Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)

Morning was well under way by the time we arrived back at the Adair border. I remained silent for most of the journey, lost in my thoughts and assailed by a sense of grief for something I’d once almost had and now lost forever. The others had the sense not to press me. Unfortunately, that same sense didn’t apply to Sorley, on duty out by the flagpole with a few other trolls who were standing rigidly upright. Unlike his compatriots, Sorley was kneeling down and murmuring something, his squat fingers running over the fur of a nearby haggis. When he saw us approach he stood up and aimed an irritable kick in the little animal’s direction. I noticed that his foot wasn’t close to connecting with it.

‘You’re not supposed to be back yet,’ Sorley sniped when Speck rolled down the window. The troll was holding a clipboard in his hands; he tapped it with a gnarled fingernail and glared. ‘I’m responsible for everyone’s safety. If you don’t stick to the schedule, you make my life almost impossible.’

‘Sorley,’ Taylor groaned, leaning across to speak to him, ‘this really isn’t the time for your complaints.’

‘Oh yeah, dunderhead? Then when is the time? There was another contingent of Sidhe here while you were gone. This time they said that if all the trolls didn’t return to their posts within the next seventy-two hours, they’d come down here and make us.’ He glared and pointed to some scorch marks on the ground on this side of the border. ‘Look at what they did!’ he spat. ‘They said it was a warning.’

I grimaced. Wonderful. ‘How many of them were there?’ I asked. As much as I might want to go up to my bedroom with a bottle of wine, a ton of chocolate and Joni Mitchell on repeat, I couldn’t abandon my duties as Chieftain. And one of those was making sure that all of my Clan members were safe.

Somewhat mollified at being taken seriously, Sorley’s hold on his spear relaxed. ‘Seven,’ he grunted. ‘All from Clan Moncrieffe.’

I cursed. That wasn’t good; anything that the Moncrieffes did was a worry. Still, I reasoned, in a half-arsed attempt to be logical, at least concentrating on the wedding and trying to find Tipsania would distract Aifric from the trolls for a while.

‘One of them was a Farsenser,’ Sorley added, destroying any silver lining I thought I’d found.

‘Shite!’ I exploded, causing everyone – even the trolls – to turn and gape at me. I sighed. ‘Sorry. But the Bull told me that Aifric has got Farsensers out searching for Tipsania.’

‘They don’t have much reach though, do they?’ Brochan said. ‘A mile or two?’

I ran a hand through my hair, teasing out the tangles and trying to stay calm. ‘Based on what I know from stealing farsensing, yeah. Some will be better at it than others, of course. There was no reason for them to come down this close to the Veil to look for her so I didn’t worry about it before, but now…’ My voice trailed off.

‘They’d be trying to work out how many trolls are here. Or to search for weak spots in the border,’ Taylor said, in an attempt to ease my worry, ‘not Farsense for her.’

I gritted my teeth. ‘It doesn’t really matter why they came here to begin with. They’d have been on the alert for her presence so we have to assume that they know now that she’s here. They can’t pass through the border and drag her out because of the trolls, so they’re going to try something else.’

We exchanged glances. ‘The Wild Man,’ Lexie said. ‘Candy. He’s missing. The Moncrieffes must know about his relationship with Tipsania and they’ll use him to force her out of hiding. It’s the only thing I can think of that would make her give herself up.’

‘How can they know about him?’ Taylor asked.

‘Byron,’ I said grimly. I didn’t want to believe it of him but Tipsania had been adamant that no one else knew about her and Candy. And Byron knew that Tipsania had been here on my land because he brought her himself. Maybe he’d even sent the Farsenser to see if she was still here.

Nobody looked at me. I bunched my hands into fists. ‘We need to think quickly. Right now we have the edge because we know what they’re up to. That’s not going to last for long.’

Taylor licked his lips. ‘I hate to be the one to say it, Tegs…’

I crossed my arms. ‘But you’re going to anyway.’

He gave me a disarming smile which didn’t fool me for a second. ‘You don’t owe Tipsania anything. I can understand why you’re concerned about the trolls. They’ve sworn fealty and they’re Clan Adair now. Tipsania Scrymgeour isn’t.’

‘She offered fealty,’ I pointed out.

‘But she didn’t actually give it.’

Speck sniffed. ‘Taylor is right. We all know she’s a bitch—’

‘A reformed bitch.’

‘Ha! She’s not there yet,’ he replied. ‘She treated you like shit when you were kids. If Byron Moncrieffe wants to marry her then let him marry her. It’s no longer your concern.’

For once even Lexie didn’t stand up for the Moncrieffe princeling. I tried to make the hurt I felt inside coalesce into anger but it didn’t work. I still just felt hurt. ‘Aifric and Byron have probably banded together to kidnap, or maybe even kill, Candy for falling in love with the wrong person. They’ll get away with it because they’re the rulers of this stupid country. Not only that, they’re going to force a woman who’s currently under my protection to marry someone else, as if we’re living in the Middle Ages instead of the twenty-first century.’ I looked at them. ‘I can’t just let that lie.’

Brochan’s mouth turned down. ‘When you put it like that…’

I shrugged. ‘I have to do what I can.’ I lifted my chin and gazed at the horizon – and the dark cloud of the Veil. ‘It’ll be another good opportunity to practise stealing Gifts and prepare us for what’s to come. Sooner or later I’m going to have to deal with the Fomori demons.’

‘The Lowlands of Scotland are not your responsibility, prophecy or no prophecy,’ Taylor said.

There didn’t seem much point in responding. We all knew we couldn’t let the situation in the Lowlands continue forever; someone had to do something. And if that someone was going to be me, whether I had a clue about what to do or not ? well, so be it. Before that, however, I was going to rescue a damsel in distress and her boyfriend. And I was not going to waste any time being heartsick over any bastard of a Moncrieffe. Screw the lot of them.

***

I showered quickly before grabbing my bag and stuffing everything I could think of inside it. I had no idea when there would be another gang of Sidhe at our door but I had to assume it wouldn’t be long. Time was of the essence.

With wet hair still dripping down my back, I went off in search of Morna and found her at the edge of the Adair grove. New saplings were already springing up, pushing their way towards the sky with an optimism that gave me hope for the future. If they could grow here, on this land that was once so desolate and destroyed, then anything could happen. I brushed the nearby leaves, which might look tiny and delicate but were imbued with considerable strength, and cleared my throat.

‘What is it, dear?’ Morna asked, half-turning towards me.

‘Hi,’ I said, the epitome of awkwardness. ‘The trees are looking good.’

Morna smiled. ‘They are, aren’t they? You’ve done a good job. They’re still small but they’re all healthy.’

‘What type of tree fits in your hand?’ She looked at me patiently. ‘A palm tree.’

I received another polite smile in response. ‘Very good, dear. You’re not here because you want me to laugh at your jokes, though.’