Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)

My skin tingled, traces of the magic that held the border in place still trying to hold me back. I’d been through far worse than this; let’s face it, if I could pass through the damned Veil several times, then I could skip through the Bull’s weakened border. As the Sidhe finally stopped being sick and wobbled back to his feet, pushing his companions away in irritation, our small group sped towards the nearest copse of trees on the Scrymgeour side. By the time we reached them, the sentries had turned back to their original posts. The Sidhe was still rubbing his stomach and looking confused while the other three settled down again to return to their doze. Excitement over.

I breathed out. Speck, visibly shaking, let a large grin spread across his face. ‘Did you see me?’ he whispered in delight, punching the air. ‘I was awesome!’

Lexie shifted her weight and stretched up on her tiptoes to plant a sloppy kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, they both looked flustered. Speck pulled off his glasses and began hastily to rub them.

‘Steaming up?’ I asked with an arched eyebrow.

Brochan choked. Bob, now back to normal, looked unimpressed. ‘Don’t I get a kiss?’ he complained. ‘I’m the one who had to get up close and personal with those guys.’ He licked his finger, an expression of utter pleasure crossing his face.

‘What are you eating?’ Taylor asked.

Bob blinked. ‘Mm? Oh, ear wax.’ He held his finger out. ‘Want some?’

Taylor looked almost as ill as the Sidhe had. ‘I’ll pass.’

The genie shrugged and licked it again. ‘Your loss.’

Rolling his eyes, Brochan turned to me. ‘What did you steal?’ he asked. ‘What was his Gift?’

I reached down inside myself, feeling for the magic. It was definitely there – and it was definitely unfamiliar. ‘I have no idea,’ I admitted. ‘And we’re still too close to those guards for me to experiment and find out.’ I glanced up at the night sky. ‘We’ve got a good four hours before dawn. Let’s make the most of it and see what we can learn from my old friend the Bull.’ I pointed upwards. ‘This way will take us round to the back of his castle. We can enter through the kitchens but we’ll have to hurry. When I lived here there was always someone up early baking bread. We need to get inside before they start work.’

‘Are you alright, Tegs?’ Taylor asked.

I smiled. Now that we’d overcome the first hurdle, I could concentrate on the matter in hand. The rattling memories inside my head were just ghosts from another life; I wasn’t that scared little kid any more. ‘I’m good,’ I told him. I meant it. ‘Now let’s move.’

We were lucky that it was a cloudy night because the moon was almost obscured, making it easy to slip unnoticed to the main buildings. I spotted a couple of others wandering about the grounds, no doubt under orders to keep the Bull safe, but they didn’t glance in our direction.

Buoyed up by our success so far, I sped up, knowing that the others would keep pace. Before long, I was standing in front of the old oak door leading into the Scrymgeour kitchens. Taylor was breathing heavily – it was a long time since he’d participated physically in any heists – but there was no denying the gleam in his eyes. He’d missed this. Perhaps we all had.

The door was locked and bolted from the other side. Opening it wasn’t impossible but there were easier ways to gain entry than to waste time fiddling around and trying to pick the lock. I spotted a grimy window high up in the right corner of the wall. If the Bull had been re-modelling, he hadn’t done anything to change the exterior. Not that the comfort of his servants had ever been his concern; he’d always demanded that the kitchen door be kept closed so the grounds staff couldn’t wander in to nab some food whenever they wanted. It could get mightily hot when the kitchen was in full swing, however, so back in my day that little window was always left open to provide ventilation. It appeared that nothing had changed.

I jerked my chin and the others understood instantly. Brochan strode over and pressed his back against the wall before cupping his hands. I lifted my foot onto his makeshift step and pushed myself upwards until my heels were on his shoulders. Then Speck shunted Lexie upwards. His hands lingered on her arse – that was definitely a new development since we’d last done this manoeuvre – until she gained enough purchase to clamber up both Brochan and myself to reach the little gap. The pixie shimmied inside head first. There was a faint clatter as she landed on something metal on the other side. I froze for a moment, waiting to see if the noise had alerted anyone. When the silence continued, I dropped down and dusted off my palms.

Unbolting the door to let us in, Lexie gave us a little curtsey and an apologetic glance. She pointed at a large saucepan which she must have knocked down during her descent. No harm, no foul; I shrugged and patted her shoulder. From here on in, however, we had to be as silent as the grave.

Leading the way, I padded through the tiled kitchen, noting the differences since I’d last been here. A sudden image of the head cook slapping me for tardiness rose unbidden in my head but I choked it back down. I could reminisce later.

Using memory rather than sight, I went to the interior door and nudged it open with my toe to reveal the long, dimly lit corridor ahead. I paused, head cocked, but I couldn’t hear a thing beyond the faint buzzing from one of the wall sconces. With a quick signal to the others, I made a beeline for the Bull’s study. No one was allowed inside – even Tipsania had been roundly scolded one day for daring to snoop while her father was away – and at this hour the Bull himself would be in his quarters snoring like a foghorn. It was the place where we were least likely to risk discovery and also where he would keep any information about the upcoming wedding.

I turned right then left and right again before emerging into the main hall. There was a sudden eep from behind me. Alarmed, I spun round; Speck was clasping his heart and staring, stricken, at an ancient suit of armour. I frowned at him and he looked embarrassed. Bob, taking every opportunity to assert himself, flew into Speck’s face and put his finger to his lips in overly dramatic outrage. At least he did it quietly.

Apart from the occasional creak of a floorboard and the heavy tick from the grandfather clock next to the armour, everything was silent. This was proving to be a piece of cake.

Our mute train continued, twisting down corridors until we reached the room I needed. Just to be on the safe side, I leaned towards it and cupped my ear against its reassuringly solid door. No one was inside. I tried the handle, delighted that the Bull relied on his Clan’s obedience and had left it unlocked, and pushed it open. We shuffled in and closed it behind us. Yahtzee. We were finally inside.