Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2) (6 page)

T
he evening had
waned far
into the early morning hours, and yet Riorden persisted in offering up prayers for Katherine’s soul. Moonlight streamed in from one of the upper windows and shone upon the table in front of him, causing the jewel encrusted cross to gleam brightly. Nevertheless, he remained true to his vow and remained vigilantly on his knees. He did not know how long he had knelt afore the altar, but if the ache in his body was any indication, it must have been for the majority of the night.

Still...the pain he felt was nothing if ’twould but ease the burden Lady Katherine must be enduring to remain a spirit here on earth. Riorden reasoned, the more pain he himself felt, the more God would realize the sacrifice he made on his lady’s behalf.

His lady...those thoughts were but a mockery. ’Twas as if some wily character used trickery to deceive them both into thinking they could have what was never meant to be. To have tasted love, if only for a moment, would have felt as if he had tasted heaven itself. He saw such a love shine down upon him whenever Lady Katherine gazed in his direction. Was it no small wonder that he had begun to wish he could have had such a treasure to call his own for all time. A low moan of anguish escaped him as he thought on his ghostly lady. He came to the conclusion that perchance he had not been praying as honestly as he should have and further reparation was in order.

Riorden humbled himself further by lowering himself down upon the floor. Stretching himself out, he extended his arms until his body formed a cross. His forehead touched the cool stones as he once more began his petition. He begged to let Katherine find peace and a place in heaven with God’s angels whilst he also prayed for the forgiveness of his sins. His stray thoughts wandered, momentarily, with a vision of the woman of his dreams and the yearning for a lady who was not of his time. He sighed heavily and began from the beginning again. Surely, God would hear and answer his most fervent prayers...

Far into the morning hours did he continue his penitence, repeating his request with a submissive heart. Peacefulness began to fill his very soul, and Riorden at last found comfort surround his being. His prayers continued in earnest and, for the first time this night, he gave a small smile, knowing his faith in God would never fail him.

Unbeknownst to him, a stream of light unexpectedly came down from the windows high above and graced his motionless body in a soft golden glow. For with his deepest plea and sacrifice for another’s soul, the heavens decided to smile down upon Riorden de Deveraux and, in doing so, God above granted him his heart’s truest desire.

K
atherine flung open
the door and looked both ways down the passageway, but Riorden was nowhere in sight. “Did you see which way he went?” she asked the startled group that had been waiting for her.

“Where who went, Katie?” Juliana inquired gently.

“Riorden, of course! Who else would I be asking about?”

She looked at Emily, who only shook her head no.

Brianna became excited again with the prospect of seeing a specter. “Was he really in there, Katie?”

Katherine ignored her and turned to Simon. “Where’s the chapel?”

“Downstairs to the Great Hall and out the─”

“Thanks,” Katherine proclaimed, cutting him off as she grabbed Juliana’s hand. Juliana, in turn, snatched on to Emily, who then clutched at Brianna. They began to run down the hall, hand in hand, at a rapid pace.

“Hey, wait for me!” Simon called out, as he attempted to lock the door quickly, but his voice was lost as their footsteps echoed off the walls.

They came to the tower stairs, and Katherine paused briefly with her foot in midair, feeling as if her heart had leapt up into her throat from the prospect of going down them again. She hated heights, and she hated these infernal spiral stairs even more. She looked up, asking for guidance. “Please God...grant me a miracle to help me find him,” she whispered quietly “and perhaps, if you don’t mind, and it’s not too much trouble, a bit of assistance to assure my safety on these steps?”

Katherine tried to go as quickly as she could, but felt as though she wasn’t making very good progress. She stopped suddenly. Looking up, she had the strangest sensation course through her body and began seeing minuscule lights before her eyes. They sparkled and twinkled before her like tiny little fireflies and felt, as they touched her cheeks, like the softest touch, like a butterfly’s kiss.

She turned to look back up at Juliana, who was on the stair above her, and felt Jewels give her hand a reassuring squeeze. Emily and Brianna both tried to give her a comforting smile, but before she could say a word to them, the tunnel lit up in a flash of silvery-blue light. It was blinding, and a startled scream tore from Brianna’s lips. The ground began to shake as Katherine heard Emily yell out, “Earthquake.” The four women grabbed hands and held on as if their lives depended on keeping connected to each other.

