked across the narrow valley at the eight square miles of barren land that looked so out of place among the natural evergreens of Canada’s wilderness. In the very center stood Zar’Asur’s Citadel.
A cool spring breeze whispered through the thick pines and caressed the bare skin on Darian’s arms. He toyed with the air, awakening the fire in his veins and warming his skin. Small blue flames danced across his fingers. It’d taken him decades and a great number of accidents to tame his fiery magic, but he finally had it under control.
“Is that necessary?” Stephen asked, glancing at the small flames and frowning. “I don’t see anything moving down there.” He pointed towards the Citadel and the large building next to it that housed Zar’Asur’s slaves.
Darian ignored his scout’s irritation. He normally avoided using his fire around his scouts, though he still wasn’t sure why it made them nervous. He turned his attention to the two old box vans occupying the space next to the wooden structure. And Stephen was right. There were no signs of life.
“Let’s get closer,” Darian suggested. “Just make sure you don’t cross into the Citadel’s shield.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
They each pulled their concealment around themselves, making their way down the sloping path into the valley. As they neared the edge of the dead field, Darian slowed. The tower loomed in front of them about two miles away. They couldn’t get any closer without the power of the Citadel drawing the life from them as it did to everything else around it. Even from this distance, he could see the dark, smoky tendrils reaching from the tower’s black stone. His eyes followed its rounded contours as it soared into the sky. It was easily one hundred feet tall with large, arching windows on the tower’s peak. It would almost be beautiful, if not for the evil emanating from it.
Darian had learned the hard way that Zar’Asur controlled the power of the Citadel, using it to kill everything in its wake. The Overlord forced it to steal the souls of his prisoners, creating undead slaves instead. The Citadel retained their lives within its stone walls, tying them to its master indefinitely. Two dozen of the Council’s warrior and scouts had nearly been part of the undead army Zar’Asur created. Darian shuddered at the memories of this place and refused to allow them to crowd his mind.
He took several steps north along the Citadel’s magical barrier, trying to get a better view of the vehicles as well as the door to the wooden, barn-like structure that housed the undead.
“Hey, boss,” Stephen called out with a harsh whisper at his side. “What’s that?”
Stephen pointed at the ground about a dozen yards in front of them and trotted towards the item he saw. He bent down and retrieved it, turning to Darian with a confused expression. In his hand was a single red rose, obviously recently cut.
“There’s a note on it.”
He pulled the small scrap of paper from its stem and handed it to Darian. As Darian unfolded the stiff edges, a sense of unease crept along his spine.
“Be mindful of your secrets, Watcher, as they are no longer your own.” He read the text out loud, then turned towards the tower. The vast expanse of dead grass remained motionless.
“He knows where Seraphina is,” Stephen stated.
“Possibly,” Darian replied. “But she isn’t my only secret. Imagine if he accused our scouts of being traitors or if he discovered the locations of our safe houses.”
Stephen frowned and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “How did he know we’d be at this exact spot?”
“I imagine there are dozens of these along the perimeter if we wanted to take the time to look.”
“Do we?” Stephen asked. “There could be more messages than just this.”
Darian remained silent for several moments, stuffing the piece of paper into his pocket. Was the Overlord trying to bait them deliberately? Were these little bread crumbs a trap?
“Let’s go north for a few minutes but stay together. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to eliminate us from the fight to come by luring us into a trap.”
They skirted around the perimeter for thirty minutes, finding four more roses with the exact same message.
“It looks he’s playing games, as always,” Darian said. “We’ve wasted enough of our morning. I’m going to Chicago to make sure there aren’t any messages for us at the office. I’ll meet you back in Santuario.”
Stephen nodded and vanished. Darian took one last glance at the ominous tower before teleporting directly into his private office.
The message light on his desk phone blinked in the dark space. The air around him felt violated as if someone used it without his permission. He caressed the air with his mind and wrapped it around his body, concealing himself completely.
Someone had been in his space.
