“You would lie to Cooper — are you expecting me to lie too?”
“First, no, I wouldn’t lie, I can just casually mention it. After the fact it will be a lot less drastic. ‘Oh by the way, Cooper, that man who was in our yard stayed in the back-shack because he was injured and had nowhere else to go. Don’t worry, I was totally safe, and it’s all clean. He won’t be back.’ Second of all, of course I need you to back me up, whose side are you on?”
“Your side, though Coop and I have been friends longer, you’re by far my favorite.” She sighed, overly dramatically, the edge of her mouth going up. “But you know, I never lie on principle, especially to my dear old friend, Cooper.”
“You do too, just the other day you lied to him about your credit card debt — you did not pay it off, you borrowed money from me.”
“Because he was lecturing me! Why does he get to lecture me?”
“Because you’ve been friends, he’s trying to help.”
She pouted. “Fine, but please don’t use that against me. I will pay you back.”
“I don’t care if you pay me back, I don’t want you to pay me back. I’m not holding it against you. You were in a bind, you needed help. I’m your best friend. I don’t mind, but yes, you lied and you asked me to lie too.”
“Fine, yes, tell him after the fact, and I will tell Cooper whatever you want — as long as you don’t make me pay you back. Because I do not have the money.”
“You’re a school teacher, I get you, but I will tell him. Homeboy, out there, will be gone in the morning and Cooper returns the next day. I will tell him then, after the fact, and he’ll be in a good mood because he’ll have the investors and he won’t care about anything else but starting his business.”
13
TORIN
2004 TO 1558 AND BACK
The next morn, with the dawn, wearin’ m’cloak and with m’belongings in m’sporran, I walked out of the wee cottage and closed the door behind me. I left Mistress Lexi’s lands and strode south down the road until I made it tae a large field. It looked unused, and there was a corner hidden from the road and passers-by.
I stood there and got the vessel from m’pocket and looked it over in the dim light. I dinna understand the markings, but I had beheld them for many days — they were the reason why whenever I returned tae Scotland twas fleeting, and somehow I ended up here in the New World once more. If I could understand the markings I could rule them. Without following them, I was forced tae rebound back and forth, in and out of time, with nae way tae influence it.
I tried tae make sense of them. Which ones would send me where or when…? I dinna relish the idea of provin’ the sequence, the journeys were too painful, but I feared I would need tae begin. I mulled it over last night: I could change the order, one marking at a time, until I understood the device. But this wouldmean journeyin’ and reboundin’, and —och nae,twould take a pound of m’flesh.
I loathed the idea.
I decided I would do as I had been doing, twisting the form and pray that this time Max would be a’waiting.
I would hurl the vessel at him and say,tis yers, Max, I daena want it. And I might beat his arse for not explaining how tae use it earlier.
Nothing would ever compel me tae use it again, not even the chance tae see the bonny Mistress Lexi, twas unnatural and I felt certain that God dinna approve.
I exhaled long, looking down on the vessel. Unless Max needed me tae accompany him, I would do it if I were asked. But I dinna think Max would request it of me. He would ken that this had been too great a sacrifice.
I said a prayer that I would be delivered home and that this time Max would be waitin’ for m’arrival and would join in the battle.
I could hear Max’s voice in my head, ‘Och nae, Torin, ye are too hopeful, ye always think everything will work out. Ye place too much trust in things.’
He dinna ken that I often had doubts, but I hid them because I wanted tae keep his spirits up. He had lost a kingdom by the time he was eight years auld, if anyone needed a friend tae be hopeful, twas Max.
I decided tae ignore m’doubts —what if this time it delivered me tae death’s door?I twisted it. The vessel began tae quiver, and the now familiar power grasped me by the arms and yanked me clear from m’conscious mind.
Arise,arise! Ye must arise!
I pulled m’self up and looked around at the hazy world. It looked Scottish but I couldna be certain. I rose ontae m’shakin’ legs, clutchin’ the vessel in m’hand, and beat m’thighs tae get the blood flow tae them, lookin’ around the landscape tae determine how much danger I was in.
A great deal — I couldna tell where or when I was.
But at least I dinna hae villainous thugs tryin’ tae kill me.
Twas midday, overcast.
