“How much was it?” Rose asked, obviously still in shock.
“You will each receive $1.98 million.”
“Wow,” Lily said quietly a few moments later, when they had exited the office.
“Did you know?” Rose asked.
“Know? Know what?”
“That Gramma Vonny was rich?”
“No…” Lily said before carefully opening the case and removing the yellowed envelope that sat inside on top of the pristine necklace. Opening the envelope, she found a letter dated in 1999, written in her Aunt Vonny’s minute, tidy handwriting:
My Dearest Lily,
I do not know if you were aware that the necklace I have left you exists. It has been passed down through the generations from our ancestors, always to the first-born woman of the next generation. If your mother had not passed, it would have been left to her; however, as you are the only surviving woman in our line from the generations after my own, it is now yours. I have had it appraised, and the certificate of authenticity, signed by the Department chairwoman of the University of Florida’s Anthropology Department, will verify that it originated in the early fourteenth century in our ancestral homeland of Scotland.
Also, family legend says that the necklace conceals a power that only one woman, the descendant of our ancestor, would be able to unlock. Unfortunately, I do not have any way of knowing (or passing on to you) what that power is. I can only tell you that many women in our line have borne her name, including you—Lily.
I know that it has long been your ambition to visit the land of our ancestors, so perhaps you can be the one to solve the mystery of our family necklace. Maybe you can one day visit the home of the first Lily in our family, Culcreuch Castle in Fintry, to ascertain the roots of the legend, and the power that the necklace possesses.
Until we meet again, know that I have always loved you, my dearest niece,
Aunt Vonny
Chapter 2
“Well, that’s a coincidence,” Lily said quietly to herself.
“What?” Rose asked, tears in her eyes as she held her letter from Aunt Vonny tight in her right hand.
“Here, read this,” Lily answered, handing over her letter. She watched as Rose’s eyes flew from right to left as she read the letter.
“Okay? So?”
“I’m staying at the Culcreuch Castle while I’m gone,” Lily replied.
“Oh! I get it! Your ancestor lived in the castle where you’re going to be staying!”
“Exactly,” Lily answered, smiling. “Speaking of which, I need to get going.”
“Okay,” Rose said, giving her a hug. “Be safe, okay? And enjoy your vacation!”
“Oh, I will…I have an American Express with a $5,000 limit, and all the money I need to pay it off if I blow it on this trip!”
“Aw, yeah!” Rose said, laughing, “Now, get to the airport, before you’re late!”
“Okay, bye!” Lily said, shutting her door. She blew a kiss at her oldest friend, and backed out of her parking space.
Fifteen minutes later, she was pulling into the parking lot at the airport, only ten minutes before 5:00 p.m. She breezed through the security checkpoint (she wasn’t strip searched) and was among the first group to board the plane. Soon, the plane was leaving Daytona Beach and heading for Dublin where she would only have to catch a puddle jumper to Glasgow. Door to door, it was nearly a twenty-four hour journey, including the layovers.
When she finally arrived at the Culcreuch Castle in Fintry, she was in awe of the ancient structure and felt immediately drawn to the place, as if something about it was calling to her in the deepest recesses of her soul. With a strange feeling of déjà vu, Lily felt that she had been to this beautiful old building before, even though she had never before stepped foot in a country other than her American homeland.
Taking her suitcases and other travel bags from the back seat of the cab, she crossed the threshold of the medieval building. Setting her luggage down at the door of the castle, she approached the main desk, which was occupied by a portly, elderly female maître d'hôtel.
“What can I do for you, my dear?” the older woman asked in a fantastic Scottish accent.
“Hello, I have a reservation for Rey,” Lily said.
“Okay. Ray…and what’s his last name, my dear?”
“Oh no!” Lily answered, laughing, “Rey is my last name, R-E-Y.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, dearie!” the lady replied, mortified, “Please forgive me! We don’t often get American clientele, and I find it hard to understand…these old ears, you know!” she said with a light, breezy laugh.
“It’s not a problem at all, it happens back home all the time, Mrs…?”
“Stuart, dear. But you can call me Mammy…everyone does.”
“Okay, Mammy, thank you.”
“Now, Miss Rey, I have you reserved for the Battlements Room, but the reservation for the Seton of Gargunnock room was canceled, so I’ll let a pretty girl like you have it, if you want. It’s only £10 more.”
“Please, call me Lily,” she answered.
“Lily? What a beautiful name! Did you know that there is a legend about one of the ladies of this castle, and her name was Lily?”
“No, I did not,” Lily said, interested. “Could I hear it sometime? I’m just really tired right now from traveling…”
“Of course, dearie. So how about the Seton of Gargunnock room? I tell you what…it’s a bigger room, and I’ll give it to you for no extra charge, just because I love your pretty name.”
“Oh, yeah, sure…that would be great!” Lily said.
“Excellent, then. Here, I’ll have somebody show you to your room. Dinner is downstairs at 17:00, okay?”
“1700…that’s, what? Five o’clock, right?”
“Yes dearie, I keep forgetting that you Yanks use that silly twelve-hour clock, but to you, yes, five o’clock. Will you be making it down?”
