Scattered Magic (The Sidhe (Urban Fantasy Series) Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

to experience the moment. The sun. His sun. Standing before the sunrise now, he inhaled the air deeply, and almost immediately suppressed a cough. Even in this field where she’d brought them he caught the scent of industry and autos. The illusion of the sun in the Mounds was by his magic, and though he cherished the rare times he came to commune with the true sun, the very aspect of his personal magic, the prevalence of toxins marred the perfection. One of the many reasons the fey of the Mounds were content staying home.
    Kaitlin tugged at his elbow, turning him around to face the small gathering of vehicles situated in lines on a yard of crushed stones. Ah, the source of the stench. Lugh maneuvered about the autos, drawn by Kaitlin, until they crossed to the street side of the yard. It struck him as odd to have a large and random collection of autos in the midst of nothing but fields. The people milling about all appeared human. As various groups finished fussing with their gear, they hiked along a paved walkway toward a structure of some kind.
    Not a structure, actually…
    Lugh’s body stilled utterly, until even his magic seemed to pause for a beat.
    With too many people close enough to eavesdrop; Lugh curled an arm around Kaitlin. He drew her against him and then hugged her in an iron embrace from which she could not easily squirm. His gaze never ceased to scan about them for the slightest hint of danger. With his lips against her ear he hissed, “Stonehenge? You brought us to Stonehenge? Are you determined to perish in the most spectacular fashion conceivable? Or are you just completely oblivious to the dangers of the wizard kind?”
    “They don’t watch it like they used to. And besides, we’re in disguise.” She twisted to free herself but he didn’t allow it. “It’s not like it’s Samhain or even Lughnasadh.” She mentioned the High Holiday named after, and in celebration of, Lugh himself. “These are just tourists. Just regular people.”
    “We’re leaving now,” he growled.
    “This might be the last chance, Lugh. If Manannan gets his way, the courts will unify today.” She leaned back in his embrace, eyes pleading. “This is the last chance to find Aoife, and maybe stop this. Please? We’ll be here for no more than an hour. I swear it.”
    “If I spot one wizard, just one…”
    “You’ll drag my arse kicking and screaming back to the Mounds, I know, I know.” This time he permitted her to wriggle away and straighten her clothing as she regained her dignity.
    By the standing stones in the distance tents were being raised and music began to filter across the field. “Is there to be a celebration?”
    A woman close by heard his question and cheerfully announced, “Riley is here!” The energy in the group around her spiked as they all started speaking at once, praising the wide and varied merits of this ‘Riley’ person. Someone spouted the word ‘druid’ and Lugh’s eyes locked with Kaitlin.
    A few of the lads expounded upon the ‘cool magic’ that the druid could perform. How he commanded real power. How he was showing his followers the ‘old paths.’
    All the while Lugh’s expression remained faultless, nothing but pleasant to those that did not know him. No one but Kaitlin would see the faintest notion of what he was thinking, and under the pressure of his even stare the younger Sidhe finally broke. “It’s not what you think,” she whispered to him, then cast a smile over her shoulder at the humans, so they would not suspect the seriousness of this conversation. “Just trust me.”
    “As you said before,” his voice soft and for her sharp ears only, “It is not about trusting you, but in whom you trust.”
    “Just…” She shifted from one foot to the other, and then back again. “Just hang back. Ok? Just trust me,” she repeated, and then finally begged, “Please? You promised to behave.”
    She was taking his promise in the broadest possible interpretation. Or