The Sentinel (23 page)

‘Seth, shut up for just a second will you. Do you know about the letters that have been left, warning me that I’m going to die on the 21
^st
?’

This took the wind out of his sails a bit as he nodded. ‘Which is exactly why I should be with you to protect you, not holed up here…’

‘Seth, please, shut up…’ I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘You need to know… I want you to know…’ Why was this so hard? I opened my eyes and looked at him.

‘Spit it out. I haven’t got all day.’

‘Don’t be an arse,’ I said, as I started to regret even coming. ‘I know you hate me right now for what I’ve done…’

He looked at his watch impatiently. ‘I’m just saying, I’ve got to go outside in a minute and watch the grass grow, so if you can speed this up.’

Anger burst through me. This wasn’t the romantic reunion I was expecting. ‘Look if I hadn’t found out that you loved me when I downloaded all your feelings, were you actually planning on ever telling me how you felt?’

He stared at me for a few seconds, then finally he spoke. ‘No.’

‘Then cut me some slack. It’s been a tough few weeks and I really need you to be my friend right now.’

‘Should have thought of that before you sent me away.’

I swallowed a huge lump in my throat. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry.’

I closed my eyes to slide back but Seth took my hand. ‘Eve, what is it? Just say what you came to say.’

I looked down at his hand in mine and my heart leapt. ‘I love you.’

He was silent and I looked back up to gauge his reaction. No reaction at all.

Then he laughed. ‘Like a friend?’

‘No, definitely not like a friend.’

He stared at me, his eyes wide in shock.

‘I haven’t been thinking about doing this with any of my friends.’ I wrapped my hands round his neck and kissed him. For a while it was like kissing a statue. He didn’t move, he barely breathed. Then suddenly he was kissing me back. One hand took my face whilst the other snaked round my waist pulling me closer against him. Blood coursed through my veins, a heat, a need so strong burst through my heart. I ran my fingers through his hair at the back of his neck and he let out a low growl. I could feel my powers surge through me, making my skin hum as he touched me.

I pulled back, slightly. ‘I love you like that.’

Seth’s eyes were clouded with a darkness I hadn’t seen before as he leaned forward and kissed me again. His lips were gentle against mine and my powers bubbled just beneath the surface, unused and unbidden, but there. Through my half closed eyes I could see a glow, shimmering around us.

Seth saw it too and he smiled as he pulled away. My powers receded, the flames dwindling. I realised I was trembling.

‘Whoa,’ he said, quietly as the shimmer, slowly faded.

I found my voice. ‘I just… needed you to know that. I should have told you before, but it’s been a complicated few weeks.’

He ran his hands down my back to my waist and as his thumb grazed my bare back just above my jeans, the shimmer glowed bright again. He grinned at my reaction.

‘You have to know that, whatever happens, I need you to know how much I love you.’

Being here was putting him at risk and I had been here too long already.

‘I have to go.’

He blinked. ‘Hang on you can’t just turn up here, declare you love me, kiss me, then go again.’

‘I can and I will. I have to keep you safe Seth. There is no way I’m letting you die for me. When this all over, when the saving of the world is done with, if I’m still alive, I’m going to marry you the very next day. So you have to be alive for that, do you understand me.’

The smile on his face grew. ‘You want to marry me?’

‘If I’m alive Seth, then yes.’

‘Then you bloody well better be alive.’

I smiled, wistfully. ‘I’ll do my best.’

I kissed him again, just briefly this time. ‘I have to go.’

He nodded, numbly and I slid back to my bathroom. Lucas was waiting for me, leaning against the wall, drumming his fingers impatiently on his folded arms.

He stepped forward and grabbed my face in his hand. ‘Next time you do that, you’ll tell me first.’

I nodded, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

He shook his head with a smile, as he released me and walked back out.

19. Edward

An ancient burial site was where we were supposed to meet Edward, Persia’s uncle, the next day. Apparently due to some magnetic energy from the Earth, the Oraculum wouldn’t be able to find us. Whatever Edward’s issue with them, I was just intrigued to meet him. I had sensed the affection that Persia had for him, she clearly admired him.

