“Stop that, you little fool. You want to cut your wrists?”
Shona froze, the voice familiar and close. She raised her head and noticed for the first time some of the windows of the car were down. The distinct clip, clip, clip of high heels on the garage’s cement floor echoed into the car.
Julia opened the driver’s side door, sat sideways behind the wheel, and draped an arm over the seat to get comfortable. She stared down at Shona with a cold look. “Don’t struggle. I don’t want Philip accusing me of damaging his new property.” Her voice was even colder than the look she gave.
Shona fought down a shudder and stared back.
“He’s quite insane, you know, and I strongly suggest you do what he asks. That is, if you want to live.” Julia’s voice had gone suddenly casual as had her face, her eyes roaming Shona’s body with interest. “I ought to just keep you myself. I knew I was right about you. Knew it all along. I should go back into the house, make a few phone calls and be done with it.”
Shona only stared back, not having any idea what Julia was talking about.
“I’ve had offers for you before, though for other reasons. If I’d known what you were, I’d have taken you away long ago. But Philip made promises.” She looked away, her eyes unreadable. “Promises he never intended to keep.” Her face abruptly turned back. “What to do now, I wonder?” Julia began to tap the seat back with her fingertips, the sound loud and eerie.
This time, Shona did shudder.
“If I give you to Philip, he’ll be out of here without a trace. I’ll probably never see him again. Or, maybe he still needs me. I can handle you better than he can. Besides as you have no choice in the matter, I would assume you’d much rather deal with me than him.”
She stopped her tapping and readjusted herself in the front seat, placing her chin on the arm resting across its back. “When I saw you change at the symphony—you don’t know how long I’ve waited to see that. You don’t know how many years I’ve been helping Philip. Helping him to make you into the perfect little…” She stopped, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Shona’s own brow was raised in curiosity at this point as comprehension dawned.
“What are you, Shona? Why has Philip had you trained the way he did? Languages, fencing, weapons? The archaic speech he insists upon? I don’t get it.”
Shona looked away, her mind racing over the last ten or so years, the historical studies and other odd areas she’d been tutored in. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say Philip was preparing her for another century entirely. At this point, she’d almost believe he was.
Julia sat up again and continued to assess her. “Or perhaps I should kill you. Then Philip would only have me. He’d want me then. There wouldn’t be anybody else.” She bit her lip in indecision and nodded her head. “I wonder if you can be killed like a human.” She turned and began to look around the garage from her seat, her face lit with evil intent. After a moment, she slowly turned back to Shona. “Let’s find out.”
Shona’s eyes widened as Julia left the car to rifle through an area of the garage she couldn’t see. Briefly she struggled but to no avail. Dallan, oh Dallan please help me! She’s going to hurt me, Dallan! Help!
Julia was doing something at the rear of the car now, the sounds unfamiliar and frightening as Shona’s panic began to block her senses.
Julia got back in the car, started it and turned to Shona. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt.” She raised the two open windows, closing one, but leaving the driver’s side opened a few inches, then got out and went to the back of the car again. After a moment she returned, shut off the engine and sat in the front seat, her eyes intense with anticipation. “Now, if you’re Muiraran, then I estimate you’d survive a good fifteen minutes or so longer than a human. If not, and you die quickly, then you really weren’t worth keeping to begin with.” She reached outside the car, picked something up and displayed it to Shona.
The end of a vacuum cleaner hose.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning is relatively painless, so I wouldn’t worry. You won’t feel a thing. I’ll try to catch it before you pass out. It’s the timing I’m after. Now that my real memories are coming back, I’ve been so curious to see the differences between your kind and my own.”
Ignoring the odd statement, Shona shook her head wildly and struggled again as Julia left the car. Dallan, help! She’s going to kill me! Help me please!
Julia, now outside the car, began to fumble with something out of Shona’s line of vision. She could, however, hear the loud sound of heavy tape being unwound from its roll and ripped. Julia began to run tape across the top of the open window, sealing the opening. Shona watched in complete and utter horror as her tutor of ten years stuck the end of the hose in the middle of the window and neatly taped it in place.
