James nodded. “Yeah, yeah sure, I get that.”
Magnus nodded. “Thank ye.”
Everyone was quiet, looking from James to Magnus, though they seemed to have come to an arrangement that they could deal with.
Hayley said, “Okay, now that we've been interrupted, what were we talking about?”
Magnus asked, “I wanted tae ask ye Mistress Hayley, do all women here speak with the same kind of mischievous tongue as Kaitlyn?”
Hayley said, “No way, Katie is a one of a kind. She has been saying crazy shit like that since forever.”
“It gets me in so much trouble.” I shook my head. “I try to keep it cool, but if I see the joke, I go for it. Can't stop myself.”
Magnus said, “Tis a wonderful wit, I marvel that such a boisterous voice comes from such a wee bonnie lass.”
James said, “Here's to Magnus and Katie, a woman with a sharp tongue, a man with a sharp sword, and a marriage of convenience.”
They all raised their glasses and drank robustly. But Magnus shook his head. “Aye, tis most true, but the marriage is nae for convenience...I hae vowed more.”
He turned in his chair to me and said slowly with meaning, “Kaitlyn, mo reul-iuiel, is ann leatsa a bhios mo chridhe gu bràth.”
My heart swelled.
Hayley whispered, “Do you know what he said?”
“No, but I can see what he means by his eyes.”
Magnus grinned. “It means I like ye.” He grabbed the pitcher of beer off the table, “Slainte!” And chugged more than half of it down. Then he passed it to me, and I finished off the last.
After that the conversation grew less testy and more fun.
Hayley, Michael, and James talked about past parties and adventures, and I joined in, and we laughed and told Magnus all about our wild youth, and he and James were even friendly.
His hand reached out to mine and rested on my knee.
When he got up for the bathroom, Hayley waited until he was gone and said, “Oh my god, I'm dying. I wondered if the church was just an act, but he is so into you. This is like, real.”
“It is, it — I can't explain how real it is. I feel so—”
“You're speechless. James, Michael, she's speechless.”
“I really like him, I mean, that's weird, because he's my husband, and I can barely get used to that, but you guys like him too, right?”
“I do, he's hot, he's really nice, and he's rich as hell. And he seems to like you a lot, so I'm a huge fan.”
Michael said, “Well, he didn't kill James after that 'I was there first' comment, so he's got to be some kind of superhero. Maybe he has an ass repelling tool. I would have punched a guy for saying that about my wife.”
Hayley laughed. “You don't have a wife!”
I turned to James. “What about you?”
He nodded. “I think he's great. I just don't want you to get hurt.”
“How's he going to hurt me?”
“You know, something about him isn't right — his backstory. I talked to you about it at the kickball game.”
“Because he doesn't know anything about soccer—”
“Football.”
“Football, maybe he's just not—”
Micheal said, “Katie, he didn't know anything about soccer. Even kids living in the mountains of Afghanistan know soccer. Kids in the Amazon know soccer.”
James corrected him. “Football. And he wears a freaking sword.” He leaned back and flicked a napkin away. “I like him, I do, and that's all I'll say. He can drink me under table, plus he carries a sword. Also he's your husband, apparently.”
Magnus was headed across the patio toward our table.
James said, “Plus, it's a wedding party. We're celebrating your future life together. Right Magnus? Friends forever?”
Magnus said, “Aye. I am happy tae know ye.” He sank into his chair as the waiter brought trays of appetizers and placed one at every table. Magnus studied one of the trays. “What's this then?”
“Mozzarella sticks, careful, super hot inside.”
He bit into one and puffed and grimaced because I was indeed right. Then he smiled, chewing. “This is delicious! Could Chef Zach make this dish?”
Michael overheard. “He could, but he won't. That's junk food, he likes his food pretentious and hip.”
Magnus said, “I think he will be jealous I tasted something he didn't cook. You will come tomorrow, to our house for the four month of July party?”
James grinned. “The Fourth of July, man. Independence from Great Britain. When we fought against that King, what was his name?” He watched Magnus waiting.
Magnus looked blank for a second. “Was it Charles?”
