Page 80 of Honour Bound
My head hurt and I knew I didn’t have long. There was a tug on the rope; Angus was getting worried. Screw Bob, I could do this without him. I began to kick, reckoning that my flag would probably be in the most inaccessible spot. Estimating that I’d already been underwater for at least thirty seconds, I moved as fast as I could.
I trailed my hand downwards, feeling different poles that stuck upright from the bed of the loch. There were too many and this was too much of a crapshoot. I’d have to go back to the surface.
And then the Carnegies did something incredibly stupid.
Whoever was warm and safe in the Cruaich and responsible for the drones’ actions was obviously concerned that I’d discovered the flags’ location before anyone else. From underneath the layer of ice, I heard the buzzing as the drones converged over my head. They were not only noisy, they were also bright. With their lights beaming onto the ice, I suddenly had enough light to see. And there, less than five feet away, was the flag emblazoned with the Adair tartan.
Bob gave me a thumbs up but I ignored him, kicked out towards it and curled my hands on the sodden material. I tugged but it wouldn’t come free. Shite. I tugged harder. Come on, come on. I was almost out of breath; I had to get the bloody thing now.
I tried and tried but I didn’t have the strength. I pulled back and concentrated. As bad as I felt for stealing part of Byron’s Gift, it was proving useful. With a bit of focus, the flag finally came free. I closed my eyes in relief and took off.
With the drones now lighting the way, I could see almost all the Clan flags and make out the hole that I’d created in the ice. Thankfully it wasn’t cold enough for the water there to re-freeze. I swam like I’d never swum before, reached the gap and pushed my head upwards.
‘Ice, ice, baby!’ Bob yelled. He was bobbing on the surface. He had foregone the mermaid look in favour of spiky hair and large sunglasses.
‘There are drones everywhere,’ I hissed. ‘They mustn’t see you.’
He stuck out his tongue but unfortunately it landed on a chunk of ice and got stuck. He flapped his arms and I rolled my eyes. He managed to peel away his tongue before flipping back his hair like he was some kind of Bond babe emerging from tropical waters. ‘That’s okay, Uh Integrity. I’m ready for my close-up.’
There were shouts from the shore as the Sidhe competitors ran towards us from all directions, finally realising what had been right in front of their faces all along. Angus waved to me frantically. ‘Integrity! You’ve been in too long!’
I waved back to him. There was one more thing I had to do. I took another deep breath and plunged down again. Fortunately, the drones stayed where they were and I knew the location of all the flags. The MacQuarrie ones were nearby. I wrapped my hand round the nearest one and it came free almost immediately. Surprise, surprise. What were the odds that the only flag that had difficulty in parting itself from the waters was the Adair one?
I pushed back to the surface as more Sidhe came onto the ice. Some were less careful than others and fell in because they’d chosen spots where it was particularly thin.
‘Get back!’ I shouted. ‘The flags are here. Take the shortest route or you’ll freeze to death.’
Most of them ignored me. I didn’t have time to worry about them – I had to get out. I grimaced. ‘Bob, go and tell them to stop being idiots.’
‘I thought you didn’t want anyone to see me.’
‘Better they see you than that they end up drowning or dying of hypothermia,’ I grunted, starting to swim for shore.
‘If you make a wish, I could…’
‘Bob, just warn them. Please?’
‘Pretty please?’ he asked. ‘Pretty please with…’
I swam as fast as I could before I had to deal with any other silly demands.
‘Where are you going, Uh Integrity?’
‘I have to get out now or I’ll freeze to death.’
Bob didn’t say any more. I heaved a sigh of relief as Angus pulled on the rope and helped me out. Considering how much of the ice had now broken as a result of the enthusiastic competitors, his assistance was welcome.
As I fell onto the bank, I rolled onto my back, panting. Angus grabbed me and yanked me upwards, wrapping himself around my body. ‘You’re freezing,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll help you warm you up before I go in for my flag.’
I’d never felt cold like this. ‘No need,’ I said, teeth chattering. ‘I’ve got yours too.’ I held up both flags.
‘Integrity Adair,’ Angus murmured. ‘You are amazing.’
I looked over Angus’s shoulder, beyond grateful for the heat of his body, as Bob yelled something at a bunch of stunned Sidhe. A few feet away, glowering at me, was Byron. He turned on his heel and faced the ice, using pyrokinesis to melt as much of it as possible and help those who were stranded under the surface.
‘We need to get out of here, Angus,’ I said. ‘Everyone else has caught up.’
‘Then,’ he grinned, ‘let’s go and win this thing.’
