Chapter Fourteen
Torr stood in the Great Hall, his claymore strapped to his back, his dirk at his waist. The anticipation in the clan permeated the castle and grounds. Even the horses seemed to sense they would soon be out.
With the morning meal over, he’d made final adjustments to his plans. All was in place. Ready. He had no reason to linger in the hall any longer, except… Except Diana had not entered yet. How could she sleep through all the preparations? He grinned. She probably needed it after last night. He’d pleasured her three times. He never slept much before a battle, and having her next to him when he woke gave him the opportunity to satisfy his need, though hers seemed stronger.
“Torr, I believe all is ready.”
He shook his head and looked at Robert. If Diana could distract him from noticing the king’s approach, he’d better see her. He needed his wits about him today. “Can I dissuade you from participating?”
Robert’s face turned stern. “No. You may not. This is my battle, and I will fight it. You have lost enough men because of my throne.”
Torr nodded. As much as he wanted to protect the man, he understood. He couldn’t send his own men into battle without being in the forefront, so he didn’t expect any less from his king.
“I will see you at the wall when you are through here.”
He frowned. “Through?”
The king pointed behind him. “Yes. I believe someone wishes to speak to you.”
Torr looked over his shoulder to find Diana standing just beyond the bottom of the stairs. “Aye, I will be out presently.”
Robert lowered his voice to a whisper. “That one is worth coming home to.” Without waiting for a reply, he spun on his heel and strode out the front doors.
Torr slowly approached Diana. Aye, she was something to come home to, but to hear it confirmed made him uncomfortable.
She remained still, a look of contriteness on her face. “I thought you would be gone by now.”
He stopped a foot from her. Did she sound disappointed? “I leave now, but I will return as soon as victory is assured.”
She nodded and looked away. This was not like her.
He stepped closer and lifted her chin with his hand. “What is it?” She tried not to look at him, but he would have none of it. “Diana.”
Her gaze flew to his face at his stern tone, and he realized she had tears in her eyes. He pulled her against him. “Now what has ye so sad, lass?”
She shook her head against his chest. He chuckled and pushed her back so he could see her. “Obviously ye are upset. Why?”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and straightened her shoulders. “I will miss ye, Torr MacPherson.”
He grinned. “I doubt this will last more than a day. They cannot win. Don’t worry. We will be celebrating tonight.”
Her voice was strained, but she agreed. “Aye, you will.”
She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, but he was having none of it. Capturing her lips with his own, he drew her close and tasted her deeply.
When Torr pulled back, she looked ready to collapse with longing. He smirked then spun away and headed for the wall. Today would be a good day.
…
Diana watched Torr stride from the room, his body giving off an energy she’d only witnessed once before in the north clearing. He was ready to do battle and possessed the confidence to win.
She’d hoped to avoid a goodbye, but he’d remained in the hall longer than she expected. If the king had not seen her, she would have fled back upstairs. Yes, she was a coward, but her heart had already begun breaking last night. The thought of breakfast had her stomach revolting, and she quickly discarded the idea. Best to simply prepare to leave and get it over with. First, she would gather her woolen blanket to be sure there was no trace of her after she left. Her other brat had been shredded, so there was no need to worry about it.
Looking about the Great Hall, she sighed. She’d miss the castle, the people. It was a familiar sensation before returning to the present, but this time it was different. The MacPherson clan had taken her in like the family she claimed to be. To belong to such a large group of people who sincerely cared for one another had soothed her soul. Too bad she’d return home minus her heart.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath and touched her own wrist. She tried to calm herself, but she couldn’t focus. There was too much pain within her. Ach, she was a mess for sure. She needed to leave before she couldn’t do it.
Grabbing up her woolen blanket, she started for the front doors.
“Diana!”
She turned at the familiar voice. “Ian, aren’t ye supposed to be outside?”
