“Well,” Oscar sighed as he began to speak, “settle in for a long, fascinating story, my love.”
…
Caoranach grinned at Elathan’s capacity to learn the language of the Ancients, of her people. He never could have fathomed the existence of the words without the dominion pulses. Luckily, Elathan’s own greed made him an easily-manipulated subject. What was even better was using Merlin’s own method against him. The insufferable fool!
The mother of demons was close to her goal, and Elathan was going to make it happen.
…
“We want their souls, my Goblin hordes, but their flesh belongs to you,” Meghan shouted to the gruesome Goblins who began to organize their battle lines.
Bendiths, Brags, and Redcaps began pulling weapons, slobbery snarls and slimy skin glistening in the sunlight. Three niseags screeched and pawed the ground raking up ruts of earth with every stroke.
“I wish Brendan was here,” Frank said through a sigh, his falcata trembling in his palm. “One blink and he could have wiped them all out.”
“Looks like we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way,” Rohl said as he morphed his body into a combination of a gorilla and a rhinoceros with massive, powerful arms and a long horn on top of his head.
One Redcap started calling out orders in his native tongue, the words lost on the Earthlings but not the message. A few more screamed and then they charged.
Lizzie wasn’t going to wait for them to get to her, so she sprinted into their midst and began thumping heads with her staff. One Bendith had converted into a fachen-like ape thinking it was going to get the better of Lizzie, but a quick strike to its midsection followed by a downward attack on the back of its head taught it otherwise.
Aine, who moved into her more powerful form, Frank, and Rohl followed Lizzie’s lead and moved away from the forest to meet the Goblins in the open field. Frank slashed and gashed three Goblins in a row before coming face to face with a pair of feisty Brags who showed a bit of strategy in attacking him from two separate sides. He found that his martial arts training was paying off in a big way, allowing him to defend himself on both fronts. He blocked one clawed strike and spun out from the middle of them causing them to slam face first into each other. Then, a quick slice with the falcata dropped them to the ground lifeless.
Aine and Rohl were tenacious fighters grabbing, biting, slashing, and tossing Goblins at every turn. The problem was that the Goblins just kept coming.
“There’s so many of them!” Rohl exclaimed.
“We need to free my clan!” Aine roared.
Lizzie worked her way through a large crowd of Goblins; she was intent on reaching the Banshees. Her staff whirled through the air around her, batting away anyone unfortunate enough to step into her path.
“Little sister approaches,” Farron said with a snort.
“Last chance to let them go,” Lizzie warned as she stopped within ten feet of the Three Sisters of Death.
“Silly little human,” Isobel chided. “You’re in our world now.”
“All of these dogs will die,” Meghan stated flatly. “And you will die with them.”
“Okay, I warned you,” Lizzie said before she began to stalk towards them.
The sisters’ forms changed into their more natural Banshee guise. Gone were the attractive humanlike maidens, replaced by gaunt, pale wretches with long black nails and faces filled with rage.
Lizzie was not impressed or intimidated.
Each of the Banshees began to open their mouths but Lizzie was quicker and caught Farron under the chin with the end of her staff to carry her off of her feet and into the air. She landed harshly on the ground and laid flat on her back.
“How dare you strike a Queen of Mag Mell!” Meghan yelled.
She lashed out at Lizzie with her claws and drew three lines of blood across her left bicep. Lizzie stepped back and gripped the wound. Her staff vanished from sight so Isobel took advantage of the open target and unleashed a wail. It hit Lizzie in the chest and sent her rolling on the ground. She tumbled all the way back to one of the cages and smashed into the metal bars, causing them to bend inward slightly.
Lizzie looked to her left and spotted Garnash who was finally able to get to a sitting position. He looked like she felt, as if they had both been run over by a truck.
Farron had finally gotten back on her feet and joined her sisters as they walked over to stand in front of Lizzie.
“Stupid little cretin!” Farron shouted through a sore jaw. “Let’s blast her to bits, sisters!”
