dead, the soldiers now surrounded them, each one a bar in a new prison. The redhead should have been pleased by the death of the bodach. She knew they were lucky to be alive, and she had Finn Arne to thank for it.
But events had taken a turn for the worse, it appeared.
Snedeker sat in Deirdre’s hand, lending what sympathy he could, all the while giving the outworlders his darkest look. She didn’t know who they were but she knew for certain she didn’t like what they proposed.
“My orders are clear, McAllister.”
“Damn your orders then,” Richard said. “There is a great deal more going on here than you or your so-called superiors know. War has come. Not maybe. Not possibility. It is here now. I go to end it before it escalates into our world.”
“By traveling to Caer Llion, I know, I know,” Finn Arne said. “I still have orders.”
“Who sent you? The Cardinal Vicar?”
“It does not matter.”
“It does matter. Cormac O’Connor is only interested in attaining the services of the Heliwr, nothing more, nothing less,” Richard said. “He wanted the boy because Bran Ardall is the son of the last Heliwr, Charles Ardall. In the time since you tried to kill us, I—”
“I didn’t try to kill you.”
“I don’t care!” Richard said, cutting Arne off. “The point is…I am the Heliwr.”
Finn Arne frowned. “You are?”
Richard called the Dark Thorn. White light fell on Deirdre and the clearing. The soldiers raised their weapons but the knight ignored them. The staff shimmered darkly in the early dawn, the silver grains of the black wood catching the light and releasing it.
“You must have seen me wield it during the battle,” Richard said. “It wasn’t a trick. I will make a bargain with you, one we both will benefit from.”
“I am listening.”
“If you let us go, we will willingly return with you to Rome. Once we return from Caer Llion and destroy Philip and his ability to see into our world.”
“How do I know you don’t go to join him?”
Richard barked a laugh. “I go to kill him.”
“Who is the redhead?”
All eyes fell on Deirdre. She did not flinch. She had been surrounded by warriors all of her life, knew them as she knew herself, and despite their weaponry, those gathered were no different than any she had known.
“She is Deirdre Rhys, a lady of Annwn,” Richard replied. “She is our guide.”
“Is this true?” Finn Arne asked her.
“It is,” she said. “I go with the knights to watch over their mounts while they are within Caer Llion. If they went to join the enemy, they would have had no need for me. Nor would I be wasting my time.”
“What of my men?” Finn Arne asked finally. “I cannot bring my men into harm’s way. We are not to become involved in any direct confrontation here in Annwn.”
“I will tell you something, Shield of the Vatican, and you listen good,” Richard stated, his anger plain. “For you to not become involved is the real travesty. The Seelie Court gathers to the east, where the Forest of Dean covers the approach to Caer Llion. They do so to counter an army bred to destroy this world and our own, one filled with aberrations of nature more deadly than the Kreche you met in Seattle. It is you who should join that war, bring your firepower and training, to protect the last defense to our world.”
“It is not our place to become involved in the politics of Annwn,” Finn Arne said, although without the surety he previously possessed. “And what if my men and I don’t let you leave? We outnumber you.”
Richard let white flames run up and down the Dark Thorn.
“I will kill every one of your men,” the knight whispered, Deirdre barely able to hear. “You know how I feel toward your masters, toward your doctrine. I may not be able to kill you due to Prydwen, but your men are not so protected, are they? I will burn them away, your weapons and clothing away, and leave you naked as a jaybird. Then how easy will it be to bring young Ardall and myself to Rome, eh?”
Finn Arne and the knight stared one another down, neither giving way. Whether the knight would fulfill his promise and kill the warriors who surrounded them, Deirdre couldn’t tell. Richard clearly did not fear the captain. With Bran behind her and ready to protect Richard, they had far more power than their aggressors.
“You go to the east