Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts Page B

was so pretty, so bright and strong. They swept away all the dark, laid light with the powdered crystals and bespelled water. Then, with a shield from human eyes beyond the wall of trees, he rose up to spread the protection from the top of the house to the ground below.
    â€œI didn’t know it would be beautiful,” Sasha murmured, gazing up at him.
    â€œIrish has style.” Riley draped an arm around her shoulders. “We did all this in Corfu, but I’ve got to say, it doesn’t get old. Okay, inside or out for war council?”
    â€œWe’re as protected out here as in there, and it’s too nice to sit inside, even for war.”
    â€œAgreed.”
    â€œI need to finish the new chart—for chores. I’ll do that tonight. But I’ll take dinner. It would be nice to have war talk over, as much as it ever is, before we eat.”
    â€œI’ve got some maps upstairs.”
    â€œI can fold the laundry now,” Annika said. “Should there be wine?”
    â€œBaby.” Riley swung her arm away from Sasha, over Annika. “There should always be wine. Let’s get started.”
    Annika sat while the others pored over the maps. Riley pointed out caves she knew, or had researched. Doyle showed them others he remembered from long ago.
    â€œDo you know any underwater caves, Annika?” Sawyer asked. “Any we don’t have marked?”
    â€œWe only came here.” She reached out to touch a spot on the north of the island. “The Grotta Azzurra. It’s tradition to bathe in the blue light. But we didn’t stay or seek other places. So many people, you see. There are other places not so . . . inhabited?”
    â€œDid you hear the sighs or the songs when you came with your family?” Sasha wondered.
    â€œNo, but I didn’t listen. I was young, and it was beautiful and exciting. I had no purpose. I could look, from the sea.”
    â€œNot alone.” Reaching over, Bran touched her hand. “No one ventures alone. We know she’ll come, and send her dogs. The attacks will come on land, from the air, in the water, as they did before. We have to prepare for that. No one ventures alone.”
    â€œWe’re more closed in here than we were at the villa.” Doyle looked around, scanning trees, rooflines. “Advantage and disadvantage. We have less area to defend, but less room to maneuver. The light bombs took out swarms of the dogs. Actually, calling them dogs is an insult to dogs.”
    â€œI like Sasha’s minions.”
    â€œMinions then,” he said with a nod to Riley. “She’ll send them again. Losing them means nothing to her. She’ll just send more. Can you use the light bombs on the bolts, on the bullets and blades?”
    Bran sat back, arched his eyebrows. “That’s interesting. I can work on that. Sure, I can work on that.”
    â€œYou wounded the— Was it a Cerberus, Riley?”
    â€œThree-headed hound of hell. Sure looked like one.”
    â€œYou wounded it,” Sasha continued. “And hurt and frightenedher. Aged her. I can’t see what weapon she’ll forge, but she needs something to combat what you can do at full force.”
    â€œWhat
we
could do,” Bran reminded her. “I wouldn’t have been strong enough without you.”
    â€œIt’s a good thing you don’t have to do without me. Still, it took all we had to hold her off.”
    â€œAnd kick her ass,” Sawyer added. “She ran. You beat a god. We beat a god and her minions. And it’s not cocky to say we’re going to do the same thing here, whatever she brings. But I wouldn’t say no to a load of magick bullets.”
    â€œThere’s good cover in the grove,” Doyle pointed out. “We make our stands there rather than out in the open.”
    â€œAdd some surprises in the open. Take some of them out,” Riley calculated.
    â€œShe spread