Lizzie looked past the Banshees and saw the tide had turned against her team. Rohl and Aine had already been captured, and it looked like Frank was next.
“I told you. You should have brought the Protector,” Meghan gloated smugly, back in her human form.
“Would you settle for the Protector’s girlfriend?” Dorian called from the edge of the woods standing next to Airmid.
Meghan’s appearance changed quickly and she took to the air. “If it isn’t Dorian, Queen of the Leprechauns. You’ve traveled such a long distance from Corways to meet your end.”
“Look I don’t have time for banter, so I only have one thing to say to you,” Dorian said.
“Let me guess, let them all go?” Meghan asked in arrogance.
“No. I was going to say just give me a reason and I’ll end you.” Her whole body was overtaken in a red glow. Even her eyes were sparking with magical energy.
Meghan hesitated before she spoke. “Kill them all!” she ordered her minions.
“That’s what I thought you’d say.”
Dorian raised her hands and shot beams of red energy at the two cages at either end of the grounds, disintegrating the bars as easily as if they were made of sugar. The Ossorians streamed out of the cells, most in angry werewolf form, and blitzed the Goblins.
“You’re ruining everything!” Meghan screamed before she let loose a ferocious wail aimed at destroying Dorian.
Dorian raised her palm and fired back with her own crackling crimson energy blast. The two forces met and exploded in the air between them causing a gust of wind to radiate out. Some Goblins and Ossorians alike were thrown off their feet as a result.
Meghan landed ten feet away from Dorian and glared at her for a moment before putting on a pouty face in her human form. “Poor Dorian. It really wasn’t that long ago that I was stealing your boyfriend, was it?”
Dorian’s brow narrowed, but she refused to engage. “Never bother these people again.”
“You forget, Leprechaun, that this realm belongs to me.”
Dorian raised her palm at the same instant that Meghan opened her mouth to wail, and again the two powerful forces met in the middle. The explosion was larger and blew both Dorian and Meghan back, throwing the Leprechaun Queen into the woods and the Banshee across the entire width of the camp.
…
Darkness invaded Brendan’s vision signifying yet another change of scenery for his still-trapped mind. Every time his mind would lead his thoughts down yet another path he’d grow angrier. “Make this stop!” he screamed as he held his head.
Something or someone must have been listening since he got the feeling that the world was slowing down. There had been a distinct movement around him, but that was slipping away giving up its influence within his mind.
“…already over…it’s too late…”
A forest formed around Brendan, but he ignored it since he was searching for the source of the voice. A stream bubbled to life to his right as the ground before him bulged into the form of a set of hills, all covered in lush, green grass. None of that mattered since he didn’t see anyone around him.
“…such a fool!” the voice stated vehemently.
Finally, off in the distance Brendan could make out the shape of a human-like figure. He walked towards it and when the visage never grew clearer than a fuzzy shadow puppet Brendan knew that Nuada was once again in his presence.
“What a
re you doing here?” Brendan demanded angrily. “Why does Elathan’s poison still affect me?”
Nuada continued to mumble and essentially ignore Brendan. “Time… always short… always fleeting…”
The silver god began to amble away from Brendan unaware of the Protector’s presence.
Brendan wanted to grab Nuada and shake him. “Get it together!”
In a flash the hillside landscape vanished puffing into a smoky cover that obscured Brendan’s vision. The smoke was thick and tangible on his body, weighing down his shoulders. The sensation didn’t last long as the smoke dropped completely away leaving him standing in a familiar room.
“Morrigan?” Brendan asked, waving the last bits of smoke out of his face.
“Enjoying your rest, Brendan O’Neal?” she asked in a sultry tone.
“Rest? I’m in some sort of state, Morrigan, and while my body may be resting, my mind hasn’t shut off at all,” he complained.
“What have you learned while in your mind?”
“Nothing,” he said with a bite. “Everything… I’m just so frustrated and angry that its hard to focus on what I know I need to do.” He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his head as he tried to think.
