Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1) (25 page)

I freed my foot from the loop and got back to my feet, yanking him to me as I did so. The moment his feet touched the rope, he almost collapsed in relief. I was forced to steady him again before he fell once more.

The yells of relief overtook us. William began to turn, lifting one hand from the rope in acknowledgment of his close call. As he did so, and as his body blocked my view of the other side, someone else stepped out onto the bridge.

‘No!’ I yelled in alarm.

The weight of a third person made the bridge swing once more, this time with even more force. The rope jerked to one side and William lost his footing again. I lunged for him. I’d have caught him if the other person on the bridge hadn’t pulled back in alarm, and leapt off the bridge to safety. That movement caused the rope to switch directions so I was flung off balance too. Instead of William’s hand, all I grasped at was air.

In terrible slow motion, his eyes bulged and he reached towards me. His mouth opened to scream but nothing came out. A second later he was swallowed up by the darkness. Malcolm Kincaid shrieked his name but it was far, far too late.

The inevitable thump as he reached the ground made me double over, as if I’d been kicked in the stomach. Retching, and with hot tears streaming from my eyes, I stumbled blindly back across the bridge. The horror etched on the faces confronting me mirrored my own.

‘I didn’t realise,’ Aifric mumbled. ‘I thought I could help.’

I stared at him. He’d been the one to step out on the bridge then. Anguish lined his face. Ripping away my gaze, I looked at Malcolm. He was kneeling on the ground, tearless sobs racking his body.

Byron put a hand on his Malcolm’s shoulder and he stumbled to his feet. He lifted up his head and addressed me. ‘You killed him,’ he said in a clear voice. ‘You killed my uncle. You killed my Chieftain.’

‘She didn’t,’ Byron said. ‘It wasn’t her fault.’

I put my hand up, forestalling him. Grief was never a rational thing and this wasn’t the time for recriminations. Still feeling sick, all I said was, ‘Let’s get out. Now.’

We stumbled back out into the stone clearing where Lily greeted us with a faltering smile. She looked from one of us to the other, her eyes eventually landing on me and staying there.

‘What happened, Chieftain?’ she asked. ‘Your nose is purple.’

I rubbed my forehead. ‘Integrity,’ I said tiredly. ‘Call me Integrity. And my nose will be fine.’ I could hardly complain about it given what else had occurred.

Lily glanced at the rest of the group. ‘Where’s Chieftain Kincaid?’

‘He’s gone.’

She absorbed this information then bobbed her head. ‘He was a bastard anyway,’ she said succinctly.

I glanced at Malcolm. His features were wan and drawn. ‘It doesn’t mean he deserved to die.’

Lily touched me gently on the arm and turned away.

Aifric frowned. ‘Malcolm’s in no fit state to do anything. We need to get him away from here as quickly as possible.’ He threw me a hard look. ‘We still need to find out what’s happened to the Foinse and the magic.’

‘If their gifts were precognition, how come they couldn’t foresee what was going to happen?’ I said, as much to myself as anyone else.

‘Some futures don’t reveal themselves,’ Byron told me quietly. ‘And William’s reluctance to cross the bridge the first time around…’ His voice trailed off.

I nodded. Maybe he had foreknowledge that he’d kept to himself.

‘We’re going to need to get Malcolm back to the Cruaich as soon as possible. But we have to untack William’s horse and clear up here.’

I saw an opening. ‘I’ll sort out the stuff here and follow you.’

Byron looked troubled. ‘I’m not convinced that’s a good idea. Someone is probably still trying to kill you.’

I laughed and waved at the steep mountainsides surrounding us. ‘I’ll see them coming before they see me. Anyway it’s probably be better if I’m not around Malcolm.’

His eyes searched my face; there was something unfathomable lurking in their depths. ‘You won’t catch us up on Barbie.’

I checked on my horse. She was edging towards Byron’s black stallion again with a look of determination. ‘Don’t underestimate her,’ I said. ‘But if I can’t get to you along the way, I’ll find you back at the Cruaich.’ I half turned to go but he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

I bit my lip and nodded.

‘I mean it, Integrity. That would have been a traumatic experience for anyone. There wasn’t anything you could do.’

I jerked my head at Malcolm. ‘Tell him that.’

Byron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘You won’t run off, will you?’

‘No.’ I wasn’t going to run anywhere. I was going to teleport.

He released me reluctantly and went to speak to his father. Aifric glanced at me and nodded. ‘Good idea,’ he said briskly. He dug into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and some jerky. ‘Take this. With any luck, you’ll catch us up along the way. As soon as Malcolm is up to it, we’ll check on the Foinse.’

‘Thank you.’

Aifric’s bright blue eyes met mine. ‘If I hadn’t walked out onto the bridge, he’d still be here.’

