Entwined (25 page)

“I was on the other side of the pile of rubble.”

“Why was there rubble?” Eilidh asked, crumpling her face in a confused frown.

“The tunnel collapsed around us. That’s why I couldn’t bring the crystal back, it was too deeply buried.”

“Why did it collapse?”

Duncan’s heart sank at the memory of his actions.

“It was my fault,” he replied bluntly.

“I’m sure that’s not true-” Eilidh began.

“No! It was my fault. I pulled out this stupid bit of slate that was keeping the wall in place,” Duncan interrupted. “Wait… The slate…” he said, patting the various pockets of his coat looking for it.

“Duncan, what are you talking about?”

“I wanted to look at it because it appeared to be deliberately placed there… I didn’t for one second think that a piece of slate that small would be supporting anything.”

He finally managed to find it and passed it to Eilidh. Together they traced the words with their eyes.

‘S.C.

You have always trusted lady luck. The time will soon come when you are forced to take the biggest gamble of your life. Be prepared and trust your instincts. Sometimes, your instincts are all you have.’

“S.C.? Could that be your Pa?” Eilidh asked, looking to Duncan.

“Maybe. He does like a gamble but why would someone use a slate to send him a message?”

“
Be prepared and trust your instincts…
” the words ran through Eilidh’s mind. “This message might not be for your Pa, but it certainly applies to him.”

“What do you mean?” Duncan asked.

Before Eilidh could reply, Simon came round to the front of the lorry.

“We’ve got to go, can you two hurry up?” he said, turning towards the back of the lorry.

Duncan pushed himself up with his thighs.

“Pa, I think you should see this,” he said, passing the piece of slate to him.

“What’s this, lad?”

“Just read it…”

They were all silent for a second as Simon read the words engraved into the slate.

“Where did you find this? What is it?” he asked, with an awkward embarrassment.

“In the tunnel,” Duncan replied.

“Have you any idea who wrote it?” Simon asked.

Both Eilidh and Duncan shook their heads.

“It could be for you, Pa.”

Simon pursed his lips and lifted his hands to run them through his hair.

“If it is, then it was written by someone who knows me very well,” he said, referring to the gambling references.

“It may not have been written for you, Simon, but it might as well have been. Take those words into consideration,” Eilidh said, her eyes locking with his. “There will come a time, in the next few hours, when you will need to take the biggest gamble of your life. Indeed, the lives of each of us depend on you trusting me and your instincts.”

“I hear you, lass,” he said, breaking the eye contact between them. “We are leaving. Get yourselves back in the lorry.”

******

CHAPTER 24

Scotch Corner, Motorway Services - 21st December, Modern Day

“Jenny needs the toilet,” Grace said apologetically, pushing herself up off the bag of fertilizer.

“It’s too dangerous,” Eilidh replied, with a sharp edge of fear to her voice. “You know what happened to Harry and Kate.”

“But she’s desperate, Eilidh.”

“Can you hold it until we get over the border and onto quieter roads?” Eilidh asked, turning to Jenny.

“I’m sorry, but I’m bursting.”

“The thing is, Jenny, your father is looking for you. You are easy to trace.”

“What about if I go with her?” Graham suggested.

“If she leaves the lorry she will need the lockets. If I give her too many then the lorry will be vulnerable. Not enough, and she will be traced.”

“I’m really sorry,” Jenny apologized again.

“It’s alright, pet. I’ll think of something,” replied Eilidh, scanning her eyes across the lorry.

“Eilidh, how safe would it be for me to leave the lorry?” Graham asked.

“None of us are safe, Graham.”

“If I take my locket, will it be enough?” Graham asked.

“Yes, I think so,” Eilidh said.

“Then let me go and I’ll buy a child’s potty or one of those disposable travel urinals. Not the most dignified things to use but I’m sure we can arrange the boxes to provide some privacy.”

“Alright but you’re not going alone. We can take a locket each. That shouldn’t jeopardize the safety of the lorry.”

“I am sure I can look after myself, Eilidh,” Graham replied, striding towards the doors.

“Aye, Graham, that you can, but as yet you can’t read the crystals - and I can.”

“OK. That’s fair, but just know I am quite happy to go alone.”

