“Aye.” Mell swallowed as clouds obscured the sun. Another Irish shower on the way. His gaze snagged on the red of Dano’s coat and for a moment he was no longer in a back alley, but on a field of battle, pain surrounding him, seeping into his being. He cleared his throat. “I want you on this one.”
“I can’t make that call. You know that.”
“He’s lying on me back stoop, Finn. And there’s a… complication.” A memory of the night before, and a pair of large brown eyes, drove out the echo of a war long done. A good complication to be sure.
“Did you—”
Mell cut him off. “No.”
“But there’s a complication.”
“Other than the fact he’s dead? Yes.” Mell crouched beside Dano once more.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. Because I’m going to examine the body.”
“Goddess damn it, Mell, don—”
Mell disconnected and slipped the phone into his back pocket, his gaze focused on Dano. He opened his mind and reached out, with both his hand and his power.
He sorted through the lingering traces of emotion. It was not something he did easily, or often, but he was one of the few Fomoiri who could. Most of his race had a more physical connection to the world, like Dub and his strength and Shar with his plants. They stuck to the seas where they had an uneasy understanding with Manannan mac Lir, or the hills and rocky shores where their skills were advantageous and went more easily unnoticed.
Emotion and spirit were usually the domain of the Tuatha and the fae races, though of course there was some crossover. He snorted. The peoples of Ireland had been mingling for so long now that “race” was more a matter of power traits and which family you were born into than anything else. Fomoiri, fae, Tuatha, sidhe… pretty words for the same thing, really. Banshees still wailed, pookas still played their tricks and will o’ the wisps still got people lost and stuck in the bogs. But unless it never looked human and never would, well, who cared?
His particular ability was one of the reasons Finn continued to try to recruit him into the guardi. It also served to drive his Da a little mad. Alatrom never got over the speculation that Ma had stepped out on him, and relations there were strained to say the least.
He pulled back from the body, processing what he’d felt. Sorrow, guilt, and… love? He turned Dano over. A stain, darker than the red of the leprechaun’s coat, spread over his belly.
Bat’s words came back to him. Was he stabbed? He’d not thought much of it, because of course Dano had been attacked with a soul blade if he was dead. But why would she need to ask?
He rolled Dano back onto his stomach. His left arm flopped against the stairs, and a light ting rang out. A small object, glinting gold, bounced down the steps and into the alley.
Checking that he was still unobserved, Mell fetched it. It was a ring, a Claddagh, and small, made to fit a woman’s finger. He probed with a bit of his waning energy. Love, affection and… that was it.
Oh, Dano. He turned back to the body and placed the ring back in the lifeless hand, curling the fingers around it. He wondered who the woman was that the ring had been intended for.
Just as Mell stepped away, the sound of boots pounding on concrete reached him. A group of four Ceilte Guardi rounded the corner and entered the alley. A large man led them. Hair that was more red than gold was shorn close to his head and almost obscured by the uniform cap. His coat, the dark cloth matching that of the regular human guardi, bore a small spiral crossed through with a single line.
Mell met them at the foot of the steps. “Finn.” If there was a hint of relief in his voice, he ignored it.
The guardi captain nodded. Of a height with Mell, the man was built thicker, similar to Dub and Shar. “Mell. It is glad I am to see you, though I could wish it not be under such circumstances.” His expression hardened, and he turned to his team. “Ward the alley. We need more than a general concealment. Keep everyone out. Then check it over. I want everything gathered.”
As his men spread out, Finn knelt by Dano, one knee on the ground and his other foot propped on the bottom step. He ran his hand over the body, not quite touching. He, like Mell, had power in the spirit and emotion aspects, though his ran more to sensing any lingering energy signatures rather than direct emotions. Even if he had not met the person, or being, he could get an idea of who they were. He was also one of the best trackers of the guardi, and of the de Danann.
“You touched him.” Finn’s voice didn’t change, but Mell could sense the disapproval.
