The Inscription Page 5

  The sun was going down behind the rolling hills as she made her way carefully to the shore. If she’d somehow passed into another century when she fell into the water, could she return the same way? Or would it not work a second time? The sensation returned, of bone-numbing water and the searing panic she’d felt when she nearly drowned. She remembered Lachlan pulling her toward warmth and safety. Would she have returned to her own time if he hadn’t been there? Or would she have simply died? And why was she here to begin with? She rubbed her temples.

  She tried to calm her mind and stop die racing questions by looking out over the gray waters of the loch. The air felt as though it was charged with electricity. The undeniable fact was that she had traveled to another time. The way she saw it, she had two choices. Get hysterical, or stay rational and find a way back.

  A third choice surfaced. She considered it. If there was no way back, and she had to stay here, she would have to make a life for herself. Her family would think she had drowned and would go on about their lives. Her throat tightened. There would be no way to let them know she was all right, or for her to know how they were doing.

  Amber sat down on a large rock near the shore. She felt warm tears on her cheeks. What would happen to her aunt? And her brother, David? She brushed the moisture from her face. He would have to take care of Aunt Dora. Her students? Tears started again. They’d hire a new teacher. An empty feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

  Footsteps crunched over the loose rock-strewn path behind her and she turned toward the sound. It was Lachlan.

  He stood beside her and gazed toward the water. “The loch draws you. I, too, feel its pull.” He paused. “Or is there another reason that drives you to seek the solitude?”

  He was closer to the truth than she wanted to face. She did not like people getting too close. As a child she had ridden her bicycle to Urquhart at every opportunity. It was a beautiful place.

  “I just need some fresh air.”

  “Aye, I felt the same. But I fear the pull these waters have on you will draw you once again to their depths. And next time I may not be there to carry you to safety.”

  She looked at him and felt an icy shiver. It was as though he’d read her thoughts. But there was something else. She saw concern in his eyes and didn’t feel smothered by it.

  “I promise to jump in only when you are around.”

  Amber thought she saw die briefest hint of a smile cross his face, but when she blinked it was gone. He should smile more often. On second thought, she liked him better when he was scowling. She realized where she was and fought to hide any reaction. She didn’t have time for this. Looking out over the waters, she tried to think about something else. A small ripple marred the surface. She smiled, a little, thinking of all the times she’d seen the same thing happen when she was talking to the tourists and had led them to think it might be Nessie. It was great for the tour business.

  “What amuses you?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking of the legend about a creature that is supposed to haunt Loch Ness.”

  He seemed to draw back from her, his face was lost in the shadows. “There are many legends tied to these waters.”

  That was an understatement, but she had the overwhelming feeling that somehow an ancient myth was behind her appearance in the sixteenth century. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why she felt that way, but the impression was there, nonetheless. Her aunt told and retold any story connected to the loch. Amber had heard them all. There was one that seemed relevant, if only she could remember. Maybe the answer to her return was incorporated in that tale. She stood, nearly tripping over her long skirts.

  Lachlan reached out and held her arm until she regained her balance. Her skin felt warm where he touched her. Great, he was the type who pulled out chairs, opened doors and sent roses on Valentines Day. No, on second thought, his type didn’t just send flowers, he’d have his private plane take his date to box seats at the opera and then give her flowers.

  “I’ve heard of the Loch Ness monster, but it’s a hoax.”

  “Lady Amber, it is real. It is a creature of an ancient clan that guards the entrance and destroys all who enter its domain.”

  She shuddered, remembering her experience in the loch. Maybe hysteria was a good option for her predicament, after all. Pushing the feeling down, she straightened.

  “I don’t scare easily, and I’m not the damsel in distress type. I’ve never heard of the creature being anything but shy and curious. That is, if you believe in that sort of thing.”

  His expression was unreadable, his voice devoid of emotion. “The hour is late and our meal grows cold.”

  He was avoiding her comment. She knew the tactic, she’d used it herself. “Actually, I’m not very hungry. I think I’ll go up to the room.”

  “Una will prepare you something to eat.”

  “It’s not necessary.”

  “Aye, lass, it is. There is much we have to discuss.” She glanced at him. That was a mistake. His mouth was a straight line across his face, but his eyes held a depth of emotion that took her breath away. Her heart pounded in her throat. Amber realized she would have to slow down. She hoped that what he wanted to discuss were the political advantages of Scotland uniting with England. That, she could handle.

  The night air was still, surprisingly warm for this time of year, and the waters over Loch Ness were mirror smooth. As she turned toward the castle she heard a splash. Looking over her shoulder she saw a dark shadow move across the water. Something large was swimming just beneath the surface.

  “Betrothed?”

  “Aye.”

  Amber chewed on the corner of her lip. Her aunt’s dream was for Amber to marry, but the whole concept frightened her. It meant getting to know someone; their likes, dislikes, what made them happy, what made them sad. And then, after investing all that time with someone, you could wake up one morning and find out it was finished. Because love never lasted. Her parents were proof of that theory. After working side by side in archeological digs for twenty-two years, they’d announced their marriage was at an end. They said they no longer loved each other. Her mother had gone back to college to start over.

