by Helen Harper
‘Here.’ Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled something out, tossing it into Byron’s lap.
He shook himself and frowned. ‘This is the old Adair emblem.’
‘Yeah. Integrity gave it to me before she went through the Veil. She wanted me to use my Gift on it.’ He sighed. ‘I don’t suppose it matters much now.’
Byron turned it over in his fingers. He lifted it up to see if her scent still clung to it but all it smelled of was old metal. It wasn’t much to remember her by but he held it up to his chest, pressing it tightly against his heart.
‘What did you see?’ he asked dully. Jamie didn’t answer. ‘What did you see when you used psychometry on it?’ Byron asked again.
Jamie’s jaw tightened and a muscle ticked in his cheek. ‘It’s antique,’ he said finally. ‘There’s a lot of history to it. It was forged by a blacksmith before anyone in Scotland had even heard the word Fomori.’
‘And?’
He sighed heavily. ‘It was passed down through generations. The Chieftain usually wore it.’
‘So Gale Adair was wearing it when he died? Integrity’s father?’
‘No.’ He swallowed. ‘It was stolen before that. It was passed to the Fomori demons as a symbolic part of a promise to wipe the Adairs from the country.’
For the first time since they’d left the Veil, Byron sat up straight. ‘What?’
Jamie gave an awkward shrug. ‘That’s what I saw.’
‘Who stole it?’
Jamie looked away. Somehow Byron already knew the answer but he still waited to hear it. ‘It was your father,’ Jamie said so quietly that Byron had to strain to hear.
He breathed in deeply. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Okay.’ There could be all sorts of reasons for that. Even if there weren’t, it didn’t mean Aifric was guilty of everything that Integrity had accused him of. He squeezed the brooch.
‘Your bag is there,’ Jamie said softly. ‘Angus MacQuarrie gave it to me.’
Byron pushed away the flash of anger at further mention of MacQuarrie and reached down to drop in the emblem. He’d keep it safe for now and speak to his father about it later.
Unfortunately, as soon as he unfastened the clasp, a strong smell escaped. It reeked of rot and death. Jamie recoiled. ‘What the hell is that?’
Byron shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’ As terrible as the smell was, at least it was a momentary distraction from the searing pain of his own thoughts. He peered inside. ‘It’s a haggis,’ he said finally. ‘A dead haggis.’ Big deal.
Jamie frowned. ‘Eh?’
‘Apparently Morna Carnegie has been using her Gift for less than salubrious reasons.’ Byron managed a weak shrug. What did one dead fur ball mean now?
‘Was it smothered by the bag?’ Jamie asked. ‘I thought magically imbued creatures were supposed to be tough.’
‘They are.’
Byron reached in and drew out the tiny creature. It lay limply in his hand, its features contorted as if it had died in agony. Something was caught in one of its tiny front paws. He gently pulled it free, holding it up as the first evidence of dawn began to appear across the sky.
Byron’s muscles bulged and, curling his fingers into a fist, he lashed out and punched the windscreen. It immediately shattered, making Jamie yell in alarm. Byron paid him no attention. His eyes were fixed on the dead creature.
The haggis was holding the vial which had contained the sleeping draught intended for Integrity. The one his father had given him. Except there wasn’t any of the liquid left. The little haggis must have drunk it; the little haggis that was now dead.
An inarticulate howl rose up from deep inside Byron’s chest while the sun continued to force its way upwards, signalling a brand new day.
Thank you so much for reading Veiled Threat!
I really hope you enjoyed it. It would mean a huge amount if you could leave a review – any and all feedback is so very, very welcome and hugely important for independent authors like myself.
Find out more about me and my books, as well as the chance to sign up for my newsletter at http://helenharper.co.uk
The fourth book in the Highland Magic series is scheduled for release by December 2016.
About the Author
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time although she still fits in creative writing workshops with schools along with volunteering to teach reading to a group of young Myanmar refugees. That’s not to mention the procession of stray cats which seem to find their way to her door!
Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.
Helen currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.
Other titles by Helen Harper
The Blood Destiny series
Bloodfire
Bloodmagic
Bloodrage
Blood Politics
Bloodlust
Blood Destiny Box Set (The complete series: Books 1 – 5)
Also
- Corrigan Fire
- Corrigan Magic
- Corrigan Rage
Corrigan Politics
Corrigan Lust
The Highland Magic series
Gifted Thief
Honour Bound
Veiled Threat
The Olympiana series
Eros
Lyre
The Bo Blackman series
Dire Straits
New Order
High Stakes
Red Angel
Vigilante Vampire
The Dreamweaver series
Night Shade
Night Terrors