Page 3 of The Tides of March

“Who said you were nothin’?” Nox asked angrily as he came around his desk. He captured Tony’s face in his hands, Nox’s eyes tightening as they searched his face. “How did I not see it?” Nox asked loudly, laughing as he hugged Tony’s head against his chest and stroked his hair.

“See what?” Nelson asked. “Tony looks almost the same as before.”

“No.” Nox sighed heavily but Tony’s face was still smooshed against his chest as he rocked back and forth. “He’s definitely changed but I can’t believe I didn’t put it together. He’s a Roman, Nelson. His mom’s a teacher, and he’s a nerd! It’s so obvious!”

Nelson frowned as he shrugged. “It’s not to me. What was the Epona cult?”

An adoring, dreamy sound vibrated from Nox and the room grew even warmer. “They were the followers of Epona,a truly unique, yet extremely popular goddess for the Romans. Particularly their cavalry. And that is the key,” he added and held up a finger.

“Why?” Nelson asked and Nox made a giddy sound as he held Tony away from him, beaming.

“Because Epona was aCelticgoddess! One of the few the Romans didn’t erase or replace. She remained intact and her cult was widespread because she was so beloved by the cavalry. They spread their practice as they traveled and erected temples to her throughout the empire.”

Tony hummed in agreement. “They acknowledged the Dagda and included him in their pantheon of gods, making her one of the rare links between the Romans and the Celts,” he explained and was rewarded with a kiss on his hair from Nox.

“They weren’t just worshippers of Epona and the Dagda,” Nox said. “They were clerics and scholars who carried their teachings with them throughout the Roman empire. You can find remnants of their temples and the triskelion scattered across Ireland and Europe, and all the way to Turkey and Northern Africa,” he said in wonder. “That’s why we fit so well together, T!”

“Not that well,” Tony said as he set Nox away from him, heading to the decanters for a refill. “Ronan figured it out but he said I was probablytoohumanfor you to notice it before and that the attack and Pooles Island must have brought it out of me,” he said, making Nox gasp again.

“Of course! You almost died and there’s an enchantment on Pooles Island. You can’t hide magick there. Especially from Ronan.”

“Apparently, you can hide it from yourself,” Tony said as he poured, filling his tumbler nearly to the top. “I had no idea, just that I felt drawn to you and like I was meant to work with you.”

Nox’s eyes glittered as they clung to Tony’s. “Because you were,” he said lovingly. “I can feel that you’re a little bitter—about a lot of things—and you’re disappointed with me. Give me a chance to make it right, T. I couldn’t let you in on any of this without putting you at risk before. But now that you know, there’s so much I’ve been dying to tell you.”

“Really?” Tony didn’t hide how skeptical he was. “Because I would have believed you before, Nox. No matter how crazy it sounded.”

There was a heavy groan from Nelson. He rubbed his temple as he lowered onto the arm of the sofa. “Trust me: he was sparing you. You don’t know the nightmares we’ve seen. What we’re still dealing with because of this,” he said, but Tony threw up his hands.

“That’s it, though! I’m not a childish goofball anymore. I’ve seen some wild stuff and I know there are monsters out there.Now.”

“I hope not,” Nox said. “That goofiness is one of the things I love most about you and one of the things I would never want to change.”

Tony shrugged. “People change, Nox. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”

“Tony…” Nox groaned, reaching for him. Tony allowed Nox to pull him into an embrace but didn’t feel compelled to hug him back. “I want you to stay here, now that you’re back. Tell your mom you’ve got a lot of research to fill me in on and I’ll tell the school you’re getting caught up so we can ease you back into things. I promise, I’ll explain everything and no more secrets,” he said as he crossed his heart, causing Tony to snort.

“You’re not a Catholic and I’m not lying to my mom anymore. I’m pretty sure she knew about the Epona thing and was hiding it too,” he said and Nox winced hard.

“She might… But she’s going to sound absolutely bonkers if she tells anyone else and I’ll have to deny it,” he warned.

Tony waved it off. “She won’t tell anyone. She’s smarter than you probably think andItrust her.” He widened his eyes at Nox, daring him to argue.

Nox flailed a hand dismissively. “I’ve never doubted that your mother was as wise as she is kind. She’sa teacher.Which tracks if she’s a follower of Epona. But this is a lot. Even if she’s already a believer.”

“She’ll be fine.” Tony was bluffing because there was still a tiny chance she didn’t know and would think he’d lost his mind, but he didn’t keep secrets from his mother. “I’ll handle her if you’ll stop treating me like a child and trust me. And I can handle whatever you’re dealing with. I don’t want to be left out anymore.”

“Very well…” Nox traded a loaded look with Nelson. “Show him what we’re currently dealing with,” he said as he gestured at the rolling chalkboard on the other side of the room.

Names and dates were written along a timeline in Merlin’s more elegant cursive. But Nelson took his time, rising and crossing the room before slowly turning the board around.

“Oh, fuck…” Tony whispered, his stomach dropping and flipping as he scanned a series of gruesome crime scene and autopsy photos of three young men, lifeless and naked. Their pale, battered bodies were covered in round welts and bruises. A closeup of one of the wounds revealed a circular burn-like pattern and several puncture wounds in the center. “What the hell happened to them?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Nelson said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his nostrils flaring as he stared at the rug. “We’ve found three in as many weeks. The first victim washed up on Pooles Island, while you were there.”

“I remember! Is that him?” Tony asked as he pointed at the first photo of a young man with large, round, angry welts circling his back and limbs. He recalled the day Ronan found a body washed up on the beach and the strange events that followed, but Tony never saw the body or heard about the strange wounds in the photos Nelson handed him.

“Ronan called it in and Attorney General and the ME from Roanoke, Dr. Fletcher Bixby, have been calling in favors so we can take the lead on these because they’re obviously related andnotnatural. But so far, we’re stumped.”

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