His head jerked up. “Who?”
“Yer sister.”
He looked shocked, “Ye found her? Och, praise be tae the heavens, ye found Alexandria! Is she safe? Where is she?”
“She is in a place called Carolina in the New World, tis the year 2004.”
He asked again, “She is safe?”
“She was, until I arrived there. I fear I hae brought attention tae her whereabouts. But I saw tae it, she has guards now?—”
“Och, Torin, ye need tae speak plainly — she dinna hae guards? But she is a princess!”
I shook my head. “She dinna ken she is a princess.”
“How old is she?”
“She is grown. She has land and a house, but she was raised a commoner.”
“Och nae.” Max shook his head. “With nae guards? What sort of family fostered her?”
“Her family is gone, she has lost most everyone. She has a friend, Jen, and a man named Cooper?—”
“She has married?”
“Nae, she calls him her ‘boyfriend’.”
Max scowled. “A scoundrel.”
I said, “We dinna hae high regard for each other, but I gather that marryin’ is optional in their time.”
“I daena like the sound of any of this. She is a princess and all alone in the world, nae guarded well, taken advantage of? We will go tae when she is younger, Torin. We will rescue her afore her fate is decided.”
I chewed my lip and pushed my empty bowls away. “Ye canna.”
“Nae, of course we can, Torin. She was lost when she was verra young. We will go back tae that time and find her afore she is raised so poorly.” He looked down on the vessel. “I canna believe ye were able tae work it.”
“I wasna, I hae been boomraginin’ around.”
“What does that mean?”
“Tae arrive at the same place again. I arrived once then did it again repeatedly.” I waved my hand, “I wish ye would hae explained the workin’s, I dinna ken how tae use it without great harm tae my body and soul.”
He said, “I daena ken much. I saw ye when ye returned, I tried tae help ye, but ye kept leavin’ again.”
“Aye, once when I went over the cliff’s edge.”
“I saw ye go over, I couldna get there for fightin’ the men who were chasin’ ye.”
My brow drew down. “When was the other time?”
“I saw yer storm from a hill above Moulin. I raced tae meet ye, but saw ye in a full fight, and then a storm rose, and ye were gone once more.”
“I came and went many times past that.”
Max said, “That was the last time I saw ye. A full day passed. I was worried ye dinna survive. I couldna think of what tae do, so I traveled here tae meet ye if ye were fortunate enough tae hae lived through it.”
“I did, barely.” I picked up the vessel and looked over the markings. “See these are the set ones, they will deliver ye tae Mistress Lexi’s lands?—”