  Amber rubbed her arms to warm them and glanced out the window of the chamber. Despite the warm night she shivered. She was freezing, sitting by the blazing fire.

  “Exactly how far do we play this game?”

  He regarded her seriously. “It shall be in name only, but will give you a position in the castle equal to Lady Marcail, and my sister, Elaenor. The inhabitants will respect you out of loyalty to their laird.”

  “And what would be you?”

  He paused. “Aye.”

  “Perfect.”

  “You do not sound pleased. It is an honor to be my betrothed and will afford you much freedom.” He arched his eyebrow. “Or is it that you already have a man to which you belong? You need only mention the name, and we shall send word of your arrival.”

  Amber felt tears burn her eyes and shook her head. “There is no one here.” The words struck her hard and she clutched the folds of her dress to keep her hands from trembling. She would never see her family again. Amber had taken it for granted that they would always be there for her.

  She tried to control the rising panic. On top of everything else, Lachlan’s package deal would rob her of her freedom. In Seattle she had all the independence she wanted. She had her own apartment, a job teaching high school, and her own mint condition-VW bug convertible. And her chance to become a principal. Back home she had the knowledge that she didn’t need anyone. She was independent, self-sufficient and completely on her own. It would be different in the sixteenth century.

  At Urquhart castle she would be completely dependent on the goodwill of a Highland laird. She forced the tremors from her voice as the word “survival” surfaced in her mind. Amber had to find a way back to the twentieth century. She had to. She just needed time to figure it out.

  “How… how long do I
have, before we’ll be expected to get married?”

  “We shall follow the custom of handfasting: a year and a day.”

  Amber straightened. She knew all about the custom. “I thought you said our betrothal would be in name only?”

  “And it shall be. However, the Highland clans are familiar with this ritual and there will be fewer questions.”

  She felt her nails cut into the palms of her hand. He must think she was an airhead. “I know all about handfasting. A couple live together for a year and a day in a sort of trial marriage, and if, by the end of that time, a child isn’t conceived, they are allowed to either marry or go their separate ways.”

  She could feel the panic rise. Amber knew herself too well and was already physically attracted to Lachlan. If she allowed him into her bed and she became pregnant… her heart would be lost and inevitably crushed.

  “We can’t sleep together.” Her voice seemed too loud. “Won’t your people think it odd?”

  “They will not concern themselves with such details.”

  “Really? Then why are we bothering with this elaborate plan?”

  She saw the corner of his mouth turn up in a smile. “There does not appear to be much that escapes your notice.”

  Amber did not see the humor. “Not much.”

  He crossed the distance that separated them. “Very well, lass, after the passage of one full moon we shall have a formal betrothal and an engagement of unspecified length. My family is noted for such. As well as separate living quarters.”

  “Maybe I don’t need your protection. Maybe there are people searching for me as we speak.” The words rang true. Aunt Dora would be frantic and would have called her brother, parents and the entire population of Inverness.

  “You have already stated there was no one. Besides, you would have mentioned them when first you awoke. Do not be concerned that I shall take advantage of our arrangement.”

  “It’s not you I’m concerned about.”

  He paused, raising an eyebrow.

  Her face burned. “That didn’t come out right.”

  Her comment had surprised her as much as it did him. It was not that she felt he would force himself on her. Honor radiated from him as constant as the warmth from the fire. It was this betrothal thing. It would connect the two of them together. She put her hands on the cool panes of the leaded glass.

  “I don’t know why you are trying to help me.”

  The rushes crunched beneath his feet as he walked toward her. “All who find their way to Urquhart have my protection.”

  Amber turned. He had drawn an emotional mask over his features. She decided he probably would be a great poker player, but she suspected there was a hidden agenda. No one was that nice, not even this guy.

  “So, what you are saying is that you would immediately ask any stray woman, who you pull out of Loch Ness, to marry you?”

  “Nay lass, not all.”

  She felt as though a giant, prehistoric butterfly, like the ones her parents talked about, had taken flight in the pit of her stomach. Her emotions were starting to careen out of control as Lachlan left the room. She stared at the closed door. In the few relationships she’d been in, she was always the one who set the pace, intensity and duration. Already she felt a difference with Lachlan and it scared her. There was one way to make sure things didn’t go any farther. She must find her way home.

  Amber returned to the hearth. Okay, so she had somehow managed to travel back in time to 1566 without the aid of a star ship. That was four hundred and thirty-four years into the past and she had no clue how it had happened. She paused. Don’t panic, there was an explanation for everything.

  First of all, it was probably a dream. She thought of Lachlan, the cookroom and the bathtub. Well, so it’s a sensory-packed, Technicolor-type dream, complete with a leading man who had thrown her into a tail-spin. The dream theory was as solid as a sieve. Or could it be part of some legend her aunt was always talking about? There were some pretty amazing things that went on in the fantasy world of myths. She shook her head and ruled out the notion. Too far-fetched.

