"She cracked him on the head with her staff!" he wheezed, half ecstatic with what had happened. "I can't believe it. Wait until I tell Donal. There we were, worried that some angry mob had burned down her cottage… should've known better than to expect Maggie to be troubled by some pesky villagers…"
"Aye, you should have," came a familiar voice, equal parts amused and annoyed. They both looked up to see Maggie in all her glory, standing on the porch with her walking stick held high. "The next lot are going straight in the Loch. You mark my words. What're the two of you doing here so early? Come to join the mob?"
"We wanted to check on you, Maggie. Father Caleb said the villagers were planning on mutiny."
"Aye, well, that lot couldn't plan anything if their lives depended on it," she said frankly. "You two coming in, then? It's about to rain."
As if on cue, Kay felt a drop of water land squarely on her head — she looked up, surprised by how quickly the drizzle had come over. Liam ushered her up the stairs and across the porch into Maggie's little cottage, which was just as cozy and cluttered as she remembered it, though it felt like all the furniture had been moved around, somehow. It was a hard place to get your bearings in. Darter was asleep in a huge armchair by the fire, but he started awake when he heard them, his bright eyes sleepy.
"Get off to bed with you," Maggie said, giving him a gentle nudge with the tip of her walking stick. The little goblin yawned, bid them both a drowsy good morning, then wandered off up the stairs, leaving Maggie grinning to herself. "Wanted to stay up with me and keep an eye on the villagers, silly little thing. Now, what news with the wisps?"
Liam explained the trip they'd taken out into the bog to try to track down the wisps and at least start thinning their numbers a little. Maggie clicked her tongue, clearly dismayed, when he explained his injuries. "Aye, they're nasty little blighters," she agreed when Kay chimed in with details of the paralysis that had afflicted his arm. "You were lucky. If that paralyzing venom strikes you in the wrong part of the body, it'll reach your heart and stop it beating."
Kay shivered, a little taken aback by how close a call it had been. What if she'd lost him? What if the wisp had stung him in a slightly different place, and he'd never come back from the mission to the swamp? She braced herself. Some things were better not to think about.
Chapter 45
But Liam just nodded. "They're hard to fight, these wisps. Impossible to strike with arrows, and just as hard to hit with a spear or a blade… it's the wings on them that are the problem. Any suggestions, Maggie?"
"Iron and fire's all that will do the trick." She shrugged. "But if it's flight you want to take from them… it's the wings that are most flammable."
"How can we set them on fire, though? Flaming arrows?" Kay suggested, only half joking. But Liam shook his head, his expression grim.
"We can't hit them with regular arrows, let alone flaming ones."
"I'd suggest burning the whole swamp down around them," Maggie said brightly, "but with this kind of weather you'd be lucky to burn a bush or two, let alone a nest of wisps. But bringing the fire to them, that's the right idea. You're on the right track."
"The men carry torches, right?" Kay wanted to know, frowning to herself. What she wanted was a weapon — a shield, ideally — that had fire on it. "Could they use those to fight with, somehow? Maybe if they were a little longer?"
"I suppose I could get the servants to make up a few bundles of extra-long torches," Liam said thoughtfully. "At the very least, they'd be useful defensive weapons. Good thinking, Kay."
Maggie nodded agreement, her eyes twinkling. But Kay couldn't help but feel dejected. "It's only an interim measure, though," she said, aggrieved. "All of this is interim measures… none of what we're doing is actually getting to the heart of the problem."
"There'll be time for that," Liam said gently, putting a hand on her knee. "We'll get to the root of things soon, I promise. But in the meantime, if interim measures save lives, then I'm more than happy to spend a little time working on them."
She squeezed his hand back, sighing a little. "You're right. I'm getting ahead of myself. It's just… frustrating."
