Chapter 66: Partners Forever

"Lilleh!" Arthur yelled before running over to her. The countess groaned weakly as Arthur rolled her over, the others circling around. "Lilly, are you alright?"

Her face was paling and sweat was forming on her brow as she looked at him and sobbed. "I'm sorry..."

Arthur shushed her and lifted her up in his arms. "It's okay, mo stór. You're okay..." he whispered before looking at Adair. "What just happened?"

"She used her shout," Adair explained casually with a smile. "And she did it beautifully."

Arthur jutted his chin out and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. As he looked at Adair, Arthur huffed through his nose. "Never mind that she just...I mean, what the hell do I even call what she just did?"

"A shockwave," Adair replied, putting her hands on her hips and pivoting.

Arthur blinked profusely before shaking his head. "Alright, never mind that she just shockwaved the shit out of all of us, and the room!" he snarled, his voice becoming meaner and louder. "Is she okay?!"

Dutch came to Arthur's side and pat his shoulder. "Relax, son. I'm sure she's gonna be fine," he chuckled before looking at Adair questioningly. "...right?"

Adair nodded. "Oh yeah, she's fine."

Arthur and the other humans sighed in relief. "Thank the Lord!" someone said.

Brigid diverted her attention to the crowd. "Actually, the Lord doesn't-"

Arthur shushed Brigid and shook his head. "Trust me, you ain't gonna wanna stir up that hornet's nest."

Brigid squinted her eyes at Arthur, then at the crowd and sighed. "Ba chóir oideachas a chur orthu," she said. [They should be educated.]

"Cén fáth?" Arthur asked. [Why?]

"Toisc go bhfuil siad caillte," Brigid replied forcefully. [Because they are lost.]

Arthur tilted his head to one side. "Whatchu mean?"

Lilly whimpered and shifted in Arthur's arms. "I don't feel good, Arthur," she whined.

Arthur snuggled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Okay, just..." suddenly he lifted his head. "And the baby? Is the baby okay, too?"

Adair hurried over and pressed a hand to Lilly's abdomen. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, her brow furrowing after a few moments. Arthur watched her intently as Adair's eyes slowly opened, a smile spreading on her face.

"The triplets are fine, Arthur," she said, looking at him.

Arthur's jaw went slack. "Triplets?"

Lilly growled softly. "God dammit, givin' birth to twins was painful enough..."

Adair suddenly burst into laughter. "I'm joking. It's just the one wee girl."

Everyone started chuckling, including Arthur. "It's a girl?" Arthur asked delightfully.

"Yes."

Arthur beamed down at his wife brightly. "Did you hear that, mo stór? We're havin' a girl."

Lilly grinned softly before wincing. "Ah...bet you wanna name her Cahira, huh?"

Arthur jerked his head, still smiling proudly. "Absolutely. Now, let's get you to bed. I think you need some rest."

"But the war room is a my mess, Arthur," Lilly muttered slowly. "I need to clean it."

Hosea barked with laughter. "Don't you worry about that, Lilly," he said as Arthur maneuvered through the debris on the floor. "We'll take care of it."

As Arthur managed to bring Lilly to the hallway, he looked around at Breena and the rest of the staff. Lilly glanced at everyone with a frown, her eyes shutting softly. "Breena?" she said.

Breena cleared her throat, took a step forward and clasped her hands together lightly. "Yes, m'lady?"

"Would you be a dear and have some of the staff-"

Just then, Killian and a few staff members came into the area with some cleaning supplies in their arms. "We're already on it, m'lady," Killian said.

A small smile appeared on Lilly's face as they walked into the war room and started clearing people out so they could clean. "Y'all are gettin' a raise," Lilly mumbled.

Breena giggled. "That's the seventh raise in two years. If you're not careful, m'lady, you'll go bankrupt."

A small, amused scoff exited Lilly. "Just for that remark, I'm doubling all your salaries."

