Goddess Rising

by Alisha Ashton

  Taran grimaced as he released Brandubh’s hand.

  Brandubh’s servants stepped up to the barrier. Moving in unison, they placed their hands against it. Taran watched as they each cried out in response to the intense pain. He winced, then set his features determinedly. He refused to feel any sympathy for these undead bastards. He just hoped they could withstand the pain long enough to get the job done.

  The barrier flickered into view and, for the first time, remained that way. Light spread outward slowly from the places where the servants’ hands connected, moving like rings across the surface of a pond, overlapping until the entire barrier had been touched. Brandubh gave the order in his mind then, and all at once, the ripples reversed direction. Light began drawing back from their hands, pulling from the barrier and into the servants.

  Brandubh nodded approvingly and turned back to Taran. “Tha should do it. Keep ‘em guarded and they’ll help get ya through. I’m off. Wish me luck?” he asked with a grin.

  “I wish ya death by a slow, thorough dismemberment at my hands, brathadairean,” Taran spat. His expression slowly shifted to something only slightly softer than a scowl before he went on. “…just… nah today. Today, for my wee Queen alone, I wish ya luck. Now, get in there and defend her.”

  Brandubh bit his bottom lip and narrowed his gaze on Taran’s ruggedly attractive face. “Oh, I do like you, King,” he declared in a rough, quite tone. He chuckled to himself and kicked off the ground. His immense black wings spread to their full glory just in time to catch and carry his weight. He flapped them slowly and forcefully, keeping himself suspended in place. “Should we both survive the day, we should play again soon.” He paused long enough to enjoy Taran’s look of supreme displeasure before launching himself skyward with incredible speed.

  As soon as he was gone, Teàrlach’s abominations were released from his hold. They screeched gleefully as they raced to defend the barrier. Taran and the rest of the faoil immediately got to work protecting Brandubh’s servants.

  Skye remained where she had fallen, kneeling in the grass, hands pressed tightly against her gut. She tried to stay as still as possible, but she could not help her involuntary shivering and swaying. Her skin was slick with sweat. She had to struggle to focus. The blood loss was making her lightheaded, but she fought with all that she had to remain conscious.

  A sudden, thunderous sound jolted her out of her daze, causing her to flinch, then whimper at the intense pain caused by the movement. She looked around in confusion. The creatures were no longer snapping and snarling at her from all sides. From what she could see, she was alone. It took her a few seconds to understand what she was looking at. The world beyond her makeshift barrier was a swirling cloud of dust and debris and unnerving silence. Something had struck the ground like a missile, carving a 50-foot-long trench through the earth as it landed.

  Skye watched in a strange mixture of relief and dread as Brandubh stepped up from the trench and made his way toward her barrier. He paused there, tilting his head and waiting, silently requesting permission to come closer. Skye glanced around at the dusty, silent world again. She was unable to see more than 100 feet in any direction. She was afraid to leave herself open to attack from the creatures, and also terribly afraid to hand herself over for a potential attack from Brandubh.

  He studied her patiently and sent a wordless sense of reassurance through their link: He had the creatures handled for the time being. She did not need to worry about them.

  She struggled with her instinctual fear of allowing him to approach. This meeting was different than every time before. This was not a dream realm or even a past incarnation of him. This was the beast he had become. This was Brandubh at his most unpredictable, and she was too weak to lift a finger to defend herself. She hated the helplessness of her situation, but sadly, this was her only choice. She closed her eyes and allowed her barrier to fall.

  Brandubh stood still at first, appreciating the significance of the moment. He walked to her slowly, kneeling down in front of her. Carefully, he removed her helmet. When she was free of it, a dangerous, unnerving – yet somehow fond – smile spread across his full lips.

  “There ya are…” he whispered reverently.

  His lips parted in awe as he studied her. He raised his hand slowly, stretching out his long, slender fingers to touch her cheek. His brows drew together disapprovingly when she pulled away at the last second, denying him the intimate contact. A flicker of pure, merciless rage passed over his features, burning brightly in his unnerving gaze.

