I nodded. ‘Yep. They seem to like working as a team.’ And then, because I couldn’t help myself, ‘Unlike you.’
Tipsania sneered at me. ‘What would you know about it?’
‘Nothing apparently.’
‘You think you’re pretty amazing, don’t you? Swanning around like you’re better than the rest of us. You’ve got no idea what it’s like to be part of a Clan and to have responsibilities.’
‘No,’ I said softly, ‘I don’t. Maybe that’s because you wouldn’t let me.’
‘Just because my father took you in as a charity case, doesn’t mean you were ever a Scrymgeour,’ she spat. She threw me a glare that Medusa herself would have been proud of. ‘Screw you, Integrity.’ With that, she edged away from me onto the ice.
I watched her. She’d barely taken three steps when there was an ominous creaking sound. In one lithe movement she sprang back. In a reflex action, I grabbed her arm to steady her. She snatched away and glowered. ‘Don’t touch me!’
‘Are you afraid you’ll catch something?’ I inquired. ‘It’ll be like things between us have come full circle then.’ I paused. ‘Scurvy.’
She gave me a blank look. ‘Eh?’
I grinned. ‘Never mind.’
‘I’m going around,’ Tipsania announced. She started walking off. ‘Don’t you dare follow me!’
‘I don’t have to follow you,’ I called after her. ‘I was in the last group to set off – that means I’m already three hours ahead of you.’
She didn’t answer; she didn’t even look back. I shrugged. If Tipsania was going left round the frozen loch, then I’d go right. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her.
Before long Tipsania had disappeared. I was tempted to run round the loch but it was fairly large and there was an odd prickling sensation running down my spine that suggested this challenge couldn’t be that easy. Conserving energy seemed sensible. It had been a clear day, so it should have been a clear night but I couldn’t see the stars or moon. That didn’t make any sense. Even the air around me tasted artificial. No doubt the Carnegies had more up their sleeve than simply making the competitors run around the countryside for a bit.
When there was a sudden whooshing noise and a row of flags at the far end of the loch was illuminated by several dozen flickering fires, I knew I was right. The finishing line was right behind them.
I slowed down and eyed the flags warily. This was a common trick used by museums and art galleries around the world: beam lights onto your most valuable object and draw moths to it like a flame. It worked for the general public during visiting hours and, in theory, worked for sticky fingers like mine. But I wasn’t an inexperienced thief and I knew that whatever was most brightly lit was usually an elaborate fake or a ploy to keep would-be thieves away from more profitable items. The Carnegie organisers weren’t stupid, they just lacked originality.
As I considered what to do next, pounding feet drew up alongside me and quickly passed. It was Jamie, with another Moncrieffe Sidhe behind him. That meant Byron and the other two Moncrieffes had elected to go the same way as Tipsania. No one would be reckless enough to try the ice.
That thought brought me to a halt. As the Moncrieffes pulled further away, I gazed at the frozen loch and stepped to its edge. The surface was glassy and smooth.
‘Mirror, mirror on the wall…’ I murmured, then I turned and walked back the way I’d come.
The other competitors were closer than I’d realised and more and more appeared from the dark shadows of the woods. As each Sidhe passed me, I received an array of glares and frowns, most of them suspicious and calculating. They scanned me through the gloom, checking to see whether I had hidden my flag and was strolling past them because I wanted to make a show of being in the lead. I gave them all a happy, innocent smile. Nothing to see here, move along.
Of course, the congregation of competitors meant that the drones arrived too. The noise they made was incredible; so much for the peace and quiet I’d been enjoying earlier. Now it was dark, they were using bright lights to illuminate the area and continue filming. It made it easier for me to see others – and for them to see me.
By the time I reached the spot where Tipsania and I had spoken, I’d counted thirty-three other competitors. It stood to reason that the same number had passed out of sight on the other side of the loch. That was good: I wanted as many as possible to zoom on ahead. It wouldn’t help my cause if my new plan was broadcast. The fact that so many of the later groups had caught up did niggle, however; they must have followed the tracks made by the first Sidhe on the course, just as I had done. It was February; nobody would be surprised that there was snow on the ground. Either the Carnegies were hoping for a thrilling photo finish for the spectators back at the Cruaich or they had something else to throw at us to separate everyone out. Considering there had been little action so far, I reckoned it would be the latter. Oh goody.
