‘I can think here. Everything’s clearer.’
Perhaps the Foinse hadn’t spun off as far as we’d imagined. Its magic was still affecting Lily and there was no sign that anyone’s gifts had returned. ‘You can’t stay here forever, you know.’
She smiled enigmatically in response. ‘Tell me a joke,’ she said.
My chest tightened. ‘I’m not sure this is the time.’
Barbie snickered and Lily reached out. ‘Please?’
I stared after the departing Sidhe and thought of my role in William Kincaid’s death. ‘I’m sorry and I apologise mean the same thing,’ I finally said. ‘Except at a funeral.’
Lily swung her hair. ‘That’s not really funny.’
‘No,’ I agreed sadly. ‘It’s not.’
Working together silently, we untacked William’s horse. Lily unclipped a rope on his bridle and connected it to Barbie on one side and her white mare on the other. She patted her horse’s mane. ‘I really would have liked those bells.’ She shook herself.
I scooped up the last of the rubbish and glanced around. ‘I think that’s it.’ I took out Aifric’s jerky and offered her a piece. She examined it for a moment then shook her head. ‘I’ll take some of that water though.’
I unscrewed the bottle and passed it over. Lily stared down at its contents, a tiny smile playing around the corner of her lips. ‘You need to avenge your parents,’ she said suddenly. ‘You can’t let him win.’
Uneasiness rippled through me. ‘Let who win?’
Her smile grew. ‘Bottoms up.’ She tilted her head back and gulped, draining the entire bottle then wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Everything will be alright, Chieftain. You’ll see.’ All at once she started to choke.
‘Lily?’ I slapped her on the back, assuming she’d swallowed some water the wrong way but she only got worse. Becoming more alarmed, I grabbed her shoulders. Her cheeks were turning puce. ‘Lily? Lily!’ I shook her.
Saliva frothed at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes met mine in one final smile and then she slid out of my grasp and crumpled in a heap. I knelt down, moving her head to one side, hooking my finger inside her mouth. My hands were shaking and desperation clawed at me. Perhaps something was caught in her throat. I thumped her chest but nothing happened. She let out a faint gurgle.
Without thinking, I grabbed the letter opener and rubbed it furiously against my thigh. ‘Bob!’ I shrieked.
He appeared in an instant, his gaze sweeping from me to Lily’s prone form.
‘I wish for you to save her!’ I shouted. He didn’t move. ‘Bob!’ I said again. ‘Do something!’
His expression was sorrowful. ‘I can’t. I can’t change death, Uh Integrity. That’s beyond even my powers.’
‘She’s not dead! She was just here! She was fine. She…’
‘She’s gone.’ He flew up to my face and pressed his little hand against my cheek. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘But… but…’ I stammered. I stared down at her. Her eyes were wide and unseeing.
Swatting Bob away, I tilted back Lily’s head and began mouth to mouth resuscitation. I thumped her chest again. ‘Come on, Lily!’
‘She’s not coming back,’ Bob said.
I ignored him. ‘She has to!’ I breathed into her mouth again. I could taste something bitter on my lips, followed by a strange tingle. Rubbing my mouth with the cuff of my sleeve, I spat on the ground.
‘Integrity,’ he said, using my name correctly for the first time. ‘She’s dead.’
Tears blinded me. I rocked back on my heels. ‘I don’t understand,’ I sobbed. ‘I don’t get it.’
My hands fell to my sides, knocking over the bottle of water that had fallen when Lily had. I looked down at it blurrily and the bottom drained out of my world.
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘What did you do with the horses?’ Taylor asked, handing me a cup of tea. ‘I know a guy who deals in premium horsemeat, you know. I could have taken care of them for you.’
I threw him an irritated look. He grinned in return. Now that his debts were cleared, his normal insouciance was returning. I curled my fingers round the cup’s warmth and sighed. ‘I left them in the courtyard at the Cruaich just before I returned Lily’s body to her Clan and retrieved those two.’ I nodded towards Lexie and Brochan who were sitting opposite with Speck perched on the arm of the sofa next to them. All of them looked grim, their mouths tight and tell-tale shadows under their eyes.
‘You’d seemed to think you could trust Aifric.’
My head drooped. ‘I should have known. He’s the Steward. A lot of his power might be inconsequential but he still has more of it than anyone else.’
‘Maybe it wasn’t him. Someone else could have spiked the water.’
I dug into my pocket and threw him my phone. ‘Look at the photos,’ I said dully.
The last one was the group photo that Lily had taken. Taylor examined it. ‘They don’t look happy, I’ll admit, but…’