The Compass (17 page)

I can talk to you like this too?

Drake’s drawl came next.

Yeah, kinda of freaky isn’t it?

Ali put a hand over her face and groaned. Being able to talk to Finn mentally, made sense—sort of, and because Cian had fought Mikel for her, she could understand being able to talk to him. But geeze, a woman could only take so much. Did that mean she could access their thoughts as well as Finn’s? The thought of it made her head spin. Finn’s voice washed over her then.

You may access my thoughts anytime, lass

His words caressed her much like hands would. The temptation was there, had been there for a while, but again, Ali resisted. She ordered all of them to leave her alone and then escaped to her room. Sure enough, there was her bag, only it appeared more stuff had been added to it and there was a second bag.

Thoughts of Finn or anyone of them, going through her dresser and closet had her face heating up. “Face it girl, your life has turned into a circus.” Letting out a resigned sigh, she inspected the bags, collected what she needed and headed into the attached bath. Maybe the spray of the shower could help wash away some of the crazy. She highly doubted it.

*****

Finn shut Ali out, maintaining only the slightest connection in case she needed him. Patrolling the grounds that surrounded his home had been his feeble attempt to put some distance between them. Not that it was working. His mind always strayed back to her. Tristan and Drake had gone north to see if they could pick up any energy trails of the second Fragment, and Constantine still tended to his cousin.

As he walked, he rolled his shoulders; the tension had been sitting there for too long. Since he was out here, and for the moment, alone, he decided it was a good time to flex his long dormant magick muscles again. Continuing until he found a clearing, he shook out his arms. A mental check ensured that no one would be able to sense his activities.

Forgetting about his earlier attempts, he closed his eyes, and reached out to the part of him that he’d turned his back on. He brought to mind the very first lesson his father ever taught him; that what resided in him was his birthright, and that it would always be so. Bearing down, he struggled to hold onto the memory, to use it to fuel him. The swell of energy made him stumble back, and left him frustrated. The natural gifts of being immortal were the only thing responding to his command. It was just like when the storm had raged against his home, he could
feel
what was trying to ignite, but he could not make it connect.

He gathered his energy again. This time he concentrated on his father’s words, and not the full memory. His body shook from the strain of forcing his mind to bend to his demand. He held his hands out, his fingers spread out to feel the air. He locked his joints against the need to relax. His father’s voice, deep and soothing, vibrated along the strings of his memory. His body began to shake, his hands quivered before relaxing and falling useless at his sides. Throwing his head back, Finn cursed at the sky, his voice echoing throughout the forest. Birds bolted from their branches and ground critters scampered for deep cover. Drained, he hit his knees and dragged in great gulps of air. Hands braced on his thighs, he hung his head. His chest was on fire.

“Try again.”

His head snapped up, and then he swore when he saw Cian casually leaning against a tree. Though he still looking peaked, his cousin stared at him with deadly focus.

“I said, try again.” Cian pushed off the tree and began stalking towards him.

Getting to his feet, Finn scowled. “Forget it; I cannot reach for what I once had.”

“That’s a load of crap and you know it. Your anger at not being able to stay with Ali, stunts you. Try again.”

Finn let his temper loose. “You’re damn right I’m angry. I had to sit there and watch while her spirit flew to goddess knows where.” He dragged his hands over his head. “If Tristan and Drake hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been able to help her.”

“More excuses.” Cian hated to be so harsh, but his cousin didn’t need indulgence. “She was perfectly safe.”

“Aye? Safe was she?” His accent thickened. “So says you. She shouldn’t’ve been gone so long. Lugus—worse, Mikel would have had no problem locking onto her.”

Cian tilted his head. “So you’re angry at Ali now—for being who she is—
what
she is?”

Frustration over having lost control, Finn yelled back, “No, I’m bloody well pissed over the whole of it. She is my other half, yet I can do nothing about it.”

“Just another thing you refuse to embrace.”

His muscles locked, but before he could do anything, like flatten his cousin,
he
was flattened—by Ali.

“Umph, damnit, sorry.” Her muffled apology was followed by a few more choice words. Using Finn’s chest to push herself up, causing him to expel a lung full of air, she scrambled backwards. Her back hit something solid. Tilting her head back, she saw an upside down Cian smiling down at her.

“Hello Ali, fancied a trip did you?”

Pushing her hair out of her way, Ali gained her feet. “I am so sorry. I have no idea what happened. One minute I’m in my room, then the next, I’m free falling into some sort of void, and then I’m here.”

