Sentinel's Rise: Book 1 - The Watcher and the Sentinel Series

by Yvette Bostic

  “I believe that’s the point, Sara,” Raphael said, withholding a laugh.

  She really liked the Runemaster, mostly because he was the only one who called her Sara. It was one thing that connected her to the life she lost when she was just Sara, homemaker, and retired government agent living in the American Midwest. Sara swallowed down the thoughts of her neighbors, her farm, and her family. Now wasn’t the time to work through her grief.

  “Your enemy will try to throw you off balance,” Mikel added. “I merely changed it up to force you to react.”

  “And now your shoulder hurts.”

  Mikel rolled his eyes and smiled. She really did enjoy the challenge. She never imagined she would learn to use a sword, and here she was, creating magical shields and fighting a man who could create an equally magical sword. Her lips drew up into a smile.

  “Why do I always get the eyeroll?” She looked over at Raphael and winked. He grinned back at her.

  “Alright, let’s try this again,” Mikel said. “And remember to keep an eye on my feet as well as the sword.”

  She let her arms hang loosely at her side and rolled her shoulders. Mikel circled slowly to the left. She moved with him, noticing the swirling light on his sword as it flickered in the sunlight. It arched down to her left, and the shield on her left arm flared to life. A shower of sparks cascaded around her, but she ignored them. She already had a bruise from that distraction. Mikel immediately twisted on his left foot and lunged towards her right. The left shield disappeared and reappeared on the other hand, but not quick enough to keep his sword from grazing her cheek.

  “Damn,” she mumbled.

  He stepped back and circled her again. Movement from behind him caught her eye, and her shield vanished. She ducked as Mikel’s blade rushed by her head, but her attention was no longer on her training.

  “Seraphina!” he yelled. “I have no desire to kill you. Stay focused!”

  “Look,” she whispered and pointed to the warriors stumbling down the steps of the tower. The two men followed her gaze.

  “I’ll make sure Magdelin is ready for them,” Raphael said in a rushed tone as he raced towards the hospital.

  Four men were already in the courtyard, heading in the same direction as Raphael, all of them covered in blood, dirt, and sweat. A tall, burly warrior with black hair hung limply between two others. They supported his weight between them, dragging him into the hospital. Two more groups followed, each carrying a wounded man.

  Sara held her breath as Claud emerged with one of the scouts leaning against him. Sara forgot the man’s name but remembered he was the one from the Middle East. His left foot dragged against the stone, and part of someone’s shirt was wrapped around the scout’s head.

  Stephen and Eva emerged next, thankfully walking on their own. Several more warriors followed, then Adalina and Darian. Sara’s chest tightened at the sight of her Watcher. His tattered shirt hung loosely from one shoulder. Was that smoke wafting from the frayed edges? Adalina picked up the remaining sleeve with her finger and laughed. Darian cut his eyes at her and the warrior grinned.

  “Darian. Adalina,” Mikel said, meeting them halfway across the courtyard.

  Sara’s legs would not move. The group of warriors and scouts had clearly been in a fight, and some of them were obviously injured. Eva came to her side, and Sara pulled her eyes from Darian.

  “Are you okay?” Eva asked.

  Sara blinked several times and looked at her friend. A black, tar-like substance dripped from the ends of Eva’s blond hair. The same black goo covered one whole side of her shirt and pants.

  “Are you kidding?” Sara replied. “I should be asking you that. Are you injured? Will those men be okay?” She pointed towards the hospital with genuine concern.

  “Yes, most of us are fine,” Eva replied.

  “But some of them couldn’t even walk!” Sara exclaimed. “And your fellow scout’s head was bleeding like crazy. I know his leg was broken.”

  “And Magdelin’s team is amazing,” Stephen said, walking up behind Eva. “They’ll be good as new in a couple days, even Ali’s head wound.”

  Sara frowned. How could they not be worried about their injuries? A few of them looked like they were unconscious, and even Stephen was dripping blood from a nasty gash on his arm. How did that not hurt?

