“No mercy!” screamed Lir as a second round of arrows was launched by bands of Goblins.
Dorian stepped up, glowing red, and raised her hands to the sky and blasted the arrows. The swarm of Goblins sprinted and flew right at Brendan, Dorian, and the others trying to overwhelm them at the onset of the battle, but the heroes were up to the task.
Frank barreled ahead and slashed clean through three Goblins in a row before clashing swords with a large Brag that had converted its form to a land shark with arms. The Brag tried to snap its jaws around Frank’s head, but a quick uppercut to its throat and a slash across its chest brought their conflict to a hasty end.
The megaliths lit up again bringing dozens of Gnomes and Leprechauns. The Gnomes carried weapons and the Leprechauns brought along a combination of metal weapons while others brandished energy armaments of all the powers of the rainbow. Each group came out swinging aggressively, taking the attack to the Goblins.
Seconds later Tevis and Fergus bounded out of the tether followed by the Descendants of Magog. Brags increased in height to match the Giants’ size. Dragons swooped in and attacked the Magogs ferociously with sword-sized talons and dagger-like teeth.
The final battle had begun.
…
Camulos hung back behind the battle line and watched the action. He paid particular attention to what the Protector was doing. Their first encounter had taken him entirely by surprise, so he was taking advantage of this learning opportunity.
The war god noticed right away that Brendan O’Neal’s leadership style was lacking as far as war went. He and his group was haphazardly inching their way across the field relying on magic instead of the art of warfare. That was an advantage Camulos knew he had.
The war god knew that his moment to strike would soon come.
…
Lizzie cracked a Redcap across the face and sent it flying into a group of Bendiths who were making short work of a couple of Gnomes.
“Get off of them!” she ordered and ran towards the Goblins just as one bit into the midsection of a Gnome.
Lizzie threw her staff like a javelin and speared the Bendith straight through the chest cavity. It dropped the Gnome to the ground as it fell over dead. She knelt down beside the injured Gnome and watched him take his last breath.
“Life is so precious one moment and then someone takes it away from you.” Lizzie didn’t have to look up to know who was talking to her. “You killed our sister.”
Lizzie stood up and craned her neck from side to side to relieve the tension beginning to build in her shoulders; she looked over to Meghan and Isobel, each holding a pair of jagged swords.
“Look, ladies—and I use that term loosely—she only died because she was trying to kill me.”
A snarl pulled at Meghan’s lips and she came at Lizzie with a flurry of strikes only to be rebuffed by Lizzie’s energy staff flaring back to life in her hands. Isobel tried to sneak in from behind to stab the young Protector, but Lizzie’s skill with the bo staff was too quick, and she batted both of the blades out of Isobel’s hands while managing to plant a kick to her chin. Isobel was carried off of her feet and onto her back knocking the air from her. When Lizzie’s back was turned Meghan took advantage and ran her sword through Lizzie’s back, just missing her spine. Lizzie called out in pain and then fell to the ground, blood pouring out of her wound.
“Consider our revenge collected,” Meghan spat.
“No!” Frank screamed as he ran towards Lizzie.
Meghan opened her mouth and wailed a precise, yet powerful stream of sound energy at Frank whom by sheer reaction lifted his falcata up, and to his surprise nothing happened to him. Looking at the Banshee’s face told him that she couldn’t believe it either.
Something was odd about that sword. He felt that connection come back like it was communicating with him and the energy that the falcata was holding needed to be released. He pointed the end of his sword at Meghan and felt that energy leave the tip. He only half saw the impact on Meghan as she flipped through the air and crashed to the ground twenty feet away; his focus was on Lizzie.
“Lizzie! Talk to me!” he pleaded.
She turned her head slowly and then lifted her hand up to touch his face, her eyes growing more and more distant.
“No, don’t you dare die on me,” Frank ordered.
“Look out, Frank!” Airmid shouted.
