The Sentinel

by C Cato

  There would be no quarter from this woman. The concentrated fury of all the Guard was in her eyes. This time there was no enraged charged. She raised her blade in a formal salute, but her sneer grew until her teeth were visible. Risa rose to the balls of her feet, ground them into the sand to gain purchase, and raised her weapon.

  They met in the middle with the metallic clang of sword meeting sword. She was fast. Risa had to twist to avoid a hit that would have sliced her throat, the wind from the blade cold across her skin. Her arm was on fire, and each breath was like sandpaper in her dry throat. It had to end, or she was going to make a critical mistake.

  Lucky for her, the Valkyrie stumbled first. She back pedaled to avoid a swipe, but she tripped over her own feet and went down.

  Risa stood over her, chest heaving and fought her disappointment. That had been so anticlimactic.

  The crowd was on their feet.

  Risa raised her head, the beaten woman forgotten. She’d done it. Almost.

  Amid the roar of the spectators, Mother Superior and her Councilwomen strut onto the field. Risa dropped to one knee. When the group stopped in front of her, she met Tessa’s eyes over the leader’s shoulder. There was a twinkle there. A knowing gleam. Lust.

  Risa could understand the last. Nothing made her hornier than a good fight, and her underwear were soaked. To be fair, it was probably more sweat than arousal. Her staunch “anti-Tessa” stance began to waiver.

  “Risa, please rise,” said Mother Superior in a practiced projected voice.

  She pushed off her raised knee to stand up, and she swayed on her feet.

  “I am pleased that you have completed the challenge and accept you into my White Guard. It would seem we need some new blood, anyway,” she said with a stupid girlish giggle.

  Nice. If they didn’t hate me before, they will now. Risa lowered her chin to hide her eyes, and the revulsion she knew had to be there. This was going to be a long assignment.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Cole

  Cole rested his head on the seat of the buggy as they bounced through the unfamiliar terrain on the way to the wall. Anxiety twisted his insides, making balloon animals. It had been four days since they’d left the Vault.

  Talking had been minimal, Soren and Ray giving him plenty of space since he snapped at anyone who tried. He wanted this to be over. Wanted to hold Sonya and tell her how much he loved her and kiss her luscious dark lips. There was no telling what those women would do to her. Power was also a concern. She needed to recharge before it was too late. The thought of her running dry made his blood run cold.

  On top of his worry for Sonya, he couldn’t get the sad eyes of that little girl out of his head. They hadn’t been gone long and he already missed her like his own limb. She’d just about ripped his heart out when they left.

  oooOOOooo

  “Do you have to go?” asked Elise, fat tears rolling down her round face. She held onto his leg for dear life.

  Cole’s chest ached at the hurt in her eyes. She’d been through enough. He didn’t want to be the cause of more. “Yes, baby girl. Your Uncle Ray thinks we can get help for Sonya.”

  Risa had skipped off in the night with Tessa and her four Hounds, leaving Ray and Laughlin. Not that he was worried about her. Wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to go on a mission alone, and he trusted she would be alright. Now it was their turn, but there was a snag in the form of a black-haired little urchin.

  “If you go and don’t come back, I won’t have any more daddies. Please let me go with you.”

  She wailed, and Cole bent down to pick her up. Ray waited patiently in his buggy with Soren in the back seat. They’d agreed that it was safer for Elise to stay in the bunker. Ditre and Laughlin had agreed to stay with her. Cole suspected they had ulterior motives, though. He’d caught them together twice in the shower earlier that morning.

  Crushing Elise to his chest, he peppered the top of her head with kisses. Little arms held his neck with freakish strength. When he started to see spots, he gently pulled her arms off and leaned back enough to gaze into her emerald eyes.

  “I’ll make you a promise. I promise I’ll come back to you, and I’ll be your daddy, but I gotta get Sonya first. Uncle Ditre and Uncle Lin will stay here with you until I come back, but I will come back.” More tears appeared to be on the horizon. “When I was young, we used to have a pinky swear. Do you know what that is?”

