Taran

by Jane Stain

  Jessica came over and put a supportive arm around Lauren's shoulders, giving Amy a smile that said ‘Enough.’

  "Good idea. I'll invite him in so it’ll be harder for him to leave, and then we'll just be super curious and ask him questions. Sound good?"

  Katherine nodded

  "Sounds good to me."

  Amy nodded and smiled at Katherine.

  "To me too."

  They waited quietly, and when he reached them, he spoke to them in Gaelic, plainly mistaking them for people of this time. Lauren supposed that wasn’t too surprising. They were wearing clothes made in this time: summer linen leines with huge coordinating woolen shawls.

  “Wull met,” he said with a slight nod to Jessica, the best-dressed among them. “My people call me Sky Blue, but ye lasses may call me Sky.”

  They all exchanged a look, eager to take advantage of his assumption that they were of this time to see what he might let slip, thinking they would be none the wiser.

  “Wull met. I am Jessica, the lady o’ Cresh Manor, and these are my friends: Lauren, Katherine, and Amy. Will ye come in? We wull be supping soon, and 'tis a long walk ower the mountain."

  Sky looked uncertain, but when they all started walking toward the house, he followed them inside and took the seat Jessica gestured to, at the table.

  Lauren casually moved over to stand watch at the back door so Sky couldn't escape that way. She knew the men would be coming up the pathway through the trees toward the front door. They would intercept him if he left that way.

  Katherine met Jessica's eyes.

  Jessica nodded at her subtly.

  It was an understatement to say that Katherine, a top salesperson in the 21st Century, had a way with words.

  "‘Tis a rarity for us tae get a visitor from yon castle. Dae ye come with news?"

  But before Sky could answer, little Amena came out of the kitchen. Wide-eyed at the sight of Sky, she ran over to him and fiddled with his tie-dyed outfit.

  "Braw clothes! Are ye a time traveler too?"

  Chapter Four

  Taran patted his brother’s back as they headed away from fight practice.

  "We hae did wull fortifying Inverurie. ‘Tis tae the good."

  “Aye,” Leif said, nodding, but a sigh gave the lie to his nod. He was just trying to be encouraging. Meanwhile, as usual he was glancing anxiously at the road from the West, looking for signs of the messenger who would call them all out to join the earl in battle.

  Luag took a turn, fixing Leif with his charming smile and holding out his hand to the town behind them.

  "Yer duty lies here. These people are yer responsibility."

  Leif mustered a tiny wry grin for his friend.

  "What? Nay jesting this time? Hae ye lost yer touch?"

  Luag chuckled in acknowledgment that Leif had made a rare jest of his own, but then his face was serious.

  "It burdens me tae see ye sae, doubting yerself. Ye are a fine leader. Inverurie is blessed tae hae ye. I mean that, or I would na be staying tae fight under yer leadership, now would I?"

  They were halfway through the barley fields now, and Taran imagined he could smell their supper cooking, all the way up the hill.

  Leif clapped a firm hand over Taran’s shoulders and changed the subject.

  "And what news from ye? Hae ye not e’en yet proposed marriage tae Lauren?"

  Taran made a face at Leif that said ‘Far be it from ye tae be uncomfortable, sae let’s just throw the talk onto my discomfort, eh?’

  Leif nodded sideways in a ‘ye are welcome’ way, grinning. He and Luag were both looking at Taran expectantly, making him feel the need to say something.

  Lauren still hadn’t told everyone her secret, and Taran had made a promise not to be the one to do so. But he had also promised himself he would go no further in courting her until she had. They were in a stalemate. But he couldn’t tell them that, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

  "Lauren isna ripe yet for the picking. I will need tae cultivate her some more."

  The other men laughed at his simile.

  Luag fixed him with a cutting grin.

  "Nae more insisting ye are na interested in her? leaving me all alone, are ye?"

  Taran shoved the Isles man playfully.

  "Ye are nay more alone than I, whether ye ken it or na."

  They walked for a time without talking, and then Taran heard something. He stopped to hear it better. The others did as well.

  There.

