Earth's Hope

by Ann Gimpel

  “’Tis because Bran hit the nail on its head,” Fionn admitted. “They doona trust us, and I doona blame them. Were I in their place, I wouldna trust us, either.”

  “If we had time,” Gwydion spoke slowly, “we might wait for trust to develop naturally.”

  “Time is a luxury we doona have,” Bran said.

  “Worst case,” Fionn muttered, “we gather the other Celts and do what we have to.” A thought surfaced, and he glanced from Gwydion to Bran. “Do you two agree with my strategy of targeting the remaining dark gods?”

  “’Twould be best if we did a bit of both.” Bran pushed to his feet and went to glance out a window.

  “Say more.” Fionn snapped his fingers.

  Bran snorted and turned to face Fionn. “What? Am I your dog now to be clucked at?”

  “I wasna clucking, I was snapping.”

  “Fine.” Bran shoved his long, heavy hair behind his shoulders. “The Old Ones are weak. We could take enough of them out in a single campaign to send them scurrying back into Taltos for the duration.”

  “What would that buy us?” Gwydion asked.

  “They helped Tokhots and Perrikus kidnap the youngling dragons,” Bran said. “Doona underestimate them. They have a group intelligence, and it makes them slow to move, but dangerous once they do.”

  Gwydion narrowed his eyes. “Mayhap ye have a point. After all, Aislinn got rid of Slototh single-handedly, so ’twill not necessarily take numbers to decimate the dark gods, particularly not if the dragons help.”

  Breath rattled from Bran. “Aye, and I’d nearly forgotten about that. How do ye suppose Arawn’s getting along telling Dewi about the other dragons?”

  Gwydion shrugged. “He’s not back. It might mean she immolated him with dragon fire.”

  “What other dragons?” Fionn felt confused.

  “Och, and ye dinna know,” Gwydion said.

  “Dinna know what?” Fionn clenched his teeth together as annoyance built.

  “Once Nidhogg was captured, Odin threw a fit and said if his dragon wasn’t free, no dragon should be.”

  Bran picked up the tale, “Arawn got wind of Odin’s plan to target the dragons and sequestered four of them on the dragons’ borderworld.” He shrugged. “It never occurred to us Dewi would avoid the place for so long.”

  “And ye dinna tell me, why?” Fionn asked.

  “Because ye were closer to Dewi than the rest of us, and we were afraid ye’d tell her,” Gwydion said.

  “Mmph. Why dinna Odin go after Dewi?” Fionn asked.

  Gwydion’s eyes widened. “Because she’s a god just like him.”

  Fionn stood and joined Gwydion on the far side of the kitchen. “I’m sick of problems. Give me solutions.”

  Gwydion mock bowed. “So sorry, your lordship.”

  “Aye.” Bran chuckled softly. “The verra next solution that hops into my head is yours.”

  “This isna funny,” Fionn snapped.

  “Nay. ’Tisn’t,” Gwydion agreed.

  Fionn might not have noticed if he hadn’t been focused on Bran, but the mage shut his eyes and his body stilled for the space of a few heartbeats. When his coppery eyes opened, they held a grim cast.

  “What?” Fionn asked.

  “Prophecy be damned,” Bran said. “I’m often wrong, particularly for things like this, but I fear the dark willna give us a choice.”

  Adrenaline shot through Fionn, leaving a bitter taste at the back of his throat. “What did ye see?” he demanded.

  “Nothing specific. The Lemurians are far from storming your castle gates, but I felt them closing. They know if they wait until the baby dragons grow past a month, their odds of winning plummet.”

  “Arawn should be back soon,” Gwydion said. “Once he is, I say we seek out the humans, apologize all over the place for our past sins, and map out a defensive strategy in case we’re attacked.”

  Bella squawked and launched herself off Fionn’s shoulder, flying toward the open doorway. “Where are ye going?” Fionn demanded.

  “To tell Tabitha it’s not safe for them to leave.”

  “That bird has good instincts,” Gwydion said.

  The raven, who’d flown past the doorway, returned, hovering in the air. “At last!” she cackled. “Someone believes in me. Maybe you’d like to take over as my bonded one?” She flew close to Gwydion and brushed her beak through his hair.

