She wanted to yell, “It’s a hundred-dollar haircut!” but knew she wouldn’t impress them. Short hair was clearly out, out, out in this time period.
Talon released her hand then moved away, murmuring and making movements like some kind of priest. Under his breath she thought she heard the word distraction and wondered if he was talking to his ring instead of God. Probably. Slowly, he walked around the room, stopping every few steps to make the same kinds of holy motions.
Not a bad plan, really. Maybe no one would notice when he stopped and opened a door in the wall. Maybe. He was seriously going to need that distraction.
The sound of grunting and heavy footsteps preceded the arrival of two well-muscled young men each carrying a large bucket in each hand. As water splashed onto the floor, the girl doing the dusting released a squawk of disgust.
“Lachlan, ye dolt, ye’ll be cleaning that up!”
“Aye, Morna,” Lachlan replied evenly with a voice that sounded more boy than man. “I always do.”
The two youths carried the buckets to the dark hearth. While the other young man knelt before the hearth and started the fire, Lachlan pulled a round brass tub from behind a dressing curtain and rolled it across the room until it, too, sat in front of the hearth.
The pieces clicked into place. The tub. The buckets of water sitting in front of a soon-to-be-roaring fire, warming nicely. Apparently the marquess liked to be greeted with a hot bath. And without a bathroom and running water, this was the way he’d get it.
Lachlan straightened and started back toward the door, catching sight of her for the first time. “And who will you be, lass?”
Julia stiffened, meeting his curious gaze. She opened her mouth, uncertain what to say, when Talon beat her to it.
“Leave her be, lad. She suffered a blow to the head and hasna been right since. I’ll be taking her to the abbey soon enough.”
Julia resisted the urge to glare at him.
Lachlan studiously looked away from her as he left the room, as if she were some kind of leper. It pricked at her pride that Talon had led him to believe she was a nutcase, even as she knew it was better this way.
Talon’s words seemed to have had the opposite effect on the others. The remaining boy and all three girls stared at her now with open curiosity, as if they no longer believed she’d notice.
She stifled a groan and looked down, plucking at the ties on her top to keep from glaring at them all.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Talon pull a painting down off the wall. Her pulse sped. Had he found it, finally? As she watched him surreptitiously, he ran his hand over the wall.
She felt the strings loosen beneath her fingers and grimaced, realizing she’d accidentally untied them. A quick glance up told her the girls were laughing at her.
The young man who should have been paying attention to his fire building was instead watching her with anticipation. What did he think she was going to do, undress herself? He looked to be a little older than the girls, but not much. Or maybe he only looked older since his face had obviously seen a dozen too many fistfights.
Talon found the opening. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small door swing out and the glitter of gold within.
With a flutter of nervousness, she knew she had to keep the kids’ eyes on her, not him. With suddenly shaking fingers, she began to loosen her laces. Just a little. Just enough to keep them watching her.
Huh. Was she the distraction Talon had asked for? She and her hundred-dollar haircut? Seemed like a bit of overkill to haul her all the way from the future just for this, but that ring of Talon’s did seem to be as annoying as its owner.
Warming to her role, she began to hum the theme to Friends and sway her hips back and forth as she ran the loose ends of the laces between her fingers. With a bit of false awkwardness, she began to retie them. Nothing too overt. She didn’t want to do anything so strange they’d look at Talon to see if he’d noticed or was going to do something about her.
The sound of heavy footsteps sounded in the hall. Her breath caught, her skin going cold. Anyone walking into the room would have a direct line of sight to Talon’s theft.
“Time to go,” she sang to the Friends theme.
She saw the hidden door swing closed, but not quickly enough.
Lachlan stood in the doorway, staring at Talon. “Thief!”
Julia’s gaze swung to Talon. He whirled around, a small golden lantern in his hand.
“Now,” he muttered.
She tensed, confused, as a strange warm tingle raced over her skin. Now?
Lachlan’s shout of alarm had all their gazes swinging to the hearth, where the fire had leaped free and spread to a small pile of kindling nearby. Lachlan rushed toward the hearth, splashing water everywhere from the buckets he carried, as the youth who’d been tending the fire leaped to his feet and reached for another bucket.
The girls screamed and fled the room.
Talon raced toward her, the golden lantern in his hand. “Hurry.” He took her hand.
She raced out the door after him. “You’re not going to help them put out the fire?” The whole castle could go up in flames.
“’Tis the distraction I asked of the ring. They’ve plenty of water. They’ll put it out easily enough.”
Probably.
As they reached the stair, she felt that strange tingle a second time. In a flash of magic, Talon’s white chaplain’s robe disappeared to be replaced by black pants and a white shirt that set off his male body to perfection. His beard, too, evaporated, revealing a strong jaw and a breathtakingly handsome face.
Julia gasped.
Talon grinned at her, a new man. “’Tis certain I have the right lamp,” he told her. “My reason for being in this place is done.”
“I hope the castle survives your mission.”
He threw her a wry look over his shoulder as he started down the stair, holding her hand tight. The twisty stair continued down, and down, and down some more. The damned stairs seemed to go on forever.
