Fire Summoning (The Sentinels Book 2)

by David J Normoyle

  “Boo hoo you.”

  “And the worse thing is that nothing I ever do seems to make a difference. Ultimately, each child has their own personality, their own angers, their own flaws, their own mistakes to make. I’ve seen it again and again. Whatever I do, nothing changes.” Director Wells stood, walked to the door and held it open. “That hasn’t stopped me from doing my damnedest to help them each and every day. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I intend to continue that work.”

  Chapter 17

  Wednesday 23:25

  Three of us sat crammed in the front seat of the van with me between the driver and Sash. We all stared into the darkness ahead, none of us saying anything.

  The driver took a curve too fast, throwing me against Sash. As I pulled myself back into position, she scowled at me. I directed my own scowl toward the driver; he didn’t acknowledge it. He hadn’t said a single word since I’d met him; he’d only grunted when I’d asked him his name. Not only was he the most silent person I’d ever met, he managed to inhibit conversation in others. It made for an uncomfortable journey.

  We were being taken to escort the delivery of the truckload of titanium back into Lusteer. After my conversation with Wells, I had once more decided against joining Sash in Doctor Kressan’s office, instead returning to Transkey. She had let me know that no sentinel had been discovered, but other than that, we’d had little interaction since then. Which meant that the awkwardness of the failed kiss still hung between us.

  I needed to get her chatting to break the ice, but the driver’s all encompassing gloom got in the way of that. I leaned forward and peered through the windshield. In the darkness, I was just about able to make out that we were traveling along a long bridge. We were traversing the mountains to the west of Lusteer and had passed over any number of bridges and gone through a similar amount of tunnels.

  Were these mountains to which Duffy had retreated? I wondered. What had Heff meant when he’d said that Duffy was gathering his strength? Surely Sash and Walker and the rest of the sentinels wouldn’t blame me if Duffy turned out to be a major threat.

  It was a happy moment when the driver slowed, indicating the journey was almost over. The driver waited for a gap in traffic, did a U-turn, then pulled into a rest area on the other side of the road. He nodded at the passenger door. Sash opened it and practically fell out. I wasn’t far behind her, slamming the door shut behind me.

  Only after the van pulled away did I notice that there was no sign of the truck we were supposed to escorting. “Hey!” I ran after the departing van and slapped it on the side.

  The van accelerated away. “I’m going to kill Alex next time I see him.” I turned to Sash. “How long we are supposed to wait out here in the dark?” Though actually, it barely felt like full dark. The moon was bigger than I had ever seen it, bright enough to make the night a dull gray rather than black. “Do you have a number to ring?” I asked Sash. “So we can make sure we are in the right place and that the truck is on time.”

  “Let’s just give it a few minutes first,” she said.

  “Sure.” A truck roared past, sending a blast of cold air our way. I stepped further away from the road and zipped my leather jacket shut. “Anything new on the investigation in Gorlam’s?” I asked.

  “Wells has given me the personal files of all the orphanage employees, and I’ve started to look through them,” she said.

  “None of the three of them is the sentinel, but I bet either Kressan, Wells, or Travis is involved,” I said. “Did Doctor Kressan talk to you much while you were doing the test?”

  Sash nodded. “Too much. She’s like a three year old with her questions. Why is the sky blue? But why does it reflect off the sea? But why is the sea blue? But why? But why?”

  “I presume she was asking about sentinels rather than the sky color?”

  “She wanted to know all about Brimstone. She’s only just heard about it, and already she’s obsessed.”

  “Do you think that’s a sign she could be involved?”

  “If she was involved, she’d already know more about the magical world. Believe me, she wasn’t faking her ignorance.”

  A pair of headlamps lit us up as a truck turned in our direction. We waited while the truck came to a stop, then we approached it. I climbed up the steps and opened the door, receiving an immediate friendly greeting.

  “Howdy. I’m Danny the truck driver.” Danny was a chubby man with thick white handlebar mustache. He wore a wide-brimmed black cowboy hat.

