Chapter Eighteen
Torr woke to the lonely hooting of an owl nearby. Lifting his face from the hard ground, he tried to remember where he was…and then he did. With a groan, he rolled onto his back and stared at the quarter moon rising just above the trees on the opposite bank. The pain of his loss beat strong in rhythm with his heart. As the owl swooped from its tree to fly the path of the river, Torr’s stomach growled. He paid it no heed. He had no need or want of food, but the urge to relieve himself would not be ignored. He rose and took care of his bodily function, but the effort made his stomach ache more. Life called to him, against his will.
With little interest, he dug into the sack at his waist and pulled the last of the bannocks he had traded for a fish he had caught. The bread had little taste, but it quieted his body. So he was alive and not dead, but he might as well be. There was no place for him now…no one…no Diana. Her image rose in his mind and his heart tightened with a pain so great, it made his eyes water. She was too far, he understood now. In a time he could not reach. All he could do was protect her, ensure her life remained unchanged.
The need to stay hidden grew strong. With a new purpose, he walked south along the river, determined not to disrupt the unfolding of events. There were items he would need to survive, like shelter and a weapon. Concentrating on creating a secret survival, he continued his trek south, ignoring the reason he had to find a place to live out his life alone. Ignoring the deep-seated yearning to have Diana in his arms again.
Ignoring the knowledge that it would never happen.
…
1925 Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Diana ran her finger between the scratchy lace of her high-collared blouse and her neck. The heat in the BESCO company store combined with her wool suit, which ended mid-calf, caused her to sweat profusely. Still, she smiled at the man behind the counter. “Dan, please, follow your orders. I’m afraid of what will happen to you if you continue to keep this store open.” She lowered her gaze to appear she was personally concerned. She wasn’t. She’d hoped getting back into the field would help her regain her motivation, but it didn’t.
The thin man with the short blond hair and clean-shaven face leaned forward. “You are?”
She looked up into his dark brown gaze. “Yes, I am. I heard the company is bringing in an armed force to deal with the striking miners. If they find this store open, they may arrest you. Or worse.” She shivered for effect. She was becoming such a good actress. It was amazing how easy it was when she had no emotional stake in the matter.
He grabbed her arm, his grasp that of excitement, not a threat. “Armed forces? How do you know?”
She shrugged. “Men talk and women, well, we hear things and pass it along.”
The door to the store opened and Dan let go of her arm hastily and strolled toward the newcomer. “Can I help you, Mrs. Davis?”
As he talked quietly with the very pregnant mother of nine children, Diana moved away to the street window. She didn’t want to know any more about Myrtle MacPherson Davis than she already did. The woman would lose her husband if Diana was successful in her assignment. Unfortunately, she’d learned from Torr exactly how dangerous it was to become close to anyone in a different time period. Everything here brought him to mind, even Mrs. Davis’s heritage.
She gazed at the brilliant green mountains of Cape Breton. Their slopes rose almost directly from the sea, making it easy to understand why the place was called Nova Scotia. New Scotland.
What would Torr think of this North American version of his homeland? The ever-present dull ache in her heart sharpened at her thought. She couldn’t go an hour without thinking about him. She was worthless. What was she doing here? She should have let Katz take this assignment. Katz’s full-on sexuality could have easily persuaded Dan Livingston to close the company store, cutting off food to the miners and thereby escalating the strike that would change Canadian law forever. That’s what had originally happened before a Disruptor had Dan thinking otherwise.
To Diana, it all seemed meaningless, like putting a Band-Aid on a spot of skin cancer. Being in a land that mimicked the Highlands didn’t help.
She didn’t want to be home, either. Did Torr feel like she did, out of place and out of time?
The pain in her heart sharpened again, causing an involuntary inhale. That he’d forgiven her and asked her to stay with him cut deeper than if she’d left him hating her, and her nightly ramblings in such a similar landscape only enforced that he wasn’t with her.
Maybe she needed a vacation, somewhere completely different.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Davis.” Dan closed the front door and made his way between the shelves of goods. “Are you sure about this, Diana? I mean, that the company is going to become…violent?”
