Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1) (23 page)

It was around eleven when the path we were following began to narrow. Although I was more comfortable astride Barbie after Byron’s help, I could still feel tension across my neck and shoulders. Every time I turned round, either the Kincaids or the Darrochs were spitting silent venomous looks in my direction. Once the Foinse was fixed, I definitely wasn’t going to stick around to find out whether they would make a move on me. It might be paranoia but they certainly appeared to hate me enough to want to get rid of me for good after I’d served my purpose.

Forced into single file, we meandered down the valley. With our goal getting ever closer, everyone dropped into a meditative silence. Even Lily ceased her humming. I supposed it made sense; this was a pilgrimage that no one had completed for years because of the difficulty in getting together at least four different people from four different Clans to make it. For once, I wasn’t at a disadvantage; I didn’t think anyone knew what to expect.

The path gradually changed from worn dusty grass to sharp stones. The horses were forced to slow down and pick their way down carefully. It seemed to suit Barbie; for once she wasn’t at a disadvantage. As the sides of the valley grew narrower, however, I wondered if her wide girth would make it. I could feel claustrophobia setting in when the slopes at either side became so steep that the blue sky was nothing more than a strip above our heads.

We eventually emerged into a small circular clearing, deep within the hills. The cliffs were just as craggy and foreboding and the atmosphere remained oppressive. All the same, a wash of relief overtook me. It wouldn’t be long now.

The others jumped lithely off their horses. I stayed where I was. I wasn’t convinced that, even with Byron’s helpful advice, I’d be able to walk without bowed legs. I was going to take my time.

‘Look,’ Diana Darroch said softly, pointing ahead. ‘There it is.’

I frowned. ‘It’ was another gap in the landscape leading to another narrow passageway, almost identical to the one we’d just left. The only difference was that this one was even darker and even more of a tight squeeze. I eyed the gap then glanced at Barbie. There was no way she’d fit. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if
I
would fit.

Malcolm strode forward, halting right in front of it. He placed his palm flat against the air. That was when I saw what had really grabbed the attention of the others. There was a ripple in the air, almost like heat rising – but this was Scotland in October. It might be a sunny day but it was still damned cold.

As I watched, he pushed his hand further in. It was as if he was pressing against a vast, invisible force. He shivered and quickly withdrew.

‘We’re here,’ he announced. ‘I can feel it.’

My skin prickled and when I glanced down, I saw goosebumps on my arms.

‘We shall have to leave the horses here,’ Aifric said.

‘How far is it to the Foinse?’ I asked. If it was going to be a long hike, I wasn’t sure my aching muscles would make it without a hot bath and long massage first. I looked at Byron. Perhaps he could…

‘I don’t know,’ Aifric replied. ‘A few hours, I expect.’

‘We should eat first,’ Diana said. ‘Then we can leave the rest of our supplies here.’

He pursed his lips. ‘Good idea.’

Byron walked past me. He was whistling and carrying some wood which he must have collected from the campsite. He turned up and gave me an arch look. ‘You’re going to have to get off sometime,’ he said. His mouth curled up in a smile. ‘Barbie needs the rest. Would you like some help?’

I had a sudden vision of falling on top of him because I couldn’t hold my own weight any more. He’d definitely be carrying some wood then, I’d straddle his chest. It would be similar to our position in the penthouse – except the ground was hard and there was an audience.

‘It’s fine,’ I sniffed. ‘I can manage.’ I looked helplessly round and caught Lily’s eye.

She beamed at me and danced over. Byron’s smirk grew then he continued on his way.

‘How are you, Chieftain?’ she asked.

‘I’m okay, Lily but I might need a bit of help getting down. I’m rather stiff.’

‘I wouldn’t worry about it too much,’ Malcolm interrupted. ‘I’m sure after the Foinse is opened, you won’t feel any pain at all.’

Lily and I stared at him. I licked my lips. ‘And why is that?’

He gave me a long look filled with cold amusement. ‘It’ll be so reinvigorating that’ll you’ll forget all about your aches.’

Or I’ll be an unfeeling corpse, I thought. I’d received his message loud and clear. I glanced at Aifric who was murmuring to William, the Kincaid Chieftain. Would he step in? Would Byron?

‘Give me your hand, Chieftain,’ Lily said. ‘I’ll help you.’

I realised that her aura had changed again. It was a crisp green that reminded me of spring. ‘Are you sure? I don’t want to squash you.’

