by Sherry Ewing
He kept his features expressionless. “I guessed as much, my lady, and yet you know nothing of me.”
“That’s true, and yet I’ve dreamed of you my entire life, enough to know you pretty well, I’m guessing.”
He was taken aback. “How is this possible?”
“I feel we are connected somehow,” Katherine began hesitantly. “I think perhaps our souls were meant to be together, but the centuries of time between us are keeping us apart.”
“Centuries? Surely, you jest, mademoiselle,” Riorden said with a raised brow of disbelief.
“I would never joke…err…jest about something as important as this. The fact we see each other as spirits speaks for itself, don’t you think?” Katherine asked quietly.
“Are you attempting to tell me you are from the future?” he questioned aghast.
Katherine smiled slightly. “Yes, I suppose I am, from your perspective.”
“Impossible,” Riorden said gruffly.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently, it’s not as impossible as we may think, given we’re both having a conversation with a ghost.”
He took a step closer and stared at her for several moments, his face masking the inner emotions that were to the point of consuming him. “And if we are not losing our minds, then from whence do you hail?”
He watched Katherine take a deep breath and release it, afore quietly answering him. “For me, it’s the year 2014, and I live in a country called America. It doesn’t even exist in your day...um...well, that’s not entirely true. It exists. It just hasn’t been discovered yet.”
He was not truly prepared for her answer. A low laugh escaped him, just as surely as his features cracked, whilst hoping he portrayed himself in control of the crazy situation he found himself in. It could not have been further from the truth.
“2014 you say? Ha! ’Tis the year of our Lord 1179. Now I know you but jest with me. Everyone knows the world shall not endure that long.”
“I understand your doubt of me, but my clothing alone must have you a little mystified, at the very least.”
“’Tis true, I cannot account for such strangely fashioned garments, and yet I hear some people dress differently abroad.” Riorden folded his arms across his chest.
She smiled slightly at his words. “Aboard…yes, I’m afraid I’ve traveled a great distance just to reach Bamburgh Castle, even in my own time.”
“You do not reside close by then?”
“No, I don’t, and my time here won’t last much longer, I’m afraid. I only have a few days left of my vacation until I have to go home.”
“Then tell me where I can find you again,” he demanded.
Katherine leaned back to look up into his face, and he wished he could cease the tears escaping her eyes. “Unless you know of some way to cheat time and bend it to our will, Riorden, then I feel our stolen moments together are almost at an end.”
“’Tis an impossible request,” he scoffed, none too happily.
“Yes, I know, but I will cherish for the rest of my life the gift I’ve been given to have at least seen you. Having you appear to me as a ghost is surely better than not at all. Once I return home, I can only hope I continue to dream of you.”
Riorden pondered her words for a few moments until he had the only answer he could come up with to solve their dilemma. He gave her another formal bow then made his way towards the door. He turned back to take one last look at her before speaking. “I will go to the chapel and pray for you to be released from the torture of roaming the earth for all eternity. ’Tis the least I can do for such a charming ghost, who fancies herself in love with a mere mortal man.”
“Riorden, I−”
He held up his hand to halt her words, knowing he could not bear to hear the declaration of love that would surely pass from her lips. ’Twould do neither of them any good to voice their hearts’ desires. “I will pray you may at last rest in peace, Lady Katherine.”
“Please Riorden…wait!”
He ignored her plea and quickened his step in his haste to have this madness at an end. Mayhap, when his prayers were answered on behalf of the lady, he would offer up a few more for his own poor, sorry soul. Only God above would be able to forgive him his thoughts of wanting to keep a ghost forever at his side.
Chapter 9
The evening had waned far into the early morning hours, and yet Riorden persisted in offering up prayers for Katherine’s soul. Moonlight streamed in from one of the upper windows and shone upon the table in front of him, causing the jewel encrusted cross to gleam brightly. Nevertheless, he remained true to his vow and remained vigilantly on his knees. He did not know how long he had knelt afore the altar, but if the ache in his body was any indication, it must have been for the majority of the night.
Still...the pain he felt was nothing if ’twould but ease the burden Lady Katherine must be enduring to remain a spirit here on earth. Riorden reasoned, the more pain he himself felt, the more God would realize the sacrifice he made on his lady’s behalf.
His lady...those thoughts were but a mockery. ’Twas as if some wily character used trickery to deceive them both into thinking they could have what was never meant to be. To have tasted love, if only for a moment, would have felt as if he had tasted heaven itself. He saw such a love shine down upon him whenever Lady Katherine gazed in his direction. Was it no small wonder that he had begun to wish he could have had such a treasure to call his own for all time. A low moan of anguish escaped him as he thought on his ghostly lady. He came to the conclusion that perchance he had not been praying as honestly as he should have and further reparation was in order.
Riorden humbled himself further by lowering himself down upon the floor. Stretching himself out, he extended his arms until his body formed a cross. His forehead touched the cool stones as he once more began his petition. He begged to let Katherine find peace and a place in heaven with God’s angels whilst he also prayed for the forgiveness of his sins. His stray thoughts wandered, momentarily, with a vision of the woman of his dreams and the yearning for a lady who was not of his time. He sighed heavily and began from the beginning again. Surely, God would hear and answer his most fervent prayers...
