60. Chapter 60 - Magnus

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH. The feelin' was so intensely painful that I let go and shoved the Trailblazer as far away as I could get it. Nae nae nae.

Fraoch groaned beside me.

I vomited in the grass, I was on m'hands and knees. Och nae.

Long live the king, long live the king, long...

I winna live for much longer.

"What did ye say, ye're mumbling..."

I daena remember. I retched, but m'stomach was empty, I sat, spent, head hanging, weakened.

How far did we go? Are we there?I couldna tell if I spoke out loud or in my head which was already clogged with the endless chant.

I heard Fraoch slide the horror machine closer. He said, "I canna read it, m'eyes are unfocused."

"Ye are useless." I was jokin' — I rolled back so that I was lyin' on the ground.

He kept staring at it, then said, "We hae gone further back by two months."

"Och nae, wheesht, I daena want tae ken."

"There is only one rule of Trailblazer, ye canna let go."

"Aye, I see that now, tis unbearable. I am glad I dinna bring Dràgon, he daena deserve this."

"Yet here lies Fraoch, long sufferin' brother tae the merciless king."

I pulled myself up. "Ye ready tae try again?"

He wiped his hands up and down on his face.

"This time we go until we canna bear it."

I growled in answer, because I couldna form words.

We both held the Trailblazer and began again.

I shoved the Trailblazer away.

Nae nae nae nae.

I was lyin' on m'side, m'face wet from my sick or tears or both.

I groaned.

Fraoch's foot was near m'face and I thought, he has died.

It seemed clear that one or both of us had, there was nae way we survived that.

I pulled my hand up, wincing, and poked his shoe.

He moaned.

This wasna like using the vessels, those caused a great deal of intense pain, but this wracked yer form, felt as if ye were tortured. Time jumping with the vessels felt as if ye needed tae rest tae recover, ye felt weak. With the Trailblazer it felt like ye might never survive.

I said, "Tis dark."

Silence.

I lay there, starin' up at the tree limbs dark against the lighter glow of a night with a moon, somewhere. The chant was louder still, Long live the king, long live the king, long live the king... And I almost wished I would die tae shut it from my head.

I woke at dawn with Fraoch sitting up, leaning against a tree.

"How far did we go?"

He said, "I canna bear tae look, the disappointment might kill me."

I looked over at the machine, about ten feet away, but couldn't imagine how tae get tae it.

He said, "I changed m'mind, I daena want tae get ye yer throne, this is a terrible idea."

"Tis a terrible idea, I daena want the throne. Ye are right, I changed my mind as well."

"Then we go home, ye will hae tae be content with havin' a kingdom at one end of time."

I sat there quietly. "I agree, yet... can ye hear it Fraoch?"

Fraoch shook his head. "Nae, just the infernal birds, signing their joyous wee hearts out, payin' little mind tae us dyin' here."

"I am surprised ye canna hear it."

Fraoch said, "Louder?"

"Aye, and more insistent. Dost ye think it has grown worse for Archibald as well?"

"I daena ken, but we ought tae continue as if it has."

I said, "Ye are a good uncle."

He chuckled. "If I die here, I want it on m'stone, Fraoch, he was a good uncle."

"Who is diggin' the hole, Fraoch? Ye are imaginin' a better scenario than this, I daena hae the strength tae dig yer grave so ye canna die. If ye do I will lay a stone upon ye that says, Fraoch, he was an arse." I raised up on one elbow with a groan and reached out and with a trembling hand dragged the Trailblazer close. I peered down at it. "We went two and a half years."

He dragged a bag that was slung around his leg, closer and opened it up, "Twas better. But I need tae rest afore we can go again. Want a sandwich?"

I nodded and put my hands out, but said, "Aim for m'lap, I canna trust m'eyes and hands tae work taegether."

He lobbed the sandwich intae m'lap.

We both ate quietly, then napped for the rest of the day.

Then we ate our last sandwiches and fell intae a fitful sleep.

The next morning, Fraoch said, "I am not perfect, but we can try once more."

"We hae eaten our last food. If we daena make it we might be so weakened we become stranded."

"Then we ought tae go when I hae the perfect balance of hunger and will."

We shuffled together, with our bags in our arms, and held the trailblazer between us. I said, "Daena let go."

"I winna, not until we are there."

Och nae.It was pouring rain down upon us.

I was wet through. I looked around blearily, there were trees a bit away. I shoved Fraoch's shoulder. "Come on."

He pushed his head up. I dragged myself and our bags toward the trees.

He began draggin' himself after me.

Twas a big pine, with broad branches, dry enough under it, but the lower branches were low, we had tae lay under them for the shelter. I dropped down ontae my stomach and slept tae the chants.

I daena ken how long we were sleeping, but when we woke up the chants were still going. I begged them tae stop. I prayed they would stop.

We pulled ourselves into a huddle by a tree deeper intae the forest. He said, "I am famished."

