“No.” He grinned. “They’re still in the dazed phase.”
“Ahhh.”
“I want to try this bloody translator so I know what all of you are going on aboot,” Dr. Kincaid chimed in. “I would love to learn Old Latin.”
Octavia smiled. “Another, less hectic night perhaps?”
The doctor winked. “Perhaps so.” He pulled himself up from the ground. “I should go have a look-see at Niall’s leg. It seems to be healing quite nicely, though.”
“By the way, doctor,” Octavia said before he could leave, “I forgot to mention I stole two of those alien med kits before I went through the portal. I don’t know if you’re able to use them, but—”
“Are you serious?” Dr. Kincaid asked. His jaw all but dropped. “You managed to grab two?” At her nod, he almost laughed. “You’ve no idea how much easier you just made the rest of my existence! I swear one med kit alone could care for the entire Karrik clan throughout their lifetimes, but two? So much good fortune! Job well done, lassie!”
Octavia grinned, her dimples popping out. It was then that she noticed all five men and her husband staring at her from the tent’s entrance. Her pulse sped up because she couldn’t read Angus’ expression well enough to know whether or not his men believed. And if they did believe, did they blame her for bringing the alien here? She stood up and straightened her back. She had gone through the portal to kill the feeder; it wasn’t the other way around.
Angus crooked a finger, beckoning her towards the newly informed group of Karrik warriors. She took a deep breath and went into the tent, the heavy drapery closing behind her. Lots of candles had been lit, allowing her to see inside. A table had been brought in, plus two chairs, and little else. She wondered where they’d been brought from, but supposed it didn’t exactly matter.
She couldn’t say why, but Octavia was more nervous than Marie Antoinette must have been upon seeing the guillotine. She realized Angus would never let these men kill her, but the fear remained. When she cleared her throat and looked up into their faces, she realized what her fear was really about: for the first time in her life, she gave a shit what people thought. It was more than important to her that these men believed her.
When the three newcomers planted their swords in the ground and fell to one knee to pledge their loyalty to her, she released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Her gaze flew to Angus who stood a ways back with Colban and Niall. He grunted, letting her know everything was going to be all right. She smiled fully, her dimples popping back out—an action that seemed to mesmerize him.
“I knew right away she was mayhap from a faraway future,” Niall quipped. “What woman in this time could put a dagger through my knee?”
The three kneeling men stood up, laughing. “I imagine quite a few have wanted to,” Alistair drawled. “You bring out the knife in females.”
“We all have our uses,” Niall boasted.
The men all shared a laugh. Octavia was too pleased to know they believed her to say much of anything.
“What does it look like?” Colban went straight to the point. “This creature we chase… what does it look like?”
Octavia’s gaze clashed with his. “Very much like one of us, except paler.”
“Paler than Finlay?” Colban asked.
She smiled. “Yep. Even paler than Finlay.” Her expression grew serious. “It has claws instead of fingernails,” she whispered, “so if it’s trying to fit in—to look like a human I mean—it’ll likely keep its hands covered.”
“Anything else we should know aboot?” Niall asked.
“Its eyes will be different from ours. Its eyes will look similar to a snake’s.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Other than that, it will more or less look like us. At least until it opens its mouth to feed from you. But be warned, if its that close, you’re dead already. Not only are they faster and stronger than us, but their weaponry is more advanced than even mine.”
“The laird told us of your death stick,” Niall said quietly. “As did Colban.”
“It’s called an assault rifle. It’s actually a lot faster and more damaging than a sword.”
When all of the men wanted to see it, Angus held up a hand. “Doctor told me we could kill ourselves trying to figure the bluidy thing out. We’ll have to wait for a time when ‘tis but the six of us and then my wife can show us how it works.” His expression was severe. “Remember that my wife’s secret stays here. The only others who know are the men who came from the future with her.”
“Sir James and Doctor,” Colban intoned.
“Aye. This tale canna be retold in whole or in part to any but each other and them.”
Octavia nodded her approval. “Get used to thinking of us as Romans because here that’s who we are.”
“I never doubted my laird,” Colban muttered, “but that translation device was…” He blew out a breath. “I dinna need it to believe, yet I still canna wrap my mind around how it works.”
“Neither can we,” Octavia admitted. “As I said, Xenocann technology—err… innovations—are well advanced beyond what people even in my time understood. That’s how they subdued us so quickly.”
The tent went quiet for a long pause. Octavia rubbed her arms as if warding off a chill.
