Magnus and a Love Beyond Words

by Knightley, Diana

  “True that.” I held Magnus’s hand and kept my other hand on Archie and though I was tired for the longest time I listened to them both breathing in their sleep.

  Chapter 34

  Magnus met with his doctor to have his stitches removed and then with Hammond for last details and to determine what we needed to take with us back in time.

  I spent the morning reading more of the book. I skimmed over some battle scenes, Johnne Cambel was really into writing about his glory in vanquishing his enemies. I slowed when the pages described the scene after the battle. There were bodies everywhere, and Johnne Cambel and his brothers went from body to body emptying pockets and findin’ “a grete manies ingeny and aparatus of...”

  This really seemed like the origin story of the vessels. The more I read the more I was sure, but it was the wrong date by a century. I couldn’t figure out why.

  I asked about Johnne Cambel from 1557 in Kenmore Scotland. The first entry said, “John Campbell of Glenurchy, Argyllshire, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, born January 6, 1532 and died on November 1, 1557 in Inchadney, Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom.”

  He died on the battlefield in 1557 and he wrote about in this journal in 1558.

  Johnne Cambel was the first time traveler and he was from freaking 1558.

  I knew it. I figured it out.

  Me.

  Of course I didn’t know why the century wasn't right. And I didn’t know how in the world Johnne Cambel who couldn’t even write his own name figured out how to use the Tempus Omegas.

  I asked the room. “How in the hell would a 16th century man figure out how to use a machine?” The computer answered, “In the 16th century the compound microscope was invented as well as the thermometer, also notable, bottled beer.”

  I said, “See, exactly my point,” but then I remembered there had been a man alive at the end of the battle. The man, Tadhg. I re-read in Johnne Cambell’s journal, “...being a man left with spirit we gathered him to the castle.”

  I flipped through pages and found one, deeper in, with a drawing tight to the inside. The drawing looked like a vessel. Sort of. Close enough to think I was right. There was another drawing, of a circle. Writing beside it identified it as, “Nae liquid nor solid.” I thought that was the neck cuff and the wrist cuffs, the metal that I had been bound with more than once. There were other drawings too, things I hadn’t seen yet. I read for two hours with paper beside me for notes. Sometimes I had to write the words that confused me in my own hand to decipher them. Many times that didn’t help.

  * * *

  I asked the computer to direct me to the room Magnus was meeting in. I left our apartment followed by two guards and pretended like I knew where I was going. I found the room and knocked quietly.

  Magnus was alone, at a desk, leaning back in a chair. “I was about tae return tae ye.”

  “I couldn’t wait, I wanted to show you this.” I opened the book on the desk in front of him and pointed at the drawn image. “That’s the vessel. There’s the metal thingy Lady Mairead put around my neck. There’s something else, see? I can’t tell what that means. There’s another something. Can we see the vessels? Maybe Donnan has more tech than you realize.”

  At the back wall there was a sliding door that opened onto another room. This one was filled with antique weapons, knives and swords encased on shelves lining the walls, like an ancient armory stored in a high-tech manner: white walls, fancy lighting, metal shelves, glass displays. There were doors at the long end of that room with an elevator that went down, down, down, deep somewhere in the middle-inside lower levels of the castle.

  We exited the elevator into a vault of a kind. “This makes me a little claustrophobic.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Scared of being trapped in a confined place.”

  “Me as well, and this lower level is where Donnan kept ye imprisoned. I have asked it tae be closed off but the lack of people in the outer rooms has me feelin’ verra vulnerable down here.”

  “How do you know where this is?”

  “Lady Mairead shewed me the other day.”

  “Where has she been lately?”

  “She said she needed tae do some travelin’.”

  Inside the vault was dark and old like a castle dungeon. There were wooden ancient-looking crates — five. Most of them were closed but one had the lid shifted off. Inside were vessels nestled in straw.

  “Are vessels in all of these?”

  “Och aye, tis many more than I originally thought.”

