by Helen Harper
Byron lay his father on the ground. Aifric coughed, spluttered and rolled over to one side. I watched him for a brief moment; he’d be alright. ‘Taylor!’ I yelled, bending down and getting into his face. ‘Where is Taylor?’
Aifric didn’t answer and I cursed loudly. Was Taylor still alive?
There was a rumble as the timber roof of the church collapsed. Terrified that he was inside, I prepared to go back in if need be. Then I heard a shout from towards the back wall. With my cuffed hands in front of me, I ran as fast as I could.
Three bodies, Jamie and Angus standing over them. My heart in my mouth, I stumbled forward to Taylor’s prone form. I was shaking all over. Tears were leaking down my cheeks; whether they were from the smoke or because I thought Taylor was dead, I couldn’t have said.
‘He’s still breathing, Tegs,’ Angus said. He didn’t sound reassuring, despite his words. As I felt for my old mentor’s pulse and registered his shallow, heaving breaths and the sallowness of his skin, I knew the reason why. This was like Morna all over again; Taylor was dying. This time, however, I could do something about it and it was all thanks to Aifric. The tragic irony wasn’t lost on me.
I could only guess how the Gift of Healing worked. I ran my hands lightly across Taylor’s body, trying not to let the gaping wound in his torso stop me doing what needed to be done. His eyes were closed and, even without any medical training, I knew that he was at death’s door. Well, death could keep on knocking as far as I was concerned. Today, no one was going to answer.
I searched inside myself for the right magic and withdrew a delicate tendril. The last thing I wanted was to fill Taylor’s body with power and cause an overload. While Angus and Jamie watched, confused and probably assuming I was saying my goodbyes, I let the magic out to do its work.
An invisible thread sneaked across and wrapped around Taylor’s weak body. It bound him, spinning, working almost of its own volition. He moaned softly and Angus stiffened. I gnawed on my bottom lip, worried I was getting it wrong. Then I heard Byron’s voice behind me. ‘His cheeks.’
I jerked up my head. Byron was right: there was the faintest bloom of colour in Taylor’s cheeks. Emboldened, I drew out another wisp of magic and pushed it towards Taylor. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked a few times before he focused on me. ‘Tegs,’ he breathed.
‘Shhh.’
‘Let me go.’
‘Ha! Fat chance. You’re not going anywhere.’
He frowned as if puzzled and I grinned. ‘Stop thinking about what you know and focus on what you feel.’
His white eyebrows creased together and he raised a hand to his stomach. ‘It doesn’t hurt.’
I nodded and pulled up his shirt. There was still a great deal of congealed blood but the wound had closed. I breathed once more.
Panic flared in Taylor’s eyes. ‘You didn’t. Not Bob.’
I patted his cheek. ‘No, you’ve got Aifric to thank for this.’ I snorted. ‘Although it’s the least he could do.’ Then I remembered that Byron was at my back and I faltered. I stood up and looked at Angus and Jamie. ‘Thank you.’
Jamie nodded awkwardly and thrust his hands into his pockets. Angus reached out and wrapped me in a hug. I pulled him close, realising too late that there was a scowl on Byron’s face. ‘This isn’t over yet,’ he warned, angling his eyes away from us.
I nodded and pulled away. Byron was right. ‘Speck and Lexie are in a boat off the shore. The others are already heading that way. Can you help Taylor get there?’
They nodded and picked him up. As they jogged away, I checked the other two bodies. Both seemed to have suffered from a series of right hooks and were out for the count; they’d have sore heads but they’d survive. I opened my mouth to say something about the state of their faces and then stopped. Taylor was alright and that was what counted for now.
I looked up. ‘Here come the pitchforks,’ I muttered. A mass of Sidhe were heading in our direction from the other side of the church. They seemed to have shaken off their shock and regrouped to confront us. Judging by the expressions on their faces, they weren’t looking for white flags; they still wanted vengeance.
Byron looked at them. ‘I can talk them round.’
I shook my head. ‘Emotions are running too high. You were right earlier: too many of them are still on your father’s side. And the evidence against me did look damning. We need to get out of here. Unless your Plan B…’
He grimaced. ‘No. My Plan B was to use a Truth-Seeker like Molly Kincaid to help us.’
