Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Nox’s request to travel to Coudersport by demon had been denied so he rode in the back of Fletcher’s van with Everly.
Bryn and Arawn were in the front and Clancy was driving Ingrid, Merlin, Sigrid, and Freya in the Range Rover.
Tighe was spared the trauma of riding in a vehicle and went to Coudersport with Smoak and the two were doing reconnaissance while they waited for the rest of their party.
They could have saved themselves hours and traveled by demon but Merlin and Clancy didn’t want anyone stranded in the event that something happened to Smoak or he had a change of heart after Dùbhghlas was dealt with.
Thankfully, Smoak made sure any law enforcement they might encounter along the way was enchanted and distracted so they were able to fly as fast as Fletcher’s old white van could carry them.
It was already late when they set out but it was decided that it was better to wait until morning to make their move on the cabin.
None of Dùbhghlas’s creatures were necessarily averse to sunlight but they were more comfortable at night and Merlin’s night vision wasn’t what it used to be.
As much as Nox wanted to attack immediately, he conceded that it was better to give Smoak and Tighe time to get a thorough lay of the land so they weren’t running in completely blind.
“I can’t wait!” Everly hugged his knees on the bench next to Nox in the back of the van. “The Huge Douchebag is finally going to get what he deserves and all those stolen halflings’ souls will be freed. All of the souls he’s stolen are going to be free!”
“I love your confidence, buddy.” Nox held up his fist so Everly could bump it and watched the scenery zip past the driver’s side window.
There were no windows in the back but Nox could see the stars and a waning gibbous moon over Bryn’s shoulder.
It had been a pink full moon, signifying rebirth, renewal, balance, and romance.
This was the ideal time to handle unfinished business and put an end to Dùbhghlas.
It was one more good omen and soothed him, knowing this would be his last night without Nelson.
“Can I have dibs on all the Abhartachs?” Everly asked them. “They can’t steal my power and I want to be the one to free them.”
Bryn smiled back at him, then glanced at Nox. His smile widened when Nox gave him a nod. “They’re all yours,” Bryn said to Everly.
“Yes!”
“What do you think?” Arawn nudged Bryn. “Nine Fomorians for you and nine for me? After that, we can see if Smoak needs a hand with the demons.”
Bryn laughed as he bumped his fist against Arawn’s. “Sounds good to me. Clancy, Merlin, and the valkyries can take care of the rest while Nox puts his godly foot up Dùbhghlas’s ass and fries him.”
“I like that plan!” Everly said as he clapped.
Nox gave his hair an affectionate ruffle. The occupants of the Range Rover and Smoak might not approve of the entire plan but Everly’s excited optimism was infectious. “It’s a real good plan.”
“We have plenty of room for Nelson to ride back with us.” Everly pointed at the empty bench across from them, making Nox’s heart race as he pictured Nelson there and realized how close they were to making that a reality.
There simply weren’t any other options in Everly’s mind and Nox decided to borrow his unyielding faith and fully embraced hope.
As the miles and the hours passed, Nox found that doing so made it easier to tune out the angry god and manifest a total victory over Dùbhghlas and his dark army.
By the time they parked in the small rest area and set off to find Smoak and Tighe, Nox was practically skipping and grateful for the hours spent with Everly and the twins.
He was so ready to settle matters with Dùbhghlas and get his man back.
“How did it look?” he asked Smoak and Tighe when they met at the rendezvous point about two miles away from the cabin.
“First of all…” Smoak planted his hands on his hips and shook his head at Nox, Merlin, and Clancy. “Can either of you pretentious dickheads explain why you keep calling that glass mansion a ‘cabin?’”
Nox shrugged and twisted his lips thoughtfully. “Probably because ‘cabin’ is shorter than ‘glass mansion’ and doesn’t make us sound like pretentious dickheads.”
“Niall lived in a cabin. Anything with two saunas, professional kitchen appliances, and a full gym and a pool in the basement is not a cabin.”
“I see your point.” Nox’s cheeks puffed out as he mimicked Smoak and planted his hands on his hips. “This changes everything. The Fomorians might have been working out.”
Clancy’s girls burst into giggles and held onto each other for support while Ingrid, Clancy, and the hellhounds kept straight faces.
Merlin glared at Smoak. “Were you able to observe anything useful?” he asked and Smoak gasped.
“I did! Would you like to see?”
“I might…” Merlin answered warily but they all lost their breath and moved in when Smoak spread his hands and created a miniature model of the cabin and their meadow made out of smoke.
“It looks just as it’s supposed to, until you step into the stone circle.
I kept Tighe away from it because Dùbhghlas will know the moment anything other than one of his children or a demon breaches his perimeter.
” The idyllic glade was replaced by a scene of dark chaos as the meadow was dotted with tents and malevolent smoke creatures communed around campfires and patrolled the circle.
“Half of the Fomorians are camping in front of the cabin and the other half are guarding the back doors. There’s no getting in or out without going through them. ”
“Any sign of Hildr?” Ingrid asked but Smoak shook his head. “She didn’t come out while I was there but I saw Dùbhghlas for a few brief moments. He looks like shit.”
