Courage of a Highlander
Page 20
He threw back his head and screamed his fury to the sky. How was he to find Kara now? Irene was nowhere to be found and only the Fae could work the portals.
He paused as a sudden thought struck him. Only the Fae.
Suddenly he was off and running, sheathing his sword and sprinting back up the switch-back trail to where his horse was idly cropping grass. The beast snorted in alarm when Aiden vaulted onto his back but Aiden grabbed his mane and dragged him around, digging his heels into his flanks and sending him galloping inland, using the same path he and Kara had taken all those weeks ago.
Only the Fae could open the portals. Only the Fae.
The words kept going round and round in his head. A plan had come to him. A desperate one that might very well end up costing his life but it was the only plan he had.
He drove the horse to as fast a pace as possible and eventually he reached the valley where he and Kara had camped in the cave that night. The stones of Cullmaggin reared up on the valley’s rim, seeming to stare malevolently down at him as he rode alongside the river at the valley’s bottom. When he reached the ford, he pulled the horse to a halt, dismounted, and quickly forded through the shallow water.
The narrow trail that climbed the valley’s side on the other side of the river was even slippier than the last time he’d come this way. Twice he lost his footing and was driven to his knees, but he dragged himself up and drove himself on.
He finally reached the top and came out onto wind-swept moorland. A few paces away Cullmaggin reared up out of the ground, looking like a giant, clawed hand had broken the surface of the land.
The last time he’d been here it had been dark and the place had been one of shadows and moonlight. It had been terrifying. Now, in daylight, it was little better. The stones seemed to capture and devour the light and Aiden could feel their gleeful, malicious stares. Steeling his courage, he marched into the stone circle.
All light vanished. What had been bright daylight became deepest night. Above him the cloudy sky was replaced by stars, cold and distant, giving off little light. There was no moon and it was so dark Aiden could barely see his hand in front of his face.
He sensed movement nearby and he spun, trying to discover its source, but all that met his gaze were twisting shadows. He resisted the urge to draw his sword: he knew such defenses would be ineffective here.
“I’ve come to make a bargain!” he called.
Soft laughter. Then a voice whispered, “What bargain do ye offer us, mortal man?”
“I need yer help. I need ye to send me into the future. I know the Fae have power over time. Please. Send me to the twenty-first century.”
The laughter came again, seeming to echo from all sides. There was no mirth in it. Only malice. Aiden’s heart hammered in fear but he forced himself to raise his chin, put his shoulders back.
“Will ye help me?”
“Ye ask much, mortal. There can be no bargain without a price paid first. Are ye willing to pay it, Aiden Harris?”
Something inside him screamed a warning but he pushed it aside. If this was what he had to do to reach Kara, he’d do it. He’d pay the price, whatever that may be.
He opened his mouth. “I—”
“Stop!” a voice cried suddenly. “I willnae allow this!”
The voices suddenly hissed, bubbling with anger. “Ye have nay place here! He is ours! Ours!”
“He is mortal and so belongs to me!” the voice said. “Be gone!”
The voices hissed again and suddenly the night vanished. Aiden was once more standing in the light of day. He spun and was astonished to see Irene MacAskill striding towards him. She came to stand in front of him, hands clasped and head cocked to one side, glaring up at him with annoyance in her eyes.
“Just what exactly did ye think ye were doing, lad?”
Aiden opened his mouth and closed it again. “Me?” he exploded. “What do ye think I was doing? Trying to find a way to save Kara is what! And since ye brought us both here and abandoned us, I could think of nay other way!”
She shook her head, eyes glinting. “I canna allow this, no matter the need. Not all my kind can be trusted, Aiden Harris. Those who dwell here are such. Do ye know what they would have asked in return for their help?”
He stepped back, suddenly wary. “What?”
“Yer soul.”