He looked up and it was as if everything slowed down around him. To his left he saw Airmid ringing the bell they had found back in the ashes at Lizzie’s old home and to his right it was clear that Isobel—in full Banshee form—was trying to use her wailing prowess to hit him from behind, but nothing was happening. Frank threw out his hand and drove his sword through the Banshee’s heart. Her expression spoke of her surprise as she toppled over onto the grass.
Seconds later Airmid was sitting next to Lizzie pouring some of her healing water over the gaping wound. The goddess sang softly, which struck a stark contrast to the ugliness of war raging around them. Frank took up guarding Airmid as she worked on Lizzie.
“Please, save her,” he begged.
“I’ll do my best.”
…
Arawn awoke to the sounds of someone coughing out water, and it was only then that he realized he needed to do the same. He was soaked from head to toe.
“Are you alive?” Argona coughed from somewhere nearby.
“Yes, just a bit wet,” he replied. “Do you still have the pulse?”
Argona felt her pockets for it but it wasn’t there. “No, it must have washed out with the flood.”
A small voice in the clearing halted their conversation.
“I have it,” Della proclaimed. “And I’ll give it back to you, but I have one request.”
Arawn and Argona exchanged looks as they got to their feet. “And what’s that?” Arawn asked.
“Take me with you, wherever it is you’re going.”
“We are not staying in Otherworld, Della,” reasoned Argona. “Earth is our destination.”
Della thought it over for a second. “Earth it is.”
“Why would you want to leave Otherworld, your home?” Argona inquired.
“There is nothing for me here!” Della’s eyes told her tale. “I’m an outcast. My own clan tried to murder me—more than once.”
“You understand that when we get there we are going straight to war,” Arawn warned.
“If I must fight for my freedom, then I will,” Della said.
“So be it,” Argona replied.
…
A massive golden dragon flapped high above the ground frustrated by the trio of Biddy, Rory, and Rohl, who had morphed into a griffin.
“Do you think we can bring down this beast?” Rohl asked Rory.
“Not sure, but I’ve got an idea,” Rory said, continuing to whisper it into Rohl’s ear.
Rohl nodded. “Worth a shot.”
Biddy shot several feathers into the dragon’s tail, forcing it to flip around. Rohl sped by and allowed Rory a clear shot hitting it right between the eyes. The dragon grew furious and snapped its jaws at them.
“Go!” Rory said and Rohl dove.
In between dodging bursts of fire and other flying creatures, Rohl wound his way towards Tevis and Fergus who were trying to fend off three dragons the best they could. The golden dragon was gaining on them so quickly they could feel the air around them increasing in temperature. Rohl held fast and continued his course directly in line with the other dragons.
“Just a little more,” Rory encouraged Rohl’s bravery.
The golden dragon opened its mouth to swallow the pests whole, but just before it could reach them Rohl changed his form into a soft-bellied kelpie and rolled into a ball encasing Rory within as they landed right in the center of the crowd of dragons. The golden flyer had too much inertia and slammed into its kind with the speed of a downed aircraft, spilling the scaly creatures all over the ground.
Rohl popped up and laughed
. “Are you kidding me? That worked?”
Rory shrugged, getting to his feet. “Give it another go?”
…
Brendon pushed through the defense pretty quickly but with extreme caution. He had to be careful when he used his powers not to injure any of his allies. Part of him wanted to check up on all of his loved ones, but he knew that he needed to trust them and their abilities, no matter how protective he wanted to be.
He pushed on, easily going through the Goblins or dragons as if they were made of paper. He was gaining ground on Elathan’s position. As he neared the golden god—whose back was facing the battle—Brendan noticed that his parents were being kept nearby. His heart jumped and he could feel his eyes beginning to tear up.
“I’ve got to get to them!” he declared.
“Protector! Are you crying because you are about to die?” Lir mocked, his Corpse Trident held tightly by his side as he stepped into Brendan’s path.
“Get out of my way,” Brendan stated coldly.