Shona was gong to die.
Dallan! God, please let him hear me! Oh Dallan, help! She’s going to kill me! Help me please!
But Dallan still did not answer.
Julia reached into the car from the passenger side and gave Shona a calculating look. “I’ll time it on my watch. I give you ten minutes, maybe fifteen. Hmmm, we’ll see what happens.” She switched on the ignition, smiled wickedly and slowly shut the door to lock Shona inside.
Shona screamed into the gag and fought with everything she had, then suddenly realized what the struggling would do and stopped, not wanting to breathe in the deadly gas any quicker than she had to. DALLAN! DALLAN! DALLAAAN!
Several minutes passed, five, ten, fifteen… Shona began to feel sick to her stomach.
Dallan, oh Dallan…
Something hit the car with great force. Shona saw Julia’s body roll across the rear window. Suddenly Dallan, his face pressed to the window near her feet, was looking in at her, features locked in rage, his companions Mr. Eaton and Mr. Mosgofian right behind him. “Dallan get her out of there!” A voice yelled but Shona wasn’t sure whose. The car shook a few times as Dallan tried vainly to open the locked doors.
Someone else ripped the hose from the window, stopping death from entering further.
Dallan, please hurry…
Dallan put his fist through the window, reached in and grabbed at anything that might open the door. He found nothing, then in pure desperation ripped the door not only open, but completely off its hinges. “Shona!” He dove into the car, quickly pulled her out, then carried her to a corner of the garage and gently set her down. “Lass, are ye all right? Did she hurt you? What was she doing?” He glanced at the bonds and cursed in Gaelic as he quickly removed her gag.
Shona retched right in his lap.
Dallan grabbed her to him, not caring about the mess. “Saints, Shona, my lass, I thought I’d lost ye.” He rocked her back and forth to comfort her, then reached for his dirk and began to saw through the cords binding her wrists.
Still stunned from Julia’s actions, all Shona could do was let him hold her in his arms while his hands worked to untie her. After a moment, her hands were free and Dallan repositioned her to free her ankles as well. Now sitting in his lap, she watched him fervently saw away, the look on his face intense and hard.
Done with the task, he captured her with a look so possessive and fierce that she actually felt sorry for Julia. “Who did this?”
She searched the garage but saw no sign of Julia. She could only shake her head at him.
“Shona, lass. Are ye all right? I have to know, Flower. Did she hurt you?”
His expression had become tender so fast Shona could only concentrate on his face. She blurted out the first words to pop into her head. “I threw up on you!”
Dallan looked shocked for a brief moment then smiled in relief. “Aye that ye did, M’eudain. But no harm done. What of you?”
“I… I…” The whole thing caught up with her. She threw herself into his arms and let the tears fall.
“Is she all right?” John had joined Dallan and was looking at her, his face grave.
Dallan held her ev
en closer and searched her heart. M’eudain. I must know if you are all right.
I think I am. I do not think I was in the car long enough. I feel all right. But…
But what, lass?
But… oh, Dallan, I was so scared!
He began to caress her back. “Shhhh now, she canna harm ye anymore.” He turned to John, his voice suddenly hard. “Where’s the woman?”
“Kwaku took her inside.”
Dallan turned back to Shona. “I’m taking ye out o’ here now, Flower.” He stood without relinquishing his hold on her and carried her across the garage and into the kitchen of the house. “Master Lany!”
Lany came running from another room, his face masked with anger. “Is she all right?”
“Aye, I think so. Here.” He handed Lany the Maiden. “Take care o’ her.”
Lany looked confused for a moment before he took Shona from Dallan’s arms. “Uh, sure, no problem.”
“Where’s the woman now?” Dallan asked his voice anything but gentle.
Lany nodded his head to the room he had just entered from, and Dallan stormed out of the kitchen, his dirk drawn.
Lany sighed in resignation and turned to look at Shona who held a frightened look on her face. He smiled at her. “Hi.”
