49. Chapter 49 - Magnus

CHAPTER 49 - MAGNUS

THE SIEGE OF STIRLING CASTLE - JUNE 20, 1291

K aitlyn was racing across the courtyard. “I saw you coming up the incline! It looked like you were running, Archie, are you okay?” She held up her arms and he slid down off the horse into them. She fell back on the ground holding him. “Are you okay? Is everyone okay? What happened?”

He said, “Mammy, Uncle Sean is—” He burst into tears sobbing into her shoulder, she looked up at me as I dismounted from m’horse.

I shook my head.

“Oh no!”

I handed Dràgon tae the stableboy. Emma took Ben from Zach and they were huddled, comforting each other.

Cailean yelled, “All able-bodied men must go tae the battlements!”

Hayley rushed up, “Where is Fraoch?”

“He ought tae return any moment...”

She started to run tae the stairs tae look for him but I grabbed her by the sleeve. “Wait, Hayley, we need... there is an army comin’, we canna hae ye up on the walls.”

Cailean raised his voice, “We need the women and children tae go tae the cellars!”

Everyone began rushing around herdin’ people from the courtyard.

Kaitlyn clamored tae her feet. “Where should we be?”

“Gather the bairns, go with them tae the cellars.”

“Oh, not the nursery? Is it this dire?”

“Aye, tis dire, during a meeting with the English King Sean was murdered in front of me — the English King refused tae leave m’lands. He had a lamp, mo reul-iuil, he is time traveling, and then there is a verra large modern war machine — they are travelin’ by storm.”

Her eyes went wide. “And our vessels don’t work?”

“If they did, Sean would be alive right now.” I looked down on Archie’s face. He looked terribly frightened. I said, “Archie help yer Mammy get Jack and Isla down tae the cellar. Stay there, daena leave, not until I come tae get ye.”

“Da, you won’t die?”

“Nae, I winna die, but when I tell ye that I need ye tae get yer Mammy and Jack and Isla tae the cellar, what ought ye tae say tae set m’mind at ease?”

“Aye... yes sir.”

“Good, thank ye.” I passed him the bag with the vessels and he slung it over his shoulder, took Kaitlyn by the hand, and they raced away. Emma, Zoe, Ben, and Hayley followed them tae the stairwell tae go find his siblings.

I said, “Haggis, go with Archie, follow him, stay with him.”

Haggis ran off.

I turned, my eyes taking in the courtyard of m’castle— the weak walls, the warriors in disarray. We had fled, everyone was exhausted from the flight. Now we were tae come up with a strong defense, when everywhere I looked we were nae prepared for an attack, especially one led by a modern war machine.

Twas evening, I looked tae the southeast and saw the high clouds of yet another storm.

Och nae, we were goin’ tae be attacked by weapons much better than m’own.

I hadna gotten the munitions from Colonel Quentin. We hadna even begun tae build the stronger walls.

We were unprepared for the scale of this attack.

Men were calling for the gates tae be opened and Fraoch barreled through, followed by William Wallace, and ten more of my men who Fraoch had gathered as they fled. He pulled his horse tae a stop. “The lads are back safe?”

“Aye, what did ye find?”

“Wallace was right, Asgall and the English King are travelin’ by storm, amassin’ troops in King’s Park, and…” His horse stamped and stomped. “He has brought giant war machines with?—”

There was a screeching sound, distant, then growing louder — then a missile crashed intae my east wall. The explosion was intensely loud. It hurt m’ears and rocked the stone cliffs beneath us. The evening sky was marred by the sudden, harsh light of an explosion, breakin’ the wood with a blast that sent men flyin’ through the air tae their certain death. Timber cracked and crashed tae the ground. Flames leapt from the timber battlements, now splintered and ablaze.

I yelled tae Chef Zach, “Run tae my office, grab all the guns ye can find!”

He raced away.

My men-at-arms, clad in armor and wielding swords, were bravely rushin’ up another flight of stairs tae defend the walls.

Wallace yelled, “Mag Mòr, I need m’sword, I canna fight the English without it.”

I asked Fraoch, “What dost ye think? Ye trust him tae be armed?”

