“’Tis good to see yer everything I’d hoped ye’d be,” his eyes remained unwavering, “Adlin MacLomain.”
Adlin loosened his grip a fraction more. “Who are ye? How do ye know me?”
“How does anyone know the infamous Adlin MacLomain?” The man’s words were as assessing as his hard gaze. “Though ‘tis hard to believe ye’ve yet to figure it out, my name is Andrew Moray and yer just the lad I’ve been waiting for.”
Strangely enough, the second the man admitted who he was, Adlin could sense it clearly. He pulled his hand away, upset he had nearly killed someone so important to their cause. “Why not say who ye were right away? Why play these games?”
“Need ye ask in these changin’ times?” Moray’s eyes went to the man who had been speaking on his behalf, likely his first-in-command. “Send word then gather the others and bring them back to camp.”
“Send word to who?” Graham asked, his blade still at the ready.
“Stand down, Cousin,” Adlin said. “We’re amongst allies.”
“I look forward to speaking with ye later, Adlin, but for now I’ve things to attend to,” Moray said. “My men will see ye back.”
Then he strode into the forest without another word.
Though a commander, Moray was known to be more hands on when it came to battles. It was said he would go off alone for hours and contemplate the land upon which he would be warring. What strategy was best. Which, naturally, made Adlin wonder how close to September eleventh it might be.
Graham lowered his sword but remained near Mildred. Adlin stepped close, cupped the side of her neck, stroked a finger across where Moray’s blade had been and made sure her eyes were with his. “Are you all right, Mildred?”
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Just...was that really him? Did Andrew Moray just hold a blade to my neck?”
“Aye,” he murmured before he rested his forehead against hers. “Welcome to history, lass.”
For a split second her hands rested against his chest. It had been something she did in their previous life. A way to, “Put my hands on you so you won’t vanish again,” she used to say in those precious moments they had toward the end. They might have been old, but when their eyes met, she was young again and lying beneath him in a meadow at the foot of one of his Highland Defiances.
As it had been back then, their moments were equally fleeting now as he pulled away and tried to figure out who was with him and who wasn’t. As he suspected, outside of being able to lay eyes on MacLeod, all had traveled with them except the one person he needed most.
Grant.
Yet if his mentor were here now, he would tell him to improvise and come up with a new plan. Know that he could handle it. And he could.
“Where is Bryce?” Adlin asked Graham who was determined to stay with Mildred until she was safely wherever they were heading. He well understood given the time frame and where he figured they must be.
“He thought he saw something when we arrived,” Blair said, striding alongside. “So he’s gone to investigate.”
“Here?” Adlin frowned. “Now?”
“’Tis Bryce,” Conall muttered, not far off. “What do you expect?”
They might all hold positions of power in one way or another, but they had all been bairns together, so Adlin understood what Conall meant. When he was young, if Bryce’s dragon had been caught by curiosity, he could go missing for days. Though it was hard to know if he was so heavily controlled by his inner beast now, it was worth noting. Especially considering where they were.
When his eyes met Aðísla’s, she shook her head once and looked away. That meant two things. Don’t speak within the mind and do not send anyone after Bryce. There were scant few of them and times were especially dangerous. More than that, they knew who Adlin was almost as if they expected him.
And that was not part of any vision she had.
Daughter of Valan Hamilton and Meyla Sigdir, more so, granddaughter to former Viking King, Naðr Véurr Sigdir, he trusted her without question. She was here to assist him of her own accord despite the fact there might be a way back to her people.
Her love for Adlin was absolute as was his for her.
Just not in the way they had led Mildred to believe.
“So where exactly are we?” Mildred murmured, never letting go of his hand once he took hers. “Obviously Scotland, but I’m guessing a different era.” Her eyes went to Adlin’s. “Tell me the truth. Did you shift me through time without my permission? Without giving me a few more moments to process everything and decide on my own?”