Lir actually laughed. “I am going to show everyone that you are nothing more than a pathetic little human.”
“Last chance,” Brendan warned, his body beginning to glow more intensely.
Tannus, Warnach, and Dewi stepped in behind Brendan, surrounding him. “Surrender and die a quick and painless death,” Lir offered.
“No, he’s going to suffer!” Dewi promised. “Look what he did to me.”
Lir’s face spoke to his displeasure of his authority being overlooked.
Brendan pulled out the Sword of the Protectors and waited, but none of the gods moved. “So, are we going to do this or what?”
“Human, you don’t stand a chance,” Tannus spouted.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Brendan chimed stone-faced.
…
The welcome center’s floodlights exposed a bloody battle already raging as Arawn and Argona exited the megaliths at Callanish with Della in tow. Goblins, Gnomes, Leprechauns, and a range of other magicks had already fallen; others were still fighting hard.
“This is a mad house!” Della exclaimed, ducking behind Arawn and Argona.
“Marvelous, isn’t it!” Argona, the goddess of war, declared, unfurling her whip and unsheathing her sword.
“Find a place to hide or flee from this place,” Arawn said to Della.
“What about the two of you?” Della asked with concern etched in her expression.
“Della, you have been a loyal servant; you deserve a life of your own,” Argona said.
“Look! There’s Brendan,” Argona said. “They have him surrounded.”
“He probably doesn’t need our help, but I’m in a mood for some revenge,” Arawn said bluntly.
…
Lir dove forward with his trident, attempting to spear Brendan, but the Protector nimbly swatted the attack aside with his sword and let the war god stumble into Warnach. Both of the powerful beings fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. Tannus’ eyes clouded over as he tried to direct a lightning bolt onto Brendan’s head, but Brendan had other plans and diverted the bolt to strike the ground near Elathan. His parents jumped, and he cursed himself for being careless.
Arawn arrived out of nowhere and shoulder blocked Tannus, knocking him into a group of Redcaps. “Need a little help?”
Argona went straight after Dewi attacking the dragon god with her whip. He howled in pain as it wrapped around his throat and she pulled, flinging him across the battlefield.
“Glad you’re here,” Brendan said.
The megaliths flared to life yet again and when Caoranach emerged from the tether everyone stopped fighting. She floated out and looked around at all of the combatants with a confidence that befit something more than a god or goddess.
“Here is your blessing,” Caoranach claimed as she released a cloud of mutation poison on the crowd of dragons and Goblins. Instantly the creatures started to transform into her twisted creations. “Kill the insurgents!”
Chapter 22
Battle Wounds
Lizzie’s wound had stopped bleeding and was beginning to close. Airmid was grateful for one bright sign, however small, in the midst of a bleak battle. Goblins and dragons alike were mutated to monstrous proportions, and it didn’t look like the Leprechauns and Gnomes were fairing very well.
“Human garbage!” a nasty mutated Redcap bellowed as it ran to attack Frank.
Airmid ducked away as the sparks flew from their clanging swords. Frank kicked at the creature but was only able to knock it back a step or two, further infuriating it.
The Redcap screamed and went on the offensive again, causing Frank to defend himself and move away from Lizzie and Airmid.
“All alone, cousin?” Boann asked from behind, a twelve-inch blade in her hand.
“I thought you saw the truth. Elathan brings nothing but death,” Airmid said, trying to reason with her cousin.
“Think about it, Airmid: you have an army being led by an ultragod being opposed by a small group of magick rubbish and their human leader. I’ll take my chances with the ultragod,” Boann said, raising her sword.
“Wrong choice,” Airmid argued, pointing behind her cousin.
Boann narrowed her gaze and then reluctantly turned around to find Dorian, her eyes and hands glowing a brilliant red, and an angry scowl on her face.
“That’s my human,” Dorian declared as she planted a haymaker square on the water goddess’ jaw causing an explosion of light to flare. Boann spun on her feet and then dropped to the ground unmoving.
