I glared. ‘No chance.’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Unless they’re hot-pink suspenders.’
‘Now you’re talking.’ Byron reached out, his thumb caressing my cheek. Heat flared up between us. Then someone cleared their throat right behind us.
‘Chieftain?’ It was Lyle or maybe it was Kirk; I still got those two trolls mixed up. ‘What are your orders?’
Shite. I needed to come up with a plan that would keep us all alive. I gave Byron a last reluctant smile and gently kissed his cheek. He growled.
‘Time to get to work,’ I told him.
***
The ferry was huge. Goodness knows where Sorley and his buddies had boosted it from at such short notice. Sorley was doing well ? I’d make a proper career thief of him yet. Everywhere I looked, trolls were doffing imaginary caps to me in deference as I walked by. Part of me smiled at the celebratory atmosphere; part of me was overtaken by foreboding about what was to come next.
‘Is everyone here?’ I asked the security-conscious troll.
‘There are a hundred or so trolls back at your Lands keeping everything ticking over,’ Sorley informed me. ‘I can assure you that they will let no one in or out.’ His small eyes grew distant and his fists bunched. I imagined that he was dreaming about the joy he would take in doling out punishments if any trolls disobeyed orders. Sorley wasn’t their official leader but he might as well have been.
I nodded thoughtfully. ‘I need another hundred at the MacQuarrie Lands.’
‘No, it’s too dangerous. We need to protect you.’
‘Sorley, there are hundreds of trolls on this ferry. I think we’re good. We can spare some.’
‘Actually,’ he sniffed, ‘there are one thousand, two hundred and twenty-three.’
‘Well, there you go then.’ Guilt surged through me. ‘We should have had them there from the outset.’
‘We all decided it would have caused more problems than it solved. If the other Clans had noticed…’
I pushed back my hair. ‘I know.’ I sighed. ‘But still…’
Sorley dropped his head. ‘She was a good woman.’
I nodded. ‘Yeah. Too good for the likes of us.’
We shared a glance. My heart ached at the thought of Morna and I was pretty certain I wasn’t alone.
Sorley shook himself. ‘We have set up perimeter guards around the deck.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘In case we’re attacked by mermaids?’
He threw me a nasty look. ‘Those Sidhe have all sorts of Gifts. They could send one of their water-Gifted dunderheads to assassinate you. Then there where would we be?’
‘You’d be on a ferry in the Atlantic Ocean.’
The corners of his mouth tugged up.
‘Actually,’ Brochan said, ‘we’re technically in the Firth of Lorn, not the Atlantic Ocean. It’s further west.’ He scratched his gills. ‘I wish I didn’t know that kind of thing.’ I patted his arm reassuringly. Considering where we were and what he’d just gone through, he was performing admirably.
‘Fine,’ Sorley huffed. ‘As soon as we hit land, I’ll send a group off.’
‘They’re our allies,’ I reminded him. ‘And they’re in trouble because of me. They need protection.’
He gave a grudging nod. ‘The rest of us should march on the Cruaich immediately. It’ll take the Clans a while to sort themselves out. This is the best time to invade.’
‘This isn’t World of Warcraft. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about than the Sidhe.’
Taylor hobbled up, supported by Angus and Jamie. He was having some difficulty moving around but his eyes were alert and his skin had a ruddy glow which only good health and robust sea winds could provide. My heart lightened slightly. ‘What is it, Tegs?’ he asked quietly.
