She ran across the open in time to see him being dragged up to the gibbet, a second rope hanging down ready for his arrival.
“Glad you could join us,” the barefoot man said to Wallace as the rope was shoved around his neck. “I knew you’d make it in time. Where’s the key?”
“I do not have it.”
“Then you shall die beside your friend.” He waved a hand for the lever to be pulled.
“Stop,” Natalie shouted, waving her arms wildly as she reached the flat ground by the drawbridge. “I have the key. Don’t do this.”
The barefoot man nodded and the man by the lever stepped away. Wallace turned to look at her, his eyes bulging in the tightness of the noose. “Dinnae do this,” he shouted. “Get out of here while you can.”
The barefoot man punched him in the stomach, sending the air out of his lungs. “Shut your trap,” he snapped before turning back to Natalie. “Come on then, my girl. Let’s see the key.”
He had his eyes fixed on it as she brought it out, holding it high for all to see. He continued to stare at it, not noticing as she took hold of the dagger hidden in her waistband. She lunged for the barefoot man, the point of the blade aimed right at his heart.
He saw it at the last moment, dodging the blow and twisting his body so she stabbed only at empty air. With a yank of his hand he grabbed the key from her, stepping back and laughing wildly.
“I have it,” he shouted, the earth starting to rumble under his bare feet. “At last, I have the key.”
Natalie could barely stand, the ground was shaking so much. By the time she got upright, the ground was cracking, long jagged marks moving outward from the spot where the barefoot man stood.
The gibbet began to fall onto its side, the captain and Wallace fighting to stay upright.
“I have the key,” the barefoot man said, leaping into the hole that had appeared in the ground. He was gone from sight in an instant.
The other men were running for their lives, fleeing the gaping hole in the earth that continued to widen and lengthen.
Natalie had to fight to keep her balance as she made her way frantically to the gibbet. One end of it was falling into the hole.
Wallace and the captain were dying, the rope pulling tight on their necks. She thrust the dagger forward. It cut through the ropes as if they were butter. At once her companions were free.
“You must get home,” Wallace said, pulling the noose from his neck. “Before it’s too late.”
“He goes to free his father,” the captain said, his voice hoarse. “Scarlett told me this would happen.”
“Get out of here,” Wallace said, trying to push Natalie away. “Save yourself.”
“No,” she replied, looking over the edge into the abyss. As the ground shook again “We must stop him.”
“This is not your fight. You should go home.”
She shook her head, gripping the dagger tightly in her hand. “This is the answer,” she said. “It’s telling me to go down there.”
“You’ll be killed.”
She shrugged. “Then so be it.”
She took a step over the edge, finding a toehold in the crumbling earth, lowering herself down.
“Wait,” Wallace said, grabbing her shoulder.
“Don’t tell me not to. I’m doing this.”
Wallace ran and grabbed the rope from the gibbet, tossing it down into the hole. He tugged at the rope, checking it was secure before lowering himself down on it, abseiling the first few feet into the hole. “I was going to tell you I’m coming too.”
“So we go together?”
He nodded. She took his outstretched hand, grabbing onto him as he began to climb down into the pit.
“I’ll stay here,” the captain shouted down after them. “Make sure everything’s fine up here. In many ways mine is the more dangerous job of the two. This wind might knock me off my feet at any moment. Don’t you worry about me though. I’m made of stern stuff.”
His voice faded as Wallace and Natalie descended into the darkness of the ripped apart earth.
15
Wallace thought the rope might help them climb down to the bottom of the hole in the earth. It didn’t even come close.
He reached the end of it, glancing down to see only darkness. The sole source of light was a slight reddish yellow glow far below him.
“What now?” Natalie asked as they dangled from the end of the rope.
“Grab onto that,” he said, pointing to a jagged rock that stuck out from the side of the cliff edge. The rumblings of the earth had subsided but every now and then something shuddered, soil falling past them, clattering down into the depths.
“It must be an earthquake,” Natalie said, grabbing onto the rock before starting to clamber downward. “That’s the only possible explanation.”
“I dinnae ken what an earthquake is but I sense dark magic going on down here. What do you ken about that key of yours?”
“Nothing other than it clearly does some seriously weird things. Why?”
“I think we might be in serious trouble if we dinnae get it back from him with all haste.”
“What’s that?”
He looked down where she was nodding. The glow was getting brighter. “I think that’s the bottom of this. We’re almost there.”
They put on a fresh burst of speed. By the time they set foot on the ground, Wallace’s arms were aching from gripping the cliffside for so long. He could only marvel that Natalie had managed to hold on at all. They looked around them, the earth shifting and groaning as if at any moment it might snap shut and crush them both.
The glow was up ahead. Wallace listened. Footsteps.
“This way,” he said. “Follow me.”
He walked swiftly but silently, moving across clumps of earth interspersed with stones. Occasionally larger rocks blocked their way and they were forced to clamber over them. All the while the glow grew brighter, helping to illuminate their passage.
