by Tara Nina
Before Travis could reply, Fin ran toward the sound of Lonnie and Timothy. Travis gave Fin a few minutes to make sure he was telling the truth. When the light stopped for what seemed an eternity, the echo of arguing voices floated through the air. Being too far away, he couldn’t make out exactly what was said but got the gist of it. Fin was considered to be an idiot by the one. Travis grinned. That’s where the one was wrong. Fin was anything but stupid. Travis wasn’t sure what Fin had gotten himself into but he’d asked him for his trust in this matter. When the light moved, leading the band of three away from Lynn’s true direction, Travis believed in his best friend and lover.
Travis spun on his heels and hurried after Lynn. With the help of a flashlight, he tracked her. It was obvious from the broken branches and smashed plants on the ground she’d run wildly through the underbrush. Even a blind man could follow her trail.
Finally standing at the edge of the ravine, he froze. Checking his compass, the realization of where he stood slapped him as if it were an invisible hand to his face. Images from a night he wished he’d never experienced flashed to life inside his brain. He and Fin had been camping not far from this spot. He glanced over his shoulder in the general direction of where Fin and the others camped and knew Fin picked that spot intentionally. If it were a few hundred yards north, it would be the exact same campsite, their favorite campsite.
The sensation of rolling downhill uncontrollably washed over him. Sweat beaded his upper lip. His chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe. In a drunken stupor, he’d wandered away from camp. At first, he’d imagined he was tracking a massive buck with a prize trophy rack. The farther he’d gotten from camp the more he’d lost his concentration and sense of direction. The excessive amount of drink he’d consumed hadn’t helped. His thoughts had muddled and his vision was unclear. He’d misstepped and the next thing he knew he was at the bottom of the ravine.
Ass over teakettle, he’d flipped, slid and rolled, hitting everything in his path. He couldn’t say how long he’d lain on the ground before he’d realized he needed to get up. Nothing made sense. All he could figure out through the ale-confused fog wrapped around his brain was that he had to climb to get back to camp. No matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t remember the exact details of how he’d ended up in the cave.
He just had.
Images of him on his back with some strange, ancient-looking, transparent dude hovering over him sent an ice-cold chill through his veins. Even now he shivered from the strength of the memory. Staring down toward the ravine made him dizzy so he stepped back several feet. He needed to pull himself together. His newfound friend Lynn needed him. But he knew it would be foolish to go over the edge in the dark. One slip and it could mean a broken neck and what good would he be to her then? How would he help her if he were dead?
Oh god. Was she dead? He returned to the edge. Holding on to a tree for support he pointed the beam of his flashlight into the darkness. A definitive skid mark stood out, marking her descent. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and prayed for her safety. He needed to think this through and plan his next step in finding her. Travis scanned the night sky and knew sunrise was several hours away and from the pattern of dark clouds in the distance, a storm was on the horizon. Damn. He’d have to hurry.
What he needed was a way to scale the side without falling. Then it hit him. Lynn had been tied with a rope that she’d removed when she relieved herself. He’d seen the rope and knew she had to be the one tied to it. From her position behind the bush, he knew what she was doing and had given her some privacy until she was finished and started to run. Thinking back, he wished he’d approached her differently. She was scared and hadn’t realized it was him who had his arm around her and his hand over her mouth. Travis regretted that move.
He took off his pack and hid it. Without it, he could make better time back to the rope. His only hope was that it was forgotten and still lay where it had been dropped. The closer he got to their campsite, the louder the voices became. Fin was the object of their anger. They hadn’t found the woman and it was all Fin’s fault, because he was supposed to be their expert guide.
Travis worked his way closer and remained hidden as he watched. Fin sat quietly on a rock, taking the verbal abuse from one of the men. The man yelling lifted his hand as if he were going to smack Fin. That got a reaction out of Fin. He sprang to his feet and leveled the man with a solid two-handed shove to his chest. Before the guy could move, Fin was on top of him with his knee in his stomach and his collar fisted tight, lifting the man’s shoulders several inches from the ground.
