by Ria Cantrell
“Okay, okay. If you say so.”
“I say so, Bella.”
He poured her another glass of wine and toasted her. The wine was going to her head and it made her feel a little giddy. That could be a dangerous thing, with the thought of that dream man and Giancarlo’s prophesy. She felt the warmth of the wine pool through her veins just as sure as desire pooled under the surface of her consciousness.
By the time she made it back to her hotel room, Kiera was feeling a little tipsy and more than a little horny. Giancarlo’s bold appreciation of her body made her feel sexy and beautiful. She realized she hadn’t really felt that way in a long time. She hadn’t wanted to. Maybe Giancarlo was right. Maybe what she needed was to get laid once and for all and where better than to find someone but in the romantic place of Italy?
Only, his other words tugged at her. The ones that said she had wanted and needed more. She didn’t know who the man was in her dreams and she all but discounted it to pure fantasy as one often does in dreams. She really didn’t ponder it any longer, but perhaps she would soon be ready to meet someone, if only she hadn’t built the wall around her heart. Once again she was reminded of the imagery of her dream…the tower. That was it. It was symbolic of the wall she had built around her heart. Yes, that had to be it. Dreams are symbolic. She got it. There was no sexy beast waiting at the top of the darkened stairs. It was symbolic of her own strength and the stone façade she had carefully and painstakingly built to protect her heart. Well, she had too much ahead of her at the moment to really want a relationship anyway. She tried not to let Giancarlo’s words niggle at her too deeply, but they had a way of creeping into her mind from time to time when she least expected it.
Chapter 7
Kiera had arrived in London and was acclimating herself with her suddenly new surroundings. She would miss the beautiful Italian vistas and culture. She would miss her new friends. They had wrapped up the sets for the documentary and she had gone on ahead to make certain that the accommodations for the next segment were in place. She hoped that she would have enough free time to explore parts of London and the surrounding areas. Suddenly, the need to soak up history was like a growing passion. If any place held rich history, surely Kiera would get her fill in England. Only, she suspected that she would not have the luxury or freedom she had in Italy. Her boss-weasel had been harder than ever the last few days she had been in Italy. He had her keeping late hours with little rest and he must have thundered orders and abuse at her more times than not. God, he was such a little shit.
She told herself that she needed the job and after all, she was getting to see more of the world than she would have stuck in an office job behind a desk. She tried to soothe her battered spirit with this rationalization when she really wanted to punch the little prick in the face. Of course, she couldn’t do that, but she liked that fantasy almost as much as the one about Giancarlo’s prophetic mystery lover waiting in the wings for her. Tomorrow, after making the calls and checking all the lists, she was hoping to at least hit one of the museums. It would be a few more days till the rest of the crew arrived so if she budgeted her time well, she would be able to soak up some local culture and get a feel for the rich history of England. She unpacked her belongings and settled in early so she could get a bright fresh start in the morning. She wanted to spend as much time as she could to explore the many sights in London.
As Kiera sank down into the cool sheets of the big bed in her hotel room, she still felt so keyed up about arriving in England. She doubted she would be able to sleep for more than a few minutes. She had been feeling a little bit homesick, although there was no home to really speak of. Still, she missed her home town and she knew that soon she would have to decide what she was to do when she returned home in a few weeks. For now Kiera did not have to make too many plans and as exhaustion did take hold of her, she sank into the blissful oblivion of sleep.
~Kiera found herself wandering through the mist-shrouded hills of the Highlands. She had never seen such sweeping beauty. She could feel the hum of the past enveloping her. Here there was more a tie to the Ancients than many other places on earth. The breath-taking landscapes stretched out in panoramic majesty. Rolling hills in muted shades of greens and tans spread before her. A glistening lake or loch as they were called, beckoned as the sun cast sparkling diamonds on its rippling surface.
