Page 78 of Honour Bound
I nodded. ‘Yep. They seem to like working as a team.’ And then, because I couldn’t help myself, ‘Unlike you.’
Tipsania sneered at me. ‘What would you know about it?’
‘Nothing apparently.’
‘You think you’re pretty amazing, don’t you? Swanning around like you’re better than the rest of us. You’ve got no idea what it’s like to be part of a Clan and to have responsibilities.’
‘No,’ I said softly, ‘I don’t. Maybe that’s because you wouldn’t let me.’
‘Just because my father took you in as a charity case, doesn’t mean you were ever a Scrymgeour,’ she spat. She threw me a glare that Medusa herself would have been proud of. ‘Screw you, Integrity.’ With that, she edged away from me onto the ice.
I watched her. She’d barely taken three steps when there was an ominous creaking sound. In one lithe movement she sprang back. In a reflex action, I grabbed her arm to steady her. She snatched away and glowered. ‘Don’t touch me!’
‘Are you afraid you’ll catch something?’ I inquired. ‘It’ll be like things between us have come full circle then.’ I paused. ‘Scurvy.’
She gave me a blank look. ‘Eh?’
I grinned. ‘Never mind.’
‘I’m going around,’ Tipsania announced. She started walking off. ‘Don’t you dare follow me!’
‘I don’t have to follow you,’ I called after her. ‘I was in the last group to set off – that means I’m already three hours ahead of you.’
She didn’t answer; she didn’t even look back. I shrugged. If Tipsania was going left round the frozen loch, then I’d go right. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her.
Before long Tipsania had disappeared. I was tempted to run round the loch but it was fairly large and there was an odd prickling sensation running down my spine that suggested this challenge couldn’t be that easy. Conserving energy seemed sensible. It had been a clear day, so it should have been a clear night but I couldn’t see the stars or moon. That didn’t make any sense. Even the air around me tasted artificial. No doubt the Carnegies had more up their sleeve than simply making the competitors run around the countryside for a bit.
When there was a sudden whooshing noise and a row of flags at the far end of the loch was illuminated by several dozen flickering fires, I knew I was right. The finishing line was right behind them.
I slowed down and eyed the flags warily. This was a common trick used by museums and art galleries around the world: beam lights onto your most valuable object and draw moths to it like a flame. It worked for the general public during visiting hours and, in theory, worked for sticky fingers like mine. But I wasn’t an inexperienced thief and I knew that whatever was most brightly lit was usually an elaborate fake or a ploy to keep would-be thieves away from more profitable items. The Carnegie organisers weren’t stupid, they just lacked originality.
As I considered what to do next, pounding feet drew up alongside me and quickly passed. It was Jamie, with another Moncrieffe Sidhe behind him. That meant Byron and the other two Moncrieffes had elected to go the same way as Tipsania. No one would be reckless enough to try the ice.
That thought brought me to a halt. As the Moncrieffes pulled further away, I gazed at the frozen loch and stepped to its edge. The surface was glassy and smooth.
‘Mirror, mirror on the wall…’ I murmured, then I turned and walked back the way I’d come.
The other competitors were closer than I’d realised and more and more appeared from the dark shadows of the woods. As each Sidhe passed me, I received an array of glares and frowns, most of them suspicious and calculating. They scanned me through the gloom, checking to see whether I had hidden my flag and was strolling past them because I wanted to make a show of being in the lead. I gave them all a happy, innocent smile. Nothing to see here, move along.
Of course, the congregation of competitors meant that the drones arrived too. The noise they made was incredible; so much for the peace and quiet I’d been enjoying earlier. Now it was dark, they were using bright lights to illuminate the area and continue filming. It made it easier for me to see others – and for them to see me.
By the time I reached the spot where Tipsania and I had spoken, I’d counted thirty-three other competitors. It stood to reason that the same number had passed out of sight on the other side of the loch. That was good: I wanted as many as possible to zoom on ahead. It wouldn’t help my cause if my new plan was broadcast. The fact that so many of the later groups had caught up did niggle, however; they must have followed the tracks made by the first Sidhe on the course, just as I had done. It was February; nobody would be surprised that there was snow on the ground. Either the Carnegies were hoping for a thrilling photo finish for the spectators back at the Cruaich or they had something else to throw at us to separate everyone out. Considering there had been little action so far, I reckoned it would be the latter. Oh goody.
It didn’t take long before the first figure – no doubt Tipsania – was silhouetted in front of the distant fires. I squinted to watch. When she reached a flag and tried unsuccessfully to pick it up, I knew I was right. More figures joined her, each one with the same result. Those flags weren’t any more real than the Carnegies concept of honour. It was a clever illusion – just not clever enough.
‘Integrity!’
I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Angus MacQuarrie. Perfect. I grinned and beckoned him over.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked, as he jogged up. ‘The flags are over there.’
‘No, they’re not.’
‘Eh?’
‘Watch.’ I pointed across the frozen lake as the frustrated yells from the competitors reached our ears.
‘But the map said…’
