Courage of a Highlander

by Katy Baker

  Aiden’s scowl deepened. His shoulders had gone tense and his fingers worked, as if he wanted to leap forward and throttle the man.

  “I’m right, aren’t I? Did the Fae send you here?” Devereux’s eyes strayed to the archway beneath the railway bridge. “And this must be your arch! How perfect! Shall we go through now? No time like the present is there? Although the term ‘present’ probably has very little meaning for somebody like you.”

  “Hang on,” Kara said, holding out a hand and trying to make sense of all this. “Are you telling me you knew about this? That you really believe that crazy story you told me about Fae and magic powers? That’s why you bought all those artifacts? To get hold of some trinket you thought had magic powers? Do you know how insane that sounds?”

  “Ah, Miss Buchanan, ever the realist. Always fighting for the truth. I’m afraid the truth this time, my dear, is a little beyond you. Yes, I bought those artifacts because I was searching. Searching for a power more ancient than the bones of the Earth. The power of time.” He nodded to his heavies and they raised their guns, aiming straight at Aiden. “And you, Aiden Harris, will give me what I need. Now.”

  “Stay behind me, lass,” Aiden said. He didn’t look afraid. He was staring at Devereux, unblinking.

  Kara took a step back and found herself standing almost directly below the arch.

  “It doesnae work like that,” Aiden said to Devereux. “The power canna be taken. It must be granted—and ye havenae been granted it. Nor will ye ever be. As long as there is breath in my body ye will never hold the power of time. This I vow.”

  His hand suddenly snapped out and gripped Kara’s. He turned to look at her. “Do ye trust me?” he whispered urgently.

  “What?”

  “Do ye trust me?”

  “I...I...” she struggled to answer. Then she met his eyes and the answer became obvious. “Yes, I trust you.”

  “Good.”

  Then, before Devereux or his men could react, Aiden spun and yanked them both into the darkness under the railway bridge.

  “Stop them!” Devereux yelled.

  There was the sharp retort of gun fire then they both went tumbling. Kara curled her fingers around Aiden’s just as everything went black.

  Chapter 5

  A sound slowly intruded on the blackness. A soft, sighing sound. Next came smells: saltwater and wet earth. Kara opened her eyes.

  A gray sky arched above her, the sun a pale ball behind the clouds. Birds crisscrossed the sky, crying raucously to one another. Kara blinked, expecting the vision to disappear as dreams always did. It didn’t.

  A second later a face appeared above her. A chiseled, handsome face with a strong mouth and eyes like polished sapphires. Hair as dark as a raven’s wing fell around his face and brushed her forehead.

  “Kara. Are ye well, lass?”

  Aiden. That was his name. Aiden Harris. A Scotsman. The guy who claimed to be a time traveler. It all came rushing back and she bolted upright, looking around wildly.

  The industrial unit was gone. The railway tunnel was gone. Devereux and his men were gone. There was only Aiden and herself on a stretch of wintry beach. With a trembling hand she reached out and laid her palm against the damp sand. It felt cold and grainy under her touch.

  Wide-eyed, she looked around. Gentle waves lapped at the beach not five paces from where she sat. A rock archway reared above and on the other side miles of endless ocean stretched to the horizon.

  Kara pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “Oh God. I’ve gone and done it. I’ve lost my mind.”

  Aiden’s hand settled on her shoulder. “Nay, lass, ye havenae. We passed through the archway. We’ve traveled to my home. To the Isle of Skye.”

  She forced herself to take a long, slow breath and then let it out, pushing back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Then she looked at Aiden.

  “Your home? In the sixteenth century, you mean?”

  He nodded gently. “Aye, lass. There was nay choice. If we hadnae, those men would have shot ye. I couldnae let ye get hurt.”

  Kara reached up and ran a shaky hand through her hair then forced herself to stand. Aiden held out a hand to steady her and she clung onto his arm as she looked around. Sudden dizziness took her and she staggered forward. Aiden caught her. She sagged against him, feeling faint and disoriented. She rested her head against his hard chest and his arms came around and held her.

