SNAKE

by Leal, Samantha

  Nodding her head the tears fell quickly and she pushed her lips gently against his.

  They were his last words.

  ***

  There was no time to lose. If she thought too long about the task ahead then she wouldn't go through with it. Her mind whirled as the two worlds of past and present collided in her head. She had seen the power of the runes, had witnessed it, lived in different centuries, but did she have enough faith in the power of the ancients for the task ahead?

  She quickly found the second rune, hidden in a concealed pocket in Helena’s bodice, and a small glass vial of a dark looking liquid which she assumed to be the poison.

  There was no looking back as Andrea stepped out of the room, leaving the three bodies behind her. There was nothing else she could do for the dead; she had her own life and Elizabeth's to think of now.

  The room was dark as she entered, and only the gentle sound of her child softly breathing filled the room.

  Crossing to the bed she sat gingerly on the edge to avoid waking the sleeping girl; she looked like a beautiful angel with the soft blonde curls framing her sanguine face.

  Andrea's hand trembled as she carefully untucked the small, clenched fist from beneath the coverlet. The child stirred for a moment but was soon quiet. Taking one of the stones Andrea placed it carefully in the centre of the girl’s palm, folding the small fingers back over to keep it in place.

  With the other stone carefully in her own hand she brought out the small bottle. She had no idea of the dosage but presumed one or two drops would do the trick. To be on the safe side she would use half the bottle on herself and half on the girl.

  Pulling out the stopper she paused. What if Elizabeth was transported to the future on her own, or worse still, was left all alone in this dark era?

  Andrea had no choice, she would have to trust to the power of the ancients and to her own fate. Kissing her daughter gently on the cheek she poured 10 drops of the dark liquid onto her lips. The poison stained the red lips to a garish black and a little of the liquid dripped from her chin and onto the cover beneath. Helen would have been thorough in her research. The liquid would be deadly.

  Taking Elizabeth into her arms she lay down beside the warm body of her daughter before pouring the rest of the vial into her own mouth.

  Soon there was nothing but blackness.

  8.

  The air was damp upon her skin as Andrea awoke in the small graveyard of the chapel of St Oran. Her body and head ached and she had a bitter taste in her mouth. For a moment she lay on the hard ground unable to focus on her thoughts. She had been on a long journey and could feel the tiredness behind her eyes.

  Running her hand across the wet grass she reached out, something was missing, something was not right.

  Elizabeth!

  Opening her eyes she sat up quickly and looked around. The morning was grey with just the hint of a sunrise on the horizon. All was quiet except for the waking call of a few birds and the remaining chime of a distant bell. The place was deserted; Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen.

  Panicking, she stumbled to her feet, heart thumping as she grasped at the headstones calling out the name of her beloved daughter. The place was empty and the girl was nowhere to be seen. Andrea slumped down onto the grass and sobbed, her worst nightmare had become a reality.

  "Andrea."

  A voice called across the cold light, a familiar and warm voice. As she looked up the old lady was approaching.

  "Geraldine!" the younger woman fell sobbing into her arms like a child.

  "There, there my dear, all is well, you are home. What is wrong?"

  Andrea could barely speak between sobs, only uttering the name of Elizabeth over and over again.

  "Calm yourself my dear, now calm yourself. All is well. Elizabeth is perfectly safe.”

  She wondered how the old woman could be so calm, so relaxed.

  "Where?"

  Geraldine smiled as she gently reached down and patted the smooth belly of the younger woman.

  "Here!"

  ***

  Over breakfast the two women talked. Andrea had forgotten that back in the present she would revert to her previous state. When she had been transported back in time, Elizabeth was a mere twinkle in her eye.

  "But how did you return Geraldine, I saw you killed by Helena?"

  "I have kept my own secret for many years. You see, there weren’t only two stones, in reality there were three. I have had to keep that fact to myself. If Helena had known I would not have been safe, nor would I have been there to help you. I too have my own part to play out in this story. I needed to make sure there would be a happy ending after all."

  Andrea stirred her coffee as the memory of Alex came flooding back. Tears formed in her eyes.

  "Not a happy ending for everyone."

  A thin hand reached across the table and found her own.

  "Alex you mean?"

  Andrea nodded as the tears slid slowly down her cheek and onto the table.

  "Alexhander MacDonald lived to be 85 years old. With his wife Andra he went on to have several sons as well as a daughter Elizabeth. They had a very long and happy life together."

  The coffee sloshed over the edge of the cup and landed in her saucer as Andrea sat and looked, open mouthed at Geraldine.

  "But how, he was dead. I saw him?"

  "He nearly died, I grant you that. But it was not his time. Remember the cycle of things - life and death, birth and rebirth?"

  "But .."

  "But the magic of the ancients is all powerful and there are some things that we cannot explain, cannot fathom, that are beyond our reasoning."

