“Duncan, there are two lockets and two crystals in here,” he said, handing the bag to his son. “And here is Eilidh’s map. The van is still parked around the back of the shop and you know where to find the keys. If we haven’t returned by this time tomorrow, take the van and follow this map exactly - and I mean exactly. Don’t question it, don’t hesitate. The instructions aren’t wrong, take your mother and the girls to safety.”
“One more thing, Duncan,” said Eilidh, staring hard at my son. “If we don’t make it back you will need this,” she said, handing him a slip of paper.
“What is it?” he asked, opening the folded sheet.
“It’s an address of someone you are going to need. You can trust him. He is one of us, only he doesn’t know it yet. His name is Graham. Don’t leave without him!” she finished.
“Who is he?” Duncan asked suspiciously.
“Someone who needs us as much as we need him,” Eilidh said simply.
“In other words you aren’t going to tell me who he is?” Duncan said.
“You don’t need to know, yet,” she replied calmly, refusing to be drawn by his tone.
“Just do as the girl says, Duncan,” Simon barked.
“Alright, I will,” Duncan said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I’ll make sure this Graham is with us.”
Eilidh ruffled her hand across Amber’s erect head and whispered softly, “I’ll be back, pudding.”
I smiled at the pet name; considering the animal had not an ounce of fat on her, I guessed that she, despite her lean shape, was probably a pooch with a penchant for sweet foods, and made a mental note to make sure the dog was given a few sweet treats in her mistress’s absence.
“Look after them, lad,” Simon said, turning to our son.
“With my life, Pa.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Simon replied.
“Ready, Eilidh?” Harry asked.
The girl nodded and Simon passed her an identical velvet pouch to the one he had just given Duncan.
Eilidh pulled the neck of the pouch open and tipped the crystal into the palm of her hand, cupping it closed immediately. Moving closer to the fire she nodded to Simon and Harry. I grabbed Amber’s collar and pulled it hard as the dog struggled against my hold. She stiffened. The fur on the back of her neck rose and a low grumble echoed from her throat. Eilidh met and held my look as the two men crowded in around her. ‘We’ll be back,’ she mouthed opening her hand to allow the light of the flames to reflect in the tiny oval crystal. A flash of light connected the flame to the pendant, and then they were gone.
Amber shot toward the empty space, her nose urgently sniffing the carpet where her mistress had just stood.
Duncan fell heavily into the chair behind him, and sat staring at the empty space where his father and Eilidh had just stood. Kate put her arm around Rose, who had closed her eyes and drawn her hands up to her face fearfully.
“How long do you think they’ll be gone?” Kate asked quietly.
“I wish I knew,” I whispered.
******
CHAPTER 14
Duncan paced the floor until I was sure he had worn a path through the boards. None of us knew what to do; none of us knew what to think. Amber sank to the floor in resignation, rested her back against the warm hearth, crossed her front paws and mournfully flopped her chin onto them. I tried to start the list Simon had asked for, but struggled to focus my attention on the task. Besides, I considered the job a waste of time.
“How are you doing with the list, Ma?” Duncan asked coming up behind me.
“I’m not.”
“Can we help?” Kate offered.
I shook my head.
“It’s a waste of time. Simon only gave us the job to keep our minds busy.”
“You’re wrong, Ma,” Duncan said softly.
“Am I?”
“Yes. Pa really does mean to take provisions to the village.”
“How?”
“We have a way, Ma.”
“Really?” I replied, with a sharp note of skepticism in my voice.
“We aren’t lying to you.”
“Tell me then, how does your Pa intend to move a lifetime’s worth of supplies to this village? We haven’t the means to fund such an undertaking, besides which, we aren’t even sure we can get ourselves there.”
“We have the box of money from Angus’ shop, and some coins which my moth… I mean, Grace sent Harry and Kate. That’s what he was doing when we arrived here. Remember, Ma? The pub was closed and Harry looked out of the window when we knocked.”
I nodded, recalling the event.
“Harry was lifting the floorboards through there,” Duncan said, nodding in the direction of the kitchen.
I knew the room he meant. I’d noticed the lifted boards when we took Kate in there the night we found her in the snow, and had wondered ever since what had inspired Harry to make such a mess.
“So, did Grace put them there?” I asked.
“Well, not exactly,” said Kate. “Before she was thrown back in time, she left a note saying that she had, but when Harry lifted the boards there was nothing there.”
“So where were they, then?” I asked, growing curious.
“Just before Grace left my place - you know, the night she disappeared? She told me to look in my desk drawer. I had forgotten all about it until yesterday when I was out, so I popped back to the office. Lo and behold, there, under a false bottom to the drawer I found two leather pouches, Grace’s mobile phone and a note asking me to give one of the pouches to Harry.”
“So the coins were in the pouches, then?” I asked.
Kate and Duncan nodded, “They were, Ma. Kate gave Harry his pouch but he wouldn’t take it. He sent her to a broker in the city and told her to get as much as she could for them.”
“I see, so we have enough money to buy all these supplies then?”
“Yeah, we do,” said Rose confidently.
