“Everyone needs a mother when they’re sick,” Angie replied with tears in her eyes.
Oscar couldn’t argue against that.
…
Lizzie and Violet landed softly in the imprints of the standing stones and took in the damage that had already been done to the landscape. The stone giants were making short work of Otherworld creatures who took to fleeing the battleground. It made Lizzie worry because not all of them were using the megaliths. Some were darting off into the distance just to get away from the merciless hands of the stone giants. What that meant for Earth, Lizzie could only guess.
“I have been watching your bloodline for many years, Lizzie O’Neal, and you and your brother have been the most impressive Protectors the world has ever known,” Nuada said as he sheathed his own sword and approached her.
Lizzie looked up at the god and smiled shyly not knowing what to say. “What will happen to all of these magicks?”
“Most will find other tethers to leave the Earth. They assume Elathan will make good on his promise to destroy this planet.”
Lizzie’s heart fell.
Nuada smiled knowingly. “Have faith in your brother, Lizzie. Have faith.”
…
Elathan gazed down at Oscar, Angie, and Dorian and then began to sneer. “This is what you fight for?” he mocked, gesturing towards them. “Look at how powerful you have become. These bugs are insignificant in comparison.”
“That is my family. They mean everything to me,” Brendan replied passionately, white energy dancing across his body.
“That is your greatest weakness and why you will lose,” Elathan promised.
The golden god reached out to crush Brendan’s parents and Dorian, but Brendan sensed it and encased them in a shield. White and gold energy sparked and flashed as Elathan’s will collided with Brendan’s.
“You will watch them parish!” Elathan promised through clenched teeth.
Brendan could feel Elathan ramping up his efforts to destroy his loved ones so he did the only thing he could think to do: He hurled the god killer sword as fast as he could at Elathan. The golden god was concentrating so hard on his next victims that he didn’t see it coming. The sword struck Elathan directly in the chest and spun him to the ground where he laid still.
Brendan relaxed his powers for a moment and ran over to his parents and Dorian. “Are you okay? What happened to her?”
“Caoranach,” Oscar replied.
“Oh, Brendan, we were so worried for you,” Angie said through tears.
Laughter erupted from behind Brendan and startled him to his feet. He spun around and watched Elathan stand up with the sword still sticking out of his chest.
“Did you really think Camulos’ party trinket could kill me? I am no longer a god! I have transcended,” Elathan said.
He slid the sword free from his body and tossed it over the edge into the abyss. The wound in his chest healed even quicker than Brendan’s had.
“I am truly immortal.”
Brendan cautiously stalked forward and met Elathan halfway. Swinging their swords brought sparks flaring between them.
“Your Earth is as good as dead,” Elathan claimed as they locked together.
Elathan pushed the swords aside and backhanded Brendan causing his neck to jerk and his head to twist, forcing his body into a spin. He rolled away from Elathan’s reach and faced the god again, blood trickling down his chin.
“Do you fear death?” Elathan asked.
Brendan scowled and gripped his sword tighter. “I fear nothing.”
The blades clanged again and again in between attempts at using their powers to unbalance one another. Their bodies rose into the air high above the abyss, still locked in battle. Elathan coupled a strike with a pulse and caught Brendan full the face sending him careening into the opposite wall. The Protector’s body plunged to the marble surface landing in a heap with his sword bouncing away from him. Brendan heard his mother gasp.
Elathan glided gracefully down and landed before Brendan. He used his powers to pull the Protector to his feet and snatched him by the throat, slamming him against the wall.
“No one will take my destiny away from me,” Elathan said, squeezing his hands tighter around Brendan’s neck.
Brendan gripped Elathan’s wrists trying to find a way to break his hold, but he was beginning to panic. Was this the end?
“Just know that they will all follow you into death,” Elathan said maniacally.
Calm yourself, the Morrigan said within his mind.
Those two words were enough for Brendan’s thoughts to steady. He reached with his mind and located the Sword of the Protectors and pulled. The sword rocketed through the air and stabbed Elathan’s back straight through to his chest. The golden god looked down in shock.
“You can’t win,” Elathan promised as he squeezed even harder.
Brendan took his right hand away from Elathan’s wrist and grabbed the tip of his sword, bloodied as it was. White hot energy erupted from Brendan’s hand and quickly traveled the length of the sword and into Elathan’s body. Elathan’s chokehold quickly crumbled as he stumbled away from Brendan confused and in a great deal of pain.
“Not possible…” the golden god muttered.
Brendan rested against the wall and rubbed his throat. He watched the white magic spread over Elathan’s body until his once golden eyes were immersed in a white-washed glow.
“You were right. I couldn’t beat you alone, but I have the strength and will of so many. You never stood a chance.”
“Ahhhhh!” Elathan screamed just before his body shattered into a billion points of white light and floated off into the darkness like newborn stars.
Brendan shielded his eyes from the bright flash, and when he looked again he was left alone with his parents and Dorian.
Brendan stumbled over to Dorian and dropped to his knees exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion. “Dorian?”
After a moment Brendan felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and he finally felt, for the first time in a long time, that everything was going to be all right.
Epilogue
Celebration
It was a cool, crisp day in Corways weeks after the events at the Crown, and the beleaguered village was finally shaping up. Many of the homes and common buildings had already been restored. Town designers even took advantage of the placement of the obsidian megaliths by making them the center of the community.
There was a palatable sense of hope among the residents of Corways, and Brendan couldn’t have been happier about it. Olwen was able to replicate her cure for Caoranach’s poison and distribute it out around the world, bringing relief to those who had been infected. Dorian had made a full recovery with Airmid’s help, Brendan’s parents were alive and well, and he himself had not only survived but also triumphed over the most powerful ultragod in all of Otherworld. Life was beginning to turn sunny.
