Page 27 of Saving Nessie
‘Hmm.’ Lachlan had been in a circle like this once before—Cam had used one to drag him out of the loch when they first met. That one had been fairly benign, a simple summoning charm, according to Cam. This circle was far larger, and the markings more intricate. He doubted there was anything benign about Bryce’s plans for them.
Fionn watched him closely. ‘You know what he intends to do to us, don’t you? If I’m to die a fiery death, I should like to know why. Is this all for some sick revenge? What did you steal from him?’
‘I didn’t steal—’ Lachlan stopped as the words caught up with him. Bryce clearly didn’t see it that way. Half of what he’d said sounded like nonsense, but there were some recognisable truths in it. ‘Your people have worked with Cam’s family for years. Do you know about the Scorch?’
‘The old Walker curse, yes.’
‘Bryce was behind it. He tapped into their fire magic and used it to kill them. Somehow, he can siphon off their life in order to lengthen his own. Cam was his last source of life.’
No, even as he said it that didn’t sound quite right.
‘Cam was his last source of magic,’ Lachlan muttered to himself, reaching for the meaning behind Bryce’s insane ranting. ‘But Cam doesn’t have that magic any more.’
Fionn’s lip curled. ‘So, he killed Pàdraig in the name of his own immortality. He has moved on to other ‘sources’, as you put it.’
Lachlan nodded slowly. ‘I don’t think it’s working out very well for him.’ He stared again at the elaborate circle Bryce had constructed. There was a great deal of effort involved here.
Previously, Lachlan had witnessed Bryce on the verge of claiming Cam’s life with little more than a snap of his fingers.ThatBryce had been cool and collected, completely in control even as Lachlan pulled the rug from under him. Now, the man who held them captive seemed a shadow of his former self.
Lachlan thought back to what he’d told the Wulver. That maybe Bryce was panicking.
After three hundred years of living a relatively solitary existence, Lachlan knew the dangers of longevity without meaningful human connection. It was why he’d poured so much of his heart into The Lucky Teapot. It was a matter of self-preservation, to keep himself in proximity to other people and find some purpose in touching their lives, even if only in passing. What kept Lachlan going, in his darkest moments, was the knowledge that he could protect those people as the monster, and uplift them as a man—even if only by means of a simple cup of tea.
He wondered what measures Bryce took to keep himself sane. Or whether he’d ever paid it any thought at all. If Bryce’s only purpose in life had been to follow the Walker bloodline and plan his next betrayal…
The light was dwindling. Lachlan shivered, struggling to make out details in the cave any longer. The land beyond the cave mouth was drowned in shadow, and silent apart from the wind. It occurred to him that he was truly on his own this time. He didn’t have the monster to hide behind. Cam wasn’t coming to save him.
Lachlan stole a breath and tried to think.
Chapter Twelve
Over the course of the day, Cam had swum the entire length of Loch Ness, all twenty-three miles and back. His powerful body was perfectly streamlined for moving in the water, and the pure joy of swimming was one of the few pleasures of inhabiting the form of the monster. He could go so fast it felt like flying, a feeling he’d only achieved before on the Matchless. Ironically, it represented a feeling of freedom to him.
For such a large beast he was surprisingly agile and could nimbly twist and turn on a dime with just a flick of a flipper or a curve of his tail. Those skills were put to good use when he discovered the loch to be far more crowded than usual. Every passenger boat, big and small, seemed to be out despite the blustery weather. From slow and lumbering tour boats jam-packed with people leaning over the sides, to tiny two-man speedboats skimming on top of the surface as fast as Cam was swimming under it. Even local residents were apparently hiring out their private skiffs for Nessie hunting trips. He spotted the silhouettes of a few intrepid kayakers and paddle-boarders closer to the shores.
Cam dodged their shadows, baulking at the more sensible option of keeping to only the deepest parts of the loch. He was searching, in a sense, for Elspaith.
There had to be a reason she was haunting his dreams. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if she actuallywashaunting him, like a ghost.
From the little they’d pieced together about her history, Cam knew she’d died somewhere along the shore of Loch Ness. He knew she was probably Bryce’s first victim within his own family. Elspaith’s notes suggested she had been tracking her brother while he left a trail of burned bodies in his quest for immortality. Before he’d killed her, or perhaps with her dying breath, Elspaith had trapped Bryce in the loch by transforming him into a monster: the same curse that he’d passed onto Lachlan, and which now belonged to Cam.
It struck him that the same curse which had effectively sealed the fate of every Walker Witch since Elspaith was also the means of escape for Cam from that same fate. He felt as though the loch had sucked the magic right out of him. Was he even still a witch, without the fire magic that marked a Walker Witch Incumbent?
Or was that magic hidden within the loch somewhere, if he could just find a way to access it?
Tired and frustrated, Cam swam wide circles in the centre of the loch.Elspaith!he shouted in his head.Elspaith, show yourself!
The clouds of peat and pondweed staunchly declined to turn into the shape of a flaming woman. Another boat thundered overhead and Cam dived deeper, out of the light. He didn’t like being at the bottom of the loch except to sleep. It was so dark and claustrophobic. Despite the literal miles of space, it left him feeling like he was all cooped up in close quarters with himself. It caused him to get introspective, which could be a quick path to anxiety and despair on the wrong day.
Cam settled on the loch bed to rest for a moment. Near the surface he’d gleaned that the sun was setting. Perhaps it was worth trying to snatch a nap, so he’d be in a better mood to meet Lachlan in the middle of the night. Perhaps he’d dream, and lure Elspaith out that way.
He’d only been thinking it for a few seconds before the darkness pulled in around him more oppressively. Heavily. Like it wanted to crush him. And, right on cue, the water began to swirl and push at his nose and mouth.
Hell with this,Cam protested.There’s got to be a better way of getting to Elspaith.
A way that didn’t involve him drowning in his sleep. It washisdream, after all. Cam decided he was going to take it back.
Fighting the drag of the nightmare’s current, Cam willed himself a mouth that could speak. ‘Show yourself, Elspaith! Why are you haunting me?’
