Earth's Hope

by Ann Gimpel

  “Brilliant! You’re quite the brain-boy.” Adva straightened his broad shoulders and mock bowed. Unlike his fellow gods, he wore a pale linen shirt and dark trousers, with a blue silk tie hanging loosely around his neck.

  “I do all right.” Fionn eyed the god of portals. “I’m thrilled you showed up. Saves us a lot of trouble finding you.”

  “You won’t be so thrilled when you discover I’ve shut off your exit route.”

  “Ye’re bluffing.”

  Adva’s green-gold gaze glazed over with pure evil. He wasn’t smiling anymore. Nor was he bothering to maintain the illusion that made him appear human. Sharp planes bisected the lines of his face and his teeth lengthened into fangs.

  “I never bluff, Celt,” he hissed.

  “Is this where ye turn into a vampire and—”

  “Fionn!” Aislinn’s shriek tore into his heart. When he spun and looked for Dewi, her back was empty.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dewi’s screech nearly flayed the skin from Fionn’s bones. Rune howled and leaped into the air, snapping his jaws over and over. To the accompaniment of Nidhogg’s booming trumpeting, Dewi shimmered and vanished. Fire flashed from Nidhogg, cutting a wide swath.

  “What’s the matter, Celt?” Adva sashayed to his side. “Lose something?”

  Fionn twisted, light on his feet, and smashed his fist into Adva’s face. He heard the crack of bones breaking and drew his arm back to do it again, but the dark god jumped out of the way. Blood and snot ran down his face, but the damage began to repair itself immediately.

  In a shower of fiery sparks, smoke, and steam, Nidhogg dropped to the ground a few feet from Fionn, his green eyes whirling furiously.

  “Goddamnit!” More fire flashed from the black dragon. “I told Dewi not to use the MacLochalinn bond to follow Aislinn. Ordered her not to, but she ignored me. Now she’s trapped too.”

  Nidhogg plodded toward Adva with fire blasting from his mouth. It rolled off the dark god like water, but his shirt and trousers smoldered. “You control portals,” he thundered. “Where are Aislinn and my mate?”

  Adva shrugged. “Who can say? These things are…complicated.”

  Nidhogg moved faster than Fionn imagined he could and swiped a taloned foreleg around Adva’s neck, lifting the dark god off the ground.

  “Uh-uh.” Adva shook a finger at the dragon. “You need me. This isn’t the way to secure my cooperation.”

  “What happens next depends entirely on that cooperation,” Nidhogg replied, his voice viciously sweet.

  “Put me down this instant.” Adva wriggled, fighting the circle of the dragon’s talons. Fionn felt him deploy magic, but Nidhogg was impervious to it because nothing changed.

  “He says he closed off the portals,” Fionn told Nidhogg. “All of them.”

  The Norse dragon cocked his head to one side. “That could be good news. Closure works both ways. If, and that’s a huge supposition, this piece of shit is telling the truth, that means Dewi and Aislinn are still somewhere on this world.”

  “I resent that,” Adva sputtered, and opened his mouth to say more.

  Fionn spoke over him, addressing his words to the dragon. “Can ye sense Dewi?” he asked, not daring to let himself hope, “because I canna feel Aislinn’s energy.”

  Rune howled mournfully. “I can.”

  A bitter smile split Fionn’s mouth. This wasn’t the first time Hunter magic had trumped his own.

  Eve sprinted to where they stood with Tabitha pacing her. She tossed her long black hair over her slender shoulders and her blue eyes were pinched with worry. “What’s next?”

  “How many of your people sustained injuries?” Fionn asked.

  “One is dead. Bran helped two more who were injured, or they’d be on the far side of the veil right along with poor Freddie.”

  “We doona need numbers anymore,” Fionn said. “Take your people and return to my manor house. We’ll be along presently.” He thought about how things had unfolded and added, “’Tis possible ye’ll find the other contingent already returned. All the action appears to have unfolded here.”

  “But they were supposed to join us in that case,” she protested.

  “Mayhap they couldna.” Fionn sent a harsh glance Adva’s way and followed it with, “Ye will allow my troops safe passage.”

  “Oh I will, will I?” Adva smirked. “The Geneva Convention scarcely applies here.”

