50. Chapter 50 - Ash

CHAPTER 50 - ASH

A CELLAR UNDER BALLOCH CASTLE - OCTOBER 9, 1683

I was in that pitch black dark for about twenty minutes, when, coming from further down the tunnel I heard footsteps.

Who was it?

Someone was running toward me, there was a swinging beam of light, coming closer. I froze, waiting.

But then it was Lochinvar. He pulled me into his arms. “Och nae, twas menacin’ — are ye well?”

I nodded my head against his shoulder.

“I raced tae the other stairwell, I wasna sure if I could get here from that side.”

“Thank God.”

We both turned toward the opening at the top of the steps.

He said, “Did the drone find ye?”

“No, not yet, maybe it can’t see us under here.”

“Perhaps.”

I said, “Where are we?”

“Near the store rooms.”

“What are we going to do, wait for morning? Will we be able to leave?”

“The drone must grow tired eventually, then we will sneak out with the market day crowds.”

“Is tomorrow a market day?”

He chuckled. “We pray so.” Then he said, “Did ye bring the letter?”

“No, darn it, I left it lying on the table in our room.”

He sat down on the floor and raised an arm. I sat down beside him with his arm comfortingly around me, my head on his shoulder.

We were quiet, then he said, “Och, now I wish we had said where we were headed… We ought tae get out of here. Our presence is bringing danger on these people, and they daena hae good enough weapons.”

“Where would we go?”

“We could go tae… we could go tae Edinburgh. I would be able tae leave notes that way — och nae.” He opened his sporran and dug through it. “Och, I hae yer pink undergarmies but I daena hae a pen. Did ye bring yer pen?”

“You have my panties in there?”

“Aye.”

“But no pens?”

“I hae, as Fraoch would say, ‘questionable priorities.’”

I frowned. “Well, I left my wedding pen on the table. But…” I dug through my bag, and found pens. I held up a small handful in my fist. “I do have these.”

“Good. But daena tell Magnus or Fraoch I dinna hae one… Daena tell Quentin either.”

“Your secret is safe with me — but you did have one, Lochinvar, because you have me, and so we , you and I, have one in our bag that just so happens to be on my shoulder. We are a team now, you’re not the one that has to do everything. I’m the one that left my amazing wedding pen on the table, that’s on me, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t have at least ten pens on you, along with my pink underwear, I’m not exactly sure why you need so many pens, but it sounds like they are incredibly important?—”

“They are verra useful.”

“So…” I passed him three pens, and he stuck them in his sporran.

“Thank ye, Ash, that is a relief.”

“To have pens?”

“Aye, but also tae hae ye, I need?—”

“I imagine I am a huge pain in the ass sometimes, but also, I give you something to do — imagine how bored you would be if you never had met me.”

He chuckled, “I canna barely remember life without ye, twas endless feasts in beautiful Florida and I hadna had tae kill someone in months.”

“Now murderous rage is happening on the regular. What do we do?”

“Nothing tae do but wait for the morn.”

I thought I felt something. “Can I click on my flashlight?”

“Aye.”

I dug through my bag.

“Shoot, I left it on the table upstairs with the letter and our wedding pen.”

Lochie reached in his sporran and pulled out a penlight. He waved it around. I saw rats scurry away.

“Ugh, rats, this sucks!” I shivered.

He put the penlight in my hand. “Tae keep them at bay.”

I said, “See, you have stuff in your pockets too.”

He tightened his hold on my shoulder.

I shone the light in a circle, seeing shifts of movement in the darkness. I gulped. “What can we talk about? I wish I had a book…”

“Recite tae me the story of Twilight.”

I laughed. “First, though I read the series three times and watched the movies a lot , I can’t recite it from memory. But I can tell you what it was about, the young woman, Bella?—”

“She is verra beautiful?”

“Yes. She meets a vampire in school.”

He said, “Wait, how old is she?”

“Like 18.”

He said, “Okay, I thought ye meant the wee school for the bairns. But what is a vampire?”

