was cool too, though the headache from the anxiety was overwhelming.
I pulled the covers over her, dress and all, but she struggled against it. “Droch-spiorad!”
And I heard it as — dark spirit.
Oh.
My mind raced, what do you do when your roommate thinks there are dark spirits about?
I tried for soothing. “There there, Lady Fleming, there aren’t any dark spirits, see?” I waved my hand around and smiled. “See?” I didn’t know what I was proving, but it seemed sensible. I went to the window, and looked out. “It’s a beautiful day, no dark—”
She raised a finger and pointed at me and screeched, “Droch-spiorad!”
From behind me in the window — a cold breeze, a darkness, a shiver down my spine.
I turned and looked — a motherfucking, gorgeous, beautiful, awesome, so unbelievably brutal and oh so welcome — storm.
And I knew from my head to my toes that it was one of ours.
My hands shook as I closed the window.
She whimpered, “Droch-spiorad.”
“I know, I know.” I had a weapon. I had to swallow down my desire to hold a knife to her throat and tell her to shut the fuck up, that the servants were listening, that she needed to stop calling me an evil spirit... but that was my headache talking. And from the look of her, that was her headache sounding too. I crossed back to the bed and said, “Do you need something to drink, Lady Fleming?”
She shook her head.
“Let me tuck you in, you need to rest.” I straightened the covers. I wished I had some strong painkillers for our headaches, but oh my god, there was a storm outside, a storm! I could barely think. I needed Magnus.
She whimpered. “Droch-spiorad.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not. I’m the perfectly nice lady who lives with you and helps take care of you even when you’re being depressing as hell. Also, I’d like to point out, that you can’t do a damn thing about me, because you owe your life to Magnus and his money.”
She glared like a petulant child with the covers up to her chin. I was sure she couldn’t understand most of what I was saying — plus there was a storm, a storm! I felt free, freer than I had in a long long time.
“You know, Mary of Guise told me that Magnus was within his rights to send you off to live somewhere else, but he hasn’t, and he is too cool for that, but seriously, you need to get a grip. I have been perfectly pious enough. If you knew me in Florida you’d understand just how hard I’m working at this.”
She looked terrified. I huffed. “I‘ll leave Mary in charge of you.”
I put my hand on the door just as Magnus rushed it open. “Mo reul-iuil, there is a storm.”
I threw my arms around him. “I know! I saw it!”
“Is Lady Fleming a’right?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, she’s a moment away from starting a witch trial, but fuck that, there’s a storm!"
“Aye, grab yer things. Twas centered over the woods behind Holyroodhouse.”
We raced to our room and began shoving what we had left from our chest into our bags: Magnus’s weapons, the last of the lamps, the transmitter from our window sill. He put the last of the gold into a bag and put it inside the chest. “She’ll find it. I give her two days afore she is lookin’ through our things.”
“Are we really going home? Really?”
“Aye, either tis a friend or an enemy, but a vessel has carried them here and we are ridin’ it home if I hae tae kill them tae do it.”
We rushed to the stables, mounted our horses, and we were off. Though we tried to be quick it had taken and hour to accomplish it and sadly the storm had dissipated. We followed the high road through town toward Holyroodhouse. Magnus was watching the sky, the road, the woods. “Och, I canna ken where they are.”
“We have the transmitter though, right?"
“Aye, tis on and whoever tis will hae tae pass along this road. We will go see Mary of Guise.” He turned his horse and led me through the gates to the palace and to the stable. He talked the boy about putting my horse in the stall.
“Are you coming inside, too?”
“Nae, I’m going to go check the woods. Go inside, visit with Her Majesty. I will return verra soon.”
“Magnus Campbell, don’t you dare leave me back here, okay? You promise?”