Cian threw back his head and laughed. Then to Finn he said, “Seems like those abilities are developing faster than we thought.”

Throwing his cousin a look that promised later retribution, Finn got to his feet. He gave Ali a once over look before asking, “Are you alright, lass?”

Ali stood and dusted off the seat of her jeans. Thank God she had been dressed before her little twilight zone trip. “Yeah, freaked out, but I’m okay.” Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, she then asked, “I thought only my—” She searched for the right word. However there wasn’t one. “Inner self could leave, leaving my physical self—oh boy—safe and sound where ever I happened to be.” She pressed a thumb and forefinger against her eyes. “That sounds so damn bizarre, not to mention creepy.” Dropping her hand, she let out a sigh, it was filled with gloom. “I can control it right? I mean, I don’t want to be popping in and out every time I have a thought.” Once again, she had shoved her foot into her mouth. From the looks of both Cian and Finn, she knew they knew what she’d been thinking of.

Finn’s ill temper vanished, replaced by pleasure over her blunder.
Why the sour look love, is thinking of me such a bad thing?

Her heart somersaulted.
Don’t read anything into it; I was thinking how nice your house was.
Feeling his humour, she gave him a look.
Cut it out.

At his bow of resignation, Ali let out a sigh, “So now what?”

The air changed. Cian became alert, his eyes scanned the sky. Catching on, Finn reached for Ali. “Get behind me.” Calling for his sword, he stood with legs braced apart ready to face what was coming.

Ali tried to sense what the men did, but all she got was the drop in temperature and the stirring up of a breeze. Feeling a shiver on the back of her neck she turned to see Drake and Tristan. Both had swords. Yeah, something really bad was about to happen.

Chapter Eighteen

Lugus sneered at Vega as they both dropped out of the sky. “You make too much noise demon.”

Sauntering up to stand a few feet to his left, Vega shrugged her shoulders. “You are the one going for stealth. I, on the other hand prefer a more direct approach.”  Lugus’ mood had been prickly ever since Mikel had demanded an update on the location of the Fragment. Though she wasn’t worried that he would crack under the pressure of misleading their leader, she did have to wonder how long he would be able to hold out against the dark lord. Prickly or not, she did have to marvel over his tracking abilities. When he had locked onto the punch of energy, she could hardly hold in her delight.

Lugus rolled his neck to work out the tension the demon always seemed to cause. More than once, he had questioned his decision to unite forces with her. Being in her company wore at his patience. Yet, for the first time in centuries, he felt alive, that his chance of revenge was becoming a tangible thing. He supposed, for the sake of his desire, he could stomach working with the demon a little while longer. “Reinforcements will be close by. If we attack, it needs to be now, and it needs to be hard.”

Vega nodded. “I agree that time is of the essence—but, I want to play.” His growl of frustration only added to her pleasure. “We alone would give the warriors a good fight, but why take chances? While I am not in possession of my more superb talents at the moment, what I do have should work nicely. Besides, a little entertainment never hurts.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she clapped her hands and four men appeared. At least they
looked
like men. They were unlike any mortal, or immortal, Lugus had ever laid his eyes on. Their skin was translucent and carried a green hue. Looking at Vega, he was shocked to see the look of pride on her face. “Mikel isn't the only one who has puppets. Earth is full of surprises, isn't it? Ground demons—fearless and relentless—they will continue to fight even when their limbs are no longer attached. The only way to stop them is to remove their heads.” Vega clasped her hands. “Aren't they marvelous?”

Her obvious pleasure at something so gruesome was yet another reason Lugus detested dealing with demons. “Your pleasure is warped demon—however; I feel your ground dwellers will give us the edge we need.”

Vega smiled. Oh, they will give them more than just an edge. She was counting on them to give her the cover she would need to escape with the Fragment. “Shall we proceed?”

Lugus swept an arm out in an old world gesture inviting Vega to go first. “And the mortals claim chivalry is dead.” Stepping forward, Vega closed her eyes, feeling for any source of power. Her eyes flew open with her discovery. “Well, well, it seems those reinforcements are closer than we thought, Lugus.” And one in particular had her full attention. Mikel had been holding back information from her. No matter, it made the game more interesting. Signaling her ground demons, she relaxed her body, “Show time.”

*****

Someone was lurking beyond the trees. Finn began moving backwards, forcing Ali to move closer to thicker coverage. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to the battle. The light touch of Ali’s hand on his shoulder broke his focus. Though she fought it, he felt her anxiety. He turned to her. “Envision my house, and concentrate on it. Think of yourself there.”  He prayed to the goddess that she understood.

