Free Crimson Dawn by Ronnie Massey Page A

was the first Sentinel to get there. He came swirling through the vents as mist, solidifying inside the room just as I was beginning to herd everyone out into the hall. He took one look at the remains and rushed to the window running his hands along the frame. Two more Sentinels joined me in clearing the room. When we were done, we closed the door behind us and turned towards a stony-faced Descantes.
     
    He ran a shaky hand through his hair, looking at us with eyes filled with power and tempered rage. "This should not have been possible! This room should have protected her from Soul Fire."
     
    We blanched at his words. Soul Fire was a weapon typically found in an Elemental’s arsenal. They were almost as old the Djin and even rarer. We learned as children that the Elementals were the replacements for the Djin and the most powerful race the Founders of all life had given birth to - Human, Extras, or Demon.
     
    The Djin were once the favored of the Founders, created to be protectors of Humans, but they abused the privilege, so the Founders removed them as protectors and finally locked them into servitude to the Humans they had grown to envy and abuse. Modern society refers to the legendary Djin as genies. As powerful as the Djin are, the Elementals are stronger. The Founders gifted only Elementals with the ability to create new and unique life forms. They were the true creators of the Extras races.
     
    I was the first one to say anything, "This is Tristan's work, Descantes. He did this using the sire's link."
     
    He scrutinized me with disbelief on his face. "It's impossible. Vampires of old might have been able to do this type of damage, but that gift has been lost to your race for almost four thousand years now."
     
    I heard the truth in his words, but I knew that Tristan was responsible for those deaths. I'd looked into Amanda's face and seen his eyes looking back at me.
     
    Descantes gave orders to his men who whirled into motion taping off the area around the bed. A water nymph came into the room and began clearing the water from the room, evaporating it into mist and taking it into herself. Later she would expel the water and essentially strain it for any traces of magic it may have picked up to pass off to a tracer.
     
    Descantes moved to the doorframe and pressed a glowing hand to the runes within it. His head bowed in concentration mumbling Aramaic to himself as he checked to make sure the wards were intact. He looked up with an even deeper scowl on his face, "This makes no sense whatsoever.” He squatted to look under the bed, finding the dream catcher intact and unharmed, still sparkling with power.
     
    "These rooms are built specifically for Extras inhabitants taking into account any number of situations that may have placed them here.” He looked at Amanda's remains with a glimmer of pain in his eyes. "She was a fine woman and an even better Sentinel." He rolled his signet ring around his finger in circles as he talked.
     
    "She came to me seeking a purpose with her life after Tristan left her to her own devices," he admitted. "She helped me police our people long before the Awakening. She deserved better than this."
     
    I flinched against the pain in his voice, my personal time table for catching Tristan just got impossibly shorter. I knew he didn't believe that Tristan was responsible, but I knew differently. The quicker I brought him down the better. No one involved would have closure until that happened.
     
    I moved to leave the room as more staff from Descantes' division came to do their jobs, but he caught me by the arm and pulled me into a corner. "I realize the higher ups decided to let the Charlotte CMS head the hunt since it's Tristan's home base, but I'm not going to rein my men in just because you're here.” He made eye contact with a short stocky Were standing behind me. The Were nodded and then left the room. He wasn't wasting any time putting teams on the street, and that wasn't