“Aye, we can return it.” He raised his voice, “But if he does anythin’ alarmin’ I will run him through with my own.”

Wallace said, “I swear m’allegiance tae Mag Mòr.”

I nodded.

Fraoch tossed Wallace his sword, then they rushed away tae wave men tae other positions. Archers lined along the battlement, drew and shot, when my Marshal yelled, “Fire!”

The roar of the tank’s engine had a guttural growl that filled the air, the gun’s report was like a thunderclap, echoing off the cliffs. Another screech, growing in magnitude, and another deafening blast, leaving a gaping hole, and wind and fire and fury. All it took were two blasts and the castle was exposed tae our enemies.

Cailean rushed up, “Mag Mòr! What kind of a machine is this?”

“Tis called a tank!” Another screeching sound. Another blast. Timber, stone, and rubble flew from the wall, a whole wide section was useless — a stair hung off, men were jumping from the broken span of wall tae another as parts of my fortress succumbed tae the onslaught.

Cailean coughed from smoke, then said, “We canna fight against it! Our arrows do nothing! We daena hae the right armaments. What do we?—?”

Another whistling screech and a massive explosion on the wall that the men had just crossed tae — the screams and shouts of m’men as some fell off down the side of the cliff face. There was a man holdin’ on, scrambling tae survive. Men raced tae save him, but he plunged tae his death.

Fraoch said, “We need tae pull them back from the walls! We are losin’ too many men!”

The air was thick with the acrid stench of gunpowder, a sharp, biting scent that stung my nostrils. I coughed tae clear my chest and Cailean and I began directin’ our men down, wavin’ them tae the opposite side of the castle. There was another long whistle and a blast, more than half of my wall gaped open tae Edward’s advance.

Men stood on the side of the courtyard, armed with swords and bows. Fraoch and I were armed with handguns, nae match for the scale of armaments built up against us. The stone keep, my last bastion, stood stark against the fiery backdrop. Cailean grabbed my sleeve and pointed behind us — another storm.

Fraoch groaned. “Och nae.”

Cailean said, “We need tae get up in the Keep.”

I said, “Ye stay here with a radio — I will go up.”

Cailean said, “Mag Mòr, ye are goin’ tae fight on the walls?”

“Aye, the Keep is the King’s Tower, tis mine tae hold!”

We raced to the Keep with Wallace following, passing Chef Zach emerging from the stairwell with a bag of guns. Those guns were all we had in firepower. It made me deeply uneasy — we were massively outgunned.

Fraoch slung the gun bag over his shoulder and we took the stairs up two at a time.

I yelled, “How many grenades do ye think we hae?”

“Four?”

I said, “We need tae make every shot count.”

At the top floor we stepped out ontae the battlement. We could barely see through the thick smoke of m’burning timber walls. The Keep had been protected by its height, the walls ringing it, and its location, towering over the cliffs of Stirling. But now the walls had gaping holes, the Keep looked precarious and exposed.

If I were siegin’ this castle, I would put a cannon ball right here on the upper floor.

I blinked through the smoke and peered over at the gaping holes in my castle’s curtain wall, as Fraoch and Zach unzipped the bag and pulled out our grenade launcher. They handed us each a rifle. They opened my munitions box and loaded the launcher.

My stinging smoke-filled eyes spanned the horizon in all directions — the tank in the west had beaten m’walls down, and now a tank in the east, ominously swiveled its turret and aimed right at the wall below us.

There was the thunderclap, a flash. The whistling scream.

Wallace yelled down at the men in the courtyard below, “Move! Move! Move!” Wavin’ them away from the target.

That missile hit a wall made of stone, causing rubble, dust, and smoke tae fill the air. It took a long moment for the air tae clear enough that I could see what was left: piles of rubble, a wooden stair hanging precariously, and the beginning of yet another gash in my walls.

Fraoch stood with the launcher on his shoulder, “Get down!”

Wallace, Zach, and I crouched with our hands over our ears. With a loud boom he fired a missile, speedin’ across the sky tae the second tank, exploding against the back end, causin’ it tae rock.

