Sentinel Lost (Mind Sweeper Series Book 5)

by AE Jones

  He shrugged. “Someone recently reminded me that you have to take a risk in order to do the right thing.”

  “Since when did you start listening to me?”

  “I’ve always listened to you, Kyle. However, I haven’t always agreed with you.”

  “You just skirted my question again, Nicholas. Are. You. In. Trouble?”

  “No. Now tell me how Joe is doing with everything.”

  “He overheard us talking, so he knows some of what happened, but not everything by a long shot.” I frowned. “Something’s been bugging me about him being descended from angels. Why didn’t the Key boxes glow when they were exposed to him?”

  Nicholas shrugged. “The box did respond to Joe. It chose him as the Sentinel.”

  I nodded. “Do you think I should try to give him back his memories?”

  “You could try. But I don’t think you can. At least not with your gift. There’s always the fear that the pain would return as well. But you can give them back to him in another way. Tell him about them.”

  He held out the bouquet to me, and flinched as I accepted it.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Just a thorn. Be careful.”

  He stared at his thumb. A drop of blood beaded on the tip, and he watched it for a moment before wiping it off with a fingertip.

  Chapter 47

  Father Brown sat next to me in the confessional, and he was frowning. Big time. Not what you wanted to see during confession. And while I wasn’t technically confessing my sins, I was describing what had happened over the past few weeks.

  “I’m sorry, Father.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay now. I wish I’d known you were hurt.”

  “Would you have prayed for me?”

  “Kyle, I’ve been praying for you since the day I met you.”

  “Hey!”

  He chuckled. “That didn’t come out the right way. You’d been given a huge responsibility to protect our world. I didn’t think it would hurt to pray for you.”

  “Thanks, Father, I can always use the backup. And I want to thank you anyway. The translations helped tremendously with the case. I wish I’d been able to bring the actual tablet and box for you to study, though.”

  “They were destroyed in the fire?”

  “I don’t know for sure about the tablet. We couldn’t find it afterward. But the box disappeared in a flash of light and sparks when I threw it into the air. And the box we had in our safe has also disappeared.”

  “Once the Key left you, it had to return somewhere.”

  “Yep. I think it went back into its box, and the angels have taken possession of it again.” I took a deep breath. “And I think your theory about different Keys is spot on, Father. When I touched the other box, it surged with power, but it was different from what was in me. Like polar opposites fighting each other.”

  He stared at me for a moment. “What was it like when the Key spoke to you?”

  How to explain the unexplainable? “At the time it made sense. Like all uncertainty was gone. That all I had to do was think about a question or problem and I would be given the way to solve it. Since my priority at the time was stopping the demons from opening a permanent portal, those are the answers I locked onto. Before it short-circuited my brain, that is.”

  “Did it tell you its ultimate purpose?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that, Father. Its purpose is to serve as a safety-gap measure when something really bad is about to happen. Like apocalyptic bad. Even though it started out in a crazy vampire’s hands, it found its way to Dalton, and then to me. It was as if it knew we would need it when the realm demons attempted their breakout months later.” I hesitated, uncertain what to say next.

  “And?” Father asked.

  I shook my head. “You should have been a shrink, Father.”

  “To a certain degree, priests are therapists, Kyle. Now finish what you were going to say.”

  “When the Key finally opened up to me, everything made sense. But looking back on it now, it was scary too. That much power should not be in one person for any length of time. The Key doesn’t have a sense of time or space. It just is. Katya said the Key was created by God to right the wrongs the angels had done.”

  Father nodded. “You told me Katya also said an angel was the one who closed the portal to begin with. Maybe she was right. The Key was created to reopen the portal.”

  I blinked at him. “It was created thousands of years ago.”

  “You just said the Key has no sense of time.” He patted my hand. “I’m happy you’ve been freed from it. With the help of the tablet photo, I was able to translate the first two stanzas of the knowledge prophecy correctly. I have also finished the last stanza.”

  “May I hear it?”

  He closed his eyes and started from the beginning.

  “‘Evil thrives among us

  Angel descendants, preparing for battle

  With Key of Knowledge in hand

  The tides will turn

  And light triumphs.

  “‘The war will be long

  And fraught with treachery

  Lives will be lost

  And the Key will change hands

  Only the true Sentinel will

  Save us from annihilation.’”

  I held my breath as he continued to the last stanza.

  “‘The lost Sentinel will be found.

  Knowledge will be embraced

  And Faith will erase

  The sins of the past so

  The worlds become one again.’”

  We sat in silence until I had to say something. “That’s heady stuff, Father.”

  He opened his eyes and smiled at me. “Powerful.”

  “But the prophecy didn’t happen.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, Dalton was the Sentinel, and he was lost, so to speak. But he didn’t get the Key back to save the day.”

  Father Brown shook his head. “Kyle. Prophecies are tricky. They can mean numerous things. Yes, Joe was the Key. And then you were, which represents the changing of hands. But I’m not convinced Joe was the lost Sentinel. I think you were.”

