Page 67 of The Missing Sentinel
“In the shower. Drexley will not be late. Do not worry.”
Cassius frowned as he held Teverild close. The former elf turned honorary sentinel had his cobalt blue gaze fixed on Ducarius as if he could use his anger alone to murder him. Ducarius did not have to ask why. There was a wet coffee stain on his formerly white tank top.
“Oh, that’s right. You’re both sentinels. You can use your mindlink. I don’t know why everyone didn’t get that ability. It’s not fair,” Cassius griped.
“I live with sentinels; I do not think I would want one able to take over my mind,” Teverild’s brother, Vellerynd, commented.
Since Ducarius recognized that a disagreement was unfolding, he rolled his eyes and stalked to the office with so many shelves crammed with books that it rivaled a library. Inside were the Arch Lich, the Lich Sentinel, and the two goblins Chander had given Alaric.
“Duc, how are you feeling?” Chander asked.
“Impatient. I need to talk to you without Drexley around, and he is far too intuitive. He is going to rush through his shower despite my wish that he relax and enjoy it.”
“I had hoped for the chance to ask you my questions,” Alaric remarked.
Chander patted Alaric’s chest. “You’ll get the chance, but not now. Let Duc talk.”
“There are things I think it would be helpful for everyone to know,” Ducarius explained. “Adney’s realm was…interesting. There was a spell there to drain memory. It was not as strong as the one at the compound, but in the few weeks I lived there, my oldest recollections were already gone. Drexley called it homefor five hundred years. But he went from one place that drained him to another. He thinks he has a poor memory.”
Alaric’s jaw flexed, and his eyes narrowed. “Chand, your people are a menace.”
“I know. Asshole necros. Duc, his memory is going to come back.”
“How quickly?”
“Impossible to know for sure, but for some reason having a completed matebond speeds it up. It won’t be long.”
“He loves Adney. I fear it will not be easy for him to learn the truth,” Ducarius said. “Adney was not a fan of sentinels. To him, I was a barbaric weapon-toting assassin who was a poor influence on Drexley. He did not want us together.”
“But Drexley is a sentinel,” Alaric argued. “Why would that not be a good match?”
“Because Drexley does not see himself as a sentinel. Drexley is a scholar. One who thinks training is a waste of time. He does not have weapons, nor does he have any memory of what happened to them.”
“That’s some top-level manipulation to convince a fucking sentinel of all people not to carry weapons or train,” Chander remarked.
Alaric sighed. “Plus, until the past few decades, Adney could have ordered him to do things. I find it impossible to believe a sentinel could change so drastically without orders being involved.”
“Agreed,” Chander said. “I can’t even get sentinels to get through a single meal without acting like children. To have any of you hand over those blades you love or stop training? Yeah, it’s difficult to imagine.”
“Drexley will need us as the truth is revealed to him,” Alaric stated.
Ducarius nodded. “Yes, I want everyone to understand that if he says something against sentinels, it is an idea Adney planted in his fucking brain centuries ago. I do not care if Drexley spends eternity in a library and never picks up a blade again. Those decisions are his, and I love him no matter what. But I also do not want to have to kill another Daray for starting a fight with my mate.”
“Have no fear. It will be easy for every sentinel to understand that an asshole necromancer has manipulated another of us,” Alaric commented.
“Yes, it happened far too frequently,” Ducarius responded, his own scars fresh on his mind.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be here for you both,” Chander remarked. “Albrecht won’t like it, but we’ll ask everyone to be on their best behavior today. The last thing we want to do is overwhelm Drexley. Now, give me another fucking hug. It’s so great to finally have you home. We missed you.”
Ducarius readily embraced Chander. “I missed you too. I fear Drexley will be more comfortable around you, Chand, than sentinels. He loves reading, so I thought I would take him to the Spectra Wizardry library today. May we use your private room?”
“Of course,” Chander replied. “If you want, I’ll come with you.”
“I think that would please Drexley,” Ducarius answered. “It thrills me to know Drexley is surrounded by supportive people who will accept him exactly as he is.”
“Of course we will support you both no matter what,” Alaric replied as he put his arms around Ducarius for a quick hug. “Do not forget that I have questions.”
With a roll of his eyes, Ducarius headed for the door. “I know, but Drexley is my primary concern. By the way, do not be late for breakfast or you will piss off Victor. And Rogue is using his crayons on the wall.”
