by Sarra Cannon
“What is it?” Aislinn hunkered down so she and Rune were at eye level.
“I do not like it that the dragon will take you where we cannot fight together.”
Aislinn thought about that and realized she didn’t like it either. She said as much, adding, “It can’t be helped for now. You’ll be on the ground when I land—”
“Not the same,” he snapped. “Bondmates were never meant to be separated. I fear it will bring us bad luck.”
“I can ask Dewi. Maybe she’ll know some other way.”
To Aislinn’s surprise, Rune snarled. “She won’t help. In her mind, you are her bondmate, not mine.”
Aislinn placed a hand on either side of Rune’s head. “You’re a part of me. Have faith. I’ll figure something out.”
Chapter 23
Aislinn emerged from the house into the gray of a new day. Clouds were thick in the sky, and the air smelled like snow. Winter had been mild since the snowstorm when she’d waited for Travis, but it looked like the trend was about to change. Fionn, Arawn, Gwydion, and Bran circulated among the humans. She assumed they were issuing final instructions. Slototh was their first target. For some reason, the men thought he’d be the easiest to provoke into making a stupid mistake.
The basic plan hadn’t changed, despite Dewi’s concerns. The humans would jump to an area in the southwestern Arizona desert, landing just outside Yuma. At least it wouldn’t be snowing there. Aislinn would jump with Fionn. The other Celts would leave before them. Dewi would get there in her own way. She’d tried to talk Aislinn into flying on her back a few minutes ago, but Aislinn had demurred.
“It’s too far. I’d be tired by the time we got there. And I need to link to Rune to make sure he comes out at the right place.”
Dewi had bristled, especially after Aislinn mentioned Rune. She did it on purpose to test his theory that the dragon saw him as a rival. As usual, the wolf’s instincts about others were spot on. Dewi argued, cajoled, even tried to force Aislinn with compulsion, until Gwydion called her off, saying, “We havena the time for this.” It was actually a relief when Dewi made a leap for the skies and was gone. Aislinn raked her hands through her hair and hoped the dragon would’ve moved past her pique by the time they regrouped in Arizona.
Looking every inch a warrior, Fionn walked briskly to her and Rune, with Bella riding on his shoulder. He’d changed into tight-fitting leather breeches, a leather shirt, and a mailed hauberk. Vambraces hugged his arms. The only parts of his attire that hadn’t changed were lace up leather boots that came halfway to his knees. “Ready?”
She felt like quite the rube in Marta’s rolled-up black work pants, sadly worn leather boots, green wool shirt from the McCloud Fishing Lodge, and black Gore-Tex jacket with a black watch cap pulled nearly to her eyes. Oh well. Not exactly a fashion contest here. She met his gaze, tried to smile, but couldn’t. “No. I don’t think I could ever be ready for something that might mean we lose our planet to the dark.”
“Good you’re on edge. It means ye’ll be careful. We leave in about ten minutes.”
She buried a hand in Rune’s ruff, taking comfort from his simple, animal warmth. Since she had time, she pulled off her hat, separated her long, thick hair into two sections, and braided it to keep it out of her eyes. “Are you scared?”
Fionn shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Lass, ’tis only the first of what will likely be a long string of battles. It could take years to rid ourselves of four dark gods—if ’tis even possible. We’ll find out soon enough if we need a different plan. Doona forget, the dark gods are only part of the problem. There will be others to fight along the way.”
“Like Dewi. I think she’s jealous of Rune.” Aislinn’s hand flew to her mouth. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. Braids done, she jammed her hat over them to mask her discomfort.
Fionn laughed. “Dragons are jealous of everyone. ’Tis the way of things.”
Rune’s jaws snapped together. “Not funny, human.” Bella cawed her support.
Fionn stroked the wolf’s head. “Not to worry. Aislinn belongs to you and me.”
And Dewi. What about just belonging to myself, goddammit?
Aislinn shielded her thoughts. She stole a quick glance at Fionn, but it didn’t seem he’d noticed. He had to be inside her mind to read it. Problem was he could sneak in there without her knowing. As much to cover her inner turmoil as anything, she asked, “What happened to the other Celts Dewi supposedly went to the Old Country to raise?”
