Entangled With You

by Knightley, Diana

  Sean growled and bore down on me, his sword arcing down, left and right. I blocked and backed up across the courtyard.

  “Who dost ye trust more, me or Commander Davis?”

  Sean said, “I daena trust ye, you brought them here.”

  I swung back hard, our blades crashed, then our arms locked together face to face. “If I brought them here, let me take them away. My kingdom is nae lost. I will fight for it. I will remove these men from our lands. I need ye tae fight with me, Sean. We can do it together.”

  He shoved me off, but then Quentin was right behind him, a moment later Sean was convulsin’ and then he crumpled tae the ground.

  Quentin said, “Sorry Boss, it’s a taser. It drops assholes. I mean, I get that he’s your brother, but he has been needing to stop his bullshit for a while. I couldn’t watch it anymore.”

  Sean was a pile of lifeless body on the ground.

  I asked, “Will he be okay?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be fine, grab his sword. He’ll come out of it in a moment and he might be cranky. But we’ll be long gone anyway.”

  The sound of the buzzing of vehicles came from the direction of the woods beyond the walls.

  Chapter 38 - Kaitlyn

  I had been told what to look for, but I hadn’t considered what it would be like to do it for the first time in the dark. The placenta was out and in a bowl. I asked Madame Greer to hold the flashlight over it while I picked up the placenta and checked every section of it. I had been told to look for lobes that didn’t match and one looked weird. I flipped it over and looked from every angle. One section did have a suspicious looking dip, like a crater on the surface, kind of like a small open wound on something that could only be described as a big open wound.

  No.

  I took a deep breath. “Lizbeth, I was told that I needed to get all of this out. I’m sorry, that’s what I was told. Okay? Can you lay back down?”

  The midwife I spoke to had shown me the pages that I would need in this instance. I had a bookmark. I flipped to it and broke the back of the binding so the book would lay flat. Then I changed my gloves and it wasn’t easy because my hands were shaking like dry leaves on a tree. In an windstorm. In a freaking earthquake.

  “This will be super uncomfortable and it might hurt like hell, Lizbeth, but I have to...” A drone retuned to the window, its searchlight sweeping across the panes with its too-loud buzz filling the air around us.

  Madame Greer got down on her knees beside the bed and began to pray.

  “Tis okay, Kaitlyn.” Lizbeth gritted her teeth and went quiet except for low moans. I placed a hand on her stomach and held while I put my fingers up inside her and swept around with my finger edges for a — there was something. It was stuck but when I brushed along it again it peeled away, holding it in between my two fingers. I pulled it out. Was that it? Enough? I pressed it to the placenta and it looked like the part that had been missing.

  Lizbeth looked pale and weak. Madame Greer was praying with a steady murmur.

  There was also a jagged tear to deal with. I yanked the midwifery kit closer and pawed through it for the needle. My hands were shaking even more. I changed my gloves for the third time and then got the alcohol bottle and poured alcohol on all the things I had just pawed through. I had pads with numbing stuff and I swabbed it all around and then I cleaned the area, and pulling the two edges closer, jabbed the needle into her skin, oh my god, and pulled it through.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She was crying, I needed to do at least one more. “Just one more don’t worry, please don’t worry.” I was trying for my most nurse-like voice, but I—

  I did it once more then created a knot. I changed the towel under Lizbeth and pulled off the latex gloves and began opening bottles of medicines and pouring them into a small bowl. I passed them to her with filtered water.

  “We have to keep that area clean. That’s what these towels are for. Clean towels.”

  The buzzing sound of the drones was getting louder and louder. I pulled a towel up between her legs and then I pulled the covers up to her chest and wrapped a swaddling blanket around the baby. “We have to make sure you don’t run a fever. If you get hot, will you tell—”

  There was a loud banging on the front door.

  Madame Greer said, “Tis probably the physician.” She stood and brushed off her skirts.

  My eyes went wide.

  Lizbeth asked, “You winna show him any of these contraptions?”

