Page 31 of Torin and His Oath (Torin and the Princess #2)

It was easy to dismiss it as crazy.

I could, if I were strict with myself, force myself to believe it was fake. Maybe it had been a fever dream?

I had been really sick.

If I talked to a therapist they would likely tell me, ‘yes, my imagination, my fever, had concocted a fake reality,’ and that would be far more believable than that I had time traveled.

Time travel didn’t exist. But the alternative, that I had been that sick, that delusional, well, that would make me really unhinged.

But…

Dude got up and began poking and prodding his paws on my legs, trying to get comfortable.

I said, “Dude, are you still trying to sleep off our adventure?”

He trilled.

“It was a lot, right? But it was true, right? We were in the past, on horseback, you were there, I was there.”

He meowed, then circled and plopped down to go back to sleep.

I put my head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. All these ephemeral dreamlike memories were interspersed with Torin. My memory of him was firm, clear, and solid as the granite mountains that we had crossed by horse.

The edge of his mouth, close to mine, his breath warm on my cheek, as he pledged his oath; his lashes down as he prayed at my bedside; his big strong hands holding the reins, his arms resting on my thighs; his strong muscular legs alongside mine as we rode through Scotland.

He was close, real, his breathing in my ear, his heartbeat timed to mine as he held me through the night.

I missed him so much.

My circling thoughts were interrupted when I heard the security guard arrive. I thought about going out there, but Cooper was speaking with him and sounded like he had it all under control. Was I breaking up with Cooper for no reason at all?

We had been a couple for a long time, sharing the work, looking out for each other.

He was doing it for me, still.

A little while later he entered the room. “A security guard is stationed. Twenty-four hours a day for a couple weeks, then we talk.”

“What did you tell him he was guarding for?”

He chuckled, “I told him that if he spots a medieval-looking guy in the yard, to shoot on sight.”

“You did not, what if it was…” I didn’t finish because I realized he was joking.

He raised his brow. “Torin? Well first of all, yes, I think he’s the number one suspect for all the danger and upset, but I am joking, I did not tell them to shoot on sight, I don’t have that much power.

The guard’s name is Marcus, his job is to circle the yard, watch for trouble, batten down the house if a storm comes — that part is just for the weather, he thinks.

I told him that you were recovering from an illness so he should close all the doors and windows if a storm came.

I told him we’ve been having weird weather. He bought it.”

“So you didn’t tell him to shoot Torin?”

“No, of course not, I wouldn’t do that, Lexi. I’m grateful that he saved your life.”

He added, “Not too happy that he kept you in the past until you were at death’s door.”

“He didn’t keep me, the device didn’t work.”

“Sure, right? So what made it work?”

“I don’t know, I think there was a metallic band around the middle of it, that controlled it, as if it overrode its abilities. I don’t know… I noticed it and was messing with it. Dude messed with it, and then the vessel worked.”

He smiled at the cat and scratched him between the ears. “Dude’s a good boy.”

I smiled.

He said, “I’m moving out my things, mind if I take some kitchen stuff?”

“No, not at all.” I felt a little like crying. “I’m really sorry.”

He said, “Yeah me too.”

He turned and left the room.

Around three, Jen pulled into the driveway.

I heard her voice talking to Coop, though I couldn’t hear what they said.

Then she walked in, with a frown. “Ah honey.”

“I know!” I burst into tears.

She sat down on the couch, shoving me aside, and put her arms around me. She held me while I cried. Then she pulled away and wiped my tears. “Holy shit, sweetie, you’re falling apart.”

“I know! I just got kidnapped, had an intestinal infection in the middle ages, broke up with my long-time boyfriend, and… and…” I sobbed. “Torin left me!”

“Oh honey, this is terrible. When you put it like that… I think you need a cookie. Have you had a cookie?” She reached into her purse and pulled out a ziplock bag, full of her favorite cookies, and shook them.

“You made your favorite cookies for me?”

“You betcha, used extra cranberries and white chocolate chips, you’re welcome. Double batch.” She unzipped the top and put it on my stomach. I looked inside.

“This is like twelve, where are the rest?”

“I eat when I’m stressed and your situation makes me very stressed.”

“Yeah, me too. Not sure though, I’ve only gotten saltines to go down so far.” I pulled a cookie from the bag and sniffed it.

She said, “I put extra salt on top. Tell your tummy it’s a cracker and eat up, you’ll thank me later. Pinch of orange zest. You look weak, you need sustenance.”