“Don’t you ever try to strike me again. It will be your last mistake.” Fin shoved him hard against the dirt as he stood. Staring down at the man, he spat, “We start the hunt again at first light. I told you these woods swallow people whole at night.” He stomped toward his tent. Travis made sure only Fin saw him for a split second then melded into the darkness again. Fin looked over his shoulder and in an ominous tone added, “There’s creatures out there that feed on human flesh. If’n I was you, I’d seek shelter before they find you.”
Taking his cue from Fin’s words, Travis made a horrific growling sound low in his throat and threw a rock into the bushes behind the campsite. Fin disappeared into his tent. The other two couldn’t move fast enough, stumbling over each other to get into their tent. It was all Travis could do not to break out laughing at the sight. As soon as Fin appeared at Travis’ side with his gear in hand, they hurried away from the campsite, but not before Travis gathered the rope.
“I sort o’ found Lynn,” Travis stated the second they were far enough away to not be heard.
“What do you mean, sort o’?”
“She went over the ledge into the ravine. I needed the rope ta follow her.”
“Damn,” Fin replied on a hurried breath as they increased their pace.
They had to find her and somehow do it before the other two grew a set of balls and came out of their tent. They reached where he’d stowed his pack just as the skies opened up. Driving rain and high winds caused them to seek shelter.
Luck was definitely not on their side or Lynn’s at the moment.
* * * * *
Lynn woke to the sound of rain, yet she was dry. A fuzzy sensation tickled her nose. Warmth cocooned her, making her feel safe. Prying her eyes open, she came to the sudden realization she was covered with a blanket. She bolted upright, letting the blanket drop to her lap as she stared wide-eyed at it. It appeared to be an animal skin of some sort. She was guessing deer maybe. It was soft to the touch. But she had no idea where it came from.
Slowly, she stood. Every ounce of her balked in rebellion and made her feel a hundred years old. Lynn stretched and turned then stopped as she realized her location. The mouth of a cave had been her shelter from the elements. If she hadn’t been so worn out and it hadn’t been the dead of night, she might have found this and slid farther in for more protection rather than lain in the opening. She stepped through the entrance. Lynn walked several feet then came to an abrupt halt.
An apparition stood in her path. Clear as day, she saw him. The ghost stood a few inches taller than she, wearing the garb of an ancient Scotsman. He wore a knee-length kilt, knee-high boots, a long-sleeved shirt tied together in the front with a neatly woven string and a sash wrapped around him from his left shoulder to his right hip. He had the essence of a proud warrior, which exuded in the air around him. At first sight, she thought he was the sexy visitor from her dreams, but as she studied him further, she realized he wasn’t.
Excitement stirred to life and filled her with warmth. She hadn’t been wrong to follow Travis on this hunt for a ghost named Jasper. Right before her stood the chance she’d been waiting for, the opportunity to learn how to communicate with the spirit world. In all of her adventures to haunted locations with her late husband, she’d never spoken with a ghost. She’d only seen or felt them. Her stomach churned. Maybe now she’d discover how t
o locate and speak with Eddie.
Deciding there couldn’t be two caves in the area with a ghost inhabitant, she took a chance. Lynn gathered a smidgeon of her Texan charm, extended her hand and did her best not to sound scared. The sight of her dirty hand made her realize she must look a bit worn as she absently rubbed her hands on her muddy jeans, patted her unruly curly hair then extended her hand again.
“You must be Jasper.” She held her breath and hoped he’d communicate with her.
If she surprised him with her statement, it didn’t show in his expression. He floated around her, studying her from head to toe. Cool air swirled, engulfing her, making her shiver. She dropped her hand to her side since he didn’t seem to have any intention of shaking it. He took a stance of intimidation with his arms crossed over his chest, legs spread hip distance apart and a stern look upon his face.