Lily looked down at her watch and saw that it was nearly 4:00 p.m., and responded, “No, Miss Mammy, I don’t believe I will. I’m very tired from the journey here, so I think I’m going to take a nap instead.”
“Okay dearie, if you wake up and decide that you are hungry, the kitchen is open until 21:00. Just knock, okay?”
“Thank you, Miss Mammy,” Lily answered as a young man appeared to take her baggage upstairs.
“Enjoy your nap, dearie,” Mammy responded. Lily followed the young baggage carrier up the steps on the far end of the room, fully taking in the sights as they went. He couldn’t have been a day older than sixteen.
“Seton of Gargunnock, righ’?” the muscle-bound young man grunted at her through a thick, Irish accent.
“Yes, sir,” Lily responded.
“Mammy tell you ‘bout the ghos’ in there?”
“No, but that’s okay…I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Just ‘cause you don’t believe in somethin’ don’t meant it isn’t there,” the youth pointed out. “He tends to come out when somebody is staying in that room. He takes a likin’ to tha ladies, or so they say.”
“A ‘liking’ to the ladies that stay in there? What do you mean?”
“He ignores the men that stay there every so often, unless he’s with a lady. Screamed at one man for sleepin’ with tha lady that was with him, word is,” the boy said, grinning.
“You mean, the ghost yelled at the man for having sex with a woman?” Lily asked unabashed, “What did he say?”
“Tha’s right…and no one knows what he’s sayin,’ ‘cause he don’t speak no English. But seein’ as you are a pretty lady,” the lad pressed forward, his eyes raking Lily’s chest, her breasts barely concealed behind the halter top that she still wore. “You should be just fine.” The youth grinned, exposing rotten teeth with wide gaps between them. “Have a nice nap, beau’iful,” he said, dropping Lily’s luggage inside the door and leaving her behind, alone.
Lily turned away from the door that the bag-boy had just closed and saw the
most beautiful room that she had ever laid eyes on. There was something about the simplistic nature of the beige walls and golden furniture that perfectly complemented one another. There was an elegant, antique vanity sitting beside the bed, and a window that opened and overlooked the front lawn of the castle and the Loch that was on the grounds, offering a spectacular view of hills in the distance.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, and lay back, falling into a deep sleep without removing any of her clothes.
Chapter 3
After a full night’s rest, Lily awoke to the sound of finches singing in the distance. The sun streamed in through the window that overlooked the Loch, and greeted her with a warm kiss, rousing her from the deepest recesses of slumber. She stretched her arms above her head and smiled without opening her eyes.
Then suddenly, a man’s voice from somewhere to her left caused her to jerk fully awake.
“Who the hell are you?!” the man yelled at her. He was not speaking English, but rather another language that Lily did not recognize at all.
Strangely, though, she understood exactly what he was saying, and so replied, “I’m Lily! Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my room?!” To her surprise, Lily found that she spoke with the same rolling language as the man. Somehow, without being taught, she had learned a new language!
“Your room?” the stunningly handsome man answered. “I am Matthew Galbraith, second son of Maurice Galbraith, chief of the Clan Galbraith, and master of this castle! This is my room, and I want to know what you are doing in it at this early hour!”
“I rented it!”
“And who rented it to you, as I am the son of this castle’s master!”
“This castle is owned by a holding company in L.A.!”
“Wait…what?” the man asked. “What is a ‘holding company?’”
“Oh my God!” Lily exclaimed while getting to her feet, completely frustrated. “Where is Mrs. Stuart?”
“Mrs. Stuart? What is this nonsense?”
“She is the maître d'hôtel here!” Lily answered angrily, rushing toward the door and wrenching it open. The man yelled after her as she sprinted down the deserted stairs, only to see that the entire entrance hall had changed. Instead of the warm, inviting atmosphere and furnishings of a modern hotel, Lily saw gleaming suits of armor that had not been there the day before. Instead of the large, mounted deer’s head on the wall above where Mammy’s desk was supposed to be, there was a shining red shield, with what appeared to be three severed boars heads upon it, with the hilt of two swords visible at the top corners, reminding Lily of a coat of arms.
The man from the room finally caught up to Lily, and said, “I don’t know from with you come, but cover you, we must. A woman of such rare grace and beauty must carry herself accordingly.”
“What century are you from?” Lily asked sarcastically, “Nobody talks like that anymore!” She didn’t know how right she was.
“I am afraid that I don’t understand what you mean, Miss,” he answered. Look, please, come with me. You and my sister appear to be the same size. Allow me to have her give you some clothes, and we can unravel this quandary.”
Lily stood back and considered his proposal. Could it really hurt to change her clothes? Probably not, she thought to herself. “Okay,” she answered, “But only because you asked.” When he turned to lead her up the stairs once more, she studied him.
He walked and spoke with an elegance that she has never seen or heard of from the brutes in America…clearly, he had a very high intellect, and could hold his own with the smartest of men.
He was a physically imposing man, standing nearly six and a half feet tall. Despite his obvious high class status, he was rugged, and walked not only with the grace of a wealthy man, but also with the clipped, measured steps of a soldier who had seen and survived the horrors of combat.
