Sentinels of Creation

by Robert W. Ross

  “Meghan, I know I’m shit at math, but last I checked, twenty was less than twenty-one. I know the folks who run that place. This is not cool.”

  “She has a fake ID, Kel, it is completely cool.”

  “What? When? Who the fuck got her that? Meghan?”

  “No, it’s me again, Sweetie. Are you going home or coming here?”

  “Uh, I guess I could come there. I’m kinda hungry though.”

  “Excellent, we’ll go to Fix for pizza.” Kellan could hear the smile in her tone.

  Meghan’s muffled voice came through again. “How are your balls? Did they shrivel up or anything?”

  Muffled Juliet: “Gross, Meghan.”

  Kellan ground his teeth and his voice rose in pitch, “Shannon, babe, were you talking to them about my little vampiric visit to Mircalla and Ah’Anon.”

  “No—”

  “So, Meghan was just expressing a random interest in my testicles then?”

  There was a pause and Kellan heard giggling. “Well, maybe I said a little something. But I was worried and had to talk to someone about it. They think you are very galant and brave. We all know how attached you are to your boys”

  Kellan heard a chorus of laughter, then Meghan’s voice again. “And James said he can have Jarvis discretely check your boys’ motility to confirm you are healing properly.”

  “Holy shit, you told James? I’m never going to hear the end of this. Is there anyone in Roswell who doesn’t have a complete rundown of my testicular situation.”

  “Mom and Dad don’t know,” said Juliet.

  “Well, that’s something at—wait, why are you all talking? Do you have me on speaker phone?”

  There was another pause and Shannon said, “No—see you soon Sweetie. Meet you at Fix. Bye”

  The phone went black.

  Kellan took a deep calming breath as he merged onto GA400. He stroked the Impala’s leather steering wheel. “You are the only girl that’s nice to me, baby. The only one.”

  Kellan shouldered open the door to Fix Pizza and felt the immediate warmth as he scanned the restaurant. He slipped the hoodie off his head and quickly rubbed his hands along his arms. It was cold for Atlanta and he had walked the entire length of Canton Street because there was nothing but valet parking nearby.

  He spied the three of them in a booth near the back, waved to the owner/chef, Jacamo, and walked towards them.

  “You look cold, Kel,” said Juliet.

  “I am cold. I walked all the way from Adel’s”

  Shannon had just taken a bite of the pizza bread appetizer they had ordered but talked around it, “This isn’t cold. I’ll show you cold. The Highlands are cold, and real men still don’t wear pants.”

  Kellan gave her a flat expression.

  Meghan leaned in. “If you are that cold, why don’t you just use the valet, Kellan. I mean the city even makes it complimentary.”

  “For the hundredth time, Meghan. It’s not about the money. It’s the principle. I’m not going to leave Baby with some twenty-something Gen-Zed’er in exchange for a slip of paper.” He glanced to Juliet. “No offense, Juliet.”

  “None taken, boss. I’m a responsible twenty-something who owns a bookstore and doesn’t park cars.”

  He nodded to her smiling, “Indeed you are. Anyway, I’m hungry. Please tell me you already ordered.”

  “Of course we did,” began Shannon, “it should be here any minute.”

  “Awesome what did—”

  “Ok,” interrupted Meghan, refusing to let the previous subject go, “Ok, then why don’t you just fire up those peepers and channel yourself all toasty warm?”

  Kellan sighed. “Meghan, you know I try to solve mundane problems with mundane solutions. Being cold is mundane. I’m not going to ‘fire-up my peepers,’ just to avoid a perfectly normal Atlanta winter’s day. Besides, wandering around with brightly glowing green eyes isn’t going to help me keep a low profile.”

  Meghan nodded. “Ok, I’ll grant you that last one, but not the other. Remember, I know about both the Scotch and the Van Gogh.”

  Kellan glared at Shannon who suddenly found herself fascinated with some aspect of the table’s construction.

  Juliet broke the silence before it could thicken and said, “You know what pizza we got you, Kel. It’s the Hot Fix with extra mushrooms.”

  “Am I that predicable?”

  “Yes,” they all said in unison.

  “Whatever. When will the food be ready?” Kellan leaned in and whispered, “You guys know what channeling does to my metabolism. I could eat this bloody table.”

