“If they did, Sean would be alive right now.” I looked down on Archie’s face. He looked terribly frightened. I said, “Archie help yer Mammy get Jack and Isla down tae the cellar. Stay there, daena leave, not until I come tae get ye.”
“Da, you won’t die?”
“Nae, I winna die, but when I tell ye that I need ye tae get yer Mammy and Jack and Isla tae the cellar, what ought ye tae say tae set m’mind at ease?”
“Aye... yes sir.”
“Good, thank ye.” I passed him the bag with the vessels and he slung it over his shoulder, took Kaitlyn by the hand, and they raced away. Emma, Zoe, Ben, and Hayley followed them tae the stairwell tae go find his siblings.
I said, “Haggis, go with Archie, follow him, stay with him.”
Haggis ran off.
I turned, my eyes taking in the courtyard of m’castle— the weak walls, the warriors in disarray. We had fled, everyone was exhausted from the flight. Now we were tae come up with astrong defense, when everywhere I looked we were nae prepared for an attack, especially one led by a modern war machine.
Twas evening, I looked tae the southeast and saw the high clouds of yet another storm.
Och nae, we were goin’ tae be attacked by weapons much better than m’own.
I hadna gotten the munitions from Colonel Quentin. We hadna even begun tae build the stronger walls.
We were unprepared for the scale of this attack.
Men were calling for the gates tae be opened and Fraoch barreled through, followed by William Wallace, and ten more of my men who Fraoch had gathered as they fled. He pulled his horse tae a stop. “The lads are back safe?”
“Aye, what did ye find?”
“Wallace was right, Asgall and the English King are travelin’ by storm, amassin’ troops in King’s Park, and…” His horse stamped and stomped. “He has brought giant war machines with?—”
There was a screeching sound, distant, then growing louder — then a missile crashed intae my east wall. The explosion was intensely loud. It hurt m’ears and rocked the stone cliffs beneath us. The evening sky was marred by the sudden, harsh light of an explosion, breakin’ the wood with a blast that sent men flyin’ through the air tae their certain death. Timber cracked and crashed tae the ground. Flames leapt from the timber battlements, now splintered and ablaze.
I yelled tae Chef Zach, “Run tae my office, grab all the guns ye can find!”
He raced away.
My men-at-arms, clad in armor and wielding swords, were bravely rushin’ up another flight of stairs tae defend the walls.
Wallace yelled, “Mag Mòr, I need m’sword, I canna fight the English without it.”
I asked Fraoch, “What dost ye think? Ye trust him tae be armed?”
“Aye, we can return it.” He raised his voice, “But if he does anythin’ alarmin’ I will run him through with my own.”
Wallace said, “I swear m’allegiance tae Mag Mòr.”
I nodded.
Fraoch tossed Wallace his sword, then they rushed away tae wave men tae other positions. Archers lined along the battlement, drew and shot, when my Marshal yelled, “Fire!”
The roar of the tank’s engine had a guttural growl that filled the air, the gun’s report was like a thunderclap, echoing off the cliffs. Another screech, growing in magnitude, and another deafening blast, leaving a gaping hole, and wind and fire and fury. All it took were two blasts and the castle was exposed tae our enemies.
Cailean rushed up, “Mag Mòr! What kind of a machine is this?”
“Tis called a tank!” Another screeching sound. Another blast. Timber, stone, and rubble flew from the wall, a whole wide section was useless — a stair hung off, men were jumping from the broken span of wall tae another as parts of my fortress succumbed tae the onslaught.
Cailean coughed from smoke, then said, “We canna fight against it! Our arrows do nothing! We daena hae the right armaments. What do we?—?”
Another whistling screech and a massive explosion on the wall that the men had just crossed tae — the screams and shouts of m’men as some fell off down the side of the cliff face. There was a man holdin’ on, scrambling tae survive. Men raced tae save him, but he plunged tae his death.
