Page 45 of A Matter of Time
“What can we do, Auntie?” Maggie asked, worry etching her features. “We cannae allow him to harm her, or Richard.”
“We willnae allow that to happen, dear. We’ll work together to free them. I believe ’tis time for Richard to come home.” Edna closed her eyes and began muttering an incantation. She reached out and Maggie grasped her hand. As the two began chanting in unison, the scene in the flames became clearer. Startled faces turned to stare at them through the flames they were creating in Malcolm’s hearth in San Francisco. Each person was frozen in place, paralyzed by Edna’s spell. The flames in the hearth grew in size and ferocity until finally, Edna spoke.
“Richard, can ye hear me?” she asked.
“Yes, Edna, I can hear you,” came his answer.
“Do as I say. The others surrounding you are unable to move.”
He glanced around, as if to confirm for himself that what she had said was true.
“Listen carefully, Richard; I am here to help ye. I want ye to lay a hand on the shoulder of each person ye wish me to release from the spell and when you do that, they’ll regain their ability to move. Ye must leave swiftly and get back to the place where ye first arrived in San Francisco. The fog will be waiting for ye. I cannae hold these other men for verra much longer, so ye must hurry. Do ye understand, Richard?” Edna squeezed Maggie’s hand, encouraging her to continue with the incantation. “Hurry, Richard,” she called through the flames. She watched as he did as she had requested, touching each man in turn and lastly laying his hand on the woman’s shoulder.
“Come, we must leave quickly. Follow me,” Richard grasped Angelina’s hand and led the way to the front entrance of the castle.
“Richard, Angelina, I brought yer weapons.” Nick tossed their swords and dirks towards them while the others grabbed their own swords from the table and ran after Richard, Nick and Angelina.
Edna and Maggie were tiring swiftly, and could only hold the others in place for a few moments longer, but Edna hoped it was long enough to give Richard and the others a good head start. The fire began to die out in both the inn’s fireplace, and the one in Malcolm’s great hall and Edna turned to Maggie and hugged her. “My things are by the door, your Uncle Angus is waiting for me on the other side of the bridge. I must be there when Richard arrives, and then I hope to see my daughter and her family. I love ye Maggie, dear. Take good care of the inn and the bridge while I’m away.”
“I will,” Maggie promised. “You can count on me.”
Richardand the others ran like the devil himself was chasing them, and in some ways he was. They all kept pace, turning occasionally to see if they were being followed. The night was warm for November. There was a dampness in the air from the fog that was settling over the city and as they hit the Marina Green, they kept running. The sounds of shouting and running men behind them floated across the marina and had them pushing themselves to breakneck speeds. Angelina had been keeping up, but she was beginning to falter. Richard pulled her up next to him and placed an arm around her waist to keep her going. If he had to, he’d throw her over his shoulder and run with her that way. They couldn’t allow themselves to be caught, not now. Not when he had the chance to go home with the woman he loved.
As they approached the spot Edna had chosen, Richard yelled to the others. “If you don’t want to travel back in time with us, you would be wise to go your own way.”
“Zeke, you know what to do with the school. I have faith that you can make a good business out of it,” Nick said, his breathing heavy.
“Thank you, Nick. I won’t let you down,” Zeke answered, gasping for breath.
“Nick, give him the key to the house,” Angelina suggested.
“I’m a step ahead of ye, lass. I already did.” Nick grinned and clapped Zeke on the back. The others waved goodbye and called out their good wishes as they veered away to head back into the heart of the city. “Shall we?” Nick said.
Angelina, Nick and Richard continued to run. They could see the whirling blanket of fog in front of them, but before they got there, Richard stopped and faced Angelina. “You said you thought you were born in the wrong century, are you sure you want to discover if you are right?”
Angelina’s eyes were alight with excitement. “Yes. Let’s go.”
Richard smiled at her response. He was happy to know she wanted to go with him, because there was no way he intended on leaving her behind with Malcolm Granger. He began to run once again, Angelina and Nick by his side. Richard saw the familiar and colorful sparks in the mist and began to experience a little bit of relief. A few more steps and they’d be there. He ran even faster, pulling Angelina along with him as they ducked under tree branches and around bushes. Nick had gotten ahead of them and gleefully leaped into the fog when he reached it. Richard risked one last backward glance, only to see Malcolm and his men heading their way at breakneck speed. He could only hope the fog would dissipate before they reached it.
Edna stoodat the bridge waiting impatiently for the fog to come and take her to her husband. Angus had decided to stay when he’d returned to Breaghacraig with their niece Maggie a few months back; he’d gone to help Maggie protect the MacKenzie clan from the evil witch Brielle. When the danger was over, he’d chosen to stay with his and Edna’s daughter, Arlena in medieval Scotland and sent a message through Maggie and Dylan, to ask Edna to travel across the bridge so they could all be together for the first time in many years.
Edna had never possessed a great capacity to tolerate delays, and waiting even a few more minutes was something she found trying, but she knew better than anyone that the fog had a mind of its own and while she could control it most of the time, occasionally it would prove stubborn. It seemed as if the fog knew patience was not a virtue Edna Campbell possessed. She only hoped that it had appeared in a timely manner for Richard and his friends. She’d know soon enough, because as she watched, the fog appeared and Edna walked nervously through it for her first time-travelling experience. She’d been the keeper of the bridge for many, many years, but she had never taken advantage of its magic herself – so while she was excited, she was also experiencing a mild anxiety attack. She forced herself to keep walking and was surprised at the sensation of the fog as it wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She felt safe and protected and she let go of any uneasiness she had been suffering. As the fog cleared, it revealed her handsome husband. Absence had indeed made her heart grow fonder and she flew to Angus, throwing herself into his waiting arms. “Oh, Angus, how I’ve missed ye,” she cried. Tears of happiness flooded her cheeks.
“Not nearly as much as I’ve missed ye,mo chroi,my heart.” They held on tightly to each other and Angus spoke softly in Edna’s ear. “My love, I knew that if I didnae stay, you would always find a reason why you couldnae come to see yer daughter and grand babes, so I’m afraid I forced yer hand. I hope yer nae angry with me.”
“Nae, of course I cannae be angry with ye. I should have come a long time ago and now that I’m here, I’m very anxious to see my family.”
Angus smiled, apparently relieved that his wife was happy to be with him again. He tipped her chin up and offered her a smoldering kiss, which left Edna unsteady on her feet. He held her tightly to keep her from falling and when they could finally tear their lips away from one another, Edna spoke. “Well now, if I’d known I’d get a kiss like that one, I’d have been here much sooner.”
Angus laughed and lifting her off the ground, spun her around. “Angus, please you’ll make me dizzy and I have one more thing to do before we go. Did ye bring the extra horses I asked fer?”
“Aye, I did. They’re grazing just beyond the trees. Who are they fer?”
“Ye’ll soon see.”
The fog started forming again and as it swirled in their direction, Angus held on tightly to Edna. “I’ll nae let it take ye from me, Edna.”
“’Tis nae here to take anyone. ’Tis here to bring someone back.”
