by JD MITCHELL
“Whoa,” Ali breathed. “I forgot how old Aengus was. He’s tough right?”
Leigh nodded, but his eyes held concern.
Grace stood. “Stick to the smoke. Our job is to recite the spell and end this.”
Ali’s nerves cranked up to eleven, but she followed Grace toward the flames. The closer the better, proximity strengthened the spell.
Careful to avoid the bodies of fallen Fae, Ali kept her eyes straight ahead. She made the mistake of glancing down only once, her eyes deadlocking with the desolate eyes of a Fae soldier. She raised a clammy hand to cover the startled yell that threatened to come from her lips, but she kept moving.
Grace spaced them out, two and two. Sawyer stuck with Grace, who was thirty paces from where Leigh and Ali stood. Malvina trailed Sawyer, acting like his shadow. Her eyes darted around the field, likely on the hunt for uninvited guests. The smoke made it near impossible to see, however, the dark haze acted like a wall creating a visual barrier between them and Dain. Ali did her best to keep the billowing clouds away from her face.
To her right, Grace held three fingers skyward. Ali could barely make out the countdown as her fingers dropped.
Two.
One.
Ali thrust gaoth toward Dain which disrupted the smoke as it raced along its path. Her attack collided with him but was nothing more than an annoyance. He swatted at the intrusion, then resumed his battle with Red.
She tried again, while reciting the spell in unison with the others.
“We invoke the land of Ireland,
Once wholly in the womb of the fertile sea,
Ruination by man’s foolish hand,
Darkness, Violence, and Evil unleashed.”
Dain looked up, his dark eyes scrutinizing the smoke. He must hear the chant. However, their words weren’t loud compared to the crackling of the nearby fire. More like an underlying hum.
Like the other three, Ali kept chanting, the words pouring from her in a desperate plea.
“Fertile be the harvest without the sons,
Rainy be the rivers without the sons,
Remove the spawn of Carman.”
Dain launched Red through the air, who landed inches from a flaming ATV. Ali resisted the urge to gasp.
“Thriving be the tribes of the assembly,
An assembly of the kings of the Tuatha de Danann,”
Dain pinned Aengus against the ground. In a moment of panic, Ali ran forward to help Aengus. Dain’s eyes snapped her direction.
“Tuatha de Danann beneath the mounds of the peoples,
The peoples threatened by of the Sons of Carman,”
Ali locked eyes with Dain. Her mouth moved in the practiced motion of the spell, but her brain didn’t register the words.
“Offspring of great cunning,
The great cunning of the witch Carman.”
Ali sent a weak ball of gaoth at Dain’s head.
Dain pushed himself off Aengus and deflected her attempt. Disregarding Aengus, he stalked toward her. A feral snarl tumbled from his lips. Ali threw gaoth at Dain, this one weaker than the first. Dain sent it back at her. She wasn’t quick enough to dodge the attack, and it caught her in the shoulder. She spun and fell. Quickly, she pushed herself upright to confront him, but Red tackled him as Aengus scrambled to his feet. The rolling mass of limbs that was Red and Dain’s entangled bodies reminiscent of when Leigh and Nash fought. Aengus hit Dain in the face with a powerful gaoth, and the two separated from the force.
Ali kept pace with the words, not daring to stop.
“Lofty Ireland, darkly sung,
Banish the witches’ sons.
The Great…”
The air whistled, then erupted. Ali lost her words as a forceful gust blurred her vision. Dain stood over Red and Aengus who were both disoriented.
The hairs on her arms stood.
Through the smoke Ali spotted Grace, her silver hair rising as though she touched a static balloon.
What the…
An electric charge collected around Dain. Static bolts bounced off him in increasing measure. He would kill them if he released a ball of solas that large.
Death by electrocution after all.
Ali’s eyes darted to her bracelet as an idea occurred to her.
“Leigh!” Ali yelled. She pointed to her arm as she ripped off the band. “They malfunction!”
Leigh’s expression changed from confused to frantic as he followed suit. “Use the button,” he gritted as he launched his bracelet at Dain.
