Stupid stupid stupid.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise.”
“Told you we shouldn’t have just assumed,” said Fergus.
“It’s okay. Our fault.” Rowan waved a hand. “We didn’t ask what you wanted—”
Fergus rolled his eyes and reached over. “It’s fine. I’ll have it.”
I quickly pulled the second pint to me and took a sip of it. Caramel and citrus, pretty standard. Then I took a sip of the Tam Lin beer. It was sweeter and maltier than I was expecting. Something about the rusty red colour had made me expect an iron tang to it.
Fergus stared at me. Rowan leaned back in the booth.
Oh God, why did I do that? It was the rug all over again. What had got me feeling so territorial lately?
“Just saved me from having to get up for a while,” I said.
Fergus shook his head. I straightened up.
“Besides, I think I need it after my run-in with that old guy by the fire.”
Both Rowan and Fergus’s eyebrows raised.
“He spoke to you?” they said in unison.
I looked between the two of them. “Yes?”
“He’s, ah…” Rowan looked at Fergus, wordlessly checking something with him.
Fergus leaned forward.
“He’s mad. Him and his wife. Can’t make hide nor hair of anything that comes out of their mouths. He was convinced one year I was hiding some sort of pirate treasure or something. He’d chase me round the village, badgering me to share. Nutter.” Fergus nodded his head toward the snoring woman. “She’s not too bad, but only because she’s asleep most of the time.”
“They only come here during the summer when I’m busy with the forestry,” said Rowan. “Apparently, the lady wilts a bit during the warmer months.”
I turned to look at the two of them sitting by the fire. The old man was tenderly adjusting the hood over the woman’s snoring face.
Fergus continued. “You know, he worked on Dolly. Some sort of consultant.”
It took me a moment to realise what he was referring to.
“The sheep? The cloned sheep?” I asked.
“If you can call that monstrosity a sheep.”
Rowan rolled his eyes.
“It’s just a sheep, pal. No different from a twin.”
“It is different,” he stabbed the table with his finger. “It doesn’t have a soul.”
Rowan tucked his chin down and looked up at Fergus through his eyebrows, as if trying to peer under the blanket of madness he was hiding under.
“You saying sheep have souls now?”
Fergus hissed through his teeth. “You know what I mean. It’s not right. And think what they’ve opened up now. A whole Pandora’s box. They could clone anything. Anyone. All they’d need is a drop of your blood.”
A shiver raced up my spine.
