Gerard ground the butt of his spear against the hard, cold ground. “The Gap of Dunloe. The Cailleach Bheur took us back to Ireland.”
“Nice of her to leave us in the lurch. Where’d she go?”
“I don’t know.”
Patrick patted his pocket, pulling out his phone. The screen was cracked a little in the corner, but it still worked. He didn’t have any signal though, and the phone still showed the wrong date.
“Is it still winter solstice?” he asked.
Órlaith nodded, tugging at the collar of Patrick’s leather jacket that she still wore. “It is.”
Patrick shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Now what?”
Before anyone could answer, the earth jerked beneath their feet hard enough to make Patrick lose his balance. He crashed against Jono’s side, grabbing at Jono’s thick fur with one flailing hand. The earthquake rumbled through the early morning air as mist rose from the ground, drifting between them and the Gap of Dunloe in the distance.
“Youhadto ask,” Arthur yelled at Patrick.
Patrick hauled himself upright, bracing himself against Jono. He rode the shaking earth as best he could, the pressure in his head from an atmospheric change making him look up at the sky. High above, clouds began to swirl, and the distant screams of the Sluagh drifted on the rising wind.
Shadowy figures began to appear in the mist between them and the Gap of Dunloe. A downdraft of freezing wind blew the mist aside as the earth finally settled. Some of the mist twisted and solidified into a tall gray horse with fiery eyes and strangely sharp teeth.
Seated atop the CeffylDwr was Medb, the Queen of Air and Darkness looking ready for war in black armor that sucked up what little light the rising sun was giving off. Arrayed around her was a small army of Unseelie fae ranging fromdaoine sídheto goblins to trolls. The Sluagh hovered overhead, waiting to attack.
Cairbre stood on Medb’s right, while Balor was an imposing figure to her left, the giant’s height and breadth nearly blocking the Gap of Dunloe from sight. The air smelled of ozone and the recognition burning through Patrick’s magic was enough to nearly choke him.
“I would really like a tank right now,” Patrick said to no one in particular. “Maybe an airstrike.”
Sage snorted, her round, weretiger ears swiveling his way, as if agreeing with him.
“I second that assessment,” Darren said.
Gerard spun his spear around, aiming the notched spearhead at Medb’s Unseelie fae. TheGáe Bulgerupted in golden fire, twisting around the weapon in a menacing manner.Somethingshifted in Gerard’s aura, and the punch of magic that poured out of him crashed against Patrick’s shields. He didn’t feel human to Patrick’s senses anymore—he didn’tlookit in that moment, standing tall and proud and furious in the face of the enemy.
Beside him, Órlaith gripped the empty air in front of her with both hands and yanked her arms downward. When she lifted them again, she was holding two short swords, one in each hand. The steel blades were carved with runes that glowed with a soft blue light, the same color as her summer-sky-blue eyes. Her bright red-orange hair fell loose around her body, standing out against the black leather jacket.
Patrick shared a single glance with Nadine before they both conjured up mageglobes at the exact same time. Patrick threw his awareness into the soulbond, reaching through Jono’s soul for the ley line that roared beneath the earth. His concentration was momentarily jolted when he realized the ley line wasn’t the only external magic below.
Deep beneath the Gap of Dunloe was a nexus—and its magic carried a signature that spoke of belonging to the fae.
Patrick opened himself up to the nexus anyway, the connection shocking his nerves in a way that left his ears ringing. He drew that power through Jono’s soul and into his own, filling his mageglobes with a multitude of combat spells while Nadine used hers to raise another shield over everyone. Her ward hung heavy in the air; the weight of her magic powered by the nexus.
“Spread out and pick your targets,” Gerard ordered.
“Wade?” Patrick said, not taking his eyes off Medb.
“Yeah?” Wade said.
“Now would be a good time to shift.”
Nadine retreated to the rear of the group, moving uphill to get a better vantage point in order to manipulate her shields. Jono and Patrick took up position at the front, and he passed his mageglobes through Nadine’s shields, lining them up. Around them, the Hellraisers scattered to find what cover they could on the mostly open land, intending to rely on Nadine’s shields for most of their protection for as long as possible.
Sage bounded over to where Desmond stood, the sorcerer leaning most of his weight against Arthur. Desmond had cast concentric circles on the ground beneath his feet to help anchor his magic. Sage planted herself by his side, intent on guarding him while Desmond worked his magic.
Jono’s soul shifted in a way that made Patrick’s mageglobes flicker. Patrick jerked his head around, noticing the white fire that flickered at the outer corner of Jono’s bright blue eyes. When that huge wolf head turned to look at Patrick, the presence staring out of those wolf-bright eyes wasn’t human in the least.
Patrick pointed his dagger at the god inhabiting Jono’s body. “You get him hurt and we’re going to have fuckingwords.”
The growl that came out of Jono’s mouth somehow twisted into words in Patrick’s ears.
