Black Moon (26 page)

I let go of Ben and step onto the cobblestone street . . . and am almost trampled by a horse. I jump out the way, tugging on the sleeve of the nearest person I can find—a man, who doesn’t look much older than Ben and I.

“Excuse me, sir? My friend and I are a bit lost. Can you tell us where we’re at, exactly?”

His eyes dart to the commoners surrounding the market like he’s afraid we’re here to cause trouble and he might need a back-up, since it’s obvious we’re not from here.

Finally, he finds his voice. “Even so,
m’lady
.
Yer
in Colchester.”

“Colchester? Where’s that?”

His jaw slacks, eyes thin in uncertainty. “England,
o’course
.”

Oxygen is sucked from my lungs. Panic clutches my windpipe, my stomach, my body, giving them all a firm shake. I should’ve known something like this would’ve happened, that we’d arrive somewhere other than Hartford. But
England
?

My mouth dries, nearly choking me when I ask the next question: “And w-what year is it?”

This is the subject I fear more than anything. We’ve been so concerned about how long it will take us to return to the time period in which Alaric,
Ulric
, and
Daciana
were bitten. We need to return to the sixteenth century. Judging by the garb of these people, I’m reasonably certain of the answer. I want to hear it from this young man’s lips, though.

His eyebrows wrinkle, forming deep creases, and he looks at me like I should be very much aware of what year we’re in. Like I’m definitely losing my mind. Ben and I are the outsiders here, the crazy ones. I’d freak out a little, too, if someone from the future showed up.

“
’Tis
the year of our Lord,
m’lady
, fifteen hundred and sixty-nine,” he replies, and, for that split second, my heart neglects to beat.