‘Moncrieffe minds think alike,’ I said before I could stop myself.
His jaw tightened. ‘No. They don’t.’
A small bunch of belligerent Sidhe peeled away from the main group and raced towards us. I counted at least three different violent Gifts among them. ‘We don’t want to hurt you, Byron!’ one of them yelled. ‘But your father was right. She’s done something to warp your mind. She’s trying to bring down our country!’
Bob popped up beside me holding a stick with a charred marshmallow on one end. He took a delicate lick and gazed at us. ‘Some of those Sidhe are on your side, Uh Integrity. More than you’d think, especially after what you did in saving the Steward. Some are a bit doubtful. Many, however, still want to kill you. Crowd mentality prevails. Wanna wish?’
I considered. ‘Nah. Let’s run. When things calm down, maybe more sensible heads will prevail.’ I thought about what Aifric had said. A Fomori army was preparing to cross the Veil; there wasn’t time to worry about what was happening here – not any longer.
Bob nodded and tossed away the marshmallow. ‘Amen to that.’
As the first Sidhe thundered towards us, we sprinted away. I was done talking anyway.
Chapter Fifteen
I’d never seen Brochan look so ill. In fact, when Speck and Lexie’s tiny fishing boat pulled up alongside the massive ferry which held the trolls, he was so terrified that his hands seemed unable to release their grip on the side.
‘You need to let go. We have to get away from here as quickly as possible,’ I said, trying to be gentle.
Bob, now wearing tiny red Speedos as if he were auditioning for a part in Baywatch, opened his mouth to speak. I narrowed my eyes warningly and he pasted on a look of mock hurt and shrugged. ‘I’m going to check on Taylor,’ he declared and flew upwards onto the deck of the ferry.
‘Just give me a minute,’ the merman wheezed. Then he leaned over and threw up.
‘Don’t be a wuss, Brochan,’ Speck said cheerfully.
Brochan pushed himself upright and gave Speck a look which would have felled the Sidhe on our tail. ‘You have every phobia under the sun,’ he growled. ‘We pander to your fears all the time. I’d have thought, of all people, you would understand.’
Speck sniffed. ‘When I’m scared you roll your eyes and tell me to get over it. You seem to think that approach works on me so why shouldn’t it work on you?’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, I think Lexie is rubbing off on me. I don’t feel half as jumpy as I used to.’ Something splashed in the salty water beside him and he shrieked, leaping towards Brochan and cowering against him. ‘What the hell was that? What was it? I’m allergic to shellfish! Don’t get me started on jellyfish either! In fact…’
I held up my hand. ‘Take a look behind you.’ Brochan and Speck did as I asked. ‘You see all those boats? The ones heading for us?’ They nodded. ‘They’re full of magically endowed Sidhe who are hell-bent on seeing us dead. Get into the bloody ferry.’
Brochan and Speck exchanged looks. ‘Someone got out of the wrong side of bed this morning.’
I sighed. ‘Speck…’
He offered me a lopsided grin. ‘Don’t worry, Tegs. I’ve been practising.’ He lifted up his chin and pointed towards the mini armada. ‘Paneste.’
From out of nowhere, a wave between us and the Sidhe fleet began to swell, rising up in their direction. I licked my lips nervously. ‘We don’t want to drown them.’
‘Don’t
we?’ Brochan asked. Apparently I wasn’t the only one becoming more blasé about hurting people.
Speck patted my arm. ‘Don’t worry. This is a warning shot.’
Unfortunately for us, the approaching Sidhe sent out their own warning shot in return. As the wave grew in size and threatened to engulf them, one of them slammed out their own Gift, making the wind pick up and smash the little fishing vessel against the ferry’s starboard side. As the Sidhe yelled and tried to avoid the wave, there was a sound of splintering wood from our boat. We had seconds.
I ground my teeth. ‘Get out.’
Brochan finally worked up the courage, reaching up for the flimsy rope ladder and pulling himself up. Speck followed on his heels and I took up the rear. Hands hauled me onto the deck and I spun round. The Sidhe were drenched and their boats had been pushed back some distance by the force of the wave but they were still standing.