Far into the morning hours did he continue his penitence, repeating his request with a submissive heart. Peacefulness began to fill his very soul, and Riorden at last found comfort surround his being. His prayers continued in earnest and, for the first time this night, he gave a small smile, knowing his faith in God would never fail him.
Unbeknownst to him, a stream of light unexpectedly came down from the windows high above and graced his motionless body in a soft golden glow. For with his deepest plea and sacrifice for another’s soul, the heavens decided to smile down upon Riorden de Deveraux and, in doing so, God above granted him his heart’s truest desire.
* * *
Katherine flung open the door and looked both ways down the passageway, but Riorden was nowhere in sight. “Did you see which way he went?” she asked the startled group that had been waiting for her.
“Where who went, Katie?” Juliana inquired gently.
“Riorden, of course! Who else would I be asking about?”
She looked at Emily, who only shook her head no.
Brianna became excited again with the prospect of seeing a specter. “Was he really in there, Katie?”
Katherine ignored her and turned to Simon. “Where’s the chapel?”
“Downstairs to the Great Hall and out the─”
“Thanks,” Katherine proclaimed, cutting him off as she grabbed Juliana’s hand. Juliana, in turn, snatched on to Emily, who then clutched at Brianna. They began to run down the hall, hand in hand, at a rapid pace.
“Hey, wait for me!” Simon called out, as he attempted to lock the door quickly, but his voice was lost as their footsteps echoed off the walls.
They came to the tower stairs, and Katherine paused briefly with her foot in midair, feeling as if her heart had leapt up into her th
roat from the prospect of going down them again. She hated heights, and she hated these infernal spiral stairs even more. She looked up, asking for guidance. “Please God...grant me a miracle to help me find him,” she whispered quietly “and perhaps, if you don’t mind, and it’s not too much trouble, a bit of assistance to assure my safety on these steps?”
Katherine tried to go as quickly as she could, but felt as though she wasn’t making very good progress. She stopped suddenly. Looking up, she had the strangest sensation course through her body and began seeing minuscule lights before her eyes. They sparkled and twinkled before her like tiny little fireflies and felt, as they touched her cheeks, like the softest touch, like a butterfly’s kiss.
She turned to look back up at Juliana, who was on the stair above her, and felt Jewels give her hand a reassuring squeeze. Emily and Brianna both tried to give her a comforting smile, but before she could say a word to them, the tunnel lit up in a flash of silvery-blue light. It was blinding, and a startled scream tore from Brianna’s lips. The ground began to shake as Katherine heard Emily yell out, “Earthquake.” The four women grabbed hands and held on as if their lives depended on keeping connected to each other.
Katherine was in no way prepared for the sudden force of unbelievable proportions that slammed into them, one by one, with the energy of being hit by a truck. They fell onto the steps still holding on to one another. The trembling ground continued it’s shaking until it finally subsided, and the turret darkened with the exception of those tiny lights. Katherine gazed at her friends. They all had the same expression of wonder at what had just happened. To say they were scared, was putting it mildly.
“Is everyone okay?” Katherine asked with trembling limbs.
“I believe, Katie, your request has been answered,” Juliana exclaimed with a shaky voice.
“What?” Katherine asked, confused, as they all began to stand on wobbly legs.
“Houston...we have a problem,” Juliana replied, and she gave way to a nervous giggle.
“You’re not making any sense, Jewels!” Katherine stated, looking back up the circular stairwell to Brianna and Emily high above her. Squinting, she tried to focus on what she saw as those little, tiny lights continued to fill the air, dancing above their heads. Fascinated, she rubbed at her eyes and noticed the flickering electrical light fixtures above on the wall. Was it just her imagination, or were they changing right before her very eyes?
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Brianna croaked out in a fearful voice.
“And I think we’ve fallen into the rabbit hole, Alice,” Emily said, just as terrified.
“Would you guys stop with the movie cliché’s and tell me what you’re talking about?” fumed Katherine. She saw them point again to the torches lighting the tower stairs. The smoke they let off made her eyes burn. She rubbed them again and coughed to clear her throat.
“What’s the big deal about tor−” she began, until the reality of their situation sunk in very rapidly, and she felt herself sway before Juliana made a grab for her to help steady her footing. “What the hell?”
Katherine reached up, thinking this must be some kind of a trick, but pulled her hand back once she felt the heat from the flames.
“Perhaps, you should refrain from swearing, Katie, since God apparently seems to be listening intently to your prayers,” Juliana suggested honestly as the women huddled together on the stairs.
“Where are we?” Brianna asked, panicking. “I’m really trying my best not to freak out here, but I’m afraid I’m about to fail miserably!”
“I think a better word is when, since we’re obviously still at Bamburgh,” Emily replied, more calmly than anyone thought possible, given the circumstances. “What were you thinking of, Katie?”
Katherine rubbed her eyes, thinking to clear her vision before she spoke. “Why are you asking me?” she snapped.
