by Helen Harper
I pushed myself up gingerly, dusting the debris off my scarf with a hiss of irritation. Then there was a far louder hiss and something flew past my head in a rush of heat, almost blistering my skin.
There was a loud crash, followed by a strange sizzle. I glanced back into the clearing and gaped when I saw one of the trees behind me ablaze. There was another hiss. This time I paid more attention. I ducked down, covering my head in my arms as a genuine, honest-to-goodness fireball blazed past, slamming into another tree and immediately engulfing it in flames.
Pyrokinetics, I thought. That’s Byron’s second gift. I cursed myself for a fool for beginning to trust him and rolled to my right, away from the path and the danger. I move just in time. A third fireball appeared, flying much lower this time. If I’d stayed where I was, I would have been toast.
‘Man’s house is on fire,’ I muttered to myself, still rolling, although now I was away from the path it was harder to avoid the trees and, with every move, my ribs yelled up at me to stop. ‘He calls up the fire brigade and asks for help. “How do we get there?” asks the fireman. The man frowned. “Don’t you still have those big red trucks?”’
My shoulder crashed into one of the solid tree trunks and I yelped in pain again. No more fireballs appeared to be on their way; not surprising really. If I’d been standing up on the path – which I should have been – they’d have hit me already. Unless they were sentient fireballs that could weave in and out of trees, now I was in the dense wood I wouldn’t be hit. I got to my feet and stared at the blaze.
It might have been only three trees that had been struck but the ferocity of the flames licking at the dry branches meant that more of them were catching fire. Before my very eyes, the flames danced, attacking another one, blackening the bark and crackling with intensity. In less than five minutes the entire grove would be alight. The entire sacred grove that was so special some of the Sidhe thought I shouldn’t be allowed inside to taint it.
Cursing loudly, I uncoiled my scarf and ran towards the nearest tree, using it to whip at the flames and contain the fire. My movements were curtailed by my previous injuries and I couldn’t move as fast as I normally did. When I managed to stamp out one section of burning wood, another started up at the side of me. I ran from tree to tree and branch to branch, doing what I could. Shite, shite, shite.
With no water and no help, I was fighting a losing battle. Screw my stupid true name: I should have brought Bob along after all. Instead I’d thrown him into the hands of the man who might end up being my greatest enemy. Yet again, it was damned good luck that I was still alive. If I had died and Bob’s wishes were passed along to Byron – the villain – then goodness knows what might have happened.
I continued to fling myself from tree to tree, fighting the fire. The heat was tremendous and it was getting harder and harder to reach the flames, let alone douse them. Soon I’d have to abandon the grove altogether if I wanted to save myself. The sacred grove was screwed.
Making one last effort, I let out a war whoop and threw myself towards the flames, praying that the velocity of my body would do something to stamp them out. Before I reached them, however, something knocked into me and I was shoved aside rudely. I blinked teary eyes against the now billowing smoke, my mouth dropping open when I realised who it was.
‘Stay the hell back, Tegs!’ Brochan shouted. ‘I’ve got this!’
He raised both his hands. I was beyond glad to see him but I wasn’t sure what he could do to help. He might be a merman but, as the stoor worm had already attested, we were a long way from the sea. The sea that Brochan was terrified of.
I tried to rush forward to help but I was beaten back. The fire was too strong. I stumbled backwards, unable to do anything more than watch as Brochan grasped at air as if he were pulling it down. The atmosphere felt heavy and unnatural and I jumped as thunder rolled across the sky. Brochan didn’t react; he simply continued to yank at the air.
And then I felt it. One little drop splashed on my cheek. I gasped as hope sprang anew. The drop turned to a drizzle. Before I could blink again, it became a deluge.
The rain sizzled on the fire, steam flying up as the weaker flames were extinguished. More and more water fell until Brochan and I, and all the trees around us, were soaking wet.
I ran over and wrapped my arms around him. ‘You did it!’ I croaked. ‘How did you do it? Thank God, Brochan. This place is important.’ It really was. After what I’d experienced in the clearing, I was no longer the blithe and dismissive person I was before I’d entered.
