by Willa Blair
Wordlessly, she accepted the parcel and placed it carefully in her saddlebag. She was rewarded with a brilliant smile from Alannah, and she knew she’d done the right thing. They embraced.
“Abby?” She looked up to see Ian before her, compassion in his eyes. “Come, lass, we have to go. We’ve a long journey ahead of us.”
She nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her outside. Alannah followed with Conall. They secured the saddlebags, mounted their horses, and headed down the road to the village. Abby turned for one last glimpse of Alannah’s cottage, a tear trickling from her eye.
****
Robbie awakened to the sound of birds chirping outside and bright sunlight streaming in through his window. For the first time since Ian had disappeared into the mist, he felt as though all would be well.
He’d dreamed of Abby and Ian. In the dream, they’d been riding double on Blackjack, cantering along the quiet loch as the sun rose in a burst of color. Ian had his arms wrapped securely around Abby’s waist, and he was smiling down at her with love in his eyes. Robbie was no psychiatrist, but he believed the dream was trying to tell him that they were okay. He shook his head, wondering when the hell he’d become a damned dream interpreter.
He peered at the bedside clock. And did a double-take. It was ten o’clock. He hadn’t slept this late without having gone to bed drunk since he was at university. He joined his parents for breakfast. They were all restless, and Robbie knew he needed to do something.
“I’m goin’ to the loch,” he announced.
Laura looked at Duncan. “I think we should all go. If nothing else, it will be good to get away from here for a while. What do you think?”
Duncan looked from his wife to his son. “Aye. Let’s go.”
A short while later, the two trailers pulled into MacNab’s yard. MacNab came out to greet them. As usual, he showed no surprise at their arrival.
“Nice day for a ride by the loch.”
Duncan stared intently at his old friend. “Is it, then?”
“Aye. The sun is shining, and no sign of rain. Join me for a cup of tea before you go. The water will be boiling in a moment.” He led them inside, where a plate of scones and four teacups were already set out on the table.
They ate quickly with MacNab, making small talk. Robbie began to fidget in his chair, eager to be on their way. Finally, MacNab led them outside and waited as they saddled the horses.
“Enjoy your ride. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The Mackenzies rode out of the yard and headed southwest towards Loch Ness.
****
MacNab watched Duncan, Laura, and Robbie ride out of the yard. He went back inside, cleared away their teacups and put away the leftover scones. Once that was done, he went into his library, which was filled to overflowing with books, both old and new, and a variety of artifacts from weapons to jewelry to articles of clothing.
He opened the book that was sitting on top of a pile of other books on the floor. Though he’d finished it the previous morning, something made him flip to a page near the end. He read words that had not been there before, and a smile spread across his craggy face, crinkling his eyes at the corners.
“Aye,” he said out loud. “’Tis a good day indeed for a ride by the loch.”
CHAPTER 32
The village was quiet as Ian, Abby, and Alannah rode through it; only a handful of people were out and about tending to their morning chores. Most of the villagers were apparently sleeping off the previous night’s festivities, which was just how Ian wanted it.
As they passed Ewan’s cottage, Angus Mackenzie was sitting on a bench outside, wrapped in his plaid, his face tipped up to the early morning sun. He looked up as they approached, and was clearly surprised to see them packed for travel. Abby and Ian dismounted and approached him.
“You’re leaving so soon after your wedding?”
“Aye, Angus. Our families will be frantic with worry for us by now. We must go assure them that we’re all right.” Ian grinned. “And we need to tell them about seeing you and everything else. How are you today? You look better.”
“Aye, I’m gettin’ there, lad. I’ll be right as rain in no time. You’ll be bringin’ him back to see me, won’t you, lad?”
Ian did not know how to answer him. “I’ll do the best I can, Angus.”
“Aye, that’s all a man can ask.”
“Have you seen Ewan?”
“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere, checking on things.”