Katherine was in no way prepared for the sudden force of unbelievable proportions that slammed into them, one by one, with the energy of being hit by a truck. They fell onto the steps still holding on to one another. The trembling ground continued it’s shaking until it finally subsided, and the turret darkened with the exception of those tiny lights. Katherine gazed at her friends. They all had the same expression of wonder at what had just happened. To say they were scared, was putting it mildly.

“Is everyone okay?” Katherine asked with trembling limbs.

“I believe, Katie, your request has been answered,” Juliana exclaimed with a shaky voice.

“What?” Katherine asked, confused, as they all began to stand on wobbly legs.

“Houston...we have a problem,” Juliana replied, and she gave way to a nervous giggle.

“You’re not making any sense, Jewels!” Katherine stated, looking back up the circular stairwell to Brianna and Emily high above her. Squinting, she tried to focus on what she saw as those little, tiny lights continued to fill the air, dancing above their heads. Fascinated, she rubbed at her eyes and noticed the flickering electrical light fixtures above on the wall. Was it just her imagination, or were they changing right before her very eyes?

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Brianna croaked out in a fearful voice.

“And I think we’ve fallen into the rabbit hole, Alice,” Emily said, just as terrified.

“Would you guys stop with the movie cliché’s and tell me what you’re talking about?” fumed Katherine. She saw them point again to the torches lighting the tower stairs. The smoke they let off made her eyes burn. She rubbed them again and coughed to clear her throat.

“What’s the big deal about tor−” she began, until the reality of their situation sunk in very rapidly, and she felt herself sway before Juliana made a grab for her to help steady her footing. “What the hell?”

Katherine reached up, thinking this must be some kind of a trick, but pulled her hand back once she felt the heat from the flames.

“Perhaps, you should refrain from swearing, Katie, since God apparently seems to be listening intently to your prayers,” Juliana suggested honestly as the women huddled together on the stairs.

“Where are we?” Brianna asked, panicking. “I’m really trying my best not to freak out here, but I’m afraid I’m about to fail miserably!”

“I think a better word is
when
, since we’re obviously still at Bamburgh,” Emily replied, more calmly than anyone thought possible, given the circumstances. “What were you thinking of, Katie?”

Katherine rubbed her eyes, thinking to clear her vision before she spoke. “Why are you asking me?” she snapped.

Emily wagged her finger in her direction. “Don’t be getting all snarky with me. I just asked a question.”

Juliana stepped forward on the stairs. “Everyone take a deep breath, and let’s try to stay calm. Katie, were you thinking about your knight?”

“When am I not?” Katherine replied.

Brianna clapped her hands to her forehead. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she moaned.

“Well, whatever time period we’re in, doesn’t matter at the moment. Although, seeing as how new these stairs appear, and given I was asking to find my very twelfth century knight, I can only assume we’re back in…medieval times.” Katherine rubbed at her temples while she tried to grasp the reality of the situation. She shook her head in disbelief and sat back down on one of the stairs, putting her head down between her knees.
Breathe, Katherine. Just breathe. In and out…in and out…

“I think, now’s as good a time as any for me to have a nervous breakdown,” Emily cried out and sat down next to Katherine. “I think this all goes back to that Karma thing coming back to bite us in our as−”

“Emily, for goodness sake! Not now!” Juliana retorted hotly. “We have got to keep it together, ladies!”

Katherine tried to think clearly on what should be their first course of action, besides trying to find their sanity. “Let’s try to think on this rationally, shall we?”

“Rationally? Really?” Briana cried out. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Katie. We just traveled through time, for God’s sake!”

“Shh…Brie. We’re all together, so that’s what’s most important. You can all blame me later for this mess I’ve somehow gotten us into,” Katherine said with a slight catch to her voice.

“We should find Lord de Deveraux. I have a feeling, he’ll know what to do,” announced Emily.

Katherine gazed at her friends and then at their clothing. “Well, if he wasn’t freaked out before when he saw me as a ghost, I’m sure he will be, if he sees us in the flesh dressed as we are. First things first, girls. We’d better find something to conceal ourselves with until we can find suitable clothing.”

“Katie, you do remember what they do to thieves in this time period don’t you?” Juliana asked. “Personally, if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep my hands attached to my wrists.

“Clothes ladies…we need to find us some clothes, and until we do, we need to hide ourselves as much as possible. Losing our hands would be the lesser of two evils, if people instead believe we’re heretics or witches because of how we’re dressed. I, for one, don’t want to be burned at the stake today, or any other day.”