“Orange zest is sustenance?” I took a tentative bite, and chewed, then a bigger bite. “You’re right, that’s perfect, thank you.” I ate the whole cookie in a few bites and took another, a glimpse in my mind of Torin eating the last of our food after sharing half with me to keep me going.

She took a cookie. Then sat back on the other end of the couch, facing me. “Let’s start at the beginning, I haven’t heard the whole story because I had to go teach the monsters, missing everything.”

“You love them.”

“I do, but still monsters. What happened, how long were you gone?”

“Like five days, something like that, maybe six?”

“So weird, you were only gone from here for like twelve hours. So tell me about it. You were kidnapped, begin there.”

“Torin and I were in a hovel, he was beaten pretty good, everyone smelled like shit, and Dude was there. It was pitch black dark.”

“Damn. What did you do?”

“Our wrists were tied up, so first we got out of our bindings, and then we waited for the men to get drunk to escape. Getting away was easy, actually, but then we were in the woods and Torin decided we needed his weapons and horses. He left me there, in the dark, alone, in a medieval forest,” her eyes grew wide, “and went back.”

“What did he do?”

“I guess he killed everyone, or at least most everyone.”

“Shiiiittttt… that’s not… that’s not normal.”

“Yeah, exactly. But he got two horses, and that’s the way it works back there. The worst most insane thing happens and then you’re like, ‘we almost died but we got some bread, so we won!’”

“Sounds bleak, and doesn’t sound like you at all. Weren’t you terrified? You’re not a thrill seeker.”

“I was totally terrified, the only thing that kept me from losing it altogether was Torin.”

She nodded sagely.

I continued. “So then we were just riding horses through the mountains.”

“ You were riding a horse?”

I nodded. “Ferrari and Lambo.”

She chuckled.

“I was mostly on Torin’s horse. Sharing a saddle…” I thought about the swaying horse as it plodded under us, and Torin’s embrace, holding me balanced in my seat, and how I had grown so comfortable with him that I had slept on his arm while we rode.

She scrutinized my face. “Sounds intimate.”

I nodded. “It was.” I breathed and started on the third cookie.

“I also got a terrific case of chapped-ass in the dark ages. I had to smear a concoction that was in a carved horn bottle with a cork on it. It belonged to one of the creeps who kidnapped us, that Torin killed.” I grimaced.

“And he used it and who knows where his fingers had been. It smelled like something from a swamp, but Torin made me smear it on my rashy butt.”

I pulled the blanket off and checked my rash. “It’s almost gone, most of it.”

“That spot on your left leg is looking inflamed.” She dug in her bag.

“You have medicine in your bag?”

She pulled out a small plastic box, popped it open, and pulled out a small packet of antibiotic cream and a bandaid. “I’m a school teacher.”

“Makes sense.” I ripped open the packet, smeared cream on the inflamed parts, and applied two bandaids to the worst spots.

Then I put my head back on the pillow again. “It rained. I had to bathe in a stream, almost drowned. There were horrible biting bugs, bad guys, long days of slogging all the way across Scotland, so much riding?—”

“Where did you sleep?

“An inn the second night, then what Torin called a ‘wayside house.’ That was after riding in the rain. Oh man, the food was so bad, probably why I got the vomits. There was a cauldron on the fire and I was told it had been there, likely, for months. ”

Her eyes went wide. “You can’t eat that!”

“I know! But still I did!” I grimaced.

“Then we stopped for lunch the next day, and by that night I was sick. I was in some inn somewhere and don’t remember much at all. Torin just carried me into a room and put me into bed.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she cocked her head. “So tell me about Torin.”

I said, quietly, “I don’t know what there is to say, not really.”

“Try, I want to hear about him.”

“You met him.”

“No, I mean, he’s become very important to you. I want you to tell me about it.”

“Oh.” Then I frowned. “I don’t…” I whispered, “He heroically took care of me for days.” I dropped my head back.

“And now he has left me.” I raised my head.

“He kept doing that, you know, I’m actually furious.

He left me in the woods alone that first night so he could murderously rampage.

Then, when he thought we were being trailed, he put me behind a rock and left me, while he followed the creeps for a while to make sure we were safe.

I was so freaking mad at him, scared out of my mind. ”

She didn’t look quite upset enough, so I explained, “What if he had died, Jen? Or gotten lost and couldn’t find me again? It was dark and rainy! He had the vessel, so I would have been stuck in the middle ages forever!”

“Holy shit, what would you do?”