Page 70 of Promises to Keep

I groaned.

Lochie grinned.

Kaitlyn said, “Lochie! You better stop saying things like that about Lady Mairead, or I’m going to think less of you.”

“My apologies, Madame Kaitlyn, I winna do anythin’ with Lady Mairead. I will nae go near her, but... I daena truly understand it, Magnus, how come Lady Mairead is here, but yet ye are goin’ tae look for her?”

I said, “I explained it tae ye, there is a long line of time, and there are Lady Maireads at different times. Some old and some young, this one is a young Lady Mairead, I am searchin’ for an older Lady Mairead. Dost ye understand?”

“Nae, I daena... and why is time a line, inna it more like a wheel?”

My eyes widened. “Och ye sound like Cailean!”

Kaitlyn said, “It seems like it might rain, we ought to go.” She grabbed my forearms, “You ready to jump highlander?”

“Aye, mo reul-iuil, tis time.” I twisted the vessel.

* * *

We landed in the far-away park on the edge of Paris, and then had tae wait for our storm tae clear and... there was nae one tae meet us. We hadna expected her, but with Lady Mairead ye always worried when she dinna show.

I slowly lumbered tae m’feet and looked down at Kaitlyn and gave her my hand. She pulled herself up with a moan.

I said, “I have risen quickly because first, I am verra hungry, second, twas a long visit tae the past and we need food.”

She laughed. “It’s all your stomach then?”

“Did I mention m’hunger?”

She said, “Yeah, let’s get going.” She shook out her body and we gathered our things. Stepping from the clearin’ intae the woods and then up a slow rise tae get the view. Kaitlyn faced east and joked, “Where’d Paris go? There’s nothing but woods and fields.”

I gestured in the other direction, where Paris lay before us. It looked tae be just after dawn, which was an excellent time, because it looked as if it would be about three miles tae walk.

Kaitlyn pulled her cloak around her black dress. Neither of us had the right clothes for the fashion of the day, but we hoped the cloaks would help.

I knelt and brushed off our boots. We were both muddy though we had tried tae stay clean. She said, “Last time I was here I was a gentle-lady, with fancy jewelry and a fine dress, hanging out with poets and artists… this time I have on muddy boots, a medieval cloak, a plain dress, and—”

I joked, “A king, who is also in a sad state, a long slog ahead of us, but at least we hae each other.” I pulled our bags tae my shoulders.

We walked down the hill through the woods tae a village with wide green fields and low rock walls, a road going past with a car sputtering by and a horse-drawn cart laden with sacks, going the other direction. The road was so slim they had tae slow tae pass without drivin’ off intae a ditch.

We walked intae the village and up tae the first house with an open door. “Sir?” I called in.

The lady of the house, glanced, saw me there, and rushed, her feet thumpin’ on the wood floors, out tae the back. We stood there waitin’, able tae see clear through the house tae the fields in the back, until a man came around the house. He said, “Qu’est-ce que tu veux?”

I said, “Auriez-vous de pain pour deux voyageurs?”

His wife brought us a loaf of bread and I paid her from m’sporran. “Merci.”

Kaitlyn and I walked out onto the road. “Thank God you remember French,”

I ripped the bread in half and passed her a hunk. “Twas crude, but I got the point across without having tae use gestures.”

We leaned on a stone wall and shared the bread. Then a horse-drawn cart came up the road headed our way. I stepped out and hailed it, speakin’ tae the man briefly, passin’ him a coin, thankful I had thought tae bring them. He motioned toward the cart, the sideless flatbed, and in the center of it, a cask of… I dinna ken, because there was a lid upon it, but water had splashed around it. I called tae the driver, “What is in the seau?”

He answered, “Anguilles.”

My brow drew down.

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