“I hope we meet him as we’re riding out. But if you see him, and he hasn’t seen us, tell him goodbye and thanks for everything, will you?”
“Aye, of course I will. You take care. And watch over Abby. She’s a fine lass.” He stood and took Abby’s hand, and she leaned in to kiss his scruffy cheek.
Ian embraced Angus, careful not to put pressure on his healing wound. “Take care of yourself, Angus.”
“Have a safe journey,” he said, and went back inside.
“Where are you goin’?” They turned to face Andrew, who looked tired. Abby looked at Ian and went over to the old man.
“Grandfather, Ian and I are leaving. We’re going home.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Home? But this is your home, is it not?”
Abby looked over at Ian, panic in her eyes. He thought fast. “My home is in the borders, where my father and mother live. That’s where we’re goin’.”
“So soon after your wedding? I was hopin’ to have some time to get to know you.” He lowered his eyes. “I was wrong to say all those things to you, lass, and I…”
“Grandfather, Ian’s family will be beside themselves with worry. We must return to them and tell them of all that happened here.”
“Will you come back, then?”
“We’ll do the best we can,” Abby replied, repeating what Ian had said to Angus just moments before.
She hugged him, and his whole body tensed with surprise. It had probably been more than three decades since someone had touched him in such a manner. After a moment, his hands came up and he awkwardly patted her back. She pulled away and kissed his wrinkled cheek. “Goodbye, Grandfather.”
“Goodbye, lass.” He turned to Ian and held out his hand. “You’re a good man, lad. Take care of her.”
“I will. You take care of yourself, too.”
They mounted up again, and continued towards the end of the village. Abby hoped Andrew and Alannah would now reconcile, but given that Alannah didn’t say anything to Andrew just then, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps too much had happened for them to ever be anything other than cordial.
There was the sound of hoofbeats approaching, and they stopped, turning to see Ewan behind them on the gray horse. The horse was clearly not thrilled with having Ewan on his back, but did nothing more hostile than tossing his head and sidestepping nervously. Jack snorted and stamped at the presence of the young stallion.
“Leavin’ without sayin’ goodbye, were you?” Ewan softened the words with a ghost of a smile on his pale face.
“Of course not, but you weren’t at your cottage. We were hopin’ we’d see you. Glad you caught up to us.” Ian rode over to Ewan, offering his hand to the other man, while keeping a firm grip on Jack’s reins with the other hand. “My thanks to you, Ewan.”
Ewan looked surprised, though he clasped Ian’s hand. He grinned wryly. “You’re thankin’ me for greetin’ you with my sword, beatin’ you over the head, and tossin’ you in the pit, in addition to almost sacrificing you to save my village? You’re daft, Mackenzie.”
Ian grinned back. “Well, no, all of that was shite. Thanks for your aid in rescuing Abby, helping to end the feud, and for the wedding feast.”
“Aye, well, it’s the least I can do after the rest of it. And my thanks to you for your part in ending the feud. We work well together, when we’re not fightin’ each other.”
Ewan nudged his horse over to Abby’s. “Goodbye, Abby. I’m sorry for the way you were treated wh
en you arrived here, and for all the fear I caused you while Angus was ill. You made a bonny bride yesterday, and I wish you and Ian much happiness and many fine bairns.”
Abby blushed and thanked him, holding out her hand. He brought it to his lips. “Take care of your man there. Have a safe journey.”
He returned to Ian. “Will you return? After you’ve seen your family?”
Ian and Abby exchanged glances. “If we can,” said Ian.
They said their farewells and then Ewan turned back toward the village, staring intently at Alannah as he passed her. She looked away from him, and then started to urge her horse forward, only to stop when she saw that Ian had dismounted and was helping Abby down.
“Aren’t we going? I thought I would ride out with you for awhile.”
Ian lowered Abby to the ground and moved to Epona’s side. He looked up at Alannah with kind green eyes. “I think it’s best if we said our farewells here, Alannah. It’ll be a difficult enough parting as it is, and I think it will be even more so if you rode any farther with us.” She nodded, swinging her leg over Epona’s saddle and dropping lightly to the ground before Ian could move to assist her.