  Nidhogg shook the god of portals until Fionn heard the rattle of teeth.

  “Ye have a smart mouth,” he observed. “’I’m surprised it hasna landed you in trouble long since.”

  “One of the benefits of immortality,” Adva muttered through gritted teeth.

  Nidhogg tightened his grip, and then snugged it up some more. Adva’s face turned an unattractive tomato color, and the dark god’s breathing degenerated into gurgling gasps.

  “If I’m unconscious, I can’t open the gates around this world,” he panted.

  “Aye, I’m betting if he’s unconscious, ’twill be naught to hold his spell in place.” Fionn watched Adva carefully to see how close he’d come to truth.

  “Same bet I’d make,” Nidhogg rumbled and hoisted Adva another foot in the air.

  “Stop talking.” Rune bit Fionn’s calf hard enough to draw blood. “We have to go after Aislinn.”

  The god of portals tried to thrust his hands beneath Nidhogg’s talons, but couldn’t budge them. His face was purple now and his pupils dilated. Fionn figured he’d pass out soon.

  “Stop.” Adva motioned with both hands. “You win. I’ll let them go.”

  “Gambit well played.” Fionn grinned at the dragon and then turned to Eve. “Gather everyone, including your fallen comrade. At my signal, open teleport spells and return home.” He blew out a breath. “Home doesna mean ye get a holiday. Ye may well have to defend the place from Lemurians.”

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “I’m not leaving without Aislinn, and I’m betting Nidhogg feels the same way about Dewi.”

  “Do you even have to ask?” the dragon opened his taloned foreleg and Adva dropped to the ground with a thunk.

  He rubbed his neck, but didn’t make any motion to get to his feet. “It’s done,” he said sulkily.

  “What’s done?” Fionn asked.

  “What you asked. The gates guarding the borderworld are open. I’d hurry if I were you, though. You didn’t say how long I had to keep them that way.” Adva opened his mouth in a hissing snarl that would have done Tabitha proud. The cat saw it as a challenge because she lunged at the dark god, and Eve had to call her off.

  “Good Hunting.” Eve bowed slightly and took off at a trot for the queue of humans.

  “Same to you,” Fionn called after her.

  Rune bit him again. Fionn yanked his leg out of reach.

  Bella fluttered her wings. “Stop that,” she told the wolf. “Fionn’s got his hands full just now.”

  A snort blew past Fionn’s lips. Having the raven defend him was something new. He toed Adva in the ribs with a booted foot. “Where’s D’Chel?”

  “Last I looked he was on the raised platform in front of the drawbridge.”

  “Yes, well, he isna there anymore. Second guess?”

  Nidhogg leaned close hissing fire. “This accursed world tries my patience. Answer him.”

  “If I were D’Chel, I’d have gone back inside.” Adva managed a smirk; his face was still colorful, but white splotches had formed in between the reddened parts, sullying his casual elegance.

  “What exactly is inside, besides D’Chel?” Magic caught at Fionn’s senses, and when he glanced over his shoulder the humans were gone. He hoped to hell Adva hadn’t played fast and loose with them. Portals were tricky things. Just because the humans left this world was no guarantee there’d be a clear shot to Earth. Adva could have made certain the only route off this world led to another of the borderworlds—or somewhere much worse, like straight into Hell.

>   If that happened, the humans could go home from there, assuming one of them understood why they’d had an extra stop stuffed into their itinerary.

  Bran loped to Fionn’s side and stared down at Adva. “I saw the humans off. Did that one”—he jerked a thumb at the dark god—“tell you aught?”

  “Not yet,” Fionn replied, “but the day is young.”

  “We waste time,” Nidhogg said pointedly. “We need to go inside. I’ll join with Fionn.”

  Fionn’s eyes widened, but then he understood there wasn’t any other way. The dragon was much too large to squeeze through interior doorways. Besides, it wasn’t as if Nidhogg hadn’t done the same with Gwydion while they’d hunted him and Arawn in the halls of the dead.

  The dragon watched him carefully. “Warming to the idea, are you?”

  “What do we do with him?” Bran nudged Adva with his boot.

  Power flared so bright Fionn shut his eyes. When he opened them, Adva was gone.