He grinned, shoving his dirk in the belt at his waist as he strode toward her. “Just had to have me a wee bit of a goodbye.” He ran his hand through his hair in an effort to straighten it after what had surely been a heated kiss.
She put her hands on her hips. “Come here.”
He obeyed her and stopped in front of her. She dropped her woolen and quickly straightened his hair and adjusted his dirk, which was in danger of falling out. What was it with all these men who couldn’t contain their excitement at the coming battle? Even Torr had been on her all night! At the reminder of him, she sobered. She patted Ian on the chest to let him know he was presentable.
He grabbed her wrist. “Ach, what is it that has ye so forlorn?”
She couldn’t say the words, her throat tight at leaving Torr forever. She just shook her head.
He let her go. “If ye are worried about Torr, do not. He will be returning hale and hearty in no long time. I promise.” His grin and absolute confidence had her suddenly wondering if maybe Ian had been the Disruptor all along.
“Aye, I suppose ye are right.”
“I am. Now I best get Annabel.” He kissed her on the forehead and strode out the door.
She had one last job to do before leaving. She had to discover who the Disruptor was by seeing who saved Torr, and if possible, take the man with her. Grabbing up her blanket again, she walked into the bright morning sun. She took a deep breath of the clear, still cool, Highland air. About to step down into the yard, she heard a shout. Looking to the right, she found Torr and his men, mounted and waiting by the stables, albeit not patiently.
Her heart tightened as he sat upon his horse, ahead of everyone, his king on one side and Kerr on the other. Not a word was spoken, but the horses’ snorts and impatient stamps made enough sound to reveal the excitement of the group, an excitement that pleasantly vibrated through her.
She glanced ahead of her to see that the great portcullis had been raised and just on the outside were Nessa and Evan. Oh, Shakespeare. Didn’t they realize Clan Comyn could arrive at any moment? They looked to be in a serious conversation. Evan held Nessa’s hand as he stroked her other arm.
Her blood froze. The south wood started to move, not the trees, but the shadows. Suddenly, the shadows broke forth into mounted men. Everywhere they streamed out. The pounding of so many hooves on the ground clear across the field vibrated through her. She looked back at Evan and Nessa, but the couple was already inside the yard. Nessa gave Evan a kiss on the lips, and then moved away as he ran to the stable. The portcullis remained open.
Frantic, she looked up to the wall to see if anyone was there and found Braigh watching. What was going on? She glanced at Torr, who had his gaze riveted on Braigh. This was a plan of some kind. She returned her gaze to the entrance as the ground beneath her feet actually started to shake. Through the tunnel’s limited sight, the mass of men seemed endless. They were going to ride right into the castle yard!
She looked at Braigh again just as he threw his arm up. Torr’s shout rose over the din. He raised his claymore and kicked Ceo into a run. He didn’t see her as she watched, mesmerized, as he and his men streamed out the gate. When the last horse had passed, she ran across the yard and up to the wall-walk only to find that it was not only Braigh above, but at least twenty archers, kneeling and firing.
It all made sense now. Torr had made the castle look like a typical Sunday since Graham had surely told the Comyns how structured Torr kept the days. The enemy had expected to breach the castle with little effort. No wonder Torr had been so confident and excited.
She squatted down against the inner wall between two archers that were busily firing and reloading their bows. Below she could see Torr, his brown hair aflame in the bright sunshine. The numbers actually seemed to be equal, which relieved her. She didn’t want to see a single MacPherson go down. Perusing the group, she found Ian and Fergus, who fought side by side next to the king, their movements well coordinated with each other. On the other side of Torr were Kerr and Evan. Anxiously, she searched for Angus. When she found him, she stilled. Angus was too far from Torr to do anything to help him.
She grasped the wool of her blanket tightly. Maybe the Disruptor was Ian after all. He was definitely close enough to lend aid. It was difficult to determine who was winning. The combatants danced around on the horses as they fought with their swords. Men yelled as they fell from their mounts due to sword or arrow. She gasped as Fergus was unseated, but Ian jumped down in time to block a direct hit upon the older man. Winded, Fergus gained his feet and rejoined the fight.
