Angry lightning zigzagged and tiny twisters formed as they manifested swords and fought with those first before Raven started whipping fiery arrows. In turn, Mórrígan flung green energy balls that mostly fizzled out before they reached her.
Sensing the goddess’s quickly dwindling power, Raven issued a dark, malicious smile. Without her spirit, Mórrígan wouldn’t last long. She was far too depleted and becoming less herself by the moment. So Raven kept wearing her down. Nicking her here and there. Weakening her so much that by the time she finally did embrace her dragon, Mórrígan knew her time was nearly up.
“Surely you realize how powerful I still am,” Mórrígan reasoned. “I’m one of the most powerful Celtic goddesses that exists.” She looked down her nose at Raven. “Yes, I might be weakened at the moment, but—”
That’s all she got out before Raven snatched the withering goddess up in her talon and launched into the air. While she had been more than tempted to incinerate Mórrígan’s vulnerable flesh where she stood, she had a better idea. One that would serve to bolster their side of the war and let everyone know the mightiest had, in fact, fallen.
She flew straight into the godly battle and showed all what she held.
What they could expect if this war went on.
Power lashed her from every angle, but it didn’t slow her. She was too strong now. Far too powerful now that her mate had lifted her up, balanced her out, and returned her to a life where she no longer straddled two worlds butharnessedthem.
Embraced them for all they were worth.
To the average onlooker, she might appear a dark, glittering Vanaheim dragon shooting across the sky with a dwindling star in her talon, but to dragonkind and gods alike, she was a force to be reckoned with. An Ancient Celtic Norse dragon seer wizard goddess that possessed the power to destroy their mightiest gods.
That, combined with Vicar, Trinity, Thor, and Loki infiltrating from behind enemy lines and wreaking havoc, made the Celts more than take notice.
“How’s it going, Trinity?”she asked, sensing her sister’s bloodlust as she battled amongst the Celts. How much she enjoyed her revenge. The sheer hunt.
“Very good.”There was no mistaking the grin in Trinity’s voice.“We almost have her.”
Raven tuned into the battle on the other side. Trinity and Vicar had successfully snuck up on Goddess Carman and had her cornered. Her son, Darkness, was still imprisoned in Mt. Galdhøpiggen, so was of no help. Her other sons, Evil and Violence, had been so weakened they were helpless to defend her. Instead, they skulked away, unwilling to risk the small godliness they still possessed.
“She doesn’t stand a chance,”Trinity went on.
She didn’t, either. Trinity and Vicar were far too powerful now. Or so Raven assumed when all went quiet in her mind.
“Trinity?”Nothing. No response. So she asked again.“Trinity?”
Dead air. All remained quiet. What was happening? Had Carman taken her down? Had she lost a sister in this? She tried to remain calm, to exercise patience, but it was hard. Next to impossible. Seconds felt like hours.
“Trinity, answer me now,”she finally growled into her sister’s mind, only for silence to explode into warfare. In growls and roars and godly zaps of energy. She felt the back and forth tug and pull of her sister’s spirit as she fought. Her ferocious power. The fire pouring out of her mouth. The smell of burning flesh in her nostrils.
“Vicar,”Raven roared, fear for her sister getting the better of her.“What’s happening? Are you two all right? Is Trinity okay?”
From what she’d heard, Carman was no joke. She might not be as powerful as Mórrígan, but she had wreaked a lot of havoc in this war. She had thrust her sons at Raven’s sisters and caused a hell of a lot of trouble.
“Vicar?”she growled.“Trinity?”
She caught Maya and Dagr off to her left fighting alongside the dead. Jade and Thorulf smacking down the enemy off to her right with their Celtic power. But nothing from Trinity. Was this it? Had they come this far only to lose one of their own?
“Trinity, you better—”
“I’m good,”Trinity finally responded.“We’re good.”
Almost the moment she said it, Raven felt them take down Carman at last. It was fast and ferocious, brutal and angry, but Raven felt her extinction every bit as much as she did Mórrígan’s waning life in her talons. Then she felt something even better.
The swift end to a long war.
Losing their two top players plus the battering they were taking on both sides had done in the Celtic gods, and they were finally retreating. Over a decade of fighting was coming to an end. Roars of approval rang far and wide. From Mt. Galdhøpiggen to the Fortress to the Stronghold to the Realm.
It wasn’t over until it was over, though.
While tempted to tear Mórrígan in two for the terrible grief she had caused, Raven wanted this done right. Someone else deserved to end her. Two people, actually. So she landed in the courtyard of the Keep and flung her to the ground.
Outside of children and the elderly, most had shifted to dragons and were everywhere. From the courtyard to the walls to every turret of the Keep. Everyone had been roaring to the heavens in glory, but all went silent when she handed over Mórrígan to a massive black dragon and smaller but equally amazing pearl-colored dragon that landed in front of Raven.