It didn’t take long before the first figure – no doubt Tipsania – was silhouetted in front of the distant fires. I squinted to watch. When she reached a flag and tried unsuccessfully to pick it up, I knew I was right. More figures joined her, each one with the same result. Those flags weren’t any more real than the Carnegies concept of honour. It was a clever illusion – just not clever enough.
‘Integrity!’
I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Angus MacQuarrie. Perfect. I grinned and beckoned him over.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked, as he jogged up. ‘The flags are over there.’
‘No, they’re not.’
‘Eh?’
‘Watch.’ I pointed across the frozen lake as the frustrated yells from the competitors reached our ears.
‘But the map said…’
‘We’re in the right place but the flags are in a slightly different position.’ I grinned. ‘Imagine looking into a mirror.’
He was still confused. ‘I don’t get it.’
‘The flags you can see are an illusion. It’s a mirror image of them.’
Angus’s expression cleared. ‘Oh,’ he said, finally getting it. ‘You mean they’re in the loch.’ His troubled look returned. ‘Under the ice? But…’
‘I know,’ I nodded. ‘It’s dangerous but it makes perfect sense. It is supposed to be a challenge and,’ I lifted my head towards one of the drones, ‘the audience will be hoping for some action.’
Angus swallowed. ‘Why would the flags be under the ice here? Why not at the other end?’
‘Because when you look in the mirror,’ I said serenely, ‘everything is reversed.’
He licked his lips. ‘You didn’t have to tell me about this.’
I patted him on the shoulder. ‘Yes, I did. I’m going to need your help.’
He frowned and I jerked my head towards the rope he was carrying. Suddenly a smile spread across his face. ‘You can’t beat a length of rope.’
We shared a look of mutual understanding. ‘Indeed.’
A few other competitors appeared, pausing to stare at us and look dubiously at the ice before shrugging and picking up speed to head round the loch.
‘How can we break the ice?’ Angus asked.
Tipsania had almost managed that. ‘I don’t think it’s as solid as it looks. If we walk onto it, our weight will probably do the trick.’
He grimaced. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
We waited until most of the other competitors had gone past. Angus even gestured to three of his fellow MacQuarries to go on ahead. When I shot him a questioning look, he shrugged. ‘It’ll look odd if all of us hang around here.’
He had a point. Most of the challengers were still near the flags, trying to puzzle out what was going on. It wouldn’t take them too long to work it out. The longer we could give ourselves, the better.
Now that darkness had fallen, I felt extraordinarily shivery – and with our impending dip in the loch’s frigid waters that would probably get worse. Byron’s other Gift was pyrokinesis and it was te
mpting to enrol him in this breakaway escapade but I couldn’t get hold of him without drawing the attention of dozens of others. He was probably at the other end of the loch with the cluster of Sidhe.
Angus uncoiled the rope and looped one end round the nearest tree. It wasn’t long enough for both of us; we’d have to do this one by one.
He held it out to me and raised his eyebrows. ‘Ladies first.’
‘You’re giving me the advantage if you let me go first,’ I warned. ‘Once I get my flag, I’m going to the finish point.’
‘Second place is better than anyone expects of me,’ he said. ‘And I’d like to see the look on those Moncrieffe faces when you win the whole freaking Games.’ He dropped his voice. ‘It’s not all selfless though. If your theory is wrong and there’s nothing under the ice, you’ll get a freezing cold dunk while I stay toasty and warm.’
I smiled. ‘I’m not wrong.’
He gestured at the ice with mock gallantry. ‘Go on, then.’
I tied the rope securely round my waist ‒ I really did not want to find myself trapped beneath the surface ‒ then took a deep breath and edged out. The ice groaned and it felt very flimsy under my feet. Although I needed it to break so I could fall into the water below, a part of me still hoped that wouldn’t happen. I took another step and another. The ice complained more loudly.
