The Sentinel's Reign

by Suzanne Rogerson

  He nodded mutely, but his eyes still held the look of someone who had just had their soul ripped out.

  They walked down into the valley together and saw the stretcher-bearers waiting to take Mateu into the surgeon’s makeshift quarters.

  ‘Go to Mateu. He needs someone he trusts to explain the truth.’

  ‘I will. Thank you, Tei.’ Assis smiled for the first time.

  ‘We can stop this,’ she said and then watched him as he hobbled away, her conviction dying before it had the chance to take hold.

  ‘That was nicely handled,’ Mara said.

  Tei looked away, ashamed. ‘I only wish I could believe my own words.’

  Mara linked her arm through Tei’s. ‘Maybe you should; one converted soul is better than none.’

  ‘I suppose.’

  ‘You’ve made a start, Tei, ignited the fire. Maybe Assis is the man to help us fan the flames.’

  Tei glanced back at Assis, now sitting in the infirmary line, and then turned to face Mara, seeing a glint in her friend’s eye.

  ‘You can’t read the future.’

  Mara shrugged. ‘I know, but we need to look to the positive. If we’re to find a way to carry on, we need to believe.’

  Tei shivered, feeling a tiny seed of hope grow inside her.

  ***

  Tei huddled close to Brogan in the small rocky alcove, glad for some privacy. They ate lunch, their legs touching discreetly, a comforting closeness in place of a more intimate embrace. It had been a difficult morning for everyone with attackers breeching the pass. People on both sides had died pushing back the assault.

  Tei smelt the cloying odour of blood and sweat on Brogan’s skin. She wished he’d remained on the watch duty she’d secretly arranged with Hafender, but there was little need for a watch when the enemy was battling in the pass.

  She brushed her leg against his, and winked when he looked at her.

  ‘What?’ He looked self-conscious under her scrutiny.

  Emotion rose inside her and she swallowed it back. ‘I’m reassuring myself you’re alright.’

  He nudged her with his elbow. ‘I’ll be much better when I finish my food.’ Then he tore into the slab of bread and followed it with a mouthful of tepid stew.

  She watched him finish the stew and mop the bowl with bread while she nibbled at her own food. Brogan was staring into the distance and his sorrowful look did nothing for her appetite. She wished she could take away the burden of guilt that radiated from him. ‘You don’t need to hide how you feel, you can talk to me,’ she said, touching his arm.

  He glanced up and this time he didn’t try to hide his emotions. ‘I pray this ends soon. It’s impossible to fight like this. In the heat of battle, your instinct is to survive, to kill. I’ve seen our men hesitate at the vital moment and get cut down themselves. We can’t win this way.’

  ‘We have to wait it out.’

  He smiled at her then, his eyes glowing with warmth and love as he leant down and kissed her temple. ‘Thoughts of you keep me going.’

  Tears pricked at her eyes, but rather than give in to them, Tei stuffed a piece of cheese into Brogan’s mouth before he could say anymore.

  ‘Hey,’ he said choking on the food.

  They huddled together for a few precious minutes, before Brogan rose to his feet. ‘I should get back.’

  He pulled her to her feet and Tei looked up at him, automatically brushing a stray crumb from his stubble. He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips, the gesture setting sparks off in her brain.

  ‘I’ll see you later,’ he said, with a look of promise in his eyes.

  ‘Keep yourself alive.’ She watched him sprint back down the pass and then kicked at the loose stones, watching them bounce down the small drop and settle amid the rest of the boulders. Heavy-hearted, she gathered their empty bowls and headed back to the valley.

  Her mind tingled with restlessness; it had plagued her since meeting Assis yesterday. Now Brogan and his talk of battle intensified the sensation inside her, begging her to act.

  Tei, I need you. Callisa whispered the request through their link.

  I'm coming. Tei hurried across the settlement and into the mountain caves.

  The door to the Sentinel’s private chamber was already ajar and, peering inside, Tei could see the silhouette of her friend. She stepped hesitantly into the room.

  Callisa turned at the sound of her approach, giving Tei no time to mask her shock.