Aiden gazed around at the dark stones. On the edges of his hearing he heard laughter. He scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. “And I would have paid it! Dinna ye understand, woman? Bhradain has taken Kara! They’ve gone to the future and lord alone knows what danger she’s in! I must save her!”
“Why?” Irene asked.
Aiden startled. “What do ye mean ‘why’?”
“Why must ye save her?”
“Because it’s my duty! I swore to protect her and I failed!”
“Is that all?”
“Is that nay enough?”
“Nay, it isnae. Now I ask again: why must ye save her?”
Aiden stared at Irene MacAskill who stared right back, her black eyes like pits reaching back into eternity.
“Because I love her,” Aiden breathed. “Because she’s the better half of me and if aught happens to her, then I truly will have lost my soul.”
Irene suddenly smiled. “Aye, lad. Ye will have. When I first met ye, I gave ye a task. Do ye remember what it was?”
“Ye told me to protect the Key of Ages.”
“Aye, and that is why ye now feel the burning desire to do just that. Because ye have failed to protect her. Ye have failed in yer duty.” Her eyes found his. “Kara is the Key of Ages, Aiden Harris. She is my granddaughter many generations removed and the first to show the gift for centuries. She has a destiny, lad, one she must fulfill if she is to ever find peace. Just as ye do. Yer destinies are intertwined, neither of ye able to fulfill yers without the other.”
“Why didnae ye tell us any of this? Why did ye disappear without so much as a word?”
“Choice, lad. There must always be a choice. Would ye and Kara still have fallen in love if I had told ye from the very start who ye both were? Who can say? But ye have to be free to make yer own decision. Without them, everything will come to ruin.”
She took his hand and led him from the stone circle. The sun had come out from behind the clouds, illuminating a huge oak tree growing out of the steep valley side. One of its branches had bowed under its own weight and curved down to the ground, forming a natural archway. The space beneath it shimmered like the air over a campfire.
Irene smiled up at him. “Now, lad, are ye ready to go rescue yer destiny?”
Chapter 16
The two guards leaned together, murmuring in low voices. Kara took advantage of their momentary distraction to pull fiercely at the bonds that bound her wrists. It did no good. The two henchmen clearly knew how to tie a knot and all Kara was doing was chafing her skin red raw attempting to loosen them. With a growl of frustration, she looked over at the desk where Bhradain and Devereux were talking.
They’d been taken back to Devereux’s warehouse, to the very room where she and Aiden had stolen the Key of Ages what seemed a lifetime ago. The room hadn’t changed, and nor it seemed, had Devereux’s plans. Since her and Aiden’s disappearance he’d been guarding the railway bridge until either he found a way to use the arch or someone came through from the other side. The man was nothing if not patient.
Bhradain was tied to a chair in front of Devereux’s desk although this didn’t seem to particularly bother Bhradain. He was supremely confident in his plan, despite being suddenly pulled out of his time and confronted by men who would shoot him as soon as look at him. Idiot. Did he really think he would pull this off?
“Who are you?” Devereux demanded of Bhradain. “You’re not that muscle-bound meathead she ran off with.”
“Nay, I am not,” Bhradain answered. “My name is Bhradain Garrick, ward of Andrew Harris, laird of Clan Harris of the Isle of Skye.”
“We left my homeland in the year of Our Lord 1541.”
Devereux went very still. For a long moment he said nothing and Kara could almost see the plans boiling behind his eyes. “So it works then,” he muttered, almost to himself. “The arch really works.”
“Aye,” Bhradain replied. “If ye know how to use it.”
“Why have you returned?” Devereux demanded. “From the way she glares at you its plain Kara Buchanan is no friend of yours but even so she must have warned you we’d be waiting on the other side.”
“Oh, I was counting on it. I’ve come to offer ye a deal, one that will benefit us both. To ye I will grant the power of the arch. In return...”
“In return what?”
“Ye will give me the men and weapons I need to conquer Skye. I will rule the islands.”
The two men looked at each other, neither blinking, and Kara was struck by how alike they looked. They both had that cold, predatory gaze.
