Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)

***

We made land shortly before dawn, pulling the small lifeboat onto a chilly, deserted beach before clambering over the dunes and jogging towards the Veil. I wasn’t certain about our location but, when I saw the dark, lightning-filled wall of cloud looming ahead of us, I knew that my calculations had brought us close. From the expressions on my companions’ faces, however, our proximity wasn’t a cause for celebration. Each of them had good reason to be nervous.

‘I never thought I’d say this, Uh Integrity,’ Bob quavered, ‘but I’d quite like a joke right about now.’ He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. ‘It’s not that I’m scared for me, you understand. It’s you lot who will suffer. You need your minds taken off the horror that’s about to come.’

May might not have understood Bob’s words but she understood his tone of voice. She gave him a huge grin and stuck her thumbs up. He tutted.

‘We should hold hands,’ I said decisively.

Fergus raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you looking to get close to me? Because I think I’m kind of spoken for.’

‘Ha! No, but when I crossed with Angus he almost got lost in the Veil. It’s safer if we hang on to each other.’

Byron’s jaw tightened. ‘I need to know. Are…?’

‘No.’ I touched his shoulder. ‘We’re just friends. I promise.’

He scanned my face then nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘That’s it?’

‘Trust works both ways.’

I patted my bag then Byron took my hand and squeezed. On my other side, I grabbed Fergus’s hand while he took May’s.

Bob squeaked, ‘Byron? Can I hide under your kilt?’

Byron pointed downwards. ‘Sporran.’

The genie’s face was suddenly wreathed in smiles. He darted down towards the traditional leather purse and zoomed inside.

I took a deep breath. ‘Let’s do this. There’s a prophecy that needs fulfilling.’

Byron grimaced. ‘You know this could all be over in a matter of seconds. They’re likely to slaughter you as soon as they catch sight of you.’

‘Not if we play our cards right.’ I had to believe that; there simply wasn’t any other choice. ‘Remember what I told you.’ They all nodded. I licked my lips, wishing they weren’t quite so dry. ‘And on a count of three. One … two … three.’

Linked together, we stepped forward and plunged inside. Bob shrieked from the depths of Byron’s sporran. I’d never had the comfort of so many others around me on previous occasions when I’d crossed over. Perhaps it was that, or perhaps it was the familiarity of the choking clouds and sense of impending doom, but I didn’t feel scared. Adrenaline shot through me but there was also a pervasive feeling of calm, as if everything up until now had been leading to this point.

I held my breath and kept going, yanking on Fergus’s hand when he started to falter. Then, when it seemed as if we could go no further, we were out the other side and breathing in the dark, dank air of the Lowlands. And there was indeed an entire army of Fomori demons facing us.

It was almost comical. As I stared at the long ranks of demons standing to attention, at first they didn’t seem to notice our sudden appearance. Less than twenty feet separated us from the thousands of them. I sensed rather than saw when one pair of demon-slitted eyes landed on me. I turned my head and gazed at him as he gazed back at me, his shock swiftly transforming into abject horror. Good. That was what I’d been counting on. He reached across and hit his companion. One by one, the demons turned to look at us. Hello.

The ranks stretched lengthwise as far as I could see. I couldn’t begin to guess how many of them there were but it was clearly too many for the Highlanders to cope with. If they attacked my homeland, it would be a bloodbath – and the demons would inevitably win. Armies, however, were prepared for armies; they weren’t prepared to deal with a tiny group. A single person could stand against a tank; might and power weren’t always about numbers. As far as the Fomori demons were concerned, I was the bogeyman; I was also the bogeyman who’d returned from the dead.

One of the demons who was made of sterner stuff than the others took a step forward. I calmly released Fergus and Byron’s hands and reached into my bag. We had seconds before the Fomori recovered and charged.

The Foinse hummed as soon as my fingers brushed against it. The sound was reassuring, even though it felt hotter to the touch than normal. With slow, deliberate movements I drew it out and held it aloft, bathing us in its warm, silvered glow.

The nearest demons cowered, including the one who’d moved in our direction. It wasn’t surprising; the Fomori lived in semi-darkness and these guys weren’t swathed in the strange gloop I’d seen some demons wear when they crossed into our part of Scotland. That meant they hadn’t planned any incursions until nightfall because they felt vulnerable to the light.

The Foinse didn’t exude ultra-violet rays but the light which the source of magic cast was strange enough to create more fear and paranoia. Whatever the Draoidheachd looked like, it was either very different to this or it was kept well out of sight from the Lowland’s citizens.

A peculiar rumble filled the air, growing louder and louder. I knew that sound. Next to me, Byron sucked in an alarmed breath. We’d been fortunate not to emerge in front of any of the winged demons but it was only a matter of time until they approached. It was now or never. ‘Come on, baby,’ I whispered. The Foinse hummed louder in response.

‘I should tell you before you do this,’ Byron said, his voice even and controlled. ‘I love you.’

Magic crackled to my right as the Fomori prepared to attack and it prevented me from responding. I gave a tiny smile and then I threw the Foinse, using every ounce of my energy. Whatever sentient energy it possessed meant that it knew what it was doing; it somersaulted and kept low as it hurtled towards the Fomori ranks. They screamed and scattered.

The four of us began to run. Byron, Fergus and May veered to the right and I went left. The gap in the ranks created by the Foinse was greater than I’d hoped. While it danced and spun and held the Fomori at bay, I sprinted for all I was worth.

There was a whoosh of wind and my hair blew around my face. I grimaced. One of the flying demons was gunning for me and it was getting close. I zigzagged, trying to throw it off. The Foinse zipped towards me but I muttered and it curved off, heading away. The demon above me screeched in fury at my audacity in showing up then it flung a bolt of darkness towards me.