Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(53)

‘The smartest move is for all of us to lie low. It’s not ideal and I know you’re hoping for a fresh start in Oban but we’ve talked it over and, if it’s okay with you, we might come and join you. Just temporarily,’ Brochan added hastily. ‘We don’t want to cramp your style or anything.’

I laughed, then regretted it when my ribs complained again. ‘You lot are hardly going to cramp my style. I’m more likely to get extra cool points for having you with me.’

Brochan grinned, relieved. ‘Now we’ve got the money to sort out Taylor’s debts and we’re out of jail, we can all skedaddle. Is there anything you need to fetch before we leave?’

I sighed. Skedaddling was incredibly tempting. Unfortunately I had to choose another path. ‘I can’t go,’ I told him reluctantly. I explained about the Foinse.

‘I’m not sure if you were paying attention, Tegs, but one of those people who’s so desperate for you to stick around and save them, just tried to kill you. Do you really care if the magic fails? I understand things will be bad for a lot of people for a while but maybe you need to think long term. If this weakens the Clans’ hold, it might end up being a good thing.’

‘Where’s the line, though? Is one death enough to shove the Sidhe into oblivion? Is one hundred?’ I ran my hand through my hair. ‘A million? Because that might be what it takes.’

Brochan was silent for a moment before replying. ‘It’s not up to you to save the world, Tegs.’

I bit my lip. ‘Actually, in this scenario it might be.’ What I left unsaid was that the trippy images I’d just experienced had made me wonder if I’d done the right thing by abandoning my Sidhe heritage. Maybe I was going to stick around here until I had a better grasp on all this Adair shite.

More light started filtering in through the trees. It was clear we were reaching the edge of the grove. I halted and gazed out. ‘You should go. You and Lexie and Speck. You should all leave. Go to Oban. I already have a deposit down on a house. Use it.’

‘Do you really think we’d abandon you here? No chance. We’re family, remember? We’ll stay and do whatever we can to help you out. With this Foinse thing and,’ he paused, ‘whatever happens after that.’

Brochan was one shrewd merman. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, ‘Thank you.’

He beamed. ‘So what’s the plan?’

I considered. ‘There’s the guy who walked me down here. One of his Sidhe Gifts is pyrokinesis.’

Brochan whistled. ‘So you think it was him who chucked those fireballs at you?’

My mouth thinned into a grim line. ‘Possibly.’

‘How many gifts does he have?’

‘Just the two. Which is two more than me. I don’t need any freaky Sidhe magic though. What I have to find out is if he wants me dead. If he does, then I need to know.’ I pushed away the surge of dismay I felt at saying those words out loud. Our childhood encounter notwithstanding, I’d known Byron for all of three days; I knew him no better than he knew me. Why he’d gone to such an effort to bring me here to simply kill me didn’t quite fit; neither did the fact that he wouldn’t benefit in any way from the Foinse failing. But fireballs after his announcement of being gifted in pyrokinesis? I couldn’t shake off my suspicion.

Brochan threw me a sidelong glance. ‘Forgive me if I’m mistaken but aren’t Sidhe supposed to get their Gift when they get their true name? If you just received your name, then…’

I interrupted him. ‘I feel fine.’ Apart from a cracked rib and singed eyebrows. ‘Apparently Sidhe also get sick. Something to do with their physical body accepting the Gift. I reckon that because I’m an adult that time has passed.’ I grinned at him. ‘It’s a good thing. It makes me more human than Sidhe.’

‘If you say so.’

I punched him on the arm. ‘I do.’

He smirked. ‘So you’re going to confront this guy?’

‘Nah. I’ll do a little reconnoitring first. The others were prepared to delay the journey to the Foinse if I got ill. I’ll pretend I am so that I’ve got enough time to find out what’s going on.’ I thought of Bob and my mouth turned down. ‘He also has something of mine that I want to get back.’

‘Sounds good,’ he said approvingly. ‘We can help with all that.’

My eyes gleamed. ‘You can. There are enough other species and races around here that you three can probably wander around the Cruaich more easily than I can.’

‘What do you need us to do?’

I met his eyes. ‘Find out what really happened to the Adair Clan.’

Brochan sucked in a breath. ‘Are you sure?’

I nodded. ‘I am.’

‘Okay. We’ll use the signal to get in touch with you once we have something.’

I shook my head. ‘No. I have a better way.’ Expect the unexpected. ‘You can summon me. Layoch. My true name is Layoch.’

Brochan’s jaw dropped. ‘You shouldn’t have told me that, Tegs. If I know your name then…’

I waved an airy hand in the air. ‘Yeah, yeah. You can obtain absolute power over me. I already trust you with my life, Brochan. Lexie and Speck too. The least I can do is trust you with one sodding word.’