The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,30
in disarray. Tis sure that an enemy is coming.”
“And all it took was a few vessels.”
“And a conspiring mother.”
Quentin stood to shake hands with the last guest then sank back in his seat. “The irony is, you know who would have loved this dinner, Lady Mairead.”
“Aye, I imagine she has been verra distressed tae miss it. All these guests hae likely heard she was arrested, there was a great deal of whispering. She will hae tae repair her reputation.”
“You might need to publicly pardon her.”
“I will need tae be in a better mood afore I consider it. Dost ye want tae go tae the observation deck? I hae a fine whisky from the Edradour distillery near Balloch, they claim tis aged fifteen years but I believe ye hae tae add three hundred years more if ye drink it here in m’kingdom.”
“Bring me up something non-alcoholic and sure, I’ll join you, but I’m conflicted, your mother just scared the shit out of me about how you need your beauty sleep.”
“Och, I am plenty beautiful. Ye canna be afraid of her, she is just threatenin’ out of habit and she inna even here. She is somewhere in the world we daena ken.”
“I can too be afraid of her, she’s kicked your ass pretty good before.”
“Aye, this is also true.” I chuckled. “I am glad she dinna tell me I hae tae make the king get some sleep. Tis all on ye if I look terrible on the morrow.”
He groaned.
Twenty - Magnus
I grabbed a couple of bottles and some glasses, we took the elevator up tae the top floor, and stepped out ontae a wide rooftop. There was a table with comfortable chairs set up in the middle. Lights were strung around in case there was tae be entertainin’, but I kept it unlit. I liked the idea of sittin’ in the dark under the night sky.
I poured myself a proper glass of whisky, and a glass of a sparkling soda for Quentin, and we sank intae our chairs with a groan. “It has been a long day.”
He said, “Hell yeah, and there’s a ton of shit to figure out.”
“Aye.” I sipped the whisky, rich and warming, while I looked out over the grounds. They were cast in darkness, but the starlit sky and the risen moon brightened the landscape. There were glints of light on the pools and throughout the gardens. Vehicles moved along the faraway roads, their lights shining ahead of them. It was the quietest the kingdom had ever been. “It almost feels like Scotland of auld.” I sniffed my glass. “Smells of it as well.”
“It does, especially without all the machines buzzing around. Peacetime is pretty great.”
“I wish Kaitlyn was here tae advise me. M’apologies for sayin’ it Colonel Quentin, I do value your opinion, I just—”
“Nah, I wish Katie was here too. And Zach, he would have some super insightful stoner-thing to say about it.”
“Aye, he would.” We looked out over the dark landscape.
He said, “So basically what we’ve figured out today is that the timeline is all fucked up and we are inside of it, so we don’t know?”
“Aye, our memories are compromised, as ye said tis verra concerning.” I drank a sip of whisky. “Lady Mairead is at the center of the troubles. I worry that she is so used tae jumpin’ through time she is loopin’ and changing her own… I daena ken the word.”
“Her reality?”
“Aye, and ours as well.”
“Sucks.”
We were quiet, each lost in thought.
I said, “I imagine that in the distance out there, is a man, he has become a traveler — like us, movin’ back and forth through time. There are storms on the horizon and we are able tae make out his movements, but he keeps tae this own paths. How many times hae our paths crossed? How close are we tae seein’ him? We had not known he was there, but now we do. Now we are catchin’ sight of him, the broken branch, the footprints, we ken he is there, but where? And what is his purpose?”
“It’s always power, right?”
“Usually, or money, but as ye ken, that is power as well.”
“You’re missing three vessels, at least.”
“Aye, as long as I hae been doin’ this, gathering and guarding the vessels, all it takes is the theft of one and we are in danger again. Now there are three gone.”
“I thought when you killed Roderick it was all going to be cool.”