Shona offered him a weak smile of her own. “Hi.”
“Mind if I set you down?”
She merely shook her head and let herself slide down his arms to stand.
He continued to hold her, her legs suddenly wobbling. “Easy, easy. Maybe you ought to sit.” He helped her to a chair and sat with her at the kitchen table a moment before getting her a glass of water.
She drank it slowly then looked up at him. “What will Dallan do to Julia?”
Lany drew in a deep breath. “Whatever he and Kwaku feel is necessary.” He sat again. “Better?”
She nodded her thanks and looked at the doorway Dallan had exited through. “I do not think she meant to kill me.”
“It doesn’t matter now. What does is that you’re safe.” He reached across the small table and put a hand on one of hers. “Julia will get back whatever she’s spooned out. Dallan will make sure she’ll never harm you again.” He removed his hand, stood and offered her a gentle look. “Don’t go anywhere,” he whispered, and then went after Dallan.
No sooner had he left, an old man in Highland dress shuffled into the room. “There ye are lassie. I’m Angus MacNab. I’ve been watching over ye for some time now. But never mind that, how d’ye feel?”
Shona sat confused for a moment. The man looked very familiar. “I think I am all right.”
Angus took the same seat Lany had used. “There’s a good lass. What ye need now is some food and a good stiff … ah, mayhaps some tea would be better.” He pulled his lower lip into his mouth with his teeth a few times, and searched the room. “We’ll get ye to the shop and fix ye right up.”
Dallan suddenly walked back into the room, out the kitchen door and disappeared into the adjoining garage. Shona’s heart and gaze followed him. Dallan, what are you doing? What is going on?
A loud grating noise answered her. A moment later he reentered the kitchen, went straight to her, bent at the waist and cupped her face with a hand, acute concern etched across his features. His eyes then narrowed and he showed her what was in his other hand.
The tranquilizer gun Philip had used on her earlier. Shona shuddered involuntarily. “What are you going to do with that?”
Dallan kissed her gently, then stood to his full height and grinned almost boyishly. “Justice.” He left the room, both Shona and Angus wondering the same thing: exactly what sort of justice?
“No! You wouldn’t dare!” Julia’s voice brought Shona and Angus to complete attention. They exchanged a quick look before craning toward the opposite door.
A strange “phnnt” sound came from the other room immediately followed by a loud wail from Julia. “Why you dirty, stinking Highlander, how dare you shoot me there! You have no right! I didn’t hurt her! I only wanted to test a theory! I’ll see Philip kills you for th… this…and…I… I…” The sound of Julia’s body hitting the floor ended the one way conversation.
Dallan and the others reentered the kitchen, Dallan heading straight for Shona. He reached down, swept her up into his arms and kissed her tenderly on the nose. “Justice served.”
She looked into his eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head upon his shoulder. “Dallan,” she whispered, “What do we do now?”
Dallan glanced to his companions now assembled around them, the same look of relief on their faces. He gave them one of his own then rested his cheek against her forehead. “We do the only thing we can do at this point. We get married, lass.”
And with that, the company left Julia’s house to prepare the Weapons Master and his Maiden for the long awaited Sutyne, the Joining.
Man knows not love—such love as woman feels,
In him it is a vast devouring flame—
Resistless fed—in its own strength consumed,
In woman’s heart it enters step by step,
Concealed, disowned, until its gentler ray
Breathes forth a light, illumining her world.
Man loves not for repose; he woos the flower
To wear it as the victor’s trophied crown;
Whilst woman, when she glories in her love,
More like the dove, in noiseless constancy,
Watches the nest of her affection till
‘Tis she upon the tomb of him she loves.
Anonymous
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
After a short hour and a thankfully uneventful bus ride—Dallan held himself together for once—the company managed to get back to the relative safety of Angus’s shop. In the back room, a slightly nauseated Dallan sat on the floor with the Maiden in his lap, attempting to coax her into drinking one of Kwaku’s foul-tasting healing draughts while Lany and Angus watched.
Shona sniffed at the olive-drab liquid and made a face as she took the glass from Dallan. “What exactly is it?”
