of thing keeps up, I’m going to be making apocalypse jokes like there’s no tomorrow.’
Chapter Four
T he next morning, as we breakfasted over a delectable mix of stale rolls, salt-and-vinegar crisps and Irn Bru and I tried to think of a way to gently break it to my friends that we were harbouring the root of all Scottish magic, I spotted Speck flexing his fingers and looking confused.
‘What’s up?’
He pressed his lips together. ‘I dunno. I feel ... strange.’
Lexie leaned over and caressed his cheek then her fingers trailed teasingly down his body. He jerked away. ‘You’re right,’ she said with a grin, ‘you do feel strange.’
‘Piss off.’ He scowled. ‘It has to be the effect of sleeping out in the open. It’s playing havoc with my sinuses.’
Somehow I bet it was a lot more than that. ‘Speck,’ I said slowly, ‘when was the last time you tried a spell?’
‘Hogmanay,’ Lexie said, answering for him. ‘He tried to do those fireworks, remember?’
‘That wasn’t my fault!’ Speck protested. ‘The average person can only concentrate for a maximum of twenty minutes and the display you wanted involved a lot more than that!’
I grimaced. Oh yeah: instead of pretty explosions of light, we were treated to an out-of-control Catherine wheel that burned off Taylor’s eyebrows. Speck was a warlock but, truthfully, that didn’t mean much. Few warlocks could control their magic and they tended to err on the side of dismal failure. In fact, many of them were so clueless that they often died young as a result of magical experiments that went horribly wrong. When Speck was at his best, he could conjure up enough magic to bust open a padlock; at his worst, he burnt down entire buildings when it all went tits up. The Sidhe might be limited to whatever their own personal Gifts dictated but at least they had absolute control over what they could do.
I decided to throw caution to the wind. ‘Try now,’ I said.
He stared at me. ‘You’re inviting me to do a spell?’
Brochan put down his cup carefully, stood up and backed away. Even Taylor looked alarmed. ‘Tegs, I don’t think...’
‘Shhh.’ I twisted round. ‘You see that window up there? On the right? It’s about the only one that’s not been broken.’
‘I see it,’ Speck said warily.
‘Can you open it? With your magic, I mean?’
He paled slightly and swallowed. ‘Sure.’
I glanced at the others. ‘Maybe we should all move away. Just in case.’
‘You realise he might blow up your ancestral home?’ Lexie whispered loudly. Speck threw her a nasty look.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. ‘It’s one way to sort out the mess inside.’
Speck wiped his mouth and stood up. Lexie squeaked and ran behind Brochan. I stayed where I was. Speck closed his eyes and pointed upwards. ‘Aperio!’
I held my breath as we all stared up at the window. Speck opened one eye and squinted. ‘Huh,’ he grunted. ‘Nothing happened.’
‘Thank the Highland heavens!’ Lexie stepped out from her temporary cover just as there was a sudden creak.
I kept my eyes trained upwards. With what appeared to be a mighty effort, the window swooped open. Unfortunately it also swung round and smacked itself against the stone wall, immediately shattering into a thousand tiny shards which tinkled to the ground.
Speck blew air through pursed lips. ‘Almost.’
Hm. I yanked my gaze away and looked at him. ‘How do you feel?’
I received a suspicious glare in return. ‘Why are you asking?’
‘Humour me.’
He twitched. ‘Fine.’
‘Any different to normal?’
An awkward expression crossed his face. ‘Yeah,’ he admitted. ‘I feel more ... tingly than usual.’
‘What’s this all about, Tegs?’ Taylor asked.
I took a bite out of my roll. It really was almost inedible. I chewed vigorously for a moment then swallowed and, without further preamble, told them. ‘The Foinse’s here,’ I said.
Speck flung his head around
Chapter Four
T he next morning, as we breakfasted over a delectable mix of stale rolls, salt-and-vinegar crisps and Irn Bru and I tried to think of a way to gently break it to my friends that we were harbouring the root of all Scottish magic, I spotted Speck flexing his fingers and looking confused.
‘What’s up?’
He pressed his lips together. ‘I dunno. I feel ... strange.’
Lexie leaned over and caressed his cheek then her fingers trailed teasingly down his body. He jerked away. ‘You’re right,’ she said with a grin, ‘you do feel strange.’
‘Piss off.’ He scowled. ‘It has to be the effect of sleeping out in the open. It’s playing havoc with my sinuses.’
Somehow I bet it was a lot more than that. ‘Speck,’ I said slowly, ‘when was the last time you tried a spell?’
‘Hogmanay,’ Lexie said, answering for him. ‘He tried to do those fireworks, remember?’
‘That wasn’t my fault!’ Speck protested. ‘The average person can only concentrate for a maximum of twenty minutes and the display you wanted involved a lot more than that!’
I grimaced. Oh yeah: instead of pretty explosions of light, we were treated to an out-of-control Catherine wheel that burned off Taylor’s eyebrows. Speck was a warlock but, truthfully, that didn’t mean much. Few warlocks could control their magic and they tended to err on the side of dismal failure. In fact, many of them were so clueless that they often died young as a result of magical experiments that went horribly wrong. When Speck was at his best, he could conjure up enough magic to bust open a padlock; at his worst, he burnt down entire buildings when it all went tits up. The Sidhe might be limited to whatever their own personal Gifts dictated but at least they had absolute control over what they could do.
I decided to throw caution to the wind. ‘Try now,’ I said.
He stared at me. ‘You’re inviting me to do a spell?’
Brochan put down his cup carefully, stood up and backed away. Even Taylor looked alarmed. ‘Tegs, I don’t think...’
‘Shhh.’ I twisted round. ‘You see that window up there? On the right? It’s about the only one that’s not been broken.’
‘I see it,’ Speck said warily.
‘Can you open it? With your magic, I mean?’
He paled slightly and swallowed. ‘Sure.’
I glanced at the others. ‘Maybe we should all move away. Just in case.’
‘You realise he might blow up your ancestral home?’ Lexie whispered loudly. Speck threw her a nasty look.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. ‘It’s one way to sort out the mess inside.’
Speck wiped his mouth and stood up. Lexie squeaked and ran behind Brochan. I stayed where I was. Speck closed his eyes and pointed upwards. ‘Aperio!’
I held my breath as we all stared up at the window. Speck opened one eye and squinted. ‘Huh,’ he grunted. ‘Nothing happened.’
‘Thank the Highland heavens!’ Lexie stepped out from her temporary cover just as there was a sudden creak.
I kept my eyes trained upwards. With what appeared to be a mighty effort, the window swooped open. Unfortunately it also swung round and smacked itself against the stone wall, immediately shattering into a thousand tiny shards which tinkled to the ground.
Speck blew air through pursed lips. ‘Almost.’
Hm. I yanked my gaze away and looked at him. ‘How do you feel?’
I received a suspicious glare in return. ‘Why are you asking?’
‘Humour me.’
He twitched. ‘Fine.’
‘Any different to normal?’
An awkward expression crossed his face. ‘Yeah,’ he admitted. ‘I feel more ... tingly than usual.’
‘What’s this all about, Tegs?’ Taylor asked.
I took a bite out of my roll. It really was almost inedible. I chewed vigorously for a moment then swallowed and, without further preamble, told them. ‘The Foinse’s here,’ I said.
Speck flung his head around
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