The staff made various noises of awe and reverence as Adair approached Arthur. "We better get her to bed, Arthur. That shockwave she did took a lot out of her."

Arthur nodded and began walking through the hall to the stairs, Adair and some of the others following him. As he ascended the stairs, he chuckled while looking down at his wife. "Doublin' their salaries, huh?" he asked.

"Mmhmm, they all work so hard and they deserve it for having to work for...someone like me," Lilly remarked, adjusting herself in Arthur's arms.

Arthur kissed her forehead once they reached the head of the stairs. "Aww, you ain't that bad, darlin'."

Once Arthur opened the bedroom door, he rushed her over to the bed as Breena ran ahead and pulled back the covers. As Arthur settled Lilly into the bed, he went and took her boots off before covering her up.

"I can't rest," Lilly grumbled. "We still have so much to do today. And we have to collect the rents, everyone's coming to make payments starting tomorrow and-"

Arthur shushed her as he sat on the side of the bed, turning to look at her. "Don't you worry 'bout that, Lilly. I'll make sure everything is ready."

Lilly looked up at him, her eyes a little glazed over. "But Arthur, I-"

"Mistress, you must rest," Breena scolded lightly. "Ya can't bloody well do everything by yourself."

"But there's so much to-"

"Now, Mrs. Morgan," Arthur said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Breena and me and everyone else got things covered from here."

"But you don't even know how to go over the accounts, Arthur," Lilly complained.

Arthur chuckled, stroking a couple pieces of hair from her face. "Actually, Breena's been teachin' me. Patrick, too."

"Really?" she asked with bright, wide eyes.

"Yes," he grinned. "And you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because we ain't just husband and wife, mo stór. We're partners," Arthur spoke, his voice affectionate and low. "For life."

Lilly frowned. "Not forever?"

Arthur's body jerked as he let out a brief snort. "Well, I dunno 'bout that," he joked. Lilly smirked and smacked his arm lightly. "Ouch!" he yelped, rubbing his arm with a laugh.

"Yer such a feckin' arsebag, Arthur Morgan," Lilly teased.

With a chortle and a knee slap, Arthur gave her another kiss. "Get some sleep. As your husband, I demand it."

"Fiiiiine..." Lilly grumbled, turning on her side to get more comfortable. "Just update me on things when I wake up."

"Yes, ma'am."

Arthur got off the bed and turned to look at Breena before motioning for them both to leave. As they walked out and shut the door, Arthur looked at everyone else who had been standing in the hallway. They all looked a little worried, making him sigh and rub his face.

"So what now?" Sadie asked. "We should talk about what happened, Arthur."

"I know. Dutch," Arthur said, pointing at his adoptive father. "Gather the gang in the family room. Adair," Arthur eyed the hunting goddess, "we're gonna need John and Abigail here, too. Can you fly out and tell 'em to get here as soon as they can?"

Adair gave a fervent nod. "On it," she said before walking towards the stairs.

"Wait, what about Patrick?" Karen asked.

"What about him?" Arthur inquired, causing Adair to pause in her steps.

"While you was...ya know, gone..." Karen began, "Patrick was here almost every day helping Lilly out with everything, especially after Aoífe and Arthur Junior were born. He's as much a part of our gang as you are."

"I have an idea," Adair said, turning on her heel to face everybody. "I'll go get Patrick, Brian and James can go get John and Abigail."

Arthur raised a brow at Adair. "Alright. Let's go find Brian and James."

"Wait, just hold on there a second," Michael, the head butler said. "Can someone please explain to me what the hell happened to the mistress?"

Arthur sighed. "We will, but I want to gather everyone else first. Lord knows that-" Arthur stopped suddenly and chuckled to himself with a shake of his head. "Jesus..." and he suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sadie asked.

Arthur chortled loudly then let out a deep breath. "Nothin', I'll explain another time." He cleared his throat and looked at some of the staff members. "Breena, Michael, you're in charge of makin' sure everything is ready by tomorrow for the renters."

