by P. C. Cast
The whispered words Prepare yourself, Beloved echoed through my mind. Then suddenly I was dropping down through the roof below me.
I snapped through the ceiling into a large bedroom chamber. The room was filled with lit torches and candles. Two hearths large enough for several men to stand upright within were ablaze. Well-illuminated in the firelight overkill, the predominant feature of the room was the huge bed situated directly below me.
At first I thought the room was empty. Then a rustling sound drew my eyes to the center of the bed. The thing on the bed stirred and pulled his wings back, and I realized with a shudder of revulsion that what I had thought was an empty bed draped with blankets was really a bed on which lay a creature whose wings had been outspread, like a bat-winged bedspread. Ugh. Without willing it, my body drifted down.
The creature’s wings shifted again, and I saw that they covered more than its own body—they had been covering the naked body of a human girl. She was so pale and she lay so very still that I thought she might be dead, then I saw her jerk convulsively as the creature reached his hand down and cupped her naked pubis.
“So sweet,” he hissed.
His hand kept traveling down to her inner thigh, and his fingers slid in a circular motion, playing in the wetness he found there. Her legs spasmed, allowing the flickering candlelight to illuminate the liquid, so that I could see it was thick and red with blood.
“Oh!” My breath left me in a horrified rush.
Instantly, the creature’s head swiveled up in my direction and his eyes narrowed as he searched the area above his bed.
I recognized him as soon as I saw his face—it was Nuada.
“Get out,” he ordered. With a taloned foot he pushed the girl to the edge of the bed. She fell to the floor, then picked herself up and staggered quickly to the door. As soon as she had left the room, Nuada crouched near the headboard of the bed, still looking intently above him.
“I know you are here.” His breathy voice was fearless. “I have felt your presence before.”
My body, which was floating directly above the foot of his bed, sank a few feet lower. I studied the smug creature. His face looked as if it had been carved from pale granite—it was all hard, sharp lines. His body was lean and free of hair, except the silver mass that fell from his head past his shoulders. Huge batlike wings kept shifting, as if to cover his nakedness, but they did little to hide the bloodstains that were smeared all along his thighs and now-flaccid genitals.
I had thought I would be terrified, so it was with surprise that, instead of fear, my foremost emotions were anger and revulsion.
“You make me sick,” I spat at him, and saw his eyes narrow in response.
“I can tell you are female.” He enunciated the last word slow and long, like it was a curse. “Show yourself, unless you are too weak and afraid.”
I had heard about guys like him. They were the kind of “men” who found pleasure in abusing women and children. As anger filled me I felt a change in my floating body. I glanced down to see myself become suddenly semivisible. I was naked, and I floated enticingly over the bed, like I was a dream made almost substantial.
His eyes widened and he licked his lips as he stared.
“Do you like what you see, Nuada?” My spirit voice resonated with an unearthly quality.
“Come closer, and I will show you what I like,” he leered cruelly.
“Maybe I will…” I let the sound of my words hang in the air between us. “Or maybe you should come to me.” I extended one hand and beckoned to him, like a snake charmer teasing a cobra. My other hand reached up and touched the pulse point in my neck, then moved in a long, slow caress down my body to finally come to rest on my inner thigh. There I made my fingers mimic what his had done to the newly raped girl.
His eyes watched me with an obscene hunger that made my stomach roll. As he began to collect himself to lunge at me, I noticed that his wings, as well as his all-too-human-looking penis, had begun to stir and swell.
Through my mind drifted the words Laugh at him,Beloved, and I obeyed, letting my ghostly, taunting laughter echo off the walls of the fiery chamber. The moment he lunged at me my body shifted, disappearing up through the ceiling. I burst into the night with the sound of his enraged shriek shattering the deceptively peaceful silence.
And my eyes flew open.
“You are safe.”
I had a horrible moment of panic as I tried to remember where I was. Then feeling rushed back into my body, and I knew ClanFintan’s arms were wrapped around me. I rubbed the mist out of my eyes so that I could look clearly at his face. He smiled at me, but his brow was creased with lines of worry.
“You have returned to your body.” He sounded almost as glad as I felt.
“Yes,” my throat felt scratchy. “I need something to drink.”
He let me slide out of his arms so I could retrieve my wineglass from the table. Filling my goblet, my hands were shaking so badly that I made a mess, splattering red drops on the white marble table. I found my eyes were drawn to those scarlet spots. The liquid transformed into spattered drops of blood—red against the inhuman white of Nuada’s skin. I couldn’t pull my eyes away and shake the image of how the girl’s blood had been splattered across the creature’s body.
“Rhea?” ClanFintan’s voice broke the spell, and I breathed a shuddering breath then hurried back to bed. Rearranging myself comfortably against him, I took a long drink, trying to steady my frayed nerves.
“Tell me,” he coaxed.
“Epona took me straight to him. He had just finished raping a young girl.”
“Did he sense your presence?”
“More than that. He could hear me, and Epona did something to my spirit-body so that he could see me. Kind of.”
ClanFintan nodded in understanding. “Epona is using her powers to get our message to the Fomorians.”