How long would this last? A strike at the king had her clenching her teeth, but Torr swung his blade to protect him. Kerr pushed his sword into one Comyn and couldn’t withdraw fast enough as it went down with the body. Jumping from his horse, he grabbed his sword and lifted it just in time to avoid an attack from another man.
Above the din, she heard Kerr’s name yelled and watched as Torr jumped from his horse to tackle a Comyn about to skewer his brother.
The brothers then braced for attack back to back as other men on foot pushed forward to try their sword at the obvious leader. It was a dance of blinding light, the sun reflecting off swords as they flashed against each other. The brothers fought like a well-oiled machine, almost as if they sensed each other’s movements. Even when four of the Comyn bore down upon them, Torr’s upper cut threw his man into one of Kerr’s, while Kerr bent low, catching his other opponent at the knees and toppling him into Torr’s.
She gripped the blanket hard, despite her confidence that Torr would live. It was hard to be so removed from the battle, and her arms and legs twitched as the enemy continued its attack. She wanted to be down there, with Torr, protecting him, which made no sense. The brothers moved in ways even Javier had never exhibited, and all would be well. The Disruptor was on the field, ready to save Torr’s life. He would be fine.
A shout rose above the din and her gaze left Torr for an instant. Evan had yelled at the king. Robert swiveled, but not in time. A sword caught his side, sending him from his horse. Kerr jumped away from Torr to block the thrust of a Comyn as he tried to kill Scotland’s last hope. Torr, left with two of the enemy, dispatched one before catching another under the ribs with his dirk. As he pulled his dripping weapon from the man falling to the ground, he froze.
She lost her breath. No. That’s impossible. A sword protruded through Torr from behind. The king swiveled and killed his Comyn, then ran and dispatched the enemy that attacked Torr.
Diana stood, shaking her head. It couldn’t be. All the possible Disruptors were on the field. He was supposed to be saved. He was supposed to live!
Torr’s legs buckled beneath him, and he knelt, his back to her. Kerr glanced over in time to see his brother fall. His howl of pain blocked out all noise and sent hopelessness surging through her. Her chest tightened beyond breathing. When Kerr’s yell ceased, he changed as he turned berserker. Everyone in his path went down, the Comyn backing off at the wild man slicing through their ranks.
Kerr’s action released her from her shock. She ran down the stairs near the postern gate and slipped through it to the outside.
Sprinting for Torr, she ignored the battle being pushed forward toward the trees as Kerr tore through the enemy, the other MacPhersons at his side. The king bent and removed the sword from Torr’s back. She watched in horror as he fell forward.
“No!”
Finally reaching him, she fell to her knees, cradling his head in her lap. “Torr? Oh God, Torr?”
The king sighed. “I’m sorry, lass. He was a good man.” His voice turned hard. “I promise, he will be avenged.”
She ignored Robert and searched for signs of life. A pulse still beat in Torr’s neck, but he was losing a lot of blood. She ripped his sleeve from his arm and pushed it against his wound. When she looked to the king again he was gone, already back to the battle. Did these men have no hearts?
Desperate, she yelled for help, her eyes blurred with tears.
Ian ran over and crouched. “Lord above. Not Torr!”
“Help me get him back to the castle.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Nay, Diana. He is gone.”
“No! He still breathes. We have to help him!” Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she ignored them. Didn’t he realize they could still save him?
Ian stood. “Not for long, lass. He will not survive that.”
“But you promised!” Rage bellowed up from deep within her. “Where were you? You told me he would be fine. You promised!” Her voice cracked as her heart broke. Overwhelming despair threatened to crush her. Ian shook his head as he walked away to rejoin the battle.
