He smiled and released her hand.
Can’t you just tell me when you’re ready for me? she asked.
No, how about I tell you when I’ve taken care of my two? he asked in return.
Isn’t that what I just said?
Not really. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for you.
You’re an ass! she snapped.
I think we’ve already established that. Now, quit distracting me.
He crept towards the cultist sitting the farthest from the door. He stepped between the last two and silently pulled his daggers from their sheaths. They whispered from the leather, and he thrust the blades into the exposed necks of the men on each side of him.
Now would be good, Sara.
The other two Csökkent jumped to their feet as their brethren fell. Darian stepped back and released his concealment. He didn’t want Sara hitting him by accident. He saw the damage those little blades of light could do.
“Is it the Watcher?” the man on the right asked, his huge Adam’s apple bouncing up and down on his scrawny neck.
“How am I supposed to know?” the other answered. “Just kill him.”
They both raised their hands and started mumbling.
Sara! I either need your daggers or your shield, or this is going to get uncomfortable.
Both men released their spells at the same time. Darian rolled to the left and lunged towards the scrawny guy. The man screamed as Darian’s dagger sunk into his chest. Darian pushed the cultist to the ground as he took his last breaths.
Sara stood at the entrance with her hands over her face. The other Csökkent lay on the ground at Darian’s feet with a hole in his head. Relief flooded through him. He hadn’t been sure Sara would be able to do it. She hesitated but followed through in the end. Darian wiped his daggers and slid them back into their sheaths on his back.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he approached his Sentinel.
She shook her head but didn’t speak. He understood her shock. She’d just killed a man; regardless of what the cultist had done, he was still a man. She had also just watched Darian take three lives.
“What can I do to help you?” he asked in a soft voice. He was close enough to embrace her if she needed it but far enough to give her space.
Tears spilled from her eyes, and she cursed. “I will not cry!” The tears continued as she looked at him. “They feared you more than the survivors feared the demons.”
“They might have been justified in their fear,” Darian replied. He gently took her elbow and led her out of the cavern and away from the men they’d just killed.
“What did you do to them?”
“About fifteen years ago, I made them afraid to look for you. My tactics were somewhat… barbaric,” he replied. “I forced them to decide if they wanted to face me or their Overlord.”
Her eyes met his for the first time since they left the beach, but she didn’t try to intrude into his thoughts.
“How many times did they come for me?” she asked.
“I lost count by the time you were ten years old.”
“How did I not know?”
“Because you didn’t need to know,” he replied. “How could a little girl possibly deal with this?”
She wiped her eyes and scanned the room. “I suppose you’re right,” she muttered.
He knew he was, and he’d do it all again if he thought it would help protect her.
Chapter 38
Seraphina
Sara’s mind whirled as Darian took her to another safe house he wanted to check on. She wondered how many of the cultists he had killed to protect her. It didn’t seem to bother his conscience at all, and she wasn’t sure how that made her feel.
Her own guilt was another matter. It tore at her heart, and the lump in her throat re-emerged. once more. She’d watched hundreds of movies in her life where the good guys killed the bad guys and went on with their lives. What a crock of shit! There is no getting on with your life when someone else’s was snuffed out by your own hand.
But that cultist guy would have killed Darian; she was sure of it. He’d nearly finished his spell, his hands glowing with the lightning she’d seen the first time. Only this time, Darian was distracted, fighting against the scrawny guy. Could she have just thrown a shield in front of Darian, rather than killing that man? She shook her head; she already knew the answer. After his fear receded, the Csökkent had nothing but murder on his mind.
“Sara?” Darian’s voice called her out of her thoughts.
“Sorry.”
“You have no reason to be,” he replied.
They stood inside a large barn that smelled of fresh hay. She didn’t see any animals, but the lingering odor of manure said they had been there recently.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Just south of Munich.”
“Like Germany, Munich?”
Darian chuckled. “I believe it’s Munich, Germany, but yes.”
He pushed open the large carriage door, and she followed him towards a beautiful home. It was obviously old but well kept. Red brick faced the bottom floor of the home, and pale wood siding covered the second story. Clay shingles capped the roof, stone chimneys flanking each side. Red paving stones covered the drive and walkway up to the dark wooden door.
Darian pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door, holding it open for her. Her mouth gaped at the grandness of the foyer. Dark wood floors contrasted against the sand-colored walls. A formal staircase led to the second floor, but Darian led her past and into what looked like an office. Built-in bookshelves lined two of the walls. The third wall was filled with an enormous bay window covered with thick drapes.
“Darian, whose home is this?” she asked as she ran her fingers through the soft material.
He didn’t answer her right away, and she turned to find him digging through a desk drawer.
“Found it.” He held up an old skeleton key.
“What is that to?” she asked.
“The cellars. Come on.”
“Why are we going to the cellar?”