“Tell me,” Devereux said after a moment. “Why do I need you? Why shouldn’t I just kill you and the girl and take the Key of Ages? That way the power of the arches is mine anyway, with no need for your paltry deal.”
“That would be unwise,” Bhradain said. “The Key of Ages willnae work, as ye’ve already seen.”
This was true. The second Devereux had found the Key of Ages in Bhradain’s pocket he’d tried to use it to activate the arch. Nothing had happened.
“At least, not by itself,” Bhradain continued. “There are other ingredients needed and words that must be said at the right time. For those ye need both myself and the girl. Everything ye need is stored in here,” he tapped his head. “So ye see, killing me would be very stupid indeed.”
Devereux looked between Bhradain and Kara and then he suddenly laughed. “Ha! You are a man after my own heart I see, Bhradain Garrick. Very well, you shall have your men and your weapons. And I? I will hold the power of time in my hands. Release him.”
One of Devereux’s heavies cut Bhradain’s bonds and he stood. Devereux held out his hand and the two men shook.
A cold shiver walked its way down Kara’s back. If these two were able to carry out their plan, then she dreaded to imagine the devastation they would wreak on Skye, on the Highlands. Hell, on all of history. Devereux able to travel to any time he chose and do God-knows-what? The thought was too terrible to contemplate.
No, she told herself, gritting her teeth and steeling her courage. It’s not going to happen. I will not let it happen. Because I’m going to escape.
And I’m going to stop them.
***
Aiden emerged from the archway carefully. He gripped a knife in his fist but hadn’t drawn his sword in case the blade glinted in the light and gave him away. From his first experience he knew that the area under the railway bridge was dark. If luck was with him, he could slip into the shadows on the other side, unseen.
Sure enough, he found himself stepping through into shadow. His boots made no sound as they came down on the hard tarmac of the twenty-first century. In front of him he saw four men guarding the archway but they had their backs to him and hadn’t heard him emerge. Silently, Aiden hugged the wall of the tunnel, relying on the shadows to conceal him. Then he looked around, assessing his enemy, just as he did when scouting before a battle.
The four men all carried guns and all looked to be alert. They were spaced out, one behind the other, watching the entrance to the tunnel. Clearly they were watching for someone trying to enter the arch, not exit. Their first mistake. Their second was to space themselves in such a way that Aiden could sneak up on one without the others knowing. Rudimentary errors. No Highland captain worth his salt would arrange his warriors that way.
Aiden stepped noiselessly up behind the first guard, wrapped his arm around the man’s throat, and tightened. The man’s eyes went wide and he struggled for a heartbeat before he slumped unconscious to the ground. Without pause Aiden moved to the second man and did the same. The third man turned at the last minute, perhaps alerted by a sound behind him, but Aiden smacked the hilt of his knife against the man’s temple with enough force to snap the man’s head to the side. His eyes rolled in his head and he began to topple backwards. Aiden caught him before he fell and lowered him gently to the ground.
A click sounded behind Aiden and something hard and cold was pressed against the back of his head.
“Hands where I can see them,” growled a voice.
Aiden spread his arms wide. “All right. I dinna want any trouble.”
But even as he spoke the last word he was moving. He spun, grabbed the barrel of the gun and used it to yank the man towards him, then buried his knife in the man’s stomach up to the hilt. The man’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to shout a warning but all that came out was a long, low hiss as his life left him.
Aiden stepped over the man, crouched close to the tunnel wall, and peered out. It was night and in the distance Aiden could see the lights of the city sparkling like hundreds of fireflies. Devereux’s warehouse rose into the night several meters away across a stretch of wasteland. Lights burned in the windows. He made out other guards stationed at various points around the warehouse, two by the doors, one on the roof, another standing at the top of some metal steps by a fire exit.
