The Order of Brigid's Cross - The Wild Hunt (Book 1): The Wild Hunt (28 page)

Sean and Em took the stairs to the gym, and once inside, Em
turned on him. “And when where you going to share your information with me?”
she asked.

“This evening, before we started practicing,” he replied
evenly.

She froze and stared at him. “What?”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I figured that
our…” He paused for a moment searching for the right word.
“Connection.
 
Our connection would probably be the only
link I’d have with the real world.
 
If it
could still be maintained between earth and faery,” he explained. “So you
needed to know what happened. And besides…”

“Besides?” she prompted.

He let a small smile play on his lips. “The rest of the
group would be upset and might even feel sorry for me,” he said. “But when you
found out I knew beforehand, I figured you’d get really mad.”

“Aye, I would have been,” she admitted with a quick nod.

He reached his hand out and placed it on her arm. “And I
didn’t want you to think I’d abandoned you.”

She tried to shake it off, but he held it there firmly. “I’m
not a child to be coddled,” she said.

“No, you’re not,” he agreed firmly. “But you are my partner,
and partners share information.”

“Then share,” she said. “How do you think you’re going to
defeat the Elk King?”

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath,
involuntarily tightening the grip he had on her shoulder.
 
When he opened his eyes, they were bleak with
uncertainty. “I really have no idea,” he said. “All I know is that I don’t have
a choice.”

Em sighed slowly and nodded. “Well, at least you’re not
trying to fight him off with a dammed stick.”

Sean smiled for a moment, but then, as another idea came to him,
his smile disappeared. “No matter what, you can’t come to the rescue this
time,” he insisted, his voice low. “If you step in to help me, it will give the
rest of the Hunt the sign to become involved.
 
Everyone in the stadium and for God knows how many miles around would be
destroyed. I have to do this one on my own.”

“I can’t stand back and watch you die,” she whispered back
vehemently.

“My choice, Em,” he replied. “You need to let me honor my
choice.”

She looked like she was going to argue for a moment, but
finally shook her head, stepped back and held her sword up. “Then we better
practice,” she said. “Because you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

Three hours later, Sean placed his sword down and picked up
a towel to wipe the sweat off of his forehead.
 
He leaned back against the gym wall and looked at Em with amazement.
“You don’t even look winded,” he said.

“I just don’t show it as much as you,” she replied, leaning
back against the wall next to him, her breathing slightly quickened. “But you
gave me as good a fight as I’ve had in a long time. You’ll do, Sean O’Reilly,
you’ll do.”

He turned and looked over at her. “Thank you,” he said. “I
finally feel like I might have a chance tomorrow.” He stopped and looked down
at his watch. “I mean today.”

Pushing himself away from the wall, he bent over, picked up
his sword and nodded to Em. “I have one more stop, and then I’m going to get
some sleep.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she replied.

He nodded. “See you then.”

Letting himself out of the gym, he closed the door behind him
and jogged down the stairs to the first floor.
 
He paused as he passed the lab at the end of the hall and saw Ian bent
over his computer. “Get some sleep,” he called into the room. “I’m going to
need you tomorrow.”

Ian turned around and met his eyes. “Getting you out of
faery is not going to be an easy task,” he said. “But it’s not impossible
either. So, tomorrow your main goal is to not die.”

Sean grinned and nodded. “That’s been my main goal for most
of my life,” he replied.

“Good,” Ian said, turning back to his computer. “Keep up the
good work.”

Maria Perez tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for
the elevator to take her to Pete’s penthouse apartment.
 
She’d worked with Pete long enough to have
seen his reaction to almost every kind of situation. But tonight, when he had
called, his voice held a totally different tone. Pete O’Bryan sounded
frightened.

The door finally slid open, and she stepped into his
apartment. “Hey, Pete, I’m here,” Maria called.

“Back here, in the office,” Pete called back.

She hurried down the hall and waited in the doorway while
Pete finished a call. “Yes,
   
General,
thank you very much,” Pete said. “Of course, I will personally be responsible
for its safety. Yes, I will have my associate, Maria Perez, at your office by 0700
tomorrow morning. Once again, thank you, sir.”

He jotted a few notes down, hung up the phone and turned his
chair to face Maria.

“So, am I taking a trip?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, sorry, I would have asked—”

She shook her head. “No, I’m good,” she interrupted.
“Besides, I can tell by your expression that this is important.”

“Life or death,” he replied. “Sean O’Reilly.”

“The guy that saved your life?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Where am I going?”

Exhaling slowly, he nodded at her with a slight smile.
“Thank you, I really appreciate this,” he said, and then he turned his chair
back to his table and picked up a notepad. “Okay, my jet is waiting for you at
Midway. It should be gassed up and have a flight plan scheduled by now.
 
You’ll fly into Dulles, and then I’ll have a
car waiting for you.”

“And where will I be going?” she asked, trying to be
patient.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he said. “You’ll be going to the Pentagon
to meet with four-star General Abernathy. He’ll have a package for you.”

“A package?” she asked.

