Tharaen (Immortal Highlander Book 2): A Scottish Time Travel Romance

by Hazel Hunter

  “Where are you taking this patient?” the woman demanded.

  “Downstairs,” Kinley said, sounding bored as she went to press the button on the wall between the metal boxes.

  “But she isn’t scheduled for–”

  The woman squealed as Tormod turned her around, lifted her up, and kissed her until she clutched his neck.

  The doors to the elevator opened, and Kinley rolled Diana inside.

  “You are very comely,” the Norseman said. “I wish I could bring you back for me.” But he lowered the dazed woman to the ground, and darted into the elevator just before the doors closed. When he saw Kinley’s face he shrugged. “I couldnae hit her over the head. She is a healer.”

  Raen held onto Diana’s thin hand as the elevator descended, and then pushed the wheelchair out and walked rapidly toward the clear doors. He heard some of the mortals calling to them, but didn’t stop until they were outside. He lifted Diana out of the chair, wrapped the blanket around her and carried her to the space between the two oaks.

  Kinley and Tormod joined them, and the laird’s wife smiled down at Diana as she tucked her arms through the men’s. “Time to go home.”

  Raen held onto Diana tightly as they fell into the portal’s tunnel, and felt her growing heavier in his arms as they made the journey back to Skye. When he looked down at her, he saw her hair thicken and grow out in long, shining waves of golden red. Her face grew symmetrical and smooth, and her eyes brightened as she met his gaze.

  The next moment they were standing in the oak grove, surrounded by red deer who stood and watched them with big dark eyes, before returning to their grazing.

  Carefully Raen lowered Diana to the ground, and looked all over her. Seeing her restored to herself made his throat lock up.

  Diana raised her hands to touch her head. “I have hair again.” She uttered a little laugh. “I had to wear a wig for like a year.” She looked at Kinley and Tormod. “Thank you. You just saved my life.”

  The laird’s wife hugged her. “You’re my sister in any time.”

  Diana turned to Tormod. “You blew your chance to get rid of me for good.”

  “Aye.” He scowled. “Dinnae ever do that again. If you do I will have to kill many druids, and they will come back and curse me or feed my soul to the dogs of the gods.”

  “Come on, Viking,” Kinley said. “Let’s go tell my husband we’ve got our tracker back before he kills many druids.”

  Raen waited until the pair left.

  “I had a dream of finding Bradana in the pond, that night we were at Gordon’s stronghold. Her face changed to yours, and the undead were drowning you. When I woke up and saw them attacking you, ’twas as if I’d had an omen. That was why I spoke to you so coldly. I wanted you to go back so you would live.” He hesitated. “Why didnae you tell Bhaltair that going back would kill you?”

  “He wouldn’t care,” she said quietly. “But I should have told you.” She shook her head a little. “I’ve been hiding this tumor for a very long time. I intended to keep my job up to the very last second. I also wasn’t sure coming to your time cured me, and I didn’t want you to think that was the only reason I wanted to stay.” She paused and looked at the ground. “Maybe it was in the beginning.”

  “This was why you were angry with me after Seoc died,” Raen said and touched her cheek. “’Twas not about your mother. ’Twas about you.”

  “I kept my condition secret for as long as I could. I lied to my boss and told her that I was cancer-free. But I fought it, Raen. I tried medication, chemo, radiation and even something called alternating electric field therapy. For that one they stuck an electrode on my scalp and made me carry around a thing that constantly zapped the tumor.” She rubbed her head. “Nothing worked. When I crossed over, I had only a few weeks left to live, so when Kinley told me she’d been healed…well, it gave me some real hope. Then you and I went for a swim, and the ink started to fly, and I thought, maybe I could have it all. My life and you.” As she looked up at him, her hand pressed down over his heart. “So I’ve got the life back.”

  “And me,” he said, smiling down at her as he covered her hand with his. “You’ll no’ be rid of me as easy as that.”

  Unshed tears glittered in her violet eyes as Raen bent down and slowly kissed her. She held onto him tightly, her soft lips melding into his, and her spiced-honey scent filling his head. But after a long moment, she drew back.