  Meghan matched his whisper as Kellan saw black wings appear shadowed on the wall behind her, “My devil-powers tell me the food is almost here.”

  Kellan’s eyes widened. “Stop it, Meghan,” he growled, “someone will see.”

  “Oh, keep your panties on. They will not. Here’s your food, now.”

  The server set down three pizzas and four plates, asked if they needed anything else, then left with a smile.

  Kellan reached for a piece of pizza and said, “So are we sharing these or what?”

  Shannon moved one of the pizzas towards herself protectively. “Do not,” she said in a low voice, “touch my pizza, Kellan Thorne.”

  Juliet snickered. “Meghan and I are sharing this one. I’ll trade you a piece, but it’s a white pizza.”

  Kellan frowned. “Nah, I’ll stick with this one.” He glanced around the table. “No pepper flakes. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  A couple minutes later Kellan returned to the table and grumbled that he hoped his pizza hadn’t cooled. He sprinkled the pepper flakes across it and took a big bite. It was amazing. He was about to take another bite when he saw Shannon staring at him with an odd expression.

  “What?” he asked.

  She pointed at his right hand. “What’s that?”

  “Pizza?” he answered.

  “No, what’s that on your hand?”

  Kellan put down the slice and looked at his palm. “Oh, that’s what took me so long. Jocamo is looking for a roman history book in the original Italian. I tried to pawn him off on Juliet, but he wasn’t having it. Anyway, I left my phone on the table so just wrote the name of the book on my hand.”

  Shannon reached over and took his hand in hers, then stared at it intently. She looked up at Kellan. “You best eat quickly, Sweetie. I think you’ll be leaving soon.”

  Kellan had already taken another bite and said, “Huh, where?”

  “Glenn Ferry.”

  “Glenn Ferry? No, I’m not. Why would we be going there?” Kellan got a panicked expression on his face. “Wait? Shannon, are you ok? How much time is left on your locket?” He reached for the leather thong around her neck but she caught his hand and laid it back on the table. With the other she fished out the locket and showed it to him. The small glowing hashmarks that indicated her soul’s tether to its original timeline covered more than half the round dial. He sighed with relief.

  “I’ve got weeks yet before I need to portal back to my timeline, Kellan. Anyway, we are not going. You are going.” She smiled mischievously and added, “I am already there.”

  “Time shit,” said Meghan.

  “Timey Wimey,” said Juliet

  “Wibbly Wobbly,” finished Shannon.

  “Stop it. All of you,” said Kellan. “What makes you think I’m going to Glenn Ferry?”

  Shannon pointed to Kellan’s hand with the pizza slice, then said, “Because that was written on your hand when I saw you there in 1285.”

  “Twelve eighty-five. Twelve eighty-five. What did you tell me happens in Twelve eighty-five?” Kellan’s eyes began to move back and forth slightly and the women exchanged a knowing glance as he internally scanned his eidetic memory for the reference. A moment later he stared wide-eyed at Shannon, “Ohhhh.”

  She grinned at him in a distinctly predatory fashion, “Yes, Kellan, Ohhhh,” then finished her piece of pizza.

&nbs
p; Meghan had been eyeing the exchange when Juliet said, “Oh, what? I don’t get it.”

  “You don’t want to,” said the former Marine. “Trust me, Juliet, you really don’t want to.”

  The young woman looked first at Kellan who seemed to blush and then to Shannon to grinned back at her wickedly. “Ewww, ewww, ewww, Shannon, you are gross. I’m outta here. Need to get back to the store anyway.”

  Kellan followed her out with his eyes and then turned back to Shannon. “Do you have to torture her like that?”

  “She need not be so prudish, Kellan Thorne. It’s a perfectly natural thing for two people to do,” then added, “when in love a course.”

  “I’m like her uncle-brother, Shannon. No one wants to think of their uncle-brother doing—things, no matter how natural.”

  Shannon shrugged noncommittally. “Seems perfectly natural to her with Glenn.”

  “What,” growled Kellan. “What do you mean, ‘with Glenn,’”

  Meghan was shaking her head. “Oh, Highlander, you really fucked up now. Juliet is gonna smother you in your sleep.”