  "What about the second stone. The one that was in Elizabeth's hand, where is that now?"

  Geraldine thought for a moment. "The second rune was needed to bring Elizabeth safely to the future, even in the womb she needed protection. The stone must be somewhere in the graveyard, near to where you woke this morning. You should go and look for it after breakfast. It is important to retrieve it; you are the guardian."

  ***

  The sun had started to shine weakly through the clouds as Andrea walked over from the hotel to the Abbey.

  One of the staff had just started to unlock the main gates ready for the public to access the ancient site.

  "Morning." the voice of a young man brought her out of the thoughts of the past and into the present. She looked up into the smiling face of a man she had known and loved throughout the centuries.

  She could hardly speak as the young man approached her.

  "Sorry if I startled you. I've just started working here. I'm staying for the summer with my Grandma, Geraldine. Do you know her? By the way, my name is Alex.”

  THE END

  The Highland Legacy

  A Runes of Argyl Story

  Book 3

  Jessica Savage

  Copyright ©2016 by Jessica Savage. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1.

  At the Beginning of all time the great Gods of the Universe sat in the Great Void of Space and looked down upon the world that had been created beneath them. They had already foretold the future of mankind and could see the recklessness and hostility of the centuries to come. Many of the Gods laughed and did not care about the creatures that were emerging from the slime of the waters to stand erect upon the cooling land, yet Odin and Thor and Ares were not too great to realize that their own destinies were aligned with this new and emerging species, and that the very existence of the Gods would come to depend upon them.

  To this effect, three stones were cast by each of the great deities from out of the molten pit of the earth and upon each of these stones were placed great powers that only the Gods possessed.

  A keeper for each of these s
tones was nominated from the faithful souls that roamed the earth and these runes were handed down through the centuries, generation to generation of guardians, until such time would come when their powers would be released.

  Andrea read the leaflet that she kept in the back of her dressing table drawer. The pamphlet had been part of the display in the New York gallery - describing the ancient relics that Helen had discovered.

  It was hard to think that all that had happened in the past was real and sometimes she didn’t even believe it herself, but Alex and the unborn child inside her were constant reminders.

  Upon meeting Alex she had decided to remain on Iona; why not? She would be close to Geraldine, the only other person in the world she could confide in. Alex knew nothing, he was a descendant of Alexhander MacDonald but had no clues about the past. Geraldine, his grandmother, had told him nothing. The baby would be born soon, the girl Elizabeth; she would remember nothing of her time in the past. The present was enough for all of them.

  Over the months the romance had easily blossomed between Andrea and Alex and it wasn’t long, with the help of Geraldine, before they had rented a small cottage together on the Island. She was two months pregnant but had lied to Alex that it was merely a month. It was, after all, only a small white lie; the child had in reality been conceived over 500 years in the past, and of course the child was technically his - or at least his great–great-great-great-grandfather’s.

  She tried not to think about it too much.

  Life was good in the main. The pace of life was much slower here on the Island; compared with New York it had stopped, but she preferred it that way. There were only two things that niggled away at her on the long winter nights and one was Steve - her ex. She had left him behind in New York to escape the clutches of her other worry; Helen. Her evil ancestor Helena had been killed way back in time but the present day incumbent still remained. No doubt she knew of her ancestor’s death and was now even keener to possess the three runes that were in Geraldine’s possession; to gain their power and return to the past to take her vengeance and wreak havoc once again.

  At first her mobile had been full of missed calls and voicemails from Steve, but as the weeks passed the calls grew fewer. Now almost 9 months had elapsed since she last saw him and she doubted that she would see him again. His ego had been bothered by her leaving, but he was not bothered enough to follow her back to England, even though he believed it was his child she was bearing.

  Geraldine had promised that Helen could no longer harm her; with her ancestor, Helena, now dead, she was weakened. There was only one way Helena could be restored and that would be by Helen retrieving one of the runes and travelling back in time to breathe life into her evil ancestor. Without possession of a rune, travelling back in time was impossible. Geraldine assured her that could never happen while ever the runes were kept safe.

  Life was slow paced and peaceful on Iona and it was just what Andrea needed. She could run her business from anywhere in the world as long as she had a laptop, mobile phone and a good internet connection, and even Iona managed to provide all of those.

  The day was bright and she needed some fresh air. As she stepped outside of the doorway the view never failed to impress her. The cottage was located away from the main centre of the Island, overlooking the Bay at the Back of the Ocean. The title itself conjured up different worlds in her head and she was immediately struck by how little the place had changed over the centuries. Her ancestor, Andra, would have stood here and looked out onto the same view. The roar of the ocean against the shore was mesmerizing; something ancient and powerful in each roll of the waves and she could watch it for hours.

