Veiled Threat

by Helen Harper

  ‘I don’t believe in coincidences,’ I whispered. Considering where I was, I didn’t think I was being paranoid. I thought I was moving towards Arthur’s Seat through dint of my own free will but what if they knew I was coming? What if I was being herded?

  I squashed the sudden, sharp stab of terror and shuffled further back into the shadows. It made sense. If the Fomori knew about the prophecy and believed in it – and were scared of what I might do as a result – then they’d want to be careful. Maybe Aifric had told them I was on the way. That scenario was the most optimistic: he’d have bargained Byron for me. I hoped that the Fomori wouldn’t want to hurt the Steward’s son too badly – but I couldn’t bank on that.

  Regardless of how they knew I was coming, they’d take their time approaching me. If I were them, I’d wait until I had the perfect spot for an ambush before setting my trap. I’d want the odds to be in my favour.

  I was canny enough to avoid falling into that kind of trap. The issue was that if the Fomori already knew I was coming, they’d know where I was heading too. They’d use Byron as bait to lure me. On the one hand, that was good; it meant that, they’d keep him alive. On the other hand, it made my task harder.

  I wanted to reserve my stolen magical Gifts until I really needed them. I was sure that the Foinse had helped me to draw in more magic without harming the original owners too much, but they were still finite resources. All the same, there was no point in keeping the Gifts back if it meant risking capture. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I wasn’t going to be particularly good at this part because I’d had no practice. I had to be sure, though.

  It was the oddest sensation. I pulled on the threads of the Jardine Sidhe’s far-sensing and sent them out in all directions. I didn’t want to expend all the energy at once so I was very, very careful. A vague awareness tickled at the back of my mind. I couldn’t explain how it worked but it was like when your subconscious felt someone looking at you from behind and you turned without even realising it. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t just what was behind me that was the problem.

  I was completely encircled by a mass of demons, too many of them to count. It was a net of Fomori which would tighten and tighten until I had no way out. Even if I had the wherewithal to fight, I’d never manage it. There were simply far too many of them.

  For now, they were keeping their distance; there was a radius of about a mile before I could sense a single Fomori soul. That left a considerable margin of error on their part. It only made sense if they had someone doing the same thing as me – far-sensing. I was looking at them but they were also looking at me. Crapadoodle.

  I didn’t want to reveal that I knew they were surrounding me so, after massaging my joints for a few minutes, I took off again. I did as the demons wanted and ignored the barricaded street. I might have managed to continue moving as if nothing had changed, but my mind was flying through the potential outcomes. Things were not looking good.

  My best bet was to take out whoever was doing the far-sensing, otherwise I’d be tracked to hell and beyond. Sticking to the shadows like before, I focused on drawing out a single thread. This time I wasn’t searching randomly, I was looking for a specific demon. I trained my mind on that thought: find the far-senser.

  I felt the magic strain away from me as if it was being drawn by a magnet. It wasn’t hampered by buildings or stone or makeshift barricades; instead it stretched out and made a beeline for the east. A face flashed in my head: a male demon with sunken eyes and a dreamy expression which contradicted the frozen snarl on his lips. His mouth was pulled back to reveal sharp, yellowing teeth.

  I sucked in a breath. He was directly in front of me, surrounded by a cluster of other Fomori. As the Gift slowly drained out from me, I memorised his face. The magic tugged at me, leading me towards him and I cursed under my breath as I fought to think of a way out. Then I lost control. The Gift surged and I tripped.

  Whether it was a result of my stumble, or because it was hard to manage the three Gifts I held within my body, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was a combination of the two. Either way, as the ground rushed up towards me, I lost my hold on the magic.

  There was a hiss and I was abruptly enveloped in a dark, choking cloud. I couldn’t breathe. It filled my lungs and stung my eyes and, as the cloud smothered me, everything around me evaporated. My fingers clawed at the air as panic set in and I hit the ground with a thump. My legs kicked and writhed. Burning. It was burning everything.