  An exaggerated head shake sent droplets of water flying.

  He lifted a hand between them and held out his little finger. She did the same, and he hooked his finger with hers. “A pinky swear is a sacred thing,” he said, solemnly. “No one ever breaks one. I swear to you I’ll come back.”

  “Okay,” she said in a small voice.

  Ditre had taken her, but Cole’s hands had lingered. Hard to let go. When he climbed in and they drove away, his last image of her was her little hand opening and closing as she waved good-bye.

  Ray had tried to cheer him up. “You’re good with her. I think Celene would have approved.”

  But it didn’t help. They’d left him alone after that.

  oooOOOooo

  After the second day on the road guilt had begun to fight anxiety for the remains of his innards. Whenever they stopped for a rest or for the night, it got worse. Ray cast quick glances in his direction. That drove him crazy. So, it didn’t come as a shock to him when Ray stopped the buggy on the fourth day, in a grassy plain. Turning the engine off, he stared at the steering wheel for a full minute before turning to face him. “Cole, we need to talk.”

  “Uh… should I take a walk or something,” said a groggy Soren from the back.

  “No. You should stay,” Ray said, flashing an apologetic smile.

  Cole twisted a little to the side for a clear view and folded his arms. “I’m listenin’.”

  “There’s some things you should know before we cross the wall, but before we do that, what can we do to help you, Cole?”

  Soren laughed. “Give it up, guy. Sarge is gonna stew until he decides he’s done.”

  Cole wanted to slap the man. He was right, but he didn’t have to air out his dirty emotional business to the handsome almost-stranger.

  “That’s not healthy,” said Ray, gaze bouncing between him and Soren.

  “No shit. He was doing so well, too. Sonya really—”

  “Let’s pretend I’m in the fuckin’ car, and stop talkin’ around me,” Cole growled. “I’m anxious, yes. I have reason to be. The woman I love has been fuckin’ taken! How am I supposed to act? Then, I leave behind that grievin’ little girl on what could be a fool’s errand. Fuck!” Cole slammed his palms down on the small dash and climbed down to the ground.

  Getting in and out of the buggy wasn’t easy, and there was no way to do it gracefully. By the time he was down, some of his anger had been worked off. Stomping hard, he put some distance between them.

  “We talkin’ with fists today, Sarge?” asked Soren, before he could get too far.

  He did an abrupt about face.

  Soren leaned against the giant wheel of the bugging, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ray.

  Cole tensed for a fight, just not the physical kind.

  “Relax, Sarge. This isn’t one of Risa’s shrink sessions. I get why you’re upset. I know the doctor means a lot to you. We’ll get her back, and Risa will make sure nothing happens. I have no doubt Pixie will just ‘blue out’ and bust her way in if there are no other options, but for now we need Sarge. The bad-ass soldier. I never thought I’d have to say this, but you need to turn whatever this is off. We have a job to do, and I’m shit at leading.”

  A muscle ticked in Cole’s overly tight jaw. Turn it off? Was it that easy? Hide everything again?

  Soren was right. He was always right, as annoying as that was. He’d have to be The Soldier, if he was going to bring everyone out of this alive. That meant finding some balance in himself.

  Cole performed a perfect about f
ace and returned to the car. He acknowledged Soren with a curt nod and focused his attention on Ray. “You said there are some things we should know,” he crossed his arms. “Why wasn’t this information given before we left the Vault?”

  Ray flushed a light pink and ducked his head. “I’m sorry. Wasn’t sure how to share this with you.”

  “Hope you’ve figured it out,” said Cole darkly. Soldier Cole was not a nice man.

  “Right. First you wanted to know why I could use Thought?”

  “Explain what you mean,” said Soren. “The emphasis on the word leads me to believe it’s something significant.”

  A crease slashed through Ray’s perfect brow. “But you use Thought yourselves. I’ve heard you.”

  “You mean this,” asked Cole, using his comm.

  Ray nodded.

  “Electronic enhancement. Part of the whole Sentinel thing. We have communication devices inside our heads. I’m guessin’ you don’t?”

