Chapter 9
They were waiting for her. She had barely stepped out from between the two tallest stones when she felt the darkness all around her, bone deep.
Allia froze and instinctively crouched down in a defensive stance, her eyes scanning the edge of the trees.
Night had fallen, and she couldn’t see much of anything, but the chills on the back of her neck told her they were there.
Two large and menacing shadows moved out from behind the massive oaks surrounding the stones, and adrenaline pumped into her veins as she prepared to run for her life.
Damn, she was in a world of trouble, and no one even knew she was here.
Except, apparently, whoever or whatever had been waiting for her.
She sprang to her feet and turned to the right, running for all she was worth, hoping she didn’t run headlong into a tree.
But it was not to be. Two more dark shadows appeared in front of her and as she swerved in a blind panic to avoid running right to them, strong hands grabbed her from behind.
She struggled, her head flying around to try to see her captor.
Then she stilled. They were all around her, closing in, faster now.
In the darkness, she couldn’t see their faces, but she didn’t need to see to know she was not going to a tea party.
And she knew that to continue struggling against them would only get her hurt, or maybe even killed.
One, she would stand a chance against… but this many? No way.
Finally, she found her voice. “Who are you?” she asked in a hoarse whisper, barely squeezed out of her fear constricted throat.
She heard a rumble of laughter that could only be called sinister, but no one answered her.
“Where are you taking me? What do you want?” Right Allia, like the bad guys answer those questions… ever.
She thought she heard a low mumble of voices in the darkness, but, as she suspected, no answers were forthcoming.
As she was dragged along, stumbling over the occasional rock, Allia forced herself to calm down.
She needed a clear head so that she could think.
No one knew she was here… but her uncle would be searching for her by now.
Her heart leapt with hope. Then sank just as quickly.
She had been gone nearly a week. The stones would have been one of the first place he looked, and if he suspected she had gone through the portal…
either he would have found someone who could follow her and drag her back, or he would have simply given up.
No one had shown up in the 21st century to drag her back.
But just in case… on the off-chance someone was still looking for her, she should leave a trail of some sort.
The thought gave her a shot of much needed courage.
The man on her left held her tightly by her upper arm, but her hand was free.
Moving her fingers slowly, she felt the hard, cold edge of a blade tucked into his belt.
If she could grasp the handle and somehow wrench her arm free at the same time…
No. She looked around at the dark figures.
She could only see moving shadows in the darkness, but there had to be eight or ten of them, at least. Nope, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Then an idea came to her. A desperate, last-ditch idea, but once they locked her away somewhere, she might just be completely out of second chances.
Moving carefully, she pressed the palm of her hand against the edge of the blade.
Luckily it was sharp, and it cut easily into her flesh.
Now as she stumbled along, she could feel the slow but steady drip of blood from her palm onto the forest floor.
***
Eian stood in the middle of the standing stones, not far from where he’d just been when Dirc had used the charm to send him through time to Allia.
Strange, but everything looked exactly the same, except that Dirc wasn’t there anymore.
He had expected that in another time, things would look a little different.
Or at least feel different. He turned in a slow circle, wondering where to start.
He closed his eyes and reached out with all of his most primal senses and a touch of magic, letting them lead him.
It was not long before he knew exactly which way to go. Allia had been here, and not long ago.
As he moved into the forest, he quickly saw that someone had gone this way very recently.
The signs were subtle, but like all lads raised in the highlands, Eian had learned to track at an early age.
A bent stem here, a broken twig there, a drop of blood…
His breath caught in his throat. Blood? Several hours old, at least. He reached out and swiped at it with a finger, holding his hand up and rubbing finger and thumb together, watching the blood smear red across his skin.
He knew then, just whose blood it was. Allia.
And she was hurt. A panic the likes of which he had never felt rose swiftly in his chest. Oh, god, please don’t let me be too late!