I’d gone about ten feet when something caught my eye beneath the frozen surface. The water was dark but I was sure I’d seen a flag. I squeezed my eyes shut, jumped and landed back on the ice. There was a loud cracking sound and tiny fissures appeared. They weren’t enough; I needed more if I was going to manage my swim. I leapt again, this time smashing down as hard as I could. A few seconds after I landed, the ice cracked loudly. I barely had time to hold my breath before I fell in.
The shock of the water was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I had scant seconds to do what was necessary before I’d have to pull myself out. While the loch might not have the dank, viscous oiliness of the Lowlands Clyde, I knew that the water here was far more dangerous. I dived under the surface but I couldn’t see a thing. Great. The Carnegies had lit fires to illuminate the fake flags but not used lights to help locate the real ones.
I fumbled for my pocket, my fingers already seizing up with cold, and managed to pull out Bob’s letter opener and rub it against my sleeve. As per usual, he appeared in a brilliant flash of light. It was a risky move – it would have been visible to almost everyone on the shore – but I didn’t have much choice.
Unfortunately, the flash provided by Bob’s appearance was too brief and too bright to help me see. He floated in front of my face in an old-fashioned Victorian one-piece bathing suit with maroon stripes covering him from his neck to his knees. He waved.
My lungs were starting to hurt. I tried to move my hands to indicate that I needed light but he just waved back. Gritting my teeth, I lunged to shake some sense into him. He pulled away at the last minute, his swimming costume transforming into a mermaid’s tail to help him move.
My head hurt and I knew I didn’t have long. There was a tug on the rope; Angus was getting worried. Screw Bob, I could do this without him. I began to kick, reckoning that my flag would probably be in the most inaccessible spot. Estimating that I’d already been underwater for at least thirty seconds, I moved as fast as I could.
I trailed my hand downwards, feeling different poles that stuck upright from the bed of the loch. There were too many and this was too much of a crapshoot. I’d have to go back to the surface.
And then the Carnegies did something incredibly stupid.
Whoever was warm and safe in the Cruaich and responsible for the drones’ actions was obviously concerned that I’d discovered the flags’ location before anyone else. From underneath the layer of ice, I heard the buzzing as the drones converged over my head. They were not only noisy, they were also bright. With their lights beaming onto the ice, I suddenly had enough light to see. And there, less than five feet away, was the flag emblazoned with the Adair tartan.
Bob gave me a thumbs up but I ignored him, kicked out towards it and curled my hands on the sodden material. I tugged but it wouldn’t come free. Shite. I tugged harder. Come on, come on. I was almost out of breath; I had to get the bloody thing now.
I tried and tried but I didn’t have the strength. I pulled back and concentrated. As bad as I felt for stealing part of Byron’s Gift, it was proving useful. With a bit of focus, the flag finally came free. I closed my eyes in relief and took off.
With the drones now lighting the way, I could see almost all the Clan flags and make out the hole that I’d created in the ice. Thankfully it wasn’t cold enough for the water there to re-freeze. I swam like I’d never swum before, reached the gap and pushed my head upwards.
‘Ice, ice, baby!’ Bob yelled. He was bobbing on the surface. He had foregone the mermaid look in favour of spiky hair and large sunglasses.
‘There are drones everywhere,’ I hissed. ‘They mustn’t see you.’
He stuck out his tongue but unfortunately it landed on a chunk of ice and got stuck. He flapped his arms and I rolled my eyes. He managed to peel away his tongue before flipping back his hair like he was some kind of Bond babe emerging from tropical waters. ‘That’s okay, Uh Integrity. I’m ready for my close-up.’
There were shouts from the shore as the Sidhe competitors ran towards us from all directions, finally realising what had been right in front of their faces all along. Angus waved to me frantically. ‘Integrity! You’ve been in too long!’
