Time of the Draig (27 page)

The whirling in Faolan’s mind stopped when Jeff walked to his side and placed his gold coin in the pile. “Tell me if I’m wrong, but I don’t need coins if I serve this clan, do I?”

Faolan shook his head. “I will provide all you need, even if ‘tis coin for the market.”

“Then let’s build that stone keep.” Jeff smiled and held out his hand.

He laughed at the gesture and pulled Jeff in for a massive embrace. When backs were slapped for the tenth time, he broke apart. “You honor me and my clan, Captain Jeff. Stay and teach the young ones by Rolph’s side.”

Jeff’s eyes shifted to Keira. “I plan to stay, and training for the protection of these people sounds like the perfect task to fill my days. Hopefully I can claim one of those empty cottages. It’s been mentioned that a man should have a roof to offer the woman he plans on marrying.”

“Pick the cottage and ‘tis yours as our gift,” Faolan replied over the roar of the hall. On the day they had met, he had dreamed the men would choose to stay and build their lives in his village. Some dreams would become reality.

He felt Samantha’s arm wrapped around his waist, and he leaned down to kiss her head as her men rose to offer congratulations to Jeff and Keira. Clan members made toasts and offered their best wishes.

Samantha sighed against him. “Thank goodness. Now everyone can focus on them.”

Faolan laughed as she grinned up at him. His wife was not thrilled to be in a crowded hall. As he preferred their time alone, that was fine with him.

Weiler approached and placed his gold in the pile. “I’d like to stay here.”

“You may keep your wealth. You have earned your place,” Faolan replied as he picked up the coin and held it out.

“I like the idea of getting rid of the wood after taking down the burned sections,” Weiler replied, and he walked away.

Each man in her company did the same. Jensen was the last to place his coin on the pile. He turned to face Faolan. “We had a bad introduction. I’ll understand if you would rather I . . .”

“Stay, Jensen. Your place is by my side with my warriors. Your heart is a fine one. I need men like you,” Faolan said as he held the man’s gaze. That he would even doubt his place showed how remorseful he was over the events that led to his fighting Samantha. Jensen was a good man.

It was Miller who noticed the discrepancy. “Where’s Boomer’s coin?”

The dark mountain laughed and held Samantha’s gaze. “I stay with the major or the lady, whatever we call her now. She knows that without question.”

Samantha’s arm slipped from Faolan’s side, and she walked around the table to whisper in Boomer’s ear. As Faolan approached, he heard the laughter. “Together, Sam. What we started together, we finish together.”

If he didn’t know how much his wife loved him, Faolan would have been fiercely jealous at the hug she gave the mountain. Yet the mountain would go with his wife when she left. For that fact alone, he had a moment of resentment for the man.

As a small babe could be heard fussing over the din in the hall, Boomer rose to his feet. He smiled at Samantha. “I’ll be ready to get back to work in the morning. For now, there’s a baby who needs me.” With his crutch, the man made his way through the crowd.

Faolan heard Boomer demand for the crying babe to be brought to him as laughter again rang in his hall. His gaze only held Samantha when she rounded the table and stood before him. Her tiny hand reached out to take his.

“How about you take me for a walk by the cliffs?”

It was a simple request for his bride to make, and it was one that should have brought peace to his heart. He loved to watch her enjoy the beauty of his lands. Still, he wondered how many more moonlit nights they had to share.

She tugged him out of the hall and into the star-filled night. Her small hand disappeared within his larger one. He could barely see her fingers due to the size difference, but he could feel her warmth.

Cool breezes blew her hair as they approached the cliffs. The sea could be heard crashing against the rocks in the dark night. A new moon offered little light, yet he could see her smile with every inhale of the fresh sea air.

Her gaze fixed on the distance as she spoke of watching the sunset just over a week ago. The colors she spoke of filled his mind. “Never before had I ever taken the time to enjoy the beauty of a setting sun. In a way, you taught me how to enjoy the simple moments of the day. Thank you for that gift.”

She turned to face him. “That was the night I came to your chamber to say goodbye.” Faolan leaned into the hand that reached to cup his cheek as she continued, “We never said goodbye. We found each other instead. I saw you in the hall tonight as the toasts were made. Already I’ve hurt you so much.”

When he started to reply, her hand moved to cover his mouth. “I’m not done yet. We agreed we have now. Be here in the now with me. Stop thinking about tomorrow, please.”