  “Howdy.” I climbed in beside him, happy that our new driver was going to the be the opposite of the last one. Sash got in behind me.

  Danny tipped his hat to her. “Ma’am.”

  Sash smiled at him, then scanned the cabin. She nodded toward a small bed behind the front seats. “Can I sit there.”

  Danny nodded.

  “It’s going to be more fun in the front with me and Danny,” I told her.

  She maneuvered herself around me and climbed into the sleeper berth. There, she leaned against the corner and tucked her legs under her.

  “Let’s get going then.” Danny shifted the truck into gear and powered it back onto the road. It accelerated slowly.

  “Why do you call yourself Danny the truck driver?” I asked. “Seems a bit superfluous. The truck underneath your backside is a big hint.”

  “My wife always used to introduce me like that. At parties, church, everywhere,” he said. “I was never sure why, just a quirk of hers, I guess. After she passed away, I found myself doing it automatically.”

  I glanced away. “Sorry to bring up your loss.”

  “Don’t worry, young man. I like to remember her. And not in a sad way.” When he grinned, the tips of his mustache flared outward. “She loved a smile and a laugh, and that’s how I picture her. ‘I don’t know why people are miserable when they could chose to be happy,’ she’d say to me.” He pressed the clutch, and the gears grinded as he shifted up. Danny tapped on the dashboard. “This lady here is a hard worker, but she hates third gear.”

  I glanced behind at Sash. Talking to Danny was a lot more fun than the last driver’s silence, but it still felt like a lost opportunity.

  Danny saw me looking over my shoulder. “Get in the back,” he told me.

  “What?”

  He winked. “I prefer not to have people up front distracting me when I’m driving.”

  I glanced back again. Sash moved her legs so she was taking up the whole bed.

  “There isn’t enough room,” I said.

  “You’re a resourceful young man, I’m sure. You’ll find space.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Who’s the truck driver here? Inside my cabin, I’m like the captain of a ship. I give the orders.”

  I couldn’t help grinning. “Fair enough.” Sash gave a scowl, but she didn’t stop me when I eased her legs out of the way and sat down beside her.

  “And my radio’s broken,” Danny said. “So I want to hear plenty of chat from you two. You wouldn’t want me to fall asleep at the wheel.”

  Sash turned away when I looked at her. I couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “I’m hearing too much silence,” Danny said. “Say the first thing on your mind.”

  “Sash’s skin is very white and very smooth,” I said.

  Sash groaned. “You think now is a good time for compliments? Really?”

  “Who’s giving compliments?” I said. “A compliment would be saying your skin is beautiful. I’m just talking facts. Very smooth and translucent under the shine of the ceiling-light.”

  “Please stop,” Sash said. “Danny doesn’t want to hear this.”

  “Whatever you two want to talk about is fine with me,” Danny said.

  “Rune, have pity on the poor truck driver who has to listen to your clumsy seduction techniques.”

  “I’ve heard worse,” Danny said.

  “Danny, if you’d seen his kissing attempts, you wouldn’t be encouraging him,”
Sash said.

  “Bad, were they?” Danny asked.

  “Imagine someone sticking their tongue out, then trying to headbutt you,” Sash said.

  Danny shoulders shook as he laughed long and loudly.

  “I’m not putting up with any more of this,” I said. “Sash, hold very still.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to kiss you again.”

  “If you try, I’ll knock your head off.”

  I leaned in closer to her, holding her gaze. My left hand reached forward and grazed her hair. She nudged her head away slightly.

  She’s not joking, Jerome thought. Don’t do it.

  My head continued to inch closer to hers, slowly, ever so slowly. Her eyes were unreadable, pools of shadow under the ceiling-light.

  Abort, abort! Jerome thought. Think about how hard a sentinel can hit.

  Her expression gave no hint as to whether I could expect a punch or something more pleasant. After the immediate jerk away, her head remained still.