‘I’m a merman, Tegs, you know that. It’s a simple matter of the water cycle.’
His face was wan and drawn and I realised that it wasn’t a ‘simple matter’ at all. ‘Thank you,’ I said into his ear. ‘Thank you.’
‘Someone’s really got it in for you.’
‘You can say that again.’
‘Someone’s really…’
I smirked. ‘Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let’s get out of here before they try again.’
Foregoing the path in order to keep ourselves safe – and Brochan’s presence hidden ‒ we tramped through the trees while he filled me in on his news. It was slow going because I was hurting all over now, but at least it allowed Brochan plenty of time to cover all the details.
As the trumped-up charges against both him and Speck were entirely false, it wasn’t difficult to get them released. Of course, the sizeable wad from the sale of the Lia Saifire had helped. Money talks. Taylor had stayed behind in Aberdeen to ensure there was no further fall-out while the rest of the gang vamoosed over here.
‘You had no problem getting through the magical barrier?’ I enquired, stepping over loose bracken.
‘Your friend came through.’
I snorted. ‘Charlie? He’s not what I’d call a friend. He does have his uses, though.’ I shot Brochan a curious, albeit grateful, look. ‘How did you know I was in the grove?’
He shrugged. ‘We have got ourselves a prime piece of real estate. Some disused tower towards the east side. It’s got great views. We were able to watch you walking with that Sidhe guy then entering the spooky forest.’
‘It’s a grove.’
‘Whatever it is, it’s not natural. Even from our vantage point we couldn’t see anything. It’s all obscured by these damn trees.’ He poked one as if scolding it for existing.
I was puzzled. ‘Then how did you know I was in trouble?’
‘I didn’t. We only knew you were alone. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to come and talk to you.’ He looked troubled. ‘It’s just as well I did.’
I nodded fervently. ‘Amen to that.’
Going by what Byron had said, only one person was ever allowed into the grove at any one time. I wondered if that was merely tradition or if Brochan had gained access because he wasn’t Sidhe. Either way it gave me an edge on all these Fey wankers. Doing the unexpected and the unthinkable seemed to be the only way I’d have of surviving this stint.
‘The smartest move is for all of us to lie low. It’s not ideal and I know you’re hoping for a fresh start in Oban but we’ve talked it over and, if it’s okay with you, we might come and join you. Just temporarily,’ Brochan added hastily. ‘We don’t want to cramp your style or anything.’
I laughed, then regretted it when my ribs complained again. ‘You lot are hardly going to cramp my style. I’m more likely to get extra cool points for having you with me.’
Brochan grinned, relieved. ‘Now we’ve got the money to sort out Taylor’s debts and we’re out of jail, we can all skedaddle. Is there anything you need to fetch before we leave?’
I sighed. Skedaddling was incredibly tempting. Unfortunately I had to choose another path. ‘I can’t go,’ I told him reluctantly. I explained about the Foinse.
‘I’m not sure if you were paying attention, Tegs, but one of those people who’s so desperate for you to stick around and save them, just tried to kill you. Do you really care if the magic fails? I underst
and things will be bad for a lot of people for a while but maybe you need to think long term. If this weakens the Clans’ hold, it might end up being a good thing.’
‘Where’s the line, though? Is one death enough to shove the Sidhe into oblivion? Is one hundred?’ I ran my hand through my hair. ‘A million? Because that might be what it takes.’
Brochan was silent for a moment before replying. ‘It’s not up to you to save the world, Tegs.’
I bit my lip. ‘Actually, in this scenario it might be.’ What I left unsaid was that the trippy images I’d just experienced had made me wonder if I’d done the right thing by abandoning my Sidhe heritage. Maybe I was going to stick around here until I had a better grasp on all this Adair shite.
More light started filtering in through the trees. It was clear we were reaching the edge of the grove. I halted and gazed out. ‘You should go. You and Lexie and Speck. You should all leave. Go to Oban. I already have a deposit down on a house. Use it.’
‘Do you really think we’d abandon you here? No chance. We’re family, remember? We’ll stay and do whatever we can to help you out. With this Foinse thing and,’ he paused, ‘whatever happens after that.’
