Veiled Threat (22 page)

‘She’s a
demon
, Tegs.’

I pointed to the shivering, huddled heap on the floor. ‘Look at her. I mean really look at her.’

They did as I asked. ‘She doesn’t look dangerous,’ Brochan admitted. He shuffled his large, webbed feet and avoided looking at me. Apparently someone was feeling a tad guilty. I pushed away my desire to begin protracted recriminations. What was done was done.

Lexie still wasn’t happy. ‘Yes, but...’

‘Enough.’ I didn’t shout but the tone in my voice was so strong that the four of them stared at me in astonishment. ‘If it makes you feel better, lock her in here. I don’t think she’s in any fit state to go wandering around anyway. I’ll sort her out later and then you’ll see what she’s really like. There are other matters I need to attend to. Byron’s been...’

My voice faltered as Tipsania strolled into the room. Her normally intricately styled hair was tied up in a dirty scarf and she was carrying a mop and bucket. She seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see her.

‘Oh. You’re back. I didn’t realise this room was occupied. I’ll come back.’

I shook my head in disbelief. ‘Tipsania, what are you doing?’

She gave me a funny look. ‘I’m cleaning, of course.’

I couldn’t help myself. ‘You?’

She sniffed. ‘If you think I’m going to stay here while the place in this state, you are crazier than your friends think you are. You lot might be Clan-less idiots prepared to live in a hovel but
I
am not.’

Even Lexie’s attention was diverted from May. ‘There’s no shame in being Clan-less,’ she hissed. ‘Although we are Adair.’

Tipsania sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose you are. You should have stayed Clan-less. It would mean you’re free of Byron’s slimy prick of a father.’ I did a double take. She glanced at me. ‘You can’t trust him, you know.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ I said, surprised at her words. ‘Have you mentioned your feelings to Byron?’

‘He won’t believe anything bad about his father.’ She sniffed as if it was of no importance. ‘Most people don’t. Anyway, I was going to talk to you about the whole Adair Clan thing. I want to stay. If you’ll have me.’ She shrugged awkwardly and looked away. ‘I’ll swear fealty if it’s that important to you.’

I almost fell over and we all gaped at Tipsania. Even May seemed to sense the change in atmosphere because she stopped whimpering. ‘What?’ I managed.

Tipsania raised a hand dismissively. ‘I’ll become part of the Adair Clan and swear fealty to you.’ She paused then dropped both her hand and her voice. ‘Please.’

‘Why?’ I asked in a strangled voice.

She inspected her fingernails. ‘My father wants to marry me off to Byron. If that doesn’t work, he’ll find some other noble sap. I don’t want that.’

I noticed that her hands were shaking. She was also telling the truth. Wow. ‘What about your responsibility to the Scrymgeours?’

‘I have lots of cousins,’ she said simply. ‘They’ll be more than happy to step into any breach my departure might create.’

Tipsania was obviously unaware that I had her father’s true name and could make him do whatever I wanted. One word from me and he’d let her marry whoever the hell she wanted. I couldn’t cope with this right now, though. I tucked my hair behind my ears and rubbed my face. ‘You can stay,’ I said. ‘We’ll talk about the fealty thing later.’

Her expression tightened and I knew she was thinking that I didn’t want her in my Clan. Truthfully, I didn’t; I wasn’t even sure I wanted this damn Clan at all. Every time I turned around, there seemed to be more people clamouring to join.

Tipsania inclined her head stiffly then looked at May. ‘Who’s that?’

‘She’s a Fomori demon.’

For a moment Tipsania’s jaw worked in shock then she shrugged resignedly. ‘I suppose she’ll need cleaning too.’ She stalked over, knelt down beside May and started talking to her in soft tones. At that point, Elvis Presley and Lord Lucan could have strolled arm in arm into the room and I would no longer have been surprised.

I edged over to Brochan. ‘Do you think Tipsania has been possessed?’

‘It’s possible,’ he admitted. ‘Listen, Tegs, about Byron...’

I held up my hand. ‘I don’t agree with what you did and if you ever do anything like it again then you will leave. I don’t care who you are, Brochan, or what you mean to me. But,’ my voice softened, ‘I do understand why you did it.’

Relief flashed across his face. I gave him a tight smile. ‘We have another bigger problem.’ I tilted my chin and looked at my friends. ‘Byron has been taken prisoner.’

Brochan swayed back on his heels, paling, while Taylor inhaled sharply. ‘That’s not good.’