“The staff are locked in there, just like I told them to do.” He’d already turned his back to her and left the room. She hurried after him, down the long hallway. They passed several rooms she would’ve loved to ogle at, but she reigned in her curiosity. Their path ended in the kitchen at a locked panel. Darian inserted the key and pulled the small door open.
They were met by a stout woman holding a butcher knife. Sara watched a smile spread across Darian’s face. The woman dropped her knife and threw herself at Darian. He staggered back but held up against her fierce embrace. The woman’s words flowed from her mouth in urgent tones, but Sara understood none of it. She assumed it was German. Darian stepped back away from her, listening intently. His smile turned to a concerned frown. When the woman stopped talking, Darian looked at Sara.
“Claire, this is Sara,” he said in English. “Sara, this is Claire, the housekeeper of the estate.”
“Lady Sara, it is good to meet you,” Claire said. Her English was good but still carried her German accent. Sara couldn’t criticize since she only spoke one language and was clearly outdone by the housekeeper.
“It’s good to meet you as well, but please, just call me Sara.”
“Lord Darian says that all the time, but my grandmother would roll in her grave if she thought I did something inappropriate.”
Sara looked at Darian. His ears and cheeks were red. Was that embarrassment on the stoic Watcher’s face?
She opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but Darian’s thought interrupted her.
Don’t say a word! I’ll give you the story later, just not now.
Okay, but you know I’m not letting this go, Lord Darian.
She grinned, and he scowled.
“Claire, how many people are below?” Darian asked.
“Gus rounded up forty-eight adults and fifteen little ones.”
“Only sixty-three?” he
asked. “Where’s Gus?”
“He and Mister Leo were coordinating rescues when we heard about the attack on Innsbruck.” Her face fell, and she ran a hand across her nose. “I hope he’s with Leo.”
Darian backed into the kitchen and leaned against the butcher block counter. Claire followed him out and closed the door. Sara was surprised by the depth of concern in Darian’s face. He truly cared for these people.
“Did you see the army that attacked?” Darian asked.
“No,” Claire replied. “We stayed here in the cellars. I made sure all the lights were out, and the doors were locked. I even let the cows out into the fields, so it would look like no one was home. Gus stuffed a bunch of paper in the letterbox, so it looked like we hadn’t checked it in days.”
“You did well, Claire,” Darian said. “These people would not have survived without you.”
“Can you find Gus, my lord?”
“Of course, I will,” he replied. “As soon as I do, I think everyone should be able to go home.”
“We’ll be right here waiting for you.” She smiled, opened the panel once again, and disappeared into the darkness.
Darian let out a deep breath and pushed away from the counter.
“This is…” Sara began, but he held up a finger to stop her. This was his home, and he was nobility of some sort. Sara sighed. She’d find out the details later after they found this ‘Gus.’
He led her out of the house, down the brick paved drive, and into the street. Silence surrounded them, and Darian pulled her to a stop.
“It’s too quiet,” he said. “Leo’s house is about five minutes away. There are several more homes after his, then nothing until Innsbruck.” He pulled her off the road, stopping behind a group of trees. “I’m searching Leo’s with my mind first. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”
“Okay,” she replied hesitantly as he closed his eyes.
She looked around the small group of trees and noticed the absolute silence. Normally, there would at least be birds or insects, but there was nothing. She stood still for several minutes, her impatience wearing on her.
“This isn’t good,” Darian finally said. “I’m not certain what to do.”
“What did you see?”
“Orin, Victoria, and six Csökkent are waiting at Leo’s.” Darian ran a hand through his hair. “Why would they be at Leo’s? It’s hard for me to believe they don’t know which home is mine. It’s not exactly a secret.”
Sara thought about the little knowledge she had about the pair. Everyone said they would be the hardest to defeat. “Orin and Victoria are supposed to be our equal, aren’t they? The ones that Mikel was talking about?”
“Yes. He was surprised we hadn’t seen them already as they certainly have a part to play,” Darian replied.
“They knew you would come home to check on your staff,” Sara said. Just like the demons knew she would go back to her farm. “It’s only been… How many days has it been? Three?”
“Mikel and Adalina said some of the survivors in Calais had fled from Western Germany. They were pursued the entire way by that army of demons.”
“So, our nemesis may not have shown up here until yesterday,” Sara suggested. “That isn’t very long to wait.”
“No, it isn’t.” Darian looked down at her and frowned. “Do we go back to Santuario and get backup, or do we face them on our own?”
Sara chewed on her lip as she thought. Did she want to put the other warriors in the line of fire? It seemed foolish to do it without them, but they weren’t facing hundreds of demons. Just six cultists and two whatever Orin and Victoria were: super-powerful Csökkent.
“If we are the ones destined to defeat them, then we should face them,” she finally replied. “I know I’m untrained and insecure in my abilities, but it doesn’t make sense to put everyone else at risk.”
“Mikel would disagree with you wholeheartedly,” Darian replied. “He would say our greatest foes should be fought as a team, using our best resources.”
