Seeds of Time (21 page)

“Join the club, Delaney,' said Darrell, rubbing her sore leg. “Limping must be catching, lately.”

Maggie left the kitchen, but they continued to speak in whispers so as not to be overheard.

“Thanks for the cover story, Brodie. So much has happened and I didn't know what to say to Sir William.”

“I could see how you might be stuck. I knew you'd be back, so I worked that story out just in case.”

“How long have I been gone?” asked Darrell in a low voice.

“Five days.” Brodie's eyes were shining. “I am so glad you are back. We were very worried, and after we catch up here, we've got to go and find Kate.”

“Where is she?”

“I'm not sure. When you were gone that morning, they all blamed her for not keeping you safe.”

Darrell looked horrified. “Has she been punished?”

Brodie looked uncomfortable. “Not punished, really. They just made her feel terrible, and she has been made to work very hard while you have been gone.” He paused, seeing Darrell's stricken face. “I did have a chance to talk with her a bit, and she is mostly worried about you. So tell me, what really happened after all?”

Darrell quickly related the story of the Hamish and his murderous intentions.

“So the last thing that happened that I remember slashing his hand and hearing a shout. Delaney and I ran like crazy, but I fell and hit the wall and it sent me back through to the cave near the school.” She paused for breath. “I didn't see anyone else, though. I can't believe that Hamish tried to kill me and now he is dead.”

Brodie sipped his cider. “I can tell you what happened. Apparently Hamish had been romancing Eleanor since Sir William left. He was collecting a group of soldiers and buying their loyalty with privileges and favours. Anyway, he thought he had enough support to rise up against Sir William, but he hadn't counted on Luke.

“What do you mean?”

“He means that I knew what he was planning all along.” Luke walked in through the doorway from the stables and poured himself a cup of mead. “My da is a fine fisherman, and when he left our family to find a safe place in the north, he managed to catch himself a really
big fish while he was at it.” He grinned and sat down beside Darrell.

Darrell smiled. “Sir William?” she guessed.

“That's right. Sir William was on his way back from meeting with his relatives amongst the Norse. The plague had spread there as well, so he was returning home when his ship foundered against some rocks in the Orkneys. My da was sailing home on his return journey and he spotted seals on the rocks. Turned out to be Sir William and his last man. The others had all drowned, and Sir William and his man were weak and sick. The man died on the trip back, but my da managed to nurse Sir William back to health. They came ashore one day while I was alone on patrol.” He grinned at the memory. “I told Sir William of the growing insurrection, so we decided that I would test the loyalty of the soldiers.”

Brodie laughed. “From stable boy to soldier in twenty-four hours.” He looked at Luke. “Turns out that most of the group that were loyal to Hamish were not even members of the regular guard. Hamish had been handing out commissions as favours. In the face of Sir William and his loyal troops, Hamish and his group were crushed.”

Luke sat down at the table and smiled grimly. “D'ye ken the look on my da's face when Hamish tried to stab Sir William when his back was turned battling two others?”
He pulled his own slim knife from inside his stocking and laid it gently on the table.

Brodie nodded. “I thought the veins would pop out of his head, he was so furious.” He looked at Darrell, his eyes clouded with the memory. “I've never seen anything like it. Most of the time I spent trying to keep my back to the rocks and away from all the weaponry.” He eyed Luke's knife warily, as though it might jump from the table of its own accord and turned back to Darrell. “I didn't know who was fighting on which side ... just man against man, sword against shield. The noise was deafening ...”

“Until the blows began to hit home,” Luke concluded quietly. “A broadsword against flesh makes a sound so silent it could deafen ye.”

Brodie nodded and swallowed. “I didn't hear the sound of Hamish's death,” he said quietly. “I just saw him slide off the end of your father's blade.”

Darrell blanched. If it hadn't been for her, Brodie would never been at risk in the sudden battle. He had seen someone die violently before his eyes ... something she was grateful to have missed. So much had happened in so short a time. Hamish gone, the rebellion quashed, and both Luke and Eleanor had their fathers back again.

