When Fate Dictates

  “Aye, but how can you prove that? When Rose finds out she will know it was you that took it.”

  “How, Corran? How can she possibly know it was me? There are people in and out of that building all day long and it’s not exactly like she made any great effort to hide it.”

  “But I don’t think she showed it to anyone but us,” I argued.

  “That doesn’t mean that no one else knew it was there, now does it?”

  I sighed heavily in desperation. “Please, Simon, put it back. It’s just not worth it.”

  His eyes narrowed as he looked across the table at me.

  “To you maybe, but my blood father gave this to me when I turned twelve. It’s worth it to me, Corran.”

  “Simon, did you ask Rose when Angus is due back?”

  “Aye, I did, but she has no real idea. She said he is usually gone for months on end, so I don’t expect him back anytime soon.”

  “That is a good thing then?” I said, more in question than statement.

  “Aye, that is a good thing, because I have much to learn before he gets back. Make no mistake, Corran, I intend to take the man this time.”

  “If we have months before he comes back, doesn’t that mean that we might have enough time to figure out how to get back to our own world?”

  “Perhaps, lass, but even if I do figure it out, I have no intention of leaving this place until Angus is dead.”

  As I had expected, it did not take Rose long to discover the missing dirk and the following morning when we arrived for work she took us both to the counter and asked us plainly if we had any idea where it was.

  “No, sorry, Rose, I have not seen your dirk since you showed it to us yesterday. What did you do with it after you showed us?” Simon asked.

  I shot him a look of disgust as he continued to lead the poor girl in a merry dance around possible scenarios of where the missing dirk could be. He had been right those many years ago, when he had told me that to survive, he would lie, cheat and gamble. To my mind he was doing all three right now and as much as I hated to admit it, he was damn good at them. Sadly for Rose, though, his skills only took her further from the truth, until eventually he had her believing that she had misplaced the weapon herself. Gently consoling her he even managed to help her in the concoction of a story she could tell Angus in explanation of the whereabouts of the missing gift.

  ******

  CHAPTER 34

  Two months past and still there was no sign of Angus in the city and I had started to wonder if he was ever going to return.

  “I don’t suppose he could be dead, in our time?” I whispered.

  Simon raised his head from the book on the table, narrowing his eyes in consideration of my comment.

  “Aye, it is possible, I suppose, but unlikely, I think.”

  A pompous-looking woman, with glasses propped on the end of her nose, frowned disapprovingly at us.

  “I think we should whisper,” I said, quietly, “I don’t think we are allowed to talk in here.”

  “I’m okay with that,” he said, returning his attention to the book on the table in front of him. Since he discovered we could read books for free at the local library he'd insisted we both spend as much of our free time as we could researching what we'd missed in the last few hundred years.

  “What are you looking at?” I asked.

  “I thought you just suggested we should not talk?” he said, raising his head to meet my eyes.

  “Sorry, I just want to know what you are looking at.”

  “Then come and sit next to me,” he growled, shifting his eyes back to the book.

  I cast my eyes over the page he was reading. ‘The Magic of the Clan Campbell Crystal’ was clearly visible in bold black letters. A picture of a tiny oval crystal set in silver decorated the far right of the paper. I scanned my eyes over the smaller writing.

  “According to this, the crystal only has the power to bring soldiers safely home from battle.”

  “I can read, Corran, if you recall it was me who taught you!” he said, under his breath.

  “I’m only trying to help.”

  “Aye, but I am trying to concentrate and every time I start a sentence you interrupt. Besides which, you are going to get us thrown out of here just now with all the noise you are making.”

  “Well, excuse me for trying to help,” I shouted, realizing too late what I had done.

  An elderly woman bustled purposely toward us, her large hips swaying from side to side as she did.

  “May I just remind you that this is a public library,” she hissed in a practiced whisper. “If you two can’t keep the noise level down then I will have to ask you to leave...” Like an unstoppable horse, her voice droned and on until I thought I would slap her. The message had been clear with her first few words, but why she had to continue I couldn’t see. Simon ignored the woman, his eyes never straying from the page as he moved them frantically across the words.

  “Alright, I hear you,” I said, eventually sick of the sound of her voice, “I’m going,” I shouted, grabbing my coat off the back of my chair and making to leave. I had expected Simon to follow me, but he didn’t, and not wanting to start another scene, I pushed past the bossy old woman and headed for the door.

  The air outside was refreshing and cool and I breathed deeply as I congratulated myself on a well-executed escape from the stuffy confines of the building. The afternoon was young and I did not intend to waste what was left of our day mulling around the outside of the library waiting for Simon. Instead I decided to conduct my own research into the quality of the wines available in the various inns of York.

  Several hours later – and somewhat worse for my chosen activity – I made my way back to the banks of the river, where I hoped I might find Simon. The sun was falling in the sky and that glorious calm between day and night had swept over the city. I found a bench and sat watching the water as it sparkled in the late afternoon light. Some people on a boat waved and smiled at me as they sailed slowly past, and a duck squawked expectantly at my feet. My mind wandered to the day Simon and I had found Duncan on this very river bank and the pain of grief tore at my heart as I longed for the sight of our son. I wondered, sadly, if I would ever see him again and prayed silently that my God would keep him safe.

