Max groaned.
I said, “What dost ye mean by alive?”
Aenghus held his hands up, as if counting his fingers. “Aye. We’re here. Saints preserve us — tis 1308. I can feel the weight of it.”
Max pulled himself up tae sitting. “Ye hate it, Uncle Aenghus?”
“Aye, I grew up in a century not far from here, unlike yer other uncles who hail from a land called Florida, a miraculous place, with bonny maidens and bountiful food.”
Max said, “I haena ever seen it, but I would like tae.”
Ryan said, “We must get up, we need to be on the move. Charlie’s unit is arriving in the west. They’ll have our vehicles and more weapons.”
Aenghus lumbered up. He spoke to the six soldiers. “Grab yer arses and raise em tae the sky, men, there is a field wantin’ a victory on the other side of the day.”
He was keepin’ the meanin’ light, but I was feeling the weight of the hour.
We had survived thus far, but the battle hadna begun.
We kept low,our boots sinking into the marshy ground, guns slung across the soldiers’ backs — we trudged. Fog swirled around us.
I clapped Max on the back. “Ye ready, m’laird?”
“Aye. I hae lived for this moment.”
“Good.”
We cresteda hill above the fog.
Ryan passed Max a device. “Here, look.”
He asked, “What is this?”
“Called binoculars, put them to your eyes and look there.” He pointed.
Max raised them to his eyes and said, “Och, I remember these, Da used tae have them.”
Ryan nodded. “We have his pair somewhere, if I find them they’re yours.”
Max’s jaw clenched.
Ryan asked, “Do you see the castle?”
“I do, tis a wee castle.” Max sneered. “We will hae this done by lunch. Dost ye want tae see, Torin?”
I said, “Aye,” and he passed the binoculars tae me. I held them the way he had held them.
Max said, “Ye see it?”
I was trying tae focus, searching in the direction he pointed, then I froze.
Ryan said, “Yep, now he sees it.”
I checked the horizon with m’eye, I couldna see the castle, but then put the binoculars back up tae my eyes. The castle was a black shape surrounded by fog, makin’ it look darkly menacing. But also wee. “Tis nothin’. We will take it afore we’ve even drawn our swords.”
Ryan said, “I don’t know, looks big to me. Built of stone. Not going to be easy.”
I joked, “Tis so small the whole of it fits in this wee device.”
