I stared at her in amazement. “How did you know that? I had even forgotten I had it.”
“It is what guided the crystal to bring you here today, Corran. There is great magic in the heather you have, but use it wisely for it can easily be used to do the work of the devil. Now go child and be safe,” she said, ushering me from the room.
Giorsal did not follow me back into the cottage; instead she saw me to the door, touched my hand and kissed me in farewell. I could feel the dampness of her tears on her cheek and took her hand in mine. “We will do our best to bring your mother back to you, Giorsal.”
In the cottage, Simon and Duncan were huddled in a corner, the tiny book of ‘Highland Magic’, open in Simon’s hand.
“Where is Eilidh? I asked, scanning the room for her.
“Oh, she went outside to help with something,” Duncan replied.
“And you let her go on her own! Duncan, what could you be thinking?” I shouted turning on my heels to find the girl.
As it went, she was perfectly fine and I found her outside a cottage with another girl of about the same age, plucking some pheasants. I watched her from a distance for a while and noticed how at home she looked, here in this place that should have been foreign to her. But then I considered that this place was the most normality the girl had seen since Angus had turned her world upside down.
“Simon, it’s time to go.”
“Aye, Corran, that it is,” he said, placing the candle on the table. I took Duncan’s hand and held the crystal in the palm of my free hand.
“Do you know which York Angus wants us in?” I asked as Simon lit the match.
“No, but it doesn’t matter. The crystal will take us to him, regardless of which time he is in.”
“Ma, where is Eilidh?” Duncan asked as the flame connected with the wick.
“She is safe, Duncan,” I replied, as the silver thread connected with the crystal and the room spun around us.
I knew immediately where we were. The stark white walls and the cold polished floor unmistakably placed us in Angus’s flat.
“Before you ask, this is the York of the future and we are in Angus’s flat,” I whispered.
“Do you think he is here, now?” Duncan asked in hushed voice.
“I have no idea lad, but I am sure we will soon find out,” Simon replied.
The room was quiet and still, the only sound being that of our shoes as we moved slowly across the floor.
“I think if he was here we would have known by now,” I said. “But we should make sure that he hasn’t got Nansaidh here.”
Simon nodded and moved toward the door into the kitchen. “No, I don’t think he has her here,” he said, reappearing from through the doorway.
“She’s not in the bedroom either,” I said, shutting the door quietly behind me. “He wanted to get me out of this flat as soon as he could, so I can’t see why he would want to bring attention to himself by keeping Nansaidh here.”
“Where do you think he has taken her ma?”
“I don’t know Duncan but we have to find her.”
“Ma, why did you leave Eilidh behind?”
I put my hand out to touch him but he backed away. “Duncan, it would have been wrong to bring her here, into this world and the dangers we are about to face.”
“Aye, ma, I can’t argue with that, but it hurts to leave her.”
“I know it does, Duncan, but she is alive and is safe in her own time.”
“Come on you two,” Simon said, opening the door to the landing of the flat. “I want to find this girl before Angus has a chance to do her some harm.”
I stood in the shop and looked in horror at a portrait on the wall.
“Ma what is that picture of you and pa doing up there and who is that baby?” Duncan asked.
“It is you, lad, and that picture was painted just after we found you on the banks of the Ouse,” replied Simon.
“What is it doing in here?” Duncan asked.
“That is a very good question,” Simon said, moving his eyes around the room. “He certainly has some interesting things in here.”
“Pa, why has he got so many weapons?” Duncan asked, lightly touching a flintlock pistol which was mounted on the wall.
“Because he acquires them in our time and then brings them to the future to sell for a great profit,” replied Simon.
“I dare say he doesn’t mind too much how he acquires the merchandise either,” I said wondering how many lives he had destroyed over the years for personal gain. What should we do, Simon? Do you think we should go and look for him, or wait for him to come to us?”
