Lost in her memories, she could still see as clear as day when Zoe had laid down the cards after shuffling them. Her soft brown eyes had appeared as though she was seeing more than whatever the cards were saying. She quickly gathered them back up and pushed Seth’s money back across her table, mumbling something about bad karma, and she couldn’t see their future. As Seth began complaining and turned to leave, Zoe had slipped Jade a business card, quietly asking her to contact her.
Jade had taken the card, hardly knowing what to think, other than her assumptions were right all along. The woman was a fraud. Still… there was something in the woman’s eyes that compelled Jade to meet with Zoe at a local coffee shop several days later. She wasted little time getting straight to the point.
Zoe warned Jade that Seth’s aura was nothing but bad, and she should get herself away from him before he dragged her down into a place no woman wants to go. Knowing her relationship with the man was already beginning to sour, she broke up with him the next day. One month later, Jade saw on the news he had been arrested for drug trafficking. Knowing she had dodged a bullet, Jade and Zoe had been friends ever since, even though Zoe tended to be overly superstitious about most things.
Jade was brought back from her inner thoughts when Zoe stood to light another bundle of sage, waving the herb about the room with some kind of ceremonial fanfare. With Christmas right around the corner, Jade would rather the place smell like spiced cinnamon or a fresh-cut tree decorated with bright lights and ornaments.
Zoe then came to stand before Jade’s chair, taking her hand to pull her upright. She then did the same with Bridgette. “The reason I wanted you both here tonight is because I wanted the two of you to meet.”
“That’s all very nice, Zoe, but it could have waited until I returned from San Francisco,” Jade replied, squeezing her friend’s hand.
Zoe got her strange, far-off look. “You will be traveling far soon…”
“Yes… tomorrow, dear. San Francisco,” she emphasized with a snort.
“Your lives are now linked…” Zoe murmured more like a chant than mere words spoken in a normal tone.
Jade and Bridgette exchanged glances.
Bridgette shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll all become good friends,” she replied in a hushed tone.
Megan moved to sit on the edge of the couch. “I’m feeling a little left out here, Zoe,” she complained.
Zoe turned to Megan. “Hush! Your path and mine do not follow the same crossroads at this point in time as Jade and Bridgette.”
Megan crossed her arms over her chest. “Whatever,” she pouted before snapping her lips shut and sitting back in her seat. A frown marred her face.
Zoe returned to focusing her attention on Jade and Bridgette. “Take hands,” she urged.
It was now Jade’s turn to shrug. “We might as well humor her,” she replied, holding out her hand for Bridgette to take.
The instant their hands clasped together, a small shock of tingling sensations raced up her arm. Bridgette’s eyes widened when their gazes met.
“The connection is complete,” Zoe whispered, before squeezing Jade’s hand and looking deeply into her eyes. “You’re about to go on an incredible journey,” she said before turning her gaze to Bridgette. “You will also follow soon. You both have been given a rare opportunity. It’s not bad luck but karma allowing you to have your heart’s desire. Do not be afraid but go with an open mind to meet your destiny. You are being given a gift. I will miss you both.”
With her words sounding much like a premonition of things to come, Zoe let go of their hands, and Jade’s left arm fell to her side. She and Bridgette both finally let go, but given Bridgette’s frown, the other woman shared the same puzzling confusion as Jade herself was feeling.
Once seated again, the women exchanged their gifts with Zoe and their conversation turned to what everyone would be doing for the remainder of the holiday season. Before Jade knew what was happening, everyone was being ushered out of Zoe’s apartment with Merry Christmas wishes. Jade stood on the doorstep, gazing at Bridgette and Megan.
“That was super odd,” Bridgette said as they began to make their way down the stairs.
Megan tossed her scarf over her shoulder before opening the building door and walking along the sidewalk. “I know she’s a bit strange, and she’s our friend and all, but that whole thing upstairs kind of creeped me out.”
Jade pulled her mittens on. “Zoe is who she is, and nothing will change her.” As they reached the intersection, they all stopped. “I’m heading that way,” Jade said, pointing across the street.
Bridgette nodded in the opposite direction. “We’re going this way. Guess we’ll be seeing you around. Nice meeting you.”
“Same here. See ya,” Jade replied as she watched them cross the street with a wave goodbye.
It was only when Jade was in the comfort of her own home that she ran through what happened in Zoe’s apartment. A laugh escaped her. At twenty-six, she was too old to believe in magic. Thinking only of her trip in the morning, she went to sleep dreaming of San Francisco and what excitement the city by the bay might bring.
Chapter 2
Berwyck Castle,
Winter, The Year of Our Lord’s Grace 1182
Thomas, lately of Berwyck, grabbed at the cloak threatening to leave his body whilst the wind whipped all around him. The ground was blanketed with a fine layer of snow, and yet he knew this was only the beginning of the storm to come.
For nigh unto ten and eight years, he had served at Berwyck Castle. When he had arrived, he had been put under the watchful eye of the lady of the keep. Lady Catherine, who was English, had been good to him when he had shown up at the barbican gate. She had treated him as part of her family, even going so far as to see he had his own chamber within the keep. He had been grateful for her to extend such a courtesy to a distant relation.
