Begin Where We Are Read online

  He was dark. We were similar in size and shape, fairly matched. He wore a helmet, a chest plate, and carried a sword.

  He called across the way, “Suit up boy!”

  To my right stood a sword, a helmet and a chest plate. I checked that he wasna movin’ but he seemed ready tae watch as I dressed in the gear.

  I picked up the sword. It had a good weight and heft, but as soon as it was in m’hand the man charged, yellin’, his blade held high. The crowd was loud with cheering. He brought his sword down hard. I met it with my own swingin’ up toward him, meeting blade tae blade.

  He swung again knockin’ my blade tae the side with the force of a seasoned fighter. “Ah, the usurper, come to take my crown? You fight like a child.”

  The audience laughed, some faces were enlarged, while others were small, movin’ in and out, jeerin’ and laughing.

  I sliced my sword up through the air forcin’ him tae take a step back.

  I asked, “I daena believe we’ve met, who are ye?”

  He spoke, loud and boisterously, as if performin’ for the audience. “I am your Uncle Tanrick. The true heir to the throne yet all I do these days is fight the sons of Donnan.”

  I swung, meetin’ his blade with a loud clang. “Now see, I daena want your throne, Uncle. So you and I, we can just lay these swords down and maybe have a beer together.”

  He thrust toward me his blade uncomfortably close tae my side.

  I said, “I would much rather return home and ye could go about your business of fightin’ the other sons.” I lunged toward his arm. If I knocked his sword from his hand I might wrestle him down without killin’ him.

  Tanrick paused and smiled. “The only way I am laying down my weapon is beside your corpse, Nephew.”

  My breaths were fast. “Twas nae my intention tae be killed this morn.” I swung my sword but he swung to meet it and caught me off guard using my balance against me. I stumbled back while he charged.

  His blade sliced down and bit into my left shoulder. “Nor I, yet one of us must die.”

  I dropped to one knee with a groan. I used my sword tae lean on as I climbed tae my feet. “How many sons have ye fought?”

  “I’ve killed three so far including you.”

  He seemed to be catchin’ his breath so I took a moment tae size him up. He was comin’ from the high right each time. I needed tae guard there and move to his left.

  “You haena killed me yet.”

  “That’s because I’m taking my time, making it pretty for the audience.” He turned to the light-cast audience covering the walls around us. “Are you ready to see the son of Donnan die?”

  The cheering was deafeningly loud.

  He came at me with his sword swinging. I met it, blow for blow, our blades clanging and crashing against each other, gaining ground, then losin’ it. Forward and back trying tae find the weakness in each other—

  He lunged.

  I dodged the blade but nae enough, blood flowed from a gash on my right shoulder. His smile turned malevolent.

  “You are bleeding from both arms now, smile for the people of the kingdom, Nephew, they like to watch the royals die.”

  I leveled my gaze to his eyes. Focus, Magnus, focus. He means tae kill ye. Twould all be done then. I concentrated on his small shifts. He was tryin’ tae confuse me. I saw in a glint, a vibration, he meant tae come from the left.

  I raised my sword and charged his right. He raised his blade and as I sliced toward him I spun and arced slicing across his ribs. He clutched his side. It wasna a mortal wound, yet painful enough.

  We both paused tae catch our breath. I was strainin’ tae hold my sword.

  He glanced down at the blood on his hand. “The people like a show, Nephew. You are weaker than the last though. He lasted twice as long before he had wounds like yours.”

  My fury rose, a wave of hatred engulfed my body and aimed for his smug face. He deserved tae die. He had been killin’ my brothers, and meant tae kill me? Twas time for him tae go. “Thank ye for the vote of confidence. I wouldna count on being the victor though. I have come back from worse.”

  He lifted his sword and we prowled around each other, both lookin’ for the weak spot, concentratin’ while we recouped our strength. Readyin’ for a final fatal blow. He lifted his sword and made the same move he had been makin’, arced down from the right. I dove tae my right and thrust — a cut deep intae him in the abdomen under his ribs. I was roarin’ at the time and shoved harder against him, my blade clean through until it wouldna continue.

