Gideon's Spear (20 page)

The guards snarled at him. “Where does ya think yer going?”

“Just strolling about. It's a bit tiresome sitting here.”

Turning his back on the Amandán, he limped toward the edge of the clearing and faced the forest, looking eastward. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, whispering the words to the Song.

I am a wind on the sea
,

I am a wave of the ocean
,

I am the roar of the sea
,

I am a bull of seven battles
,

I am a hawk on the cliff
,

I am a teardrop of sunlight
,

I am a gentle herb
,

I am a boar enraged
,

I am a salmon in a pool
,

I am a lake in a plain
,

I am the vigor of man
,

I am the meaning of poetry
,

I am a spear on the attack, pouring forth combat
,

I am the god who fires your mind
.

When he reached his favorite line, the one he would never admit
was
his favorite, warmth welled up in his chest, easing the ache along his ribs and the pounding in his head. Breathing more freely, Gideon continued to chant.

His eyes flew open at a rustle in the bushes a few feet away. His voice faded away. A branch waved once. Water droplets scattered from its leaves like miniature diamonds, then stilled. He stiffened when a shape moved, low to the ground in the shadow of the scrub oak. Dismay knifed at him as he peered more closely. “Oh, bleedin ‘ell,” he breathed.

Twenty-Seven

F
inn crept along through the underbrush, unable to see much more than green leaves and muddy ground right in front of his nose. Rafe's spear, clutched in one hand, hampered his movements through the vegetation. He grimaced at each snap and rustle. Cold droplets, dislodged by his passing, splashed onto his head and neck and trickled down his shirt. Several yards behind, Rafe and Savannah waited on the other side of the trail behind a stand of pine trees. Slowing his movements even more, he inched closer to the clearing in front of the Amandán's cave.

He froze. An odd lump pushed up in his throat at the sound of a familiar baritone singing softly. He looked up through the low-hanging branches when the voice stopped.

Gideon stood a few feet away. Staring at him.

Finn couldn't help grinning back. He pointedly glanced down at Rafe's spear lying on the ground next to his hand.

With the slightest of movements, Gideon shook his head. “Knife,” he mouthed, then shuffled his feet and pretended to stretch while keeping himself between the guards and Finn's position in the bush.

Finn nodded. Reaching for his ankle, he clawed at his pant leg until he managed to slip the knife free. “Now what?” he mouthed back.

“Slide it toward me.”

Awkward from lying on his stomach, Finn tossed the blade toward his master's feet. He held his breath at the slight
tink
it made when it landed. Gideon coughed loudly, covering up the noise.

Curling his fingers around the shaft of the spear, Finn waited, pulse humming in his ears. When his master looked down at the knife and flicked a finger toward the guards, Finn nodded his readiness. Stillness swept over the forest.

In a blur, Gideon snatched the blade from the ground and spun around. Both guards leapt to their feet from his unexpected movement. Too late. A flash of bronze flew through the air and impaled the nearest Amandán through the chest. Goblin ash exploded everywhere.

Even before the Knight's blade found its mark, Finn was up and running toward the second goblin. With a shriek at the sight of the raised spear in the boy's hand, it whirled around and disappeared into the cave. Its voice echoed as it howled the alarm to the rest of the pack.

Finn slid to a stop and snatched the knife from the ground. “Here.” He ran back to Gideon and held it out. “Or do you want the spear?”

The Knight grabbed the knife and led the way down the trail, breaking into a run after a few feet. Finn frowned at his master's limping gait.

“What the ‘ell are ye doing here?” Gideon growled over his shoulder. “And where's Mac Roth?”

“Couldn't find him. But I brought us some backup.”

“It best not be—” At that moment, Rafe and Savannah stepped out from behind the tree. Gideon groaned and slowed to a walk. “Ye gods, I should have guessed.”

Weapons raised, the twins took a stance on either side of the path and waved the Tuatha De Danaan past. “Keep going,” Rafe hissed, his eyes sweeping the woods. “We'll be rear guard.”

“No—it's better to stay together. We might be facing a running battle all the way home. Finn, give Rafe the spear. He's more familiar with it than you are.” The boys switched weapons. “And you two, right behind me. Finn, you know what to do. Savannah, I want you in front.”

