Chapter Sixteen

 

 

Kerry lost sight of Janet in a wood a day’s walk from MacIntyre hall. Rain was falling heavily and the last of the autumn leaves did little to keep it from soaking her.

She didn’t realize they had become separated until it was too late. For some time they had been walking single file, slogging their way through the trees along a track which seemed to go on uphill forever. When she finally stopped and looked around her she could see nothing but darkness. The trail had become a muddy mixture of water and pine needles and it soaked through her shoes and froze her toes. Janet was nowhere to be seen.

Over the noise of the wind whistling through the branches she shouted for her companion but the only response was the trees creaking as they moved back and forth in the worsening storm.

Lost and alone she leaned back on a tree trunk and thought about her next move.

Closing her eyes she felt a strange sense of peace coming over her despite the icy chill of the wind. Her chattering teeth slowed and she was able to breathe again.

Let fate decide, she thought. She had no idea which way she was facing, let alone how far she had to go. She didn’t remember the wood last time she was walking this way so she knew she was lost. There was no way of knowing for sure where MacIntyre hall was until it turned light. She could wait where she was or keep moving and see where she ended up.

Go home or go to him? While walking north with Janet from Crossraguel she had become increasingly unsure as to whether or not she was making the right decision. Go home and she risked bumping into Edward once again.

The peace that had filled her as she stood there in the wood remained as she thought of him. She felt stronger, as if he had become smaller, less of a threat. Perhaps she would just take a sword back with her and show him what she’d learned while she’d been here. Out of nowhere she felt as if she could easily defeat him in a sword fight. What was happening to her?

She didn’t know it but she was standing in the exact spot that many centuries earlier had been home to a stone circle. Inside the stone circle a woman had blessed the stones, a woman who one day would walk along a pier on the English coastline, a woman who owned a cat called Podgorny that stood beside her while she spoke to the spirits within the stones, talking to them of times past and future, how they were no more fixed in time than she was.

Kerry didn’t know about any of that. All she knew was when she opened her eyes she knew exactly what to do. Walk out of the wood and head in a straight line. The rest was up to fate.

Standing still for a final moment, she felt the most immense connection with the land around her. Her feet seemed to reach into the soil as if she had become part of the landscape. She could feel the ground moving with the wind as if it were breathing. In the distance a hedgehog was settling down under a pile of leaves to hibernate. She could tell because she could feel its heartbeat.

It lasted only for the briefest of moments but when it was gone she felt a wrenching sense of loss. In that moment she would have given anything to experience it again. She understood for the first time what Callum had been talking about when he told her about connecting to the land around him, being part of the highlands. She felt it too.

She began to walk, feeling a strange sense of peace. She was on her own journey. It was one she had to take alone. She knew with absolute certainty that Janet was on her own journey. They might meet again. They might not. It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was walking in a straight line and keeping going no matter how cold she felt. No matter how strong the wind became, no matter how heavy the rain, she would keep going until she reached her destination wherever it was.

The trees began to thin as the first light of gray dawn appeared in the distance. She paused, blinking in the rain, looking about her for a moment. The ocean was that way. In that direction was a range of mountains. How did she know that?

She shrugged and continued on her way. Over the course of the next hour the wind died down and the rain began to slow until by the time the morning had truly begun the clouds were slowly parting to allow a few rays of weak sunlight to shine through, lighting up the heather as if marking the way she was supposed to go.

In the distance she could make out a figure heading along a road, walking beside a donkey and cart. She reached the road a minute later, marching along it with a newfound sense of purpose.

As the figure grew nearer she could see a pile of turnips on the back of the cart. He nodded a greeting, tapping the donkey on the side. The grateful beast came to a stop, sniffing at the grass at its feet. “Good morrow,” the man said, lifting his cap to scratch at his thinning black hair. “You look lost.”

“Not lost,” Kerry smiled. “I know exactly where I’m going. How about you?”

“Turnips to a wedding. Gift from the MacIntyres.”

“Handing out turnips. How kind of them.”

“A bit odd if you ask me.”

“How so?”

He leaned toward her, glancing around him as if to check if anyone was listening. “Is it not a little strange handing out our food to the MacCleods? There’s something fishy about this if you ask me.”