Luke smiled warmly and patted Darrell's arm. “I'm off to bed, lass. I've early duty in the morning.” He
slipped his knife back into his stocking and disappeared into the darkness outside the kitchen door.

Darrell still felt a bit dizzy. “Thanks for all the news, Luke. See you in the morning.” She turned to Brodie as Luke left the kitchen. “I'm sorry you had to see all that, Brodie.” She smiled wryly. “I guess you're a soldier now, are you? You may get to like it here and never want to return to the humdrum life of Eagle Glen.”

“Well, I wouldn't exactly call it ...”

“DARRELL!”

Darrell just had time to stand up when she felt like she had been hit by a freight train. Kate ran in and picked her right up off her feet, hugging Darrell so tightly she could hardly speak.

“I am glad to see you, too, Kate,” Darrell said, breathlessly.

Tears were running down Kate's face. Brodie pulled a small stool up to the table, and Kate sat down. Maggie, who had found Kate and brought her to the kitchen, smiled sleepily and headed back to her interrupted night's rest.

Kate caught her breath and looked at Darrell. “I thought we would never get to go home again,” she said with a sniff. “What happened, Darrell? How could you leave us like that?”

Darrell told the story to Kate once again, with Brodie interjecting at intervals with details.

Kate put her face in her hands and sighed. “Everyone was so angry with me for letting you go somewhere unattended.”

“I wasn't!” Brodie interjected.

“Everyone except Brodie,” Kate corrected herself. “He believed whatever had happened, if we were patient, you would show up.” She looked at Brodie. “I guess you were right, after all. Anyway, I have had to work so hard this week while you have been gone. I thought my back would break!” She smiled ruefully. “At first I thought they were punishing me, but after a couple of days I realized that this is the way everybody works. It made my tae kwon do training look like a picnic.”

Brodie nodded. “I have been grateful for my Scottish grandmother, though,” he said with a grin. The girls looked at him in surprise. “How do you think I got named Broderick?” he said, sheepishly. “It sounds just right when these Ainslie people say it with that Gaelic burr.” He puffed out his chest, imitating the head horseman. “Brrrrodie, me lad, toss me that bale o' hay. Brrrrodie, just unsaddle and groom these sixteen horses before mid-day, there's a good man.”

Kate and Darrell laughed, and Kate held up her red hands for the others to see.

“You think you've had it bad. These hands have scrubbed the stones in the scullery every day and washed all the clay pots and plates after every meal. I'll
be glad to go back to just being your maid for a while, Darrell.” She laughed again. “Just don't expect it when we get back to Eagle Glen.”

Darrell looked serious. “We have to decide what we are going to do next. I've got a couple of things to do before we go, but I think we have to try to get back at the soonest opportunity. We can't run the risk of one of us getting hurt or kidnapped again.”

Brodie spoke up. “I've got an idea. Everyone in this place seems very religious. I know there is a small church in the village. I think we need to pretend we are going there to offer thanks for Darrell's safe return, and then head back to the cave.”

“That's a great idea,” Darrell grinned. “The little church down in the village is close enough that Sir William will not feel he has to send us with a big entourage and we can quickly zip to the beach and find the cave.” She paused for a moment. “We have to make sure Delaney is with us,” she added thoughtfully. “He has been with me on every trip through time ... and I think he really has to be there for us to make the journey home.”

“Okay, that's settled.” Kate's head drooped with fatigue. “Now, I need to get some sleep. They've been waking me up at four in the morning to light the fires.” She smiled at Darrell. “Now that I can return to my pallet in Eleanor's room, I might get to sleep until six!”

They said goodnight, and the girls made their way up the darkened stairs to Eleanor's room. Brodie and Delaney and walked out through the back of the kitchen to their beds in the stables.

The next morning after eating, Darrell made her case with Sir William. He was readying his horsemen to make a round of his lands, gathering tithes and foodstuffs for the coming winter. While he was away, he and his men would hunt for meat to store in the cold cellars of the kitchen at Ainslie Castle. A few of his trusted soldiers would remain behind to protect the castle, led by the now-favoured Luke Iainson. He was delighted that his fine Lady Dara wanted to visit a church that was under his protection and when she assured him that she would be safe, agreed to send only two guards.

