Chapter Forty
Magni
“But why are you here now, Simone? It’s dark out. Usually you go home before dark.” He stared up at his favorite lass. Well, besides Brynja and Hildi. And Sylvi. And Tora too. And their mother. And…
“We’re just enjoying the night. The water is calm and there’s no breeze. It’s lovely, Magni. Go play with your brother.”
“He went to bed. Do you think my mama will come back soon?”
“I’m not sure,” Artan said. “Her back is much better sleeping on that bed than sleeping on the floor here. Next summer we’ll build her a better bed, but it’s hard to do now.”
Simone gave her husband an odd nod, tipping her head toward the sea, then Artan said, “Magni, I left my favorite fishing pole behind Beatris’s cottage. Would you get it for me, please?”
“Sure. I know which one it is.” And he took off to fetch Artan’s pole.
Magni hoped his grandsire would come back for another visit on the morrow. He felt bad for turning him down the other day. He’d come to invite him to Yuletide at Duart Castle, but Magni had refused.
Grandsire nearly got angry with him. Magni could see it in his eyes.
He never raised his voice, but his grandsire had a way about him that sometimes made him want to run and hide.
“Dammit, Magni!” But then he’d calmed down and asked him quietly, “Why not? Did you know that the Grants give a gift to each bairn at their Yuletide festival? It was Maddie Grant’s way. ”
“A gift? Just for me?” He pictured a big boat he could play with on the shore.
Or a bigger sword than the one he had, one that was sharper than his wooden one.
Or mayhap he’d get a wooden horse or two to play with.
Or a new fabric horse to take to bed. He’d nearly worn out the one he had that his mama made for him a long time ago.
It took a lot to get himself to fall asleep some nights.
“Magni, what do you think? I’ll come and get you for Yule?”
Leave Iona? Absolutely not. “Nay, I’ll stay here for Yule.”
Then he’d seen Grandda’s fists clench, but he whispered, “Why not, lad? I promise to keep you safe.”
He had to think hard. Then he came up with it. “Because Lia is not here. She’s helping someone else so I cannot leave. She wouldn’t know where I was. I can’t leave my sister alone for Yule.”
“But how would she be alone if she’s not here?” his clever grandfather had asked.
He’d scowled about that one, turning away, surprised to see his father standing behind him. “Son, I wish to go to Duart Castle with your mother. We both want you to visit us there.”
And then Thane had invited him to Yule.
And Connor Grant.
And Simone.
He stopped behind the cottage to stare up at the stars. Someone else had asked him too. Who was it?
Lennox! Chieftain MacVey had invited him too.
And Chief Rankin said they were going.
And then Dyna came and invited him too. She brought Sylvi with him, and she had begged him to come. He remembered how she had taken his hand and said, “Please, Magni. We miss you. Sandor and Tora miss you. And Rowan will be there. And Alana and Shealee too.”
He couldn’t help but smile about that. He did have many friends.
But he couldn’t leave. God would only protect him if he was close to the abbey. Someone had told him that once. That the monks would protect him forever.
“I have to stay near the monks, Grandda.”
And his grandsire had asked, “When was the last time you saw a monk here protecting you?”
His grandsire was a wise man.
But he’d answered everyone the same way. He wasn’t leaving Iona.
Ever.
He’d been alone and afraid before and didn’t wish to have it come back ever again.
He’d never forget when he’d been stolen away by those evil men who lied and told him they killed his parents and set off in a boat and left him on Ulva.
He’d escaped and made it to Mull, but there he was, alone, on the isle of Mull until he’d found his dear sister Lia hiding under the fronds.
She was truly the faery of the woods, the faery of the green meadow, but she promised to protect him and stay with him forever.
He picked up Artan’s fishing pole, then turned because he heard something. There was a boat behind him at the spot where Henry always went fishing. Not where Simone and Artan were.
There were never any boats back there.
He crept down the path to see if he was wrong, creeping closer, closer, until he saw the boat. Who was it? He took a few more steps forward, noticing the boat was full of men, and listened.
“Grab as many bairns as you can.”
His eyes widened.
He dropped the fishing pole.
He let out a scream that could be heard all over the isle.
“Lia! Help me!” And he ran back toward the cottage and out toward Artan and Simone.
Still screaming.
Sobbing.
Begging for his dear sister to help him.
“I’m coming with you, Thane! Or Grandda!”
He wished he could run faster.
“Someone help me, please.”
He tore around the cottage still screaming. Expecting to see bad men everywhere.
Instead, he saw more boats. One small boat, and three large ones.
Were there bad men everywhere? He had to find Simone.
But then he saw them—his grandfather and Brynja ran straight toward him.
“Grandda! Brynja! Save me!” He couldn’t stop the scream that exploded from his body, the sobs right behind it.
Brynja grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “We’re here, Magni. Where are they? Tell us.”
He pointed behind him, mumbling, “Henry’s fishing spot.” She took off faster than he’d ever seen her run.
His grandfather shook him and said, “Lord above, stop screaming, Magni. We’re here. We’ll protect you. Now who and where? How many did you see?”
He closed his mouth, gasping for breath. “On the coast behind us. Straight down the path. Six or eight of them. I couldn’t count them. I was bouncing too much.” Then he threw his arms around his grandda.
Logan barked some orders to everyone coming off the boats and then pulled him off to the side, tugging him close. “I told you we’d protect you.”
And they did.
He stood on the side while he held his grandfather’s hand and cried like a wee bairn as he watched them pass him by, some waving, some going right on past him.
Some said, “We’ll protect you, Magni!”
He just couldn’t stop the tears.
Artan, Simone, Dyna, Hagen, Tristan, Alaric, Eli, Jowell, Paden, Maitland, Broc, Merryn, and some he didn’t know.
They came and came and came.
All for him.
Last was Thane who came straight to him.
Magni looked up at him and asked, “Can I still move in with you, Thane?”
“Aye, lad. You’re always welcome. You can come home with me in a little bit, if you like.”
He wrapped his arms around Thane’s waist and said, “I’m coming with you.”
Logan said, “And you’re coming to our Yule Festival. No arguments.”
And he looked up at this man he adored and said, “All right.”
And it didn’t matter if they gave him a gift or not. He needed to be inside a big castle.
Safe.
Someday, he’d be a big Ramsay warrior too.