“And, for goodness sake, watch the way you speak,” Emily added sharply. “Remember that whole messing-with-the-fabric-of-time issue we are always so intent on. We can’t change history because we’ve introduced something that hasn’t happened yet.”

Katherine and the other women nodded as they silently made their way down the remainder of the tower stairs. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, they observed servants rushing around in flurries of activity. She could only wonder why everyone seemed in a nervous frenzy, but knew she couldn’t worry about that now. Truthfully, she was just itching to take a peek at Bamburgh’s history-in-the-making right in front of her face, but needed to refrain for now.

It wasn’t until much later in the evening, as they covered their clothes with their borrowed woolen cloaks, that Katherine realized she had practically ran down the tower stairs earlier when she had maneuvered them, sure-footed, on her own. God had granted her a miracle, and with such a blessing, she planned on taking full advantage of the opportunity he had given her. She only hoped she would stay alive long enough to enjoy it and find Riorden. And, if by chance this was just a dream…well…she prayed, she never woke up.

K
atherine awoke disoriented
and confused
, and swore even her hair was hurting. Focusing her vision, she saw the reason for her discomfort. Sleeping sitting up was certainly not good for one’s back and the dampness couldn’t have helped either. Looking around the room, she tried to determine whether it was morning yet. It was hard to tell, given the room they had found themselves in last night lacked any of the conveniences that a modern day Bamburgh held.

It was a familiar room, or would be several centuries from now when it would be used as a storage facility for antiques. Currently, it was filled with several large barrels and crates of various food stuffs.

Emily had figured, because it was so cold down here, it was like a cellar to keep their food from spoiling. They had done a thorough search of several crates and had found some apples, but not much else of what could be made edible without a fire and stove.

Stove! Guess she could forget that one. If it couldn’t be cooked over a fire, it was pretty plain and simple, it wasn’t going to get cooked at all. They had decided last night that starting a fire to try to roast something may not be in their best interest. Refrigeration? Not a chance, unless it was a cold stream somewhere nearby. But worst of all, at least to Juliana and Emily, who were never all that crazy about camping in the first place, was the fact they could kiss indoor plumbing goodbye! They had found and had made use of a garderobe out of sheer necessity, but they had thought Emily would pass out when she quickly came back out. She had looked positively green and had used a major dose of hand sanitizer. If she continued using up what she had with her in the short amount of time they’d been here, her little bottle would be out by the end of the day.

Still, it had been a productive night of finding several necessities for them to hopefully survive their time in the twelfth century. Cloaks, to cover their jeans and blouses, had been the easiest to procure. Juliana had found a large twill sack, and they had put their borrowed booty inside for safe keeping. There was a pot, a skillet, more apples, two knives, flint to start a fire, and a bow with several arrows. Katherine hadn’t bothered to ask Juliana where she had gotten the latter, but it would come in handy, since Brianna, bless her soul, was an excellent archer.

Most of these small items, they had felt, would not be missed. They really hadn’t taken all that much, or so they had reasoned. The only cause for alarm had been when Brianna had returned with a lute in her hands. Her eyes had looked radiant as she had caressed the strings of the instrument so lovingly. They had tried to protest that such an object would certainly be searched for, but she had refused to listen. It had been added to their stash of supplies.

While scouting the castle as secretly as possible, they had actually been surprised to see what Bamburgh looked like in this time period. When they had finally made their way outside, their mouths had opened silently in amazement. They had come out of the keep at ground level to find most of the remaining buildings that would one day make up modern Bamburgh hadn’t as yet been built. Other buildings one would have expected to see in a castle were there, including the battlement walls that rose high above their heads, but most of what they were used to viewing in their own time wasn’t even in the process of being built, or even started, for that matter.

Urging her friends onward, Katherine had found a hole in the outer wall big enough to fit through in the event they needed such a portal. Poking her head out to inspect where it led, she had been astonished to see trees relatively close to the castle wall. They had hidden their sack of borrowed booty outside of the hole, in the event they needed to grab it quickly. It was always a good plan to have an escape route and this one would be perfect since they would only have a short distance to run to the safety of the trees. Before returning to their refuge in the storage cellar, Katherine had spied hay bales nearby in the castle yard, and together the four women had managed to push one up against the hole, concealing its location.

