The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,93
hide them? Tis easier said than done. I was closer afore this, now someone has been stealin’ them from—”
Zach leaned in, “Okay, but bear with me, what if no one is stealing them?”
“I hae an idea what ye are about tae say, Chef Zach. If nae one is stealin’ them, how would they be missing?”
“What if it’s you? What if you’re the one fucking taking them? What if there’s a loop right now, not of people, that would be dangerous, but of the vessels? You might be collecting all the vessels from the future or the past or the way way past… What if you’ve decided to go and steal all the vessels and what if you’ve hidden them, already, even from yourself?”
James said, “Dude, are you high?”
“Nope, but I think my brain just works like that now.”
Magnus said, with a glint in his eye, “And that is why I asked ye last, Chef Zach, ye hae a way of puttin’ things tae make understanding where there is a mystery.”
I asked, “So what are you going to do?”
The phone rang, there was a pizza delivery downstairs.
Magnus said, “I am going to eat, we are all goin’ tae rest, and I will consider all yer advisements. I will hae a decision in the morn.”
Fifty-one - Magnus
The hotel was secure. Quentin and I agreed we were nae tracked. It would take time afore anyone followin’ the messenger would find us.
I kent General Hammond had implemented the security plans, and had thrown us intae hiding. We had gone ‘dark’ as Colonel Quentin liked tae call it. We kent we would nae be found, but we had guards all the same. In the parking lot, near the entrances, and out on the beach in front of the hotel.
I kent, though I had nae asked for it, that Fraoch was standing guard in the hall. Twas his nature. He verra much liked the night-watch, and said he dinna sleep well at night so he ought tae be the one tae do it.
Kaitlyn and I dinna hae time tae talk that night as she fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed, and was snoring, her sleep was so deep. It had been a great deal of extra work she had been doing, caring for me and the bairn, worryin’ over everyone. I kent she was even more worried now. Twas time for me tae make a decision that took the worry from her shoulders.
Padraig Stuart believed he had the advantage. He had the future. He had married m’daughter, had possibly killed m’son. He had conquered m’kingdom, usurped my throne and was a time traveler. He could access all the vessels in the vault.
He was in the future. I could change the present to alter the future, but what would work? The future seemed certain, the big things stayed the same. Padraig Stuart had become inevitable.
Unless I had all the vessels under m’control.
I could collect them over time, as I had been doing.
Or there was that one moment in history where the vessels were all together.
That moment had beckoned me through the years, but I fought it back, as if twas a kind of greediness. In the history of this world there needed tae be vessels for Magnus I tae exist.
Tae take control of them all was tae usurp my grandfather, and all my ancestors afore him.
The idea concerned me. I kent my ancestors needed the vessels tae build the kingdom of Rhiagalbane.
Reason had tae win out. If the past came before the present, I had tae let the past play out as it must, or the present would be no more. I would cease tae exist.
I greatly wanted tae exist.
I quietly climbed from the bed and rummaged through Kaitlyn’s bag, locating the book from Johnne Cambell. I returned tae the bed and clicked on the lamp.
I flipped the pages tae find the record of vessels. Here, they numbered twenty-three. I drew m’finger down the list noting each of them. There was the one that had belonged tae Donnan. Roderick’s was listed, since recovered. Both of those had become mine. Under those, was the one belongin’ tae Lady Mairead. Another one for Kaitlyn. There was the one that I had been buried under the guardian tree. The one that Quentin had for his own use and the one Hayley carried. I had one at the house for Zach, as an emergency.
Hammond’s had been returned tae me by the messenger.