Entwined

  “I don’t know. Let me take a closer look at her.”

  The space around the mattress cleared and Graham dropped to his knees beside Corran.

  “Can someone move the crib, please?”

  “Thank you, Robert,” Graham said, as he stepped forward and lifted the drawer from the floor to clear maximum space around the patient’s bedside.

  “Corran, can you hear me?” Graham said firmly.

  Her eyes flickered but didn’t open.

  “Corran,” he repeated, raising his voice.

  She didn’t respond.

  “How long has she been like this?” he asked, turning to Rose.

  “About fifteen minutes.”

  “I’m going to give her another shot of penicillin,” Graham said, removing a syringe and vial from his bag. “Rose, I need another line setting up.”

  “I’m on it. Where can I find it all?”

  Graham nodded in the direction of some white boxes. “Everything we need is in those boxes.”

  “Excellent.”

  “How much further is this village?”

  “A long way, Graham,” replied Simon.

  “Then I suggest you get back in the cab and leave me here to look after Corran. The sooner we reach this damn village the better,” Graham replied, filling the syringe and injecting its contents into Corran’s arm.

  “I don’t want to leave her,” Simon whispered.

  “Look, mate, I’ll be honest with you. She’s not in a good way. But there really is nothing you can do sitting here fretting about her. What she needs is a hospital, failing that it would really help if she were somewhere clean, warm, and dry. So, go and drive this lorry, Simon, and bring this bloody journey to an end.”

  Simon nodded slowly, lowering his eyes to his wife’s pale, sunken cheeks. “Don’t leave me, Corran,” he breathed softly, before kneeling to kiss her gently on the forehead. “Look after her, Doctor,” he said, standing to tower over Graham. “Robert, you’re with me,” he snarled, turning to leave the lorry.

  “Simon?” Grace called with an urgent tone to her voice.

  He stopped and turned to face her.

  “Where is Duncan?” she asked softly, almost as if she were afraid to ask.

  “He’s gone, Grace.”

  “Gone?” she said wide eyed. “I thought he’d taken Amber to sit in the front cab with you.”

  “No, he’s gone to find Eilidh,” Simon said, turning sharply and leaving.

  As the doors slammed closed behind Simon, Grace turned to Graham.

  “Please tell me what happened?”

  “I will, Grace, just as soon as I’ve seen to Corran.”

  ******

  CHAPTER 28

  Scottish Borders, Ellem Farm - 21st December, Modern Day

  An owl hooted to his left as the outline of an old building emerged before him. His eyes traveled slowly to the sound. He sucked in a short, shocked gasp as his look focused on the silhouette of a towering oak tree. He knew immediately where he was.

  Duncan leaned back against an old stone wall, hiding in the shadows of the moonlight. Amber crouched beside him, her eyes sharp and alert.

  “The bloody gate’s locked,” he growled, taking a few steps back before launching himself at the wall. With both hands he grabbed the top and anchored his feet in a crevice between some stones.

  “Come on, girl,” he whispered to the dog. “You can clear this,” he said, using his arms to swing himself over the wall.

  Landing on his haunches he quickly straightened and ducked back into the shadows. Seconds later the dog flew silently over his head.

  Through what had once been the kitchen window he caught a glimpse of a figure. It turned to face the window and he leaned quickly back against the wall. His eyes went over the shape, studying its outline, squinting against the darkness until recognition dawned. His whole body trembled, his fists clenched, and his teeth gritted as he fought the urge to slay the woman there and then.

  “First, we are going to find Eilidh and then we will get rid of this pitiful excuse for a human being,” he whispered to Amber.

  Eilidh lay alone and sleepless, curled up against the cold night on the hard floor of the ancient cottage. Staring at the crack in the door, she guessed it was a full moon and wished she could see its silver glow just one more time. With a groan she straightened and pushed herself up from the floor. Her tongue flicked desperately over her lips, tasting the salty tears from her eyes. The sound of the river grew in her ears and she swallowed hard, hoping to clear the dryness in her mouth. Her chin quivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She craved water and she needed warmth. She knew she would get neither. The truth hurt. More than she wished it did, but there was nothing she could do to change what was coming, although she silently prayed that there was.

  “Find her for me, Amber,” Duncan whispered, as they rounded the old house and headed up towards the workers’ cottages.

  The dog obligingly lowered her head and dropped her nose to the ground. They walked on in silence, hiding in the shadows of the night until Amber came to a frenzied, tail-wagging stop outside the door of a ruined cottage. Duncan remembered the home and its inhabitants well. For a moment he paused, his mind filling with long forgotten memories. Amber’s nose nuzzled his calf and she gave a low whimper.

  Duncan raised his hand to his lips. “Shh,” he whispered, leaning back against the cover of a wall.

  He moved his hand slowly over the door, feeling for the catch. It was latched but not locked. Slowly and silently he freed the latch before cautiously edging the door open an inch at a time. Eilidh gasped as the room filled with moonlight. Amber pounced, knocking her to the floor. She squinted her eyes as they fought to adjust to the light and gave a faint cry as a shadowy figure moved slowly towards her.