‘Sorley!’ I screamed. ‘Move this beast!’
Almost immediately, a foghorn sounded and the ferry shuddered, rolling away slowly then picking up speed. Several Sidhe tried to fling magic at us but the bolts of lightning and various other projectiles fell short.
‘Shall I send out another wave?’ Speck enquired.
I watched as we grew further apart. ‘No. It’s not their fault Aifric has a silver tongue. They’re only doing what they think is right.’
I sensed rather than saw Byron come up behind me. ‘You’re more forgiving than I am.’
I sighed. ‘It’s not about forgiveness. It’s about empathy.’
He ran a hand through his golden hair, which was damp with sea spray and curling more than it normally did. ‘That didn’t exactly go to plan.’
Speck smiled in commiseration. ‘Well,’ he began. ‘We can always—’
Lexie appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his arm. ‘Come with me,’ she ordered.
‘What? Why?’
She muttered something at him about male stupidity and dragged him away. Byron and I looked at each other. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘None of this was your fault.’
‘It was my plan.’
‘Yeah,’ I conceded. ‘You’ll need to work a bit harder next time. I think you’ve still got potential though.’
He didn’t smile. ‘Angus told me about Morna.’
I glanced away. ‘Yeah.’ I clenched my teeth together so tightly it hurt. ‘I saved Taylor. I couldn’t save Morna. She deserved better than that.’ I shook my head, feeling the tears at the back of my throat. I pushed them away. If she’d seen me crying when there was still work to be done, Morna would have scolded me to hell and beyond.
Byron leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. ‘He’ll still pay for what he’s done. We’ll work this out,’ he promised.
‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘We will. Robert the Bruce didn’t quit.’
‘Eh?’
I smiled. ‘Never mind.’
Byron drew back and watched me for a long moment. ‘I saved you,’ he said, eventually.
I blinked. ‘Excuse me?’
‘I saved you. In the church. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead now.’
I crossed my arms. ‘I had things under control.’
‘Ha! It didn’t look like it from where I was standing.’
I raised my eyebrows. ‘Really? We’re really going to do this? Because while you were primping and preening and getting ready for your wedding, I was kicked around and locked in a cage. You were probably enjoying chilled champagne and strawberries while I was working on a way to save Candy, Taylor and Tipsania.’
Byron pursed his mouth. ‘Doesn’t matter. I still rescued you.’ He moved closer again. ‘You needed me.’
‘I did not!’
He smirked. ‘You did. I understand it’s hard for you to admit but you need a big, strong man like me around to save your skin from time to time.’ He rocked forward on his toes. ‘You owe me.’
‘Screw you!’
He laughed. ‘Funny. I was just thinking that would be the ideal payment.’ He dropped his voice to a husky whisper. ‘I’m picturing you lying on my bed in suspenders.’ He paused. ‘Nothing else.’
I glared. ‘No chance.’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Unless they’re hot-pink suspenders.’
‘Now you’re talking.’ Byron reached out, his thumb caressing my cheek. Heat flared up between us. Then someone cleared their throat right behind us.
‘Chieftain?’ It was Lyle or maybe it was Kirk; I still got those two trolls mixed up. ‘What are your orders?’
Shite. I needed to come up with a plan that would keep us all alive. I gave Byron a last reluctant smile and gently kissed his cheek. He growled.
‘Time to get to work,’ I told him.
***
The ferry was huge. Goodness knows where Sorley and his buddies had boosted it from at such short notice. Sorley was doing well ‒ I’d make a proper career thief of him yet. Everywhere I looked, trolls were doffing imaginary caps to me in deference as I walked by. Part of me smiled at the celebratory atmosphere; part of me was overtaken by foreboding about what was to come next.
‘Is everyone here?’ I asked the security-conscious troll.
‘There are a hundred or so trolls back at your Lands keeping everything ticking over,’ Sorley informed me. ‘I can assure you that they will let no one in or out.’ His small eyes grew distant and his fists bunched. I imagined that he was dreaming about the joy he would take in doling out punishments if any trolls disobeyed orders. Sorley wasn’t their official leader but he might as well have been.