‘No.’ I clenched my fists. All I wanted to do was to pelt back through the Veil and rescue him but my logic was beginning to reassert itself. I had to be smart. I had to take my time, think it through and do what was best for him. Blindly sprinting after him wouldn’t make for a successful venture. I already knew that I’d have to wait until midnight when the Fomori demons seemed to sleep. I needed every advantage I could find to slip through undetected if I was going to find Byron.

Lexie raised her eyebrows and, her voice dripping with sarcasm, said, ‘Let me guess. He’s been captured by the Fomori demons?
Her
kinsmen?’

‘I told you her name is May.’ I sighed. ‘But yes. I don’t know what they’re going to do to him but it’s probably not going to be good.’

Taylor straightened. ‘We’ve been in some tight situations in the past. This probably beats them all.’

Lexie snorted. ‘I’ll say.’

‘Stop it.’ Speck’s voice was quiet. ‘Do you think I’m not scared that there’s a Fomori demon in the corner? Or that the Steward, who was already gunning for our blood, now has us to blame for his son being a Fomori prisoner? And that’s without mentioning the bugs and the bats and the ghosts that this place has to offer. Of course, I’m scared. I’m petrified. But Tegs will find a way out. She’ll have a rescue plan. She’s our friend.’ He paused. ‘In fact, she’s our family. We trust her so you need to stop complaining. It’s really not helpful.’

I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard Speck make such a long speech before. I’d certainly never heard him speak to Lexie like that. Apparently neither had she because, after gaping at him for a moment, she wound her arms round his neck and planted a very big, very wet and very long kiss on his lips.

‘I’ll get everyone to stop moaning if you stop going on about my gambling,’ Taylor said in an aside to me.

‘Nice try,’ I told him. ‘No chance.’

‘I love you, Speck,’ Lexie breathed.

He flushed bright red. Brochan ignored the pair of them and glanced at me with worried eyes. ‘Can we get back to the matter in hand? What on earth are we going to do about Byron?’

I breathed in deeply. ‘I need to get to a phone line.’ I curled my fingernails into the palms of my hands until my flesh stung. ‘I’m going to have to talk to Aifric.’

***

I
n the end, I was forced to take the car and travel more than forty miles north to get a damned phone signal. The thought of speaking to the man who had so cold-bloodedly murdered my father made my skin crawl but I couldn’t rescue Byron on my own. I needed his help.

Brochan came with me for moral support. He was obviously keen to make amends. When I finally got bars telling me I had enough signal to make the call, I gestured at him to pull over. He gave me a long look. ‘Are you sure about this?’

‘It’s Byron. I can’t just leave him to rot.’ An image of him strung up and horribly tortured sprang unbidden into my mind. I quashed it down with difficulty.

‘I’m sorry he’s been captured.’ He heaved in a breath. ‘But you still give that boy far too much of your concern,’ he chided gently. I shrugged helplessly.

Brochan nodded once and passed me the number. With trembling fingers but a steely heart, I pressed the keys. Unfortunately, when the phone started to ring, my so-called steely heart lurched into imminent vomit.

I raised my eyebrows to Brochan. ‘When does a horse answer the phone?’ He squeezed my free hand. ‘Whinny he wants to!’

He didn’t smile. ‘You can do this, Tegs. You’re already the better person. Better than Aifric, better than Byron.’ He paused. ‘Better than me.’

I frowned at his last words although it appeared I was even more transparent now than when I was invisible. I took a deep breath and prepared to put on my best phone voice just as the ringing ended.

‘Good morning. You have reached the Cruaich.’

‘Good morning!’ I trilled back. ‘This is Integrity...’

‘To speak to a member of the administrative team, press one. To find out when you can make an appointment to...’

I cast my eyes upwards. Automated bloody machines. I glanced at Brochan. ‘Your call is important to us,’ I mimicked.

‘Your call is very important to us,’ said the disembodied and overly cheerful voice.

I waited, eventually pressing nine to connect to a real person. At least the delay meant that some of my tension dissipated.

‘Hello! This is Mhairi. How can I be of service to you today?’

Finally. ‘Hello Mhairi. This is Chieftain Adair. I have an urgent phone call for the Steward.’

‘Hold the line please.’ The sound of some tragic bagpipe dirge filled my ears. Appropriate. I drummed my fingers and waited. ‘Hello, Chieftain Adair. I’m afraid that the Steward is unavailable.’

‘But...’

‘Thank you for your time.’ She hung up.

