Page 30 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Uncle Lochie and a woman rushed up the steps and followed as I raced tae the safety of a shadowy alcove.

Once there, he asked, “Ye are Archie? How auld are ye? Who else came?”

“Nae one, just me, I hae killed the drone.” I looked tae the left and right. “And we daena hae time tae discuss, we hae tae get out.”

I raced tae the store rooms and crouched at the door tae the tunnel. “Ye gotta go in low, tis not easy. Were there more drones?”

“Nae, I only saw one.” He and the woman crouched down and rushed as fast as they could down the tunnel. I followed them, grunting from the effort.

At the tunnel door I peered out and gestured in the direction where Mario was waiting. Lochinvar nodded.

We raced from the tunnel intae the woods and ran along the river bank.

Lochinvar yelled, “Anyone followin’ us?—?”

“I daena think so!”

We dove intae the deeper darker woods, and found Mario and a place tae hide and collapsed ontae the ground tae rest.

Lochinvar asked the woman, “Ye all right, Ash?”

She nodded, pantin’ heavily. “And who is this?”

“Tis m’nephew, Archie, all grown up. Archibald, this is Ash.”

I said, grimacin’ from my puffing breaths, “Ye looked familiar, but I daena think I knew ye for long.” I tried tae calm my breathing. “We are hidden, I need tae rest afore we jump.”

“Aye, I agree.” Then Uncle Lochie asked, “But how are ye here? I left Stirlin’ and ye were a wee lad, what happened back there?”

“A great deal, Uncle Lochie, we hae been stuck in the past for ten long years. Uncle Sean was murdered by Asgall and King Edward attacked the castle, Ma and Da were kidnapped.”

Lochinvar’s face went white. “Och nae! Nae! I dinna take them the weapons! Tis my fault, I was supposed tae help bring the weapons and I dinna! Och nae. Dost they all blame me for it, twas my actions?”

I shook m’head. “Nae one blames ye, Uncle Lochie, at all. All of our vessels stopped working, we hae all been trapped. Tis not yer fault.”

He said, “Uncle Sean was murdered? Tis terrible!”

I said, “Aye, Da met the English king at Kippen Field, Asgall was there, conspirin’ with Edward, they murdered Uncle Sean during the negotiations.”

Ash said, “Lizbeth and Maggie will be devastated.”

Uncle Lochie said, “Aye, twill take a toll on the family, tis terrible news... where hae ye been living?”

“In Uncle Cailean’s castle, Innis Chonnel, in Loch Awe. Uncle Wallace has been takin’ care of us. Twas 1301 when I left?—”

“And in a decade nae one came tae rescue ye? Who else is there?”

“Uncle Fraoch and Aunt Hayley, Uncle Zach and Aunt Emma, Ben, Zoe, Jack, Isla, and me.”

Uncle Lochie said, “If nae one has come tae get ye, this is harrowin’, it has all gone tae shite. Ye hae been livin’ in the past without yer Ma and Da, where are they?”

I shook my head. “I daena ken, I haena seen them since... a verra long time ago when Asgall took them away.”

“Och, I am goin’ tae kill that guy.”

I said, “Ye will hae tae get in line.”

“Behind who, Archie — ye are goin’ tae kill him?”

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