Page 88 of Honour Bound
Lexie winked. ‘Chick.’
‘Shut up!’ a tiny voice yelled. ‘Shut up, shut up, shut up! Don’t be mean to Uh Integrity!’
We all paused, taken aback. Bob flew towards me, grabbing hold of my index finger and wrapping his body round it in an odd version of a hug. ‘Thank you, Uh Integrity. For what you said to that Sidhe about me. No one’s ever been that nice to me before.’
I patted him awkwardly with my other hand. ‘No problem.’
He withdrew, hovered in the air and pulled out a massive handkerchief. He blew his nose loudly and looked at me. ‘Will you wear a Deanna Troy costume for me this time?’
*
Nervous about what the final challenge might involve, I went for a walk after dinner. I saw few other competitors; no doubt most of them were exhausted after the Adventure challenge. There were, however, numerous clusters of Sidhe in the Cruaich grounds and I spotted more than one wad of money changing hands. The bets were apparently on.
I hadn’t gone far past the village where the other competitors were staying when the familiar lumbering figure of the Bull came into view. He saw me coming from the bottom of the path and tried to head in the opposite direction. For such a large guy, he was very nimble but that didn’t help him. I had his true name and he had to do what I asked.
‘Wait!’
He froze where he was and I caught him up. ‘What do you want?’ he snarled.
‘Oh, there are so many things.’ I gave my prettiest smile. ‘I just don’t know where to begin.’
The hatred in his eyes deepened. ‘Why are you even here? The Steward told me that you wanted to join my Clan, that you’d ask for that as your prize if you won.’ He spoke with venom but there was no denying his fear. To be fair, I couldn’t blame him. If I joined the Scrymgeours, he’d be expecting me to use his true name to make him obey my every whim.
‘I wouldn’t worry about that,’ I dismissed. ‘Do you really think I’d want to go back to being near you and the Scrymgeours? I’m a glutton for punishment but that’s taking things too far.’ I stepped towards him and dropped my voice. ‘That’s between you and me though, Cul-Chain. No gossiping about my intentions to anyone else.’
Relief was etched into his face although all he did was grunt.
‘Do you know what Tipsania will ask for if she wins?’ I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.
The Bull refused to meet my eyes. ‘No.’
Interesting. ‘Are you pushing her into a relationship with Byron Moncrieffe?’ I inquired.
‘None of your goddamned business.’
I tutted. ‘Answer the question.’ I pushed myself up onto my tiptoes and chucked him under his heavy chin. ‘Cul-Chain.’
He snarled but couldn’t avoid doing what I’d requested. ‘The Scrymgeours are doing well financially but we’re still regarded as a lesser Clan because we don’t have the history or the status of some of the others.’ His bitterness was apparent. ‘This will be a good match – for the Moncrieffes and for us.’
‘So you cooked it up with Aifric and you’re both pushing Byron and Tipsania into marriage.’
‘They understand their responsibilities. And you should address Aifric as the Steward.’
I waved a hand. ‘Yeah, yeah.’
He glared at me. ‘Is that what you wanted? Can I go now?’
‘Not just yet,’ I replied silkily. ‘Tell me what plans are in place to ensure I don’t win the third challenge.’
His face contorted. ‘I…’
‘Tell me.’
He let out another snarl of frustration. ‘The challenge will take place out on the main field. It’s been cordoned off all day while preparations are made. There won’t be an audience. People are being told they can’t watch so that the competitors aren’t distracted.’
‘No drones either?’
He shook his head. Veins were bulging alarmingly at the side of his neck. He needed to go for a medical check-up. ‘Then what will happen?’
