I didn’t think romance was what either of us had been looking for a few moments ago but I just bobbed my head in mute response.
‘Understand this though, Integrity,’ he continued in a low voice. ‘I will have you. Whether it’s on a four poster bed covered in rose petals and with chilled champagne or on a frozen hill, I will possess you. I will make you scream.’
The magic in my veins buzzed. Byron was telling the truth and both of us knew it.
Chapter Eight
True to form, the next morning I woke early, just as the first signs of light were showing. The darkness of the night was giving way to a dusky pink and I lay there, tracking the shifting colours, my mind empty for a blessed few minutes. I couldn’t stay like that forever though. Eventually I pushed myself up and stretched, doing what I could to ignore the pleasant aches from last night mixed with both regret and relief that things hadn’t gone further. It was time to get down to business, not dwell on what might have been.
Nobody else was stirring. Brochan and Speck were merely lumps on the ground, their sleeping bags pulled up over their heads to guard against the cold. Only Brochan’s size and Speck’s rumbling snores distinguished them.
There was silence from Byron’s car. Its windows were tinted and I resisted the temptation to sidle up and peer in to see whether Tipsania and Byron were coiled together in slumber. Instead, I jogged down to the border to check on Sorley.
If I’d thought for one moment that the gruff troll would be asleep, I was mistaken. He was sitting on a long wooden pole with his chin cupped in his hairy hands. When I approached, he jumped up and nodded gravely. ‘Chieftain.’
‘You don’t have to call me that,’ I told him softly.
‘I know.’ He paused. ‘Chieftain.’
I swallowed. To break the awkwardness of the moment, I pointed at the pole. ‘Where did that come from?’
‘Lyle and Kirk retrieved it last night.’
‘They’re the other trolls?’ Sorley nodded. I glanced around. ‘Where are they now?’
He jerked his head to the right. ‘Sleeping over there. All I need from you is some Adair tartan and we can sort out the border.’
Fortunately Lexie had made sure we had plenty of tartan material for the Games last month so getting a swatch wouldn’t be difficult. I was sure there would be some lurking around in her bags.
Worrying as the Adair border was, it wasn’t my immediate concern. ‘Sorley,’ I said, seriously, ‘you said you could feel the Foinse. Does that mean that they can as well? Lyle and...’
‘Kirk,’ he supplied helpfully. ‘Yes, of course.’
I nibbled at my bottom lip. ‘The thing is...’
‘They won’t tell anyone.’
‘Are you sure? Because they’re working for the Moncrieffes and if they say a word, we could all be screwed.’
He remained expressionless. ‘They won’t say anything. Trust me.’
I didn’t really have much choice. For the first time, however, I wondered whether I could even trust Sorley himself. It wouldn’t be beyond credibility that he was still in MacBain’s employ. I pushed the unpleasant thought away and decided to hope for the best. ‘Do you happen to know where the Foinse is right now?’ I asked.
His deep brow furrowed. ‘No. Sorry.’
Shite. ‘That’s alright.’ I gave him a tight smile. ‘I’ll make sure you get that tartan.’
Sorley bowed and I turned away, walking away from both the border and the mansion. I pulled out Bob’s scimitar and rubbed it absently against my leg. He appeared in a flash of light, hovering in the air next to my face.
‘Were you just rubbing me against your soft thigh, Uh Integrity?’ he asked, arching an eyebrow. ‘Is that because Byron Moncrieffe didn’t do it for you last night and now you’re looking for a real man?’ He puffed out his tiny chest.
‘Let’s get one thing clear, Bob,’ I said, jabbing my finger in his direction. ‘My sex life is off limits, alright?’
‘Oooh! Touchy much!’
I rolled my eyes. ‘This is neither the time nor the place, Bob. There are far more important things to worry about.’
‘No.’ He shook his head solemnly. ‘I don’t think there are.’
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. ‘I need you to tell me where the Foinse is.’
He cocked his head and said in a loud conspiratorial whisper, ‘I think you pissed it off last night by shooing it away.’
I put my hands on my hips. ‘How do you know about that?’
