‘Morna Carnegie. She calls nature,’ the MacQuarrie competitor next to me said, registering my curiosity. He stuck out his hand and grinned. ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Angus.’

I smiled back and shook his hand. ‘Integrity,’ I murmured.

‘I know. I don’t think there’s anyone here who isn’t aware of who you are.’

‘I’m not convinced that’s a good thing.’

‘Are you kidding? The other Clans have been at the top for so long, they’ve forgotten what it’s like to have some real competition on their hands. I’m expecting good things from you, Integrity Adair.’ My unspoken question must have been reflected in my face. ‘Lily was my cousin,’ Angus MacQuarrie told me. ‘She was a good person.’

A wash of sadness overtook me. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, inadequately. ‘She helped me a lot.’ I sucked in a breath. ‘She deserved a better end.’

He touched my arm. ‘You brought her to us so we could lay her to rest in the MacQuarrie grove. A lot of others wouldn’t have bothered, not least because we’re considered the weakest and most unimportant of all the Clans.’ He grimaced. ‘The madness we experience has a lot to do with that.’

I felt a prickle along the back of my neck and turned to see Byron glaring at me. What was his problem? I looked back at Angus, wanting to ask him more about the infamous MacQuarrie insanity, but the boom of a cannon drew my attention.

‘Watch this,’ Angus whispered. ‘Morna’s amazing.’

The Carnegie woman reached the centre of field and raised her arms to the heavens, her head tilted back as if she were talking to the clouds. A heartbeat later, the ground beneath my feet began to vibrate. I jerked up my feet, alarmed. Angus laughed although I noticed that a few others had reacted the same way as me.

The air crackled as if coalescing into something heavier and more oppressive. I didn’t like this at all and I sat up straight, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. There was no need, though – it was all part of the show. As I watched, gobsmacked, Morna Carnegie snapped her fingers and a row of purple heather sprang out from her left. I gaped. She clicked again and the same thing happened from her right hand. She spun, moving faster and faster. Now more and more lines of different coloured heather appeared in an intricate and predesigned pattern. I shook my head in amazement. ‘How…?’

‘Impressive, right? When it comes to flora, there’s very little that she can’t call up.’