  “There’s one more thing,” she said. “I know where the nobles and the legion are.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  DIANA FELT ALMOST embarrassed by the hearty welcome she received as soon as she and Raen returned to the stronghold. Every guard greeted her and clasped arms with her, and as soon as she entered the kitchens Meg Talley embraced her like a long-lost daughter. In the great hall Neac grabbed her and gave her a bone-cracking squeeze before passing her around like a big doll to the Uthars, who did the same.

  Finally she was able to speak to the laird, but he shook his head and enveloped her in a hug before he let her get a word out.

  “You guys are going to make me cry,” Diana said once he released her. “And you sent your wife through time after me. That couldn’t have been easy, my lord.”

  “I’d rather no’ do it again,” he admitted. “Stay away from druids, lass.”

  “I don’t think that will work. We need them.” Diana looked over at Cailean, who sat staring at his hands. “Master Lusk, can you join us in the map room? You need to hear my report.”

  The druid nodded and followed them up, but once in the map room Diana noticed that he stood back and said nothing.

  “I tracked the undead from Gordon’s stronghold north to a castle belonging to the Marquess of Ermindale.” She marked on the wall map the approximate location of the estate. “I staked out the place, and last night I saw a bunch of nobles with an old man and two Romans at the main house. When the night sentries came out, they were all undead. The legion has taken over the estate, and they’re holding some or all of the hostages there.” She turned to look at Cailean. “That’s what I was trying to tell you before Bhaltair shoved me into the portal.”

  The druid’s eyes widened, and then he winced as Neac slapped him on the back of the head.

  “The marquess is old,” Lachlan said. “He left court after the king ruled against him expanding his slave trade.” The lord studied the wall. “He has wealth, and a vast estate, but no power or influence outside his lands. He despises the king, which has driven away what allies he had among the clans. But he kens a great deal about the most trusted nobles at court.”

  Raen nodded his agreement. “Once enthralled, Ermindale would tell Quintus Seneca anything he wished to ken.”

  “We need to take this castle,” Neac said. “Now, with every warband we have.”

  “That’s the sticky part,” Diana said. “After what happened at Gordon’s castle, I’d advise against going in by day. The legion has probably enthralled the entire household along with the marquess by now. At night the undead will be out in force.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “Maybe if we come in from the water, and lure them away from the house, we can get some men inside, and see what’s what.”

  “We’ve tried that before, and it backfired on us,” Kinley said drily. “Literally, on me.”

  Neac shuddered. “Dinnae ask, lass,” he told Diana. “’Twas horrific.”

  “Nor do I wish to be reminded of it,” Lachlan said and glanced at the Norseman. “How would you invade it, Tormod?”

  “Red is right. No’ by land.” He borrowed the charcoal stick from Diana and made marks along the northern coast. “There are sea caves here that dinnae flood at high tide, and they extend back into Ermindale’s lands for at least three leagues. If we take our twelve-oar birlinns, and go in by water, we might use the caves to approach the stronghold unseen.”

  “Why take boats when you can travel underwater?” Diana asked.

  “After the battle we must
transport the hostages back to their clans,” Lachlan reminded her. “And we cannae risk revealing our ways to the mortals or the undead.”

  “Our birlinns are light,” the Norseman continued. “We can carry the boats into the caves and conceal them from any undead patrols. We wait until sunrise, when the legion sleeps, and enter the castle and rescue the mortals.”

  “You’re assuming these caves open up at the other end,” Kinley put in. “And they’re not filled with sleeping undead.”

  “They do open at the stronghold,” Cailean said. When everyone turned around, he stepped forward and tapped a spot by Ermindale’s castle. “There was a druid work settlement here with access to the sea caves to the north of the estate. They reported that the marquess has been using his caves to bring in more slaves.”

  Diana suddenly recalled what the village boy had told her. “Cailean, a kid told me that all the druids in that settlement were killed. Did you hear anything about that?”