‘I am a magnificent being who—’
‘Bob,’ I said flatly, ‘were you spying on us?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with a little voyeurism.’
I felt ill. ‘Bob...’
‘Don’t worry. Honestly, Uh Integrity, you are very easy to wind up. I saw what was going down and I left you to it. Alright?’ I glared at him suspiciously but he just grinned. ‘I think the source of magic is a mile or so that way,’ he said.
I strode off in the direction he was pointing at. ‘You’re welcome!’ he yelled after me.
I padded along, the frost making the ground crunchy underfoot. From here it was clear where the border had once lain. On one side were varying shades of green, even at this time of year, but on the other it was a different story. Aifric had really gone out of his way to make this place uninhabitable.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. Why had he done it? To have proof from Bob’s wish that Aifric was responsible was one thing, but I couldn’t fathom out his motives. Jealousy? Of what? Malice? It seemed rather extreme, even considering what I knew of the Steward. Had my father been blackmailing him? Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that Byron refused to believe a word I said; even I couldn’t begin to imagine why Aifric had done all this.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost missed the Foinse. It was nestled in a tumbled stone cairn and only the dim sunlight reflecting off its edges made me notice it. I paused. Was it sleeping? Is that what magical orbs did from time to time?
I cleared my throat, trying to be quiet but alert the Foinse to my presence at the same time. It jerked as if in surprise, rising half a foot into the air. It remained there, hovering, and I couldn’t escape the feeling that it was staring into my very soul. My skin prickled uncomfortably.
‘Hello.’
It hummed gently in what I presumed was a response.
I scratched my head. ‘Um, I’m sorry if I came off as a bit rude last night. But, well, I think it’s probably best if you don’t let anyone see you. There might be ... trouble.’
This time the Foinse did nothing. I wondered if I was being completely daft trying to communicate with it. Then, without really thinking, I stretched out my hand, my palm flat. Slowly, the Foinse approached until it was barely an inch away. It hummed again and flopped down. I drew in a sharp intake of breath. It was still incredibly warm to the touch.
‘Please?’ I asked. ‘Please keep yourself hidden. They put you in a box in the heart of a mountain before. I don’t know what they’ll do this time.’
It felt as if the Foinse was getting warmer. It twitched and started rolling up my arm, coming to rest against my neck and pressing itself against me as if for reassurance. I couldn’t stop myself smiling. It felt like its glow was somehow leeching into me through the pores of my skin. I wouldn’t say I felt more powerful or more magically imbued, just ... more at peace.
It didn’t last. I was closing my eyes as warmth spread through me when suddenly the Foinse yanked itself away with a high-pitched buzz. My eyes flew open in time to see it bury itself back in the cairn as if it was trying to conceal itself. From far behind me there was an angry yell. Something was wrong.
‘Stay there!’ I yelled, hoping the Foinse understood me. I spun round and sprinted back in the direction I’d come.
All three trolls were on their feet. Sorley had his spear in hand and was holding it against his body as if trying to defend himself. The other two were dancing from foot to foot, jumping backwards
and then forwards and then backwards again. I wasn’t the only one alerted by the noise; from the top of the drive I saw Byron, Tipsania, Taylor and Brochan jogging down. The trolls’ movements grew even more frantic and jerky.
‘What’s wrong?’ I called out.
‘Bleeding haggis!’ Sorley snarled. ‘Get it away from me. Get it away!’
My gaze dropped and I finally spotted the little fur ball. It was in as much of a state as the trolls were. It flung itself at each one in turn, spluttering and squeaking like it was choking on something.
Sorley jabbed his spear at it just as I reached down and scooped it up. The haggis wasn’t interested in my protection, however; it shook violently in my hands and tried to squirm away. Notwithstanding the creature’s apparent affection for Sorley, it seemed to be acting out of character. ‘Something’s wrong.’ I looked around.
‘What’s the problem?’ Byron said as he reached us. His jaw was set and, rather than glancing at me, he kept his attention on the quivering haggis. There was no doubt that it was severely rattled.
‘It’s upset,’ I told him. ‘But I have no idea why.’