  Second by second, my face came closer to hers. She smelled of the night air, cool and mysterious. My lips brushed hers ever so faintly, and I paused. Only the tingle in my upper lip told me we were touching. I could hear the breath entering and leaving her body.

  I rolled my head and our lips touched fully for the first time. She felt warm and wonderful. Joy exploded within me. My face pressed closer, the roll of my head massaging my lips against hers. The kiss felt warm, wet, and delicious.

  “I can’t see what’s happening,” Danny said. “Someone tell me.”

  Sash broke contact, climbing out of the back and returning to the passenger seat.

  I sighed. “Way to break the mood, Danny.”

  “He’s not much better than last time, I’m sorry to report,” Sash said.

  “You didn’t hit him though,” Danny said. “There is that.”

  “I intended to. I still don’t know why I didn’t.”

  “Maybe you don’t find him as repulsive as you pretend,” Danny said.

  “He has his moments.”

  I leaned forward, sticking my head out. “Did you hear that, Danny. Not repulsive.” I fist-pumped. “Score.”

  Sash shook her head. “Look at him. He’s like a little puppy.”

  “What do you think, Danny?” I asked. “I’ve been trying to tell her all about my goofy charm.”

  “You two make an adorable pair,” Danny said. “Treasure this, you two. Youth is wasted on the young, they say, and it’s true. Before you know it, you’ll be middle aged, or worse, old like me, and feelings will lose their intensity. Nothing is ever like the first time. First kiss, first love.”

  “First heartbreak.” Sash’s voice cracked, and she turned to stare out the side window and into the darkness.

  Danny opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. He hunched over the steering wheel, peering forward.

  The momentary gloom brought on by Sash’s words and body language didn’t dim my mood for long. I had kissed a girl for the first time. And not just any girl, but the beautiful, incomparable Sash.

  Just then, Sash tensed, leaning forward to stare into the side mirror.

  “What’s going on?” I asked her.

  “Something’s happening,” she said.

  Danny sat straight in his seat. “What was that?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Something happened to the truck,” he said. “It felt like something big landed on the trailer.”

  I hadn’t expected anything to happen on this trip. I’d thought Sash and I were here as a precaution. How did whoever was out there even know about the titanium? “Were you warned to expect anything?” I asked Danny.

  “When I was told to pick up security, I was worried,” Danny said. “When it turned out to be you two kids, I figured it was some joke. I hadn’t worked out the punchline.”

  “The punchline has just landed on the roof,” I said.

  A shadow swept past the windshield. Danny leaned forward, staring upward. “And the thing that just flew overhead?”

  “Another punchline.” I turned to Sash. “What do we do?”

  “We get rid of them.” She pushed open the truck door, and a blast of cold air burst through the cabin.

  “Wait. You can’t—” Danny shouted.

  Sash disappeared outside, and the door slammed shut behind her.

  “Is she crazy?” Danny said.

  “Most definitely.” Unfortunately I had no choice but to help her.

  Chapter 18

  Thursday 01:55

  I yanked on the handle and pushed the door open. It instantly crashed shut. Beelzebub. I leaned my shoulder against the door, using my body to hold it open as I squeezed out, getting a foot onto the step underneath the door and twisting around.

  Danny said something, but the words were snatched away by the roar of wind in my ears.

  “What?” I cupped my ear in his direction.

  “What do I do?” Danny shouted. “Should I stop?”

  I shook my head. That would make it easy for whoever was attacking to get the titanium. “Keep going!” I shouted. “Just keep her on the road.” I pulled my body fully outside and the door slammed shut.

  The wind whipped at me, threatening to tear me off the truck. I held on tighter and leaned close to the door. Sets of headlamps streamed past me from the opposite lane. A car beeped loudly, and I realized that the truck was drifting across the middle line. Get it together, Danny, I mentally ordered.

  I twisted around to look behind. A dark pickup swerved back and forth just behind the truck. When a gap in the traffic opened up, the pickup pulled alongside the truck and a shadow jumped from the back of it and onto the trailer.

