Read Online When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears: The Goblin Wars, Book Three by Kersten Hamilton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kersten Hamilton
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own living room, without a dead Highborn at her feet and an evil bilocate in front of her.
“I declared war on Mab.” Teagan put more conviction into it this time. Aiden slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. He had a worried look in his blue eyes.
“Almighty preserve us,” Mamieo said, and crossed herself.
“I’m just trying to understand what I’ve stumbled into,” Seamus said. “The Wylltson family, Mamieo and Finn, and a group of Italians have declared war on Mab, Queen of the Sídhe, and killed the son of Fear Doirich, the goblins’ god.”
“To be fair, Doirich started it.” Mamieo sounded just like Aiden had a few moments before.
“But—war?” Mr. Wylltson asked.
“We have no choice, Dad,” Teagan said. “They won’t leave us alone, and we can’t run. They’ve hounded the Mac Cumhaills for generations because of what Fionn did, haven’t they? They’ll hunt us to the ends of the earth and they will kill us. They will kill anyone who helps us. If we can’t run, we have to fight.”
“We have a little time to prepare,” Thomas offered. “There was only one gate in North America, and it’s closed now.”
“We still have to deal with whatever creatures have already made it into Chicago,” Teagan said. “And the Highborn will be coming. They’ll just have to step into Ireland, like Kyle and Isabeau did, and catch a flight over.”
“Some creatures definitely made it out before it closed up,” Mamieo agreed.
“There were some teens on the street the first time we drove past,” Teagan explained to Thomas. “They might have been Highborn. I think one of them was . . . eating a dead cat-sídhe .”
“What did they look like?” Thomas asked.
“Long legs, heavy shoulders. Not very clean. Their hair was red and black. I’ve never seen a Highborn who looked dirty.”
Grendal’s eyes narrowed, and he growled. “Dump Dogs.”
“That sounds scary.” Aiden backed up against Teagan’s legs, and she put her hands on his shoulders. He didn’t need any more scary things in his life.
“What are they?” she asked.
Thomas sighed. “Let’s just say there are some Highborn no one invites to parties.”
“They came to parties,” Grendal said.
“The Dogs came to your hall?” Thomas turned to Roisin and spoke in Gaelic.
Roisin’s chin went up, and Grendal’s tail lashed as she answered.
Thomas spoke again, and there was an edge in his voice Teagan had never heard before. Disgust. She looked to Mamieo, the only one in the room other than Thomas, Roisin, and Grendal who understood the language.
“They’re . . . disagreeing about the nature of the creatures we’ve been discussing. Roisin feels they’re not as bad as Thomas thinks.”
“A discussion that we should have in private,” Thomas said, switching back to English. “I apologize. The group you’ve described is part of a clan that lives in the city dump in Mag Mell. Shape shifters.”
“Like you?” Aiden asked.
“Not at all like me,” Thomas said. “Mab has the bodies of her slaves thrown on the trash heap. The Dump Dogs eat them.”
“Her Fir Bolg slaves?” Mamieo asked. Thomas nodded grimly.
“They eat dead people? ” Aiden grimaced.
“Recycling, Mag Mell style,” Thomas said. “Mab wouldn’t waste time burying a slave. The Dump Dogs dispose of them, bones and all, but only if there is nothing small, old, or sick to tear apart instead. They prefer the blood still pumping in their meat. This pack must have made it out in the confusion before the gate closed.”
Roisin studied each person’s face as they spoke. She asked a question of Grendal, and he replied, the tip of his tail twitching. She shook her head, and he growled again. Dump Dogs were apparently a touchy subject all around.
“And these creatures are loose in Chicago?” Mr. Wylltson asked.
“We saw five of them at least,” Teagan said.
“They’re nocturnal,” Thomas said. “Not at their best while the sun is up.
“I declared war on Mab.” Teagan put more conviction into it this time. Aiden slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. He had a worried look in his blue eyes.
“Almighty preserve us,” Mamieo said, and crossed herself.
“I’m just trying to understand what I’ve stumbled into,” Seamus said. “The Wylltson family, Mamieo and Finn, and a group of Italians have declared war on Mab, Queen of the Sídhe, and killed the son of Fear Doirich, the goblins’ god.”
“To be fair, Doirich started it.” Mamieo sounded just like Aiden had a few moments before.
“But—war?” Mr. Wylltson asked.
“We have no choice, Dad,” Teagan said. “They won’t leave us alone, and we can’t run. They’ve hounded the Mac Cumhaills for generations because of what Fionn did, haven’t they? They’ll hunt us to the ends of the earth and they will kill us. They will kill anyone who helps us. If we can’t run, we have to fight.”
“We have a little time to prepare,” Thomas offered. “There was only one gate in North America, and it’s closed now.”
“We still have to deal with whatever creatures have already made it into Chicago,” Teagan said. “And the Highborn will be coming. They’ll just have to step into Ireland, like Kyle and Isabeau did, and catch a flight over.”
“Some creatures definitely made it out before it closed up,” Mamieo agreed.
“There were some teens on the street the first time we drove past,” Teagan explained to Thomas. “They might have been Highborn. I think one of them was . . . eating a dead cat-sídhe .”
“What did they look like?” Thomas asked.
“Long legs, heavy shoulders. Not very clean. Their hair was red and black. I’ve never seen a Highborn who looked dirty.”
Grendal’s eyes narrowed, and he growled. “Dump Dogs.”
“That sounds scary.” Aiden backed up against Teagan’s legs, and she put her hands on his shoulders. He didn’t need any more scary things in his life.
“What are they?” she asked.
Thomas sighed. “Let’s just say there are some Highborn no one invites to parties.”
“They came to parties,” Grendal said.
“The Dogs came to your hall?” Thomas turned to Roisin and spoke in Gaelic.
Roisin’s chin went up, and Grendal’s tail lashed as she answered.
Thomas spoke again, and there was an edge in his voice Teagan had never heard before. Disgust. She looked to Mamieo, the only one in the room other than Thomas, Roisin, and Grendal who understood the language.
“They’re . . . disagreeing about the nature of the creatures we’ve been discussing. Roisin feels they’re not as bad as Thomas thinks.”
“A discussion that we should have in private,” Thomas said, switching back to English. “I apologize. The group you’ve described is part of a clan that lives in the city dump in Mag Mell. Shape shifters.”
“Like you?” Aiden asked.
“Not at all like me,” Thomas said. “Mab has the bodies of her slaves thrown on the trash heap. The Dump Dogs eat them.”
“Her Fir Bolg slaves?” Mamieo asked. Thomas nodded grimly.
“They eat dead people? ” Aiden grimaced.
“Recycling, Mag Mell style,” Thomas said. “Mab wouldn’t waste time burying a slave. The Dump Dogs dispose of them, bones and all, but only if there is nothing small, old, or sick to tear apart instead. They prefer the blood still pumping in their meat. This pack must have made it out in the confusion before the gate closed.”
Roisin studied each person’s face as they spoke. She asked a question of Grendal, and he replied, the tip of his tail twitching. She shook her head, and he growled again. Dump Dogs were apparently a touchy subject all around.
“And these creatures are loose in Chicago?” Mr. Wylltson asked.
“We saw five of them at least,” Teagan said.
“They’re nocturnal,” Thomas said. “Not at their best while the sun is up.
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