It was almost comical. As I stared at the long ranks of demons standing to attention, at first they didn’t seem to notice our sudden appearance. Less than twenty feet separated us from the thousands of them. I sensed rather than saw when one pair of demon-slitted eyes landed on me. I turned my head and gazed at him as he gazed back at me, his shock swiftly transforming into abject horror. Good. That was what I’d been counting on. He reached across and hit his companion. One by one, the demons turned to look at us. Hello.

The ranks stretched lengthwise as far as I could see. I couldn’t begin to guess how many of them there were but it was clearly too many for the Highlanders to cope with. If they attacked my homeland, it would be a bloodbath – and the demons would inevitably win. Armies, however, were prepared for armies; they weren’t prepared to deal with a tiny group. A single person could stand against a tank; might and power weren’t always about numbers. As far as the Fomori demons were concerned, I was the bogeyman; I was also the bogeyman who’d returned from the dead.

One of the demons who was made of sterner stuff than the others took a step forward. I calmly released Fergus and Byron’s hands and reached into my bag. We had seconds before the Fomori recovered and charged.

The Foinse hummed as soon as my fingers brushed against it. The sound was reassuring, even though it felt hotter to the touch than normal. With slow, deliberate movements I drew it out and held it aloft, bathing us in its warm, silvered glow.

The nearest demons cowered, including the one who’d moved in our direction. It wasn’t surprising; the Fomori lived in semi-darkness and these guys weren’t swathed in the strange gloop I’d seen some demons wear when they crossed into our part of Scotland. That meant they hadn’t planned any incursions until nightfall because they felt vulnerable to the light.

The Foinse didn’t exude ultra-violet rays but the light which the source of magic cast was strange enough to create more fear and paranoia. Whatever the Draoidheachd looked like, it was either very different to this or it was kept well out of sight from the Lowland’s citizens.

A peculiar rumble filled the air, growing louder and louder. I knew that sound. Next to me, Byron sucked in an alarmed breath. We’d been fortunate not to emerge in front of any of the winged demons but it was only a matter of time until they approached. It was now or never. ‘Come on, baby,’ I whispered. The Foinse hummed louder in response.

‘I should tell you before you do this,’ Byron said, his voice even and controlled. ‘I love you.’

Magic crackled to my right as the Fomori prepared to attack and it prevented me from responding. I gave a tiny smile and then I threw the Foinse, using every ounce of my energy. Whatever sentient energy it possessed meant that it knew what it was doing; it somersaulted and kept low as it hurtled towards the Fomori ranks. They screamed and scattered.