“Please.” Grainne bit her lip. “You loved me once.”
Finn’s hand lowered minutely.
A cry rang out from across the field. Ailis. Bat pushed away from Dub’s chest and twisted in the direction she’d last seen her friend. The baobhan sith lay on the ground, Ailis crouched over her holding her blade to the fae’s throat while Shar… sat on her? Okay then.
Bat twisted back to Finn and Grainne, still propped up on top of Dub. She couldn’t see his face, but the trembling had stopped, and his hand was steady. His chest expanded with a deep breath, and as he let it out, his shoulders pulled back.
“Grainne, daughter of Cormac.” Finn’s voice rang out, carrying over the land. The wind stilled and even the misting rain paused. “You are here, before us, accused of the crimes of murder and the use of a soul blade. In addition, you have corrupted your fellow fae to follow you on this path. Payment is required. How will you pay?”
The words were rote, a ritual enacted when the outcome was already assured.
“My family will pay, as is their duty.” Despite the pleading look on her face, her words were cold.
“Your family has repudiated you. Long ago, they repudiated you.”
“And have you, my once fiancé, repudiated me?”
Flash. Grainne, the life fading from her green eyes, pale skin ashen, as a fine mist fell on a field of green.
Finn nodded. “I have. As you know, there is only one true payment for your crime.”
The decision was made.
Grainne sucked in a breath as Finn stood steady before her. Bat could do nothing but watch the events unfold. Maybe she could have protested or stopped the next few seconds from happening. But as she had told Finn earlier, he had a decision to make.
And as Dub said, sometimes evil needed to be stopped.
Bat’s fingers dug into Dub’s chest and he sucked in a breath. She dropped her gaze to his, unwilling to watch the next few seconds. Let the others see this. Let the others observe the will of fate, which not even gods or goddesses could escape. Let them see justice as the universe served it, for deeds of both obvious and more subtle evil. For just as Grainne was guilty of murder and corruption and greed, so was Finn guilty of allowing the woman to get away with it. He knew who and what this woman was. He had always known, and he had a price to pay for that crime.
Let the others bear witness. Bat was going to look into eyes of lapis blue. “It could never end any other way,” she whispered to her not-man.
Dub’s eyes widened as four cries rang out. One of defiance and madness. One of grief and longing. One of surprise. And one of triumph.
“Woo hoo!” Ailis called out. “Yes! Ding-dong, the bitch is dead. Hah!”
Bat never took her gaze from Dub. “Why did you stop me?”
His eyes narrowed, and his hands came up to grip her sides. “The Morrigan is the justice bringer of these lands. The guardi carry out her will.”
“And you didn’t want me interfering, again,” she said.
He shifted her off him and she lay on her side in the damp grass as a light mist continued to fall. “I didn’t want her to have a reason to drive you away,” he said.
She rolled onto her back as he stood, then twisted to see Finn, still standing, Grainne’s body at his feet. The soul blade’s hilt jutted from her lower chest. Bat wondered if these Irish knew what the blade truly was, what all of them were. Idly, she wondered again just how many of these prisons existed.
She could still feel the blade through that small bit of her essence trapped inside. Grainne was in there now, and unlike Diarmuid and the others, she was not at peace. Even as Bat observed this, something about the blade settled over Grainne, and the restless spirit stilled. A red symbol briefly glowed in her mind’s eye.
Mell stood beside Finn now, while Dub still looked down at Bat.
“I think you should go be with your friend now,” she said. “He is your friend, right?”
Dub’s gaze roved over her face and he nodded, stepping back from her.
“Wait.”
He paused.
“Help me up? I’m damp again, and I’m getting cold.”
He offered her a hand, and a small smile. Just what she’d been going for.
Chapter 24
Dear Bastet,
I have a computer now! Actually, Mell is allowing me to use his. He also says he knows what is wrong with my phone and will help me get it fixed.