  “Doona be ridiculous.” Fionn snatched his bird out of the air and held her between his hands. She pecked at him, but not hard enough to draw blood.

  “A bit more appreciation would be nice,” she said.

  “Aye, and there are things I’d like as well,” he countered, “but we’re stuck with one another.” He raised the raven to eye level. “Would ye like me to catalogue your sins?”

  “Not particularly.” Bella looked away.

  “I dinna think so.” Fionn let go, and the bird made a low, sweeping circle before she flew out of the room.

  “Thanks,” Gwydion said, his voice weary. “Ye spared me telling her I dinna wish a bond animal.”

  “She might have pecked your eyes out,” Bran said.

  Fionn nodded his agreement. Bella was more than capable of something like that. “I’m going to find Aislinn,” he told the others. “She’s probably outside next to the moat, since the small dragons like to swim.”

  “We’ll come with you.” Gwydion shot a glance Bran’s way. “Won’t we?”

  “Aye.” Bran stood. “I could use a dragon fix. Let’s see, we only need about one more week afore they’re cannon fodder.”

  “Doona let Dewi hear you call them that,” Fionn said and strode from the kitchen. If the Celtic dragon god had her way, her younglings would never get anywhere close to battle. Nidhogg was more reasonable, but in the end they were his children too, and he’d sacrifice himself to protect them.

  Chapter Three

  Aislinn sat next to the moat, bundled against the chill of an early evening. Winter days were short this far north, and the ever-present damp soaked into her bones. Seven young dragons cavorted in the water. Rune had been in the moat with them, but he’d tired of their antics and now lay by her side, tongue lolling as his thick black and gray pelt dried. Thank Christ, Dewi and Nidhogg would be back within a few hours, and then they could take over.

  She sank her hand into Rune’s fur and he leaned into her touch. Her wolf had taught her about two magics she never suspected she held: Hunter and Healer. She’d always seen herself as a Mage with weak Seeker traits, but Rune had cornered her one day and demanded she bond with him. Shortly thereafter, he’d been critically injured, and she’d found ways to keep him alive. Fionn had shown her how to access the Seer gift. Insofar as she knew, she was the only human with all five magics, and she still wasn’t certain how she felt about it.

  One of the red dragons leaped from the water, wings flapping, and dive-bombed her, showering her with slimy moat water.

  “Ewww.” Aislinn sputtered the dank water away from her lips.

  “Play with us,” the female dragon demanded.

  “It’s almost time for bed.” Aislinn tried to sound stern, but she had the same problem with the younglings that plagued Dewi. They were so damned cute, it wasn’t easy to pull rank.

  “Bed?” echoed from six other dragonlings. They vaulted from the water and converged on her, nearly crushing her beneath their bulk.

  “Get off me,” Aislinn cried. “You’re heavy.”

  “Yes,” the one black dragon announced proudly and nudged Rune with his scaled snout. “Once I rode you. Soon you’ll fit atop my back.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Rune snarled.

  Aislinn snickered. Flying atop a dragon wasn’t the wolf’s favorite activity. He tolerated it when he had to, but avoided it when he could.

  “How’s it going, leannán?” Fionn strode down the greenway separating the moat from his castle.

  Aislinn scrambled to her feet and shook water out of her hair. H
er beige trousers were thick, boiled wool and fairly resistant to moisture. A cloak woven from the same wool wrapped around her body. She’d found the clothes in one of many trunks in Fionn’s attic. He couldn’t recall who they’d belonged to, but she assumed it was an earlier wife or girlfriend since he’d been born in 1048.

  “Good, you’re here.” She squinted through the gloom. When he got close enough for her to see his face, the welcoming smile died on her lips.

  “Aye, well at least someone is glad of my presence.”

  “Didn’t go well, huh?” She held out her arms. He walked into them and wrapped his around her.

  “Nay. Mostly the humans want to wait until we’re attacked. Bran wants to annihilate the Lemurians first.” He tightened his arms around her shoulders. “I want to bash our way through the dark gods until they get fed up enough to retreat, but I canna do it by myself.”

