Page 49 of Only a Breath Away

She turned it tae a page with diagrams and lay it beside the other and opened the third book and laid it flat as well. One page had her notes, one had very ancient diagrams, one had writin’ and diagrams.

She read over all of them and then looked inside the chest, as if she were comparin’ the instructions tae the machine.

We all looked from her face down at the Bridge, tryin’ tae see what she was figurin’ out.

She pointed at the top left area. “This is where he would trigger the return of a vessel. See this spot here? Ye can set it in motion, with a finger-press.”

I leaned in. “Och, I hae always wondered how Donnan accomplished it. Can ye turn it on?”

She said, “We can experiment, what vessel do ye want tae return?”

Colonel Quentin said, “Wait, don’t do anything, we’ll use my vessel.” He held one up. “Let me get it out of the house.”

He rushed away, a few moments later he called Zach on his phone.

Chef Zach signaled tae Lady Mairead. I watched her carefully as she pushed and revolved parts, checked a page in her book, then twisted somethin’ more. Then she said, “It ought tae begin. Tell him nae tae grab it, I am nae sure where it would go. I am new tae the process.”

Chef Zach explained it tae Colonel Quentin over the phone, and then we waited and waited. He asked, “Anything?” And then, ”What about now?”

He shook his head.

Lady Mairead read down a page of her notes, and looked inside the chest, pushed somethin’ and asked, “What about now?”

He shook his head again.

She said, “Well, I daena ken—”

A clap of thunder sounded outside the house. A deluge of rain poured down.

The dripping wet kids and the pig came squealing from the bunkhouse.

Chef Zach said, “Yep, that worked, whatever you just did.”

“I did nothing new, ye just needed more patience. Tis nae baking biscuits, tis turnin’ the time of the world on end.”

Zach said, “Yes ma’am.” And added, “Anyone need a beer while we think?” He went tae the kitchen and returned with drinks for everyone.

With an opener he popped tops off beer and soda bottles and passed them around. For Lady Mairead he poured the beer intae a chilled mug.

I acted incredulous. “What of my frosty mug, Chef Zach?”

“I only had one, Mags, please forgive.”

I sighed. “Tis fine, I hae only been livin’ with the privations of the thirteenth century while m’mum was in Paris, partyin’ with artists, daena worry, I hae grown used tae it by now.”

Zach groaned and joked, “Och, the boss and his mother will be the death of me.”

Lady Mairead joked, “Stop yer bellyaching, Chef Zach, ye might think tae hae two beer mugs next time. Or a frosted mug for my son, the king, and chocolates for me, tis the way tae my heart.”

He said, again, “Yes ma’am.”

She said, “Explain tae Colonel Quentin that I hae turned it off, tae give it a moment, then it should be fine tae retrieve and return it.”

She wrote notes in her book.

I asked, “And what are ye writing?”

“Exactlyhow tae accomplish it. I winna always have young men around tae help me experiment. I must note it down so I can use it again.”

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