“How do ye know mi name?”
Lynn relaxed, letting go of the breath she held. Excitement made her heart pound. Somehow she’d ended up where she was supposed to be. Call it dumb luck. Call it anything you like. She found Jasper and the cave that Travis was supposed to be taking her to visit. Travis hadn’t lied to her after all.
“I’m Lynn,” she said, hoping to start a conversation with him. Questions scooted excitedly through her head at a rapid rate. This was her first actual ghost-to-person discussion. She breathed deep, doing her best to focus and slow the whirlwind of need-to-knows from confusing her thoughts. A step forward made Jasper float backward, keeping a safe distance between them.
She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m a friend of Travis.”
It looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he spoke. “Where is Travis? How did ye find mi without him?”
Not sure what she should say, she carefully chose her words. “Travis and I started this trip to see you together but we got separated. I fell and slid down into the ravine. It was only when I tried to climb back to the top that I landed on what I thought was a ledge. I didn’t know it was your cave until now.”
He seemed to study her as if trying to decipher whether she spoke the truth or not. His chin tilted and his gaze softened. “Did ye rest well?”
She glanced at the blanket and realized where it must have come from. “Did you do that?”
He nodded then waved his hand, causing the blanket to float into the cave. He dropped it onto a pile of assorted things.
“Thank you. That was very kind of you.”
“I could no let ye freeze, now could I? It would no be the chivalrous thing ta do.” He said it in such a matter-of-fact way it almost made her laugh. But that wouldn’t be polite so she swallowed it.
“Jasper, why is it you haunt this cave?” Lynn asked. Deciding she would be less intimidating to him if she sat, she moved to the closest large rock and took a seat. She wanted to gain his trust and learn why and how he remained trapped between planes. Desperately she wanted to know if there was a way to communicate beyond the veil with those who had passed into the other realm.
He appeared hesitant to speak. He leaned against the wall opposite from where she sat. “For o’er two hundred years I have called this cave mi home. I swore an oath ta protect a friend.”
Jasper floated to stand at the mouth of the cave and appeared to be watching the rain. Lynn moved to his side. The side nearest to him was kept cool by his essence. She sensed a deep sadness within him. When she tried to touch him and console him, her hand passed right through his arm and it made her shiver for a second. She shook off the instant chill and followed her train of thought.
“This friend,” she paused trying not to pry but needing to know, “did you love this person?”
He didn’t answer her question. Instead he stood straight and stiff. Without looking at her, he turned. “I have felt it on the wind. Nature whispers ta mi about a change that needs ta come.”
When his gaze met hers, she read his loss and sensed his desperation. Whatever was happening was not of his choosing.
“Come,” he said solemnly as he floated toward the rear of the cave. “’Tis time ye met mi friend.”
Lynn followed without saying a word. A mismatched assortment of lanterns flickered to life as he passed and she got the feeling he did that for her. She doubted he needed the light to see where he was going. The rear of the cave became three different sections. One went off to the left. There was a huge middle opening. The third was to the right. Jasper hovered for a second then turned to her.
His eyes closed and the most wonderful verse in an ancient tongue left his lips. She listened but did not understand. Knowing she stood in Scotland and he was from a time well past, he had to have been speaking Gaelic. When his eyes opened, she swore she saw a single tear that disappeared instantly.
“Jasper, that was beautiful,” she said breathlessly. “What does it mean? I don’t understand the language in which you spoke.”
He smiled then cupped her face in his hands. There was no actual contact. She only sensed his touch. Extreme cold penetrated all the way to her core. When he spoke the words again, she understood.
“Thy quiet son awaits
Within a chamber deep
Safe an’ sound he shall sleep
’Tis a place he loved
High above thy game ravine
Never ta be seen
Sheltered from thy nature’s fury ’n a burrow o’ her makin’
Lest ye nay be ’n a hurry
Three choices tease thee
Two be wrong
One be right
Choose well an’ set him free
Choose wrong an’ face thy wrath o’ mi.”
