Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)(68)

The corners of his mouth tugged up.

‘Actually,’ Brochan said, ‘we’re technically in the Firth of Lorn, not the Atlantic Ocean. It’s further west.’ He scratched his gills. ‘I wish I didn’t know that kind of thing.’ I patted his arm reassuringly. Considering where we were and what he’d just gone through, he was performing admirably.

‘Fine,’ Sorley huffed. ‘As soon as we hit land, I’ll send a group off.’

‘They’re our allies,’ I reminded him. ‘And they’re in trouble because of me. They need protection.’

He gave a grudging nod. ‘The rest of us should march on the Cruaich immediately. It’ll take the Clans a while to sort themselves out. This is the best time to invade.’

‘This isn’t World of Warcraft. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about than the Sidhe.’

Taylor hobbled up, supported by Angus and Jamie. He was having some difficulty moving around but his eyes were alert and his skin had a ruddy glow which only good health and robust sea winds could provide. My heart lightened slightly. ‘What is it, Tegs?’ he asked quietly.

I sighed and told them what Aifric had said about the Fomori.

Angus’s eyes were wide. ‘You’re sure he wasn’t lying?’

‘Positive. I took all of Kirsty’s Truth-Telling Gift from her so the magic doesn’t run out as it does when I steal smaller doses.’

Jamie exhaled. ‘Bugger.’

‘Yeah.’

A haggis rolled up to Sorley and started nuzzling his ankle. He reached down and scooped it up, cooing at it. Then he cleared his throat. ‘Big deal. Let the Steward deal with them. The Adair borders are secure. We’ll all be safe.’ He glanced down at the haggis and affected a high-pitched tone of voice. ‘Won’t we? We’ll be safe, won’t we? Who’s the cutest little…?’ He stopped halfway through his sentence, seeming to realise what he was doing. He put the haggis back down on the floor and glared at us all. ‘They’re upset because of the Carnegie woman. I’m just being nice to them to stop them from annoying everyone else.’

I tipped my head to one side. ‘You could have left them at home,’ I pointed out.

Sorley’s eyes shifted. ‘I … er…’

I smiled and returned to the topic in hand. ‘I can’t pretend the Fomori aren’t there. I have to do something to get them to back down.’

Taylor glanced at me. ‘But you won’t fight them.’

‘No,’ I conceded.

He lifted his shoulders in defeat. ‘Then what are you going to do? How are you going to stop them?’

I gazed at him. ‘I’m open to suggestions.’

Byron burst in through the doors. ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ he breathed, as giddy as a child. ‘But I just saw the Foinse. It’s here! The source of all magic is here on this ferry!’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Come, look.’

Jamie abandoned Taylor, dashed out the door and almost collided with Speck on his way in. ‘Bloody hell! Who brought the Foinse here?’

Speck beamed. ‘Me!’

Byron turned to stare at him. I threw up my hands. ‘What if the Sidhe had caught up to us? It needs to be kept safe, Speck!’

‘I thought we might need the extra magical boost. It helped me create that wave. You know, the one that allowed us to escape?’ he added pointedly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Byron’s expression flatten into an impenetrable mask. He folded his arms. Crapadoodle. ‘You know it’s here,’ he said. It wasn’t a question.

I scratched my neck. ‘I do now,’ I answered slowly.

‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ He eyed me. Even Sorley seemed to think it was a good idea to back away. ‘You’ve had the Foinse in your possession all this time and you didn’t tell me?’

‘It’s not in my possession.’ I wondered how I could extricate myself without pissing him off again. ‘It’s got free will. It chooses where to go.’

Speck jabbed his finger at me. ‘Yes! If the Foinse hadn’t wanted to come here, it wouldn’t be here. So it’s not my fault.’

I frowned at him and he grinned. I looked at Byron. ‘And it’s not like it’s always been hanging around. It’s only been with us since we got back the Adair Lands. It was there when we arrived.’

‘That’s true,’ Taylor nodded.

‘So what you’re saying is that when I visited you there, the Foinse was there too?’

This wasn’t going very well. ‘Er, yes.’

‘And you kept it a secret?’

‘Byron, I…’ I sighed. ‘Yes, I kept it a secret.’

A muscle jerked in his jaw. He took a step towards me. ‘Why shouldn’t you tell a secret around a clock?’ His voice was dangerously low.

‘Excuse me?’

‘You heard me.’ He tapped his foot.

‘Because, um, time will tell?’

Sorley’s eyes turned from me to Byron and back again then his face cleared and he let out a loud guffaw.

‘That’s right,’ Byron said silkily. ‘And if it takes us until the end of time, I’m going to make sure that you trust me. You got that?’