  “Shit!” He pounded a fist skyward. “He’s gone to warn D’Chel.”

  “What did ye expect?” Bran shrugged. “He probably communicated with him telepathically before he left. We’ll do the best we can. Dewi’s a powerful adversary when her dander’s up.”

  Nidhogg blew steam and blasted into Fionn. The sensation rocked him to his roots. Having the dragon share his mind was one thing, but housing his physical essence felt like swimming in a tank of eels. Power ricocheted from one side of him to the other.

  “Steady.” Bran took his arm. “Takes a bit of getting used to.”

  “How would ye know?” Fionn grunted. Even his mouth felt alien, and forming words took a ridiculous amount of effort.

  “Gwydion described it. Let’s move. I suggest we teleport. While we’ve been standing here, yon moat’s grown and things are swimming in it.”

  “Are they real?” Fionn asked, recalling D’Chel was the god of illusion.

  “Does it matter?”

  “No,” Rune answered and took off for the fortress at a dead run.

  “Come back here,” Fionn shouted. “We’re teleporting. I doona want to have to tell Aislinn ye died because an imaginary sea serpent bit you in half.”

  Rune wheeled, his claws tossing up clods of dirt, and stalked back to Fionn. “Do it now,” he growled, “or I’m going after her myself.”

  Admiration warmed Fionn. The wolf was a courageous companion. “Aislinn is lucky to have you.”

  “I used to feel that way about you before you turned into a procrastinator.”

  Fionn felt the dragon restless within him. “I agree with the wolf. Either start the spell, or I will.”

  “Did ye hear that?” Fionn glanced at Bran.

  “Aye. It appears the animals have spoken.” He chanted low and Fionn joined power with him.

  They needn’t have bothered. At the midpoint of their casting, Nidhogg took over and the parched, dead world fell away, replaced by whitewashed castle walls.

  * * * *

  A force so powerful she couldn’t fight against it jerked Aislinn from Dewi’s back. It cut right through both Dewi’s warding and her own as if it weren’t there. Behind the physical force, desire licked at her, hot and urgent.

  D’Chel.

  No wonder he’d stood there watching her so intently. He was working on untangling her warding—and the dragon’s, once Dewi stepped in and scooped her up. She curved her hands into fists so hard her nails bit into her palms. Maybe it was good Rune wasn’t with her. It would just be one more place D’Chel might exploit her. Fionn would watch over her wolf. They’d both be there when she got out, unless they did something foolish and tried to follow her.

  If I get out.

  Her heart jolted in her chest. She’d beat Slototh because he wasn’t expecting her attack. When she’d tried the same tactic on D’Chel, it hadn’t worked, which meant she had to come up with something else—and goddamned fast. Her bones rattled as she dropped onto a carpeted floor. On her feet in a flash, Aislinn extended her hands to call power—if it were even possible in here. She backed into a corner because at least then her backside was covered.

  Sure enough, D’Chel wavered into view and bowed low. “Like it?” he asked and swept his arms to the sides. She glanced at a lavishly appointed bedchamber. A bed sat on a raised dais surrounded with red silken curtains that appeared dusty and unused. When she looked closer, the entire room was covered thickly in dust. It coated the carpet, the armoires, chests, and table and chairs that butted against one wall.

  “What happened to your last victim?” she snarked. “Looks like this room hasn’t seen much use.”

  “Maybe I kept it special just for the two of us.”

  “Bullshit! This isn’t even your house.”

  He shrugged. “Then perhaps Perrikus kept it for you.” D’Chel winked lazily. “He and I whiled away many a pleasant hour imagining what it would be like to share your body.”

  For the second time in a few minutes, Aislinn’s body reeled from shock as Dewi rolled into it. They’d done this before, and the sensation was never pleasant.

  “I’ll take things from here,” the dragon informed her archly.

  “No, we’ll make joint decisions,”Aislinn shot back, but she doubted Dewi took her seriously.

  D’Chel drew back, and his stunning face twisted into something much less attractive. “How’d you get past my wards, dragon?”

  Aislinn fought against it, but Dewi dragged her body much closer to D’Chel. Close enough she sprayed him with spittle when she said, “The MacLochlainn bond persists beyond death. Why wouldn’t it be able to defeat your simple-minded warding system?”

