Finn's Choice (5 page)

“Warrior bards?”

“That's right.”

Hmm. I wonder what I would write about
? Not sure what to say, Finn simply nodded. Something that had been bothering him all day rose to the surface. “Hey, Gideon?”

“Aye, lad?”

“The
Scáthach
. She's a goddess, right? So, she can do anything she wants?”

“Ah.” Gideon laid his book on his lap. “You are wondering if she is omnipotent. That means all powerful.” He shook his head. “The
Scáthach
, while a formidable goddess, is a goddess of
this
world and is mostly bound to the laws of this world. Mostly.”

“Like we are? I mean, we can do stuff humans can't, because of the Song and the warp spasm, but there's a lot of things we can't do, right?”

“Aye, that's right. There are limits and constraints on her abilities. For example, while she can move swiftly in her chariot of clouds, it does take her time to move from place to place. And, while her spear and her bow and arrows are magically enhanced, she can be fought weapon-to-weapon. And, to be sure, the Goddess Danu gave us the Song. The
Scáthach
finds
that
not at all to her liking, for Danu is a much more powerful goddess, and we are Her children.”

Finn thought for a moment. “It's like the
Scáthach
is a goddess with a lowercase g.”

Gideon grunted in surprise. “A novel way to explain it, but yes, you have the general idea.” He glanced out the front windows. “'Tis late. To bed with ye, boyo. We've a stout day ahead of us.”

While standing at the counter the next morning, Finn crunched his way through a bowl of Lucky Charms, one eye on the kitchen window and the storm clouds piling up over the foothills to the west. Tilting the cereal bowl, he gulped the last of the milk, then wiped his mouth clean on the sleeve of his old hoodie as he placed his dish in the sink. He noticed the sleeves were too short—his wrists stuck out of them.

The growl of an engine echoed faintly. “Finn!” Gideon called him from the living room. “They're here.”

Finn joined him. Waiting by the front door, his master was dressed in his oldest jeans and an old flannel shirt with the elbows worn clean through. “Kel O'Shea?”

“Not yet. Mac Roth with Lochlan.”

“Good.” Thinking of his
other
best friend and fellow apprentice, Lochlan O'Neill, Finn grinned. “Safety in numbers, you know.” As
Gideon's expression, he explained. “Against Tara.”

“You two growing boys are fearful of a mere slip of a girl?”

“She's got a bow. And she's already threatened to shoot me in the butt once. Well, twice. Each buttock.”

“When did she threaten you?”

“At the Festival. She thought we had put her master in danger. Like, on purpose.”

“Should
I
be worried?”

“I wouldn't turn my back if I were you.”

Gideon grunted. “Well, you best find a way to live side by side with young Tara. For my part, I am looking forward to having her and Knight O'Shea as neighbors.”

That's because you like Kel O'Shea
, Finn thought. He sighed.

At the sound of heavy boots punishing the front steps, Gideon opened the door. A large man, a head taller than Gideon, and with a strength and way of moving that always reminded Finn of a bear, filled the doorway. His wild mane of red hair was the same shade as his beard. A boy about Finn's age, and with the same growth-spurt awkward build as Finn, stood half-hidden behind him.

“A chilly morning, Lir. Say, do we have time for a cuppa?” Mac Roth's voice boomed. He glanced past the Knight's shoulder, hope on his face. “For they've not yet arrived.”

“
Fáilte
, old friend.” Gideon stepped aside. “To be sure, the kettle is still warm.”

As the Knights disappeared into the kitchen, Finn bumped fists with the other boy. “Hey, Lochlan.”

“Hey.” Lochlan O'Neill's blond hair, the signature mark of the O'Neill clan, was a bright contrast with the gray day. The apprentice opened his mouth and demonstrated the other signature mark of the O'Neill clan. “Dude. You have the worst luck.”

“You mean because of Tara moving in next door? Don't remind me.”

Finn started to close the door behind Lochlan when a car horn beeped. He and Lochlan stepped outside in time to wave at Dr. Steel. In the back seat of her Volvo station wagon, he could see Savannah waving back. As the car rolled along, she powered down her window and pulled off her headphones.

“Finn, I forgot to tell you last night,” she called. “We've got a half-day at school because of teacher meetings. We'll come over and help after lunch.”

“Great!” Finn and Lochlan yelled back at the same time. For some reason, Finn wanted to tell Lochlan to shut up.
She wasn't talking to you
.

Rafe's head appeared next to hers as he crowded his sister. “Hey, Finn? Try not to get shot.” He glanced at the front seat and the back of his mother's head, then mouthed the words
in the butt
. He grinned as the car drove off.

Finn watched the car until it turned the corner and disappeared. He noticed Lochlan was watching, too. “I don't think she's that into you,” he blurted out. “At least, not in
that
way.”

“Really? Because I was just going to say the same thing to you.” Lochlan turned and faced him. His mouth curled into a fake half-
smile that never reached his eyes.

Suddenly, the cold day seemed colder. Their breath smoked between them like dragons. Something ugly and vile-tasting bubbled up from Finn's gut. It seemed to swell and push the blood into his face and common sense out of his skull. “How do you know?”

“She told me.”

The porch seemed to drop beneath Finn's feet. “W-when?”

“Oh, a few days ago.” Lochlan tried not to gloat, and failed. “When we were texting back and forth, and the subject came up.”

A jealousy pure and cold, like an emerald gem, filled Finn. The thought of Lochlan and Savannah, both wealthy enough to afford cell phones
and
sending messages to each other—messages about
him
, no less—made him want to punch somebody… Anybody. Lochlan would do just fine.

His anger spiked when he recalled begging Gideon to buy him a cell phone.