  “No way. I’m not a descendent of the angels. I’m part demon!”

  “Based on what you’ve described, you stopped a demon invasion from coming to earth, did you not?”

  “Kind of.”

  “And you were willing to sacrifice yourself to do it?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No buts, Kyle. You almost died to protect us. Don’t downplay what you accomplished.”

  I studied my hands as my face heated. “I stopped the demons from coming to earth, but it could and probably will come up again. I didn’t help solve the problem. If the worlds in the prophecy are the demon realm and earth, I didn’t bring them together.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?”

  I looked up at him.

  “Who’s to say the prophecy is complete?”

  “I don’t have the Key in me anymore.”

  “Maybe you don’t need the Key. The prophecy mentioned faith. Maybe you just need faith.”

  I sighed. “Faith is not something I’ve ever had in abundance, Father. I’m not religious.”

  The twinkle in his eyes and grin on his face told me he knew something I didn’t.

  “Okay, spill it.”

  “Kyle, faith comes in many forms. Faith in God, faith in man, faith in your family and friends. Your loyalty and faithfulness are what make you so special.”

  I squirmed. “You make me sound like a Saint Bernard.”

  He laughed. “And there’s that wit you use to cover up your emotions.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I was being psychoanalyzed by a priest.

  “So I’ll ask you again. What are you going to do about it?”

  He waited quietly for my answer, not rushing me. After only a minute, I knew what I was supposed to do.

/>   “I’m going to rally the troops, Father. I have an idea. I think it’s time to shake things up a bit.”

  Chapter 48

  The Shamat community room was packed. The crowd had been filing in for several minutes, and they were finally taking their seats. Boris had worked a minor miracle convincing the leaders to come on such short notice, and now demon leaders from the twelve clans sat at the front of the room.

  Irina sat in the front row, along with Aleksei, Jean Luc, Misha, and Talia, while Jason stood to the side watching everyone take their seats. Even Kevin Doyle was tucked in the back row.

  I had shared the translated prophecy with a select group of people, and they had rallied around my plan to make it come true. Now it was time to get the rest of the supernatural community on board. Piece of cake.

  Sylvia walked up. “You ready for this, Kyle?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You might have to drag them kicking and screaming over to your way of thinking.”

  I smiled. “I think I’m up for the challenge.”

  She patted me on the back and took her seat next to Irina, who gave me a thumbs-up. Moments later, Boris strode to the front of the room and the excited, speculative babble petered out.

  He smiled his showman’s smile and straightened his silk tie. Boris had dressed to impress tonight, in a black suit with an ice blue tie to match his eyes. “May I have everyone’s attention, please? We’re going to get started as soon as the new portal guard leader arrives.”

  As if in answer to a summons, the right wall behind the podium undulated, and Naya emerged through the portal, her purple skin vivid against the beige walls. When she glanced my way, I gave her a surreptitious wave.

  Boris continued. “Let’s get started with this meeting. We’ve invited you here tonight to discuss a recent event concerning a thwarted breach from the demon realm.”

  Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

  Boris held up his hands. “Please. If you would quiet down so we can continue. I’ve asked one of the members of the BSR to brief you on what happened.”

  Boris beckoned to me, and I stepped up beside him. I glanced around the room at the faces staring back at me. Faces that revealed various emotions—concern, distrust, curiosity. Before I began speaking, the back door of the hall opened, and Nicholas walked in. He nodded to me before sitting in the back next to Doyle.

  I looked over at Jean Luc, who smiled at me, and then I glanced at Misha. I had expected a smile or wink from him, but instead, he sat slack-jawed, staring at something behind me. I turned slightly to see what had caught his attention. Naya.

  Hmm. An interesting turn of events to be explored at a later date. Right now, it was time to get this show started. I took a deep breath.

  “Thank you for coming tonight. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Kyle McKinley from the Bureau of Supernatural Relations. Our team recently worked a case that began when a demon broke into the Cleveland Museum of Art and killed a security guard. We learned that the demon was from the demon realm. More specifically, he was from the in-between.”

  There were gasps from the crowd, but I plowed ahead, telling them about the case and what we had learned about the demons trapped in the realm.

  “For now, the mass exodus has been stopped, but this will not stop the demons from banding together and trying again, and potentially succeeding the next time. Tonight, we’ve brought you here to discuss how we can assist the border patrol and the demons still stuck in the realm.”

  One of the council leaders spoke up from the front table. “Why would we want to help the realm demons?”

  “Because most of the realm demons were born there and are not responsible for what their ancestors did before they were born. The border patrol members have devoted their entire lives to protect earth, and yet they are not allowed to come here. It’s time we stopped burying our heads in the sand and expecting things to remain the same.

  “We’ve been working on an idea. Realm demons have been crossing over for a while now, acclimating themselves to earth and living normal lives. If we band together, we can start bringing the demons here on a larger scale. If we work to make living conditions better for the realm demons in general, and then help those who also wish to live here on earth to immigrate, it is a win-win situation.”

