My mouth dropped open, so wide with disbelief that Brochan could probably have steered a container ship through it. Many heads nodded in agreement. Aifric was being incredibly canny here; his words were vague enough to avoid being outright lies but there was no doubt what he was implying. ‘I have to face facts: Gale Adair was a dangerous man and his daughter is no different.’
I didn’t hit people. I didn’t hit people. I didn’t hit people. But I trembled with bitter rage.
One of the Moncrieffes from Byron’s stag party stood up. ‘She let the Foinse escape! We’ve got less magic now because of her!’ There was a chorus of angry mutters. It got louder and I felt as if I were being assailed with a wave of hatred from the crowd. Right now that was nothing compared to how I was feeling about Aifric, who held his hand up for quiet.
‘That is true,’ he said as if he begrudged admitting it. ‘She did do that. And she has done even worse.’ He turned to me again. ‘Integrity Adair, how many times have you travelled across the Veil?’
The compulsion to remain silent was lifted from me once more. I was getting really tired of this. ‘Technically four, although…’ I ground my teeth as I lapsed into silence again. I searched the hundreds of Sidhe facing me, each face agog. Whoever was doing this would give themselves away. There had to be some kind of tell-tale movement.
Aifric raised his eyebrows at Molly Kincaid. She bobbed her head primly. ‘She is telling the truth.’
I gazed across the gathered Sidhe. To say that they looked shocked would be an understatement. I forced myself to stop concentrating on how they felt and continued methodically searching for who was using their Gift to control my mouth. There were hundreds of them; I was going to need some luck. Scratch that. I was going to need a lot of luck.
‘We all know,’ Aifric said, ‘that the Fomori have been causing us many problems lately.’ He made an excellent effort at looking sad. ‘The incursions they’ve made into the Highlands have had a devastating effect and I shall impart more tragic news concerning that in a moment.’ He sighed. ‘It was not clear before why they had decided to suddenly start broaching the Veil after years of peace.’ His voice dropped. ‘I think it is now. Tell me, Integrity, did they come here because of you?’
I snapped my eyes away from the crowd and stared at him. The fact was that he hadtoldme they’d come to the Highlands looking for me, that they’d been afraid of the prophecy. On at least two occasions, I’d had proof of their motivation from my own eyes. ‘It’s complicated,’ I began, as the magic lifted from me once more.
Aifric shook his head. ‘Yes or no will suffice.’
Screw him. He was the one who had three dead Fomori demons bricked into a cavity in his study. I drew back my shoulders. ‘No.’ My voice rang out clear as a bell.
Molly Kincaid flinched. ‘She’s lying.’
I wanted to scream. The worst part was that this was Molly telling it as her Gift saw it. It wasn’t the absolute truth – but there was enough of a lie in my answer for her Gift to tell her I was lying.
Chieftain MacBain rose slowly to her feet. Her face was white and pinched. ‘Chieftain Adair,’ she almost choked on the words, ‘came to me to arrange for payment in return for passing through the Veil and retrieving Matthew’s bones. If I had known she had ulterior motives I would have prevented her. To be in league with those creatures…’ Her horror was palpable.
I looked at her, using everything I had to impart silently that I had made no pact with the Fomori demons. Our alliance might be shaky but if I could just get her to see… It was no use; she’d already made up her mind.
‘She really is just like her father,’ someone murmured.
Catching the whisper, I glared at the offender. Yeah? I was just like him, I was just like him because I was a decent person who was being destroyed by Aifric Moncrieffe. Unfortunately for me, my simmering and obvious anger only created fear. Fear of me.
I looked from one face to another. No. No. No. No. Someone here was controlling me and I had to find out who. Not them. Or them. No. No. Maybe. Damn it. No.
‘I have it on good authority,’ Aifric intoned, ‘that the Fomori are amassing an army. They are gathered on the other side of the Veil and are preparing to attack.’
For a moment his words barely registered then I stopped my panicked scan of the room and turned to him, gaping. The same Truth-Telling Gift which buzzed through Molly’s body told me that he was speaking the truth. Things were worse than I thought.
‘Whose Lands are closest to the Veil?’ Aifric asked softly.
‘Adair!’ someone shouted.
He nodded grimly. ‘Yes, Adair.’
Seriously? Now I was being damned because of geography? I threw my hands up in disgust but, because of the handcuffs, the gesture was lost on my audience although those on the front row did pull back as if they were scared that I’d attack them.
‘You will have noticed,’ Aifric continued, ‘that the MacQuarries are not here. They were attacked only two days ago. There were…’ he closed his eyes for a brief second as if in pain ‘…some deaths. Tipsania Scrymgeour’s father, whom we know Integrity Adair despised, and Morna Carnegie.’
The entire Carnegie Clan jerked in horror. They weren’t alone; Morna had been well liked by everyone. The Bull was dead as well but even this lot knew he had been an oaf. It was Morna’s passing which caused the real dismay.
‘Integrity,’ Aifric said, looking me directly in the eyes, ‘was her death a result of your actions?’
It seemed as if the congregation was holding its breath. That absolute bastard. He didn’t know that by stealing her Gift, I had hastened her passing but he did know that I believed she would still be alive if I hadn’t asked her to go to the MacQuarrie Lands. In that sense, she was indeed dead because of me. What answer could I give?
The Sidhe were growing agitated with my silence. ‘Answer him!’ several of the yelled. ‘Say the words, you Adair bitch!’
Aifric knitted his fingers together. ‘I’ll ask again. Was Morna Carnegie’s death a result of what you did?’