  “Rest easy, both of you now. There is nothing to get yourselves in a tizzy over. Juliet is still pure as the driven snow. She was just asking questions is all.”

  Kellan took an angry bite of his last piece of pizza and said, “I hope one of the questions was, ‘Will Glenn survive making said snow less pure?’ The answer is ‘No. No, he will not survive.’”

  Meghan leaned back and put a booted foot on the empty chair left by Juliet. She looked at Kellan and smiled. “Why the double standard? Seems I recall we were several years younger than her when you and I—”

  Kellan held up a hand and said, “Stop. I am done with this conversation other than to say that your devil blood probably made me do it.”

  Shannon arched an eyebrow as she popped the last of her pizza in her mouth. “Will ya do me a favor, Sweetie?”

  Kellan was suddenly suspicious. “Maybe.”

  Shannon stood, untucked her shirt and rolled it up to expose her waist. “See that scar?”

  “Yeah, you have lots of scars. I like ‘em.”

  “That’s wonderful. I like most of them too, because I got most of them with you or because of you. However—” she pointed, “This one, I don’t like because it’s stupid and all puffily. It is also your fault.”

  “My fault?”

  “Yes. Now listen. When you go back to Glenn Ferry there is going to be a bit of a scuffle. When you remove the arrow, do not just pull it out. The tip is barbed and causes the puffily. Break it off and pull it through both sides.”

  Kellan shook his head. “A scuffle?”

  Shannon shrugged as a server passed by and bumped the table causing Kellan’s beer to slosh onto his hoodie. He reached for a napkin and started dabbing at it when she said, “Well, looks like you will be leaving. Have a nice trip, sweetie and don’t forget about that arrow.” She made a snapping motion with both hands and added, “Remember, pull it out from both sides.”

  Kellan looked up, “I’ll remember, not that it will help since apparently I already did it the wrong way.”

  “Minor paradox,” she said.

  Kellan stared at the damp mark left by the beer and frowned. “What makes you think I’m leaving anytime—” He broke off and grabbed his head wincing, then stood up causing his chair to tip over.

  Meghan looked alarmed but Shannon put a calming hand on her arm. “That’s just past me getting hit with the arrow. It’s poisoned and had me pretty worried.” Meghan relaxed, but only slightly and continued to stare at the Soulborn who added, “What? I was younger then and,” she pointed to Kellan, “he hadn’t ever showed me how to store or channel borrowed power.”

  The Sentinel continued to rub his temples and stared wide eyed at Shannon. “You are terrified and hurting,” he cried as people began to stare at them.

  “I think terrified is a bit much, Kellan,” she said with a sheepish sideways glance to Meghan.

  “I’m feeling it right now, Shannon.” Kellan said as he started to stumble toward the back door.

  “I was just being dramatic, sweetie. Don’t you worry. We are going to be fantastic.”

  The back door banged as Kellan left the restaurant and Shannon reached forward to grab the half-eaten last piece of his pizza. She felt Meghan’s eyes on her and turned as she took a bite. “What, he’s not going to eat it.”

  Kellan gave a cursory look around the alley behind Fix Pizza. It was empty. He embraced the fullness of his power and felt it course into him. The familiar weight of manifest armor pressed against his skin, a shield coalesced around him and he whipped out his right hand. Instantly a glowing oval ripped the air as Kellan fixed the time and place firmly in his mind. Warm air brushed his face as he set his jaw and leaped through.

  The young Sentinel felt the familiar tension that always accompanied his temporal portal jumps. Time tried to rend his very soul, but could get no purchase because a Sentinel’s soul was anchored only to Creation itself rather than a mortal birth. Still, it was not a pleasant experience and always left Kellan a bit woozy which was never a good thing when stepping into conflict.

  His eyes crossed a bit as a gleaming dagger streaked toward him and struck his shield, glancing off scant inches in front of his face. He crouched and took in the surrounding area.

  Not good.