“Yeah, and you’re going to need help to get it into the car
and then back on the plane,” he said. “It will probably weigh over 100 pounds.”

She looked down at her petite body and then looked back at
Pete. “And you choose me for this assignment because?”

“Because I trust you,” he said simply. “And I know that no
matter what, you’ll get the job done.”

“Thank you, Pete,” she replied. “Where do you want it
delivered once I get back in town?”

“It’s got to be at Soldier Field by seven o’clock tomorrow
night,” he said. “I’m really hoping that you’re back here by midday, but even
if the pilot has to land on Lake Shore Drive, I need that package at Soldier
Field.”

She nodded. “You got it,” she said.
“Anything
else?”

“No, but thank you,” he said. “I owe you one.”

Smiling, she nodded. “And I’ll remember you said that.”

Sean pulled his cruiser up to the curb on Lower Wacker Drive
and put the vehicle in park.
 
Hettie was
standing behind her filled shopping cart. The gorgeous Mab was nowhere to be
seen. When she saw him, she pushed the cart towards the curb to meet him.

He got out of the car, went around to the passenger side and
leaned against the hood, his long legs extended in front of him, his arms
crossed over his chest. “I just wanted to be sure everything was set for
tomorrow,” he said emotionlessly.

“Oh, Sean O’Reilly, are you mad at Hettie now?” she asked,
her eyes wide with sorrow.

He sighed and shook his head. “No, I’m just tired of games,”
he said. “So, is everything set up?”

She nodded. “Aye, it’s all set up for tomorrow at nine
o’clock at the Soldier Field,” she answered, her head bowed.
 

“And once the fight is over, they go away and never come
back again, right?” he asked.

“Aye, once you win, your city is safe,” she said. “But if
you lose…”

“I won’t lose,” he said, stopping her.

She shot a sideways glance at him, and her eyes twinkled
with curiosity. “And what did you do with your last day on this earth?
 
Did you find a hospitable tavern and a
welcoming wench or two and celebrate your upcoming battle?”

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “I had dinner with my parents and,
in my own way, said goodbye.”

Lifting her head, she placed her claw-like hands on her
narrow hips and glared at him. “Do you not know what adventures are ahead of
you, Sean?” she asked. “The faery world is all you could wish for: fine food
and drink, wonderful landscapes, hunting, dancing, celebrating and womanizing.
Sean, it’s like going to heaven. You’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“No, Hettie,” he said. “It’s everything you ever wanted, not
me.”

“Then tell me, Sean me lad, what do you want?” she argued.

He looked up at the concrete ceiling above him for a moment,
and then finally brought his eyes back to the wizened, old woman before him. “I
want my family and friends,” he said. “I want to laugh with them, argue with
them and share their joys and their sorrows.
 
I want to work hard and be proud of the things I’ve done, and, I
suppose, I want my parents to be proud of me. I want to find love.” He stopped
when it looked like she would interrupt and shook his head. “Not lust, love. I
want to find the right person who wants to be with me forever and loves me in
spite of my weaknesses.”

Hettie shook her head. “I don’t understand you,” she
replied. “You can have wealth, power, immortality, and fulfill all your
desires, yet you act as if leaving this place will
cause
you sorrow.”

“Leaving this place will break my heart, Hettie,” he
admitted. “And I know it will break the hearts of those who love me.
 
I can’t find any joy in the treasures you
offer. They’re just hollow imitations of the real things I’ll be leaving
behind.”

 
“Then why are you
doing this?” she asked, clearly confused. “Why would you risk so much?”

“Because it has to be done and I’m the one who has to do
it,” he said. “I can’t stand back and watch innocents die.”

“But you’re an innocent,” she argued. “Why sacrifice
yourself for people you don’t even know?”

“Because I’m an officer of the law, Hettie,” he said slowly.
“And that’s what I took an oath to do.”

“I’d give anything to go back and see my homeland,” Hettie
said with wistfulness in her voice. “I’d give anything to dance in the grand
ballrooms and feast in the great dining halls. The air is so
sparkling
it’s like breathing champagne. The colors around you are so vivid they hurt
your eyes, and the music, ah, Sean, the music is so sweet it would likely break
your heart.”

“Well, Hettie, I wish you could take my place,” he said with
a sad smile as he stood up and took her hand. He placed a light kiss on the
wrinkled, age-spotted skin and then smiled at her. “Thank you for helping me,”
he said. “It was an honor to know you.”

She stared at him, confusion in her eyes. “You are such an
odd man, Sean O’Reilly,” she replied.

He nodded. “I’ve been told that before,” he said, walking
around to the other side of the car. He started to open the door, then paused
and looked at her over the roof of the cruiser. “I have a good friend. His name
is Peter O’Boyle, and he’s a good man. He’ll be coming by and bringing you your
tea after tonight.”

“I thank you, Sean O’Reilly,” she replied. “It seems that I
owe you another boon.”

“No, you owe me nothing,” he said. “Be safe, Hettie.”

He climbed into the car and drove away.
 