I cursed loudly. ‘He’s refusing to talk to me. Typical.’ I sighed. I needed to try a different tack. I pursed my lips and located the Bull’s number; at least after our last phone call, I knew he’d answer. Unfortunately it didn’t make him any more polite.

‘What?’ he snapped down the line.

If he was going to dispense with the niceties then so was I. ‘You are going to do me a little favour.’

‘I don’t have time.’

‘I don’t care.’

He huffed. ‘Listen up,
Chieftain
. You might enjoy playing lady of the manor but the rest of us have real issues to deal with.’

‘My heart bleeds.’

‘Funny you should say that because I was under the impression that it did bleed for the Clan-less. I guess you’re just like the rest of us, after all.’

I sat up straight. ‘Explain yourself.’

The Bull couldn’t refuse. ‘You’ve heard about those little Fomori incursions, I presume? The one in Perth? The others further north?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, it appears they were just the beginning. Last night, there was a full-blown attack.’

My world shrank in on itself. Fear tugged at my soul and I gripped the phone so hard, I heard the casing crack. ‘Where?’ I whispered.

‘Aberdeen.’ I didn’t think I was imagining his note of smug satisfaction. I’d all but grown up in Aberdeen after I’d abandoned the horror of the Bull’s household.

It was a struggle to get the words out. ‘What happened?’

‘Union Street is burning. Estimates place the casualties at more than two hundred. It’s difficult to tell. We’re never sure about how many Clan-less vermin there are in one area.’

The Bull was very, very lucky he was on the other end of the phone and not in front of me; at that moment, I would have happily renounced my pacifism. I’d almost felt sorry for him when Tipsania said she wanted to stay with me. I was starting to change my mind. A lot.

‘What are you doing about it?’ I said through gritted teeth.

‘Well, it’s the city’s main thoroughfare so there are a number of Sidhe businesses. We are trying to put the fires out.’

‘I’d hate to see a loss in Sidhe revenue,’ I spat.

He didn’t seem to realise I was being sarcastic. ‘Exactly. The current economic climate is bad enough as it is.’

‘Where are the demons now?’

‘Apparently they’ve vanished but I have a feeling they’ll be back. I wonder where they’ll strike next,’ he mused. ‘Your lands are very close to the Veil, aren’t they?’

What was going on? Why was this happening now? The thought that it was related to my incursions into the Lowlands nibbled at the edges of my heart. I couldn’t breathe and there was a roaring sound in my ears. Brochan reached over and punched my arm. ‘Ouch!’

‘Have you hurt yourself?’ the Bull enquired, not in the least bit solicitous.

I glared at Brochan but he merely shrugged. ‘Where are you now?’ I said into the phone, rubbing my throbbing bicep.

‘I’m at the Cruaich, of course. All the Chieftains have been summoned to an emergency council. Well,’ he amended, ‘almost all of them.’

I didn’t pay any attention to the snub. ‘Take this phone and hand it to Aifric. Tell him it’s a Moncrieffe Sidhe up in Aberdeen who needs to speak to him right away.’

‘Lie to the Steward? He already mistrusts me enough as it is. Are you out of your tiny mind?’

Funny, Tipsania had asked me exactly the same question not that long ago. ‘Just do it.’ My voice hardened. ‘Now.’

He huffed and puffed but he had no choice. I waited a moment or two, ignoring Brochan’s repeated gestures to tell him what was going on.

‘This is Aifric Moncrieffe.’

I breathed out. ‘Your son has been captured by the Fomori. He’s across the Veil and he needs your help now.’

Cold silence answered me. I wondered whether I’d have to repeat myself and was about to when Aifric finally spoke. ‘Chieftain Adair, I presume.’

‘You should have spoken to me when I first called,’ I told him.

‘I am a busy man.’

‘Too busy to mount a rescue to save your own son?’

This time, Aifric’s voice vibrated with anger. ‘Don’t you understand what’s going on right now? The demons are attacking the country.’ He blew out air, making the line crackle and hiss. ‘This is all your fault.’

The truth-telling Gift didn’t work down the phone but for some reason, I knew he wasn’t lying. ‘Because I went across the Veil?’

‘What else, you brat? You’re just as arrogant and narrow-minded as your father.’

His words had the opposite effect to what he intended. The hot tears which had been brimming in my eyes were held at bay and the pain I felt inside coalesced into an icy anger.

‘Why did you try to stop me from going? It’s a dangerous place. If I had died there, you would be free from blame forever.’