  Shannon and two young men were fully engaged in deadly combat with several creatures Kellan didn’t recognize. Shannon had her back to Kellan and he saw a dark red stain growing along her tunic around where the tip of a wickedly barbed arrow protruded. To her right one of the creatures, a twisted and malformed thing with grey skin and razor sharp nails, leaped for her. Kellan lanced out with cupped hands and channeled a narrow column of pressurized air directly into the creature as it leaped for her. The column struck and hurled it into air. Kellan leaped up willing power into his legs, bending time, and gesturing upward. Five small dark clouds formed above them. From two of the clouds, white blue streaks followed the Sentinel’s unspoken command and lanced outward to bury themselves into the flailing creature. It shrieked as the lightning consumed it leaving only a charred black husk which thudded to the ground.

  Kellan released his hold on time as he drew up beside Shannon, put one arm protectively around her, and turned her slightly to the left. A mostly humanoid creature had been bearing down on her with a massive two handed sword already arcing toward her head. Kellen felt the heat in his eyes intensify as he reached out, his gleaming Sentinel’s sword forming from mist to impale the creature in the center of its chest. He twisted it and willed power up through the sword. Green fire burst from the creatures eyes leaving only black holes. It slumped to the ground.

  Shannon turned frantic eyes to Kellan and he saw first surprise, then recognition, and finally relief.

  “Hello Sweetie,” Kellan said and gave her a quick kiss.

  She pulled back, surprised. “Kellan? Kellan Thorne?”

  “You were expecting someone else?” he said with a laugh as he reached out his hand. “Go on, siphon off some power, use some of it to staunch your bleeding and put shields on those two. Who the hell are they anyway?”

  She stared at his hand dumbly. “Them? That’s Donal and Oren. Now, what are you goin’ on about? Siphon? What’s that?”

  Kellan yelled, “Donal! Oren! To me!” then lifted his right hand as a glowing orb formed and rotated. They were already moving toward him when Kellan shouted, “Down!” They dropped to the ground and Kellan released the orb which flew over their heads trailing a comet-like tail of fire. It burst among three of the pursuing creatures who fell and rolled in a desperate attempt to quench the fire. Shannon moved as quickly to them as her wound allowed and pulled Donal up followed by Oren. The three slowly backed away from the massing creatures and nearly bumped into Kellan in the process. He again held out his hand to Shannon. “What are you waiting for, take it.”

  She glared at him. “Take what you daft man.
Take your siphon. I have no earthly idea what you are on about.”

  Kellan stared at her a moment, dumbstruck, then Shannon’s earlier words from the restaurant came to the fore. He hadn’t ever showed me how to store or channel borrowed power. He cursed himself a fool and was about to try and explain when Donal said, “Is this him, then, Shan? Is this your Sentinel?”

  Before she could respond, Oren pushed between them and grasped Kellan’s still outstretched hand. “It’s good to see you again, Sentinel-Kellan. It’s Oren. I’m Amy’s son. You saved my sisters and me from—”

  Kellan reached up and briefly embraced Oren’s hand in both of his, then pulled back. “I remember you Oren. You’ve grown up. Now’s not a great time for greetings though. What have you three gotten yourselves into?”

  “Look out,” yelled Oren and he leaped forward as a brilliant red ball erupted from the boney staff held by a dog-like creature Kellan hadn’t seen. Before he could react, massive black shadow wings burst from Oren’s back and crossed in front of him even as the fiery ball struck. The shadows seemed to drink up the fire and then Oren reared back and arched forward. The wings likewise whipped in that direction and an amber glowing pressure wave burst outward striking the shamanic creature. It stood frozen for a moment, then crumpled to dust.

  “Holy shit!” yelled Kellan, “What was that?”

  “Kobold shaman,” said Donal.

  “Huh, oh, yeah,” said Kellan, “thanks, but I meant what Oren just did”

  “That was one stupid Kobold,” said Shannon with a smirk. “Tossing fire at a demonic nephilim, what did he think was going to happen. Nice work, Oren.”

  The young man turned, and his face lit up at her words. He glanced to Kellan, blushed, and looked away.

  What’s up with that? Thought Kellan, but put it out of his mind as he turned to Shannon. He cupped her face in his hands and held her gaze. “Ok, Shannon, you need to listen to me.” She nodded. “When was I here last? 1280 right?”

  She nodded again, “You helped Liam, Donal, Papa, and me fix the cottage.”

  It was Kellan’s turn to nod. “Ok, so that hasn’t happened for me yet. This is the first time I’ve seen you here in Glenn Ferry since you were a kid.”