Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(77)

‘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.