I am helping ya, Brandubh insisted and commanded with enough power to break down the last of her resistance: Do as I say now. Trust me and DRINK.
Skye stared tearfully up at the moon as her body followed his command. Her throat swallowed reflexively, over and over as he passed to her the blood he had consumed. Once he had given it all, he released her.
She gasped for air, if only to lose it all in a scream of anguish as the venom clawed its way into her veins. She rolled over off of his lap, digging her fingers into the damp earth and trying in vain to vomit. She gagged and heaved, but it would not come out.
Use it. Brandubh commanded, dropping to his hands and knees and following her across the grass, scrambling to keep his face in front of hers.
When she caught sight of her hands, she cried out in fright. Her veins were black. Teàrlach’s power was invading her body, trying to take over. The poison was vying for control, spreading through her and ravaging her cells like a disease. She looked up at Brandubh in fear. Her terror only grew worse as he shared through their link what she looked like from his perspective. Her hair, eyes, and lips were turning black.
Taran shifted back to human form again, involuntarily this time, as he struggled with the horror of what he was seeing. He could hear several of his brothers shifting behind him, each as stunned as he. They muttered in panic to one another, but Taran only caught bits of it.
“Great Mother… What’s he done to her?” whispered one.
“…his blood?” another muttered.
“…bastard’s plan all along…” someone growled.
“…possibly turn her into a fògarach?”
Taran’s heart felt as if it was going to give out.
Skye sobbed, feeling betrayed and hopelessly naïve. She recalled the image of herself as Brandubh’s Wicked Queen…
But Brandubh was able to see this as well through their link.
“NO!” he snarled and gripped her by the arms. He lifted her up onto her knees as he screamed into her face, “Ya will nah allow that to happen. I know ya can do this, Sgitheanach – ya must! Rise up! Strip away the filth and reclaim what is rightfully yours! FIGHT!”
Skye held onto Brandubh as she tried to get ahold of herself, tried to fight past the fear long enough to consider his instructions. ‘Reclaim what is rightfully yours…’ Like she did with the power from the fògaraich. Oh, but this was so much worse. The power she recovered from the fògaraich was dirty, but manageable – like filtering mud from water. Teàrlach’s power was more like raw sewage. The amount of taint she needed to remove before it would be pure enough for her to use was overwhelming.
“Ya must do this,” Brandubh insisted and took her hand in his tightly.
Skye met his eyes and realized he was suddenly looking very steady – much like the man he had been 4,000 years prior.
“It hurts so bad…” she sobbed. “Please… I just need it out of me…”
Brandubh sincerely, sorrowfully whispered, “I know. Believe me, sweet, young Goddess, I know, but this is the only way through. This is how ya will defeat Teàrlach and return to your King. I have faith in ya. Now, stop wasting your precious time on fear. Fight. Win. Burn Teàrlach’s darkness from Sitheag’s power and reclaim it as your own!”
A chill ran through her when he spoke Sitheag’s name. An intense wave of déjà vu passed over her.
“Do it now!” he urged as he released her hand.
Skye closed her eyes and focused on the poison inside of her. She felt her way through it, searching for the base. She had to find the stolen magic that had been built upon, corrupted and twisted beyond recognition. If she could just locate a spark, a single molecule, she could latch onto it.
Sitheag… she recalled Brandubh saying.
Skye needed to find her.
Sitheag’s name echoed through her mind with growing intensity. She leaned into it, followed it like a road until she could actually see her – Sitheag as a young woman. Skye smiled at the vision. Sitheag was beautiful and sweet. A creature of light and love. Joyful. Innocent. Smiling. Singing. Laughing. She was a promise. THE promise. All that mattered in the world. The solitary ray of hope in a cruel, dark existence. She had to be protected at all costs…
Skye realized in amazement that she was seeing Sitheag through Brandubh’s eyes. She was tapping into his memories through their link. She shelved that revelation for the time being, because she had found precisely what she needed: A single memory of Sitheag as a toddler, glowing with her power, twirling and singing beneath the moonlight. Skye could feel Sitheag’s pure magic just as Brandubh had. The base. The key.