“Are you alright?” Dorian asked Airmid. When the goddess nodded Dorian turned her attention to Lizzie. “Is she okay?”
“Her color has returned to her. She’s lucky she has the blood of the Protectors running through her veins.”
…
Caoranach floated lazily through the battling magicks with little care in how the fight finished. Anyone in her path quickly got out of her way no matter which side they were fighting on. She moved with stealth and at a steady pace until she reached Elathan’s side. It was apparent that their ancient ritual for opening the Crown was working. Soon he would have exposed the Emerald Crown and then she could fulfill her destiny.
…
Toren looked at the megaliths that Brendan had created and considered using them to reach Tech Duinn. Perhaps his responsibilities were over and he could finally cross onto the other side—whatever that meant. Even in his spirit form he was growing weary, something that he had never thought possible.
He stood for a moment longer looking at Nuada and smiled. “Thank you. I wish this could have turned out differently.”
After a pause, Toren began to move towards the megaliths intent on carrying out his plans, even if that meant he would no longer have access, however limited, to Otherworld or Earth.
He got as far as placing one leg into the center of the structures when he heard a gasp of air from across the room. Toren spun quickly and saw that Nuada’s arms were moving.
“Nuada!” Toren exclaimed as he went to the silver god.
Nuada’s eyes were open, and he was beginning to move. “Is it too late?” he whispered through a hoarse voice.
Toren shook his head. “I’m not sure. We’ve lost our ways of knowing.”
Nuada pulled himself up to a sitting position. He glanced over to the broken window and the newly-built megaliths and raised an eyebrow.
“Brendan O’Neal was here,” Toren offered as a way of explanation.
“That explains why my spirit was able to return to my body,” Nuada said. “Brendan has given me a way to help, and no matter how remarkable he has become, we all need assistance from time to time.”
…
Colym’s snoring reminded Olwen of her father back in Otherworld and made her a little sad.
Being on Earth didn’t seem that much different from Tir na nOg. Corways was obviously victim of some tragedy, but the landscape that surrounded her felt almost like home. Perhaps there were different s
pecies of trees and plants and most likely different animals, but life was life to her way of thinking. Olwen had always had a way with plants and animals and she hoped that maybe someday she could use her abilities to bring about peace through nature.
While she was lost in her musings, Olwen failed to see a set of six eyes glowing in the dark at the other end of town. She didn’t notice their movement until she heard the first grunt and squeal. When she did look the boars were almost on top of Colym and herself, but Olwen was quick witted and did the only thing that felt natural to her. She reached towards the ground and then thrust her arms high above her head. Shoots of bamboo shot out of the earth in thickets blocking the boars from reaching them.
Surprisingly Colym had still not awakened. “Colym!” Olwen said, slapping him across the face.
“The chickens did it!” Colym exclaimed wildly.
“We have to go,” Olwen said pulling the Leprechaun to his feet.
They ran to the megaliths just as the boars forced their way through the thickets. Olwen took note of the yellow veins protruding from their skin and knew that some sort of magical curse was at work.
The boars sprinted closer, but Olwen whispered the familiar chant and she and Colym were through the megaliths before a single tusk could touch them.
…
“These beasts are maddening!” Garnash shouted above the screams and roars of the battlefield.
“And crazy strong, too!” agreed Rohl.
“Go for the eyes,” advised Rory, firing arrow after arrow into the crowd of yellow-veined creatures.
Biddy was busy avoiding the snare of the Bendiths that she danced with in the air, shooting them with the feathers from her orange energy wings. “They’re tough as nails.”
A massive Bendith shot out of the sky and managed to snag Garnash off of Rohl’s shoulders, taking him high into the sky.
“Biddy!” Rory called.
“I’m on it!” she replied. Biddy moved higher and higher trying to match the Bendith’s speed, but she couldn’t catch up. “Come on, Biddy, move!” she admonished herself.
The Bloodline Inheritance Page 25