Hounded

very hospitable, « Bres said, frowning. Oberon was right: He smelled of salt and fish. As a god of agriculture, he should smell of earth and flowers, but instead he retained the stink of the dockside, owing perhaps to his Fomorian ancestors, who lived by the sea. » I could take offense if I wished. «
    » So take it already and be done. I can’t imagine why else you would be here now. «
    » I am here at the request of an old friend, « he said.
    » Did he request that you dress like that? Because if he did, he’s not your friend. «
    » Atticus, who is that? « the widow MacDonagh called from her porch. I didn’t take my eyes off Bres as I called back to her.
    » Someone I know. He won’t be staying long. « Time to set up my flanking maneuver. Speaking mind to mind, I said to Oberon, Remain still. But when I say, get behind him, grab a leg, and just yank him off his feet. Once he’s down, jump clear .
    › Got it, ‹ Oberon said.
    Bres continued as if the widow had never spoken. » Aenghus Óg wants the sword. Give it to me and you’ll be left alone. It’s that simple. «
    » Why isn’t he here himself? «
    » He’s nearby, « Bres said. That was calculated to ratchet my paranoia up a few levels. It worked, but I was determined it would not work in his favor.
    » What’s your stake in this, Bres? And what’s with the armor? «
    » That does not concern you, Druid. Your only concern is whether you will agree to give us the sword and live, or refuse and die. « The last fingers of the sun were waving good-bye over the horizon, and twilight was upon us. Faerie time.
    » Tell me why he wants it, « I said. » It’s not like Ireland has a High King who needs the Tuatha Dé Danann to help him out uniting all the various tribes. «
    » It is not for you to question. «
    » Sure it is, « I said, » but I guess it’s not for you to answer. Fragarach is right here. « I gestured to the hilt peeking over my shoulder. » So if I give it to you now, you walk away, and I never hear from you or Aenghus again? «
    Bres peered intently at the hilt for a few moments, then chuckled. » That is not Fragarach. I have seen it, Druid, and I have felt its magic. You have nothing in that scabbard but an ordinary sword. «
    Wow. Radomila’s magical cloak just rocked.
    And then the green overlay in my vision started to differ from the normal spectrum. Bres was pulling his sword out of his scabbard in a leisurely fashion and watching my face to see if I reacted, so I tried to stay relaxed and let him think I was clueless. Either he knew that I really had Fragarach on my back and he wanted to double-cross me, or he simply wanted to kill me to burnish his reputation. He’d make a fine tale of the battle, no doubt, in spite of the fact that he was planning the equivalent of a stab in the back.
    » I assure you it’s the real thing, « I said to him, and to Oberon I said, Change in plan. Just lie down behind him when I say. I’ll push him over your back so he falls down .
    › Okay. ‹
    Bres’s glamour form shrugged and said, » You can give your cheap sword to me if you’d like. It will only delay things, and I’ll have to come back again with another offer. But I can guarantee that offer won’t be as generous as the one I’m giving you now. «
    And that was when the true Bres on the green overlay grinned wickedly and raised his sword over his head in a two-handed grasp, ready to split me in two.
    Now, Oberon , I said, keeping my face pensive as if I were thinking over Bres’s words. I started talking out loud to hopefully mask any sounds Oberon made as he moved.
    » Bres, I think you’re missing something important, « I said, even as he brought his sword down with all his strength and I stepped out of the way to the right at the last instant. His glamour persona was still standing there, smirking, but I didn’t pay attention to that one anymore. The green one—the real Bres—had just tried to slay me. While he was hunched over awkwardly on his follow-through, I kicked at the nerve cluster in his wrist to make him drop the sword, then put another one in his face to make him stand back up. It didn’t get through his helmet, but any blow to the head is going to make you pull away. Then I pivoted on my left foot and spun clockwise, delivering a roundhouse into his solar plexus before he could set himself. He staggered backward and fell over Oberon in a tremendous clatter of bronze and hardened leather, still not