Torin said, “I will take it intae account. I need m’horse, it dinna sit right tae not hae him. His name means war helmet, he is my protector.”
Ryan said, “We definitely need our war helmets in that battle.”
Torin said, “Aye.”
Claray said, “Will ye be stayin’ here with us, niece?”
“No, I’ve insisted and I’m going around with Torin, I will see you soon, Aunt Claray.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “I suppose ye will remember me this time?”
“I don’t know — is that how it works?”
Aenghus said, his head back on the wall, “Aye, tis exhaustin’ tae ken everything that is goin’ tae happen.”
Ryan said, “While I’m relieved, on this side of the battle, that someone else is going to take control for once. I will warn you, Torin, my past self is not going to relinquish the reins easily.”
“I hae a letter tae ye from yer prince, orderin’ ye tae listen tae me.”
“Well, that will probably work.” He stood and walked over to a gun cabinet. “I will give you some guns, so you can cover yourself while you get your horses, but don’t use them on me,even if I’m an ass. I can be an ass, if you threaten me in the past with the guns I give you in the future… I don’t know what I’ll do but I will do something…”
“I winna, I can be verra persuasive without threats. I am verra charming, ask Max, he will tell ye.”
Aenghus chuckled, joining us in front of the cabinet, pulling out a Glock and some ammo. “It sounds like all you boys do is bicker. I don’t think Max finds you charming at all.”
“Och, he holds me in his heart in all things, but he wants tae kill me most of the time. Tis as brothers are.”
“Aye, I miss mine, even when they argued with me against m’superior sense.”
I said, “Speaking of brothers, when I get back I can leave Uncle Dylan a message for you. Aunt Claray says he’s been out of contact, what should I say?”
Ryan scrubbed his hands up and down on his face. “God, I haven’t seen Dylan in years, yeah, we need to get him a message, but be vague, just in case. Tell him that youknow, meaning you. Tell him to go check the spot. And that we’re trying to get him one.”
I repeated, “I ‘know,’ go check the ‘spot’ — he’ll know where it is?”
Everyone nodded.
I continued, “‘We’re trying to get him one’... you mean a vessel?”
Ryan nodded, “Just don’t actually say it, please,” he added, “But you need to go fast, we can’t risk losing Charlie, it’s too much loss already.”
Torin said, “Aye, I agree.”
I said, “Let me grab Dude and then we’ll be ready to go.”
31
ALEXANDRIA
JULY 9TH, 2004 - LAUREL RIDGE
Ihad the gold thread so my jump back to North Carolina was much easier than Torin’s. I felt guilty about that, but Torin wouldn’t hear of taking it though I tried to convince him that he needed it more. He had just been in a battle, after all. But there was no convincing him.
I’m sure it hurt for Dude too, but when we arrived on my lawn he was sitting on my chest and just looked at me like I was an ass for lying there. I sat blinking at the sky. “It looks like dusk, the following day?”
Torin said, “Aye.”
I yawned. “How many days since we slept? We could just sleep here, in the grass, just for a bit?”
