Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) (59 page)

Kitty hugged herself again as if trying to keep her own apprehension on the bed.

Shona caught the fear in her eyes and fought the lump of panic building in her throat. “Oh, Kitty! Kitty, please do not be afraid of me. I do not know what is happening. This is what I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid you would not believe me.”

Kitty’s eyes slowly wandered over Shona’s features. She reached out a cautious hand and touched her face. “I don’t understand, Shona. What could possibly be happening? And Julia, why would she want to hurt you?”

Shona took Kitty’s hand from her
face and held it. “
She said she had something in her purse. I do not know what she meant, really. I only know she wanted to hurt me. I have never seen her act like that before.”

“Her purse?” Realization dawned on Kitty’s face. “So that’s why she wanted me to get it so fast. She was going to drug you! My own sister!”

Shona looked to the clock. “Where is my father? Is he going to be at the library?”

“Yes, he told me to have you there at three.”

“And… the man from yesterday?”
she asked, her head still swimming with confusion.

“Will be there too. We have to go, Shona. We’re out of time.”

 
Shona squeezed her
friend’s hand as an odd need fi
lled her, a combination of fear, longing and loneliness. “Kitty, I’m scared.”

 
Kitty hugged her, smashing Sinclair between them. “So am I. But your dad will know what to do.”

* * *

John paced. Again.

“Eaton, calm do
wn. Everything’s going to be fi
ne. I’m sure he has the Maiden’s best interests in mind.”

John stopped, hands held behind his back to throw a worried face at Lany, now fully recovered from the morning’s activities. “We don’t know that. What we do know is he works for Brennan, both he and his wife. We still can
’t be sure if he’s completely on our side
.” He began to pace again.

Lany grabbed a nearby chair and wearily sat while he watched his superior fret over Evan Whittard’s request to meet Dallan. He grabbed a book from one of the nearby shelves and absently thumbed through it. “Besides, you know what a charmer Dallan is. He’ll have him eating out of his hand in no time.”

John’s pacing ground to a halt, his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Lany shrugged. “If Dallan does
n’t pound him into baby food fi
rst, that is.”

John nodded readily and paced even faster.

“Any sign o’ the Maiden yet?” Angus shuffled his way do
wn a connect
ing aisle. A freshly groomed and dressed Dallan trailed behind him, eyeing his surroundings with suspicion.

John stopped and gripped the back of a chair. “Not yet.”

Lany reached over and patted his superior’s white-knuckled hands, shaking his head.

John straightened hi
mself and let go the chair. “Th
ey’ll be here soon.”

Angus looked from one
face to the other, his eyes fi
nally coming to rest on Dallan. “Remember what I told ye, laddie.” He winked at him and smiled.

Dallan smiled back and commented lightly in Gaelic. Angus replied in the same language and both men began to chuckle.

“Are you going to let the rest of us in on it, or do we have to guess?” Lany grinned as he stood and examined Dallan’s attire.

Dallan glared at him but stopped when Angus barked something in Gaelic. Dallan shoved his hands into the pockets of the faded jeans he wore and vainly tried to pull the material away from his body.

Lany continued to take in the Scot’s appearance. “Who dressed you?”

Dallan glared at Angus.

Lany turned to the beaming old Scot. “Angus, I don’t think he’s very comfortable in those.”

Angus hobbled over and adjusted a
shirt sleeve
Dallan began to play with. “The lassie’s here like the lads when they dress like this.”

Lany raised a brow. “How would you know?”

“I’ve been here a little over a year now, Master Lany. Och, go downstairs and look at some o’ the papers on the racks. I’m telling ye, all the lads dress like this.”

“He looks fi
ne, Lany.” John walked over and began to turn back the cuff of Dallan’s other sleeve. “Nice white shirt, blue…”
He glanced at Dallan’s legs, “
whatever those things are, blue pants?”

“Denims.” Lany corrected.

“Nay, they
be
jeans.”

“They
be
too bloody tight.” All heads turned towa
rd Dallan’s gruff words, the fi
rst English he had spoken since Zara sang to him several hours ago.

John’s entire body relaxed as he breathed a sigh of relief. He was beginning to wonder if Dallan was ever going to come out of Zara’s hold. Or wa
s it the Maiden’s? “You look fi
ne.”

“I feel like a sausage. I’d much prefer my kilt, John. Why can I no wear it?”

John’s eyes softened. “You’d be quite the sight.”

Dallan picked at the buttons on his fresh shirt and whispered. “Aye, as ye say.” His features suddenly became pained. “As with everything else.”

Angus shook his head sadly and shuffled his feet about.

John watched him a moment before turning back to Dallan. “Not much longer, Dallan
. We’re almost through here. Th
en we can all go home.”

Dallan’s expression remained cold as stone. “Does that include me, too?”

John swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“Eaton…”

John held up a calming hand. “It’s all right. We’ll worry about it when the time comes.”

“Eaton, you can’t tell him ... I mean… the Elders…”

 
John turned to face Lany
. “Can all go hang on this one.
”

 
Dallan raised an eyebrow at the remark while Lany sat, dumbfounded.
“You’d be sacrifi
cing your career.”

John shook his head, eyes once again
locked with Dallan’s. “Not my career, merely a postponement of advancement.”