You’ll see a lot of notes from me. But the thing you need to know, is I am happy. Right now, I am so happy in this pub you helped me find. I help behind the bar and play the harp with Mell and other patrons. They call them sing-songs. Isn’t that charming?
I’m also getting to know the regulars. That’s what they call patrons when they come to the pub almost every day. Regulars. And they all have their seats they claim as though they owned them, and if someone sits in them… well, Dub can be very intimidating if a simple explanation doesn’t work to get a stranger to move. I like these immortals. Many of them are forgotten or outcasts, like me. I can give them a bit of hope if visions come to me, or comfort through a song.
I meet humans too, though they do not recognize me, of course. The Morrigan, a local goddess, has said I may stay, as long as there are no sacrifices or large supplications. I can accept offerings, though, and have a small collection forming.
I really do wish you would visit. I know, I know, you will probably say to yourself, “But I will see Bat in a little more than a month.” I am thinking, though, that I will stay longer. The brothers… it is not just the brothers, but they all asked me to stay. There was no time limit given. I like that.
Or maybe you will not say that. Maybe you have a bit of the future in you as well and saw more than I could about this place. Or maybe you were your usual mischievous self and decided to throw all these pieces together to see what would happen. Regardless. Thank you. I would not have tried without your encouragement.
I have to go now, it is almost time for us to open. Imagine me, Bat, a pub-keeper. It boggles the mind a little. (This is a new saying I heard. I like it, and the word is fun to say.)
- Bat, a happy goddess
p.s. I got a puppy! Please don’t be mad.
BAT
The pub opened in just thirty minutes and she had much to do to prepare.
The last two weeks had been interesting, to say the least. That day out on Benbulben, they’d stayed there for hours. She and Ailis had eventually gone to Ailis’ car and sat in it, heater turned on, while the men did whatever men did when a beautiful woman was killed. She was also not too proud to admit she had been gratified that the brothers had paid more attention to Finn and his state than to the woman with a soul blade buried in her.
Even the baobhan sith had seemed more intent on the men than her friend. But, apparently, they were like that.
Then Finn called the Ceilte Guardi, and they had shown up en masse, the Morrigan in her own shiny black SUV. She’d surveyed the scene, spotted the little green car Bat and Ailis still sat in, and strode over. Ailis rolled down the window and the Morrigan bent over until her gaze met Bat’s. “Do not think that this excuses you from the restrictions we have laid down.” Small lines formed between her brows, the only sign of her displeasure. “And I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my birds in the future.”
With that, she had straightened, spun on her heel so her coat flared around her, and strode to the men still huddled around the body. She looked down at the fallen woman, laid a hand on Finn’s shoulder, and two seconds later had everyone in motion. The blade was wrapped and handed over to her, the body gathered, the baobhan sith led away to another car, and then everyone headed away from the strange mountain.
After that… life went on, falling into a routine. Ailis stopped by the pub sometimes. Bat would play a tune or two with Mell each night. For breakfast, there were strawberries and whiskey-laced tea. She’d gotten a pair of gloves and two scarfs.
She soak
ed it up like the red lands soaked up water. Gradually, she was building her strength.
A soft scuff came from the direction of the hall and the brothers filed into the pub.
“Little goddess, we have an offering for you.” Shar stepped up to the bar where Bat was wiping down pint glasses. He gave her that soft smile of his, pulling on her heart. Mell stood to his left, rocking back and forth on his heels, almost bouncing. A grin tugged at this mouth and he looked like a mischievous boy who held his secrets only until he could tell them. Dub, on the other side of Shar, didn’t smile, but he wasn’t frowning either, and the glow of his eyes was softer than she had seen.
A small yip came from behind them, and a little whine.
That sounded like...
“A puppy?” Bat bounced on her feet, forgetting for the moment that she would eventually leave. “You got one of the puppies?”
Dub stepped to the side and held up a squirming bundle.