  His eyes met mine with so much hatred I couldna bear tae touch him anymore. I pushed him tae the ground and used my foot tae hold his body while I yanked my blade from him.

  I looked around at the light-cast, shifting images of the roaring crowd. The sound was so loud I wanted tae drop my sword and cover my ears, but I dinna ken if the fight was over.

  A man’s voice from near my ear said, “Say your full name, Magnus.”

  “My name is Magnus Archibald Caelhin Campbell—”

  “Louder, demand to be heard.”

  I yelled, “My name is Magnus Archibald Caehlin Campbell!”

  The crowd erupted into a new explosion of applause and cheering.

  The voice said, “You are the heir to the throne of Donnan. Say it.”

  “I am the heir tae the throne of Donnan!”

  “Perfect.” The image of the audience slowly faded around me until they disappeared altogether, taking the racket with them. It grew quiet and still in the arena, just the heat of the sun bearing down on me, my ragged breaths, and Tanrick’s body at my feet.

  I tossed my bloodied sword to the ground beside him.

  Magnus

  My wrists were bound. My hands were still bloody. Blood had stopped flowin’ from my shoulders but it covered my clothes. I was ushered intae Donnan’s grand sitting room.

  “Billiards, Magnus?” He stood beside a large table covered in green. I guessed from the balls twas a game.

  “I haena played before.”

  “I can teach you.” He ran his hand along the felt on top of the billiard table. “I got this from a brothel in 1845. If it could talk — imagine the asses that have been planted here, right Son?”

  I decided nae tae answer.

  Donnan set a group of balls in the center of the table with quite a bit of fussin’. Using a long stick he leaned over the table and hit a ball — thwack. Balls spun away in all directions.

  “Excellent job in your first trial by the way. Tanrick was a particular pain in my ass. I decided not to kill him early on. I let him arena fight but then the people loved him. I was having trouble deciding what to do with him. Then he killed my first two sons.”

  “How many sons dost ye have?”

  “As many as it takes to secure a crown.”

  “Tis nae an answer.”

  “Yes, but it suffices because I say it does.”

  “I would battle better if I kent the battle was comin’. If I could prepare.”

  Donnan seemed tae have forgotten tae teach me tae play. Instead he made me stand and watch covered in blood and bound at the wrists.

  “I’ll set up some training sessions for you to keep you fight ready. You can go to the physician to see about your wounds. You’ll take your meals in your room unless I send for you. Understood?”

  “Nae.”

  “Nae? No? You don’t understand?” He thwacked against the balls again sending three spinning toward pockets.

  “I understand your instructions but daena ken the intent. I daena ken why I am held prisoner here. And I daena want the throne. There must be another son who wants the throne more than me, let him have it.”

  He smiled malevolently. “But the people already love you, Magnus, you can’t turn your back on them now. Much like Tanrick, you have made yourself a warrior, but unlike Tanrick, you can actually rule once I pass you the throne.” He strolled around the table. “But therein lies the issue. I am the ruler and I won’t
stand for a usurper taking it before I’m ready. You will remain bound so you won’t kill me. I can see it in your eyes that you want to. Almost as much as you want to kill your dear mother. You are quite the son, Magnus, really.”

  He rolled a ball with his fingers. “I also have proof now from the arena that you could kill me if you wanted. So you’ll stay a prisoner. But I also can’t allow you to be killed by someone else.”

  He sat up on the billiard table. “I have many sons here as well. They think they are capable, but they are soft and silly boys used to wealth. I have never intended for them to rule. They might wish you harm. So your rooms are guarded and only approved guests will be allowed in. That is the intent, to keep you alive so you may fight again.”

  I sighed deeply. “I will say it once more, I made a deal with Lady Mairead, I would come, I would fight for her tae gain what she wanted —”

  “Queen Mother.”