  “I’m sorry, lass,” he murmured in her ear. “I didnae want this for ye.”

  “Sorry?” she muttered, fighting the dizziness with an effort of will. “Sorry?” she lifted her head and pushed away from him.

  “This is your damned fault! Why did you bring me here? I didn’t ask for it!” A part of her knew she was being unfair. Like he said, if he hadn’t pushed her through the archway Devereux’s men would have shot them. But fear-fueled anger coursed through her, sending rationality out the window. “If you hadn’t ran out on me none of this would have happened!”

  “If ye remember,” Aiden replied, sounding a little exasperated. “It was ye who followed me, just as it was ye who was sneaking around that warehouse—and getting yerself cornered by a guard dog.”

  “I was doing just fine. I didn’t need your help.”

  “Oh? If I hadn’t turned up ye would have ended up as that guard dog’s dinner!”

  “And if I hadn’t turned up Devereux would have got the Key of Ages and you’d still be in a jail cell!”

  They glared at each other. Aiden’s chest heaved, his eyes alight with anger. He was so close that Kara could have reached out and kissed him. Or slapped him.

  Right now she didn’t know which she’d rather do. Oh God. What the hell was going on?

  ***

  Aiden glared at Kara. Lord, she must be the most stubborn, pig-headed woman he’d ever come across! Her dark eyes glinted with fury and the set of her shoulders told Aiden she was considering slapping him.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Ye have every right to be angry, lass,” he breathed. “I dinna know how I would react if I was ripped from my time against my will but I doubt I’d be any less annoyed.”

  She stared at him for a moment, defiance in her eyes, then she seemed to crumple. She blew out a long breath and her shoulders sagged. She sat down heavily on the wet sand.

  “Oh God,” she murmured. “What am I going to do?”

  There it was, that vulnerability that hid underneath the hard exterior. The sight of it twisted Aiden’s heart. He crouched in front of her, put a finger under her chin and lifted it so she looked at him. He gave her an encouraging smile.

  “Dinna worry, lass. Irene will fix this, ye’ll see.”

  He climbed to his feet and turned in a slow circle, taking in the arch, the cliffs, the sea, the beach, searching for Irene MacAskill. Surely, she’d be here waiting for him to return with the Key? But he found nothing. In all directions the beach was empty, with not even footprints in the wet sand to show Irene had ever been here.

  He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ho! Irene!” he bellowed. “Where are ye?”

  His shout echoed off the cliffs and sent a flock of seagulls flapping into the air. The noise quickly faded into silence and Irene MacAskill did not appear. The cry of the wind sounded oddly like mocking laughter to Aiden’s ears.

  This couldn’t be right. Irene had sent him on this mission, so why was she not here to greet him?

  “Irene!” he yelled. “Come out, curse ye!”

  Nothing.

  Aiden let forth a string of curses that any sailor would have been proud of. Why had he trusted the old woman? He should have heeded his father’s warning and not got caught up in that woman’s schemes. Where had it led him? Into a whole heap of trouble, that’s where. He pulled in a deep breath then turned to Kara who was watching him with wide eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I expected Irene to be here but she isnae.”

  “We hold the K
ey don’t we? If it activates the arches surely we can use it to send me back?”

  “It isnae that simple. Devereux will be waiting on the other side. Without Irene to send ye to an alternative location, I canna risk it. I willnae put ye in danger.”

  Her eyes flashed. “Put me in danger? Don’t you think it’s a little late for that? Take me back right now!”

  Despite her ire, he shook his head. “I canna do that, lass.”

  “Fine!” she exploded. “Then I’ll go myself!”

  She whirled and stomped towards the archway.

  Aiden grabbed her wrist just as she was about to step under it. Did the lass have no common sense at all? “What are ye doing?” he growled. “Have ye lost yer senses? Ye would walk right back into their clutches?”

  “What would you have me do?” she shot back. “Stay here with you?”

  Aye, a traitorous little voice said in the back of his head. That’s exactly what I’d have ye do.