“Found you…” Skye breathed as she backed out of his memory.
“Caught the scent?” Brandubh asked eagerly.
Hearing the subtle change in his voice, Skye opened her still-black eyes. She was unsurprised to find madness dancing in his gaze once more. His lucidity came and went in cycles, it seemed. She gave him a nod.
“Brilliant!” he exclaimed and clapped excitedly. A deadly grin spread across his face as he hissed, “Now, sick ’em, girl.”
Skye closed her eyes and searched within herself. She found the infinitesimal spark of Sitheag’s light coursing through the tainted blood she had received. It was all but smothered by Teàrlach’s poison. Gripping it tightly, she gave a hard pull. She immediately regretted that decision.
Teàrlach’s dark magic struck out at her, then coiled itself like a python, tighter and tighter, around Skye and that spark, refusing to relinquish its hold.
Skye screamed and fell backward. She was only vaguely aware of Brandubh frantically scurrying around her shouting encouragements. Throughout the vicious attack, she somehow managed to stay connected to the spark. She willed it to glow for her, dimly at first, and used it to trace the intricate web of Teàrlach’s spells.
Her body writhed and contorted on the ground as primal, pained growls and screams escaped her, but she paid it all no mind. She surrendered her body to whatever pain it must endure and disconnected from the physical world. This was about survival now. She was too involved in the fight for her familial power to be distracted.
She willed the untainted base of Sitheag’s power to glow brighter… and brighter… and brighter… The power grew in intensity and heat, burning away all of the darkness that encased it until, in one final blast of blinding white light, Skye managed to destroy Teàrlach’s hold and reclaim it as her own.
She opened her eyes and exhaled as she stood. The blackness in her eyes, hair, and veins seemed to turn to ash, before blowing away in a gust of wind.
Brandubh watched it go in absolute awe. He turned back to her with tears glittering in his eyes. “I knew ya could do it! So… how d’ya feel?” he asked hopefully.
“Much better, thank you. Almost where I need to be,” Skye answered with a dangerous smile. “May I have more, please? A lot more?”
Brandubh drew a choppy breath as his eyes rolled closed. He shuddered in a dramatic show of the effect her words had on him. “Mmm… Gladly,” he purred, running his fingers teasingly over one of his nipples as he opened his eyes. He spread out his wings and gave her a cheeky wink. “Keep speakin’ to me pretty like tha, pet, and I’ll bleed the whole field of ‘em dry for ya. I’ll be sure to pick off the juiciest ones. Back in a jiff!”
He launched from the ground, transforming midflight and then diving back into the chaos. Skye waited patiently, watching him slaughter and feed from dozens of abominations before returning to her. This time, she met him and gripped the back of his head, pulling him down to her and drinking the blood eagerly. This time, she had a plan. She tried to ignore the enraged reaction of her clansmen in the distance. She knew this looked terrible – as if she were under Brandubh’s control or had lost her damned mind – but they would see soon enough that this was the best way to get through. They had to understand, right?
She forced herself to swallow down all of the foul fluid like medicine. It tasted of filth and decay and she
knew it was going to hurt like a bitch, but the end result made it worth the effort. As soon as the flow of blood from Brandubh ceased, she pushed away from him and clamped a hand over her mouth, fighting back the urge to vomit. It hurt even worse this time – Brandubh had not been kidding about finding the juiciest beasts. There was far more power lurking inside her now, waiting to be cleansed.
She dropped to her knees as the darkness sunk its claws in. Her entire body seized up as she fought off Teàrlach’s attempts to control her. Her eyes rolled back into her head before turning black. Her muscles spasmed and contracted. An otherworldly shriek escaped her as her entire body shuddered violently. Her form rapidly shifted back and forth to the horror she would become if she lost this battle. The blackness overtook all aspects of her appearance in bursts. She managed to fight it off for a few seconds at a time before it surged back again.
