pointed at her with my free hand. “You have wronged me, Brighid. And you owe me an apology. Much depends on your answer. What say you?”
“An apology wrung from me at the point of a sword would be worthless.”
“I beg to differ. At the point of this particular sword it would have to be heartfelt, or else you wouldn’t be able to say it. So this is a fundamental test of your constitution. Can you admit that you were wrong? Most deities can’t; it’s simply impossible for them. But you were human once, before we Irish made you gods. Take your time and think about it.”
Brighid’s eyes flashed with a blue flame, and I wondered if she had learned to do that just so she could compete with the Morrigan’s red flashes. Maybe I should try to figure out how to make my eyes flash green so I could freak out the baristas at Starbucks. “No, you foolish mortal,” I’d say as my eyes glowed, “I ordered a nonfat latte.”
The goddess broke eye contact and focused on emptiness, pressing her lips together, her jaw muscles visibly flexing. She clenched her fists and her entire body began to smoke, with isolated flames erupting here and there on her skin. I assumed she was dealing with anger issues.
Keep quiet while she’s doing this, okay? She’s forgotten you’re there and I don’t want to remind her. Oberon nodded that he heard and understood.
At length the fires went out and she relaxed, her muscles unclenching and the tension sloughing off her shoulders. She took several deep, shuddering breaths but eventually sighed deeply, placed her hands flat on the table, and looked down at her lap.
“Siodhachan, I have breached hospitality with you in an egregious manner. Please accept my sincerest apologies for my behavior.”
“Fairly spoken, Brighid. I accept your apology. But let us discuss the future now. If I release you from Fragarach’s spell, will you attempt to harm me or my hound?”
“No. Nor will I ever seek vengeance for the humiliation I have suffered. However, I cannot promise we will never come into conflict over other matters.”
“That’s understandable, but perhaps we could avoid unpleasantness by discussing other matters now. What do you think might bring us into conflict in the future?”
“Any liaison you have with the Morrigan.”
“Why? Should I not be able to liaise with whomever I wish?”
“Couple with her all you like,” Brighid sneered, “though I suspect there is more pain than pleasure in the act.” She jerked her chin significantly at the scratches on my torso. “What I mean is any sort of alliance that will threaten my position in Tir na nOg.”
“All right, explain to me what it is you fear. You think I might help the Morrigan usurp you?”
“Yes, that is precisely what I think.”
“Well, I freely tell you that I do not want that to happen any more than you do. I’d much rather have you running things than her.”
“Thank you,” Brighid said warily after a pause to judge my sincerity.
“But I feel it only fair to tell you that I have sworn to teach the Morrigan, and no other, the secret of my amulet.”
Brighid’s eyes flared blue. “That is what I am talking about! With that as her defense, she could slay me easily!”
“Relax. You have plenty of time to make your own. The Morrigan will not be making one of these overnight. It takes centuries. And while I feel at this time that I must turn down your generous offer of becoming your consort, you are still welcome to come here and study the amulet whenever you wish.”
“What did she promise you in return for teaching her about the amulet?”
“Nothing that need concern you. It has nothing to do with supplanting your position.”
“Be careful, Druid. She is treacherous.”
“She has been more straightforward with me than you have, Brighid. And she has taken an interest in my life for the vast majority of it. It is no wonder that she has beaten you to discovering this new Druidry of mine. You, on the other hand, have ignored me until just recently, now that I have something you want. So if you find yourself at a disadvantage, you have no one to blame except yourself.”
Brighid closed her eyes and took a deep breath, determined not to lose her temper again. “Yes, this has been a day for my inadequacies to be made plain. Are you finished?”
“Just about. Will you agree to leave in peace and inform me in advance of your visits in the future?”
“Yes.”
“And my promised reward for killing Aenghus Og? Rather than becoming your consort, I would like your forgiveness for today.” I released her from Fragarach and lowered the sword to the table but kept my hand on the hilt. “I look forward to your next visit and hope it will be much more congenial than this one.”
“I shall not break hospitality again,” Brighid said as she rose to her feet. “But neither shall you hear again an offer like you heard today. All of this,” she cupped her breasts briefly, “could have been yours, Druid, but no more. Think on that the next time the Morrigan is gouging out pieces of your flesh.”
She made sure I saw plenty of what I’d be missing on her way out the door. Damn, damn, damn.
‹Can I talk now?›
Sure, Oberon. What’s up?
‹Usually I think your paranoia is really funny. But right now I’m just glad you told me where to stand so that I didn’t get set on fire by She of the Violent Mood Swings.› He reared up and put both his paws on my shoulders and gave me a sloppy lick in the face. ‹Thanks, Atticus.›
Chapter 15
There were multiple missed calls on my cell phone. Some were from Granuaile, some from Malina, and a couple from Hal Hauk, my lawyer. I called my lawyer first.
“Atticus! Tell me you weren’t involved in this Satyrn Massacre business,” he said without preamble.
“Satyrn massacre?”
“That’s what the papers are calling it. Capital M.”
“Oh. Well, look, why don’t you come over,” I said, because anyone could be listening.
“Gods of light and darkness preserve us. Don’t move, I’ll be right there,” he growled, and then hung up.
Granuaile was next. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to define your terms.”
“You’re still in one piece and everything still works.”
“Then yes, I’m all right.”
“Good. Thought you’d like to know that priest and rabbi came in again.”
“They did?” I frowned. “What did they want?”
“They asked me to open the rare-book case. I told them I couldn’t.”
“Right, because you can’t.”
“Right. They looked pretty pissed. And then they asked all these questions about you. Religious stuff, like whether you were a Christian or a Jew or a pagan, and whether you practiced your religion faithfully.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I said those were questions better answered by yourself. They wanted to know when you’d be back, and I had to tell them I really didn’t know.”
“Well, hopefully I’ll be in before the day is through. Can Perry and Rebecca run things tomorrow?”
“Sure. What do you want me to do?”
“Latin, of course, and get your job back at Rula Bula.”
“Already got it. All it took was a phone call and some groveling to Liam.”
“Excellent! I want you to come over in the morning so I can see about doing something for your personal protection. I haven’t done a divination recently, but I’m getting one of those hunches.”
“The paranoid kind?”