Fionn skewered her with a grim look, his brows drawn together. “Aye, lass. Now that ye mention it, we’d all like to know that.”
She felt him pull the magic that would take them where they were going. While it would’ve taken her several jumps to get from Ely to their destination, Fionn assured her he could do it in two. They’d probably arrive before most of the humans, but it would allow time to finalize their plans.
For a moment or two, she felt sad about leaving Marta’s house. It was where she’d realized she was in love with Fionn. Then she thought about the ensorcelled hybrids in the attic and decided she and Fionn could do better elsewhere. They’d have to come back sometime and destroy the bodies, but that was way down the line. Years, from what Fionn suggested. Or maybe never if they needed the gates between worlds to remain open.
A weightless sensation began in her feet. She felt for the outlines of Fionn’s spell, made sure it encompassed Rune, and they were gone.
— —
A surprising number of humans were already there when Aislinn and Fionn arrived. Arawn, Bran, and Gwydion had set up something like a field headquarters, complete with chairs for themselves, in a huge indentation where massive, black rock walls butted against one another. They checked the humans in by having them write their names on some sort of tablet. It lit, absorbed a name, and cleared itself for the next person. Aislinn stared at it, fascinated. What mix of electronics and magic could do something like that?
Arawn and Bran were outfitted similarly to Fionn. Gwydion wore his trademark robe, red this time. His staff leaned off to one side. Aislinn wondered if he was still barefoot. Fionn trotted toward the other Celts. She followed, looked around for Dewi, and was relieved to not find her.
“About half the humans are here,” Gwydion informed them.
“So soon?” Aislinn felt stunned. Had their magic been that much weaker than everyone else’s?
“Surprised us, too.” Arawn told her. “’Tis all the magic directed at one place. Apparently, it eases the journey, though we’ve lost the element of surprise—if we ever had it in the first place.”
I need to remember that Fionn’s not the only one who can read my mind. Aislinn nodded, while trying to maintain a neutral expression. She wanted to tell him to stay out of her head, but figured they’d be wasted words.
“Listen up, lass,” Gwydion said. Something in his tone made her glance sharply at him. “Slototh is holed up in the remains of a prison in Yuma, surrounded by human shades and Bal’ta. Because he absorbs everything that has been discarded, the shades cling to him, drawn like lodestones, hoping to recover something of themselves. ’Tis possible there will be some you recognize. Doona let yourself be distracted from your task.”
“To me, Daughter.”
Aislinn’s head whipped around. Dewi. But where was she?
“Right here. I have been here all along. We must refine your eyesight.”
Sure enough, when Aislinn focused her Mage senses, she saw the dragon squatting in the dirt off to one side. Seemingly satisfied, Dewi withdrew whatever spell had kept her hidden.
Aislinn turned to Fionn. “Take care of Rune.”
“Aye, that I will.” He bent to kiss her.
“I will watch over your bond animal as well.” Arawn nodded curtly.
Moving away from Fionn, Aislinn crouched next to Rune. “I will only ride until we get to the battlefield. Then I will fight by your side.” The wolf leaned into
her, and she hugged him.
Aislinn waved to Dewi. “Be right there,” she called brightly. The antagonism between dragon and wolf felt wrong. She didn’t like being in the middle, and she felt protective of Rune.
“How many are here?” she asked Gwydion.
“Better than twelve hundred, but it’s finally slowing down.” He spread his arms wide. “Thank you. This was your idea.”
Her mouth split into a crooked smile. “I had no idea it would work out so well. How soon before we leave? And how far is it from here to that prison?”
“Less than a mile. We are splitting into four companies, one led by each of us.” Gwydion’s gaze swept over the mass of humanity gathered into four camps and at the few still signing in. Getting up, he tapped Arawn and Bran on the shoulder. “Marshal your companies and leave. Fionn and I will do the same as soon as we are done here.”
“Why did you get everyone’s names?” Aislinn asked. “Most people’s families are dead, so what difference do names make anymore?”
He gave her a sad, slow smile. “Ye have never truly been in wartime afore, lass. We do it to keep track of the living—and the dead.”
“MacLochlainn!”