I looked away. ‘We could spend our lives wondering “what if?”. What’s done is done. Look after Malcolm. He’ll be alright but he’ll need some time.’

Aifric straightened his shoulders. ‘Yes.’

I gazed up at the sky. Dusk was falling. Other than a few wispy clouds and the faint outline of the moon, there was nothing to be seen. ‘The Foinse will be fine, too. You’ll see.’

Aifric’s mouth twisted. ‘We will.’

I hung back, watching as Byron helped Malcolm onto his horse and the diminished group trotted back off through the narrow path. Lily stayed with me, refusing to join them.

‘You should go,’ I told her. ‘I’m not safe to be around.’

‘I can think here. Everything’s clearer.’

Perhaps the Foinse hadn’t spun off as far as we’d imagined. Its magic was still affecting Lily and there was no sign that anyone’s gifts had returned. ‘You can’t stay here forever, you know.’

She smiled enigmatically in response. ‘Tell me a joke,’ she said.

My chest tightened. ‘I’m not sure this is the time.’

Barbie snickered and Lily reached out. ‘Please?’

I stared after the departing Sidhe and thought of my role in William Kincaid’s death. ‘I’m sorry and I apologise mean the same thing,’ I finally said. ‘Except at a funeral.’

Lily swung her hair. ‘That’s not really funny.’

‘No,’ I agreed sadly. ‘It’s not.’

Working together silently, we untacked William’s horse. Lily unclipped a rope on his bridle and connected it to Barbie on one side and her white mare on the other. She patted her horse’s mane. ‘I really would have liked those bells.’ She shook herself.

I scooped up the last of the rubbish and glanced around. ‘I think that’s it.’ I took out Aifric’s jerky and offered her a piece. She examined it for a moment then shook her head. ‘I’ll take some of that water though.’

I unscrewed the bottle and passed it over. Lily stared down at its contents, a tiny smile playing around the corner of her lips. ‘You need to avenge your parents,’ she said suddenly. ‘You can’t let him win.’

Uneasiness rippled through me. ‘Let who win?’

Her smile grew. ‘Bottoms up.’ She tilted her head back and gulped, draining the entire bottle then wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Everything will be alright, Chieftain. You’ll see.’ All at once she started to choke.

‘Lily?’ I slapped her on the back, assuming she’d swallowed some water the wrong way but she only got worse. Becoming more alarmed, I grabbed her shoulders. Her cheeks were turning puce. ‘Lily? Lily!’ I shook her.

Saliva frothed at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes met mine in one final smile and then she slid out of my grasp and crumpled in a heap. I knelt down, moving her head to one side, hooking my finger inside her mouth. My hands were shaking and desperation clawed at me. Perhaps something was caught in her throat. I thumped her chest but nothing happened. She let out a faint gurgle.

Without thinking, I grabbed the letter opener and rubbed it furiously against my thigh. ‘Bob!’ I shrieked.

He appeared in an instant, his gaze sweeping from me to Lily’s prone form.

‘I wish for you to save her!’ I shouted. He didn’t move. ‘Bob!’ I said again. ‘Do something!’

His expression was sorrowful. ‘I can’t. I can’t change death, Uh Integrity. That’s beyond even my powers.’

‘She’s not dead! She was just here! She was fine. She…’

‘She’s gone.’ He flew up to my face and pressed his little hand against my cheek. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘But… but…’ I stammered. I stared down at her. Her eyes were wide and unseeing.

Swatting Bob away, I tilted back Lily’s head and began mouth to mouth resuscitation. I thumped her chest again. ‘Come on, Lily!’

‘She’s not coming back,’ Bob said.

I ignored him. ‘She has to!’ I breathed into her mouth again. I could taste something bitter on my lips, followed by a strange tingle. Rubbing my mouth with the cuff of my sleeve, I spat on the ground.

‘Integrity,’ he said, using my name correctly for the first time. ‘She’s dead.’

Tears blinded me. I rocked back on my heels. ‘I don’t understand,’ I sobbed. ‘I don’t get it.’

My hands fell to my sides, knocking over the bottle of water that had fallen when Lily had. I looked down at it blurrily and the bottom drained out of my world.

‘What did you do with the horses?’ Taylor asked, handing me a cup of tea. ‘I know a guy who deals in premium horsemeat, you know. I could have taken care of them for you.’

I threw him an irritated look. He grinned in return. Now that his debts were cleared, his normal insouciance was returning. I curled my fingers round the cup’s warmth and sighed. ‘I left them in the courtyard at the Cruaich just before I returned Lily’s body to her Clan and retrieved those two.’ I nodded towards Lexie and Brochan who were sitting opposite with Speck perched on the arm of the sofa next to them. All of them looked grim, their mouths tight and tell-tale shadows under their eyes.

