Chapter 8
That night I had—like I often do—the strangest dream. I was in Scotland. Or, at least, I assumed I was in Scotland from the green, rolling landscape and the view of the ocean out on the horizon. I stood in the most beautiful clearing, with vibrant flowers surrounding me. What could only be described as a throne sat in the middle of a wide circle amongst the flowers. It was warm with no breeze, and I stood next to a tall man whose face was blurry to me. We approached the throne with trepidation, but suddenly I was pulled away from my traveling companion and tossed in front of the tall chair. When I glanced up, the seat was no longer empty. An otherworldly form of a man occupied the seat. My entire body felt alive in the strangest way. I looked down to see that my right arm was now whole, and I felt happier than I’d ever felt in my life. But just as quickly as I’d been placed before the throne, I was jerked away, tumbling backwards into an abyss. It made no sense, but it felt incredibly real.
The very next morning, I woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. Expecting that Mom would answer it, I didn’t move until the third ring. Eventually, I stood and stepped out into the living room, only to see a note from my mom taped to the door. Gone to the gym. Be back soon. There’s cereal out on the counter.
I opened the door to find a nerdy-looking teenager bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other rather impatiently.
“Are you Kate Adams?”
I nodded without smiling. His chipper mood was pissing me off.
He extended a legal-sized envelope in my direction. “This is for you then.” I watched as he glanced to my missing right arm. “Can you…can you sign?”
I reached out and jerked the envelope and the pen from his hand.
“I’m left-handed.”
“Oh.” His face lifted. “Well, that’s lucky, ain’t it?”
For the first time in days, I smiled. It was so much easier dealing with people who were frank about my injury than those who danced around it and stared at me awkwardly as if I couldn’t see them.
“I suppose it is. Thank you for this. Hang on just a second.”
Carrying the package inside, I grabbed some cash from my purse and gave him a tip before bidding him farewell.
As soon as I closed the door, I moved to open the envelope. Inside was a set of documents—everything I needed for Mr. Crinkles to be able to travel. There was also a small hard case and letter in the very bottom.
Dear Kate,
Take a deep breath, dear. Surely you know I wouldn’t let this stand. Of course, Mr. Crinkles must travel with you.
As for your other worry, Laurel will call you soon, but she’s fine. She ran her fiancé through with a sword, but he will heal in time, and Machara is still locked away in her cell. So take one more deep breath, shake off that gloomy mood, and get ready for your new life in Scotland!
Remember what I told you, Kate. You had a reckless streak even before your accident. I’m afraid it may have grown even worse since losing your arm. There are many parts of our life where it serves us to be fearless: love, our passions, our work, but I’ve never been one who believed it wise to be fearless when it comes to our lives. I guess I treasure my own far too much for that. As far as I know, you only get one. I’d like to see you live a long one. So…while I don’t know just how Machara will test you, just don’t be a foolish idiot in how you respond to her.
I’ll be watching from afar to see how things turn out for you.
With bated breath and love,
Morna
P.S. I’ve spent a bit of time watching your mother as well, dear, and she’s a little more high-strung than I imagined. And David—well he’s a man of great intellect and will rage against his new reality. Inside the case is a small vial of something I cooked up for you. Whenever you decide to tell them about the time travel, put a few drops in their drinks. Don’t worry, it won’t affect their personalities at all, it will just make them accept the news a little more easily.