I shrugged. ‘It’s my fault she’s unconscious.’

‘You’ll come in last if you do this,’ Bob warned.

I rather thought that Kirsty would come in last but I took his point. ‘I won’t be last if I’m smart,’ I said.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

I smirked and twisted to my left, plunging into the trees and leaving the footsteps and the path behind.

‘Uh Integrity!’ Bob shrieked. ‘What are you doing?’

‘It was a long shot to think I’d catch up with the others,’ I said. ‘The map only leads to the first clue. There’s nothing that says I can’t skip it and find the flags instead.’

‘How will you find the flags without directions?’

‘Lady Luck, Bob.’

‘You’re a freaking idiot,’ he muttered.

I grinned, shifting Kirsty’s weight to make her easier to carry. ‘I know.’

Chapter Fifteen

There was more method to my madness than Bob realised. I’d planned all along to avoid the trail left by the others; I was just doing it earlier than expected. I never trusted solely to luck ‒ I wasn’t that stupid ‒ but Bob didn’t need to know that. It would be fun to see his expression when he realised my shortcut was working.

I’d noticed that Kirsty doubled back before she threw herself at me. She’d already been to at least one other clue before apparently deciding she couldn’t win so she might as well go after me instead. I fumbled as I walked, eventually finding the folded paper in her coat pocket. I scanned it carefully: it was the third clue. I wriggled in delight before adjusting my direction. Despite Kirsty’s weight, her attack was proving to be a boon. Now I knew exactly where to go.

With the time I’d lost from being dropped in the wrong place, as well as my slower pace now I was carrying Kirsty, this new route was exactly what I needed. I could avoid what looked like a giant loop designed to irritate the competitors. Nipping through the woods would take me to the end point faster than wending my way through all the marked clues and, because of the tree cover, the drone couldn’t follow me.

I picked my way through the trees, moving north-east to where the end point should be. From time to time, Kirsty stirred, mumbled something under her breath and then collapsed again. If I needed proof that my inadvertent theft of Sidhe Gifts could cause problems, this was it – although I was pretty excited at the thought of trying out Truth Seeking on Aifric. It could get me the answers to all my questions – and then some.

Despite the cold air, sweat was pooling uncomfortably between the tight fabric of my bra and my breasts, but even with this mild discomfort and my worry about Kirsty the challenge so far wasn’t unpleasant. Occasionally there was a chirp from a passing bird or a scuttle from something in the undergrowth. The thick pine trees gave off a heady scent unlike the sharp freshness that I was used to at higher altitudes with mountain rescue. As someone who’d spent most of her life among urban dwellers, I was rapidly beginning to appreciate more rural surroundings. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t enjoy sitting in a pub with a hot toddy and a roaring fire though. A skilled masseuse would be equally welcome because my back was aching from lugging around Kirsty. Unfortunately I doubted I’d find one around here.