Page 46 of Only a Breath Away

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I drove us back to the lake house through the middle of the night and kept checking the rearview mirror.

“Do you think they’ll send the police?”

“Why would they? Joe dinna ken what the box was, he winna miss it.”

“Not entirely sure that’s how laws work. We do not want our Frayley Adventure turned into the Frayley Felony.”

He laughed. “If the police come I will explain it tae them, nae worries.” He dug through the bag of snacks I brought for the ride.

“Pass me the Pirate Booty.”

He chuckled, he always chuckled when he heard the name of it.

I shoved some cheesy corn puffs in my mouth and chewed. “You know if you think about it, we’re pirates, we just totally pirated that treasure.”

“Och aye, ye canna send the police after pirates, I hae watched all the movies with the bairns, tis nae how it works.”

CHAPTER 38 - KAITLYN

James and I followed Wallace to the closest village and found it, like everywhere else, empty. Wallace said, “I daena understand where the world has gone. I will kill the man who has done this.”

James nodded, “I’m pretty pissed at the men who have done this too, I blame Ormr and Domnall.”

William Wallace said, “Then ye ought tae help raise arms against them. We must fight them afore they take our lives. Once ye hae given me the guns, we will overthrow the crown.”

James nodded. “As soon as I find my friend, Quentin, as soon as I get to the crates of weapons...”

I shaded my eyes and looked around the empty lands, with overgrown unused gardens.

They had stopped speaking so I asked, “Where do you think everyone has gone?”

I sighed and said, “I can’t go too far away, definitely not in search of weapons, I um… I need to wait for Magnus. He’s going to come for me. I need to be here.”

I turned around to speak to them about it, but there was no one there. I spun, a bit of dust coming up from my heels.

Terror filled my heart —where was I?In the thirteenth century and literally all alone? I yelled, “James! James!!!”

Someone had just been here, I had been talking to someone, I was sure of it.

I sniffed my fingers, they didn’t smell like food, but… I had just been eating, hadn’t I? I had been talking to someone, I had been talking to James, right? And someone named William and…

I looked all around at the completely empty world.What the hell was I going to do?

Had I lost my mind? Was I all alone?

I slowly turned, taking it all in.

Nothing-no-one-empty-quiet-stillness filled my head.

Frightened, I turned and fast-walked, then, closer to the castle, I ran. It felt like the omnipresence of quiet was behind me, chasing me. I raced to the castle, through the open gate, up the stairs — panting and breathless, I made it to the bedroom where I collapsed on the bed.

And burst into tears.

CHAPTER 39 - HAYLEY

It was the middle of the night at the lake house and we all looked down into the chest.

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