  Voices erupted, and I looked out once again at the arguing crowd. My gaze landed on a lone figure standing at the back of the room. At some point during my speech, Dalton had arrived. For the first time tonight, my stomach did a little jig.

  I placed my fingers between my lips and whistled, loudly. “Okay. I know we have a lot to discuss. First, Naya is going to talk to you about the state of the realm. Then we’ll follow up with an overview from someone who has been helping the crossover demons acclimate to our world. She has some insights as well.”

  I moved away from the podium, and Naya took my place. During the next sixty minutes, the crowd heard the truth about the realm and the demons that now lived here on earth. Several members of the council asked questions.

  One of the demons spoke up. “I would like to hear what Nicholas thinks of this idea.”

  I swallowed hard when Nicholas got up from his seat in the back row. The crowd turned toward him.

  “I think it’s the right thing to do. We can’t hide our sins and hope they’ll go away on their own. We have to make this right. If we don’t, we’ll have a war on our hands, and then we won’t be able to protect supernaturals from humans.”

  Finally, after a few more questions, the meeting adjourned so the Council of Twelve could meet independently to discuss the matter. As the Council filed out, the crowd surged forward in a makeshift line to talk to me, like I was the Queen of England or something. Most patted me on the back for calling the meeting. I looked for Dalton, but couldn’t find him. Had he already left?

  Doyle ambled up with a big grin on his face. “I never thought I would see the day. Kyle McKinley, the concerned citizen.”

  I chuckled. “How’s the used car business, Doyle?”

  “Okay. Why do you ask?”

  “Because if the clans agree to my proposal, they’re going to need someone to oversee the setup. Since you know all the movers and shakers, I thought you would be the perfect choice to help pull together the resources.”

  Doyle gaped at me for a minute. “You would trust me to do that?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Yes.”

  Now it was my turn to gape at him. “Yes? You don’t have to think about it?”

  “Nope. I hate the used car business.”

  I laughed. “Your mother-in-law isn’t going to give you a hard time about quitting?”

  “Nope. She’s ecstatic with me right now. Coleen is expecting.”

  “Holy crap, Doyle! You’re going to be a dad!”

  He turned a little green, and after a few more seconds, I pushed him toward the door and told him I’d be in touch.

  Nicholas was next in line. “You did a good job, Kyle.”

  “Thanks. And thanks for backing me up earlier.”

  He nodded. “I’ll help the Council any way I can.”

  “It’s time to bring the worlds together again.”

  Naya walked over when I finally had a lull in the line and gripped my forearm in an old-fashioned handshake. “It is good to see you, Kyle.”

  “So you’re the head honcho now?”

  She frowned. “After we spoke last, and you mentioned that the realm demon numbers were being underreported, I realized someone at the top had to be involved. It’s still hard to believe.”

  “I’m sorry your friends were involved.”

  She frowned. “The others are currently incarcerated. The in-between and the demon realm are headed for more turmoil if something is not done quickly. I hope the Council paid attention to what was said here tonight.” She smiled at me. “I must go.”

  “Hold on for a sec.” I jogged over to the side of the room and picked up a duffle ba
g and handed it to her. “Here.”

  She opened the bag, and beamed when she pulled out a book. “Thank you.”

  “I think you’ll find these interesting. Romance, mysteries, modern fiction. Thought it might help to read something written more recently than the 1800’s.”

  “I’ll let you know what I think.”

  A small hand tucked into mine, and I turned to find a smiling Irina.

  “We have our work cut out for us, don’t we?” she said.

  I squeezed her hand. “Yep. Helping the demons cross over legitimately will be a challenge.”

  She batted away the notion. “Oh, yes that, too. But I was talking about something else.” She pointed at Misha, who gazed after Naya while she disappeared through the portal. He looked gobsmacked.

  “So I wasn’t imagining things earlier.”

  Irina clapped. “Oh, no! I’ve never seen him look at a female that way. Not even his past wives. Do you know if she’s involved with anyone?”

  I shook my head, and Irina pursed her lips at me.

  “Hey. I met her while I was stuck in the demon realm. The topic wasn’t high on my priority list at the time.”

  “I’ll forgive you this time, Kyle.”

  “If everything goes well, Naya will be allowed to visit earth.”

  “Let’s keep our fingers crossed.” She glanced over my shoulder, and then back at me again. “I’m sure the Council will not reach a decision for several hours, Kyle. Why don’t you get some fresh air? There are several benches by the lake. Someone will contact you when a decision’s been made.”

  I stared at her in confusion. “What?”

  She grabbed my shoulders and turned me. Dalton was still at the back of the room, now talking to Jean Luc.

  Irina whispered in my ear. “Go get him, Kyle.”

  Then, she pushed me toward him, hard. I sometimes forgot that beneath her human side beat the heart of a nosy, interfering demon. But then, nothing was as it first appeared in my world.