Chapter 43
MAGNUS
THAT’S A BIG FIRE
The roof was on fire.
I made it to the corridor leading tae the nursery as the women and bairns were fleeing. Hayley had Jack and Isla, Archie was behind them, helping, and there were already other men carryin’ bairns and directing everyone else tae safety.
I told Hayley tae go down tae the courtyard, I would meet her there, and raced down the hall taeward the solar. I found John in the hall and grabbed him brusquely by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. “Where are ye goin’?”
“The roof is on fire!”
“Ye go get Sean and Wilfrey from the dungeons, let them go! We need Sean, we need men tae fight the fire!”
I shoved him down the corridor and found Kaitlyn unsteady on her feet. I picked her up around the waist, with Haggis at my heels. “Good boy, follow me, daena get lost!” I ushered everyone tae the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor. “Careful as ye descend!”
A guard behind me was yelling, “Grab the fire hooks, men!” Two men grabbed leather buckets from the wall and raced down the steps tae the river, setting up a brigade. Guards pushed past the women and children creating a jam at the stairwell, waiting tae descend.
I grew impatient, twas a trial tae get tae the courtyard, until finally the knot of people lessened and I was able tae navigate down. I raced through the door tae the courtyard, and across, placing Kaitlyn on the ground against a wall.
Her face was deservin’ of sympathy. There was blood spattered across her mouth and chin, her cheeks…and it had dripped ontae her gown.
I crouched in front of her. “Ye alright, mo reul-iuil, hae ye broken yer nose?”
“It hurts like hell.” She blinked, on the point of sobbin’.
I reached out and gingerly touched it.
She moaned.
I poked and prodded it carefully.
She said, “I am being a big baby, but I don’t think it’s broken.”
I said, “It daena feel like it, but there is blood everywhere and ye are goin’ tae have black eyes.”
“There’s a fire. Where are our kids?”
Right then Hayley ran up. “Got them!”
She handed Jack tae Kaitlyn, he cried, “Ma!”
Isla sat down beside her.
Hayley said, “You look terrible, and Magnus, you need a Band-Aid in a couple of places.” She dug through her bag.
“I need tae go fight the fire.”
“You need a bandage first, hold on.” She ripped a pack open and peeled paper from a Band-Aid.
I said, “Ma and Da both hae boo-boos, Jack.”
She put a Band-Aid on my neck and patted it down.
“Tis enough?”
“Hold on, you need one on your cheek too.” She ripped open a small one and peeled it off. “I should clean it.”
“Aye, but there is a fire ragin’ so daena worry on it, just put it on.”
She stuck it on over the cut on my cheek and pressed it down, “There, done.”
“Thank ye.” Then I said, “Isla, ye hold yer Ma’s skirts, and daena leave her side.
Archie, ye stay with them, ye hold Haggis, and watch what is happening.
If the fire comes near here,” I stood and looked around, “It winna, but if it comes close ye ask one of the men if ye should move. Daena let Haggis go, tis too dangerous, and if ye need tae move, ye move them, ye understand?”
He solemnly nodded.
“I hae tae go get a hook and a bucket and fight this fire. I will be back.”
I raced across the courtyard and grabbed the last fire hook from the wall and ran up the steps taking two at a time tae the corridor where the men were fighting the fire.
Sean ran up from the dungeon. “What did ye do tae my castle?”
“I bought ye the castle,” I grabbed a bucket and passed it down. “And that man has tried tae destroy it tae spite me.”
Fraoch ran by. “Why ye standin’ here? We need men tae pull down the rafters!”
One of our men took m’place in the bucket brigade while we ran taeward the fire, with the fire hook, grabbing a load of wet wool blankets as we ran.
Fraoch said, “I ken I hae been complaining about the rain, but we need it tae start again.”
I used the hook tae yank burning rafters tae the ground, and then men covered them with wet wool. I passed the hook tae Sean and he pulled down a rafter, we tossed another blanket on it.
Liam ran up. Sean asked, “Where ye been, I thought ye were behind me!”
“Had tae do something first, had tae help Lady Mairead.”
I grabbed a bucket and poured it on the wall. “What did she need help with?”
He said, “I freed Wilfrey and got her a shovel so she could get a vessel.”
I chuckled. “She is gone already with the last vessel? Och nae.” I swung a damp blanket onto a pile of burning coals. “Tis always her needs come first.”
Fraoch said, yanking on a rafter, “Ye ken ye hae another vessel under the tree by the stone circle.”
“I ken, but tis nae the point. And now ye ken why I never tell Lady Mairead where that one is, or she would take it if she wanted.”
After over an hour of fighting the largest blaze, Sean pulled the last flamin’ rafter and a hunk of thatch from the ceiling of the antechamber, just before it reached the Gallery.
The men cheered. Then we rushed down the corridor and beat out the last fires in the upper storerooms. We found a last blaze in an alcove and men were at the far end of the corridor fighting a small fire creepin’ towards the Earl’s solar.
We rushed down the passage checkin’ other chambers, fightin’ small blazes and putting out smaller smolderin’ fires afore they spread tae the floors below. We beat them back room by room, all the way tae the nursery passage.
And then, thankfully the rain began again, it drenched the upper floor of the castle that was now open tae the sky. Hot coals sizzled, smoke billowed and the last of the fires were finally out.
Sean gathered all the men taegether. “We need everyone in the Great Hall for the night, men on the walls, men watching these rooms tae make sure the fire stays out.”
We were filthy and smoke covered.
Fraoch was pitch black, coughing, pale white eyes glowing in his face. “Och, Hayley is goin’ tae love this. She will want me tae use soap, but there inna water tae wash.”
“Ye are a mess.”
“Ye ought tae see yerself, ye will need tae stand in the rain or the queen will be arsed with ye.”
“Och, I am tired, the queen canna be arse, the king has had a long day.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Ye were just tryin’ tae be romantic, eh, Og Maggy, and look what ye hae done!”
I chuckled. “It has not been m’best day.”
I clapped him on the back, “Let us gather everyone in the Great Hall, we need drink and sleep.”
Fraoch said, “Aye, I need drink, sleep, and then more drink again.”