James squinted his eyes. “King George.”
Michael, totally oblivious to the point James was trying to make, said, “How did you remember that?”
“It's been crammed down my throat since I was five.”
Magnus said, “I suppose in England we daena wish tae talk about losing the New World. I haena remembered it.”
James said, “Yeah, that's probably it.”
We ate heaping piles of mozzarella cheese sticks, and a blooming onion. It was twilight, the little twinkling string lights glowed over our heads, and the scented citronella torches wafted around the patio. Cicadas hummed. It was still steaming hot though, even with night coming on. “You don't want to take off your coat?”
“Tis possible I may need it.” He straightened the front, where it clung to his body. He looked very handsome in it. Broad shoulders, angled jaw line.
“You got your dirk back.”
“I did. On the way tae the necessary room, I went tae the bar and explained tae the bartender that wearing my dirk was a part of my whole suit. Without it I am just a man in a skirt, with it I am a true Scottish Highlander at his wedding party. He relented, but would nae give me my Claymore. I dinna ken.”
I jokingly rolled my eyes. “Makes no sense, it's only five feet long.”
An elderly couple interrupted us. “Excuse us, Dearie, we overheard that this is your wedding party?”
I said, “It is.”
“My husband and I have been watching from across the patio, and you're looking at each other just the way I remember looking at my dear Arnold, fifty-five years ago. Right, Arnie?”
Her husband said, “Aye.”
I said, “Oh, are you Scottish?”
Arnold said, “American now, but Scottish in my blood. You're Campbell clan?”
Magnus said, “Aye.”
“I'm Clan Munro. Wore my kilt on my wedding day too. And if you keep looking at her like this, you'll have a long and happy life, my friend.”
His wife said, “Ah yes, it warms my heart to see two young people in this much love. May your hearts stay full, your bed happy, and your voices kind.”
“Thank you,” I said and felt a bit weepy about it all.
She and her husband congratulated us once more and left the restaurant.
Magnus said, “Kaitlyn, I think tis time for us tae go as well.”
Hayley said, “Stay! One more thing — you guys need to dance. I'll take pictures!”
“Dance?”
I said, “Yes please can't we stay, please?” I batted my eyes. “After a wedding the bride and groom have a sworn duty to sway in circles together in front of their friends and family. Just once, maybe twice. We'll leave after? Maybe after another drink?”
Hayley said, “I'll go request your favorite song.” She ran away without even asking what it was.
Magnus's hand rested gently on my thigh. I loved a big strong hand so stilled and gentle, I wrapped his in both of mine and held it tightly.
It washed over me again that he was all mine — this felt so much like a first date, I had to keep reminding myself.
“I am nae certain I know how tae dance.”
“Honestly, all you have to do is put a hand on my hip and smile like you're enjoying it. I'll do everything else.”
Hayley came buzzing back with the newest super sexy Rihanna song playing through the patio's sound system. “See? Anything by Rihanna, your favorite. For years.”
“It is, isn't it?” I stood, held out my hand to Magnus, and led him a few steps away to an open space where the weekend musicians usually sat and played.
I faced Magnus and stepped closer. I drew his hand around my waist, centered it on my lower back, and began to rock to the music. Our other hands entwined and he held them to his chest. His lips on my forehead, my hips swaying. His hand lowered on my back, holding, a little bit pressing. I said, “See? Easy, just count the beat...”
He said, “Tis nae easy. Tis hard tae count now I know how wee your undergarments are under your dress.” For that I pressed closer and swayed a bit more.
“Tis hard for me too, now I know what's under your dress.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Ah, Kaitlyn, you art a won—” His eyes went to the sky and he stopped. “What is — a storm?” He looked wildly left and right.
I said, “And horses.”
“What?”
He pulled the paper wads from his ears as the front legs of a giant horse with a man yelling “Ha!” bounded over the low wall crashing down against a table. The table flew to the side. Chairs tumbled and crashed. The horse's back legs hit the patio with a rush. People screamed and ran for cover. The horse, ridden by a man, dressed in a dark cloak, tromped and spun, huge, menacing, trashing the patio all around underfoot.