Thomas could almost still see himself as the young tormented lad of ten and four summers who mourned the loss of all he had known. He had plunged himself into mimicking Lady Catherine’s accent ’til he had perfected an English drawl in the hope of forgetting his past… not that he ever could.
But living at a castle located on the border between Scotland and England hardly allowed for Thomas to forget his origins, not when the MacLaren clan ruled Berwyck Castle. He had soon begun his training with Laird Douglas and his men. After several years, he had then been appointed an honored guardsman to the eldest daughter, Lady Amiria, who was now Berwyck’s mistress. He still mourned the loss of Lady Catherine who had met an early demise with the birth of her last child, Patrick.
He shook his head as memories of the long, bloody siege assailed his head from years long past. Lady Amiria had been forced to hide in disguise as her twin brother Aiden. She eventually fell in love with the very enemy who now was Thomas’s liege lord. Dristan, who had a reputation of being the Devil’s Dragon, was a fair lord, and Thomas had no issue continuing his service once the knight claimed the land in the name of King Henry II. But those were still troubled times, at least to some, and when Lady Amiria’s affection went to the new lord in charge of Berwyck, Thomas had followed Ian, who had once been Lady Amiria’s captain of the guard and had apparently been in love with her. Someone had to protect his back, and it might as well be Thomas.
They had traveled near and far, hiring out their swords or entering tourneys for a bit of coin. They had even traveled to Edinburgh in Scotland. The city was so close to what Thomas used to call home that it pained him to know he was but a few miles from Lennox Castle. Yet he said nothing, and when fate changed the course of Ian’s life, they returned to Berwyck where Thomas decided to stay. There was nothing left for him to return to at his place of birth. Now at a score and twelve, he was old enough to realize his father’s lack of faith in him had ensured there was no reason to return.
Thomas hesitated whilst continuing his way through the inner bailey. With a brief glance at the chapel, he decided against attending
evening Mass and instead made his way to the keep. The heavy door boomed as he swung it shut. The room was eerily silent as he moved toward the fire in the Great Hall to warm himself. He had missed yet another Mass, but for some reason, he was restless of late. Sitting for hours at his prayers would give him no comfort this night, and he knew Father Donovan would surely take him to task when their paths crossed on the morrow, most likely with extra time afore the altar on his knees. His stomach rumbled, giving testament he had, at the very least, been fasting in preparation for the upcoming Christmas feast.
The keep door opened, and Thomas prepared for the reprimand for not attending evening Mass. He was not prepared for the traveler who hurried across the floor to stand next to him by the fire.
“Greetings, Thomas,” the young knight said as he stripped off his sodden gloves and held his hands out toward the fire.
“By Saint Michael’s Wings! Aiden, what are you doing here?”
“This is still my home, is it not?”
Thomas reached over, and they clasped forearms in greeting. “You surprised me is all,” he beamed in reply. “’Tis good to see you. Your sister will be pleased your feet finally followed their way home.”
Aiden chuckled. “Almost did not make it with the storm,” he stated, nodding toward the door.
“Where have you been?”
“Visiting Ian and my sister Lynet up at Urquhart Castle. She now has a fine bonny lassie named Genevieve. Ian is already sharpening his sword in preparation for any man who thinks he may be worthy of wedding her.”
The two men laughed but had no further time to have speech afore the keep door burst open again to admit those who had been in Berwyck’s chapel. The room began to fill quickly, and Lady Amiria’s cry of happiness rang out once she espied her brother. The twins embraced afore they made their way to a secluded corner to carry on their own conversation.
Dristan’s personal guardsmen entered the hall and began sitting at various tables whilst those of the MacLaren clan were dispersed among them. There were always several knights training at Berwyck with the Devil’s Dragon, but Thomas did not care for the men who were now present. He had seen for himself their true character on a number of occasions and was surprised his liege lord allowed them to stay. Still… for some odd reason, Thomas suddenly felt as though he did not belong here and for the first time in many a year, he wished he could return home.
Someone’s hand came to gently rest upon his shoulder, and he turned to stare down into the green eyes of Kenna, Berwyck’s healer and wife to Dristan’s guardsman, Geoffrey. Although she appeared as though she was seeing him, Thomas could tell she was witnessing what only God himself knew for sure. Kenna had visions from time to time, and although he had gotten used to hearing her predict some knight’s futures, he preferred to keep himself away from the woman. Her gift was too reminiscent of his own strange happening when he had touched that damned ring in his youth. He would not think on the other happenings of women from other places in time finding their way to Berwyck.
Kenna suddenly swayed, and Thomas reached out to catch her. “Geoffrey!” he called out and was surprised when the woman tightly gripped her fingers around his wrist.
“She is coming soon” she gasped out.
Thomas frowned. “Who?”
Kenna’s eyes rolled upward, and Thomas feared she was seeing more of his future than he would want to learn about.
“She comes from afar… but know she is here for you and you alone. Take care to protect her,” she urged afore she once more looked upon Thomas with clear eyes. She smiled as though she was giving him a most prized gift he should cherish.
