Bound In Blue: Book One Of The Sword Of Elements by Heather Hamilton-Senter Page A

FOURTEEN
     
    “Us?”
    “Yup.” Miko pulled out some eyeliner from her bag and began thickening and winging the black lines around her eyes. “But what happens when the gods go to war and judging one magic user means betraying another, or protecting a human means ignoring one of his own kind? Rowan started a bet that Lord Thor’s mind won’t be able to handle it and he’ll go berserk and kill us all.” She smirked. “I may have let that slip one day when Daley was being particularly annoying.”
    Tynan brushed my hand with his. I tried not to pull away. “Daley’s always searching through old books and checking out ancient sites where Taranis was worshipped to see if he can find out anything about what he’s supposed to do with his power.”
    Miko threw her eyeliner down on the dresser. “And maybe Daley should decide for himself. Just because some moldy old book or a scratching on a pillar in a field tells him something, it doesn’t mean he has to do it.”
    Tynan looked down so his hair fell over his cheeks and I couldn’t see his eyes. “Fate is fate. You can’t escape it. Maybe it’s better to know who you’re supposed to be, even if you don’t like it.”
    I thought about that for a moment. “I don’t believe in fate,” I decided.
    Miko bounced back on the bed. “Me neither. I say, if all Daley wants to do with his power is roast hotdogs with it, then why not?”
    All this talk about Daley conjured images in my mind—powerful images that stirred something inside me more deeply than Tynan’s quick kiss had.
    The front door slammed. There were voices and then one rose above them all.
    “You can produce the girl now or my men will go and search for her, and they don’t play so nice with things like Italian leather furniture and fancy ceramic doodads. Or doors. You’ll lose your security deposit for sure, Taliesin.” This was said in an English accent so broad it was almost comical and followed by a booming laugh I could somehow feel as well as hear.
    That’s my cue.
    “Sorry guys. You should try to remember to get rid of any cell phones the next time you kidnap someone.” I grabbed my purse and walked out the door.
    “Ah, this must be Miss Lynne.” The man at the bottom of the stairs was an impressive sight. Tall and broad shouldered, he wore a dark green suit accented by the triangle of a handkerchief in a brighter green in the breast pocket. His beard was full and bushy, and the tawny red hair spilling onto his shoulders was as masculine as the mane of a lion. The man stood in the center of a tableau that included Peter, Lacey, and two other bearded men on one side, and Rowan, Daley, and Taliesin on the other.
    “Mr. Goodfellow?” I asked as I came down the stairs. Miko and Tynan had caught up, but I ignored Tynan’s hand brushing my arm as if to stop me.
    Up close, I could see that the man’s eyes were also bright green, and it was a sprig of holly in his pocket. Drops of moisture like dew clung to his hair and beard, but the day was dry and sunny.
    “Of course, my dear, I came as soon as I received your message. Viviane told me you might be in touch.” His face became serious. “The world is darker with her passing.”
    “Thank you.”
    Pulling out a card from the inside pocket of his jacket, Goodfellow offered it to Taliesin but the bard waved it away with a tight smile. “Do not mock me, Silvanus. I know who you are, though I have only had dealings with your cousins.”
    “Yes, you and your kind make quite free use of my kin. But call me Robin Goodfellow, Bard. The name Silvanus died with the Romans.”
    “And I thought the Lord of the Forest no longer ventured onto the Paths to visit the human world.”
    Goodfellow shrugged. “True. You and your earth magicians have bound my kin to ferry your asses to and fro ‘round the world, but I’ve eluded being pulled into this little jihad you and Morgan are working your way up to. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up all care