She turned to face him. She needed to get away. From this assignment. Her job. Her life as it was. “Yes. I know for a fact, they are on their way even now. Please, Dan, close the shop. No one will blame you. But just to be sure, maybe you should visit relatives. You do have people in Halifax, right?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he nodded, his eyes wide with fear and something else. Excitement, perhaps?
She laid her hand on his arm. “I will keep tabs on things here. When it’s safe again, I will send for you.”
His fear changed to awe. “You would do that for me?”
“I will do it because, Dan…I don’t want to see you hurt.”
He grabbed her by both arms. “Diana, I—”
The bell over the door rang and Officer MacLeod walked in. “Dan?”
He dropped her arms abruptly and turned. “Yes, officer, what can I do for you?”
“This store isn’t open, is it?” The large man scowled as he looked around and spotted her.
She buttoned her top button as if it had been undone then answered, making sure a little tremble entered her voice. “No, it’s not. I…” She looked at Dan for effect. “I was just asking Dan for some advice.” She strode directly for the officer and stopped. “Thank you, Dan. I appreciate all your help.”
The officer smirked.
Good. Let him think that they were seeing each other. She stepped past him and into the street. Just the man’s presence should be enough to send Dan to his brother’s. If she was right, she could be home in a couple more days. She just needed to be sure Dan didn’t reopen the store. She wanted to be long gone before the bloodshed.
The image of Torr bleeding from his wound flooded her brain. She shivered as much from the vision of his head cradled in her lap as from the chill of the early March air so far north.
Yes. She needed to go on vacation. Maybe Hawaii. Maybe forever.
…
1306 Scotland
Torr threw the tree down next to the entrance of the small cave. His increased strength and speed had surprised him, but he did not question it. Diana’s time had many advances he did not understand, and maybe the air enhanced one’s natural skills. Whatever the reason, his new abilities had helped with his survival over the last few days.
In order to be a stranger among many, he should continue south, but he had no interest in doing so. He could make a small home for himself here on Loch Gynack. Maybe trade with the village below and far to the west when he needed to but stay north.
He crouched on the woolen blanket he had laid at the cave’s entrance. He’d already established a routine and a shelter, but now he needed a weapon. That would be more difficult. As he studied the landscape, his mind would not stay on the problem at hand, but instead drifted to the ride across the north field with Diana in front of him on Ceo. He would do what he must to protect her. Now, all he could do to help her was remain hidden until…
He swallowed hard and lay back, his arms under his head. This was not life but a living death. He was a man out of time and out of place. There was only one place he belonged—with Diana.
His stomach tensed, the pain of her loss too strong. He had to focus on existing. Standing again, he headed into the trees when he noticed an odd shimmer next to a rotting stump. He froze.
A man no taller than his own waist scanned the area. His hair was a bright orange-red with a trimmed beard to match, and he wore bright blue trews and a fancy short brat. Torr blinked to be sure he was not dreaming.
The little man was still there and peering toward Torr’s cave. If he was of the faerie folk, he might be able to help him get back to Diana. As hope surged anew, he raced between the trees and snatched up the fancy-dressed man.
“Put me down!”
“Nay.” He strode to his cave.
“If you do not put me down this instant, I won’t tell Diana I saw you.”
Diana? His heart raced at her name and he gently set the man down on his woolen. “Ye know Diana?”
“Maybe.” The little man brushed his clothes off as if Torr had soiled them.
Pushing a faerie folk probably wouldn’t help his cause. “I’ve never seen a man as small as ye.”
The man studied his entire body. “I’ve never seen a man as large as you.”
“Then ye have not been in Scotland very long.”
“Long enough.” The visitor studied the surroundings before returning his attention to their conversation. “What are you doing out here? It took me forever to find you.”
He scrutinized the man. He was sure he’d never seen him before. He shook his head. No, he would remember such a small person. “Who are ye?”
“I apologize. I’m Go-Lucky and you’re Torr MacPherson.”
He sat on the ground hard as fear skittered up his back. If anyone discovered he still lived, Diana’s very existence could be in jeopardy.
Go-Lucky held up his hand. “Don’t worry, I am here because of Diana.”
