“Aye.” We sat there quietly, until he said, “I love ye, m’bhean ghlan. If I am nae tae return, if something happens, I love ye, ye are the best part of m’life.”
I lifted his chin. “You are the best part of my life too. Come back, okay?”
“Okay, m’bhean ghlan, I will.”
He lumbered up to his feet and we went to meet the others downstairs.
Hammond had equipment and weapons in large rucksacks. Quentin and Fraoch would have to carry them on their back, because the Trailblazer, unlike the vessels, wouldn’t carry your luggage along for the ride.
They would also both have to hold onto the Trailblazer, which was a cube about the size of a shoebox. Each man had a vessel in their backpack. The trick was to hold onto the cube, so they wouldn’t be able to hold anything else.
Lady Mairead explained that she had tried belting herself to it, but, “Twas nae that I couldna hold on, twas that it was so verra painful I wanted tae get away.”
Fraoch said, “Och,” and shook his head.
Beaty and Emma and Zach and I moved to the boardwalk out of the way. Lady Mairead went farther up the boardwalk closer to the house and called back, “Madame Emma, I suggest ye move the bairn tae the house.” So Emma took Zoe, Isla, and the boys inside. Hammond remained in the dunes, closer, as if he might be needed.
From this distance we couldn’t hear what they said, but we could tell that Quentin and Fraoch were talking to each other. They checked each other’s packs, holding the tech, discussing it. They both lowered their heads and there was quiet, and then, it was like the air got sucked from the world, like the absence of matter, a vacuum, but just for a moment, like a giant inhale, then electrical charge — my mouth tasted like metal, it smelled acrid, like being struck by lightning. An explosion of force and the loudest clap I had ever heard in my life. A clap that filled my body with sound and electricity.
I tried to cover my ears but the sound was inside my head — my hair stood on end — they were gone and it was like they hadn’t ever been there.
But the worst part was the dread fear that dropped my heart to my feet, and it felt really freaking scary, like chills running down my spine and fear and — I looked over at Beaty, her face was terrified, her hands shaking. “Oh no!” she said.
And she didn’t say what, but I totally got what she meant.
Oh. No.
I was chilled. Goosebumps and fear, my spine shivered. I shook, looking up and down the beach. It sizzled. The air smelled like the fire of a lightning blast, electrical fire, burned glass.
I half expected someone to be dead on the sand and that was frightening enough but it was all so terrifying — my anxiety through the roof. “I’m going to go, I’m going to go look, I will...”
I was scared to actually look though, so I stood there and said it again, “I’m going to go look.”
Zach’s voice behind me. “I’ll go with you, Hayley.” He sounded hesitant. “Yeah.”
Finally we were in motion walking down the steps to the sand and across it to the spot. The sand sizzled. It smelled sweet and pungent and weird, like otherworldly.
Zach tapped the sand, where they had been standing. It was hard. He knocked it. The sand was hard for a ways, Iike the sand had turned to glass. Zach said, “Fucking A, that was terrifying.”
“Did they survive it?”
He said, “I don’t know.” We both looked up at the house. Lady Mairead was there on the boardwalk, her eyes on the sky.
“She made it though. If she can, they had to, right?”
Zach said, “Yeah, of course, but my fucking skin is crawling, that’s not good.”
That anxious feeling wouldn’t go away. We paced. We ordered in dinner. Hammond guarded the house. Lady Mairead retired to the guest room. We paced some more. The kids were little monsters: Zoe was colicky. Isla was clingy and frightened. Archie and Ben were put to bed earlier than usual, or we were all going to freak out.
I said, “What is happening? I can’t relax. Are they okay?” It was this constant skin-crawling sensation on the back of my neck.
But nobody could answer.
Eighty-two - Hayley
Lady Mairead was quiet at breakfast. Emma asked if she was anxious too, she replied, “Aye, Madame Emma, I have felt it since I tried the use the machine myself.”
The feeling lasted all day, while pacing and waiting and worrying and barely talking. Lady Mairead used the guest bathroom to change into a dress she had brought for wearing into the sixteenth century. She gazed out the sliding glass door, hands clasped in front of her, looking a great deal like a renaissance-style painting, Portrait of a Lady, or something.
She ignored the children, except for the occasional wistful look at Isla. She had a packed bag and Hammond had a larger gear bag on the back deck waiting for her.
Then there was a storm, a big one, Zach and I rushed out to meet it, and there on the sand dunes in front of the house, sprawled, Fraoch and Quentin. Quentin had a full beard, Fraoch’s was even longer. They were both filthy, smelly.
Zach said, “God, they look like they’ve been rode hard and put away wet.”
“Fraoch? Fraoch, wake up.”
Lady Mairead stood on the boardwalk above us. “Wake them up, I need tae ken how far they went.”
I said, “I know, sheesh.” I rolled my eyes at Zach.
“Fraoch wake up. Quentin, come on, time to get up.”
Slowly they began to move and shift and struggle to wake up.
Quentin opened his eyes first. Zach asked, “How far did you go?”
He moaned, “Far enough.”
“She can jump to get them?”
He nodded.
Lady Mairead said, “Hayley, this is for ye.” She over the rail with something small in her hand, a small piece of paper, I reached up for it. She said, “Tell him I said thank ye. I left a gift for Quentin with Beaty.”
She walked, head held high down the boardwalk to the beach, and a few moments later the storm, wrought from her leaving, rose. I covered Fraoch’s unconscious face to keep the whipping sand from stinging and settling there.
“Och. I am home?” His eyes were closed.
“Yes, Quentin’s here. Lady Mairead left to go get them.”
“Good.”
He groaned and patted his arms. “Dost I hae all m’parts?”
“It looks like it, though you, sir, need a bath.” I held his hand. “How long did it take you?”
“We were gone for forty-three days, Black Mac did the countin’ though I begged him tae stop.”
Quentin groaned and struggled to sitting. Beaty was sitting beside him. She kissed his fingers. “Quenny was it verra terrible?”
“Aye,” he said, “twas.”
“Ye were gone so long ye sound like a Scottish man.”
Quentin said, “I was gone so long I smell like a caveman.”
Fraoch said, “Aye, m’bhean ghlan has changed me, I am wantin’ a proper meal, but I want a shower afore my proper meal.”
I laughed.
His eyes were open, his color coming back. He lumbered up to sitting. I asked, “By proper meal you mean...?”