  I did not hear him behind me as he approached, nor did I feel it when he put his hand on my shoulder but then suddenly, I knew he was there and I knew who he was, but I turned, just the same.

  “Hello again,” he said, his dark blue eyes deep and dangerous. “How nice of you to travel so far,” he mocked, lifting his hand off my shoulders and coming to stand in front of me. I made to move, but his hand shot out and he grabbed my arm. “Oh, no you don’t. You are not going anywhere. Unless it is with me, that is,” he growled.

  “You can’t keep me here,” I shouted, “Simon will come looking for me.”

  “I’m counting on it. Oh and just so you don’t try anything stupid, the stag won’t come for you in this time.”

  ******

  CHAPTER 35

  “Get up,” he ordered, pulling hard on my arm.

  “Ouch, that hurts,” I said, tugging against him.

  “Then stop resisting and just get up. I don’t have time for nonsense.”

  “You can’t make me,” I shouted back.

  “Oh, I think you will find I can,” he growled dangerously, moving his free hand into his pocket. “Do you want me to use this?” he said, allowing me to see the knife in his hand.

  I had no wish to test his theory about the stag. Obligingly, I rose from the bench as he painfully twisted my arm behind my back. I could feel the sharp point of the knife in my back as he pushed me forwards.

  “You are hurting me,” I whispered.

  “Then walk. I am going to release you and you are going to hold my hand, like a lover. One false move, Corran, and I won’t hesitate to use this knife. Do you understand me?”

  I nodded fearfully, doing as he ordered. r />
  “Now smile and look like you are enjoying yourself.”

  We crossed the river and walked into the heart of the city. My legs felt weak and unstable as he pulled me along the cobbled streets.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked quietly.

  “To my flat.”

  “Don’t you think Simon will look for me there?”

  “Aye, he probably will, but unfortunately, he won’t find you there, because you are not stopping. I have a reputation to uphold in this city and I can do without any awkwardness to explain. Don’t worry, he will find you, eventually,” he said, laughing.

  “Can’t you just leave us alone?” I asked.

  “Sadly, no. Now enough chit-chat. This is my shop.” he said, slotting a key into a glass-paned door and pushing me through it. Night was falling fast and the light in the room was not good and I stumbled on something as he dragged me toward a door. Putting my hand out to steady myself, I felt something cold and hard beneath my fingers, and instinctively curled my hand over the object. “Go on, get up the stairs.” he said, slamming the door behind us.

  “I can’t see a thing, it’s too dark,” I protested.

  He released his hold on me and lifted his arm above my head. Swiftly, I slipped the object into the pocket of my trousers as a staircase lit up before me.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Just get up there,” he barked.

  At the top of the stairs was another door which he opened and pushed me through. A sterile, cold space greeted me as he flicked the light switch. There were no rugs, no cushions, and no curtains. The floor was a highly polished wood and on it stood a settee, a glass-topped table, a light wooden cabinet and a bookcase. The walls were a stark white with nothing but a large television mounted on it and from the ceiling hung a shiny steel lampshade with a single bulb in the middle. I scanned the books on the bookcase for clues about the man and then I spotted it, a tiny book with the title of ‘Highland Magic’.

  He let go of me and moved back toward the door, slipping a key into the lock he turned it. “Right, stay here,” he said, slipping the key into his pocket and heading toward another door. He opened it and disappeared through it. I moved as quickly as I could to the bookcase and slid the book into the inside pocket of my jacket. It was small, but I still had to fold it down the middle to get it in the pocket.

  “What are you doing?” he said, reappearing through the door.

  “Nothing,” I said, trying to hide the guilt from my face. “I was just looking at your books.”

  “Well don’t, they are none of your business.”

  He moved to the table and placed a single candle in its centre. I knew immediately what he was doing.

  “Where are you taking me?” I screamed hysterically.

  “Somewhere where you can’t give me any more grief. Now, come here,” he said, grabbing hold of my arm.

  “Leave me alone, damn you.”

  He lit a match and held it to the candle; a flame burst from the wick as he dropped the match and reached into his pocket. Still holding my arm, he set a tiny box onto the table, flipping its lid off with his thumb; he removed the oval crystal and held it to the light. This time I was ready and steadied myself as I watched the silver thread connect between the flame and the crystal. The room swam around me, faster and faster and I knew that we were leaving this place but I had no idea where he was taking me. Like a whirlwind, the air around us swam in an ever tightening circle until it stopped and my eyes focused on the face of my son, Duncan.

  “Duncan?”

  “Oh, didn’t I mention,” Angus laughed, “I have your son as well.”

  “Let him go!” I insisted.

  “Now why would I want to do that?” he said, still laughing.

  “Because when Simon finds out that you have kidnapped his son as well as his wife, he will kill you,” I said slowly and deliberately.

  “Oh, you think, do you woman?” he replied seriously, “Let me tell you what I think is going to happen shall I?”