Eilidh joined Graham at the doors and slid a lighter and crystal into his hand.

“You have your locket?” she asked.

“I do.”

“Good, it will protect you, but if anything goes wrong light the lighter, hold it to that crystal, and think very hard about this lorry. I know you will be able to do it if you need to. Your father had skills far greater than any we have ever seen before. It’s in your make up, Graham.”

“O.K, but I’m not leaving you.”

“Listen, I need to know that I can trust you to put the greater good before me.”

“And if I can’t?” Graham asked.

“Then you could be sentencing all these people to death,” Eilidh said, honestly.

“Do you think we might be risking too much for a urinal?”

“Yes. But what am I to do? Jenny is just a child and ultimately my responsibility. I will see that she gets what she needs.”

“Right, let’s do it then,” Graham said, pushing the doors to the lorry open.

A beam of murky daylight streamed in through the gap.

“Keep that baby warm,” Graham said, turning to face Corran.

“I am,” she replied, lifting the duvet higher and wincing as the movement pulled on her stitches.

Graham lifted a sheet of paper on the end of her mattress. “Erm, Rose would you mind giving Corran two Ibuprofen tablets please?”

Simon was standing beside the lorry locked in conversation with Robert and Duncan.

“Jenny needs the toilet,” Eilidh said, moving swiftly towards the three men.

“No,” Simon replied firmly.

“She’s desperate. It’s going to be hours before we can stop anywhere suitable. It’s a risk we have to take.”

“We took a risk two hours ago, Eilidh, and it cost Harry and Kate their lives. Surely the girl can hold it.”

“Graham is coming with me.”

“Surely he can hold it?”

“No, Graham’s not going to the toilet. He’s coming with me to buy a travel urinal.”

Simon nodded. “I see the sense in what you are doing, lass, but I don’t agree with the risk you are taking.”

“The girl needs the toilet. Start the engines and be ready to leave as soon as we get back. We’ve been here too long already,” Eilidh said, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

She tightened her hand on the crystal, focusing her mind on the Dark Circle. The faces she knew, the immortal shadows she fought to trace, the evil brothers she suspected. The gem told her nothing new. Graham stiffened beside her and instinctively she re-scanned their surroundings. Cars and lorries came and went. Travelers moved wearily between their vehicles and the services. A Travel Lodge welcomed its guests and the air hung heavily with the smell of greasy fast food. Everything was as it should be.

“You alright, Eilidh?” Simon asked, frowning at the frightened shadows in her eyes.

“I’m fine,” she lied, trying to decide if she should abandon the mission.

“Take Duncan with you,” Simon suggested.

“No. It’s better that he stays here with the lorry,” she said, cementing her decision.

“Let me go, Eilidh. You stay with the lorry,” Duncan said.

“No, you can’t read the crystal.”

Graham followed closely, his hand cupped in his trouser pocket over the crystal, locket and his lighter.

“Don’t follow me so closely,” Eilidh growled. “Go ahead of me, so that I can keep an eye on you. When we get inside, you get the potty. I’ll follow you from a distance into the shop,” she whispered.

Graham nodded and went on ahead. Eilidh scanned the car park nervously as they reached the glass doors to the building. A man in a yellow coat held the door open for her. She thanked him and moved cautiously into the foyer.

Graham did as he had been asked and went straight to the shop. She watched him pick up two blue plastic potties and move swiftly to join the queue for the till. A shiver ran through her and she immediately tensed. A hand touched her shoulder. She froze as the sharp points of finger nails dug into her skin.

White faced, Graham stared across the foyer into her eyes.

Eilidh closed her eyes and concentrated. She knew she could reach him, if she just focused, just channeled her thoughts from her mind to his.

‘Go, Graham, go,’
she thought, desperately routing for the connection that would take her into his mind.

“What a strange place to find you,” said Shannon, with a cynical laugh.

Shannon’s familiar voice breathed warm air against the back of her neck.

“Shannon!” exclaimed Eilidh.

She made the connection, heard his thoughts, felt his fear.

‘I know you can hear me, Graham. Go, you promised me you would. Tell Simon it was Shannon.’

“It’s just you and me, my pathetic little friend,” Shannon snarled.