  Aiden closed his eyes for a second. Then he sucked a breath through his nose, took out the Key of Ages and held it in his left hand, while holding his other hand out to Kara. “Very well. Ready?”

  She looked at him, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m coming with ye. I willnae let harm come to ye, lass. This I vow. I’ll find a way to keep Devereux from harming ye.”

  She seemed a little taken aback. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Did I not give ye my word? I said I’d protect ye, lass. Are ye ready?”

  Kara reached out and grasped his hand. Her hand seemed tiny in his meaty fist, as fragile as a bird’s wing. He looked up and their gazes locked. His breath left him in a whoosh.

  She nodded. “Ready.”

  Together they stepped through the arch—

  —and straight onto the beach on the other side.

  Aiden stumbled, nearly taking them both crashing to the ground. He spun, looking back at the archway. What, by all that’s holy—?

  “What happened?” Kara asked. “Why didn’t it work?”

  “I...I dinna understand,” Aiden muttered.

  He let go of Kara’s hand and glanced down at the golden prongs of the Key of Ages. What had happened? This thing was supposed to bestow the gift of time-travel for pity’s sake! He strode back through the archway. Sure enough, he emerged onto the beach on the other side. No shimmering veil of time, no gut-wrenching tug into the distant future, just a cold seascape on an early winter’s day.

  “Irene,” he growled. “This is more of her meddling! I swear when I find her I will wring her neck!”

  He stomped off down the beach, determined to find the old woman’s trail. She couldn’t have vanished into thin air. She must have left footprints or something. And when he found her, he would make sure she regretted meddling in his life!

  ***

  Kara fought the panic that swatted at the edges of her consciousness. She was in the sixteenth century, and, from the expression on Aiden’s face, wouldn’t be going home any time soon.

  Aiden had stomped off down the beach and kept kneeling every so often to examine the sand. He did not look happy. After a moment he returned and shook his head.

  “Nay sign of her.”

  Pulling in a deep breath, Kara said, “So what now?”

  Aiden turned to look at her and the fury in his eyes softened into compassion. “We must discover where Irene MacAskill has gone, lass,” he said. “She’s the only one who can send ye home.”

  Kara nodded. “Okay, so we have a plan. How do we find her?”

  “That’s the problem,” he replied. “I dinna have the first idea—but my family will. They’ve had dealings with Irene MacAskill before, especially my mother, and if anyone knows how to find Irene, she will.”

  Kara brightened a little. “Great! So we go find your mom, right?”

  Aiden smiled in return. “Right. There’s only one snag.”

  “And that is?”

  “My family live at Dun Arnwick on the very northern tip of the island which is thirty miles away.” He turned, scanning the terrain. “And it looks as though my horse has run off.” He fixed her with his blue eyes. “Looks like we must walk and I reckon the journey will take at least two days.”

  Kara digested this in silence. She could deal with two measly days in this time, couldn’t she?

  “Right,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “We’d better get started then hadn’t we?”

  Aiden nodded. His eyes were still fixed on her and Kara felt a little thrill walk down her spine. Then Aiden cleared his throat and looked quickly away. “This way. There’s a trail that leads up to the clifftop.”

  They walked a little way along the beach to where a switchback trail made its way up the cliff. Kara couldn’t help looking over her shoulder at the archway. It looked forlorn and abandoned, nothing more than a broken piece of rock.

  Kara was puffing by the time they reached the top of the cliff although Aiden was barely out of breath. He eyed her but wisely made no comment. Kara leaned over, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She was doubly glad she thought to put on her coat as the wind up here was biting, plucking at her clothes with icy fingers and sending her hair streaming out behind her.

  When she’d recovered, she straightened and took her first look at the Isle of Skye. The coastline to her right was rugged, composed of tall, jagged cliffs that tumbled down into the churning sea below. To her left the land spread out in a brown and purple carpet, stands of heather covering the undulating ground. In the far distance, their tops wreathed in cloud, Kara saw a line of dark mountains with a loch glimmering at their feet.