“We must be halfway through the center of the earth by now,” she muttered.
“Nay. We’re nearly to the Great Hall.” He said something more, something she didn’t catch.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, a blanket fell on top of her.
She squeaked with alarm. Fabric tangled under her feet and she cried out as she pitched forward. Talon whirled and caught her in his arms. Barely pausing, he set her upright, steadying her on her feet, then pushed the blanket off her head.
Julia stared at him. He was wearing a brown hooded robe. A quick glance down confirmed she’d acquired one just like it. Not a blanket at all.
She frowned. “We look like a pair of Jedi knights.”
“Jedi ... ?”
“Your ring’s doing?”
“Aye.”
“Wish it’d give me a little notice next time.” She looked down to find the robe dragging the floor, a good six inches too long. “Order me a size extra-small next time, would you please?”
Talon leaned forward and grabbed up the extra fabric and shoved it into her hands. “We must hurry.” He pulled her hood over her hair again and whirled to continue the rest of the way down the stairs, the lantern hidden beneath his robe.
Moments later, they erupted into a large, cavernous room she assumed was the Great Hall, though it didn’t much look like she’d imagined. Instead of rows of wooden tables and weapons hanging on the walls, this one actually had upholstered chairs and sofas situated in seating groups around the several hearths, like an oversized living room.
“Fire!” Talon shouted. “Fire in the lord’s chambers!”
As the men and women readying the hall for their master’s arrival took off running, Talon grabbed Julia’s hand, leading her toward an entryway.
He glanced at her. “Can you ride?”
“A horse?” She looked at him with horror.
He scowled, then began muttering to his ring again.
Th
e others had left the thick doors wide open. Talon and Julia raced through them and into the courtyard scattered with frantic people. Firelight flickered from torches and lanterns, sending shadows dancing in the dark. Some of the men carried buckets of water into the castle, but most of the people were fleeing. Two young men led horses out of the stables.
With a shout, one of the men lost hold of two of the horses, a pair that appeared saddled and ready for riding. Talon whistled low and the pair swung toward them.
They were going to run them down!
Julia leaped behind Talon, her already speeding pulse beginning to thunder as she imagined being trampled to death.
But the pair stopped abruptly in front of them in a cloud of dust.
Talon pulled her around. “Mount, Julia. Now!”
“I don’t know how to ride!”
“Aye, you do.”
She stared at him. How in the hell would he know whether or not she could ride?
“The ring, lass. Mount.”
The ring? Understanding swept through her frantic mind. She whirled to the horse, grabbed the reins, and swung into the saddle—skirts, oversized Jedi robe, and all—as if she’d been doing it all her life.
Holy shit.
Talon mounted in a single, fluid move and together they took off toward the open gates. She didn’t even have to think about it. Her body knew what to do to make the horse obey.
Amazing. A million possibilities for that ring ran through her head. She could learn anything with a single wish. A black belt in karate? Instantly. Nuclear physics? In the blink of an eye.
“Stop them!” The shout echoed into the night behind her. “They’ve stolen the laird’s treasure!”
“Bollocks.” Talon’s softly uttered curse carried back to her.
Julia’s pulse sped as she leaned forward, urging her mount faster. A single guard raced to stop them, his sword raised. But Talon pulled a sword of his own and swung as they galloped by. With the clank of metal on metal, the guard’s sword flew from his hand.
Talon looked at her over his shoulder, met her gaze, then turned forward and urged his horse faster as if he expected pursuit.
As Julia followed, the cool wind in her face, adrenaline pouring through her system, she felt the strange and inappropriate urge to laugh.
She’d never felt so alive! If she were home, she’d be in front of the television or curled up with a book, reading about another woman’s adventures. She’d never longed for adventures of her own. She’d thought the stress of her job was all the excitement she’d ever need.
But there was something about running for your life that cleared the senses, wiping them clean of all the minutiae. She couldn’t call this fun, exactly. Not when they could well be executed if they were caught. But this little detour on her way back to New York had certainly gotten her blood pumping.
This little detour to the past that should be over.
Julia frowned as the wind whipped her hair back from her face. Talon’s robes and beard had disappeared with his retrieval of the lantern. If her purpose had been to act as Talon’s distraction, shouldn’t she have disappeared, too? Shouldn’t she be home by now?
She felt the necklace thudding lightly against her chest, lifting and dropping with the gait of the horse, and was reminded, all too clearly, of her suspicions that it hadn’t been his ring that had brought her here at all. It had been Cat’s purple garnet.
Which meant she had no idea what to do to get home. A chill settled over her heart. She tried to shake it off. Maybe the ring was still in control. Maybe she simply hadn’t performed whatever task it meant for her to do.
She had to believe that was the case. The ring would send her home. Because the alternative was too frightening to contemplate.
If the necklace alone controlled her fate, she might be stuck here for good.
Six
Talon pulled up at last and Julia did the same, bringing her horse to a stop beside him. They must have been riding for hours, though it was still fully night.
She glanced up at the nearly full moon shining across a sky filled with far more stars than she’d ever seen, noting with dismay that the moon hadn’t moved far since they set out. They hadn’t been riding long at all. It just seemed that way.
