Chapter 34

Phillip knew he was going to die.

Worse still, he was going to lose. He was going to lose everything because he was trying to have it all and Imogen as well.

The battle had been quick and brutal. He’d arrived in Haemesburgh to find it deserted. Or, rather, it had been until he’d walked into the hall. It was as if Hell had then suddenly unleashed its full fury against him. He had no idea who the men were or where they’d come from, but he had the feeling Robert of Haemesburgh was behind it.

Only he hadn’t found Robert near the lord’s table, directing the assault.

He’d found his own captain, Cederic.

It had surprised him so, he’d lowered his borrowed sword and almost lost his head as a result. If it hadn’t been for Jackson having apparently decided it would be well to wait for him outside Haemesburgh’s gates, he would have arrived in the keep alone and likely died there alone as well.

“Look who has come to help me,” Cederic said. “A friendly face.”

Phillip didn’t bother to turn around. He simply looked at his captain. “Traitor,” he said flatly.

“At least I’ll have earned what I take,” Cederic spat.

“My lord,” said a voice from behind Phillip.

He turned around to find Hamish there. A sword was coming out of him where it shouldn’t have been. Phillip looked over him to see none other than Robert of Haemesburgh, the son, standing there, gloating.

“I’ll have your sword,” Robert said triumphantly, “and be happy to tell anyone who’ll listen where I came by it—”

“Robert, be silent!” Cederic exclaimed. “You and your ever-running mouth.”

“You and your misplaced ambition,” Robert shot back. “As if I ever would have ceded anything to... you...”

Phillip realized Cederic had thrown his sword at Robert only because it grazed him on the way by. He would have to have a word with his sire about having saddled him with that one. Cederic was so unskilled that Phillip hadn’t even suffered a wound to his flesh. Nothing more than a slicing of the cloth of his tunic. He turned around to point that out in time to watch Cederic flinch. A look of surprise descended on his features.

Cederic looked over his shoulder. There was, unsurprisingly, a blade sticking out of his back.

He fell, taking the lord’s chair with him as he did so. Phillip looked behind him to find Sir Myles standing there, his face betraying no emotion. Sir Wiscard, on the other hand, was leaning against the back of the wall, yawning. Phillip looked at the two of them, then choked out a curse.

“Thank you,” he wheezed. “I think.”

“Our pleasure,” Sir Myles said. “Our pleasure, indeed.”

Phillip looked at the two of them. “Is it possible, do you suppose, to have dual captains of my guard?”

Wiscard shook his head. “Too confining. We like to be free to move about and look under rocks for vermin such as that one there.”

“The dead one,” Myles added.

Phillip was, again, extremely happy those two weren’t turning their sights on him. “I’ll consider another for the post, then.”

“As you will, my lord,” Myles said, inclining his head. “I believe we might want to see to the lad, my lord. He looks terribly pale.”

Phillip nodded, then turned and knelt down by Hamish. The lad was looking up at him, but not truly seeing him.

“I believe,” he said faintly, “that your captain is betraying you.”

“Thank you,” Phillip said dryly. “Anything else I should know?”

“I wasn’t sure Lord Robert... was... alive.” He groped for Phillip’s hand. “I wanted to... serve... you. I lied to... have... that—”

“Let’s call it something less dire,” Phillip said. He looked at Hamish, watched his breathing grow more shallow, then looked over his shoulder at Myles. “Clear the hall of the living.”

It had to be said that if nothing else, Myles and Wiscard had seen too many things to be surprised by much. They nodded as one, then did as Phillip had bidden.

Phillip waited until the hall was silent before he looked at Hamish. The lad was watching him with more trust than perhaps he deserved. He squeezed the lad’s hand.

“Can you trust me?” he asked.

“Aye.”

Phillip looked around himself one more time, then back at Hamish. “I’m still on a quest,” he said, casting about for the first thing that came to mind. “To find the thumb bone of a wizard, as you know. Very important, that.”

Hamish closed his eyes. “Indeed.”

“You’ll need to regain your strength if you’re to aid me,” Phillip continued. “I’m going to send you to the lady Heather. She’ll take care of you until you’re stronger, then I’ll call for you.”

Hamish only wheezed.

Phillip stood up, jammed his sword into the appropriate place in the floor behind the lord’s chair, then carefully lifted Hamish to his feet. He put the lad’s hand on the hilt of his sword, the put his hand over Hamish’s.

Hamish took a deep breath, then disappeared.

Phillip let out his breath slowly, then pulled his sword free of the floor and resheathed it. He had no idea if it would ever work again and he couldn’t bring himself to try it. He would leave it at Artane, safely tucked behind a handful of guardsmen, and let the future take care of it. But before he went to Artane, there was someone else he needed to see.

Someone who might have an idea where he could find a way to peer into the Future.