“Is it because I'm a girl? Look, Mr. Lir, I'm just as good as—”

“Lass, if things go awry, I need the fastest runner out front. You're to run like the wind if we get attacked. Do what you can to find Mac Roth.”

The Knight herded them into position, and they took off again. In the lead, Savannah ran easily, her stride seeming effortless and smooth. Behind her, Gideon limped along. In the rear, Finn, with Rafe jogging beside him, kept one eye on his master while continuously scanning the area behind and on either side. The only sound was their breathing and the
slurp-slap
of their feet in the mud.

“How long before they come after us?” Finn panted to the Knight.

“Minutes, maybe. Although I'm hoping the sight of that spear will spread enough fear amongst the beasties that they'll hesitate to follow.”

“Maybe they won't try at all,” Rafe said.

“Not bleedin' likely,” master and apprentice murmured at the same time.

They ran on in silence. The path narrowed, forcing Finn to drop behind Rafe. After a mile, Gideon signaled for a rest stop.

“Keep your weapons up,” he panted. He leaned against the trunk of a massive pine and closed his eyes.

“Gideon?” Anxiety poked Finn at the sight of his master's drawn face. “You okay? Well, besides the whole car wreck and the Amandán capturing us.”

“Battered a wee bit.” He opened his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and pushed off the tree. A harsh croak made them glance around, then upward.

“A murder of crows,” Rafe murmured, his eyes fixed on a small flock weaving amidst the tree tops.

“A what?” Finn asked. He sighed in relief when the birds wheeled about and disappeared.

“‘A murder of crows.' It's what a flock of them is called. You know, like a pride of lions.”

“Or a crash of rhinos,” Savannah chimed in.

“A route of wolves,” Gideon added.

A google of geeks
, Finn thought.

They all froze when the birds reappeared. They were joined by more and more, until the sky above was thick with them.

“Ye gods,” Gideon breathed.

The sound of heavy bodies crashing through the woods made them jump. Snarling and hooting made the gloom of the early evening even gloomier. Overhead, the crows croaked a warning.

“Run!”

Gideon gave Savannah a shove. She took off, Rafe sprinting after her. The master and apprentice followed on their heels.

Gasping the Song between puffs of breath, Finn pounded alongside Gideon. Twice, he put out a hand to steady him when the Knight lurched sideways, almost knocking both of them off their feet. Side by side, they stumbled along, dodging rocks and jumping fallen logs. A branch raked Finn's face, leaving a stinging cut across his chin. The path dived into a ravine, then back up the other side. Gideon struggled to make the climb, one hand pressed against his ribs.

“Hurry!” Rafe looked down at them from the edge of the ravine; Savannah stood beside him. “They're right behind…watch out!”

Finn and Gideon whirled around. Galloping along, using their arms as much as their legs, a couple of over-eager Amandán appeared on the trail behind them. Racing toward the Tuatha De Danaan, they screamed in triumph.

“
Nants ingonyama bagithi
!” A pair of voices shouted back in defiance.

Rafe's spear hurtled past Finn's ear. It caught the leading goblin dead center, striking so hard the impact yanked the beast off its feet before it exploded. A split second later, Savannah's knife impaled the second one. Weapons clattered to the ground. Goblin ash drifted over them.

Further down the trail, more Amandán appeared.

Finn hesitated.
We need those weapons
. Ignoring his master shouting at him to leave them, he whirled around and dashed back. Leaving Savannah's knife for later, he snatched the spear from the pile of stinking powder, tossed his own blade aside, and took a stance on the path. Suddenly, an idea shot through him.

Forge your rage into a weapon
. Gideon's voice whispered in his skull. In desperation, he mentally reached for the white-hot anger, the blinding rage that sent him into the warp spasm.

Nothing happened.

As the foremost beast neared, Finn ground his teeth together and tried again.

Nothing happened. Again.

“Ah, screw this,” he muttered. With a shout, he held the spear aloft. “Come along, ye manky beasties,” he yelled, throwing every bit of Gideon-ness he could into his voice. “I've a wee point to share with ye!” Gripping the end of the shaft in both hands, he swung it around and around over his head, creating a whistling sound. “
Faugh a ballagh
!”

