by Leela Ash
4.
Helen looked out of her window and down the long drive to the line of trees that blocked the view beyond her gate. She liked to feel secluded; keep away prying eyes. They would be here soon. It was an important night and everything was in place. Andrea had been a much tougher nut to crack than she had first thought but she was not going to be thwarted by such a pathetic and ordinary woman. It had happened once but she was determined it would never happen again. There was too much riding on it. She had waited a lifetime, several lifetimes, for this moment and it was within her grasp. She would have the 2 runes, the one in the exhibition and the one in Andrea’s keeping, and would go back to Iona to save her brother, both to return to the future with the power of the runes and together they would rebuild their empire in a new world. Generations of women before her had led to this moment - it was her destiny and she could not fail now in her mission. The MacDonald clan would rise again to power and she would rule along with her brother; all that stood in the way was two small stones and a woman who was not worthy of her brother’s love.
At least she knew the whereabouts of one rune; the one that had propelled her into the present time. She had spent years collecting ancient artwork and artifacts in the hope that she would discover the second; the two runes that would bring herself and her brother safely to the future, her brother who lay dying back in Iona, 500 years in the past. Only she could save him now.
The lights of a car beamed across the driveway as the taxi crawled up the drive and came to a halt in front of the entrance, the wheels scattering the grey gravel over the immaculate lawn.
Andrea took a deep breath as she looked up at the great mansion house, seeing the dark outline of a figure in one of the lighted downstairs windows. In her head she wanted to turn back, run away. There was something wrong, something evil about the place. It sounded stupid but her hackles were raised and she sat in silence in the back of the cab, staring out into the night.
"Andrea!" Steve was opening the door and grabbing at her hand to pull her out.
Smoothing down her skirt she stepped into the cold air. She had made an extra effort tonight; she would not let Helen beat her, whatever she was up to. The dress was new and expensive, very expensive. It fitted well, perhaps a little too well and hugged her slender figure. She wore killer heels, uncomfortable but adding an extra 2 inches to her height was part of her battle armor; essential she always found in one to one combat with another of her sex.
A butler answered the door, not one of the lumbering, old and white haired dodders from an Agatha Christie novel, but a beautiful young and toned man, straight from the pages of Dorian Gray, an Adonis in the flesh. He was almost too beautiful, too perfect with his finely chiseled features, and although he smiled in greeting, his manner was cold and aloof, just like his mistress.
Gay too no doubt - not that she had an issue with that, but no heterosexual man she knew had such perfect skin and plucked eyebrows.
They were soon whisked down a marble floored hallway and past a wide and sweeping staircase into one of the reception rooms and asked to wait. Andrea had clung onto Steve’s sleeve in an attempt not to slip on the shining surface. Helen liked to keep her guests waiting and make a grand entrance, whilst Andrea and Steve stood in silence awaiting the moment.
Five minutes passed before the sound of her stilettos could be heard clipping against the marble and Andrea wondered how Helen managed to stay upright. The door swung open in a grand gesture and there she stood with arms open to welcome her guests, with a smile so wide it hardly fitted onto her slender face.
She looked perfect as always, although Andrea always thought there was something of a ‘preserved’ look about her, as if she had been packed away in mothballs until needed and Andrea expected a smell of camphor to follow her. Instead the smell was of an expensive perfume - setting her mind back to the previous evening, the sense that someone had been in her bedroom; the same sweet smell.
Once the air kisses were over and the drinks ordered, Helen invited them to sit by the fire. The talk was mainly directed towards Steve, talk of the exhibition and art in general, but the green cat eyes seemed to always be looking at Andrea.
Helen seemed to have bewitched Steve; he was all interest and smiles like a small puppy dog lapping up the attention she was pouring on him. Andrea tried not to bristle; she would not let Helen get to her, not tonight. Tonight she would be the perfect guest and smile and laugh in all the right places. She would deal with Steve later.
Over dinner the talk moved to the subject of the new exhibition. Andrea kept her face still, trying to look disinterested in the subject, the only give away was the slight grinding of her jaw which she did when nervous.
“The new exhibition is so exciting”, purred Helen, eyes staring, unblinking at Andrea.
“To have one of the sacred runes is such an honor, they are believed to hold the power of the ancient Gods; the forgotten deities. Carved by Odin’s own hand. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Steve laughed “It’s a great story Helen, but surely you don’t believe in all of that rubbish?”
Helen narrowed her eyes and for a moment a line travelled across her crease-free brow before she flashed a brilliant smile back at him. “Who knows what powers exist in this old world of ours Steve? What did your Lord Hamlet say? ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’. I like to keep an open mind” With that she laughed loudly, her black hair tumbling across her face for a brief moment, the eyes gleaming behind the stray strands.
“It’s just a pity we don’t know the whereabouts of the second stone”, once again she gazed across the table to Andrea, who met her gaze with the same steady stare.
“One of my distant ancestors is said to have found this stone. It has been in my family for generations. I have offered a substantive reward for anyone coming forward with the second stone, but maybe it is lost for good?”
