The Legends That Remain

by Cecilia Randell

  “No.” He didn’t hesitate in this answer. “No, I think they were being foolish men who thought to protect a goddess, and went about it in exactly the wrong manner.”

  Her gaze shot back to his and a smile formed. “Protect me?” Her laughter rang out and her eyes flashed. “They still do not understand, do they?”

  He returned her smile, unable to help himself. “No, goddess.”

  Her head tilted. “And do you? Understand?”

  “That I would never presume to do, goddess.”

  She gave another laugh, this one short and a little rueful. “I will tell you a secret. Sometimes I do not understand either.”

  Killer, who’d been silent up to that point, let out a low bark, and trotted to the garden gate, his leash trailing on the ground behind him. The brothers stood there, lined up oldest to youngest, and wore matching expressions of apology, even Dub.

  Bat looked back at them, longing and resolve flashing across her expression.

  “Give them a chance to explain, to make it right,” Finn urged. He wasn’t sure why.

  Her hand went to the pendant hidden under her jumper and her head tilted, sending the silk of her hair sliding over her shoulder. “Sometimes, I think I would give them all the chances they needed.” The words were soft, uttered as though she didn’t expect—or want—him to hear.

  In that moment Finn did understand at least one thing. She loved them. Whether she realized it or not, she loved them, and would continue to love them in any way they would allow.

  He also understood that, whatever else was happening, she had not been pushing the relationships forward, not for fear of hurting herself, but for fear of hurting them. The brothers would need to be the ones to act in that regard.

  He’d had that love, once, long before Grainne. If the O’Loinsighs were foolish enough to allow that to slip from them…

  Finn leaned in, close enough his lips brushed against her ear. “If you need anything, if you need me, never hesitate, goddess. I will be there, whatever it is.” His blood rushed as images crowded in on him, of soft skin and rounded flesh. He wasn’t sure he could love properly, after Grainne, but he could do this for her. He wanted to do this, he realized. The goddess was hurting, and he knew at least one thing that could ease that hurt. Finn drew in one last breath of her essence, and stepped back.

  Bat swallowed, a delicate flush riding her cheeks, then gave him the slightest of nods. “I… appreciate the offer. But right now, we should concentrate on the vessel.” Stars entered her eyes once more, a soft glow. “Imagine, it’s real.”

  How can she seem so innocent? According to her, she did not come into existence until after the floods. It made her young for a deity, but it was still a very long time to live. He was younger than that, and sometimes speculated if he’d ever held such wonder in himself.

  His first thought on realizing the cauldron had resurfaced? Crap. That was all. If the cauldron came back into their world it would set off a new power struggle, and he would have to deal with it. Bat’s reaction was all childlike delight and awe.

  “I should caution you,” he said, placing a hand on her forearm. “Many will seek to use the– the vessel for themselves. Now that its location is known—”

  “Those greedy for power will always strive for more. I know this. We have one such already in our midst, I saw it in him earlier. But the Morrigan sent him, and I cannot turn him away without a very good reason. I, too, have to trust she has her reasons and knows what she is about.” The last was said with a rueful smile.

  Finn released her and stepped back, chastised. So, not innocent, simply willing to allow a bit of reverence into her own mind. It was an interesting thought: what did the gods revere?

  She set off through the neat rows of growing things, toward the O’Loinsigh brothers.

  Lucky farking bastards.

  Chapter Five

  Bastie,

  I am still mad at you, but I had to tell you—I think Finn, the one who reminded me of Seth, wants me. He came after me in the garden. I… there are not many who have ever come after me.

  And… I think I want him back. Maybe this is the perfect solution to my frustrations?

  - Bat, a confused goddess

  BAT

  The heat of her flush still rode her cheeks. Finn had surprised her, but not in a completely bad way.

  She supposed the sidhe was truly done with his obsession with Grainne? And he was attractive, especially when he smiled…

  Maybe it was the perfect solution. She could remain with the brothers, in her home with them, and use Finn for her physical needs, for that comfort of touch.