"Yes, m'lord," Breena and Michael both said.

"Wait," Tilly said. "Shouldn't the staff hear what you have to say too?"

Arthur pondered this for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright, Dutch. Move the meetin' to the ball room. Michael, Breena, get all the staff in on the meetin', too. You're all part of this gang, so..." he huffed and started walking through everyone to the stairs. "Let's get movin'."

Arthur led everyone down the stairs before Dutch, Breena and Michael went their separate ways to get everything sorted. He waltzed outside to the back and whistled loudly.

"Brian! James! Where you boys at?" Arthur shouted loudly.

Two white wolves came running from one of the barns and raced up to Arthur, barking at him. He pet their necks and scratched, knowing full well the boys loved being scratched. They both groaned happily and leaned into Arthur's hands, making Arthur laugh briefly.

"Yeah, you boys sure are suckers for that, huh?" he said. He smacked their necks and stood with his back straight. "Guys, I need a favor. You both remember where the Marston's live, right?" The boys yipped in reply. "Good. Can you run over that way and escort John, Abigail and Jack back to here? It's important."

The boys yipped again and Arthur nodded. "Thank you. Oh, and be careful around those new horses they got. Those animals ain't used to you, yet."

Adair cleared her throat and approached Arthur at his side. "Actually, the Marstons won't be needing their horses."

Arthur blinked at her. "Why?"

With a giddy smile, Adair clapped her hands and focused her attention on the Ethereal Wolves. "Brian, James, let's show the Earl of Moycullen what we've been working on, aye?"

The animals howled in agreement before moving back a few steps. Arthur stared in befuddlement as he watched the wolves...slowly grow in size. The bigger they got, the wider his eyes went. Soon they were even taller than Liath. It was at the point when Arthur had to look up a bit at the wolves before they stopped growing. He was in unbelievable shock.

"Are you shittin' me?" he slightly wheezed in awe.

Adair laughed as the others gaped and pointed at the wolves. Brigid, Ogma and Cernunnos stood, looking very impressed. Lugh, however, laughed and shook his head.

"Ya wanna see somethin' really spectacular, Earl of Moycullen?" Lugh asked.

Arthur chuckled lowly. "Alright, I'll bite," he said, crossing his arms. "Show me."

Lugh clapped him on the arm with a smile before walking a few yards away from the group. He stopped and let out a loud whistle as he looked up at the sky.

"Failinis!" Lugh shouted.

A big ball of light appeared in the sky before landing down into the earth in the form of a bright golden wolf. Failinis trotted over to his master and the two embraced like the old friends that they were.

"Hello, Failinis," Lugh said happily.

Arthur shook his head before nodding in approval. "Huh. Didn't know you had a wolf, Lugh. That was a pretty nice entrance, too."

Lugh winked at Arthur. "Oh, you thought that was the main event? Ha, you sweet summer child..."

Arthur raised a brow. "What the hell does that even mean?"

Lugh pointed at him with a laugh. "It means you have a lot to learn, but it's not your fault. You're only, what, thirty seven?"

Arthur scratched the back of his head. "Thirty eight in December," he said. "How old are you?"

Lugh looked up and inhaled, looking as if he was in deep thought. "Seven thousand, five hundred and...forty? No, thirty...wait," he blinked, looking off into the distance before shaking his head and blankly staring at Arthur. "Seven thousand, five hundred years old, give or take a few decades."

Someone in the crowd whistled as Arthur chuckled to himself. "Alright, show us what Failinis got," he said, lazily pointing a finger at the golden wolf.

"With pleasure," Lugh said with a shake of his head. He looked up at Failinis and grinned. "Aye, you know what to do."

Failinis nodded and padded away a bit from everyone before turning back around. Lugh crossed his wrists over his midsection and leaned back with a big smirk. With a head nod to his faithful companion, Lugh mouthed, "go on."