  Peals of female laughter rang out from Cresh Manor, along with the distinct sound of an unfamiliar male voice.

  The lasses must have left the windows and the doors open, but the male voice was what had Taran on edge. He exchanged inquisitive glances with Luag and Leif, but neither of them knew what was going on either.

  They all broke into a run up the steep pathway through the woods.

  When they entered the manor, Taran knew it had indeed been Senga's stew he smelled from afar. A tiny part of him rejoiced. Senga’s stew was legendary throughout Inverurie. The rest of Taran, however, was on high alert, scanning the room for any signs of distress.

  But on the contrary, the lasses were all at the table with the stranger, who sat taking his ease with a tankard of ale, his leg over the arm of the chair and repeatedly stealing looks at the beautiful Katherine.

  The stranger’s multicolored clothing was so odd that if Taran hadn’t met a dozen time travelers in the past four months, he would have been quite mystified, perhaps even shocked. As it was, he found himself staring. How many people were there going to be from other times, wandering around, and why?

  This new one was bragging about his adventures.

  "Aye, I hae been in this time half a year. They treat me wull, and I am starting tae think I willna go back. Excepting that they are all sae darn bloodthirsty.”

  Jessica went to Leif, her husband, and he pulled out her chair for her, then sat down at the head of the table.

  Lauren met Taran's eyes, beckoning him to sit across from her, which he did. This meant they could communicate with the gestures they had taught each other over the past year while playing a game in the evenings after supper, that game she loved and called Charades.

  “Supper is ready to be served,” Senga announced.

  “Good,” said Leif, who then bowed his head and said the blessing.

  While Jessica made introductions, Senga served the stew. And then Leif leaned toward the stranger.

  “Ye say they treat ye well, Sky Blue?”

  “Aye,” said Sky, with an air of self-importance.

  “And pray tell, who are ‘they’?”

  Sky turned his head sideways and smiled.

  “Ye wull ken I canna tell ye.”

  Amena spoke up with her shrill excited voice.

  "Jessica is gaun'ae stay here in oor time also, ye ken, because she’s married tae Leif. She’s part o’ oor family now!"

  Sky ignored the child, speaking right over her.

  "They hae big plans for me. Objects they say I can find for them. Some aught tae dae with my aura, thinks I. Hardly anyone can see auras, ye ken, but they hae people who can. Wull, they can travel through time, sae that’s na sae verra surprising—"

  Leif interrupted sky right back.

  "Now I think ye speak o’ a different people than ye foremaist brought tae mind. When ye said they were bloodthirsty, I did think ye meant the Laird o' the Isles and his men. But only the druids can travel through time."

  With that same sense of self-importance, Sky spoke through the bite of stew he just put in his mouth.

  "I telt ye, I canna say who they are. They close my mouth whene’er I try—”

  Taran met Lauren’s eyes.

  She widened hers, recognizing her own plight.

  Taran nodded.

  Sky blathered on, oblivious.

  “But most o’ them are warriors. They hae conquered a great deal o’ this land, moving constantly farther east. Their jewelry i
sna anything like yers.” He indicated Taran and Leif. “‘Tis more like his." He nodded at Luag.

  When Sky pointed at Luag, the stranger’s rudeness was the least of Taran's concerns. The Laird o’ the of the Isles and the druids were allied! This was…

  Taran met his brother’s eyes and received a curt nod of agreement. The two of them looked over at Luag, and his face showed fear as well.

  The lasses didn't seem to grasp what this meant. Perhaps they didn't realize were Luag was from.

  Lauren asked Taran with their gestures, “What’s wrong?”

  Taran signed back to her, “Our two enemies have allied.”

  She gave him a sickened face.

  He nodded solemnly.

  Oblivious to all this interaction, Sky pompously ate his stew and slurped his wine, all the while ogling Katherine the beautiful. It was so bad, Luag even looked over at Katherine to see how she was taking this, with an eye, Taran knew, of putting a stop to it if she was at all affronted.

  Good man, Luag.

  But Katherine signed to him, “Certies ye jest. At home, I get far worse treatment from men every hour of every day. I wull let you know if I need help.”

