Page 75 of The Empire and the Wolf King

I chuckled, “Magnusy? Ye are growin’ loopy, but aye, I will add it.”

Archibald passed me the book.

“I also feel Lady Mairead will be disappointed if I daena add m’own drawing. It ought tae be of Archibald, victorious, I think.”

“Hopefully with a sword not a vial of poison.”

“Aye, sometimes ye hae tae resort tae less heroic means tae win, but the art commemoratin’ the battle should always include the hero with his sword.”

I flipped three pages and found a blank half page and drew an image of Archibald on the crest of a hill, holding a shield and a sword. Twas a good drawing and verra large, taking most of the page. I turned it around tae show them.

Kaitlyn laughed. “She’s going to be furious.”

“Aye, but so she daena blame Archibald, I will sign it as well… Mag Mòr. King of Scots. 1291.”

Kaitlyn said, “The historians will be so confused.”

“Aye, this is what will make it noteworthy.”

I wrote some more. “Now I am writing the date we agreed upon, verra large. I wrote, ‘May 15, 2025 is a verra good day.’”

Kaitlyn said, “Yeah, that was a really good day, we had a big dinner on the deck, we had just celebrated Ben’s birthday — do you remember, Archie?”

He nodded. “Aye, I remember, we had a bouncing house. I would like tae go back there.”

I said, “And the inclusion of this date will make it even more confusin’ for the historians, evenmorenoteworthy.”

I closed the book and passed it tae Archibald.

He held it in his hands, lookin’ down on the cover. “Could I leave it in the library at Innis Chonnel — once I finish readin’ it?”

“Nae, that castle becomes a ruin, pretty early on, I think.”

He looked disappointed. “I suppose the safest thing would be tae leave it here. It winna hae tae last through as many centuries.”

I watched him look longingly down on it, then shook my head. “Nae, take it with ye, ye want tae read it. And as I just said, everything important ought tae be written twice.” I glanced around the parlor once more and my eyes settled on the physician’s register still open on his desk. “We hae time, we hae pens, we can leave the message more than once.”

I sat down in Doctor Everett’s chair and under our appointment date and his writing, I wrote:

Thank ye, Physician Everett, for yer care of Lady Kaitlyn.

I admired yer collection of Apothecary Remedies.

Your servant,

Magnus, Duke of Awe

5-25-2025 is good

Kaitlyn giggled when I read it to her. “None of that is going to makeanysense to Doctor Everett.”

Archibald asked, “But will Grandmother understand?”

I said, “Aye, she will figure it out.” I dusted off my hands. “The physician on the other hand will hae nae idea what it means.”

Archie walked tae the door, where he peered out. “Nae one yet…”

Kaitlyn said, “We really aren’t returning to Stirling to win back your throne and rescue the kids? Ugh, it hurts my stomach to think of not being rescued and of not going to get them.”

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