Suddenly, with a rushing of sound, Failinis was engulfed in flames. Everyone except Lugh and the other gods present took a step back, various "woas" being heard amongst them. Brian and James jerked back with whimpers before resuming their stoic stances. Arthur could almost detect a smile on the fiery wolf's face as he stared in awe. Failinis stomped the earth and let out a loud howl, raising his head to the sky. As the flames went out, Hosea walked up beside Arthur and Lugh with a smile.

"Arthur, Lugh, I just had a fantastic idea," he said.

"What's that, Hosea?" Arthur asked, his blue eyes still on the form of Failinis.

"I think there's a way to turn this quarter's rent collection into a...into an event," Hosea explained casually.

Arthur eyed Hosea with a smirk. "Alright, old man. Let's hear it."

Brian and James raced through the woods towards the Marston's farm, scaring away local wildlife as their paws marked the earth. Eventually they came to the edge of the tree line and spotted the house in the distance. They stopped for a few moments to catch their breaths, panting as they surveyed the area, before they went back to running. As they neared the place, they began to sniff around, searching for John's scent. They started barking when they picked it up.

"Brian? James?" John's gravely voice called out as he walked from the barn. "Whatchu boys doin' here?"

Both the wolves ran to him and went around him in circles before pointing their noses to the east in the direction of Darach ar an gCnoc.

"What's wrong, guys?" John asked, obviously confused by the sporadic behavior.

Brian and James whined before barking at John again. James suddenly burst towards the house, howling and barking up a storm. Eventually Abigail and Jack came out.

"James!" Jack exclaimed happily before running to the wolf and practically tackling him into a hug. "I missed you, boy!"

James whimpered and licked Jack's face before tugging on his overalls. Jack giggled before being pull walked towards Brian.

"What is he doin'?" Abigail asked in befuddlement.

James got Jack next to Brian and both the animals sat, pawing at the air and whining. Jack tilted his head to one side and giggled. "You boys are so silly."

Brian and James bolted across the yard then turned and barked at the Marston's, trying to urge them to go. Abigail crossed the lawn and stood next to John.

"I think they want us to go with them," Abigail commented while folding her arms. "Maybe somethin' happened at Darach ar an gCnoc."

John widened his eyes and looked at Abigail with worry. "Shit. I'll get the horses ready," he said before jogging towards the stables.

Abigail nodded and looked at Jack. "Jack! Go help your father get the horses saddled!"

Suddenly Brian and James both started growing larger and Abigail gasped as they grew slmost to the size of elephants. Jack laughed and jumped up and down, clapping his hands repeatedly.

"Wow! Hey Pa! Momma! Look!" he pointed while looking back at his mother.

"John!" Abigail yelled, turning back to smile. "I think we won't be needin' the horses!"

John turned around and gaped at the size of the two wolves. He slowly made his way back as Brian helped Jack by gripping his clothes in his mouth and tossing him onto his back. The boys then sauntered over to the adult Marstons and lowered themselves to the ground.

"Well, honestly, this ain't the strangest thing we've ever seen..." Abigail remarked with a sigh.

John snorted. "Ain't that the truth..."

The couple looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before John helped Abigail climb onto Brian.

Adair was up in the air, flying and circling over Bothar Nua, honing in on Achrann Castle. Time was of the essence and she had no time for any hog's wallop. She gracefully landed down on the roof of the place before looking over the edge at the lavish and spacious front lawn. As she climbed over the ledge and dropped down, her wings flapped and she went flying by all the windows, searching for Patrick.

"Sir Patrick," a man said in Patrick's largest study. "We can't risk to lose so much money!"

Patrick, dressed in a black suit and tie, abruptly stood up and pointed at the man before him. "I don't care about the risks, sir! There is a bigger picture going on here, far more apocalyptic than you can even fathom!"

"You mean Carman?" a man on the couch asked. "Forgive me, sir, but..." the graying man jerked his head, "...it was Adair who caused the famines, not Carman. I am certain of it."

