Page 143 of Promises to Keep

Lady Mairead said, “Ye are right, I canna blame her, my apologies, Madame Hayley.”

Hayley sat quietly, staring out at the landscape as it passed. “What’s to stop me from going to Fraoch right now?”

I turned around in my seat. “It would mean crossin’ the battle lines, goin’ tae the enemy camp, and riskin’ becoming captive yerself. Ye canna consider it.”

“What if I went—”

“If ye go it would be tae yer death, dost ye think that is what Fraoch would want? Och nae, I was just telling my mother that ye werna goin’ tae cause trouble and now ye are wonderin’ about marching up tae the enemy gates?”

She shook her head. “I was just trying to figure out how to help.”

I exhaled. “If ye are held against me, the fate of the war would be settled, we would lose, and Fraoch’s life would be in even more danger. Nae. Do I need tae put ye under guard?”

“No, you’re right, it wasn’t a good idea. You can trust me.”

Lady Mairead said under her breath, “Asalways, I was correct on it.”

CHAPTER 68 - HAYLEY

Iwas irritated, confused, dismayed, all the feelings that meant: very upset. Especially after having pissed off Magnus. I watched out the armored car window as we rode along a newly cleared road through dense woods. There were felled trees to the side, then the woods gave way to the city, streets full of tanks, buildings in rubble.

The city was a ruin for miles.

Magnus’s army, tank after tank, armored cars, a mighty opposition filling the city streets, all pointing one direction. Beside the main thoroughfare we were on, stood a directional signage, an arrow pointing ahead:

Caisteal Morag, seat of the kingdom of Riaghalbane.

As if it was pointing the way for Magnus’s army.

One of the largest buildings ahead of us had a gigantic projection facing our front line: the flash of a photo of a king wearing an ornate crown, the words Ian I. Then the command: Lay down your arms. The flash of the king again, then more propaganda: If you surrender you will receive amnesty.

It dawned on me that Magnus was a mighty fucking important man and that this war was a real war, and a huge fucking deal. I mean, I knew he had said as much, but it took seeing it to really believe it. Everything was trashed too, like the battles had lasted for a really long time. Our car rolled through the war zone: soldiers looked exhausted, injured, their uniforms filthy, their faces dirt-covered, their boots muddy. In the distance, in front of us, gunfire, far distant explosions. I was handed a helmet and ear protection.

We climbed from the armored car and were hustled into the large command tent, surrounded by a barrier of rubble, protected by tanks and soldiers. I was trying not to look as shocked as I felt, but I was very shocked. I couldn’t believe Quentin was missing this, but all of a sudden Quentin walked up, “Hey! Surprise!” He did jazz hands.

Magnus hugged him. “How are ye here, Colonel Quentin — is the bairn all right?”

“Yeah, Noah is great, I lived in that hotel room in NC for weeks and got, I’m not too proud to say, a little stir crazy. Plus Beaty really missed Mookie and the kids, so as soon as the baby was cool we jumped to meet everyone at Balloch. I had missed you, so they sent me here to this date, I arrived earlier this morning.”

Magnus said, “Did ye meet Jack?”

“Yep, he and Noah are going to be great friends.”

“Aye, and ye were nae needed anymore?”

“Beaty wants me to help you, honestly she was sick and tired of having me underfoot.”

Magnus said, “So ye hae become acquainted with the battle plan?”

“I’m looking over it — your army is massive. I was studying the troop formations, and the engagements. General Wallace told me you’re waiting for a response from Ian. You demanded he surrender?”

Magnus said, “Aye, it haena come yet?” He scowled and gestured toward the projection. “Ye see he continues tae run this disinformation campaign. He is claimin’ tae hae won, though by all signs he has lost the war.”

“Yeah, your troops are bone-weary, it sucks to have that crap blaring at them. But we’ll be at the gates of the castle soon, and—”

“Aye, but… how much loss of life can we take?”

I asked, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but... you said our army will be at the gates of the castle? Then we will, what...? What will happen to Fraoch?”

---