  Holding her hands over her swollen belly she felt for the life within. She was almost full term with the baby and could feel the movements within the watery depths.

  Life and death, birth and rebirth, as constant as the waves upon the shore.

  Andrea shivered slightly. That was the only downfall to setting up home here. There were constant reminders of the past everywhere, each step she took was treading in her ancestors footsteps. It was almost as if Andra was there, watching her every move.

  Even after everything that had happened, she could still scarcely believe it, especially in the daytime when everything seemed bright and normal. Her adventures into the past seemed but a passing dream and she would have thought she were mad if it were not for Geraldine to remind her that she was in fact sane; that what had happened over the last few months was real.

  She walked slowly across the fields and into the main village. She had agreed to meet Geraldine at the Hotel Columba for coffee before calling in at the Abbey to catch Alex in his lunch hour. The tourist trade was busy at this time of year and his guided tours were proving very popular – he had a way of bringing the past alive for people and the Abbey Trust had made his temporary contract permanent.

  Geraldine was as bright as ever and Andrea found it hard to believe that she was 80 years old.

  The two were sitting in their regular seat by the window of the small hotel lounge when Andrea’s face dropped as she stared out of the window.

  “What’s wrong Andrea, you look like you’ve see a ghost?”

  Andrea continued to stare; her face turning pale.

  “I think I have; Steve has just walked past the hotel.”

  She had never imagined that she would ever see Steve again. With no intention of ever returning to New York, she never expected Steve to turn up here on Iona.

  “He seems to be heading for the Abbey Geraldine, I better head him off. I don’t want him to meet Alex.”

  Her old friend looked concerned.

  “But Steve doesn’t even know about Alex, does he? Wait a moment and collect yourself. He can do little damage. Now, what are you going to say to him?”

  Andrea was already standing and putting her coat on ready to leave.

  “I’m sorry Geraldine but I have to go. What if he meets Alex and starts asking questions; asking if he knows me? I just can’t leave anything to chance. It’s all too complicated. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Geraldine watched her young friend rush out of the room and her brow furrowed. There was a change in the air and the period of calm was almost over.

  He was some distance away by the time she had walked out of the hotel and onto the path, and he had almost reached the entrance to the Abbey.

  “Steve!”

  She called his name as loudly as she could muster. His pace slowed and he stopped; recognizing the voice he turned to face her.

  The sight of him caused her heart to quicken. Andrea thought she was well and truly over him, but they had been together a long time and old habits die hard.

  He walked slowly back towards her and stopped a few paces away from where she stood.

  “Andrea.”

  Struggling to keep her composure she bit into her lip. It was ridiculous that she should feel so emotional; it had been such a long time. Perhaps it was her hormones?

  “Andrea, you look great.”

  Walking forwards he held out his arms to embrace her.

  “Big, you mean?”

  As he moved in closer to kiss her, she turned her head and his lips pecked her cheek politely.

  That was typical of Steve; always thinking that his charm would win her round. Maybe it could in the old days, before Alex, but now things were different.

  “What do you want Steve?”

  She pulled herself away and he was ruffled by her coolness.

  His smile soon disappeared and she could see the anger starting to form behind his eyes.

  “Isn’t it obvious Andrea? I’m here for you and the baby. Enough is enough. I’ve left you long enough on your own, given you space or whatever it was that you wanted, but now I’ve come to take you back home. Let’s be sensible about this. I’m staying for a few days in a hotel on Mull. Now be a good girl and come home with me?”

  Andrea could feel her temper start to flare.

 
“How dare you patronize me. And what is there to be sensible about. I’m pregnant – end of. But we’re finished Steve, it’s over and I am not coming back with you to New York, I’m staying here with ...”

  She could have bitten her tongue, she had said too much.

  Steve’s face grew pale.

  “Staying here with whom?”

  Her face reddened as she struggled with an explanation.

  “With, with...Geraldine of course. She’s been looking after me and I’m making a new life here for myself.”

  She didn’t sound convincing and he narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

  “So you’re setting up home with a crackpot old pensioner eh? That doesn’t sound likely Andrea. And what about this place, it’s the back of beyond and far too quiet for someone like you? Be reasonable Andrea. The child needs a father and a proper home.”

  “It’s not your child.”

  The words were blurted out before she could stop them.

  He looked shocked but laughed scornfully. “Of course it’s my child Andrea, don’t be so ridiculous - who else could be the father?”

  She opened her mouth to speak but knew the words were impossible to find.

  “Is anything the matter Andrea?”

  They hadn’t noticed Alex approaching them.

  She stopped speaking as soon as she saw him and wondered if he had heard any of the conversation. Andrea had been trying to avoid such an encounter and now it was here there was nothing she could do about it.

  “Alex.”

  Andrea tried to keep her voice light but there was an audible tremor as she spoke.