It was the cream colored one, the puppy that had followed her around the yard, and sat in her lap. Its large brown eyes met hers and he whined, his tail wagging, hitting Dub’s chest and sides in a frenzy of excitement.
Bat knew just how he felt. “Oh, puppy. Oh, come here.” She held out her arms and made eager motions with her hands, like a five-year-old.
Dub didn’t release him to her though. “This offering comes with a request.”
She stiffened. “That borders on violating my agreement with the Morrigan. I can only grant smaller supplications, and a puppy seems very grand to me. That was the deal with your Morrigan.”
Mell laughed. “We won’t tell her if you won’t.”
Raising a brow, she glanced at each of them in turn, their expressions both eager and wary. “What is your request?”
Dub set the puppy on the bar and it bounded over to her, nearly knocking her over. She wrapped it in her arms and the squirming bundle of cute licked at every inch of her he could reach. His fur was like soft wire under her hands, and his big puppy paws dug into her. She didn’t care.
“Stay.” Dub’s word echoed the one Shar uttered weeks ago. “Stay.” He swallowed, and his eyes fell closed. “Please.”
“I—” she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to go. But…
She sought out Mell and Shar. Mell had stopped bouncing, and both brothers looked at her with calm eyes. A tendril of emotion wrapped around her, and it was different. It was... real. An offering. It was a glimpse into the true Mell, instead of a construct. So often it was hard to tell, even for this goddess, but this time it was clear.
He offered her warmth and want and the exhilaration of their sing-songs. He offered her laughter and longing and shared pain. He offered her love.
Tears gathered in her eyes as the puppy licked at her chin.
Shar placed his hands on the bar, palm down. “I have already said how I feel. I want you to stay, but it is your decision. We do not care if you are a goddess, or a human, or a creature that will be our doom.” He let out a soft chuckle. “If you have not figured it out yet, the Irish love a good tragedy. Even if you were our doom, we would embrace you.” He ducked down until they were eye to eye, quite a feat for the giant. “But I do not believe you are our end. More like our beginning.”
A phrase came to her, one from the Idiot’s Guide. Kissed the Blarney Stone. These brothers must have made love to the damn thing.
Dub moved then, jumping over the bar, narrowly missing the back shelves and threatening to send the bottles of liquor to the floor. He stood before her and for once his face was not angry. It was soft, filled with something she wasn’t ready to acknowledge as love, but may have been on the verge of it. Affection. Let us call it affection and leave it there.
He reached out and placed a hand on the puppy’s head, stilling the little guy’s movements.
“Beag realta. Little goddess.” He smiled at her, soft and affectionate.
Bat’s breath caught. She had seen this. It was her vision. The name she couldn’t hear...
“Bat of the two faces, who has stirred up my home, and then brought it some balance. Bat, who has turned this pub into a sanctuary, and offered comfort to the weary. Bat, who has sought justice for one that most gods would consider insignificant. Not to find a soul blade, or stop someone from gaining power they should not have, but simply because she felt some kindness toward a leprechaun.”
The name she couldn’t hear before was her own.
“Please stay with us. We come to you as supplicants, and offer this small life to you, as both a protector and a companion.” He drew in a breath. “We offer ourselves as protectors and companions, and we ask that you remain here, making this your new home. We offer up this place, this building, as a temple and a refuge.” His smile turned into a small grin. “Just don’t tell the Morrigan or we all get kicked out.”
He stood before her, proud and straight, with strength and yearning a beautiful mix on his face. A warrior, as he once was, and as he would always be.
Bat swallowed and closed her eyes. Could she leave behind all that she was in her own land? All that she had been? A vacation, a break from the tedium and a taste of peace that was one thing. But to abandon her place in Egypt completely? Because that was what she would be doing. If she accepted their offer, she would leave all of her past behind and start anew. Did she want that? Wasn’t that what she had really hoped for when she came here?
Yes.
Tightening her grip on her newest offering, she opened her eyes and met the shining lapis of Dub’s gaze, then Shar’s, then the soft brown of Mell’s. “I accept this offering as worthy, and I grant your request.”
