Page 42 of Highlander Unraveled
Was this a village of some sort?
Several lounge chairs littered a stone floor. The only things recognizable to me were the grass and the wood.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered, and whirled in a circle looking for them and not seeing them anywhere. “Ewan? Shona?”
No one answered.
“Moira? Rory?”
Still nothing.
Ballocks… I cursed a hundred times when I realized what must have happened.
I’d time traveled, and they were not here with me. Did that mean they’d gone somewhere else, or had they stayed in the glen, in 1544? Lord, I hoped so. Saor needed someone he knew on his side, and I knew those four would protect him with their lives.
But what would happen to me? I wracked my brain for every little thing Emma had ever told me about her modern world.
Shite!
I was in way over my head. And I wasn’t going to stay here in this small space. There were two ways out of the fenced enclosure. A glass door leading into the building and a gate around the side.
Considering the glass doors most likely led inside someone’s dwelling, and it was the middle of the night, ’twas best if I went out the gate instead.
But taking one step, let alone the dozen or so to the gate, was a task my body seemed resistant, too. My balance was off, and I stumbled and fell with each step.
Nausea swept over me, and I hunched over, vomiting what little contents had rested in my belly.
Perhaps it would be best if I lay down and slept. At least for a few minutes. I’d not be able to find Emma, or even help her when I did, if I couldn’t walk without falling or retching.
And so, I laid on one of the oddly shaped lounge chairs. The item more supportive than I thought it would be. But considerably less comfortable than the ones at Castle Gealach.
I stared at the glass door, hoping no one would peek out and see me so close to their hovel, thinking me a thief.
12
Logan
As soon as I closed my eyes, there was a loud thud from inside the dwelling. A jolt of energy surged through me, protective instincts on high alert.
I sat straight up, blinking and considering my immediate surroundings. Nothing was out of place, and no one came rushing. But who would? Hadn’t Emma said in this modern world it seemed that every man, woman and child had to care for themselves? No one, not until the very end, had come to her aid.
I bristled, just remembering the conversations we’d had regarding her life here. My nausea had abated somewhat. Besides, even if I had to hold the bile down, something in my gut told me I needed to go inside the hovel to see what was happening.
It could be that Fate had brought me straight to Emma.
Was it possible this was Shona and Moira’s place? There was no way I would know, and only one way to find out.
I crept toward the large glass doors, and tugged at the handle, but it didn’t budge initially, then, I was surprised to see that it slid silently to the side, like a secret door.
I slipped inside. Taking a moment to steady myself, and acclimate myself to the darkness. Thankfully, the dizziness and nausea had abated. The chamber where I stood was dark, but a light shined through from a room to the right. The walls were lined with wardrobes, and there was a table. It smelled strongly of food, and I suspected this must be a kitchen of some sort, nothing of the likes of which I’d ever seen. I tiptoed quietly toward the lit chamber, to see if someone was there. Looking for any sign of Emma or the people who inhabited this place. But the room was empty. Pictures lined the mantle over the hearth, images of Moira, Shona and others smiling back at me. I was in the right place, I hoped.
Scraping sounds coming from the ceiling had me stopping. Someone was moving around upstairs, but I didn’t hear any voices. Just movement.
I didn’t call out to alert them of my presence, but moved toward the lit room, in search of stairs. There were none, but a second opening led to what looked like the front entryway, and also the stairs. They were not circular however, but led straight up.
I gripped the hilt of my sword, nerves on high alert and waiting for someone to leap out at me from behind any corner. Thank the saints I’d been fully dressed when I was in the glen. I’d not bothered to remove even my weapons on the off chance I time traveled. Ewan and Shona had never lived down the fact that they journeyed to modern day naked, landing in the middle of a square surrounded by people.
Opting for something subtler, I pulled mysgian dubhfrom my sock, gripping it in my right hand as I rounded the corner. A table by the main door was knocked askew, a vase that had been on top of it had fallen to the floor, shattering in a pile of crystal shards. I avoided the broken pieces, not wanting them to crunch under my boots, warning those above.
