Earth's Hope (23 page)

The gray of the teleport tunnel lightened around its edges indicating they were nearing whatever destination the dragon had selected. Moments later, a portal formed and Fionn walked through into thick, wet greenery. He brushed his hands over a dripping bush and wiped them across his face, probably smearing the hell out of the grime coating him, but it felt refreshing.

Thor and Odin trotted out of the same portal, followed by Nidhogg who spewed fire at the gateway and blasted it into oblivion.

Fionn smothered a wry grin. He chanted to close portals, but fire was much faster.

Odin lifted his head, scenting the air. “Gods, but it’s good to be outside Asgard.”

“We should leave more often.” Thor slapped his father on the back, tilted a drinking horn from around his father’s neck, and drank.

“None of that.” Odin dragged the horn out of his son’s grasp. “You can drink once this is over.”

Fionn wisely remained silent, but he was relieved beyond measure that someone was riding herd on Thor’s legendary alcoholism. “Do ye know where the old one’s fortress is?” he asked Nidhogg.

The dragon’s nostrils flared. “That way.” He jerked his head to the right. “And not very far.”

Thor and Odin started in the direction Nidhogg indicated, but the dragon called, “Hold up a moment. You can’t go marching in there as if you’ve got the rest of your warriors at your beck and call, or the Valkyries ready to ride to your defense.”

Odin turned to face the dragon. “Humph. Good point. I’m open to your thoughts.”

Fionn set his jaw in a hard line. Clearly Odin was used to command, just as Fionn was. He turned his attention to Nidhogg and hoped to hell the dragon’s plan would be something he agreed with. He had a feeling Odin would fight anyone who disagreed with his dragon.

“First,” Nidhogg focused on Fionn, “do you sense Aislinn?”

Fionn narrowed his eyes and sent tentative magic spiraling outward, doing his damnedest to mask it from their enemy. So far, they held the element of surprise, but that could evaporate in a hot second. Because he expected to latch onto Aislinn’s energy, and didn’t find it, shock rattled him, followed by disappointment.

“I guess I was wrong,” he muttered. “She isna here.”

“Just because you can’t feel her doesn’t necessarily mean she’s not here,” Nidhogg said. “She might have escaped and is shielding herself.”

“Nay. If she escaped, she’d have left.”

“Maybe. If she still had enough magic. Or her captors could have her stashed behind wards.” Nidhogg blew steam, and it made the damp air even soggier.

Odin moved to Fionn’s side. “Your woman has magic? Fascinating. What kind?”

“Human magic, but all five skills.”

Thor joined his father. “That’s impossible,” he said flatly. “Humans don’t possess magic.”

“They dinna,” Fionn said, “until the dark gods stormed Earth. I’m not certain how it happened, but when the Lemurians weakened the veils between Earth and the borderworlds, they opened the possibility for human magic to sift through. Some weren’t sensitive to it, and the Lemurians slaughtered them. Of those who remain, most humans have two gifts, one primary and one weaker. Aislinn has them all.”

“What are these gifts?” Thor asked.

“We doona have the time—” Fionn began, but Nidhogg shook his head.

“We’ll take the time,” the dragon said. “Thor and Odin must know what Aislinn can do, in case they’re the ones who find her.”

Fionn counted off on his fingers. “One is Mage magic. It confers ease with casting spells. Two is Seeker magic. It ferrets out truth. Three is Hunter magic. Hunters bond with animals and working as a pair, they fight evil. Four is Healer magic, which is self-explanatory, and five is Seer magic.” He paused to take a breath. “Aislinn is the only human I’ve ever known with Seer abilities. She isna verra proficient, but she can travel backward in time to alter outcomes.”

“Can she read the future?” Odin asked.

“’Tis part of the gift, but I dinna have a chance yet to teach it to her,” Fionn replied.

Thor grinned knowingly. “Sounds like quite a woman. Are you wed?”

“What difference does it make?”

Thor shrugged, his blue eyes dancing with mischief. “I don’t cuckold married men, otherwise, she’s fair game.”

“The hell she is.” Fionn grabbed Thor’s arm and spun him so they faced one another.

“Let’s focus on seeing if she’s even here,” Nidhogg broke in, sounding beleaguered. “One more thing. She has a wolf bondmate named Rune. Like all bond animals, he talks—and has a mind of his own.”

Thor wrenched out of Fionn’s grasp, still grinning like a gargoyle.