Kiera had to see more. She had to see it all. She breathed it all into her soul and suddenly felt that even alone here in the vastness of the land, she was surrounded with the past. She had never felt as tied to a place as she now did. Kiera actually did not feel alone at all. It was as if there were protective Spirits all around her; like those who had tread these hills and glens remained and walked beside her. She felt like she had been there before; like she had never been far from there at all; like she belonged nowhere more than she belonged in this place. Her eyes scanned the horizon, sure she would see one of Those she sensed, but she saw no one. She could hear the songs of chirping birds overhead, in the canopy of the trees. As she closed her eyes, she thought she heard the wind whisper her name. “Kiera…you are home”.
Of course it was just her imagination, but something called to her. Someone waited for her; she was sure of it, but who? Perhaps it was no one really, but the lure of the past and the call for the future. This was where she belonged. This was where her destiny began.~
Upon waking, Kiera could not shake the feeling that she had been somewhere other than her own bed. She had a vague memory of walking in hills, but she was not sure of the place. Either way, she had had a very restful sleep and she woke feeling peaceful and content. She was ready to take on the day and start her next adventure. She showered and dressed, happy to get her tasks finished quickly so she could enjoy the afternoon. Unsure of where she had to actually go, she gave herself enough time to find her way to the location of the next shoot. She marveled at the civility and spotlessness of the “tube” as they called it in London. She hadn’t missed the chaos of the New York subways since being in Europe. She sadly thought that they could learn a few things from English public transportation.
Kiera gingerly walked a few extra streets to the location of the set because she wanted to see as much of things as she could and it would afford her better familiarity to the site. She felt so happy; happier than she had felt in months really, and she was pretty certain she could not keep from smiling. She quickly checked on the particulars and she set about to make the calls to the contacts she was given to arrange for the crews and set up teams. Somewhere near mid-day, Kiera had felt that she sufficiently had followed up on the planning of the shoot and all things would be in place by the time the rest of the crew arrived. Finding a little spot for tea and a light meal, Kiera absorbed some of the local customs. She enjoyed speaking to people and asking about some good sight-seeing spots that were nearby. She decided on a museum that offered some interesting artifacts and she vowed to make notes. Perhaps, it would come in useful for the documentary. She laughed almost to herself thinking about the preposterousness of that idea. Her ideas were never wanted or for that matter, needed. How dare she, a lowly and dull-headed woman think to match intellect with the likes of the genius of her boss. Putting him out of her mind at least for a little while longer, Kiera found the museum of her quest and planned to take a few hours to enjoy this newly found interest in things of old.
Several hours later, Kiera returned to location to make sure that everything was a go. Upon entering the set location, her smiled died on her face because there in the middle of the room, looking murderous was none other than her boss. What was he doing here already? He wasn’t supposed to be here for another three days? When he saw her, he immediately exploded, screaming about her supposed incompetence. Nothing was the way he wanted it for the documentary. Where had she been…etcetera, etcetera? Kiera immediately tried to diffuse the situation by explaining that she had planned to have everything ready by the time he had arrived, but that she had expected him to
get there in another two or three days or so. That explanation was clearly not to his liking. When he got done badgering her, her quickly barked out orders and plans that she barely had time to take all the notes of all his instructions. He practically threw a fit when he noticed her scribbling down notes and he yelled, “You don’t need to take notes. Why do you need to take notes?”
Because if I don’t, you will find some other offense to crucify me over.
Kiera tried not to sigh too loudly. She could tell that either way she was damned if she did or damned if she did not take notes. She gave a list of all the people she had contacted and she recited all the plans that were set in place for the shoot. Of course, she had planned everything for two extra days hence, so that led to another round of berating. Kiera silently vowed that once she got back to New York, she was going to seriously start looking for another job. She was getting too old to take this shit from this lunatic. She certainly had paid her dues working for him and she decided then and there that after she reaped the benefit of the trip, it was time to move on.
