“Anything?” he asked.
Auden, who was scanning the area beside the leprechaun’s head, dropped his hand and opened his eyes. “Quite a bit. It was definitely a baobhan sith who wielded the blade. I’ll need to meet her to verify identity, but I’ll know her when I do.” He hesitated, lips pursed, then sighed. “As for the visiting goddess, I was able to get quite a bit. She did play the Uaithne, but she played it for comfort, from what I can tell. The leprechaun… appreciated it. It’s actually the strongest impression I’ve been able to pick up. He was excited, but more than that, he was… hopeful.”
Was that a trace of the same emotion in the other Tuatha’s voice? “Auden,” he said in warning.
“Right, my lord. If we returned to the alley, I might be able to pinpoint any lingering traces of the sith. If they are strong enough, we could track her from there.” The other man kept his face averted and his gaze down. “Did the Morrigan really visit earlier?”
And there was another trace of hope and longing. Finn studied him. He was a younger fae, born sometime in the last few centuries. He had not been here for the Invasions, had not fought the Fomoiri or the Fir Bolg, had not witnessed armies of sluagh swarm his fellows. Had never heard the Dagda play his harp and call them to battle, nor had he seen Lugh on a shining steed wielding the burning spear. He had not been alive for when the gods walked among them in truth. “She did.” Finn wanted to offer the man more than that but did not know the words to say.
Sometimes he felt his age.
“Finn.” Criedne stood in the entrance to the forensics lab. “There’s been an incident near Benbulben.”
He groaned. “Fucking Benbulben. What?”
“The visiting goddess was shot with a high-powered rifle of some kind while visiting a pixie in the area, the one the leprechaun had an arrangement with. The brothers have taken her back to the inn, but… the fae are stirred up. No one has gotten too out of line, but the pixies are swarming.” Criedne’s dark eyes drilled into him, challenging him and asking what their next step should be in the same moment.
“They were investigating on their own, of course,” he finally said.
“No doubt.”
“Send the body back. Spread the word that the O’Loinsighs will be holding a wake tonight. That should distract everyone and keep them away from our investigation.”
She raised a brow. “You really think that will keep them away?”
He grimaced. “For a day or so. But, no, I’ll need to do something about them.”
Criedne’s eyes went wide as the Morrigan appeared beside him once more. Twice in one day? Was this about more than the soul blade?
“This is a good plan, captain,” the goddess said. “And I will accompany you tonight. The Tribunal has appointed me to assess this new goddess. If she is one in truth, she should be recovered enough by tonight for me to do so.” She sent a playful smile in Auden’s direction, who stared with wide-eyed awe, and then she disappeared.
“That was…” the young Tuatha said.
“Yes.” Finn faced Criedne. “Arrange it.”
She gave a short bow. “Sir.”
Finn spun on his heel and headed for his office. Only then did he allow himself to wonder how the brothers had reacted to the goddess being injured, especially Mell. The man had shown a definite possessive protectiveness, more than what a landlord would show for a tenant, and certainly more than a Fomoiri would show for any deity, let alone an Egyptian one.
Chapter 15
Bastet,
I do not have much time now, but these brothers… they are more and more intriguing.
- Bat, the goddess who got cuddles.
BAT
Bat opened her eyes and blinked. What happened to the farmhouse? She blinked again. Oh, yeah, the pain in my shoulder. She shifted, finding herself under a fluffy blanket.
She blinked again, and the room came into focus. Light pink walls and blue trim. Her room at the pub. Good. A light sound greeted her. She turned her head on the pillow to find Dub slumped in a chair beside her bed, his mouth open and soft snores escaping.
He looked peaceful, even if there were dark circles under his eyes.
He should take better care of himself.
She pushed the cover down and immediately snatched it back up.
She was naked!
Those... scoundrels.
Not that she minded being naked, but she was usually awake when it happened. Well, if it happened. Ugh, yes, it had not happened in a very long time. She glared at the sleeping Dub. And should not have happened now.
Her shoulder, the one that had been injured, was wrapped in clean bandages. She felt down her body and noted she still wore underwear, and someone had slipped socks on her feet.
Okay then.
She probed at the bandage, and when there was no pain, she searched for the edges, wanting to examine the wound. She didn’t know what had injured her, but anything that could make her lose consciousness like that had to have been bad.
“Stop that.” Dub’s rough voice came from over her, and she turned her head to find him standing at the side of the bed.
“Hi.”
His lip twitched. “Hi.” He studied her, his gaze intense, then nodded. “I’ll get Shar in here to check the bandage.” He took a step back and paused. “Mell is... not well. It would be good if he saw you were awake.”
Why would he put it like that? She frowned at him. “Of course, Mell can come see me. And Shar. But my shoulder is fine now. See?” She sat up, careful to hold the covers to her chest, and wiggled her shoulders in a little shimmy.
Dub grunted and turned away, but not before she spotted the smile.
A moment later the door opened, and Shar poked his head around the edge. Mell’s voice rose behind him, distressed, though she couldn’t make out the words.
“Can I come in?” Shar scanned her with his eye.