She flexed her muscles. ‘I feel very strong.’ She tapped her head. ‘And the cobwebs have gone. It’s good here.’

‘It’s the Foinse,’ Diana said. ‘It’s affecting her.’

I heard Byron grunt. ‘It’s affecting me too. I can’t light the fire.’

We turned to him, watching him flick his fingers. No matter what he did, nothing worked. He grinned ruefully. ‘Does anyone have a lighter or some matches?’

Aifric grimaced. ‘I was afraid of this.’

I watched them warily. ‘Afraid of what?’

‘We’re too close to the Foinse. Its hold here is too strong. Our Gifts won’t work.’

Diana’s brow furrowed. ‘How are we going to fix it then?’

‘There will be a way,’ Aifric said.

‘How do you know?’

‘Because there has to be,’ he replied simply.

Tension uncoiled deep within me. How could this have happened? How could they be so poorly prepared that they’d not thought about this eventuality? It was beyond ridiculous.

I made an effort to get off Barbie and swung one leg round. Sharp needles of pain shot through my legs and I thought better of it.

‘You should never walk into something without knowing what the possible outcomes are!’ I said, throwing my hands up in the air even though it made me wobble dangerously and almost fall off the saddle. ‘We might make the Foinse worse instead of better! I put my trust in you lot. I thought you knew what you were doing!’

‘Shut that bitch up,’ the Darroch Chieftain muttered.

In a flash, Byron was in front of her. ‘Don’t call her that. She didn’t have to come here and help us.’

Actually, I kind of did, Byron. You forced me into it.

‘Yeah,’ sneered Malcolm, ‘you don’t want to annoy her. She might go nuts just like her father and murder us all.’

‘That’s enough!’ Aifric roared. ‘I understand tensions are running high but this is neither the time nor the place! We have far greater things to worry about. This young lady has endured two attempts on her life and yet she’s still here. Do you remember when you found the adder in your bed, Dorienne? You didn’t leave your lands for a year after that! She’s here helping and she’s braver than the lot of you.’

I felt flustered at the attention and unhappy that my outburst had caused a scene. All these Sidhe wankers – myself included – had a lot of pent-up frustration. Maybe I should recommend yoga?

‘We’ll go to the Foinse and see what the situation is,’ Aifric continued. ‘If we can’t fix it without our Gifts, then at least we can try to understand what the problem is. If we need to go back to the Cruaich and re-group then that’s what we do.’

I was alarmed. I didn’t want to spend any longer among this lot than was necessary, even if a delay meant there was less likely to be another attempt to kill me. Besides, if I stuck around to find out what had really happened to my parents and the rest of the Adair Clan, I wanted it to be on my terms, not because I was forced to wait for someone to come up with a solution for the Foinse.

I looked at their faces. There was a lot of anger towards me, bitterness towards Aifric and resignation that our quest was already doomed. Taylor was a great believer in positive thinking when it came to heists. If we walked into a job thinking we were going to fail, then we would. What was needed around here was some optimism.

I drew in a breath. ‘I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn. I am sure that our combined intellect can find a way to restore the Foinse. You guys are the best and brightest of your Clans. Of course we can do this.’

‘Go Chieftain!’ Lily yelled.

I winced at the sour expressions on the faces of the Kincaids and Darrochs. Yoga was out and a group hug was probably not a good idea, either. We needed something – however temporary – to band us together.

‘Let’s take a photo!’ I burst out. ‘All of us together. Then we’ll have it for posterity.’

There were a few grumbles. ‘Good idea,’ Byron said briskly. ‘Do you have a camera?’

Shite. I thought quickly. ‘No, but I’ve got my phone.’ I dug it out of my pocket. ‘You lot get together and I’ll take it.’

Lily shook her head solemnly. ‘No, Chieftain. I will not travel any further from here, so I’ll take the photo. The Saviours of the Foinse together!’

The others looked at Aifric. He smiled and nodded. ‘Come on then.’

I slid down from Barbie, using Lily as a crutch to stop my knees from giving way. Then I handed her the camera. Aifric took centre stage and placed his arms round the shoulders of the Darroch and the Kincaid Chieftains. Their smiles were fixed and forced – but at least there were smiles.

Diana and Malcolm joined in. I stood awkwardly to the side until Byron beckoned me. He placed his arm round my waist and grinned. Malcolm leaned as far away from my body as possible. Subtlety was clearly not his thing.

