Magnus’s hand tightened around my own as he led me down the aisle, as if the moment had become even more important. We were met at the altar by the stooped minister. He spoke to the ground, his words so thickly spoken I didn’t understand anything, but open before him was the book and beside it the quill pen, which was really the entire focus for Magnus and me.
Magnus spoke to the minister for a few moments, and then turned to me. With Archie in his arms, he took my hand. “Tis nae as formal as twas before.”
“True, but it might make me cry it’s so beautiful.”
I stroked the side of Archie’s face because he looked concerned. Then I raised Magnus’s hand to my lips and kissed his knuckle. “So what do we say?”
“I will tell ye that I, Magnus, love ye and I want tae spend the verra rest of m’life with ye.”
Tears streamed down my face. “And I will say that I, Kaitlyn, love you, and want to spend the very rest of my life with you.”
“And onward tae eternity, forever and ever.”
Archie reached for my face worried about my tears. I took his little hand in my other hand. “Kay-be okay. I’m just crying because your Da is telling me that he loves me forever.”
Archie said, “Wuv oo forever.”
I sobbed. “Of course, absolutely. Forever and ever —”
Isla shifted in the wrap and I sob-laughed that she was waking to say her part too. Magnus and I both peered down on her sweet face.
Magnus said, “Dost the bairn want tae add tae the plight n’troth?”
I was crying so much that I had to drop my head to his chest and lean there.
He put an arm around and held me, whispering into my hair. “Thank you, mo reul-iuil, tis a verra complicated life tae tie yerself tae mine, the life of a time-traveler and a king, I am grateful that ye hae met me here tae hear m’oath. I promise tae love ye forever, till all m’days are ended, and then tae love ye in the eternal life as well.”
I nodded, overcome with emotion, unable to speak. I sobbed but then considered saying, ‘me too.’ But that was a stupid thing to say — did I really want my eighteenth century marriage ceremony to end with saying, me too?
I straightened myself, pushed my hair from my face, and wiped my tears on my sleeve. “I Kaitlyn, do love you, Magnus, all the days of my life, and on, in the next life as well.”
He raised my chin and kissed me. A sweet and perfect kiss. That bridal wedding kiss I had always wanted.
He smiled. “Ye hae married me, Kaitlyn?”
“Aye, I hae married ye.”
He hugged me with a chuckle and then spoke to the minister. “We are finished with our vows. We will want tae place it in the register.”
The old man droned on about it and then slowly opened the book and very slowly turned over a page, then he slowly reached for the quill pen. He brought the quill up in front of his eyes and inspected it, dipped it in the ink well, and slowly lowered the quill to the page. He scratched a thin shaky line and then slowly dipped it in the well again.
Magnus quietly said, “Och, I will hae a heart attack waitin’ for him tae finish the first letter.” To the old man he yelled, “Might we write it in the register for ye?” He lowered Archie to the ground, “Wait here, wee’un, Da must write somethin’.”
He reached in his sporran for a coin and placed it on the pages of the register. The man pocketed the coin in his robes.
Magnus pulled the book around in front of himself, dug through his sporran, and pulled out a pen. He clicked the end, his eyes glinting merrily. “Tis a marvel, I never leave Florida without one.”
“How many have you in there?”
“Perhaps three, possibly more.”
On the first line of the page of the register in his big sprawling hand he wrote:
Magnus Archibald Caelhin Campbell
On the line below he wrote:
Kaitlyn Marie Sheffield Campbell
Then he wrote:
Married on this day, anno 1705
Then under it:
Archibald Colin Campbell, of the age three, son of Magnus
And then:
Isla Peace Barbara Campbell, newly born, Daughter of Magnus and Kaitlyn Campbell.
“Hae I done it well?”
I had watched it all and the importance of it hit me hard. His head bowed, his brow serious, concentrating on the loop of his cursive, his penmanship, the art of it. Filling the four lines of the register in the Earl of Breadalbane’s family book. I nodded and he hugged me.
To the man he yelled. “Would ye like the pen?”
“Aye.”
Magnus passed the pen and he and the man conversed overly long in a loud booming Scottish Gaelic. At the end I made out that Magnus said, “Be cautious when ye open the pen, there are many verra wee parts. Once done tis nae easy tae put them back together.”
Then Magnus lifted Archie and led us from the chapel.
“I didn’t understand most of what you were saying.”
“Och, neither did I, he canna hear so he just talks about whatever he thinks may be discussed next. Tis a verra confusin’ conversation. He verra much likes the pen though. I am worried he will be breakin’ it by the end of the day.” He pushed the door open at the end of the chapel and then we heard the rumbling begin.
“Oh no, what is that?”
Magnus said, “It sounds as if we are about tae meet what is comin’.”
Thirteen - Magnus
Kaitlyn and I were met by our friends in front of the Great Hall. We explained we were comin’ from the chapel, but there wasna time tae explain more as the earth was shakin’. The rumbling traveled up from the ground. Fraoch said, “We must go.”
I squeezed Kaitlyn’s hand, “Find cover,” and left with Fraoch for the walls.
Men were crowded along the parapet. The rumblin’ was loud. It loosened rubble and gravel was shakin’ and vibratin’ against the stone. Twas jarrin’ tae have the castle shakin’ under m’feet — it sounded as if sure destruction was comin’ from all directions, though Quentin had the binoculars facin’ east.
I grabbed m’own binoculars and pointed them in the same direction.
He announced it first, “There’s an army coming. A big one.”
Fraoch asked, “What kind of army makes a sound such as this?”
Quentin said, “A motherfuckin’ future army.”
“Och,” said Fraoch, “Why does everythin’ with that word in front of it hae tae be so formidable?”
Quentin asked, “What, motherfuckin’?”
“Nae, future.”
I said, “In the future they hae taken all our worst ideas and made them bigger, louder, and more dangerous. War is an example of how bad it can go.”
In the far distance lay the forest. Within it, inroads — trees snapping, falling, clouds of dirt and debris risin’ intae the air. Hoverin’ above, the drones. The drones weren’t on the attack, they were guardin’ over whatever was crawlin’ across the ground.
Quentin said, “There are tanks. It looks tae be about five.”
I raised the sights tae m’eyes and watched, then reported, “The drones are the 11-EOS Hunters, outdated tech, but from m’kingdom.” I watched them coming. “Which means the tanks are from m’kingdom as well. If I am correct in my estimation of their size, they are the O-25 class of Hellion battle tanks. In my kingdom they were developed tae fight against Roderick. They are formidably armed.”