  D’Chel crossed his arms over his chest. “How controllable is she?”

  “Who are you asking about?” Dewi had taken over Aislinn’s vocal chords, and didn’t appear inclined to cede them.

  He narrowed his eyes. “I was asking Aislinn about you. Any chance you’d let her out to play?”

  “Not very fucking likely,” Dewi snapped.

  The dark god clasped his hands behind him and paced in a small circle, obviously thinking. Aislinn was certain he hadn’t envisioned this possibility. Tension built in her nether regions, sexual heat so intense it hurt.

  “Do something,” she shrieked at Dewi. “Sex is how they establish control.”

  “He’ll never control me”—the dragon sounded over-confident in Aislinn’s opinion—“but what he’s doing feels quite nice. We could let him finish.”

  “No we can’t, you oversexed hussy.” Aislinn remembered when Dewi had forced her to share the Minotaur’s ridiculously-sized cock. It was the darkest, kinkiest sex of her life, and she had zero desire for a repeat performance. She thought quickly. “Nidhogg would be soooo disappointed in you.”

  “The only way he’d find out is—”

  “If I tell him,” Aislinn finished sweetly. She writhed. It was torture not to touch her engorged nubbin.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me.” Aislinn paused for emphasis. “Remember how upset he was about the Minotaur?”

  While she and Dewi traded barbs, D’Chel was getting into things. He’d moved still closer to them and stripped off his leather top. Aislinn blinked against his undeniable beauty. All the dark gods were perfection incarnate, but D’Chel’s skin was a bit more golden, his body a shred more perfect. Planes of muscle cut through his broad shoulders and flat stomach, and his copper colored nipples were puckered with lust. He stroked the tented front of his leather breeches and started on the laces.

  Dewi did something because the sexual sensations bombarding Aislinn fell off abruptly.

  “I am not happy about this,” the dragon muttered.

  Too bad, but Aislinn kept her mind mouth shut. No point antagonizing Dewi. She’d seen what the dragon could do when her dander was up. She could shatter every bone in Aislinn’s body going after an enemy. Not on purpose, but because she was used to her dragon form and simply assumed Aislinn’s human body was mo
re robust and didn’t break quite so easily.

  D’Chel gazed lazily at them. “What, no more games? You were enjoying yourselves.”

  “No more games,” Dewi said. “We’re leaving.”

  “I don’t think so. You may have gotten through my wards because of some magnetic attraction you have with the girl, but she’s here with you, which means you don’t have a ready exit route.”

  “Is he right?” Aislinn asked, frantic. At the moment, she wasn’t sure which was worse: sharing her body with the dragon, or being stuck in the same room with D’Chel.

  “Unfortunately,” Dewi mumbled. “Never fear, I’ll think of something.”

  “While you’re thinking, I want my voice back.”

  “Why?”

  Aislinn wanted to punch something, but she didn’t have any more control over her fists than she did her tongue. “Because I’m not some child for you to pull rank on. I didn’t ask for you to come barreling into my body.”

  “Next thing, you’ll be telling me you didn’t need rescuing,” Dewi said acidly.

  “I didn’t. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Girls, girls, this is instructive, because I’m beginning to understand your relationship, but let’s not argue.”

  “What? I suppose you’d rather sit down over a meal and chat?” Aislinn was shocked when her words emerged and sent silent thanks to the dragon.

  “We’d have much more fun in bed,” D’Chel smirked, but at least he’d stopped unlacing his breeches. “Besides, food’s a bit thin here. You may have noticed nothing grows on this world.”

  As she listened, a plan bloomed. The reason she’d failed last time with D’Chel was because she didn’t have enough magic. With Dewi inside her, her power was practically limitless—if the dragon would cooperate.

  A ragged-looking man she didn’t recognize burst into the room, slamming the door against its stops so hard plaster chunked off the wall. His face was streaked with bloody mucous, and fury radiated from him in palpable waves.

  D’Chel rounded on him. “I told you not to disturb me.”

  “We need to talk. Out there.” The man jerked a hand toward the open door.

  D’Chel tossed a lascivious grin her way. “Keep that fire burning for me, girls. I’ll be right back.”