Page 114 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Magnus leaned back in his chair. “Och nae.”

She added, with a bit of a smile, “Whenever I start a Master Reset I proceed with great?—”

Zach said, “You’ve done this before? When, how?”

“Who can say? I canna remember them all. Tis safe tae assumewheneverI show up unannounced I am performing one, tislikely.”

Magnus said, “I ought tae hae ye strung up for treason.”

Wilfrey looked shocked. Lady Mairead said, “Daena worry on it, Wilfrey, tis just his way. He blusters about all he is going tae threaten me with, but he never does it.”

Magnus said, “Ye said I gave ye this date?”

“Aye, from the depths of a tragedy from which we could not rescue ye, ye said, exactly: ‘May 15, 2025 is a verra good day.’ I hae come exactly as told, so there will be no ‘stringing me up’.”

“My apologies for threatening ye, Lady Mairead, I am just shocked by the news. Ye said someone else advised ye?”

“Aye, I hae taken the advice of Archibald, my grandson. He has been the one who helped me set the plan in motion. When I conspired with him he was about eighteen years old, and a fine lad, known as the Wolf King, verra capable in battle. He also urged me tae remarry, he was thoughtful about my situation, unlike his father.”

Magnus scoffed.

Fraoch said, “What happened that ye are overwriting?”

She drank from her brandy. “There was a man named Asgall who rose tae power, our family has been battling him, but he was gaining strength.”

Fraoch said, “Tis a stupid name, Arse-gall is what we should call him.”

“He is dead, Prince Archibald killed him in the year 1775, in Virginia.”

James leaned forward, “Whoo-nelly, nowthat’swhat I’m talking about, colonial Virginia! Finally some interesting time travel.”

Magnus shook his head. “I hae never been there, tis a great deal ye are revealing, and too slowly, although m’mind is already reeling.”

The door to the house opened and Archie walked out, followed by Ben. He came up and leaned against me in my chair, too big to sit on my lap, but this was his next best thing. I put my arm around his thin shoulders and kissed the top of his head.

He said, “I heard my name, are you talking about me?”

Lady Mairead said, “Aye, we hae been speaking on yer heroics.”

His eyes went wide, “How?”

I said, “Well, technically notyou, but your older self.”

Ben said, “Weird.”

Archie said, “What did I do?”

Lady Mairead said, “I daena want tae tell ye the details, but ye saved everyone in the family and rid us of a villain named Asgall who had been plaguing us a great deal.”

Ben and Archie high-fived.

Archie turned to Magnus. “Da, you didn’t fight him?”

“I dinna even ken who he was, this is the first I hae heard of him.”

Archie said, “And I killed him — how, with my sword?”

Lady Mairead said, “Aye, ye killed him with yer sword — yer father even drew a picture of it.”

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