And just as it had when she first stepped over the threshold, the world shifted.
For better or worse, she had a new home. One filled with warmth and comfort, music and laughter. Filled with beings that were, for the most part, abandoned and forgotten by their own gods; filled with those who had been served badly, or not at all, by absent gods.
She stepped up to Dub and freed one hand to hook around the back of his neck. She pulled him down and bestowed a soft kiss on his firm lips. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, goddess. And welcome home.”
Yes, she was, was she not?
Home.
A soft knock came from the door. The puppy wiggled in her arms, and she set him down as Mell unlocked and opened the door. Finn entered, his expression hard, and Bat’s chest tightened. Things had been going so well.
Then she noted the guardi did not wear his uniform, and there were dark circles under his eyes still. He held a small case, just the right shape for…
“I thought I might play with you for a bit tonight. Unless you have another fiddler.” He half held up the case, an aborted movement, and looked ready to bolt right out the door given the least provocation. “I’m not nearly as good as Oisin, or Dano, but I can hold my own.”
Mell clasped his shoulder as Killer—yes, that is a very good name for my new puppy—sniffed Finn’s shoes, growled, then wagged his tail.
Bat smiled, keeping it gentle. She wondered if the Morrigan, or another deity, had come to him, tried to help him after Grainne was killed by the soul blade. Per Ailis, it had almost appeared as though the woman had thrown herself on the blade. Or, she had attacked and Finn had done what he needed to.
“I would love to play a song or two with you, Finn.”
He nodded, rolled his shoulders, and slumped into a stool closest to the door. The same one he’d sat in the night the Morrigan came to the pub, and again the night after. It wasn’t claimed by any of the regulars yet.
She caught Dub’s gaze and raised her brows, tilting her head to the stool. He frowned the frown that said he agreed, and nodded. They’d keep that seat open for Finn, then.
Shar disappeared as she busied herself pulling Finn a pint. She set it before the guardi captain—no, not tonight. This evening, he was just a not-man. Finn nodded and his lips quirked. She patted his hand.
When she t
urned to move away, he captured her hand. Killer jumped up and growled, but he didn’t attack. Her puppy didn’t know if the move was aggressive or not. Neither did Bat.
“Thank you, again,” Finn said. He opened his mouth to say more, but the words didn’t come.
Bat studied him, looking past the weariness, the red-gold hair that needed a trim, the dim colors of his eyes. She didn’t have the same skills as Mell or Ailis with emotion, but she’d noted something in the last two weeks. The same ability to sense the wrong that she’d felt around Grainne had grown so that if she concentrated, she could find the seeds in others. It took a lot from her, and there was almost no range to speak of, the ability was new and unwieldy, but it was there. There had been two patrons, humans, she’d had thrown out because of it already.
Now, she looked deep into Finn. There were… holes in him. Areas of blank nothing, as though something had been ripped out.
But there was nothing of the chaos that Grainne had planted. Nothing of the poison, or whispered ideas of power and false love.
She gave his fingers a squeeze. “Be sure to come in more often. I know the guys would like to see more of you.” She offered another smile. “And so would I.”
THE MORRIGAN
She faced the Tribunal. This century the Dagda presided, Lugh and Danu on either side. The meeting room was informal, housed in a modest house in a little town near old Tara.
“It is done,” she reported. She crossed her arms and paced to the widows. She hadn’t bothered to sit when they’d invited her to. This was not a social visit, despite the pretensions of her fellow deities. “Was it really necessary?” While she was glad Grainne was finally done away with, she had not enjoyed witnessing Finn fumble with his own doubts.
The gods had, of course, known where the woman and the blade had been the whole time. But it was vital it not be retrieved until the Unifier appeared, just as it was important for Finn to have killed Grainne himself, made that choice. If she’d stepped in…
The Forgotten Trilogy Page 20