“A mythical being who feasts on blood and lives forever.”

“Tis in the form of a man?”

“Yes, a very handsome young man.”

He said, “I hae never heard of vampires, we hae the baobhan sith, tis a female who will distract ye with beauty and dancing and then drains ye of yer blood.”

“That’s grim. But sort of similar, Bella falls for Edward the Vampire and?—”

“Yet he daena feast on her blood?”

“No, because he is hot and wonderful and sexy and he loves her.”

“He seems suspect. Inna he hungry?”

“He feasts on the blood of animals instead.”

“So what happens tae her?”

“She loves him, but he is too dangerous for her, so she begins to rely on Jacob.”

“Who is Jacob?”

“He is a wolf some of the time, but most of the time he’s a man, a really hot and handsome man.”

“She is hangin’ around with the wrong sort of men, they are all monsters. She inna safe.”

I giggled. “So true, but she has to decide which of the two men she will?—”

“Why must she decide between two, there arna any other men in the world?”

I laughed again. “Good point, but these are the two hottest men around. And they both love her, but they are both dangerous so?—”

“Because they are monsters. I bet if she goes tae Scotland she can meet a verra handsome man and not worry about monsters drinking her blood or eatin’ her for dinner. Ye like this book?”

“I love this book, the point is that she has to decide who she loves.”

“Is the blood thirsty man always a man?”

“Yes, and he lives forever. His is a sad story because he is lonely. Everyone he loves will die of old age, unless he drinks their blood and turns them into a monster, too.”

He said, “Ye said the wolf is sometimes a man other times a wolf?”

“Yes, he can shape-shift at will. Unless... when he’s angry he becomes a wolf?—”

“Then he might eat her?”

I nodded. “Either way it’s a tragedy.”

“Aye, but the decision is easy, if she has tae choose it must be the wolf man.”

“It must be? Why?”

“Aye, because a man who is a monster, who will drink yer blood, how can ye trust him? If he canna die, if he is not a part of the circle of life, then he is not a part of the natural order?—”

“The case could be made that your family of time travelers aren’t a part of the natural order either.”

“Nae, we age, we feel all the pain and horror of life. We are on the wheel. We are just spinning differently than most, but we arna monsters. Ye canna want tae live with a... what did ye call it?”

“A vampire.”

“Aye, a vampire would be terrible. Ye would hae tae sleep with one eye open, worried about him drinkin’ yer blood. If he was lonely or he thought he might lose ye tae time, he’d just... how would he get yer blood?”

“Use his teeth to prick holes in your neck and suck yer blood out.”

“Och nae, Ash, tis a horror story.”

“Yes, it is, but it’s also very romantic. But you think you can trust a wolf man?”

“Aye, he is a man or a monster. Tis more natural I think. If he daena get angry he might never be the monster at all.”

I put my head on his shoulder. “I never thought of it that way.”

“And wolves are good beasts. They live in dens with their family. They hunt in a pack. They are protective and smart. And they are the grandfathers of dogs.”

“That is true.”

“One is a bloodsuckin’ monster, the other is a wolf — I think the wolf.”

“I heard once that the reason why humans have been so successful in creating a world is because of the domestication of dogs. They helped us hunt, protected us while we slept, lived alongside us. I’ve always liked that about dogs.”

“So ye would pick the wolf man as well. We are wishin’ we had a dog right now tae beat back these rats.”

I swung the light beam around again, watching the shifts and scurries of vermin rushing away.

“Can we get out of here, soon?”

He said, “Wait here.” He crawled up the stairs and peeked out. He was still and quiet. I hoped he would say, ‘come on,’ but instead he crept back down, and resumed his seat. “We must wait.”

I put my head on his shoulder. “Am I too heavy?”

“Nae, tis alright. Tis the good kind of heavy. Are ye scared or cold?”

“Why?”

“Ye are shakin’.”

“Both.”

He tightened his hold. “Daena worry, I will keep ye safe.”