Page 90 of Promises to Keep

Magnus said, “I think we need ye Fraoch, ye can trust Lochie. Canna he trust ye Lochie?”

“Aye, I am verra trustworthy, I take guard duty verra seriously, especially when chef Zach is in the house, we must protect him at all costs.” Magnus and Lochie fist-bumped.

Hayley said, “I want to go on the record that it’s not just Lochie who decides to be on his best behavior. I am a full member of the guard. I will be armed, I am married, and I am not to be accosted or tried in any way, got me, Lochie?”

“Aye, Madame Hayley, tis all been one big tease, ye are verra above m’station anyway, I wouldna insult ye with—”

Fraoch said, “What the hell is goin’ on — are ye really discussing this? I am about tae whip ye soundly.”

Magnus said, “Fraoch calm down, everyone is teasin’ ye. James and Quentin we will need ye tae look at the maps and help us come up with a strategy for attack.”

Quentin clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Can we go to the kingdom and get a helicopter, something really mind blowing?”

“Nae, I daena think we can access any of the weapons, we daena ken what is happening in the kingdom, it may be bleak. We must use what we hae tae extract Lady Mairead.”

Quentin said, “I think we have two ATVs in the storage in Florida, when you pick up the horses, James, check and bring them.”

James pretended to cry. “You don’t understand how happy this all makes me.”

Magnus said, “Be careful though, we are sendin’ ye alone, there may be trouble.”

Quentin said, “Use stealth.”

James said, “Trouble? There won’t be no stinking trouble. But I’ll be stealthy.”

We went back to the house for dinner, followed by watching Star Wars. We lay around on the furniture, with rough wool blankets pulled over our legs in the lofty great room of the main lodge, a fire in the hearth. It wasn’t cold outside, just a little cool, but the kids cuddled with us anyway.

The next morning my goodbye with Magnus was short. This was just for a day. It was dangerous, but it was one of those missions that needed all of us to partake in bravery. I smoothed the coat across his wide shoulders and said, “I’ll always be your harbor from the tempest, you know where to find me.”

“Aye, I will see ye on the morrow.”

We kissed, and then he left the lodge for the jump-spot and he was gone.

CHAPTER 44 - MAGNUS

After a great deal of planning, we jumped, and arrived west of the ranch so the sun would be behind us as we approached. Our landing spot was in a location along the West Boulder River about five miles upstream of the MacLeod ranch, behind a range of prairie-grass covered hills. We were in a valley, dotted with deep green forests, the horizon made up of blue snow-capped mountains. We found a place hidden behind a tree-covered rise, and set up a rudimentary camp for the night.

The wind came up, whippin’ the high branches of the Aspens. Colonel Quentin said, “This is good, the wind is coming from the east. They won’t smell us coming.”

Fraoch sneered, “Aye, but I can smell their stench on the breeze. How will I sleep?”

Quentin said, “I guess you want first watch?”

The night sky was flung with stars, cold and clear. The land hummed from all the life upon it. The aspens clattered in the wind. I asked, Fraoch, “What dost ye think of this night?”

“Remember when we used tae sit under a medieval sky in the thirteenth century? And I told ye that it felt as if we were at the oldest point in which a man could live? This feels older.”

“Aye, tis only the nineteenth century, but I was thinkin’ the same thing.”

The sun rose and warmed the land, an orange light upon it all. Fraoch said, “Twas m’turn tae sleep but the birds are squabblin’ and raisin’ a racket.” From a distance, we watched the designated jump spot for another storm, and the arrival of James Cook.

His storm rose about high noon, and when we arrived at the spot, we found James lying in the dirt, beside him: Sunny, standing, stamping furiously; my two other horses, Osna and Thor; and James’s truck, his big truck with the verra large wheels.

Colonel Quentin muttered, “Holy shit, he brought his truck.”

I greeted Sunny, “When was the last time we saw each other, Sunny boy?”

I stoked down his neck and he nestled his muzzle against my chest. He whinnied.

---