“I understand. You don’t have to make a decision right away,” Chrysander said. “You’ll want to start setting up different avenues of resources. Which brings me to more good news.”
“Good news?”
“Yes, are you familiar with the druid company we all use to transport from place to place?” Chrysander asked.
“I am, I believe it’s called Dérive?”
“It is, it’s run by a mysterious man who calls himself Ghost,” Chrysander explained. “As you can imagine, with the services they offer, the company is extremely successful. They funnel nearly all the proceeds back into their own race and various other races and charities within the Council. I was informed yesterday by a company representative if the sentinels were given the green light today, Dérive would be donating their entire annual charitable contribution to the sentinels. That is a number in the billions. It should go a long way to improving the lives of your men.”
Alaric was staggered. And speechless.
Chrysander grinned. “I know, I’ve never heard of a donation that large. Aloisa the Dwyer is going to lose her shit.”
“I have no words,” Alaric managed.
“We have been late to help, but we’re going to do everything we can do to ensure you are successful,” Chrysander said. “Draconis Enterprises can’t offer you a donation as large as Ghost, but we’ll definitely be writing you a fat check.”
“Thank you, you have been very kind. We’re very appreciative,” Alaric stated.
“Get your office set up and then we’ll talk more,” Chrysander responded. “Gavrael and Gedeon can pass along my contact information to you. We’ll send along information about where your vestibule will be in the Main Assembly Hall, and I’m sure Larissa can design a banner. Get in contact with the Reverent Knights. You will need to put together a system to get all eight thousand plus of you enrolled in the Council system and divvy out identification cards. Don’t hesitate to contact me with questions about anything at all.”
“Thanks again, you have our appreciation,” Alaric replied and then they said their good-byes to the Emperor and his family. The men were apparently headed to lunch and extended an invitation but when most of the people with you were skeletal, it was polite to pass so Alaric did. Not to mention he didn’t know if Chander would be eating in the council leader’s cafeteria where the dragons were headed, and he was the last person Alaric wished to see again.
Back in the hallway they stared at one another, all of them stunned into silence and then Gedeon smiled brightly. “Come on, let’s go to D’Vaire. We have a ton to celebrate.”
Alaric joined his men at the Dragon Court of D’Vaire, still stunned over all the Emperor had told him. This place was one of fun and the people there were caring, but it was impossible to forget it had been inside the D’Vaire’s house where his life had been irrevocably set on a different course. His spell torn away and his soul tied to another. He was grateful for the first and devastated by the second. With a cleansing breath, Alaric shoved aside his despair. He should be focused on celebrating, not anguish. It wasn’t about Alaric; this moment belonged to the Lich Sentinel.
Finally, his sentinels were going to be more than imprisoned. No more solitary days and nights. There would be more than just endless training and no hope for the future. He might be chained to heartache and pain, but his men were moving faster and faster toward rich, full lives. Held down for two thousand years, the sentinels were ready to rise.
About the Author
Jessamyn Kingley lives in Western Maryland with her husband of nearly two decades. She considers it a bad day when the lovely men in her head refuse to speak to her. When she is not writing, Jessamyn is pretending to be one of the magickind she loves to create in the rich world of video gaming.
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Rise of the Lich Sentinel Page 33