Page 137 of Edge of Yesterday

A soft click sounded and Julianna looked at Cailean, frowning. He shook his head. Dammit, how long did the men intend to stay in the cavern? Cailean had reassured Julianna when she reacted to the knowledge of a man chasing Lennox, but Cailean didn’t like leaving his brother-in-law alone to defend himself.

Crowe began chanting. Cailean’s heart sped up. What the bloody hell was the man doing? The chanting continued another few seconds then a red glow lit the water like the high beam of a car. Julianna gave a soft gasp. Cailean tensed. She yanked her head up and they stared at one another for a long moment before accepting that no one had heard them.

Julianna still stared, eyes wide, questions flooding her gaze. Cailean lifted his arm from her and put a finger to his mouth. He gave her a hard look to indicate she wasn’t to move. She nodded and he carefully slid to the edge of the rock and peered around at the men. Crowe and Rathais stood at the opposite side of the cavern before a gaping door in the stone wall.

Dread rocketed through Cailean. He had accepted that he no longer resided in twenty-first century Scotland. Yet, despite all he’d been through, he now questioned his sanity. Crowe extended his wizard’s staff before him, the glowing stone, shooting a translucent red beam across the water. No twenty-first century technology existed to explain this phenomenon. That left some ancient kind of magic.

Crowe stared at the light and continued to chant. A figure began to coalesce inside the shining beam. Cailean froze as he watched a human form take shape. The form remained blurry, but seemed to be a large man. Something about the man niggled a sense of distant familiarity. Fuzzy images rose in the background beyond the figure. Buildings, he thought, but couldn't be sure. Crowe’s voice grew louder in a language Cailean didn't recognize. Latin? Nae. The language sounded older, completely foreign.Rathais stood as if frozen, staring at the images. Crowe’s chant began to sound desperate…almost angry. He abruptly stopped and lowered the staff.

“By God, the staff has never before failed me,” he growled.

Cailean was surprised to see the tired slump in Crowe’s shoulders. So using magic took the stuffing out of him. That was a piece of information Cailean wouldn’t forget.

“Is it possible he is a warlock?” Rathais asked. “Mayhap he has protected himself with his own magic?”

Crowe cast him a disgusted look. “Any magic he has cannae possibly compare to mine.” He turned and walked back to the vault and set the staff inside. He grasped the door and began pushing it shut. Cailean ducked behind the rock. Julianna looked up at him, a question still in her eyes, but he only shook his head.

“Are ye sure you shouldnae take the dagger with ye?” Rathais asked.

“I cannae risk Alex seeing it,” Crowe replied. His voice came closer. “He was only seven when I arrived in Heatheredge, but the man has a sharp memory. Soon, he will care little about any rumors against me and I can do as I please.”

“Father Gabriel may send me to Reay village,” Rathais said.

“I dinnae need ye,” Crowe replied. This time their bootfalls were farther away and Cailean realized they were leaving.

“It would be best if I served as a witness when ye deal with Ross,” Rathais said.

Two heartbeats of silence passed before Crowe said, “It wouldnae hurt for ye to be there.”

His voice echoed and Cailean guessed they’d left the cavern and entered the tunnel.

Rathais replied in a low voice that Cailean couldn’t discern. When their footsteps receded beyond hearing, Cailean waited another two minutes before stepping from their hiding place.

“What do they have planned?” Julianna asked in a low voice. “They spoke of you disappearing.”

Cailean put a finger to his mouth and hurried toward the secret door. He ran his fingers along the stone wall but detected nothing, no cracks in the stone, no small crevices that would indicate there was a door.

“Dammit,” he muttered.

“What are ye looking for?” Julianna frowned.

“There is a secret vault in the wall here.” He glanced at her as he ran his hands over the stone. “I saw it.”

“Then we will find it.” She began to trace her fingers along the cavern wall. He had started to think they wouldn’t find the door, when a small click sounded, and she said, “Ah ha!”

The stone sprang open. She grasped the edges and pulled on the door. Inside the vault, a massive two-handed sword leaned against the wall. The velvet bag containing the cursing bone sat on the floor, but Cailean had eyes only for the staff. He pulled it from the vault. His heart began to pound. Yes, there was no doubt, it was the very same staff he’d seen in Heatheredge.

He ran a finger over the strange lettering carved into the wood. “Is this the staff you saw Crowe with that night in the woods?”

Julianna didn’t answer, he looked up. She held Crowe’s unsheathed dagger. The scabbard, she held tucked under her arm as she examined the blade. “You were right, Cailean, this is an unusual dagger.” She grazed the edge with her thumb.

“Nae!” He dropped the staff and seized the hand gripping the dagger, but too late. A drop of crimson blood beaded the pad of her thumb.

Julianna looked up at him, eyes unfocused. “So strange.”

She swayed, and Cailean recalled the disorientation he felt when he’d been nicked with the blade. Julianna shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. Cailean wrenched the dagger from her and threw it to the ground. It clattered across the stone floor and skittered toward the water, stopping with its hilt hanging perilously over the pool’s edge.

Julianna’s knees buckled. Cailean caught her and held her close. His heart jackhammered against his ribs. What could he do? Could she spiral back through time with only two cuts, instead of the three Val had inflicted on him? It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let her go. He crushed her close.

“I won’t let him take you from me,” he growled.

The dagger. If he cut himself, would he be able to travel in time with her? Or would they scatter in different directions? Fury bellowed through him at the helplessness he felt.

“I feel so odd,” she murmured.

Cailean’s blood roared in his ears. His chest had gone so tight he could hardly breathe. There had to be a way to stop the magic. His transport through time had been lightning fast. He’d seen and heard only the crack of lightning. Now, only the quiet lap of water against the rock echoed in the cavern.

Julianna went limp in his arms and terror ripped through him when she suddenly felt light as a feather. His mind whirled. How would he find her in the massive thread of time?