  It was wild, untamed, utterly unlike anything Kara had ever experienced. She stared and felt something stir within her. Yes, it was wild, untamed. But it was also something else. Unfettered. Free. It felt like home.

  “Beautiful,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Aye,” Aiden agreed, standing beside her. “It is. Sometimes I forget how much.” This last was said under his breath, as if to himself.

  They started walking. The exercise warmed her a little, for which Kara was profoundly grateful, and she found herself beginning to relax a little. There was something...reassuring about Aiden’s presence by her side.

  For his part, he remained silent and she couldn’t figure out what was going on behind those storm-blue eyes of his. His mood seemed somber, apprehensive even.

  “So we’ll follow the coastline to your home, right?” she asked.

  “Only for a short time,” Aiden replied. “The coastline is full of inlets and bays that means we’ll have to walk three times the distance if we follow the contours of the coast. Nay, in a few miles time we’ll hit the inland road and take that. It leads into the heart of Skye and crosses the uplands and the base of the mountains. It will be our quickest way home.”

  Kara nodded but said nothing. It looked to be somewhere around mid morning but back home she guessed the sun would just be coming up. Her stomach growled, reminding her she’d not had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon.

  As if sensing her thoughts Aiden said, “If we’re lucky we’ll pass a croft soon where we can get something to eat.”

  “And if we’re not lucky?”

  Aiden shrugged. “Then we’ll discover how good a hunter I am.”

  “You should have warned me we were going to travel back in time. I would have packed us breakfast.”

  Aiden snorted. “Oh? And what would that involve?”

  Kara pursed her lips in thought. “Well, croissants for starters. You can’t possibly have breakfast without croissants. And yoghurt. And then pizza for lunch. Pepperoni, ham and pineapple, take your pick.”

  “I’ve nay heard of these things, lass. What is a ‘pizza’?”

  Kara looked at him incredulously. “You don’t know what a pizza is?” She pointed at him. “You, my friend, are an uncivilized barbarian.”

  He laughed again and the sound of it did som
ething funny to Kara’s insides. She found herself grinning in return.

  “Ye’ll find nay argument from me on that score, lass.”

  It turned out they were unlucky. They reached the fork in the path without encountering another soul, let alone a cottage where they might beg some breakfast. At the crossroads Aiden hesitated. From here the path they’d been following carried straight on, disappearing into the cliffs in the distance. To the left it snaked inland and rose up onto high moorland that looked cold, windswept, and uninviting.

  Aiden glanced down the trail then at the cliff that dropped down onto a beach on their right. He seemed to make a decision.

  “I canna offer ye croissants or pizza, lass, but mayhap I can rustle up a bit of breakfast before we move on. What do ye say?”

  Kara nodded. “That is the most sensible thing you’ve said since I met you.”

  Aiden led the way to the cliff edge. It wasn’t as steep as the one where the arch had been and Kara was able to scramble down it after Aiden. At the bottom wasn’t a sandy beach as Kara had been expecting but a wide tumble of rocks worn smooth by the relentless passage of the waves. The tide was out so the area was filled with a myriad of rock pools, all sparkling in the sunlight.

  “Here,” Aiden held out his hand to help Kara down onto a large, flat rock.

  Kara took his hand and stepped down, his fingers feeling warm and rough where they touched hers. “Thanks,” she mumbled. “What’s this place?”

  “Skye’s kitchen,” Aiden replied with a smile. “If ye would take a seat, my lady, I will bring yer breakfast anon.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him and then folded into a cross-legged position on the flat rock. With a sigh, she leaned back on her hands and gazed out at the sea. Somewhere out there was her homeland. Thousands of miles and hundreds of years away.

  Aiden jumped down from the rock and began scouting around on the beach, crouching every now and then to pick up bits of driftwood. When he had enough he returned to the rock, set the wood down in a depression, then took flint and tinder from his sporran and struck a spark. In only a few moments, much to Kara’s delight, a merry fire was crackling, sheltered from the sea breeze by the rocks.