Page 106 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Liam said, “We dug it up in the garden. Speaking of, ye ever see one?”

Finch said, “Ye hae one here?”

Liam jumped up, “I do!” and left the room.

Blakely got us another round of drinks.

I said, “Day drinking and talking about time travel in Scotland while jet lagged, this is mind-blowing!”

Finch chuckled, then yawned widely. “Och I will be ready for bed, but how can we sleep? It’s too excitin’.” He stretched and put an arm around me and kissed my forehead.

Liam returned a few moments later carrying a fine cardboard box with tissue paper sticking out from under the lid. He pushed a tray of meat and cheese to the side and placed the box in the middle of the table. He lifted the lid. “Lady Mairead delivered it this morning.” He pushed the paper away and showed us a small device. “She calls it a vessel.” It was a little bit longer than a red bull can, a dull gray metal, smooth, and there were markings and symbols along the sides.

I reached toward them. “Can I touch it?”

“Ye can touch it, but ye ought no’ hold it. It grabbed us. We were holdin’ it, and then it ripped us away. It’s verra painful.”

“Then I definitely won’t.” I poked it.

Finch poked it, then Liam poked it.

It rolled in the box and seemed weighted, alive, it came to a stop and settled there.

I said, “She just dropped it off?”

Blakely said, “She had a very handsome young man with her, she gave him a tour of the castle.”

Liam said, “I thought she was goin’ tae spend the day, but she left when I told her ye were comin’.”

Finch laughed, “Me?”

I said, “Well the father ofherson was alsoyerfather, she probably inna interested in meetin’ you.”

Finch said, “Ye’re probably right, though I am a lovely person, she ought no’ hold m’father against me.”

Liam said, “So I am tasked with a job — I hae tae replace it intae its box under a tree. And then I am tae go look in another box under a different tree and report tae Lady Mairead if it’s empty.”

Finch said, “Ye need some help? It’s too early tae sleep, I need something tae do.”

CHAPTER 48 - KARRIE

BALLOCH CASTLE - PRESENT DAY

That was how we ended up standing on the bank of the river Tay while Liam shoveled dirt off a metal box that had been buried beside the roots of a tall tree.

He lifted the lid and looked inside. There was a handgun, a box of bullets, a bunch of pens, a stack of paper, a small sack, and a flint. Finch crouched beside it and pulled out the sack to look inside. He poured the contents into his palm: small gemstones and an assortment of coins.

I asked, “What is that for?”

Liam said, “From what we are gatherin’, this is an emergency vessel. If they need it they can dig it up.”

I said, “Oh, and there’s money and a gun, in case.”

Finch poured the gems back into the sack, tightened the drawstring and placed it back in the box.

Liam said, “I am goin’ tae go fast, I daena want tae touch it.” He wore gardening gloves, rustled through the tissue paper in the cardboard box, grasped the vessel, and quickly flung it into the metal box. It clanked on the bottom. “Och, did I break it?”

We all peered down.

---