I nodded thoughtfully. ‘I need another hundred at the MacQuarrie Lands.’
‘No, it’s too dangerous. We need to protect you.’
‘Sorley, there are hundreds of trolls on this ferry. I think we’re good. We can spare some.’
‘Actually,’ he sniffed, ‘there are one thousand, two hundred and twenty-three.’
‘Well, there you go then.’ Guilt surged through me. ‘We should have had them there from the outset.’
‘We all decided it would have caused more problems than it solved. If the other Clans had noticed…’
I pushed back my hair. ‘I know.’ I sighed. ‘But still…’
Sorley dropped his head. ‘She was a good woman.’
I nodded. ‘Yeah. Too good for the likes of us.’
We shared a glance. My heart ached at the thought of Morna and I was pretty certain I wasn’t alone.
Sorley shook himself. ‘We have set up perimeter guards around the deck.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘In case we’re attacked by mermaids?’
He threw me a nasty look. ‘Those Sidhe have all sorts of Gifts. They could send one of their water-Gifted dunderheads to assassinate you. Then there where would we be?’
‘You’d be on a ferry in the Atlantic Ocean.’
The corners of his mouth tugged up.
‘Actually,’ Brochan said, ‘we’re technically in the Firth of Lorn, not the Atlantic Ocean. It’s further west.’ He scratched his gills. ‘I wish I didn’t know that kind of thing.’ I patted his arm reassuringly. Considering where we were and what he’d just gone through, he was performing admirably.
‘Fine,’ Sorley huffed. ‘As soon as we hit land, I’ll send a group off.’
‘They’re our allies,’ I reminded him. ‘And they’re in trouble because of me. They need protection.’
He gave a grudging nod. ‘The rest of us should march on the Cruaich immediately. It’ll take the Clans a while to sort themselves out. This is the best time to invade.’
‘This isn’t World of Warcraft. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about than the Sidhe.’
Taylor hobbled up, supported by Angus and Jamie. He was having some difficulty moving around but his eyes were alert and his skin had a ruddy glow which only good health and robust sea winds could provide. My heart lightened slightly. ‘What is it, Tegs?’ he asked quietly.
I sighed and told them what Aifric had sai
d about the Fomori.
Angus’s eyes were wide. ‘You’re sure he wasn’t lying?’
‘Positive. I took all of Kirsty’s Truth-Telling Gift from her so the magic doesn’t run out as it does when I steal smaller doses.’
Jamie exhaled. ‘Bugger.’
‘Yeah.’
A haggis rolled up to Sorley and started nuzzling his ankle. He reached down and scooped it up, cooing at it. Then he cleared his throat. ‘Big deal. Let the Steward deal with them. The Adair borders are secure. We’ll all be safe.’ He glanced down at the haggis and affected a high-pitched tone of voice. ‘Won’t we? We’ll be safe, won’t we? Who’s the cutest little…?’ He stopped halfway through his sentence, seeming to realise what he was doing. He put the haggis back down on the floor and glared at us all. ‘They’re upset because of the Carnegie woman. I’m just being nice to them to stop them from annoying everyone else.’
I tipped my head to one side. ‘You could have left them at home,’ I pointed out.
Sorley’s eyes shifted. ‘I … er…’
I smiled and returned to the topic in hand. ‘I can’t pretend the Fomori aren’t there. I have to do something to get them to back down.’
Taylor glanced at me. ‘But you won’t fight them.’
‘No,’ I conceded.
He lifted his shoulders in defeat. ‘Then what are you going to do? How are you going to stop them?’
I gazed at him. ‘I’m open to suggestions.’
Byron burst in through the doors. ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ he breathed, as giddy as a child. ‘But I just saw the Foinse. It’s here! The source of all magic is here on this ferry!’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Come, look.’
Jamie abandoned Taylor, dashed out the door and almost collided with Speck on his way in. ‘Bloody hell! Who brought the Foinse here?’
Speck beamed. ‘Me!’
Byron turned to stare at him. I threw up my hands. ‘What if the Sidhe had caught up to us? It needs to be kept safe, Speck!’
‘I thought we might need the extra magical boost. It helped me create that wave. You know, the one that allowed us to escape?’ he added pointedly.