  Skye held her breath, unsure of what to expect.

  His rage gradually cooled to disappointment. He lowered his hand and waited.

  She kept her eyes locked with his, trying to appear strong despite the fact that she was barely able to stay upright. She swallowed with a great deal of effort, working to find her voice.

  “I… I couldn’t do it alone,” she admitted bitterly.

  Brandubh smiled lightly, looking at her as one would a child. “Ya had no need to, sweet, young Goddess. I was near enough, as always, awaiting your call.”

  Skye, sweating, shaking, and holding her guts in place, somehow still managed to give him a skeptical look. She tried not to be too freaked out at his assertion that he was always around. “The last time you made your presence known whilst anywhere near me, you murdered my mate, had me abducted, almost had my friend killed, started a war, and burned down our castle.”

  Brandubh waved it all off. “Call it bad blood under the bridge,” he said with a grin. “Besides, I just had a chat with ol’ King grouchy what’s-his-face out there and he happens to be lookin utterly splendid for a recently dead fella. He’s already forgiven me completely.”

  Skye arched a disbelieving brow.

  Brandubh rolled his eyes dramatically. “All right, fine. But he will forgive me at some point. And besides, he didn’t stay dead, did he? I mean, true, his hair apparently did nah survive the resurrection… and he is positively wreaking of tha filthy, treacherous whore’s polluted power.” His eyes flashed with fury and hatred.

  Skye’s heart leapt up into her throat when he closed the distance between them without warning, completely invading her personal space.

  His cool breath chilled her ear as he whispered dangerously, “Ya want to be clearing tha out of him right quick like, youngblood, before it goes causin’ ya any trouble.”

  He backed away slightly, pausing a moment when their faces were mere inches apart to meet her eyes purposefully.

  Skye frowned as she watched him settle back into a crouch. She wondered at first what he meant. Then she recalled Sorcha saying She had left something inside of Taran as a surprise for Brandubh in case he ever attempted to drain him of life again. Taking recent revelations into consideration, Skye wondered what Her true motivations may have been…

  Brandubh continued in a pleasant tone, drawing her attention back to him. “Your castle made a full recovery. The war was long overdue to start. Your pup has since received the bite…”

  Skye gritted her teeth that he knew about Miko, but Brandubh went on, unconcerned by her surprise.

  “…and, as I seem to recall, your short-lived grief spurred ya to unlock your potential AND put a sizeable dent in the world’s undead population in the span of – what? A scant few hours? So, if ya really stop and think about it, ya should actually be thanking me,” he said with a wide grin and held up his hands as if awaiting her sincere appreciation.

  Skye scoffed at that, then cried out when the action jostled the gaping wounds in her stomach. She gasped and panted in response to the intense pain, but instantly stilled and silenced when Brandubh’s gaze slid to her gut and blood-soaked hands.

  His eyes swirled to black at the sight. His breathing quickened. His lips parted slowly. His expression shifted to something straddling hunger and arousal.

  Skye watched his reaction closely. When he ran his tongue across his top lip, her entire body tensed up in terror. Memories replayed in
her mind, flashes of being a helpless child at the hands of hungry fògarach ancients…

  Brandubh’s brows drew together. His lips pursed over his fangs. His jaw flexed. He inhaled deeply, scenting her fear. With a slow, purposeful blink, he cleared his vision and forced his heavy-lidded, crystalline blue eyes to return to her face. He still looked a bit intoxicated by the hunger, but in control of it – at least for the time being. He sent her another wave of reassurance through their link. Taking a tremulous breath, he spoke softly. “I’ve no magic at all for healin’ wounds, Sgitheanach. I know it requires quite a bit of energy. I know ya can nah touch the moon’s light through Teàrlach’s barrier and I can feel ya are terribly diminished… but can ya use your last bit of power to help close things up a bit?”

  Skye nodded lightly. It went without saying that doing so would leave her completely defenseless.