Afore he knew what to make of her ramblings, Geoffrey took his wife in his arms and carried her away to seek their chamber. Thomas could only stand there, stunned, for he knew not what to make of her words.
Instead of joining the company in the Great Hall, Thomas climbed the turret stairs to seek his own chamber. He rested his sword against the wall, stoked the fire, and then tumbled upon the coverlet of the bed, not even bothering to undress. And when he dreamed, he had visions of the blonde lady from long ago, sitting in the sand and holding out his family’s ring for him to take.
Chapter 3
Jade looked up at one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was such an incredible structure, spanning two spits of land with the ocean and bay far beneath. She scanned the view before her. Standing on the roof of Fort Point afforded quite a view of the city of San Francisco, Alcatraz, and Angel Island. It was a beautiful city and so different from Michigan that Jade momentarily considered moving here.
Such a fleeting thought quickly left her mind as she slowly made her way down one of the turret stairways. She would be more alone here than she ever was back home, and at least there, she had a few people she considered friends. Good grief. She was starting to feel sorry for herself that she had no family to share the holiday with. This is no time for a pity party, Jade. She had saved for months to afford this trip, and she was damn well going to enjoy herself!
She left the fort, smiling and thanking the Park Service ranger who stood at the entrance. She had walked farther than she intended when she started out this morning from Pier Thirty-Nine. The entrance to the pier had been decorated for the holiday with a towering tree just waiting for night to fall so the brilliance of its lights would shine for all to enjoy. Throngs of people flooded the pier, all out to enjoy their vacations. Artists lined the walkways selling their wares while others performed for a tip or two.
It was a crazy experience, and although Jade had enjoyed all the touristy things to do and see, she had kept walking until she ended up at the fort and the end of the trail. A sign with handprints on the fence more or less told anyone who had ventured this far that they had reached it. She smiled when the joggers ran up to slap their hands upon the sign before turning right around and going back the way they had come.
Jade continued her walk along the pathway of Chrissy Field. The nearby sandy beach seemed to call to her, and since she had purposely planned to have no schedule, she had all the time in the world to explore the beach. Kicking off her shoes, she began making her way over the stretch of sand that felt oddly warm given the time of year. Strange how the place now seemed deserted, compared to when she passed by an hour ago.
She finally laid down her jacket and sat. Sailboats skimmed across the water, and her eyes took in the scenic view of the bay. She began digging her toes in the sand and enjoying what warmth was left from the day’s sun as it touched her skin.
She placed her hands on the ground. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back to relax when something cold touched one of her fingers. Looking down, she saw a metal ring next to her hand, as though the object had fallen off her finger. Picking up the golden band, the ring felt warm to the touch. She glanced around, but no one was close enough to have dropped it.
She began dusting sand off the object and was amazed to discover a star in the center, almost like a compass. The ring looked quite valuable, and she could only wonder how the heck it had just landed on her jacket. If she had found it in the sand, it would have been one thing but this… this was a new level of crazy.
She heard a gentle whisper growing louder inside her head, and she suddenly wondered if the ring’s owner might be behind her. She looked over her shoulder and gasped aloud at the shadowy figure of a young boy who appeared behind her. Instinct alone had her holding up the ring as though he could actually seize what she offered. His expression quickly changed to one of shock. Stunned by what she was witnessing, she dropped the ring and the boy disappeared from view.
“What the hell?” she shouted before she realized her inner thoughts had been spoken out loud. If she had been standing, she would have surely found her knees buckling in shock.
A woman who was walking by looked down at her. “You okay?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Jade answered, rubbing her eyes as if she had imagined what had happened seconds ago.
The woman nodded and continued her walk, but not before Jade heard her muttering something about crazy tourists. Was she losing her mind? Jade didn’t think so, and she once more inspected the ring lying on her jacket. She reached for it, her hand hovering above the golden object, almost to ensure something weird wasn’t going to happen again. But it was nothing more than a ring, so she picked it up and put it in her pocket before returning to her hotel.
I must be jet lagged. Yes, that’s it.
Once she reached her room, she fell back onto her bed and thought she’d take a short nap. That was all she needed. A little rest and she’d be good as new with no further hallucinations. She was more than ready to celebrate Christmas just as she had planned.
* * *
The man standing before her appeared so reminiscent of the ghostly youth she had envisioned at the beach that she had no doubt they were one and the same. His face was more mature, as though several years had now passed. His blackish brown hair hung to his shoulders, and a five o’clock shadow graced his cheeks and chin. Blue-gray eyes pierced her heart as though he knew her, which, of course, was impossible. He frowned, and the scowl marred his otherwise handsome features.
“Who are you?” she gasped when she finally found her voice and began wondering if she really was, perhaps, losing her mind.
“What witchery is this that you come afore me in my dreams?” he all but growled out.
“This is my dream, you crazy ghost!”
“’Tis not your dream! You are invading mine,” he said with fists clenched at his sides. One hand reached for the hilt of his sword. The sight of the blade appearing from its sheath made Jade take several steps away from this angry stranger.
One Last Kiss: The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time, Book Five Page 2