“Of course. Dub said you’d check the bandage. But, I really am fine. I’m not sure what hit me, but I’m a goddess, not much is going to keep me down.” She tilted her head, wanting to tease his somber expression away. “Actually, nothing is going to keep me down.”
He rewarded her with a small smile that soon fell away. Mell’s voice rose, and she could make out the words “shot” and “kill.” A wave of panic and bone-deep grief hit her.
Her hands twisted in the comforter, knotting the fabric. Was that Mell?
Her gaze met Shar’s, and she beckoned him into the room. “Hurry, hurry. Get this thing off me and then find me a shirt. Hurry.”
Shar looked over his shoulder then slipped into the room, locking the door behind him. He removed the bandage and examined the wound. His big fingers skimmed over the skin of her shoulder. “Nothing.”
She grinned at him. “Of course not. I told you. I am a goddess.” She added an extra dash of exaggerated arrogance, and he pinched her.
“Mell needs to see you, but... I needed to be sure you would be up for it. He didn’t take it well, seeing you go down like that.”
“What happened?”
“You mean before or after your panic attack?”
She glared at him, trying to imitate Dub’s scowl. “It was not a panic attack. There was something out there.”
He gripped her shoulder. “Yes, there was something out there. A sniper with a long-range rifle, by the looks of the wound.” His voice deepened even as she felt a warmth flow into her, one that originated from his hand. “Next time you get one of those feelings, I would appreciate it if you would allow us to check it out, instead of opening a door to who knows what.”
The warmth continued to permeate her body. A sharp pinch in her upper back and she sighed. She hadn’t even noticed the pain from the bit of bone still out of place.
“And you just healed me.” These not-men were full of surprises.
He shrugged. “It is secondary to my ability with plants. But, I have some skill with healing. Now, if you’re in really bad shape, you’ll want Fin
n. He could bring someone back from the brink of death with just a sip of water from his hands. I’ve seen him do it. It’s something.” He patted her shoulder and stood. A moment later he handed her a sweater and a pair of tights. “I’ll give you a few minutes, and then I’ll send in Mell.”
“Why do you and Dub keep saying it as though sending him in would be like slipping an asp into my bedroom?”
Shar’s shoulders hunched. “He just had a bad time with it is all.”
“Shar.” His name came out harsher than she intended, but she was tired of everyone being cryptic. That was the purview of the gods, damn it.
He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “He fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. Not Dub, it was his turn to stay behind. But it was harder for Mell. These modern wars... they are not an easy thing for warriors of honor. When you can kill an enemy, who is hundreds of kilometers away, without ever having to look them in the eye...” He trailed off, eyes trained on the floor. He swallowed and finally looked up. Pain was writ clear on his face, his blue eye shining through a shimmer of tears. “War these days is not an easy thing for a man like Mell.”
Or for a gentle giant. But Bat held that thought to herself. He didn’t need that right now.
“Could you make me some of that tea? Ailis’ was good, but yours is better.”
He blinked then bowed to her, his braid falling over one shoulder. “Of course.”
She nodded. A passage from the Idiot’s Guide came to mind. It had said that you should not say thank you to the fae. It seemed a silly thing to her—and had she not been saying it for the last two days?—but she would try to abide by it. Of course, if the brothers were to be believed, the guide was probably wrong. She wondered if there was any truth to iron being poisonous to the fae, and four-leafed clover driving away evil. These would be very easy measures to take…
Shar left her and she rose, hurrying to wash her face, brush her teeth and put on her clothes. She had just emerged from the bathroom when her door flew open and Mell stood there.
His hair and eyes were wild, his face pale. He gripped the knob as he stared at the empty bed.
“Mell.”
His head twisted toward her so quickly she heard his neck pop. Their gazes locked, and she crossed to him. She took his hand from the knob and gently closed the door. She didn’t lock it, though she was tempted to. She didn’t want the brothers interrupting this.
She reached up and cradled his cheek in her palm. “Mell,” she whispered. “May I?” She wasn’t sure exactly what she asked permission for, but when he nodded, she acted.
One hand still on his cheek, she reached up to his shoulder with the other and pulled him down until she could reach his mouth with her own.
The kiss she gave him was light, gentle. She opened her mind’s eye, calling for the visions, even as dread filled her. She didn’t want to see whatever they would show her, whatever had put that look in his eyes and clouded his mind and emotions in sorrow. She didn’t want to see it, but she needed to, to help share his burden.
She molded her lips to his just as the first one hit her.
Flash. Moans of pain and the tang of blood blended with the stench of rot. A young man’s face, barely out of his youth, with wide brown eyes clouded in death. A boot-clad foot, but no leg. A scream of machines and the explosion of bombs. Death. Everywhere death and more death, and no one to properly lay them to rest.
Everywhere such pointless death.
She pulled back and went onto her toes, placing her lips against his forehead, bestowing what blessing she could. If she were more powerful, she could have taken him into her and wiped these memories away—could have restored the balance in his soul.
But she was not. And for the first time, she regretted that for more than just her own sake.