Ali lobbed hers with every bit of awkward gym skill she possessed. She released the button as the bracelet left her fingers.
Two gold bands hurled toward Dain, expanding into Blue discs. Leigh’s connected with Dain’s head as he released the giant orb of solas. The resulting explosion knocked her off balance. She curled into a ball as a second explosion – presumably her shield – sent heat over her head.
“Finish the spell!” Grace yelled.
The blast disoriented Ali, but she mumbled the final words as she tried to regain her balance.
“The Great Lady, Ireland,
Many hath conquered her,
The Tuatha de Danann beseeched for her.
We invoke the land of Ireland!”
The smoke cleared enough for her to see Dain’s limp body on the ground. He stirred, his gaze upon Grace, before he disappeared into a dark mist.
“No. Freaking. Way,” Ali gaped.
Leigh stood, his eyes probing the smoke. “It worked?”
Ali burst with adrenaline. “We did it! We banished a Son!”
Behind her, Grace laughed, and Sawyer cheered.
Leigh embraced Ali. “You did it!”
She started to correct Leigh. It was a team effort. He stopped her short by leaning towards her. His lips briefly found hers. It wasn’t soft and sweet, but firm and hot. Shocked, it pleasantly surprised her. Ali barely kissed backed before he pulled away and let out a loud triumphant yell.
Stunned, Ali wanted to ask why he kissed her, but Leigh rushed toward Red whooping and hollering. She meandered toward them, her head spinning with too many details. They’d banished Dain, and Leigh kissed her. She didn’t know where to start.
In the middle of their congratulatory circle, Leigh scooped Sawyer up into a hug and spun in a circle. Sawyer laughed and kicked his feet out. Malvina watched from the sidelines; her usual frown touched by the verge of a smile.
Grace sauntered over to the group, the spear resting on her shoulder. She was the picture of a silver haired warrior. It convinced Ali Grace could take on an army by herself.
“What do you think Aengus? Ready to take on the last Son?” Grace’s grin stretched ear to ear.
Aengus’s broad smile faltered, his eyes widening at the sight of two hands grasping either side of Grace’s head followed by a sickening snap.
Dirty fingers slipped through Grace’s silver hair. The strands resembling silky ribbons as Grace’s lifeless body slumped onto the ground.
“Nooo!” Ali screamed.
Dain stood behind Grace’s body, thrusting the blade into Grace’s back as though he claimed a new territory. He didn’t snarl, smile, or gloat. His face was expressionless.
They didn’t send him back.
Now they couldn’t banish Dain. Not without Grace.
Aengus conjured a sphere of solas, but Dain was ready. Dain hit Aengus in the chest with a concentrated ball of heat, flinging Aengus to the ground. His head bounced like a basketball on impact and he didn’t move to stand.
Red dove toward Dain’s chest, as Leigh lunged for his legs. The three of them sparred. Fiery fists where blocked with electric hands. Sawyer cast ice knives, which shattered against rising stone. Malvina launched herself in the fray like an attacking hurricane, but her gale winds fizzled as she was tossed aside. Ali delivered a few gaoth punches, but it didn’t matter. The scuffle was tipping in Dain’s favor. He moved faster, spurned with a new fury. When his fingers closed around Re
d’s throat, she knew they’d all be killed. Red was the only thing between them and death.
Red can’t die.
Ali charged, determined to free Red if that meant throwing her own body to stop Dain. She was a foot away from launching herself at Dain when his mouth opened in surprise. He gasped.
Dain dropped Red, spitting blood. A thick stream trickled from his mouth down his cheek. He sputtered, coughing blood onto Ali’s clothes.
Behind him stood Sawyer, spear in hand.
Tears streaked down Sawyer’s cheeks as he shook with rage.
Leigh was at Sawyer’s side in seconds, gripping the spear. They stuck it further into Dain, the tip protruding from Dain’s chest. Blood blossomed from Dain’s breast like a flower as he fell to his knees.
Ali knew what to do.
She closed the gap, grabbed the spear, and helped the two of them drive it further through Dain’s chest.
