Page 82 of The Missing Sentinel
Plus, Alaric needed to talk to Drexley. Thanks to the recent addition of Keegan to their staff, their mapping project of races around the world had never worked better. Keegan had a better grasp of technology than any sentinel, and they were prospering because of it. Drexley was a sentinel, but his skill set differed.
And that could benefit everyone.
Alaric heard voices outside his open office door and stood. After lunch, he had rushed to their headquarters to discuss his idea with Drexley only to find that he had gone home to grab a book. That was twenty minutes ago, so surely the chatter in the hall was explained by his return.
The short walk from his desk to his office door took seconds, and Alaric was disappointed to find Eduard and Brynnius chatting.
“You have offices, go gossip in there,” Alaric ordered.
“We are discussing work, not gossiping,” Brynnius argued.
“Since when is there a rule stating that we can’t talk in the hallway?” Eduard asked.
“There is no rule against it,” Brynnius said, his scaly gaze annoyed. “Alaric is just in a bad mood.”
“I am not in a bad mood.”
“Then why are you demanding we go into our offices?” Eduard asked.
Alaric rolled his eyes. “Has Drexley returned?”
“Where did Drexley go?” Brynnius asked.
“Duc is in his office. Drexley is usually in there with him,” Eduard said.
Since neither Skeleton Lord was being helpful, Alaric walked past them to Ducarius’s office. To his relief, Drexley had his face buried in a book.
“Duc, why didn’t you tell me your mate was back?” Alaric asked.
“You did not tell me to alert you,” Ducarius countered.
Unwilling to argue with Ducarius, Alaric suppressed another eyeroll.Why would I have asked where Drexley was if I didn’t want to talk to him?
“Drexley, could you please come with me? I would like to speak to you privately.”
There was panic in Drexley’s gaze, and his eyes flicked to Ducarius. Alaric gave the pair plenty of time to speak privately as his heart ached. The last thing Alaric wanted was for any sentinel to feel fear in his presence—and it was even more painful given that they were family.
Drexley rose and set his book on the coffee table as he nodded at Alaric. Without another word, Alaric turned on his heel and returned to his office. Drexley was a few steps behind him and wavered at the door.
“Should I close this?” Drexley asked.
“No, that is unnecessary. Have a seat, I wanted to discuss an offer with you.”
As Drexley strode to one of the guest chairs and sat, the light pouring from the windows made the rings on his fingers flash. One had been given to him by the Skeleton Seven since he now shared Ducarius’s title, but it was the floral one on his other hand that pleased Alaric. Even if Drexley didn’t yet trustAlaric or the Sentinel Brotherhood, he loved Ducarius and had happiness in at least that avenue of his life.
“An offer?” Drexley queried.
“Yes, I had an idea I wanted to present to you. For several weeks now, you have joined Duc in his office. I thought as long as you are here at the Sentinel Brotherhood that you might be interested in aiding us. While we have been accepted in the Council, we also stand out among the other populations. I also find my work most fulfilling when I can be involved directly in cases and be available to my people day and night. Plus, I have no interest in attending countless meetings as Chander does. However, those committees benefit him and the necromancers. They have built trust with other leaders and races. Together, they bring forward legislation benefiting the Council. I do that on the advisory panel but nowhere else. You are comfortable around sorcerers, have a love of education, and are well-versed on magical things, correct?”
“Yes, I find magic fascinating and have read many books. Unfortunately, my education was outdated and mostly incorrect, but the resources in the Council are swiftly correcting my knowledge.”
“Are you interested solely in sorcery?”
Drexley shook his head vigorously. “No, I am currently engrossed in Trystan’s books. Thanks to his work, a flame has been ignited in me to learn as much about every Council race as I can. Perhaps even beyond that to the races we know exist but are not counted among our government.”
“Wonderful,” Alaric replied with a grin. “I have a multitude of invitations to committees. What I would like to suggest is that you become our liaison. With help from Chand, we will pick out which committees can be most advantageous for the Sentinel Brotherhood to join. You would attend the meetings and build relationships with other races, and your work woulddirectly improve our people and the entire Council. You could formally share Ducarius’s office. I know you do not want weapons, so I am not sure if you would want us to add your name on the door on a dagger like the others, but we can come up with an alternative to suit you.”
“I would not mind a dagger on the glass,” Ducarius responded immediately. “Although part of me is urging caution, I have been searching for purpose. But I had postponed any formal search at least partly because I feared how to begin. Your idea sounds fascinating. However, I have no experience and am new to the Council. Are you sure I have the required skills?”
