The last part didn’t make sense, but the rest certainly did. With dismay Bat turned to the man beside her, the heat he put off no longer warming her. “This was the man, the immortal, you... killed?” He’d mentioned it before, but, somehow, knowing the man’s name made Dub’s action real.
He stiffened, and she could feel him pull away from her, close himself up. But he didn’t release her hand. “Do you believe in evil?” His voice was cold, hard, and she shivered.
Tugging on her hand, she answered. “Of course. If there is good, then there is evil. One cannot, by definition, exist without the other. And I have seen it.”
“Well, sometimes the evil has to be stopped.” He released her.
Suddenly she didn’t want him to let her go. Her hand hovered in the air for a moment and then she rested it on his wrist, over a swirling tattoo that looked a bit like a hound. She didn’t say anything, for she didn’t know what to say. Maybe he was a defender of the balance, but she couldn’t quite conceive of condemning a man to a final death in such a way.
But you did not even know of these “immortals” before you came here, did you? You didn’t even know this was a thing, an option.
And what did they do with evil in her own homeland? They tried to right the wrongs done, and confine it through laws and teachings, keeping the evil and wicked gods’ powers down. What did they do when that didn’t work? The lionesses went hunting and restored balance. But they hunted the mortal, the humans who perpetuated the wrongs. And their souls were judged, weighed, and if found lacking, they were devoured.
Were her own people any better? Just because the judgment happened after death instead of before? And what was worse, to send someone into oblivion, or condemn them to eternal restlessness with the second death?
She didn’t have an answer. But as a protector of Ma’at—of balance and order—she sensed no true evil in this man.
With a groan, Ailis dropped her head to the table. “Fuck me like a duck. Ciara. Her farm’s out near the Benbulben. Could be the sith followed Dano from there, or to her. If you’re telling me to beware the area, could be as simple as… We need to get out there.” She jumped up. “And look, I’m no’ going alone.”
The others all rose as Ailis busied herself ushering the few customers out the door, promising them she’d be open again the next day. Bat’s mind swirled with unanswered questions, but she followed the others’ lead, for now.
With these new developments, she was growing ever more sure Dano had not been the intended target.
Chapter 13
Bastet,
I might get a puppy. And I do not care if this makes you mad.
- Bat, the goddess who got puppy kisses
BAT
The farm was lovely.
That was the only word for it. Lovely. Neat rows of plants she wasn’t familiar with lined one field. Another, separated from the first by a low stone wall, held a small heard of sheep. A tidy garden, blooming even in this colder weather, spread out in front of the compact house.
As they climbed from Shar’s truck, a giant hound came running from the far side of the field of sheep. It halted just out of reach and lowered its head, a low growl rumbling from its chest. None of the others reacted, just stood there patiently.
“Ummm, should we not do something about the hound?” Bat suppressed a shiver at the chilling sound it made. She may be a goddess, but it would still hurt to be torn to shreds by a monster hound.
Ailis waved a hand. “She’s just warning us. Ciara will be here soon, and then we can introduce you properly. Fina here is a right proper guardian, aren’t you pet?” Ailis’s voice dropped into a croon and the monster cocked its head, though the growl never stopped.
“Ailis!”
A slight female with red-gold hair emerged from the small house. She wore a faded dress of light blue. Bat looked her over, noting the light movements, the way the woman seemed to dance across the yard toward them. As with Shar, the plants of her garden waved as she passed, and she paused to pat a few of them.
When she reached her hound, she placed a small hand on its head. “Good girl. We know them.” The woman’s gaze fell to Bat and she tilted her head. “Well, most of them. Who’s this?”
The words were said casually, but there was a wary knowledge in the depths.
“This is Bat. She’s... visiting from Egypt.” Ailis stepped forward and folded Ciara in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
The other woman embraced Ailis, and Bat noted there were no freckles on her hands. But her hair... it was the exact shade as the vision.
You know that already.
There was something off, though Bat couldn’t figure out what it was. There was something... she scanned the surrounding area but didn’t see anything out of place. Not that she knew what was strange for this area. And wouldn’t the hound warn them of danger?
Speaking of which.
Bat stepped forward, out of the protective circle the men had formed. “Hello.”
The hound, Fina, growled again and crouched, though she didn’t make a true move to attack. Shar’s hand wrapped around Bat’s waist and pulled her back against him. The hound’s head shifted, a slight movement, but Bat suspected the animal was now focused on the one-eyed giant. The growling increased, and the hound took a step forward.
The next few things happened all at once, and it took Bat a bit to sort it out.
Ciara cried out, “Fina, no!”
The hound leaped, but not at Bat.
Shar was yanked from her.
And a herd of puppies tumbled out of the house, racing toward them.
Bat spun to see Fina standing over a prone Mell. Shar was on his hands and knees beside his brother, eyes locked with the hound. Dub held a dagger—where did that even come from?—and the other women were laughing as puppies bounced around them, giving off little cries and growls, some imitating their mother, others trying to elicit a pet.
One pup, a golden color that matched the light of a just risen sun, approached Bat. It alternated between growling and licking at her boots.