Mell held his silence and Finn sighed. “I sense you and your brothers. There is a fourth, recent.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. “She is in your kitchen. And, she is... not from here.” The last was murmured in a soft growl.
“Eh. Don’t you be getting any ideas there.” Possessiveness moved through Mell. She was theirs; they’d found her first. She’d come to them.
Finn breathed in again and held it. Finally, he exhaled and opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on Mell. “There was another, but the trace is muddied, and possibly obscured by glamour.” Then he added, sharply, “Is this fourth person the complication?”
Mell shrugged.
“She feels different. Like the Brigid, or even the...” His eyes widened. “You have a goddess in your home?” A grin spread across his face and he erupted into a booming laugh. One of the guardi spun around, eyeing the scene. Finn gestured, sending him back to his tasks.
“It is not that funny.”
“The O’Loinsighs taking in a goddess? It is downright hilarious.” He raised a brow, and his smile morphed into a smirk. “The O’Loinsighs, who have remained isolated in their little pub for the last century or so. The O’Loinsighs, who even before that have refused to take their place at their father’s table and who have avoided the politics of the fae as though these were the things of Christian hell.” Then the smirk fell away. “The O’Loinsighs who have a dead immortal on their doorstep. This, she, could royally fuck the balance of the area. We don’t meddle with the gods. You know that. We serve them, or we avoid them. Damn, when you Fomoiri decide to shake things up, you go all the way.”
Mell pouted, feeling like a scolded boy, something he hadn’t been for centuries. “She’s renting a room from us.”
“And you didn’t vet her?”
Mell shrugged and then checked on the other guardi, noting they were still a good distance away, though almost done with the wards. “Dub knew.” He didn’t think it necessary to explain further. Finn was a friend, but he wasn’t family. Plus, it was the truth. Dub had at least suspected.
Shooting a glance at the closed door leading to the kitchen, and the goddess on the other side, he hesitated for only a moment before revealing the next piece of information. The guardi captain would find out soon enough. “She played the Dagda’s harp last night. With Dano and I. We were having a bit of a sing-song and she just... picked it up and started plucking away.”
Finn stilled. The whole alley, hell, the city, stilled with him. Or it seemed that way.
“The patrons enjoyed it. You’d expect protests or riots, or at the least a few thrown pints, but they simply... listened.” Mell didn’t know why the words were spilling out now. Maybe he needed to tell someone other than his brothers; maybe he just needed to get a reaction from Finn. “She’s weak. From Dub’s notes, her own people, even the other deities, have nearly abandoned her. She’s... lonely. I think she just needs a place, a place to be.”
“Where is she from?” Finn asked, his voice strained, and leaned back from the body he still knelt beside, the pose reminiscent of the ancient gestures of fealty.
Mell cleared his throat and looked away. This was the tricky part, the part none of the brothers had discussed yet. “Egypt.”
“Fuck a lord’s geese. Dammit, Mell.” Finn blew out a breath. “What were you thinking, what was Dub thinking?” He pushed to his feet, his movements sharp. “You have royally fucked the politics of our coun
ty, you know that?”
“Maybe, but probably not. As I said, she was all but abandoned by her people. And the gods don’t really bother with us here in County Sligo.”
“That was before someone played the Uaithne. An Egyptian goddess played the Uaithne. You know how territory hungry those bastards can be, despite how they fell out of favor. There are so many of them. Most of them are minor, and always looking for a way to increase their power. Cults are popping up all over the world. You know that.” He shot Mell a disgusted look as he gestured for his men to help him gather the body. “Or, no, you don’t. Because you refuse to enter the real world. You’d rather hide in your little backwater pub and diddle on your guitar.”
Blood and adrenaline surged through Mell, and his hands curled into fists. Finn had gone too far. “Ye’r a bastard, Cumhaill, you know that?”
Finn shrugged, keeping one eye on his men as they picked up Dano. The left hand, the one with the ring, flopped out once again, as though asking someone to take what it held and get it to the person it was intended for.