Brochan was one shrewd merman. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, ‘Thank you.’
He beamed. ‘So what’s the plan?’
I considered. ‘There’s the guy who walked me down here. One of his Sidhe Gifts is pyrokinesis.’
Brochan whistled. ‘So you think it was him who chucked those fireballs at you?’
My mouth thinned into a grim line. ‘Possibly.’
‘How many gifts does he have?’
‘Just the two. Which is two more than me. I don’t need any freaky Sidhe magic though. What I have to find out is if he wants me dead. If he does, then I need to know.’ I pushed away the surge of dismay I felt at saying those words out loud. Our childhood encounter notwithstanding, I’d known Byron for all of three days; I knew him no better than he knew me. Why he’d gone to such an effort to bring me here to simply kill me didn’t quite fit; neither did the fact that he wouldn’t benefit in any way from the Foinse failing. But fireballs after his announcement of being gifted in pyrokinesis? I couldn’t shake off my suspicion.
Brochan threw me a sidelong glance. ‘Forgive me if I’m mistaken but aren’t Sidhe supposed to get their Gift when they get their true name? If you just received your name, then…’
I interrupted him. ‘I feel fine.’ Apart from a cracked rib and singed eyebrows. ‘Apparently Sidhe also get sick. Something to do with their physical body accepting the Gift. I reckon that because I’m an adult that time has passed.’ I grinned at him. ‘It’s a good thing. It makes me more human than Sidhe.’
‘If you say so.’
I punched him on the arm. ‘I do.’
He smirked. ‘So you’re going to confront this guy?’
‘Nah. I’ll do a little reconnoitring first. The others were prepared to delay the journey to the Foinse if I got ill. I’ll pretend I am so that I’ve got enough time to find out what’s going on.’ I thought of Bob and my mouth turned down. ‘He also has something of mine that I want to get back.’
‘Sounds good,’ he said approvingly. ‘We can help with all that.’
My eyes gleamed. ‘You can. There are enough other species and races around here that you three can probably wander around the Cruaich more easily than I can.’
‘What do you need us to do?’
I met his eyes. ‘Find out what really happened to the Adair Clan.’
Brochan sucked in a breath. ‘Are you sure?’
I nodded. ‘I am.’
‘Okay. We’ll use the signal to get in touch with you once we have something.’
I shook my head. ‘No. I have a better way.’ Expect the unexpected. ‘You can summon me. Layoch. My true name is Layoch.’
Brochan’s jaw dropped. ‘You shouldn’t have told me that, Tegs. If I know your name then…’
I waved an airy hand in the air. ‘Yeah, yeah. You can obtain absolute power over me. I already trust you with my life, Brochan. Lexie and Speck too. The least I can do is trust you with one sodding word.’
‘The Sidhe never reveal their true names. Not even to their families.’
‘They can’t trust each other,’ I said simply.
‘You’re still taking a big risk.’
I smiled. ‘No, I’m not.’
He squeezed my shoulder. ‘Do you know what it means?’
‘My name? No. It has a meaning?’
‘You should brush up on your Gaelic,’ he scolded. ‘It translates as “warrior”.’
I gaped. ‘You’re kidding me.’
He lifted one shoulder in apology.
‘Oh, well,’ I dismissed. ‘I’ve not lived up to Sidhe expectations so far. I’m certainly not going to live up to that name. Not unless it’s an X-Box warrior anyway.’
Brochan turned and gazed back out of the grove. ‘Well, if you’re not going to fight your way back to the castle, how do you suggest we slip out of here unnoticed? The last thing we need are more fireballs being flung your way.’
‘Not to mention it’s better if we’re not seen together,’ I agreed. ‘Er…’
‘Pssst!’
Both Brochan and I jumped. ‘What the hell was that?’
‘Over here!’
We exchanged glances then peered in the direction of the hushed whisper. As soon as I realised who was speaking, my shoulders relaxed. ‘It’s her,’ I said, thoughtfully. ‘That’s good.’
Brochan watched the old woman as she continued to beckon. ‘Who is she?’