Banquet tables lined the streets of Corways for the first annual Victory at the Crown celebration. Gods and goddesses, Púcas, Pucks, Gnomes, Leprechauns, Magogs and Giants, and humans sat in solidarity sharing drinks and food and stories of lost loved ones.
Oscar got to his feet and raised his goblet. “I want to say a few words.” The crowd quieted down. “I have learned a great deal over my lifetime about a world that the vast majority of humans will never know exists, and I have to say that I am all the better for it. I have learned that intelligent life doesn’t mean just human and that there are worlds out there brimming with life and love. That’s what it took to defeat the ultimate evil. It wasn’t just the bloodline of Arawn and Argona here, but a collective voice that said, ‘No more!’”
Several forks began to clang on the sides of the cups in agreement.
“We have lost many of our numbers, but,” Oscar said before looking down at Angie, “one who has been lost to me and my family has finally been returned to us.”
Oscar’s eyes moistened with tears and his voice failed him. Ang
ie leapt to her feet and wrapped him in a loving embrace to the cheers of the crowd.
“My turn,” Garnash announced, climbing on top of the table. “I want to raise a glass to the Protectors. Brendan and Lizzie, without you the Earth would be nothing right now. For as much as we Gnomes have lost over the past six months, we are privileged to be a part of this time in history. We thank you.”
The crowd cheered again. The mood was the lightest it had been in well over a year. All eyes turned towards Brendan. He took a breath and then rose to his feet.
“I want to say thank you. Thank you to all of the magicks who stepped up even when we knew that the odds were against us. Thank you to our Otherworld friends who were willing to come to Earth and help us fight for the lives we’d built.” He paused for the applause. “Right from the beginning there were five of us who went on the journey to try and rescue Duncan… but we were too late. So many times along the way we were too late or we fell short. Not this time—this time we stood together and were victorious.”
The gathered magicks yelled and cheered and clanged glasses in response. Dorian got to her feet and took Brendan’s hand.
“To good friends, new friends, and loved ones lost. May we never forget,” Dorian paused and then continued, “May the feast begin!”
…
Everyone who didn’t belong to Corways left, for the most part. Peigi asked Olwen and Della to live with her, and that thrilled Dorian. The others left without much fanfare, but with promises from Arawn, Argona, Airmid, and Nuada to visit. Even without the threat of Elathan they all knew there would be plenty of other daily challenges for magicks and humans alike.
Brendan looked out on the small lagoon that he and Lizzie landed in when they first arrived in Corways and discovered a magical world.
“Hello,” Angie said from behind.
“Mom,” Brendan said uncomfortably. “I’ve been meaning to talk with you.”
“It’s okay, son. I understand where you might be on all of this,” she offered. “I’ve been gone for much of your life, and that’s hard to come to grips with, right?”
“I’ve had to accept a lot recently, Mom.” He hung his head a little and tossed a stone into the water. “Like anything else, it’s just going to take time.”
“Do you mean it?” she asked.
Brendan nodded and opened his arms. Angie ran to him and they hugged. “This means everything to me, what you and Lizzie think. I haven’t been this happy in years.”
Brendan felt a tear crawl out of the corner of his eye. He had his entire family back, but everything had changed. Now he worried more than ever about losing them.
…
Garnash stood outside of the secret entrance to Flumshire and was amazed at how cleaned up the mighty oak was. “This is just incredible.”
“It’s our way of saying sorry and that we feel like magicks should stick together,” Arleen offered. “We’re going to help you rebuild.”
Garnash turned to face the gathered group of Magogs and Gnomes. “From this day forward let no disagreement come between what we have begun to build in our new friendship.”
…
Dorian’s house was the last to be rebuilt—by her intent—and Brendan was tacking on the final shingles just as she was finishing counseling a small group of young Leprechauns.
“Hey,” Dorian called.
“Hey, come on up,” Brendan said, lifting her up with his telekinetic powers.
She landed next to him and they shared a kiss. “So I heard that you are saying goodbye to your family for awhile?”
“I’m still with family,” he said with a smile. “Oh, I spoke with Ken and he said Simmons finally came around and it happened at just the right time.” Brendan told her about Ken’s experience at Syracuse and then smiled. “Apparently Bibe took the form of a raven and ended up bringing in these Cobblers to help fight the Goblins.”
“That’s great, but I’m not sure that’s why you’re smiling.”
Brendan shook his head. “No, it’s just that my life and my world has grown to be so crazy, but in some strange way, I’ve never felt more alive than since I met you.”
Dorian’s eyes met his and they held hands lost in the moment, alone in the world. “Remember your promise.”
“I intend to keep it,” Brendan swore. “Always.”
About The Author
When he’s not writing fantasy novels, Brad A. LaMar works as an author and educator in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. He has worked with middle school age students for fourteen years and loves the enthusiasm they can bring to learning.
Brad especially enjoys the way a story makes a reader think, laugh, and react. He works hard to deliver those experiences in his best selling YA fantasy series, Celtic Mythos. You can learn more about Brad online at:
bradalamar.com
Celtic Mythos Series by Brad A. LaMar
The Obsidian Dagger
Book 1
The Megalith Union
Book 2
The Dominion Pulse
Book 3
The Bloodright Inheritance
Book 4
For more Celtic Mythos and other fantasy adventures, check out Brad LaMar’s short stories series at:
bradalamar.com
The Bloodline Inheritance Page 28