  “And the demons?” she asked.

  “Unlike us, they didn’t survive,” Eva replied, then glanced up at Stephen. “Come on, cowboy, let’s see if Donielle can stitch you up.”

  Sara watched the pair walk away, then turned her gaze back to the trio still talking in the middle of the courtyard, about twenty yards from her. Adalina’s arms flew around her head as she talked animatedly. Mikel took a step back to avoid a wild swing, and Darian stared at Sara with a look she couldn’t decipher. She slowly walked towards them, coming within range of Adalina’s voice.

  “You should have seen the wall of flame. He’ll have to demonstrate for us, Mikel. It was amazing!” she said. “I want to know who he’s been practicing with because it certainly hasn’t been me.” She picked up the only edge of his singed shirt that kept the fabric in place across his left shoulder. “This really is quite useless you know. You’re better off without it.” She gave it a quick tug and the weakened cloth fell away with a loud rip. Darian completely ignored Adalina.

  “What did you do to her?” Darian asked, not taking his eyes from Sara.

  “We discovered her ability,” Mikel replied, also turning to Sara.

  “And that required beating her?” Darian’s voice sounded cold and sort of intimidating. She hadn’t seen this side of him yet and wasn’t sure she liked it.

  “Do you really believe that?” Mikel asked, his own voice becoming low and defensive.

  “She has bruises up and down her arms.”

  Sara was only a few steps from the trio now and could almost feel the tension.

  “It’s okay,” Adalina said, leaning towards her with a whisper Sara was certain everyone heard. “It’s a testosterone thing.”

  Sara nearly rolled her eyes at the comment. It was more than testosterone.

  Darian reached towards Sara’s face but stopped short of touching her. “And this?” he asked. “She’s bleeding.”

  “Oh, that was my fault,” Sara said, trying to diffuse the situation. She should’ve known that was the wrong tactic. “I was distracted by the warriors’ appearance in the courtyard.”

  “And I suppose you’ll try to convince me the rest of these are your fault as well?” Darian asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “That’s not really the question you should be asking, now is it?” she fired back. Why was he so upset about a few bruises on her arms? She just watched a dozen warriors being dragged to the hospital.

  His other eyebrow raised, and he took two steps towards her, placing him well within her personal space. “What question should I be asking?” he asked.

  “Maybe what we discovered about my ability?” she replied.

  Darian looked back at Mikel.

  “Show him, Seraphina,” their leader requested.

  “Sara,” she mumbled, taking a few steps back. Why could they not call her Sara?

  She took a deep breath and imagined her shield. A glimmer of light formed around her hands, but she couldn’t force it away from her body. She bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes, but still nothing.

  “It has stage fright,” she said. “Either that, or it has a mind of its own, and I can’t force it to do anything.”

  “Stage fright?” Darian asked.

  “It’s actually reactionary,” Raphael said, making Sara jump. She hadn’t heard him approach. “I think with practice, she might be able to summon it. But right now, she’s right. It has a mind of its own.”

  Several more people filtered out of the hospital, some with bandages, some not. Eva and Claud joined the group now circling Darian and Sara. She hated being the center of attention.

  “Come on, Sara,�
� Mikel said, grabbing her arm and leading her into the arena.

  “Did you just call me Sara?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer and she smiled. Score one for the new girl.

  They faced each other once again, but Mikel had not yet summoned his sword. He turned towards Darian with a warning look.

  “Darian, I will not hurt her, but if you interfere… you might.” He left the implied consequence hanging in the air. “She’s much stronger than you think and very capable of protecting herself.”

  Without warning, his sword flared to life and swung in a wide arch towards her ribs. It collided with her shield in a shower of sparks. She wished she could summon it at will, but not yet. He stepped back, his sword high over his head.

  “I’m going to pick up the pace, just a little,” he said. “You should still be able to follow my movement with ease.”

