Then she felt it. A soft pulse of life. It was leaking from the big man through a hole in the very fabric of his soul. His spirit was damaged, but intact.
“More.” She handed the glass of water to Ailis who carefully poured more into Finn’s hands. Again, a slow trickle worked its way into his mouth.
This time he swallowed.
But the wound was still there. This was nothing so simple as a physical stabbing. That was probably already healed. Bat dug deep, searching for what she could give. Her power was gone, but what if she gave something of herself, of her very essence? Didn’t she do that with each supplicant she had ever had? They gave of themselves, and she gave back.
That was how it worked, or how it should. Even the storm gods—and the gods of evil and darkness and chaos—gave of themselves, not just their power.
But it took a sacrifice. More than an offering, a sacrifice required the giving up of something beloved, something that was essentially of the other person, or it required the death of something important. She had to have the exchange; she could not simply give, not this.
She shifted, and the juice of the berry under her knee seeped through her tights.
The strawberries. Harvested with care and love. He’d plucked them, had been on his way back to the pub. Normally these would merely be an offering, but… It wouldn’t allow her to give much of herself, but maybe it would be enough. She could make the strawberries work, for this. For this, she would.
“Hand me a strawberry.” She eyed the level of water in Finn’s hands and in the glass. “And get more water. He’s not gone, but he’s not safe, not yet.” When no one moved, her voice barked out. “Now.”
Ailis bolted up the steps of the stoop and through the back door. Mell scooped up a berry, pausing to wipe it on his pants, and handed it to her.
The fruit was dirty, the sacrifice marred, but still pure of intention.
It would do.
Bat bit into it and felt a trickle of power leak into her. But it was the more shallow power of belief, of an offering, and was not what she sought. She swallowed.
There it is. The sacrifice of a supplicant, come seeking her favor. It was different and more powerful. It was an exchange.
What she thought of as her essence, different from the souls of mortals—and immortals—yet somehow the same, opened and a piece broke off. She guided it to the tear in Shar’s spirit, laying it over the wound like a balm.
“Water,” she whispered.
Ailis, back from the kitchen, poured more into Finn’s hands and the red-haired man once again trickled the life-giving liquid into lips that were starting to gain color. The mouth opened further, and Shar’s tongue darted out, licking droplets that sat on his lips. Finn tilted his hands, and the trickle became a stream. Shar’s throat worked, taking in every bit of water.
The wound closed. Bat examined it with her mind’s eye. A scar remained, a rough patch in his soul. Shar would never forget what had happened, it would haunt him, but he would live.
“Thank you.” Bat whispered the words, though she didn’t know to whom.
And something answered, spoke to her, just as it had on her first night here. A warm breeze caressed her face and a kind voice sounded through her.
You are very welcome, child.
For a moment she was cradled in Mother Sky’s arms, and her essence was opened to the stars above. Bat held Shar to her and soared.
She came back to herself slowly, comforted by the knowledge that no matter where she was, the heavens were above her, holding back the chaos. Her hand crept to Shar’s chest and the steady thump of his heart, and the sense of him comforted her as well.
One last thing to do.
Through Shar, she reached for his garden.
She had never been an agricultural deity. Fertility in that regard was reserved mostly for the gods in her land, but the small aspect she did hold allowed her to offer Shar’s garden some peace as she assured his babies that he would be okay. One bush, the one with the pink roses, bore the touch of another, but it was benign, and she let it be.
“We should get him inside now.” Bat sat back on her heels.
Dub shifted, getting his arms hooked under his brother’s while Mell took the feet. It was a little awkward, but maybe it was the only way the giant not-man could be moved?
A hand appeared before her, broad and covered in light golden hair, the same hand clutching the soul blade in her latest vision. She tilted her head back and met Finn’s eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you. For ensuring I made it to him in time. And, I am sorry you felt you had to. I… did not mean to hesitate. But I—I want you to know that I would not have refused to heal him, whatever you may have heard of me. Searbhan was, at one point, one of my best men and is still an honorable warrior.”
Bat took the offered hand and allowed Finn to pull her to her feet.
“Shall I offer you something in return for your honesty?” She tilted her head and studied him, a man damaged by something she only yet had an inkling of. As soon as Shar was recovered, she would be sure to find out the whole of it. From all of them.
Finn looked away and his lips thinned. After a moment he nodded and met her eyes once more. “Please.”
Oh my, please-s and thank you-s and sorry-s. Not something a fae offered lightly, or so she assumed. “You will have a choice to make soon, warrior of the light. Remember there are many kinds of beauty in this world, just as there are many forms of darkness, and of evil.”
She turned away, Ailis by her side, and made her way to the pub. She left Ailis in the kitchen and climbed the stairs, searching each room until she found the brothers.
Shar lay like a still mountain, the movement of his chest the only physical sign he lived. She stepped up beside Dub and reached out, skimming a light hand over Shar’s shoulder. He still wore his sweater and jeans, though his shoes were off.
“Do you think he would mind if I slept beside him? I would... like to be close to ensure there are no complications.”