  Madame Greer said, “I wouldna dream of it — Madame Kaitlyn, is Lizbeth finished with the whole experience, can we tell the physician he is nae necessary?”

  I nodded. “But please don’t say anything, you know, that will get me in trouble.”

  Madame Greer put her hand on my cheek. “Did ye save her life?”

  “I hope so.”

  “And I have watched ye in prayer most of this day, it must have been God working through ye. Tis the only explanation as ye have nae bairn of your own.”

  Another loud bang on the door.

  She huffed. “Please hide all of this verra fast, I will attempt tae keep him down the stairs for a fair while.”

  She bustled down the steps.

  I slammed all the midwifery tools into their case and locked it. I scooped up the towels and shoved them under the bed. The swaddling blanket was a wool-like fleece. I could defend it by saying it was from the West Indies.

  I remembered in the last moment to turn off the flashlight and lantern and shove them under the bed, throwing us into pitch blackness as footsteps clomped up the stairs. Fast.

  Chapter 39 - Magnus

  The sound of the vehicles drew closer, their noise growin’ louder. Quentin jogged tae the corner where the weapons were chained together ready tae go. “Come on boss, jump with us!”

  Sean was groanin’ and beginning tae get up. I stood over him, with both of our swords in my hand.

  A storm built in the open space above the courtyard, wind gusts blowing dust and debris around in circles.

  Tyler gestured for me tae come on. Quentin held the vessel, he called, “Come with us to Florida. Davis is coming, this is a losing battle.”

  Sean looked up at me. “What did ye do tae me?”

  “One of my men grew tired of your stubbornness. Ye are ruttin’ and bellowin’ like a stag without the sense tae ken ye are wrong. He disarmed ye tae protect me.”

  Sean held his head in his hands.

  I said, “My kingdom is nae lost. I will fight for it. I will remove these men from our lands. I need ye tae fight with me, Sean. We can do it together.” The storm was a full blown frenzy. Through the wind I barely made out Quentin’s voice, calling me to come with them.

  I yelled, “Go without me!”

  Headlights glared around the space as three vehicles crashed through the hole in the wall and climbed up a pile of debris.

  I shielded my eyes from the blinding lights and the windswept dust.

  I tapped the switch on my radio. “Kaitlyn, I love ye. I fought Sean, I tried tae reason with him, but I am captured. I am goin’ tae the future but I will come home. I promise.”

  There was static and Kaitlyn’s voice, “Magnus—” and then nothing.

  Sean looked up at me from the ground. “Why arna ye leavin’ again?”

  “I told ye, I will stand and fight with ye.”

  “And I told ye that I daena fight on your side. I mean tae kill ye — will be easier.”

  I shook my head. “Easy? I will make it verra difficult. But you daena want tae kill me. Trust me in this. I am the king. I will stop their attacks—”

  The winds whipped faster, a storm built above us, wind and lighnin’ and spiraling gusts causin’ me tae stumble.

  “Fight with me.” I yelled against the wind as I tossed his sword tae the ground beside him. He groaned and lumbered tae his feet. The winds shoved him back.

  One of the men stepped from the vehicles and trained his gun on me, yellin’ across the cour
tyard. “Are you, Magnus Archibald Caehlin Campbell?”

  I answered, “Aye!” As I was buffeted forward.

  “I am Commander Davis, I have orders to place you under arrest.”

  I said, “Commander Davis, I winna fight. I ask that ye daena leave any of your weapons behind.”

  Commander Davis grunted. “Yeah, we’re taking everything.”

  The winds were still spinning the space but beginning tae dissipate. I kept my eyes on Sean as I tossed my sword tae my feet.

  Commander Davis said, “Drop to your knees. Hands behind your head.”

  Lights were blindin’ me. Commander Davis stalked closer.

  “Sean, will ye see tae the family, bring them home?”

  Sean said, “Aye.” He looked away.

  Commander Davis yanked my arms down behind my back, shoved me forward onto the rocks covering the courtyard floor. He bound my wrists.