  “We’ll help.” The black dragonling tried to wriggle between Fionn’s and Aislinn’s bodies. His scales caught on Aislinn’s pants.

  “We will, we will,” other young voices chimed in.

  “The dark ones killed our sister,” the black dragon went on, his piping voice serious. “We want revenge.”

  “Mother won’t let us fight,” a green dragon spoke up. “She already said so.”

  “Father disagreed,” the red dragon who’d invaded Aislinn’s lap said.

  She’d gotten better at telling them apart, but it would be a relief once they named themselves. In all, there were two red females, three green males, the black male, and a copper male.

  “I fear all of us will get our chance in battle afore this is over.” Gwydion, flanked by Bran, walked into their midst. “Come with me. Time to give Aislinn a break.”

  “Will you tell us a story?” the copper dragon demanded.

  “Yes,” a red dragon clapped her clawed forelegs together. “You tell the best stories.”

  “I’ll be your bard tonight.” Bran made a sweeping bow. “Mayhap you’d care to hear about how dragons came to be.”

  “Yes!” the red female shrieked.

  “Follow Bran,” Gwydion urged. Once the dragons were in motion, some flying, some walking, he rolled his eyes and brought up the rear.

  “Thanks,” Aislinn shouted after him.

  “Ye owe me, lass,” he called over one shoulder.

  Aislinn leaned her head into the nook between Fionn’s neck and shoulder. “Would you like to walk a bit before we go inside?”

  “Aye, lass. Now ye mention it, I’d like that verra much.”

  “Do you suppose we could go as far as the sea?”

  “I thought we’d remain within my wards—”

  Bella flapped out of the darkness and landed on Rune’s back. “We’re coming,” she announced.

  “Of course we are,” Rune seconded. “My bonded one would never consider leaving me behind.”

  Aislinn stifled a snort. The bond animals had their own network and frequently shared things among themselves that they’d never tell their humans. Apparently Bella had complained about Fionn ditching her, and the wolf was reminding her of that in a less-than-subtle manner.

  “Since we’re all going,” Aislinn cut in before Fionn got into another argument with the cantankerous raven, “let’s do this. I sat for so long, I’m cold.” She wriggled out of Fionn’s embrace, reluctant to leave the warmth of his body.

  “Would ye like me to find you a warmer wrap?” Fionn asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t want this to be a big production number. Mostly, I want to work the kinks out of my legs before we go to bed. Thank Christ Dewi will be back by the middle of tomorrow.”

  Fionn hooked a hand beneath her arm and guided her toward the wall that rose all around his manor. He’d had the mansion built in the fifteen hundreds to exacting specifications. Flat, gray stones comprised the outer wall; they fit together so precisely it was nearly impossible to detect their edges. The house itself was built from huge wooden beams and river rock. Five stories, with turrets and a tower and leaded glass windows, it looked like something out of a movie set.

  Aislinn fell into step beside him, grateful for her long legs that let her keep pace easily. They passed beneath one of four curved gateways set into the outer wall and out onto open moorland. Humans who’d been assigned sentry duty nodded as they passed. The salt tang of the sea deepened, tickling her nostrils. For a moment, she felt homesick for the dry air of the American west where she was from. Rune jumped to one side, jaws snapping, and came up with a small, wriggling creature.

  “I shall hunt too,” Bella declared and launched herself off the wolf’s back. The black of her wings melted into the shadows until Aislinn couldn’t see her anymore without magic.

  “Why’s she unhappy this time?” Aislinn asked.

  “What it comes down to,” Fionn replied, “is she doesn’t enjoy sharing me. Aye, she likes you well enough. Not like your mother, who she detested, but jealousy still gets the better of her.”

  “She’s good to have by our side in battle, though.” Aislinn licked her lips and tasted salt from perpetual mists that hung in the air. “Speaking of which, I assume there’s another pow-wow with the humans.”

  “Aye, that there is. If nothing else, we must craft a defensive plan should we be attacked.”

  “Not if, but when,” she cut in. “I can’t put my finger on it, but time grows short. I feel it here.” She laid a hand over her chest.

  “Ye and Bran, both. He says the Lemurians are closing, and I presume the dark gods are masterminding whatever they’re up to.”