  “Anything else?”

  He lifted the lids on all the boxes, some were half-full, some were almost empty. It looked like twenty-three vessels in all. Inside a smaller box was a coiled ball of the gold metal that had once bound my neck. I gingerly poked it. I found another two boxes of the gold metal. A box with an apparatus that... I opened the book and turned to the pages with the drawings, this was not much like it, but could be… Johnne Cambell wasn’t a very good artist.

  But there were at least three drawings in the book that weren’t here. And there was an empty box.

  “Lady Mairead once said Donnan was watching your coming and going, that he knew you were figuring things out with the vessels — where’s that tech?”

  “I daena ken, I haena seen anythin’ in the drawers of his desk or the safe.” He lifted another lid on another empty box.

  None of this helped much but at least I knew the book was about the vessels and my guess was the missing machines were part of the reason why Lady Mairead wanted the book.

  “Why do you think the boxes are empty?”

  “I think someone has been pilferin’ the boxes. I canna ken for certain, but I can proffer a guess.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Aye.”

  “Which means she can track us, probably, and who knows what else.” I sighed and asked, “Should we take the vessel we need for traveling tomorrow morning?”

  “Nae, I have two upstairs. I also have a collection of weapons and some gear.”

  “Nicely done.”

  On the way upstairs in the elevator Magnus said, “Hammond and I have agreed on a date we will return.”

  “And we have a plan. We land in Georgia, then we get in touch with Quentin.”

  Magnus put his arm around me and kissed me on my forehead. “I will try tae be capable of fightin’ as soon as we land.”

  “I will try to get up too. If General Reyes is there, we’ll be ready. And next jump we’ll have Quentin with us.”

  Magnus said, “After that I winna worry as much.”

  Chapter 35

  That night Archie was calm, watchful, and barely cried. It was like he wanted to be kind because he knew I needed some baby to fall in love with, but also it was an unkindness because he was a serious sweet quiet baby I was falling in love with. Magnus too, it was in his eyes, a love that held him enraptured. I readied for sleep for another night with my hand on Archie’s, my other wrapped in Magnus’s. “Can we do this?” I whispered.

  Magnus’s voice came from nestled in the hair behind my ear. “What?”

  “Can we leave him?”

  “We must.”

  “But he’s so wee.”

  “Och aye, nae much more than a haggis.”

  I giggled and turned in Magnus’s arms to my back. He rolled onto me, our lips met, and we kissed.

  “We should have a son Kaitlyn.”

  “I know.” I ran a finger through a lock of his hair, pulled it out long and watched it spring back. “But what if we had to leave him?”

  “I daena ken if we could.”

  I nodded looking into his eyes. “Then we have to wait.”

  “I ken it but tis hard tae.”

  “It really is. So hard.”

  He kissed me again and we cuddled together spooning, watching Archie sleep.

  * * *

  There was banging on our apartment doors. Magnus was already gone from the bed.
I scooped Archie from the bassinet and went to the bedroom doors to look out. Magnus opened the door and soldiers rushed in, Hammond just behind. “Your Highness we have to move you to a safer location.”

  Magnus and Hammond were discussing the danger. Roderick’s men were coming, there was an attack on the castle. Three spies were found within our household, they knew we had been out on the grounds. They knew Archie had been born here. They saw a sign of weakness. I spun with Archie in my arms, what would we do? I considered the closet as a hiding place. My heart was racing and Archie began to scream.

  I said, “Shhhhh, shhhhhh, shhhhhhh, Archie,” Magnus called from the living room, “Kaitlyn, stay clear of the windows.”

  I heard Hammond say, “We are decided?”

  Magnus called, “Get dressed, Kaitlyn.”

  “Where are we going?” I rocked Archie in my arms right and left up and down.

  Magnus rushed into the room and began to dress in his clothes, a shirt and kilt, strapping on his belts and weapons, his sword across his back.