  Next idea; time machine. The chance that she would have noticed if she’d stepped into an H. G. Wells contraption was pretty good. The only thing she’d walked into, or rather been thrown into, was Loch Ness. She remembered the sensation of being pulled through the water. She snapped her fingers. Of course, why didn’t she think about it before. The answer was speed. Einstein believed that if you moved faster than the speed of light you could travel through time. One of her students had brought her an article about a physicist, Stephen Hawking, who had tackled the same theory. The only problem with the idea was she had fallen into the water, not onto some futuristic spaceship capable of traveling faster than the speed of light. The dream theory was starting to gain ground again. What she needed were facts. And the only way to get answers was to search Urquhart for clues.

  Old castles were notorious for their hidden chambers. This one was probably no exception. There should be a lever to a secret room. Amber paced back and forth in front of the fire. The walls rose to twice the height of a normal room and were covered in vibrant tapestries. She’d have better luck predicting the weather in the Northwest than finding a hidden chamber.

  She rubbed the back of her neck and went into the adjoining room. In the center was the wooden tub with fresh dry linens lining the bottom and sides. On the far wall were two doors. One led to the bathroom and the other had a wooden bar across it. She smiled. Perfect. A door with a lock. A great place to start.

  The corridor was shrouded in darkness. Lachlan raised his torch to illuminate the outline of the door cut into the stone. He had not visited this tomb-like chamber since the summer solstice and the joining ceremony between Sarah and Madeline. With the sudden appearance of Amber in Loch Ness he needed to examine the clan’s secrets contained within.

  He reached the door and felt above the outline of it on the top edge until his fingers came in contact with a metal bar. He pressed down and stepped back. The door opened slowly, exposing a dark room. Entering, he placed his torch in a wall bracket. The flames cast shadows around the small chamber. Water from a crack in the stone ceiling dripped on the floor in a slow monotonous rhythm. He was directly beneath Loch Ness.

  He walked over to a rose-colored marble slab that covered the wall facing the entrance and read the words etched into the stone:

  Time is an Illusion

  Of all the mysteries and legends that shrouded his people this was the one he had found the least plausible, until now. The Lady Amber had appeared in Loch Ness, and survived the numbing waters. She had not offered an explanation as to her origins.

  He looked at a section of the panel where, centuries beyond counting, liquid gold had been poured into small holes in a random pattern. It covered a major portion of the marble. It was a map of the stars and planets, and recorded the year his people had been forced to leave their island home before the water reclaimed it. In the right-hand corner, below the points of gold that flickered in the light, a hole the size of a man’s fist had been cut into the marble. In the center was a gold bar. He turned the lever and a panel slid open to expose a hidden compartment. Lachlan brought the torch closer. The marble surface seemed to change from rose-pink to a deep blood red as he examined the small glass vials.

  Shadows from the torch stretched out across the floor and deepened in the corners of the room. A chill crept along his spine. One of the vials was missing. He recounted, but came to the same conclusion. The Elixir of Life was used for only two purposes. Once the liquid was swallowed, the process of immortality and the state of suspended sterility were reversed. The second purpose was the ability to summon the Guardian in Loch Ness.

  Both uses were forbidden without permission from the Council of Seven, yet it had been done. Someone had entered the chamber, and removed one of the vials. The first purpose he dismissed. His race held on tightly to their immortality. The second would explain Amber’s appearan
ce. This was not the first time a missing vial had resulted in an unexpected visitor.

  He wiped perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand. The air was stale, damp and closing in on him. The Guardian of the Loch had the ability to bend the currents of time and pull someone from one century to another.

  The steady drip of water in the corner of the chamber echoed through his mind. He closed his eyes, but the sound grew louder. He took one last look around before leaving the chamber. Soon the Council of Seven would gather and they would expect an explanation as to Amber’s origins. But he must have proof.

  The torch he held cast shadows over the walls corridor. This underground labyrinth was neither silent nor asleep. Small red eyes peered out of the darkness at him. Their owners scurried out of his way. Marcail feared these creatures, not because of their appearance, but because of the disease they could bring. His cousin had witnessed the Black Death. Lachlan knew the memories of its destruction still held her prisoner. He would discuss the matter with Angus. Together they could, perhaps, rid the castle of these vermin.

  As he entered a narrow corridor he heard a loud thud, a scuffle and then an oath. It was a woman’s voice. He headed in that direction, gripping the hilt of his blade. No doubt a servant who had lost her way. He would know the guilt or innocence by looking into her eyes. It would seal her fate.

  The tunnels beneath the castle were forbidden to all but the members of his race. In his father’s time, the punishment for any attempt to discover the secrets contained behind these walls would be a slow death. The skeletal remains of those who defied his father still remained, as a warning to others.

  At the end of the corridor, in the shadows cast by a flickering torch, stood a woman. The Lady Amber. She was brushing dirt from her gown and muttering under her breath when she noticed him. Her face turned as pale as a shroud and her words came out in a rush.

  “I… I was exploring the castle… looking for you.”