movement A sharp whistle pulled his head around The man stood at the bottom of the steps a knife the length of his forearm in one hand The blade was a bronze flame Come boyo he said his voice low and urgent Get behind me on the porch Quickly now before they attack The boy hesitated glancing at the knife and then shoved the gate open with a clang He winced when it bounced off the wall swung back and smacked his elbow Cursing under his breath he ran across the yard and darted around the man taking the steps two at a time Grabbing a broom propped next to the door he tucked the bristled end under one arm gripping his makeshift weapon like a jousting lance Armed he licked his lips and took a position behind the man on the edge of the porch Have ye a blade the man asked over his shoulder as he scanned the neighborhood Does it look like I have one A bit cheeky The man glanced back
For someone wielding a broom I’d have taken a pitchfork but hey this was all you had The man raised an eyebrow Make that very cheeky He continued to survey the area The rumble of a garbage truck echoed from the next block over An automatic sprinkler squirted on in the yard across the street After a few more minutes of vigilance the man relaxed and turned around Flipping the knife into the air with a practiced move he caught it by the handle and tucked it into a sheath hanging from his belt under the tail of his denim shirt instead of warning us about Well boyo the manky bird may be playing us for fools They do that from time to time the Amandán he said his voice colored green with an Irish lilt Lesson number one When I tell ye to move I mean run like the very devil is behind ye Those goblins are almost impossible to spot when camouflaged And they’re bleedin fast Very fast
Got it The boy leaned the broom against the side of the house and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans A look of recognition spread across his face when he noticed the thick ring of twisted gold loosely encircling the man’s neck Hey you’re him And just who might I be You’re the Knight Gideon Lir I was looking for you I’m he began Finnegan MacCullen Gideon finished for him Me new apprentice Who for some unknown reason has unexpectedly arrived on me doorstep a day early
Two I go by Finn not Finnegan He inched closer to the edge of the porch Céad mile fáilte Gideon said with a nod He raked strong fingers through his black hair then pointed toward the gate Well Finn not Finnegan Don’t just stand there fetch yer kit Oh yeah Finn trotted down the steps and across the yard aware of Gideon’s gaze on him He hurried to his pack Taking advantage of having his back to the Knight Finn pulled