  “And what makes you think I care what thoughts you have?” I spat.

  He smiled at me. “Because I am going to kill you and your husband and your son, oh, and this pathetic little mortal as well,” he said, pointing to Eilidh, who was crouched in a darkened corner of the room.

  “What time are we in?” I asked.

  “That is for me to know and for you to find out. Now, I have other things to do beside babysit you lot,” he said, removing a candle and match from his pocket. He backed away from us and set the candle on the floor, striking the match he held it to the wick. I moved toward him but before I could reach the candle he had whipped his knife out and had it pointed at me. “Don’t even think about it woman,” he growled, setting the crystal in the palm of his free hand and moving it slowly toward the light. Then there was loud noise and blaze of light and he was gone but the candle still burned gently in the corner of the room. I rushed toward it and blew it out, grabbing the box of matches he had thrown on the floor and slipping them into my coat pocket.

  “What are you doing ma?” Duncan asked.

  “Trying to save the candle before it burns away,” I said, turning to give my son a big hug, “Oh, Duncan and Eilidh, I am so sorry,” I said, trying to hold back tears from my eyes.

  “It’s not your fault, ma,” Duncan said.

  “How long have you been here?” I asked.

  “A couple of hours,” Eilidh replied.

  “I take it you have looked for a way out?” I asked, scanning the room for myself. “Well at least I can answer one question,” I said, running my hand along the floor. “See this rug?”

  Eilidh and Duncan nodded in unison. “Aye, what about it ma?”

  “It’s called a carpet and it most certainly comes for the time your pa and I were in. I don’t think Angus has moved us in time, just in location.”

  “Another time?” Eilidh said, wrinkling her nose in disbelief, “How can you move time?”

  “I don’t think it’s that you move time so much as that you move from one time to another. That is what happened to pa and me. The crystal somehow took us to a time a long way in the future from where we were and we have been there ever since.”

  “We thought you had died, ma,” Duncan said, quietly.

  “No, darling, your pa and I are still very much alive, but if we want to stay that way, then I think we need to start doing some serious thinking.”

  “What can we do?” Eilidh asked, moving to sit beside me on the cream woolen carpet.

  “Well the first thing we need to do is to figure out as much as we can about the place we are in.”

  “What do you mean ma? There is nothing to see but a tiny window, and there is not much to be seen out of it. I have tried, but all I can see are hills.”

  “Aye, well that is a good start. Could we be in Scotland?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know ma, we could be, but the window is so small that it’s hard to make anything out,” he said, moving his eye close to the glass.

  “The walls are stark white,” said Eilidh.

  I turned to face the girl. “Say that again?” I said.

  “Say what?” she said.

  “What you just said?” I shouted.

  “The walls are stark white,” she repeated.

  “That’s it!” I exclaimed, “This is not just a hiding place for him, this is his.”

  “Whose ma? I don’t follow you,” said Duncan, coming to sit beside me and Eilidh.

  “Angus, it’s his house. I have seen walls like this before, in his flat in York.”

  “In his what?” asked Duncan.

  “Flat. Oh sorry, it’s a kind of small house,” I said by way of simple explanation. “But that doesn’t matter. I am sure this room belongs to Angus, look at the carpets, stark, cold, sterile. The man’s house is the same.”

  “Sterile?” said Duncan and Eilidh together, “ma you are talking with words we don’t understand,” said Duncan.

/>   “Sorry darling. Sterile means clean, very clean. Now if this place belongs to Angus we can learn something about it. Think, both of you, of anything that could help us get out of here before your pa comes looking for us and Angus kills us all.”

  But we thought of nothing. The moon was rising high in the night sky as I squinted out of the tiny window, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would give me a clue as to our location. But there was nothing but the moon in a partially clouded sky. If Simon had been here, he could have told us exactly where we were, just by looking at the stars, but I didn’t share his gift for star gazing. The room felt as though it was growing smaller and hotter and I pulled at the collar of my blouse, trying to catch some air. My throat tightened and my heart raced as I felt the growing need to escape the confines of the room. I took a deep breath remembering what Simon had told me the night we hid from the Red Coats, but still my heart raced so fast I thought it would explode. I put my hand up to the glass and touched its cool surface, longing to claw my way through it. I breathed, a deep, desperate breath hoping that it would stop the racing of my heart and then I stopped and turned to see my son asleep on the floor next to Eilidh and I knew how we could escape this place.

  “Duncan, Eilidh, wake up,” I urged, running across the room toward them.

  Duncan sat bolt upright immediately, “Ma, what is it?”

  “It’s alright Duncan, nothing to panic over, but I know how we can get out of here.”

  Eilidh rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Has he come back?” she said, scanning the dark room with her eyes.

  “No, Eilidh, he’s not back, but I do know how we are going to get out of here.”

  “Go on then ma, tell us.”

  “Well do you reckon your pa and Angus spent a lot of time together when they were children?”

  “I guess they might have done,” said Duncan.

  “I think they definitely did and do you want to know why?”

  “Aye, ma, just tell us.”