Highland Sorcerer

by Clover Autrey

  Silence strained the air between them.

  "Edeen, you and your brothers do what you must, go to the Shadowrood if you believe that’s best, but I promised Toren I would save him." And she would. The image of Toren chained to that wall flushed angry heat through her body.

  Charity shifted to stand, but Edeen pulled her back to the ground. The girl's fingers dug into her wrist.

  "Ye know me naught, but do not believe that I would ever abandon any of my brothers without trying first to save them."

  They stared at each other across the charged atmosphere. Charity nodded, her limbs heavy with relief. She didn't have to do this on her own and since she didn't know how to get back to Aldreth's castle after the trek through the forest dangling upside down from Shaw's shoulder, she wasn’t certain she could find her way back anyway. She had no idea where the dang castle was.

  "Can ye recall the symbols?" Edeen's features had gone soft, pleading.

  "Upon Toren's wrists?" Charity scraped her teeth across her bottom lip. "A little. This was in the center." She traced a spiral in the dirt floor and then added a jagged line shooting off its end. "It glowed. Do you know it? Will you be able to get the bands off of him?"

  "That's Aldreth's mark, her family's symbol. 'Tis very old, very powerful. The mark of the High Sorcerer of Alduein. If 'tis that which binds my brother, he could not overcome it. 'Tis a wonder he was able to break free long enough to travel upon time. Do ye remember more? If I can see what combination the witch has spelled it with, I may be able to unravel the binding properties enough to get him free."

  Charity's stomach dropped like a stone. "I'm sorry. I don't remember. I saw them for only a second. A moment," she clarified at the girl’s questioning expression.

  Forehead puckered, Edeen's lips pinched tight. "Mayhap I can help with the remembering. I can guide you to the memory of it."

  As an empath, sifting through memories should pose no challenge, but…Charity wasn't crazy about letting someone tiptoe freely around inside her head. She hadn’t been too thrilled when she thought Toren had felt her emotions when she had felt his. It was just…personal. But if it’s what it took… "Okay."

  Edeen's eyes narrowed.

  "Yes, I'll do it."

  "As simply as that?"

  "As simply as that. I'm telling you, I came here to help Toren. And if this will help, then okay. Let’s do it."

  Frowning, Edeen nodded and reached for her hand. When Charity stiffened, Edeen smiled. "'Twill not be painful."

  "Okay, yeah. It's just—" She shook her hands. "It's a little weird."

  She wasn't sure what she expected but the quiet nothing wasn't it. Edeen closed her eyes so Charity guessed she was meant to do the same.

  And sat there, waiting…expectant.

  She opened one eye to see if anything had changed. Edeen remained across from her, serene, breathing evenly, with her eyes still closed, thick lashes peaceful on her cheeks.

  Charity closed her own eyes again and thought of Toren. She worried about him. Every moment she spent safe here in this stupid wigwam, he was suffering beneath Aldreth's hand—and she hadn't even healed him in this reset timeline, given him the respite he'd traveled so far through time to receive.

  He still suffered at this moment with broken ribs and with the way his body hung from his wrists it had to be excruciating.

  Maybe she shouldn't have changed things, but rather left the original timeline alone.

  An image of their first meeting flooded her mind, where she had healed him and something indefinable passed between them. Charity ached for that connection again, for his strength and compassion, even his vulnerability and fear of what might become of his people should he give in.

  Once more she saw him as he'd been in the dungeon. Aldreth torturing him with a touch of her fingers while he hung from the gray wall by the bands glowing at his wrists.

  Charity started.

  This was it. What she needed to see. Edeen had somehow guided her back to this memory. The girl's magical touch was so light, so subtle, she hadn't known Edeen was present or was in fact prodding her to where she needed to go. Amazing talent.

  All right then. Let's do this. Charity focused everything she had on the glowing bands. Her vision sharpened, seemed to zoom in on Toren's wrists. The veins at the inside of his wrist that she could see, pulsed blue. His skin was red and swollen. She looked at the thick leather bands, at the blood at the edges where his skin chafed. Anger clenched her stomach. Shaking it off, she moved her attention to the glowing symbols.

  Triangles with slashes. Crescent moons facing each other. She couldn't make out the other half of a squiggly line that curved around to the front, hidden next to the gray stone. They needed to see the rest of it.

  Aldreth plunged a hand upon Toren's chest. He stiffened. A guttural scream erupted before he choked it off. Charity's sight jerked to his pained face, her heart swelling with compassion for him. Anger at the witch. This wasn’t happening now, she reminded herself. It was only a memory. His memory that she had witnessed. She forced herself to look away and focus on the symbols. His wrist pulled against the band, twisted, veins bulging—

  Charity fell forward. Her palms crushed the ground. Edeen had fallen beside her, her breathing labored. Her face seemed translucent, lips pale. She didn't look good at all.

  Charity felt the girl's neck for her pulse.

  The blanket that served as a door lifted. "I brought—get away from her!"

  Crouching his way in, Col shoved a steaming bowl on the ground and lunged for them, pushing Charity aside. "What did you do?"

  "Nothing," Charity squeaked.

  Gone was the baby faced Highlander. In his place was an angry warrior focused entirely on her.

  "Peace, Col." Edeen pushed herself up to lean heavily on her hands. "'Twas my doing. I sought answers through the lass's memories."

  Very gently, Col helped his sister up to lean against him, still keeping a wary eye on Charity, though his countenance softened considerably. "Ye should not have done it without I or Shaw near. Ye know how it weakens you."

  Edeen let out a dainty little snort. "If Shaw knew what I was about, he'd forbid it."

  A dark brow rose. Were all the Limonts able to do that? "What are you about?"

  Edeen twisted in his arms to better look up at him. "Oh Col, I've seen the symbols Aldreth used. I can get them off Toren. I know I can. We can free him."

  Charity narrowed her eyes. Had Edeen been able to see more of the symbols than she had or was the girl making a wild guess as to what the hidden parts of the markings were? As though sensing her thoughts—empath, she probably was—Edeen glanced at her, her mouth tightening.

  Col looked stunned. Charity didn't know if he'd help them or be a hindrance by running off to tattle to Shaw. She was sure they'd get no cooperation from that quarter. She'd sized Shaw up as the kind who wouldn't budge when he believed he was doing the right thing. And he'd made it clear that putting the entire clan before Toren was the right thing.

  Maybe it was. She couldn't really fault him. She just knew bone-deep that her right thing was saving Toren. She'd known that the first time she healed him and even though that blending of souls technically no longer existed since she’d reversed it by changing the timeline, she had felt it. Still felt it.

  "You're sure?" Col asked Edeen.

  She nodded.

  Col stared at the leafy walls made of branches. If she searched hard enough Charity was sure she'd see the pistons of his mind rapid firing. "We'll need to slip out on my watch while Shaw and the others sleep."

  Edeen's head bobbed and Charity bobbed her own head right along with her.

  "We'll need a plan."

  "I have a plan. Have had one a long time though Shaw would not hear it out." Edeen grinned, taking on her role of being the older of the two.

  One of Col's eyes squinted. "Why does your expression strike the fear of the gods to my heart?"

  Chapter Thirteen />