  Ray blanched. “No. I was born with this ability. I don’t understand—”

  “We’ll have to chalk it up to one of those things that can’t be explained right now. I’d be interested in learnin’ how you are able to do it naturally, though.”

  “The Ghost People. They call themselves the A’amoth. It is inherent in them. I’m half A’amoth.”

  That was not what Cole expected to hear. “Do you mean like Keet?”

  He swallowed. “Yes… like Keet.”

  “Do you know him?” asked Soren

  “Yes, but it was from a very long time ago.”

  “We’re listen’,” said Cole. Every muscle in his body was tight. If he led them astray Cole would strangle him with his bare hands. “If you thought it was important enough to stop in the middle of nowhere you better finish the story.”

  His platinum hair shone like silver in the sun. A sharp contrast to the green cast in his face. “I was born in an A’amoth clan. The same one as Talic, Keet’s mate-brother. My mother was human from a village that would trade with the A’amoth for leathers and some basic technologies. They’re far advanced of humans.”

  An interesting bit of news, but nothing to raise alarm yet. Based on the levels of technology observed so far, he was far advanced of humans, too.

  “My mother had gotten pregnant by one of them. Grandfather always suspected that they’d done something to her. Tricked her somehow,” his voice trailed away, and he chewed his lower lip.

  Cole noticed for the first time that Ray had slightly longer canines. Not much more than his own, but enough to be noticed.

  “When she died suddenly, he accused my father of killing her and stole me and my sister away in the night. She was just a baby in swaddling, and I was five.”

  “For eleven years he raised us,” he paused. “It wasn’t an easy life. Grandfather taught us that the A’amoth were vicious creatures that couldn’t be trusted and that we should always hide what we were so humans didn’t try to kill us outright.”

  Cole stomped on the creeping sympathy that threatened to soften his reserve.

  “When my sister was eleven, he sent for the Valkyrie to come and take her. When they came, I’m sorry to say I was weak. I fought them, not wanting my sister to go. She was crying, reaching for me. Grandfather struck me and told the women they could take me too if they wanted. It was then the attack happened. A’amoth. The Valkyrie fought them back, but one gutted my grandfather before they escaped. My sister and I watched him die before we were thrown on horses and taken away.”

  “What the fuck, Ray? If you knew these creatures were dangerous, why did you drag us out here?”

  Cole held his hand up, stopping Soren’s tirade.

  Ray sucked in a ragged breath. “They weren’t—I don’t think they were there to hurt us. My sister and me. I mean, I did at the time. I hated them as much as my sister did.

  “But somethin’ changed,” asked Cole.

  “Eventually, after I had served time with the Valkyrie as a Hound, I traveled north and visited some of the other Enclaves. Some of the women who we’ve helped escape live among them. I’ve never been back to the one I was born to, though. I heard the story of the night Grandfather was killed from the several other A’amoth that knew the history. It made me doubt what I had been taught, but not enough to get me back there. Was afraid to learn the truth, I suppose.”

  Cole nodded. “You’re taking us there now, aren’t you?”

  “I have to. If they have Keet, they have Talic. He’s the son of the Head of Clan. His mother needs to know. We have to help them if we can.”

  Cole knew why he wanted to do it but wondered what interest Ray had. What would he get out of risking his neck? “You said you have a sister? Is she in the city? Will she help?”

  “No. I lost track of her, but she believes with her whole heart that the A’amoth murdered my mother and grandfather.”

  “Yaaaaay!” said Soren, throwing his hands up.

  “Sarcasm noted,” said Cole dryly. “Do you truly think we will be safe going to this clan of yours?”

  “Yes?” He shrugged. “Maybe. Many A’amoth had strong opinions against half-breeds and humans. That hasn’t changed. Lirra’s clan was always more liberal than most, but it made her a lot of enemies. For all I know, her Clan has been absorbed by a larger one by now.”