‘What did Cinderella say when she left the photo store?’ I asked Malcolm. Byron’s arm tightened. I tried to ignore the way he drew me closer and that his hand was holding me possessively.

‘Everyone say cheese!’ Lily said.

‘Some day my prints will come,’ I said, pasting on a huge smile. ‘Cheese!’

We posed. Diana extricated herself from the group and grabbed the phone to examine the result. ‘It’s good,’ she declared. ‘We’re beautiful people.’

Byron and I exchanged amused looks. I shrugged, banking down the desire to stay where I was. He still smelled far too good. I pulled away, gave the photo a cursory glance and tucked the phone back into my pocket.

‘I’ll make sure you all get copies,’ I promised. ‘Or we could set up a Foinse Facebook page. Every year we could meet back here and have a reunion.’

‘Don’t push your luck,’ Malcolm muttered. Aifric shot him a warning look.

‘Is there any food we can eat before we set off that doesn’t require cooking?’ he enquired.

Diana rummaged around in her bag. ‘I’ve got fruit.’

‘Perfect. Ten minutes, fill your stomachs and then we shall depart. Lily, you are content to stay behind and look after the horses?’

She nodded eagerly. The animals didn’t look particularly thrilled. I leaned over and massaged my aching thighs, willing some life back into them. I had the feeling I was going to need it.

The first up were the Kincaids. They conferred briefly and then Malcolm walked up to the shimmering barrier. Everyone else took several respectful steps backwards, including William. Just to be certain I couldn’t be accused of listening out for his true name, I shuffled as far away as possible and stuck my fingers in my ears, but I still watched carefully. I wanted to see how this worked.

With his back to us, Malcolm leaned in. I could tell from his shoulders that his breath had quickened and he was feeling more nervous than he wanted us to know.

There was a sudden, blinding flash of light and a faint chiming ring. Something wriggled in my inside pocket. I gritted my teeth.

‘I hadn’t realised there would be light like that as well,’ Diana said to Aifric.

I cursed inwardly. Thanks a lot, Bob. The genie continued to wiggle around as Malcolm turned round and looked at me suspiciously. I folded my arms to try and prevent Bob making a bid for freedom and smiled.

Malcolm sniffed. ‘The Kincaid key has done its job,’ he intoned, spreading his arms wide.

I rolled my eyes at the melodrama and, taking my place at the rear, followed the others in. I looked back at Lily. She beamed and waved at me. ‘See you soon,’ I called. Or so I hoped.

Bob took advantage of my momentary distraction and shoved his way upwards, appearing at my collar before hopping down my arm.

‘I’m bored,’ he mouthed.

I glared at him and tried to grab his tiny body. He danced away. ‘Get lost!’ I hissed.

William Kincaid, directly in front of me, turned and frowned. I tried to smile at him but it came out as a grimace. He turned back, fortunately without noticing Bob, who was stretching languidly.

I lunged for the genie and he leapt backwards.

Trying to convey the importance of the situation to him, I glowered and put my finger to my lips. He smirked and nodded, then lifted his hands to mimic a rolling camera. Eh?

He held up two fingers. Exasperated, I realised he was playing charades. I tilted my chin, pointedly ignoring his antics. When he finally worked out I wasn’t going to play, he tutted loudly, making Kincaid turn round again. I took advantage of the moment, seized Bob’s squirming body, then thrust him behind my back.

‘Sorry,’ I apologised. ‘I almost slipped.’

‘Don’t you dare fall into me,’ he hissed.

I started to nod, just as there was a painful nip on my index finger. I let out a cry. This time everyone turned round.

‘Is everything alright?’ Aifric called out from the front.

‘Fine! Fine! I was just making sure you were all paying attention!’

I received a few scowls. Oops.

Once they were facing ahead again, I pulled Bob out. The little bastard had bitten me. I mimed pulling his head off and he pouted. He pointed to my ear and gave me a pleading puppy-dog expression. Sighing, I lifted him up. He perched between my ear and my skull and I pushed my hair forward to cover him. That was when his incessant chatter began.

‘I’ve been paying close attention, Uh Integrity. These guys are very dull and most of them really don’t like you.’

Tell me something I don’t know, I thought, concentrating on not tripping on the sharp scree as the path grew steeper and more precarious.

