Page 49 of Draped in Plaid
Chapter Fifteen
Logan
“It’ll take us nearly two weeks to get back to Gealach.” I calculated the miles, at least five hundred of them between us and home. Not to mention the setbacks with weather, terrain, our current state of dress and lack of weapons, the mountains, theSassenachswe’d undoubtedly come across, all of it accumulating in my mind.
Seven adults, a bairn, two unconscious prisoners, and one that was wide awake.
No weapons and no clothes.
No food, no drink.
A single blanket to keep us warm at night. We could undress MacDonald and Steven but that would only give clothes to two of the women. The other could use the plaid blanket. That would have to do for now. Eventually we’d come across an inn or someone on the road we could rob, though that would only draw attention to us more.
How the hell was I supposed to get everyone home safely with the odds stacked against me?
“We’ll use the time key,” Rory said. “We’ll be home in a matter of minutes.”
The time key. Damn. I’d not even thought of that. “I dinna think I’ll get used to the contraption,” I said, shaking my head. “But, ballocks, am I glad we have it.”
The time key could easily transport us in a matter of seconds, minutes, to whenever and wherever we wanted. No constraints. No mountains to cross. No configurations.
“It’s not something we’ll want to use often.” Emma stroked our bairn’s forehead. “I’m afraid what all this hopping must be doing to our bodies.”
I leaned in close, whispering in her ear, “Ye much prefer our old way of time traveling do ye not? That did wonders for our bodies.”
She laughed, looking up at me coyly. “Maybe I do.”
“Gather in close,” I said to them all, not wanting to delay another moment. The longer we stood on English ground the more I stared to feel my skin itch. “Have ye got the key still?”
Rory nodded, and clicked in Gealach Castle, no need to transfer years, but we would need to change the date.
“Best make certain ’tis night when we arrive,” I said. “We need not alert the guard. And let us make it the night afore Rory and Moira left for Dunleod the first time. After we take care of the prisoners, Rory, ye and Moira should travel back to the day ye arrived home at Dunleod. I bet it will be to a different place.”
Rory grinned. “Aye, I believe ye’re right.”
“What is happening?” Nurse glanced at us all as though we’d drunk the winter’s store of whisky.
I’d forgotten about my son’s nurse. She would have no idea about time travel, and hence our conversation would sound completely senseless to her.
I glanced at Emma, who smiled at the nurse and whispered in her ear. Stroked her shoulder gently.
The nurse shivered, and squeezed her eyes shut. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. Soon, she’d understand when she found herself no longer in England.
We huddled close around the two bodies on the ground, I put my foot on Steven, and Rory put his foot on Mrs. MacDonald. We had to be touching if we wanted to travel together, we knew that much.
“Ready?” Rory asked, his thumb hovering over the button that would make traveling possible.
“More than ready,” I said.
“Amen to that.” Rory pressed down on the button, accelerating us into the magic.
The world pulsed in and out. The breeze in England, mixed with the peat fires of Gealach. The ground crumbled beneath us, and the nurse whimpered, perhaps starting to believe what she thought to be impossible. A moment later, we found ourselves in the garden of Gealach Castle, cloaked in darkness. The gravel walkway crunched uncomfortably beneath our bare feet and the scent of herbs mixed with the hearth fires.
I shook off the imaginary cobwebs that always seemed to wrap up my head when we did this and immediately stared hard at our various guards to see if they’d noticed our sudden entry. To my excitement, and displeasure, only two did.
I’d have to give them each extra coin for being so observant. And perhaps lament at those who’d not been.
“Ho there!” One of them called.
