Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
“Idon’t believe you.”
Something about Noah’s tone, low and hard, cut through Skye’s carefully controlled exterior.
His voice vibrated with the desperation emanating from him in waves so palpable she almost stepped back.
His eyes, those startling steel-blue eyes, held hers with an intensity that made her breath catch.
Beneath his barely controlled veneer, she sensed a storm of emotions threatening to break free.
Surprised by the sting of his words, Skye had no immediate reply, though beside her, the guard shifted.
He may have been reacting to the harshness of Noah’s words, or possibly the aggressive stance the other two men had taken.
When he rested his hand on the hilt of his blade, she raised hers to stall him yet again, while keeping her gaze locked on Noah.
“There are no portals here,” she insisted, trying to weigh each word, each syllable with finality, so the mixture of hope and desperation would disappear from his eyes.
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “You’re lying. Every story, every rumor points to this place.”
“Stories and rumors, again? Those are your foundations of truth? I understand your desperation and the heartache of possibly losing a loved one. But I’m afraid you’ve been misled.”
When all three protested at once, she cut them off, surprising herself with the sudden turn of her thoughts. “However, we do have several skilled healers. If you wish to bring her here, it’s possible they could help. They will at least try.”
A look of panic crossed the guard’s face. “He will not like—”
“The offer has been made,” she warned him with a look, before turning back to study all three men. They looked battle-worn, their clothes stained with sweat and blood. They’d obviously had a struggle, perhaps even fought, to get here.
She wanted to know more about them. Especially Noah—the brother. There was something about him. Something she couldn’t quite name. But she knew her duty. Knew the rules, and she’d already stretched them too far. “Unfortunately, that is all I can offer.”
“I fear ’tisnae enough,” Taran exclaimed. “We have tried a healer. A portal tae take her elsewhere is what we seek. What we need. My daughter’s life depends on it.”
The guard took a step toward Taran. “You presume much, stranger.”
“I presume nothing,” Taran countered, his hand dropping to his sword.
Skye glanced between the men. “You speak of portals as if they’re commonplace. As if they’re doors one simply opens and walks through.” Her eyes revealed sincere sadness. “I know of no such magic.”
“I do,” Noah stated, his voice steady and certain.
“My sister and I passed through one. So did Taran and his wife. And Finn. All of us, ripped from our own times, our families, thrust into this world without warning or choice. Everyone in Havenwood came from somewhere else. Another time. And we all made the best of it. Created lives here. Rebuilt families. But now, a child’s life is on the verge of being lost—will be lost if we have to face more delays.
Please, Skye, don’t deny Emily a chance to live. ”
“Emily,” Skye whispered, letting her name take shape in her mind as more than just a name, a child so beloved by her family they would go to any lengths. Skye felt a momentary twitch in her chest. Curiosity, perhaps, of what such devotion might feel like.
“And you believe my father has access to these…portals? Assuming they truly exist, that is.”
“The stories say—”
“More stories?” Her groan sounded skeptical, almost bitter, even to her. “You’ve all risked your lives to come here based on stories?”
“For my sister, I’d risk everything.”
“For my family,” Taran added. “Everything.”
“Everything,” Finn echoed.
The conviction in their voices struck something inside Skye. Each as sure as the others. Such loyalty, such sacrifice, such determination.
Her own father loved her…didn’t he? He provided for her, protected her. Sometimes to the point of drawing her ire, but for her own good he constantly reminded her.
“Dismiss them,” the guard warned. “Your lenience will only anger your father. He’ll refuse to see them.”
Duty to her father warred with the nagging feeling that she’d regret turning these men away.
And the child? Emily? Could she live with the outcome of refusing whatever chances might be possible to help her?
She knew there were no portals. Stories were just…
stories. But perhaps the healers here might have knowledge the healer in their village did not.
She turned to the guard. “Take them to the small solar. Provide them with a meal while I speak with my father.”
“Thank you,” Noah sighed, relief painted on his face.
“But you must surrender your weapons,” she added.
All three men exchanged questioning looks before Taran finally nodded and unbuckled his belt. Noah quickly followed, but Finn’s capitulation came slower. Finally, he too removed his weapons-belt and handed it to the guard.
