His voice broke off as he noticed something under me. He crouched, shoved me aside, and grasped my vessel. “What’s this?”
He turned it around and then held it above my face. “This belongs to the Black King — you’ve stolen it from him?”
“Nae, I dinna…”
He stood and put my vessel in his pocket. “You’re working for the king?Again,why are you here? Answer fast, because I really ought to shoot you.”
“Ye would shoot me for stealing from the king, or for working for the king?”
He chuckled.
I said, “I canna answer fast as I am tryin’ tae ascertain if ye are friend or foe.”
“Boy, we are at a standoff then, because I will shoot you before I will tell you anything.”
I said, “The current king is the Black King? What happened tae the last?”
He asked, “Did you know the last king?”
I nodded. “Aye.”
He crouched down and peered in my face. “You look like — are you family?”
I said, “Ye must understand I canna answer it without?—”
He asked, “Is Clackmannanshire where Castle Glume stands?”
I nodded.
“What’s your birthday?”
I told him and he put down his gun. “Maximillian? I’m your uncle!”
6
ALEXANDRIA
JULY 8TH, 2004 - THE ATTIC
We started the tour in the laundry room. I walked him in, “This is the washer and dryer. Speaking of which, I need to move a load over.” He watched with a befuddled look on his face as I lifted the lid on the washing machine, sniffed to make sure it hadn’t gone sour, but alas, it had. I held it out for him to sniff.
He screwed up his face.
“Och, it has turnt.”
I dug the dipper into the box of detergent, sprinkled it around on the clothes, slammed the lid, pushed a button, and turned the dial. The machine slowly started to whirr and chug.
Torin’s eyes went wide. “Tis washing?”
“Yes, it’s a miracle.”
He checked under, around, and behind. “Tis this rope comin’ from it?”
I leaned over and pointed. “This pipe draws water in, and yes, that rope is the electrical wire, it powers it. Hear it? It’s filling with water. Give it just one moment and it will begin to spin.” I tapped my fingers on the lid.
Meanwhile Dude walked in, rubbed on Torin’s legs, then sauntered into the self-cleaning litterbox that he never ever used. “Where are you going, Dude? You usually hate that thing.”
He completely ignored me and went in to do his business.