“Diana doesn’t live with the MacPhersons anymore.”
“I know that. I’m a friend of hers. Thought I’d see how the man who broke her heart was doing.”
“Diana?” He grabbed the man’s shoulders. “Ye have seen her? Is she safe?”
Go-Lucky eyed his hands before scowling at him. “Do you mind?”
He let go and folded his arms across his chest, as much to keep from shaking the small man as to hide the erratic beat of his heart. “Ye come from Diana, in the…future, then?”
“Yes. I do.”
“And she is well?”
Go-Lucky crossed his small arms over his own chest and lowered his brows. “No, she isn’t. She’s miserable. She’s not even thinking straight. I just came to see if you’re any better.”
If his heart hadn’t been beating faster than a stag at hunt, he would have found the man’s scowl comical, but the subject they discussed was too important to be distracted. “I am not happy. I miss her.” Torr froze, dread slicing up his spine. “Are ye here because I have changed something?”
“No.” He sighed and sat down on the woolen, crossing his legs under him. He stretched out his short arms and proceeded to make and unmake his hands into fists. “I’m the only male who can time travel, and because I’m small it’s easier for me to be the communication link. You weren’t supposed to see me, never mind catch me. I can get in trouble for this.”
He didn’t respond. He didn’t understand anything Go-Lucky was saying, but he could be patient if the man could tell him about Diana.
Go-Lucky moved his arms behind his back and linked his hands. A soft crack could be heard in his torso. “Do you want to know why I wanted to see if you were happy?”
He nodded, still not saying a word. The man reminded him of Fergus when he was telling a story. The more he was interrupted, the longer he took to get it finished up.
“Because I wanted to find out what kind of man you were to win Diana’s heart and cause her to ignore every rule she was bound to in order to save your life.”
He didn’t quite understand all that the little man said, but he comprehended enough. “I’m grateful to her. I just wish I understood my feelings for her before…” He let his head drop and spoke his confession to the ground, his voice hoarse to his own ears. “I thought I did not love her, that I had protected myself from loving her, but I was wrong.” He finally met the man’s eyes. “I love her more than my life.”
“Now that I am glad to hear.” Go-Lucky linked his hands in front of him and twisted them outward causing multiple cracking noises in his fingers.
Torr stood, unable to sit still a moment longer. “Glad that I’m miserable without her, knowing that I caused her pain?” He started to pace the width of the cave’s entrance. To have this small man as a link to Diana was more than he had expected. Maybe he could let her know how he felt. “Can ye take me to her? Ye must have come here through the red water. You said you are the only male who can do that. That means you can take me to her.” He stopped in front of the little man, determined not to let him get out of reach in case he had to grab him.
Go-Lucky frowned. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I’m not even supposed to be here talking to you.”
“Ye must.” He barely kept his arms at his sides. The urge to grab up the faerie man and hold on to him until he took him back to Diana was almost stronger than his ability to resist.
“Actually, I don’t have to do anything. I just came to see if you were happy. If so, then I planned to go back to work.”
He held out his hands. “But I’m not. I love Diana, and she loves me. Do we not deserve to be together?”
Go-Lucky rose to his full short height. “Well, fuck. You had to hit me with the love thing again. I’m a sucker for that. Unfortunately, my boss isn’t. Jules will have my head if I bring you back.”
Panic forced him to move. He grabbed Go-Lucky.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Go-Lucky’s struggles were barely noticeable. “Put me down. Now!”
He shook his head and smiled. “No. I’m forcing you to take me to Diana.”
“You can’t—oh, I see.” The small man grinned. “Diana did say you were a great strategist. I guess I have to bring you to Diana, then. But you have to understand, it’s against all the rules and regulations of the company she works for, and you could be doing damage to future generations. In addition, there will be a lot of people unhappy you’re there.”
His heart swelled with joy. He didn’t care about any of what Go-Lucky spoke of. Other people didn’t matter. There was only Diana. If there was a way to return to her side, he would.
He scowled at the man. “Take me to her.” Then he grinned. “Please.”
“Are you sure?”
He swallowed, his anticipation pounding through his body, making him want to move. “Aye, I’m sure.”
