Trudie Collins - Sentinel

Sentinel

Trudie Collins

Copyright 2019 Trudie Collins

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 0-6485051-1-1

ISBN-13: 978-0-6485051-1-2

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Casey Mallia an angel who returned to heaven far too soon

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Pete, Julie, Terry and Wendy for their feedback.

A special mention to Master Clint and Master John for teaching me an alternative way to shoot arrows.

Prologue

M y name is Adara Marie and I am dead. Its not as bad as it sounds. I still get to see the people I love, but seeing them is all I can do. Also, I can now remember almost everything that happened to me. I can see everything I did, after the age of about five, clearly as if it was only yesterday; every action, every interaction, every conversation.

I have not moved on and will not do so until HE is dead. HE who is responsible for my death. And here he comes now, holding hands with a beautiful young girl. He is as stunning as always, dressed in his black cloak with the gold leaf design on the trim. His handsome face looks up to me, but he cannot see me. Sometimes he can, but not today, though he knows I am here. He can always sense when I am watching him. He looks back at the girl and smiles, but I know the cruelty behind that smile, and the heartache.

I want to say something to her, but I cant. Being a ghost means I cant touch anything or communicate with anyone, no matter how hard I try. Maybe one day I will find a way. For now, all I can do is watch.

My name is Adara Marie and this is my story.

Introduction

L et me introduce myself . When I was born, I became the fifth, and last, child of King Andrast and Queen Cyan, rulers of the kingdom of Amanet.

I would tell you that the first three years of my life were great, that I was loved by my entire family and wanted for nothing, but I have no memory of those years. Everything changed when I was three. At least I assume it did. Thats when my mother died.

I have been told that the fever took her fast and that she didnt suffer, though whether that was just something I was told to make me feel better I have no idea.

I have no memories of her. I have no idea what she looked like, whether she sang lullabies to me, whether she cuddled me. My siblings tell me she did and I believe them. Why wouldnt I?

I know I missed her, but I was so young when she left my life that it didnt take long for my feelings to change. I ended up missing having a mother rather than missing her as a person.

I was brought up by my nanny and the servants. Would it have been different had my mother lived? Im not sure. I tell myself it would have. Sometimes I believe myself, other times I dont.

Father was a busy man; he did have a kingdom to run after all. He loved all of his children and spent as much time with them as he could, but I didnt see him often. He was a good ruler, well-liked by his people. He tried to always do the right thing, but, like any human, he didnt always succeed.

And he loved my mother. A lot. My siblings have told me how happy they seemed to be together and how he mourned her death. Part of me thinks he continued to do so until the day he died.

But enough about my childhood. Skip forward several years to when I was sixteen. That was when I first heard that HE would be living with us; the Sentinel.

I knew what a Sentinel was, of course. Unbeknownst to my father, I attended lessons with my brothers. Their tutor didnt mind and everyone kept it a secret from the king. In Amanet, like most other kingdoms, only males are educated. A womans place is looking after her husband was one of my eldest sisters favourite sayings. All she ever thought about was who she would marry and when. Neither Rosemerta (we all called her Rose) nor Olwen, my other sister, could understand why I wanted to learn about history, science, mathematics and other kingdoms. They were happy being taught how to read and write and nothing more. They did, however, keep my secret.

My brothers, on the other hand, were both of the belief that if a girl wanted to learn she should be allowed to. Not only did they allow me to attend all of their lessons, they also helped me in their spare time.

They drew the line at combat training. I have never even been allowed to hold a sword, let alone use one. Not that I had any interest in doing so. I watched whenever I was able to though. Archery was different. I received all of the training needed so that I would be able to hunt to feed myself, should the need arise. I would never call myself a marksman, but I became skilled enough to be able to kill a man with just one shot. But that comes later in the story.

Back to the Sentinel. I still remember the day that his imminent arrival was announced as if it was only yesterday.

Announcement

W hy has Father called for a family meeting? I asked excitedly, grabbing my brothers arm to get his attention.

Etain stopped walking and turned to look at me. At eighteen, he was only two years older than me, but those two years felt like a huge gap. It made him an adult, while I was still classed as a child.

When he smiled at me, his whole face lit up. He was an attractive young man, with broad shoulders, a chiselled face and stunning blue eyes. Ladies flocked to him. His light brown hair, usually tied up, was hanging loose, almost touching his collarbone. This told me that the meeting had taken him as much by surprise as it had me.