Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)(29)

Without waiting for the guards to pass me, I leapt up and darted left towards the main doors, away from Aifric.

‘This is bad, Uh Integrity,’ Bob hissed. ‘What are we going to do?’

I was rather touched that he said we. ‘I don’t know,’ I muttered tightly. I could already feel the invisibility draining away; I wouldn’t be able to use it for much longer before I started becoming less invisible and more opaque. I had to find somewhere to hide, somewhere out of reach of a Farsenser.

I ran outside and tried to think. I could always go to the old Games grounds. That cabin where we’d been made to stay would work as a hiding place if it weren’t for the Farsenser. I had to find a way of disguising my trail. Something that would fool the magic… ‘I’ve got it,’ I whispered. If this didn’t work, nothing would.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, glad that there was a cement path leading down to the grounds. ‘I used to have a hobby pouring cement,’ I told Bob. ‘But then it became too hard.’

‘You’re telling jokes?’ he howled in my ear. ‘We’re about to become dogfood and you’re telling jokes?’ As if on cue, I heard barking in the distance.

‘Chillax, Bob. I’ve got this.’ The wind whipped past, making my baseball cap fly off and my hair stream out behind me. Crapadoodle. I stopped, prepared to run back and get it, then I saw Byron’s stag mates appearing around the corner of the castle. I grimaced and left the cap where it was. I had to hustle.

The towering trees and dark shadows of the Cruaich grove soon came into sight. When Bob saw that was where I was heading I felt him relax against me. ‘Clever girl,’ he murmured.

‘I hope so.’ I crossed my fingers on both hands for luck. The grove was sacred – no way would a pack of hounds be allowed to tear through it after an intruder who hadn’t actually done any damage. If my plan worked the magic bound into the land would stop anyone, regardless of how skilled they were, from being able to farsense through it. As long as no one thought to come and comb through the grove, both Bob and I would be safe.

I ran through the first fringe of trees, keeping to the path until I was deep enough inside to slow down. The sunlight disappeared almost immediately above the canopy as I was swallowed into the grove’s interior. The sounds of the dogs and the shouting faded away but I didn’t slow down. Even when strands of my hair caught in outstretched twigs and it felt as if my scalp were being pulled from my skull, I didn’t stop. I was not going to let Aifric win. I was never going to let Aifric win.

Gasping for breath, I pounded ahead. I only realised that I’d arrived at the central clearing – the place where I’d seen fleeting images of my ancestors and received my true name – when I felt a frisson of electricity shoot through me. I sloughed off the invisibility and came to a halt.

Bob was awestruck. ‘Uh Integrity,’ he breathed. ‘This is amazing.’ He stretched out his arms, spreading his fingers wide. ‘I can feel the power. I can even hear it.’

So could I. Already a chorus of indecipherable whispers was rising in my ears. I swallowed. It was probably alright for me to be here. Unlike the individual Clan groves, this one at the Cruaich was open to all Sidhe. In essence, it was the central point for all of us.

I put my hands on my hips, trying to slow down my breathing. Regardless of right or wrong, it would be wise to stay away from the clearing. I didn’t need to be haunted by angry Sidhe spirits of yore.

I turned round, planning to leave the path and plunge into the trees in case a search party did come through here. Before I could take a step, a word rang out and made me freeze. ‘Layoch.’

My true name. I thought I was nervous before, trapped on that staircase between Aifric and his guards, but it was nothing compared to this. I slowly turned around.

‘Layoch.’

My mouth was dry. I swung my head from left to right but, unlike the last time I was here, there was nothing to see. There was the only the voice, accented with a gentle Scottish lilt which I couldn’t distinguish as male or female.

‘Uh Integrity,’ Bob quavered. ‘This is scary.’

‘I know. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.’ I wished I could be sure of that.

‘Join them,’ the voice whispered.

My spine went rigid. Join who?

‘Join them,’ the disembodied voice repeated.

I folded my arms. Now hang on a bloody minute. ‘If you’re telling me to join the damn Moncrieffes, you’ve got another thing coming,’ I said aloud. ‘I don’t care who you are. I’m not doing that.’

Something icy cold brushed against my cheek and I leapt about three feet in the air.

‘Join them, Layoch. Join them and Alba will be saved.’

The whispers rose in a tide, encircling me, getting louder and louder. I cupped my hands over my ears. ‘Stop it!’ I yelled. ‘Stop it!’ I twirled round and sprinted out of the clearing until I was surrounded again by nothing more than trees. Then my knees buckled underneath me and I collapsed.





Chapter Seven


Dusk was falling when I finally felt safe enough to pick myself up and leave the grove. Bob and I skulked towards the edge and peered out. The search for me had been abandoned for now; I could hear no dogs and see no people. Aifric had had a good four hours to search the Cruaich and its grounds and with Stephen McGillivray, or whoever the Farsenser was, it would have taken much less time than that. All the same I remained cautious in case we were walking into a trap down by the border.