Page 14 (1/2)

"Saint Lassie be praised!"

I examined the steak Clearly it had been carefully placed There was no dirt on the sides or top, as there would be if it had turasp It was discolored in several places, more than would be expected by sis of red that Oberon’s canine eyes wouldn’t have picked up So had been sprinkled on it What the poison was didn’t matter to me What puzzled me was Oberon’s insistence that he’d seen no tracks nearby I had doubted that because I figured he’d si except the steak, but there truly were no tracks here except his and mine That led me to several unsavory conclusions

It probably wasn’t a deity; a deity wouldn’t have silenced all the creatures Still, it was so with the ability tothe earth at all Soet back to Granuaile," I said "Right now!"

That’s when I got an arrow in the back

Chapter 11

I should probably back up a wee bit As I was telling Oberon we needed to return to the cave, his ears pricked up and he looked into the distance behindme down As a result--due to the fall--the arrow intended for thealong the top of the blade When I hit the ground, the ih and nearly stabbed Oberon, who landed on top of e on us almost by instinct, then belatedly remembered as another shaft whizzed overhead that I should ca out of me too

"I saw so move up in the trees back there and it wasn’t a bird"

Go, Oberon! See if you can circle around and flank theled toto feel the pain I triggeredcharm, drew Moralltach, and looked about me for enemies

I didn’t have far to look A squad of five yewmen, spread in a skir hole, bronze leaf swords raised high over their right shoulders, advancing as sah the brush Their tiny dark eyes searched for e

Though only three feet tall, they were terrifying creatures, knotted and gnarled with anger, sprung froan’s Fen They were the Morrigan’s answer to many of the Tuatha Dé Danann, for while they were living, they weren’t animals and thus weren’t subject to Flidais’s control; Moralltachto the’s old sould not affect them except in the way any normal blade would--which wasn’t much I’d be better off with an axe Soainst er of death, an omen of ill news, and this, coupled with the fact that they were the Morrigan’s creatures,the Fae the yeere feared; they were creatures that ht They served the Morrigan for a hundred years, guarding the Fen--which was really her stronghold as the Fae Court was Brighid’s--itching for a fight and never getting one, until she let theer an would appear to defend o that she depended on me to take care of myself, despite her vow to prevent my death by violent means

Oberon, they have swords and they kno to use the them What they don’t have are bows and arrows See if you can find the archer and tell me where he is

"Okay"

These lads didn’t fly, and that arrow had cole than they could conceivably achieve Whoever had dropped that steak wasn’t a yewman, and he was out there ready to take a potshot at e on

Their stances gave ets I created a binding of like-to-like, so that their bronze blades abruptly bound together on either side of the one in the , because the yewo They were yanked by their swords toward the lad in the center, and once he was holding not only his sword but four other yeith their swords bound to his, he had a bit of trouble, and the whole ht of binding the yewether in the same way, except that I was afraid of ould happen if I tried These were the Morrigan’s creatures and would hardly be effective against the Tuatha Dé Danann if they could be bound like any other piece of wood Ruan had prepared for that--perhaps it was a rumor she’d spread herself Still, it would be silly to allow her yewmen to be bound and unbound by their bark; they had to have protection Olyht be able to help me The yeere never intended to walk on this plane; they were the boogeymen of the Faerie lands, but to Olympia they were simply odd trees

The yewmen did not have vocal cords It was part of theirthe silent, implacable killer But if they could have roared in frustration, they would have Wherever their bodies touched the ground, roots sprouted and clutched handfuls of earth, grabbing Greek real estate like foreclosure vultures Swords forgotten, they tried to pull away and even leap away from one another and the earth, but Olympia was determined to make them feel at home They were immobilized inside a rove arowth In the pursuit of haran’s enchantain In the meantime, they were acutely aware of what had been done to the, and their black eyes held bloody proress

"Heh! Fuck yew," I said

The arrow in my shoulder bounced aardly beforeme all kinds of trouble I concentrated on the shaft of the arrow--a hollow aluminum one, I noted--and unbound its molecules near the exit point until it crumbled away like a wafer cookie

It occurred to me that I should have been so calard, but once that fight began, little was calm or rational

Have you found the bowman yet? I asked Oberon as I approached the pond

"No, I haven’t spotted hih He’s around somewhere in the canopy"

He’s neutralized for the o back to the cave and help Granuaile It’s a more defensible position anyway

"Okay"

As Oberon turned from wherever he was and picked up his pace, I heard his footfalls--tiny pads, soft pantings, the occasional rustle I could get a vague fix on hi, an arrow lanced down out of the canopy and thudded into the earth next to the stream, just below the pond

"Hey! That was close!"

Top speed back to the cave, Oberon! Our assassin et to him up in the canopy with only a sword I needed one of Granuaile’s throwing knives Or five

Oberon dove into the bushes and sinuously wove between the branches and leaves If the assassin rely poor; his arroould turn awry as soon as it hit the undergrowth To get a good shot at Oberon now, he’d have to fly out and shoot straight down

I took a slightly different path and offered et;out of my way, but I kept low and there would be no clear shot unless the shooter et to the cave first

Don’t barrel into the cave announcing your presence You will sneak in there like a Celtic ninja Don’t pant

"You know that’s like ht?"

I know, but try to keep a lid on it until I get there

"Do Celtic ninjas have to wear pajaood Justsure"