"Hae we entered the complainin' part of the trip? Because with the yellin' in m'mind I am in nae mood."

"I hae been on m'best behavior, but aye, tis all complainin' from here on out. Until I am fed. Ye ken how it goes."

Long live the king, long live the king. We both stared bleary eyed out at the relentless rain until I said, "I am famished."

He chuckled.

He said, "I daena want tae, but we ought tae see how far we hae gone."

I dropped my head back on the tree trunk. "Och nae."

He crawled intae the rain and grabbed the machine and looked at it.

Long live the king, long live the king....

"What does it say?"

He smiled, a weakened smile. "We hae gone further back, past the date, Og Maggy, we are in 1285, we did it."

"Thank God." My eyes misted with the relief. I drew a muddy arm across my face.

We sat as if in a daze. "Now what?"

My stomach growled. "Dost ye hae the strength tae jump tae the right day? We need some food."

"As long as I daena hae tae use the Trailblazer again, I can do anything."

It took me a long time tae get the Trailblazer stored away and longer still tae find my vessel in my sporran and tae decide how tae set it. "Come here."

"I canna, ye come here."

I rolled over so that we were side by side and put out my arm. He wrapped his arm around it. "Ye got yer bag?"

He kicked his leg and dragged a bag closer and laid his thigh across it. "Got it."

I pulled my bags close, held ontae Fraoch's arm, and worked the vessel on my stomach, pantin' from the effort of raising my head tae look down on it.

I laid my head back in the dirt. "Fraoch, we are jumpin'."

"When—?"

"Now — hold on."

I awoke first, damp and cold, and nudged Fraoch's ribs. "Wake up, Frookie, yer snorin' is infuriatin' me."

"I am not snorin', I daena snore," he mumbled with his eyes closed.

"Then ye ought tae awaken, there is a buzzsaw cutting logs under yer head."

"Hayley shoves me over, tis the polite thing tae do."

"I am not yer wife, I daena hae tae be polite."

He grumbled as he sat up.

"I am grateful ye came, thank ye. We hae survived it. I am verra hungry."

"Yer welcome, I am hungry as well."

A verra faint bird twittered.

He said, "Dost ye want me tae hunt it for breakfast?"

I chuckled. "Nae, we daena need songbird, we need tae get up and begin walking t'ward Stirling castle."

"We ought tae stop in at the first pub we see, I daena want tae be disgusting and hungry when we arrive at the castle. I will be argumentative."

"Tis Scotland, we ought tae be able tae find a pub within a stone's throw and someone tae argue with so ye will be spent of it."

We came upon a village almost as soon as we left the woods, twas verra small, but there was a tavern. We had stopped speaking and were trodding, exhausted and weak, and Fraoch mumbled, when we were just yards away. "Och, I daena ken if I will make it. If I collapse, go on without me."

"We are too close, I would hae tae drag ye, cause I winna return for ye. We will both die out here within sight."

"Och, ye are bellyachin', fine."

We continued until we came tae the door and entered intae the dim room.

The man said, "What ye want?"

"Two drinks, and some food, sire."

He grumbled as he drew ale intae mugs.

I said, "Tis too cold tae sit inside."

The man waved his hand at us. "Och, tis warm enough!"

"Even so we will sit outside in the sunlight."

Fraoch and I both chugged down our ale. I asked for more and passed him a silver coin.

"Tis crucial that we are fed, verra quickly, or I winna be able tae stand."

"Alright, alright." The man went tae the back of the room and Fraoch and I went outside tae sit on a bench in front of the tavern, with the sun warming it.

We watched a farmer working on a plot of land before us, and a cart being pulled in the direction of the castle.

The man appeared a few minutes later with bread and cheese and a bit of meat. I paid him three pieces of silver, too much, but I felt verra generous. I stuffed a piece of bread in m'mouth and chewed. He held up a coin, and said, "Long Live the King!"

I blinked and swallowed the bread. "What did ye say?"

"God save him — the king, with a long life."

Fraoch said, "And this king is...?"

"Mag Mòr?—"

Fraoch leaned forward. "Och, that is right, Mag Mòr, yet dinna I hear he was dead, that another was eying his throne?"

"Nae, he has been away from Stirling, but I haena heard anyone tryin' tae take the throne."

Fraoch said, "Och, this is verra good." He smiled at me, "See Og Maggy, there inna a usurper eyeing Mag Mòr's throne."

"Aye, I see."

Fraoch said, "Tis verra good — pray Mag Mòr will return soon, and set all our minds at ease. In the meantime, I think we will need more ale, it has been a long night."

The tavern keeper left tae get our drinks.

Fraoch ate a hunk of meat. "This is good news, Og Maggy, if there were a usurper, the tavern keeper would be one tae ken." He chewed and swallowed. "How's the chantin'?"

"Still fillin' my mind."

"Maybe tis because we are in the shadow of the castle, perhaps when ye get tae the top of the hill twill silence."

"Again, we can only pray it will."