He lifted the hand from his mouth to reply. “Now, Samantha. Forgive me. ‘Twas was supposed to be a night of celebration. Do you have any idea how pleased I am that everyone welcomes you and the men as members of my clan? ‘Twas a fine night.” His voice shifted to a more serious tone. “Where did you get all of that gold?”

Her rich laughter mixed with the sounds of the sea, and she explained her father’s gift to her.

“You should keep it. There may be a need for you.”

Her head shook and her eyes grew sad for a brief moment before a smile again crossed her lips. “I’d like to stay out here for a few more minutes. Can we sit down?”

Faolan settled on the ground, and Samantha sat within his open legs and stared at the water. He shifted his plaid enough to keep her silks from the dirty ground. His arms wrapped around her waist as he kissed the side of her head and watched the waves roll in. Time passed, and the occasional laugh could be heard from the keep behind them.

Her hands lay against his, and she leaned back against his chest. Contentment filled him at the quiet moment they shared.

“Faolan, would you do something for me?” Samantha’s whisper could barely be heard.

“Name it, my heart.”

Her body nestled closer. “Tell me what you think our lives would be like if I were able to stay. I need to hear you say it so I can remember every detail.”

The tear was warm on his hand as it dripped off her cheek. When he tried to turn her to face him, her body became rigid. “Please tell me,” Samantha implored.

His head dipped to kiss the skin of her temple, and he savored her sigh. Once again, he stared at the sea and began, “We will hire the finest craftsmen to begin working on the keep. Such a strong home I will build for you, one where you are safe from the weather and from any threat. It will contain a private chamber for you to be wise, per Jeff’s plan. Grandmother will adore her new kitchen. The bathing chamber will be always warm and ready for your use. Mayhap we should have the workers fashion a tub big enough to hold us both? Would that please you, my heart?”

“You please me,” Samantha answered, and she chuckled at the idea.

“We will grow crops and bring them in for harvest. You will learn how to preserve the food for the winter months. I shall hunt and bring home a fine stag to fill your belly and provide the skins to make you proper boots.”

As if on command, her booted feet wiggled on the ground.

“Yours are too bulky and leave no room for the rabbit fur I once promised you.” Faolan paused to kiss her head and inhaled the sweet lavender of her hair. “Do you remember my promise?”

“I remember every word you have ever spoken,” Samantha answered as her fingers traced his hands wrapped around her middle. “I know you are a man of your word.”

“I am and am pleased you ken this.” Faolan sat patiently as she shifted in his arms to settle with her head against his chest. He stroked her back and spoke every dream he had for them to share.

He lifted her hand and placed a kiss to the healing knuckle. “I would see your hands spared from fighting and used to hold the children I would give you.” When she stiffened at the idea, he wondered if he had taken the game too far.

Samantha took a breath and responded, “I’m not good with children. I’ve never been around them, not even when I was a child.”

The admission tore at his heart. But he knew she would be a fine mother; she had so much love and an extremely protective nature. Faolan teased, “We have the dark mountain to aid in the care of our wee ones.”

Though she laughed, he felt wetness against his chest from where her head rested. “Boomer would love that, you know. He could tell me everything I’m doing wrong.”

Their joined laughter filled the night. “Do you wish for me to stop?”

“Never,” her voice was quiet against his chest.

Faolan went on to marry off her men to the women of the clan. He told of all the children that would fill the hall when they celebrated all of the year’s events. The cold of winter would give them time to hide under the warmth of the bedding. Summer’s heat would find them at the loch they had once shared, though in the future they would teach their many children to swim. He promised her many excursions there and to the glade alone.

His hands stroked her hair, and he spoke of it running thick with gray. He would have a long gray beard as an old man, though she told him how she hated beards. His eyes closed as he told her how many years from then, when their son took his place to lead the clan, he would be a happy man. He would have lived his life with the woman he loved at his side.

They sat in quiet when he had finished. While he had never considered himself much of a bard, it was a fine tale.

Samantha shifted to rest her head against the covered dragon on his chest. “Do you know how much I want that life with you?”

She had never gone to him with the intent to bed him and be his wife. Goodbye had been on her lips. Fate had changed her course of action, and she had made the decision to stand by his side. Love had won, if only for a short time, but he knew what was in her heart. Her eyes revealed it every time she looked at him.