Patrick leaned his head to one side as he studied the older gentleman, quirking an eyebrow. This was the first time he'd ever heard the man named Desmond Elders speak, and his accent was very hard to place. He remembered seeing this peculiar Freemason many times in the company of Leviticus Cornwall, though the times were brief. Still, Patrick did not like the man at all.

"Sir, I'm afraid ya have been misinformed. Carman set Adair up over a...a dispute," Patrick said while leaning against his desk.

Desmond chuckled softly. "A dispute? Is that what she told you?"

Suddenly there was a whooshing of air and a figure flew by the windows. Patrick jerked his head in that direction and blinked.

"Adair?" he said before watching the goddess with red wings walk along the side of the house.

As the redheaded immortal found the glass door and opened it, she charged in like she was on a mission. "Patrick, ya need to-" she stopped in her tracks when her eyes met the old man's. Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she pulled out a dagger, aiming it at Desmond. "You!" she growled loudly.

The man named Desmond immediately stood up, humor in his eyes. "Adair, Goddess of Hunting, Death and War. We meet again..." he said before taking ahold of his cane and pulling a rapier sword from it. "Care to settle an old score?"

Adair smirked and pocketed her dagger before unsheathing her own sword. "With pleasure," she snarled before charging at him.

Before they could fight, however, Patrick got between the two of them. "Woa woa woa!" he shouted, holding his hands up to both of them. "Adair, Mr. Elders, what is the meaning of this?'

"He," Adair hissed as she kept her sword tip pointed toward Mr. Elders, "is the Freemason priest who bound me from Lilly!"

Patrick gawked at Adair before turning his attention to Desmond. "Is this true?"

Desmond gave a curt nod. "Yes," he replied, never taking his dark eyes off of the goddess. "She breeds nothing but chaos and-"

"Oh shut up!" Adair snapped. "The only breeding I've been doing as of late is with this man," she pointed at Patrick.

Patrick's cheeks flushed bright red from embarassment. "Adair, now is not the time to-"

"You've been sleeping with this wanton demon spawn?!" Mr. Elders said in an appalled tone.

"Don't you call me that, you misguided old lecher!" Adair yelled.

Patrick rubbed his face, feeling quite frustrated. "Mr. Elders, let's focus on the problem at hand, shall we? Now," Patrick said, making them both lower their weapons slowly. "Adair, why are you here?"

Adair eyed Patrick for a moment, glared at Desmond, then looked back at Patrick. "Arthur is calling a meeting. It's about Lilly."

"Is she alright?" Sir Nolan asked with concern.

"She's fine. Just needs some rest."

"What happened?"

Adair narrowed her eyes at Desmond and the other man before grabbing Patrick's arm. "I'll explain on the way, let's go," she said as she dragged him towards the glass door.

"Wait, Adair, I have some business to-" Patrick protested.

Adair opened the door and yanked him out. "Your business can wait, Patrick. This is more important."

The two other men followed to watch the scene as Adair sheathed her sword, let go of Patrick and shifted into a giant red eagle. Patrick leaped away from her when she did that.

"Adair, ya gotta warn me before ya do that," he groaned, rubbing his face.

Adair rolled her eyes before apologizing and opened her wings, lowering her body down to the ground. "Get on."

Patrick quickly climbed on. "Sir Patrick!" the nameless man called out. "Where are you going?"

"Darach ar an gCnoc in Moycullen!" he shouted loudly. "I won't be long!" He leaned down and gripped Adair's feathers. "Right?"

"Absolutely. Just a quick meeting," Adair assured him. "Now hang on tight."

Patrick nodded and clung to Adair as she squalled out an eagle's cry before lifting herself up into the air. He leaned his head over and watched as Achrann Castle got smaller.

"What a view," he uttered softly, the wind blowing through his black hair.

Adair chuckled. "It is, isn't it?"

As the pair climbed higher into the sky, dark clouds started to roll in.