Were they their greatest foes? How could two people be so dangerous? Though, if what she understood about the Sentinel-Watcher bond was true, the same could be said for her and Darian. They needed to make a decision rather than stand in a group of trees.
“But isn’t it better to sacrifice two?” she asked.
“You aren’t doing a very good job of talking me out of this,” Darian replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
She reached out to touch his arm and stopped. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be talking you out of this.”
“This is a reckless decision. We should go for backup,” he stated, not moving away from her.
“But we aren’t, are we?” she asked, already knowing his decision.
“Nope.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Sara asked. “We can’t walk right up to them and ask what they want. We should take out the easy targets first.”
Darian’s eyes widened. “You know what that means, right?”
“Yes, I know what that means,” she shot back. Hadn’t she killed the other one? “We’ll have to kill the cultists because they’ll be the easy targets. I don’t like it, but I’m not stupid.”
“I never thought you were stupid, Seraphina.”
“So, we’re back to that, are we?” she asked, resenting the use of her real name. Did it mean they took another step backwards?
“Only when you say something stupid,” he replied.
“I thought you said I wasn’t stupid.”
Darian growled, and Sara laughed. She loved that about him, without having any reason to. “I know, this isn’t funny,” she said, waving her hand at him. “Can you get me close enough to see them?”
“I don’t think you should use that ability. It takes too much of your strength, and we might need to save it for Orin and Victoria,” he stated. “Orin also sees through my concealment, so we won’t be sneaking up on them.”
She chewed her lip again. “Well, that’s inconvenient.”
“I think our best bet is to walk right up and see if they want to chat,” Darian said. “Orin has always been reasonable, but if the Csökkent have any sway over him, that will have changed.”
“Can we assume they don’t know our abilities?” Sara asked.
“We can assume they don’t know yours,” Darien responded, “which will work in our favor. If the Csökkent attack, your little daggers might be our best offense.”
Fear and anxiety started creeping into Sara’s mind. Standing there idle wasn’t helping. “Okay, let’s go before I change my mind and go back to get Mikel.”
“You can’t leave without me,” Darian said with a grin, leading her out of the shelter of the trees.
“We need to fix that.”
“I suppose we do.” He stopped and faced her. “Actually, we should do that now. Just in case.”
Her fear doubled. He’d never suggested it before, which meant he was truly concerned about what they faced.
Chapter 39
Darian
“That’s stupid simple!” Sara said. “You guys make it out to be some super-secret-squirrel shit.”
Darian laughed. “Well, now you know. Let’s go.”
“Sure thing, Lord Darian,” Sara drawled sarcastically.
Darian pulled his hand over his face. She would never let this go. Maybe he’d be better off telling her about that part of his past so it was old news. As soon as they were done here, anyway.
“We have five minutes before we get to Leo’s,” he said, ignoring her comment. “When we get there, do not attempt to get inside Orin or Victoria’s mind. I have a feeling they would retaliate, which might not end well for you.” He glanced over at her and noticed her normally bronze complexion pale slightly. He didn’t want her to be afraid, but he needed her to be reluctant to use her mind against them. “The Csökkent will probably have some sort of protective ward around their minds, but I doubt it’s effective enough to keep you out. I don’t
want you to kill them that way, but it might be helpful to know what they’re feeling.”
“I understand,” Sara replied. “It would be great to know who’s running the show, Orin or the cultists. I should be able to tell that from their emotions.”
“Are you ready?” he asked as they walked around a bend in the lane.
A narrow two-story house loomed in front of them. Sara slipped her hand into his, and he squeezed her fingers.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied, though her uncertainty surged through their bond.
They slowly approached the house, and Darian saw Orin and Victoria first. They towered over the six men who stood on each side of them. Orin wore the same loose pants and light, linen shirt Darian had always seen him in. Victoria wore a long, dark, sleeveless dress. As they got closer, he noticed the neckline dropped below her sternum, and a long slit ran from her ankle to her hip.
Sara pulled him to a stop and spun around in front of him. He panicked at her abruptness and the way she gave her back to the enemy.
“What are you doing?” he hissed.
“At any point before now you could have mentioned they were demons,” she hissed back. “I was expecting some high-powered wizardy types, not demons.”
“I’m certain you were part of that conversation,” he insisted, racking his memory to see if that were true.
“Really, at what point in the last few days did we talk about it?” she asked.
“Okay, fine,” Darian conceded. “This is not the time to discuss this. You should not turn your back on them, ever.”
A tiny grin spread across her face, and he rolled his eyes. How was she smiling about this?
“The cultists are terrified,” she whispered. “I would love to meet the guy who tells the stories about you. I bet if you summoned a ball of fire right now, the guy on the far left would piss himself.”
Darian was dumbfounded. He looked over her head at the Csökkent. They appeared to be in control of their emotions, their hands hanging loosely by their sides. He didn’t see the fear she obviously felt.
He turned his gaze back to his Sentinel.
Sentinel's Rise: Book 1 - The Watcher and the Sentinel Series Page 24