I waved back to him. There was one more thing I had to do. I took another deep breath and plunged down again. Fortunately, the drones stayed where they were and I knew the location of all the flags. The MacQuarrie ones were nearby. I wrapped my hand round the nearest one and it came free almost immediately. Surprise, surprise. What were the odds that the only flag that had difficulty in parting itself from the waters was the Adair one?
I pushed back to the surface as more Sidhe came onto the ice. Some were less careful than others and fell in because they’d chosen spots where it was particularly thin.
‘Get back!’ I shouted. ‘The flags are here. Take the shortest route or you’ll freeze to death.’
Most of them ignored me. I didn’t have time to worry about them – I had to get out. I grimaced. ‘Bob, go and tell them to stop being idiots.’
‘I thought you didn’t want anyone to see me.’
‘Better they see you than that they end up drowning or dying of hypothermia,’ I grunted, starting to swim for shore.
‘If you make a wish, I could…’
‘Bob, just warn them. Please?’
‘Pretty please?’ he asked. ‘Pretty please with…’
I swam as fast as I could before I had to deal with any other silly demands.
‘Where are you going, Uh Integrity?’
‘I have to get out now or I’ll freeze to death.’
Bob didn’t say any more. I heaved a sigh of relief as Angus pulled on the rope and helped me out. Considering how much of the ice had now broken as a result of the enthusiastic competitors, his assistance was welcome.
As I fell onto the bank, I rolled onto my back, panting. Angus grabbed me and yanked me upwards, wrapping himself around my body. ‘You’re freezing,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll help you warm you up before I go in for my flag.’
I’d never felt cold like this. ‘No need,’ I said, teeth chattering. ‘I’ve got yours too.’ I held up both flags.
‘Integrity Adair,’ Angus murmured. ‘You are amazing.’
I looked over Angus’s shoulder, beyond grateful for the heat of his body, as Bob yelled something at a bunch of stunned Sidhe. A few feet away, glowering at me, was Byron. He turned on his heel and faced the ice, using pyrokinesis to melt as much of it as possible and help those who were stranded under the surface.
‘We need to get out of here, Angus,’ I said. ‘Everyone else has caught up.’
‘Then,’ he g
rinned, ‘let’s go and win this thing.’
Chapter Seventeen
We knew where the finish line was, directly behind the row of illusory flags. Bob continued squawking, even though those who had plunged into the freezing loch were now being helped by Byron’s efforts. Angus and I silently agreed to compete against each other. He took off around the left side of the water’s edge and I went right.
Chaos reigned. The drones were buzzing manically as energy and adrenaline overtook everyone. Some ran past me, heading towards the side where I’d started my swim; others were splashing in the water, gasping for breath. I estimated there was probably less than a mile to the end of the race. Now that everything was lit up, I could see Angus pulling ahead of me on the opposite bank. I put my head down, blotted out everything else and ran – and that was almost my undoing.
As soon as I passed the far end of the loch itself, a shadow fell across my path. I should have been alerted by the drone following my progress closely from overhead but stupidly I assumed it was there because I was about to win. Instead I almost crashed into the hairy giant who was blocking my way, only just managing to pull myself up in time.
He leered at me with a slack-jawed grin. I saw Angus in an attack stance on the other side of the loch, facing his own giant; there were glowing balls of an eerie green colour in the palms of Angus’s hands, suggesting that his Gift was of the more violent sort.
‘Let me past,’ I grunted to the giant in front of me, ‘and I won’t hurt you too badly.’
He guffawed and a line of spittle dangled from his chin. Physiologically, giants have large brains but they aren’t known for their intelligence. He would be under strict orders to do whatever was necessary to bar my path and his single track mind would be focused on that and that alone. Nothing I could say would help me. I thought about the competitors behind me and hoped that none of them would hurt him. The Carnegies shouldn’t have inveigled him into this. It simply wasn’t fair.
The giant threw back his head and let out such a massive roar that I could swear the ground shook. Then he lunged forward with a massive swipe that caught me on the side of my head and I went flying backwards. Shite, shite and shite again.
Honour Bound (Highland Magic Book 2) Page 21
