So she opted for a long, hot shower in the little bathroom that adjoined her room. It chased the chill from her bones and made her feel a lot more human after such a long flight… all the grime of the airport was banished from her skin and she grinned to herself at the sweet smell of the shampoo as she lathered her pale blonde hair. After the shower, her reflection still looked tired… but at least her face was pink and scrubbed clean, and there was a bit more of a sparkle in her deep brown eyes.
But that still left a lot of time to kill before nightfall, before she could justify falling asleep… and that bed was calling to her. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed her phone and her keys and headed straight out of the room and down the stairs, giving the woman at the front desk a cheery wave as she passed through.
"Out for a walk, dearie?" This woman's accent was so thick she could barely understand it, but the more she listened the better she got. By the end of her trip, she'd be a pro, Helena chuckled to herself.
"That's right! That bed's too comfortable, and if I fall asleep now I'll have no chance of setting a normal sleeping pattern."
The woman chuckled. "Oh, true! You just let me know if I can make you a cup of coffee or anything."
She thanked her and headed out. Coffee was tempting… but she could still feel the buzz of the one she'd ordered at the airport. It wouldn't do to overdose on caffeine. She'd done it a few times during her undergrad, throwing all-nighters to get coursework done, and it felt pretty awful. The shakes, the nausea… best not to risk it, overall. A walk would keep her awake. Especially with this bristling-cold wind… she shivered as she turned into the wind, bracing herself against the cold. That would keep her awake for a little while that was for sure…
She walked into town and picked up some lunch from a bakery — a huge vegetable pasty that she tucked into a paper bag and ate as she walked. The plan had been to wander around in town, but she found herself drawn to the road that headed out of town and toward the horizon… across the moors to where sandstone cliffs rose in the distance. That was where the cave system was. She knew it was only about half an hour's walk away, and though she hadn't been intending on heading over until she'd had the chance to gather her equipment, she couldn't help but be tempted to head over there now. Just to scout it out… not to do any serious spelunking. She'd get the lay of the land, head back to the inn for a good night's sleep, then get started properly in the morning. Grinning to herself, already getting excited about what she'd find there, she set off walking, long strides carrying her through the cold Scottish air.
It wasn't long before the cold had been chased away by her exertion. The road was uneven, on a slight slope upward as it headed for the sandstone cliffs, and she even ended up unzipping her jacket as her body heat rose. Her exhaustion banished, at least for now, she set a good pace, and it was less than half an hour later when she reached the tops of the cliffs. She had to admit, it was a beautiful view. From up here, she could see for miles across the moors — the famous dull haze of purple above the heather, the distant mountains… she knew why Scotland was so famous for its natural beauty. But what she was really interested in was the cave system that she knew spread out beneath her feet.
The cliffs weren't too foreboding — she could see that there were several paths down them. It was possible, she realized, to get all the way down to the ground at the foot of the cliffs from here, if you were careful — several paths wound their careful way down, and she found herself following one down, curious about what lay down there. Sure enough, it wasn't long before she found one of the entrances to the caves. From what she'd gathered from her preliminary research, there were several dozen entrances to the cave system. The recent discovery was just how deep the caves went — people had known for years about the superficial caves that lay in the cliffs. This must have been one of them, she realized, switching on her phone's flashlight to peer into the murky depths of the cave. This one at least was well-used — she could see evidence of countless footsteps on the cave floor. It was very likely that children had been playing in here for centuries, she thought with a smile, her light shining onto the walls of the cave as she ducked her head to move into it. There were dozens of carvings in the soft sandstone walls. The usual things — pledges of love, declarations of various people having been here at various times, a few crude drawings, most of them sexual… it was amazing, how much you could tell about the history of an area just from the graffiti. And what were ancient cave paintings but slightly older graffiti? She smiled to herself, taking a few photos of the carvings here for posterity. Her sister would be interested, at least.
And down the back of the cave… that was interesting. There was a passage almost the height of a person, blocked by stones that seemed like they'd be easy enough to move. Before she could stop herself, Helena found herself clearing the rocks away, working by the light of her phone's flashlight and telling herself she was just curious about what lay under the rocks… she wasn't going to go through the passageway or anything, of course not… but once the rocks were moved, it seemed a shame not to just see what lay around the bend. She could feel air currents that told her that there was a bigger cave beyond this bend, and though she didn't have any of her equipment with her, surely it wouldn't hurt to just have a quick look…
Before long, she was deep in the cave system. A little exasperated by her own failure to obey her own rules, of course… but not exasperated enough to turn back. It was amazing how much clear space there was in here. Usually, cave systems weren't big enough to allow a human being to walk through like this — she'd resigned herself to a lot of crawling and climbing. But with the exception of the rocks she'd moved, this system had a huge amount of room in it. It was very likely people had lived here through history, she thought with growing excitement, wondering if she'd discover evidence of their habitation. Her trusty phone flashlight kept things illuminated for her, and she frowned a little, shining the torch closer to the wall of the cave she was in. Strange… the marks on the wall almost looked as though something sharp had been scraping at them. Not recently, either — they were weathered and ancient. Was it possible that some ancient person had scraped these caves out with a sharp tool? It wouldn't have been unheard of… but it would have taken an incredibly long time…
Helena was distracted from her scrutiny of the wall by a distant sound that sent fear running down her spine. The distant but unmistakable sound of rocks settling. Her heart leapt into her throat — she checked her phone quickly, relieved to see that she had plenty of battery left — as well as plenty of reception, even down here. She moved back through the caves quickly, retracing her steps — and quickly found the source of the noise. An enormous rock she'd squeezed past on her way through had settled a little… not enough to completely eclipse the passage she'd come through, but definitely enough to stop her from getting back through. She bit her lip, worry and annoyance warring with each other. Unless she could find another way back out, she was stuck here. And she didn't like her chances of finding a way out by herself. Like it or not, she'd have to call for help.
