Page 26 of Promises to Keep

Hayley said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud, my love.”

CHAPTER 16 - KAITLYN

As we went down the elevator I whispered to Magnus, “Are we safe?”

Quentin overheard and answered, “I’m armed up.”

We walked out in the golden hour, the night being overly hot and humid, the dinner rush, people everywhere, the aroma of restaurants wafting in the air, queues of diners waiting on the sidewalk for seats.

We all crammed into the little pizza shop, ordering slices, one each, just inside the door, with a rough and tumble cacophony of kids yelling, “Me too! I want that too!”

Then we shuffled through to the dining area, sliding together three tables, though there were not enough chairs, but that was okay, some of us stood.

Chef Zach was at the cash register, ordering drinks, passing soda cans over his shoulder. The drinks moved down the line like a water brigade to our tables. Then we all popped open the tops at once and the kids thought it was hilarious.

Cooks in the back yelled, “Two cheese!”

And then “Four pepperonis!” passing them over the counter, big wide greasy triangles. Emma handed out tiny square paper napkins to sop up the grease.

The owner showed us all the proper fold technique, and the pizza was delicious, but then the kids only had one or two bites, because they were already full. So Lochie, Magnus and Fraoch each ate one, then finished all the kids’ pizza, then ordered more.

Finally Magnus sat back and patted his stomach. “Och, I canna eat another thing,” but then he added, “Ye ken what we need? Ice cream! Is there an ice cream spot?”

The owner told us about a gelato shop around the corner and down half a block and even though Zoe was exhausted, Magnus got up close to her face and said, “Wee Zoe, yer Uncle Magnus wants tae buy ye some ice cream, would ye please come hae some?”

She nodded her sleepy head on Emma’s shoulder and then put her arms out and got up in Magnus’s arms, Isla climbed up in Fraoch’s arms. And we left the pizza shop for an ice cream shop.

Emma joked, “This is entirely too much food but how can any of us argue with Magnus, he’s still thin, and he does like ice cream soverymuch.”

We trailed down the sidewalk, as the sun went down, as the night grew dark, and found the gelato spot and took up twenty minutes of their time asking for every flavor in big cones. Then we stood out on the sidewalk and people-watched as we ate our ice cream.

Then we walked home, Zoe in Zach’s arms, falling asleep, Isla’s sleepy head against Magnus’s shoulder once more. The rest of us, trailing behind them, skirting the crowds along the street.

Then we made it back to the hotel.

I said to Magnus, with the light of the city glowing around the edges of the curtains, “Are you worried about her?”

“Verra. And irritated, because this is a trouble of her own makin’. If she dinna travel around and around in such close loops, tryin’ tae save herself from the passage of time, she would be safe right now. I had her, but she wasna the same person, she was from the wrong time...” He added, “But I am still concerned about her, she is dangerous if she is held prisoner. Who kens what she might divulge?”

“I don’t think she will divulge anything, I think she is too strong.”

“You think she would die afore she would tell it?”

“Yes, she would lay down her life before she would help Agnie in anything.”

CHAPTER 17 - KAITLYN

In the morning, sitting around the table with coffee mugs in front of us and baskets of bagels and cream cheese, Magnus said, “We need a plan—” There was a knock on the door.

Quentin went and answered it saying, “Probably Beaty, she needed to finish dressing.”

He pulled the door open and Beaty entered. Her pale green hair was mussed, her face, also tinged a bit green, had an ill expression.

Emma said, “Beaty, I wondered where you were this morning, we got your favorite kind of bagels—”

Beaty slumped down in a chair that Quentin pushed out for her; she looked like she was about to throw up. “Tis alright, Madame Emma, I—” She clamped a hand over her mouth, gagged, twisted away from the table, dove for the trashcan, and retched into it.

Sophie jumped up and held a napkin under Beaty’s mouth. “Are ye well, Madame Beaty?”

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