Chapter 9
Lost in thought, Angus was surprised when the beautiful memories he’d been enjoying stopped abruptly.
He’d been spending a relaxing afternoon alone with Edna.
Edna as she’d been all those years ago when they’d first met.
Oh how he loved her then and even more so now.
He wondered if their love was in danger. Would he ever see her again?
“Grrr!” He growled out loud. He couldn’t think that way.
“What troubles ye?” Robert asked.
They were riding along the road that would eventually lead them to the bridge.
“Me frustration grows,” he explained.
“I understand. ’Tis always difficult to fight an enemy that ye canno’ see.”
“She’d best remain hidden,” Angus said. “If she harms Edna, she’ll regret it. I’ll see to it.”
“We’ll hope for the best,” Robert said, obviously suggesting that Angus remain hopeful and not let his thoughts go to dark places.
The road was straight, giving them a view for what seemed miles in front of them. Up ahead there appeared to be a small group of three people heading their way. As they got closer, the three began to wave and run towards them.
“God’s teeth,” Cailin said. “’Tis Hamish and Donal.”
“On foot?” Cormac said. “Who have they with them?”
“I’m no’ sure,” Cailin replied.
Dougall pushed his horse into a gallop as he rushed by them. “’Tis me sister,” he called back over his shoulder.
Angus followed closely behind as did the others. When they reached the group, he jumped down from his horse and approached. Dougall already had his sister in his arms.
“What are ye doing here?” Angus asked. Something was very wrong. These three should be safe in San Francisco.
“We came to find Edna, but something went wrong.” Hamish appeared quite agitated.
“What happened?” Dougall asked his Brenna.
“Ashley, Jenna and Sara…” She seemed unable to get the words out, which set Angus and the others on edge.
“Ashley?” Cailin asked, an obvious note of panic in his voice.
“Aye. They were in San Francisco. They needed help getting back.” The sorrowful look on her face did nothing to calm the fears of the men who stood staring at her.
“Where are they?” Cormac asked, looking down the road.
“We doona ken,” Donal said, looking down at his feet. “They were with us and then they were no’.”
“Did they make it to the bridge?” Angus was trying to make some sense out of all that was happening. He knew it all pointed back to Evanore, but he wasn’t sure what she was up to.
“Nay.” Donal shook his head in obvious dismay.
“They must still be in San Francisco.” Robert grabbed hold of Angus’s arm as he spoke.
Cailin scrubbed his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth. “We’ve got to get them back.”
“How, is the question,” Dougall said. “This must have something to do with Edna’s disappearance.”
“I believe yer right,” Angus said. “Biera said we should go to the bridge.”
“If we hurry we can be there before nightfall,” Robert said, returning to his horse.
Dougall mounted his horse and pulled Brenna up behind him.
“We’ll follow along behind ye,” Hamish said. “We doona wish to slow ye down.”
“We’ll see ye there then,” Angus replied, but he was already headed off down the road at a gallop.
***
Arriving at the bridge, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Everything looked much as it had when Angus passed only days before.
While the others set up camp, Angus rode along the banks of the stream searching for any clues to Edna’s whereabouts.
He crossed the stream at a shallow spot and did the same on the opposite bank. Still nothing.
A fire was made in a small clear spot where there was enough room for everyone to sit around it and feel its warmth.
“Biera said there was a house here, but hidden from view,” Angus observed.
“Aye, but there is none,” Cailin said.
“We must find our wives.” Cormac stood and paced the outside of the circle.
“But how?” Logan asked.
His question was met with silence. There was no answer to his query. Angus knew, as did the others, that to travel through time they needed Edna or his niece. “We’ve nae way to contact Maggie,” Angus stated.
“I doona ken how much help she can be,” Brenna said. “She’s the one who brought us here, but she was no’ able to bring us all.”
“Do ye no’ think ’tis interesting that we’re all from this time and those who were no’ able to travel are from the future?” Cailin observed.
“Sophia’s from the future,” Robert said. “She’s still here in this time.”
“Are we sure about that?” Cailin asked.
“She and Latharn left before us,” Dougall said. “They should have been here by now.”
“Dougall’s right,” Angus said. The tension in the group intensified, as they realized they couldn’t be sure where their friends were.