  “Aye, she wants tae be Queen Mother, and I told her I would fight and—”

  “For her to rise to the top of my women she must have a son that is prepared to become king. Else she is nothing to me.”

  “Tis nae concern of mine.”

  Donnan leaned on the edge of the billiard table and crossed his arms over his chest and made himself comfortable.

  “What would you have me do?”

  “Allow me tae return tae my home—”

  “Scotland?”

  “Nae, Florida.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  He sat for a long moment lookin’ down at one of the billiard balls, twirlin’ it in his hands. “You aren’t thinking about this in the right way, Magnus.”

  “Thinkin’ about what?”

  “Your sweet Kaitlyn, living in an apartment she bought with your money, two hundred and some years ago.”

  “How dost ye know where—”

  “There were a couple of years there that are murky, but as she gave up waiting for you she forgot to be cautious. Two years from when you left I have access to the full history of her, Magnus. She posted photos. Her address became public. Her bank records are all there. The birth certificate of her son. This is what you don’t understand — I have access to all the facts of her life. And they don’t include you. I may not be able to get to her just after you left, but I can go to Florida just after her son was born. I can visit her any time I want. But don’t despair. I won’t, because you will comply.”

  That growl rose from my chest again.

  “And I have given you the same incredible gift. The ability to jump through time. Time doesn’t matter to you. You have become a visitor, timeless. Eternal in a way.”

  “I daena ask for it.”

  “But yet you have used it. You’ve jumped from your time to her time. And now you want to live there.”

  “I do.”

  “But she is just someone stuck in time. She remains there, fixed. But you Magnus, you belong here, among those of us that can undo time. You can journey. You can go to new places, new times, and in doing so, unfettered, you can meet new women. Have new wives.”

  “I daena—”

  He waved my protest away. “You’re young. You obviously think this Kaitlyn Sheffield had merit of some kind that is impossible to see from three hundred years on. I’ll give you that. I rather liked watching her story unfold and when you provided me with a grandson to further my bloodline…” He shifted. “But she is no more. I fancied myself in love with a woman once who lived in Spain, in 1421. But she was from the past and I was from the future. Our paths would only cross once and then no more. She’s long gone.”

  He pointed tae his head. “You don’t want to lose your mind over women who are long gone. And this Kaitlyn died over three hundred years ago—”

  “I want one of the time-journey vessels.”

  A smile spread across his face. “You are such a barbarian, Magnus. I keep telling Mairead, they aren’t vessels, they are called the Tempus Omegas.”

  “Tis a stupid name, I still want one.”

  He laughed incredulously. “You’ve all but told me you intend to leave and you want me to give you the means to do so?”

  “Aye. Because you ken I want it, and I will kill ye tae get tae it.”

  He laughed outright.

  “You are an excellent, bloodthirsty, scheming son. It will be a pleasure to watch you perform.”

  I glared at him and took a deep breath.

  “This brings up a point though.” He gestured toward the guards and one stepped from the room.

  Donnan went back to playing billiards sinkin’ two balls intae the pockets. He remained quiet and I was too furious tae speak. My arms were sore from the cuts. The most painful, the right, started bleeding down my arm again. There was a pool of blood on his carpet.

  “I am bleedin’. I need tae visit the physician.”

  Donnan ignored me. Soon the guard returned leading Lady Mairead. Her head was bowed, her face bruised with a black ring around an eye. She quietly said, “Hello Magnus, well fought today.”

  “Thank you, Lady Mairead, you are lookin’ well.”

  Donnan said, “I’m missing one of the Tempus Omegas. I have been speaking to Mairead on the matter and she doesn’t know where it’s gone. I believe you were the one who had it last?” He leaned over the table and thwacked the white ball intae the last balls, sendin’ two more intae the pockets.

  I glanced at Lady Mairead. “I lost the vessel in Scotland when I jumped.”