The horse's legs tipped tables and smashed chairs.
In the sky above a bank of clouds rolled, roiled, and rumbled higher, the color of dark gray, almost soot black, climbing. Lightning arcing. A flash struck the road right in front of the restaurant. People scrambled away, diving over the wall as a second horse with a cloaked rider crashed over and trampled and spun. The wind was blustering around. The two men were yelling. The horses destroying everything in their path—
Magnus grabbed my arm, hard — twisting it. He shoved me toward a low wall. A flung chair crashed into us, knocking me to the ground, right behind an overturned table — Magnus landed on me with a crush. Pain shot through the side of my thigh as it landed on a metal table leg, with Magnus's full weight on top of me. I screamed, loud. Magnus gripped both of my hands, painfully, “Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn! Shhhhhh, daena be afeared, shhhhhhh, I will come back, I will do whatever it takes tae get back tae ye.” His face was an inch from mine, his whole weight on me, pressing. His hands gripped around mine. His voice beseeching. “Nae matter what, I am trying tae come home tae ye, I—”
I screamed again as another chair crashed onto his back. “Shhhh, daena be afeared.” I clamped my eyes shut.
“Kaitlyn, look at me, I need ye tae run and get my sword. Stay low, slide it tae me. Okay?”
I nodded.
He climbed up from my body and looked out from behind the table top. Then he jumped and ran at the men on horseback, unsheathing his dirk as he raced. In three steps Magnus leapt with his blade raised.
I scrambled up, checked my path, shoved a chair out of my way, and ran, in my heels, across so much overturned furniture, broken dishes, spilled glasses, picking my way, ankles twisting, repeating to myself, “Go, go, go, get the sword, go.”
Behind me Magnus roared as he fought.
I swung myself under the bar. “I need the sword!”
Rob, the bartender, glanced up from where he crouched, eyes wide, and gestured with his head toward the sword on a shelf a few feet away. I scrambled to it, grasped it with two hands, and dragged it to the ground. It was so fucking heavy. Why was it so heavy? Using momentum, I swung it beside me and half-dragged it around the bar.
Magnus was close, facing away. One, two, three, I hurled it toward his feet. The sword slid, then stopped short by about three feet — I burst into tears.
Magnus lunged at one of the men, then deftly jumped to the side, three steps, bent for the sword, swung it in an arc behind him, and roared forward, swinging wildly.
The first man dropped from the horse, swinging in return. Their swords clanked, metal on metal, sharp scraping sounds, clank, crash, crank, crashing, wind howling, people screaming. The wind whipped the tree limbs, flying paper in gusts. My hair was wild in my face.
People cowered all around the edges of the outer wall.
I slid to the ground, and shoved myself backwards to the bar, cowering around my knees while I tried to breathe.
Thunder crashed. The air sizzled as lighting struck a chair leg. It electrified, popped up like corn, and banged to the ground. The whole place smelled like fire.
I peeked around the bar as Magnus roared forward, swinging his sword wildly.
Quentin jumped over the lower wall, crouched low, and ran to my side. “You okay?”
“Do something, please, please, do something!”
He peeked out from behind the bar. “Can you follow me to the wall?”
I clutched at his shirt sleeve. “I need you to help him, Quentin, help him!”
“My orders are to keep you safe.”
He yanked me up by my forearm and pushed me toward the opposite side of the patio. In a low run I raced toward Hayley, Michael, and James. I tripped at the end, stumbling, and someone's hands grabbed me under my arms and yanked me over the wall, scraping my thighs.
Quentin scrambled over the wall just behind me, but my view was this: Magnus doubled over. The man he was fighting brought his sword down in an arc, hitting him with a blunt blow. Magnus stumbled under the force of it, his knees and hands hitting the stone patio. I screamed. Magnus had almost been killed. Ohmygod, ohmygod, Magnus was going to be killed.
James to Micheal on one side of me, “You concealing?”
“Nah man, it's a wedding party. It's at home.”
James said, “Shit, mine's in my glove compartment.”
