Lizbeth said, “Verra sincerely yours...”
I wrote that and then signed my name:
Master James Cook
I passed the pen to Quentin and he signed:
Colonel Quentin Peters
I folded the paper and gave it to Lizbeth. She put both the letters, the one from Lochie and Ash, and the one from us, inside the book’s pages.
I said, “What book is it?”
She said, “Tis Harry Potter, dost ye ken it?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a favorite where we’re from.”
“The boys love it a great deal.” She replaced the book on the shelf.
Sophie said, “What dost we do now?”
I said, “We wait.”
CHAPTER 49 - MAGNUS
THE SIEGE OF STIRLING CASTLE - JUNE 20, 1291
Kaitlyn was racing across the courtyard. “I saw you coming up the incline! It looked like you were running, Archie, are you okay?” She held up her arms and he slid down off the horse into them. She fell back on the ground holding him. “Are you okay? Is everyone okay? What happened?”
He said, “Mammy, Uncle Sean is—” He burst into tears sobbing into her shoulder, she looked up at me as I dismounted from m’horse.
I shook my head.
“Oh no!”
I handed Dràgon tae the stableboy. Emma took Ben from Zach and they were huddled, comforting each other.
Cailean yelled, “All able-bodied men must go tae the battlements!”
Hayley rushed up, “Where is Fraoch?”
“He ought tae return any moment...”
She started to run tae the stairs tae look for him but I grabbed her by the sleeve. “Wait, Hayley, we need... there is an army comin’, we canna hae ye up on the walls.”
Cailean raised his voice, “We need the women and children tae go tae the cellars!”
Everyone began rushing around herdin’ people from the courtyard.
Kaitlyn clamored tae her feet. “Where should we be?”
“Gather the bairns, go with them tae the cellars.”
“Oh, not the nursery? Is it this dire?”
“Aye, tis dire, during a meeting with the English King Sean was murdered in front of me — the English King refused tae leave m’lands. He had a lamp, mo reul-iuil, he is time traveling, and then there is a verra large modern war machine — they are travelin’ by storm.”
Her eyes went wide. “And our vessels don’t work?”