‘You’d seemed to think you could trust Aifric.’

My head drooped. ‘I should have known. He’s the Steward. A lot of his power might be inconsequential but he still has more of it than anyone else.’

‘Maybe it wasn’t him. Someone else could have spiked the water.’

I dug into my pocket and threw him my phone. ‘Look at the photos,’ I said dully.

The last one was the group photo that Lily had taken. Taylor examined it. ‘They don’t look happy, I’ll admit, but…’

‘Look at Aifric.’

She’d snapped it at just the right moment. When you enlarged the photo, it was easy to see. Aifric was fingering a tiny silver ball with veins of red running through it. I’d seen one of those before – Charlie had tried to give me one. It was filled with poison.

‘I was a fool,’ I said. ‘I thought it was the Kincaids who hated me, the Darrochs too. But it turns out that Aifric Moncrieffe is an excellent actor. William Kincaid was collateral damage. And so was Lily.’

‘What about his son? Byron, is it?’

Something clutched at my heart. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think he’s involved but I can’t be sure. I can’t be sure of anything any more.’

‘I found out a lot when you were gone,’ Lexie admitted. ‘The Moncrieffes are destitute because Aifric’s been forced to pass a lot of money to some of the other Clans. He’s been doing it for years.’ She swallowed. ‘Ever since Clan Adair.’

‘Bribes. To cover up whatever it was he did.’

‘You think he’s responsible for what happened with your father?’

I shrugged helplessly. ‘It seems that way.’

Speck shifted. ‘The vast majority of the Clan-less don’t give a flying bejesus what happens with the Sidhe but…’

Taylor broke in. ‘But anyone who met Gale Adair has nothing but good things to say about him. No matter what he might have done.’

My eyes flew to his. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘If you’d dwelled on your life with the Sidhe, I would have. But you wanted to forget that part of you had ever existed. You were just a kid, Tegs. You needed to heal. If you didn’t want to know, then I wasn’t going to stir up the past for you.’

I understood the sentiment. But while I might have needed Taylor’s protection when I was eleven years old, I certainly didn’t need it now. My world had been turned on its head and nothing would ever be the same again. ‘Did you find anything at the Adair lands, Brochan?’ I swallowed. ‘At my lands?’

He took a moment before answering. ‘There’s definitely still evidence of an immense battle. Old scorch marks, rubble that no-one’s cleared up. That kind of thing. It’s been too long though. I can’t say what happened with any certainty.’

Speck looked at me with dark, worried eyes. ‘He’s going to know you’re still alive. He’s not going to stop trying to get rid of you. I don’t know what his reasons are, but with the Foinse out in the open and no issue any more with the magic, he has no cause to keep you alive. Especially now that you know he tried to kill you.’

‘He’s much more dangerous than the Bull ever was,’ I agreed. ‘Aifric is intelligent enough to manipulate people into believing that he’s a decent guy.’ I took a deep breath and stood up. ‘But he’s not going to be sure whether I know his true nature or not. He’ll expect me to suspect him but he doesn’t know I have proof. I can use that. I need time to find out more about what happened all those years ago. If I’m going to expose him, I’ll need evidence of what happened to my parents and the rest of Clan Adair. Not to mention why it happened.’

‘What’s the plan?’ Lexie asked. ‘Because whatever it is, I want in.’

‘Me too,’ Speck piped up. ‘There’s no way I’m letting that blue-haired pixie get all the glory.’

‘I’m in too,’ Brochan agreed. ‘Aifric Moncrieffe isn’t going to get away with this.’

Taylor stood up as well. ‘So Integrity? What
is
the plan?’

I looked at him. ‘You’re normally the man with the plan.’

He smiled, although his smile was tinged with a sad pride. ‘I think the student has become the master. You held it together through all this. I’m the one who fell apart.’

I squeezed his arm.

‘All you need to do,’ Bob drawled from where he lounged on a cushion, ‘is wish for…’

‘No,’ we chorused. ‘No wishing.’

I looked at them all. ‘You have to do bad shit to get ahead. I’m not going to fight Aifric. But I am going to be smarter than him. We’ll sort out things with the money and lull him into a false sense of security. Then we’ll go back to normal and act as if nothing’s happened.’

Lexie’s brow furrowed. ‘How’s that going to help?’

My eyes gleamed. ‘Because it’ll force him to come to me. He won’t be able to help himself. Bit by bit, I’m going to make Aifric Moncrieffe my bitch. And then I’m going to destroy him.’

Bob lazily got to his feet. ‘And his son?’

I looked away. ‘Sometimes there’s collateral damage.’