Chapter 5
Ariane had to find shelter. At least until she could gain some information about this place.
She had always liked to think of herself as resourceful. Travelers were taught to survive. Living through a calamity and getting back to Zanovar with her report were fundamental to her training. But she had always imagined that she would be with her animal companion, and that any scrape they got into they would escape together. It was unnerving to be lost in a strange world alone.
At least, she hoped she was alone. She hoped the darkling hadn't entered this world with them.
She remembered the odd feeling that she and Rin were being herded. Had she been driven toward the gateway? Had he intended her to fall into this world?
From what she could see around her in the dark, this land seemed beautiful, if a trifle stark with its dry grasses and stony mountains. There weren't many trees in the area, but there was plenty of scrub. There were rocks and hills, some even high enough to be called small mountains, not unlike the geographical features of Arralon.
It was cool here, too. Nothing like the hot clime of Zanovar. She would need warmer clothes. Food and water. A place to sleep. Her supply pack, which was waterproof, had contained fresh clothing and other items she would need in an emergency, but it had been torn away.
Once she met with other people, she would need currency. She would have to learn their language. Her facility with language had been one of the things that had helped her during her training as a Traveler. She had a good ear and the ability to make any sound. But even if she learned fast, she would initially be unable to communicate. And that would make her suspicious.
Oh Mother. The tasks ahead of her seemed impossible.
There was a hill rising away from the shoreline not far to her right. It marked one cusp of the small crescent bay. If she climbed up there, she would be able to see what lay to the south. It looked high enough to give her a good view.
The night was dark but not black. The sky was cloudless and the air seemed fresh and sweet. The sea had that briny smell she loved and the breeze wafting over the hills conveyed the scents of plants and wildflowers.
She hoped it wouldn't be far to the nearest village or town. There were many dangers in mixing with the local folk, but she would not be able to survive alone unless she found a source of food and water.
The climb to the top of the headland required more energy than she had expected. But what she saw in the distance down the coast reassured her. There was a fortress built on a small island just offshore. It appeared to be made of stone, and it had towers and battlements.
Near it, on the surrounding land, she saw evidence of habitation. There were houses and other buildings. She could dimly see lights. She also saw rectangles that denoted cultivated fields. Farms. There would be food, animals, people.
She hoped they wouldn't be hostile to strangers.
* * *
Colin was swimming at the surface, still keeping careful watch for anyone who might be watching him. He was headed back down toward Mallochbirn when he passed a bend in the coastline. He saw something. Someone. On the headland.
A woman. She was turned partly away, gazing up at the sky. He did not think she would be able to see him, even if she looked directly at him, because of his low profile in the water.
It was the Traveler. He knew instantly from the way his blood leapt in his veins.
He reminded himself that in fact he didn't know this was a Traveler. She could be anything. Although she looked human, there were many beasts and monsters capable of assuming human form. Here in Scotland, the range of supernatural creatures was broad.
Still. He felt sure she was the Traveler.
Her clothing appeared to be shiny and wet, clinging to her lithe body. At first, he'd thought she was naked because it was molded so tightly to her form. Her hair, which bound in a braid that fell all the way to her waist, was a soft, shining metallic color. Not silver, but pale gold. She was young. At least, her body looked young. She had a subtle glow that had made her visible to him at a distance at which he oughtn't to be able to see her.
What the fuck?
Maybe he was imagining things. She couldn't be glowing. He was probably just a little starry-eyed with his own excitement. This slender nymph standing high on the Scottish coast was not of this world. He almost wished he had not found her, because he had a bad feeling about this. If he could find her, his brothers would also be able to do so. Cameron and his wolves would sniff her out, hunt her down, capture her.
She was an incursion.
She was lovely.
But why was she here?
Was she a spy from the parallel world?
This was a place where everything was so much more technologically advanced than what she was accustomed to. If she gained enough knowledge of the modern world to take back home, she might singlehandedly disrupt the natural pace of development in Dunya. That could not be permitted.
When they caught her, they might have to kill her.