Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)

‘Integrity,’ Bob said, sounding completely miserable, ‘you still have a wish left. You could use it. But unless…’ He sniffed and altered tack. ‘It’ll end badly. You know it’ll end badly.’

I shrugged. Yeah, it would, but as much as Taylor’s death would destroy me, I wouldn’t subject him to the whims of a genie wish. Goodness only knows what might happen and he’d already made his feelings pretty clear when Morna died. I’d almost made that mistake then; I wouldn’t do it again. But, regardless, the wish was there.

‘This is all my fault. If I’d come with you to the MacQuarries…’ Bob started. I growled. Aifric. This was Aifric’s fault and no one else’s. ‘Please, Integrity,’ he pleaded. ‘Please escape.’

I straightened my shoulders and started to walk more quickly.

‘Hey!’ the guard barked. ‘What’s the rush? You keen to die, scum?’

Bob made one last ditch attempt. ‘Integrity…’

‘I’m going to face him,’ I whispered. ‘It’s time.’





Chapter Fourteen


Two hours later, after spending the entire time in what at best guess from the smell and the plastic bowl was a portaloo, I was feeling less confident. It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could outsmart Aifric or that I was afraid of what pain I might have to go through, it was the waiting. I’d been adept at lying in wait for hours during my time as a thief if the situation called for it but I’d always known what I was waiting for. Now I didn’t have a bloody clue what was going to happen.

Bob had left ages ago to inform the others that I wouldn’t run away, so he was no help. All I could do was to cool my heels and turn over every possible eventuality in my mind. Few of them ended well. It was almost a relief when I heard the door unlock and the guard came to take me to my fate.

‘Hey,’ I yelled.

There was a grunt then he lifted up the front of the hood slightly to stare in my face. Unfortunately he got far too close and I caught a whiff of unpleasant halitosis but it was worth it to see the light outside. If Aifric was going to de-hood me, I didn’t want to waste thirty seconds adjusting my sight while he chopped off my head.

‘I bet your dentist always looks down in the mouth when you show up,’ I quipped. The guard stared at me. ‘You should lay off the tuna fish TicTacs,’ I suggested.

His fat fingers bunched into a fist and I was sure he was going to punch me on my nose until another face appeared behind him. ‘Not the face,’ the second guard cautioned. ‘The Steward don’t want anyone feelin’ sorry for her.’

The guard nodded and drove his hand into my stomach instead. He yanked the hood back over my face and dragged me out while I was still winded and gasping for air.

I counted steps for no other reason than it gave me something to do and kept my mind off the pain in my stomach. We didn’t go far. At sixty-nine, where I’d have made another joke except it would have been lost on these two numbskulls, we stopped. I could hear Aifric’s dulcet tones, although they were slightly muffled as if far away – or on the other side of a door.

‘We live in dangerous times. While that doesn’t mean we should stop living or be afraid of celebrating the simple, sincere love of two young people like dear Tipsy and my son, it does mean that there are actions which must be undertaken to keep us all safe. The Highlands of Scotland may be small in size but they are not small in stature. We need to do whatever is necessary to minimise the risk to our homes!’

There was a rumbling cheer which started small and got louder and louder. Aifric apparently had his audience in the palm of his hand. I tsked so loudly that I received a sharp kick in the shins.

‘To that end,’ he continued, ‘it falls on me to perform some unpleasant but very necessary duties. I would hate to be accused of being underhand so these duties will take place in full view of all you good people. It pains me to do this but I have no choice. There is a Sidhe who stands accused of the most heinous crimes. I cannot pass judgment so I will leave it to you to hear the evidence and make the final verdict. Only that way will this be fair.’

I snorted. Fair? If he was being fair, I’d be in a proper court of law with a real defence. I had to admit that Aifric Moncrieffe certainly knew how to talk the talk. He was also leaving nothing to chance. No matter who was supposedly passing judgment on me for my ‘crimes’, whatever they were, I would be proclaimed guilty. But Aifric didn’t hold all the cards.

I heard doors swing open and I was made to shuffle forward. There were several intakes of breath and low whispers. As yet, it appeared that no one knew my real identity.

‘Who is that?’ someone near me asked, as I fumbled ahead.

‘None of the MacQuarries are here,’ somebody else murmured. ‘Do you think…?’

The voices fell away as I was told to stop and turn around. This wasn’t the time to act up so I did as I was told, keeping my head bowed. My best shot right now seemed to be to act like an innocent, demure young woman. Maybe that way some of the more traditionally minded Sidhe would feel sympathy and veer to my side. You never knew.

There was movement beside me. I took a deep breath. ‘Tonight, Matthew,’ I intoned, ‘I’m going to be…’ I paused and the hood was whipped off my head. ‘…Integrity Adair.’

I was standing next to the altar of a church while a sea of wide-eyed, shocked faces stared at me. For a moment, I wished I still had my phone with me; a snapshot of this would win every photo competition hands down. Just about all the Sidhe I’d ever met was here – and a whole bunch of others whom I didn’t recognise. Obviously the MacQuarries were absent and I couldn’t spot Tipsania or Byron, but everyone else was here. And it was so quiet that I was sure that if I concentrated, I’d hear the hair standing up on the neck of the hirsute Fairlie Sidhe seated just in front of me.

Slack-jawed, Dorienne Darroch got to her feet then she sat down. Then she stood up again. She shook her head in amazement. I looked away from her and scanned the room. There were very few people here who seemed happy to see that I wasn’t dead.

The Ochterlony Chieftain pointed a bony finger at Aifric. That was interesting. My mother was from that Clan, although she wasn’t highly placed. They’d never made friendly overtures towards me but we were kin. ‘You said she was dead.’

‘Yes.’ Aifric’s expression was grave. ‘She faked her own death. Unfortunately that’s the least serious of her crimes.’

Wanker. I opened my mouth to argue but no words came out. It wasn’t that I’d lost my voice, I’d forgotten how to speak. I couldn’t make a sound. With narrowed eyes, I looked at Aifric. Yeah. There was a glint behind his sombre mask. On his orders, some bastard was doing something to prevent me from talking. I had to work out who.