42. Chapter 42 - Ash

CHAPTER 42 - ASH

CRIEFF, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 1683

I didn’t think I would ever be able to sleep but then I must have, because suddenly there was a nudge on my shoulder. A whisper, “Ash, tis time tae arise.”

It was black in the room.

I sat up. “Is something wrong?”

“Nae, but more men are comin’, we ought tae leave while tis safe.”

While he spoke he was rolling our stuff up and shoving the rolls into our bag. I shuffled over to the chamberpot, blinking, and pissed, trying to wake up. I needed to be fresh. I had gotten sleep, he had been guarding out in the hall.

I needed to be helpful. I returned to the middle of the room and finished packing our things while he pissed in the chamberpot, now totally disgusting.

He put our bag across his shoulder, and led me from the room, creeping down the steps so we wouldn’t wake anyone. We snuck through the now quiet ‘dive bar,’ empty but for a dozen men sleeping in front of the fire.

No one was aware we were leaving. Lochie pressed his finger to his lips.

But I already knew — stealth.

If one of these drunk guys woke up we could have an issue. If more than one woke up we could be in real danger.

Once out, we rushed to the stables. Lochie paid for our horse while I waited in the dim light, looking around at the sleeping village. There was not a light to be seen in any direction, just the glow of the moon softly giving us a bit of light to see by.

Lochie hurriedly tied our bags to the saddle, then wordlessly helped me up on the horse. He climbed on behind me. The same shift of my hips as he slid into the saddle, right up against me. His strong hands took the reins and pulled Finny around. His thigh shifted alongside mine.

We rode down the main lane but then Lochie pulled Finny onto a side path, and urged him to go faster. We rode across a field at a quick clip until Lochie pulled Finny to a stop behind a building.

Lochie shifted in the saddle and watched behind us, tense and worried. “We are bein’ followed.”

He swung his leg back and dropped to the ground, then helped me down.

I hadn’t been able to see anyone coming, but now I heard horse hooves. Lochie jammed his hand into a bag, rummaged around, and pulled out our vessel. Wrapping Finny’s reins around his arm, he said, “Tis too dark tae see the vessel, we are jumpin’ blind.”

I nodded.

A man’s voice from inside the building was yelling in Gaelic at us.

Lochie whispered, “Wheesht!”

The men following us gained ground.

Lochie said, “Hold ontae me.”

I threw my arm around him, he clutched me to his chest, and twisted the vessel.

Nothing happened.

He shook it, he banged it on his hip.

I was frightened.

A man emerged from inside the building, yelling and waving his arms. Lochie banged the vessel, saying to the man, “I ken… we just needed tae... we will get off yer croft, we are tryin’ tae…” He glanced around the building. “Och nae, they are almost here.”

He shoved the vessel under his arm. “Climb back up.” I stepped on his knee and heaved myself up, but the man from the house grabbed at Finny’s reins. Lochinvar pulled Finny away, with me dangling off the side trying to get my foot in the stirrup or anything useful.

Lochie somehow managed to hold the vessel, hold the reins, keep Finny calm, argue with the man, and heave me up. He yelled, “Daena come close, or I will shoot ye!” as he swung himself up, and urged Finny into action — we raced across the field. I held onto the saddle horn. Not quite on, one side of my skirts caught up under Lochie’s leg, pulling me off center. I gripped with my thighs, my eyes closed tight, but that seemed stupid — I forced them open but it was hard to see in the darkness, the wind rushing past. Lochie folded his shoulders forward, pressing against my back, his elbows clamped on my sides, his knees holding my skirts. Finny had a rhythm, gallop gallop gallop. We came to a stone wall, followed it until we came to a gap, crossed the lane, and raced into the woods.

We pulled Finny in behind trees in the darkness. Lochie slid off, held up a hand, meaning ‘stay,’ and crept away.

I hoped Finny was listening.

The horse was breathing heavily. I peered through the darkness. I could see the faint glow of the open field, but I couldn’t see Lochinvar. He had crept closer to the road to watch out. What if he had to fire his gun? The idea scared me — if he fired it, couldn’t it scare the horse?

I was on a horse, I had no idea what I was doing on a horse. I was terrified to stay on him, scared to get off him. I was stuck, heart racing. Facing the wrong direction.

Just sit.

I stared at the horse’s ear as it quietly flicked.

It was like he understood to be quiet, to remain still.

A few minutes later I heard Lochinvar’s footsteps. He put a hand on my hip, stroked his other hand down Finny’s neck, and whispered, “Thank ye, boy, ye did good.”

He looked up at me, “Were ye frightened?”

I nodded. “Where did they go?”

“They turned around and went back tae the village.”

“Were they time travelers?”