“Nay.” He shook his head and steered her a little closer. “I would never do that nor would Grant.” His eyes stayed with hers. “Never. You need to believe that, Mildred.”
Her brows shot up. “You understand that might be difficult considering how you whipped me back in time to begin with without my permission. Not the best foundation for trust.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “Fair enough, lass.” He grew deadly serious as their eyes held. “But rest assured, I wouldnae have forced you to come here. Not if you didnae want to.”
“Here.” Her gaze drifted to the path ahead. “So we are here. Near where so much happened...” Her eyes shot to his again. “Is going to happen.”
Adlin steered her even closer and whispered in her ear, “Aye, we’re close but ‘tis probably not good to talk about it, aye?”
Mildred’s eyes shifted left and right, taking in the men walking with them. Moray’s men. She nodded but said nothing more as they continued. As soon as her finicky ring got things straight, they would be able to speak within the mind more. While he could say things to her here and there, it couldn’t compare to how he knew it would feel once she could speak to him more readily.
What he conveniently pushed to the back of his mind as they traveled was the fact her ring’s gem was acting peculiar. That it was still glistening brown. Not a good or bad shade, just an unexplainable one. What if by some strange stroke of Fate, Mildred wasn’t really his? That she was meant to be with someone else?
“What if’s dinnae get ye anywhere lad,” Grant would have said. “Just more deeply into yer own mind where ‘tis a toss-up whether ye’ll only find yer own insecure answers or some abstract truth ye yerself created.”
He thought at the time that Grant was an over thinker but now upon reflection, the words held a grain of truth. Had Grant been here he would have nodded, grinned and said, “Aye, of course, they do. My mentor taught them to me after all.”
They only took a few more steps before he heard a sound that most would think was a bird. Then he heard another, more persistent this time. Those were a warning.
Seconds later a band of men came out of nowhere.
“Stay behind me, lass,” he warned Mildred as he and his cousins pulled their swords free. While not a large band, these men were English and fiercer fighters than Adlin anticipated as his blade met another’s. He never traveled far from Mildred as they crossed blades several times before he side kicked the man in the gut. As the enemy buckled forward, Adlin swiped his blade across his throat and ended it.
When he heard Mildred gasp, he spun and intercepted a man heading her way as Conall blocked another. The fool wore too much armor. Not only did it slow him down but cost him his life when Adlin was able to get behind him and snap his neck. After that, the fighting was furious but brief as the last man fell beneath Blair’s blade.
“Bloody Sassenach,” Moray’s man muttered as he wiped the blood off his blade then sheathed it. “There have been too many bands of them as of late.” He scanned the forest and frowned. “Come, let’s go.” He led them in a slightly different direction. “Where there are some there are bound to be more so we’ll take an indirect route until I know they’ve lost our trail.”
Though tempted to use magic, Adlin had been damn foolish to have used it already. They didn’t know what they were up against and how powerful their enemy really was. If he were to guess, this ambush hap
pened in direct response to him using magic when they arrived.
Mildred might be trembling, but he was impressed by the calm look of determination in her eyes. As in her previous life, she wasn’t prone to antics or extreme anxiety, and he could only be grateful. Especially considering what she had just witnessed.
“This way.” Their leader ducked into a cave hidden behind a cluster of bushes. “Dinnae talk or create light of any kind. ‘Twill draw unwanted attention.”
Soon after, they began traveling through a vast network of caves. Adlin stayed in front of Mildred and held her hand while Graham took up position behind her. Bryce, for all he vowed to keep his eyes on Mildred, was still nowhere to be found. What had distracted him so? Because this was odd even for his dragon.
It was a tricky journey in darkness, but Mildred remained calm. He was glad she had the fur cloak to keep her warm and wore boots not shoes. Eventually, they came to an entrance and made their way through a dimly lit forest. Not only was it late in the day, but storm clouds gathered.