Aiden assessed his options. He needed to get inside that building, and without alerting Devereux he was here. Kara was inside and there was no telling what Devereux would do to her if he discovered Aiden had come after her. He burst from his hiding place and sprinted across the waste ground, keeping low and using the scraggly brush and burned-out cars as cover. He made it round to the side of the warehouse without the alarm being raised and pressed himself against the wall. The guards on the main doors were just around the corner and he heard them talking in low voices. He couldn’t take them both on at once. He had to separate them. He picked up a handful of pebbles and tossed them at the ground a few paces away. They made a rattling sound as they scattered.
The two guards went silent. One of them said, “What was that? You go check it out.”
Aiden pressed himself back against the wall, clutching his knife and waiting. A heartbeat later one of the guards came round the corner. Aiden grabbed him before he even saw he was there, landing an uppercut into his chin that laid him out flat. He caught him as he fell and dragged him into the shadows. One down, one to go.
“Simon? What you doing? Did you see anything?”
Aiden leaned against the wall and sure enough the other guard appeared around the corner. He was more cautious than the first, holding his gun in front of him and treading softly but he wasn’t careful enough to stop Aiden. He dropped into a crouch, below the man’s line of sight then kicked out viciously, taking the man’s legs out from under him and kicking the gun out of his hand. A blow to the temple and the man was out cold.
Aiden hurried to the doors and slipped inside. He found himself in a small entranceway that led to a bigger room beyond. A door on the other side lay ajar and Aiden crept over to it and peered through. Devereux was sitting at a desk talking on one of those devices that his mother called a ‘cell phone’. Two more guards stood nearby. Aiden’s eyes scanned the room and alighted on Kara bound to a chair close to the desk.
His heart thudded, sending a jolt right through him. It was all he could do not to burst in there and rush to her side. He dug his nails into his palm to steady himself. He would only get one chance at this. He had to do it right. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to listen.
“That’s what I said!” Devereux growled down the phone. “All of them. At least a hundred. Tell them to be here by first light and to bring weapons. I suspect the garrison at Dun Arnwick will be easy to subdue, what good will swords and arrows do against guns? But be ready anyway. They might give us some trouble.” He paused whilst the other person said something. Then h
e smiled. “You should never have doubted me. I told you I’d find the Key of Ages and I have. This time tomorrow Dun Arnwick will be mine. After that the whole of the Highlands. After that the Fae and power of time itself. Now get your boys over here. We invade at first light.” He snapped the phone shut.
Cold horror drenched Aiden. Michael Devereux was planning to use the arch to take men back to Dun Arnwick and conquer it. Conquer his home.
Devereux stood and made his way around to crouch in front of Kara. She glared at him, seeming not the least bit afraid. Aiden tensed, ready to spring to her defense, but Devereux didn’t touch her. Instead, he smiled.
“You know, things would have been so much easier if you’d taken my advice. I told you not to poke your nose into my business, didn’t I? Gave you fair warning. Now you’ll pay the consequences of not listening to me.”
“Go to hell,” Kara growled.
Devereux laughed and straightened. “Come on,” he barked at his heavies. “The rest of our boys are on their way. I want to make sure we have enough weapons for everyone. Let’s go check the armory.”
Devereux and his men left by a door that led further into the warehouse. Aiden let out a long, slow breath and forced himself to look around and check there were no more guards in the room. There weren’t. Devereux obviously felt those he’d stationed around the perimeter were enough to keep this place secure. Fool.
Aiden padded from his hiding place and over to Kara. He went on his knees in front of her.
Her eyes widened. “Aiden!” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”
“Isnae that obvious,” he replied, lifting her chin to look at her face. She appeared unhurt, thank the Lord. “Did ye really think I’d leave ye in his hands?”
“No,” she answered. “I knew you’d be coming. But Aiden, you have to listen to me. Devereux is planning—”
“I know what he’s planning, lass,” Aiden cut in as he began sawing at the bonds around Kara’s wrists. He cursed. They were thick and didn’t give easily.