  Wind thundered through my ears, blocking out all other sound. I crabbed backward seeking out handholds and footholds, keeping myself flattened against the truck as much as possible. I swung myself around and into the gap between the truck and trailer, glad to get a brief respite from the wind. I shivered, realizing how cold I was.

  A ladder on the front of the trailer allowed me to quickly climb up onto the roof. Due to the full moon, I could make out what was happening clearly. Standing on the roof, leaning into the wind, Sash faced off against two shifters in wolf form.

  And from behind, a phoenix swooped down toward her.

  “Watch out!” I shouted. Even shouting at the top of my lungs, I couldn’t be sure she could hear me over the roar of the wind. She must have though, because she suddenly swiveled, her double-bladed staff appearing in her hands. The phoenix’s wings flapped wildly and he rose higher, flying above Sash’s head. She swung at him and missed.

  I ran to help her, keeping low and taking long strides. My feet bounced against the metal paneling of the roof. The wolf shifter furthest away retreated to the back of the trailer, swung his legs over the side and clambered down. The closer shifter opened his snout and snarled, spreading his arms wide and showing his claws. I joined Sash; we stood side by side. I summoned my fireswords, and they sprang to life, creating a bubble of red light that surrounded the two of us.

  Despite his earlier display of aggression, the shifter now backed away. He clearly wasn’t keen on taking on two sentinels. I glanced over my shoulder, keeping an eye out for Heff, then I started forward after the shifter.

  The truck lurched, flinging me toward the edge of the trailer. Continuing backward, I could see the hurtling traffic below. I clawed at the air, but with nothing to grab onto, I had no way to stop my fall.

  Sash leaped forward and clutched hold of my arm. I didn’t immediately stop, and for an instant I thought Sash and I would both plummet off the side of the truck. Then Sash braced herself hard, stopping my momentum. She yanked me back to safety.

  The truck lurched again. I wobbled, but this time managed to maintain my balance. I looked down to see what the hell Danny was up to. The pickup had caught up, and it was swerving across the front of the truck, trying to force it off the road.

/>   Sash shouted something, but her words were snatched away by the wind. I cupped my hand to my ear. She pointed to herself and nodded toward the two shifters at the back. She then gestured for me to deal with the pickup.

  I nodded, let my fireswords disappear, lowered my head into the wind, and staggered toward the front of the trailer. Sparks flew high into the night air as the pickup skidded against the side of the cab. The truck jerked back and forth as Danny struggled to regain to control.

  Inside the bed of the pickup, a woman stood holding onto the roof of the cab, swinging back and forth as the pickup swerved to avoid incoming traffic. I crouched, preparing to leap down onto the pickup. Jumping was clearly a foolhardy, idiotic idea—I didn’t like my chances of landing on the pickup, and even if I did, I was likely to immediately roll off. And that was without the woman trying to stop me.

  What choice did I have? I couldn’t allow the truck to be run off the road.

  Before I had a chance to jump, though, the woman slashed out with an arm in my direction. I didn’t know exactly what was coming my way, I just had the sense of darkness rippling. I leaped into the air.

  It wasn’t meant to be a backflip, but it turned into one. I managed to get my legs under me just in time, bending my knees as I landed on the other side of the trailer, right on the edge. I spread my arms wide as a wobbled back and forth, struggling to regain my balance. Once I’d steadied, I stepped forward so my heels no longer dangled over the edge. Only then did I allow myself to take a breath.

  I glanced back to check if Sash had noticed my acrobatics.

  Idiot, Jerome thought. Then: Watch out.

  The woman slashed her arm back the other way. The darkness rippled again. This time I summoned my left firesword and used it to block what was coming my way. As fire made contact with smoke, light flared and I was able to see what she was attacking me with. She wielded a thick cord of black smoke that reached all the way up to me.

  A mountain reared up in front of us, and the truck and pickup charged into a tunnel side by side. After a brief flash of darkness, the roof lights provided at least as much light as the moon had.