  Rune growled from around his impromptu meal. “I’m ready.” He shifted to mind speech because his mouth was busy.

  Aislinn waited for the raven to jump in, but either Bella was out of earshot, or biding her time. The roar of breakers on sand got louder as they closed the distance to the beach. Fionn stopped walking and spun her in his arms until they faced one another. He murmured a string of Gaelic endearments just before he closed his mouth over hers.

  Aislinn wove her arms around Fionn’s muscled torso and opened her mouth to his insistent tongue. Need flared, hot and urgent, but Fionn always had that effect on her. From the moment their bodies had first slammed together, passion drove reason from her mind.

  She’d lost her father to Perrikus and D’Chel the night they’d pierced the veil separating Earth from their borderworlds. Lemurians had killed her mother a year later, and Aislinn had vowed to never let another soul get close enough to hurt her if something hideous happened to them. She’d held firm for two years, but first Rune and then Fionn, had walked into her life and changed everything.

  Too late. It’s too late to worry about it now. Her breath quickened, and her nipples formed hard peaks where they were squashed against his chest.

  Fionn dropped his hands lower and cupped the curves of her ass, pulling her hard against an obvious erection. She tore her mouth from his. “So, do you just want to fall into the wet grass and get it on?”

  He made a decidedly male sound deep in his throat. “Not a bad idea, leannán. I can make us a dry place with magic.” He butted his hard-on against her pelvis. “At least we’d have a shred of privacy. No telling who’ll burst into my rooms back in the house.”

  “No kidding. Do you suppose the dragons have figured out how to work their way past the deadbolt?”

  “Och, lassie. Now ye mention it, I caught the black one using magic to do just that earlier today.” He tugged one of her arms from around him and pushed her hand over his engorged flesh. “We willna be long. Think of the adventure aspect.” Muted humor ran beneath his words.

  Aislinn tilted her head back and gazed into his sky blue eyes. His long, blond hair was braided in an intricate Celtic pattern the men favored. Classic bone structure—with a high forehead, sculpted cheekbones, and a square jaw—wouldn’t have been out of place on a statue of Adonis. At six feet two, he was just a shred taller than her. Her throat thickened with emotion, and she asked
, “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “Aye, mo croi, because I love you just as much. I canna imagine my life without you in it.” His cock jumped against her curved fingers.

  “Och, ’tis just that MacLochlainn bond thing.” She aped his brogue.

  “’Tisn’t and ye know it. Your mother loved Gwydion, yet she was bound to me through the same stricture.”

  “I was teasing.” She stroked him through the thick wool of his trousers. “Sure, we can make love—”

  “Mistress!” Rune’s mind voice was sharp, urgent.

  Fionn’s head snapped up, and he swung his head from side to side, scenting the air. “Fuck!”

  “What is it?” Aislinn sent her Mage gift spinning outward, trying to sense whatever Fionn and her wolf felt.

  “Harpies.”

  Fionn let go of her, and she felt him draw warding around them. The air warmed with the feel of his power, and her skin tingled. Fionn’s magic carried many faces, and she thought back to the first time he’d shielded her from harm in a thick pine forest in Northern California. She leaned toward him and murmured, “You mean those women-bird things are real? Did the dark gods send them?”

  “Aye, they’re real, but probably not connected with the dark ones. Add your magic to mine. They’re too close to make a run for the manor.”

  Aislinn wove threads of power into the warding around the three of them. “Where’s Bella?”

  “I doona know, but she can take care of herself.” Fionn spoke tersely. “Damn! It’s been hundreds of years since they’ve shown themselves.”

  Deep evil touched the edges of Aislinn’s power, different from anything she’d ever felt before, and she straightened her spine. “They’re strong. How can we fight them?”

  “Depends which ones show up and what they want.”

  “Goddammit, Fionn. You’re talking in riddles, and I need information.”

  “What? Ye want a crash course in mythology?”

  “If it will help me understand what we face, yes.” Aislinn’s temper, always a weak point, flashed white hot.

  “There are three. Aello, or sea storm, Ocypete, or swift flying, and Celaeno, or dark one. My best guess is they doona care for the dark gods’ energy and have their own ideas for how to address the problem.”