“Why don’t I sense any people nearby?” Odin asked.

“Because the Lemurians killed millions these past three years,” Fionn said. “Tens of millions, actually. Ye really should leave that stronghold of yours more often.”

“Grand idea, Celt.” Odin slugged him in the shoulder, and turned to Nidhogg. “What’s this plan of yours?”

The dragon slanted an appraising look his way. “Maybe you’re gaining wisdom. There are two possibilities. Either Aislinn is here hiding, or we guessed wrong, and she’s not here at all. If she’s sequestered herself somewhere, she’s likely buried herself in as strong an invisibility spell as she could muster. Or worse, she’s hidden behind warding not of her own making.”

While Fionn listened to the dragon, he asked his magic a different question and cast a wide net. “At least one dark god is here,” he muttered.

“I’d come to much the same conclusion,” Nidhogg said. “If a dark one is all the way out here, it’s a good bet Aislinn’s here too. The fortress is a short distance to the northeast of us. We need information, so I propose we corral whoever we can find and encourage them to talk.”

“That willna work well if it’s a dark god,” Fionn said.

“I have my ways,” Nidhogg said smugly. “Plus I have the best backup in the world.” Fire belched from his mouth, but the soggy greenery just smoldered. “I’m hoping for Perrikus or D’Chel. I’d love to dish out a hundredth of the misery they foisted onto me.”

“Another tale I’d love to hear,” Odin chimed in, looking hopeful.

“Later,” Nidhogg said. “Frankly, I don’t see the point wasting magic on stealth. They’ll know we’re here the moment we poke our heads into their territory.”

“Let’s get going.” Fionn turned in the direction Nidhogg had indicated and was joined by Thor and Odin. “You coming?” he asked Nidhogg.

“Certainly, but I’m flying. It’s an advantage to be able to see what we face from the air.” The black dragon spread his wings, flapped them a few times, and rose off the ground.

“I’d forgotten how much I love that black bastard,” Odin said and loped forward. Fionn and Thor paced him, one on either side.

Fionn kept his magical senses deployed, so he felt when the small birds and animals thinned out and then disappeared. “We’re getting close,” he cautioned. “Slow down.”

“Why?” Thor asked, barreling forward. “Fuck!” His beefy body bent backward and power arced off his chest.

“That’s why,” Fionn snapped. “The place is warded. ’Tis likely the first of several perimeter guards.” He sent power auguring into the ward to figure out its intricacies.

Thor rubbed his chest. “Hold up, Celt. If we mix our magics, we should make short work of this barrier.”

Thor’s prediction turned out to be a shade on the optimistic side, but it didn’t take more than ten minutes to chop a hole in the warding. Of course that meant they’d announced their presence as surely as if they’d ridden in on Nidhogg’s back. Perimeter wards weren’t worth a damn unless someone was monitoring them.

“Hurry.” Fionn gestured and broke into a run. “I want to be closer before the greeting party intercepts us.” Adrenaline poured through him, making his heart pound and his muscles fluid.

This time it was him who ran into a ward circle. Because it was constructed similarly to the first, it took much less time to untangle. Moments later, a large house came into view. It looked like a southern mansion with pillars supporting an upper floor. Sitting in the middle of a clearing in the forest, its white paint and shiny glass windows shone invitingly.

The air in front of Fionn split open and Majestron Zalia waltzed through a black-tinged portal. “Hello, boys.” Her full mouth opened in a parody of a seductive smile. “Nice of you to drop in. I’ve been lonely.”

“Bitch!” Odin spat on the ground. “Last time I checked, your blood was poison. Anyone who fucks you dies.”

“But they die happy.” Her grin widened. “Now, who can I thank for the pleasure of this visit?” Her midnight gaze settled on Fionn, and she licked her lips appreciatively. “I’ve lusted after you for years, Celt. I suppose you’re here because you didn’t like my little joke.”

“The one where ye got the dragons to open the gates of Hell for you?” Fionn eyed her warily.

“Speaking of dragons, I notice one’s flying about up there.” She waved her hands skyward. “He’s welcome to land. Poor thing,” she clucked. “He’s very old, and he must be exhausted. Wouldn’t want his heart to give out.”

“Nidhogg?” Fionn glanced up.

“I’ll stay where I am, thank you,” the dragon replied dryly. “Watching out for my weak heart and all.”

“You may as well talk out loud. I can hear you,” Majestron Zalia simpered and arched her upper body to push her breasts toward Fionn.