  Or maybe she wouldn’t need to go that route? Now that she’d been invited to the gathering along with the brothers, was there really a need for them to keep secret the fact that she planned to stay? And if that no longer needed to be hidden, could they not openly show affection?

  That is not the only problem. No, being named in that invitation only handled one of the barriers. The other was the brothers themselves, and her refusal to choose one over the others.

  The three O’Loinsigh brothers waited for her in the alley, and the closer she drew to them her thoughts both stilled and fell further into confusion. As she’d told Finn, she would give them as many chances as they needed. Maybe it was because she’d finally found something here, with them, that she hadn’t had in centuries. These immortals delighted her, confused her, and warmed her. She was not ready to give that up.

  Immortals from Egypt. Her thoughts circled back around to that particular fact. Egypt. This was not a small secret they had kept. This was not something that would fade into the past. This was something she should have known all along.

  They were also part of a clan the brothers had distanced themselves from for a reason. A mysterious brooch that belonged to their father and that Dub and Mell had sought before she ever came to Ireland.

  But, she had stumbled into their unfinished business, a part of their life they no longer wanted, and that she had no part of. Put like that, she could understand. They were not part of her life back in Egypt, had no part in the deities and people she had left behind. Her break had simply been much cleaner than theirs.

  She shoved aside these circular thoughts that tumbled over each other in a never-ending spiral of confusion. There was no use in getting mired. All she could do was attempt to move forward. And handle the immediate situation that confronted her: A man of ba asking for help in restoring the broken vessel of creation. She could worry about the rest after that.

  Holy jumping gods. The egg had been real.

  Bat stopped just on the other side of the gate, but made no move to open it. Dub shifted restlessly then crossed his arms, causing the muscles to bunch, and her gaze lingered there.

  That early heat returned. She wanted so much to reach out and touch the grumpy not-man, to let her hand linger just as her gaze did. She wanted to kiss away the pinched skin between Mell’s brows, and slip into bed with Shar so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her close. But to do that…

  Yes, maybe Finn was the perfect solution. But later. She firmed her resolve.

  Mell’s brows rose. “What are you thinking?” The words were clipped.

  “Nothing that we should talk about now.” She opened the gate and stepped through, brushing against the middle brother. Restless warmth filled her. “Let us see what we can do about the man of ba’s distress. And later, we will discuss the… invitation.” A kernel of anger and confusion returned, burning in her chest.

  “Goddess. I ride with you, and explain what I know of vessel, what happened to it.” Ari stood on the bottom step of the rear stoop.

  Cu Chulainn had taken a place in the open kitchen door, filling the whole space. A muffled voice came from behind him. “Move out a’ my way, ya oaf.”

  “No.” The guardi captain didn’t budge even as a slim arm reached around him and waved. “This is no business for a mere trooping fae. Go back to your shop
and—”

  The arm had withdrawn, and a booted foot appeared at his groin, between his legs. Cuchi grunted but didn’t move. His face turned red, and he blew out a breath.

  “Fine.” Ailis’s foot disappeared and stomps sounded from the kitchen, moving into the pub.

  Bat held her hand out to Ari, who now wore a wide grin. All the men did, though Finn’s looked a bit pained. “We’ll go to the truck. I am sure Ailis will meet us there. She has probably gone around the front of the pub.”

  Cuchi scowled and his face turned near purple. “You’re going to all go? Who will watch the pub?”

  The raven appeared on his shoulder and cawed.

  “Don’t drive any of the customers away, will ya? And the stew needs to come off in about forty minutes.” Mell waved and spun on his heel.

  Bat hesitated. The bald not-man had a point. “Do you want to leave our home in his care?”

  Dub hooked his arm over her shoulder. Bat stilled, wary. The move was more something Mell would have done, when he was in a mischievous or gregarious mood. “He’ll be fine, won’t you Cuchi? Besides, he’s got a watch-raven. The Morrigan will see every move he makes.” Then he scowled. “You can borrow some of my clothes,” Dub said. “Can’t have you keeping the bar in your uniform.”