  She nodded, still holding onto the shield in her right hand. He brought the blade down hard and she raised both arms, crossing them in front of her face. Another shield flared in her left hand so that both deflected Mikel’s weapon.

  “Yes!” she hissed.

  Mikel dragged his blade across both shields, pulling them to the right side. When they separated, he lunged to the left. She blocked with her right, still holding the left shield. He went back to the right, then left, then right. She knew he was trying to lull her into that pattern, so she stayed alert and watched his feet. He shifted right again, and she adjusted with him, but he continued to the right three full steps, twisting his blade so the point was aimed at Darian’s chest.

  She screamed and threw her shield. It reached Darian at the same moment as Mikel’s blade. The swirling light collided with her shield and embedded itself several inches. Then, both weapons vanished. Sara looked at Mikel. Rage filled her chest, and she stomped towards him.

  “You bastard!” she yelled. “You could’ve killed him!”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Mikel said calmly, which made her anger burn even hotter.

  She was within inches of his face, his gray eyes staring back at her without fear. “How can you know that?”

  “Because you are my Sentinel,” Darian replied coolly.

  She looked at him and her anger simmered. “What does that mean?”

  “I didn’t understand that until just now,” he said, looking at Mikel. “That’s why Eli was so strong, wasn’t it? He was Juana’s protector.”

  Sara barked out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Have you looked at the difference between you and I?” she asked, waving her hand at her Watcher. “I’m just… I don’t know, an ordinary woman. Look at you and all that muscle and… stuff.” Her face flushed at her inability to articulate the absurdity of what they said.

  “Did you not see what you just did?” Darian asked, shaking his head.

  Of course, she’d seen it, but it meant nothing. Or did it? Two days ago, she never would’ve dreamt she could summon a magical shield, but here she was, attached to a man she didn’t know and preparing to fight against a bunch of demons.

  What the hell had she done?

  Chapter 21

  Darian

  Raphael stepped between Sara and Darian. “You two should come with me. Adalina can finish briefing Mikel on their mission.”

  “Do we have to do this now?” Darian asked, his voice rising.

  “Yes, I believe we do. There are things you need to know that cannot wait.”

  Darian sighed with resignation. “Where to?”

  “The plateau would be best,” Raphael replied.

  A quiet, “No,” escaped Seraphina’s lips, but he grabbed her hand and teleported them both.

  “I cannot be here,” Sara said when they arrived, turning away from the scorched earth from her daughter’s pyre. “Please don’t make me stay.”

  He didn’t know what to say. He had forgotten they’d just had her daughter’s funeral in this very spot the day before. It was hard to believe all of this started a little over a day ago, and it was harder to believe Sara’s family, the ones he’d helped protect for so long, had vanished so quickly. Darian bit back his guilt, trying to focus on the task at hand. Raphael had not followed him. The Runemaster was either delayed by Mikel or realized Seraphina would need time. Darian should’ve thought of that as well and suggested another place.

  “There is nothing here but us,” he said. “Raphael will likely wait for at least ten minutes before he arrives.”

  She had yet to turn and face the center of the plateau. Instead, she faced him. “Why would he wait?” she asked, leaning her head against his bare chest. “And why won’t you take me back?”

  “He’s apparently more intuitive than I,” Darian replied. “He’ll give you the time you need. He’s also the only one who can explain this, and I think it’s something that has to stay between us.”

  Her shoulders shuddered, and he longed to wrap his arms around her and give her comfort. But he couldn’t, not until she was ready.

  “I’m sorry, Seraphina. I never wanted this for you,” he said gently, grasping her arms and pushing her away. “I hoped you would be able to live and love without ever having to fight this battle.”

  “How can you say that when your prophecy says we have to do this together? Could you fight those things on your own?” She propped her hands on her hips and frowned. Tears pooled in her eyes but hadn’t spilled over.

  “We’ve been fighting those things without you for centuries.” He watched her bite her bottom lip, recognizing it was a sign of her thinking.