Maggie was casting a very thoughtful gaze at the pair of them, her eyes twinkling, and Kay withdrew her hand as a blush rose to her cheeks. But to Maggie's credit, the old woman didn't say anything… just eyeballed them both as she began to clatter around her cottage in a way that suggested that their conversation was over.
"Thanks, Maggie," Liam said as they left. "You let us know if you have any more trouble from those villagers, alright?"
"It's them who'll have trouble from me if they're not careful," Maggie said darkly… but there was a twinkle of appreciation in her eye nevertheless as she closed the door behind the two of them. They rode back to the castle in pleasant conversation.
The torches, it turned out, were quite helpful. Liam had a provisional bundle made up that very morning when they returned to the castle, and a handful of guards went out on a hunting trip, keen to see if the long torches would help. The group, when it returned late that afternoon, was exultant — a completely different energy from the tragic group who'd ridden home a few days earlier. Liam swept her up into his arms and kissed her, drawing a chorus of approval from the other guards and making her blush furiously, a little embarrassed but also very pleased by the demonstration of affection.
"The torches worked brilliantly!" he crowed, his eyes alight. "Honestly, Kay, they were brilliant. They're just long enough to scorch a wisp's wings without getting too close to it — which helped us get them onto the ground so they could be stabbed with iron. We must have taken out… what, a few dozen at least?" he roared, turning over his shoulder to where the other guards were shouting happily. It felt good — incredibly good — to have struck a blow at the enemy that it actually felt, and there was a great deal of carousing that night in the dining hall.
The week wore on. More torches were made, and daily hunting trips were organized now that the men had a surefire way of harming the wisps with iron and fire. They began to thin their numbers, and hopes were high. But as if in retribution, losses began to escalate in the village again, with more and more livestock going missing as the week wore on. Worst of all, another man was lost — this time an old man who'd simply been sitting on his porch keeping an eye on his flock of sheep. In the morning, not only was the old man gone… but so were five of his sheep, a new record.
"They can't be eating so many animals," Liam said to her in an undertone, clearly dismayed by the news still, hours after they'd heard it. They were lying in bed in his quarters, both naked… she'd discovered a rather effective way of distracted him from worrying about the wisps, a way that she happened to derive a great deal of pleasure from as well. "It's spite that's motivating these attacks, I'm sure of it."
"Either way, all we can do about it is keep fighting them." Kay sighed, tracing a pattern on his muscular shoulder with the tip of her finger. Clearly enjoying the attention, but still distracted by the wisp problem, he heaved a sigh, turning over in bed and gazing at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"I suppose so. I'm just worried we're not thinning their numbers rapidly enough… they must be breeding quickly enough to replace the ones we're killing. There must be a way to do more… to kill them, and to make sure they can't keep breeding in the bog. Any bright ideas?"
She sighed. "Not really. I mean, I've got some vague concepts floating around, but nothing concrete."
"I have faith," he said simply, smiling up at her. "That reminds me. What do you think of spring?"
"The concept? You mean the season?" She blinked, curious, and he laughed.
"Not in general. I mean for a wedding."
She blinked again, surprised by that. "Is someone getting married?" She'd never been to a Scottish wedding… were there different practices? Given it was the sixteenth century, there probably would be, she thought with some amusement. But Liam was staring at her like she was completely daft, an
d she frowned at him. "What?"
"I mean the two of us," he said gently, tilting his head to the side.
"What? Married?" she gasped, completely shocked. "Are you serious? We — we've only been seeing each other for a week!"
"Aye, but… I mean, did you think I was just fooling around with you?" he said, sounding puzzled and a little hurt. "I'm very serious about you, Kay. I wouldn't go to bed with a woman I didn't intend to marry. I'll not have you bearing my bastards."
She took a deep breath, utterly at a loss for how to handle this completely unexpected turn of events. What the hell was he bringing up marriage for, so early on?
And why was a part of her so profoundly thrilled by the idea?