He didn’t want to turn on the light and give the intruder any warning of his presence. So, Darian closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. The air swirled around the outline of his desk and chair, then floated along the wall to
wards the bookshelf and wet bar. His mindsight made a circuit around the room but found no one. He pushed it through the door and into the reception area, detecting the outline of the sofa and two flanking chairs. As he moved towards Eva’s desk, he noticed someone coming out of their conference room. He recognized her shadow immediately. His mind surged back to his body, and he stormed out of his office.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a low growl.
Silana jumped, but relief spread across her face when she saw him.
“Looking for you,” she replied.
Darian leaned against the wall next to Eva’s desk and crossed his arms over his chest. When had Silana come back, and what had she been doing in his office? He stared at her without further comment, waiting to see what excuse she’d make.
She stared back at him with a deep frown. He thought he saw uncertainty and fear rather than defiance. She took a deep breath.
“The portal to the tower has been closed to me,” she finally said. “And I wasn’t sure if the sentries at the gate would let me in.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Orin and Victoria have been summoned.”
Darian’s semi-relaxed posture straightened at the revelation. They knew it was a possibility; Orin said as much. But it also confirmed his suspicion that Zar’Asur wouldn’t wait ten days. He would attack the United Nations.
Silana’s shoulders slumped with her sobs, and Darian frowned. She may not have made the best choices in the past, but she was still on their side.
“I need to check on something before we leave,” he said. “There are sodas in one of the cabinets in the conference room. Help yourself.”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Okay, thanks.”
Darian went back into his office and closed the door. Picking up the receiver on his phone, he pushed the playback button for his messages. There was only one.
“Darian, this is Kreig. The time-table is moved up a day. I love New York.”
“Damn!” He slammed the phone down and pulled his smartphone from his pocket, quickly tapping Mikel’s number.
“Darian.”
“I’m bringing Silana home,” Darian said. “Meet me at the gates.”
“Ok, see you in a few minutes,” Mikel replied.
Darian heard the uncertainty in his leader’s voice but was grateful for Mikel’s trust. He would question Silana when they arrived, but he’d let her come home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darian arrived at the gates with Silana a few minutes later.
“We’re not authorized to let her in,” James said cautiously. He nodded curtly at the Runemaster’s apprentice.
“I know,” Darian said. “Mikel will be here in a moment. He’s expecting us.”
Relief spread across the man’s face. Silana had been part of their family for a very long time, and Darian knew James didn’t want to turn her away.
A few minutes later, Mikel pushed open one of the gates. Darian saw the uncertainty and distrust cross his features as he stared at Silana.
She started to speak, but Mikel held up his hand and silenced her.
“I assume you’re here because Orin has been summoned.”
She nodded, and her tears started again.
“Come inside. I want to know everything.”
Silana shuffled along behind Mikel, and Darian trailed after her. The gates closed behind them, and Darian wondered if their security was merely a charade. As much as he wanted to believe that Silana would not tell their secrets, he wasn’t sure if she would choose them over her sister.
They went straight to the meeting room, collecting Aneera and Raphael along the way. The group settled into their chairs, and Mikel gave Silana a hard stare. She raised her chin, but her tears pooled on the edges of her eyes and her bottom lip quivered. Darian had to give her credit for being able to meet Mikel’s eyes. He’d also been under Mikel’s judgmental gaze a few times. The slight man’s exterior didn’t match his true power.
“Why are you here and not with your sister?” Mikel asked.
“She wanted me to stay with her,” Silana murmured. “She begged me to.” She covered her quivering lips with her fingers and shook her head. “But she won’t win the fight against her demon now that Zar’Asur has summoned her. I know I’ll lose her, but I cannot go back to that monster.” She laid her head in her palms, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobs.
Mikel stood and ambled towards one of the narrow windows, pulling both hands through his hair.
Aneera laid a hand on Silana’s shoulder, gentle but firm.
“Silana,” she began. “Did Orin or Victoria tell you anything about the Overlord’s plans?”
Silana raised her head and wiped her eyes, sniffling loudly. “No, the summons doesn’t work like that,” she replied, her voice cracking. “I’m not sure exactly what happened, but Orin and Victoria felt it at exactly the same moment. It was more of a compulsion than anything else.”
“Do you know where they were going?” Mikel asked.
She hesitated, glancing between Mikel and Raphael. “No, they wouldn’t tell me… or maybe couldn’t.”