“Don't we have any money left over from that gold nugget?” Finn had asked. “I mean, the phone doesn't have to be super fancy or anything.”

“It is not just the cost of the device, but the monthly fees,” Gideon had said. “And I wish to spend the remainder on something more important than a toy.”

“It's not a
toy,
it's a
tool.
Heck, I could have used one this past summer when the goblins captured you, you know.”

“You did quite well without one, then. For here I am.” Gideon had spread his arms. “And, anyway, who would you call on it?”

“Lochlan. He's got one, you know. Mac Roth probably brought it for
him…”

“Mac Roth would no more spend money on that foolishness than would I. Lochlan's parents purchased that for him.”

“So, I'm supposed to go without one because my family doesn't have much money and my master is too cheap to…”

Black brows had clashed together in a thunderstorm. “You are dangerously close to a line you would not wish to cross, Finnegan MacCullen,” the Knight had said in a low, cold tone. “Now, this conversation is well and truly
over.
Unless you wish to step across the mark.”

Knowing his master would be waiting on the other side eager and ready to slap down a rebellious apprentice, Finn had backed down, but it still rankled. Now, with Lochlan flaunting the whole phone/Savannah thing in his face, he was sure the entire universe was out to get him.

The low whine of a diesel engine broke the tension. Or, at least, put it on hold for a while. They both turned as a moving van rounded the corner and swayed toward them. It slowed, then stopped in front of Mrs. Martinez's house. A final grumble, then the engine died. The cab doors swung open.

A girl, the same age as Finn and Lochlan and dressed in jeans and a blue hoodie the exact shade of her eyes, hopped down from the passenger side. Her black hair was pulled back in a long ponytail that swayed with every movement. She glanced around, then frowned when she spotted the boys waiting on the porch.

Not sure what to do, Finn jerked a hand up in greeting. “Hi, Tara.” He winced when his voice cracked.

“How's it going?” she replied in a way that told Finn she couldn't care less how it was going. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, then jabbed a thumb at the back of the vehicle. “Be careful with the boxes. There's one in the cab…”

“Tara Butler! What did we just discuss?”

A woman, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket the same rich brown as her hair, marched around the front of the vehicle. Tall and slender and wearing a torc around her neck, her hair was caught in a long braid that draped over one shoulder and down almost to her waist. Reaching the apprentice, she tugged on Tara's ponytail. “Manners, missy. Remember?” She walked over, with Tara in tow, and opened Gideon's front gate. Stepping into the yard, the female Knight glanced about, taking in the thick hedge that concealed the stone wall bordering the north side of the yard. The
sláinte
nettle hedge, bristling with broad, saw-toothed leaves and spiny stalks, was already showing signs of settling in for the winter.

“The place looks the same. Maybe a bit less scruffy.” She smiled up at Finn and Lochlan as she mounted the steps. “Good to see you two again. Where's your masters?”

“
Fáilte
, Knight O'Shea.” Finn grinned back at the Knight who had saved his and Gideon's lives during the Festival. He stepped back and swung the door wider, allowing the Knight to enter first. “Gideon and Mac Roth are back in the kitchen. Mac Roth wanted some tea.”

“Think I'll join them.” She disappeared inside.

To Finn's surprise, Tara took a seat on the railing. Swinging a
foot, she eyed Lochlan, who leaned against the house, arms crossed over his chest, and he eyed her back. Neither said a word. Finn could swear the porch's temperature had abruptly headed south. Knowing Gideon would want him to be the polite host, he cleared his throat. “Um…so, how have you been, Tara?”
Shot anyone lately
?

“Okay. I guess. Not crazy about us having to move here.”

You and me both
. He tried to keep the thought off his face.

Tara stared at Lochlan's throat. “Got your torc, I see.”

“Yup.” Lochlan straightened, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It's cold out here. I'm going inside.”

Finn followed his friend, the girl on his heels. While Lochlan made a beeline for the kitchen, Tara sauntered over to the fireplace and examined the weapons hanging on pegs over the mantel.

“Sweet collection.” She stood on tiptoe for a closer look at Gideon's prized weapon, an antler-handled dagger, then turned to take in the rest of the room. Her gaze traveled across their shabby furniture, then lingered on the Knight's desk tucked under the stairs leading to the upper-level bedrooms, before glancing at the doorway into the kitchen and the sound of voices.

He waited for the caustic comment.
Go ahead. Tell me how small it is. Or how our stuff looks like we got it all from a used furniture place. Which we did, but that's beside the point
. His mouth sagged in astonishment when she gave a nod of approval.

“Cool place.”

Finn picked his jaw off his chest. At that moment, a voice called to them from the kitchen.

Kel O'Shea and Mac Roth were seated at the table, enjoying mugs of hot tea and slabs of warm, brown bread slathered in butter and jam. Lochlan sat with them, working on a second breakfast. Chewing, he raised his eyebrows in question. Finn shrugged. He sat down next to Lochlan and grabbed a slice of bread.

At the counter, Gideon was removing tea bags from two steaming mugs. Tossing the spent bags into a bowl—to be used twice more, Finn knew—he glanced over his shoulder. “Tara Butler.” He offered her a cup and a warm smile. “And how are you this fine morning?”

“I'm good, thank you, Knight Lir.” She blushed as she took the mug and cradled it in both hands and leaned against the counter.

“Please, call me Gideon.” He joined her with his own mug. Finn noticed her blush deepened.

“Kel said I'm not supposed to.”

“
Whist
.” He flicked away the comment. “I give you leave to address me in the same manner as young Lochlan there.”

Tara glanced at her master for permission, who nodded. “Fine with me,” Kel O'Shea said. “But only if the boys here call me Kel.”