“Give it up, whore,” Fionn snarled. “I came for Aislinn. What have ye done with her?”

“I could make you much happier than that weak excuse for a human. Besides,” she shrugged, “I seem to have misplaced her.”

“Ye mean that weak excuse for a human managed to elude you.” Hope speared Fionn, so poignant he struggled to keep focused on Majestron Zalia. Aislinn was not only alive, she was still thinking, still fighting back.

“As long as we have you in our sights, sweetheart, we shouldn’t lose the opportunity.” Odin tugged his axe from its holster and faced Majestron. Fire shot from his blue gaze.

“If my blood touches you, you die too.” The dark goddess danced on the balls of her feet, her hips swaying in clear invitation.

Fionn kept his distance; he wasn’t sure about the effects of Majestron’s blood on any of them. The Norse deities were immortal, just like the Celts. He had no idea if they had some iteration of the Dreaming hidden away in the bowels of Asgard, and now wasn’t the time to ask.

Odin glared at her. She glared right back.

“Your precious dragon can’t kill me, either,” she said. “Fire won’t hurt us.”

“Not true,” Fionn cried. He may have let the blood gambit pass, but he wasn’t about to ignore this one. “I watched while Tokhots burned from the inside out.”

An unreadable expression flitted across Majestron’s face. He’d called her on her bravado, and she didn’t like it. He opened his mouth to follow up on his advantage when Aislinn blasted into his mind. She didn’t know he was there, but her energy was out in the open. The dark goddess felt it too because she spun, intent as a hunting dog on newly released prey.

“I doona care how ye manage it”—Fionn latched gazes with Odin—“but keep her here. I’m going after Aislinn.”

Chapter Nineteen

Aislinn huddled beneath the tree with Rune while Majestron vented her fury by screaming in Gaelic and a couple other languages Aislinn didn’t recognize. But anger was anger and it bled through despite the unfamiliar words. After Majestron finally stopped ranting, Aislinn waited a whole lot longer, barely breathing. Thirst was a constant, nagging companion. The more time that dribbled past, the drier her throat got until the sides rubbed together painfully.

“We can’t stay here forever.” Rune nudged her.

A breathy sigh escaped. “I know. Let me see if I have enough juice to teleport from down here.”

It was always harder to activate the teleport spell from underground. She’d done it a time or two when she’d been fresh. Now she was anything but. She needed food, water, and rest. Panic had fired her use of Seer magic, and she’d blown through any reserves that had built while she was unconscious in Majestron’s lair.

Aislinn took inventory. No matter how she sliced it, there was no way she could transport herself and Rune twenty feet from where they were, let alone far enough away for her to recover enough to bring them home.

“We have to go outside.”

“I figured as much.” The wolf shot from her side, his jaws crunching as they closed over some small, hapless creature. He twisted sideways and dropped a still-twitching mouse in her lap.

“You caught it, you can have it.” She smoothed his fur.

“I’ll find another. You need liquid and energy. Drink its blood. Suck the meat from its bones.”

Her empty stomach twisted in rebellion, but the wolf was right. It wasn’t as if she’d never eaten raw rodents, but they were far from her favorite sustenance. While she stared at the mouse, Rune skittered away from her, and she heard violent rustling and several outraged squeaks before he returned, carrying three more mice in his mouth.

Nothing for it but to do it. She pulled the knife that always hung from leather cording around her waist free of its sheath, surprised Majestron hadn’t taken it from her, slit the rodent’s neck, and sucked blood from its carotid artery. Thick, copper-scented liquid slid down her dry throat soothing her inflamed tissue, and her squeamishness faded. Once no more blood came from her insistent sucking, she split the belly, tossed the gut sack to Rune, and field stripped flesh from the tiny bones, eating hastily.

Rune nosed another mouse her way and said. “Two for each of us. It’s not enough, but it will do until we get some distance from here.”

Because she’d gotten past the mental part of eating raw rodent, the second one tasted better, and she wished for a third and a fourth. Wiping a hand across the back of her mouth, she said, “I’m ready. First thing I’ll do is clear the entrance. As soon we can, we’ll climb out and I’ll teleport us away from here.”

As she readied the spell to punch through the dirt she’d plugged the tree’s root hole with, she wondered about a destination. The teleport spell required one. She couldn’t just say take us as far as my power will stretch. Since she had no idea where they were, it made it difficult to come up with a location within the limited reach of her worn out magic.