Earth's Blood, Earth Reclaimed Book Two

Chapter One

Fionn tumbled through a gateway and leapt to his feet. Something was decidedly wrong. The wolf and raven were right behind him, but he'd lost all sense of Aislinn's presence in the traveling portal. It made him half-crazy with fear, but there was nothing he could do until the spell spit him out. Mouth dry, heartbeat thudding in his ears, he waited to see who would follow him out of the ragged hole he'd left in the ether.

For the love of the goddess, please let me be mistaken about this.

Rune emerged. A howl split the still air. "Where is she?" the black and gray timber wolf demanded. He reared up and plunked his paws on Fionn's chest. "What happened to my bondmate? I cannot feel her anywhere." He howled again. It was a mournful sound, full of grief.

Fionn wrapped his arms around the wolf, but Rune dropped to the ground, apparently not interested in comfort.

"Yes, where did Aislinn go?" Bella demanded, bouncing forward with her awkward avian gait. Ever cantankerous, the raven was bonded to him, so Fionn was used to her moods. She spread her large wings, took to the air, and cawed her displeasure.

He stared after her and struggled to manage a mounting sense of panic while balling his hands into fists. Both bond animals knew the truth: Aislinn had disappeared somewhere between Ely, Nevada and wherever they were now. He barked a word to close off his magic. The place they'd rolled out of shimmered and disappeared.

He loosed a string of Gaelic curses. "What the fuck went wrong?" he muttered. Fionn drew magic to augment his night vision and gazed wildly about for clues. They were in the midst of rubble that could well be Salt Lake City, so at least that part of his casting had been true. No, an inner voice corrected him, I doona know that. This could be anywhere. He shoved straggling strands of blond hair out of his eyes and sent his magic spinning outward to gather data. His heart beat a worried tattoo against his ribcage.

The air to his right took on a pearlescent hue. Bran and Arawn leapt through a portal in a flash of battle leathers, the snug-fitting garments indistinguishable from Fionn's attire. Arawn barked a command, and their gateway winked shut. His midnight gaze scanned the small group. "Why is Gwydion not here?" he demanded. "He left afore any of us."

Rune threw his head back. Another desolate howl split the night.

Bran's coppery eyes narrowed. "Aye, and where is the lass?"

"And that Hunter scum, Travis," Fionn growled. He spread his hands in front of him. "I havena felt Aislinn since a few moments after we entered the portal. Join your magic to mine so we might figure out what has happened."

Bran nodded curtly. "Aye, Travis must have lied to us, but to what purpose?"

"To save his own sorry hide, what else?" Fionn snapped. "Or mayhap because he wanted Aislinn for himself."

The air took on an iridescent waviness. Gwydion stumbled out of the odd-looking place. Tangled in a welter of blue robes, he clutched an intricately carved staff; blond hair swirled around him. "Be gone, I say—Wait, what happened to—?" He took in the tableau as he lurched unsteadily to his feet. Fionn almost heard wheels turning as Gwydion tallied who was missing. The warrior magician pounded the end of his wooden staff into broken asphalt. Lightning crackled from the end of the staff, betraying his annoyance.

Something snapped in Fionn. Bright, brittle anger lanced through him, and he launched himself at Gwydion, driving the other Celtic god to the ground. "Bastard," he screamed. "Ye were in charge of Travis. What? Ye couldna control a simple human? Look what your slipshod seeds have sown!" He raised a fist and drove it into the side of Gwydion's face. It was more satisfying than using magic. Closer and more personal.