Earth's Requiem(64)

She pushed outward with her Mage senses.

“Stop that!” Fionn’s voice was sharp. “The wolf may have a way through the wards, but you could blow it to smithereens with magic.”

“Sorry. Hadn’t thought about a self-destruct aspect.” She hastily pulled every shred of her power back inside herself and then tried to make herself close to invisible, even quieting her breathing.

Fionn crept forward. At the last moment, he dropped to his knees and leaned back. The swoosh of metal grated, harsh against her ears. Blades sprang from the upper doorsill, crisscrossing in the middle. They would have sliced Fionn in half if he’d stepped over the lintel.

“How did you know?” she cried.

“Sensed it. Marta left the lower portion open. Maybe she thought someone might force Rune to bring them here.”

A low whine sounded from just inside the house. “I did not know. I am grateful you were not injured,” Rune said. “Sorry—”

“Hush.” Fionn ducked under the crossed blades. “Your bond mate loved you very much. No need to apologize for that. Aislinn, come on.”

She looked at the half doorway, took off her pack, kicked it through, and followed Fionn inside. Straightening, she looked around. In contrast to the rundown appearance of the outside, the interior was spotless. Not so much as a speck of dust lay on anything. Furnished with antiques to match the age of the home, it looked as if she’d stumbled into a nineteenth century museum. The low hum of magic reached her ears. Must be why the house is still clean. “What did Marta do for a living?” she asked Rune.

“She was a doctor. And she kept on doctoring until close to the end. People still got sick after the dark ones came.” Rune’s voice resonated with pride.

Aislinn ruffled his fur. “Wonderful news,” she murmured. Then she thought about her Healer magic. Perhaps she didn’t really need anything as prosaic as penicillin anymore, but she’d look through whatever Marta had just the same. “Do you suppose there are medicines left here?”



“We don’t really need them, but it seems likely,” Fionn said. “No one else would have been able to storm the fortress. By Brigid’s tits, we barely got in.”

Aislinn giggled. “Goddess, eh? Is she a friend of yours? And does she have nice tits?”

“Yes to all three.”

“On a more serious note, do you think we’ve hit the last of Marta’s little surprises to trap the unwary?”

He cocked his head to one side. Strands of blond hair swung across his eyes. “Not sure. We won’t know until we’re through searching the rooms.”

“I can show you where her study was,” Rune offered, “and where she saw patients.”

“Let’s save the study for last,” Fionn said. “If there are more wards, that’s where I would have placed them.”

They started with the kitchen. Aislinn pulled open cupboards and drawers. “Oh my God,” she exclaimed excitedly. “There’s food here. Real food. Flour and sugar. Where the fuck would she have gotten those? And rice and noodles.” A broad smile split her face. “We might stay here until it’s gone. I don’t have anything nearly this sumptuous at my house.” She looked at Fionn. “Neither do you.”

“We could take some of it with us,” Fionn suggested.

“You don’t understand.” She stopped in the center of the kitchen and turned to face him, hands on her hips. “I’ve been hungry for most of the last three years. Besides, I’ve never had much luck transporting food. Though it might work if it wasn’t in cans.”

“Och aye, and I do understand.” He met her gaze. “But you’re not alone anymore.”



So that means I don’t get to make my own decisions…



“Yes.” His voice was even. “It means that and other things as well.”

She pounded a fist on the stone counter. “Damn it.” Her voice rose to a shriek. She tried to modulate it, but it was too late. “Stay out of my head.” She barreled out of the kitchen and right into something that felt like a thousand watt fence. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was feeling like all her cells had fried.





The high ceilinged room swam into focus. Fionn chanted something in Gaelic, breaking off to shout, “Yes!” as soon as her eyes fluttered open. Aislinn felt magic leave her body as he withdrew his spell. She lay on her back on the hardwood floor in the kitchen, head cradled on his lap. Rune was licking her face and saying her name over and over in her mind.

She struggled to sit, but Fionn held her in place. “Not yet, mo croi. I nearly lost you. Go easy. Here.”