The Phantom Queen (The Guardians of Tara Book 3) Page 7

  “Sleep can wait,” she insisted. “I want to go to Findias.”

  “Selena,” Cameron sighed, but she cut him off before he could finish.

  “We need answers. And Lugh has them.”

  “And Lugh isn’t going anywhere,” he countered.

  Selena gave him a look that told him this argument was over and brought them both to Findias before Cameron could protest anymore. He crossed his arms and pretended to scowl at her. “Teleporting people without their permission is incredibly rude.”

  Selena arched an eyebrow at him and retorted, “You do it all the time.”

  “I’m incredibly rude. This kind of behavior is totally beneath you.”

  Selena laughed and shook her head. “You’re not rude, love. And some of the answers we’ve been wanting are about our daughter. Why aren’t you as anxious as I am to talk to Lugh?”

  Cameron uncrossed his arms and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to admit just how nervous he was about what Lugh would tell them, even though he couldn’t hide his feelings from Selena anyway. But he still couldn’t shake the fear that Semias had been able to see so little about their daughter because something was wrong…and Lugh could be telling them exactly what was so wrong very soon.

  “Hey,” Selena said gently, taking his hand, “whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “I’m guessing you’re here to see Lugh,” Uscias interrupted, waving to them from the doorway of his red palace.

  Before Cameron could tell him he sure as hell wasn’t here to see Ukko, Selena answered for them. “Is he busy?”

  “He’s been waiting for you,” Uscias assured them.

  “Why?” Cameron asked.

  Uscias shrugged and stepped aside so they could enter his palace. “Not surprisingly, I haven’t seen him much since he got here. He and Badb have kept to themselves. I suppose five hundred years is a lot of catching up.”

  “Ew,” Cameron exclaimed. “Keep talking about them catching up and I’m getting that lobotomy.”

  Uscias laughed and gestured toward his hall. “He asked me to send for you as soon as you got back from Earth so I’m glad you came here first.”

  “Why?” Cameron asked again.

  Uscias sighed and most likely showed enormous restraint by not rolling his eyes at the young god. “Again, I don’t know. But you should know you have no reason to fear him. There’s a reason he was always one of our most beloved gods.”

  Cameron opened his mouth but never had the chance to ask Uscias any more questions because Lugh stepped into the doorway from the hall and saw the young gods standing in the foyer. He smiled at them and asked, “Any chance you found Loki, reimprisoned him—thereby preventing Ragnarok, and killed Huitzilopochtli—thereby preventing an invasion of our world?”

  “Um…how about we spent the whole time finding out we have even more enemies and problems than we thought?” Cameron answered.

  Lugh nodded, but Cameron thought he was just being a smartass. “Sounds about right.”

  “Any chance you can tell us how to defeat Huitzilopochtli, Nergal, Tarhunt, Chernobog, and Koschei, and where Loki is hiding so we can come home and concentrate on having a baby?” Cameron shot back.

  Lugh’s smile never faltered, but his eyes flickered to Selena’s body before meeting her gaze. “No. But I do want to talk about your child.”

  “Oh, my God,” Selena whispered.

  “Which god?” Cameron whispered back. “Him?”

  Selena lifted a shoulder but couldn’t look away from Lugh who urged them to join him in the hall. It felt like someone forcing his body to move as he followed Selena and the legendary god of the Tuatha Dé into Uscias’s hall and sat at the table, both terrified and excited that they would finally have information that had eluded so many.

  Lugh sat across from them and tilted his head at Selena. “Neither of you should be so scared. I’m not a prophet like the great druids. I only sense things.”

  “But not even Semias could sense anything about our child except that she would be a goddess,” Selena responded. “He’s never seen so little.”

  “I know,” Lugh said. “But it’s not because there’s anything wrong with her. It’s you, Selena.”

  “Me?” she breathed.

  Lugh nodded. “And her, too…she is your daughter, after all. But you have a complex ancestry.”

  “Yeah, apparently I’m related to Ukko.”