“Maybe it is just a myth – perhaps there is only one stone after all?” Steve was getting bored with the conversation and wanted to move the topic of conversation back onto the subject of his exhibition.
“Besides, what do you want the two stones for anyway – world domination?” Steve laughed at his own small joke.
“Perhaps.” Helen smiled and as if on cue the perfect butler entered the room with their coffees. Nodding to dismiss him, Helen took the silver salver of cups and cream and placed it on the table, and the young man left the room as silently as he had entered it.
“Would you like a little brandy in your coffee Andrea?”
Andrea was tired and wanted to get home but she nodded; she wanted to be the perfect guest tonight. Apart from Steve’s flirting it hadn’t been too bad an ordeal. She had deflected all of Helen’s attempts to draw her into conversation about the rune stone. Besides, the brandy looked expensive and she might as well take advantage.
“No brandy for you Steve, I have a rare and rather delicious whisky for you to try”. Steve was in his element.
The brandy was strong and Andrea didn’t see how much Helen had poured into the cup but it completely overpowered the taste of the coffee. The liquid burned her throat as she swallowed it down. So much for the expensive stuff, she would make do with Courvoisier in future.
The candles on the table had burned down quite low and the flames reflected and flickered from the surfaces of the silver coffee service. The meal had been quite substantive and the wine had flowed easily. Andrea felt her eyes start to close, she was weary, so weary, and her eyelids felt full and heavy. Helen and Steve were talking about the possibility of his exhibition moving to another city, and although Andrea tried to follow the conversation the words stopped making sense and she struggled to comprehend their meaning. Suddenly the room started to spin and the reflections and the candles started to blur her vision. She was being dragged to the ground as a heavy and dark veil started to descend upon her. Her mouth opened as she tried to speak, tried to call Steve’s n
ame, but it was no use. The last thing she saw was Helen’s face bent over her, smiling.
5.
The room was bright and light but it was not her own. The bed was small, not the oversized king mattress that she was used to at home. There were light blue curtains hung at a small window and as she tried to sit up, something pulled her back. There was a plastic tube stuck into her arm and that in turn was attached to drip of saline fluid hung on a metallic stand next to her bed. She was in hospital.
Andrea’s mind was foggy as she tried to understand where she was and more importantly why she was here?
A nurse in a blue uniform stepped into the room and she attempted to call her over, yet her mouth was dry and her tongue seemed swollen and bloated in her mouth.
The nurse glided over to her bedside in a calm and no-nonsense manner, reaching out instinctively for her wrist and feeling the pulse.
“It’s good to see you back with us Andrea. Now, can you hear me? You’ve been a lucky girl. It’s a good job that man of yours brought you straight here or it might have been too late to save the baby, let alone you”.
Andrea could feel the tug of the tube in her arm as she struggled once more to sit up.
“Now it’s OK, you’ve been through a lot. It’s advisable for a woman in your condition not to eat shellfish. Paralytic poisoning can kill quite easily; you’ve had a lucky escape there. Now you’re awake I’m going to fetch the doctor. I’m afraid you’ve just missed your husband, he sat with you all night but had to leave, some business, but he promised to back as soon as he could. We will put a call out to him; tell him that you’re back with us”.
Her knight in shining armor; it hardly sounded like Steve.
Her memories returned from the evening before. There had been a platter of oysters and king prawns to accompany a glass of champagne before the main meal was served. She wasn’t an oyster fan, but finding her appetite she had tucked into the plump, pink flesh. They had tasted delicious and she couldn’t imagine that they had been anything but fresh and sourced from the finest fishmonger. Besides, she had seen Steve tuck in too; if something had been wrong then surely he would be in hospital with her? And then there was Helen of course. An image of the green cat like eyes looking down at her formed in her head. Helen had poisoned her again, only this time she had nearly died.
The nurse returned with a young looking doctor who started to examine her and ask questions. Once again he confirmed that she was lucky to be alive; the baby too. So it was true, she was actually pregnant. Before leaving he handed her a glass of water and two small tablets; sedatives to help her sleep.
Drowsy from the medication she closed her eyes. She could hardly think straight and willed herself to stay awake. Helen was trying to kill her, and for all she knew Steve was in on it too, though God knows why, all he had to do was leave her. She could not trust him and could not tell him her fears. Anyhow, he would only deny it and say she was crazy, unwell. Andrea trawled her mind for reasons why Helen would want her dead and all roads led to the rune that she had hidden in her bedroom; but why? The thoughts whirled through her head until she was exhausted, and half drugged she fell into a dark and heavy sleep.
A light touch on the arm caused her to stir. Andrea opened her eyes to see the nurse smiling down at her.
“Sorry to wake you Andrea, but your Grandmother’s here to see you. I thought it might do you good to see her. She does look rather concerned”.
For a moment Andrea thought she was still asleep, half dreaming at least. Although still under the influence of medication, she knew for certain that her Grandmother Betty was dead; she had been at the funeral less than a month ago. It was her Grandmother that had left her the rune in her will; had started her on this strange and perilous journey.
As the nurse helped her to a sitting position she could see a white haired old lady walking towards her. She recognized the kind and smiling face at once; it wasn’t her Grandmother, it was Geraldine.