“Do ye think the witch has got them?” Dougall wondered.
“Anything is possible,” Angus said.
“Should we search for them?” Dougall turned to Robert.
“Nay. We should wait for Biera to arrive. Mayhap she’ll have some news for us.”
Angus looked around at the men who, like him, were missing their wives. There were four of them. “Nothing will keep us from getting our wives back.” His voice was filled with certainty.
“Aye,” Cailin said.
Cormac and Logan nodded in agreement.
If anyone could defeat the witch and end this nightmare, it was this group, but how?
***
Tears formed in Edna’s eyes as she watched the scene outside her window. She pounded on the glass calling out, “Angus! Angus! I’m here.”
“He can no’ hear ye,” Evanore said handing her a hankie. “Here, dry yer eyes. Those tears will do ye nae good.”
“I doona understand ye.” Edna was very upset and found it impossible not to yell. “Ye seem like a reasonable witch. Ye understand suffering and loss. Why would ye want to harm these men and women?”
“Yer right. I’m sympathetic to their suffering, but ’tis no’ they I wish to hurt. ’Tis ye.”
“Fine. Do whatever ye wish to me, but do no’ destroy their lives.”
“By destroying them, I will destroy ye. I’ve already told ye that. ’Tis no’ a momentary victory I seek. What I wish is for ye to suffer all the days of yer life.”
Edna shuddered at thought of being so powerless in the face of such evil.
She realized she might never leave this house, but there was no arguing with Evanore.
No matter what Edna said it would make no difference.
Maggie was her only hope. She had to get to Edinburgh to meet with the Council. They would help her. They had to.
“Where’s the cat?” Edna asked.
“William?” Evanore asked, using the name Edna had given him. “He’s locked away for the time being. I ken he’s been helping you, which is something he never did for me. Why would I want a cat that has betrayed me?”
Edna hid her surprise. “Ye have no’ harmed him have ye?”
“I’ve told ye. I’m no’ that kind of witch. He is safe where he is and when this is over he will be mine, and only mine, once again. I can no’ chance any more of his interference.”
Edna breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“Ye must understand. There is nae escape for ye. Ye are now merely an observer. Ye can no’ undo what has been done.”
That’s what you think. Edna turned back to the window and looked out at the campfire. She wanted to be there with them. To sit among them and partake of the food they made and the drink they shared. Her heart was breaking piece-by-piece as she watched what once was hers remaining out of her reach.
The firelight played across Angus’s features as he sipped whisky from his flask.
One stray piece of silvery hair hung down, stopping just before it reached his eyes.
She reached out her hand to brush it aside, but of course she couldn’t.
All she could do was touch the cold glass of the window.
Turning her head to check for Evanore’s whereabouts, she saw that she was now alone.
Glancing out the window once again, Edna froze.
Angus seemed to be staring right into her eyes.
Could he see her? She waved her hand frantically, but Angus glanced back to the fire with no sign that he had seen her at all.
Deflated and hopeless, Edna’s hand went to her lips.
She blew a kiss and fervently wished he could feel it landing softly on his own lips.
She hoped he knew how much she loved him.
She hoped that no matter what happened in the coming days, he wouldn’t forget her because she could never forget him.
If she had to give him up in order to sustain the matches she’d made and the families created because of her meddling, she would make that sacrifice.
Edna leaned her head against the window casing and continued watching her beloved husband and the family of time travelers she loved so much.
They were like her very own children. She worried about her daughter Lena.
She was married to Ewan Mackenzie and had two adorable little boys.
Evanore had mentioned her as one more person who must return to her own time.
She would have to draw Lena to the bridge first, but to this point hadn’t.
A new bout of anxiety overcame Edna. She had to keep Lena safe, but how?
Her powers were muted here in this house.
If she could only get outside, even for a moment she might be able to rectify things.
Riders made their way into the camp. Edna recognized Biera’s faerie steed.
There were five other riders with her, but they were hidden by hooded cloaks.
Everyone around the fire stood to greet them.
Angus rushed to one of the horses and pulled down the rider, wrapping his arms around them.
It was a woman, of that Edna was sure. She had an unsettling feeling that was confirmed when the hood was brushed back. It was her Lena. Dread washed over her.
