The Sentinel had one arm raised to point somewhere in the distance, as if giving homage to the bright sun, or trying to touch the stars.
Sentar felt his seething emotions replaced with satisfaction. He could hear great crashes and explosions from across the harbor, the sounds rolling out from the city, but he didn’t care about the fate of Renrik, or Gorain, or his revenant army.
They were just a distraction. The power was his.
Sentar lifted his arms at his sides and chanted under his breath. He rose into the air. It was time to show the humans how much power he had.
Sentar ran his eyes over the statue as he climbed the sky. He saw the huge, powerful legs, and the thick torso. He passed the broad shoulders and gazed up at the gigantic head.
Sentar rose until he was level with the statue’s head. He floated forward until he was looking at the flowing hair, held back by a crown.
A single rune decorated the crown.
Sentar ceased his chant but continued to float. He began a new chant. Even for the Lord of the Night, this chant was complex.
He first spoke a single activation sequence. The rune on the crown lit up with a soft emerald glow. Sentar remembered the Sentinel’s genesis, feeling the power he and his brothers had given this, their greatest creation.
Sentar’s voice rose in a steady stream of words and inflections. He opened his mouth to call the sequences loud and clear, feeling a surge of triumph as the millions of tiny symbols inscribed and hidden all over the statue came to life. Rainbows of color flickered and danced in his vision. A steady hum filled the air, a low sizzle of energy.
Sentar’s arms dropped to his sides.
The Sentinel’s eyes opened.
Sentar felt savage joy course through him. He had woken the giant. Only one of the Evermen, a god, could commune with this, their most powerful creation.
Looking into the huge eyes, Sentar spoke. “Sentinel. Remove yourself from the pedestal.”
Glancing down, Sentar smiled as he saw a line of green fire spark around each foot. With a groan, first one knee lifted, and the foot below came away from the pedestal before setting itself back down. The second foot followed suit.
The Sentinel thrummed with power. The raised arm lowered, and the statue regarded Sentar with a look that could have been called inquisitive.
“Sentinel, take yourself from here. Go to Stonewater.”
The arm came up again, the statue slowly turned, and this time the statue pointed south, toward Stonewater. In the direction of Sentar’s place of power.
“Yes. To Stonewater.” Sentar had a sudden thought. “But first, Sentinel,” he said, “I have another task for you.” Sentar pointed at Seranthia. “Destroy that city.”
The arm swept around once more as the Sentinel turned and pointed at Seranthia.
Sentar tilted his head back and laughed as the Sentinel turned to face the city. With heavy, ground-shaking steps, it moved forward, its size belying its agility as it stepped off the pedestal and reached the water’s edge.
The Sentinel kicked its legs and launched itself forward, over the clutter of the stones, landing in the water and plunging below the surface. Sentar rose higher into the air, feeling pleasure when he saw the vibrant colors shining up from below the harbor’s depths. The glow moved forward, and Sentar floated in line to follow it from above.
As it grew closer to the docks, first the crown crested the water, and then the head. The Sentinel’s shoulders were now above the surface, with Sentar following from behind.
Sentar frowned.
A figure stood at the docks, as if waiting the Sentinel’s arrival. Sentar took in the fiery red hair and black clothing, the nine-pointed star on the man’s chest. His eyes narrowed as he sped forward.
59
“Sentinel,” Killian said. He didn’t know how he knew the relic would understand him, but he could see awareness in the glowing eyes. “Go back. Go from this place.”
The eyes shifted, fixating on Killian as he felt a tremor of apprehension run though his body. Would the Sentinel acknowledge him as one of the Evermen?
“Go east,” Killian said, pointing out to where the harbor opened up onto the Tingaran Sea. “Do not stop until you reach land.”
Standing on the edge of the dock, feeling the wooden planks firm beneath his feet, Killian held his breath.
The shoulders shifted; the head turned back around. Once more the Sentinel sank beneath the water, leaving a surging whirlpool as it subsided.
Killian heard a roar of rage an instant before he saw him. There was a blur of motion, and then Sentar was suddenly beside him on the docks, barely a dozen paces away.