The plans to explore England were soon squashed. Kiera saw not more than the sound set and her hotel room. Unlike in Italy, she hadn’t made any new friends and she felt lonelier than ever. The pedantic little shit kept her running and fetching inane things and if she wasn’t at his beck and call he would slip into an unadulterated rage that bordered on lunacy. Then, there was his disorganization. He piled heaps of his documentation and the slightest of breezes could wreak disaster. On one particularly bad afternoon, Kiera had all she could do to not sweep the papers off the desk onto the floor. Of course, God forbid if she did, she would have to figure out his cryptic system of filing and stacking, but oh how she loved to imagine turning one of the big set fans on the growing mess just once. With every new place they stayed, Kiera had to painstakingly pack the crisscross stacks into boxes that were almost too heavy to lift. After three such weeks of being closed in with this micromanaging maniac, Kiera needed a well-deserved weekend off. She would face her boss and just tell him that she was going to take an outing into Scotland. She was dying to see that country and while a weekend would not be enough, she was sure a change of scenery would do her a world of good. She wasn’t going to ask permission. She was just going to tell him.
Besides, for some reason, almost every night she had been dreaming of the beauty of the highlands. She remembered that her Dad’s father had Scottish heritage and she thought it would be a good time to research some of her distant past. Strangely enough, when she thought her request or rather…her demand would be met with yet another tirade, the boss-weasel just shrugged and said, “Fine, just be back here bright and early on Monday.”
Kiera made use of her expertise in trip planning to arrange a train ride into Scotland. She was due to check into a quaint bed and breakfast in the Highlands early on Friday and from there, she just wanted to soak up the still pristine beauty of the place. She packed a few things, but mostly she brought some jeans and sweaters because she was pretty certain that despite it being summer, the weather was going to be substantially cooler than she was used to. On the Thursday of that week, Kiera suffered the usual abuse stoically. Just a few more hours and she would be on the train heading north into the Highlands where she knew she could breathe. She could not help herself from smiling, just knowing she was going to be getting away. She had to catch a late afternoon train, so she worked through the morning to finish out the day. She had taken her things with her so that she could leave around three o’clock, but near two, the day was taking an ugly turn. Her boss kept finding things for her to do and it was growing later and later. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to miss the train, but he was relentless. Finally, Kiera faced him and said simply that she had to leave or she would miss her train.
With a black look, he said, “You aren’t going anywhere until you find the document I told you to find.”
“I’m sorry Alex, I have a train to catch. It will have to wait until Monday. We discussed this days ago. I have to go.”
“I said you aren’t going.”
“Look, I already bought the ticket and paid for my room. The crew is packing it in for the day anyway. I’m sorry, but I really must be going.”
With a sneer on his lips that looked almost malevolent, he hissed, “If you go, don’t think you will have a job to come back to on Monday.”
“Alex, seriously? You can’t do that. I will only be gone a couple of days. I need this break.”
“You wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me. Now find the document.”
Kiera felt her spirit bolster with resolve. This was ridiculous. She had been the victim long enough and she straightened her shoulders and said, “Alex, I have been more than faithful and diligent on this trip.”
“Diligent? Your incompetence has cost me hours of documentary time.”
“That’s a lie and you know it. I have organized everything perfectly.”
“What you consider perfect and I consider perfect are vastly dissimilar.”
“Yes, I realize that, but I have not done anything wrong.”
Alex snorted in disdain and he said, “You lack the intellect to know what .…”
“What did you just say?”
“Never mind! Go.”
Kiera grabbed her bags and she stormed from the studio. She felt heat fire her cheeks as several of the techs witnessed the ugly little scene. With her head held high, she made her way passed them and found herself outside on the sidewalk. She struggled to gain her composure as she hauled her bags alongside her and tried to hail a taxi to take her to the train station. She was sure she had never been so furious in her entire life. Alex had been completely out of line. Kiera took several deep breaths and she told the taxi driver where to take her. He seemed a friendly sort and tried to engage her in conversation, but she was quite certain that he was thinking she was one of those rude Americans because she just was not capable of participating in trite dialogue at the moment. Once she had arrived at Euston Station, Kiera had calmed down considerably. She thanked the taxi driver and dragged her baggage toward the platform to board her train. She settled into a comfortable booth and noted there were not so many travelers onboard, so she had the area to herself. It was just what she needed to decompress after the ugliness of the day. As the train pushed forward, leaving the station, Kiera was able to breathe. She was not going to let the unfortunate scene ruin her weekend.