Chapter 46
It was a long, strange night. She explained, very carefully, that while she was flattered, where she came from people tended to take a little longer to start discussing marriage than a week or so. He was understanding, but clearly a little concerned. She supposed it was her own fault, as she lay in the quiet of his chambers after he'd fallen asleep, listening to the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing. The idea of contraception had occurred to her after their first night together… but she'd been a little reckless about it. She'd always had a good sense of her own rhythms — she knew when her body was and wasn't fertile — and she was relying on that method of contraception to avoid pregnancy, for the most part. At least, that was what she was planning on doing… but it seemed Liam had been on a different page altogether.
Marriage? Really? She'd always felt on some level like she was too young to get married… like it was something for real adults to do. But at twenty-eight, she was a lot older than most of the married women she knew around the place. And Liam was… well, she liked him a lot, but that was all that new relationship buzz, wasn't it? She barely knew the man, overall. Could she really commit to someone she'd known for such a short time? Could they really make a relationship like that work, with how different they both were, the quite literal different worlds they came from? Casual sex, that was one thing… but building a life together? Having children? That was a whole separate ball game.
She eventually fell asleep, but her dreams were troubled, and her rest was uneasy. Liam headed off bright and early to go wisp hunting, full of enthusiasm for the trip, and clearly not particularly worried about the conversation they'd had last night that had shaken her up so badly. She knew what she had to do, she decided as she dressed. She had to seek guidance from people who knew where she was coming from when she talked about how different her own society's views on marriage were to this one's.
To her great relief, all three of the other time-stranded women were in the castle today. She found the three of them at breakfast and joined their table, happy to see them. They chatted for a little while about the recent gossip — everyone was thrilled to be finally doing some damage to these wisps, despite the heartbreak of the most recent loss of human life — before she cleared her throat.
"So Liam started talking about marriage last night," she said, not quite sure how to broach the subject but knowing she had to get it out before it drove her completely insane. "Just out of nowhere. Asked me whether I liked the idea of a spring wedding. I didn't know who he was talking about."
Nancy collapsed laughing, Anna grinned, and Elena just nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. "What did you say?" the cop asked curiously, tilting her head to the side, and Kay sighed.
"I just explained that… well, that where I come from, we generally wait until we know each other a little better before we start talking about getting married. He just said that he's… he's serious about me, and he thought I knew that. That he wouldn't have slept with me if he wasn't."
"What a gentleman." Nancy giggled. "God, I wish I could've seen the look on his face —"
"He's worried about me falling pregnant out of wedlock, I think that's what's motivating it."
"That's not all that's motivating it," Anna said with a grin. "Don't hide from this. He's serious about you. He likes you. Loves you, even. How do you feel about that?"
She blushed to the roots of her hair, hearing Nancy's cackling laughter and not caring. "I don't know! It's all pretty damn fast, that's how I feel about it. I mean, I like him, sure. He's kind, and funny, and easy on the eyes… but I don't know about marrying him! Did your men propose to you five minutes into your relationship?"
"Pretty much." Anna shrugged. "Marriage is a different concept, here. It's a kind of … practical partnership, as well as a covenant of love. He's not trying to rush you, he's just making sure you know he's serious about you, about the two of you."
"I'd consider it, if I were you," Elena said softly, shrugging her elegant shoulders. "I was just like you back home — married to the job, committed to myself and my family and nobody else. But marrying Brendan was the best thing I ever did."
Nancy was beaming. "Absolutely. The Sidhe brought you here, they introduced you to Liam straight away… they knew you were meant to be together. They have a knack for that. They got me and Malcolm together, didn't they? And besides, if you marry him, we'll be sisters-in-law." Nancy leaned over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. "Won't that be wonderful?"