“I just hope she remembers to watch out for me during all of this, too.” I know I sounded kind of whiny, but this whole dream-magic-goddess-creature stuff was more than a little nerve-racking.
“You are Her Beloved, she will always protect you.”
I was about to open my mouth and make a snide comment about wishing I could be so sure, but then I remembered the voice in my mind that had whispered the warning Prepare yourself, Beloved, and kept my mouth shut.
I took another long drink of wine.
“Did you tell him of the Muse?”
“I didn’t get to it this time. Epona jerked me out of there just as he was leaping at me.” I remembered Nuada’s frustrated shriek at not capturing my body, and I took another long drink.
“He leaped at you? It will please me to skewer him on my sword. Soon.” His voice was hard and angry.
“I’m not usually a big proponent of violence, but this time I’ll make an exception. That thing seriously needs skewering.” I took another drink, and was mildly surprised to find it was the last in the goblet. I yawned. “I hope Epona’s done with me for tonight. I’m tired.”
ClanFintan took the empty goblet from my hand, and used his long arms to put it on the floor next to our marshmallow.
“I think the Goddess will allow you what remains of the night to sleep.” He pulled me close to his body.
“Good.” I patted a down-filled pillow into place and snuggled up into a comfortable ball. My husband’s hand found the small of my back, and I sighed gratefully as he rubbed up and down my spine.
“Sleep, my love,” he whispered. “I will let no harm come to you.”
I’m pretty sure I fell asleep with a big smile on my face, Nuada and his evil temporarily rubbed away by ClanFintan’s gentle touch.
CHAPTER 6
“Rhea?” The distant voice broke into my dream of being granted an unlimited shopping spree at Tiffany’s.
“I’m over here, in the diamond-tiara section,” I mumbled sleepily without opening my eyes.
“Why are you on the floor?” The voice was closer, and I was (unf
ortunately) awake enough to realize it was Alanna.
I opened my eyes slowly and stretched, noticing that my husband had disappeared.
“Have you ever tried getting a horse into bed?”
She covered her giggle with her hand, shaking her head from side to side.
“Hard to imagine, isn’t it?” I noticed I was naked and asked, “Could you toss me something to cover up with? I really need to visit the little girls’ room.”
She gave me a quizzical look as she handed me a night robe—probably because by now it was obvious I wasn’t a “little girl,” but she got the idea and followed me as I scrambled to the door, pulling on the robe.
The hall that joined my room to the bathing room was unusually crowded with guards and women, who solicitously moved aside and bowed or curtsied a good-morning at me. I nodded sleepily in return, wishing I’d taken a few minutes to fix my hair or pick the sleep from my eyes.
Soon, I darted gratefully into the privacy of my bathroom, glad that my ever-present guards were there to close the door securely behind us.
“Jeesh,” I shouted from the “facilities” section of the bathing chamber. “What’s up with all the people?”
“More people are arriving constantly—even a temple the size of Epona’s has to get crowded eventually.”
I rejoined Alanna, pulled the robe over my head and walked down the stone stairs into the warm pool to give myself a quick morning bath.
“So, you’re telling me lots of people are here?”
“People and centaurs,” she said with a stressed-out undertone to her voice. “I gave the order for the men to set up the Great Tents that Rhiannon kept for our yearly Gathering, and for the cooks to get extra provisions from our stockpiles. I hope that does not make you angry.”
“Angry?” I asked as she handed me a towel. “Of course not—do what you think is best. You know better than I do what needs to be opened and closed and whatever.”
She looked relieved as she began wrapping another short tunic around me. This one was made of a shimmery aqua-green fabric that reminded me of sea foam. Happily, it covered all of my breasts. Sitting at the vanity, I picked through the makeup as she began combing out my hair and twisting it into a sturdy French twist. Our eyes met and I smiled mischievously up at her in the mirror.
“Did you get plenty of rest last night, my friend?”
As I expected, pink blossomed over her cheeks—which made me laugh and quote Juliet’s bawdy nurse in my decidedly bad Cockney accent, ‘Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks, they’ll be in scarlet straight at any news.’”
Which only made her blush even more furiously. I laughed again, happy at the way her eyes danced—even in her embarrassment.
“It was a wonderful night.” Such simple words, but her voice made them sound like the pronouncement of a miracle.
“I am so glad for you, Alanna.” We stayed silent for a while, each of us, no doubt, thinking of her own husband. I’ll admit that my own cheeks felt a little hot as my mind wandered.
“Rhea, last night, did Epona guide you to Guardian Castle?”
“Yes. She took me to Nuada.” Our eyes met again in the mirror, and we exchanged a sober look that said we acknowledged the evil we were up against. “I challenged him, and Epona got me out of there. I don’t look forward to my return trip tonight.”
“Epona will protect you.” Her voice sounded as sure as ClanFintan’s.
“That’s what everyone keeps telling me. And, I admit that I think I can hear her voice sometimes, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to flitting around the country, naked in body and soul.”
