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Ossian strode into the clearing where Veronika had indicated she would be upon his return. He trembled at having to return without Phoedra in hand.

This bitch witch was proving to be more insane by the minute.

Why else would she have stolen a throne and placed it in the middle of a clearing in Kennesaw National Battlefield Park northwest of downtown Atlanta? She must have stolen it, since he doubted she could conjure up one with such an intricately carved frame finished in gold, which also showed decades of natural wear.

Why hadn’t she conjured a comfortable mansion to use while she was at it?

The throne couldn’t be placed in a more ridiculous spot, sitting on the grass-and-twig-covered ground beneath a canopy of thirty-foot-tall oak trees.

No humans would wander into her spot. This witch would secure the area to prevent intrusion.

He’d be the first to acknowledge that Veronika was a power capable of threatening many nonhumans. She’d been gaining more strength through her ancestors and clearly had a plan for drawing power from Phoedra.

He had a high regard for her level of crazy after she’d taken him from the jaws of death three times and sent him back when she cooked his majik again and again.

She’d jacked up his majik so much that Ossian struggled to hold one physical shape for more than a few hours. She’d pushed him nonstop since she’d snapped the link between him and Cathbad. Ossian desperately needed rest for any hope of regaining full control of his morphing ability.

He couldn’t accept that he might not ever do so.

What were Queen Maeve and Cathbad thinking about him now? That he’d jumped from one side to another?

Pausing several steps from where Veronika perched on her throne with a sour expression, he bowed at the waist then righted himself.

Now he had to utter disgusting words. “My queen.”

“You’re empty-handed.”

How nice to be enslaved to a queen who noticed the obvious.

“Please allow me to explain what has happened,” he implored.

She nodded her assent.

“The bounty offers I put on the darknet were productive. As you said, there couldn’t be many young girls named Phoedra who possessed powers.” To say he’d been surprised when someone found a girl to match that description would be an understatement. He’d tried to tell Veronika the girl could be called by another name.

But that had not been the case.

He was likely not helping his case by explaining that Veronika had been correct, but she allowed him to continue.

“Phoedra was located on the other side of this country and transported to an unauthorized location. My instructions in the darknet ad specifically said that once a potential target was found to contact me, then I would bring her here.”

Ossian paused to draw a deep breath, but he really wanted to give her a chance to say something so he could gauge the trouble he faced.

When she did not comment, he said, “The bounty hunter ran into some kind of trouble, so he instead went to New Orleans, a region protected by his kin. He would only hand her over there, stating he would not trust anywhere else when he had a safe place to meet. I understand how important it is for you to have this girl and her power, so I agreed. I was in the process of taking possession of Phoedra when a Medb Scáth Force warrior appeared as if teleported in. I don’t believe they have that ability, so I’m guessing Cathbad or Queen Maeve sent him. He took the girl before I got my hands on her. It all happened very quickly.”

Veronika listened intently then asked, “How did he know where to find her?”

Ossian lifted his shoulders and shook his head. He reminded her, “You have ensured that I can tell no one what I am doing for you, especially an enemy of yours, which is pretty much everyone.” 

Veronika leaned forward, her seething anger causing the air to shimmer with dark energy. “This makes no sense. I will repeat this only one time, Ossian. How could this Medb warrior have known how to locate Phoedra?”

Swallowing hard, Ossian said, “I’m guessing Cathbad has been looking for me, which I did warn you he would do. Logically, he would send one or more Scáth Force warriors to find me. Once Cathbad revealed where I normally reside in this world, the warriors would have found my computer.”  He’d been proud of using the accelerated learning ability Cathbad had bestowed on him to become proficient in all electronics. “If that happened and the Scáth Force discovered my user ID they would have had access to the darknet history and could have begun tracking my movements through the features in my phone. They would have been privy to messages I exchanged with those hunting Phoedra.”

“User ID?”

“Sorry. I forget you’re a Luddite.”

Veronika tensed and Ossian felt power rush past him to her. She was loading herself, probably through her connection to her ancestors.

That could be very bad. “Have I said something you question, my queen?” he asked.

“Do you dare to curse me, Ossian?”

Ah! “Uh, no, I would never do such a thing. A Luddite is someone not familiar with technology. I can’t help what I say. Cathbad’s majik forces me to tell the truth to him. Evidently, that now extends to you as I am under your control.”

She relaxed and leaned back, but in a pensive mood. “Do not use that term again. I don’t like it.”

“Absolutely, my queen.”  Ossian rushed ahead to say, “The Scáth Force warrior did relay a brief message for you that he was taking Phoedra, but that the Medb intend to return her as part of a deal with you.”

Her lips parted in disbelief. “Now they expect me to trade in good faith? That druid and queen should suffer having their eyes dug from the sockets with a rusty spoon.”  She slapped the arm of her throne. “Is there no honor any more among preternaturals? I will forgive no one for stealing what is mine.”

He wouldn’t respond to that even if he stood behind an impenetrable wall.

She wanted respect from the rest of the nonhuman community?

Ossian had to move her away from dwelling on his loss of Phoedra and onto the potential for gaining what she wanted.

And if Cathbad could pull a miracle out of his bag of tricks he could save Ossian from this wacked-out witch.

Ossian began, “My queen, this may turn out quite well. I do believe the Medb want a partnership with you, which would explain their bold act.” He added a little something to bring her around to his way of thinking. “In fact, grabbing Phoedra to use in trade clearly shows how you intimidate Cathbad and Queen Maeve.”

Veronika cocked her head with interest. She no longer appeared ready to dispose of him. “Go on.”

Ossian had struck a positive note by embellishing to stroke her ego. “The Medb warrior said that his superior wished to meet with you at midnight tonight.” Ossian explained the location, which was south of the city and used for an annual Renaissance Festival.

“What about the humans? I want no more interference.”

Ossian said, “I have no doubt that Cathbad will guarantee a protected area as neither he nor Queen Maeve wish to be found in the human realm at the moment. Queen Maeve insulted the deities at a Tribunal meeting and they have barred the Medb leaders from returning here. I do believe the Medb witches and warlocks would have been sent home if Sen had spoken up, but he enjoys irritating the Beladors. I believe I can say for sure that Cathbad will control the area where we meet.” 

“What do he and Maeve want in exchange for the girl?”

“I was not given that information. The Medb warrior literally rattled off the terms and departed immediately, probably teleported again by Cathbad or the queen. Even so, it would be unusual for the Medb queen to share any details. She would never trust a warrior with the terms of an important negotiation.”

Veronika remained still while she processed everything. Slashing a suspicious look at Ossian, she said, “You are a product of Cathbad and Queen Maeve’s machinations, so what do you think they want in trade?” 

Ossian bristled at being considered one of the many faceless warriors for the Medb. “To be specific, I am an entirely unique creation by Cathbad. With that said, I can only tell you what I believe would be their aspirations. I’m thinking that prior to your wiping the planet clean of beings with power and turning their minions into your slaves, that the queen and Cathbad will wish to form a pact with you to protect them and their Medb warriors. Think about it. You would end up with Phoedra, from whom you could mine power, plus gain a powerful group as ally.” 

“Very well, we will meet, but not entirely on their terms.”

Ossian’s moment of excitement dampened. He had no idea what Veronika would do, but if he had to wager on her approach to the meeting, he’d say she was stacking a heavy defensive force in her favor.

Technically, he was wagering with his life as the ante.