Page 100

“No item ever made by an old god is ‘just’ anything. Mom never named them because she knew they were not hers to name. Gran once said the same thing. You use them in a manner neither of them could; I think it safe to say the naming rights are yours.”

“And I have bigger things to worry about right now than thinking up names for two bits of metal.”

“Indeed, but it still should be done. All powerful magical items should be named. It is the mage way.”

“Says the mage himself.”

“Says the mage who made Jack and Jill for me.” Amusement tugged at his lips. “Of course, he wasn’t too impressed with the monikers I gave them, but he never said they had to beclassynames.”

I laughed. “So why haven’t I seen them before now?”

“They’re always in my pack, but they’re designed to counter supernatural forces and the occasional soul in the service of the dark gods. They’re useless against Annwfyn and human attackers, mostly because you have to get too close to the bastards for them to be effective.”

“A possibility of a metal stake being shoved through anyone’s heart will surely give them pause regardless,” I said wryly.

“You’d be surprised. Besides, that would kill them, and there are laws against that. You want me to lead?”

“Given your weapons can’t counter magic and mine can, I think it best if I do.”

He waved me on. I drew my knives and walked up the gentle hill with more assurance than I actually felt. Despite the water that surrounded us and the gentle dripping evident in the distance, not even the weird moss that seemed to thrive in wet underground environments had gained a foothold here. The place looked—and felt—almost alien, especially with the metal fence casting weirdly shaped shadows whenever our headlamps hit it.

I was barely halfway when lightning began to flicker along the edges of the knife blades. There was definitely dark—or, at the very least, threatening—magic here.

I slowed as we drew close to the back of the chest. The three metal straps that bound it together were thicker than my finger and a good hand wide. The wood was of a type I’d not seen before—it was black and shiny, almost resembling metal—and was untouched by the rot that ringed this island. Whoever had built this had obviously intended it to last. Or did it need to be this strong to contain the power it held?

I flexed my fingers around the knife hilts—a gesture that in no way eased the gathering tension—and walked around to the front. There was no lock, just a simple latch, which surprised me. At least it was until I pointed a knife at it, and the whole blade glowed even brighter.

I glanced at Lugh, more for reassurance than anything else.

He gave me a nod and a quick, “Do it.”

I bent and pressed the knives against either side of the latch. The lightning that rolled down the blades jumped onto it then ran up the lid and across the chest. With jagged little fingers, it dug into the wood, splitting the fibers apart where it wasn’t confined by the metal straps. Beams of luminous green light speared through the cracks, lending the shadows an eerie glow.

Lugh grabbed my arm and hauled me several steps back. Though my knives no longer touched the latch, the lightning continued to crawl across the chest, widening its cracks and lashing out at whatever lay within.

Then, with a powerfulboom, the wooden chest exploded, throwing us both backward and sending deadly splinters spearing through the air. I landed hard on my butt several feet away and rolled into a tight ball, hugging the knives close to my chest as the wooden rain fell all around me. Several splinters hit my back, but the coveralls prevented them from spearing deeper into my skin.

After a few seconds, the wood rain stopped. I peered out cautiously and then unrolled and sat up. Lugh was several yards away but aside from a scrape across his right hand, appeared unhurt.

“Beth? Lugh?”

Cynwrig’s voice echoed across the stillness, and though nothing stirred in response, my uneasiness increased.

“Both here, both unharmed.”

“What happened?”

“You couldn’t see?”

“Some weird green light appeared behind the barrier, and I couldn’t see past it.”

Was that the light that had come from the chest or had we triggered something else? I shivered and hoped like hell we hadn’t even as the pessimistic part of my soul was totally convinced that we had.

“I defused the magic around the chest, that’s all.” I sheathed one knife and walked over to my brother to offer him a hand.

“Sounded more like you exploded the damn thing.”

“Same, same.”