Dallan opened his mouth to speak then suddenly snapped it shut as he grimaced at the contents of the glass. “It is… green.”
Shona smiled. “You are sure this is good for me?”
Dallan nodded. “The heathen is mad, but he wilna poison ye.” He motioned for her to take a drink. She did, choked, and nearly fell out of his lap.
Dallan grabbed her and lightly patted her back. “Och, there’s a good lass,” he consoled and caught Kwaku as he entered the room with a mild glare. “Are ye sure she needs this?” he asked, indicating the glass with a toss of his head.
Kwaku smiled warmly. “Oh, yes, Boyeee. Dough she was not harmed to de point of lawlessness, it is still best to cleanse her of any poison dat may have remained in her body from her recent trauma.”
Shona lifted her head and got her first good look at the Time Master, Kwaku. “Thank you.”
Kwaku came and sat on the floor in front of them. He watched the couple for a time, the Maiden watching him in return, before he began to chuckle knowingly.
Shona backed deeper into Dallan’s embrace.
“Dinna worry, lass,” Dallan whispered in her ear. “Though I ken he’s frightening to look at, he wilna harm ye.”
Shona, emboldened by the statement, left the safe confines of Dallan’s arms and knelt before the Time Master. She studied him more closely and instinctively searched his heart.
Kwaku’s chuckling abruptly stopped.
Shona smiled. “You feel, um, nice.”
He nodded regally to her.
“And you… are not alone. Who is that? Who do I feel inside of you?”
Kwaku laughed heartily. “My wife, little one. Her heart is joined wid mine.”
“What is her name?”
Kwaku leaned forward to within inches of her face. “Tell me, my treasure. You tell me her name.”
Shona looked over her shoulder to Dallan. He put a possessive arm
around her waist and pulled her back onto his lap. “Dinna be afraid, M’eudain.”
She gave her attention back to Kwaku and searched him again. “She is the wind.”
Kwaku’s warm smile had returned.
“She is peace. She is life for you.”
Kwaku’s smile was replaced with a deep, sincere nod.
“You cannot survive without her. She is everything, isn’t she?”
He nodded again.
“She is your love, your laughter. Zara! That is her name!”
Kwaku smiled tenderly, and she smiled tentatively back. “Very good, little one. Very, very good.” He turned quickly to Lany. “Fast, yes?”
Lany smiled and nodded knowingly, his eyes intent on the Maiden who sat, not having the slightest idea what she’d just done. She had read Kwaku’s heart in seconds, something a trained Muiraran would have to concentrate several minutes to do. If this keeps up, he thought, we’re all home free.
John entered the room, two large white bags in his hands. “Sorry it took so long, but hardly anything is open this late. Not much of a ceremonial dinner, but I’m afraid it can’t be helped.” He set the bags on the table, then knelt next to Kwaku and studied Shona. “How are you feeling? Any dizziness, nausea or headache?”
She shook her head and leaned into Dallan who wrapped his arms more tightly around her. “She’s verra tired, John. Mayhaps we should wait until morning?”
“The more time passes, the more tired she’ll get. You must join tonight. Preferably…” John shot Kwaku a confirming look and Kwaku nodded. “Now.”
Shona looked from one man to the next. “Join?”
Dallan gently kissed the top of her head. “Aye, Flower. ‘Tis a marriage o’ sorts. Not in the traditional sense I’m told, but a marriage nonetheless.”
She turned to look at him, her face filled with confusion.
John stood. “We’ll give you a few minutes, Dallan. When you’re through, come to the fencing room. Zara will tend to Shona.”
Dallan nodded and watched as John and the others left the room then turned Shona so she could face him. “I ken how ye feel, lass. Ye’ve been through a lot lately, and I wouldna blame ye for doubting some o’ what ye’ve been told. I still canna believe it myself. If I hadna seen all the things that ha’ happened wi’ my own eyes, I’d still be fighting wi’ John about the truth. But the truth is staring me in the face right now.”
Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) Page 45