Quentin on the other side of me pulled his pistol. “I just need a clean shot.”
Hayley was hunkered down right behind me, her phone to her ear. “Yes, I have an emergency. Yes, there's a sword fight with horses in the middle of the Cafe on Third Street.”
The wind whipped my hair in every direction. I said to Hayley, “Don't get him in trouble, it's not his fault.”
The man swung his sword around to attack again, but Magnus recovered his footing, and arced his sword up. The force of it set the man off balance. He stumbled back as Magnus, swung around with his dirk, forcing the man to lose his footing and fall to the ground.
Magnus dropped onto him, holding him down by the throat, and thrust his hand in the man's sporran. He sifted through the contents, tossing them away, diving his hand into the sporran again. He yelled into the man's face, “Where is it!”
Magnus stood, looked wildly left and right and focused on the second man on horseback now on the road in front of the restaurant. Magnus ran in two big leaping steps to the wall, bounded over it, and charged the second man, with a bellowing war cry.
I screamed “Magnus!”
The second man swung his sword down. Magnus ducked just in time, narrowly missing a wallop to the head.
James said, “We've got to help him, man.”
The wind was whipping around the street, leaves, paper, debris spinning. He and Micheal ran across the patio toward the front of the restaurant. Quentin stood. “Katie, don't move, stay right here,” and ran after them.
Magnus and the man on horseback were in a full spectacular sword fight. Magnus swinging up, the man carving down, the horse turning and stamping, and making that crazed screaming sound. The first man stood, climbed back on his rearing horse, and jumped it over the wall to the road to join the fight.
Magnus was lunging and backing and ducking — dust and sand spun in gusts around his body. He stumbled back three steps and the man on horseback deftly turned and charged him. Magnus dodged out of the way, twisted, but the man slashed his sword down on Magnus's left shoulder. Magnus yelled in pain and stumbled, clutching his shoulder, dragging the sword behind him. A b
loom of blood red appeared on his sleeve. Two men were circling him now, two horses rearing, two swords arcing toward him.
Magnus charged the second man on horseback, bellowing, using momentum to drag his sword up in an arc — a forceful blow aimed at the man's side. The man jerked sideways, dropped his sword, but was able to hold the reins.
Magnus swung his sword up and slid it into the sheath on his back. The man turned his horse around and charged again.
Quentin yelled to Magnus, “I've got a shot! Want me to shoot?”
Magnus whipped around. “Take it, now!” And Quentin fired, hitting the stranger in the shoulder. The man jerked backward, then slumped forward as Magnus grabbed the reins and yanked the horse's head sharply to the side, drawing it to a shrieking, trampling halt. Then Magnus swung up behind the rider. In one second he had his dirk at the man's throat, his other hand diving into the man's sporran, as their horse raced down the street with the first man on horseback thundering just behind them.
An arc of lightning flared around them as they disappeared down the street. The storm rose and roiled and thundered. Lightning flashed, and for a terrible moment the storm grew even more frightening, cutting our visibility to zero with gale force winds. Then suddenly it rolled and rumbled and rushed away.
I scrambled to my feet and screamed at James, Micheal, and Quentin, “Get him, oh my god, get him!”
“We'll find him Katie,” James called. He and Micheal dropped off the wall to the road and raced down the street.
Quentin returned to my side.
“Shouldn't you go look for him too?”
His jaw was set, firm, security-guard-business-like, but his eyes looked as confused as mine. “Magnus told me not to leave your side.”
The air stillsmelled burnt. The sky had the glowing pallor of an extreme weather incident, green, like some shit just went down. Sirens were wailing from a near distance. Dust was settling. Rubble was adjusting and falling.
The bartender stood and called out. “Anyone hurt?”
Restaurant diners climbed up from their hiding places, carefully picking places to step. The place was trashed, food, plates, glassware, blood, grime. One of the horses had pooped right in the middle of it all.
The wails of the sirens were close, just around the corner. Then three police cars screeched to a stop along the front of the restaurant. Police rushed the patio.
Kaitlyn and the Highlander Page 21