Eilidh held Graham’s stare, willing him to do as he had promised. He didn’t move, his body stood ridged, cemented to the ground as if Shannon’s appearance had turned him to stone.

“What are you doing here?” Eilidh asked, Shannon, whilst locking her eyes on Graham.

“Looking for you, Mouse,” Shannon replied.

Eilidh tensed at the words. Even now the nickname hurt. She bit down on her bottom lip willing her mind not to stray, controlling the emotions this woman roused and shielding her heart from the sharp blade of Shannon’s words. Just words, she reminded herself. No more was she the timid little farm girl, bullied and belittled, by the girl who stood behind her. Eilidh knew her role in life, understood her purpose and was ready to do the job she had been sent to do.

Straightening her shoulders, she breathed deeply and burrowed into Graham’s eyes with harsh determination.

‘Go now or they will all die,’
she told him, before breaking the link and swiftly turning her back on Graham to come face to face with Shannon.

“So what do we do now?” Eilidh asked, with deliberately slow words.

The edges of Shannon’s mouth quirked in a hard, evil smile.

“I play a game with you,” she replied, her smile turning to a thin tormenting laugh.

“And what game would that be?” Eilidh swallowed hard, knowing that her fate lay in this woman’s hands.

“You’ll see,” Shannon replied, snapping her hand open to display a tiny crystal in her palm.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit dangerous to do that here?” Eilidh said, squaring her chin.

“Who is to stop me?” Shannon spat.

“No one, but it won’t do you or your Dark Circle much good to be displaying your magic in such a public place or way,” Eilidh whispered.

Shannon grabbed Eilidh’s forearm roughly. “We’ll use the toilets then.”

It would have been so easy to run, to cry for help from the many innocent faces around them. But to do so would force Shannon to summon others to her aid. To bring the members of the Dark Circle to this place would spell the certain demise of those she had pledged to protect. Eilidh followed without resistance.

The cubicle was small, hardly large enough for one body, let alone two. Shannon shoved Eilidh hard into the corner beside the toilet. The paper dispenser cut painfully into her side as she watched the girl she had grown up with light the flame that would take her to a certain death. She knew what to expect and made no effort to stop it. Holding her breath she closed her eyes and succumbed to the familiar feeling of being hurled through time and space.

A twisted evil grin was the first thing Eilidh saw when the dizzying motion of travel had ceased. Blinking hard she adjusted her eyes. Recognition of her surroundings hit hard. The table scarred and blackened with age in its familiar place on the stone floor of the kitchen. A quick glance to her right showed her the window, its pane cracked and its sill crumbling and rotten with age and neglect. Cobwebs and dust filled every corner of the room. Shannon’s mouth twisted in an ugly grin as she followed her captive’s eyes.

“You remember the old place then?”

Eilidh turned to face her, staring hatefully at the woman who had tormented her so many times in this very room.

“Why?” Eilidh asked bitterly.

“Why what?” Shannon snarled.

“Why have you brought me here?”

Shannon gave a loud snort of laughter. “Because it’s mine.”

“How?” Eilidh asked, noticing the bottom edge of a birds’ nest poking from the outside eaves of the window.

“Angus said I could have it… Once he got rid of my parents, of course.”

“Don’t you care what happened to your parents and sister?”

Shannon gave a bitter laugh and her mouth curled into a cruel smile. “Why should I? They never cared what happened to me.”

“Do you know where your family are?” Eilidh asked, praying that Shannon didn’t have the answer to her question.

“No.”

Eilidh’s shoulders relaxed and she let out an audible sigh.

“That pleases you, my timid friend?” Shannon asked with searching eyes.

Eilidh didn’t reply.

“What do you know of my family?”

“I know nothing of your family, Shannon,” Eilidh lied.

“I don’t believe you,” Shannon spat.

“I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“Then why the interest?” Eilidh asked, trying to gauge her motives.

“I’m not interested. They can be dead, for all I care.”

“Do you believe them to be?”

“What I think is none of your business,” Shannon objected, thrusting her hand, palm out, in front of Eilidh’s face. “Hand over your crystal and locket.”

Eilidh did as she was told, pouring the items from her fist into Shannon’s waiting palm.