“Nae, they wanted tae rob us, but we were too much hassle.”

“Good, that’s a relief… but why won’t the vessel work?”

“I daena ken, tis broken.” He exhaled.

Then he climbed up on the back of Finny and settled down behind me in the saddle. He turned Finny toward the path and looked left and right as if making a decision. Then he said, “We will ride north tae Balloch.”

I said, “So, what... are we stranded?”

“Aye.” We began the ride.

A little while down the path, I asked, “What year is it again?”

“I believe tis 1683.”

“I’ve been in like four different centuries now, can’t say I’m a fan. Most of my visits have not been by choice.”

He stiffened in the saddle behind me. “Dost ye regret it...?”

“No, not like that, but I don’t like the time travel aspect of it, the actual jumping, and now that I know how dangerous it is?—”

“Aye, tis verra dangerous.”

“Especially when your vessel doesn’t behave.”

“It has become a menace.” He yawned loudly, and joked, “M’kingdom for a tent.”

I said, “That is the truth. You exhausted, m’laird?”

“Aye, but we canna stop now. We’ll be in need of a bed by tonight.”

The sun was high, warm, the day lovely, quiet and calm. “But if I fall asleep, nudge me with yer elbow.”

I laughed. “Just promise that if I do, you won’t fall off. I don’t know what I’m doing up here.”

“Ye think yer girly nudge would knock me tae the ground? Ye hae a verra fine idea of yer elbow.”

“Hey, my elbow went to bootcamp, it can nudge like crazy.”

A while later I felt him shift in the saddle looking in all directions. He pulled Finny off the path into the woods. “I canna go any farther. I hae tae sleep.”

He dismounted, tied Finny to a tree, and helped me down. He swept his foot through some leaves, spreading them out, and then dropped to his butt. “I think I am already asleep.”

“Do I need to keep watch?”

“I need ye tae be aware. Watch the path. But sit here. I want yer lap for m’pillow.”

I sat down on the ground with my back against a tree. He slumped over, put his head on my thigh, fluffed my skirts a bit, put his hands to the side, and muttered, “M’gun is here in m’holster, wake me if anyone comes up the…”

“Yes, no worries.” I ran my fingers down the side of his cheek, pushing his red locks back from his face. He exhaled like a sigh, and fell fast asleep.

It was a strange experience to be sitting in the woods, in a past century, with my newly married husband, in long-ago Scotland... I had no idea where. I needed to orient myself, but for now I was just lost. I was entirely dependent on this man, my Lochinvar. It was scary if I thought about it too much, so instead I focused on what was here — his wide shoulder under my hand, the side of his face, his strong jaw, his ginger hair. Fully relaxed, he was asleep on my lap, entrusted to me. I was his and he was mine.

We were in this together.

A bird sang above me and I watched as the sunlight filtered down through the leaves, dappling my skin. I worked my sore shoulder around in a circle, slowly, a low circle, but still, it was so much better.

I felt better, stronger, and filled with love for him. I wanted to protect him, keep him safe. He had guarded me while I slept and kept me safe, rescued me from that maniac. His heart was protective and it made me want to take care of him. Funny how that worked.

I relaxed and daydreamed, a dream of Lochie and me on a comfortable couch, laughing. I was on one end, he was on the other, our feet in the middle. In my daydream I said, “Lochie, if you make me laugh I’m going to wake the baby.”

Then I thought, what baby?

And everything went dark and cool as I looked down, there was a baby there in my arms, whose baby is this…?

Lochie’s voice whispering, “My baby.”

I blinked and looked around.

The sun was shining. The only explanation for that moment of darkness was that a cloud had crossed the sun.

The explanation for the waking dream was that I had Lochie in my lap, and was feeling love for him, that was all it was.

I counted on my fingers how many days it was until my next period, unable to shake the weird feeling I had that I ought to be getting close.

He shifted and turned and looked up at me with a smile that spread. “Ye are a verra fine sight when I wake up.”

“Glad you think so, my love. But that wasn’t long at all, a half hour, tops.”

“Tis fine.” He raised up on one arm and put his hand on my face and steadied me and kissed my lips. “Enough sleep, we need tae get m’lady under a shelter before nightfall. But first, we ought tae try the vessel once more.”

We stood in a clearing, my arm on his, Finny standing behind me with his head over my shoulder, looking at Lochie as he tried to twist and turn it.

I asked, “Does it run on batteries?”

He shrugged. “Might as well be magic, I daena ken, but I hae never been told that I need tae charge it or put batteries intae it.”

“If it’s magic, do we need a fairy?”

“Could be, we can ask the Dragon at the next stop where the fairies are.”

I said, “I know you’re making this all up, but I do wonder if you might be telling the truth.”