  It was only the tiny insistent voice inside my head which brought me back. You, it said, you are the one doing this. I forced my hands to still, curling them into tight fists. I rolled clear of the cloud, even as it started to dissipate. I lay on my back, panting, while the atmosphere cleared.

  There wasn’t much point in being afraid of the demons surrounding me if I was going to lose control and do their job for them. That had been worse than the damned Veil, worse than ducking my head in the Clyde, worse than just about anything. My head spun but I struggled to my feet.

  For the first time, I was fully cognisant of how dangerous the ability to steal and hold others’ Gifts could be. The black, choking cloud was my own creation and yet, when it swirled around me, I couldn’t think of anything else. It wiped away almost all coherent thought. The Lowlands, the danger Byron was in, the demon watching my progress ... they all slipped away as I panicked.

  I paused. That was it; that was what I had to do. If I could send that cloud to cover the far-sensing bastard, I could momentarily mask my presence and use it to slip clear. Could I make myself to do such a thing to another living being? Even though I was in mortal danger, I wasn’t sure.

  I checked my watch. Midday was approaching and time was not on my side. Finding cover for up to twelve hours seemed pointless when the entire horde was apparently already awake. I pulled up a mental image of May’s map. There was an open area facing the castle which would be the logical place for the demons’ ambush. In theory I should avoid it at all costs. The space was less than two miles from here and there had been no flicker of Byron’s presence when I’d far-sensed, so I had to work on the premise that he was still being held up on Arthur’s Seat. I didn’t have to go through the centre of the city to reach the small mountain.

  The Fomori didn’t know that I had May or that I knew they didn’t keep their captives at the castle. Logically, the castle was where I would start searching for him. That was one of the reasons they were directing me to that spot; they expected me to try the castle first and they didn’t want to alert me to their ambush just outside it. I’d do what they wanted for now. In a manner of speaking.

  I grinned. ‘Arthur any demons going to stop me?’ I said aloud. My voice echoed round the empty streets. No one answered. I took that as a no. I was going to do this.

  I started by changing tactics. Instead of taking the route I’d originally intended, I veered off, not enough that the demons would notice but enough to get me where I needed to be more quickly. After about ten minutes, I flipped on my internal far-sensing switch once more. This time I was very careful not to lose control. I just needed the right moment.

  The Fomori demon’s face flickered into my head. He had the same intense expression as before. Speck had said that the average person could only concentrate on one thing fully for twenty minutes; I hoped that held true for demons. My watcher must have been focused on me for far longer than that. All it would take was a short distraction and I’d have the advantage I needed.

  It took longer than I hoped. The Gift inside me was unravelling and slipping away. My nerves began to fray. This would be much harder if I lost it before the demon broke. I estimated that I only had a few minutes left when he finally blinked. He pinched the bridge of his nose with dark, claw-like fingers and shook his head. A hand holding a cup of something dark and unpleasant appeared in front of him. As he reached for it, I spun round and ran. Usain Bolt had nothing on me. I sprinted like the hounds of hell were after me – which they pretty much were
.

  It was a full twenty seconds before the demon turned his attention back to me. As soon as he realised I was off course, he opened his mouth in a silent scream. Then he disappeared from my head as the last vestiges of the Jardine’s Gift left my system. It didn’t matter now.

  My heart raced and my feet clattered, thumping on the ancient cobbles. I wasn’t going to lose the demons so I needed to throw them off their game and encourage them to lose some of their poise and balance. The only thing that would help me win the day now was if I did the unexpected.

  The alarm was raised quickly and I heard hoots and calls around me as the demons reacted. They dropped all pretence of concealment and I knew that they were moving in for the kill. I kept the castle in my sights. It was vital they thought I was heading for it. My sprint for escape meant they’d catch me before I got to their planned ambush spot. All to the good.

  They began to crowd in from the sides and a thunderous roar headed in my direction. Plenty of the Fomori demons had wings and I knew they’d be on me within seconds. I had to lock eyes with the far-senser first though.