He collapsed.
Ali scrambled away from Dain and clutched Sawyer. Leigh left the blade in Dain’s back, his mouth agape.
Coughing, Red rubbed at his neck and stood. He hesitated over Dain’s body, then nudged Dain’s forehead with the toe of his shoe.
Nothing.
They stood in silence. Ali waited for Dain to get up, but he didn’t. Blood continued to pour into the soil, a thick pool spreading under him. The way it crept across the surface of the ground reminded her of syrup.
“I don’t understand,” Red said.
Ali did. The idea registered when she saw Leigh and Sawyer holding the shaft of a spear which dripped with the blood of a Lugh descendant. Aengus said Lugh’s magic wasn’t perfect, and that the spear would work for his descendants.
“Grace’s blood was on the blade,” Ali said gripping Sawyer tighter and hoping she guessed right. “The blade of Lugh’s spear.”
“You think her blood was enough to connect all four of the lines…” Red studied the spear.
Ali nodded. “Or the spear itself. Lugh’s magic is inside it, and he was one of the original four who banished them.”
From a half mile away came a horrible screech. The remaining dragon. She didn’t understand how it knew, but its cry was unmistakably mourning.
A Son was dead, and his corpse lay close to Ali’s feet.
Twenty Eight
“We need to hide and regroup,” Ali said. She pushed her fear aside as adrenaline kicked in.
No one listened. Dain’s limp body was the focus; his thick blood spread across the dirt. They killed him for survival, but they had killed him. Ali never imagined she’d kill anyone. In the last week she’d killed a sluagh, a dragon, and now a Son.
She released her arm from around Sawyer and ran towards Leigh. The salty stink of sweat mixed with the metallic odor of iron dense on the air.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Ali said forcefully.
She grabbed Leigh’s hand, but he shook free of her grip, his attention on Grace.
“Shit,” Leigh breathed. He covered his head with his hands, his complexion pale as though he might vomit.
Sawyer started to sob, his shoulders quivering as he stared at Grace. With everything Sawyer witnessed, she didn’t know how the kid was functioning.
“Red!” Ali yelled.
His distant stare snapped her direction.
She pointed at Leigh, who was dry heaving. “Help him.”
Red hobbled toward Leigh and knelt next to him. “It’s okay. He’s dead.”
“Sawyer?” Ali gripped his shoulders again, squeezing him against her.
He fell into her, hugging her tight.
“You saved us,” Ali whispered as she guided him toward the woods.
Smoke from a burning ATV assaulted her nostrils. The diesel fumes were overpowering, sending her into a coughing fit. She did her best to fan the smoke away in search of clean air. It was no use; the smoke stuck to her clothes and sweat.
Out of nowhere came Aengus, his attention on Leigh. “Get up! We need to move.”
Relief filled her at the sight of Aengus. He was alive. Ali glanced over her shoulder searching the smoke for Malvina. She appeared disoriented, but otherwise unharmed. It was a miracle they all survived.
Except Grace.
Leigh stumbled in Ali’s direction while Red loitered, standing over Dain’s body. He stood in a trance, before pulling the spear from the center of Dain’s chest. Ali watched with growing panic. In a zombie-like fantasy, she imagined Dain regenerating and resuming his vendetta. However, his body remained lifeless.
Dain is dead.
Red stared at the blood-stained head of the spear before planting the butt into the dirt. He used the shaft as a walking stick, leaning into it as he progressed. Tiny droplets of blood fell into his hair with every step.
“Don’t go far,” Aengus cautioned as Ali reached the tree line. “The woods are still infested.”
She walked Sawyer just past the first tree and stopped. Aengus’s warning wasn’t something she took lightly. Leigh slumped against a nearby tree holding his ribs and bleeding from his ear. Red stood over him, protective like a wounded bear over her cubs. Aengus and Malvina brought up the rear, looking tattered and exhausted. If they were lucky, they might have some fight left in them, but she didn’t like their odds. Aengus and Red seemed physically depleted. Malvina and Ali were the only two capable of continuing.