“Whoops, Dewi is not happy.” Blowing a kiss to Fionn and Rune, Aislinn took off at a dead run for the dragon, a plethora of excuses running through her head.
Smoke plumed from the dragon’s nostrils. “I told you it was time for us to go. Why did you not heed me? Next time, I will make you sorry you disobeyed.”
Aislinn stood in front of Dewi, the palliatory words she’d planned evaporated in a rush of anger. Seething, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Now you look here,” she snapped. “We’re supposed to be partners. You think you call the shots and I jump to your whistle—and maybe that’s how things were in the Middle Ages—but I can’t operate like that. I’m nobody’s lackey. Not even yours. So either we come up with some way we can make this work, or I’m going to the battle with Fionn. Your choice.”
Something like a growl came from the dragon. It was so loud, the packed dirt beneath Aislinn’s feet vibrated, but she stood her ground. If she backed down now, she’d be no better than a slave.
“You dare to speak thus to me?” Dewi spoke very clearly, enunciating each word.
“I guess so. I just did.” Aislinn spread her hands in front of her. “I’d like to make this work. You’re old and powerful, and I could learn a lot from you, but you can’t treat me like a child, even if that’s what I seem like to you.”
Dewi huffed. Smoke blanketed Aislinn so thickly she began to cough. “Stop that,” she gasped, spitting black-flecked phlegm. “I need to leave. Am I flying with you or not?”
“Get on. We can talk about this later.”
Aislinn smiled inwardly. She’d won. Or had she? What if Dewi tried to dump her off as soon as they were in the air? She was practically certain she could pull enough magic to soften her landing, but not positive. I’ll take my chances. She swung into place where the dragon’s neck and body connected. She needs me, waited hundreds of years for me. She’s not going to kill me. At least, not right now.
“Perceptive of you,” sounded in her mind. The words held a snarky you may have won this round, but I have more cards up my sleeve intonation.
“Damn it!” she muttered. “Between you and Fionn and Rune, I don’t have any privacy at all.”
“What were you talking with Gwydion about?” Dewi ignored Aislinn’s comment.
“Strategy. I needed to hear what he had to say. All my fighting until now has been done either alone or with one or two others.”
The whirr of the dragon’s wings—soothing and hypnotic—was loud in Aislinn’s ears. She rather liked her perch atop Dewi, at least when the dragon wasn’t being possessive and demanding. The massive bulk of what had to be their objective was just coming into view. Like most buildings in the southwest, it was stucco, with rounded archways and a flat roof. Much of the structure had fallen in. She was astonished something that sturdy had succumbed to decay in only a few years. Maybe the prisoners trashed it when they escaped after the Surge.
“Well.” The dragon sounded annoyed. “Are you going to share our strategy with me?”
Dewi’s question startled her. “Sorry. I figured you already knew. That you’d talked to one of the other Celts. Anyway, Gwydion and the rest of them have split the humans into four groups; one will approach from each direction. You and I will touch down in the middle. I will join Fionn’s group, and we’ll storm the gates.”
“What will I be doing?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Can you make yourself small enough to get inside the prison?”
Dewi snorted. “Maybe, but I do not like this. I want the battle outside, so I can kill the enemy. I suffered the Old Ones, pretending to be something I was not, for long years while I waited for you. Now I would indulge my baser passions.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Aislinn murmured, not at all certain she’d have any control over much of anything once the fighting heated up. She thought about apologizing for Dewi’s long wait, but didn’t. After all, it wasn’t her fault she was linked to a clan dragon. She hadn’t even known about her until she’d gone into Taltos.
“Look sharp,” Dewi crowed.
Aislinn’s thoughts scattered like so much dust. She scanned the ground. Bal’ta poured out of the prison ruins. “Looks like you’ll get your wish.” She grinned. Now that it came down to it, she welcomed a chance to kill those bastards. “Wait a minute.”
“What?”
“They used to be light avoidant. That’s why we were sure we’d be fighting them inside. What happened?”
“Simple enough.” The dragon made an hmphing sound. “Slototh wove a spell to protect them. In fact, I can see it. Look, Daughter. It’s that blackish shroud hanging in pieces over everything.”