Faolan leaned down to kiss her head, knowing she would rise and argue if he spoke of hope and the potential that existed. “Hopefully as much as I wish to have all those moments and more with you, my heart.” His grip tightened as he felt her shift away.
‘Tis no way I’m losing you now.
“Dinna even think of asking me to have this life without you on the night our marriage was acknowledged by our people.”

Samantha settled again in his arms and blew out a heavy sigh. “I have a better idea.” Her body lifted enough to gaze up into his face.

He cupped her cheek and held the soft skin. “Tell me what thought you have, my heart.”

“Take me to bed. I want to spend the rest of tonight lost in you and unable to think about anything but how you feel against me and inside of me.”

In a flash, he was on his feet with Samantha cradled within his arms. “You are such a wise woman, my sweet wife.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he took them back to the keep.

Chapter 18

Samantha cursed as she disengaged from UNK005.

“Not getting along with the mysteries of the universe today?” Jeff asked, rising from his chair at the door.

“How long?” she asked as she looked at the weak daylight from the window of the chamber.

“No watch, remember? It’s still an hour or two before the evening meal.”

“Why are you here, and where’s Boomer?” Samantha asked as she noted his absence. A missing Boomer wasn’t the comfort she craved after a brutal session.

“Relax. He’s fine. Miller is taking out the stitches because he’s tired of hearing Boomer complain about them.” Jeff walked over to look at the computer screen. “How did it go today?”

Frustration boiled in her veins at the question. “Not good. I still don’t have my path back to the lab, and I found some quantum distortions in the dark matter streams separating the two competing time bubbles.”

“And that means?”

Samantha pushed the computer back on the table and rested her head on her hands. “Variables that I couldn’t even begin to formulate are wreaking havoc on the time stream, and energy signatures are wavering around this time threshold.” She looked up enough to see the confusion on Jeff’s face. “I need the answers sooner rather than later. And after the last week, I’m no closer to the solution set.”

Jeff nodded and pulled his chair next to hers and then closed the laptop. “Can we talk again about who goes?”

“Negative, Captain. I appreciate you being willing to face the United Forces for me, but this is my responsibility. I started it and am the only one who can finish it. UNK005, the larger, needs to be removed with precision, and that involves my programming.” She smiled and finished, “Besides, I have no desire to face an angry Keira.”

“Tell me you will at least make coming back priority number two.”

The pit in her stomach threatened to swallow her whole at the statement. Instead of rehashing the facts, she settled for a compromise. “It’s all I want.”

Jeff nodded. “None of this sits with me very well. You deserve a full life, but I will trust that you are the only one who could re-initialize another door here.”

Only if I want to start the whole multiple realities issue again,
she thought. Though she and Jeff had made peace with that issue, she could tell he had more to tell. “Break it down, Captain.”

“You read me almost as well as your father did. I’ve held back since Efraim and I investigated the far pastures. Remember, I thought I heard gun shots during the battle?”

Samantha never forgot anything but decided not to rile the man. “You found no signs of bullet casings or anything to prove guns were fired in the far pastures.”

“True, but I am certain Efraim found something,” Jeff stated.

“What makes you say that?” Samantha asked.

“We separated to cover more ground. When we met back up, he said he saw nothing, but he left something out. I can always tell when something is left out. When I pushed him, he told me to leave it alone for the safety of everything. That’s a big statement. I left it alone, but it’s eating at me.”

“Do you want me to question him?” Samantha asked as she wondered why Efraim would make such a massive claim. Her mind pushed the thought aside. The fate of world rested in her impotent grasp; the men were Jeff’s to handle.

Jeff sat in quiet contemplation for several minutes. Finally, he said, “I trust him enough to know he must have a damn good reason to keep intel from me. But I’m fighting the urge to ride back to that damn clearing and inspect every inch of it myself. The question is, do you trust him enough, or would you like me to investigate?”

“Leave it alone.” Samantha didn’t hesitate. Her hand opened and closed and opened and closed while Jeff nodded in agreement.

“Then we’ll wait until he feels the time is right, just thought you should know. I have one more issue to address with you. Miller had two vials of antibiotics left after treating the injured. One is now missing along with a syringe. We both know he would never misplace any supplies.”

Samantha thought about the implication of theft but didn’t believe it likely. No one else would be able to use the material properly. “What do you think we should do?”

“I’m not sure on this one. My suggestion is we keep our eyes and ears open. It could be as simple as one of the midwives took the supplies to aid in the village.”