"Serves you right for getting impatient," she told herself, clicking her tongue with annoyance as she took a seat to call for help. At least it was dry in here, and warm enough out of the wind — she made a quick call to a local rock enthusiast she'd been in touch with over the last few weeks, a local who'd offered to show her around the cave system. Her friend didn't pick up her phone, but Helena left a message, sheepishly explaining that she'd gotten herself stuck in the cave system and asking for her to come and help guide her out. Maryanne would know a path out, that was for sure. Helena just felt stupid for having to call for help like this.
That done, she sent her sister a text to check in — not mentioning the part of the story where she'd gotten herself trapped in a cave. She didn't want Bec to worry… but she also didn't want Bec to make fun of her. It was pretty daft, getting stuck like this. If she'd had her equipment with her it would have been another story — she'd
have propped that rock up if she'd suspected it of being about to slide like this. A useful lesson, she decided, settling in a little more comfortably. A lesson about basic safety being important no matter how simple the cave was that you were exploring.
Maybe it was the jetlag, maybe it was the long walk up to the cliffs, or maybe it was the exhaustion from her journey, but the weariness Helena had been fighting off since she'd arrived was back in full force. She knew she shouldn't let herself fall asleep… but she found herself pulling her jacket off and tucking it under her head as a makeshift pillow. Her phone would wake her up, she told herself as the sleepiness closed in around her. It was on loud… once Maryanne called her back, she'd wake up and get out of here…
And then she was fast asleep on the floor of the cave, surprisingly comfortable for such a rocky place. It was a strange sleep, deeper than she was used to… and fraught with dreams like she'd never had before. Strange dreams… dreams of shapes looming at her through the fog, almost human. It was as though she was stumbling through knee-high grass, searching for something that she couldn't find or even name, desperate and wild with grief… with a dark shape in the mist behind her, getting bigger and bigger, clearer and clearer as it gained on her, step by monstrous step…
And then she sat bolt upright with a muffled scream. The air around her was freezing cold, and she seized her jacket and pulled it on with shaking hands before she'd even fully registered being awake again. Her mind was half-delirious, racing and surging incoherently, and her eyes were barely focused as she dragged herself out of her sleep. Completely disoriented, she stared around her. Why was it so dark? She'd fallen asleep with her phone flashlight on… but that wasn't all that had changed, she realized as she fumbled in vain for her phone, which was nowhere to be found. It was pitch dark, but even in the darkness she could see enough to realize she wasn't in the cave anymore. Gone were the rocky walls, the dry, slightly sandy floor… no, she was lying in grass, now. Damp, wet grass that was soaking through her jeans and making her shiver even worse with the cold.
Shocked, Helena rocketed to her feet, feeling a wave of dizziness crash over her as she did. What the hell was going on? Somehow, she'd gotten out of the cave — but how much time had passed? It was dark out, with a thick blanket of clouds hiding the stars from view. She couldn't see far around her with the dense fog that surrounded her, but she could see enough to figure that she was on the moors that lay between the sandstone cliffs and the village… or was she? There were no visible landmarks around her, no lights of any kind in the distance shining through the fog… Helena tugged her jacket closer around her, zipping it up to her chin as she shivered, utterly confused by the time she'd lost. It had been mid-afternoon when she'd headed into the cave… how was it full dark already?
Above her, the clouds moved, and she saw a glimpse of moonlight shine through. It was enough to confirm her suspicions — she was on the moors, surrounded by the knee-high grass she'd seen from the road as she'd walked. But how the hell had she gotten out here? Was she having problems with her memory? Was it possible she'd gotten out of the cave somehow — then hit her head? That wasn't how it worked, surely... but she failed to see any other explanation for her situation. Frowning, she stared around her. However she'd gotten here, she couldn't stay here. She had to be practical — focus on getting the hell out of here before she worried too much about how she'd gotten there. She had to find the road. But where was it? She was completely disoriented, she couldn't see any sign of the village from here… so with a sigh, she turned in a random direction and started walking. She'd just have to walk until she found a house or something, and hope that they could point her in the right direction.
It would be fine, she told herself firmly. No need to panic. Still, it felt strange, being out here all by herself in the middle of the night… and she was furious that she'd lost her phone. Was it back in the cave, maybe? She felt lost without it… and very isolated, for the first time since she'd gotten here. Isolated from her friends and family back home, isolated from safety and security… she thought longingly of the warm little room that was waiting for her at the B&B in town. All she could do was hope she was walking in the right direction.