Emily wagged her finger in her direction. “Don’t be getting all snarky with me. I just asked a question.”
Juliana stepped forward on the stairs. “Everyone take a deep breath, and let’s try to stay calm. Katie, were you thinking about your knight?”
“When am I not?” Katherine replied.
Brianna clapped her hands to her forehead. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she moaned.
“Well, whatever time period we’re in, doesn’t matter at the moment. Although, seeing as how new these stairs appear, and given I was asking to find my very twelfth century knight, I can only assume we’re back in…medieval times.” Katherine rubbed at her temples while she tried to grasp the reality of the situation. She shook her head in disbelief and sat back down on one of the stairs, putting her head down between her knees. Breathe, Katherine. Just breathe. In and out…in and out…
“I think, now’s as good a time as any for me to have a nervous breakdown,” Emily cried out and sat down next to Katherine. “I think this all goes back to that Karma thing coming back to bite us in our as−”
“Emily, for goodness sake! Not now!” Juliana retorted hotly. “We have got to keep it together, ladies!”
Katherine tried to think clearly on what should be their first course of action, besides trying to find their sanity. “Let’s try to think on this rationally, shall we?”
“Rationally? Really?” Briana cried out. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Katie. We just traveled through time, for God’s sake!”
“Shh…Brie. We’re all together, so that’s what’s most important. You can all blame me later for this mess I’ve somehow gotten us into,” Katherine said with a slight catch to her voice.
“We should find Lord de Deveraux. I have a feeling, he’ll know what to do,” announced Emily.
Katherine gazed at her friends and then at their clothing. “Well, if he wasn’t freaked out before when he saw me as a ghost, I’m sure he will be, if he sees us in the flesh dressed as we are. First things first, girls. We’d better find something to conceal ourselves with until we can find suitable clothing.”
“Katie, you do remember what they do to thieves in this time period don’t you?” Juliana asked. “Personally, if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep my hands attached to my wrists.
“Clothes ladies…we need to find us some clothes, and until we do, we need to hide ourselves as much as possible. Losing our hands would be the lesser of two evils, if people instead believe we’re heretics or witches because of how we’re dressed. I, for one, don’t want to be burned at the stake today, or any other day.”
“And, for goodness sake, watch the way you speak,” Emily added sharply. “Remember that whole messing-with-the-fabric-of-time issue we are always so intent on. We can’t change history because we’ve introduced something that hasn’t happened yet.”
Katherine and the other women nodded as they silently made their way down the remainder of the tower stairs. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, they observed servants rushing around in flurries of activity. She could only wonder why everyone seemed in a nervous frenzy, but knew she couldn’t worry about that now. Truthfully, she was just itching to take a peek at Bamburgh’s history-in-the-making right in front of her face, but needed to refrain for now.
It wasn’t until much later in the evening, as they covered their clothes with their borrowed woolen cloaks, that Katherine realized she had practically ran down the tower stairs earlier when she had maneuvered them, sure-footed, on her own. God had granted her a miracle, and with such a blessing, she planned on taking full advantage of the opportunity he had given her. She only hoped she would stay alive long enough to enjoy it and find Riorden. And, if by chance this was just a dream…well…she prayed, she never woke up.
Chapter 10
Katherine awoke disoriented and confused, and swore even her hair was hurting. Focusing her vision, she saw the reason for her discomfort. Sleeping sitting up was certainly not good for one’s back and the dampness couldn’t have helped either. Looking around the room, she tried to determine whether it was
morning yet. It was hard to tell, given the room they had found themselves in last night lacked any of the conveniences that a modern day Bamburgh held.
It was a familiar room, or would be several centuries from now when it would be used as a storage facility for antiques. Currently, it was filled with several large barrels and crates of various food stuffs.
Emily had figured, because it was so cold down here, it was like a cellar to keep their food from spoiling. They had done a thorough search of several crates and had found some apples, but not much else of what could be made edible without a fire and stove.
Stove! Guess she could forget that one. If it couldn’t be cooked over a fire, it was pretty plain and simple, it wasn’t going to get cooked at all. They had decided last night that starting a fire to try to roast something may not be in their best interest. Refrigeration? Not a chance, unless it was a cold stream somewhere nearby. But worst of all, at least to Juliana and Emily, who were never all that crazy about camping in the first place, was the fact they could kiss indoor plumbing goodbye! They had found and had made use of a garderobe out of sheer necessity, but they had thought Emily would pass out when she quickly came back out. She had looked positively green and had used a major dose of hand sanitizer. If she continued using up what she had with her in the short amount of time they’d been here, her little bottle would be out by the end of the day.
Still, it had been a productive night of finding several necessities for them to hopefully survive their time in the twelfth century. Cloaks, to cover their jeans and blouses, had been the easiest to procure. Juliana had found a large twill sack, and they had put their borrowed booty inside for safe keeping. There was a pot, a skillet, more apples, two knives, flint to start a fire, and a bow with several arrows. Katherine hadn’t bothered to ask Juliana where she had gotten the latter, but it would come in handy, since Brianna, bless her soul, was an excellent archer.