  “Good. Do tha now,” he urged. “Stay here. I’ll keep ya shielded while I try and tidy things up out there a bit.” He nodded his head toward something off in the distance.

  Skye followed his direction and noticed for the first time that she was at the center of a new protective barrier of Brandubh’s making. With the dust settled from his arrival, she could see – but not hear – the horde of creatures fighting to reach her. She turned back and gave Brandubh a look of controlled terror. As fearful as she was of being at his mercy, she somehow feared him leaving her alone in her current feeble state even more.

  Brandubh brought his face close to hers, gazing into her watery eyes intensely. “I can help ya, Sgitheanach… in my own way,” he whispered, “but only if ya trust me.”

  Skye gritted her teeth to hold back a sob. She fucking hated this. Tears of frustration rolled down her face, mixing with the smeared paint and blood. Taking great care to keep her body steady, she withdrew one blood-slicked hand from her gut. She reached down into the front of her armor, pulling on the leather cord to bring the carved fang out into view. By the time she managed to pull the necklace over her head, she was out of breath from the effort. She held the carved fang out to Brandubh, offering it up to him in the palm of her trembling, bloody hand.

  Brandubh brows drew together curiously as his head began tilting spasmodically from side to side. He reached out tentatively for the fang. When he took hold of it, his eyes widened in recognition of his power. He looked to her for an explanation.

  “The answers to your questions should be there,” she managed weakly. She winced as she brought her hand back to her stomach. “You and I have trusted one another before. This hardly seems like the most opportune time for me to stop.”

  Brandubh frowned thoughtfully before placing the fang around his neck. Once it was in place, it vanished from view, hidden away by his power. He nodded to Skye in agreement. Bargain struck. Mutual trust for now. He gave a deeply unsettling grin. His head lowered between his shoulders as he slowly backed away.

  Skye watched in horrified fascination as he began to transform. His eyes swirled to blackness once more and fangs elongated. His skin blackened and body swelled to at least triple his normal size. Black feathers rapidly appeared all over his form as he stretched and leaned into the familiar change. His bones popped and shifted into their new positions. His jaw began to stretch forward, changing into a hellish, fang-filled beak as it grew.

  Tears slipped from Skye’s wide, unblinking eyes as she gazed up at him. Her lips trembled at the sight of him. He was a terrible, twisted beast – like something out of the worst nightmare of a truly deranged mind.

  Brandubh let out an ear-piercing shriek that chilled Skye to the core, then launched skyward. Skye sat frozen for several seconds, staring at the place where he had been and trying to process what she had just witnessed.

  Screams and howls of pain erupted in the distance. It was the first external sound she had been able to hear since Brandubh arrived and shielded her. She quickly realized this was intentional – he wanted her to hear the violence he was unleashing in her defense. She watched as he mowed through the creatures’ ranks like a scythe reaping crop. He was a merciless, unstoppable force; diving, slicing, and ripping like some sort of psychotic chainsaw with wings. Severed heads and limbs and gore were flung skyward as he made each pass. He rose into the sky from time to time with a creature clutched in his talons. He drank them dry, then discarded their corpses, allowing them to fall to the ground while he dove back for more.

  Skye’s jaw slowly fell open at the horror she had released. At the fact that she had made a deal with him. If she survived the day, she would have to navigate the dangerous interactions to follow. She would have to try and explain this tentative truce to Taran, Ciaran, and her clansmen… God help her.

  She jarred herself from her shock long enough to close her wounds and keep her insides where they belonged. It did not take long for her to be completely tapped out of power, but at least her gut was sealed, and she was no longer losing blood. She was healed from the worst of her wounds, but she was completely weak and vulnerable – terrifying sensations on a battlefield. She wondered how Brandubh would be able to help from this point. Could he kill all of the creatures and Teàrlach? It seemed too much to hope for. She wanted to worry more about it – how they would get the barrier down, how her clansmen would be able to reach her – but she was just too tired. She could not think straight. Her eyelids were so heavy, she could not keep them open. Her breathing grew shallow. She was only vaguely aware of slumping over, her cheek resting against the wet grass.