  “I said I will go easily, daena hurt anyone else.”

  I shifted in the gravel to look behind me. The corner where the vehicles had been grouped looked empty. The winds had grown calm. Quentin and Tyler were headed tae Florida with the vehicles.

  Commander Davis stepped on my back, forcing my air from my lungs. “Gather your things men, we have what we need.”

  Three more vehicles drove into the space. The men brought the vehicles in close together. Headlights shone toward me. The men were silhouetted as they landed the drones and packed up equipment, preparing tae leave.

  Another captive was yanked from the back of a vehicle and shoved toward me.

  “Och, nae,” I said intae the dust and gravel of the courtyard ground.

  Chapter 40 - Kaitlyn

  I was shoved to my knees beside Magnus.

  “I’m sorry, they came to the house, they got me—” I struggled against the ties on my wrists but there was no breaking them.

  “What of Lizbeth, is she delivered?”

  I nodded. “She had a baby boy. I think she’ll be okay. I hope so, I — what are we going to do?”

  Magnus shifted to raise his head a bit. “Tis lookin’ verra bleak, mo reul-iuil. Our only hope is my barbarian brother standin’ over there starin’ down at his sword and I daena think he is tae be counted on. Next time I see him I will kill him sure as he’s standin’ there doing nothing.”

  I bit my lips. “If you see him again.”

  “Och, aye.” He shifted in the dirt, his cheek on the ground. “We are headed tae the future, I wish I was on my feet tae protect ye.”

  A loud clanking noise sounded behind me, I scrabbled closer to him and collapsed against him. “I wish I could chew through your bindings.”

  “What have ye got in your pockets?”

  “Nothing, the walkie-talkie. I was so hungover when I got up and just thinking about what I needed for the birth, I didn’t put on a knife or anything. I am such a—”

  Another person, silhouetted against the lights was shoved to the ground beside us. “Tyler?”

  “Yep.” His arms were bound behind his back. He was twisting himself around on the ground.

  Magnus said, “Why didn’t you jump with Quentin?”

  “I don’t know why the fuck I do anything.” He shoved his ankle near my hands. There’s a knife there. Right there.”

  I was clasping and wriggling my fingers, straining against the holds to get to it. “Katie, it’s right there, get your fingers on—” He yanked his ankle in the opposite direction and a knife slipped through my fingers and thumped to the ground.

  He scrambled up to a sitting position. I dove backwards to pick up the knife.

  Magnus met my eyes. “You have it?”

  I nodded.

  A man came over just then, “All of you, get up.”

  It wasn’t easy to stand. It was dark, but we were also illuminated. I couldn’t use my hands, stumbled on my skirt, and almost dropped the knife. Also, it was right behind me in my hands. I didn’t know how to get it anywhere safe and hidden. There were men on all sides of us. We were forced to move toward the vehicles. Magnus brushed close to my back. He took a step to turn from me, brushing his hand to mine and taking the blade into his hands.

  We were by the vehicles. Pushed into a tight circle, men all around us. I pressed to his back. Tyler pressed close to the other side. We blocked Magnus’s hands from view as the clouds built above us.

  Tyler’s said, “Are we going to do this shit again? Fuck.”

  I said, “Hold on.”

  Magnus was silent while he tried to get the knife into a manageable position and then the time jump hit me with a brutal slam to the gut and then it began to feel like I was ripping apart into pieces on a cellular level, molecular, so much pain—

  Part II

  Chapter 41

  Darkness, noise, screeching and pain enveloped me, but far away in the distance, Magnus’s voice, as if it was miles away. Kaitlyn.

  Then, Kaitlyn, get up. We have tae go.

  No no no no no no—

  Kaitlyn, get up, we have tae run, now.

  I pried open an eye. Magnus’s face was close, very close.

  He said, “I need ye tae get up so we can run.”

  I moaned, nodded and pulled myself to a sitting position. We were on a low rooftop, surrounded by grassy lawns.

  I turned to look, but Magnus held my cheek, brought my eyes back to his face. “Daena look. Stand up.” I stood.