The cold left her body the moment he let go. The passage was beautiful except for that wrath part at the end. That part made her take an extra second before speaking again. He tried to hide it but she knew he held deep feelings for the person he protected. Carefully she dissected each sentence.
“Why did you hide the quiet son and who is he?”
She held his timid stare. When he spoke, she paid close attention.
“Mi best friend, Padon MacKinnon, fell ta a curse. He and his six brathairs were turned ta stone by an evil man carrying a black book o’ dark magic. MacGillivray made a pact with the devil, he did. He placed this curse then disappeared. When Akira, their piuthar—sister—discovered a partial anti-curse, she feared for their safety. Rumors MacGillivray would return and destroy the statues flourished. Akira took no risk with her brathairs. She gathered everyone she knew her brathairs trusted and swore us ta a task.”
He paused and she watched his face closely. This was a man crippled with grief and guilt. Jasper sank onto a rock. He looked frail and worn as if the weight of his world still rode on his shoulders.
“What kind of task?” Lynn asked quietly, hoping to help ease his pain by talking.
“She gave each o’ us a brathair ta hide and protect. We were ta write a riddle that gave clues ta their sanctuary and give it ta her.”
“That’s what you just recited for me,” she said. He nodded.
“She placed them in a diary. Nay but one person knew the answers and it was not her. She did not want ta have both riddle and answer together. It was up ta us ta pass it along ta a family member and swear them ta secrecy should something happen ta us.” His shoulders sagged.
“Did you pass the answer to another?”
“Nay,” he replied in a somber tone. “I did not. I kept him secret, giving only the riddle ta Akira.”
“Is it because you loved him that you did this?” Lynn must have touched a nerve because he leapt to his feet.
“Padon was closer ta mi than a brathair.” His voice shook as he spoke. His hand fisted over his heart. “’Tis mi fault this happened. If’n I were there MacGillivray would not have gotten into the castle and the curse would not have happened. Clan MacKinnon would not have ended in such an evil manner.”
And there it was, the reason for his guilt. He blamed himself for what happened to h
is friend and his family. Jasper floated upward, spinning around as a horrific screech left him. Lynn covered her ears against the din resonating off the walls. When she located Jasper levitating near the ceiling, she knew from the sight of him he was a broken man when he died.
A man in love with another man. That must have been tough during the time when he lived. Now it was more accepted, but back then, she couldn’t be sure if they would have been ostracized for their actions. It was something of which she had no knowledge. She didn’t doubt that love between men happened throughout history. After all, the men of today didn’t invent it. They just were apt to admit it more freely.
“Jasper, how can I help?” she asked in the most tender and caring tone she could muster across the knot in her throat. This was a love story that time forgot.
He floated down to face her. “Ye can set Padon free.” He turned and waved a hand gallantly in front of all three openings. “Choose wisely.”
With his hand fisted over his heart he stared directly at her and waited. The pressure was on. Which did she choose and what would he do if she chose incorrectly? Oh yeah. His wrath would fall upon her. Damn. Why couldn’t this be simple with a bright-red flashing arrow pointing the way?
Bright. Red. Arrow.
Lynn glanced over her shoulder at Jasper. He hovered behind her in a stoic stance with his hand still fisted over his heart. She turned face forward and let the grin split her lips. He was practically broadcasting where he’d hid his friend. She looked at the left, then the right and made her choice. Shoulders lifted, back straight, she walked toward the left opening and heard him hiss ever so lowly to the point if she wasn’t paying close attention, she would have missed it. Not skipping a beat, she grabbed the lit lantern off the ledge beside the opening then turned and marched directly into the center tunnel.
Several feet in, the sound of running water whispered in the air. Coolness filled each breath. Lynn held the light and took each step carefully. After her harrowing experience down the side of the mountain last night, she had no intention of misstepping again and ending up lord-knows-where.
