Page 74 of The Empire and the Wolf King

“Grandmother made me promise I would return it…” He exhaled. “I suppose I hae a lot tae tell her. I will hae tae go.”

I looked all around the parlor and turned tae look at the wall of apothecary jars. “Maybe ye daena hae tae, if ye daena want tae. We can leave the monitor here in this room and... we can let Lady Mairead come and get it, she needs the adventure.”

It looked as if there would be room up on the top shelf behind the smaller jars. “I think twill fit up there. Do ye hae a book for leavin’ her a message?”

He pulled two books from his bag. “She gave me a couple tae read: The Art of War and?—”

“I am glad ye hae the Art of War, tis a good book, twill serve ye well.”

He picked up the other book and turned it tae read the spine in the lantern light. “Gulliver’s Travels by Swift. I haena read it yet, hae ye read it?”

“Nae, but dost ye remember watchin’ the movie?”

He said, “Aye, tis why I asked Grandmother for it, I thought I could read it, och, I miss movies. The last one I watched was Star Wars.” He flipped through the pages, then pointed, “I could leave a message here.”

“Ye write while I hide the monitor.”

I ripped the bottom off a piece of paper from Archibald’s folder and wrote with a flourish:

For Lady Mairead, from M

and taped it tae the monitor with first-aid bandage tape.

I dragged a low footstool tae the shelves and climbed up, reachin’ tae the top shelf, and feeling along the top of the jars. I checked m’fingers. “Tis dusty, good, it haena been dusted for a time, they winna find it.”

I moved a few of the ceramic jars forward, shoved the monitor with the note behind the jars, and rearranged them so nae one would notice. “They are behind the jar labeled: Mandragora officinarum, put it in yer message.”

I sat down in the chair to see what Archibald had already written.

Kaitlyn said, “Reminder, make it small, please, or Lady Mairead will get irritated.”

I said, “Or, we can write it as averrabig note with extra large drawings, she loves when I draw on valuable books.”

Archibald chuckled. “I did... and Grandmother is goin’ tae be furious, since tis something I already told her on the dead man.”

He showed us the page. It read verra large:

Archibald

Killed

Asgall

June 18, 1775

I said, “Tis never a bad thing tae say something important twice.”

Underneath it was a large drawing of a jar, labeled Mandrake. The monitor was behind it, with an arrow, and the word ‘here’ and then ‘Doctor Everett’s house.’

Kaitlyn said, “You got your talent from your father.”

I asked, “The talent for drawin’ or upsetting Lady Mairead?”

She said, “Both,” with a laugh.

I said, “Ye are feeling better?”

“The painkillers have kicked in. Don’t let me drive or make decisions. I’m getting loopy. Speaking of, if Lady McBitch’s doing a do-over we can’t let her decidewhen, who knows what date she’ll pick. She might want to start over before Magnus met me, add our choice, Magnusy-sugar-lovey.”

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