The turret turned. Zach yelled, “Down! Get down!” There was a loud clap and a flash and the horrible whistlin’ screech and a missile exploded against the wall in front of us. Dust and smoke filled the air again, rubble slid down the pile, men were yelling.

I crouched below the parapet, aimin’ my gun in the direction of that tank, but there wasna anyone tae shoot. I watched through the sight, tryin’ tae find any enemy… when from behind us there was another thunderous clap, a whistling screech, and a missile hit the Keep, farther down. We all ducked. Everything shook.

Fraoch looked at me. “Twill hold?”

“Aye, of course twill. It has tae.”

“Which tank should I shoot?”

Zach pointed. “I know I’m not the boss, but that one is pissing me off.”

Fraoch loaded another grenade in the launcher. We crouched, clamping our hands over our ears once more. He fired, hitting that tank, liftin’ it from the earth for a moment, it landed billowing dirt and dust. We were quiet, scopes tae our eyes, watchin’ and waitin’ while the dust settled.

Wallace said, “Did we get it?”

Nae one answered.

But then we saw the gun turn, aim, the flash and the thundering clap, a missile whistling through the air, and the explosion against another section of the wall.

Zach said, “Fuck,” and aimed his rifle at the tank. He fired off some bullets but it changed nothing. He sat down, dropping his back to the stone parapet. “Fuck, I just want a bigger gun.”

He looked back around the stone. “Try it again, Fraoch, aim a few feet to the right.”

“I hae two more tae go.” Fraoch fired twice, once at each of the tanks. We shot our guns. But the two tanks fired round after round at m’walls until I was left with naething but two corner towers, one leaning precariously. My castle was fully exposed, the walls beaten, holes in the side of the main building. The brewery was on fire. Black smoke billowed from the kitchens.

Fraoch said, “At least this Keep is still standin’.”

Zach groaned. “Don’t say it, that can’t be good?—”

The tank turret rotated and then a loud clap, flash, blast, and a whistle screech. A missile struck the side of the Keep just under us. Zach yelled, “Go go go!”

We raced, ducking, while we ran tae the stairwell.

The Keep was rocking, the stone crumbling under us. We descended the stairwell, the steps underneath, shakin’ and shimmying as we careened down. Fraoch stumbled behind Zach, I grabbed him by the shirt and heaved him back tae his feet.

Wallace was behind me. He called, “We daena hae any more weapons?”

“Nae, I had a great many comin’ but they never arrived — our vessel daena work.”

“Twas Asgall’s plan!”

We raced from the stairwell out intae the courtyard.

I stopped, havin’ tae yell tae be heard over the roar of war. “He did it? Dost ye ken how?”

He shook his head. “Nae, I just overheard it!”

I heard a squawk from the radio clipped tae Zach’s belt. A man’s voice said something unintelligible.

Zach was doubled over, pantin’, fumblin’ with the radio, when it squawked again.

He pressed the button. A voice emitted:

Had Enough, Yer Highness?

Zach drew his hands back in shock, “What the fu?—?”

He unclipped the radio and passed it tae me.

I pressed the button: “Who is it?”

Is this His Royal Highness, Mag Mòr?

“Aye, and ye are...?”

My name is Asgall.

“Alright, Arsegall, ye murdered m’brother, I want ye tae ken, I will kill ye for it.” While I spoke, my eyes looked out over the bleak ruin of my castle, still ablaze. The sky was dark with thick smoke, the world smelled of death.

The voice emitted from the radio:

I would expect nothing less. I hoped Mag Mòr would fill his heart with hate and seek revenge until his last dying breath. This is delightful.

I tried tae control m’breathin’. Tae keep m’voice steady, but I wanted tae race down the hill with m’guns drawn. “Ye are a madman, ye brought modern war machines tae a medieval firefight, and hae destroyed an important Scottish castle. How did ye get the English King tae submit tae ye?”

Asgall’s voice:

He was easy tae convince. He does like his toys. I usually am not one tae move objects through time, I prefer tae keep the historical record intact, but ultimately , I wanted tae get the upper hand on Mag Mòr… as ye remember, ye destroyed m’compound and stole m’wife ? —

I pushed the button and said, “She was not yer wife, she is my sister-in-law, married tae Young Lochinvar.”