  Lugh snickered and pushed some of his blonde hair off his forehead. “Ukko’s not so bad. He participated in the first Battle of the Gods, and he made a lot of mistakes with the New Pantheon, but he’s not cruel. You already know he’s nothing like the gods you’re fighting now.”

  “Then aside from Dian Cécht, who else is Selena related to?” Cameron asked.

  “That’s what’s so fascinating about her,” Lugh replied. “Selena, you’re one of the last remaining descendants of our great queen, Macha…Étain was directly descended from her.”

  “I’m part Nemedian,” Selena gasped.

  “Our daughter,” Cameron gasped, too. “She’s the real Guardian of Tara, isn’t she?”

  Lugh smiled at him and his bright blue eyes sparkled. “I knew I would die at the Battle of the Gods, that if I didn’t, Badb’s life would be taken instead. But I had no idea who would replace me or that Fate had such a great destiny woven together. The power you each have, the roles you’re meant to fill…it’s unprecedented.”

  “But she can only become the next Guardian of Tara if we find the Stone of Fal, right?” Selena asked.

  “Yeah,” Lugh sighed. “And unfortunately, I have no idea where it is. It was still in Falias when I died, and since Odin hauled me off to Hel, I’ve spent the past five hundred years in the dark…not knowing what was taking place on Earth or here in the Otherworld.”

  “Well,” Selena said, “we found the Unbreakable Sword and my Cauldron. We’ll find the Stone for our daughter.”

  “One more thing about your daughter,” Lugh interjected.

  Cameron held his breath, prepared for the bad news he’d been expecting. But Lugh still didn’t deliver it. Not exactly, anyway. “Her name is Crochan.”

  “Are you seriously naming our daughter?” Cameron retorted. “And Crochan? What the hell kind of name is that?”

  “She was my servant…” Selena said quietly. “Étain’s servant, I mean. She gave birth to one of the greatest queens of Tara, Medb.”

  “So we’re really going to name our kid Crochan?”

  “Hey,” Lugh joked, “I have a kid named Cú Chulainn. It could be worse.”

  “Conceded,” Cameron agreed.

  Lugh laughed but Selena spoke before they could continue their bantering about whose kid would have the worse name. “What do the symbols on the tapestry of the Stone mean?”

  “The Nemedians had their own symbols,” he explained. “None of the symbols I wove into the tapestry are carved into the Stone itself, but I included them because they’re the crests of the great rulers whose power came from the Lia Fáil…except for one. If you return to the Dagda’s palace, the last symbol at the base of the Stone never belonged to anyone.”

  “What does it mean then?” Selena pressed.

  Lugh inhaled a slow, deep breath and told her, “It means ‘The last ruler of Tara.’”

  “Ruler…” Selena repeated slowly. “Could that also be translated as guardian?”

  “Isn’t that what a ruler should be for her people? A guardian?” Lugh answered.

  “It’s our daughter’s emblem,” Cameron said then quickly corrected himself. “It’s Crochan’s emblem.” He paused again and shook his head at Selena. “I’m never going to get used to this name. Can we give her a nickname?”

  Selena laughed and lifted a shoulder at him. “Sure. What would appease the picky Sun God?”

  “Um…something I can actually pronounce?”

  “Hm,” Selena teased. “That drasticall
y limits our options.”

  Cameron nodded in complete smartass agreement. “Better keep it simple.”

  “Got it,” Selena agreed. She grinned at him and suggested, “Her name ends with ‘han’ so how about Hanna?”

  “Totally on board,” Cameron agreed. “I can pronounce Hanna.”

  “Are you two finished?” Lugh asked. “Just thought I’d remind you I’m still here.”

  “Gonna have to get used to this, Lugh,” Cameron warned. “It’s already been proven that it’s impossible to keep us on track for longer than sixty seconds at a time.”

  “Oh, I believe it,” Lugh assured him.

  “So…if our daughter is meant to be the last Guardian of Tara, what does that mean for her? The world is already heading toward an apocalypse, and she hasn’t even been born yet.”