  I ignored the keening cries and wheeled round a corner as something swooped. I ducked and threw myself out of the way just in time. There was a screech of anger. I lifted my head, ready to sprint again, but I was faced by a wall of demons. They bristled, some spat at me and one or two ventured forward a step. They were all as ugly as each other and they all had murder in their eyes. I was going to be ripped apart. I swung my head across, searching for weak points but there were none. This time they were using their own bodies as a barrier.

  Playing along, I pivoted on my heel. Demons were advancing from behind. I looked left and right and saw that I was hemmed in on all sides, plus there were hundreds of flying Fomori above my head. It seemed as if all of us were holding our breath.

  I slowly turned to the front again and started to lift my hands as if in surrender. Once more my gaze swooped across the wall of demons and this time I found my target: the far-senser was there. I was pretty sure that he was now giving a snarl of triumph rather than one of concentration.

  Angling my body towards his I inhaled, drawing in as much of the reeking air into my lungs as I possibly could. Then I straightened my shoulders. I’d give them something to be afraid of. Instead of continuing to raise my hands, I flung them outwards, away from my body. I was rewarded with a collective flinch from the demons. I gave a massive war cry and then I let the black cloud of the Calder Sidhe’s Gift envelop me once more. I’d let this damned Gift attack me again rather than the Fomori. All they had to do was get out of the way.

  This time I felt less panic because I had consciously instigated the cloud of doom rather than triggering it by accident. All the same, its suffocating madness clawed at my skin. I barrelled forward towards the far-senser. Dimly, I heard the demons shriek. I didn’t know whether they’d tried to enter the cloud surrounding me or not but no claws ripped into my skin. If any demons broached the darkness, they didn’t get very far.

  I yanked on every part of the Gift, doing whatever I could to let the damn thing grow. At the same time I kept moving ahead, taking the cloud with me. The demonic shrieks ebbed and rose and time itself seemed to stand still. It was just me and the encroaching darkness. It was seeping into me, I was absorbing it through the pores of my skin. I’d turn mad ... or worse. It was only when I was sure that what I felt was my very brain cells withering and dying that I broke loose. I just had to pray that I’d already done enough.

  I doubled over and ran, pushing my way through the choking miasma and leaving it behind me as a pulsating mass of fear. As soon as I crossed through, returning to the usual humidity of the Lowlands, it no longer felt as if I were surrounded by foul air. For once, the atmosphere seemed sweet and clear. Frankly, the aftermath of a nuclear explosion would seem sweet and clear after being inside that cloud.

  All around me was utter bedlam. Demons were scattering in every direction. I couldn’t see the far-senser; with any luck, he was panicking and fleeing like everyone else. Chaotic screeching filled the air and I was jostled and shoved. I saw white eyes writhing in terror but none of the demons seemed to recognise me; they were all too concerned with the desperate need to get away. All the same, I stayed low. I had to get as far away from here as possible. The cloud would only remain where it was for a short while before it vanished into the ether. I could already feel the magic leaving my body as I slammed through. Then I ran and ran and ran.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I slowed down eventually, not because I was certain I’d escaped but because I didn’t have enough energy to continue running at full pelt. So far nothing had stopped me. No claws had raked into my back. There were no angry shrieks at my departure. In fact, although I estimated I was only a mile away from my doom cloud, it was so silent that I could have been on the other side of the world.

  I began taking stock. My heart was still battering my ribcage and my skin felt as if it was coated in that damned darkness but my legs were still working. So were my arms. Unless I was hugely mistaken, I was alive and well.

  I kept jogging, glancing over my shoulder as I went. Nothing followed me. I’d have felt a lot better if I could have tried far-sensing again to be sure but there was none of that magic left inside me. All I had left was Truth Telling, which was apparently now permanent, and Illusion. And I needed to keep the Illusion part until later.