“Very well, you leave me no choice.” As Go-Lucky grinned, the scenery around them immediately blurred and turned a reddish-purple like the last rays of a late summer sunset. The floating feeling returned, and he grasped the little man tighter. Then just as suddenly his surroundings became clear again and he recognized where he was.
“Diana’s room.” He stood in awe for a moment before releasing Go-Lucky. He was finally in her home again. He would see her, hold her, tell her he loved her.
“I understand this was the only room in the house you saw when you were last here, correct?”
He blinked as the reunion in his head vanished with the sound of Go-Lucky’s voice. He owed this man so much. “I’m sorry. What did ye ask?”
“I asked you if this was the only room you had seen on your last visit.”
“Aye. They did not want me to know too much about Stonehaven.” He corrected himself. “About the future.”
Go-Lucky rubbed his hands together and wiggled his eyebrows. “Well, that is going to change. I don’t have a lot of time before I need to check in on Mouse, but the first thing we need to do is get you to the Historian so he can download the English language into that huge head of yours. Come on.”
“Wait. I need to see Diana.”
The little man turned, his face softening. “I know you do, big man, but she’s not here right now. She’s in 1925 Nova Scotia and won’t be back for about a week. So you need to figure out how you’re going to fit into her life before she returns because I can tell you this much, you two are going to have a battle on your hands convincing everyone you should stay.
He digested the new information. The man was right. He needed to understand her world, and how he could fit into it, so that any objection her clan had, he could counter. He grinned. This was a battle he planned to win.
“Lead me to this Historian, Go-Lucky. I have much to learn.”
Go-Lucky gave him a devilish look before opening the door of Diana’s room and trotting off down the narrow hall.
He had no problem keeping up as one of his steps equaled four of his guide’s, but he couldn’t help slowing as he encountered objects along the way he’d never seen before.
“Torr.” Go-Lucky’s irritated voice brought his attention back to his journey across a very large home. “I don’t have all day. I need to get back in the field. Move it.”
“Aye, I am with ye.” He strode faster until the little man turned through a doorway near the end of yet another long narrow hall.
He stepped inside after him and stopped. Its high ceilings were commonplace to him, but the large room was filled with chairs, tables, and what could be a couch. He’d heard of them but never seen one. Everything in the room was covered with priest tablets, leather packets of very thin parchment. Even the shelving on the walls from floor to ceiling was full of them. This was not what he expected. “What is this?”
Go-Lucky moved a stack of the tablets and stood on the chair. “Big guy, you are just too tall for comfort.” He swept his hand to indicate the room. “This is what we call a library, a room where we keep books. This particular room is filled with mankind’s history, as that is Arthur’s job. He has to know everything there is to know about a particular time and place in our territory.”
He stilled, his gut clenching. “Could Arthur tell me if any MacPhersons exist in this time?” He needed to know.
Go-Lucky nodded. “Sure.”
He took a tentative step forward, pushing a chair of books to the side to fit through. “Is this a holy place?”
The man chuckled. “To Arthur, yes. To the rest of us, it’s a mess, but an important part of our jobs.”
He scanned the room again. He didn’t like it. With a speed he was still adjusting to, he stepped over to Go-Lucky and grabbed the man by his upper arms, lifting him into the air, ignoring the strange squeak that emanated from him. “Why have you brought me here? How does this help me fit into Diana’s world?”
Go-Lucky’s brows lowered. “Put me down and I’ll tell you.”
“Tell me and I will put ye down.”
He watched as the little man frowned harder before staring him in the eyes and shaking his head.
By all that was holy! The imp was stubborn. He looked around the room again and when his gaze lighted upon the tall window, he smirked. “Very well.” He strode to the opening where clear glass made it possible to see what he could only call a field. He paused to view the land stretching out before him, unhappy that there was no defensive wall to protect it. How did Diana stay safe here?
Go-Lucky started to squirm. “Let me go, now, or I will take you back to your time immediately.”
Cold, hard, gut wrenching fear burrowed into his abdomen, and he let go.
“Ow. I meant put me down. That hurt.” Go-Lucky scrambled up from his prone position on the floor.
