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“Why?” Julian countered nervously. “She was all alone after they took Colin and you don’t know Ma. She was obsessed with her men and thought that compound of theirs was going to be like Mount Olympus in the Appalachians after the Dagda returned and made us His Tuatha Dé Danann.”
“She wasn’t alone the day she died,” Nelson offered, watching Julian. “She had company and it wasn’t ol’ Colin because he’s been in custody for almost as long as you have.”
“Who else could it be?” Nox asked, his voice going low as the room grew warm and the light softened around him. A dreamy smile spread across Julian’s face and his eyes were heavier as he swayed toward Nox. Even the orderly had shuffled closer and was staring lovingly at Nox. “Yew is an odd choice for a modern murderer, isn’t it?”
“He knows old, dark magick,” Julian whispered as his nostrils flared and eyes filled with tears.
“Is that what this was?” Nox asked, pulling up the sleeve of his black sweater and revealing the bandage on his forearm.
Julian swore and his hands were shaking as they reached and hovered over it. “You were bled?” His eyes flicked to Nox’s. “He cursed you!”
Nelson cleared his throat loudly, snapping everyone out of it. He was no longer in the mood for games and riddles. “Who is he?”
There was a loud gulp from Julian and his gaze darted between Nelson and Nox. “Colin and I are next if he did this.”
“Why would he want to kill the three of you?” Nox asked, raising his hand to quiet Nelson before he could demand a name. The soft glow returned, but Julian shook his head and covered his ears as he rocked forward.
“Oh, gods… He killed Ma and he’s coming for us.”
“Who?” Nelson urged and Julian shook his head.
“We failed and he’s punishing us. He’s coming for you too,” he warned Nox, sounding more frantic.
Nelson slapped the table hard, making Julian jump and whimper. “Who? Give me a name so I can keep him away from you and Professor MacIlwraith.”
“I can’t!” Julian whispered, his eyes huge and shimmering as they swung to Nelson. “But you have to keep the professor safe. It’s too late for me because he knows I’ve told you about him,” he said to Nox and strained to reach for his hands. The chains were taut but made a faint jangling sound as Julian trembled. “He says you have to die so he can be the one. He says you’re too weak and scared.”
Nox took his hands and shushed gently. “The one for what, Julian?”
“He knows all about your family,” Julian whispered to Nox, casting wary glances at Nelson and the orderly. “He says you’re the son of the sun but he thinks that if he proves he’s stronger than you, the Dagda will have to choose him. He says you’ve already shown you’re unworthy because you have no heir!”
“No heir?” Nelson parroted while he wrote.
Nox continued to play the part of the befuddled academic. “What could my family possibly have to do with any of this?” He mused as he held Julian’s hands and studied him. “You understand that he’s not well, don’t you? I’m a professor, Julian, and whoever this person is, neither of us has been chosen by an ancient Celtic god. That’s just old myths and superstitions.”
“I know!” Julian stated emphatically. “But I know that magick is real and he’s dangerous, professor. He studies the things you won’t. That’s why he thinks he’s better than you. He’s not afraid to call on demons and he worships the Badb1, too. He wears it as his sign.”
“The Badb?” Nox asked flatly. He licked his lips and swallowed hard, casting a quick glance at Nelson.
“What’s the Badb?” Nelson asked, looking at Julian when Nox hesitated.
Julian watched Nox with huge eyes. “She was one of the three war goddesses and was queen of confusion and terror. She took the form of the Badb Catha, the battle crow,” he recounted.
“The battle crow,” Nelson repeated as he wrote in his notebook, his blood pressure skyrocketing as acid crept up the back of his throat. He raised a brow at Nox but he shook his head, sneering belligerently.
“He has a lot of nerve, I’ll give him that. But I’ll never fear a crow. And who doesn’t love a battle crow? What’s more metal than that?” He held up a hand, pausing, and raised a brow at Julian. “That’s mythology, though. I’ll take my chances with the FBI and I think it would be smart if you put your faith in us.”
“I think it’s too late, professor,” Julian said. “You were right, I’m not feeling well.”
“What do you mean?” Nox asked warily as he leaned in. “What’s wrong and when did it start?”
“It’s my chest, my breathing,” Julian said and covered his mouth with a shaking hand to hold back a panicked gasp. “I thought it was just a cold and my asthma acting up; I’ve had tightness in my chest all morning.”
Nox spun around in his seat. “He needs medical care now!” he shouted at the orderly.
The other man had his walkie-talkie out and was calling for doctors and medics to move an inmate to the clinic and prepare for emergency transport. “It’s too late,” Julian said, laughing as he scrubbed his face. “My coffee was weird this morning. I checked the grounds because I always do if there are leaves or grounds or wine stains. They were thicker and pulpier. But I’ve seen so many strange things on my tray since I’ve been here that I stopped asking questions.”
“I’m sorry, Julian,” Nox said, taking his hands again.