“The MacCleods? Is it a MacCleod wedding?”

“How long have you been on the road for, I thought everyone knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Young Callum MacCleod is marrying Nessa MacKay in a week’s time. I’m to get these to their table before the ceremony and why? We have bones to pick with both clans.” He shrugged. “But if I’m to keep my head on my shoulders I better get moving. Good day to you lass.”

Kerry waved as he set off moving once more, the cart wheels creaking as they forced a way through the puddles on the road.

Fate had made the decision for her it seemed. She tried not to feel sad, wanting to keep hold of her recently acquired self confidence.

She didn’t manage it. He was marrying someone else. She knew it was likely to happen of course but there had always been a tiny part of her that thought he might come back for her. It wasn’t to be. She would just have to get used to living without him. She would have the memory of a single kiss and knowledge of a love so strong she would never feel it for anyone else for the rest of her life.

Some people never feel that, she told herself, starting to walk once more. She knew she should be grateful for the little time they had spent together but she couldn’t stop thinking about the wedding. He would stand opposite Nessa MacKay, smiling at her, their hands clasped together.

How different were wedding ceremonies back then? Would he put a ring on her finger? Recite vows? Go on honeymoon? The thought of it made her feel ill.

Steeling herself to keep moving she gritted her teeth. Fate had decided. If the cart was going to the wedding she was right to walk in the other direction. Any chance of happiness with Callum was long gone. All she could do was go home and try to be happy without him.

A tear fell from her eye but it was the only one she would allow herself. She had stamped on her emotions when she lived with Edward. She could do the same thing about Callum, shut down her feelings so she could continue to function.

What was that book? Feel the fear and do it anyway. She thought it needed a better title. Stamp on the fear so you can get on with it. Not as catchy but better fitting how she felt.

It was another day before she made it to the old hall. She had slept during the night in a tiny crumbling barn. It wasn’t warm but it kept the wind out and allowed her to feel protected for at least a couple of hours. She found a couple of carrots that had been missed by the farmer, a miserly breakfast but at least enough to stave off her hunger until she made it home.

When the hall came into view she stopped. It was little more than a burned out shell. The fire had long since been extinguished. There was little left of the hovels standing beside it. Some rebuilding had taken place. Charred wood had been piled together to one side and fresh stone was in another pile. Whoever was working on it was nowhere to be seen when she arrived. The place was deserted, looking much as if it had been abandoned forever.

She walked over to the door, seeing down the cleared corridor to the bedroom. The stones that made up the doorframe at the far end of the corridor were still there. At least that was something. The portal should still work. A few more yards and she would be home. Best of all there was no sign of Edward anywhere.

She walked into the hallway and down toward the bedroom. There it was, the portal. On the other side was the future.

She didn’t step through. She paused to think about everything that had happened to her since she arrived in the past. She had fallen in love and then lost him. Her ex had turned up and tried to force her to come home with him. She’d almost drowned. She had first hand knowledge of the medieval highlands and how the people lived back then. She could become a historian, writing the most vividly realistic books about the middle ages.

A half smile crossed her lips but it faded almost at once. She put a hand onto the stone doorway, feeling it vibrating softly. She hoped Callum would find happiness even if it wasn’t with her.

She took a step forward.

“Wait!”

The voice was so loud it sounded like it was right next to her. Who had said that?

Turning her head she looked out onto the grass. There was a man on the back of a horse. He was riding at full gallop toward her.

It was Callum.

She gasped, calling out his name. “Callum,” and running back outside. She had barely made it when two more horses appeared from the riverbank. Had they been hiding there?

On their backs were two men in black suits, their outfits looking completely out of place in the medieval highlands. They rode fast, getting between Callum and Kerry, riding full pelt toward her.

She screamed and ran, the two of them thundering after her, Callum close behind. She made it to the old hall, running into the hallway before skidding to a halt by the bedroom doorway.

“Go through,” one of the men shouted, bringing his horse to a stop by the front door. “Do it.”

“No,” Callum shouted, climbing down from his horse and running after them as they chased her down on foot.

“Do it. Go through Kerry.”

“How do you know who I am?” she asked, planting her feet squarely on the ground and refusing to move any further. “How do you know my name?”