“That’s too bad,” Nox lied. “He might have sucked the dark magick out of a battalion of demons but he burned up a lot of it, raising all those Fomorians and whatever else he’s brought with him.”
Smoak snorted, nodding in agreement. “He has an assortment of banshee, púca, and Abhartachs but he’s spent most of his time and effort raising those giants and it has cost him dearly.”
“Any sign of Nelson?” Nox asked with a hopeful lift of his brows but Smoak shook his head.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Alright. In that case, Everly has a really strong plan to share with the team.” Nox gave Everly the stage and several parts of his plan were immediately altered.
“Those big, ugly brutes are fair game,” Freya said while crouching behind a bush at the edge of the clearing.
From their vantage point everything looked perfectly calm and quiet and all the lights were out in the cabin. They all knew that as soon as they ran past the stones, the scene would change and they would be greeted by Dùbhghlas’s undead army.
“Hildr is mine,” Ingrid stated firmly.
Nox winced at her. “I have to give you a hand if it looks like you’re having trouble. We can’t risk losing you and we know she’ll go after your girls if she gets a chance.”
She ducked her head but didn’t look pleased. “Very well.”
“Everly had a good point about the Abhartachs. They can’t suck his strength or power, he’s too nimble and knows all their tricks.
Avoid them if you can,” Nox warned everyone, then looked at his twin hellhounds.
“Work with Smoak to clear out any demons that might be around. Please.” He pressed his hands together and pushed out his lip.
“If we can knock out the Fomorians, the demons, and Hildr, the rest should be easy peasy and I can handle Hugh.”
“There’s our plan. Are we all ready?” Clancy asked the group. “The hellhounds, valkyries, Everly, and Smoak will be the first wave. After that, it’s me, Merlin, Tighe, and Nox, with Nox focusing on Dùbhghlas.”
Smoak coughed and waited until Clancy acknowledged him. “If you see Dùbhghlas out there, avoid him at all costs and do not take your eyes off of his hands. He can throw blue fire and it will do grave and mortal damage, even if it barely touches you.”
“That’s why I don’t want anyone else to engage with him,” Nox reiterated as he pointed at the faces staring back at him. “I don’t think it will kill me but if it does or I’m hurt, I’m a god. My soul will shoot out of my body and wind up in the Otherworld or I’ll heal after a long nap with Nelson.”
“You don’t think?” Clancy said with a stern look at Nox. “You’ve never been hit with blue demon fire and you assume you can catch it.”
He shrugged. “It seems pretty likely. Blue fire is in my DNA thanks to the Badb and I’ve been practicing.”
“I hope so.” Clancy nodded at the lake. “The sun is rising. We should move while they’re all nodding off.”
The campfires were probably being put out and most of Dùbhghlas’s army would be turning in after a night of feasting and celebrating. At Clancy’s direction, the first wave lined up at the edge of the glade and waited for his signal.
“Go!” he shouted and they took off at a sprint.
Ingrid and the girls let out blood-chilling cries as they launched and turned into screaming blurs while the twins were suddenly taller and massive and their teeth had turned into fangs.
They ran after the valkyrie with Everly and Smoak, vanishing from view once they passed the stones.
Now that their presence had been announced, the rest stepped forward so they could see the battlefield as it was.
“My gods!” Merlin whispered as he took in all the tents, giants, and demonic creations scattering and brawling in front of them. He had his kyanite staff and dagger ready but seemed unsure of where to start.
Most of the tents were on fire and had collapsed and a few of the Fomorians had already fallen.
The air was full of blue smoke as frantic demons were chased into the veil by Smoak and the hellhounds.
Everly hadn’t bothered to chase any of his targets across the veil, blasting bedraggled urchins into oblivion with his mighty light where they stood.
“Let’s go!” Nox shouted and ran, waving for the others to follow him.
He searched the field and the cabin’s front porch but there was no sign of Dùbhghlas.
“Hildr?” he called when he spotted Ingrid but she shook her head before swooping off and slamming into a Fomorian, sending it sprawling into another giant.
The twins pounced upon them and had reduced them to bloody pulp within seconds.
“Lad! I could use a hand!” Merlin shouted and at first, Nox couldn’t see him. Then, he spotted a hand waving from under a smoldering Fomorian.
“Bryn!” Nox flagged down the first available hellhound and pointed at Merlin as he rushed over to help.
“I got it,” Bryn answered and grabbed the giant’s foot, easily yanking it off of Merlin and heaving it at a gross little púca bearing an axe that was taller than he was.
The Fomorian hit its target, crushing the púca and killing it.
Everywhere Nox looked, he saw the destruction of Dùbhghlas’s army.
The ground was littered with dead and thrashing giants, the remains of various dark creatures, and their burning encampment.
He did a headcount and all of his team were on their feet and fighting or racing through the air.
They were winning and Nox was relieved and confident as he headed for the cabin, then was stopped in his tracks when the front doors opened and Hugh Dùbhghlas stepped out to face him.