end, whatever it may be, he has been collecting all the enchanted weapons and armor he can. He even got my fool of a husband to ask me to make a set of armor that would stop the blade of Fragarach. Not asking him why, I made some ridiculous-looking stuff and told him it would make him invincible. He promptly put it on and got himself killed, so well done, Druid.”
“Um…” I didn’t know what to say.
“I would have had to kill him myself if things had gone much farther. As it is, I would still like to avoid direct conflict with Aenghus Og if I can. Descending to the level of battle is… distasteful, especially with one’s own brother.”
Descending to the level of death is also distasteful, and that’s a distinct possibility once one is in a battle. I kept that thought to myself, however, and nodded sympathetically.
“Aenghus wants Fragarach because he believes it will penetrate my armor,” she said, tapping her helmet.
“Won’t it?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Brighid said. “This armor is an honest attempt to forge something immune to Fragarach, unlike what I gave to Bres. I’d rather not test it.”
“I would never wield Fragarach against you.”
Brighid laughed. It was like listening to a symphony that makes you shiver and cry for the joy of it.
“I know that, Atticus. And I would rather Aenghus not wield it against me either.”
“I’d have to be dead first.”
“Precisely. I think you are fit to wield it, and I would rather it remain in your possession. But Aenghus definitely wants it and he is manipulating events to make sure it falls to him. You may have noticed some of this already.”
“You mean the Fir Bolgs who attacked me last night? I noticed that, yeah.”
“I was speaking of other matters. For example, the mortal police pursuing your wolfhound.”
“But that came about because of Flidais, and you said you sent her.”
“I sent her to warn you, yes. But that park ranger was the work of my husband, doing Aenghus’s bidding. The police are now tools of the love god.”
“They’re definitely tools,” I agreed.
“They will try to find a way to take the sword from you, even if you resist. Aenghus hopes you will, because the police will pull their weapons and take the sword from you at the first sign of resistance. He will have no trouble taking it from them after that.”
“I see. They will probably get that search warrant, then. I should warn my lawyer.”
“There is more. Aenghus has recruited a coven of witches against you.”
“What?” I said. “Which coven?”
“They call themselves the Sisters of the Three Auroras.”
I felt the spike in my blood pressure immediately. “But they claim to want nothing to do with Aenghus Og! One of them is bedding him, and she asked me to brew a tea to make him impotent!”
“Aenghus Og arranged the entire thing with them. It is both a way to give him just cause to kill you and a way to get the witches close to you.”
“But I have Radomila’s blood!” I spluttered. My outrage was sloshing over and turning to spittle. “Her coven is pledged to do me a favor in return for my services!”
“They are counting on you not being around much longer to collect,” Brighid said. “If you ask them to do anything that conflicts with Aenghus Og’s interests, this Radomila will be conveniently unavailable.”
“What do the witches get out of the deal? Aenghus must have promised them something huge.”
“I do not know for sure. My guess is that he has promised them free traveling privileges through Tir na nOg.”
I gave a low whistle. “That would allow them to become a very powerful coven.”
“Yes. But they are not the only group he is making promises to. He has enlisted the help of the Fomorians, he has stirred up a large number of the Fae against me, and I suspect he has made some bargains with hell.”
That could be a fairly huge problem. There were way more of them than me, and they wouldn’t listen to my lawyer. “What about the rest of the Tuatha De Danann? Where do they stand?”
“Most of them are with me. The idea of Fomorians and demons in Tir na nOg does not make a convincing sales pitch.”
“What about the Morrigan?”
“No one knows, because no one has spoken to her.” Brighid grinned wryly. “I think Aenghus was worried she would end his plotting prematurely. For my part, I would rather not be in her debt. She does not work well with others.”
“She has spoken to me,” I said. “She is already suspicious that something is going on and is incensed at being left out.”
“She will get herself involved as she chooses. Are you willing to get involved, Druid?”
“I already am involved, it seems.”
“I am asking you to choose sides. My side, specifically.”
“Done,” I said instantly. What moral dilemma was there? She wanted me to keep the sword; Aenghus wanted to take it. She liked me alive; Aenghus didn’t. She was hot; Aenghus was not.
“My thanks.” She smiled so warmly, I felt as if my kidneys had melted. “Kill Aenghus Og for me and I shall reward you.” I have to admit that some of the warm fuzzies flew away right there. It made me feel like a mercenary. “And should you run into some demons, I have a gift for you. Give me your right hand.”
I placed my right hand in her left. Her palm was cool to the touch, calloused from the forge; her fingers were long and strong. She placed her right index finger onto the loop of my tattoo and tried to do… something. Uh- oh.
“I do not understand.” She frowned. “Something is preventing me from giving you the power of Cold Fire.”
I kept my face carefully neutral, while part of me was screaming inside and another part was thinking, Cooooooool. My amulet had just prevented her from performing magic on me. It might have even protected me from summary incineration, had the meeting gone differently-it was not the sort of thing I wanted to test. But now she would become aware of its existence, and things could get awkward.
“Your aura is strange, Druid,” she said, sitting back in her chair, noticing it for the first time. “What have you done to it?”
“I have bound it with cold iron,” I said, pulling my necklace out from underneath my shirt. “It protects me from most magic.”
Brighid said nothing at first, just sat and stared at my necklace. Then she said, “It is also protecting you from my aid. I cannot give you Cold Fire. If you face any demons, you will be left to your own devices, and I cannot see how that will avail you if you cannot use magic.”
“Oh, I can use magic.”
“Does not the iron prevent it?”
“I have discovered a solution to the old problem.”
“Remarkable that you have found one where I have not,” said the goddess of the forge.
“Have you truly tried?”
“No,” she admitted. “I thought it was impossible.”
“Turns out it’s only next to impossible.”
“Have you tested it against demons?”
“It prevents succubi from casting their charms on me.”
“But you have not had to deal with hellfire or any other hellish attacks?”
“Not yet.”
“You will need to test it soon. You need a way to deal with demons. Lots of them, if I am right about who Aenghus has been talking to.”
“What does this Cold Fire do?”
“It allows you to burn them from within, but it burns like ice burns. It takes a lot of energy and it drains you- even if you draw power from the earth, it will drain you-but it will save you from being overwhelmed in a fight. Alas,