She reached out for the spark of Sitheag within her, tried to find her buried beneath all the filth, but it was impossible. She was lost and overwhelmed. The blackness was threatening to smother her completely. Just when she began losing ground, edging closer to an everlasting defeat, Brandubh knelt beside her and gripped her hand, strengthening their connection and offering his memories as a guide. Skye whimpered gratefully.
“Don’t ya let him win, girl,” Brandubh commanded. “Burn tha bastard outta ya. This ends here!”
She reached out again for the memory of Sitheag as a small child twirling in the moonlight. She was caught off guard when it came to her… from two distinctly different perspectives. She could see it from the other side now. From Sitheag’s side. Through Sitheag’s eyes, she could see Brandubh crouching nearby, smiling proudly, clapping and singing along with her. It was a teaching song for children. A nursery rhyme. A lesson. In the absence of Faolan, Brandubh had cared for and raised Sitheag as his own daughter. Skye was jarred from her astonishment when Brandubh shook her arm.
“Reminisce later,” Brandubh hissed, sounding more than a little rattled by what she had just stumbled upon, but determined to keep her head in the game. “Draw Teàrlach’s poison out now, before he gets his hooks into ya!”
Skye drew a labored breath as she refocused. The pain intensified in response, rising up to new heights in an attempt to crush her renewed strength. She refused to be stifled. Beneath 4,000 years of defilement, Sitheag’s base power glowed once more. Skye held tight to it, pulling upon and strengthening it.
She sat up, rocking in place as she focused on the unseen battle for control. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she pressed on. She imagined her light growing hotter and brighter, visualized it melting away all of the taint and malintent that encased it.
Brandubh stepped away as Skye radiated blinding white light. A roar echoed in the distance. Brandubh looked out across the field to see several gargantuan troll-like beings, each the size of a house, clawing their way up out of the ground, upending boulders as if they were nothing. His eyes widened.
“Well… tha’s certainly new,” he commented dryly. He looked back to find Skye crouching down with her eyes closed. A serene look was on her face. Her entire body was glowing. The newly-purified white light was swirling around her, caressing her form in smoky tendrils. “Splendid!" he declared gleefully. "I do hope you’re ready to fight now. We’ve quite the battle ahead of us and we’re only getting more outnumbered.”
Skye exhaled slowly… and let go.
With a flash, her form unexpectedly split into three.
Brandubh took a startled step back, blinking in astonishment. He watched in awe as the three rose to their feet in graceful unison.
In the distance, Taran froze in place. He stared out at the sight of Skye’s three sides with his blood turning to ice in his veins. Try as he might, he could not tear his eyes away. Something about her…
Ruarachan barreled into him unexpectedly, nearly knocking him over and snarling furiously for him to keep fighting before he got himself killed.
Taran caught his breath and returned to battle, grunting his appreciation to Ruarachan.
“You… you are the Triple Goddess…” Brandubh gasped in wonder as tears filled his eyes. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head reverently. His brows drew together at a distant, long-forgotten memory. Awaking with the Triple Goddess symbol on his palm. The inexplicable amnesia. The word: trust. He smiled as he stood.
Front and center stood the Woman she had once been. Her body was clad in black tactical attire. Her face was scarred. Her blue and yellow eyes were ringed in thick black eyeliner. Her bleached blonde hair was in a tight braid. A longsword was clutched in her hands. Behind her, to her left, was the Wolf. Naked and snarling with wild hair cascading over her shoulders. Behind her, to her right, hovered the Goddess. Glowing with white light, her long, sleek, silver hair matched that of Sorcha.
Skye viewed the world around her through each pair of eyes. She had accepted this simple truth: She existed simultaneously as these three independent parts, and as the amalgamation of all three. Her mind was clear for the first time since her Return. She was unleashed, ever so much more than she had once been, and she no longer needed to contain it. She was going to face this battle with every part of her.
“This evens the odds considerably,” Brandubh proclaimed as he took in her magnificence. “Are we ready then?”
“We are,” the three answered in unison.
“Excellent! Ladies….” He waited for all three to meet his gaze. “Shall we?” he asked, motioning to the creatures crashing against the barrier trying to reach them.