  Donnan rose quickly, raised the stick back, and swung it hard before I could even react. The blow was aimed at the cut on my left shoulder. It knocked the air out of me and dropped me tae my knees.

  “Get up boy.”

  I stood with a great deal of effort. Then I stared into the space right above his right arm, his swingin’ arc. I watched that spot. Tryin’ not tae squint, tryin’ tae focus despite the brightness of the room. Lookin’ for the pattern in his movements.

  “What happened to my Tempus Omega?”

  “I lost the vessel in Scotland.”

  The stick arced down hard on that same spot. I stumbled two steps and righted myself and stared at his shoulder, watchin’ for the motion that would come. I stilled my mind and my body and waited.

  He smiled and spoke verra smoothly. “I will ask you one more time. What happened to my Tempus Omega?”

  “I lost it in—” The stick came down fast but I got my bound wrists up, grabbed it, and yanked hard pulling him off balance as he stumbled. I broke the stick into a jagged bludgeon and thrust forward with the shaft at his throat before the guards pulled me kickin’ and strugglin’ off him.

  He straightened the front of his fancy coat. “Take him to the infirmary. I can see he’s had enough.”

  Kaitlyn

  As Hayley and I threaded our way through the restaurant to the table, I grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. “Hayley, who is that sitting beside Michael?”

  “Some friend of Michael’s. From school.”

  “Hayley—”

  “It’s not a set up. I promise. He’s just a friend. He’s new to Jax and had never been to Amelia before. We aren’t setting you up. We know better. It’s only been six months since Magnus left—”

  “Five months and twenty-two days.” I corrected, more out of habit than anything. Soon it would be the six month mark and then I would round up and down like everyone else I supposed.

  She struggled out of her jacket, slung it over her arm, and blew the bangs off her forehead. She was irritated but then she softened and smiled. “I know it’s not six months yet. And I’m really glad you came out with us. It’s been a very long time.”

  “Yeah.” I took in air to steady myself.

  “No tricks. It’s just a guy. Sit at the opposite end of the table and ignore him completely. Or talk to me. We’ll pretend like we’re out on the town by ourselves and just let Michael pay for our drinks.” She sighed. “Who am I kidding, he’s a student, he doesn’t have any money.”

 
“Good thing you’re his sugar mama.”

  We arrived at the table. Hayley kissed Michael and sat down beside him and gestured toward the empty chair so I would be at the far end from the random dude they invited. I scowled because it was my first night out with Hayley and I didn’t want strangers to ruin it. Especially if it was harder than I thought. It was already harder.

  Michael leaned forward, completely oblivious to the drama unfolding. “Hey Katie, this is Tyler. He’s from New York. He goes to school with me at JU.”

  “Cool. Nice to meet you, Tyler.” He was ordinary looking, like just a guy, but tall and with a muscular build. His hair was cut very short as if there was a military thing happening. We did an awkward wave from the opposite ends of the table. Michael continued, “He’s never been to the Island before.” Tyler smiled.

  I said, “Cool,” and gave Hayley a look that said, ‘You are not doing enough to keep me from an awkward conversation with a stranger.’

  She changed the subject. “Did you order for me, Michael, or do I have to go to the bar like a chump?” She grinned.

  “I didn’t know what you wanted, but I’ll go get it for you.” He stood.

  Hayley said, “I want a Margarita.”

  Tyler stood up. “What would you like to drink, Katie?”

  I panicked and said, “Um, nothing. I mean…”

  Hayley said, “That’s okay Tyler, Michael knows what to order for Katie.” Then she tried with eye-signals and head gestures to get Michael to know what I wanted, but he was completely clueless about the drama unfolding.

  Tyler looked from one to the other.

  I blurted out, “I’m married.”

  Tyler said, “Oh. I mean, yeah. You have a ring on. I was trying to be polite.”

  “Yeah, of course. I’m just trying to explain the reason we’re all being so weird — I’m married. He’s just um… missing and it’s my first time out since he’s been gone.”