  “Or I can go with you, and Finn can stay here.”

  Flash. Cu Chulainn beside the stone vessel. Blood poured from a wound on his head. He reached up and wiped his fingers through it, then smeared the red substance over the lip of the stone. It glowed, light turning the blood to rubies. There were four other similar stains, ranging around the circumference of the vessel. Ailis, Finn, Dub, and she herself stood beside them.

  She sighed. “He needs to be there. I am not sure why exactly, but we will need his blood. And it will need to be freely given. So, no—” she held up her hand to Dub, who had growled. “We cannot just take it from him. And we will need Ailis, Finn and you.” She poked his side.

  Mell and Shar exchanged a look, and for a moment she was afraid they would argue. “Paper, rock, scissors?” Mell finally asked.

  Shar sighed. “Fine. Whoever wins will accompany the goddess.”

  “Who said we were playing to see who got to go give up their blood? Maybe I want to stay here.”

  Shar raised a brow.

  “Fine. Yes, I want to go play in the blood.” Mell grinned, and it was different from any she had seen from him up to this point, far from the broken expression he’d worn after she’d been shot, and it lifted her heart.

  Bat waved her hand. An urgency was building in her, though there was no flash of vision. They needed to get to the vessel. “Please decide. Or you will both stay.”

  They both shot her narrow-eyed looks. Did I stumble on some sort of obscure ritual they hold sacred?

  Then they did something with their hands, making different shapes, and Mell groaned.

  “If you would cease always picking ‘rock’ first, you would sometimes win,” Dub admonished Mell. “You must adjust your strategy.”

  “It is decided?” Bat looked between the brothers, brows raised. They nodded and Mell stepped back, toward the pub. She pointed at Cuchi, then to the end of the alley where both the brothers’ truck and Ailis now waited. “Then let us go play with the blood.”

  They’d taken a few steps when a sharp fear sped her heart and churned her stomach. She waited for the flash, but it didn’t come. She turned back, Dub’s arm still over her shoulders, and looked at Mell. “I do not like to leave you here.”

  “Maybe we could wait until the morning when we can all go? The cauldron has been lost so long, what’s one more day?”

  “No,” Ari said.

  “No,” she said a fraction of a second after the man of ba. The word slipped out, though Mell’s suggestion had merit. Urgency to go with the man of ba filled her, warring with the flash of apprehension, and yet there were still no visions. Was it simply her eagerness to see the vessel itself? It was an exciting thing…

  Then why the reluctance to leave Mell? So that she would have all the brothers beside her? She did want them with her, despite her recent frustrations and the latest almost-revelations, but this didn’t feel like a simple want.

  Flash. Bat stood in a spacious, open-air court.

  She struggled to shove this vision away. She knew what it showed, and she did not need to think on it, not now.

  Flash. Hathor approached, her golden skin nearly glittering in the Egyptian sunlight. Horus stood just behind her, a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked at Hathor as though she were all he needed, all he wanted.

  He looked at Hathor as he had never looked at Bat.

  Light shifted and Seth stepped from a doorway that led into the palace. He took in the scene, frowned, shook his head, and walked away, mumbling under his breath, too low for her to hear.

  Hathor gave her a brilliant smile. “Bat, you are here. I am so glad.” The other goddess took her hands. “We wanted to tell you together. Horus and I have decided to join.” Hathor twisted back and looked at Horus with the same devotion he showed her.

  Horus tore his gaze from Hathor and focused on Bat. “The unification has been secured for a few centuries now. Seth and I are getting along just fine. You will no longer need to travel to Memphis so frequently, or try to mediate. I know how much you’ve been longing for a freedom from your duties.”

  Bat wanted to argue. She didn’t want to be free of her duties. She wanted to be free to choose her duties. There was such a big difference…

  But she saw the way Horus looked at Hathor. He had never once looked at Bat that way, even when they’d been twined together in passion. And Hathor had never been a goddess good at sharing.