‘Apparently she used to know my parents. She might have insights into Clan Adair.’
‘Can we trust her?’
‘No,’ I said cheerfully. ‘We can’t trust anyone here. She also seems to have a touch of crazy about her. But she might still help us out.’ And with that, I stepped out from under the cover of the grove and joined her.
‘What happened? I saw smoke.’ She shivered. ‘Burny, burny. There were reports of fire…’
‘Everything’s fine. Can you do me a favour? Can you help my friend get to the tower over there?’
She didn’t take her eyes off me but she nodded. ‘There’s only supposed to be one person in the grove at any time. Grove for one and one for grove.’
‘So much for that then,’ I said.
‘I can help you too, Chieftain. We can use the back way. If you go to the fork instead of the spoon and turn right, you’ll be on the servants’ path. No-one will bother you there.’
I frowned. ‘I’m not a chieftain. Thank you for the information about the path though. I’ll use it.’
‘I can come with you if you want,’ she added eagerly.
‘It’ll be better if you stick with Brochan. I don’t want you drawing attention to yourself by being seen with me.’
She looked like she wanted to argue. I placed my hand on her arm in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Yes, Chieftain.’
I sighed, exasperated. ‘My name is Integrity.’
‘Yes, Chieftain.’
I obviously wasn’t getting anywhere with this. Brochan looked amused. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked her.
‘Lily Macquarrie. Macquarrie Lily.’
Ah. That explained a lot. ‘Pretty name,’ I said aloud.
‘Thank you, Chieftain!’ she beamed.
‘Lily, before you go, could you point out Byron Moncrieffe’s room to me?’
Startled, she jerked her hand up towards the castle. ‘It’s next to the flagged tower. The fourth window down.’
I made a mental note. ‘Excellent.’
‘He’s a good man,’ Lily said, with a hint of anxiety. ‘Not like some of the others.’
He was good at putting on an act, at least. I didn’t want to upset her so I refrained from commenting.
‘We should go now.’ She pointed to her left. ‘We can take that path, sir. We
won’t bump into anyone that way.’ She dipped a curtsey, displaying odd-coloured stockings. One was striped black and white while the other was adorned with flowers. The effect was rather kooky and cool.
‘Let’s do it,’ Brochan said. He gave me a meaningful glance. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Call me and I’ll come.’
‘You won’t have any choice,’ he grumbled. ‘Toodle pip.’
Chapter Fifteen
As soon as Lily and Brochan vanished from view, I started making my own ascent to the castle. I quickly reached the fork in the path and turned right. As Lily had promised, other than a few scurrying figures, none of whom were Sidhe but all of whom were laden with goods, it was empty. No one stopped me and no one bothered me. They apparently had their own problems to worry about.
Soon I was high enough to see the commotion going on in front of the grove. A large group had assembled there and there appeared to be a lot of hand wringing and shouting. Excellent. The more arguments, the better. It would give me more time to do some real investigating.
I turned my back on the anxious cluster below and jogged up to the castle walls. At least their imposing height would provide me with some cover. While I reckoned the castle’s interior might be quiet enough for me to skulk through the corridors, the tower I was aiming for was hidden from view thanks to the curving edges of the castle walls to the right. I fancied a bit of exercise.
Using Lily’s directions, I skirted round until I was directly below Byron’s room. No doubt he’d still be down with the others at the grove. With any luck, he’d think I was a burnt-out corpse. I’d never get a better chance to sneak into his room than this.
Craning my neck up, I examined the stonework. It helped that the castle was old because there were plenty of footholds. Unfortunately a lot of the stone was worn and weathered; I’d have to be careful to avoid the smoother patches. I grinned at my foresight in bringing my toolkit and sprung up.
Despite my aching body, I was surprisingly fast. It was considerably easier scaling up this sort of surface than glass. I found several cracks wide enough to wedge my fingertips in. Only once was I forced to unclip my old ice-pick and jam it between two bricks to avoid sliding back down. All the same, Byron’s room was higher than our entry point at the bank had been, so I was sweating by the time I hooked my leg over his window ledge and pulled myself in.