  “True,” Lugh acknowledged. “But this is a crisis made by the gods and together, you can prevent Ragnarok and stop Huitzilopochtli. Your daughter’s destiny is far more complicated. Her role isn’t to safeguard Earth from a bunch of crazy gods but to protect it from itself.”

  Cameron and Selena blinked at each other before accosting Lugh with more questions. He held up his hands and explained, “Humans have declared war against us. They want all of the old gods gone from their world. What I see for your daughter is that one day, she’ll forge a new understanding between gods and men…a new friendship that will benefit both. I know you’ve already made some progress in this, Selena. But their fear will still overpower whatever gratitude they have.”

  “It’ll be a long time before Earth is safe for the demigods and gods who live there then,” Cameron sighed. He couldn’t not think about the dangers his brother faced as a demigod who would never want to leave the planet where he’d been born.

  “I don’t know when it will happen,” Lugh told him. “I’m sorry. I wish my gifts could give you all the answers you seek. But I have my limits, too. All I can see is that just as the Tuatha Dé depended on you to fulfill your destinies, both realms will depend on her. Most people, gods and mortals alike, don’t realize that we need each other. Without her, everything could be lost—not just the Otherworld this time.”

  “Great,” Cameron muttered. “Our entire family legacy will be about keeping worlds from going to shit.”

  Selena smiled at him and said, “That’s actually not such a bad legacy, you know.”

  “Somebody else could save the world for once,” Cameron pouted.

  Lugh snorted and asked, “And do you really think no one else ever has? The world needs more powerful allies now though. This isn’t the same world I knew. And that may be exactly why Fate chose you and Selena.”

  “It might explain why we have so much power,” Cameron argued. “But it doesn’t explain why Fate chose us.”

  “Because Fate has a sense of humor,” Badb interjected.

  Cameron glanced at her in the doorway and told her, “Stop sneaking up on people, Crow.”

  “I didn’t sneak up on you, Sun God. I’m sure you felt me as soon as I returned to Findias.”

  “That sounds totally pervy. Don’t ever say that again,” Cameron warned.

  Badb sighed heavily and looked at Lugh. “See what I mean?”

  “I see that he’s a lot like Midir,” Lugh responded.

  “He is Midir,” Badb mumbled. “Just with a different vocabulary to piss me off.”

  Lugh laughed and told her, “My forever love, both Midir and Cameron could manage to piss you off without any vocabulary at all. It’s an extraordinary gift, really.”

  “I have a feeling they’re about three seconds away from making out, which means we need to leave now, Selena,” Cameron begged.

  “If talking about Cameron makes you horny then I’ve suddenly become incredibly uncomfortable with our friendship, Badb,” Selena added.

  “Stop corrupting Selena,” Badb told Cameron.

  “Stop accusing me of being a bad influence on her!” Cameron shot back.

  “Um…I told you everything I know about your daughter and the symbols on the tapestry,” Lugh interrupted. “And now that Badb’s back, I am more interested in doing something else.”

  “Oh, God,” Cameron groaned.

  “Wait,” Lugh demanded. “Which god?”

  Cameron squinted at Badb and snapped, “Did you tell him to steal my thing? Because that’s my thing.”

  Badb just smiled innocently at him and lifted her hands in a gesture of, “I have no idea where he got that from.”

  Cameron turned his scowl toward Lugh and hissed, “You. And don’t steal my thing.”

  “You stole my Spear. And my power,” Lugh teased.

  “Your Spear was given to me and I inherited your power. I didn’t even want either one,” Cameron countered.

  “Hey!” Lugh protested. “I had a really cool Spear. And I’ve seen what you can do with your power over fire. You should be glad you’re my heir. You could’ve ended up with a really lame weapon…like a mace.”

  Cameron nodded conspiratorially. “Don’t tell the Dagda, but he does have the lamest weapon of us all.”

  Lugh nodded just as conspiratorially. “And Apollo thought he was such a badass with his bow, but what do you do when you run out of arrows? No god is going to die from being beaten over the head with a bow.”

  “Badb,” Selena sighed. “Hawaii?”

  Badb took Selena’s hand and pulled her out of the chair. “I could have us there almost instantly. Should we pack or just get a new wardrobe once we’re there?”