  Her friend’s hair had turned shockingly white at the temples, while the sunken skin of her face had the leathery appearance of age. ‘This can’t go on.’ Callisa’s voice was rough and grating.

  ‘We still hold the attackers at bay.’

  ‘But it’s not enough; the death toll is still too high.’

  Tei edged closer, not knowing what to say.

  ‘I’m dying,’ Callisa said.

  ‘Don’t say that.’ Tei moved to comfort her friend, but Callisa rounded on her, her eyes angry.

  ‘How can you stand there and deny the truth? I saw your reaction when you looked at me.’ She tugged at her hair and wagged her bony hands in Tei’s face. ‘I’m twenty-five years old… look at me!’

  Tei had to look away from the terrible truth hanging between them.

  ‘I’m scared.’

  Callisa whispered it so quietly that Tei wished she’d imagined it. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look at Callisa, to see the full extent of the changes in her friend.

  ‘When I came to Turrak and saw Gohan, I was scared of ending up like him. Now I realise that living nightmare is not for me. Instead, the island will consume me long before I end up an ancient husk.’

  Callisa sank to the floor, her back against the window and her head bowed over her knees. ‘It’s over, Tei.’

  Tei squeezed her hands into fists at her side and paced the length of the window, trapping her growing indignation behind pursed lips. Then she stopped in front of Callisa, hands on her hips. ‘So this is the reason you called me here.’

  Slowly the Sentinel raised her red-rimmed eyes.

  ‘You called me here to say you’re giving up, you’ve let that bastard break you.’ She paused to take a breath. ‘You’re the Sentinel, the heart and soul of this island. If you give up, you doom us all.’

  ‘I’m not strong enough…’

  ‘Maybe not alone, but I’m with you. Hafender, Thal, the Elders... everyone is behind you. Don’t give up on us… don’t give up on yourself.’

  Callisa somehow managed to smile through her tears.

  Tei dropped to her knees and hugged her. ‘This isn’t over, I promise you,’ she said into her friend’s brittle white hair.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Tei helped Callisa to her feet and they moved to the comfort of the hearth chairs where the fire gave off some reassuring warmth. Tei busied herself making them drinks and gave Callisa a chance to compose herself. As she handed over the hot tisane, she saw the Sentinel’s mask was back in position.

  ‘What now?’ Tei asked, settling into her seat.

  Callisa looked into the flames, her eyes hazy with thought. ‘I need your help with something.’

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘I want to contact the raiders at our shore, to expose Rathnor and show their commander the truth of what this war is doing to Kalaya.’

  ‘Are you sure? You don’t know how powerful these people are.’

  ‘I’ve studied them as best I can and they don’t seem like a brutal race. I believe if they understood more about us they would reconsider joining forces with Rathnor.’

  ‘You’re sure it’s worth the risk?’

  Callisa nodded.

  ‘Fine, I’ll help you,’ Tei said.

  ‘You understand that I’m too weak to do this alone; you’ll need to be my strength and it will hurt.’

  ‘I’ve lived through worse.’

  Callisa studied her before nodding.

  They moved their chairs side-by-s
ide and linked hands. Within moments, their spirits joined and they travelled beyond their bodies out into Turrak. Callisa propelled their spirits swiftly past the battle and out across the enemy encampment. They flew across the empty land of Kalaya, out towards the sea where the enemy had anchored their ships near the inlet of the bay. The sight of ten war ships sent fear coursing through Tei’s veins.

  Callisa glanced across at her and smiled, before leading them towards the raiders. The people aboard the enemy vessels seemed like normal men, so much like her own people that Tei found it hard to envisage them invading her home.

  They hovered over the lead ship and Tei immediately spotted the commander as Callisa focused on him. Looking closer, Tei could see the powerful magical aura of the man, but also the chain of Rathnor’s influence shackling him.

  The ship gently bobbed on the current, while the crew were busy mending the sails and sharpening their weapons.

  Tei wondered how they could persuade these men to go away when they waited so patiently for Kalaya to be at its most vulnerable.