She gazed down at the small thing, unsure what to do. Should she pick it up? Give it a ball? Pet it? Run from it? Dogs were herders and hunters, and Bat was neither of those. She hadn’t had many dealings with them, other than Anubis. But he was a god, not a dog.
Be honest with yourself. You want one.
The golden pup sat back on its haunches and whined, giving her a big-eyed look that melted her heart.
Forgetting everyone else, she sank to the ground, cross-legged and held out a hand to the creature, utterly entranced. A low growl had her yanking the hand back as Fina, the mother, nudged aside the pup and placed herself before Bat. Sitting as she was, the hound was taller.
“Fina,” Ciara said, approaching from the right. “Sit.”
The dog whined but sat. Ciara once again stood beside her hound, a hand on her head, and looked down at Bat. “I apologize. We don’t get many strangers around here. And, Fina’s been jumpy the last week or so.” She paused, and her gaze shifted to Bat’s boots. A smile curved her lips. “Ah, so ye’re the one my Dano talked of. He called me last night, going on and on about a woman who waltzed into the pub and played the Dagda’s harp on St. Paddy’s. Welcome be, then, welcome be.” She said another word to the hound and the dog relaxed, flopping its bulk down in front of Bat and giving her the same big-eyed look as the pup.
“Ye’r shameless, Fina. Shameless.” Mell sat up and held a hand out to the dog, who ignored him.
The golden pup tumbled into Bat and crawled into her lap. She laughed and stroked her hand over it. The fur was a mix of rough wire and soft down. Its pink tongue slipped out and swiped at her hand.
“He likes ya.” Ciara sat on her other side.
“He’s lovely. Does he have a name?”
“Not yet. Maybe you would like to name him?”
It was tempting. The animal snuggled in her lap like he was meant to be there. Bat took a bre
ath and lifted the pup from her. “If you would invite us in, we need to speak with you.”
Ciara’s hazel eyes filled with dread. “It’s about Dano.”
It wasn’t a question, but Bat nodded.
“I was afraid, when he didn’t come by this morning, that something happened.” She pushed to her feet and dusted off her shirts. “Well, then, come on in and tell me what that blasted Leprechaun has gotten himself into now.” Her words were light, but Bat could hear the tension.
Mell rose as well and extended a hand to Bat. She allowed him to pull her up. The five of them trooped to the farmhouse, Fina and the pups crowding in with them.
The place was small, the kitchen separated from a living room that was mostly taken up by a large dining table. Bat took a seat at one end and the golden pup came right to her, looking at her with those big eyes.
“No,” she whispered down to it. He whined up at her. “Fine.” She bent and picked him up, setting him on her lap. “You be good, or I will put you back down.” She tried for stern, but her voice came out as a low croon.
This was why she never got a puppy, she suspected. That, and Bastet would disown her.
She looked up to find all eyes on her, the brothers narrowed, Ailis amused, and Ciara with a soft look of affection. Though, this last was directed at the pup, not Bat.
“So.” Bat cleared her throat. “Ummm.” She looked to Dub, instinct guiding her. She was the goddess, but he was the unspoken leader of their merry little band. “About Dano...”
His face relaxed into something resembling understanding and he nodded. He turned to Ciara. “Dano’s dead.”
The color drained from Ciara’s face and she swayed.
All right, next time look to Mell. Don’t use Dub for the hard news.
Though hopefully there would be no next time.
Ailis slapped his shoulder, just as Bat wanted to do. “Did ya have to tell her like that?”
He glared at the green-haired woman, and it held none of the softness he was starting to show Bat. Good, a small part of her whispered. “None of you were telling her.”
“No, it’s all right, Ailis. It’s—” Ciara broke off as a small cry escaped her. Her face screwed up in grief, and she bowed her head, her shoulders shaking softly. They allowed her her grief. After a minute she took a few deep breaths and lifted her head. Her eyes were red but clear. “Who was it?”
Silence once again fell in the room. Even the pups remained still and quiet.
“We... think it’s a baobhan sith. There are indications of one in the area.” Mell reached across the table toward the pixie and Bat could feel waves of comfort coming off him. “We found him this morning on the back stoop of the pub. We think he was caught when he brought the boots for Bat.” He gave her a soft smile. “He did a good job on them. Some of his finest work.”
Ciara nodded. “He said he wanted to give her something in return for a good night of music, and that all she had were some flimsy flats.”
Reminded of her bad preparations for this land, Bat colored. “I was not aware of how damp your home could become,” she grumbled. Then her blush deepened as she realized she sounded ungrateful. “But, I do love the boots, very much. I am sure I have never owned finer.”
A chill swept over her. It felt like one of the restless, the ghosts of those who had suffered the second death, but fainter. The uneasiness that plagued her outside the house returned. She peered around the room, looking for the source of the feelings. Something...
None of the others were disturbed. Could they not feel it? It was a point of chaos, of evil.
The conversation continued around her. Ailis offering words of comfort, Mell handing her the claddagh he had found on Dano. Dub questioned her about Dano’s recent activities, and if she knew of any recent doings around the Benbulben, if she’d seen anyone, any strangers. That got a shaky laugh from Ciara, for who wasn’t a stranger these days, with the tourists coming round for the celebrations?