  “Eilidh, it’s me.”

  “Duncan! What are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “Well that’s a fine welcome.”

  “Seriously, you shouldn’t have come.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you can’t help me.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” he said, snapping his arms from his coat. “Here, put this on.”

  They stood still, without speaking for a few moments, then Duncan threw his arms open and pulled Eilidh tightly against him.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “Then go back,” she said, choking back a sob.

  “No.”

  “You can’t help me, Duncan.”

  “We can use the crystal and rejoin the lorry.”

  She shook her head sadly. “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Shannon will follow me.”

  Duncan’s head snapped to the door as Amber gave a deep throated growl.

  “Shh,” he breathed, taking two silent steps to the open doorway.

  Amber crouched, her teeth bared and her ears pricked.

  A rat scurried across the floor in front of them and Eilidh crouched to grab Amber’s collar before she could give chase.

  “No girl, leave it,” she said, as the dog tugged against her restraint.

  “We’ve got to get away from here,” Duncan whispered.

  “There’s nowhere for me to run to. I told you, she will find me, no matter where I go.”

  “Only ‘til midnight,” Duncan hissed.

  “After that it won’t matter either way.”

  “But it will, Eilidh.”

  “No, it won’t. When the Stag dies the magic of the Highlands dies with it. At least until your little brother is old enough to use the power he has been born with.”

  “Yes, I know and if we aren’t in the village, protected by the collection of pendants and the heather we are going to be thrown back to our own times.”

  Eilidh nodded slowly. “And the crystals won’t work, Duncan. I know what you are thinking, but it’s not possible. I told you, when the Stag dies, so does the magic. We will be stuck in the 18th Century.”
>
  “But don’t you see, Eilidh? We will be back in our own time, here on the farm, together.”

  “With Shannon.”

  “Not if I get rid of her.”

  “Duncan, you don’t understand. There is no point killing Shannon. It’s bigger than her, bigger than all of us. We will spend the rest of our lives hiding from the Dark Circle.”

  “They won’t have magic either. Come on, Eilidh! Fight with me, God dammit woman. We aren’t beat yet.”

  “Go back, Duncan, while you still can.”

  “No. I won’t, not without you.”

  “Please -” she whispered.

  “No.”

  “Why? You have a chance at a life if you go now. I’ve fought so hard to give you that chance, don’t waste it on me.”

  “I don’t consider it a wasted chance.”

  “It is,” she said simply.

  “Eilidh, look at me,” he said, turning her face gently towards him. “I can’t and won’t leave you. I almost lost you once; I’m not doing it again. Either we leave together, or not at all.”

  “You don’t even know what time we are in,” she argued.

  “Don’t I?” he replied with an arch of his brow.

  “Well do you?” Eilidh asked quietly.

  “I have a suspicion. I can tell you for sure that it’s not the same year as we left. The old oak tree in the paddock has a fair few hundred years’ growth and this cottage isn’t exactly newly built. It can’t have been more than fifteen years old when I last saw it. If I had to guess, I’d say we haven’t moved in time.”

  “You are right, Duncan. We haven’t changed time, yet. But if you stay here you will,” Eilidh said.

  “Does Shannon know what will happen at midnight?” Duncan asked.

  Eilidh shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Good. We just have to lie low until midnight and then we can leave here without trace.”

  “But we have nowhere to go, Duncan.”

  “Actually, we do.”

  Eilidh shivered and pulled the coat tighter around her.

  “Are you warm enough?” she asked casting her eyes over Duncan’s thin sweatshirt.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Do you think we could get to the river without being seen?” Eilidh said.

  “I should think so. Why?”

  “I’m thirsty,” she said softly.

  “Why didn’t you say?”

  She shrugged. “It seemed more important to get you back to the lorry but seeing as how you are refusing to go, I would quite like to have something to drink.”

  His teeth shone white in the moonlight as his face broke into a gentle smile.

  “Well at least we seem to have reached an understanding on that point.”

  “No. I still think you should go back, but I’m tired and thirsty and if you won’t go, I can’t make you.”

  He slid his bag off his shoulder and caught it in his hand.

  “Here, drink this,” he said, handing her a plastic bottle of water.

  She drained the bottle without pause.

  “You weren’t kidding. How long is it since you last had a drink?”

  “Before we left York.”

  “You silly girl,” he said, taking the empty bottle off her and throwing it back in his bag. “Why didn’t you have a drink in the van?”

  She smiled shyly. “Because I was worried about needing the toilet.”

  “Well I shouldn’t think that will be a problem out here,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.

  “I’m scared, Duncan,” she said, quietly voicing what she almost dare not to think.

  “I know, Eilidh, so am I,” he replied, tightening his grip on her.

  For so long she had prepared herself for this night, so long she had been sure she could and would give her life for her friends, but now, now that Duncan was here with her things were different. She had the added responsibility of his life in her hands and she feared losing him. She wasn’t sure she could give her life so freely any longer. He had changed everything by coming here because she loved him and wanted to be with him.

  “Have you any thoughts on what we should do now?” she asked.

  He sighed and released her gently.