Lily knew the walk well, having seen many soldiers come to Daytona Beach during the summers (and “getting to know” quite a few of them too). The thing that she didn’t recognize, though, was the already filling beard, as most soldiers she knew were required to keep clean-shaven. His long, well-maintained hair perfectly matched his beard, as both were the darkest shades.
“Wait here,” he said turning to Lily, and he went down a passage that she had not yet noticed, as it was hidden behind a secret door. When he said that, she caught a glimpse of his striking eyes, which were the brightest shade of green that she had ever seen before.
Overall, he was easily the most attractive man that she had ever laid eyes on. “Okay,” she answered softly. As he walked down the hidden passageway, she began to wonder how she came to be in this situation. Clearly, she was in the same castle as yesterday, but it was completely different. How did she end up here?
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps, and the man walked out of the hidden passageway, followed by a plain but pretty young woman, who was likely only sixteen or seventeen at most.
“Hello,” the soft-spoken maiden said, “Matthew tells me that he found you in his bed this morning.”
“Well, I found him in mine.”
“He has asked me if I will provide you with clothing until we can determine how your world and ours have crossed paths.”
“What do you mean ‘my world and yours’?”
“Matthew says that you claim to have rented his bed chamber, is that right?”
“Yes, I rented it from Mrs. Stuart yesterday,” Lily answered.
“We do not know who this ‘Mrs. Stuart’ is,” but apparently in your plane we are not the rightful masters of this castle.”
“What do you mean, ‘my plane’? All this talk of ghosts and other dimensions is really making me wish that I had just stayed home! Scottish people are crazy!”
“Your home is not the home of the Scots?” Matthew asked.
“No, I’m from America.”
“Where is America?”
“My God!...It’s across the ocean.”“Which--
“Matthew,” the young woman interrupted her brother, “she clearly is not from this place. I am going to get her dressed and take her to see Alison.”
Chapter 4
An hour later, Lily found herself in an archaic dress, sitting on the back of a white mare horse, the only vestige of her former clothes being her amethyst necklace. “Where are we going?”
“To see Alison,” Matthew’s sister answered.
“I know, but who is Alison?”
“She’s an old woman, but very wise. She will be able to tell us how you came to be here, and explain how we can get you to your home.”
“Okay,” Lily answered, apprehensive. After ten minutes of further riding, they arrived at a run-down shack on the shores of the Loch. A small, hunchbacked woman sat outside, peeling potatoes.
“Alison!” Matthew’s sister said loudly, causing the hunchbacked woman to look up.
“Marion!” she called, “what brings you to this side of the loch, child?”
“Lily,” Marion answered.
“Ahh,” the wizened old woman answered, looking at Lily. “I daresay that you are not comfortable, are you, child?” the woman said in perfect American English, the first that Lily had heard that day.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand…” Lily answered, confused.
“I knew that you would be coming, Lily Rey.”
“How do you know my name?” Lily asked.
“I told you,” Marion interjected, “she would know where you came from and how you got here…and how to get you back.”
“Let me see the key,” Alison said.
“Key? What key?”
“You wear the key around your neck, my child.”
“You mean my necklace? It’s not a key!”
“Yes, child, a necklace and a key. Not to the doors you think of, but the key of time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t your aunt tell you?”
“My aunt? Aunt Vonny? How do you know abou
t her?”
“Yes, my dear…didn’t she tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“That the necklace you wear is a powerful talisman! It was blessed by my people to give extraordinary power…the power to control time and space. There is an incantation that will give you the ability to control the amulet.”
“Okay, can I have it?”
“Yes…but please know this: the amulet brought you here for a reason. If you do not fulfill your purpose, then it will have drastic consequences for you…and your family. And now, the incantation is this: ‘tempus imperium.’ If you grasp the amulet in both hands and say these words, a gateway will appear before you. You will need to focus on a specific date or situation, and when you walk through the gateway, you will be instantly transported to that time and place.”
“Can I tell anyone this?”
“Only the one to whom the necklace brought you, and the one from whom it sent you.”
“And who are they?” Lily asked, completely bewildered.
“Follow your heart, child…it will tell you. Now, if you are to prevent the dire consequences that I have warned you about, you need to return to Culcreuch now, or else you will have missed your opportunity. Also, you will need to stay with the one to whom you were sent, or you will fail. Never leave his sight.” Switching to the strange language once more, she turned to Marion and said, “Take her back to your home. She will know what she has to do, and when.”
“Thank you, Alison,” Marion answered, bowing before the ancient witch. “Lily, come…let us go.”
As they rode back around the Loch, Lily thought on what the old witch had told her. Who had the necklace sent her to? Who had it sent her from? The only thing that made any sense was that she was here for a reason, but even then, she didn’t know what the reason was. And it would have been great to hear some more about the consequences if she didn’t follow the instructions. What she needed was time to think, and to talk to someone she trusted. But who did she trust? Aunt Vonny was dead, and that left only Rose, but according to Alison, Rose was in another time entirely.
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