  Meanwhile, Sky was nattering on. Taran was ignoring him until Sky’s words launched a volley that caught Taran right in the throat:

  “‘Tis glad I am I got here ahead of them. I only just barely did. They’re holed up in the castle just east o’ here, ye ken..."

  Laird Donald had overtaken Laird Ualraig’s castle! Taran felt a surge of battle heat race through his veins.

  Leif jumped up from the table and wasted no time in going outside to play a rare tune on his small pipes. It called the militia to muster after their families had gone to bed. The battle plan where they all left after their families were asleep would be enacted tonight.

  On hearing the unfamiliar tune, Lauren raised her eyebrows at Taran.

  He signed a lie, his first ever to her.

  “There will be a meeting first thing on the morrow to discuss this news and plan our course.”

  And then Taran got up from the table and gave Senga a signal they'd only discussed and never used.

  Their old cook took his little sister by the hand. “Say goodnight tae everyone, Amena dear. Ye wull come sleep in my room sae Sky can hae yers.”

  The two disappeared into the kitchen, and a few minutes later, Senga came out with a wine decanter and replenished everyone’s glasses. Taran, Leif, and Luag went into the kitchen one by one and switched theirs before drinking.

  The hour that followed was long, listening to Sky.

  "I took a semester o’ medieval waurld history afore I dropped out o’ college.” He yawned noisily, stretching his arms out over his head. “This is good wine. May I hae more? They say my knowledge is useful tae them: dates and such, alliances, the outcomes o’ battles. I am verra useful tae them. They wull keep me a long time. The others are just…” He yawned again. “Wull, they willna let me say...”

  The lasses fought their sleepiness, but at long last they all excused themselves to go up to bed.

  Sky —who had drunk four glasses of the special wine in an hour— fell asleep on his face at the table.

  Taran, Leif, and Luag gave the lasses half an hour to fall deeply asleep, and then Leif nodded to Senga on their way out. They carried Sky with them to keep him from rushing on ahead to warn the Laird of the Isles of their coming, when he awoke.

  The meadow where the militia met was distant enough that no one could hear them or see them, up over the rise of the northern hill. Each time someone new arrived, he would ask those already there the same question:

  "Where lies the threat?"

  And each time, the last one to arrive would tell the new arrival.

  “The threat surrounds us. Laird Donald o’ the Isles has teamed up with the druids! They hae taken Laird Ualraig’s castle, along with every other settlement in their path. The only hope for Inverurie is if we bring the fight tae them."

  Chapter Five

  Galdus fumed. Why had Lauren drunk that wine despite his urging her not to? He had to get better control of her! Now he would have to wait until he was able to wake her from her sullied wine stupor, and that would take hours! Time was slipping away, and if she didn't catch up with the warriors and accompany them to the Battle of Harlaw, this whole trip would be for nothing.

  Lauren ran to Kelsey as soon as she saw her old friend, who was visiting in her dream. Jessica and Katherine were here as well. Kelsey had shaken their hands, and so she was able to orchestrate dreams for them as well. Not so with Amy, but they would fill their new friend in.

  "I’m so glad to see you!” Lauren said. “What took you so long? Never mind. You’re here now, and that's what matters. What can you tell us about the coming conflict? When will it be? Who's involved? Are Taran, Leif, or Luag mentioned by name?"

  Kelsey returned Lauren’s hug warmly and then turned to face the three of them, noting with a smile they were all sitting on their thrones this time. She had discovered that this ancient Celtic palace under Dunskey Castle was the only place their dreams couldn't be spied upon by other dream walkers. It was very convenient, as that was where Kelsey worked in the waking world. She had a strong connection with the place.

  "The Battle of Harlaw happens in a few days,” Kelsey told them. “The Laird of the Isles is met by Glen Allen’s Earl of Mar in a field near the very town you’re in. The losses are so heavy that both sides retreat. It’s considered a draw by most historians. None of your men are mentioned by name, and you're right, that's a good thing."

  Katherine tossed her hair and smiled sweetly at Kelsey.