Tipsania goggled at it. ‘Is that...?’
I couldn’t be arsed with her questions. ‘A haggis,’ I said tersely. ‘Yes.’
‘Which direction did it come from?’ Byron asked.
We turned to Sorley. He recoiled from the still-squeaking haggis with a comical look of disgust on his face and pointed past the border. I couldn’t see anything. ‘We’re very close to the Veil here,’ I said, dread fingering its way along my spine. ‘And there was a Fomori demon in Perth just a few days ago...’
The three trolls immediately braced themselves, their heads swinging in unison as they scanned the landscape. ‘If a demon comes here, we’ll take care of it,’ Sorley said. His spear shook.
‘And what if there’s more than one?’ I murmured, as much to myself as anyone else.
‘Tipsy.’ There was an edge of warning to Byron’s tone.
She nodded. Her perfect Sidhe skin was even paler than normal; her eyes took on an unfocused look and I tensed as I felt the vague buzz of magic. I stared at her. I’d never stuck around long enough when we were kids to find out what Sidhe Gift she’d been bestowed with. Now curiosity warred with trepidation. Just what was she doing?
A half beat later, it was clear: right before my eyes, she was turning transparent. I turned to Taylor to check that he was seeing the same thing – but he was staring at me. I glanced down at my body and realised that I was doing the same as Tipsania. In fact, we all were.
‘Invisibility,’ I breathed. Desire collided with fear and I started to run. I had to get as far away from Tipsania as possible. The traitorous part of my subconscious that I couldn’t control wanted to rip every last shred of that Gift from her and keep it for myself.
I’d barely gone twenty metres when I realised my feet had vanished completely. My heart was slamming against my ribcage and blood was thrumming in my ears so loudly that I could only just make out Sorley’s panicked yelling. I lifted the hands I could no longer see and pressed hard against my temples.
‘No, no, no, no,’ I moaned. Dizziness swam through me and I felt the now-familiar nausea as I fell to my knees. Bitch or not, she was here as my guest and I’d reached inside her soul and ripped away her magic.
Sorley shouted again. ‘Chieftain! Where are you?’
‘Tipsania,’ I croaked.
I turned my head to look back but there was nothing to see other than the pile of earth beside Sorley’s hole. Through dint of her Gift, she’d made us all invisible. I forced myself to my feet. I had to go back and make sure she was alright. If she’d collapsed and no one could see her... Except that was the moment when I saw them.
There were at least twenty of them. They were far enough away that they probably hadn’t heard the commotion but now that they’d rounded the curving road, the valley sides would make sound travel more easily.
I ran back up to the others. ‘Sorley!’ I hissed. ‘Be quiet!’
‘Chieftain! Where are you? Are you—?’
‘Shhh!’
There was a tiny squeak from somewhere to the right of my feet. I bent down, my fingers searching for the haggis. As soon as I felt fur, I grabbed it and held on tightly, bringing up to my chest.
‘Fomori,’ Sorley whispered.
I thrust the haggis towards the sound of his voice. ‘Take this. Get back to the others at the mansion and tell them to stay out of sight.’
‘As you command, Chieftain.’
‘Tipsania?’ I asked shakily. ‘Are you there?’
‘No,’ she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘I’m back at home in front of a roaring fire, completely safe. Of course I’m still here.’
I closed my eyes momentarily in relief. ‘You need to get back to the mansion too. Everyone needs to get back.’
‘Tegs,’ Taylor whispered. I swung my head, trying to work out where he was. ‘We’re invisible. They can’t see us.’
I thought of the way the Fomori demon in Perth had seemed to scent the air. ‘There are five senses,’ I said in a low tone. ‘As you very well know.’
Taylor sucked in an audible breath. ‘Okay.’
‘Stay quiet as you go,’ I warned them all. ‘They’re getting closer.’
I heard them move away ‒ most of them, anyway. ‘You have to go as well, Byron,’ I said. ‘The Steward won’t look kindly on me if you end up with your limbs torn off.’
‘I don’t see you leaving,’ came his hushed response.