Their plans in place, Darrell went upstairs to Lady Eleanor's solar. She found Eleanor with her maids, sitting on the cushioned seat by the window, stitching diligently. She had seemingly recovered quickly from the loss of Hamish's favours and was giggling with her maids about the brilliant blue eyes of the new captain of the guard.

Darrell sat down beside Eleanor on the window seat. “Lady Eleanor,” she began carefully, “as mistress of Ainslie Castle, does any of the care of the sick fall to you?”

Eleanor nodded. “I am often called upon to help bind up the wounded or to try to treat the sick.” She sighed. “Ernestina and I labour together in this regard. I can help her, for though I am less skilled, I can read what few words we have that are written in instruction. It is a hard and thankless task, and many who are ill go quickly to their place in heaven.” She looked at Darrell sadly. “Is it not so at yer home, Lady Dara?”

Darrell nodded, then decided to change the subject. “I have a gift for you, Lady Eleanor.” She produced the rolled parchment from her pocket and handed it to Lady Eleanor.

Eleanor looked surprised and pleased. Before she could speak, Darrell said, “It is a gift to thank you and your family for your kind hospitality.”

Eleanor looked at her, puzzled. “Ye sound as though ye are planning to leave.”

“Oh no!” replied Darrell hastily. “Not at all. It's just — well, I am very worried about the Black Death that has swept though your land. I think this book — er — this parchment will give you some idea about how to keep well the people under your care. Your interest in keeping the floors clean is important — and perhaps stabling all the animals outside will reduce the fleas.”

Eleanor started to untie the ribbon on the scrolled parchment.

“No need to look at it now,” Darrell said hastily. “Please just remember that clean bodies and rooms make it harder for the disease to spread.” Eleanor nodded and spread her arms wide to hug Darrell.

“Thank ye for thinking of us,” she said quietly. “I look forward to learning more of yer ideas this evening, when ye return from the church.”

Darrell nodded, and she and Kate left the solar. They quickly ran down the stone spiral staircase and met Brodie in the stables, waiting patiently with a dirty brown dog.

Sir William had already left when they made their way down to the village in the carriage that he insisted they take. It was a simple matter to ask for a walk along the beach before they made their pilgrimage to the church. The guards remained with the carriage as lookouts for potential trouble, and Darrell, Brodie, Kate, and Delaney made their way carefully down the sandy path to the beach.

Brodie looked back up the hill at their protectors and saw that one guard had already nodded off, while the other leaned, head on his hands, staring off into the distance in the warmth of the late summer sun.

Brodie grinned. “I hope that Sir William is not too hard on them when he finds they have lost us again. With me out of there, they will definitely need an extra hand at cleaning out the stables.”

Darrell looked around wistfully. “We have been so lucky,” she said, “to be able to see all of this for ourselves.”

“I think we are lucky to live at the time we do,” retorted Kate. “These people lived very hard, short lives. It was lucky their religion gave them some comfort, because they had to work so hard just to survive.”

They stepped in through the entrance to the cave. The summer sun shone through the opening but they lit candles to find their way to the back of the cave. In the flickering light, they could see the remaining symbol on the cave wall. The mask was blackened around the edges but began to glow a deep ochre red as they stepped closer.

Brodie knelt down and gave a last pat to the dirty brown dog. “You have been great company, Delaney. I'm glad your paw is almost better.”

Kate turned to Darrell. “Have you got the mints?” Darrell nodded. “I'm going to close my eyes, then. I am not looking forward to this!” She reached out and grabbed Darrell with one hand and Brodie with the other.

On the hillside above them, they could hear shouts as the guards discovered their absence.

“I sure hope this works,” said Darrell. Brodie grasped her shoulder with his free hand and Darrell curled her fingers through Delaney's soft fur and touched the glowing mask on the wall.