Soon enough clicks and bird sounds echoed through the trees, and he knew they were close. Less than ten minutes later, they arrived at a vast encampment hidden well by mountains. The air smelled of wood smoke and damp pine. The sound of blades being sharpened and crackling fires mingled with low voices and random grunts of passion from tents. There could be no doubt based on the amount of weaponry on scene that these men were heading to war.
Moray’s man looked at Adlin’s kin. “My men will see ye fed and lodged.” His eyes went to Adlin and Mildred. “Ye come with me.”
Adlin nodded to his kin to let them know that it was all right and kept Mildred’s hand in his as they made their way past endless tents. As expected, men eyed her with interest but were smart enough to look away when Adlin rested his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade and made it clear she was his. If nothing else could be said, these men were facing death any day now, and that made a lass the likes of Mildred look like gold.
As he suspected, they stopped at one of the larger tents where Moray’s man ordered them to wait before he ducked inside. Moments later, another man stepped out. As tall as Adlin and looking well, he grinned and shook hands.
“Adlin MacLomain, ‘tis bloody good to see ye, old friend.”
“Aye, ye as well.” He put his hand on the small of his lass’s back to keep her steady. “William, meet Mildred.” He gestured at the man. “Mildred, William Wallace.”
He didn’t think Mildred’s eyes could possibly get any rounder as she stared at him.
“’Tis nice to meet ye, lassie.” He bowed and kissed the back of her hand before his eyes lingered on her ring. “Ye better watch the glow of that in these parts, Mildred. A bauble like that could attract unwanted attention.”
Adlin swore his heart stopped beating altogether as he looked at her ring. Was he seeing correctly? It could not be possible. Yet it seemed Mildred saw the same thing because her words were a squeaked whisper.
“Oh, dear God, you’re William Wallace.” She looked from the ring to his face. “And your eyes match my gem.”
Chapter Seven
6 September 1297
Just north of Sterling, Scotland
THERE WERE DOZENS OF things she might have imagined saying to the infamous William Wallace the first time she met him, but not this. Not that her gem matched his eyes. Holy hell, what did this mean? Based on his frown it seemed Adlin was just as perplexed as they followed William into his tent.
She had to admit William was not what she expected. If anything, he was more handsome than anticipated with rich brown hair, a light beard, and warm brown eyes. Somewhere in his late twenties, he wasn’t as attractive as Adlin, but he was in good shape and definitely possessed a certain sex appeal that must translate to most women.
“Sit. Please.” He gestured to two chairs at a round table he used for a desk based on the crude maps scattered about. “All I have is whisky. Will that do, Mildred?”
“Call me Milly.” She smiled and nodded. “Whisky’s fine, thank you.”
William handed her and Adlin a cup then sat across from them. His eyes lingered on Milly for a moment before they landed firmly on Adlin. “So what brings ye my way at such a crucial time, friend? Not only with several of yer own kin but a wee foreign lass the likes I havenae come across in years.”
That’s right. William had met Cassie and her friends, hadn’t he? So he had been around twenty-first century women before.
“Fate, it seems.” Adlin took a swig of whisky then seemed to measure his response. “We’re here to help you in your endeavor, William.”
Milly was surprised he did not address William as sir but then, when was William made a knight? She could not quite remember. Obviously not yet because she couldn’t imagine Adlin not addressing his countryman with his proper title. Then again, his countryman appeared to be Milly’s one true love based on her ring. Which seemed strange considering who William was and that she had only just met him. But then she supposed the same could be said about Adlin.
“Fate, ye say?” William’s eyes went to Milly again. “Would that be why I have a lass from the future in my tent days before I go to war?” His eyes fell to her ring. “And why that bauble seems to upset ye so, Adlin.” One brow rose as his steady eyes met Adlin’s. “Because ‘tis a rare day I dinnae see a smile on yer face or at least humor in yer eyes. Or so ‘twas the case with the Adlin I remember.”
“Aye, ‘twas a different Adlin in a different life,” Adlin reminded. “At least for me.” He sighed. “And is it really so surprising I can find little humor when you and my countrymen ride to battle? Because I know what you are planning, William.”
