Page 56 of Only a Breath Away

He startled as if he dinna ken we were approachin’. “Oh, what are you doing here?” He looked around. “Where’s Quentin?”

I sat down beside him. Lady Mairead stood a few feet away.

“Colonel Quentin has gone home, Master Cook, he couldna watch ye do this anymore.”

“Do what?”

Lady Mairead said, “Master Cook, ye are looping.”

He looked at her as if he had just noticed she was here. Then went back to staring at the castle. His eyes were vague, almost unfocused.

I asked, “Ye hungry?”

“Nah, just got here, ate before I left.”

I opened my pack and brought out a sub sandwich and held it toward him. He grabbed it and ate ravenously. I placed a Hydro Flask of vitamin juice between us and after he had eaten the sandwich he chugged from the flask. I said, “Ye are hungry because ye hae been gone longer than ye think.”

His brow drew down. “That doesn’t make sense.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense at all, what makes sense is that as soon as the telescope goes up I’m going to get her. You here to help?”

I said, “Aye, I’m here to help. Tis time for ye tae come home, this inna working.”

“What do you mean? What’s not working?”

“Ye are trying tae get tae Sophie afore she dies but she’s—”

Lady Mairead interrupted. “Ye are using yer weapons instead of yer brain, what hae ye tried?”

He shook his head, vaguely. “I don’t know… I’m just… I need to be here when she gets to the castle, so I can…”

I said, “Ye hae tried over and over, Quentin told me. Ye hae tried everythin’, it inna—”

Lady Mairead asked, “Hae ye tried speaking tae my contact, Auld Arthuretta in the kitchen?”

I groaned. “Lady Mairead, that is nae why we are here, we are here tae stop him from loop—”

She waved her arms around. “Look at it, look at the landscape, the dire circumstances, look at his demeanor. Dear God, he has lost his mind at this. Hae ye ever seen such a thing—?”

Master Cook screwed up his face up. “I haven’t lost my mind, these assholes are going to pay for—”

I said, “Ye are both wrong. Master Cook has nae lost his mind, he is just spiraling in grief. He needs help, and Master Cook, this is nae acceptable. Ye hae been looping for so long that ye are breaking the timeline. Ye hae ruined a great deal of history, we are losin’ track, Kaitlyn is stuck in the past, ye need tae stand down.”

“Katie?”

“Aye.”

Lady Mairead got out her weapon. “But that is nae what we need tae do. Look at him, he canna stand down. Are we going tae allow Ormr and Domnall tae do this tae Master Cook? This is nae acceptable!” She looked at the castle. “Is Sophie there?”

Master Cook said, “I think so, but I… There was a huge storm yesterday, then I watched a column of men dragging their goods and horses into the castle through the gates. I didn’t see Sophie, but it was raining at the time, visibility sucked.”

I said, “Lady Mairead daena fill his head with dangerous ideas.”

“Ye be quiet Magnus, ye ken if ye were in this position ye wouldna stop, ye ken it. Besides tis nae a dangerous idea if it works.” She added, “I ken we canna save the life of someone who has gone, that it is a terrible precedent tae believe ourselves God-like, but as I look upon the castle, I am thinking we could save m’great-granddaughter and that would be an important—”

“Sophie is your — wait, what?”

This James Cook remembered nothin’ of the past months. I said, “Aye, Master Cook, she is Mairead’s descendant and ye hae already been told this in a loop.”

“How did I take it?”

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