  “Look directly at me. Good.”

  What’s happening? I didn’t know if the words actually came out of my mouth or stayed rattling around in my head.

  Tyler’s voice beside us, also standing. “Shit, we’ve got to get out of here, fast. Get the weapons off them.”

  Magnus said, “Keep your eyes closed Kaitlyn, stand there.” I heard a rustling as he and Tyler rushed around doing something. Then a second later, Magnus had my hand and he was pulling me into a run.

  I couldn’t help it, as we rushed to the edge of the rooftop and a metal stair going down, I glanced back over my shoulder. The vehicles and weapons were all there and Commander Davis and his men were covered in blood, dead, piled. Left.

  Magnus hadn’t wanted me to see, but it was as difficult to see as it was to imagine that all that murder and mayhem happened right there beside me while I didn’t see.

  We made it to the stairs. Tyler first, me, then Magnus. As the door behind us opened and men came out to meet the time jumpers. Guards. From Donnan’s kingdom. They —

  If I was too slow, if I stumbled, Magnus was dead. I had to descend, fast, though my body wasn’t fully working yet.

  Tyler made it to the grass. Then me. Magnus right there. We raced behind the building, Magnus yelled “Run!” and we bolted across a long flat grassy lawn toward an orchard.

  The men were fast behind us, and then vehicles, a helicopter took to the air — we made it to the trees but there was no protection. A drone flew close and a dark car bore down on us, a cloud of dust billowing behind it.

  Tyler was the fastest, he dove between trees, down paths, taking sharp lefts and rights. I was slowing, Magnus had to pull me along.

  Tyler took a sharp right and stopped behind a low shed. We pulled up together. “You cool?”

  I said, “Yeah, just needed a breath — how’re your lungs, Magnus?”

  “M’breaths are nae easy, but we must go.”

  We raced out from behind the shed as the car chasing us screeched to a dirt-billowing stop. A door slid open. Lady Mairead said, “Get in the car, Magnus.”

  Magnus pushed my lower back up into the car. I climbed into the back. Tyler followed. Magnus sat beside Lady Mairead and the door slammed shut behind us. The car careened us away.

  Chapter 42

  The back windows were blacked out so we couldn’t see what was happening outside, but I could tell we were going very very fast. I tried to catch my breath while staring at Magnus’s neck and shoulders in front of me, the side of his face. His eyes open. The strength held there in his neck, the corner o
f his jaw, clenched as we took corners way too fast. I held the seat. Tyler gripped the seat in front of him.

  Magnus asked, “Where are ye takin’ us?”

  Lady Mairead sat stiff and unmoving. “I have an apartment in the city.”

  I asked, “Will we be safe there?”

  Lady Mairead said, “You’ll be safe for a time, while Magnus prepares tae battle. Now, if ye can calm your questions, I will speak tae ye on it when we arna drivin’ at this speed.”

  We were going very fast, but it was pretty funny that she couldn’t talk through it.

  After a very long drive we hit traffic, I could tell because we slowed, stopped, started, slowed and stopped again. Maybe we were in a city? I guessed it meant we were close to where we were going — Lady Mairead’s house?

  It was odd to be transported without knowing where we were going. Hadn’t I been warned to not get into the back of a van with evil diabolical people? Yet here I was. The back of her neck was stiff and straight, thin and weak looking. I could kill her, with my hands, right now. Flashes of Donnan’s brutal death slammed into my head again. I took a sharp breath and another. The line between breaths and hyperventilation was a lot thinner than I liked. Panic, panic that I had been swallowing down for hours threatened to pull me under. I looked down at my hand, to spin my wedding ring nervously, but it was gone — I pulled at the bottom of my bodice.

  Magnus caught my movements from the corner of his eye. He turned in his seat and reached for my hand. I clutched it in both of mine. There were splatters of blood around his fingernails, I gasped for air. I wasn’t close enough. I wrapped around his arm and tucked my face into his shoulder and wished I could go home.

  Chapter 43