“Soon approaches a moment where in your sleep you will be no more. Important lives are at stake and in you they trust. Do not let them down,” she warned.
“I want to know how I’m supposed to do anything when I can’t move.”
“You grow stronger by the minute, Brendan O’Neal, and soon your powers will ascend to unprecedented levels. Your body would never be able to handle this change without Airmid’s assistance. Be patient, Protector. Your awakening approaches.”
The Morrigan’s image disappeared and Brendan was left alone once more with his thoughts.
…
They had came out of nowhere and caught Sinead and Finn off guard, but luckily for Sierra she had been in the brush pulling brambles for a snack for later, so she was startled when she heard the commotion. Sinead’s scream caused her to drop her harvest and begin to shake in her boots. Carefully, she pulled back a single leaf and peered out to find her traveling companions but all she saw was a gruesome scene.
A Súmaire had his fangs dug into the nape of Sinead’s neck for several minutes, and Finn was already laid out on the ground, his neck seemingly broken. Sierra was so frozen in fear that she wondered if the Súmaire and his human cohort would be able to smell her out.
Tears began to flow down Sierra’s cheeks as she sat helplessly watching the Vampire drain her friend’s life. Had she had Garnash’s Gnome powers she would have sprang out of the bushes in a minute, but she didn’t have his magic.
Finally, the Súmaire let the Dryad drop to the grass. He stumbled and reached out to the human woman to steady himself. The woman caught him under the arm obediently, preventing him from crashing to the ground. The Vampire’s head moved in a wobbly pattern as if he were scanning the area around him but with a drunken mind.
“There!” he said excitedly. “I know where the Crown is! Elathan will reward me.”
“There is another traveler among this party, Master. Shall I find the third?” the human asked.
“No, they are of no consequence. Only the Crown matters, and now it is within our reach.” The Súmaire’s legs seemed to strengthen at his discovery and he pulled away from the woman. “Come. We must find a quiet shelter so that I can concentrate.”
An inky cloud burst out from the Vampire’s coat enveloping him and the human. Sierra watched them vanish into the night leaving her alone with the corpses of her two friends. Tears came faster as she stooped down to hold Finn and Sinead’s hand.
“I’m so sorry, mates. I couldn’t help you,” she confessed in utter sadness. “But I can warn Rory and Biddy. Maybe they can stop the Vampire.”
Sierra cupped her hands close to her mouth and whispered a message. An energy butterfly appeared in a puff of magic and began its bouncy flight back to Corways.
Sierra got to her feet and wiped her face with her sleeve. “I promise to do all I can to track them down and help bring them to justice.”
…
Fur and scales were flying everywhere in Bane, the base camp of the Banshees. Bodies were dropping as the brutal battle escalated and claws and blades found their marks in an opponent’s flesh.
“Look out, Frank!” Rohl shouted as he leapt on top of a group of smaller Redcaps, smashing them to the ground.
A Bendith tried to take advantage of Rohl’s being prone on top of the pile, but Frank returned the favor and ran his blade through its midsection.
“Thanks,” Rohl said.
The Púca bounded into a group of Ossorians and Brags and began swinging leaving Frank to handle a nasty, aggressive Bendith brandishing a spear. The Goblin flapped its leathery wings and bobbed just out of Frank’s reach.
“Hold still, ugly!” Frank ordered.
The next thing he knew the Bendith’s body became encased in ice and it plunged to the ground, shattering upon impact. The air was filled with the screech of one of the niseags diving at Frank. The beast released a second stream of icy breath, but the instant it left the creature’s mouth the particles melted into water droplets and rained down instead. The niseag’s trajectory came within feet of Frank’s head and he reached up and gashed the beast with his falcata causing it to lose control and slam into a set of trees in the forest.
Frank spun around and spotted Airmid lowering her hands. They exchanged nods before he ran back into the battle.
“Kill them! Kill them!” Farron ordered.