“Don’t suppose anyone’s thought about how we are to get them all to the village once we’ve bought them?” I said, trying to keep an edge of sarcasm from my voice.
“Corran, it’s covered,” said Rose.
“How?”
“Ma, we’ve got a lorry,” said Duncan, exasperated.
“A lorry? When and how?”
“It’s Eilidh’s,” replied my son.
“Eilidh’s?”
“Aye, Ma, Eilidh’s.”
“Where in God’s name did she get it from?”
“It doesn’t matter where it came from, what matters is that we have it and the past few months Eilidh has been slowly filling it with essential provisions. All she needs is for us to finish off the job,” he paused. “As she said, ‘Why waste the space?’”
“So where is this lorry?” I asked.
“It will be parked up at Morrisons Foss Island very soon.”
“And how will it get there?”
“Eilidh arranged for it to be delivered. She has come to an arrangement with the store manager. He has agreed to let her park it outside the loading bay.”
“How on earth did she do that?”
“I don’t know, Ma, but it’s not important.”
“How big is this lorry?”
“It’s an articulated lorry, Corran,” replied Kate.
“Is that big?”
“It’s bloody massive,” Rose said with a grin.
“Big enough to move the contents of a very large house,” Kate chirped.
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine this very large lorry and then another thought struck me.
“How are we going to get this list of things when none of us is allowed to leave the pub?”
“I’m going shopping when you’ve finished the list,” bubbled Kate.
“Anyone would think you enjoy shopping,” I said, smiling at Kate.
“Enjoy it, Corran? The woman lives for it,” Rose laughed.
“But is it safe for Kate to go out again?”
<
br /> “Pa deems it so.”
I nodded, but didn’t share my husband’s confidence.
“The thing is, Ma, we really need the list as soon as possible. Morrisons is open late tonight and Kate is going to get what she can as soon as you are done.”
“You’ve obviously all given this a lot of thought.”
“That’s what we were trying to tell you, Ma, but we need your help to do the list. You know these people and their lifestyles better than any of us could ever hope to.”
“So you say Kate is going to go back through the tunnel?” I replied, drawing the conversation back to my concerns.
“Yep,” Rose replied.
“Duncan, I’d like a quick word with Kate and Rose - girly stuff, nothing you would want to hear.”
He raised his eyebrows in much the same fashion as Simon did and threw me a skeptical look.
“I’m not sure I like the idea of leaving the three of you to talk alone.”
“Why don’t you go play Battlefield on the laptop,” Rose suggested.
“I’m supposed to stay here and keep an eye on you three,” Duncan protested.
“Duncan, just leave us, please,” I said with an impatient sigh.
“Alright - I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he said, reluctantly turning toward the small hall that led to the stairs. As soon as he was out of earshot Rose and Kate closed in on me excitedly.
“Go on then. What’s up?” Rose pounced.
“I’m worried about Kate going into the tunnel alone. I don’t think it’s safe.”
Both girls’ faces showed obvious disappointment.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve done it before.”
“I know you have, Kate, but we all agreed it was getting more dangerous. I’m not happy with you doing it and I don’t think Simon should expect you to.”
“He doesn’t expect it. I offered.”
“That’s not the point. Simon should have said no.”
“I don’t mind. Really.”
“Look, this is getting us nowhere,” I said, tapping my fingers impatiently on my thigh. “I’ve got an idea.”
Both girls turned to face me.
“What’s your idea? Rose asked.
“If we bury a crystal in the tunnel its power will protect anyone passing through the tunnel. It’s a compromise. The crystal’s not with Kate and it’s not with us. None of us has its protection, yet all of us have it if we ever need it.”
We were silent for a moment as the girls considered my idea.
“It’s an insurance, a safeguard, should any of us need it,” I said, defensively.
“But it would leave the pub vulnerable,” Kate argued.
I wondered what Simon would think of the idea. He was a gambler by nature but was this too big a gamble even for my husband? He wasn’t here to make the call. It was me that had to decide how best to protect Kate.
“I’m not letting you go without it Kate.”
“OK, let’s do it,” Rose agreed.
“Yeah, OK, I’ll go and bury it,” Kate offered.
“No, not on your own. We’ll all go.”
The girls nodded their agreement.
“Only thing is, Duncan’s got both crystals,” Rose said.
“Ah, alright - either of you have any idea how we can get one of them off him?” I asked, moving my hand to rub the small of my back as a cramp started to build.
“Leave it with me,” Rose said, with a wicked grin.
“What you gonna do?” Kate asked.
“That, my friend, is for me to know and you to find out.”
“Seriously, Rose, what are you going to do?” I asked, willing the rising pain in my back to ease.
“Don’t fret, Corran. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Rose said, turning toward the stairs.
“You any idea what she is planning?” Kate said as Rose left the room.
I shook my head slowly, trying to keep my mind in the moment, pushing my thoughts outward as the pain moved lower.
“You alright, Corran?”
“I am,” I said breathlessly.
“You don’t look like it. Want to lie down?”
“No, I’ll be alright.”
“I’m going to make you a cup of tea,” Kate said, turning towards the kitchen.
I closed my eyes and breathed through the pain which crept from the base of my spine around to the front of my belly.