He frowned, rubbing his hands roughly through his hair. “He knows we will come and he probably knows we are here already, so we might as well wait for him to come to us.”
“Simon, do you think he will bring Nansaidh?”
“No, I don’t. We will have to find her ourselves, but I have already tried that with the crystal already and it brought us here, to his flat.”
“Simon, she is here, she must be. If you used the crystal to find her and it brought us here, then here is where she is.”
“Do you see her?” he asked bluntly.
“No, you know I can’t see her any more than you can. All I am saying is that she is here, somewhere.”
“Perhaps, but the crystal took me to you when I was looking for Angus. It could be a trick.”
“I don’t think it is, Simon, I think she is here somewhere.”
“Alright, then let’s assume you are right. Where do we look?” he said, scanning his eyes over the dimly lit room.
“There is another door here,” said Duncan moving some crates.
Simon and I raced to his side, dragging at the crates and boxes to expose a previously hidden door. I tried the handle and it turned. I pushed gently and it moved an inch.
“It’s not locked,” I whispered.
“Aye, I can see that,” he muttered under his breath. “Get behind me, Corran,” he said, brushing his coat aside and pulling the new pistol from his belt.
Duncan pushed in behind his father, leaving me to tail. I put my hands out to feel my way in through the shadows of stacked boxes and objects. My heart raced and my hands trembled as we edged cautiously into the room. I heard a whimper and froze. Simon and Duncan froze too and then it was there again, the thin, high pitched sound of a smothered cry.
“Show yourself Angus,” Simon growled into the darkness of the room.
******
CHAPTER 38
“We meet again, little brother.”
“Aye, we do,” replied Simon with a deep and throaty voice.
“Are we to end it this time?” Angus demanded.
“We are, Angus, but I will fight you fair. Come out from behind the skirts of a woman. Let her go and we will end this like men,” Simon bellowed ferociously.
Angus laughed and the loud evil sound vibrated off the walls. “So you don’t know I have the lovely Rose as well?”
“Do you think it makes you tough, Angus, to hide behind women?”
“Oh no, Simon, it makes me smart. You see I know you, little brother, and you are weak. Weak with compassion and morals, you will not do anything that might harm these lasses.”
“Come out and face me like a man you pathetic coward,” Simon roared with rage.
“Give me your crystal and then I will let them go,” he said.
“Why? You have your own.”
“I do, but I want yours as well.”
“Take me,” I demanded, “in exchange for Nansaidh and Rose.”
Simon swung round to face me. “What are you doing woman? Be quiet.”
“I will take the lass in exchange for Rose, but not Nansaidh,” shouted Angus.
“No, Corran, don’t be such a fool,” Simon said, as I started walking toward Angus. Simon grabbed me as I made to pass him. “What are you doing? You are going to get yourself killed,” he whispered into my ear.
“Keep him talk
ing and trust me, Simon,” I whispered, moving past him and closer to Angus.
“Where are they?” I demanded of Angus.
The red-haired man grinned at me. “You really are quite pathetic if you thought for one second I was going to let either of them go. They are down there, on the floor in the corner,” he said. “Now, join them,” he boomed, waving his pistol at me.
I sank to the floor beside my old friend and Rose. “Shh, it’s okay, I am going to get you both out of here,” I said, hastily pulling the gags from their mouths and undoing the ropes around their hands. “Don’t make a sound, just do as I say,” I whispered, nervously peering over my shoulder. I was grateful to hear that Simon was doing as I had asked and had Angus very much distracted.
I slid my hands into my pocket and removed the tiny silver locket and pushed it into Nansaidh’s hand. “I don’t know how this works Nansaidh, but you need to take it back to Marta.”
“I know,” my friend said, nodding. “Marta said that one day you would give me the heather in the locket. I was to tell you that you would find it in the portrait.”
“What?” I asked.
“The portrait, she said you would know what she meant.”