Time in this place moved at the speed of Manhattan traffic. A snail’s pace.
Her rear was numb, her body sore, and her adrenaline spent. All she wanted was a hot bath and a warm, soft bed.
Which were about as likely as suddenly riding upon a 7-Eleven. She’d finally accepted that she was well and truly in the past.
“We’ll hide,” Talon said in a low voice, dismounting.
A cool, woodsy-smelling breeze tugged at her Jedi robe. Night insects clicked and chirped against the tinkling sound of a nearby creek. No sound of horses met her ears.
“Have we lost them?” She pulled up her robe, preparing to attempt a dismount as Talon walked to her.
“’Tis unlikely.” Talon reached up and grabbed her around the waist, then swung her down off the horse like some kind of old-fashioned gentleman.
His face was in shadow, but as he lowered her to the ground, she was suddenly all too aware of him. There was something about him, a raw and powerful masculinity that turned her inside out every time he got too near. That made her forget to breathe.
He released her and turned to the horses. As she grabbed at her robe, pulling the extra length out from beneath her feet so she didn’t trip, he slapped the horses’ rumps. In a spray of grass and pebbles, the pair raced off.
Julia stared after them in surprise. “We don’t need them anymore?”
“’Tis my hope they’ll lead our pursuers away from us. Like as not, they’ll find their way back to Castle Rayne.”
“And what are we going to do? Walk?”
He reached for her, his hand closing around hers. “We’ll worry about that come morn.” With a tug, he led her into the shadowed and spooky woods.
An owl hooted nearby, making her jump.
Talon squeezed her hand gently. “’Tis only an owl.”
Of course it was. She knew that, but knowing it didn’t do anything to settle her suddenly racing pulse. There was something unnerving about dark woods in the middle of the night. Or maybe she’d just watched too many movies.
Talon led her deeper and deeper into the shadows as her disquiet grew. How well did she know this guy? He could be an ax murderer for all she knew. Though, considering the size of the sword he carried, he probably didn’t need the ax.
A twig snapped beneath her foot. Maybe he really was a witch and was leading her into some kind of gingerbread prison.
“Calm yerself, lassie,” he said softly beside her. “They’ll not find us.”
Right. Exactly what she was thinking. Maybe no one would ever find her. Yet, perversely, her fear only made her sidle closer to him and cling to his hand harder.
Despite the direction of her thoughts, she really did trust him to keep her safe. Which was a revelation.
The woods grew more dense, their scent rich and loamy, as they continued to walk for several more minutes. Finally, Talon pulled up. “There’s a cave ahead, but it’s behind a thick stand of brush. Be mindful, lass. I wouldna have the branches scratch your bonny face.”
The offhand compliment annoyed her as such compliments from men always had. Yet his words softened the knot in her chest and sent a pleasant, tingling warmth flowing through her blood.
Her own mixed reaction confused and bothered her. She tried to shove it away.
“Are we’re going in?” she asked when they seemed to have reached a wall of dark.
“Aye.”
“I don’t suppose you have a flashlight. Or any kind of light, for that matter.”
“I cannot tell how close our pursuers are. We canna risk a light.”
“Great.” How was she supposed to protect her face when one hand was holding up her robe and the other was firmly caught in Talon’s?
&n
bsp; Talon seemed to realize her problem. He pulled her hood over her head and curled his arm around the back of her neck, pulling her face-first against his chest.
“Stay close,” he murmured, then eased her through the bushes. As he’d predicted, the branches pulled and scraped against her robe, but with his help, left her unscathed.
He released her in utter darkness. The air of the cave felt cooler than that of the forest, and more damp. And it smelled faintly of ... A shiver tore through her. Wet fur.
“An animal,” she whispered. What if there was a bear sleeping in here? Or a wolf? Or a whole pack of wolves?
She grabbed for Talon, her hand encountering a thick, muscular arm beneath the robe, and she hung on tight.
“Easy, lass. I dinna think there are any beasties in here at present.” To her surprise, he pulled her close, almost like he was giving her a hug, before he set her away from him, prying her fingers loose from his arm. “Stay here while I make certain.”
Her eyes went wide, her pulse leaping. She could see nothing. Nothing. And he was going to blithely walk around and see if he kicked something awake? He was out of his mind.
As his fingers slipped away from hers, the darkness swallowed her. The pounding of her heart stole all sound. Talon could be in a fight to the death with a dragon and she doubted she’d hear it over the thundering in her ears. Her flesh crawled with goose bumps, sweat starting to bead along her hairline.
What was the matter with her? She’d never been afraid of the dark before. Then again, when had she ever really been in true dark? In a place that was anything but safe?
She pulled the robe tight around her, fighting the panic, struggling against the urge to push out of the cave and race into the moonlight.
The seconds turned to minutes. The minutes felt like they were turning into hours, though it was probably just another case of time holding still in this place.
Still ... what if Talon had been attacked and she hadn’t heard him go down? What if he never came back? What if whatever attacked him was, even now, stalking her?
Amethyst Destiny Page 8