Ali scanned the field. The beta team was out there somewhere. Provided they were still alive. She forced away the burning tears at the thought of Grace. There would be time to mourn later.
Instead, she considered their options. The alpha team was with Dub, and the other drone team was likely hiding near their crumpled command unit. Ali could backtrack to get help, but that meant a trip through the creature-infested woods. Their best chance was finding the beta team. But she needed to locate them fast, or they’d risk facing Dother alone.
She looked to the top of a nearby hill. If she followed the forest line, she could see the entire field from there.
“I’ll be back,” Ali whispered to Sawyer.
He whimpered at her release and curled in on himself, hiding his face behind bony knees.
“Aengus?” Ali asked approaching him.
His numb eyes found Ali’s as he sucked a slow breath. Dirt covered one side of his face where his head hit the ground earlier. She thought a purple welt was forming at his temple, but it was hard to tell under the mix of dirt and sweat. He was in worse shape than Red.
“I’m going for help,” Ali said. “We can’t handle Dother.”
Aengus’s eyes probed the landscape behind her. “Find a pixie or Fae, then send them to me.” He glanced at Leigh, who coughed thick blood onto the ground. Aengus’s gaze softened, and Ali wondered if he came to the same conclusion she had. Ali was the only one capable of finding help. “We’ll regroup, then make our way toward you.”
Ali looked at Leigh, who had closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree. In a moment of spontaneity, Ali crouched next to him and kissed his cheek.
His eyes opened, and he blinked at her.
“I have to find help,” Ali whispered.
Leigh shook his head, then pushed himself upright. “I’m going with you, we promised not to leave each other.”
“I’m going alone, you’re injured,” Ali whispered.
His eyes narrowed; the word ‘no’ perched on his lips. But she didn’t believe he was capable. He coughed again, a few speckles of blood painting his fingertips. At least he seemed to be slightly better, the blood was less than before. Ali surmised he might be healing himself.
She pointed at Sawyer, who huddled in a ball. “Sawyer needs you.”
Leigh glanced that direction, then back at Ali.
She looped her pinky around his. “I’ll be right back. I’m only going for help.”
He looked at their interlocked fingers, then nodded. “I’m right behind you. I just need a few minutes.” Crouching, he settled onto the ground next to Sawyer who immediately clutch
ed him.
Ali turned her gaze toward the fighting, deciding on the best path.
“Malvina, take her,” Aengus said.
Malvina frowned. “You’ll be indefensible.”
If Aengus wasn’t a battered version of himself, Ali imagined he would have chastised Malvina for disobeying an order. His sharp gaze suggested his patience was thin.
“I’ll go,” Red offered.
He rested his weight against the spear. Under his torn clothes, scratches were visible on every limb and dried blood caked his temple to his jawline. She knew she should decline his offer, but suddenly wanted company. There was no way she could ask Malvina. If attacked, Malvina could defend Leigh and Sawyer who were in no shape to defend themselves.
She nodded.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Aengus said. “The six of us shouldn’t separate for long.”
“Let’s go,” Ali said suppressing her sudden fear of lurking creatures.
Her eyes probed every shadow as they navigated the brush. The woods were silent, permeated by the sound of Red’s labored breathing. Red continued to use the spear for support, his reliance increasing the further they traveled. The blood at the tip had hardened and dried streaks ran the length of the shaft where they pooled above his hand.
As they drew closer to the fighting, she heard metal on metal and cries of distress, but she couldn’t see beyond the trees. Eventually they neared the fringe of the woods at the base of the hill. A charred ATV and small bodies with gray flesh under dirty maroon stained stocking-caps littered the ground. She held her gaze high, avoiding the red caps as they walked carefully between the tiny corpses. They kept their distance from the ATV, as oily fuel leaked into the earth, the pungent scent overpowering. On the other side of the hill, the dragon groaned, then screeched.
Maybe Nash was distracting it with the remaining drone?
She quickly pushed herself up the hill. Ahead, the sounds of clashing metal intensified. When she reached the top, the view gave her pause.
“Red look!” She grasped his arm.