  “Dress,” he commanded. He rushed from the room calling over his shoulder. “Be ready when I get back.”

  I put Archie on the bed and hovered over him dressing. “Shush, baby, Kaitlyn’s trying to think.” I dumped my underwear and shirt and pulled on a pair of slacks and a shirt with a jacket. I had my 17th century clothes in a backpack. I put knives on my leg, all the while, shhhhh, baby, shhhhhh.” I picked Archie up and raced into the bathroom and combed through my hair, peed super fast, jiggling Archie in my lap, ran back to the bedroom and grabbed my backpack, strapped it on, and ran to the living room. There were guards everywhere.

  Magnus ran back into the room. “We are going.” He put a hand on Archie’s cheek, briefly, then said, “Pass him tae the guard.”

  “Wait, what? Where’s he going? Where are we going?”

  “They’re taking him tae a safe house. We are leavin’.”

  “No, he should stay with us, we should all go to the safe house, make sure he’s safe before we—”

  “Kaitlyn, daena argue. He’s goin’ tae be okay.”

  “But—”

  Magnus’s voice raised, his words were clipped. “See all these men, Kaitlyn? They will guard him. If I remain they will have tae guard me as well. Dost ye understand?”

  “Yes. Yes, I understand.” I passed the screaming, needing to be comforted, baby into some strange soldier’s arms and watched him writhe and scream and, oh god — Magnus pulled my arm.

  “I’m sorry, Archie, be safe, okay? We’ll come back, I promise. We’re coming back.”

  Hammond said, “The west lawn is the direction they attacked from, you need to go to the east rooftop.”

  Magnus pulled me down the hallway while Archie kept crying.

  * * *

  We shoved out of the doors to the rooftop. In the distance I heard guns firing. An explosion shook the ground. Magnus said, “Stand behind me.” He pulled a vessel from his sporran. “Hold on.”

  “How are they getting Archie from the castle?”

  He said, “Car. They’ll use our storm as cover while they escape.” He began reciting the numbers we had picked. I had been so focused on Archie I forgot to brace myself for the pain and anguish that came crashing into me a second later.

  Chapter 36

  I woke in a field, forcing myself up, get up get up get up, Magnus was kneeling beside me, clutching his sword, watching all directions. “Are ye awake, Kaitlyn? We needs be from this open space.”

  “Yes, let me get my bearings, hold on.” I pushed my hair from my eyes and looked around with bleary eyes. We were on the edge of a wide lawn, near some flower beds. Across the way was a building, but the storm that came with us rushed everyone inside.

  I clambered to my feet.

  “Head this way, this is the botanical gardens, just like I planned.” I ran crouching behind all the bushes to the front gate and the parking lot. Magnus jogging behind me, looking around cautiously as we hustled. “Now we just walk to the restaurant.”

  “Will food be happenin’? I am hungry as a bear.”

  I laughed. Our paces slowed to walk beside each other on the grassy slope along the two-lane road. “You often describe yourself like a bear.”

  He rubbed around his head standing his hair up in all directions and play lunged at me. “I am like a bear in my appetite. I am also happy tae have things just as I want them much like a bear.”

  I chuckled. “I don’t think of you that way at all, you seem pretty easy going, taking things as they come.”

  “Tis because ever since ye met me, everythin’ has been a’comin’. I can either argue or accept it. I suppose I have learned tae accept it in a way though I would verra much like tae live with ye here in Florida. Ye ken it, I say it all the time.”

  “That’s true I suppose you do. Okay, I’ll agree, you’re most like a bear. What animal would I be most like?”

  Magnus thought for a moment and said, “The iora rua.”

  “And that is?”

  “A splendid creature, known for living wild in the highlands and forests of Scotland, but they are also cousins of animals ye have here in the New World and I would guess in the future as well.”

  “Really? The iora rua, and they’re splendid? Is it like a deer or something?”

  He grinned. “They are verra splendid and they arena a deer.”

  “What are they then?”