  “But how long have you been fighting without the Watcher and Sentinel bond?” she asked.

  He looked out over her head at the dead grass and blue sky. He’d used this space to hone his skills with fire for years, but that was all he’d done. Just practice. They hadn’t fought a major battle against the demons since Eli and Juana’s deaths.

  She seemed to sense his answer. “It looks to me like all of this has been timed perfectly by someone.”

  He took a deep breath and felt something brush against his skin. He looked down to see her finger tracing the tattoo above his heart.

  “What’s this one for?” she asked.

  How did she change subjects so fast? And how was he supposed to not react to her touch? His feelings for her already ran deep, and the new bond between them seemed to make it worse. He stepped away from her and towards the stone bench that overlooked the valley below. He didn’t want to explain his failure, and that tattoo was a constant reminder of it.

  “It was supposed to protect me from the power of the Citadel,” he replied. “But it didn’t work. We lost so many in that fight. I have to remind myself we won because it still feels like we lost.”

  He sat down, suddenly feeling extremely tired. She stood next to him, close enough that he could feel the heat from her body.

  “I’m sorry you lost the ones who meant so much to you,” she said quietly. “The pain doesn’t ever go away, does it?”

  He wanted to tell her it did and someday the pain of losing her husband and daughter wouldn’t be so bad. But after so many losses over a couple of centuries, he realized it never went away at all. “I suppose not, but it lessens with time. It gets easier to bear.”

  “I have a hard time believing that right now.” She sat down next to him and sighed. “It hurts to even think about them. I’m still trying to convince myself they’re not gone.”

  He understood her pain. Even after two centuries, he longed for Cyrus’ friendship. He also knew there was nothing he could say to her that wouldn’t sound fake or insincere. The common platitudes only irritated him, so he avoided using them on others, especially those he cared for.

  “What can I do to help you?” he asked instead.

  She looked at him with sad eyes and her lips pressed tightly together. “Show me how to be what I’m destined to be. I need to know there is a purpose for losing everything,” she said.

  “I can do that,” he said, mirroring her dete
rmination.

  “Are we ready?” Raphael asked, startling them both.

  “Is that necessary?” Seraphina asked as she stood. “Didn’t we just have this conversation when Eva and I were here?”

  “Yes, I believe we did.” he smiled, and Seraphina’s expression softened. “First order of business is something Sara noticed while you were gone, Darian.”

  Darian looked quizzically at Seraphina, then Raphael, and a surge of jealousy rushed through him. He tamped it down quickly, knowing that Raphael thought of no one other than Magdelin.

  “He called me Sara,” she whispered, nudging Darian’s ribs. He recognized it for what it was. A hint for him to do the same.

  “Stand up and face one another,” the Runemaster said, then handed Darian a t-shirt. “I thought you might want this.”

  “Thank you.” He pulled it over his head and faced his Sentinel.

  “Sara noticed the link between you,” Raphael began. “I tried to explain it, but I don’t think I did it very well.”

  “You mean the bond?” Darian asked.

  “Yes and no,” Raphael replied. “Put your hand here, in front of your chest. Now, light a small fire in your hand.”

  Darian wasn’t sure what Raphael was getting at but did as he instructed. A small blue flame glowed in the palm of his hand.

  “Nope, we need a red flame, not that pretty blue one.”

  Raphael winked at Seraphina, and Darian looked at her. Her eyes widened as the flame changed from blue to a smoky red. Darian’s eyes grew as the tendrils of fire edged around a thin filament stretching between the two of them.

  “That is the link between you,” Raphael said.

  Darian moved the fire closer to his chest, following the thin white cording. He scorched his t-shirt and backed away with a hiss.

  “Don’t bring it any closer to me,” Sara said. “This is my favorite shirt.”

  He chuckled and released the fire. “Alright. So what does that mean, Raphael?”

  “Right now, the connection is thin and weak. The last time I saw Juana and Eli’s it was over an inch wide.”