“Lochie, what is that?” It was electric, out of place.
He had his eyes directed at the window.
I raised my head and listened, it was faint but definitely something…. Whirrrrrr. It almost sounded like a...was it a drone?
A big very bright light beam rose up from under the sill, and swept across the other end of our room.
My heart raced.
Lochie pressed his finger to his lips and stealthily rolled off me.
The beam of light swung around the interior of our room, so bright it stung my eyes. The circle of light illuminated the end of our bed, and then traveled up the covers. I slowly pulled the bedding over our heads and lay in darkness, listening. Lochinvar was still, but tense, about to spring from the bed — I didn’t breathe.
After the searchlight traveled over our bed, it illuminated the headboard, and then traveled back down and swung around the room again. Then it turned off.
The room went pitch black.
The whirring sound slowly faded.
Lochinvar jumped from the bed. He whispered, “Get up, we hae tae go.” He turned on the flashlight.
I jumped up and started pulling on my socks and boots. “That was a drone!”
“Aye, twas.”
“That was so scary…” I tied my boots and then started pulling on a skirt. “What was a drone doing here?”
“Someone is lookin’ for us.”
He pulled on his kilt, and buckled his belt, and tucked in his shirt. “Dost ye hae paper, pens?”
I jammed my arms into the bodice and hastily tied the front. “I don’t know, do I? Yeah, I have a notebook, I have pens, I definitely have my wedding pen you gave me… where is it?” Iyanked open my messenger bag and rummaged through it for the small notebook and the wedding pen. “What do you want me to write?”
He tucked in his shirt, his eyes focused on the window. “I want ye tae write: I, Lochinvar Campbell, and ye, m’wife, Ash, hae arrived here, at Balloch Castle in the year 1683. Tis October, write that, I believe tis the Saturday afore the drovers arrive at Crieff tae sell their cattle.”
I was scribbling furiously, writing it all out as he spoke even though it was slow as he tried to figure out what to say. “Our vessel inna working. Make sure ye say that part well. It is not working?—”
“I’m underlining that.”
“Good, and tell them we are tryin’ tae find our way home tae the kingdom of Riaghalbane.”
“Should I say the century?”
“Nae, if someone comes across it, they ought tae be confused by it. That way twill be noticed.” He added, “Put down that there are drones here. Dost ye hae room tae write it?”
I nodded as I wrote.
He repeated, “Our vessel inna working.”
I said, “Is that all?”
“I think so. Finish dressin’.”
I put down the pen and stood, adjusting my breasts in the bodice, and tightening the laces, while he pissed in the chamber pot in the corner of the room.
Then I heard the whirring sound again.
I whispered, “It’s back!” realizing that I had left the flashlight on, laying on the table.