Hettie watched him until he turned off the street.
“Aye, Sean O’Reilly, it seems that I still owe you a boon.”

“Dammit Pete.
Not even the Bears
show up three hours before a game,” Sean complained as they pulled up in front
of Soldier Field the next evening.

“Yeah, well they don’t need the kind of last minute practice
you do,” Pete replied, grabbing his chair and pulling it out of the back of his
car. “Now stop complaining and help me break into the stadium.”

“Break in?” Sean asked. “I thought you knew a guy.”

“I thought
you
knew
a guy,” Pete replied as he lifted himself from the driver’s seat into his
chair.

Sean looked over the roof of the car towards the stadium and
saw Marcus coming towards them from the shadows of the entranceway. “I do know
a guy,” Sean said. “And I’m sure he’s got the keys to let us in.”

Sean pulled his sword out of the back seat, came around the
car and walked alongside Pete as they approached Marcus.

“Hey, dude, is this for real?” Marcus asked. “This
ain’t
no
sting or nothing like
that?”

Sean shook his head. “No, this is for real,” he replied.
“We’ve got some pretty bad characters coming to the stadium tonight, and I
don’t want anyone to get close and get hurt.”

“Me and my homies, we got you,” he said, and then he paused
for a moment. “But, like, if it’s down with you, we’d like to watch.”

“So, you’ve never seen a real, live ass-whooping before?”
Pete asked.

Marcus smiled. “Whose ass is gonna be whipped?”

“I’m hoping it’s the other guy,” Sean replied, adjusting the
sword’s case over his shoulder. “But if it looks like it’s me, I want you and
your homies to get out of the stadium as quickly as possible.”

“Yeah, man, okay,” Marcus said. “So do you want me to bring
you where the girl is?”

“Girl?
What girl?” Sean asked.

“She’s a real looker. She’s a nice piece of…”

“She’s my associate Maria,” Pete interrupted. “And she’s one
of the toughest and smartest lawyers in Chicago. So I wouldn’t mess with her if
I were you.”

Marcus shrugged. “Hey, no problem,” he said. “It’s just, you
know
,
if she was interested.”

Pete nodded. “I’ll let you know.”

Soldier Field looked like an ancient Greek stadium standing
on the shores of Lake Michigan. Giant, Doric columns rose above the entrance,
creating an imposing façade that Sean hoped would intimidate the creatures of
the Hunt.
 
They weren’t in the forests of
faery anymore; they were in a stadium where Bears devoured lesser creatures.

Marcus led them to a maintenance entrance at the ground
level. After three discreet knocks, the door was opened, and the three of them
slipped into the stadium.
 
“The girl,
Maria, she told me you wanted to set up at the north end zone,” Marcus said.

Pete grinned. “Yeah, that’s the Bears’ end zone,” he said.
“We’re defending our turf, too. That’s perfect.”

They walked down the underground passageway, came up through
the locker rooms, and finally climbed the ramp that led onto the field.

“This was my ultimate dream,” Pete said softly so only Sean
could hear him as he rolled up the ramp in his chair. “Quarterback for the
Chicago Bears.
Running up the ramp, having the fans screaming
for me.”

“You were good enough,” Sean said. “I’d have screamed for
you.”

Pete chuckled. “Thanks,” he said. “And tonight I’ll be sure
to scream for you.”

“Yeah, well hopefully I won’t be screaming myself,” Sean
said.

They reached the top of the ramp and saw that Maria was
standing at the edge of the field with a large case next to her. “I got you a
present,” Pete said.

“And I didn’t get you anything,” Sean replied as they got
closer to Maria.

“That’s okay,” Pete said. “You can owe me.”

Before Sean could answer, Maria walked over to them. “Hey,
boss, I got your package, and the General said to say hi.”

“The General?”
Sean asked.

Pete rolled over to the case, flipped open the locks and
pushed open the top of the case to expose a mechanical device.

“What the hell is this?” Sean asked, coming over and looking
into the case.

“An exoskeleton,” Pete said. “I did a little patent work for
the company that created this for the military, so I’ve been following its
design for a couple of years. It’s created to fit around a soldier’s body in
order to enhance their strength.”

Sean leaned over and pulled the device from the case.
 
It was made of metal that was surprisingly
light and was shaped to match the major joints and bends in a human body.

“You need to step back into it,” Pete said. “It lies against
your back and the back of your arms and legs.”

Maria came over and helped Sean strap into the device. Then
she turned on the power. “At this point, the battery doesn’t last very long,”
she explained. “You have about thirty minutes of power.”

Sean lifted up his arm, and with a responding whir of gears,
the mechanical skeleton followed his actions. He stepped forward, and the
skeleton mirrored his movements. “Okay, other than making me look really cool,
what is this thing going to do for me?” he asked.

“It amplifies your strength about ten times,” Pete said. “So
when you punch the Elk King, he’s really going to feel it.”

Sean tried a couple of boxing moves and nodded approvingly.
“Yeah, this is nice,” he said. “This is real nice.”