Ali knew what Finn was telling her, if she could pop into the forest, she should be able to pop back out. But she wasn’t so confident of her trick to take the chance. “What about you?” It was the same scenario of when Finn faced Lugus outside of her apartment. And just like then, she didn't relish the thought of leaving him behind—especially since things between them have changed.

“Ali.” He said, this time there was an edge in his voice. “I am a warrior.” It sliced him to see the hurt in her eyes, but he couldn't allow it to sway his decision. He cupped the side of her face with his free hand and gentled his tone. “I am not so easily harmed, lass.”

But you have no magick!
She wanted to shout it at him. She saw the determination in his eyes. “Fine, I’ll go. But if I feel that you need me, I'm coming back.”

Through the air came a cold, cultured voice, dripping with scorn. “How positively revolting.”

Finn spun around, his sword ready to strike. When he saw who had spoken, his whole being froze for an instant. It had been years since he had seen that face, heard that voice, a voice that could bring about great turmoil. It had lost most of its potency—for he was still able to stand, but the danger was still there. Finn’s hand tightened on his sword. There was no way Ali would be able to escape now.

Vega took immense pleasure at Finn’s reaction, “My, my, my.” Her voice purred. She took a few steps forward, arching a brow when Finn placed himself in front of the mortal. “Are we interrupting?” She could hardly contain her delight. Oh, how she loved the attention! A sound behind her reminded her that she wasn't the star of this show. She made a pout, she hated sharing the spotlight. However, one did what one must. “I can see that I’ve managed to shock you warrior. Just a side benefit, I assure you. “Lugus, I believe Finn is waiting for you.”

Lugus stepped out, flanked on either side by two humongous men—at least, Ali thought they were men. Their shape was distorted; their faces were masks of bulging eyes, holes where the nose should be and gaping mouths that showed rows of stained, pointed teeth. She covered her mouth to stop the scream that wanted out. They were in serious trouble.

It’ll be alright Ali.

Cian’s voice was calm. She however was anything but. Oh God. She felt like throwing up. Cian chuckled and she thought he had lost his senses.
This is funny to you? I’m scared out of my gourd.

Move back.

The desire to cry was overpowering, but she didn't. Instead, she did as Cian had ordered. She also prepared herself. She may not be a warrior, but running wasn’t an option. She just had to trust in whatever it was she had inside of her. She had been able to help Finn once before, hopefully, she would be able to do so again.

Taking a step sideways so that she could clearly see what they were up against she focused on the woman. She tried not to gawk, but it was impossible. She was strangely—beautiful, with a face like sculpted ice. Her outfit was head to toe black, and her hair stood out against the dark backdrop like a gleaming corona of white light. And as unique as the hair was, it was her eyes that had her transfixed. With the exception of the pupil, there was no color. When her gaze swung to her, Ali felt the punch of power. Then the woman spoke directly to her; her voice was an assault her ears, Ali resisted covering them, she didn’t want to show weakness.

“Mortals. What was Agrona thinking—placing such magick within weak vessels?”

As insults went, the woman’s wasn't the worst Ali had ever heard. Finding her voice, she asked: “I'm sorry, who are you?” She was happy that her voice hadn't cracked. She felt Finn’s displeasure but ignored it.

Vega hummed, this mortal was different. It went beyond what was inside of her. “Who I am, doesn't concern you.” Tuning to Lugus, Vega returned his earlier favor by stepping aside. “I believe you're up.”

Finn didn’t wait for him; he wanted to stop his attack before he could get to Ali. Rushing forward, he met Lugus’ sword, stopping the older warrior’s forward progression. On either side of him, he felt the surge of power as Cian and Tristan took the two giant men that had stood with Lugus. That left Drake to protect Ali. The forest exploded into pandemonium.

Clapping her hands together in glee, Vega watched the battle. It was impressive. Lugus was skilled, of that she had had no doubt, but Finn? What she had heard of the warrior, paled to what she was now witnessing. Time to make her move; she beckoned to the rest of her ground demons. They slipped out from behind the trees. Stepping out of their path, she gave the order. “Get the mortal.” In unison, the pale green creatures headed towards Ali.

Seeing them, Ali looked around for a weapon. Being in the forest, her choices were of the branch variety. Choosing one that was as thick as her arm, she lifted it as she would a bat. She didn't know what these things were, but she was going to hit them as hard as she could. The sound of metal and flashes of sparks, made it hard to remain focused. One of the things decided to smile at her, showing off its rows of rotten teeth. Ali made it her first target. Swinging as hard as she could, she took it down. But she didn't get a chance to celebrate; it got back up, cracked its jaw a few times and smiled again. Wonderful.