“I’m scared,” Natalie whispered as they paused to listen, hearing a growling and a thud coming from up ahead. The thud was too loud. “What’s that noise?”
“We will soon find out.” He turned a corner and then held up a hand to stop Natalie from moving forward.
Around the bend he could see the barefoot man, key in hand, making his way through a huge chamber, the glow bright enough to show the key was pointing toward something.
The glow was not coming from the key. It was coming from behind a door hewn into the very rock. As the barefoot man approached the door, there was another deafening thud from the other side, followed by a roar of anger.
“I have the key,” the barefoot man said. “Now you will praise me.” He went to push the key into the lock and as he did so, Wallace was filled with a sense of enormous dread. Whatever was behind that door must not get out. He knew it like he knew he was a MacGregor. Evil was trapped behind that door. It must remain trapped or they were all doomed.
“Wait,” Wallace shouted, stepping out into the open. He hurled his sword just as the barefoot man turned toward him. The sword flew through the air, landing in middle of the lock.
“You cannot stop me,” the barefoot man said, trying to pull the sword free. It was wedged deep, buried in the stone as if it were rotten wood. “I will free him.”
The thuds on the other side of the door grew louder, the chamber getting unbearably hot. Wallace took a step forward.
“I am a MacGregor,” he said, feeling someone else speaking through him. “Descendant of those who made the key that binds. I cannot let you do this.”
“You have no sword. How do you intend to stop me?”
“With these.” Wallace ran toward him, fists clenched. He swung his arm up and caught the barefoot man on the chin. His opponent fell back against the door, rewarded by another deafening thud from behind it. Someone was hammering at the stone, trying frantically to get out.
Wallace went to hit him again but this time the barefoot man was ready,
dipping to one side and landing a blow of his own, punching Wallace in the gut.
He lashed out with his right hand but his opponent was faster, hitting him again, ducking and diving, landing one blow after another.
Wallace staggered back, roaring as he thrust his foot upward, kicking the barefoot man in the chest.
The fight moved away from the door, the two of them falling to the floor of the chamber, rolling across the rocks, the two men snarling and cursing each other.
Wallace reached up to push the barefoot man off him. As he did so, two fingers pressed into his eye sockets. He roared with pain, shifting his head to one side, his vision blurring. As it came back he saw the barefoot man was holding a sword above his chest, about to plunge it down into his heart.
“Stop,” Natalie shouted. “Or I break this.”
The barefoot man looked across at her. Wallace blinked away the blurring of his vision, rubbing his eyes in time to see her holding up the silver key. She must have snatched it as the two of them were fighting.
“You cannot break that key,” the barefoot man said, laughing as he took a step toward her. “It is unbreakable.”
Natalie didn’t flinch as he approached. “Take another step and I do it. I destroy the key.”
“Do that and you’ll never get home.”
“A small price to pay.”
The barefoot man threw back his head and laughed. “Enough of your bluff. Go ahead, try and break it. See what happens.”
He watched as she placed the key on the nearest rock, lifting her dagger and bringing it down through the air.
The tip of the dagger struck the center of the key. At once the silver shattered like glass. The key crumbled away, the shards falling from the rock to the floor below.
The barefoot man screamed, the sound making Natalie wince. He ran toward the key, picking up the pieces, trying desperately to put them together. The earth shook uncontrollably and a howl from behind the door grew so loud Wallace could hear nothing else.
He ran for Natalie, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the chamber. “Come on,” he yelled over the roaring noise behind them. Together they ran to the nearest wall and began to climb.
The barefoot man didn’t even notice, he was too busy trying to put the key back together. “He’ll have a hard time,” Natalie shouted, showing Wallace a shard of silver in her palm. She tucked it into her pocket before reaching up, ascending the cliff edge as the two sides of the hole in the earth began to slide together.
“Quickly,” Wallace shouted, the noise fading below them, replaced by the rumbles and shakes of the earth. He looked up. The open air was too far away. They would never make it. They tried anyway, frantically scrambling up the cliff edge.
“It’s too far,” Natalie called down to him. “I can’t do it.”
“Yes, you can,” he lied. “Keep going.” He could only hope death when it came would be painless. “I need you to know something.”
“What?”
He almost slipped, losing grip of the cliffside for a moment, hanging by one hand before he was able to grab on again and resume climbing. The other side was getting closer. He would soon be able to reach out and touch it. “Scarlett was right. You were the thing I needed.”
“Is now the time for this? We’re about to get crushed to death.”
“I needed you to know. That’s all.”
The other wall was close enough to touch and still it got closer. Another few seconds and they’d be entombed. “Goodbye, Natalie,” he said, reaching up and squeezing her ankle.
“Goodbye, Wallace,” she replied. “I’m glad I met you.”
She looked down at him, closing her eyes. The wall got closer. It was over. They were about to die.
“Here!” a voice shouted from up above. He looked up in time to see a rope flying down toward them. “Grab on!”
He yelled at Natalie but she was ahead of him, already taking hold of the rope as it began to move upward. He held on for dear life as they scraped between the two sides of the hole which continued to narrow.