  She felt a massive wrench as Callisa reached out and drew on her strength.

  ‘Sorry,’ the Sentinel whispered. ‘Are you alright?’

  Tei nodded bravely as the moment of pain and dizziness receded.

  She felt the unexpected presence of another spirit walker. She realised it was an old man, his spirit form seemed weak and unskilled, but Tei knew it wasn’t wise to trust her first impressions.

  The old man looked guarded. ‘What do you want with my commander?’

  ‘We want to talk,’ Callisa told him. ‘I bring no trouble, only a warning.’

  Tei watched the old man’s reactions, still trying to judge whether he was a threat to the Sentinel. He seemed nervous as he waited for Callisa to continue.

  ‘The war raging on this island is a farce of epic proportion, instigated for the gain of one man, Rathnor.’

  Tei saw a flicker of recognition cross the old man’s face.

  ‘He’s tricking your people into joining this war. If you invade and join forces with him, you’ll be destroying an innocent race… and damning your own. There is nothing to gain on Kalaya but death.’

  ‘How can we trust your word any more than we can trust Rathnor’s?’

  ‘Let me show you.’

  With a hesitant nod, the old man allowed Callisa to draw him towards them. Together, the three of them hovered over Kalaya.

  Callisa showed the old man the delicate threads of the magic holding the island in balance. She showed him the weakening breaks and the patches of decay where the magic could no longer maintain the link between the island and the nature upon it.

  To Tei it was a terrifying glimpse into the future of Kalaya if Rathnor succeeded in his plan. She shivered; the sight was all too much like her nightmares.

  With them as witnesses, Callisa restored the protective barrier around the island, fortifying it, giving herself to it. The air rippled with power, but Tei knew it was a show for the old man’s benefit, and that it was a lie. The effort had almost killed Callisa.

  Tei stayed close to her friend, feeling new respect for her. The Sentinel struggled with the momentous task every day, but no one considered the toll it took on Callisa, not even her Confidante, Tei thought, burning with shame.

  They returned to the sea and hovered over the lead ship. Releasing the old man’s spirit, Callisa’s image shimmered and almost faded. Tei held her friend steady though the old man didn’t seem to notice; he looked stricken as he studied Kalaya.

  ‘Our people are trapped on a dead island. We wanted to escape it, not create another Stone Haven. I must warn the commander.’

  Even as he spoke, they felt a new presence. Rathnor was coming.

  ‘Go!’ Callisa shouted at the old man.

  Instantly his spirit left them.

  ‘Come on.’ Tei reached for Callisa, desperate to escape before their nemesis appeared.

  Callisa moved away, her eyes determined as she met Tei’s gaze.

  ‘Callisa, don’t…’ Tei screamed as a pulse of her friend’s magic pushed her away.

  Unable to stop herself, Tei flailed backward towards her body, filled with the terrifying knowledge that the Sentinel was about to face Rathnor alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Farrell blotted the ink and closed the journal, before tucking it into his drawer. He packed away his writing equipment just as Buck burst into the room, looking harassed. His words spilled over each other in a garbled muddle.

  ‘Slow down,’ Farrell said.

  Buck sucked in a breath. ‘I met the girl, and I have no doubts she is good. I could see her bonds with the island, connecting her to it by magic, but they’re both fading, dying.’

  ‘This is still not making any sense.’

  ‘Rathnor is the enemy, not the harbinger of peace. This is his war, and if we join him, we doom Kalaya to the same fate as Stone Haven. This isn’t the way to save our people. We’ve been tricked.’

  ‘Are you certain you can trust her?’

  ‘Yes,’ Buck said quickly. ‘She speaks the truth. This is a horrendous mistake, one I have suspected since we arrived.’

  Farrell looked at the sincerity in the old hermit’s eyes and knew he couldn’t doubt his word. He leant back in his chair and groaned as he ran his hands over his face. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and pictured Leila; if he tried to put a stop to the invasion now, he might never see her again.

  ‘Everything our people have achieved could be ruined because of my error of judgement.’ Farrell punched his desk in frustration.