  “Then we go and find out. If it doesn’t look good, we’re gone and go back to Haven to help Risa,” said Cole. He hated walking into unknown situations, but the longer they waited the more chance of something terrible happening to Sonya. They could be walking into a den of killer creatures, but when he stood with Keet in the Valkyrie camp, there hadn’t been anything threatening or menacing about him.

  Instincts would have to be enough.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Cole

  “What do you think will happen when you rescue Sonya and that Keet guy? Oh, and I guess the other one too, right? Does that mean you have to share her? Are you—you know—into that? I mean just because your parents were doesn’t mean you are necessarily. You’ve never expressed an interest in anyone but Ian for a long time. Kind of thought you were going exclusive. There were people waiting in the wings, if you really wanted more.”

  Soren had been yammering nonstop since they’d gotten back into the buggy. First about the possibilities with the A’amoth, and then switching to speculate more about Cole’s love life or the lack of one.

  “Shut it, Ren,” growled Cole. He’d reached his limit.

  Soren snorted. “Sure, Sarge.”

  “Cole, I think Soren might have stronger feelings for you than you realize.”

  “What?” He knew Risa often joked about it in the past, but he’d never taken her seriously. He and Soren had gone through Boot together. Had been lucky enough to serve in the same unit and he’d followed Cole into contract work when he left the military. They’d always been inseparable, but he’d never considered his friend as anything other than a friend. He glanced over his shoulder to confirm Soren wasn’t listening in. “He’s just nervous. Babblin’ is his go-to before a mission.”

  He rubbed his temples, flipping off his comm. Emotions were supposed to be in check. Sorting through unexpected relationship crap was not on the agenda. He’d gone nineteen years without anyone laying a claim on him. Fifteen lonely years where he’d built up his grizzled drill sergeant persona to hide behind. Now, he struggled to keep that wall up and interested parties were coming out of the woodwork.

  “We’re nearly there.”

  “Mary and Joseph!” Cole jumped in his seat. “How did you do that? My comm is off!”

  “What the fuck?” shouted Soren at the same time. “Seriously, Sarge! I don’t think these little guys in our bodies will restart a heart.”

  “Sorry, Ren,” Cole muttered.

  “The device in your head?” asked Ray, a smile playing on his lips.

  “Yes.”

  “You must be receptive to Thought, whether it is on or not.”

&n
bsp; “That’s not really possible,” Soren chimed in.

  Cole’s mouth twitched.

  Soren had that intense know- it-all tone he got when he geeked out. “The comms aren’t complicated. I helped design them. They work on radio waves. Can probably be intercepted if someone tried hard enough. What you’re suggesting is that you can cut into those radio waves and receive and transmit naturally. That’s bullshit!”

  “Ren, you’re two hundred and thirty-seven years old,” Cole reminded him, coolly.

  His friend was quiet for a couple of heartbeats. “Point made.”

  Ray drove the rest of the way in silence. Large watchtowers sat on either side of a large metal door that sat partially open. No one manned the towers. He drove in, the tires scraping the doors on either side. Inside was a large courtyard, enclosed by a smaller wall topped with rusted razor wire. Several buggies were parked on the far side in front of another set of doors. The area was oddly clear of debris. Someone was maintaining it. Why weren’t they keeping watch?

  “No guards?”

  “Don’t really have the people for that. People in the north are more successful at breeding than the Valkyrie and the people of Haven, but the numbers are still low. Some of the human villages keep it clean and watch for Valkyrie invasion, but the women have never tried to pass the wall. So, the guarding has become more relaxed.”

  Ray parked with the rest. “We walk from here. There aren’t any roads past this area. Not anymore.”

  “More hiking,” moaned Soren.

  “Yes,” chuckled Ray. “And if you see a moose… run.”

  The wilderness on the other side of the enclosure was lusher and denser than what they’d observed so far in the Pacific Northwest. The forest butted right up against the wall and engulfed them in darkness immediately. With only the occasional mote of light breaking through the canopy overhead, leaving pools of blood red as the sun fell.

  “Ray, can you see in the dark?” asked Cole.