‘The only one who thinks you’re alright is that Byron fellow. The one you want to cover in whipped cream and eat for dessert. The Diana woman is starting to soften too. Everyone else hates you. Even the fat pony.’

Unable to answer him without drawing attention to myself, I grimaced.

‘It’s kind of cool that I can come here though. I thought I’d be blocked, but because I’m a supremely magical being I’m clearly allowed to enter.’

Either that or, by using his key, Malcolm had opened up the path for anyone who followed. It was a shame that Lily had stayed behind, if only because she would have proved to Bob that he wasn’t as unique as he liked to think.

‘You should make a wish now,’ Bob whispered. ‘To test the magic. If my magic works here, I’m obviously far more powerful than any Sidhe. And you need to know if my wishes still work for when they all try to kill you and you can’t teleport yourself away.’

Crapadoodle. He had a point – although they’d find it a damn sight harder to do me in without their Gifts. As long as I kept my wits about me, I’d be fine. Anyway, I had a back-up plan; I
always
had a back up plan.

Several stones skittered down, knocked loose by our feet. I could hear William Kincaid breathing heavily as he braced himself against the sharp mountain walls. I reached out to steady him but he flinched away. His choice.

Although technically we were still outdoors and the sky remained visible, the angle of the slopes on either side of us meant that we were almost completely shrouded in darkness. Only a chink of light allowed us to see where we were treading. The passageway grew narrower until we were forced to sidestep down it.

‘Your ancestors really made it hard to get to this Foinse thing, didn’t they?’ Bob commented. ‘They didn’t trust anyone.’

I considered this. Bob was right; trust appeared to be the one thing that was seriously in short supply where the Sidhe were concerned. The Clans, who’d put the Foinse here and made it so that no one person could reach it without the support of others, hadn’t trusted anyone. And the Moncrieffes didn’t trust anyone enough to tell them they were essentially penniless. And they all seemed to distrust me.

My foot slipped, sending a tiny avalanche rumbling down.

‘Be careful!’ Aifric snapped from the front. The stress was obviously getting to him.

‘Can you do something more interesting, Uh Integrity? I’ve been cooped up for days. Go and trip that dude in front of you. He doesn’t like you anyway and the Kincaids have already done their part. You don’t need him any more.’

I resisted the urge to strangle Bob. Anything to shut him up, though. Spying an expensive watch round William Kincaid’s wrist, a fit of mischief took me. He was so focused on not falling that he’d never notice. It was time I lived up to his lack of trust.

Counting my breaths so I timed it perfectly, I let my foot slip again. This time, however, I cried out sharply and fell against William. My right hand grabbed his wrist, ostensibly to stop me crashing into him and making us all topple like a line of dominoes.

William grunted back and tried to pull away but I looked at him desperately. With more scree sliding around our feet, he also lost his balance and was forced to grab me. By this point, I’d loosened the watch enough for my purposes. Expensive ones like these, with leather buckles, were always the easiest. Keeping my finger in the right spot to avoid the prong from slipping back in, the buckle detached completely and I palmed the watch.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I said again.

‘Aifric said to be more careful!’ Kincaid snapped.

I hung my head apologetically. As soon as he’d righted himself and was following the others down, I passed the watch back to Bob.

‘Uh Integrity,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘You are a goddess.’

I smiled and took out the letter opener, gesturing to it and hoping he’d do as I asked.

‘Very well,’ he said. ‘But only so I can examine this beauty in more detail.’

I shook my head and pointed ahead. I needed him to wait until the next key was used. A flash of light here would be impossible to hide.

Sensing rather than seeing him nod, I flicked my hair out to cover both the watch and him. There was a sliver of light ahead. At least we were almost at the next lock.

‘We’ve made it to the cavern,’ I heard Dorienne Darroch say.

‘Thank fuck,’ Kincaid muttered.

One by one we squeezed out. The relief of getting back to a more open space was overwhelming. I gulped in air and looked around. The light was deceptive. Rather than natural light filtering in from above, it was an eerie glow reflecting from thousands of green lights in the roof of the cavern to the dark pools below.

‘Glow worms,’ Bob hissed in my ear. ‘Nasty unfriendly creatures.’

Diana gasped. ‘Is it magic?’

‘Glow worms,’ I said knowledgeably. ‘Lovely little things.’

She sent me an approving glance. Perhaps Bob was right and she was feeling less antagonistic. The genie, however, was unimpressed at my showing off and flicked my ear lobe. I jumped half a foot in the air.