  Buck remained quiet. Farrell glanced up and saw the old man clutching at his throat, his face turning red.

  ‘Buck?’

  Farrell jumped from his seat, the chair clattering over as he rushed to help, but Buck collapsed before he could reach him.

  He lay on the floor convulsing and clawing at his chest. Farrell held him steady and finally Buck’s terror-filled eyes locked with his. His lips were moving, but Farrell could only hear the gurgle of a dying man.

  ‘Help! Someone get some help in here,’ Farrell shouted at the closed door. ‘Buck, what’s wrong?’

  He loosened Buck’s tunic, but the old man still couldn’t breathe. Buck clawed at his body, tearing at his own flesh, and then he grabbed Farrell’s arm.

  ‘Go… home…’ The words whispered out on a tortured breath and then his hand fell away.

  Allisus burst into the room as Buck’s body gave a final spasm. Farrell moved back, allowing his first mate to check Buck’s vital signs; though he already knew the old man was dead.

  ‘His heart must have given out.’ Allisus shook his head. ‘I should have seen it coming; he’s been acting strange for days. The old fool should have come to me when he felt unwell.’

  Farrell stood mute, looking down at the dead man. A shudder travelled through him as he realised he’d just witnessed Rathnor murder his friend.

  Buck’s words of revelation were still fresh in his mind. He turned to his first mate. ‘Allisus,’ he said, knowing he had to share the burden of his knowledge before Rathnor struck again.

  Allisus looked at him, the corpse of the dead man between them. The damning words were on Farrell’s tongue, when a cheer erupted from the crew up on deck.

  He rushed from his cabin and climbed the steps, emerging into blinding sunshine. The crew were crowded at the rail, gawping at the island.

  The barrier had fallen. Kalaya’s magnificent beauty lay exposed and the path into the bay was clear. Their ships could easily navigate through the rocky inlet now. Farrell’s heart sank like a stone into the clear waters around the island.

  His doubts about joining the war on Kalaya were realised with Buck’s death, but now with the crew looking up at him expectantly, he knew it could be too late to back out.

  Every man awaited the call to set sail.

  ‘We wait!’ His stern voice rang out across the sea, and he heard the command repeated across t
he fleet.

  Over five hundred men waited for enlightenment, but Farrell turned on his heel and swiftly disappeared back below deck, leaving the confused crew to mutter amongst themselves.

  He bumped into Allisus who was about to come up the steps.

  ‘What’s going on, Commander? Has the barrier fallen?’

  ‘Yes, but it’s time to go home.’ He paused, seeing Allisus’ confusion. ‘Stall the crew and then come to my cabin and I’ll explain everything.’

  Farrell hurried to his cabin and shut the door, standing with his back against the wood. He stared at the floor where Buck had died. Someone had removed his body, but Farrell could still see his contorted expression and the horror in his eyes.

  A slow rage built inside him. He moved to his desk and pulled out fresh parchment and ink. Then as swiftly as his fingers were capable, he recorded the words of Rathnor’s trickery and Buck’s murder in a letter to Leila. He stashed the letter with the journal in his desk and planned his speech to the crew while he waited for Allisus to return.

  Would they listen, he wondered, with the pull of Kalaya so close and the way clear of obstruction. There was nothing to stop them landing now except the truth. He didn’t expect to survive his decision, but he had to do what was right for his people. He hoped Leila and his sons would understand one day.

  Farrell brooded over his failings as he looked at the door, waiting for Allisus to reappear.

  He felt Rathnor then. The probing force of the man seemed suddenly resoundingly evil.

  Don’t change your course, Farrell.

  It was a warning. There was no pretence, no sweet lies or promises - they were just two men who knew each other’s temperament.

  We’re not going to fight your war, Rathnor.

  That is unfortunate… for you. Rathnor’s presence swelled with menace. You should reconsider your decision because I won’t let this opportunity pass.

  What can you possibly gain from war? What is worth destroying your people and your home for?

  Rathnor laughed. Something you will never understand.

  Even as he spoke, Rathnor struck, the full force of his spirit colliding into Farrell.