  “We need to get out of this cottage. When midnight strikes it won’t be a deserted ruined cottage anymore,” he gave a stifled laugh. “Can you imagine Jean’s reaction if she woke up and found us standing here?”

  Eilidh smiled. “She’d probably take a broom handle to our backsides and tell us to get back to our beds.”

  Duncan laughed softly, his eyes moving slowly over the ruined remains of his friends’ home.

  “Don’t you think it’s sad?”

  “What’s that?” Eilidh replied.

  “This place,” he said, raising his eyebrows and swinging his head. “It’s sad to see what time has made of it,” he paused, tapping his finger impatiently on the side of his thigh. He didn’t feel comfortable being there, in the cottage. It struck him as disrespectful, a violation of the privacy of those who had lived and loved here. What made this feeling worse was the fact that those people had been his friends. Although just an empty space now, he could still feel the warmth of the wood fire with its black iron cooking pot suspended above. In his mind’s eye he could see Jean’s well-worn knitting basket, and Alex’s pewter ale mug hanging on a hook above a large oak chest in the corner of the room and, their most valuable possession, the Bible with its worn leather binding and discolored pages, carefully placed on a small table beside Alex’s chair.

  Duncan shook his head, as if to clear the image.

  “What do you make of time travel?”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

  “Would you choose to travel just to discover what had become of a place?”

  Eilidh shook her head slowly and skewed her lips. “No, Duncan, I most certainly would not.”

  His eyes traveled once more over the dusty cottage. “No, nor would I.”

  They were silent for a moment, both lost in memories of the past and concern for the future.

  “We need to find somewhere to hide for the next few hours,” Duncan said, pausing thoughtfully as his eyes followed Amber. She had picked up the scent of yet another rodent and was frantically sniffing the ground in pursuit of it. Eilidh followed his eyes and moved to crouch beside Amber, slipping her fingers through the dog’s collar and running her hand affectionately over her back.

  “I know it’s hard, Pudding, but I can’t let you give chase, not now.”

  “Tell me how the crystal works,” Duncan asked eventually.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well I want to know if you can leave this building without Shannon knowing.”

  “She will only know that I have moved if we go any distance.”

  “So if you were to, say, walk into the house – would the crystal alert her to your movements?”

  Eilidh shook her head. “No, I very much doubt she is that in tune to my movements.”

  “Excellent.”

  “You aren’t thinking of going into the house, are you?”

  Duncan smiled cunningly down at Eilidh.

  “That is exactly what I am thinking of doing.”

  “But that’s madness. She will wake up for sure.”

  “Not if we are quiet.”

  “Why would we want to hide in the house? It’s too dangerous, Duncan.”

  “No, it’s not. I have an idea. The only worry I have is Amber.”

  The dog raised her head at the mention of her name and stared expectantly at Duncan.

  “I’ve nothing for you, Amber,” he said, bending to stroke her back.

  “She’s good as gold. She’ll do whatever I tell her,” Eilidh said defensively.

  “I know that, but can she climb a ladder?”

  Eilidh stared at Duncan with confused eyes.

  “No, of course she can’t.”

  “Then my worry remain
s.”

  “I understand why your mother used to get frustrated with your Pa,” Eilidh said with a patient sigh.

  “What?”

  “You both talk in riddles, she paused briefly, casting her eyes to his, “Just tell me what you are thinking, Duncan.”

  “I thought I was.”

  “Not so as I could understand you,” she said, rising from her spot beside Amber.

  “Oh,” he grunted in a confused guttural tone.

  “Why does Amber need to climb a rope ladder?”

  “Because,” he said, taking a deep breath, “We are going to hide in my Pa’s secret room.”

  “Your Pa’s what?”

  “Remember when Angus first took us through time?” he paused, waiting for her response but she gave none so he continued. “He held us captive in a room which had no obvious way in or out and we thought that without a crystal we had no hope of escape. Until he captured Ma.”

  “I remember,” Eilidh said softly. “Your Ma figured out that we were in a bolthole above the kitchen.”

  “Remember, Eilidh, Ma also told us that Pa had used something similar, when I was a baby. I don’t remember the room or the occasion on which we used it, but the point is that there is a similar room in the main house and I am guessing that Shannon has no idea that it is there.”

  “So how do we get into this bolthole?”

  “That’s the problem. If it’s anything like the one Angus made then it’s going to have an old ladder. Firstly, I doubt the rope will be strong enough to take our weight now and secondly I don’t know how to get Amber up there.”

  Eilidh looked down at the dog, now comfortably curled up between them.

  “I have an idea,” she said eventually.

  “And that would be?”

  “There is no reason why you shouldn’t use the crystal to enter the room. Once you and Amber are in the room you can drop the hatch and pull me up,” he paused for a moment. “That is assuming it has a hatch.”

  “As I said, my memories of the room are patchy to say the least. If Ma hadn’t told me about it I don’t think I would remember it all.”

  “What do you think?” Eilidh asked.

  “I think it just might work, but it’s risky and I don’t like leaving you.”

  “You won’t be, not for long.”

  ******