  Horus skimmed a hand down Hathor’s shoulder, along her arm, and gripped her hand.

  He’d never done that for Bat. Maybe he, too, wanted the freedom to choose his duty?

  And Seth must have seen this happening in the decades since Bat’s last visit. For all she knew, it had been going on for longer than that. Why else would neither of them want her to join them in residence here at the palace?

  Something inside her broke. There was no choice here, not for her.

  She swallowed, then inclined her head. Her mind was blank. There were no visions, nothing to guide her on what she should do. Was this truly the end of her purpose, her usefulness?

  No. She had her temple, her home in the seventh nome. The people there relied on her. And so Bat nodded once more, turned on her heel, and left the lovers to their love.

  She blinked. This vision had passed in a fraction of a second. Did they even know she’d seen something?

  But she had her answer. These thoughts she’d been having… they were much too similar to the confusion and hurt she’d experienced when she’d walked away from Horus and Seth. Or, when they had walked away from her. And she’d already promised herself she wouldn’t let that happen again.

  Bat shrugged out from under Dub and propelled herself into Mell, squeezing her arm tight around his waist. “You had better be in good condition when we return.”

  Mell returned her embrace, wrapping his arms around her as though he would never let go, like they would have to live the rest of their existence locked together.

  She tucked the moment away in her memory. This was one she’d pull out over and over again.

  Dub drew her away and the raven flew to Mell’s shoulder and cawed. I will help watch over him, sister.

  Does the other goddess know something I do not? She nearly snorted. Of course the Morrigan knew more than she was saying. I need to learn more of the local deities. It was something she’d neglected, wanting to enjoy the slice of peace and home she’d found, but she couldn’t avoid it indefinitely. Had the brothers simply been following her lead in ignoring the world outside the pub and keeping it away from her? It was something else to think upon, later.

  “Thank you,” Bat told the other goddess.

  The raven bobbed its head.

&nb
sp; Dub placed his arm over her shoulder once more. “He’ll be all right, storeen. Mell is a much better fighter than he is a musician. If anything happens in our absence, I have no doubt he can handle it.”

  “He is a very good musician.”

  “Precisely.”

  It wasn’t a long drive, maybe fifteen minutes, to the turn-off toward Benbulben. Then another twenty minutes to reach the end of the marked path. The shadows deepened as they hiked, but there was still plenty of light to see by.

  At the foot of the mountain was a small forest—or, more like a large copse. It was this they headed toward. They walked single file, Ari in the lead, Ailis and Finn behind him. Bat walked in the middle. Then came Cu Chulainn and finally Dub. Killer trotted along beside her, head up, tongue lolling in a happy grin.

  Trunks, limbs, and leaves loomed before them, and light wavered. As they passed through the tree line there was a pressure, similar to the first time she’d entered the pub, and then a pop.

  “Damn, those are some strong wards.” Cu Chulainn shuddered and rolled his shoulders.

  Bat didn’t disagree.

  “Not far,” Ari said, and his short legs became a blur in his eagerness to reach his people.

  The men of ba. Ari had filled her in on some of their history on the ride over. They’d been born of the egg of creation, not long after humanity was created, to help guide the pieces of the soul together for their final journey. Ari said the men of ba’s appearance was fearsome so as to encourage those spirits who were reluctant to make their journey to judgement, usually the wicked. What he told her was very similar to one of her own powers. It was very telling to her that her existence had come about after the men of ba had left Egypt.

  They were kindred.

  According to Ari, there had been a grand battle between Isfet and Ma’at. Most of the gods had fought for Ma’at, but Apep and a few others had sided with Isfet. When Apep learned that Seth had sent the egg of creation out of their reach, he let out a mighty roar that shook the world, and Isfet caused the waters of Nun to rise and churn, in an effort to stop the escape. But the sea men, gifted long life and powers from Seth, were skilled, and they made it safely to this new land. There were other creatures who were sent away as well, the beloved of the various gods, in an effort to save them from the chaos.