“Somehow that doesnae surprise me.” His eyes fell to the maps in front of him. “I’ve a good feeling about this though.” He tapped his finger on a location. “Mark my words, a few days from now right here on the River Forth we will defeat those Sassenach bastards as well as any Welsh or traitorous Scots they have with them.” William’s eyes narrowed on Adlin. “Tell me I am wrong, wizard.”
“I cannae tell you anything about the future, and well you know it.” Adlin unsheathed a dagger and laid it on the table. “What I can tell you is that you’ve my blade and those of some of the best warriors I know at your back. We’ll lay down our lives for you and our country, Wallace. Never doubt that.”
“I dinnae,” William acknowledged as a wry grin tugged at his lips. “But ye cannae blame me for trying to see how that might go, aye?”
“Nay, I suppose not.” When Adlin, at last, managed a small smile, Milly was surprised by her reaction. The unexpected happiness it brought her. William was right. It was unnatural for Adlin to be down and it seemed on some level, she realized that.
Recognized it.
There was that feeling again. Like a memory or maybe several hovered just out of reach. A moment shared with Adlin. The humor he always offered. The way he made her laugh.
“So ye are here to help and ‘tis much appreciated,” William continued as his eyes again went between her and Adlin. “But I’ve something I need to know.”
Adlin’s brows perked. “Aye?”
“Aye.” William wore an assessing look that bespoke intelligence. “If ye’ve no mind to me being blunt, I well remember a group of time travelers from my youth that wore rings similar to Milly’s.” His eyes held Adlin’s. “Why does her gem match my eyes? Because as I recall there was romance involved when it came to the stone in the rings, aye?”
Milly glanced at Adlin, damn curious how he intended to handle this.
“Aye.” Adlin was back to scowling and his brogue, in accordance, was thickening. “I think ye well know what those rings were about, William. Ye were a sharp youth with a good eye.” Adlin took another swig of whisky and muttered, “A good eye toward lasses it seems.”
Amusement flickered in William’s eyes. “Can ye blame me? I was young but beauty’s beauty, aye?” He looked at Milly. “And it seems the future holds muc
h of that.”
She knew she was blushing. It wasn’t every day an infamous man all but told her she was beautiful and if she wasn’t mistaken by the warmth in his eyes, not opposed in the least by what the ring might mean.
Adlin cleared his throat and started tapping his finger on the side of his cup as his eyes flickered between them and his frown deepened. Though he did not seem to be threatened by any other men, his cousins included, William Wallace might just give him a run for his money.
“Will he then, lass?” floated through her mind.
Her eyes shot to Adlin. He had just spoken telepathically, hadn’t he? He was not looking at her but focused on William as he said, “I would like to hear of your battle strategy. What you have planned.” Adlin eyed the maps. “Mayhap you can have one of the lasses I came with fetch Mildred and see that she’s properly cared for as I cannae imagine she’s interested in this.”
Oh, really? Not impressed, she rounded her eyes at him. “Did you just request that someone come fetch me?” He started to respond, but she narrowed her eyes and cut him off. “Because I’m not really the sort to be fetched, Adlin.” Before he could get a word in edgewise, she turned her attention to William. “I know we’re not in a day and age where you’d let a woman sit in on this, but I’d absolutely love to hear about your battle strategy, William.” She dished out a special smile she reserved for single male clients back home and even batted her lashes for good measure. “In fact, I’d be honored.”
Adlin’s eyes narrowed on her as William smiled and nodded, charm in his voice when he replied. “Actually, I’ve always preferred a lass or two around for council. I find ye wiser than most.”
“Wonderful.” She grinned and perked her brows at Adlin. “So it seems I’ll be sticking around after all.”
Though he was still scowling, she didn’t miss the spark of amusement in his eyes. He might be frustrated with what was happening, but he still appreciated her sass.
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