Sentinel (39 page)
Authors: Joshua Winning
“Nicholas!” came a voice, and the boy whirled around to see Isabel bounding across the grass toward him.
“You’re alright,” the cat shouted happily. Behind her, a dark shadow swept into the garden. Nicholas recognised the glinting silver mask that belonged to Esus.
“Child,” the figure boomed. “Much has happened this night. Never before have these walls been breached. We must act fast.”
“Where did he come from?” Nicholas asked Isabel, eyeing the masked figure distrustfully.
“Esus killed Garm,” the cat explained. “He’s come to help. Where is Jessica?”
A scream rang out across the garden.
“Jessica!” Nicholas cried. Without thinking, he hastened back into the garden, bolting through the undergrowth toward that pitiful sound.
“Nicholas, wait!” Isabel’s voice called out after him, but Nicholas didn’t hear it. He rushed between the trees, swiping plants out of the way and leaping over fallen logs. The garden had been devastated by Diltraa. The demon had taken its insatiable rage out on just about every plant that Nicholas passed, and the garden was in tatters, shredded beyond recognition.
Another scream sounded and Nicholas quickened his pace, bounding through the shrubbery. For some reason, Jessica felt like his responsibility. Not half an hour ago he’d held a knife to her throat and was going to kill her. Perhaps it was guilt driving him – he had to atone for what he’d done to her while under Malika’s influence. But he’d seen a different side to Jessica tonight, as well. She was wise and old, but fragile, too. She needed protecting.
The boy hurried back to where he’d left Jessica and skidded to a halt in the dirt. The willow tree had been ripped to pieces. Its earth-caked roots lay exposed and there was the demon, clutching Jessica in its claws, holding her off the ground.
“Tell me!”
Diltraa burbled.
“Tell me where the Trinity are!”
The creature’s hideousness struck Nicholas anew and his inner resolve weakened. The monster’s ribs strained against the thin, rough skin that encased its towering frame and it was huge, its stretched limbs spider-like. The stink of charred flesh hung in the air.
Seeing the look of panic on Jessica’s face, Nicholas clenched his teeth.
“Hey!” he yelled.
The demon’s eyes wheeled in the boy’s direction, set in the centre of that bony, low-browed face.
“If I was that ugly I’d be angry too!”
Diltraa snarled in annoyance at the interruption and hurled Jessica to the ground. It rounded on Nicholas.
The demon’s insect-like limbs carried it to the boy with horrific speed and Nicholas struck out with the Drujblade as the creature’s shadow loomed over him. Diltraa crowed wickedly, dodging the blow and slammed a barbarous arm into the boy’s chest.
With a cry, Nicholas went hurtling through the air. He landed with a great splash in the pond.
The demon returned its attention to Jessica.
“Tell me!”
it bellowed, and Jessica threw her hands to her ears at the terrible sound, squatting on the ground.
“Pitiful worm, writhing in the mud! No wonder the cracks are opening up like great sores, no wonder the Sentinels are being trampled like bugs. Pathetic whelp!”
“Jessica Bell!” an aged voice shrieked. “What on Earth are you doing?”
As he clambered out of the pond, Nicholas saw Isabel hurry up to Jessica.
Startled, Jessica slowly unclamped her hands from her ears.
“Isabel,” she whimpered.
The cat nudged at her with one of its front paws, its tiny feline features bunched up into a furry frown.
“You’re not going to let that bag of bones talk to you like that, are you?” Isabel demanded, her golden eyes flashing up at the demon. “We’ve defeated it once, we’ll damn well do it again!”
Nicholas watched as Jessica slowly began to rise from the ground. She seemed to have discovered some hidden strength within. As if refusing to bend to the demon’s insidious will, she pulled herself to her feet and stared defiantly into the repugnant creature’s face.
“Time has passed, demon,” she said, a cold self-assurance replacing the fear that she had surrendered to. “Much has changed. The Trinity sleep and they will never awaken to the sounds of your callous tones. They are safe, hidden from the world. You’ll never know of their whereabouts, nor will they know of you.”
Frenzy boiling in its eyes, Diltraa made to lunge for the woman, but a sharp pain made the demon shriek out instead.
Nicholas had sunk the Drujblade into the demon’s bony leg. Golden sparks spewed from that spot as the magic blade dug into the demon’s flesh.