It sounded as if he chuckled, then said:

She married me first, Mag Mòr, the marriage tae Lochinvar is fraudulent.

I pressed the button again. “I will repeat, why hae ye brought the English King tae m’walls?”

His voice:

Mag Mòr, from my perspective ye daena hae any walls.

Fraoch was turning in all directions. He whispered, “Where is he? I am goin’ tae kill him.”

Zach said, “Get in line, we all want him dead.”

The radio squawked and Asgall said:

Tell Wallace he is a deserter and I will see him drawn and quartered.

I glanced at Wallace, he set his jaw.

I asked, “What is yer plan, Arsegall?”

There was a moment of silence, then he said:

Edward wants ye off the throne. He plans tae place his own man upon it, someone beholden tae himself. Ye ken, Mag Mòr, that ye are illegitimate because ye are not of this time ? —

“I ken nae such thing. I was crowned at Scone, I am the legitimate King of Scotland — who does he want tae replace me, John Balliol, Toom Tabard?” I scoffed, turning around, lookin’ out over the destruction. Where was he? “I want tae ken what side of the castle ye are on.”

His voice was low:

I might not even be there, Mag Mòr, I might be anywhere else, but yet… I ken right where ye are.

From behind me I heard the thunderous clap, the whistle and screech, and before I could fully turn around, a missile blasted against the stone wall beside me. The wall exploded, the blast threw me ontae the ground, and then the rubble of my stone walls rained down on me.

My ears rang from the shock and I couldna see from the smoke.

I came to as stones were lifted.

Pain coursed through my body as I was freed from the rocks, pinnin’ me down. My face was wet. There was a sharp pain in m’knee. Once m’arm was free, I wiped m’face and saw a large swath of blood. “Och nae.” Fraoch put out a hand and hefted me tae my feet. I staggered and swayed.

The radio, lyin’ on the ground, squawked.

Fraoch scooped it up and yelled intae it. “Tell me where ye are, I am going tae kill ye!”

Asgall’s voice said:

Tell Mag Mòr I want him tae surrender.

Fraoch said, “Never!”

Both the tanks fired from different directions. Their report rang off my cliffs, echoing throughout the valley. I clamped my hands tae my ears, the whistlin’ screech sounded, and then the missiles exploded on the Keep. Smoke and fire billowed out, obliterating the view. I watched the top floor, willin’ it tae stand, havin’ trouble catching my breath.

But then the smoke cleared, the top had collapsed, the upper rooms were exposed tae the sky.

I stood there, swayin’ on m’feet as one of the tanks fired another round aimed at the wall of the stable. It slammed intae the side of it, horses inside screamed.

Twas difficult tae think over the sound of screaming horses, flashes in my mind of Sonny, and I doubled over.

Fraoch was talkin’ furiously intae the radio — the world had gone slow. Men were racing tae save the horses, their shouts interminglin’ with the horses’ cries. I couldna see through the smoke billowin’ out, and I feared the horses were gravely injured. What of Dràgon? Mario? Would they survive?

I heard my marshal call, “Ready, aim!” And there was a row of my men-at-arms drawing their bows, aimed at the tanks, but without a chance tae win against the machines of war. My walls were rubble. The castle collapsed. He had accomplished it all with two tanks, methodically, strategically —

Cailean yelled over the roar and fury, “What dost he want?”

Chef Zach yelled back, “To fuck with us, sounds like!”

Fraoch looked down on the radio. “Tis a great deal of fuckery!”

I couldna hear what Fraoch was saying tae Asgall on the radio, Asgall spoke and I saw fury in Fraoch’s eyes.

I wiped blood from my head and swayed a bit on m’feet. “What is he saying?”

He held the radio closer tae me, Asgall’s voice sayin’:

...wife and children are in the cellar, the entrance is behind the kitchens at the north corner of the…

“He is threatenin’ m’family?”

Another thunderclap, and the whistle-scream as a missile whizzed past, aimed at the kitchens, near the cellars where I had sent Kaitlyn and the bairns.