  "Jessica here is married to Leif, so yeah, he's her man. And everything points to Lauren getting engaged to Taran soon, from what you've told us about men’s behavior in this time. But Luag and I? We are so not together. I’m not staying in this backward time. It’s been a fun trip and all, but I'm overdue to go home, and I will, as soon as I feel I can leave these two. Please tell me you did secure me a leave of absence from PenUlt? And you made sure my bills were paid so my credit will still be excellent when I get home?"

  Not at all taken in by Katherine's charm, Kelsey nodded in a matter-of-fact way.

  "I did. Your credit and your job are safe. You can return whenever you get back.” She grinned mischievously. "You're dating a famous musician, and he's taken you on tour. I’ve been sending postcards from you to your family."

  Lauren enjoyed watching Katherine squirm at this news. Ms. In-Control was mighty uncomfortable, and it was medicine for the soul, to watch it. But Lauren had to give Katherine credit. She sucked it up.

  "Thank you," Katherine said with a forced nod of acknowledgment. "I can work with that." But then she got an inquisitive look on her face and raised her head again toward Kelsey. "What if my father contacts the musician’s agent? Won't that blow my cover?"

  Lauren had known Kelsey twelve years now, so she saw what Katherine didn't: Kelsey was getting annoyed. She had handled it. She was done with this part of the conversation and had other news to share.

  All Kelsey said to Katherine was, "We made arrangements with a Celtic Rock band. Don’t worry about it."

  Lauren turned her head so that Katherine wouldn’t see her smirk at Jessica, who smiled in return. But Lauren wasn't so smug when Kelsey then turned her determined stare on her.

  "Lauren, you need to tell them what's going on with you and Galdus. If you don't tell them, then I will."

  Normally, Lauren insisted on privacy. She didn’t stay friends with anyone who couldn’t keep a secret. But Kelsey was right. This affected her other friends.

  "You know what?” Lauren said. “That would be easier for me. Go ahead and tell them. Please. I really wanted to time travel, but it's not worth it. Sometimes I wish we'd never come, but then I think of Taran…"

  Lauren looked Jessica in the eye and then Katherine, trying to convey to them how sorry she was for putting them in danger.

 
"On second thought,” she told Kelsey, “I'll tell them.”

  She looked her friends in the eye once more, pleading with her eyes for them to hear her out.

  “Taran wasn't trying to propose marriage to me in the cottage. He caught me raging at Galdus, demanded an explanation, and conceded to hear it in private. So here it is.”

  Lauren swallowed, but she kept choking up anyway, the precursor to tears.

  “Galdus is getting more and more control over me. I seem to be safe from his influence here in Kelsey’s dream, but in the real world he often keeps me from saying certain things, and… And just last night he tried to prevent me from drinking my wine. I could feel him trying to control my arm. I was only just barely able to get control of it for myself and drink my wine anyway. That's a minor thing, but can you imagine what might happen if he got total physical control? It scares me to death. But we need him in order to get home, unless…"

  Lauren looked at Kelsey and relaxed a bit.

  "Unless you can get us home?"

  Kelsey nodded.

  "I can't do it myself, but I know several people who can. Don't worry about that. If you want to go home, then I'll make sure you get there."

  Katherine looked worried.

  "But what if something happens to you, Kelsey? If we can’t talk to you here in the dream and we no longer have Lauren's magic time traveling dagger, then what?"

  Lauren expected Kelsey to answer impatiently, but she looked thoughtful.

  "You're right. I'd better tell them to check on you in the event anything does happen to me. Satisfied?"

  Katherine fixed angry eyes on Lauren, only briefly turning to tell Kelsey yes. "I can't believe you dragged us both into this, Lauren. We’re all in danger, not just you. What do you think is going to happen if he finally does take you over? You think he's gonna make us all sell Girl Scout cookies? No! He's going to find a way to get us into slavery as well. That's what greed does. Greedy people are never satisfied. They always want more, more, more—"

  Jessica spoke right over Katherine.

  "Katherine, we need to live in the cure, not in the disease. Lauren knows she messed up. She admits it. Rubbing her nose in it isn't going to fix anything. We need to free her from this druid dagger before he takes her over any more than he has."