Finn felt the shock that went through Ali when she had hit the creature. Shouting his outrage, he pressed down on Lugus, forcing the other warrior back several steps. He needed to put more distance between him and Ali. Where the hell was Drake?

Far from winded, Lugus taunted, “You cannot defeat me and reach the Fragment—you have lost.”

His mind roared in denial. “It is you that has lost, Lugus. You have forgotten the ways of our people.”

Lugus advanced, at the same time; he questioned Finn, his fury spewing the worlds like venom. “And where were our people when I needed them?” He carved the air with his blade, his target, the midsection of the warrior before him.

The blade sliced low, forcing Finn to jump back else be severed in two. Where their first meeting had been one of pretense, rage had powered the move. Lugus was after blood.

“I will destroy you, Finn O'Shea, and then I will do the same to the others.” Lugus snarled. “You were there. You watched as my boy died, and you did nothing. My son died because of your leader.” Lugus’ voice was distorted with his rage, he lunged again, determined to extract the payment he had been waiting for. “I cannot get to her, but you, I
can
get to you. And when I have watched your life seep out of your body and those of your comrades, I will have the Fragment.”

The malice in the words gave Finn pause, unwittingly providing his opponent an opening for a full on assault.

Lugus charged, using the warrior’s stupor to his advantage.

Finn felt the heat of the blade as it tore into his skin. The fire raced from his shoulder and across his chest. He didn’t have to see it to know the cut was deep. Locking his jaw against the pain, he regained his balance.

Lugus threw back his head and laughed. “How does it feel, Finn, the burn of my blade ripping through your flesh?” The taunts continued. “The ground will be stained with your blood.”

There was no time to heal his wound, the only thing he could do was block out the pain. He moved, one foot crossing over the other, keeping the older warrior in his sights. He couldn’t let him get to Ali; he tightened his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Lugus let out a roar and ploughed towards him. Setting his feet, Finn prepared to absorb the impact. Physically, Lugus was no match for him. However, with the combination of strength
and
magick, Lugus had the upper hand. When the blow hit his blade, the force sent Finn to a knee, and though his arms shook from the strain, he held Lugus at bay. Reaching down for the last of his energy, he was able to throw his opponent back far enough to regain his stance. His wound seeped blood, and he was afraid if he didn’t tend to it soon, he would be in no shape to protect Ali.

Lugus could smell victory. At last, he would have his revenge. He stalked the warrior, taking great pleasure at seeing the blood flow. It would only take one blast of magick to end it, but that was too easy. He wanted the warrior to suffer; he wanted them all to suffer. “You’re weak,” the words were spat out. “The mighty Finn O’Shea, brought down with one blow. You bring disgrace to your family name.”

For the first time since he picked up his blade, Finn doubted his ability. Lugus’ accusation had caught him off guard, as did his partnership with the demon. His vision blurred, and the fingers of his sword hand were becoming numb. Lugus moved in closer. Through the haze of pain, Finn could see the twisted smile on his face; saw his blood drip from the tip of his sword.

His surroundings became cloudy and unfocused. Just when he thought he’d fall, that Ali would be taken from him, Finn felt a gathering. At first, he fought it, not wanting to take the time to decipher it. He could not take his focus off his enemy. He may very well be defeated, but he would fight until his last breath to make sure Ali was safe. He locked his muscles, demanded that they obey him. He raised his blade, prepared to drive through Lugus’ body.

Ali’s voice reached him then. Telling him to believe, that what he thought was lost, wasn’t. The gathering became stronger, and unrelenting. She continued to whisper to him.
I’m here Finn—hurry, I need you.
Then, she screamed. Hearing it filled him with rage. He no longer cared that he was mortally wounded, he let go. He allowed the gathering to take over.

The bellow that tore from the depths of his soul shook the trees. Black clouds ate up the remaining rays of light. Thunder rolled just as streaks of lightning raced toward the ground. His body filled with white hot light. He felt every fiber of his being, open up to accept it. It raced through his veins like a wild fire. His organs drank it up, expanding with new power. The wound Lugus had inflicted began to heal.
This
was his birthright, handed down from his parents. Finn welcomed it, rejoiced in it. Echoes of his father sounded in his ears, the love of his mother and sister poured into him, adding to the power of his magick. Rising his head, and pointing his sword, Finn laid down the challenge. “The board is now even—do you wish to pit magick against magick?”