He shook his head while his laird lay dying? The anger burned through her even as Torr’s blood continued to seep against her hand. If no one would save Torr then she would, and to hell with them all. He deserved to live! She looked at the castle. It was a long way off, and he was heavy. If she dragged him across the field he would never survive. She needed to find him medical help. He needed…a hospital.
As soon as the thought appeared, she grasped it like a piece of driftwood in a turbulent sea. He needed an excellent hospital. She’d visited her friend Amber in the best hospital in Maryland. With no further thought then to save the man she loved, she held him tight. She wasn’t even sure if she could transport him with her, but she had to try.
In her mind’s eye, she pulled the image of the front lobby of the hospital from her memory and focused her thoughts on present-day time. Put me there now. The battlefield disappeared in a blur, the green of Scotland giving way to the reddish-purple fluidity of the Timestream. She held tight to Torr in the weightlessness as they floated in a soft limbo. Then the colors formed into the muted tones of the front lobby, and she and Torr were on the floor.
Her relief at their safe arrival was short lived.
“What the…?”
She looked up to see a white-haired man with a volunteer badge on his coat looking at them from over the lobby desk.
She stared back a moment before he blurred as new tears flooded her eyes and fell. “Please, help him.”
…
Diana sat in the waiting room, Amber’s designer sweat suit helping her to stay warm against the cold air conditioning. Her close college friend had been the only person she could think of to call for help.
Amber approached, her high heels sounding loud down the hall before she walked across the carpet of the area reserved for the closest relatives. Amber handed her tea in a styrofoam cup. “Anything?”
“No.” She cupped the warm tea in her hands but didn’t drink. Torr was still in surgery after five hours.
Amber sat next to her, her gray silk pants rustling softly. “Diana, he’s going to be fine. These doctors are the best. Believe me, I know.”
She grasped her friend’s hand and nodded. Amber did know because she’d been a patient three years ago with a brain rupture due to a genetic anomaly. According to the doctors, people with the anomaly rarely ended up with a rupture. Amber was one of the unlucky ones who went through multiple surgeries, all her wavy brown hair shaved. It was hard to believe looking at her now. “Thank you for coming. I had no one else I could call.”
Amber patted her hand. “Hey, you were always there for me. I’m just glad I can return the favor.”
It had been a huge favor, too. Vouching for “Dee Dee Scott” and promising the hospital she would pay the bill for “Torriden Scott’s” care, put Amber in a delicate position. Diana would pay her back with more than simply money. She didn’t dare associate her real name with the hospital in case there were questions from law enforcement.
Amber squeezed her hand. “So why the fake name? I don’t want to mess things up if someone comes asking.”
Diana took a sip of the tea to warm herself as well as to delay the inevitable. “I’ve been working for a private investigation company. It is critical I keep my identity a secret. That’s why I came here instead of near home.”
Amber’s brows descended. “Hey, it’s Amber you’re talking to, remember?”
She smiled a little, looking directly into Amber’s brown eyes. Eyes that had been as green as her own before the rupture. “I know, that’s why I’m telling you the truth. I work for a company called TWI. You can look it up on the internet.”
“TWI? Sounds like an airline.”
She shook her head and took another sip. Lying to people in other time periods was her job. Lying to one of the few friends she had outside of TWI was almost impossible. She wished she could say it was an airline instead of Time Weavers, Inc. Arthur’s theory about the name was that the Disruptors tore a hole in time and TWI agents wove the strands back together so everything appeared as it was, hence Time Weavers.
“Are you sure TWI will reimburse you? I know you’re filthy rich, but if you’re on the job, then they should pay.”
Amber reminded her a lot of Katz, not with her looks, but her bluntness. The biggest difference was that Amber had always had money and Katz had never had any, but both wanted to appear normal. She sighed. Everyone had to reach for something. With TWI she had reached for a new family and instead had found real love, only it was tearing her apart.