We were waiting with Izri and Clementine in a field. There was a worn path in a large circle and in the middle were three standing stones in a rough triangular pattern. Persia was on her way with Edward.

I watched, in fascination, as water trickled from my fingers, a new skill that Izri had taught me.

Izri laughed as she produced a great wave of water from her hands that put my little trickle to shame.

Just then another car pulled along ours and I saw the flash of warmth in Izri’s eyes as a tall man with a beard hopped out.

He walked towards me with a huge smile on his face. He had the bluest eyes of anyone I knew.

‘Eve, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about all the secrecy, I just don’t trust that damned Oraculum. Come let’s talk.’

He bent and kissed Izri on the cheek and took my arm and guided me towards the standing stones.

‘Edward, where’s Persia, she was supposed to be picking you up?’ asked Izri.

Edward laughed. ‘I wouldn’t fit in that tiny mini. She’s just coming now. I think she got stuck at some traffic lights behind me. So Eve, Persia told me you can Project.’

‘Not at will, it happened accidentally.’

‘Well if you did it once then you’ll be able to do it again, stand here.’

He pulled me into the middle of the Standing Stones and immediately the hum of the Guardians went out. My Personal Guard tensed.

‘Don’t worry.’ Edward called to them. ‘It’s just the Standing Stones, they protect us from being heard by The Oraculum. Me and Eve are just going to have a nice little chat. Can you feel your powers?’

I reached for them but the heat that was a continual presence inside me was no longer there. I shook my head.

He grinned. ‘Just as I thought. This is good, it will really help you to focus your mind.’ He continued in my head. ‘
Close your eyes.’

I frowned in confusion.
‘How can you talk with me telepathically when our powers are blocked.’

‘It’s the Standing Stones. They affect different Donum in different ways. These particular ones block the powers of the women but not the men. I’m communicating telepathically with you, because I’ve reached for your mind. You won’t be able to speak to anyone else telepathically. You have to reach for their minds for that and at the moment you can’t. So tell me, do you really think the end of the world is coming, that you will be the one to save us all?’

I was thrown by the directness of the question.

‘
I don’t know. I’ve only known about the prophecies for a few weeks. The Oraculum seem to have gone all out to ensure I’m there at the end. My friends, family, teachers were all super strength beings sent to protect me. They obviously see something bad happening and they see me there trying to stop it. Persia sees the end as well.’

‘I don’t mean to speak out of turn, I know she’s your friend, but I wouldn’t hold too much stock in what Persia sees. It seems very vague and not always accurate.’

I felt hurt by this for Persia. Where was she anyway?

‘
You know what I think.’
He smiled
,
as he checked his watch.
The end of the world has been predicted so many times, and we’re still here. The Mayans, Nostradamus, countless others have predicted the exact date and time and they’ve been proved wrong time and time again. If something cataclysmic was coming, a meteorite, a falling planet or whatever the conspiracy theorists think will kill us all, we would know about this by now. The Oraculum don’t even have a date, just sometime in the next three or five years. They don’t even know what it is. It’s a load of rubbish. In three years, five years’ time, we’ll still be standing on this little planet listening to the next prophecy that claims we’re all going to die. It’s a joke. And let’s face it, if the end of the world was coming, the sun blowing up or a black hole that will suck us into oblivion, one little girl isn’t going to be able to stop it. We’ll just have to put our heads between our knees and pray that the end comes quick and painlessly.’

‘I think you’re probably right,’
I said, sadly

‘So you’re just going along with it, taking advantage of the free houses, free food, free cars and clothes. I can’t say I blame you.’

I bristled at this. ‘
I’m going along with it because my Guardians have pledged their whole lives to protect me, people have died for me and if I was to turn around now and say to hell with it all, that would be the biggest insult of all. If the end of the world comes, I will do everything in my power to stop it.’