Lany’s brow furrowed, as he grabbed and steered John away from the rest of the group. “Postponement?” He whispered. “Living stars, we’re talking Lord
High
Councilor! Eaton, you’d be throwing away the chance of a lifetime. No one under age sixty has ever held that position. You’re in your early forties! Do you realize what it would mean if you got it at your age?” He noticed his superior’s sincere expression then looked over his shoulder to the Weapons Master’s helpless one. “I’ll shut up now.” He smiled to himself. “Should be interesting at that.”

John slowly tore his gaze from Dallan’s to look at Lany. “Can you feel her yet?”

Lany collected himself, paused as if listening,
then
shook his head.

Angus pulled a pocke
t watch out of his pants and fl
ipped it open. “Ten past three.”

John paced anew. “Why are women always late?”

Dallan suddenly stood to his full height as his eyes searched the connecting aisles in a furtive manner, breathing quickened, h
is hands balled into fi
sts.

John watched him a moment then took a deep breath. “Are we ready?”

La
ny stood next to Dallan. “Ready here. Angus?”

“Aye, the lad and I are, uh, wait a minute.” Angus began to search through his pockets. “I ken I put it… Och, aye, here it is.” He pulled out a folded piece of parchment and sighed triumphantly.

“What’s that?” Lany asked, eyeing the paper with mild curiosity.

Ang
us beamed. “Ye’ll see. ‘Tis another thing the lassies like.”

“As long as it works.” Lany watch
ed Dallan battle the urge to fl
y down the nearest aisle and begin his instinctive search for the Maiden. His entire body trembled and his telltale twitch danced merrily from one side of his face to the other. “Easy, Dallan. She’s not going anywhere.”

Dallan’s body jerked hard and he fell against a nearby table, barely able to stand. He gripped the table’s edge for support and pushed himself back up. John and Lany helped him, the
ir faces grave with concern. Th
e
inevitable was now running its course and there was no way to stop it without great risk. Still, it was a risk they were all willing to take. At this point the company from Muirara would do almost anything to make their quest succeed. They had no choice.

Dallan, at last convinced of his importance to the Known Lands, ready to accept responsibility and now fully prepared to take and join with the
M
uiraran Maiden, was also slowly, steadily
and painfully dying. Zara had not been strong enough to repair everything.

The Weapons Master stood
straight, his back stiff. “Th
ank ye.”

Lany nodded at him and turned to John, his face white. “Eaton?”

“He’ll be all right.” John looked up into Dallan’s eyes. “Hang on, Dallan. Just a
few more hours and you’ll be fi
ne.”

Dallan’s posture slu
mped. “What? I feel strange. Th
e lass, where is she?” His voice was weak, tired and… hungry.

Lany bit his lip. “Angus and I can take you to her.” He took him by the arm and began to lead him down an aisle.

Angus positioned himself on the other side. “’Tis the second time that’s happened, Master Lany. I thought once Zara sang he would get better.”

“That’s not always how it works.”

Dallan let himself be led, too tired to argue, his pain growing. “I’m hungry… I need some thing ... I dinna ken what it is. What’s wrong with me?”

“We’re almost there, Dallan. Hang on.” Lany was supporting him now.

Dalla
n stumbled over his own feet, as
Lany
and Angus grunted in their efforts to hold him up, fi
ghting their own fear and worry. Zara’s song had prepared Dallan for the Maiden, opened his heart and soul so he might take into himself her “inner heart.” But by doing so, she had also opened him to the pain of the horrible
emptiness which
now attacked him. His defenses were down, both to the Maiden and to their enemies.

Lany and Angus brought Dallan to the end of the aisle and sat him down at a small table. Angus bent and whispered encouragingly in Dallan’s ear. “There now, lad. Look yonder.”

Dallan’s breathing was labored, and he had to pause before he raised his head to search his surroundings. Sitting at a large table, half hidden by a low shelf of books sat the Maiden and her friend. He immediately tried to rise, his eyes now wide with need, breathing suddenly rapid.

“Easy, Dallan.” Lany whispered in his other ear as he gently pushed him back into the chair. “Loo
k at her. Gain your strength fi
rst. You don’t want to fall on your face.” He turned to Angus, his expression grave. “What were you going to have him do?”

Angus reached into his pocket, pulled out the folded piece of paper and handed it to Lany. He unfolded and quickly read the brief note, then gave Angus a curious look.

The old Scot smiled. “’Tis the perfect place. Not far away.”

Lany smiled. “Good idea.”

“’
Twasn’t
my idea.”

Lany raised a questioning brow.

Angus nodded in Dallan’s direction and smiled.

Lany smiled himself as he lightly patted Dallan on the back. He leaned near his ear again. “Give yourself a moment. When you feel you can go over there on your own, give her this. If possible, touch her hand, anything. Just be sure you touch her, Dallan. It will make you feel better.”

Dallan continued to stare at the Maiden, his breathing ragged but steadying. He was surprised at how the mere sight of her already had made him feel stronger. Just being near her.

* * *

“What is that, Shona? Why is it so important?” Kitty peered at the book in Shona’s hands as she nervously bounced in her chair.

“He wanted to show me something in this, but he never got the chance. I do not know what.” Shona held the book between her hands as if praying. “He said it would tell me who he is, where he came from. How we are able to…”
She looked absently at Kitty.
"U
nderstand each other so well.”

  
Kitty stopped her fi
dgeting and stared at
her, unable to fi
nd any words to match the look of helpless longing on Shona’s face.
“
I still don’t understand what’s going on, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side and I promise to help any way I can.”