Highland Defiance (The MacLomain Series- Early Years) (8 page)

Bless her sister; she was keeping their mother distracted. Super stealthy, she snuck down the hallway and exited through the backdoor. As expected, her friends were waiting. David looked concerned, Jim, exasperated. But she understood Jim’s expression. He always turned impatient when he couldn’t immediately fix something. Right now, in his estimation, she needed fixing.

“I’m fine,” Mildred declared and started walking toward the forest. “So you both can stop worrying.”

“I wasn’t worried in the least,” Jim declared walking on one side.

“Well, I was,” David said, falling in on the other side.

“Either way,” Mildred said. “I’m feeling much better. Thanks for coming by. I was getting bored.”

Jim grinned. “Of course you were.” He glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Who wants to be cooped up in the house during the day?”

“Speaking of day…why aren’t you two at work?”

“We were. Left a little early is all,” Jim said.

“Tsk. Tsk. Good way to lose your jobs.”

Jim shrugged. “We can always find another.”

She rolled her eyes. Yes, Jim could but David, he was so responsible. Leaving work early must’ve been taxing on him. “Well thanks. But I’m fine, really.”

Neither responded but she sensed their concern. Mildred picked up her pace. “Let’s go to Mystery Hill.”

“Old man Pattee’s cave? Why?” Jim asked.

“Why not?”

“Because we’ve been there a million times.”

Mildred shrugged. But the gesture was more forced than she was willing to admit. Yes they’d gone there a lot as kids but they hadn’t been in several years. For some reason, the strange Stonehenge was a draw for her right now. Almost as if she
needed
to go there. Funny because the draw hadn’t been there until she’d exited the house.

“So what exactly happened to you today?” Jim asked as they navigated the sticks and stones of New England woodland.

“Must’ve had a touch of something,” Mildred said absently. “Whatever it was, I shook it.”

“Did you really? That fast?” David said.

“That fast.”

“She always did bounce back well,” Jim said, a wide smile breaking over his face.
“Half her charm.”

“Her charm?”
David frowned.

“Sure.”

“You always did see things the wrong way.”

“Now what do you mean by that?”

Mildred tuned out their chatter and slowed when the Stonehenge came into site. Was it her imagination or did the air suddenly feel cooler? Did all the sounds natural to a forest seem to quiet? Save her two arguing friends of course. But then, even they suddenly did. Perhaps they sensed it too?

Drawn, she continued to walk until she saw the first of the odd stone buildings. Though this place had been officially discovered in 1907 it’d clearly been around for tens of thousands of years. As kids they loved to play in the old ruins and pretend they’d been the ancient people who’d called this their home.

“I can’t imagine why you’d want to come here right now, Mildred,” Jim said.

Neither can
I
. But she did. “Memories, I suppose,” she whispered.

“Of our time here?”
David asked.

No. Yes.
Sort of.
“I guess.
A little.”

Somehow it was that but not at all. With a thick swallow she whispered, “Why did I never see it like this before?”

“Like what?” Jim gazed around. “Looks the same as it always did.”

“No.” She shook her head and continued walking. “Something’s different.”

As if her friends understood she needed some silence they said nothing as she headed through their old stomping grounds to a particular spear shaped stone that aligned with the sun during summer solstice.

“What’s the date today?” she asked.

“
Your
Birthday, silly. June twentieth,” David said.

Mildred ran her hand over the rock and murmured, “
Summer
solstice.”

“What’s the big deal?” Jim asked.

If only she knew. But somehow, inside, she knew it was a
very
big deal.

Jim leaned against the rock, his brow furrowed. “Mildred?”

“What?”

He shook his head. “
What
is the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” she replied automatically and stared beyond the rock.

“Interesting that you wanted to come to this rock today,” David said. Always the logical one he nodded toward the sun. “Were you interested in seeing the equinox?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “She’s seen it before. We all have.”

“Have we?” Mildred said, her gaze wandering to the sun. It was slowly sinking to the point where the rock would touch its belly. Yes, she’d watched this before but it’d never had sound.

“Sound?
What do you mean?” David asked.

“Hmm?”
Mildred looked from him to the sun. Had she said her thoughts aloud? No.
Impossible.

Yet there was sound and it grew louder. Her attention turned to the rock and sun, she listened. She heard a strange wind and vibration. How was that possible?

“Listen to that,” she said. “Why didn’t we hear this before?”

“Hear what?” Jim asked and frowned. His eyes went from her to the rock and back. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I don’t either,” David said.

