Page 61 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“I wouldnae lie to ye, lass. Ye cannae go back right now. The fog is fickle. It is only there when someone is waiting on the other side. Do ye nae ken? If there is no one waiting for you, in the future, the fog willnae appear for ye.”
“Was someone waiting for him? I didn’t see anyone else when we arrived. How did we get here?” Jenna demanded suspiciously.
“My horse was awaiting our arrival. The fog disappeared as soon as we got here. I dinnae ken how Richard arrived. I’m not the one in charge of the bridge. If Edna were here, she could answer yer questions, but I cannae.” Cormac was sounding increasingly frustrated with Jenna. He raked his fingers through his hair and stared up at the sky as if seeking divine intervention. “Now, come with me…please. We must hurry.”
Jenna glared at him, hands fisted at her sides.Damn, damn, damn him… and Edna!“Fine, let’s go.” She again headed off down the path, Cormac following close behind. She’d figure this out, without his help.
Cormac had been so busy trying to appease Jenna that he almost missed the low murmur of voices coming from their left. Jenna was babbling on and on, in a most disagreeable manner. “Shhh…” Cormac put his finger to his lips to silence her. She was about to protest when she obviously heard the sound as well. She threw him a questioning look and Cormac held up his hand for her to stay put. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered.
Leaving his horse and Jenna behind, Cormac made his way silently through the trees toward the voices.
“Where are we,” the woman’s voice questioned.
“How the hell would I know?” The man responded with an angry growl.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me! It’s not my fault something weird just happened.”
Creeping closer, Cormac was able to make out the figures of a man and woman standing in the clearing. They had their backs to him, but he could tell they were from the future. Their clothes were a dead giveaway. They searched the area, looking both confused and out of place. As they turned in his direction, Cormac dove low into the cover of some brush. He peeked over the top and was amazed to see Jonathan and Sophia, not more than ten feet away.How did they get here?He was just about to approach them, when Sir Richard appeared in the clearing.
“Hello, fellow time travelers. I’m Sir Richard Jefford. May I be of service? You appear to have just arrived.”
“Time travelers?” Jonathan questioned suspiciously.
Sophia crept closer to Jonathan’s side, but he offered her no protection. “Where are we?” she asked.
“You find yourself in Scotland. The year 1514.” They looked shocked and Sophia teetered on her feet. “I’ll let that sink in for a moment.” Sir Richard sat atop his horse and waited before speaking again. “Where are you from?”
“San Francisco. 2014,” Jonathan answered.
“Do you know how you got here?” Sir Richard asked.
“I’m not too sure…” Jonathan glanced down at Sophia, as if she might know the answer.
“We were following Cormac and Jenna when we walked into a fog bank. Next thing we knew, we were here. Do you know how we can get back?” Sophia appeared to be rapidly regaining her composure.
Why were they following us?Cormac didn’t like the sound of that. Perhaps if he listened longer, he might have his answer. He was concerned for Jenna, but felt certain she’d stay where he left her, as he’d requested.
“Did you say Cormac and Jenna? I just saw them. Or at least, I assume the young woman with him was Jenna. Cormac did not introduce us. They are most likely heading back to Breaghacraig. What do you want with them?”
Jonathan perked up when he heard this information. “I need to get Jenna back to San Francisco. She’s going to help me get some money I need.”
“I thought you said you wanted to convince her to be friends with you,” Sophia interrupted.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t get any money when she annulled our marriage, so I have to get it somehow.” Jonathan defended his actions.
“You have an ulterior motive, it seems. Do you wish this woman harm?” Sir Richard asked.
“I don’t know how any of this is your business,” Jonathan retorted.
“It’s only my business because she’s with Cormac MacBayne, and he and his family… let’s just say we’re not on the best of terms. What is his relationship to this Jenna?” Richard asked.
“They’re definitely an item,” Sophia offered.
“An item?”
“They like each other… a lot,” she explained.
“I see. Well, then perhaps we can help each other,” Sir Richard suggested.
