‘I’m so sorry,’ I mouthed. Then I cleared my throat. It was unnecessary; I already had the attention of the whole room. ‘Ladies and gentleman,’ I shouted, in my most formal tone. ‘For those of you who don’t know, my name is Integrity Adair. I’m the only Adair left in the world because my father was a dishonourable bastard.’ There was an audible intake of breath. I silently apologised to my Clan – and my father – but I reckoned they’d understand. ‘I didn’t know him but I still represent Clan Adair and I want to prove to you all that I am honourable. I know there are rumours that I’m a thief, that I stole a necklace from Chieftain MacBain and that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But I’m not a murderer and I no longer break the law. Instead, I’ve been saving lives by working with mountain rescue. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago two Moncrieffe Sidhe survived partly because of me. I am making amends for my past.’

I paused. Although a few people were softening towards me, most of the crowd was still against me. ‘I understand that honour is vital to our kind. I have heard the word many times in the past few days; these Games are all about honour. We seek to honour our Clans by participating. Winning is not important compared to being able to look your fellow competitors in the eye and act with the same honour that they show to you. That is why I must speak the truth.’

I took a deep breath. The three Carnegie judges had entered the room and were standing at the back. I met each of their gazes in turn as I continued. ‘Recently, there was a Carnegie ship in the dock at Oban. I spoke to one of the sailors on the ship and discovered what was on board. It wasn’t deliberate on my part; at the time I had no idea the Games even existed. But I learned information which places me at an unfair advantage and which dishonours Clan Adair. In the interests of fair play, I can do nothing but share this information with every competitor here. We live and die by honour, after all.’

There was an angry murmur from several of the watching competitors. ‘What?’ someone shouted. ‘What did you find out?’

I glanced at Byron. He was looking at me thoughtfully. Right now, however, he wasn’t my target audience – those judges were. I focused on them. ‘I discovered that a giant spider is being brought here. It can only be for these Games. This is knowledge which I gained unfairly and which I now have to share with you. I need to prove to you that Clan Adair does have honour.’ I bowed my head.

Speck, Lexie, Brochan and Taylor began to clap. Some pixies and trolls joined in, along with several humans. Applause is often infectious and soon most of the occupants of the room were acknowledging my ‘honour’. I stepped down from the table, wiped the chocolate cake off my shoe and joined my friends.