Page 80 of Edge of Yesterday

Relief flooded Cailean. “Good.” He started to turn away, but Lennox grabbed his arm.

“Good? Why?”

“If you didn’t summon him home, it doesn’t matter.”

“Are ye seeing into the future again?” Lennox narrowed his eyes.

Cailean hesitated. What the hell. “It would be dangerous for him to arrive home ahead of schedule.”

Fear flickered in Lennox’s eyes. “Why would it be dangerous for him to return early?”

Dammit, even if this was an alternate universe, he didn’t want to mess with history. God only knew what problems he could create. Like getting someone killed—himself included.

“If your father changes his plans he will be attacked.”

“By whom?” Lennox demanded.

Cailean shook his head. “I dinnae know. Just that he will disappear.”

“Disappear?” Lennox repeated.

Cailean silently cursed. He hadn’t meant to reveal that much. Historians had theorized that Hugh Murray had attacked and killed him on his journey home in order to keep Sir Ravenstone from looking into Lady Julianna’s kidnapping.

Lennox glanced at his men, then jerked his head in a ‘follow me’ motion. They strode toward Raghnall, away from the men, and when they were out of earshot, he said, “Disappearing is different than being attacked.”

Cailean said nothing.

Lennox studied him for two heartbeats. “What do ye know about my father’s cousin Malcolm?”

Cailean shook his head, confused.

“He went missing six days ago.”

“What?” That hadn’t been in the history books. But then, not everything was. Heatheredge kept better records than most towns, but there were still plenty of holes. “What do you mean ‘missing’?”

“He left Raghnall on some business for my father and hasnae returned.”

Apprehension rammed through Cailean. Was it possible people were falling into the…what was it, a hole, a door that opened in the twenty-first century? A chill snaked up his back. What if the door didn’t open back to his time? He’d never heard of anyone who seemed to be from the past turning up in his time. But then, someone who looked and insisted they were a fourteenth century person would end up in the psychiatric ward of the nearest hospital as one more homeless statistic. What if the place one landed in time was random? If Val had a hand in sending him here, did Val know where ‘here’ was?

“It was the same with Agnes and Bruce,” Lennox said.

“What?”

“Four years ago, my mother’s sister Agnes disappeared. Four years before that it was Bruce, our stable master.”

“Three people have disappeared? Don’t you think that’s odd?” Cailean asked.

“Odd? Many think it is the work of the devil.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “My father has been accused of being a sorcerer. Some people go so far as to make the sign of the cross when we pass. There are those who willnae leave their homes in the month of April every fourth year for fear of being taken—and some blame us.”

So here was the source of the rumors that the Ravenstone family were witches—and all the while it was Crowe who was practicing black magic.

“What do you think?” Cailean asked.

Lennox’s mouth tightened. “If I catch the kidnapper—man or demon—I will kill him.”

A thought struck. “How long has Crowe been Clan Ceann-Cath?”

“‘Tis nine years now.” His expression darkened. “By God, if he—” Lennox broke off and narrowed his eyes on Cailean. “How did ye know?”