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  Orphia grinned, Aura chuckled and Randr just looked embarrassed.

  Xeric straightened, “The Yassoo people have dealt with Nameless before, and they sacrifice them to their king and their god depending on the gender of the Nameless. When I went in as Orphia, I was able to find the key to the collar that Aura was wearing, and the same key opened Randr’s chains.”

  “Who provided them with the chains and collar?”

  Xeric inclined his horned head, “We are guessing that it is a hand-me-down from the Firsts. It makes sense that they would make their children aware of what was coming after them and teach them how to deal with it.”

  Kali groaned. “Fantastic. Were the shackles bound to a strange black rock?” She was getting images from the Orb, and she knew what the rocks were. They were pieces of Home.

  Aura winced, “How did you know?”

  “It is the rock that is dangerous, not the shackles. The rock is a piece of Home stolen by the Firsts. The awkward part is that to reclaim the rock, we need a descendant of the Firsts, and they are not trustworthy.”

  Orphia sent her a thought from their first Sentinel meeting.

  Kali sat back, “Now, how would I send a message to Hardcore and Green?”

  Odin chuckled, “I believe that one of the Sentinels could make the call.”

  Orphia leaned heavily against Xeric. “I think he needs a bit of a rest.”

  Kali grinned, “Thankfully, I can ask another to make the query.”

  With little else to say, she dismissed the ladies and their partners for the day.

  Odin sat next to her with a thud. “Are you making the request?”

  “Not quite yet. The time isn’t right, Odin, but it is coming soon. I will know when it is time to act.” She sighed and smiled softly as he lifted her hand to his lips.

  They sat in companionable silence for several hours until another call got Kali’s attention. The Sentinels needed her right now, but more than that, they needed a greater population. Someone was going to be catching an influx of new recruits, but that was a moment for another day.

  When one mastered time, it was better to take it moment by moment. For now, it was Idara, and in the evening, she planned to devote a moment to Odin. She was wondering what he tasted like, and as she had discovered, they did not have all the time in the worlds, no matter how much she twisted it.

  Embrace the moment and then work on the future. The past took care of itself.

  Author’s Note

  Fine, so I have way too much fun with names. Having the character named Kali was appropriate as it means “the black one,” and she is the entity of “time” or “beyond time” in Hindu tradition. Odin symbolized magic, wisdom, mystery and prophecy. It is all part and parcel of being a Nameless.

  The Nameless are going to be working in the background for a few books, but they will return, and the Sentinels will grow their ranks.

  I hope you have enjoyed Avenge, Avert, Avoid, Await and Awake.

  Thank you for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  www.extasybooks.com

  www.violagrace.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.

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