  “They are adaptable and hardy, they have good vision, and are verra intelligent. They also make a nice home, tis much like ye.”

  “Tell me what it is!”

  “I am nae goin’ tae tell ye, you will have tae learn Gaelic tae ken it.”

  “Fine, but it’s splendid? Wait, here we are.”

  The road opened next to the off-ramp of the I-95 freeway and to the right the Cracker Barrel restaurant. “We haven’t been followed.”

  “Nae, there haena been any trouble.”

  Magnus faced me and I smoothed his hair after his dramatic bear impression. “You look good, considering you just jumped 300 years.”

  “As do ye.”

  We passed through the front porch and entered the restaurant.

  Chapter 37

  First, I borrowed a phone from the front desk and then I called Zach; I had memorized his phone number years ago.

  The phone rang and rang.

  I texted: Pick up, it’s Katie.”

  Then I called back.

  He answered, “Katie?”

  “We’re at the Cracker Barrel in Savannah.”

  “What? Okay, need a ride?”

  “We need Quentin.” I turned my back so no one could hear me. Magnus stepped close to block me. “We can’t jump into Florida for some reason. There’s a guy, have you had any trouble? Anyone looking for us? Anything?”

  “Nothing. It’s been very quiet and we kind of forgot danger was imminent.”

  “Good I’m glad, but also danger is imminent. Tell Quentin to come. We’re waiting at the Cracker Barrel.” Magnus mouthed something. I added in a low whisper, “Bring weapons.” Magnus said something else. I added more, “Bring all our 18th century gear. And Quentin’s. Oh and there’s a piece of paper in the safe, folded, it’s got a list on it, handwritten. Can you bring that too?”

  I passed the phone back to the hostess and profusely thanked her. She didn’t need to be thanked though, she was perfectly happy checking out Magnus, batting her eyes, giggling as he looked around at the decor, totally entranced by the kitschy, quaint, southern, general store vibe.

  “You hungry, Highlander?”

  “Och aye, I could eat a muc a’by m’self.”

  We followed the hostess to our table, “What’s a muck?”

  “A pig, mo ghradh.”

  “Oh they’ll have that, definitely.” We dropped into our chairs, Magnus making sure he could see the front door and through the windows to the outside. I ordered two large Cokes. I assumed there was Coke in the future, why on earth would they
have stopped making them, but I hadn’t been offered one which kind of seemed like what was the point of being a queen?

  We looked over the menus. I said to Magnus, “I think you should order the Country Fried Steak, none of your chefs will ever cook it for you and it comes with corn muffins plus three vegetables. I’m thinking if you sweet talk the waitress she’ll bring you buttermilk muffins too. Also you need this Bowl of Turnip Greens, that’s your style for sure.”

  Magnus stared at the menu, “Dost they have any dessert?”

  “Oh Magnus, just you wait: pie and ice cream. Coca-Cola chocolate cake and ice cream, yes, dessert. And we have at least two hours to kill and our next stop is the 18th century so we need to eat more than enough.”

  * * *

  After we ate, we leaned back in our chairs. “Och, I need tae sleep like a bear now too.”

  I grinned. “Me too, will they mind if we sleep here? Course I’m still horny as hell, we have got to have sex soon.”

  Magnus raised his brow with a grin. “We haena room here tae do it proper.”

  “True that, this needs acrobatics. We’ll have to wait for our 18th century bed.” We grinned at each other. “Will it be at Madame Greer’s house or back at the castle?”

  “I daena ken, I will need tae make amends tae Sean and beg his forgiveness.”

  “What are the odds he’ll forgive you? You said you used to fight?”

  “I have never had him hold a grudge against me, so if he has made peace with Lizbeth then we will be back in graces.”

  “So we are glad Lizbeth is alive and in charge of him still.”

  I leaned forward and sucked some super thirst quenching ice cold sparkling Coke through the straw. I leaned back and sighed. “Is Archie okay?”