“I’m sure nothing quite so drastic willbe required.”
The marshland gradually receded behind them as he led Plover through the steadily worsening rain and up a gentle slope to higher ground. The damp earth gave way to rich moorland blanketed in a quilt of green and purple heather and finally they came in sight of their destination.
“There it is,” Emeric said, raising a finger and pointing. “Dun Achmore.”
It was almost dark and torches were being lit in the windows of the castle. The keep’s towers were silhouetted against the last of the light in the west, and despite the obscuring rain, it was still an awesome sight. He felt a twinge inside.
Home.
“Wow,” Anna whispered. “It’s even more impressive close up. Your family must be rich.”
Emeric looked at her quizzically. “Rich? Hardly. What would make ye say that?”
Anna gestured at the keep. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Who lives in a castle these days? Only royalty or very rich people. Unless you’ve turned it into a hotel? Is that what you’ve done? Or a wedding venue. A lot of castles up here have been converted, haven’t they?”
Emeric stared at her. What was she talking about?
“Did I say something wrong?” Anna asked, seeing his expression. “What’s the problem with converting old castles into hotels or wedding venues? Better than letting them fall to bits isn’t it? There’s this old house in Glasgow that someone wanted to develop into a community center. They got turned down because of its ‘historical significance’ and now its crumbling to nothing. Totalwaste, if you ask me.” She cocked her head as he continued to stare at her and cleared her throat. “Not that I’m saying your castle is like that, of course. I’m no expert on castles, but from what I can see it looks like a very lovely castle. No crumbling, I’m sure. Am I rambling? I’m rambling aren’t I?”
Emeric gave a soft laugh. “Ah, Anna, it’s good to see ye.”
“It is?” She broke into a beaming smile that did strange things to Emeric’s insides.
It was true. Itwasgood to see her. The weeks that had passed since he’d met her at the wedding had not dimmed his attraction to her. In fact, the time had only enhanced it. When he’d met her the first time, she’d been like a force of nature and now, meeting her here, under these circumstances, only heightened that impression. Which raised the obvious question. Despite promising they’d sort all this out in the morning, he couldn’t help asking.
“Anna,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I still dinna understand how ye got here. I didnae realize anyone outside of the Order of the Osprey had access to time travel.”
“Eh? What are you talking about? I drove, of course, like I told you. My car was low on fuel so I stopped at a farmhouse to ask directions and beg a phone charger. Then I spotted the castle. To be honest, I really should have made sure my phone was fully charged and the car was filled up but I kind of... forgot. Still, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? I mean, I would have preferred not to end up in that bog, but all’s well that ends well, right? Oh. I’m rambling again aren’t I?”
Emeric said nothing. He hadn’t understood much of what she’d just told him but her words had sparked a dark suspicion. Carefully, he said, “Lass, what century is this?”
She scrunched up her nose and scowled at him. “What is this? National poke-fun-at-Anna day? Okay, I know I’ve done some stupid things today but I didn’t whack my head in that bog you know? It’s the twenty-first century!”
A sensation of cold dread washed over Emeric as he cast his gaze away from her, staring instead at the looming outline of Dun Achmore.
Oh no.
“No,” he replied, his voice hoarse. “It isnae the twenty-first century. It’s... it’s the fifteenth.”
Anna burst into laughter. “Oh, you’re a funny man, Emeric. You nearly had me there.” She shook her head, her laughter tapering off into soft chuckles. “Really, you should take up acting.”
“This is no jest, lass.”
She snorted. “Right, and I suppose next you’ll tell me it’s 1492 and Christopher Columbus is about to discover America.”
“Actually, it’s 1497.”
Her eyes flicked over his plaid, his horse, his bow and quiver strapped to the saddle. He could see her thoughts churning, piecing it all together. She gave a tremulous little laugh.
“1497, huh? Yeah, sure...and the earth is flat too, I suppose?”
Emeric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He felt an odd mix of relief that she didn’t outright panic and frustration that she didn’t believe him.
He understood her skepticism, though. He’d known that the Order of the Osprey was somehow tangled up in time travel but he’d never quite believed it until he’d traveled through time himself, to the future to attend Oskar and Lily’s wedding.
“I know it’s difficult to believe, but it’s the truth.”
“All right,” she said, her tone placating, as though she were speaking to a child with an overactive imagination. “Let’s pretend I believe you. So you’re telling me I’ve traveled back in time like in those sci-fi flicks?”