  “They disincarnated. They ended their own lives. ’Twas done to avoid capture.” He fiddled with the belt of his robe. “We suspected the undead were the cause, but I wasnae permitted to tell you.”

  Kinley gave him a horrified look. “Cailean, we needed to know that.”

  “Yet you waited to tell us ’til now,” Tormod drawled. “What reason for that, Ovate? Is there another sacred grove near Ermindale? Shall Red be pushed into that one while she’s trying to help us save these poor mortals?” His voice rose to a shout. “What traps will you lay for her this time, when you should be fighting the facking undead with us?”

  Lachlan regarded the white-faced druid. “The Viking is loud, but he speaks for the clan, and his laird. I think you should leave now, Ovate.”

  “I willnae betray you again, Mistress Burke. ’Twas wrong of me and my master, and I regret it still.” Cailean bowed to Diana. “My lord, by your leave I will tell the conclave myself. I will tell them what the lieutenant discovered, and convince them to rule again in her favor. Until I do, I willnae return to Dun Aran.” He bowed to Lachlan and Kinley before he left.

  “Then mayhap you will live a little longer,” Tormod called after Cailean. “Facking magic folk. We should feed them to the undead. Mayhap their treacherous blood would poison the bastarts, and we’d be rid of both.”

  “Stop thinking up new ways to kill the druids,” Kinley said. “There’s still a lot of ifs on the table. Do you really think these sea caves can be used to get at the stronghold?”

  Lachlan nodded. “Ermindale would enjoy flouting the king’s ruling, but he wouldnae wish to be caught at it.”

  “Underground passages can be used for more than the transport of slaves,” Raen said. “You already said it, my lady. ’Tis the sort of place that would make a fine new lair for the legion.”

  “What cover can we use to approach the main house?” Neac asked Diana.

  “Not much at the front or the sides, but the gardens in the back are overgrown,” she told him. “I didn’t see sentries posted around them, either.”

  For a moment there was silence and all eyes looked to Lachlan.

  He nodded. “We go tonight.”

  “How many warbands for the attack?” Neac asked. “And who stays behind to man the castle?”

  As Lachlan, Neac, and Kinley discussed that, Raen drew Diana to one side. “I dinnae want you to travel over water, no’ after that dream I had. Please, stay here, where you’ll be protected by our brothers.”

  “I’m not going to drown, Big Man, and I’ve already been to Ermindale by myself with no problems.” Raen scowled fiercely and she rolled her eyes. “Okay, Bhaltair got me on the way home, but that doesn’t count. I need you to have some faith in me, Raen. If I’m anything, I’m a survivor.”

  “Cailean may tell his master that you’ve returned,” Raen warned her. “I dinnae trust the Ovate.”

  “It wasn’t his idea,” she said. “This is all Bhaltair. You should have seen how he looked at me before he…” Diana snapped her fingers. “Oh, hell, that’s it.” She hurried over to the laird. “I’m sorry to interrupt, my lord, but I’m druid kind. That means I’m descended from actual druids, right?”

  “Aye,” Lachlan said and frowned. “Did no one explain this to you?”

  “Kind of, but it’s not about me, not really,” Diana assured him. “One more question: can two mortals make a druid baby?”

  “No, lass,” the laird said. “Druid kind are all blood kin.”

  Kinley translated that for her. “What he means is, at least one parent has to have druid DNA to make a druid baby. It’s something to do with how they reincarnate. What’s this about, anyway? You can’t be pregnant.” She saw the way Raen glowered at her and lifted her hands. “Hey, I’m never having a kid, either.”

  Diana shook her head. “I think I know why Bhaltair hates me so much.” She sighed. “We need to deal with Ermindale now, but after the vampire dust settles, I’d like to talk to him.”

  “I’ll see to it when I can, Diana,” Lachlan said. “For now, Raen will assemble the warbands, Tormod the birlinns, and Neac the weapons and supplies. Kinley and I will lead half the birlinns in from the east. Raen, you and Diana will bring the others in from the west. We’ll carry the boats into the sea caves as Tormod suggests, and wait there until dawn before we move on the stronghold. Any questions?”

