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Her expression filled with a dollop of panic, and I think it was safe to say that mine did as well "Poison?" she said "I hope it wasn’t iocane powder"
"Hopefully not But probably potent if he was gunning for us Speak to Olympia about it and ask her to heal you She’ll probably be happy to do it And look--there’sQuite a lot"
Granuaile looked down at the outside of her left calf, where the assassin had ash, and for her to be unaware ent or she had so adrenaline
"Oh, shit, I don’t even feel it--right Same solution" She closed her eyes and spoke to Oly ather our supplies
"We’re leaving now?" Oberon asked
As soon as we can This place isn’t safe anyroup of assassins was told to look here, then another was probably told the sa an eye on the wee valley? There’s still one out there, and I don’t want to be surprised again
"All right" Oberon turned to the cave entrance and wriggled between the bushes to give hiet to look up He’s a flier
"Okay But honestly, Atticus, I think you should invent a ranged weapon for me to use in situations like this"
If I did, you would just use it on squirrels Is it all clear out there?
"Yes I don’t see anything"
Granuaile raised her head and opened her eyes
"You were right, sensei A nuent and a neurotoxin Olyh Now I can feel where he gotfor you to fall down like that so he could finish you Can you ers, "I think so"
"Good to hear Pull this arrow out of my back, will you?"
"What? I didn’t even see that!"
"Had it ca the pain under control, I winced when she yanked it out There si "Thanks," I said, and began to close up the wound "Pack your things We have to get out of the area before we have ainst the wall of the cave, she o?"
"Back to Tír na nÓg for a brief while So assassins find us, but they’re colluding for soating"
"When e continue ?"
"As soon as we can Believe me, I want it over with as a "base," which may be a tree, or an old tire, or any other object It is a safe zone--a place where one can catch his breath and maybe throw a taunt or two at whoever is "it"
Irish base is the plane of Mag Mell There is no discord allowed Fae assassins would not dare defile it One can relax there, heal there, and even practice the damnable art of diplomacy if so inclined That is where I took Granuaile and Oberon once we shifted away fro first using the tree in front of the cave--it would be senseless to try to hike back, wounded as ere and under the eye of a flying sniper--and once we shifted to Tír na nÓg, I pulled us a bit farther along the tether to Mag Mell
The blood on our bodies startled and angered sos of Cnoc an Óir at first, but e made it clear it had been shed elsewhere and we had come only to heal, they were polite, even solicitous, and asked how they could help I asked thees to Goibhniu and Manannan Mac Lir in Tír na nÓg, is on a ency Bless thehtaway, and the rest of thees and invited us to soak in the restorative hot springs
The grounds around the springs were lined with spongy turf; verdant hedges grown for the sake of privacy separated individual soaking pools There were larger pools available for parties of two or more, and it was into one of these that Oberon and I eased Granuaile was led to a single pool nearby but well out of sight
"Explain to ht of her unclothed," Oberon said, as I stripped and stepped gingerly into the pool
It isn’t that I can’t stand the sight The problem is that part of me would stand very tall And it wouldn’t ht about baseball either Haht work
Oberon snorted "Huet in the habit with her, Oberon
"But you want to"
No, I don’t Well, I do, but you see, I can’t, and … it’s coht
"You know I’s are much s plays, puppies in nine weeks Leavesabout all the things humans worry about after sex I swear you spendit"
A nymph approached but kept a safe distance, then informed me that Goibhniu was on his way I thanked her and she left
Brewers are craftsmen to be envied, and Goibhniu is one of the finest His daily work is easily tested and tasted, and unlike, say, one of those people who greet you in a soulless big box store, he can point to the produce of his labor and say, "There I made that" These days he has a taproom next to his smithy (for he is also an extremely accomplished blacks pints for people and grinning as he serves up his latest creation I have always liked hiain, it’s difficult to dislike aaway free beer
"Siodhachan!" he bellowed good-naturedly, striding toward me across the turf He was dressed in a simple brown tunic hite knotwork and a crea dark bottle in each hand His ar the i me with beer--a poster boy for the idea that Beer Is Love "Good to see you outside the bloody Fae Court! You sied at the edge of my pool and popped off the top of one bottle with his thu He handed it to pipe Porter A steady note of sonorousthe sides o’ your tongue"
"Good health and har my bottle to him He clinked the neck and echoed nificent," I told him
"Yes, isn’t it?" Goibhniu smirked at his own narcissis all the fine beers I’vehimself and turned serious "But I’ve been suency What is theis after us Granuaile’s binding was interrupted by a group of Fae assassins--yew A pool or two that way" I hooked a thu down to my shoulder
"I see the remains of a wound there, if I’m not mistaken," he said
There was little visible beyond a pink puckering now, but ah "Aye Arrow froet another drink frohtful of you," I said "But I wondered if perhaps you and your brother e"