“I don’t have a clue, but it doesn’t matter now, Nansaidh. Just take it, and this,” I said, pushing the oval crystal into her hand. “You are going home, my friend,” I said, quickly pulling the tiny stub of candle from my pocket and striking a match. “Move the crystal into the light, Nansaidh,” I whispered urgently as the flame caught the wick.
“Nooo... !” Angus bellowed, hearing my whisper. He swung around to see the lit candle. With his back to Simon and Duncan, he trained the gun steadily on Nansaidh.
“Give me that crystal,” he barked, tightening his finger on the trigger.
An almightily crash of thunder hit the room as the silver thread connected with the tiny flame. Angus squeezed the trigger as he ran toward the candle, throwing himself on the flame. The bullet went wide. Simon and Duncan closed in behind him, their own pistols trained on Angus’s back. I slipped my hand into the pocket of my skirt and withdrew the dirk. Moving swiftly, I darted behind Angus. Raising the blade above my head and with the force of derangement I drove the dirk sideways, through his ribcage and into his lungs. He jerked and stumbled, then slumped heavily forwards, his body pounding to the ground.
I stood frozen, my hands curled as if still clutching the dirk. Simon was behind me, his arms closing around me.
“It’s over, Corran,” Simon whispered gently.
I stared in shock at the figure before me, the handle of the dirk protruding grotesquely from his back and then I turned to look for Nansaidh, but she had gone; the crystal had taken her home. I cast my eyes over to Rose, crouched in the darkened corner, her eyes fixed in terror on Angus’s body. I stared as my son moved around me, to kneel in front of the frightened girl, his arms drawing her gently into his protective embrace.
“Are you sure he’s dead?” I whispered, as my husband held me tightly.
“Aye, he is dead, Corran.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Duncan asked, helping Rose to her feet.
I moved away from Simon and knelt in front of the body. Heaving him onto his side, I opened the flap of his jacket and rummaged through the pocket, eventually withdrawing the box that held his crystal.
“We light that candle again and send him to hell.”
“If we do, Corran, there will be no way to get back to our time,” Simon said, lifting the candle from the floor.
“Then I suppose we will just have to live in this world,” I said, taking the candle from Simon.
“Are you sure about that, Corran?” he asked.
“Oh yes, I am sure.”
“And you, Duncan? Are you prepared to live your days out in this new world?” Simon asked.
I watched as our son cast a brief glance at Rose. “I think I could be persuaded,” he said.
“Right, well if we are all agreed, then light the candle, Corran, and let’s get rid of him once and for all.”
“Before we do, Simon,” I said, lifting my head to look up into his eyes. “I need to tell you something.”
He raised his eyebrows in question. “Oh, aye, what would that be?”
“It won’t just be you, me and Duncan, living in this new world.”
“Won’t it?” he asked.
“No, Simon, it won’t. I’m pregnant.”
******
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Marshall is the writing alter ego of a lady born in St Mary’s Hospital, at the Marianhill Monastery, in the province of Natal, South Africa and was brought up in a small, rural Natal village surrounded by a large Scottish farming family.
Her primary education was delivered by Nuns from the Monastery in which she was born. Through secondary school and into adulthood, Elizabeth’s life centered on a love of reading, music, writing and history.
After Elizabeth married she settled in the UK with her husband. She has worked at the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in England, Nottingham Social Services in England and is currently a Director of an IT Project Management Consultancy.
Elizabeth lives in the city of York, England with her husband and children. She spends her spare time with her head in a book or her fingers on the keyboard writing one.
‘When Fate Dictates’ is book one in the ‘Highland Secret’ series.
Book two of the series is called ‘Beyond Time’ and the third is ‘Entwined’ both of which are due for release soon.
Elizabeth Marshall is a regular contributor on www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051445.Elizabeth_Marshall
Find Elizabeth Marshall online.
Website: www.elizabethmarshallwrites.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@em_writes
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emwrites
Email:
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Elizabeth Marshall, When Fate Dictates
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