‘Where is Persia?’ asked Clementine, looking down towards the main road. ‘She should be here by now.’

Edward smiled at her. ‘She’s probably popped into that burger place to get something to eat.’

‘She’s a vegetarian,’ said Lucas.

‘Oh yes, of course she is. Don’t worry she’ll be here soon.’

He looked back at me. ‘
Well that’s all very noble Eve, but with a bounty of five million pounds on your head, you understand why I have to kill you.’

My heart lurched in my chest and I took an involuntary step back. Where the hell had that come from? Edward caught my arm and pulled me back into the Standing Stones.

‘
Don’t react Eve,’
He smiled warmly. ‘
If you give your Guardians the slightest hint of what’s about to happen I will kill Persia instantly.’

My hands shook, my heart hammering against my chest.
‘Where is she?’

‘In the boot of my car. You know the pathetic little fireballs she can produce, they’re nothing compared to what I can do. I can achieve great swathes of fire. You make a single move, you let anyone know and that car will be turned to ashes in less than a second. I will then quickly follow up with a fireball straight through your brother’s heart, kill as many of your Guardians as I can before I then kill you.’

My fists clenched and I saw Lucas take a step towards me.

‘
Smile Eve, I really don’t want your Guardians to suspect anything.’

I glared at him.

‘Smile or Persia will die in three seconds, two…’
He flexed his hand and I quickly forced a smile onto my face.

‘What makes you think I will let you get away with this? I have powers too.’

‘Not within these stones you don’t. Do you think you can run out of these stones before I burn the car to dust? Give it a go, but I doubt you’re that fast.’

The perimeter of the circle was a good ten or twelve metres away.

‘My Guardians will kill you, you won’t see a single penny of the money.’

I saw Izri move slightly towards me out of the corner of my eye. Did she know?

‘Did Persia not tell you, I can slide too. I’ll be out of here a second after I’ve killed you.’

What was he waiting for? Why tell me, why not just kill me as soon as he had me inside the Standing Stones. He looked around the hills, nervously. Then I realised. To claim the money he had to be seen to be the one to kill me. He was waiting for the Putarians to witness it. They clearly should have been here by now and he didn’t want me to kick up a fuss whilst he was waiting. Either that or his guilty conscience for ending someone’s life was eating up at him and he wanted to relieve it by explaining his actions. Could I change his mind?

‘
Persia’s your niece, how could you do this to her?’

He shrugged, callously. ‘
Five million pounds Eve, that’s how.’

So probably not then.

‘
The Putarians will never give you the money. You’re a Donum, they’ll kill you first.’

‘You’re underestimating how much they want you dead. They’ll do anything. I’m just another faceless Donum. They’ll grant me my freedom in return for your death.’

Clementine was getting worried; I could see her looking down the lane anxiously, though Izri had her eyes glued firmly on me.

I chanced a quick glance in her direction and I could see she knew something was going on.

‘Edward, can I show you something,’ she called.

‘Not now darling. Eve is trying to Project.’

I saw a man up on the hill, a lone man dressed all in black. Edward saw him too.

‘
Ah show time. I’m sorry about this Eve, but you know how it is. Well, you probably don’t with all the money the Oraculum are throwing at you.’

His eyes flittered to the man on the hill and he nodded at some unspoken signal. Izri saw him look and whirled around to see what had caught his attention.

Edward flexed his hand and in a moment of wild panic I punched him in the nose. I turned and ran to get out the standing stones so I could defend myself, defend Persia. I heard him roar in frustration but before I was halfway to the border a beam of fire lit up the sky directly above my head. I screamed, desperately reaching out with my shield to protect the car but I couldn’t feel my powers at all. I smelt burning flesh and I looked up in horror to see who had been caught by the flames. To my shock I saw the fire had not come from Edward but from Izri; a great ribbon of white heat came from her hand. As I whirled around, to see her target, I saw Edward lying dead on the ground with a hole in his face the size of a fist. I could see the grass through the hole, smouldering with glowing embers.

I stared at the body in shock. No one said a word.