“No.”
He shrugged. “Well, you know what I think.”
“Yeah, I do.” I exhaled. “And you’re right. I really want a Coke. Lots of ice. Please.” And because they were forgiving, and kind, it was given to me inside a frosty glass.
Sixty-four - Hayley
Quentin walked me out onto the sand dunes right behind the house for my jump back to Fraoch. “I’ll be back in a week,” I said. “they’ll be here by then, for sure. I’m just going to check in with Fraoch for a few days.”
“That’s why you’re going to come and go from here, on the property. So I can keep track of you, meet you when you arrive. This way if I see a storm on the south end I will know it’s Magnus or Katie— or someone nefarious.”
“But probably not nefarious, Magnus killed everyone who wanted him dead.”
“This week.” He asked, “You got your coffee, the other stuff?”
“Yep. All right here.” I patted my duffel bag full of pounds of coffee, two jars of dirty chai, two jars of a spicy virgin Bloody Mary mix that Zach concocted for me to drink instead of whisky, a few chocolate bars, vitamin chewies, and a pound of sugar, a few other fun things that I totally deserved since I was worried about Katie. Comfort foods were a requirement.
Also beside my feet were two boxed mattresses. One was for Lizbeth and Liam. One for me and Fraoch. I had a box of long burning fire-logs and boxes of matches. And lastly a gold watch I bought on Amazon for Fraoch.
“Okay, I’m coming back at Thanksgiving, the more I think bout it, that’s what’s going on. They’re waiting for the holiday to come back, to surprise us.”
“Yeah that makes sense, I guess.”
“Okay, see you then!”
I twisted the ends of the vessel, while Quentin backed away and I jumped home to Fraoch.
James met me, as agreed upon, because Fraoch was still mending and I knew I would have luggage. James loaded it on a trailer behind one of the ATVs, while I tried to get up on my feet while feeling terrible. This many jumps in a matter of days was not fun.
“Magnus and Katie there?”
“Nope. How was the hunt?”
“Alright, yeah, it was fine. Those Campbell men, I tell you, Hayley, they are something else... that was...” He tossed my bag onto the trailer. “I’m missing real food. Did you go to the Turtle?”
“Nah, just hung out at the house, and turned around and came home.”
“It got pretty freaky here once you guys left, and lonely. It dawned on me that anything could happen and I’d be all alone during it.”
“You lasted like what a couple of weeks? Quentin was here for months by himself, I was here with no vessel to get home.”
“Quentin found a girl too, maybe I just need to get laid.”
I moaned. “That sounds like a terrible idea for you, getting laid might mean getting married.”
“Not if you find a widow. At least that’s what Sean tells me.”
“I’m not sure you’re supposed to be taking life advice from Sean. I think Magnus specifically said, ‘Daena listen tae Sean.’”
James laughed. “Yeah, now that you mention it, that’s probably not the best idea.” We drove from the woods toward the castle.
James and I lugged the mattress up to Lizbeth’s rooms “What be this?”
“The mattress I was telling you about.”
“Tis nae the correct shape, Madame Hayley.”
“True, but just wait.” We pulled the blankets off her bed and the lumpy, painfully thin mattress. Then we placed the box on her bed and used a dirk to cut the cardboard and the plastic wrap away and watched the mattress flip open. It slowly puffed up, bit by bit by bit. I applauded it was so cool.
Lizbeth timidly reached out and pushed on the surface. “Tis a cloud!”
“Lay on it.”
“Master James must leave first.”
James grinned at her modesty, but turned and left the room. I sprawled across the mattress and then Lizbeth joined me. “Och!”
I said, “Exactly! This is going to fix your husband’s back right up.”
“Twill, he will be verra comfortable, thank ye.” She asked, “What of Young Magnus and Kaitlyn, hae ye word from them?”
“No, they’re still not back.”
“Our mother winna stand for it. She will find him, return him, or at least ken of his whereabouts. We will ken before long.”
“I’m glad you’re hopeful. I really really miss Katie and your mom didn’t sound like she wanted to be helpful.”
She sat quietly for a moment. “She can sound like that some days, but I truly believe she wants Magnus tae be the king. She winna let go of that idea. I spoke tae her of it afore she left. She daena ken how tae return them, but she was sure tae try.”
“Sounds like your conversation went much better than mine.”
“Aye, I am her daughter. She confides in me and can show her weaknesses if she needs tae. She kens I winna harm her.”
“You might be the only person in the world who she lets her guard down around.”
“It could be. She trusts me. I intend tae keep it that way, unless...”
“Unless what?”
“Unless she hurts Young Magnus, I winna suffer it.”
“I like your badass side.”
“Thank ye, Madame Hayley, I like yours as well.”
“Now we need to make your bed. First, sheets.” I had a package of high thread-count sheets in my bag and we made the bed. Then I gave her some chocolate and went to meet Fraoch.
“Hey babe.”
He grinned. “I am nae a babe, I am a grown man on m’own two feet.”
“Och aye! And I am liking the sight very much. I have presents, a new mattress for our bed, and something for Mr Grown-ass man on his own two feet.” I unboxed a watch. “This is for you to tell time.” I slid it over his wrist. “The important thing is did ye bring more coffee?”
“I did, so much coffee.”
“Good, so when the watch wakes me up I will hae coffee tae drink while I read it.”
“Perfect.”
“And there wasna a sign of Magnus and Kaitlyn?”
“No, I’m going to be here for a few more days. You’ll get better and better and then I’ll go back and check on them. Thanksgiving is a holiday there, a big feast. I figure they’ll come back in time for that.”
“Tis a great deal of travelin’ ye’ll be doin’.”
I shrugged. “True. But I can handle it. I just don’t think I can relax until I know they’re home, and honestly, they could come home anytime. Any day now. They’ll probably be there right now, there’s no reason for them not to be.”
Sixty-five - Hayley
Thanksgiving Day
I woke up with Quentin looking down on me. It was raining, hard. James and I were drenched, sodden, lying in the wet sand of the dunes that sloped to the back of the house.