Her mind raced. It was insane, but it was the only explanation that made sense. Conall seemed to sense her distress, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She flung it off.
“Don’t touch me!”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This was all just too much. “I need to get back,” she said, her voice shaking. “I need to find a way home.”
“Aye,” he said, his voice soft. “I’ll do whatever I can to aid ye.” He was watching her steadily, his dark eyes full of concern.
“Just...just give me some space, okay?” she said, her voice shaking. “I need to figure things out.”
“I canna leave ye up here. It isnae safe—”
“I’ll be fine. Just leave me be. Please?”
Conall hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “As ye wish,” he said before turning to make his way back down the path.
Molly watched him go, thoughts whirling like leaves in a breeze. How was it possible that she had been transported back in time? And how was she ever going to get back home?
She bit her lip and looked around. Was this really happening? Or was she dreaming? It felt so real, but at the same time so utterly impossible.
The rational part of her mind rebelled. No. This was not real. She wasnotin another time. If she hiked inland, she’d find something modern and realize all this was just some wild dream or hallucination.
Come on, Molly,she told herself.Get moving. You’ll soon be home and telling da about the bizarre dream you’ve been having.
With that thought, she started off, hiking over the highland terrain. It was rough and wild, with never-ending heather-clad moorland, rocky outcroppings and deep blue lochs. She was wet and cold but did her best to ignore both and kept walking, determined to find something that would prove this wasn’t another time at all. She just needed an electricity pylon, a road, a plane crossing the sky. Anything to prove she wasn’t going mad.
But she saw nothing. There were a few shaggy cattle grazing on top of a hill in the distance but other than that she might have been the only person alive in the whole world.
Finally, her legs gave way beneath her and Molly collapsed onto her knees in despair. She had to face facts: she was lost and alone in this wilderness with no idea where she was or where she was going. Tears welled up in her eyes. What was she going to do?
Conall, a man she’d only just met, was her only hope. He’d been right when he’d said that without his help she’d likely be a prisoner or worse by now. But could she trust him? She laughed shrilly. Did she have a choice?
Yet she couldn’t reveal that she was a time-traveler. God only knew how he’d react to that claim, but he would want to know who she was, where she came from. How could she avoid his questions? An idea came to her. It was risky. Very risky.
But it was the only chance she had.
Chapter 5