Ian pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly for a long moment. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for us. You tended the wounds of two strange prisoners, not knowing whether we would harm you. You took care of Abby when she was lost, hurt, and frightened. And you trusted me without question when I gave you the medicine for Angus. There are no words to properly convey my gratitude to you.”
Alannah’s eyes filled with tears. “Just be happy with Abby, and bring her back to see me, aye?” Ian nodded once, not knowing what else to do, and released her, stepping aside for Abby.
Tears streaming down her face, Abby threw her arms around Alannah. The two women held each other, weeping silently. Conall whined and tried to stick his nose in between Abby and Alannah. Abby let out a watery laugh and dropped to her knees to hug the wolf.
“Bye, Conall. Take care of Alannah, okay?” she whispered. He whined in response, licking her hand.
Rising to her feet once more, she took both of Alannah’s hands in hers. “I’ll miss you, Alannah,” she said through her tears.
“Come back to me when you can, Abby.” Without waiting for an answer, Alannah squeezed Abby’s hands and withdrew from her, turning away to get her tears under control. Abby, blinded by her own tears, let Ian lead her to her horse and help her up. He mounted Jack and they started off, looking back to wave at Alannah, who waved from atop Epona before turning back towards the village, Conall at her side.
She didn’t see Ewan ride out from the shadow of the trees where he’d been watching the farewells. He watched her go, shaking his head sadly as he returned to the village.
****
Alannah rode up to her cottage, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She was devastated to lose Abby, the only family she had left. And Ian as well. The two of them had become so dear to her. She dismounted, unsaddling Epona and turning her into the yard to graze, dimly noting that Conall had trotted off around the back of the cottage.
Suddenly, she heard Conall barking excitedly. No doubt he’d found a squirrel or a rabbit. She took two steps and then suddenly he was at her side, nudging her hand insistently.
“Conall, I’m really not in the mood to play. Go chase rabbits.” She tried to move away from him, but he kept barking and yipping, taking the hem of her skirt in his jaws and tugging gently, obviously trying to get her to follow him. Knowing she would not have a moment’s peace until she gave in, she sighed and followed him.
He led her around the back of her cottage. There was a pile of wood and stones back there, from a cottage that had burned down years ago. She’d wanted to clear away the rubble for years, but she had no one to help her, and it was too big a task for her to do alone. Conall started pawing frantically at one side of the pile. She rolled her eyes, wondering what sort of hapless rodent had scurried in there to escape her wolf. He would not give up, digging at the rubble until he’d created a hole big enough to stick his muzzle inside.
“Conall, enough!” Alannah didn’t want him to be injured by the debris. She dug her fingers into his ruff, trying to pull him away, but he ignored her, continuing to widen the hole. As she wrestled the wolf, she caught a glimpse of something colorful in the hole. “Conall, move!” She pushed him aside and reached into the hole. Satisfied that she’d found what he wanted her to find, Conall sat on his haunches and watched her.
Alannah widened the opening a little more and withdrew a bundle of cloth that was tied together at the top. It was the clothes Abby had been wearing that first night. But hadn’t Abby told her she’d destroyed them, not wanting to be reminded of the man who’d abducted her from Ian? Why had she lied?
Curiosity took hold, and she examined each piece closely. There were two white stockings made of the softest fabric she’d ever touched. The white shirt was stitched with the tiniest, most even stitches she’d ever seen. Rather than having laces to keep it closed, it had small, round objects sewn onto one side of it that slipped into corresponding slits on the other side. She marveled at the simple genius of it. Then there were two pieces of cool, smooth cloth in a pale creamy color. One piece had two cups of fabric that evidently went over the breasts. Those cups were stiff around the edges, and had straps that one’s arms would slip into. The garment closed at the back with several hooks and loops. It looked like it would support the breasts quite well, but she couldn’t imagine it being comfortable.