Only Shar remained silent. His brows furrowed as he watched Bat. “What’s wrong?”
“I do not know. Something is off...”
Fina stood and growled at the window facing the back fields. Bat twisted in her seat and tried to see out of it. That sense of wrongness grew.
Her golden bundle of cute growled a puppy growl and pushed up from her lap, his front paws on the table, his head also twisted to that window.
“They’ve been like this for the last week.” Ciara pushed at Fina’s shoulder as dread grew in Bat.
“We need to leave. This is wrong.” Bat clutched the puppy and rose, moving for the front door. Whatever was out there was heading for them, and the closer it got, the more she could sense the chaos of it. Like the evil that opposed Ma’at, whatever this was wanted to tear the world apart.
When the others didn’t follow her, she stopped just short of the door. “Please. We need to go. I can feel it.” She shuddered, and the puppy whined. “Please. Just trust me on this. Please. Until we know what it is exactly. Until we know what will stop it.”
Flash. Shar on the ground, the soul blade buried in his shoulder. He was not dead, but the blade glowed with a pale rose that dimmed to black light even as she watched.
She clawed at the handle of the door. “Now. We need to go now. Now, now, now.” Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t catch her breath. If he died a final death... No. No, no, no. Not the gentle giant who brought her strawberries and whiskey tea.
She yanked open the door and a sharp crack rang out.
At first, she didn’t know what happened. But with that crack, the sense of wrong diminished, moved away, until it faded to almost nothing. She relaxed.
Then she became aware of a burning in her shoulder. The puppy struggled in her arms and she sat down, letting it go.
But then she couldn’t get up again. And her shoulder hurt worse and worse. Huh. She looked down to see a dark stain spreading across her sweater.
Well, that sucks monkey balls. She giggled. She had hoped she would have a chance to use that phrase. Monkey balls. Who would want to suck those?
“Bat?”
“Little goddess?”
“Realta?”
A face hovered over her. Did that mean she was on her back? And she was getting cold again. Dammit.
The last thing she saw was Mell, a soul-deep pain shining in a face drained of color. He mouthed words she couldn’t hear.
Why was he so sad? Did one of the puppies get injured? It wasn’t as if a goddess could die...
But she could apparently lose consciousness. Black crept across her vision.
Chapter 14
She’d missed.
Cursing under her breath, she sped deeper into the tree line. Not that there was forest to speak of these days, those cursed humans having cleared much of it to plant their pitiful crops and raise their bleating sheep.
Yes, she’d missed. Oh, how wonderful it would have been to see the shock on that Ciara’s face as the bullet shred the pup’s body. She’d been thinking to get rid of the mother hound, but then that newcomer had appeared in the doorway, the golden pup in her arms and she’d never been one to pass up such a perfect opportunity.
No, she didn’t hit her original target, but the expressions of panic and, yes, pain, on the brothers’ faces were just as satisfying, if not more so.
Who was the woman? She wore the boots Laina said the leprechaun was delivering to the pub. Was this the person who had set the wards around the pub that kept Laina from her true mission? Surely it was not the brothers. Even Fomoiri wouldn’t stoop so low as to use the druid methods—those humans who thought they could enforce their own rules onto the fae. It was ridiculous to her, always had been. Who would defer to someone that had no true power, no glamour, and needed to create artificially?
It was the weakness of the gods and goddesses she supposed, to be reliant upon the supplication of those… animals.
She pushed out a huff of frustration as she reached her tempor
ary housing and waved her hand to dismiss the hiding glamour. Surveying the run-down cottage, she huffed again, this time in disgust. To think that she’d put up with centuries of solitude and confinement, not even daring to exercise her powers to their full extent, all in fear of being found by the hunters, only to see them fawning over some other female. It was enough to curdle her stomach.
And that she had to live in such a place… even the baobhan sith had better accommodations.
No matter. Her plan, one centuries in the making, was soon to come to fruition. She only had to endure this a few days more, a week at most. There were a few more souls to gather, and the ones she wanted the most were those of the O’Loinsighs, one in particular.
As she pushed open the door of the cottage, Laina glanced up from her seat near the hearth. Her brown hair was matted, her skin pale and drawn. Faun hooves peeked from beneath her ragged green skirts. The sith of Scotland were strange creatures. In the light of day they were near hideous, but at night, their beauty rivaled even hers.
“I’ll handle the brothers from now on,” she told Laina. Then, because she knew she needed the sith’s help later, she added, “You’ve done well, but even the best have yet to bring them down. And I need you whole for what’s to come.” The words nearly stuck in her throat.
“Yes, my lady.”
She nodded. Soon. Very soon she would be able to answer to another title.
FINN
Finn stared down at the leprechaun’s body. Dano. He would call him by his name, show him what respect he could.
Auden had removed the bloodstained coat and shirt to reveal a single wound in the abdomen, maybe three centimeters in length. It was a neat stab, no tearing in the edges, and for a human may have eventually been fatal—certainly would have been before mundane medicine improved to the point of near magic. The skin had gone that pale shade of lavender that all corpses seemed to hold, no matter their race or the darkness of their flesh.
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