Dagger Magic

Adam relayed Tseten's greeting by phone from Glasgow's Central Railway Station, where Peregrine was to rendezvous with Julia. At McLeod's insistence, he had settled into a back corner of the motorists' lounge and rested quietly for most of an hour during the ferry crossing back to the mainland, with his two lieutenants sitting wary watch and softly discussing the morning's work over sandwiches and coffee. He had withdrawn again once they returned to the car. By the time he roused a second time, as they approached the outskirts of Glasgow, a plan of action had started to take shape. The call to Julian was the first step toward setting it in motion.

"Well, that's arranged," he announced to the expectant McLeod and Peregrine, as he cradled the receiver. "She'll be expecting us around half past eight. Peregrine, I am sorry about the continuing disruptions," he added. "I wish I could absolve you from being there, but we may well need to call upon your talents."

Peregrine shrugged gamely. "That's all right. I'm starting to get used to having duty constantly hammering at my door."

"Yes, but it's wretched timing when it hammers at the door of the connubial bedchamber," Adam said with a smile. "Will Julia forgive you? Will she forgive me?"

A reluctant twinkle showed behind Peregrine's wire-framed spectacles. "Oh, she'll forgive me. She knows I'll make it up to her. And if you come through with a substitute for that curry dinner we had to scrub at the Colonial - say, dinner at Lancer's in Edinburgh - I expect she'll forgive you as well."

As Adam laughed aloud in acknowledgement, McLeod cast a wry grin at him.

"Looks like you can give your conscience a rest, Adam. I'd say the laddie has the situation well in hand."

"And how about you?" Adam asked. "Will this cause friction in the McLeod household?"

McLeod snorted and shook his head good-naturedly as they headed back out toward the taxi bays. "Since I didn't come home last night, I'm sure Jane will be almost expecting yet another demand on my time. Things like this have a way of happening when you and I are working together on a case."

"Ah, there's Julia now," Peregrine said, gesturing toward the dark green Alvis just then pulling up at the curb opposite. "Adam, shall I collect you about half-past seven? No point both of us driving back into town."

"I'll ring you at the gate lodge, after Noel and I have had a chance to sort things out further. Realistically, though, I don't think there will be time to go home before we're due at Julian's. I may just beg a ride back with you, after we've finished."

"Fair enough. If I don't hear otherwise, I'll see you there."

Sketchbox tucked under his arm, Peregrine trotted off to join his new wife. Adam and McLeod both gave her cheery waves as she leaned across to open Peregrine's door, but as they made their way back to the BMW, McLeod allowed his jaunty air to lapse.

"I hope you know what you're doing in all this," he said as he unlocked the doors and they both got into the car. "I'm bound to tell you that I'm none too comfortable about what went on back on the island. I find it less than reassuring that you haven't any clear recollection of what went on while you were in trance."

"Ordinarily, I'd agree," Adam said as he buckled up his seat belt. "I'm afraid you'll just have to trust me on this one. For what it's worth, I believe that Lama Tseten's intention was to introduce me to the universal templates underlying both our traditions. Certainly he believes that I now possess the basic intrinsic power with which to construct a defense against Green Gloves and his followers. And my own instincts are in favor of trusting his belief."

"So you say," McLeod agreed dourly, turning the key in the ignition. "What I don't like is that there's no way to field-test this before we come face-to-face with the enemy."

"On the contrary, that's partly the reason I've set this meeting at Julian's tonight," Adam said. "Whatever conceptual knowledge Tseten may have imparted to me, it was done at unconscious levels. There's still the job of bringing that information to consciousness, so it can be used. Fortunately, I have at least a vague idea what will be involved to accomplish that."

With an unconvinced snort, McLeod guided the BMW out of the station car park and eased into the proper lane to take them onto the motorway, not speaking again until they had negotiated the interchange that put them back on the way to Edinburgh.

"Answer me this, and I'll say no more on the matter," he said, glancing sidelong at Adam. ' 'Do you still think Tseten qualifies as a Buddhist saint?"

"Now more than ever," was Adam's confident reply. "And I expect our experience will demonstrate as much, before all this is over."