“Even Rhiannon could be disconcerted after nights when Epona’s Dream Magic visited her.” Alanna’s hands stilled and I saw a pensive frown cross her face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I was just remembering how very upset Rhiannon had been right before she crossed The Divide into your world. She slept little. It was as if she wanted to avoid Epona’s visions.”
“I’ll bet that bitch knew those Fomorian things were coming.” It made perfect sense. “Epona would have wanted her people warned.” As I spoke, that feeling was back—the one that whispered encouragement into my mind and soul. “She probably showed Rhiannon what was going on and, selfish bitch that she is, she chose to run away rather than stay and fight with her people.” I hated that someone who looked like me pissed me off so badly.
Speaking to the back of my head, Alanna combed and pinned my hair. “Perhaps Epona allowed her to run because the Goddess wanted you to lead our people against the Fomorians.”
I started to reply with a big no way, but she wasn’t finished.
“Epona had to have known Rhiannon’s true nature—and the Goddess must have known yours, too. It was you Epona chose. You are her Beloved, not Rhiannon.”
Alanna finished off my hair with a beautiful golden band, and I kept my mouth shut. It was a daunting thought—that a goddess might have really chosen me. I hoped fervently Epona knew what she was doing.
I stayed silent and Alanna reached over to retrieve the coronet from its spot on my vanity. She placed it on my head. It nestled against my forehead comfortably, like it had been made for me.
“I think you should wear this more often.”
I reached up and touched the golden circlet with hesitant fingers. It felt warm under my fingers.
“Maybe I should,” I heard myself saying. My stomach felt fluttery. I tore my eyes away from the reflection of the crown and searched through the nearest jewelry box for some matching earrings.
And changed the subject.
“How are Carolan’s patients?”
Before she could answer, we were interrupted by a double knock at the door.
“Come in!” At my command the door swung open to admit several servants who were laden with trays of breakfast food.
“Yum!” I smiled in pleasure at the servants. “I’m starving.”
“Good morning, my Lady.” One of the men bowed nervously (I swear he looked like a kind of zitty kid who had flunked my freshman English class. Twice). “Lord ClanFintan ordered us to serve you breakfast here as soon as you awoke.”
“He did!” I smiled like a lovesick fool. “Isn’t he adorable?” I said to no one in particular.
“If you say so, my Lady.” The servant looked slightly flustered as he bowed his way out of the room.
Alanna’s laugh rang through the room. “You are freaking them up.”
She almost caused me to shoot oatmeal out of my nose. “Alanna, honey, it’s freaking them out, not up.”
“Oh.” She shrugged her cute little shoulders and sat next to me. We daintily dug into breakfast.
“Carolan’s patients?” I repeated through a mouth filled with some kind of wonderful cinnamon roll, which I washed down with a strong, green tea fragrantly sweetened with honey. I guessed the servants had decided to restrict my breakfast drinking. (Note to self: tell the friggin servants to bring back…never mind. Tea was probably better for me. At least for breakfast. Sigh.)
“I do not know.” Her brow wrinkled with worry. “He would not allow me to accompany him to the sickroom. But last night we were sent word that several more families had fallen ill with the pox.”
“That’s not good.” I dreaded what I knew I had to do. “I’ll go see what I can do for them as soon as we finish eating.” And I felt my appetite dwindle at the thought.
“ClanFintan asked that you come to him first.”
“Where is he?”
“Before I came to wake you, he was in the inner courtyard overseeing the ladies with Connor and Dougal.”
“How did Dougal seem?”
“Busy.” We exchanged a satisfied look.
“Well—” I swallowed the rest of the tea “—I better get going. I guess I should look on the bright side of this. At least I don’t have to bare my breasts this morning.” I gave her a slanted look. “Do I?”
“Not for another fort
night,” she laughed.
“Great—I have that to look forward to.”
Her laughter bubbled around us.
“What are your plans today?” I asked as I finished the tea.
“I will oversee the household servants, check on the cooks, make sure there is room for the arriving families and warriors and be certain you and Carolan have the needed supplies for the sickroom.”
“Just another boring day of nothing to do, huh?”
“Yes, my Lady,” she sighed as if she had not a care in the world—except perhaps whether to have her finger or toenails manicured.
“Yes, yes.” I walked regally to the door. “Being ladies of leisure is certainly tiresome.” We giggled like girls as we stepped out into the crowded hall—where our giggles turned into coughs.
“Rhea, I need to go make sure the cooks are not having attacks of apoplexy.” Then she lowered her voice for my ears only. “Do you know your way from here to the courtyard?”
“Yes,” I whispered back.
“Good—Oh, please give Carolan my love when you see him.”
“I’ll do that.” I smiled. Then I straightened up and said in a very Goddess Incarnate–like tone, “Thank you for all of your hard work, Alanna. You are a diamond amidst a group of CZs.”
Her blank look was reflected in the faces that had paused to bow in reverence to me.
Oops.
“As I said, you are a diamond amidst any group, which is easy to see.” I knew how lame I sounded.
She tried fairly successfully to hide her smile behind a submissive “Thank you, my Lady.”