Page 67 of Honour Bound
‘I know me. Now hang on.’ And with that I took off.
Anyone who’s ever run on a beach – or through snow – knows how hard it is. What the organisers hadn’t counted on was that the feet that had gone before me had done a great job of stamping out a path. I knew that I was moving faster than the others. It didn’t mean I’d catch them up but it did mean I had a chance.
I hit the tree line before noon, just as the first buzz of a drone sounded overhead. It hovered above me, as if even the machine couldn’t quite believe what it was seeing. I tipped back my head and addressed it.
‘You thought you could delay me by dropping me in the wrong place,’ I said. ‘Or maybe even kill me. But here I am anyway.’ I grinned and stuck out my tongue. ‘You can’t keep a good Sidhe down.’
Unfortunately, because I was still moving and not looking where I was going, I slipped again and landed flat on my back. I eyed the drone while it continued to watch me. As soon as it gave up and took off, I pushed myself to my feet and continued.
The Carnegies had picked a pretty spot for their Hunt. Even in winter, with the branches of the evergreens bowing with snow, and crisp cool air that was less gusty now I was out of the open, it was a stunning vista. I called up a mental image of the map. I didn’t think the first clue would be too far away now.
My vision cleared and I frowned at the path: something was wrong with those tracks. No sooner had the thought entered my head than a shape barrelled out of the trees with an inarticulate war whoop.
I leapt out of the way and the shape flew past me, halting a few feet away and spinning round. ‘Who are you?’ I yelled.
‘You know exactly who I am, you bitch!’
I regarded the pretty blonde carefully. I’d seen her face before but I couldn’t place her. ‘Um,’ I demurred. ‘You’re…’
‘Kirsty Kincaid,’ she snarled.
‘Oh.’ I nodded wisely, as if I should have already known. ‘Hi, Kirsty. What can I do for you?’ It was a daft question; it was clear she was here to stop me in some way. The Kincaids had been in the first group that set off and she should have been miles away from here by now.
‘You stole the Foinse. Where is it?’
Oh for goodness’ sake. ‘I didn’t take the damn Foinse. It flew away.’
‘So where is it then?’
I threw up my hands. ‘How should I know?’
Kirsty glared. For some reason, she seemed to believe me but she wasn’t done yet. ‘You forced my cousin out of the competition.’
‘Pike?’ I snorted. ‘That was his fault. As you probably already know.’
She glared at me but she didn’t mention Pike again. ‘You killed my Chieftain.’
I kept my arms by my sides and my tone calm. ‘No, I didn’t, I tried to save him. He fell.’ It was true. On our return journey from the Foinse, he’d unbalanced himself whilst crossing a precarious rope bridge. I’d done what I could to save him; if it hadn’t been for Aifric, I’d probably have been successful.
Something like panic crossed her face. ‘Liar.’ There was little conviction behind the word.
‘No. I’m not.’
She flung herself at me, her hands curved into claws and her nails raking my face. I winced and pulled away. ‘I’m kind of busy here, Kirsty. Maybe we could have this conversation some other time.’
‘Fuck you!’ She attacked me again, grabbing hold of my hair and yanking it hard. Buggering shite. Give me a guy any day over this; women fought dirty. ‘Tell me why!’ she shrieked. ‘Why did you do it?’
I prised away her fingers and held them at arm’s length. She tried to swipe me with her other hand but I dodged. ‘I didn’t do it,’ I said patiently.
She glared at me. ‘I’ll get the truth.’
I half snorted. I’d given her the truth, whether she realised it or not. Although, it would admittedly be lovely if you could just desire the truth and then receive it in turn. It would certainly make my life a lot easier with tracking down what had actually happened to my Clan and what Aifric was up to.
She freed herself from my grip and stepped back, her eyes wide. ‘Why did you kill William Kincaid?’
My skin tensed in goose bumps. They felt unnatural. ‘I didn’t kill him,’ I repeated. ‘And what exactly are you trying to do to me?’
‘You’re a witch!’