‘Tracks,’ I said tersely. I ducked down and began smoothing the ground. There was nothing I could do about the hole; it was too late to fill it in and, even if I did it in time, it would obviously be fresh. Maybe the demons would put it down to random trophy hunters passing by.
‘I’ll get the ones higher up,’ Byron said, almost in my ear.
I half jumped, keeping one eye on the ground underneath and one eye on the approaching horde. The nausea still wouldn’t go away but now it was more to do with the sensation of being off balance because I couldn’t see myself rather than because I’d stolen Tipsania’s Gift.
When I’d cleared as many of our tracks as I could and I stood up again, I got a head rush that even the most violent of vertigo sufferers had probably never received.
The footsteps I made as I ran away from Tipsania still remained. There was little I could do about them now because the demons were already far too close. At least those tracks headed away from the Adair Lands, rather than towards them because, with the Fomori as close as they were, the only thing I had left now was hope.
These demons were smarter than their counterpart who’d ended up barbecued in Perth. As they drew nearer, and their faces grew more distinct, I saw that they were wearing darkened goggles to shield their weak eyes from the sun. Strangely, it made them look like a contingent of Hell’s Angels. It didn’t help that they’d smeared their bodies with some kind of gunk to prevent the sun from searing their skin. Of course, they could have avoided all the dangerous UV rays and simply stayed on their side of the bloody Veil. Why were they here? Why now? And why wasn’t the Veil keeping them back? Even I found it hard to believe that Aifric could be responsible for all this.
Something poked my waist: Byron. ‘That better be your finger,’ I hissed.
He didn’t rise to the bait. ‘We need to get back.’
I shook my head then remembered he couldn’t see me. ‘Okay,’ I whispered. I tiptoed three steps backwards and stayed put. Run and hide? No chance. I had to use this opportunity to find out why the demons were here.
‘Integrity,’ Byron said through gritted teeth.
‘Quiet.’ Then, ‘You can still go.’
I could picture his eyes flashing in frustration but he didn’t leave. We stood together side by side as the Fomori demons approached. The wind blew their foul stench towards us but, as long as it didn’t change direction and send our scent back to them, I could
stand the reek. If I could stand Taylor and Sorley’s bout of wind last night, I could stand almost any smell.
It occurred to me that the Fomori demons’ behaviour was markedly different to what I’d observed in the Lowlands. There had seemed to be no order or discipline to the demons when I was in Glasgow. It had been the exact opposite – total, uncontrolled chaos. This lot, however, were marching in time in straight lines, arms swinging by their sides. That was far, far scarier.
The demon on the far right barked a harsh, guttural command and they halted. I held my breath. He stepped out in front of them, flashing some kind of sigil on his arm as he turned our way. He jerked a long gnarled hand down at one of my footsteps and another demon stepped out and crouched down to examine it. Could he tell how fresh it was? His expression remained blank. Then the first demon, presumably the leader, gestured at two others. They peeled away from the group and edged forward.
If their movements had been decisive and militaristic before, they were like nervy cats now, inching forward bit by bit. At first I didn’t understand what the problem was but then I realised: they thought the magical border was back in place. Except Sorley was waiting to remove the bones and re-bury them before kick-starting that magic again.
I’d been in plenty of tense situations before but I didn’t think I’d ever felt the silent screaming of fear that I did right now. I didn’t know whether it was because of our proximity to this group with their militaristic attitude, my concern for my nearby surrogate family or simply that this was happening on my ancestral lands, but I was terrified. Even when Byron reached out, fumbling to find my hand and grip it, my tension didn’t lessen.
The two demons came to a halt less than a foot from the hole and their gaunt faces peered at it. The one on the left gave a guttural laugh and threw an indecipherable comment at the leader. Then he stretched out one hand.
Nothing happened. He wiggled his fingers, reached an inch further then shuffled forward a few inches. It seemed as if all of us were holding our breath – Byron, me and all the demons included. The leader shouted another command and the other demon slowly nodded before raising his own hand. A streak of what looked like lightning zapped across, flickering several feet through the air and missing Byron and me by centimetres.