  Still, if I’d played my cards right, the demons would re-group and assume that I’d ventured up to the castle to look for Byron or that I’d skedaddled back towards the Veil with my tail between my legs. Fortunately the castle was large, so it would take them some time to realise that I wasn’t there. Nevertheless, I still had to be pretty damned quick. They’d probably send an extra contingent up towards Arthur’s Seat just to be sure I wasn’t there. I was praying to Lady Luck that there wouldn’t be so many of them that I couldn’t slip past.

  Although I’d been prepared to see the people enslaved by the Fomori, I was still shocked when I approached the small mountain. Hundreds of wooden poles, thousands probably, stretched from the foot of the mountain as far as my eye could see. At the base of each one there were heavy-looking chains; some were attached to huddled figures and some appeared empty. As far as I could see there were no guards but I was well aware how quickly the Fomori could be upon us.

  With my heart in my throat, I stepped up to the nearest pole. Whoever was chained to it was in a sorry state, with matted dark hair, ragged clothes and their head buried in their arms. I bit my lip hard. Maybe I could rescue at least one of them.

  I knelt down, searching for the lock. I was a thief and there were few locks that I couldn’t unpick. It didn’t take me long to realise that there was no lock. This poor soul wasn’t actually chained to the pole; if they wanted to get up and walk away, they could.

  Puzzled and desperately worried, I reached over to shake the prisoner’s shoulder. Before my fingers touched them, there was a shout from several feet away. ‘Blas ack na var!’

  My blood froze. It was only when I slowly rose and my gaze pierced the darkness that I realised the words hadn’t come from a demon. Unless I was seeing things, the person standing up and gesturing at me was Sidhe.

  I licked my lips nervously and edged towards him. He wasn’t yelling for help or running for back-up, so I guessed I was relatively safe for now. As I got closer and noted his hair colour, fine features and pointed ears, I knew my initial reaction was correct. What I hadn’t spotted until I was less than a few feet away was how scared he was.

  ‘I don’t speak Fomori,’ I said softly.

  His eyes widened and he stared.

  I tried to smile. ‘Er ... Chan eil Fomori agam,’ I tried, using my rudimentary Gaelic.

  The Sidhe looked at me as if I’d just swallowed a frog. I scratched my neck. Shite.

  None of the misshapen bundles around us looked our way, although I did see one or two twitch nervously. I guessed they were hoping to deny s
eeing anything when the Fomori came and asked questions.

  The Sidhe lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. ‘She is tired. She needs to sleep.’

  For a moment, I didn’t have the faintest idea what he was talking about, then there was a grunt and I realised he meant the huddled shape I’d approached. ‘Okay,’ I said. His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t understand me. ‘So you speak English?’

  ‘Yes.’

  I breathed out in relief. ‘Cool.’

  He frowned again. ‘Cool?’ He glanced around. ‘It seems temperate to me.’ He understood English but he wasn’t au fait with contemporary slang. I nodded to myself. That figured; he’d been stuck here without any contact with the outside world ‒ why would he speak a modern dialect?

  I smiled at him. ‘My name is Integrity.’

  He blinked. ‘Oh.’

  I waited but he didn’t say anything else. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked eventually.

  ‘I don’t have one.’ He spoke like I was a stupid child. ‘Only the Fomori have names.’ He appraised me. ‘But you are not Fomori.’

  I bit back a sarcastic remark and focused on what was important. ‘You really don’t have a name?’

  ‘No.’

  That wasn’t so strange to me. I hadn’t had a name until I was eleven years old and I’d run away from the Bull and into Taylor’s beat-up car. Keeping people nameless was a great way to stop your minions getting uppity and thinking for themselves. It was ironic that the Fomori were doing to the Sidhe what the Sidhe had done to me.

  ‘Why aren’t you chained up? Why isn’t she chained up?’

  Again, he looked confused. ‘We have done nothing wrong.’

  ‘But,’ I paused, ‘if you’re not a prisoner why don’t you escape?’

  He stared blankly. ‘Escape? From what? To where?’