Aine finally gained a bit of space and sprinted towards the stage where Faolan was being contained. She knocked several Goblins out of the way trying to get to him, but just before she reached the stage she felt a massive force slam into her body. She was flipped end over end and skidded to a stop in the grass, her form changing back into a human.
“Not so fast. This one must die,” Isobel declared just before she spun around to face Faolan’s position.
Isobel didn’t see Garnash until he had already leapt up and planted his palm flush on her cheek. Seconds later the Gnome magic exploded and threw her down forcing her to hold her injury and moan.
Farron wasted no time in attacking Garnash who just managed to dive out of the path of the wail’s power, flipping his body so that he landed on the stage.
“That’s not very nice, Banshee—trying to kill someone when they’re not looking,” Garnash quipped.
“You will die for hurting my sister, Gnome,” Farron stated with a sneer.
“Can’t say I’m sorry for it,” he replied, smacking his palms together to ignite his Gnome magic. The white plasma dripped from his hands and sizzled on the planks of the stage.
Isobel struggled to her feet but finally managed to join Farron facing off against Garnash. Her face was blistered and battered; she was a Banshee enraged.
“Foul little bug!” Isobel croaked at Garnash.
“And here I thought we could be friends. Oh, well,” Garnash quipped. “I guess they’re all yours, Lizzie.”
The Banshees exchanged perplexed looks just before a large purple bo staff wacked both of them on the back of the head and dropped them to the ground.
“Quick, free Faolan!” Lizzie yelled.
Farron’s hand shot out and dug her claws deep into Lizzie’s ankle. The pain made her lose her balance and fall backwards onto her back, her staff vanishing into the air.
“I’m going to kill you with my bare hands!” Faolan cackled.
The Banshee started pulling her way up Lizzie’s body, digging her talons into Lizzie’s body as she climbed. Her eyes were wide and crazy, mad with hate and evil. When she came face to face with Lizzie she wrapped her hands around her throat and started to squeeze. Lizzie tried to pull the hands away, but Faolan was powerful and had the leverage.
“I want to look into your eyes as your soul leaves your body!”
Lizzie was in troub
le if she didn’t do something. The Banshee’s eyes told her that she was about to die on this battlefield, but she was a fighter. She was finally desperate and did the only thing she knew to do.
Faolan’s grip instantly loosened and the wild hateful eyes morphed into a surprised gaze that faded away as her life left her. Lizzie shoved the Banshee’s body off of her own and grimaced as she watched the purple energy staff slid out of a hole that she had created through Faolan’s chest. It was soaked in blood so she made the staff disappear and let the blood fall to the battlefield where it splashed and mixed with the dirt.
“No! You murdered my sister!” shouted Isobel.
The Banshee pulled in a deep breath and was just about to let Lizzie have it when a powerful werewolf leapt down from the stage and grabbed her by the neck and leg and tossed her twenty feet into a crowd of fighting Ossorians and Goblins.
Meghan emerged in the midst of the melee and pulled her sister to her feet.
“Come, sister. We will have our revenge,” Meghan pledged as the Banshees took to the sky.
The Goblins and the niseags followed suit and scattered leaving the Ossorians and Lizzie’s group alone. The werewolves howled with delight as the enemy fled.
A werewolf looked down at Lizzie and then reached out a furry hand and helped her to her feet.
“Thank you for helping us,” Faolan said sincerely.
“That’s what friends are for,” she replied before looking around. “Where’s Dorian?”
“Here,” Dorian called from the branches of a tall tree. “I’m here.”
She began climbing down and then dropped to the ground and wiped her jeans off. “I would love to celebrate this victory, but Brendan’s in trouble and we need to get moving.”
“In trouble?” Garnash questioned, a look of disbelief stained his face.
“He’s been poisoned by Elathan and I need my flask to help cure him,” Airmid said.
“Your flask?” Rohl asked, having already returned to his natural form. “Whoa! That makes you a goddess, right?”
The Bloodline Inheritance Page 17