  “Yes,” Diana said and shrugged off the blanket covering her. She glanced down at the only other thing she was wearing. “I really can’t go for a sail while I’m wearing just a patient gown. Can someone lend me some clothes?”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  DIANA HAD NEVER gone sailing, but it felt good to stretch her muscles while rowing. The long, shallow boats the clan used for sea crossings were each propelled by large, blocky sails, twelve sets of oars and a primitive rudder located in the center rather than the rear. Tormod told Diana how he taught the clan to make their birlinns much smaller and lighter by fitting panels of birch bark and hollow reeds between the pine hull beams. That way, the craft could be lifted out of the water and carried by the men who rowed it. The variations in building materials created a camouflage effect on the outer hull, which allowed it to blend in when stowed in woods or brush.

  “If our enemies cannae find our boats,” he said, “they cannae burn them.”

  Raen had given Diana a crash course in Scottish galley rowing before he sat on the bench behind her and called to the other boat masters to set sail from the village docks.

  “What happens if they spot our sails?” Diana asked as she worked the oars in the rolling back and forth pulls.

  “’Twill be dark,” Raen said, “but we will drop sails before we come within sight, and use oars only to reach the shore.” He leaned forward to brush his lips across the nape of her neck. “Tormod has taught us all his Viking tricks.”

  “Aye, such as no’ talking on the boat once we drop sail, so no one hears us approaching,” the Norseman advised Diana.

  Once they had reached the currents and caught the wind the boat began to pick up speed, and Tormod called out “Ease in,” which meant to lift the oars and secure them.

  “I didn’t know we were going to get a rest,” she said as she turned around to face Raen. “How long will it take us to reach the caves?”

  “If the wind holds, we should be there just after nightfall.” He tucked her braid under the back of one of Evander’s tunics, which he had unearthed from an old trunk Seoc had kept in the stables. After leaving all of Diana’s clothes at Gordon’s stronghold, it had been that or wrapping her in his tartan again. “’Tis strange that I never realized you have the build of a Talorc. They are all tall and slender and very devious. The best of fighters among the Pritani.”

  “Were they also the best traitors and drunks?” As soon as she said that she regretted it. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”

  He moved his broad shoulders. “Our tribes were enemies. What I was told of them was likely said in malice.”

  She l
aced her fingers through his. “What about your tribe? What were the Abers famous for being?”

  “Big,” he said flatly. “Abers always served as bodyguards for every Pritani ruler since the first because we were stronger and faster than other tribes. Some believed us too large and stupit to be suited to any other work. They didnae ken that bodyguards must always be with their rulers. My tribe were served the same foods, dressed in fine clothes, and enjoyed all the royal entertainments. Sometimes still I miss the days of my mortal life. We Abers might never have been kings, but we lived like them.”

  “I know what you mean,” Diana said as she looked out over the empty, dark blue waters around them, and thought of the city’s busy harbor. “I’m going to miss San Diego. Not the hospital, or my brain tumor, but the city itself. It can be frantic and modern one minute, and then charming and historic the next. So many different kinds of people, too, all living together by the sea. And then there’s my work. The cop who helped save my life always told me that if you save one person, you save the world.”

  “He was very wise,” Raen said, and cupped her nape with his hand. “We wouldnae have ken about Ermindale if we hadnae saved you. And my world would never have been the same without you.”

  Diana would have kissed him, but Tormod called out, “Ready oars,” to get them to start rowing again.

  They alternated rowing with sailing when the winds permitted it, and by the time the stars came out the Norseman dropped their sails and lit a torch to signal the other boats to do the same before quickly extinguishing the flames. They rowed inland from there, and when they reached the shallows they lifted their oars and glided in with the night waves.

  The shoreline appeared very rocky and completely deserted, but they waited just on the edge of the water for Lachlan and Kinley’s birlinns, which arrived a short time later.

  “I don’t see any trails here or around the caves,” Diana reported to the laird. “The undead haven’t been using the beach, either.”