“The Spear!” Goblin voices screamed in panic. “The Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan!”

“Yeah, you got that right!” He almost laughed aloud when the pack skidded to a halt, the front rank going down from the hindmost ones crashing into them. In a tangle of arms and legs and snapping teeth, they scrambled to their feet and raced back the way they came.

“Finnegan! Quickly now,” Gideon cried from the other side of the ravine.

Picking up the knives, Finn raced back to the others. Passing the weapons to the twins with a nod and a smile, he fell in beside his master as they started again, Rafe and Savannah a few steps in front.

They hurried along in silence, ears straining for the sound of bodies in the underbrush. Gasping for breath, they crested another hill. Dusk filled the hollows under bushes and between tree limbs. Feet began stumbling over roots and rocks.

“Feel…feel like we've been running forever,” Savannah panted when they paused at the top of the next hill.

“Only another mile, lass.” Gideon glanced around. Digging into a pocket, he pulled out his moonstone. The twins' eyes grew wide when the stone began to glow with its soft, pale light.

“Whoa.” Rafe peered more closely. “How does it do that? Is it bioluminescence?”

Savannah snorted. “Fey magic, of course.”

Gideon's weary face broke into a smile. He held up the stone, examining the shadows for a long minute, then closed a fist around it. “That's all the light I'll risk for now. Using a moonstone draws the beasties like moths to a candle flame. Very large, aggressive, stroke-inducing moths.”

A branch snapped further down the path. The sound of footsteps, more than one set, drifted toward them on the night breeze. A deep voice murmured, then was answered by a higher one.

The foursome eased back toward a large boulder. Ignoring their glares and silent protests, Finn nudged his friends behind the rock, then took a stance in front of them. Gideon nodded in approval. Shoulder to shoulder, they waited. To Finn, it seemed like the whole world held its breath.

His heart rammed into his throat as a massive figure stepped out of the trees a few feet away.

F
inn tightened an already white-knuckled grip around his knife. Next to him, Gideon stepped forward. The Knight raised his weapon in defiance.

“Take one step closer, beastie,” he growled, “and I'll shove me blade so far up yer—”

“Now, now, watch yer language, Lir,” boomed a familiar voice. “Ye've young ears nearby.”

Legs rubbery with relief, Finn grinned weakly as Mac Roth approached, a dagger in one hand and a hatchet in the other. An old-fashioned canteen hung from a strap across his chest. His grin widened when Lochlan appeared from behind the Knight's bulk.

Twenty-Eight

The Knights clasped forearms. Letting go, Gideon asked, “How did you find us?”

Mac Roth nodded at Finn. “This one left me a message. We came a-running as soon as we got it and were in the general area when we saw the light of yer moonstone.” He peered at Gideon. “Ye look terrible, ye know.”

“You should see my poor truck.”

“Here. I thought ye'd be needing this.” Mac Roth pulled the strap over his head and held out the canteen. It made a sloshing noise. “Some
sláinte
nettle potion.”

Gideon accepted the container gratefully. After taking a deep drink, he pulled out his handkerchief and wet it down with the potion. Dabbing at his head wound, he passed the canteen to Finn. After a few hearty gulps, Finn handed it back.

“Finish it off. You need it more than I do.” While the Knights spoke together, Finn walked over to the twins.

Lochlan joined them. Spying Savannah, he threw out his chest and stepped closer to her, much to Finn's annoyance. “Looks like you guys could use a kick-butt warrior.” He smiled at her with a trace of a wink.

“That's for sure.” Savannah studied him up and down. “Do you know where we could find one?”

Finn turned to Rafe. “Oh, she's good.”

Rafe nodded. “True that.”

“Lochlan, Finn. To me, boyos.” Mac Roth motioned them over. “Ye two are to stay with Knight Lir while we make our way back.” The giant turned to the twins. “I'll take the
lions
with me.” He grinned at their looks of surprise. “Aye, Lir mentioned yer war cry to me. Fitting, I must say. And, by the way, yer parents are looking for ye. I ran into them as Lochlan and I were leaving from Lir's home.”