Callum caught up with them, his sword held high. “Step aside.”

“You can’t do this,” one of the men replied, holding out his hands to try and keep the two of them apart.

“The devil we can’t,” Callum said, swinging his sword menacingly through the air. “If you try to keep us apart a moment longer I will run you both through.”

The older of the two men blanched. “Please, don’t kill us. Just turn around and go back to your home. That’s the way things are meant to go.”

Callum walked toward Kerry. The men were still in his way. He grabbed the nearer of the two, shoving him down to the ground. The man shrieked, landing with a thud.

Callum pressed his sword to the man’s chest. “Talk.”

“I told you,” the man cried out, looking to his companion. “We shouldn’t have gone after him. We were told not to interfere directly or we’d fail.”

“Shut up,” his older companion snapped. “What choice did we have? You want to go back and tell him it didn’t work? You know what he’ll do to us.”

“Last chance,” Callum said. “Talk. Who are you? Why have you been chasing me?”

The younger man looked up at the older one who just shrugged and said, “What does it matter now? You might as well tell him. We’re both dead anyway.”

“Talk!”

The younger man spoke fast, his eyes never moving from the tip of the sword. “Our employer needs you to marry Nessa like you’re supposed to. That’s all.”

“Why? What does it matter who I marry?”

“Because you’re supposed to marry her.”

“Says who.”

“Says history. If you marry Kerry you’ll have children and…”

“And what?”

The older man took over. “And Alexander MacKay loses everything.”

“Who’s Alexander MacKay?” Kerry asked.

The old man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his hands. “We were hired to make sure Callum married Nessa. If he does, his wife hates him so much they never have children. The MacCleod line dies out and Alexander’s ancestors invade, taking their land.”

Kerry could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Why do I have to go through the doorway?”

“You weren’t supposed to have so much free will. You were supposed to go back and stop causing problems. You’re an outlying piece of datum, that’s what you are and you should go home before you cause any more trouble.”

 “Watch it,” Callum snapped. “You’re talking about the woman I love.

“The younger man tried to stand but Callum held him fast with the sword.

“Keep talking,” Kerry said. “What happens if the MacKays invade?”

“Fast forward to our time and Alexander owns half of Scotland. That’s what’s supposed to happen.”

The older man leaned back against the doorway. “Then she goes and finds a portal to the past and it all goes wrong. You two get married, the MacCleods take over half the highlands and help Robert the Bruce bring peace in a couple of centuries. In return he gives you more estates and the MacKays get nothing. Our job was to fix history so she didn’t screw it up.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Our employer was shown a second copy of The Saga of Callum MacCleod. It tells of what happens when Callum marries Nessa instead of Kerry. I know it sounds like a fairytale but I have seen the book. Look, please. You have to marry Nessa. It’s the way history is meant to go.”

“So the MacKays can rule Scotland and the MacCleod line can die out?”

The older man looked scared. “Please, try to see it from our point of view. If we go back and tell him you’re staying with Kerry what will he do to us?”

“Why don’t you find out?” Callum dropped his sword, grabbing the two of them in his enormous arms and tossing them through the doorway. They vanished at once.

With an enormous grunt he shoved the lintel above the doorway. It creaked and began to shift. “Last chance,” he said to Kerry. “Are you going or staying?”

“What do you think?” she replied, helping him to push the doorway over. The stones collapsed into a heap, dust rising into the air as they turned to face each other. “It’s over,” Callum said. “No going home.”

“I am home,” she replied, her hands slipping into his as the dust began to slowly settle once more.

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her. She closed her eyes. A moment later their lips touched and any doubts she had about making the right choice vanished, never to be thought about again.

His arms slipped around her and their bodies pressed together, their embrace continuing. Kerry thought of nothing at all but the feel of him against her. They had come so far together. She had thought she’d lost him forever and the joy she felt at his kiss was nothing to the joy of knowing he had come back for her.

“I love you,” he said, pulling back long enough to stroke her hair, drinking in her image.

“I love you too,” she replied, pulling him back toward her. “Kiss me again.”

He did, many times. It was much later that they began their journey south together. They would never see MacIntyre hall again.