Her head shook at the idea. “They all have too much respect for Miller to do anything behind his back. He’s now present for all deliveries and any time someone sneezes.”

Jeff laughed and agreed with the statement. “So we’re back to eyes open. I told Faolan, and he doubts thieves are the issue too. Maybe Miller was simply too fatigued to truly account for everything post-battle.”

“The obvious answer is usually the correct one,” Samantha replied and watched her hand open and close and open and close. She whispered, “Simplicity, the number one, open door, how long does it stay viable, and when does it close?”

Jeff’s hand closed around hers. “You’ve already been in since dawn. Faolan and Boomer will kill me if I let you go back in again. Save those ideas for tomorrow.”

Samantha blinked and looked around the chamber. It was empty except for her desk and computer. The linens had been removed from the bed, since she hadn’t slept in the chamber since her first night with Faolan. Even her fragrant tokens had been removed from the bedside. The chamber was as desolate as her lab. The word
isolated
rang in her mind.
What do I need to isolate?

“Major Sykes, you’re scaring me now.” Jeff said.

She turned to stare at Jeff and breathed until she only saw the worried man before her. “Sorry, I tend to drift after a session.”

The door opened and Boomer said, “You drift after too long of a session.”

She hurried to stand before him and gingerly touched his thigh. “How is it?”

“No fighting for a week, but I’m good,” Boomer replied and pulled her in for a hug. “Sorry I left you, Sam.”

Jeff laughed. “How about we go downstairs? Just being in here with that thing makes me uneasy,” he said as he pointed at UNK005.

Samantha laughed and pointed to the door. “Jeff, we’ve talked about this. It likes you.”

Samantha groaned as she pushed the plate away from her. “No more, Faolan. I’m stuffed.”

He leaned over and rubbed her stomach. “You missed the midday meal. I would nay have you grow weak.”

“As soon as Miller gives permission, I’ll show you how strong I am by kicking Boomer’s ass again.” Samantha laughed as Boomer challenged the statement and some of the men offered to place bets on the outcome. There was no great surprise that they gave her two-to-one odds.

Over the laughter of the small gathering in the hall, Faolan whispered, “Later you can show me your strength, my heart.”

Samantha smiled and leaned into his arm around her shoulder. While she knew the night held the promise of passion, their conversation came first. In the quiet of their chamber, Faolan would speak of how he spent his day and ask about her progress. Not for the first time that week, she wondered if she truly couldn’t find the path back to her lab or if her subconscious prevented the needed revelation. Her life with Faolan was so perfect and blissful and doomed to be limited.

Dana was entertaining them with tales of her children and the other clans in the area. The stories she wove spoke of a full life and happy days. It was still a secret what had been so terrible about her first few weeks there, but her pride in her family seemed to outweigh the past. Dana’s hope for the future shone in her tales of her grandchildren.

Theoretical mechanics went through Samantha’s mind over past, present, and future. It was all linked and all so separate, yet bound together in a manner that eluded her. Unbidden, her hand opened and closed and opened and closed. Samantha’s eyes closed as Dana’s voice faded and particles danced before her eyes. Jeff’s laughter could be heard in her thoughts, and it linked a path between the two bubbles she had created.
Bound, yet separate
whirled in her thoughts until she felt the kiss to her hair.

“Your time of work has passed, my heart. Be here with me,” Faolan whispered while his hand closed over hers.

She blinked in surprise at how far she had wandered from the gathering. Though Dana still spoke, it was now about duties the household needed to see done, given the change in season; summer was upon them. Even that hurt. If she were staying, it would be matters she should know. Samantha gripped Faolan’s hand that rested on her shoulder to keep herself grounded in the moment at hand and to not think about the necessary return to the lab.

She shifted enough to glance up at Faolan and offer him a reassuring smile. He gave her a wink and turned to face Jeff across the table.

“When we met, I offered to trade my hereditary dagger for the woman I now call my wife,” Faolan said, holding Jeff’s gaze. “I heard you mock my offering as you stood apart from me. You made mention of the shiny dagger in my boot.”

He lifted his hand from her shoulder, reached down his leg, and then placed the jeweled dagger on the table. “While it may have worth in the market, it means nothing to me.”

Jeff chuckled as he looked at the table. “I can’t believe you heard me say that. For the record, it was meant as a joke.”