She slipped her hand from Amber’s grasp and held her cup with both hands, the warmth helping. “They will take care of it. I’m just hoping I still have a job. This”—she motioned with her head toward the Restricted Access doors they had wheeled Torr through—“was not supposed to happen.”
“I bet. I can’t believe the organizers of the Highland Games would let things get so out of hand.”
She took another sip of tea, slowly swallowing as her brain raced to make events plausible. “I think it was just one particular man who was out for real blood. The participants were as stunned as I was. I promise, as soon as I find out if Torr is going to…” She swallowed hard, the tea she’d just imbibed wanting to come back up at her thought.
Amber put her arm around her shoulders. “This guy is really important to you, isn’t he? He’s not just an assignment.”
She nodded.
“Then he’s just going to have to get better, isn’t he?”
She choked back a new set of tears. “God, I hope so.”
Amber pushed away and stared at her. “Holy shit! Did you just use the Lord’s name? The woman with the most creative swears in the entire history of Haverly College?”
“Yes, I did. I guess I’m more shaken than I realized.”
“I’ll say. Don’t you worry about anything. You keep positive thoughts for Torr, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
She couldn’t help it. The tears came from the depths of her heart and started to flow. Having someone else to depend on again was too much.
“Now look what I’ve done.” Amber pulled her into a hug, and she cried, unable to do anything else.
The Restricted Area doors opened and a man in blue scrubs strolled out, his rubber-soled shoes nearly silent on the tile. He pulled down the mask covering his mouth as he approached.
She pulled away from Amber and stood on shaky legs.
“Mrs. Scott?”
…
“Diana, where the hell are you?”
Diana started awake and her eyes focused on Torr in the hospital bed. Did he say something? She leaned forward in her chair and clasped his hand.
“Diana, dammit, answer me.”
Oh, Shakespeare. It was Jules. “I’m here. You woke me up.”
“Thank God! Where are you? Why haven’t you downloaded with Arthur yet? Rafter told me you returned, but Go-Lucky said you’re not at the mansion. What’s going on?”
Everything. She stroked the back of Torr’s hand. “Nothing. I just had a personal issue to take care of. I’ll be back at Stonehaven soon.”
“Make it by Friday. Timestream activity has picked up. I may need you.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“It better not be… Diana, is everything okay?”
She looked at Torr and bowed her head. “Yeah. Fine.”
“Great. Then get your ass back home ASAP. Take care.”
“Always.”
She laid her head on Torr’s arm. It was time to call Katz. Hopefully, she wasn’t in the Stream. It had been over a week and she needed to bring Torr home, make arrangements. But he wouldn’t wake up and they had him on a feeding tube. Her nerves twitched with dread. What if he never woke? What if moving him into the future did something to him? The doctors said there was no medical reason for why he remained unconscious. At least it wasn’t a coma.
And if he did wake? She hadn’t thought about that. Actually, she hadn’t thought at all. When she’d whisked him to her own time, it was pure emotion and adrenaline that had come into play, her only focus to save the man she loved. Now he was alive and healing well, but he wouldn’t wake up, and if he did, would his presence in the twenty-first century affect the future? She had no idea what she should do now.
She needed to stay calm. Focusing her senses, she stroked her thumb across the back of Torr’s hand, enjoying the feel of its roughened surface. Her face warmed at the heat from his body, and she let his steady heartbeat and even breathing calm her. When her mind settled, she sat up.
She would have to bring him home and arrange for a nurse to oversee the feeding tube. Would he waste away to nothing, all that muscle atrophying? If anything, he looked larger, but it had to be the modern hospital bed. Once she had a nurse, she would have to keep the woman or man from finding out about TWI’s operations. She never thought having TWI in her home would be a burden, but suddenly it was.
She shook her head. One problem at a time. Taking the disposable phone that Amber had bought her out of her pocket, she dialed.
“Katz?”
“Shit, woman, are you all right? People are off their rocker over you not showing up here.”
She took a deep breath to avoid the minute-by-minute tears she’d been shedding. “Not exactly. I need some help.”