All at once, the group split up, each taking a different direction toward the edge of Brandubh’s barrier. Just before they reached it, the barrier dropped, causing all of the creatures to fall forward into an onslaught of violence.
The Wolf was an unstoppable force of teeth and claws and raw, unrestrained fury. Primal and ferocious in her attacks, she slashed and tore out throats as she advanced. Her wild hair and nude body were slick with blood. Her fiery heart was intent on killing Teàrlach, reuniting with her mate, and defending her pup and pack. She could sense Taran warring in faol form, smell him, taste his sweat among all the bloodshed. She could smell Miko far in the distance, hear his indistinct shouts. He was vulnerable and surrounded by enemies. She could sense the line of her brothers shielding him, at least for now. She roared with her need to reach him, becoming even more vicious as she fought.
The Goddess was the embodiment of righteous rage. She moved like lightening, fluid and swift across the field, using bolts of power to smite all who opposed her. She was enraged by the audacity of Teàrlach and his underlings – that they believed themselves worthy of her power or capable of taking it from her. Her icy heart was focused on punishing them all for their insolence. She could hear her dark one’s cries in the distance, but she could not feel him at all. Their link was still severed. She knew Ciaran was in pain. He belonged to her. He needed her. She fully intended to put down anyone and anything standing between them.
The Woman carried their worries, rage, love, and more. She longed to reach Taran and Ciaran. She feared for the safety of them, Miko, Aiyana, Elijah, and each of her clansmen. She kept track of Brandubh’s location, ensuring he did not need assistance. Her heart was everywhere at once, but she could not allow herself to become too distracted by the big picture. She focused her mind on strategy and putting down each enemy she faced. Every opponent presented her with the possibility of death. She relied on Taran’s sword techniques and her own fighting style. She was stronger than she had been as a mortal, but otherwise supernaturally powerless. She tore through every monster that came at her, just as Taran had taught her. It was more difficult to fight in this form, to recreate movements and attacks that – when learned – had relied on her faol strength, but she did not allow it to stop her.
It did not take long before they drew the ire of the gargantuan beasts. One lumbered toward the Wolf, trampling lesser creatures without hesitation in its desire to crush its target.
The Wolf roared and hunched down, preparing to attack.
Seeing the behemoth’s destination, the Goddess let out an otherworldly scream. She vanished from view, then appeared across the battlefield directly beside the Wolf. Before the beast had time to react, the Goddess had sent a bolt of power directly into its face, temporarily blinding it.
The Woman and Brandubh rushed to join the others, knowing it would take all hands to bring this monster down. Once they were all together, they dodged the monster’s flailing arms and stomping feet and moved to higher ground. There was not enough time for words. Skye was 3 out of the 4 parts to be involved in this fight, so she already knew what each side of her needed to do. Now, she needed Brandubh to quickly understand the role he was to play.
Through their link, she sent him an aerial image of the beast. She wanted all 3 parts of herself to surround the monster. The Woman could remain in place in the most defendable location. The Goddess could fly to one side. That left the Wolf to cross a great distance in a very short amount of time.
The corner of Brandubh’s mouth turned upward in a thoroughly delighted smile. Wait… ya want me to fly your naked, blood-slicked side around? he asked amusement. And I have your express permission to put my hands all over tha splendid, wee body to do so? How delicious.
The Wolf’s golden eyes glowed as she bared teeth and growled in warning.
Brandubh arched a brow and advised, Honestly, you’re only making yourself sexier, puppy. He took to the sky, reaching down to pluck her up in passing. He brought his hands up beneath her armpits, wrapping his arms around her chest to hold her in place against him.
Skye cringed at the sensation of his cold arms touching her bare breasts and warned, If you get handsy, I swear, I will bite them off.
Only making it sexier! he teased in a singsong voice and shivered in arousal. Teeth, blood, biting, eating… Sounds like a great time to me. He laughed as all 3 of her sides growled through their link. You’re even more fun than I’d imagined! We should do this again soon, he declared.
Goddess Rising Page 57
