The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,91

in Archie’s, more shirts in Isla’s. I tossed four board-books on top of Magnus’s clothes, diapers into another bag, raced into the kids’s rooms to grab more clothes from their dressers, and met everyone downstairs by the door. I picked up Isla. She and Archie were already in their pajamas. Next we headed out in the rain to climb into James’s and Zach’s trucks. Quentin’s truck was best left in the garage, locked.

We had a whole block of rooms on one floor, including two suites with a door between them. One side was for Magnus and me, with Emma and Zach on the other. We put Archie, Isla, and Ben on the pullout couch in Emma’s room, and turned on the tv for them, ordered a stack of pizzas for delivery, and everyone gathered in the sitting room of my room, to talk.

We were so freaking tired, and hungry.

It had been emergency-level excitement for so many hours that I couldn’t believe we were still standing.

Magnus sat down beside me on the bed. He had read the message from Hammond in private, now he clutched it rolled up in his fist.

Lady Mairead had changed into a nightgown that Emma had provided for her, and was wearing a fluffy hotel robe. “I am overwrought, can this wait until the morrow, Magnus?”

“It canna wait, but ye are only necessary tae the discussion if ye want tae hae an opinion on it.” She sat down.

Magnus continued. “Hammond has put his hand tae this letter warnin’ me that m’kingdom has fallen. He said if he is nae handin’ me the letter personally then he has likely fallen in battle. He wishes me tae ken that he fought tae the end, but the bombs took out everything. Tis all gone.”

Lady Mairead held a shaking hand to her throat. “Dost ye believe Hammond is gone?"

Magnus nodded. “I do. If I had been there perhaps I…”

Quentin said, “If you had been there you’d be a dead man. You know it.”

“But Hammond is nae supposed tae die, he is…” Lady Mairead rubbed her hands in her lap. “He is necessary tae the kingdom.”

Magnus said, “I ken he meant a great deal tae ye. He was wise counsel and a friend tae us both. I will miss him verra much.”

I said, “He saved your life, he believed me when no one else would, and saved your life.”

“Aye, and he tirelessly fought tae protect the kingdom, but now tis lost.”

“You are in exile!” Lady Mairead exclaimed as if it had just come to her. “Whoever heard of such a thing, this is unacceptable!”

Magnus said, “Aye, and Padraig Stuart may hae the weapons and the knowledge tae ruin us.”

Quentin asked, “Did Hammond say in the letter if he was able to get Uaimh Bhinn implemented?”

I asked, “What’s that?”

Quentin said, “It’s the name for all the protocols we had in place in case of the kingdom falling, to hide Magnus and his family from the attacking army.”

Magnus said, “It means ‘melodious cave’. We meant it tae send our records intae a hibernation of sorts.”

Quentin said, “With extra noise so it would be difficult to find us.”

I said, “That’s an excellent idea, did he implement it?”

Magnus said, “He said he did. We are hidden.”

Zach said, “Good.”

Quentin said, “Kind of, we’re hidden, but as soon as one of us sets up a new social media profile, soon as we buy something with a credit card, soon as we make any mistake, we are found. Booking these hotel rooms might have done it.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

Magnus looked around the room. “What say ye, what am I tae do?”

Quentin said, “Fight. We’ll go with you. We’ll gather your army around, retake your castle.”

James said, “Hell yeah.”

Magnus said, “Ye would ride intae battle with me, James?”

“Sounds fun.”

“Och it has been many years of war a’ready, long past fun, I am wearied from it all. Ye would continue tae fight, Quentin?”

“War is calling on you, you have to meet it. I’m one of your commanders, just say the word and I’m ready to go.”

“Madame Beaty?”

“I daena hae an opinion, whatever ye do is best, King Magnus.”

“Ye daena? I am goin’ around and asking for advisements, so I can make m’own mind on it. I would like your opinion as well.”

Beaty was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt that said, I love New York. “King Magnus, I believe ye should take the battle tae his castle walls.”

“Och, I daena think I ken where his castle walls are,