Liam

Chapter 45

When they arrived in the great hall, they saw the inhabitants readying for battle. Liam and Rayne both quickly put on their armor as well. "Mother, what is going on? Who or what are those things?" She asked while quickly braiding her hair.

"Fomorians." Her mother replied quickly. She then cast a glance at Liam, "They are similar to a Jötunn but larger and stronger. It is not uncommon for them to skirmish with the Tuatha De Danann, but they've never been so bold as to attack the castle before." She called her staff to her, "Be careful, some possess magic. Their touch can poison you, aim for the head or eyes when you can, it makes for a quick kill. Blessings my loved ones, may we meet again on this side of the Summerlands." She gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek and began to lead her troops away.

Liam and Rayne clasped hands and teleported to the field shielded by a glamour. Liam needed a moment to assess the battleground and opponent. Rayne could see his mind working, his Viking instincts bringing out the analytical strategist within him. If they weren't in a life-and-death situation, she would have found it sexy. Darling, quit distracting me with your thoughts, he grinned at her slyly, you will have to wait until later. He gave her a quick kiss. He sent his battle plan to Rayne's mind, then she passed it on to her mother. She saw her mother tap the staff and knew that all on the battlefield had received their orders.

Nimuë took a couple of steps forward as the Fomorians began to form a line. They were beyond huge standing between 13-15 feet tall, their bodies misshapen and deformed. Several looked as if they had boils on their skin. Rayne assumed these could be poisonous and took note. It was impossible to tell male from female in the group. A single Fomorian stepped forward, holding a spear next to it.

"Why have you come here?" Nimuë demanded, her voice even but magically carried across the field so all could hear. "We have no quarrel with you, leave and no harm shall come to you or yours." She held her head high, awaiting its answer.

The creature let out a gurgling, hideous laugh, "No harm, no harm you say. Harm is all you do. These were our lands and you took them. Now the time has come for us to reclaim them." It raised its spear, and the line of giants began to roar and cry out. Despite their numbers being smaller than that of the Tuatha De Danann, they would still be a challenge. With a thunderous roar, the leader lowered his spear and the charge began.

The ground shook as the Fomorians closed the distance quickly. Rayne waited for Liam's command, and they all did. "Now!" he roared. Archers let loose a wave of arrows, and both Liam and Rayne slammed their hands to the ground, bringing up a barrier of flames.

Most of the giants continued their charge, but a few fell to the arrows. The Morrigan raised her staff quickly to signal mages to launch a wave of magic, while Liam held his hand high as Lævateinn appeared in it. When he brought his arm down, the archers let loose a second wave, and those with weapons moved to meet the charge with Liam and Rayne in the lead.

The Fomorians charged through the lines, as the bodies of elves and other fae were flung from their paths. Rayne saw her mother launching blasts of energy and spells, and Maab was doing similar. The elves employed almost assassin-like techniques to slash and injure the giants while trying to avoid their grasp.

Their minds linked as they did in the practice ring with the elves, and they worked together to cut through their foes. Liam's combat skills far outmatched Rayne's and he could blend his magic with his blows to intensify their impact. While Rayne continued to use her sword, she found her best skill lay with her fire throws. Their efforts were going well until Liam saw one of the Fomorians with boils begin to reach for Rayne. She was struggling to keep the creature at a safe distance and in an instant, Liam shed his human form. He quickly allowed his God form to show, not just as Loki, but as the Jötunn he truly was. While not as tall as the Fomorian, he was over 10 feet in height and let out a fierce battle cry of a roar and began to charge the creature. "Don't touch it!" Rayne tried to scream at him, but she could see he was crazed with blood lust. Liam grabbed the legs of the creatures and slammed them to the ground, making the earth tremble beneath those around them. It caused Rayne to lose her footing and she fell to her knees. Grabbing the axe of the Fomorian, Liam literally cut the creature in half.

Rayne cried out as she saw Liam's hands begin to blacken. He stumbled for a moment and fell backward with a confused glance towards his hands. He sank to his knees and looked at her with regret as he transformed back into his human form. I'm sorry, ástvinur - she felt his words whisper in her mind as he fell face forward onto the ground.

She ran towards him and reached for him, but pulled back knowing a single touch could kill her as well. Bring him back, child. Haven't I already told you to not let him go? Rayne smiled as she heard her grandmother's voice. Understanding her message, Rayne let the power course through her as her eyes blackened. Her ashen hands reached out to Liam, pulling him against her.

"Don't," he tried to whisper, afraid she would be killed. She simply smiled at him.

"You cannot kill death, my love," she placed her forehead to his, "and we know that from death comes life." She gently kissed his lips and felt her touch seep into Liam's body. She felt the poison pull into her. We are one in life and death, my powers are yours and yours are mine. She opened her eyes and held his gaze. He stared back at her with the same agate black eyes. "Now, let us finish this battle, my love."

Liam rose from her embrace and held his hand, now ashen like hers, out to help Rayne up. They walked, fingers intertwined, towards the Fomorians still attacking the Tuatha De Danann. When the elves saw Rayne and Liam, they began to step away from the battle. The giants mistook the elven retreat for victory and paid no heed to Rayne and Liam advancing towards them until the closest giant fell to ash. With roars, the Fomorians charged at the pair. They released hands, calling their swords to them, slicing through the giants as if they were cutting blades of grass. Only a few of the creatures remained and they abandoned the charge to run away.

The ground lay soaked with ash, blood, and withered earth as Rayne turned to Liam. Their weapons vanished as she spoke to him. "Take my hands. Death has passed, live with me again, my future husband." Liam's eyes swirled green and he felt the creation power surge through him and flow within them both. Rayne's eyes showed the same green glow he had seen in her apartment so long ago, as the power washed over both of them, healing them completely. The ground at their feet began to bloom with wildflowers that claimed the bodies and ashes of the fallen giants. The green glow receded, removing all traces of the battle around them.

Liam pulled Rayne to him, kissing her and holding her tightly. "You saved me again. How many times is that now?" he chuckled.

"You saved me first, and besides, who's keeping count anymore," she smiled and laughed in return. "Let's go help with the wounded. I have a sneaky feeling we can both heal them now," she said, taking him by the hand and heading down the hill towards the injured elves.

Rayne's theory was correct. They both shared the creation power now, just as they now shared all their powers. The deaths had been few luckily, however, the injuries were not. They worked quickly to heal the injured, including Maab, who had taken a spear to the abdomen. "Oh, Goddess preserve me! I've been saved by a Trickster and now I'm in his debt," she scowled as Liam healed her.

Liam laughed, "I think I'll hold onto that debt for a while," he grinned mischievously. Maab rolled her eyes and winced as he continued to heal the wound. Rayne and her mother couldn't help but laugh at the two of them.

Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Liam and Rayne made their way back to their chambers. Using magic to clean up, they both fell into the bed exhausted. Wrapped in each other's arms, they quickly fell asleep.  

Author's Notes: Their bond is still growing.