Kate wasn’t gone long but when she returned it was with Rose, who winked at me as she entered the room.
“Where’s Duncan?” I asked.
“Busy, upstairs,” Rose replied.
I nodded.
“Shall we go into the tunnel and bury this then?” Rose asked, lifting up a tightly-closed fist.
“Yeah. You up to coming with us, Corran?” asked Kate, tucking a stray strand of her fiery-red hair behind her ear.
I nodded, pulling myself out of the chair and following the two girls into the cellar.
With the help of the flashlight, Kate identified a recognizable landmark in the ceiling of the tunnel. A small rectangular-shaped slate protruding from the crevice of an old wooden beam. I had never noticed it before, and wondered idly what its purpose was. It didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the structure and gave the appearance of something that had been slid into place as an afterthought, or perhaps for want of somewhere to put it.
“Here OK?” Rose asked, bending to the dirty ground.
From the piece of slate in the ceiling she had turned towards Jessie’s shop and taken five steps. It seemed as good as any place and easy to recall.
“It looks alright to me,” I said, still shining my flashlight up at the slate.
“I picked up one of those silver serving spoons from the kitchen,” Kate said, pulling a shiny object from her jacket pocket.
“I was just thinking how we were going to dig the hole. Didn’t much fancy using my hands,” Rose said, wrinkling her nose at her nails. “I hate dirty finger nails.”
Kate laughed. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I picked up the spoon.”
“Do you remember Harry telling us that those spoons were brought to the pub by the Parliamentarians when they took the city after the battle of Marston Moor?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, I do remember that. Your Mum couldn’t stop laughing and told him to stop filling our heads with rubbish.”
“And the time Harry told us that the cleaner was the queen?” Rose said, laughing so hard that her sides hurt.
“Yeah, he’d fetched us both from school, and as we came into the alley we asked him who the lady was washing the window…” Kate gasped for air as she broke into uncontrollable laughter.
“Girls,” I interrupted. “What do you think that slate is there for?”
“I don’t know, Corran,” Rose replied, trying to regain her composure. “It’s too high for any of us to reach and beside, you are pregnant. It’s not a good idea to go reaching for it.”
“I suppose,” I replied.
“If we get a chance I’ll ask Duncan. He’s tall enough.”
“How did you get the crystal off him?” I asked.
Rose’s teeth shone as she grinned up at me.
“Guys are so predictable, Corran. It was easy.” That hadn’t been my experience with men, but for now I resolved to take her word for it.
“Go on then, Rose. Tell us what you did,” Kate coaxed.
“The black pouch that Eilidh left him was on his bedside table. All I had to do was distract him.”
“How did you do that then?” Kate asked.
“I plugged my old PS1 in,” Rose replied, breaking into laughter again.
“Good grief, I didn’t think you still had that,” Kate said. “We used to spent hours on it during the holidays when your Mum worked here. Do you remember Spyro?”
“Yeah, of course I do.”
“Girls,” I said, growing anxious. “We really should get this crystal buried before Duncan comes looking for us.”
“We
’re on it, Corran,” Rose said, spooning handfuls of soil to the side of the hole.
“Do you think that’s deep enough?” Kate asked, raising her eyes to Corran.
“Aye, that should do. It just needs to cover the crystal enough to hide it and keep it out of any light.”
Rose carefully lowered her fist into the hole and dropped the gem before brushing the loose soil over it.
“Right, we’re done here,” Kate said, pushing herself up from her haunches.
“Can you all remember where it’s buried?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, from the slate take five steps toward Jessie’s shop,” Kate replied.
We returned to the taproom to find Amber exactly where we had left her, curled up in front of the fire.
“Shall we get back to these lists, then?” I asked.
“Yeah, that would be good,” Rose said.
“Alright, what do you need me to do?”
“Think back to your life in the Glen. What would have made your life easier?”
“I’ll give it a go. Who wants to be scribe?”
“I’ll do it,” said Kate, reaching for the pad of paper and a pen.
“The most useful thing we can bring into the village will be chickens,” I paused for moment, rubbing my forehead in thought.
“Ma, Morrisons don’t sell livestock,” Duncan said, as he walked into the taproom.
“Oh, alright, what do they sell?”
“Just about everything but,” Rose replied.
“How many people are there in the village?” I asked.
“Eilidh said there are about fifty,” replied Duncan.
“Then you need a minimum of twenty hens and four cockerels. I wouldn’t get them until just before you are ready to leave because they are going to make an holy mess, not to mention noise. Some sheep, a couple of cows, and a goat or two…”
“Ma,” Duncan interrupted. “We can’t get livestock. I just told you.”
“Maybe not from Morrisons, but you must be able to purchase livestock from somewhere?”
Duncan shook his head.
“No, Ma, not in this time.”
“I see, well, we’ll have to manage without then. What about seeds? Do they sell them?”
“Yeah, they sell seeds,” said Rose, stifling a laugh.
“Well, they will need plenty of them. Look for cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuces, turnips, marrows, squash, corn, wheat, oats, barley, fruit trees…” I paused again, this time to fill my lungs with air. “How long have they been in this village?”
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