  Selena looked down at her body and told her, “As it is, most of my pants don’t fit me anymore. Might as well go all out for the new wardrobe.”

  “I’ve asked you to stop threatening to run away to Hawaii,” Cameron reminded her then quickly added, “Or anywhere else.”

  “Stop making her want to run away,” Badb responded.

  “What did I do?” Lugh asked Badb. “I just got back from Hel, and you’re threatening to leave me already.”

  Badb pointed to Cameron. “He’s being a bad influence on you, too.”

  “Stop telling people that!” Cameron insisted.

  Lugh smiled and assured him, “You know she’s only teasing. But yeah, you and Selena really need to go now. I mean…five hundred years, Cameron.”

  “Dude, you’re practically a martyr.”

  “Men,” Selena mumbled before disappearing from the room.

  Cameron blinked at the spot where his girlfriend had stood and flashed a mischievous grin in Badb and Lugh’s direction. “I’d claim it’s just the pregnancy hormones, but honestly, I’ve always been good at making her do that.”

  Badb nodded. “I know.”

  “It really is like having Midir and Étain back,” Lugh added.

  “Yeah,” Cameron agreed, “except I’m pretty sure Étain never threatened to run away to Hawaii.”

  “Five hundred years, Cameron,” Lugh reminded him.

  “I’m going,” Cameron assured him. He followed Selena to the Dagda’s palace where she waited for him with one hand on a hip and wearing her own mischievous grin.

  “Martyr,” she teased.

  Cameron nodded seriously. “Five hundred years, love. That’s deserving of some sort of title.”

  Selena shook her head at him and yawned.

  “Come on,” he urged. “Time to sleep. You just healed something like ten thousand people.”

  “I don’t think that’s accurate.”

  “Close enough.”

  Voices in the hallway made him stop though because he recognized those voices. They belonged to his parents.

  “Cameron,” Selena whispered, but it was too late. They rounded the corner and saw him.

  “Where have you been?” his mother asked, rushing down the hallway to embrace him.

  “Um…Hel, actually.”

  He looked over his mother’s head toward his father, who averted his eyes as soon as Cameron met his. “Alison, I’m going for a walk.”

&n
bsp; “Brent…” Alison responded, but he’d already turned back, disappearing down the opposite hallway. They stood silently in his father’s absence, no one seeming to know what to say about the father who’d disowned his son for becoming a god.

  Alison forced a smile at him and inhaled a slow, deep breath. “Have you been to Earth? Do you have any news about Logan?”

  “Haven’t had a chance to check on him,” Cameron answered, but he thought his voice sounded strange. Forced, just like his mother’s smile. “But it’s a good thing I got him out of Austin because that city was destroyed.”

  “Oh my God,” Alison breathed.

  Cameron didn’t even ask her which god. For once, he didn’t feel like being a smartass. “We just fought a bunch of gods, and Selena healed thousands of people. We’re kinda wiped out, Mom.”

  “Cameron,” she whispered. “He’ll come around.”

  He felt something within him shift, the same deadly anger that Selena had so often feared would permanently overpower him resurfacing, latching on to his soul and refusing to let go. Selena gasped and reached for his hand, but he stepped away from them both, calling back to his mother, “No, he won’t. And it doesn’t matter. He can go to Hel for all I care…I won’t be saving him.”

  A knock on their door made Selena stir in his arms, but he didn’t move. He hated the thought of waking her. It had taken her so long to fall asleep and then she’d been troubled with nightmares about burning cities filled with diseased people, and she’d been powerless to help them. Unfortunately, he was incapable of sending telepathic messages to Macha, and she knocked again, causing Selena to open her eyes and groan.

  “Sorry, love,” he sighed. “I’ll see what she wants.”

  “What does anyone ever want when they knock on our door?” Selena mumbled into his chest. “Fight some giant snake, rescue some group of people.”

  Cameron snickered and slid his arm out from beneath her. Macha stopped knocking when she heard him approaching the door, and when he yanked it open, she stepped back, blinking at him.