···

Four days later, he walked into his father’s hall. He’d gone first to Ravensthorpe to see his uncle for answers, but found the man had decided a journey somewhere else suited him at the moment. Phillip suspected Jake was simply avoiding him, but he had no way to prove that. He had turned for home, because he suspected the questions he had were the last ones his father would expect him to ask.

His father was standing on the top step of the stairs leading up to the hall door, surveying his domain when Phillip arrived. Phillip dismounted and climbed a pair of stairs, then stopped.

“My lord,” he said.

Robin studied him in silence for a moment or two, then lifted an eyebrow. “You’re early for supper.”

Phillip scowled at him. “I’m not here for supper, though I won’t refuse it, of course. I’m here for aid. I prefer to have that aid from my uncle Jackson, but he doesn’t seem to be here unless he’s ridden something besides his usual steed.”

“You just missed him. He’s off to Wyckham. We didn’t have enough food left to suit him.”

Phillip folded his arms over his chest. “I imagine you can help me.”

“Can or will?”

“I think you might want to once you know why I need help.”

“A woman?” Robin asked brightly.

“Surprisingly enough. And not Heather, though for all either of us know, she is Heather. Or she could be Robert of Haemesburgh’s foster daughter.”

“Or?”

Phillip ground his teeth. “Or she could be from the Future.”

That his father didn’t look shocked surprised him.

“Wondered when you’d find out.”

“I imagine you did.”

Robin studied him. “Can I assume you’ve made a visit?”

“I might have.”

“Did you drive a car?”

“A Porsche.”

“How many horsepower?”

Phillip looked at his father in astonishment. “Am I dreaming or am I actually having this conversation with you?”

“I may have a bit of a holiday in the Future someday,” Robin said archly. “I need to know how to ferry myself and my lady about in style.”

Phillip drew his hand over his eyes. “I need a drink of something very strong.”

Robin elbowed his front doors open. “I have just the thing in my solar. We can talk there in privacy. I’m curious about your adventures.”

He imagined his sire was, damn him to hell.

···

It took another day before he managed to pry out of his sire the details he needed. It was another day after that before Robin deigned to show him a spot in the grass near Artane where things had been rumored to have happened.

“This is weird,” Phillip muttered under his breath.

“No kidding.”

Phillip tried not to shudder at the sound of modern English coming from his sire’s mouth.

He looked at his father, the man who had challenged him, corrected him, and loved him perhaps more than any son deserved to be loved.

“I admire you,” he said simply.

“Is that better than love?” Robin asked, his eyes suspiciously moist.

“There’s a bit of that in there as well.”

Robin clapped him on the shoulder. “Off with ye, ye wee fiend. I’ll keep the lord’s chair warm for your return.”

“Aye for a score more years whilst I cool my heels at Haemesburgh.”

Robin grinned. “Can you expect anything else?”

He couldn’t, though he wasn’t going to give his father the satisfaction of saying as much. He studied the ground in front of him for a moment or two, then looked at the current lord of Artane. “Where will this take me?”

“Damned if I know,” Robin said with a shrug. “I think ’tis easier than going all the way to Edinburgh, if that was your alternative. Though you’re leaving me with Jackson and those two terrors of yours.” He paused and shivered. “Not sure why I ever allowed either Myles or Wiscard in my front gates.”

“They saved my life.”

Robin shrugged. “As good a reason as any then, aye?”

Phillip thought it prudent to ignore his sire. No sense in encouraging the man to be even more vexing than he was naturally.

“I hope I’ll return,” Phillip began.

“Didn’t you read that big book of de Piaget genealogy in the Future?” Robin asked incredulously. “You, who had to know the end of every jongleur’s tale before you would toddle on off to bed and leave the adults to their wine? You didn’t discover what happens to you?”

“I was afraid to know,” Phillip said honestly, “lest I read something I didn’t care for.”

Robin shifted. “Can’t say I wouldn’t have avoided that knowledge as well, so I can’t criticize.” He nodded toward the shimmer. “Off with ye, lad, and fetch your bride.”

“I don’t know if she’ll come.” He paused. “I don’t like not knowing the end from the beginning.”

Robin smiled. “And isn’t that exciting? The future is what you’ll make of it, all on your own.”

Phillip smiled in return, mostly in spite of himself. “I believe, my lord, that you should become a philosopher after you’ve hung up your spurs.”

“Which I’ll do approximately a quarter hour before I die,” Robin said with a snort. “Not much time for philosophizing. I’ll leave that to you, little lad.” He kissed Phillip loudly on both cheeks, then walked away. “I’ll see you in a bit, I imagine. Or not. Who knows?”

Phillip shook his head, then smiled to himself. Some things never changed.

But others did, which was why he was trying to do something that he wouldn’t have believed possible before.

He took a deep breath, then stepped forward.