The Guardian by Diana Knightley

Forty-three - Magnus

Iasked Quentin and Fraoch tae go with me up the mountain tae the cave.

Sometimes I went alone, I just needed tae see with m’own eyes that the boulder was there, as it should be. I might hae gone alone again today, as I had a great deal tae think on, but I kent Quentin and Fraoch would be quiet enough for me tae think, as well as being witty enough tae keep m’mind off Kaitlyn’s leaving, and tae advise me when I needed it.

Quentin asked as we went up the trail that I had been traveling for so many days now without fail, “Why do you go so often? You have the binoculars. If the safe boxes are moved it would set an alarm. We would know.”

“I am the guardian, I hae tae inspect it. Tis like the guard on the walls, ye hae tae walk the walls, ye ken, tae make sure they are safe.”

Quentin said, “I suppose that’s true.”

“I ken, logically, that there is a security system in place, but I hae tae lay eyes upon them. I must see the trail has nae footprints, I hae tae ken the sky daena hold a storm, I must check the boulder. If there is a branch fallen I must ken it, move it, deal with it. I hae tae make it safe.”

Quentin joked, “I kind of thought the security system on the safe boxes would help you relax.”

I joked, “I am verra relaxed, tis why I daena sleep up here in a tent in front of the cave.”

Fraoch asked, “You’re worried about Kaitlyn?”

“Aye. I hae never kent her tae run off before.”

Quentin chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds more like your style, Boss.”

I laughed. “Aye, I suppose ye are right.”

“Yep, you are often taking off to go set things right or fix what’s wrong and Katie is usually the one wondering where the hell you are.”

“Aye, tis a good way tae think on it.”

“Difference: with you left behind there’s a lot less crying.”

I joked, “I will remember tae continue tae hide m’crying so I can be admired for handling desertion better than my wife.”

“I’ll never forget that first time, during your wedding reception, when you left and I had to keep her company. That was a long bleak time.”

“Well, I daena ken if I feel better, but I am sure I think about it differently. I was feeling verra put upon that m’wife left without a word goodbye but tis good tae be reminded, I hae had tae do it before.”

Quentin said, “She wouldn’t have gone, if she didn’t think she needed to. Not after that year away. She did it because she felt she had to.”

We rode in silence for a time.

Then Fraoch asked, “How are ye feelin’ about living here?”

“I tell ye, I am nae enjoying the weather. This day is the first clear day since when... last summer? And I am enjoyin’ some things, such as ridin’ m’horse on the hills. I am glad tae hae my family around. How about ye?”

“Tis nice tae hae the loch beside me, but I do miss good modern food.”

“Aye.”

We were quiet again, my horse rocking under me as it climbed a steep pass. A hawk swooped overhead on the hunt for its next meal.

I watched it fly, then said, “I believe I made a mistake.”

Fraoch said, “What dost ye mean?”

“Kaitlyn has argued with me, and I fought her about it but now I am thinking on it... I am worried I hae backed up against the wall. I hae never lost a battle afore, but I ken one thing, m’uncle Baldie always told me, ‘Daena let them back ye up,’ tae do it would be tae chance losin’ yer footin’, ye ken?”

“Aye, if ye are pushed tae the wall ye canna get away, there is nothing left but tae fight back or fall tae the ground.”

Quentin said, “Retreat to a castle is a terrible idea in modern warfare, especially when we can fight from the sky — it’s a fortress of course, but also, it becomes a waiting game. The inhabitants of the castle might be protected but if the enemy lays siege then the inhabitants could starve or worse.”

Fraoch said, “Och, daena say it, starvation is m’biggest fear.”

I said, “Mine as well.” I joked, “And ye are supposed tae be m’advisor, Colonel Quentin. I daena remember ye saying ye were worried we might starve in Kilchurn.”

“I think I said exactly that, but basically we had no other choice but hold up in the castle while we figured out the next step.”

“How are inhabitants of a castle victorious, does it ever happen?”

“Sometimes, I suppose. Army sieges don’t always last forever. One way to shorten a siege is to draw out the inhabitants, to create a distraction, or—”

“Like tae tell the Queen that she is needed somewhere else, so that she leaves and the rest of the inhabitants are left nae knowing what tae do.”

“Yeah, kind of exactly like that.”

We drew near the cave, dropped down from our horses, and the three of us pushed the boulder tae the side.

I climbed through the tunnel tae the cave, a tight fit, but short enough that I wasna too worried on it, but I had tae grunt and groan with the effort so that Fraoch called intae the cave, “Ye are a big wailin’ bairn.”

“Och, ye daena ken what ye are talkin’ on, tis a tight fit. Yer girth is too big else ye would be here with me.”

He said, “This is why I need more food, I am afeared I will waste away and ye will make me go inside the hole.”

Quentin climbed in after me and then he and I went through the chests, counting and replacing, like we did every time we came tae take stock. The vessels were all there, I kent it because I kept the records. Before, the world had seemed made of competing strands of time, pushing and pulling against each other, but now it all felt stable.

The rock of the mountain, Ben Cruachan, held the vessels, guardin’ them well. I lived at the base being watchful. It all felt safe.

My advisor, Quentin, felt so too.

Fraoch, guarding the cave while we counted, believed it as well.

I had stabilized our history and had thus made our present safer, but I hadna fixed the future, and that was where all the difficulties lay.

Quentin said, “I want a vessel.”

“We hae the one down at the castle. Ye daena think tis enough?”

He shook his head. “With Sophie’s history, and the anonymous letter, and with Katie gone, we need vessels at the castle. I don’t think we’re safe anymore. Kaitlyn made a good point, once something goes time-twisty, it all follows fast, and I don’t know if we’ll have enough time to get back here if we need to get away.”

I considered it for a moment.

Then I called up out of the cave, “Do ye need a vessel as well, Fraoch?”

His voice called down, “Aye, I would like one.”

I said, “I suppose if there are three at the castle, we ought tae be able tae save everyone, and we can go in different directions if need be.” I tossed a vessel to Quentin, one of the older ones, marked it as missing on the list, and carried another out of the cave tae Fraoch.