He stared at the little man who wielded great power and forced his voice past his closed throat. “I cannot go back.” He swallowed hard at the rasp in his voice. “Diana…”
Go-Lucky brushed his clothes off before meeting his gaze. “Fine. I won’t send you back unless Diana tells me to. Okay? Now, the reason I brought you here is that Arthur can teach you what you need to know about Diana’s world, including her language, all in just a few days.”
He breathed easier at the man’s assurances, but he raised his brow in disbelief and folded his arms.
Go-Lucky did the same and they stood, silently staring at each other for a long while before the little man gave a brief nod. “You’ll see.”
Just then, Arthur wandered into the room, his head bent over the parchment in his hand, wisps of his gray hair falling forward while his body navigated the chaos of the room as if it knew where to bring him. He sat at one of the tables and continued to study his lettering.
Go-Lucky shook his head. “Arthur, you remember Torr?”
“Hm-hmm.” The old man didn’t look at them.
He glanced at Go-Lucky, who gestured with his head for him to move. Shrugging, he walked toward Arthur. “I am told ye can help me understand Diana’s time.”
The older man’s head snapped up, eyes widening with shock. “You…you can’t be here. The Timestream, Jules… Oh, no. Diana.”
He made to grab for Arthur’s shoulders, but the recent confrontation with Go-Lucky had him slamming his arms to his sides. The sudden fear for her making his throat dry. He swallowed. “What’s wrong with Diana?”
“No, no, nothing’s wrong. She’s not here, but she was so heartbroken that she had to take you back to Scotland that I’m worried about her current mission. What are you doing here?”
He gazed over Arthur’s head and drew in his breath. “I didn’t understand how important she was to me, is to me.” He looked directly into Arthur’s gray eyes. “I don’t want to live there anymore. I need Diana in my life to feel whole.”
Arthur bowed his head. “This isn’t right.” He scrubbed his face with open hands. “We’ve never had this happen, but she’s miserable, and I fear she won’t be as careful as usual. She has always been the careful one.”
“I can protect her.”
Arthur raised his eyes, those gray orbs glowing an intense silver. “She doesn’t need your protection.” He put his hand on his chest. “She needs you here.”
He held the man’s gaze. His own need suddenly filled his soul with understanding. He needed Diana. He needed her. He turned away and without thought found himself staring outside again. The green land reminded him of home, his old home. If he wanted Diana, he must understand her life, the home she lived in, the people she cared about, as she had understood his.
From habit, he examined the neat field below, the straight road that ran from one end to the other, and the remainder of the field beyond, where trees filled the rest of the view. Those trees were much like the ones in Scotland, tall pines, spruce and short underbrush. Diana’s time may be different, but there was still much that was the same.
“Torr.” Arthur’s voice was aged and strong with worry.
He turned. “Aye.”
“Are you going to stay?”
“Aye. I love her.”
The older man studied him before nodding. “Then we best get started. First, we need to teach you our language.”
Torr strode forward and sat across from the man, his mind as well as his heart open. He planned to learn everything he could before Diana came home. And then they would have a talk, about how much he loved her, their life together, and her need for a defensive wall.
…
Torr left the woman called Zania in search of food. He strode down the hall in the odd-fitting trews she called jeans. He didn’t understand how people could fight in them. Javier, Diana’s trainer, had not worn such clothing when he’d spent time with him earlier.
He smiled. He and Javier would be friends. They understood each other, but Zania and Arthur both warned him of trouble from someone named Jules who it appeared was some kind of clan leader.
Diana’s time was very strange. It would take longer than Arthur realized for him to grow accustomed to it. He glanced at a statue of sea creatures near the main entrance. He searched his mind for what they were called. “Dolphins.” The word felt strange. All the words were strange.
It hadn’t taken long to become used to finding the information he needed in his head. Entering the kitchens, he easily discovered various cooked meats and vegetables within the box called a refrigerator. He finished his meal alone, curious that others did not feel a need to eat. Then he headed outside to explore the perimeter of the house before returning to Diana’s room.
The scent of her filled the space, making it easy to fall into a contented sleep and dream of their time on the wall-walk at Gealach.