“I am sorry that this has happened to you, and to those men. I wish I could take your pain.” Her words were soft, but they seemed to echo in the room.
He pulled away from her and his eyes slid closed. A sound escaped him, a soft sob. That was it. That was all he would let out. The grief still pounded through him.
“Would you like to come lay with me?”
He let out a choking laugh and his head fell forward. “I don’t think I’d be of much use to you right now, though I appreciate the proposition.”
She resisted the urge to hit him for half a second. Then her fist met his chest and he jerked, his head shooting up and his eyes meeting hers once more. Surprise replaced some of the grief. “No, you wanker, I meant to... cuddle. I have read that it is soothing for some and can help with grief.”
He grinned at her, his mask back in place, and snaked an arm around her middle. “Well, then, yes, let’s... cuddle.”
She huffed. “That is off the table now.” She moved out of his reach and to the window, looking out at the canal, though there was not really much to see from this angle.
“Bat,” he said, his voice soft. “I would very much enjoy a cuddle right now.”
She stiffened and turned back to him.
The mocking cheer was gone, and in its place was a tired man. She didn’t feel the sorrow anymore; he must have locked that back away. Relenting, she held out her hand to him. When he took it, she led him to the bed and lay down. He climbed in behind her and wrapped an arm around her middle, pulling her back into him.
She fit very nicely. Like she was meant to be there.
His brothers never bothered them. They lay in silence for so long Bat wondered if Mell had fallen asleep. Then his hand lifted. He smoothed it down her side till it came to rest against her hip. “I was so scared,” he whispered. “I could see you, silhouetted against the door. The sun shone behind you, and you glowed, like life and laughter and everything good. You were frantic, and I needed to get to you.” His fingers dug into her, and she reached back until her own hand found his hip. It was a little awkward, but she needed to touch him, to reassure him somehow. “Then—” He broke off and she could hear him swallow, feel the movement against the back of her head. “Then the shot rang out, and I froze. I froze, realta. I couldn’t—”
He shook. She resisted the urge to turn. Instead, she found the hand on her hip with her own, and pulled it around her, cradling it to her chest. She allowed him his grief.
Chapter 16
Bastet,
I attended a wake tonight. It is a kind of death rite and much more fun than the ones performed in our land. I also met one of the goddesses of this land. She is as powerful as Isis, may even surpass Osiris or Horus in power.
And, she is feared by the immortals here. But I do not see evil in her. In fact, she reminded me a bit of Sekhmet. I think you would like her too.
I know I insisted I wanted to do this on my own, but maybe you could come for a visit?
- Bat, the goddess who misses you.
BAT
Bat and Mell wrapped up another tune, this one an Egyptian funeral rite. Bat led on the harp and Mell accompanied her. Two other musicians, a banshee by the name of Meera, and the pooka of the other day, Liam, started up another. This one about some man named Finnegan and dancing with a sheet. Or was Finnegan in the sheet? She didn’t understand most of the words, but it had her foot tapping, and definitely invited her to dance, with a sheet or otherwise.
She set the harp against the back wall, where she had found it that first night, and where it was when she entered the pub this night.
When she and Mell had finally come down from her room, the pub had been full. Dub had gone ahead and unlocked the doors to the fae customers when he saw she was all right, and the patrons had poured in.
The whole night had quickly turned into an impromptu wake for Dano. Bat’s understanding was that this was a party to celebrate the deceased. It was very different from the death rites she was used to, but as there was no spirit to care for, she guessed it made no difference.
“Bat.” Ciara stood before her, her red-gold hair bound back, and her face drawn. “I wanted to make sure you knew I
had no idea anyone was out there. The dogs... well, they have been acting up, but I could never find anything amiss.”
Bat smiled at the pixie. She believed her. “I know. But, could you let Dub or one of the others know when the dogs act up again? If whoever that was has been lurking for a week, they will likely be back.”
Ciara shook her head. “Eh, no. I can’t stay there if someone is lurking like that. If that’s Dano’s killer, they may come after me next. I’m going to stay with a... relative.”
Another fae she meant. Bat nodded. “I wish you luck.” Another thought came to her. “Do you know anything of what he was helping Mell with?”
The pixie shook her head. “Only that he was successful. Mell was supposed to fulfill his end of the bargain in two days. I don’t know what the payment was, though. Dano liked to be secretive about his deals. He called them his pet projects and was very protective.” She smiled softly. “He was a stubborn man, that leprechaun.”
“I am glad I knew him, even for such a short time.” They were the only words Bat could offer, but she meant them.
Ciara nodded and moved on through the room, talking and laughing.
Bat walked over to the bar and watched as Dub served customer after customer. Sometimes he would fill a pint glass with the dark brown beer favored in this area; sometimes it was the golden liquid, whiskey, that made Shar’s tea so good. And, sometimes it was plain water.
A body stumbled into her, and the foul scent of stale tobacco and day-old liquor invaded her nose. She moved back from the figure and her eyes met ones that glowed red. The man grinned at her, revealing sharp teeth.
She smiled back, baring her teeth as well. They weren’t nearly as sharp, but she had some skills.
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