Aislinn sharpened her vision with magic. Sure enough, translucent sheathing drifted in the air. It was worrisome she’d needed the dragon to point it out. She vowed to be more observant. Sloppiness could get her killed quicker than anything else.
“Did the Celts tell each human to ward himself?” Dewi broke into her thoughts.
Aislinn rolled her eyes. “They’d have done that without directions. Do you think we’re so stupid we want to die?”
“Just checking. In battle, as in everything else, details make all the difference.” She paused a beat. “You need to work on your attitude.”
Like hell I do.
Flames belched from Dewi’s mouth. She banked low over a mass of Bal’ta. Dragon fire blasted through the sheathing and engulfed them in flames that didn’t go out, even when the abominations rolled on the ground. Slototh’s mantle reknit itself around the hole. Fear settled in Aislinn’s belly. Slototh was powerful. Maybe the Celts had underestimated him. If he was the weakest of the lot…
Don’t think about that. I need to fight what’s in front of me.
Aislinn took careful aim, thrilled when a Bal’ta exploded. She did it again. And again. Her worries dissolved in blood lust. All four companies were in the thick of things now. The stink of magic hung over everything. Every time dark magic collided with their magic, an explosion buffeted them. Aislinn clung to the dragon with her legs and called destruction down on so many Bal’ta, she lost count. The hairy ape-like creatures blanketed the ground. Dead humans did, too. Not as many, but their side was suffering losses.
“No more.” Disappointment ran beneath Dewi’s words.
Craning her neck, Aislinn realized Bal’ta had stopped racing out to the slaughter. Either they were all dead, or Slototh, recognizing a frontal attack wasn’t working, had called them back. Dewi circled lazily. They watched the four companies regroup and start toward an archway leading inside.
“Looks like we’re back to Plan A,” Aislinn said. “Put me down so I can go with them.”
“From a military perspective, it would be better for us to stand guard out here. That way we could pick off—”
“You’re more than capable of doing that without me,” Aislinn broke in, her voice cold. “I asked nicely for you to land so I can get off. If you don’t, I’ll pull magic and jump to the ground.”
The dragon’s body heated beneath her legs. Aislinn figured she was royally pissed, but at least they were losing altitude. They connected with the ground so hard Aislinn’s teeth clanked together. She waited for Dewi to reach back for her, decided the dragon wasn’t going to make it easy, and worked her way down, catching both skin and clothing on scales. Dewi hadn’t been kidding when she’d warned that wasn’t a good way to dismount. The closer Aislinn got to the ground, the sharper the scales got.
She surveyed the cuts on her hands. They weren’t deep, but they stung. To minimize further damage, she jumped the last four feet, landed in a tuck, rolled to her feet, and sprinted after the tail end of one of the companies just disappearing into the prison. Fionn and Rune were nowhere in sight. Maybe she’d find them inside. She knew better than to use her mind voice to call. If one of them was sore pressed in battle, that single moment where their thoughts diverted to her might mean their death.
The terror she’d packed away in a corner of her mind wanted out. She stuffed it untidily back away. Not now. Her mouth was dry, but she didn’t have time to get water from her rucksack. She passed under the archway and scanned a large interior room, blinking in the dim light. It seemed she was alone. Which way had everyone gone? How the hell had they cleared out so fast?
Feeling an off-key vibration low in her spine, she warded herself and spun hard to one side. Something was targeting her, but what? Christ! After all my big talk to Dewi, how could I not have warded myself? Breath rattled in her chest. She pivoted her head from side to side, Mage senses wide open. If she was the only one here, who was trying to kill her? Aislinn looked harder, using tricks Fionn and Dewi had taught her.
There. In that corner. Like the Bal’ta, but more so, sat a blackness that swallowed everything. Impossibly high, not far from what had to be a ten-foot ceiling, a pair of red eyes glowed. Whatever it was, its head must be huge, since the eyes were a foot-and-a-half apart. Aislinn bit back panic. She swallowed hard and wondered if it was Slototh. Then she knew it had to be. For some unknown reason, he’d let everyone else race past him. She eyed one of three openings at the far end of the room and then looked back at the door she’d come through, but the dark god moved and blocked her egress that way.