Without another word, Skye turned and disappeared into the depths of the fortress, her footsteps echoing against stone as she heard the guard usher them inside.
“This way,” he growled. “You may have wheedled your way to full bellies this day, but I warn you, you will leave, if you leave, with naught besides The Keeper’s wrath.”
They followed the guard through the massive doors into a wide stone corridor where torches lined the walls, casting dancing shadows across the ancient stonework. The air smelled of smoke, herbs, and something old and mysterious Noah couldn’t quite identify.
The stronghold seemed a confusing maze of corridors, chambers and occasional arches opening onto broad terraces.
Tapestries depicting strange landscapes and battles hung on the walls.
Artifacts Noah couldn’t identify rested in alcoves along with some recognizable items that seemed starkly out of place.
The three men exchanged meaningful glances when Taran commented on a modern-looking clock with temperature readings that he said was far too advanced for this world.
The guard ushered them inside a circular chamber with a high, domed ceiling. A massive fireplace and mantle dominated a wide space on the curved wall, flanked by bookshelves with books bound in materials Noah had never seen.
A tray held intricately shaped goblets atop a narrow table situated beneath a window overlooking the same type of desolate, boulder-ridden landscape they’d encountered at the front of the fortress.
“Sit,” the guard instructed, indicating several chairs that formed a semicircle around the fireplace. “Food and drink will be delivered to you. Until then, the door will remain locked.” His eyes hardened. “I suggest you spend the time praying you’ll be granted permission to leave with your lives.”
Noah looked at Taran after the guard left, locking the door behind him. “I believe she’ll help us.”
“Dinnae be so sure,” Taran cautioned. “She denied the existence of the portals outright.”
“She lied,” Finn added. “Or…”
“Or what?” Taran pressed.
“Or…she doesn’t know,” Noah muttered. The possibility took root in his mind as he looked between the two men. “What if The Keeper has kept the truth from his own daughter?”
“Unlikely,” Finn stated, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Unless she’s deaf, dumb, and blind, which she clearly is not, she’d have to know.”
“I’m not so sure,” Noah whispered. “I can’t explain why, but I believe her. Perhaps her father has kept knowledge of the portals from her for some reason. Which makes it even more imperative we obtain a face-to-face audience with him.”
Finn shook his head. “You’re not the first to be blinded by a pretty face, or a shapely figure, lad, and there’s no denying she has both.
But that lass is not on our side. You saw all those strange objects on display as we came in.
Things from times way before mine, and some unexplainable items I would wager came from somewhere in the future.
How does she justify those being here, even to herself?
Even her clothing is finer than anything that could be produced in this time.
And look around this room. Tell me all this originated in the here and now. ”
Noah winced, not wanting to admit Finn spoke the truth. But he did admit, to himself at least, there was something about her, something he couldn’t name that drew him to her. Made him want to believe her despite evidence to the contrary. Made him want to know far more about her
But not at Emily’s expense, he reminded himself. He couldn’t allow anything, not even the enigmatic Skye to deter him from finding the portal.
More than an hour, nearly two, had passed since they’d finished their meal of venison stew and thick crusty bread.
The crackle of the fire and the steady rhythm of Noah’s footsteps across the stone floor were the only sounds in the chamber as his patience waned with each pass. He’d already counted every stone in the hearth, examined every strange oddity on the shelves, and still no word from Skye or The Keeper.
“Sit down, lad,” Finn muttered. “You’re making me dizzy.”
Noah shot him a glance but continued pacing. “It’s been too long.”
“Aye,” Taran agreed, his voice tight with concern as he turned away from the fire. “Every moment we waste sittin’ here is a moment Emily grows weaker.”
The thought of his sister, pale and fragile on her narrow cot, sent a fresh wave of panic through Noah’s chest. He stopped at the window and gazed out at the mountains surrounding the fortress.
The afternoon light had already begun to fade.
Another day was slipping away. Another day Emily didn’t have.
Had he been duped by Skye? He almost hoped so. If she’d spoken the truth and there were no portals here, if The Keeper couldn’t help them take Emily to another time, what then? The memory of her pale face, her distant gaze and weakening body tore at him
He couldn’t, wouldn’t fail her. If there were answers here, he must find them.