Darth Vader and my dad were not all that different. It’d be nice to think that my father didn’t go in for the whole heavy breathing thing, though – that was just creepy.
‘I’m Luke,’ I said decisively to Lily, who was dreamily gazing up at the sky. ‘I don’t have a light saber – and I wouldn’t want to use it even if I did have one –but I think I’m Luke.’
Barbie whinnied in agreement.
‘Lookee, lookee,’ Lily hummed.
‘Of course,’ I grumbled, ‘people generally liked Luke. No-one bullied him. He was a hero.’
‘Gale Adair was a hero,’ Lily said.
I froze. ‘Was he?’ I asked carefully. ‘Can you explain why?’
She gazed at me, her expression reflecting a clarity I’d not seen since we set off yesterday. ‘He saved people,’ she said. ‘They say he didn’t but he did. He was a good man.’
I stared at her. Unlike everyone else I’d seen so far, her aura was continually changing colour like a kaleidoscope. Right now, there were shimmers of blue not all that different to those I’d seen for Speck. It was frustrating that I had this key to people’s souls and I still couldn’t unlock it. ‘What happened, Lily?’
‘He was betrayed, Chieftain. Make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you.’ Her aura changed again, settling into a cloudy white.
‘Lily,’ I hissed, ‘this is important. How was he betrayed?’
She placed her finger to her lips. ‘Shhh,’ she said. ‘There are ears. Ears of corn. Bunny ears. Big ears.’ She winked.
I looked up and noticed that both the Kincaids and the Darrochs had twisted round in their saddles and were frowning at us. I clenched my fists – and my entire body tightened. Barbie, sensing the movement and misinterpreting it, abruptly sped up into a canter. She narrowly avoided Diana Darroch’s huge bay gelding and made a beeline for Byron’s black monster. I tried in vain to pull her up but I guess his swishing tail just looked too tempting to eat.
Byron’s horse was unimpressed. He swung his round to take a bite out of Barbie.
‘Hey! Leave my horse alone!’ Okay, she started it but still, he was at least double her size.
‘Then keep your pony under control,’ Byron hissed.
Aifric smiled. ‘Help her out, Byron.’
Byron muttered something under his breath and pulled back. ‘You’re still doing it all wrong,’ he observed calmly, although the dark jade in his eyes suggested he was feeling something different.
‘Frankly, it’s a miracle I’m doing it at all.’ I rubbed my aching arse for good measure. ‘I don’t understand why anyone bothers with all this horse malarkey.’
Byron pulled up his reins, bringing the stallion to a halt. Barbie, of course, kept going. I twisted my head. ‘What are you doing?’
Byron’s eyes were fixed on my bum. ‘Curvy. You have some padding there.’ He scratched his chin. ‘It can’t be that sore.’
I glared at him. ‘Wanker.’ Was he deliberately trying to get a rise out of me?
There was the faintest grin. He nudged his horse forward again and gestured at the horizon. ‘Look at all that. Why wouldn’t anyone want to do this?’
I followed his finger. We were surrounded by undulating hills, each one cloaked in a myriad of colours, greens and browns and even purples. I focused on one distant patch of wild thistles. Even from here, the colour mimicked the aura around Byron’s head.
‘Okay,’ I conceded. ‘It’s pretty.’
He was watching me. ‘It’s more than pretty,’ he said quietly.
I sucked in my breath. One minute he was all snarly and the next minute he was flirtatious. I didn’t understand him at all.
‘I’m sorry I was so touchy yesterday,’ he continued. ‘You have an uncanny knack for winding me up.’
I shrugged. ‘Hey, I guess I have a gift after all.’
He still didn’t look away. ‘Whatever impression Tipsania might have given you, we’re not romantically involved. We’re just friends.’
I raised my eyebrows and thought of the necklace. ‘Perhaps you should tell her that.’
‘She knows.’
I wasn’t so sure about that.
‘I’m single, Integrity.’ His eyes glittered. ‘For now.’
There was a tight knot in the pit of my stomach. I cleared my throat and pointed at Barbie. ‘Aren’t you going to tell me what I’m doing wrong? It would be nice to be able to stand up when I get to the Foinse.’
For a moment he didn’t answer. I was about to repeat my words when he finally said, ‘Sure.’
Other than the mechanics of riding, he didn’t say anything else for a very long time.
Chapter Twenty One