Nelson swung again and again, mumbling the Gaelic oath Clancy had taught him, the only Gaelic he knew aside from words of love and devotion. He used them to call to the gods and Nox and to give himself strength. The end of the leg splintered into a sharp point so Nelson flipped it around in his grip and fell on Hildr, stabbing and growling his oath like a curse.
“Du thabairt dorais du glé, for mu muid céin am messe!” he spit out, swaying over Hildr’s motionless body. Thick, sticky blueblood was smeared all over Nelson’s hands, up to his forearms and the front of Nelson’s shredded shirt.
He didn’t waste any time, grabbing one of the other broken legs and running for the door. There was no telling what was on the other side of it but it was his only way out. The door creaked as he opened it but the hallway was clear so Nelson pressed himself against the wall and quickly moved to the stairs. He climbed them silently and peeked around the wall, scanning the open living room and kitchen before sprinting to the front door.
“Stop him!” a shrill voice called and the front door opened, revealing four hulking, festering Fomorians.
Nelson turned to run for the back doors but found six more Fomorians lumbering towards him. An assortment of limping, twitching, black-eyed calamities gathered around Nelson, reeking of decay and sulfur.
“Look at my children, Agent Nelson. Aren’t they beautiful?” Dùbhghlas taunted from the loft overlooking the living room. “This will be your family, after we’ve finished torturing you and you’ve had time to rot in the dirt.”
“It’s not going to happen,” Nelson stated with absolute certainty. “Your shitty valkyrie tried to steal my soul and it fried her.”
A flicker of rage passed across Dùbhghlas’s face before it pulled into a disgusted sneer. “You will pay for your insolence, Nelson. Shut him up and then see that he’s tied to something he can’t break,” he told one of the Fomorians behind Nelson before he heard and felt a loudbang!and he was thrown forward, into a crowd of seething, spitting fangs and filthy claws.
“Hurry, Nox!” Nelson grunted out, the world turning black and folding in on him. He covered his face and hunched over to protect himself as he sank to the floor, groaning and whimpering as he was kicked, punched, and stomped on. “Hurry!”
Chapter Twenty
Nox’s request to travel to Coudersport by demon had been denied so he rode in the back of Fletcher’s van with Everly. Bryn and Arawn were in the front and Clancy was driving Ingrid, Merlin, Sigrid, and Freya in the Range Rover. Tighe was spared the trauma of riding in a vehicle and went to Coudersport with Smoak and the two were doing reconnaissance while they waited for the rest of their party.
Theycould havesaved themselves hours and traveled by demon but Merlin and Clancy didn’t want anyone stranded in the event that something happened to Smoak or he had a change of heart after Dùbhghlas was dealt with. Thankfully, Smoak made sure any law enforcement they might encounter along the way was enchanted and distracted so they were able to fly as fast as Fletcher’s old white van could carry them.
It was already late when they set out but it was decided that it was better to wait until morning to make their move on the cabin. None of Dùbhghlas’s creatures were necessarily averse to sunlight but they were more comfortable at night and Merlin’s night vision wasn’t what it used to be. As much as Nox wanted to attack immediately, he conceded that it was better to give Smoakand Tighe time to get a thorough lay of the land so they weren’t running in completely blind.
“I can’t wait!” Everly hugged his knees on the bench next to Nox in the back of the van. “The Huge Douchebag is finally going to get what he deserves and all those stolen halflings’ souls will be freed.Allof the souls he’s stolen are going to be free!”
“I love your confidence, buddy.” Nox held up his fist so Everly could bump it and watched the scenery zip past the driver’s side window.
There were no windows in the back but Nox could see the stars and a waning gibbous moon over Bryn’s shoulder. It had been a pink full moon, signifying rebirth, renewal,balance,andromance. This was the ideal time to handle unfinished business and put an end to Dùbhghlas. It was one more good omen and soothed him, knowing this would be his last night without Nelson.
“Can I have dibs on all the Abhartachs?” Everly asked them. “They can’t steal my power and I want to be the one to free them.”
Bryn smiled back at him, then glanced at Nox. His smile widened when Nox gave him a nod. “They’re all yours,” Bryn said to Everly.
“Yes!”
“What do you think?” Arawn nudged Bryn. “Nine Fomorians for you and nine for me? After that, we can see if Smoak needs a hand with the demons.”
Bryn laughed as he bumped his fist against Arawn’s. “Sounds good to me. Clancy, Merlin, and the valkyries can take care of the rest while Nox puts his godly foot up Dùbhghlas’s ass and fries him.”
“I like that plan!” Everly said as he clapped.
Nox gave his hair an affectionate ruffle. The occupants of the Range Rover and Smoak might not approve of the entire planbut Everly’s excited optimism was infectious. “It’s a real good plan.”
“We have plenty of room for Nelson to ride back with us.” Everly pointed at the empty bench across from them, making Nox’s heart race as he pictured Nelson there and realized how close they were to making that a reality.
There simply weren’t any other options in Everly’s mind and Nox decided to borrow his unyielding faith and fully embraced hope. As the miles and the hours passed, Nox found that doing so made it easier to tune out the angry god and manifest a total victory over Dùbhghlas and his dark army. By the time they parked in the small rest area and set off to find Smoak and Tighe, Nox was practically skipping and grateful for the hours spent with Everly and the twins. He wassoready to settle matters with Dùbhghlas and get his man back.
“How did it look?” he asked Smoak and Tighe when they met at the rendezvous point about two miles away from the cabin.
“First of all…” Smoak planted his hands on his hips and shook his head at Nox, Merlin, and Clancy. “Can either of you pretentious dickheads explain why you keep calling that glass mansion a ‘cabin?’”
Nox shrugged and twisted his lips thoughtfully. “Probably because ‘cabin’ is shorter than ‘glass mansion’ and doesn’t make us sound like pretentious dickheads.”
“Niall lived in a cabin. Anything with two saunas, professional kitchen appliances, and a full gym and a pool in the basement is not a cabin.”
“I see your point.” Nox’s cheeks puffed out as he mimicked Smoak and planted his hands on his hips. “This changes everything. The Fomorians might have been working out.”
