Page 61 of Torin and the Princess

“Coop, I’ve had like four long conversations with him. That’s what I’m saying. He does not break character.”

“He’s a nut job.”

I shrugged. “I mean,maybe, but he’s so nice and you know, I don’t get a weird feeling about him.”

“Yeah, you’ve let down your guard. Who knows what he’s up to. He could be dangerous, psychopathic, schizophrenic.”

“He protected me?—”

“What do you mean?”

I said, “One of the times he landed here?—”

“‘One of the times he landed’ do youhearyourself, Lexi?”

“I know it sounds made up, but remember that storm? The storms happen, then he’s in the yard. It’s connected, somehow.”

Cooper huffed. “This is all just… not cool, Lexi.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know, it sucks. This is not the conversation we should be having.”

Jen called in, “Y’all coming?”

Cooper called back, “Just a second!” He turned to me, “You said he ‘protected you’?”

“Yeah, there was a sword-fight in the yard?—”

“Jesus H Christ.” He turned on his heel and stalked into the dining room.

I gotin there as he was putting his plate down in front of a chair, saying, “Sorry about that, haven’t had a lot of time to discuss…” He sat down, furled his cloth napkin over his lap, and then looked directly at Torin. “Why don’t you tell me what the hell you’re doing here.”

Jen jumped up, “I’m going to go get a round of beers.” She ducked out of the room.

“Och nae, ye sound troubled, Master Cooper, my apologies for steppin’ foot upon yer lands and findin’ m’self at yer table, uninvited by ye?—”

“Lexi tells me you were fighting with swords with someone out on the lawn.”

Torin put down his fork and clasped his hands over his plate. “Aye, I time-jumped back tae m’homelands of Alba, where a battle was a’waitin’ me — I was winnin’ because I am verra good at it, Master Cooper, but as the battle was ragin’, I was ripped away and brought here again?—”

“Who brought you here? None of this makes sense.”

Torin dug through his sporran and pulled out the vessel. “This... this demonic device is dragging me through time.”

Jen brought a whole six pack to the table and began popping beer caps off and passing them out.

Cooper said, “Okay, Medieval Man, fine, you’re not going to break character. You’re going to keep weaving this ludicrous story, convincing the ladies,easily,” he looked around at me and Jen, “somehow, but let’s go back to discussing the rest of it. So you ended up here?—”

“Three times,” he counted on his fingers, “nae, four times. I hae jumped many times in the last few days, but four times I ended up here.”

Cooper had his hands clenched in front of his face, his legs jiggling. He was quiet.

I tapped his shoulder. “Maybe we should eat while it’s warm?”

“True, let’s do that.” He took a bite, then asked, “What I don’t understand is why are youhere?”

“I daena ken, this vessel…” Torin placed the vessel on the table and nudged it with his finger. “It daena belong tae me. It belongs tae m’laird Maximillian. Tis his family’s artifact, part of their legacy. I had been helpin’ him recover it, and…”

Torin narrowed his eyes. “I wonder... hae ye ever met Maximillian Campbell, dost ye ken of him?”

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