***
“Lena! Yer here,” Angus was overcome with emotion as he held his daughter in his arms. He had to protect her from being sent back to the inn. “Ye should no’ have come.”
“Da, I had to be here. Me mother is missing. How could I stay away?”
“Me sweet lass. Of course ye’d come. Ye must be careful though.” Angus turned to Ewan, who stood just behind Lena. “This witch is determined to send everyone back to their own time. Ashley, Jenna and Sara are all in San Francisco.”
“Oh, no!” Lena’s face paled on hearing this.
“Keep her close, Ewan, and doona go near the bridge,” Angus warned.
Ewan placed a protective arm around his wife. Angus knew he would do his best to keep her safe.
The other men hopped down from their horses and removed their hoods. “Latharn? Richard?” Cormac asked.
“Aye.”
“Where’s Sophia?”
“Gone,” Latharn said, seeming unable to utter anything else.
“Angelina is with her,” Richard added.
Angus looked to Biera for an explanation.
“I found them on the road, riding away from the bridge.”
“What happened?”
“We came to the bridge to help search for Edna,” Latharn said.
“Angelina and I received word that Dr. Ferguson would be crossing the bridge and so we came to meet him.” Richard glanced around and stopped for a moment as if he was trying to remember exactly what had happened.
“We stopped here to talk about Edna. Angelina and I didn’t know she was missing.
The ladies walked onto the bridge while I spoke with Latharn and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
We had no idea where they went and so we started to search.
Over the next few hours we got further and further away until we came across Biera. She led us back here to all of you.”
“They’re likely back in San Francisco,” Cailin said.
Both men nodded.
“We understand that now,” Latharn said.
“What do we do? How do we get them back?” Richard asked.
No one seemed to have an answer. Angus looked to the faerie queen. “Biera?”
“I can no’ undo the witch’s magic, but I ken this is where Edna is. We can no’ see her, but she is here just beyond our reach.”
A pall fell over the group as they all realized they had little power to change the situation.
“I must stay,” Lena said, holding her father’s hand. “Mother is nearby and I will no’ leave her.”
“I understand, me love,” Angus said. “Please be careful. The witch could spell ye and send ye back to Glendaloch in the wink of an eye.”
Lena blinked back tears as she looked up at her father. “I’ll be careful. I promise, Da.”
“Come, love, let’s sit by the fire,” Ewan led Lena as far away from the bridge as he possible could while still remaining close to the warmth of the fire.
Angus joined the others as they silently sat staring into the flames. If only Edna could speak to them the way she always had in the past.
Singing could be heard coming from the darkness behind them. They all turned to look as Hamish and Donal appeared.
“What took ye so long?” Logan asked.
“We were walking, if ye remember,” Donal said, throwing himself down on the ground. “I have no’ walked that far in a verra long time.”
“Ye’ve gone soft living in the future,” Logan said.
“Aye, he has,” Hamish confirmed. He plunked himself down next to Donal. “Have we learned anything new?”
“Nothing,” Angus said. “We’re doing the only thing we can at this point. We’re waiting.”
All around them men began setting up camp.
“Is there any food?” Donal asked.
Brenna passed a loaf of bread their way.
“Is that it?” Donal seemed astounded that there was nothing else.
“I told ye he’d gone soft,” Hamish said, tearing off a piece of bread for himself.
Robert passed along a bag of provisions which Hamish rummaged through. He pulled out some dried beef, cheese and two apples, all of which he shared with Donal.
Angus handed them his flask of whisky which caused Donal much happiness, as evidenced by the huge grin he was now wearing.
Fires were stoked here and there and were populated by different groups.
Some men whistled, while others sang. Those who were not missing their wives and children were merrier, as they laughed and joked with one another.
“We should get some rest. Who kens what tomorrow will bring.”
Biera had erected a tent for herself and her companion and retired for the night much earlier than the others.
“Does everyone have what they need for the night?” Robert asked.
A chorus of voices answered, “Aye.”
“Good night to ye then,” Angus said.
The men found and prepared spots around the fire. Angus observed the group making themselves comfortable. He had such gratitude for all of them and what they were sacrificing to help Edna.