The last time she had seen Geraldine she had been ill; this seemed to be becoming a habit.
Geraldine had been in the little graveyard on the Isle of Iona back in Scotland and had come to her rescue then.
The sight of the kind old woman almost made her cry. They had only met the once but it seemed as if Andrea had known her a lifetime and as the small figure approached her an enormous wave of relief washed over her to the extent that she started to sob.
"My dear, don't fret yourself. I'm here now. No need to worry."
Her words were as soothing as a mother’s to an errant child, and the tears fell into loud and audible sobs.
A thin, warm hand reached across and found hers. It was soft and warm and felt surprisingly strong for a frail old lady - Geraldine seemed anything but.
"You have come a long way my dear and I'm afraid that your journey has a long way to go yet, that's why I'm here to help you."
Andrea peered at the kindly face through her tears. Nothing of what she was saying seemed to make any sense.
"I thought you were in Scotland. How did you find me?" Andrea had many questions and she wondered whether or not Geraldine was actually real or just another figment of her medicated mind.
“I knew there was danger and I followed you across the water. I saw the advertisement for the Ancient Relics exhibition and saw the photograph of the rune. It wasn't hard to track you down once I had located Helena."
"Helena?"
"Helen, Helena, it's all the same."
Geraldine wasn't making sense but the rune seemed once again at the heart of a mystery that she could not quite grasp.
"I know you are still recovering my dear but I need to tell you something, something of your past. Sometimes one can forget the experience - travel can play tricks on the mind."
"Experience, what do you mean?" Andrea could feel her heart start to thump. She wanted to sleep, maybe she was already dreaming, but Geraldine kept her attention.
"My dear, you and I have known each other in the past."
"Yes, I remember. I fainted in the cemetery of St Oran chapel on Iona and you helped me."
"That is true, but that was not the first time we met."
"I had seen you in the hotel at breakfast."
"Yes, but that was not the first time we met either. We first met in the year 1644. You arrived on Iona, shall we say, unexpectedly, where you met Alexhander MacDonald."
The name caused a shiver to run through her body and despite her drowsiness Andrea attempted to sit up.
"But that's impossible."
“Yet you remember Alex hmmm? One never forgets one’s own true love."
The picture of Alex MacDonald was now clear in her mind, as clear and sharp as if she had seen him only yesterday.
"But 1644...."
"It seems impossible doesn't it? But with the power of the rune everything's possible. You will find now that I am here you will start to remember more, all those memories your brain has pushed to one side as impossible.”
Suddenly Andrea had an image of a small yet cozy room, stone walls and a fire in a grate. The nunnery on Iona - she had lived there, but in another time. It didn't make sense but she knew it was so.
"But how?"
Geraldine squeezed her hand.
"Your grandmother was the one. She was from a long line of MacDonald’s and the secret of the ancients had been lost until she stumbled across it as a young girl. Her aunt had died, an elderly and eccentric old lady, and left her entire estate to the young Elizabeth, your grandma Betty. Amongst her possessions was an old carved stone and a map of the old chapel at Iona. There had been journals too, written in a long and looping handwriting containing tales of another land, another place, a shift in time. Betty had been intrigued and as a young woman had travelled to Iona and visited the chapel and the graveyard for herself. She had taken the rune to the site of an old grave and had somehow found herself transported to another time. She breathed life into the dying form of a young woman; Andra, a good force nea
rly extinguished by an evil one."
"Helena!" The memories had begun to flood back and the beautiful, yet evil face flooded her thoughts.
"That is right, Helena, the sister of Alexhander MacDonald. She had acquired the knowledge of the ancients at an early age and wanted to use it for evil purposes. She had visions of ruling the kingdom with her beloved brother. The powers had turned her half insane yet luckily her power was not absolute, not without the two rune stones."
"I have one of the rune stones."
"That is right, and that is also why you are in grave danger, why you lie here in hospital today. Helena will do anything to get that stone.”
"Helen!"
The realization suddenly dawned on Andrea. That is why Helen had seemed so familiar, that beautiful yet cruel face, she had met her back in time.
"Helena was jealous of the love her brother had for you. Her brother is all she has and she was determined to destroy you. When she knew you were carrying his child her one thought was to kill you. She had tried many times and Andra had faced death several times in her young lifetime. As a young girl Andra had originally come over to Iona from the mainland to be taught by the nuns. All her family were killed in the great siege of the Highlands and Alex became her guardian, yet as she turned into a beautiful young woman he fell in love with her and their romance blossomed. Helena was so jealous she tried to poison the girl on many occasions. Through the power of the ancients and your families strong blood line, you, your grandmother and others in the female line have stepped in to save her, to save yourselves and protect the ancient powers from falling into evil hands."
"But how, and why us?"
"The powers of the ancients are the oldest known to man. It is said that the great Gods themselves forged the rune stones. Several keepers, daughters of the stones, were elected and that responsibility has been passed on from generation to generation, mother to daughter, or in your case from grandmother to granddaughter; only the chosen ones could take on the responsibility.