Five seconds later they were out in the open. Five more and the sides of the hole slammed together as if nothing had happened.
Wallace lay panting on his back, hardly able to believe they were alive. He looked up. There was the captain holding the other end of the rope. “Glad to see you,” he said. “Have fun down there?”
“We had a great time,” Natalie said. “Turns out I’m not a fan of caving.”
Once they’d recovered and were on their feet, Wallace looked up at MacCallister Castle. “Where is everyone?”
“Funny you should mention that,” the captain replied. “About two minutes ago they all just started running. Any idea why?”
“I think I can guess,” Natalie said, tossing the shard of silver to the captain. “Are we safe, Wallace?”
“I think so,” he replied, looking at the spot where the earth had opened up. “I think we’re all safe now.” He frowned, something suddenly occurring to him. “But how are you going to get home without the key?”
“I can answer that,” a woman’s voice said. From the drawbridge a figure emerged.
Wallace squinted. “Deirdre, is that you?”
“You did it,” Deirdre replied, coming over and slapping him on the shoulder. “I knew you would.” She turned to Natalie. “And as for you. Quite the surprise warrior, you are. Now I’m guessing you want to get home and the door is ready for you.”
Wallace thought about asking her how she could be so sure but chose not to. Some things were better off unknown. He followed Natalie into the castle, the captain and Deirdre bringing up the rear. The place seemed strange with no one inside.
“A ghost castle,” he said out loud, smiling sadly as he thought of how long he’d spent as the ghost in the castle.
They went into the keep and then down the stairs to the dungeon. The door to the cell was open. “All you have to do is walk in and walk out again,” Deirdre said.
“That simple?” Natalie asked, taking a step forward into the cell. Wallace followed close behind.
He’d barely set foot in there before the chains slid around his limbs like snakes on the attack. He fought them but they locked in place a second later, leaving him bound to the wall.
”Help him!” Natalie cried, grabbing the chains and tugging at them.
The witch shook her head. “I can do nothing against this magic.”
“Do not fear,” Wallace said with a sad smile. “Go home. Forget about me. You are safe. That’s all that matters.”
“I will not leave you to rot in here.” She began to cry, still trying to pull the manacle from his wrist.
“Stop,” he said, reaching up and cupping her face. “It will do no good.”
She blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks. “How can you just accept it? I can’t leave you like this.”
“Go home. Forget about me. Live your life.”
“I don’t want to live my life without you, Wallace.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No,” she said, glaring at him. “I don’t.”
He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. “I will never forget you,” he said, his heart racing as he embraced her again. “Go.”
“Is there nothing you can do?” Natalie asked, turning to Deirdre.
“This is a magic more powerful than mine,” she replied. “I am sorry.”
The captain coughed from the doorway. “Could I perhaps make a suggestion before this all gets a bit too pitiful?”
“What?” Natalie asked, looking hopefully up at him.
“You have a dagger that breaks unbreakable keys, do you not?”
Natalie frowned and then smiled as she realized.
“Perhaps it is not just keys it can break.” She turned to look at Wallace. “Do not move.”
“I dinnae intend to.”
She pulled out the dagger, raising it above her head and bringing it down like a sword on the chains. They broke
at once, crumbling to dust, leaving no sign that they ever existed. The knife fell apart a second later, shattering and falling like snow to the cell floor.
“The curse is broken,” Deirdre said, looking behind her. “That means…”
From the darkness a figure emerged where once there was only a skeleton. “Wallace?” the figure said, reaching a hand forward. “My boy?”
“Father!” Wallace replied, running and throwing his arms around him. “You’re alive.”
“Not for long if you keep crushing me like that. When did you get so strong?” Jock turned to face Natalie. “And who is this?”
“This is Natalie,” Wallace said. “Natalie MacCallister.”
If Jock was surprised by the surname he didn’t show it. “A pleasure to meet you, Natalie MacCallister,” he said, holding a hand out toward her. “Now I only have one more question.”
“What?” Natalie asked.
“How long have I been in this dungeon?”
“Too long,” Deirdre said, pulling her hair from her head. At once she looked different. Wallace marveled at the change in her appearance.
“Daisy?” Cam said, taking a step forward. “Is it really you?”
“Aye, my love,” she replied. “Hiding in plain sight like you made me promise.”
Wallace was shocked beyond words. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
“You’re his mother?” Natalie asked. “But why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because if you found out, the barefoot man would have found out and any chance we had for dealing with him would be gone. I’m sorry, Wallace. I had to leave you for your own safety. I was hunted and the only way to keep you safe was to leave you with others. It has hurt me every day since to know I missed your childhood. Forgive me but it had to be this way.”
She embraced her son, and he tried not to cry.
He almost managed it.
16
Natalie tapped Wallace on the shoulder. “Tell me what you hear through that door.”
He turned away from his parents and looked where she was pointing. “Nothing,” he said, wondering why she looked so shocked. “Why, what do you hear?”
The Key to Her Past: A Highlander Time Travel Romance (Clan MacGregor Book 4) Page 11
