“Men don’t have wings, that’s not what I mean. Airplanes have been invented. We figured out how to fly in a machine. We went to the moon.”
He screwed up his face, and shook his head slowly. “Och nae, Mistress Lexi, I daena believe ye. Ye are the one who daena seem trustworthy!”
“Well, I haven’t sworn to lay down my life, but I am honest, and I do have close friends who will vouch for me.Andthey will attest to the fact that human flight does exist.” I checked my watch. “Speaking of... my friend, Jen, you met her at the hospital, is about to come over… Do you have anywhere to go? I mean, you probably shouldn’t stay here… I don’t think.” I looked all around.
He chuckled tiredly, “I could attempt tae leave again, but tis likely I will simply return and each time is takin’ a toll on me. M’soul is threadbare. I need tae rest afore I attempt it.” Hesmacked his hands on his knees. “But I can sleep in the woods, I hae done it many a’night.”
I chewed my lip, trying to decide. Thiswaspretty far away from my house. If I locked up it would be fine, probably…
I had the gun.
I asked, “What about the man you were fighting, will he return to fight you?”
“I will be honest with ye, Mistress Lexi, I daena ken. I had nae idea there was another vessel — it complicates everything.”
“So having you here could be dangerous for me?”
“It could be, aye. I am concerned about yer safety. But if ye allow me tae stay and rest I will make a good guard, if he does return I will keep him from ye, I promise.”
I still wasn’t convinced. “You say it involves the storms, so I suppose if one of those storms happens I can just lock up, call the police, that kind of thing...?”
He asked, “What dost ye mean, ‘call the police’?”
“I use my phone to call the men who arrest the bad guys.”
“Och, good, ye hae a guard, I dinna discern it as I hadna seen them around. Aye, ye can tell yer guards tae be watchful of the storms and they will keep the trouble from yer gates. I wondered why ye dinna hae them, I am relieved.” Then he asked, “Were the men who came tae my bedside yer guards?”
“Yes, at the hospital, those were police men. That’s who I would call.”
He smiled. “Ye see, yer guards dinna think I was a scapegrace, they let me be.”
“True, they said you had no prior criminal record, of course you are not from here. They hadn’t seen you sword fight. You carry a sword, maybe you are a… what did you call it?”
“A scapegrace...” He screwed up his face. “But ye say they are yer guard and ye said ye called them earlier and yet they never came.”
It was my turn to chuckle. “I was lying.” I added, “But I will call them, if anything goes down that frightens me.”
“Dost they live here on yer land?”
“No, they are in town.”
“How long will it take for them tae arrive?”
I lied, “They can be here really fast, within minutes.”
The corner of his mouth went up. “Och, that is slow, ye need a better guard. Ye need me tae stay and protect ye.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, fine, you can stay here tonight.”
“Thank ye, but also, Mistress Lexi, ye need a guard who will be here when ye are in trouble instead of sauntering up after tis done. Nae wonder ye need tae carry a weapon, ye ought tae hae men here tae carry weapons for ye. Tis a good thing I am here.”
“I have a man, Cooper, he’s just out of town, and I can totally take care of myself while he’s away. Plus, the only danger is what follows you here, it’s not really fair to act like you’re going to protect me when you’re the reason for the danger.”
“Aye, tis nae fair, but I will keep ye safe and as soon as I can go I will go and draw the trouble away.”
“Good, and in the meantime, you’re still hungry, need some food? The water… is…” I got up, strolled into the kitchen, and opened the fridge. It was running but only had jugs of water inside. “There’s cold water in here.” I opened the freezer. “No ice in the trays.”
I opened the cabinet. There was a Tupperware container of cereal. It was pretty old. Some instant coffee, not helpful, and a few assorted dishes and… not much.