“What happened? We saw Finn give him the water, but it wasn’t helping. I could... feel it.” Mell’s voice was tense.
Bat kept the tremble from her own voice by sheer will. “The blade tore his soul open. It was not just the flesh that needed to be healed, but the spirit as well.” Her finger traced a circle over what she could reach of Shar’s chest. “He will bear a scar.”
Dub pulled in a sharp breath beside her. His hand nudged at her own, the one not touching his brother, and she turned her palm to him, lacing her fingers through his.
“Will he—” Mell broke off and swallowed. She could sense the emotion in him, beating at a wall he’d put up too hastily and that threatened to topple at any moment.
“He will be fine. He needs to rest. And so do you both,” she said.
Dub squeezed her hand and let go. “I think he would very much enjoy you sleeping beside him.” He walked to the door, pulling Mell after him. Just before exiting he turned back and bowed low to her. “We will resume the hunt on the morrow, goddess.”
His words rang with power, the formality of them taking on the sound of ritual.
Bat nodded, and he closed the door. She would count on them to do something with Finn and Ailis. Right now, she needed to be beside her giant. Tomorrow would be soon enough.
She found a fluffy comforter on a shelf in the closet and lay down next to him, spreading the blanket over them both. She watched him as he slept, his beard stark against his too pale skin, his lapis eye closed. But his chest continued to rise and fall.
He would be okay.
Chapter 19
Bastie!
He asked me to stay! The giant pirate one!
But…
I do wish you were here. You would know what I should do.
- Bat
BAT
Bat didn’t sleep. She spent the night watching and cuddling under the fluffy blanket. For that reason, she knew the exact moment Shar awoke.
<
br /> His good eye blinked open and he sucked in a deep breath. Then he stiffened, blinked again, and turned his head to face her. “Good morning?”
“Hi.” She propped her head up on one hand.
He blinked again. “I’m alive?”
Bat smiled. “Yup.” She liked the informality of the sound and decided she would adopt more casual language as a rule. Though, right this moment, anything would sound good.
Shar was awake.
“I was stabbed.”
Though he did seem to be having some trouble with the sequence of events. Had his memory been affected?
Bat reached out and felt his forehead. He flinched slightly, and she bit her lip. He didn’t feel hot, or feverish, though he was warm.
“Yer hands are cold.”
She pulled away a few centimeters and hesitated. Then she placed her palm against his chest. “I am always cold here.”
One of his hands came up and enveloped hers, warming her, sending heat up her arm and through her whole body.
What?
Shar smiled at her, wide and calm, though there was a new shadow there. “Did I not mention I could warm ya very well, little goddess?”
She laughed, delighted with his teasing. Then she sobered. “I am so glad we made it to you in time. I didn’t feel it right away. They must have moved so quickly...”
He twisted onto his side and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into him, wrapping her in his warmth. “Shhh, shhh. You got there, did ya not? And ya brought Finn. I feel fine. Good as new even. Shhh.”
She snuggled into him, allowing him to comfort her. A few more moments before the hunt resumed wouldn’t be the end of all things, after all. They lay together, not moving, not speaking. She breathed him in, noticing he smelled of green and growing things underneath the day-old sweat and lingering aroma of pipe smoke and Guinness.
“Can I ask you something?” His chest vibrated against her ear as he spoke, tickling her.
She pulled back. His eye was trained on something past her, and slightly glazed, not really seeing the room.
“Of course.”
“What did your visions show you? The ones that led you here.” He focused on her and ran a large hand down her hair, resting his warm palm at the indent of her waist.
She snuggled back into him, her cheek against his chest, slightly irritated that he was clothed. What would his bare skin feel like? Thoughts she’d not allowed herself all night crowded in on her.
She was drawn to all three brothers. The kiss with Dub, Mell’s ability to embrace both the pain and joy, Shar’s calm and steadiness a balance against his more volatile brothers. But to act would upset the balance of their lives and bring more pain than joy.
But a goddess could dream...
Unbidden, her hand moved, pulling up his sweater just enough she could lay her fingers along the flesh of his back. She kept them light, barely there, skimming over the top of his pants.
He drew in a breath but otherwise didn’t move.
Satisfied for the moment with this sign of welcome, Bat decided to answer his question. “They were not very clear. Mostly glimpses of a land that was green, one moment clouded and the next bathed in light. Some showed rainbows, some fields broken by stone walls, and others were of cliffs that fell into a crashing sea.” She rubbed the tips of her fingers over his skin and he let out a heavy breath, pressing her into him. “Then I saw a sign. It wasn’t much, a street sign. Bastet helped me research, and it led us here, to Sligo.”
Giving in to impulse, she placed a soft kiss against his chest, too light for him to feel through his sweater. “I almost did not come here, despite it all. But then I had one more vision after Bastet found your advertisement for a room. In a way, it was even more unclear than the others, but in another, it was more illuminating. And compelling. There were only three things. A pint glass. The feeling that true home gives: hope, and peace, and comfort, and the knowledge that you can finally rest. And a hand held out in supplication and need.”