With each passing mile, some of the stress and sadness seemed to evaporate like morning dew upon sunrise. She didn’t know why, but it was as if something was calling to her. Once again she thought about how she had never been impressed with the things of the past and how she almost thought that the people who put such stock in old things were a little off, but here she was suddenly in love with all that she had once put aside so easily. What was happening to her? Perhaps in losing the romance of her present, she was lured now by things of old. Kiera settled back and enjoyed the sweeping vistas of the land as she traveled into Scotland. Some of the views were so breathtaking, she literally gasped at the beauty of it all.
Part of the journey, however, happened through the night hours and Kiera chided herself on opting to take a late afternoon train north because darkness covered the beauty out her window. Had she left in the early part of the day she would have not missed a single rolling hill, but thinking about yet another ugly scene with Alex made her realize that it would not have been worth it for a few pretty landscapes. She suddenly felt tired and so she used the nighttime to get a little sleep. She did not remember dreaming, but she felt rested and ready for her arrival in Scotland. It was almost as if something had infused her few hours of sleep with restful restoration. Stretching, she began to gather her things. It would only be a little longer before she was to reach her destination.
Chapter 8
Derek was not sure how long he wandered alone. He was aware of the passing of time, but only marginally. He thanked the Ancients for that gift, at le
ast. He suspected it was an interminable amount of time and if he actually knew the extent of it, he would be lost. People came and went from the Keep. He sensed the changes and saw them, as he always seemed to lurk in the shadows of its past. There had been many inhabitants and while he could see them, they never could see him. He tried many times to get the attention of some of the people who had lived within the keep’s walls, but no one ever seemed to perceive him. At times, someone would turn and look towards him and his heart would beat as surely as it would have in his physical body, with the hope that he had been seen, only to see a confused look on the person’s face and he would watch as the person turned away; going back to his or her task at hand. He could see them. He always saw them and he longed for human contact. That was part of the curse from his stepmother, Arianne. He knew that now. Human contact was part of the yearning. There were many such yearnings. He wished to taste delicious food, or partake of drinking a good mug of ale. He wished to warm a lass’ bed and he longed to be loved. That revelation had been slow in coming, but with the passing of time, he realized how much he needed to be loved by another human being.
Derek watched as people changed and he amused himself with the modes of dress that altered through time. He, himself preferred the clothes he wore when he had suffered his untimely fall, but still he was fascinated with the things people chose to adorn themselves with. As fashions changed, Derek knew that more time had passed. He had long since stopped wondering when he would have his chance at true redemption because it seemed to never come. He tried time and again, but he was just left in this abyss of limbo.
He passed the time observing people and sometimes when he was bored, he would play with them, knowing he could not be seen. He would knock over a candle stand or move something they had just placed in one spot to another. He would laugh to himself when the person would notice the misplaced object or would witness the mysterious fall of some object or another. One thing Derek had learned was that people were as afraid of wee ghosties in whatever time it was as when he walked the earth. He never did anything mean or harmful, because he really had no more heart to cause pain, but he did like causing mischief. He supposed in that regard he had learned his hard lesson. He really felt he could never cause pain to someone ever again. Still, that did not prevent him from being playful when he was assailed with boredom; and worse…loneliness. For despite the throngs of people that came and went, Derek was so very lonely. Even though they could not see him, his little mischievous tricks made him feel like he had contact with them. He thought at times, he would go mad from the loneliness. Instead, he remained sane, albeit as sane as a half man-half ghost could be.
