Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)(72)

May gave me a cautious smile. ‘In … tegrity?’ she asked, trying out the word.

I sighed. Crapadoodle. ‘Fine. Let’s go.’

Bob’s bottom lip jutted out. ‘Avast, me hearties,’ he mumbled.

‘Everything will be fine,’ I told him. I injected as much confidence as I could into my voice. Sooner or later I was bound to start believing my own hype.

Bob crossed his arms and huffed. ‘Remind me of that when Fomori demons are chewing on your heart.’

***

We made land shortly before dawn, pulling the small lifeboat onto a chilly, deserted beach before clambering over the dunes and jogging towards the Veil. I wasn’t certain about our location but, when I saw the dark, lightning-filled wall of cloud looming ahead of us, I knew that my calculations had brought us close. From the expressions on my companions’ faces, however, our proximity wasn’t a cause for celebration. Each of them had good reason to be nervous.

‘I never thought I’d say this, Uh Integrity,’ Bob quavered, ‘but I’d quite like a joke right about now.’ He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. ‘It’s not that I’m scared for me, you understand. It’s you lot who will suffer. You need your minds taken off the horror that’s about to come.’

May might not have understood Bob’s words but she understood his tone of voice. She gave him a huge grin and stuck her thumbs up. He tutted.

‘We should hold hands,’ I said decisively.

Fergus raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you looking to get close to me? Because I think I’m kind of spoken for.’

‘Ha! No, but when I crossed with Angus he almost got lost in the Veil. It’s safer if we hang on to each other.’

Byron’s jaw tightened. ‘I need to know. Are…?’

‘No.’ I touched his shoulder. ‘We’re just friends. I promise.’

He scanned my face then nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘That’s it?’

‘Trust works both ways.’

I patted my bag then Byron took my hand and squeezed. On my other side, I grabbed Fergus’s hand while he took May’s.

Bob squeaked, ‘Byron? Can I hide under your kilt?’

Byron pointed downwards. ‘Sporran.’

The genie’s face was suddenly wreathed in smiles. He darted down towards the traditional leather purse and zoomed inside.

I took a deep breath. ‘Let’s do this. There’s a prophecy that needs fulfilling.’

Byron grimaced. ‘You know this could all be over in a matter of seconds. They’re likely to slaughter you as soon as they catch sight of you.’

‘Not if we play our cards right.’ I had to believe that; there simply wasn’t any other choice. ‘Remember what I told you.’ They all nodded. I licked my lips, wishing they weren’t quite so dry. ‘And on a count of three. One … two … three.’

Linked together, we stepped forward and plunged inside. Bob shrieked from the depths of Byron’s sporran. I’d never had the comfort of so many others around me on previous occasions when I’d crossed over. Perhaps it was that, or perhaps it was the familiarity of the choking clouds and sense of impending doom, but I didn’t feel scared. Adrenaline shot through me but there was also a pervasive feeling of calm, as if everything up until now had been leading to this point.

I held my breath and kept going, yanking on Fergus’s hand when he started to falter. Then, when it seemed as if we could go no further, we were out the other side and breathing in the dark, dank air of the Lowlands. And there was indeed an entire army of Fomori demons facing us.

It was almost comical. As I stared at the long ranks of demons standing to attention, at first they didn’t seem to notice our sudden appearance. Less than twenty feet separated us from the thousands of them. I sensed rather than saw when one pair of demon-slitted eyes landed on me. I turned my head and gazed at him as he gazed back at me, his shock swiftly transforming into abject horror. Good. That was what I’d been counting on. He reached across and hit his companion. One by one, the demons turned to look at us. Hello.

The ranks stretched lengthwise as far as I could see. I couldn’t begin to guess how many of them there were but it was clearly too many for the Highlanders to cope with. If they attacked my homeland, it would be a bloodbath – and the demons would inevitably win. Armies, however, were prepared for armies; they weren’t prepared to deal with a tiny group. A single person could stand against a tank; might and power weren’t always about numbers. As far as the Fomori demons were concerned, I was the bogeyman; I was also the bogeyman who’d returned from the dead.

One of the demons who was made of sterner stuff than the others took a step forward. I calmly released Fergus and Byron’s hands and reached into my bag. We had seconds before the Fomori recovered and charged.

The Foinse hummed as soon as my fingers brushed against it. The sound was reassuring, even though it felt hotter to the touch than normal. With slow, deliberate movements I drew it out and held it aloft, bathing us in its warm, silvered glow.

The nearest demons cowered, including the one who’d moved in our direction. It wasn’t surprising; the Fomori lived in semi-darkness and these guys weren’t swathed in the strange gloop I’d seen some demons wear when they crossed into our part of Scotland. That meant they hadn’t planned any incursions until nightfall because they felt vulnerable to the light.