“Shhh.”
Mildred felt the vibration in the rock. Or was it somehow the sun on the far off horizon? The wind increased, flipping the leaves. Any diehard New Englander knew that when the leaves flipped just so in the wind a storm was coming.

The minute she thought it the tip of the rock touched the bottom of the sun and black bellied clouds started to roll in, swiftly eliminating the sun’s rays. Breathing seemed impossible. When she looked at Jim he blurred. Panicked, she looked at David to find he’d all but disappeared.

“Where are you guys?” she yelled.

But they were gone. For that matter, everything save the rock and reemerged sun had vanished. There existed nothing but a vibrating rock, a loud hum and a long stream of near-blinding sun rays. By instinct, Mildred crouched to protect herself from the wind and sun. Plastered back against the rock she watched as the sun rays streamed past on either side. It was almost as if the sun itself was trying to swallow her whole if only it could find her.

“Mildred.”

Adlin?
She heard his voice. But how was that possible? Mildred squinted but it hurt more and more to keep her eyes open. The vibration and strange sound became louder. Tucking her head into her legs, she started to pray.

The rock warmed and she tilted forward, disconcerted by the sensation. Panic rose but she tempered it. What good would anxiety do right now. She squeezed her eyes shut to the point of pain and tried to remain calm.

But it was becoming harder and harder.

The only reason she didn’t bolt was because of Adlin. She was positive that she’d heard him. And that was all she had to hold on to in what was quickly becoming pure madness. Mildred ignored the tear that leaked from her eye, ground her teeth and rode out the strange storm screeching and howling in what seemed an isolated world. As before when she traveled back, she smelled burning sugar.

Eventually, the sound started to fade as did the smell. Though she shook, Mildred focused on breathing. Almost afraid, she slowly opened her eyes. Not to sun burning and steaming around her but to a thick forest. David and Jim were gone. In fact, everything that’d been there before was gone. The air was slightly cool. Sea salt tainted the wind.

Mildred carefully stood. It almost felt as though if she made a sudden movement her world would come crashing down around her harder than it already had. But the strange wind had ceased. The severe sunlight was gone. All that existed was her and forest.

Peace.

“So are you a fairy then?”

Mildred scurried back against the rock and remained silent. Was she hearing things?

“No need to be alarmed. We’re alone.”

It took Mildred several more long moments to realize that the person who spoke was a child. She somewhat relaxed. “Who are you?”

The little boy plopped down in front of her and shrugged. “I’m just a stable boy.”

A stable boy?
While she kept an eye on her surroundings she said, “Just a stable boy, huh?”

“Aye.”
The boy nodded. “And you’re just a fairy, right?”

Cautious, Mildred sat and pulled her knees up. Yes, she could run and try to hide. But what would be the point. In her estimation, it’d do no good. “I’m not a fairy. I’m a woman.”

The little boy nodded and sighed. “That’s too bad because I really am just a stable boy.”

Mildred eyed him uncomfortably. How was she to believe that? “What’s your name?”

“James,” he said nonchalantly and twisted a pine needle around his finger.

“James is a good name,” she gave willingly. “My Da’s name is James.”

The boy arched his brows.
“Really?”

Mildred studied him. As far as she could tell there existed nothing but innocence in his eyes.
“Yes, really.”

James eyed her for several long seconds before he reluctantly asked, “Why are you out here alone? Nobody travels alone anymore, especially
not a lass
.”

“I would imagine not.” Mildred shifted uncomfortably. Was she back where she’d landed before? Obviously it was Scotland based on the boy’s thick brogue. But was she near Adlin?

“You should probably come with me. I’ll take you home.”

“Where is home?” she asked.

“Not far.” James held out his hand. “Come, I’ll show you.”

Mildred took his hand and let him lead her. To where she could only speculate. As they walked she asked, “Does your mama know you’re out her in the forest?”

“Aye!
Of course.
But she knows we MacLomains are explorers.”

So she’d returned to Adlin. Good. Or was that bad? Either way, her footsteps lightened and her chest felt a little less tight. Once she could talk to Adlin again, all of this would be worked out and she could return home, explanation intact. Mildred chose to ignore the extra beat of her heart and inability to swallow correctly.

“We’re not far now,” James said.

Thank God. But as they walked it became more and more apparent that this wasn’t where she’d been before… this wasn’t Cowal. “Does Chieftain Adlin know we’re coming?”

James shrugged innocently.
“I dinnae ken.
Chieftain Bruce probably does though.”

What?
“Who?”