Resentment and rebellion mixing in him, Mell descended the stairs, stopping on the last step so he looked down on the guardi captain. Barely a hand’s span separated them. The other men paused, tensing, but Mell ignored them. “You just figure out what happened to Dano, and why someone is running around with a soul blade.” He jabbed a finger into Finn’s chest. “We will worry about the goddess.” Our goddess, said a small voice from the back of his mind.
Finn rolled his eyes and Mell slipped the ring from Dano’s slack grip and into his own pocket. Taking a half step back, Finn crossed his arms. “Right then. And what was Dano doing on your back stoop?”
Mell grinned mockingly and sent a thread of unease and anxiety at the other man, hoping to throw him off guard. “I have absolutely no idea.”
The emotion was blocked and thrown back at him. Damn protection runes. He’d forgotten all guardi were equipped. Finn turned on his heel and stalked away, taking his men and the body with him. He was almost to the mouth of the alley when Mell called out. “You’ll keep me updated?”
Raising a hand, Finn flipped him off. When they reached the end of the alley, the guardi disappeared.
Mell grinned. Yeah, Finn would be back.
He stepped off the last step and strode to the middle of the alley, opening his senses. With the last of his power reserve, he filtered through the emotions that lingered. He quickly dismissed the guardi, the trace of their feelings too fresh. Stalking toward the mouth of the alley, he paused when a track caught his eye.
A hoofprint, cloven, like a deer’s, or maybe a sheep’s. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. Not many sheep roamed the streets of Sligo proper.
He turned and strode for their back door, the door that would lead to his goddess and his brothers. He patted the pocket where the ring lay. Time to sort this out.
Chapter 7
Bastie,
The Idiot’s Guide is not a good reference. This was another of your jokes, wasn’t it? No matter, I am learning so much of this land from the brothers. There is a grumpy one, a happy one, and one who is a little shy despite his size and the eye patch. Maybe they are like that child’s tale we ran across?
- Bat, the confused goddess.
BAT
Bat sipped her tea. It really was lovely. She could feel the care that Shar had put into it. It warmed her with more than the heat of the liquid.
“I should tell you what I saw.” She glanced down at the crack Dub had left in the wooden top of the island. “But first I believe Dub should take a chill pill before any more damage is done to your belongings. I have a feeling there are many things about this situation that will cause an emotional reaction, and it would be best if we remained calm for the most part.”
A choking sound came from the grumpy man beside her, and his shoulders shook. She set the mug down and twisted toward him. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she studied his expression, concerned. “Are you all right?”
Dub shook his head, but his shoulders jerked, and that strange sound still came from his chest. Plus, his face was turning red. Growing progressively more alarmed, Bat struck his back. Had he eaten something when she wasn’t looking and then choked? She hit him again, but it didn’t help. If anything, it grew worse.
She pulled back to strike once again, and a large hand caught her forearm. Shar grinned down at her. How did he move so quietly?
“He’s not choking, a stór.” Shar placed her hand in her lap but didn’t draw his own away, leaving the warmth of his palm against her arm.
Bat looked more closely at Dub. His lips were pursed and twitched at the corners. His lapis eyes caught her gaze, and his shaking increased. Finally, he threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Ch- chill p- p- pill,” he choked out.
She yanked her arm from Shar’s grip and slapped Dub’s shoulder. “It means you need to stay calm. Which you are utterly failing at.” She tipped her head back and frowned up at Shar, who grinned down at her. “We should begin, yes?”
“Let’s wait for Mell to join us, so you don’t need to repeat anything.”
It didn’t take long. The back door swung open and Mell stepped through, his brows drawn together. He studied the scene—the laughing Dub, the grinning Shar—and his gaze lingered briefly on the new blemish on their furniture.
“Finn came.” Mell shut the door and placed himself opposite her, across the island.
Dub sobered like a switch had been thrown. “Any trouble there?”
Mell glanced at Bat and then focused on his brother. “Maybe.”
