Page 18 of The Missing Sentinel
“Ducarius, is there something you needed?” Adney asked.
Without an invitation, Ducarius stalked in and shut the door behind him. “I thought I would join you in the library this evening.”
“I thought you would be training as you did after lunch,” Adney remarked.
“But it would be better for Ducarius to read as training is ungentlemanly,” Drexley said with a crease between his dark blond brows.
Adney’s gaze cut to Drexley. “Of course it would, but Ducarius has shown little inclination since his arrival to behave as a gentleman. Otherwise, he would not be walking through my castle with glowing weapons at his sides.”
Squashing the immediate desire to question whether Adney objected to the blades themselves or the poison—as it would serve only to annoy the old man—Ducarius grabbed a seat in the sitting area near Drexley and his former necromancer.
“They are such an extension of myself I could not imagine going anywhere without them,” Ducarius stated as he stared at Drexley and wished he already had the ability to feel his emotions as he could read nothing on the other sentinel’s face. “Among sentinels there is a single other man I know who ever went without his weapons for an extended period, and it was not his choice.”
“What are you suggesting, Ducarius?” Adney asked.
“I was not suggesting anything. Those are statements of fact.”
“Ah, yes, you cannot tell lies,” Adney retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “There is no conclusive evidence of that, and it would be foolish of me to take the word of a man I just met. One who has shown up at my home without an invitation.”
“I will offer my sincere apology for intruding upon your realm again if that is helpful,” Ducarius stated neutrally, though his aversion to the necromancer was growing. It was probably unfair to hold so much against a man he had recently met, but the more Ducarius learned about Adney, the less he liked him. It didn’t help that the necromancers had hurt sentinels for two thousand years and that Ducarius’s humanity had been stripped away by his own sorcerer while he’d lived.
“Have you tried again to teleport to your compound?” Adney asked. “As you know, my magic is crumbling as my death creeps closer, and you may find that my spell to keep you here may not be as functional as it was at the start.”
“As I explained to Drexley earlier today, the compound no longer exists. I live in a condo with my family. But no, I havenot tried again to return to them. Although I miss them and look forward to being reunited with them in the future, my mate is here,” Ducarius said, noting the way color filled Drexley’s cheeks and wondering how such a simple thing could make him handsomer. “This is where Fate led me.”
“Or you slipped through a crack in a magical wall thanks to an old man being stripped of his magic as he slowly dies thanks to a cruel goddess who gave men like you immortality but not superior necromancers like myself,” Adney snapped.
Drexley’s eyes whipped to Adney’s face, and Ducarius scowled slightly, but he made no comment.
One thing Ducarius refused to mention was the immortality potion crafted by Chander and the rest of the talented people in Sorcery D’Vaire. It was a secret known to few and could offer eternity to anyone not born immortal. The potion was useless to them since it was in another realm, and Ducarius had been sworn to keep the information to himself.
At some point, it would be important for Drexley to learn that every Daray along with each person in the extended D’Vaire clan would live forever. But it was far too soon to reveal it to Drexley. And given that Drexley cared for Adney, it would not be helpful for him to learn that beyond the necromancer’s realm existed something that could save the sorcerer from his impending death.
“It was two necromancers and a warlock who are responsible for my immortality, not Fate,” Ducarius corrected. “My people were not born like you. Our creation was designed and our souls ripped across the veil without our permission. We had already lived through what Fate wanted for us. There we were with the spirits of our mates until one day a woman obsessed with herself came up with the idea of a horde of assassins in thrall to her.”
“What?” Adney asked.
“Arch Lich Domitia thought up the idea of sentinels,” Ducarius explained. “But it was not because she cared about the defense or protection of her people. Quite the opposite. She was amused by the thought of sentinels bound to other necromancers but enraptured with her thanks to what she believed was unparalleled beauty. She was a vicious, heartless person with no redeeming qualities and had no business ruling her people. Along with her mate, Domitia asked a warlock to help since she and Faustus lacked the magic to do it alone. That warlock was called Le’Terrius, and he thought her idea was absurd. So, he changed the spell without her permission.”
“What changes did Le’Terrius make?” Drexley asked as he closed the book on his lap and gave Ducarius his full, undivided attention. The interest in his brown eyes made Ducarius’s cock twitch despite it being of a scholarly pursuit instead of a sexual one. Promising himself he’d recall that look later as he enjoyed the fun new skill of masturbating, Ducarius focused on Drexley’s question.
“To protect every sentinel from any chance of becoming enthralled with Domitia or anyone else, he stripped us of the ability to feel attraction to anyone besides our mate. In fact, we lack the ability to identify beauty in others. He also made every sentinel gay. I think it humored him to imagine us pairing off with one another in Domitia’s face. But perhaps that is because it would entertain me in such a case. I did not have the opportunity to question Le’Terrius myself.”
“How did you learn any of this, or is this another tale you have spun, like your inability to tell lies?” Adney asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Since you refuse to believe in my honor, no matter how I answer a question you may find fault in it, but it was through my family,” Ducarius responded. “Domitia and Faustus’s sentinels were created first and spoke to Le’Terrius on that fatefulday. Albrecht was Domitia’s sentinel, and he later dealt with Le’Terrius twice more, but his tale is emotional. I am unwilling to have anything about it probed or disbelieved. Maybe after I have gained the trust of both of you, I can expand further.”
“It is wrong of me to speak ill of my leaders, but I cannot deny that my initial reaction to finding myself with an assassin was not an eager welcome,” Adney acknowledged.
Ducarius nodded. “It is a common sentiment among necromancers and one easy to understand. You were not asked for your opinion prior to our creation. The former Arch Liches did not warn you of our arrival. It was likely a scary experience to find yourself face-to-face with a sentinel tied to your soul.”
“You are correct,” Adney replied. “It was horrifying. Although I have grown to care for Drexley, it was a relief when the sentinels disappeared as quickly as they appeared.”
“Yes, it must have been a relief to learn we were permanently locked in a prison and the lone way we could leave was if the necromancer we did not ask to be tied to was willing to summon us,” Ducarius replied without inflection.
“Do not blame me for the state of your compound,” Adney retorted. “You are the ones who lived there, and you had the ability to change it. That Alaric character assumed the role of leader though he did not earn a title. If he was ready to take charge, you should have demanded he improve your living conditions. You do not see me sitting here in my realm and complaining about it. That would be absurd.”
“It is interesting that you have never met Alaric yet you insist he is not a legitimate leader,” Ducarius remarked. Drexley made no comment, and Ducarius wondered what he made of their conversation. Did he lack Drexley’s trust too? Since they were mates, Drexley could not detect his lies, but Ducarius wasn’t convinced that the other sentinel believed the truth about their people. That was horrifying.
