He dropped the martini in favour of putting his hands over his ears. ‘Stop it,’ he moaned. ‘I’ll tell you whatever state secrets you want to know. Just please stop the torture.’
‘Then I’m going to need you to be quiet. Not one word out of your mouth unless I ask for it. Got that?’
He nodded vigorously. ‘Sure. Sure. Sure.’ He drew his finger across his lips.
I beamed. ‘Great.’
Bob dropped his hands and sighed ? but at least he didn’t say anything.
‘Oh, one more thing,’ I added casually. ‘Cold spies go undercover.’
His cheeks went bright red. It was quite possible that Bob was about to explode.
***
We tracked Byron for several miles. He wasn’t speeding and he didn’t seem in any hurry, though he wasn’t driving at snail’s pace either. It wasn’t until we passed a road sign that I got an inkling of where he might be heading. It made even less sense than Bob’s theory about Byron swimming across the Atlantic so I kept my mouth shut and continued, grimacing when the last car between us turned off the road and away. The only saving grace was that it was dark and the glare from my headlights would prevent Byron from seeing inside the car. All the same, I slowed down slightly and let him pull away from us.
When we reached the next turn off, I swung towards it. Bob opened his mouth to question my action then remembered his promise and snapped it shut again.
I brought the car to a stop and waited until Byron’s headlights were little more than pinpricks in the distance. Then I killed my lights, did another U-turn and headed after him again, making sure that this time I didn’t even begin to get close. From this distance we’d be all but invisible. I smiled. Who needed magic when you had a bit of nous?
It wasn’t long before Byron’s car also turned – and when I saw where he was going, I realised that my suspicions were correct. Bob gazed round, his expression as flummoxed as mine, as we tailed Byron down the first part of the driveway which led to the Moncrieffe Lands.
Aifric spent most of his time at the Cruaich, as befitted the Steward of the Highlands, but this was still his ancestral home. That meant it was Byron’s home too – so why was he was sneaking away from Perth simply to return to his own damned house?
I was forced to stop again after Byron paused at the border. It was too dark to tell for sure but this time he seemed to get out of his car. I watched, worried that new guards had been posted there now that all the trolls had vamoosed. If that were the case, I’d have to be more than careful ? I’d have to be the luckiest damn woman alive to tail him up to the main building. There was nothing obvious, however, other than a flare of light which was extinguished quickly. A torch, perhaps?
Unwilling to drive right through the Moncrieffe border – or even close to it now that there might be prying eyes scanning the landscape ? I parked near a copse of trees and walked the last part. The driveway wasn’t as long as those at the Adair or the Scrymgeour Lands and I could see the lights of Byron’s car as he continued on his way. He didn’t go to the Moncrieffe castle but halted halfway. Maybe that was where everyone was supposed to park.
Aware that we were now some way back, I hurried towards the border with Bob on my shoulder. Unfortunately, this time we were without Speck. Although I understood how passing through individual Sidhe Clan borders worked in theory, I wasn’t convinced that I could manage it in practice, not without preparation. I couldn’t even call my warlock buddy for help; the signal at the Adair Lands was too weak to receive calls. All the same, I wanted to give crossing the border a shot. My curiosity was too great to turn back now.
When we were less than fifty feet away, I slid towards the bushes at the side of the road. We were in the middle of nowhere so there was little light, something that was working in my favour. I hunched and tiptoed forward. I couldn’t see any flickering shadows but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone there and it didn’t ease my tension. I moved faster and gradually got closer to the border. There weren’t any people ? but there wassomethingthere.
I stopped at the edge of the border, remaining still for a long moment, as I scanned up and down for any sign of life. I knew from the puddle of fabric at my feet that I wasn’t going to see anyone; Byron hadn’t stopped and got out of his car for a chat with a family servant, he’d got out to bring down the Moncrieffe flag. No doubt he’d done so by sending up a pyrokinetic bolt so the flag fell to the ground without Byron putting a single foot across the border. That was the little flare I’d seen. And he hadn’t stopped there; Byron had apparently made use of his second Gift as well, lifting up the flagpole to remove it entirely from the spot that controlled the border itself. It now lay uselessly on its side.
I rocked back on my heels. Byron could never have managed a feat like this if the trolls were still in place. Their presence helped maintain the magic of the Sidhe borders, together with the flagpoles, the Clan colours and the incumbent Moncrieffe Sidhe, most of whom were back at the stag party. The majority of Sidhe didn’t understand how the borders worked but it was obvious that Byron did. What wasn’t obvious was why he had sneaked away from his own party and was skipping unseen into his own Clan Lands. He should have been able to pass them without consequence.
I glanced at Bob. He raised his eyebrows at me and I jabbed a finger at him. ‘Speak.’ He crossed his arms and pouted. ‘Bob,’ I said, ‘you may speak. I won’t tell any jokes.’ I gestured at the fallen flag and horizontal flagpole. ‘But I need to understand what’s going on.’
He shrugged. ‘S’easy. Byron knows you’re tailing him and he’s setting a trap. He’s made it easy for you to cross his border. As soon as you do, he’ll pounce on you, tie you up and slit your throat.’
I narrowed my eyes.
‘Or,’ Bob added, ‘he doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s been home. If there’s no real heavy magic in place at the border, no one will know that it’s been crossed, even by a Moncrieffe Sidhe.’
I rubbed my chin. ‘But why? He’s the sodding Moncrieffe heir. He can come and go as he pleases.’
‘Sonowyou want to hear my theories?’
I sighed. ‘If we’re talking about wild speculation, no. Can I pass through unnoticed now?’
Bob tapped his mouth. ‘Probably. There’s still magic there but it’s pretty faint. What remains is less likely to be activated against another Sidhe than it is against, say, a Fomori demon.’ He paused. ‘However, as an all-knowing magnificent being with powers you can only dream of, I would say it’s still too dangerous. You’re far better abandoning this entire project so we can go back home.’
I nodded. ‘Yeah.’ He beamed in glee but I wasn’t done. ‘You stay here. If I’m not back in three hours, head back to the Adair Lands and tell the others what’s happened.’
Bob’s smile vanished. ‘If you’re dead, I’m no longer beholden to you in any way, shape or form. I don’t want you to be dead. Despite your irritating nature, you’re my friend.’ I didn’t imagine the pleading note in his voice. ‘Leave it be. I understand how you feel about Byron Moncrieffe but this isn’t worth it. You’ve got more important things to do. You’re supposed to save Scotland.’
‘If that prophecy is real,’ I said with an arch grin, ‘then I’ll save Scotland regardless of what happens. So there’s nothing to worry about.’