They were closing her out. Fair enough. She was an unknown goddess and, to a certain extent, invading their territory. But she would not be left out of the hunt for Dano’s killer. The crime demanded justice, and she would see it was served. “Can I tell you of the visions now?”
“Visions?” Mell grabbed a strawberry and bit into it.
Bat eyed the bowl of fruit and pulled it closer. It was hers. She wasn’t a selfish goddess, but... “It is polite to ask before taking another’s food.”
Mell stilled. Then, with a smile, he bowed his head to her. “I apologize, goddess.”
She eyed him for a moment more and then nodded. “So, the visions. There was a dagger. It glowed with a dark light, one I am not familiar with. I think this is the reason Dano had to suffer the second death. We will need to find his killer and bring them to justice, or his ghost will haunt this place.” She paused. Something was wrong with what she just said. She reexamined what she’d felt on the back stoop. “There was nothing of him left,” she whispered. “Not even the ghost. How is that possible?”
“What else did you see in your visions?” Dub shifted away from her and turned so that he could face her fully. Avoiding her question?
Should she tell them all of what she saw, even the flashes not connected to the murder? If it had been Horus asking, she would have held her tongue. If it was Bastet, she would have teased with hints of new knowledge. When Isis used to seek her out, she knew to avoid mention of the attack and mutilation of Osiris, past or future. The goddess never wanted to hear it.
What would these not-men want to hear? And did she care?
“I saw a warrior at the prow of a ship, the wind whipping his hair, while his brothers stood behind him.” She looked to Mell. “I saw Dano handing you something that glinted with gold, though I did not see what it was.” She looked down and poked at one of the last two strawberries that remained in the bowl. “I saw two figures, one with green hair, one with red-gold, disappearing around a corner.” She closed her eyes, reaching for the images. “The hand that held the knife was small. Pale and freckled. A woman’s.”
She paused. Dare she say the rest?
“That’s it?” Mell ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “That’s not much more than we already knew.”
Her throat tightened, and disappointment swelled in her. So, here she was superfluous as well. No, she would not sa
y the rest.
Arms came around her just as callus-tipped fingers skimmed along the back of her hand. Apology and something like regret flowed from those fingers. “I did not mean you did not help, realta. I am simply frustrated.”
“Ignore him. He is a right bastard sometimes, despite his charming ways.” Shar’s voice rumbled through her. The arms around her tightened, and he pressed his chest against her back. Cuddling her?
She drew strength from the offering of comfort and met Mell’s gaze. Anger and defiance, the same that fueled her desire to leave Egypt—bolstered by the hope of home that Shar’s arms gave her—allowed her to continue. “The girl with green hair. I met her. She said her name was Ailis, and she invited me to come to see her at O’Malley’s.”
“We know her.” Dub leaned on the island, his hands clasped together. “Damn. That’s just what we need, the trooping fae up in our business.”
Mell shrugged. “They’re in everyone’s business. You know that. Though I wouldn’t think her one to get involved with a soul blade.”
More words that hung in her mind like riddles. Soul blades? Trooping Fae? The lack of a ghost, despite Dano suffering the second death. And what, exactly, were these men?
“But why was he here? I mean, at your place? He left last night. I saw you say goodbye.” She leaned back, just a bit, enjoying the pressure of muscles against her back, even if they were covered with a thick sweater.
Mell’s lips twitched as his gaze lifted above her and then shifted to Dub.
It was Shar who answered her question. “He made you the boots.”
Her breath caught. Dano had made her boots? Her pretty, warm boots? Tears threatened and she swallowed. She lifted her right hand and enfolded her lapis pendant in her fingers. It was the last gift she had received, unsolicited, just out of the generosity of a believer. That was seventeen centuries ago. Now she had another.
She cleared her throat. “They are a fine gift. Worthy.” Tilting her head, she furrowed her brows. “How did he get in? They were on this side of the kitchen door. It is why I thought you had left them for me.”
The Forgotten Trilogy Page 5