She sighed, a little torn. On the one hand, the explanation and the enthusiasm of her friends went a long way toward making her feel less uncomfortable about the whole sudden proposal situation. It was normal behavior… not for her time, of course, but for medieval times, it seemed that proceeding with marriage in mind didn't make you a weirdo. But could she really trust what these women were saying about their own marriages, about how they were the best thing that had ever happened to them? Sure, it was nice to be with a handsome man… but it wasn't like there were many other options for women in these times. What if they just had an elaborate kind of Stockholm Syndrome? Was she stupid enough to follow them willingly into captivity? She didn't know if she wanted to be a wife… to spend her days wearing gowns and fussing over the children, letting Liam go off and do exciting, practical things with his hands all day while she… what? Washed his clothes, darned his socks, raised his children? No way. The idea of being married was one thing, but until she knew exactly what Liam would expect from her as a wife, she was leaving it on the table.
But she thanked her friends anyway, for their advice and their comfort. As much as she was still struggling to adjust to this bizarre place, it was good to have a handful of close friends who knew where she was coming from, who knew how to explain this strange world to her in a way that would make sense.
She just had some thinking to do on her own, that was all.
Chapter 47
Conversation moved on as the dining hall slowly emptied after breakfast — none of the four of them had anywhere in particular to be, so they stayed in the hall, snacking on sweet pastries as the morning wore on. There was something nice about just spending time chatting with the other women… she realized she'd been missing female company, what with all the time she and Liam had been spending together.
"These wisps, huh," Anna said heavily. "Any news on that from Maggie, Kay?"
"Not really," Kay said, shrugging. "The villagers seem just about ready to haul her in for witchcraft, but she's not going to let them. Last I heard she was threatening to feed anyone who interfered with her to the Monster."
Nancy giggled. "She wouldn't eat a villager!"
"She?" Kay was amused. "I thought the Monster was an it."
"She's a she," Nancy said primly. "Don't ask me how I know, I just know." Her eyes gleamed. "Have you seen her yet?"
"Just once," Kay admitted. "The first night I got here. I thought I was hallucinating."
"She's a good girl," Anna said, smiling fondly. "She played a role in all three of us getting safely to shore once we came through the Burgh. We owe her our lives."
"I dunno, I gave her a roast chicken in exchange for my life. I think she and I are square." Nancy giggled.
"Don't suppose she'd like to eat a few wisps for us?" Kay
asked with a grimace. "I'm having trouble figuring out a way of dealing with them, and ever since Liam volunteered me to be the anti-wisp task force in front of the entire dining hall…"
Anna laughed. "God, I remember that. You should have seen your face… you looked like he'd volunteered you to be sacrificed."
"There has to be some way of getting the iron onto them," Kay said irritably. "Some kind of … I don't know! Arrows don't work, swords don't work, they just dodge out of the way."
"Shame we can't shoot them," Elena said with a grin. "Hard to dodge a bullet, that's for sure, no matter how nimble you are."
"Shame guns aren't gonna be invented for another few hundred years," Kay said with a sigh, slumping over her plate. But Anna was looking thoughtful.
"That's not true, actually," she said slowly, her mind clearly ticking over something. "If I remember rightly, some primitive propulsive weapons like guns were invented… oh, in the ninth century or so. In China, mostly. They called them fire lances… black powder weapons that exploded with fire and shrapnel. Very effective, and very messy."
Kay shivered, picturing that… but she was surprised to hear that guns had such an early ancestor. She'd always thought of them as such modern weapons. "Black powder weapons. Does that mean there might be a chance we could make something similar from the things we have to hand here?"
"I don't see why not." Anna shrugged. "I mean, something that sprays shrapnel… you'd have to talk to one of the blacksmiths, but I don't see that it'd be impossible. Why?"
Her mind was racing. "I have this idea… I'd have to test it, but I think it could be effective… the blacksmith has this big bucket of iron filings. I want to fire those at the wisps, kind of disperse them everywhere so they can't dodge them. With any luck, the contact of the iron on their skin should cripple them, and then they can be finished off on the ground…. does that make any sense?"
Distracted By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander Forever Book 4) Page 16