  Death awaits down that road… Brandubh whispered in her mind. Do nah give into your exhaustion… Stay here, with me… We have much to do…

  Sensing his approach, she forced her eyes open. She watched him land but could not bring herself to sit up. Never missing a step, he transformed back to human form as he approached, adorned once again in his black feathered skirt and all his glittery treasures. He knelt beside her, then reached out and lifted her from the ground. Skye gazed up at him in confusion as he cradled her in his lap.

  Trust me, sweet Sgitheanach, he whispered through their link. Let me help you.

  He sent a powerful wave of calming and adoration and Skye felt her body instantly begin to relax. He was using his power on her, she knew, but she was far too weak to resist. Her brows drew together as he leaned down to her, bringing his face close to hers. When she tensed up, he smiled reassuringly and nuzzled his nose against hers. More soothing came through their link, paired with the glamour radiating from him. Skye relaxed completely, gazing up into his eyes as he sent instructions into her mind for how she should feel: Calm. Safe. Loved…

  Her brows drew together when he brought his mouth to hers. The sensation of cold lips brushing against her tenderly set off distant alarm bells in her mind. Brandubh held her gaze intensely as he sent a single, forceful command: Drink. He kissed her deeply. As his command filled her mind, blood filled her mouth.

  39: Trust Issues

  Across the field, beyond the boundary and the chaos of faoil slaughtering the creatures caught beyond its shelter, Taran roared wrathfully. Several of his clansmen closed ranks around him, defending him as he shifted back to human form. He watched in outrage as Brandubh dared to touch Skye so intimately.

  Ruarachan shifted to human form and stepped up beside Taran. He placed a heavy, sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Glowering out at the scene before them, Ruarachan growled, “The very moment Skye is safe and the temporary truce has ended, we shall pluck and spit-roast tha flying rat, my King. Until then, we must keep our wits about us, eh? To reach her. To bring her home safe.”

  Taran struggled to stifle his anger long enough to nod and transform back to faol form, but he kept tabs on what was happening with his queen. Seeing his level of distraction, Ruarachan called for several others to join him in defensive positions around their King.

  Skye’s eyes opened wide as she fought back, weakly at first, then harder once she managed to break free of his glamour. She struggled in his grasp. She tried with all her
remaining strength to get him off of her, but it was no use.

  Drink. Brandubh commanded more forcefully as he held her in place, undeterred by her muffled, gurgled cries or the gouges she was clawing into his arms and back. His wings came down around them, clutching her firmly against his body. The added restraints allowed him to free up a hand from the task of holding her still. Skye bucked and wriggled and kicked desperately as his icy fingers squeezed her nose shut. She fought it with everything she had, fought to keep her throat closed to the intrusion, but finally, the need for oxygen won out. She drew an instinctive breath and the blood rushed down her throat, into her lungs. She struggled to cough against his mouth, but he refused to release his hold of her or break the seal of his lips on hers.

  Drink. Brandubh commanded urgently. He gripped her tighter still until her instinctive need to clear her airway overruled her reason and fear.

  She swallowed involuntarily and her entire body went rigid in blind terror. Vivid, violent images filled her mind of being force-fed fògarach blood when she was held captive. The control it had granted the ancients over her. The vile things they had forced her to do while she was under their thrall…

  Please, don’t do this to me, Skye sobbed brokenly in her mind. Please, don’t hurt me.

  Seeing the graphic images in her mind, Brandubh assured, I’ll do all tha and more when ya ask it of me, Goddess, but I’d ne’er do anything against your will. This is nah my blood. I am nah deceiving ya. Taste and ya will understand.

  Skye was beyond terrified as she felt the wretched fluid creeping down into her gut, but she did as he said. Her sense of taste confirmed the truth of his words. It was not his blood. It tasted of Teàrlach’s warped power – like the scent of his creatures: putrid and rotten, an afront to nature.

  Please… I can feel it inside of me… Please, make this stop. Just HELP me, Skye begged mindlessly, still frozen in fear.