‘I’m still a bit stiff from all that horse riding,’ I explained when the others looked at me, puzzled.

‘You or me, boy?’ Aifric said, addressing Byron.

Byron gestured ahead. ‘Please.’

Aifric gave a tiny smile and stepped up. Just as before, we stood back to give him privacy. I put my hand on the letter opener to remind Bob to make tracks – but this time he timed it rather badly. The flash of light came about three seconds after Aifric whispered his true name.

Aifric looked round, a strange expression on his face. ‘All I’ve done for months is research this journey. There was nothing about light flashes when the keys were used.’

I tried to look stupid. It must have worked because his gaze slid over me to his older companions. Neither Dorienne Darroch nor William Kincaid had a clue, of course.

Aifric shrugged. ‘Let’s hope there’s nothing more up ahead that I don’t know about,’ he said. ‘Fixing the Foinse is going to be hard enough.’ With that, he straightened his back and plunged in, the strange light from the glow worms throwing dappled shadows across his body.

Byron raised his eyebrows at me, as if to check I was okay. I flicked back my hair and threw him a kiss. His emerald eyes glinted then he turned and joined his father. The two Darrochs followed then Malcolm Kincaid plunged in. William, however, hung back.

‘Don’t get any ideas about the Steward’s son,’ he hissed. ‘You won’t be around long enough to see them come to fruition. In any event, he’s spoken for.’ The spite in his voice was unmissable. For good measure, I blew him a kiss too. He snorted loudly and strolled into the cavern.

I watched him go. If anyone was going to make a move against me when this was over, Chieftain Kincaid seemed to be the most likely. Vowing to keep a close eye on him I followed him. I hoped that whatever he was planning he’d do it quickly. I wasn’t sure I could take much more waiting around for the stab in my back.

The cavern was rather pretty. The green light cast by the worms should have created a horror film effect; instead, the place was soft and welcoming. I sidled between the stalagmites (or was it stalactites? I could never remember) and enjoyed not being squashed between walls of stone. It was like walking through a grand cathedral; I wouldn’t have been surprised if organ music suddenly bellowed up ahead.

With more space to manoeuvre, the others abandoned single file. Their heads bobbed as they conferred: Byron and Aifric, William and Michael, Diana and Dorienne. I tagged along at the back, taking in the scenery. Even without the hushed voices of the Sidhe, the cavern wasn’t silent. There were splashes of water falling from the smooth, rounded ceiling. There was also a strange but not unpleasant whine that whistled past my ears. When the others stopped moving and I realised where the sound was coming from, my stomach dropped.

‘Shite,’ I whispered.

There was a rope bridge stretching from the edge of the cavern across an abyss. I couldn’t see the bottom but I bet it was a long way down. Picking up a loose stone, I threw it over the edge. It was a good ten seconds before it struck something. For the first time since this journey started, I was glad that Brochan, Lexie and Speck weren’t here with me. Speck would have a heart attack.

‘That rope must have been here for decades,’ Diana said in a low, worried voice. ‘How can we be sure it’s safe?’

I waved my hand. ‘I’m good with heights,’ I chirped. ‘Once the Darrochs have opened the way, I’ll go first.’

‘The hell you will.’

I glanced at the source of the growl. Byron. Why was I not surprised? ‘We need you for the final section,’ he said, his face dark. ‘The rest of us can afford to slip and fall. You can’t. Someone will have to go first to make sure it’s safe.’

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Malcolm Kincaid looking disgusted.

‘I’m lighter than the rest of you.’

‘No.’

Looking at his son curiously, Aifric spoke up. ‘I’m sure it’s safe. I’ll go first. But make sure no more than one person is on the bridge at any one time. Dorienne, will you do the honours?’

The older of the two Darroch women bit her lip and nodded. By now I was finding the whole true name thing rather dull. I dutifully stepped away and covered my ears. She did her thing, leaving everyone puzzled when no flash of light followed.

‘Is that a good sign or a bad sign?’ she asked, her eyes wide.

Nobody answered. I would have patted her on the back reassuringly but I was tired of everyone flinching away from me so I simply shrugged and smiled.

Aifric’s first few steps were slow and shaky. He gripped the ropes as he shuffled along. It wasn’t until he was about halfway along that the group’s breathing returned to normal. So much for the Foinse being the only difficult part of this journey.