She held up the other garment, trying to puzzle it out. It matched the fabric of the first one, so perhaps they went together? She felt her face flush as she realized where it went. One slipped each leg through the openings at the bottom and then pulled it up. It would cover one’s privates. Barely. She laid each garment aside after examining it, and then looked at the light brown cloth that had held the bundle together. It was a pair of men’s breeches, and she remembered her shock at seeing a woman dressed so scandalously that first night.
But why did she lie about destroying her clothes? The question nagged at her. Alannah looked down at the array of garments in front of her. She picked up the breeches once more. They, too, had a disk at the front that slipped into a slit to fasten them. But this disk was made of metal. Below it was a strange piece of metal with a small piece protruding. Alannah tugged lightly on that piece, and the piece of metal moved down. There were some sort of metal teeth there. She played with it for a few moments and realized it was another fastener that was somehow sewn into the heavy fabric. She held the garment before her and peered down into the waistline. There was a small white piece of material dangling at the back. She pulled it closer to her face. There were words on it.
“Machine wash warm, tumble dry,” she read out loud. Machine wash?
Alannah started thinking about all the things she had wondered about Abby. The strange words she sometimes used. Her initial unwillingness to speak. The fact that something had not seemed right about her being Sorcha’s daughter. She had thought of all those things, but had deemed them insignificant. Taken all together, however, they made for a different tale.
Who was Abby, really? She had Sorcha’s pendant, but what did that mean? Alannah wanted answers—she needed answers. Perhaps she could catch up to them. She hurriedly bundled the clothing back together and ran into the barn for her saddlebags. She stuffed the bundle inside and left the barn, quickly re-saddling Epona and securing the bag. She stepped onto a rock and threw herself into the saddle, scooping up the reins and digging her heels into the horse’s sides. Responding eagerly to her mistress, Epona took off at a fast gallop back through the village.
CHAPTER 33
Abby and Ian cantered towards the loch. It wasn’t far to the infamous spot that held the eerie mist, and Abby began to feel apprehensive.
“Ian, do you really think we can get back?” How could he possibly know how it worked?
“Aye, lass,
I really do. The mist was here the other day, wasn’t it? It stands to reason it’ll be here now as well.”
“But how was I able to come through the portal to begin with, and why weren’t you able to follow me when I first disappeared?” Abby was still puzzled by that, but with all that had happened, she had forgotten to ask him.
“I think it was the pendant. It’s obviously your connection to this time and place. I didn’t have anything from the past with me when you disappeared, and so I couldn’t travel through the mist. When I came through, I had my father’s dagger and his gear.”
“But how did your father go to the future?”
“That, I don’t know. MacNab seems to know more than he lets on about things, though. Perhaps the old coot can shed some light on things when we get back.” He leaned over in his saddle and kissed her lips, pulling back after a few moments. “Come, let’s go home.”
They urged their horses forward once more, their destination in sight up ahead.
As they approached the loch, the mist rose up from the surface of the water. They stopped their horses and looked around them, each wanting a last glimpse of how things looked before stepping into the future. It was quiet and peaceful. There were no airplanes overhead, no noise from cars or trucks. The only sound came from the birds in the trees and the impatient huffing of their horses.
Ian reached out to take Abby’s hand, and they started towards the mist.
Just as they entered the cold mist, this time welcoming it, there was the sound of hoofbeats behind them. They turned, startled, just in time to see Alannah come galloping up on Epona, frantically shouting to them. But before they could stop their horses and turn back to go to her, they were caught up in the swirling mist.
When it cleared a moment later, Alannah was gone. But in her place were three people on horseback, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of them.
****
Alannah squinted, trying to see where they had gone. She heard the horses neighing as if afraid. She called out, suddenly fearful for her friends, remembering all the tales her mother used to tell her about strange beasties, folk appearing and disappearing.