The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,64
tae be.”
We packed up all their stuff, loaded all our suitcases into the van, and drove it back to Edinburgh to drop it off at the rental agency. We used Mags’s vessel to jump back to Florida.
Quentin was already formulating a plan. We had nothing but time and we were also frantic that time was running out. We had a date, but nothing else.
The plan was to jump a few days after Magnus had last been there and wait for them.
Quentin believed this was the work of a guy he called Sir Paddy. His guess was that he was a rogue bad guy making a power play, and somehow we would have to stop him.
Fraoch, as we planned our gear and our arrival date kept asking questions on the variation of, “Will there be an army?” Or “Is there tae be a battle?”
I thought it might just be a kidnapping, that Hammond or Lady Mairead would be able help.
All I kept thinking was, we knew the date but we didn’t know anything else. We were going to the castle, but if the royal family was hidden how would we find them? She had Isla with her. The world was really big and Isla was very, very small.
Thirty-nine - Kaitlyn
There was a loud scuffle and yelling down the corridor — my husband’s voice. “Let me go! I am yer king!” I clung to the bars of my cell and tried to see him.
“Magnus? Magnus!”
“Kaitlyn!” He was dragged into the cell beside me, dropped to the ground with a thud and the door clanged shut, the lock clicked. Men walked away down the hall. All of them — that was good.
“Magnus are you okay? Was it your heart?” I couldn’t see him and the volume of the news was making it hard to concentrate.
“Aye. They hae given me something tae—” He coughed and then groaned. His voice coming from down on the floor.
He didn’t continue speaking.
“They gave you something for your heart and sent you down here?”
“How are the bairn?” His voice sounded like it was hard to speak.
I sank down the bars to the ground and Archie crawled into my lap. “Archie is here, Isla is sleeping on the bed.”
“Hi da.”
“Hallo Archie, I am goin’ tae be okay, daena be afraid.”
“Magnus, Archie has something...” I pressed closer to the bars to get my voice to project. “He has… remember? In his pocket?” I whispered it loudly because of the news.
The anchorwoman on the video said, “…seems sure that King Magnus is dead on this tragic night…
No sound from Magnus until he said, with a groan, “Archie ye are a smart boy… always carry yer blade.”
I said, “What are they doing? Who is this? Is this that guy?”
“Aye, Padraig Stuart, he has attacked the kingdom. But—” He coughed. “...there are more armies and…” His voice trailed off then began again. “I daena ken if tis a time shift... tae be attacked all at once...”
He groaned. “They are callin’ him the king… they want me tae battle in the arena. They believe I am easy tae conquer if I am weakened because of m’heart.”
I frowned, then glanced at Archie — he looked so scared.
To make us all feel better I said, “Your heart has never once made you weak, my love. Not once.”
I listened at the bars, and tried to peer around the corner into his cell.
He didn’t answer.
I opened the Swiss Army knife and put it through the bars at lock level, but as I tried to aim it backwards into the lock, I didn’t have a firm grip. What if I dropped it?
I whispered, “Archie, hold your hands like this.” I got him to hold his hands under the knife to catch it if it fell, but the smart boy whipped off his shirt, stuffed it through the bars and held it like a hammock under the lock.
I kissed the back of his head and tried to upside down and backwards get the knife into the lock, one… two… no, darn it, messed up… focus — one… two… darn it. The knife slid through my fingers into the middle of Archie’s shirt.
“That was a close one.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants, picked it up, and tried again, one… two…three… jiggle — jiggle — jiggle —and then ker-clunk, the door was open.
“Okay, wait.” I held the door closed at the bottom while I shoved the knife in my pocket and gestured with my head. “Put your shirt on go