Page 14 of The Missing Sentinel
“I recall reading about the Order of the Fallen Knights. They were created by the Arch Lich, correct?”
“Yes, in 1369. I am surprised you know about the fallen knights.”
“Why? That was a significant achievement by the Arch Lich, and it was necessary for defense. The fall of the Coven of Warlocks proved that sorcerers lacked an army, and they had to find a solution if they wanted to survive.”
“Because the fallen knights are resurrected like you and me, and they have mates. Yet you believed until yesterday that resurrected people did not get that gift from Fate.”
Drexley blinked as he searched his memory. “I do not remember reading about any fallen knight with a mate.”
“When you disappeared, the fallen knights had been part of the Council for over eight and a half centuries, yet no book you read in this library mentioned that they had mates?”
“Few books here mention the fallen knights beyond their creation. They are soldiers. Their contributions are defensive. What more is there to say about their people? They do not have magic, and they do not bother becoming scholars, so they do not contribute to society except to ward off dangerous elements. My interest in them is stronger than it should be, but I could not help focusing on another race of people resurrected like myself.”
“The Coven of Warlocks was not destroyed.”
“What?”
“Your education is flawed, but in the case of the warlocks, they were believed to be destroyed at the time you moved to this realm. But that information was incorrect. Although their population is small, the Grand Warlock and Grand Summoner were among the survivors of their war with the Cwylld elves.”
“That is a relief to hear. Necromancers are descendants of warlocks, and it is good to know that another type of sorcery lives on.”
“You have a bit of magic.”
Drexley laughed. “Many a night I have lain awake waiting for sleep and recited a spell from a tome I read that day. Nothing ever came of it. I think I would know if I was a sorcerer.”
“Tell me why my daggers float near my hips.”
“What?”
Ducarius stood, and Drexley was rather embarrassed that his first instinct was to stare not at the glowing daggers but at the man’s groin. What in the world was wrong with him?
“My blades are not holstered. They float near my hips. It is a bit of magic we possess. We whisper a word to put them in place.”
A ghost of a memory floated through Drexley’s mind, but he did not know what Ducarius was talking about. However, he could not deny that Ducarius’s blades were indeed hovering about an inch from the fabric of his deep gray pants.
“Weapons are better suited to barbarians,” Drexley stated briskly. “It has been years since I had daggers.” So much time had passed, in fact, that Drexley could not recall exactly when he’d moved past the archaic practice of using weapons.
Out of thin air, Ducarius produced the cloak he’d worn the previous day. “I am afraid our daggers, creating a version of ourselves to train with, and our ability to summon a cloak are the extent of our direct magical abilities, but it is better than nothing.”
“How did you do that?” Drexley asked.
“I pictured the cloak, and it appeared.”
“How did you gain that ability?”
“It is innate to every sentinel. Arch Liches Faustus and Domitia, along with a warlock called Le’Terrius, gave it to us as they created our people.”
“None of Adney’s books speak of the creation of the sentinels,” Drexley commented, fascinated by what he waslearning. Or perhaps it was the man staring at him so intently that was piquing his interest. Either way, Drexley knew he should be focused on the book sitting on his lap instead of talking to Ducarius or watching him summon objects from nowhere.
“It has only been since your disappearance that we learned the full story.”
The cloak Ducarius had yanked to him disappeared, and he settled into his chair again. Since Drexley had done nothing but stare intently at Ducarius from the moment he stepped into the library, he forced his gaze away, and as he took in the shelves of books a sense of disappointment filled him.
“I have taken great pride in educating myself, hoping it would prepare me for the world. It is an awful truth that Adney is dying. He will soon cross to the other side of the veil, this realm will disappear, and I must face life beyond it. We have spoken for less than an hour, and already I wonder if I have studied for nothing. These books are five hundred years out of date. The world did not stop when Adney brought me here.”
“Drexley, do not worry. Perhaps there is a reason Fate brought me to your side now. If you want someone to help you as you adjust to life somewhere besides this realm, you may count on me. You have my word as a sentinel that I will do everything I can to aid you.”
Swallowing thickly and a little undone by the sincerity in Ducarius’s voice, Drexley locked gazes with the other sentinel. Drexley’s knowledge of matebonds was minimal, but it had been drummed into his head by books and Adney that there was no higher power than Fate. If the goddess herself had brought Ducarius into Drexley’s life, then it would be dishonorable to dismiss her gift.