She pushed away from him and tilted her head back, seeking his gaze, needing to watch his face as she said this last. “I think I may have found that here. Home. It’s not a thing I have felt in millennia. But you and your brothers...” She lifted her hand from his side and cradled his cheek in her palm, the rough silk of his beard inviting her fingers to caress. “You, and this place, I have felt more at home with than any in my memory.” Her thumb smoothed over his lips. “And, I thank you for it.”
His good eye glowed, the lapis tones bright. His face was tight, and she couldn’t read it, or him. Then he smiled, the slow, gentle one that made her want to snug into his arms and never leave. He curled forward and placed his lips on her forehead. Her eyes closed, and she sank into the moment, the perfect moment.
When he pulled back, she almost insisted he come back to her. But his face was back to serious, and she braced herself.
“Stay.” It was one word, but it cut through her.
“I’m here for two more months, according to the terms of the rental.” Was that a hitch in her voice? She pulled her hand into her own chest.
“Stay. You can work in the pub. I’ll show you how to pull a pint. Mell would welcome a regular music partner. It would give Dub a break, and a chance to work on his projects. It would give me more of a chance to work with my garden and the wood. I’ve missed it. And...” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “And you fit with us, Bat, she of the two faces. You’ve stirred us up and brought life back to my brothers. Stay, little goddess.”
She bit her lip and his gaze followed the movement. “What about the Morrigan? And the harp? And the soul blade and the offerings? All the reasons you gave, your brothers gave, for me to go, to not get involved?”
Shar groaned and his eye slid closed. He pulled her back to him, closing the small bit of distance she had put between their bodies. “We are wankers.”
She smiled at the use of one of her favorite words but couldn’t let this go. “All those reasons are still there, whether you are a wanker or not. I upset the balance. And that... has never been my purpose. I am meant to restore it. My presence in your land has only brought strife.”
“No, the strife was there already. What is that saying, ‘skinning cats to make a coat’?”
Her head reared away from him, horror pulling her mouth open and anger churning in her belly. “You skin cats here?”
“What? No. It’s just a saying. I don’t even know what it means. I would never actually... Crap.”
Bat settled back against him. “Maybe the one with the eggs and the omelet?”
“Break a few eggs to make an omelet?”
“Yes, this one. We will use this one instead of the one of cats.” She huffed. “The very idea.”
He chuckled, and they fell back into silence.
Finally, she answered him. “I will think on it, on staying past the two months.” There was one very important thing he had not brought up, something they would need to discuss before she made a final decision. Now was not the time for it, though, there were too many other things to settle.
“That’s all I ask.” A pause. “What happened after I was healed?”
“I do not know. I have been here all night.”
The arm around her tightened, pressing the softness of her body against his. She felt the hard length of him, and almost pressed back, but...
“Since you are feeling so much better, it is time to get up. We have a soul stealing blade to track down. That is, if you are done being a wanker.”
He gave her a final squeeze and let her go, rolling away from her. “For now, at least. No promises for the future.”
The words bounced in her mind. No promises for the future.
No, there were never any real promises, were there?
Chapter 20
Bastet,
I met the most infuriating man last night. He is another one of these immortals, except not the same kind. Which is strange, because they all look like
the same kind, except for his hair, which is more the color of Seth’s.
I’m getting more answers this morning, but it looks like we are hunting not just something that can render the second death instantly (did we really not know of these things, it’s horrific!) but someone who is twined through the pasts of my not-men.
Wish me luck!
- Bat, the determined goddess
BAT
By the time she and Shar had showered and made their way to the lower floor, only Ailis was there, sitting at the bar. She jumped to her feet as they entered.
“Ye’re awake!” She rushed up to them and, after a brief hesitation, wrapped her arms around Shar’s middle and squeezed. Then she turned to Bat and did the same thing. “I was worried.”
Bat hugged her back. Other than the few she’d received from the brothers, and the occasional ones from Bastet in her more gregarious moods, Bat didn’t receive hugs. She decided she enjoyed them.
“Finn found a trace from last night. They’re out tracking it down, asked me to keep an eye out for ya and make sure you were after eating before we head out. To join them,” Ailis said. She grabbed Bat’s hand and tugged her into the kitchen, where bread and jam were laid out. “Sit. Start. I’ll whip up some sausages and eggs.”
Bat tugged her hand free. “We should be out there with them.”
Ailis busied herself pulling out a carton of eggs and package of sausage from the fridge. “No. What you should do is continue to recover your strength. Both of ya.”
Shar placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “She’s right. We rested last night and we lingered this morning. Half an hour to eat is smart.”
Bat knew he was correct, but she’d been eager to get back to it, and not just to find Dano’s killer. No, the sooner this was resolved, the sooner she could make some decisions about her own future. She nodded and Shar squeezed her shoulder.
“Good,” he said. “I’m going to go pick some berries. You get the tea started.” He gestures to the small tin of bags that sat on the counter.
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