“The wind carried all you said to my ears. I heard the jest and wished for you to know why this was nay offered,” Faolan said as he looked back at her and cupped her cheek. “My mother gave me the dagger of the Draig after my father’s death. ‘Tis the one my grandfather stole from the warrior-priests, though none had heard that tale until last week. She said my father had given it to her as proof of his devotion to her as my grandfather did to my grandmother. I offered it in trade for Samantha as proof of my wish to see her safe, though you could nay read my heart with the offering.”

Samantha wondered where he was going with his tale, as she heard Dana choke on her drink. The older woman laughed and cleared her throat but said nothing.

Faolan lifted the Draig dagger in his hand and placed it in front of her. “Samantha is mine, and I am hers as it should be.” Faolan stared into her eyes. “Take my dagger, my heart. Let all see it bound to your side as proof of my love for you.”

Samantha blinked and lifted her hand to cover the dagger and felt tears prick her eyes. She barely managed to whisper, “Thank you.” Her hand tightened on the carved handle as Faolan placed a kiss to her head.

He held the jeweled dagger out to Jeff. “Take it in trade. Use it to cut your meat or to carve walking sticks for Boomer while he heals. Sell it to buy what you would nay ask me to provide.” Faolan winked at her and continued with a barely restrained laugh. “I would nay have you say I cheated you out of payment due for this fine woman.”

While the assembly laughed at the comment, her elbow jabbed into his ribs. “Hey, I’m still not a goat.”

Even irritated, there was no resistance as Faolan leaned down to place a kiss to her pouting mouth. He kissed a path to her ear and whispered, “The man refuses all the gifts he has earned. Play with me and make him take this with my gratitude.”

I married a very good man. In a way, he is right.
It was obvious Rolph, as the trainer, received more than the rest of the warriors. Jeff had accepted none of the small tokens Faolan had tried to offer. She looked across the table at her captain. “You should probably take that before I throw another tantrum.”

Jeff laughed and picked up the blade. His eyes grew thoughtful. “I like the idea of carving. Tell me, is there a chess board anywhere?”

Dana sighed wistfully. “Nothing even close to one. I haven’t thought about that game in years.”

“I wonder how long it would take me to make one?” Jeff mused aloud. He turned to Keira. “It is a strategy game worthy of kings. I’ll teach you to play.”

And so plans for the future happened whether she wanted to hear them or not. Samantha liked the notion of Jeff spending quiet nights with his head over a chessboard. She knew Faolan would love the complex nature of the game and that it would be years before he would even be able to think of beating Jeff. The captain was a master strategist.

“What about me?” Boomer asked from her side.

Faolan lost his smile and stared at her friend. “When the time comes, Dark Mountain, when the time comes.”

Their small party sat in silence before Dana spoke. “There is one more question I have about all of this. How in the world have you kept that laptop charged? Mine used to die every two days if not plugged in.”

Samantha laughed. “UNK005 keeps it charged. They only need to be next to each other. No plugs are needed. I found that out after I forgot to plug mine in and was fairly surprised.”

The blunt answer satisfied the woman as simple truths always did. Samantha marveled at the way she accepted information. Dana was a unique woman with an endless stream of energy, like UNK005. The woman was in the kitchen from dawn ‘til dusk seven days a week with no complaint.
Endless stream of energy
. . . The thought repeated in her head. UNK005 had an endless stream of energy. The phrase shortened.
An endless stream . .
.

Boomer interrupted the pattern of thought taking shape in her mind. “Do you need to go back in tonight?”

Yes was the answer, but she wasn’t ready to face UNK005 again. She had had the most uncontrolled session earlier that day. It had seemed as if UNK005 fought her commands and desired paths of research. What it had tried to show her made no sense, yet it fought her return to other areas of probability.
Endless stream
again danced in her thoughts combined with the frustration of a fruitless day.

She had mentally fought with UNK005 and lost. Time’s stability was riddled with risk, and her only hope of restoring balance fought her at every turn. Phrases slipped beyond her reasoning:
one, simplicity, open and closed, endless stream,
and
bound together
. She wondered what UNK005 would think of such a simple input of data, of such basic words instead of the complex algorithms and scientific theory worthy of a dissertation. She refused to ponder the implication that her tool had refused to be used. There was no chance she would be able to rationalize the end of the day’s log-in. UNK005 had disengaged before she did, a disturbing first.