“Of course. What do you need?” Katz sounded like a pit bull ready to attack to protect its owner. It was a reassuring sound.
Standing, she paced the width of the private room. “I need you to borrow Javier’s van and drive down to Maryland. Tell him he can use the convertible. When you get here, call me on this number, but most important, don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Not Arthur, not Javier, not even Jules. Can you do that?”
“Shit yeah. Are you in trouble?”
“Yeah. Almost as bad as my namesake.”
“Well shit. I’m on my way.”
“Thanks.” She hung up and stuffed the phone back into the pocket of Amber’s designer jeans, another kindness her friend had done for her.
Katz now knew how serious the situation was. She obviously remembered the story of Diana and Actaeon that she’d told her. How fitting that Diana turned Actaeon into a stag and his hounds killed him. Had she done something similar to Torr? Had she lived up to her name? Her parents had named her Diana because it was one of very few names found in both mythology and Shakespeare. Just her luck that it involved such a tragic story. Then again, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was the play that hinged on a name and look how that one ended.
She’d always been happy with Diana. Growing up, her teachers could at least pronounce it correctly, and she hadn’t had any particularly bad luck with the name…until now. She shook her head. Now she was depressing herself for no reason.
The door to Torr’s room opened and Amber stepped in. “Still no change?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “No. And they don’t have a clue why. They said his body is healing well.”
Amber placed her hand on Diana’s shoulder. “We can find a specialist.”
Tears began to gather again, and she turned away from Amber’s kindness. “No, I’m taking him home.”
“Okay, I have a limo we can transport him in.”
She grasped the end of Torr’s bed and gazed at his closed eyes, willing them to open. “No. I’ve called someone to come get us.”
“Fine. I’ll just go with you then.”
“With us?” She turned around and finally gave Amber her full attention. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done, but I think you should stay here.”
Her friend stalked toward her. “Oh no, you are not breezing in and then back out of my life again. It’s been two years since we’ve spent any time together. Phone calls are great, but come on.”
She sighed. Amber was right. Since TWI, she hadn’t had a personal life of any kind. Discovering she had the ability to time travel and meeting Jules’s staff had commanded her entire attention. It had been exactly what she wanted after her parents’ deaths, but now she could see she’d almost completely wiped away her old life.
“You’re right. I do want you to come visit, but let me get Torr settled in first. Then when I’ve got some kind of routine, and I’m more stable emotionally…”
Amber shook her head and crossed her arms. “Friends are supposed to be there for you when things are tough, too. Like you were for me when I was stuck in this hospital for months.”
It had been over six months and she’d been so worried. It was great to see Amber back to normal, or mostly normal. Sometimes… “I know, but then you went home to your family who took care of you.”
Amber stared at her as if she was trying to see exactly what it was she hid. “Okay. We’ll do this your way for now. But if I don’t hear from you with an invitation in the next month or so, I’m coming up there and I won’t even let you know ahead of time. Got it?”
She nodded. “Got it.”
Amber gave her a hug and she hung on, knowing her friend would keep to her threat, and that warmed her heart.
Amber stepped back. “Okay, so let’s get this hunk of a man discharged. I think I know a particular doctor who could help with that.” She wiggled her brows as she strode across the room.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done here if I didn’t have you.”
“Me neither.”
The door closed as Amber exited, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She shouldn’t have ignored her old friends from the past, but they had reminded her of her loss. Somehow, she would make time for Amber. Of course, that would be a lot easier after Jules fired her. She held herself tighter. The thought of what would happen once she brought Torr home caused her to shiver, but it would be worth it to have him alive and preferably awake.
She sat in the chair next to his bed again and touched his cheek to reassure herself he was indeed still alive. The growing beard she’d trimmed just the other day reaffirmed his body’s status. Now if she could get his mind to wake. Leaning over, she kissed him on the lips.
“I love you. Somehow, we will make this work.”