Why was it so quiet? All she could hear was the howling of the wind and the rustle of the grass around her… and her own footsteps, squelching a little occasionally on the damp soil. But then, she blinked, hearing an odd sound — almost like a cry. There — another one. Her eyes widened and she sped up a little. It sounded for all the world like a sheep bleating. She'd never thought she'd feel such a wave of relief to hear the sounds of barnyard animals. Sheep meant people. And people meant that she could maybe get hold of a phone and find her way home.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before she came upon a fencepost, the fence it belonged to stretching away into the fog. Beyond it were the unmistakable shapes of fuzzy sheep, all lined up and peering curiously at the stranger who was standing by their fence. Smiling, she climbed over the fence and hopped down into their pasture. They watched her placidly, curious but not afraid of her, and she smiled a little as one shuffled curiously toward her with its head outstretched. She hadn't spent much time around farm animals — a few petting zoos when she was young, maybe — but there was something about this sheep that she liked.
Then she heard a strange sound behind her… and fear pooled in her belly as the sheep turned as one and bolted into the fog, bleating wildly in terror.
Chapter 3
Helena froze, her heart pounding as she tried to figure out what had just happened. Had the sheep taken fright because of her? No way — she'd been just about to pat one, if they'd been scared of her they'd have run much earlier. What was going on? Was something behind her? She turned, her heart pounding — but the fog was too dense now to see far beyond the post of the fence. Feeling panic begin to surge in her stomach, she turned and headed after the sheep, moving faster now, almost blind in the fog and feeling a strange urge to follow the sheep. If they were scared of something that was behind her, she was scared, too. Her ears were playing tricks on her… she almost felt that she could hear footsteps in the fog to her right, far enough away that she couldn't see whatever was making them through the fog, but close enough to hear them squelching in the mud of the pasture…
Then she stumbled upon the sheep again. The few she'd run into must have been a smaller group, because this was a much bigger flock — she could see dozens of woolly shapes in the fog and hear them bleating and baa-ing amongst themselves. They were huddled together for warmth in the night, and though Helena was no expert in animal body language, something told her they were frightened. Their wary eyes traced the surrounding darkness, clearly searching for something. It wasn't Helena they were afraid of — they were all but ignoring her. Then what was happening?
A sudden shriek split the air, making her jump. It was an awful sound, that shriek — high and terrible, echoing through the fog like a shot. Torn between terror and a desperate need to know what was going on, Helena pushed forward, moving through the panicking flock of sheep towards the source of the scream… and her heart almost stopped when she saw a figure looming out of the fog.
It must have been about eight feet tall, but it was stooped low, as though examining something on the ground — Helena felt the skin on the back of her neck crawling as she looked at it, not fully comprehending what she was seeing here. It looked almost like a human being, but something about its movements stopped short of human — and as a scream ripped itself out of Helena's throat, the creature turned its haggard face to her. Long, stringy white hair, a pair of frightening eyes as black as night, and pale, blue-tinged skin — it stared at her for a long moment, and she realized with a dizzy jolt that it had its great talons clutched around the midsection of a baby lamb that was squealing and kicking for freedom. Below the monster stood a ewe, bellowing in rage and pain at the loss of its lamb — but the creature had been distracted by Helena's approach. It took a step toward her, filling h
er with fear — but then its black eyes flickered. Instead of approaching her, it turned, the lamb still clutched in its talon-like hands, and as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.
Helena sank to the ground, her heart pounding in her chest. What the hell was that? Was she still dreaming? That was a comforting thought… all of this some wild hallucination suffered by a jetlagged woman who was still asleep in a cave… but she bit her lip, reaching with one trembling hand to pinch herself hard on the forearm. The pain grounded her, helped her focus… and didn't wake her up. No — she was really here. And she'd really seen… whatever that was. The ewe was bleating miserably, staring after it in the fog, clearly missing its lamb… Helena felt pity mixing with the terror in her stomach, but it was quickly followed by panic. What the hell was going on here?
She rose to her feet, determined to find the owner of these sheep and to get back to civilization as quickly as possible. Sure enough, as she turned she saw lights in the distance… frightened for a moment that she was hallucinating them, she squinted hard, confirming that, though they flickered, they were definitely real. A farmhouse, maybe? A warm hearth she could shelter at for a little while? Honestly, at this point she'd take whatever she could get… but her heart sank as she grew closer to the lights, half-running across the pasture in her jeans which were now soaked through with damp.
It wasn't a light on a porch, or a fire in the darkness… it was a torch. A real torch, not a flashlight like the one she'd packed with her spelunking supplies. There was something medieval about this one — it was a naked flame on a stick held aloft, and Helena's eyes widened as she began to make out the figure of a man through the fog. An enormous man clad in what looked for all the world like tartan, with something like a cloak wrapped around his shoulders. And what was more… he was on horseback.
Highlander Hunted: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander In Time Book 8) Page 2