Diltraa lashed out, its cloven hoof striking Nicholas in the chest. The boy hit the ground, then clambered to his feet again and doggedly seized the blade’s handle, wrenching it free. He stabbed the creature again, black blood spurting from the wound.
Diltraa emitted a horrific yowl and struck out with his front claws, swiping at the boy. Nicholas dodged out of the way. Raising the blade again, he sliced off one of the looming claws. It landed on the ground with a thud, still twitching, dark blood oozing around it.
“That’s it!” Isabel whooped. “Get him, boy! Cut the foul beast down to size!”
As the demon shrieked in agony, Nicholas flew at it again, hacking and slashing with the Drujblade, gold sparks dancing about him. Gory sores opened up in the beast’s torso and the boy was showered in sticky black blood.
“DIE!”
Diltraa howled, striking out with its remaining claw.
Nicholas flew through the air and hit a tree trunk, the back of his head cracking dully against the tough bark. Unsteady, his skull throbbing, he slumped to the ground. What happened next all flickered before his drooping eyelids in a blur.
Esus swept in front of him, his black robes billowing.
“The knife,” the masked figure hissed, and though it took a great deal of effort, Nicholas raised his bloodied hand and offered up the Drujblade.
Snatching the dagger from him, Esus darted over to the beast that was Diltraa and mounted it, scaling those gangly limbs like they were footholds on a mountainside. Nicholas’s eyes closed heavily and the next thing he saw was Esus slamming the Drujblade into the back of the demon’s neck and twisting ferociously. Then he seized the horned cranium with his gloved hands and tore it clean off.
The dismembered head squelched to the ground, the tongue lolling from its mouth, and Esus rode the collapsing demon’s frame until it, too, struck the earth.
“Nicholas,” Isabel cried, rushing to his side. She pawed at his leg, licking his hand before she could stop herself.
“I’m just going to… lie here for a moment,” Nicholas murmured.
Then he slumped into unconsciousness.
*
Nicholas was in bed. As he’d rolled in and out of wakefulness, Jessica had treated his wounds, washed away the demon blood and helped him under the covers. The fight was over. They had won. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. The boy’s dreams would be far from peaceful tonight.
At the doorway, Jessica watched until she was sure he was asleep.
When she saw that his eyes were moving slowly behind the lids, she stepped into the room, sidling up to the bed.
“He fought well.”
A deep rumble of a voice.
Jessica looked over to the open window. There, in a dark corner of the room, was Esus.
She nodded.
“There is much for him to learn,” the shadow said. “You will begin training at once.”
“Yes,” Jessica said. “He is ready.”
Esus made no reply.
In a swirl of black radiance his robed body buckled and became smoke. Feathers sprouted out of nowhere and from the dark cloud a raven flew to the windowsill. The bird Esus squawked then flitted from the window, disappearing into the night.
Jessica returned her attention to the sleeping figure in the bed. A secretive smile on her lips, she placed a book at the boy’s bedside. On its spine, silver letters caught the light:
The Sentinel Chronicles – August 1997
. Pausing a moment to stroke the boy’s hair, she went to the door.
Curled up at Nicholas’s side, Isabel heaved a deep sigh and purred proudly.
Outside, great storm clouds split open and the rain began to fall.
EPILOGUE
F
OR NOW, SHE SLEPT.
S
HE KNEW
nothing of all that had occurred mere miles away. Her dreams passed unblemished by any notion of the horror that was carefully, watchfully feeling its way into the world. She knew nothing of the Sentinels, nor the Harvesters, nor of the forces that even now were seeking her out in the black of night. Seconds, hours, days, weeks. All mere heartbeats. They would find her, and she would know nothing of their coming. For now, peacefully, she slept.
The Sentinels will return in
Ruins
.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER TWO - The Letter From Beyond
CHAPTER FOUR - Unravelling Threads
CHAPTER NINE - The Woman In The House
CHAPTER ELEVEN - The Sentinels
CHAPTER TWELVE - The Pentagon Room
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - In The Garden Of Norlath
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Nowhere Is Safe Now
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Reynolds And Rumours
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - The Ectomunicator
CHAPTER TWENTY–ONE - Old Enemies