Mikel frowned. “Silana, you have been part of our family for a very long time, and I’ve trusted you with all of our secrets. But you’ve put me in a very difficult situation.”
Her head drooped, but she held back her tears. “I know Mikel. But I had to try to save her. I swear to you that I did not betray the Council. I didn’t tell them anything about you or Santuario.” She shook her head and continued. “I expected Orin to ask, but he never did.”
“I know I cannot stop you from leaving if you choose, but it would make me feel better if you didn’t.” Mikel held her gaze for several moments, and she finally nodded. “Raphael will need your help. I believe the next few days will be very difficult for us.”
“I understand, Mikel.” She stood to leave. “Thank you for not turning me away. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Aneera left with her, and Mikel seemed to deflate with their absence. He moved back to the table and straightened the map still spread across one end.
Darian rubbed his chin. He knew Mikel made the right call, even if it was a difficult choice. Not that Darian had any better news for their leader.
“The UN is moving up their meeting,” Darian stated, interrupting the silence. “They’ll be in New York tomorrow.”
Mikel blew out a deep breath. “I want your team in New York at the UN,” he began, pointing at the city on the US eastern seaboard. “You are the only ones who can be at the meeting without being seen. I hate that we’re in reactionary mode again.” He mumbled the last sentence under his breath and looked at Darian. “We nearly lost the last battle because we could not anticipate their actions. We’ve had no warning of Zar’Asur’s activities. Aneera would have seen a large demon summoning, so is he really going to use a nuclear or chemical weapon in New York?”
“Are you sure Aneera would have seen it?” Raphael asked. Mikel glared at him but didn’t reply. “The protections I gave her after the last attack may have blocked her vision to a small summoning. It’s been almost two hundred years. That’s more than enough time to create an army.”
Darian frowned. “But where would they hide that many demons?” The possibility didn’t make sense to him. “There’s no easy way to hide them, especially if they plan to attack the major cities. The world is a much smaller place today. We barely hide Santuario from satellite imagery and commercial airplanes.”
“I don’t know,” Raphael replied. “Who else could a demon Overlord use to fight a war for him, if not his own army? Surely, none of the humans would willingly join him, other than the Csökkent whose numbers aren’t that large.”
“None of my scouts have heard even a whisper of demons,” Darian said. “As much as I agree with Mikel about being reactionary, I think it’s our only choice.” He looked over at their leader. “Will Adalina’s men be able to provide support on the streets outside the United Nations building?�
��
Mikel nodded. “Most definitely. I’ve already discussed it with her, and they’re ready.”
“My group will be in place before sunrise tomorrow,” Darian said as he rose from his seat. “I’ll keep in contact with you as much as possible. My phone will be on silent, but I’ll text as soon as something happens.”
“I’m guessing your Sentinel will not be joining us?” Mikel asked.
Darian simply growled. He pulled the green gem from his pocket, once again doing a mental roll call of all his scouts. It was their call to Chicago, but he hadn’t used it this frequently in decades.
Chapter 6
Darian
Darian arrived at the Chicago office to find Stephen and Eva sitting in the reception area watching the news.
“I’m not sure how many more of these idiots I can listen to,” Stephen grumbled, mashing the buttons on the remote. “They’ve perfected the phrase – ‘Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one.’”
Eva snorted and snatched the remote from his hand. “No one says you have to watch it.” She changed it the History Channel and frowned. The commentator droned on about the mating habits of some cute little rodent.
Darian smiled and opened the door to his office. “Just tell me when everyone else arrives.”
They continued to bicker about the lack of interesting viewing choices, and Darian slumped into the soft leather of his executive chair. The message light flashed red on his phone, and he pushed it.
“Kreig, again. Shit’s getting bad. Call my cell.”
Darian sighed. Kreig was one of his contacts in London as well as a friend. He was named after his great-grandfather who worked with Darian in the Austrian Security Service years ago.
He picked up the phone and dialed Kreig’s cell number. It rang four times, then went to voicemail.
“Tag. I expect a coffee cup with ‘I love New York’ printed on the side tomorrow morning.”
Sentinel's Rise: Book 1 - The Watcher and the Sentinel Series Page 4