Katherine handed an apple to each woman as she woke them. Brianna looked none too pleased to see that breakfast would be the same as her dinner, but she still began to munch on the juicy fruit. Gathering their cloaks around them and pulling up their hoods, they went to the door to head above and see if they could locate Riorden.

They hadn’t gone far when Katherine noticed Emily was not with them. “Emily?” she called out softly.
Now where the devil had she gone?

E
mily could hear
Katie softly call out to her. She hadn’t a clue what was drawing her down the darkened passageway, but she had to find out what felt so intriguing. She heard her friends’ footsteps as they easily caught up with her, but she only motioned them to follow her.

They walked slowly and cautiously down the damp corridor while Emily continued leading the way, her curiosity giving way to whatever had piqued her interest. She traced the wall with her hand, not even cringing, despite her revulsion to germs. A light illuminated a room just ahead, and it was clear this was her destination.

“Emily, be careful,” Katherine whispered harshly.

“Shh,” Emily replied, not looking back.

Emily peered around the corner into the room, where a man slouched on the ground. His hands were bound above him to the wall. A plaid tartan sash lay across one shoulder, but was tattered and as filthy as he was. The loose strands of his reddish-brown hair fell over his dirty face. His eyes were closed. Emily walked to him slowly, but the faint sounds of her footsteps drew his attention as she got nearer. When he glanced up at her, she met his soft brown eyes and was lost.

A cup of water sat out of his reach, as if to remind him he was at someone’s mercy to beg for a taste of what the cup offered. She knelt down beside him and pressed it to his lips for him to drink. He gulped the liquid as if it had been some time since his thirst had been satisfied.

She noticed there was only a small amount left, so she tore off a piece of her cloak and dipped the scratchy wool into the water. She shifted over to him and tried to move the loose strands of his hair. He moved back quickly, refusing her help. His well-built arms flexed, showing off his strong muscular form.

“Be careful, Emily,” Juliana said, but Emily ignored her warning.

“I won’t hurt you,” Emily said to him.

“Why are ye helping me?” he croaked in a deep voice. She caught the Irish brogue and looked him in the eye.

“It’s just a friendly gesture,” she said.

His eyebrows drew together. “I dinnae recognize yer accent,” he said gruffly.

“That’s not important. May I, please?” she whispered as she held out the wet cloth. He looked down at it, back at her, and then to the women standing in the doorway. He nodded skeptically. Moving closer, she wiped the grime from his face. She took her ever present bottle of sanitizer out of her bag and put a dab on her finger. “This will hurt a mite,” she said. As she put the gel on a cut above his eye, she heard him hiss from the sting.

“What’s yer name?” he asked, as she continued her work on his face. His gaze focused on her smile.

“That’s not important, either,” she said softly.

“How can I thank ye, if I dinnae know yer name?” Their eyes met.

“It’s Emily,” she said breathlessly.

“Your name is beautiful,” he gave her a handsome smile, “like ye are.”

Emily blushed. “Thank you.” She set the cloth down on the ground. “And yours?”

“Tiernan,” he said simply, trying to catch her eye. “And, yer friends?”

Emily turned to her friends. The three women seemed to have tensed at his question. “Huh? Oh yeah. These are my friends, Katherine, Brianna, and Juliana,” she pointed at each, and each, in turn, gave a small wave.

“Ladies,” he nodded in greeting.

“Why are you here?” Juliana asked.

“’Tis not obvious to ye?” he stated as a matter-of-fact. Juliana shook her head, and he continued. “The English dinnae care fer Irishmen. I was captured and left here.”

“Can we untie you?” Emily questioned hopefully.

“Not lest ye want to be imprisoned with me,” he chuckled.

“We could help you escape,” Emily suggested, showing her bravery.

“Emily? Are you crazy?” Katherine snapped.

“No, I just don’t want to see him stuck here. The ropes are digging into his wrists.”

“Not the worst thing, I assure ye.” He smiled at her again, causing her heart to skip.

“We know where there’s a hole in the bailey wall. We can sneak you out through there,” Emily said excitedly.

“Emily, are you trying to get us killed?” Brianna said, trying to knock some sense into her friend. Emily looked back at Tiernan, who was watching them with amused attention.

“I don’t want to leave him here,” she said so softly that she knew her friends would barely hear her words. With a look of serious concentration, she began trying to untie the knots binding his hands. After several minutes, she realized it was an impossible task, and she gave up. Tiernan chuckled at her.

“That didn’t work.” Katherine said with a sigh.

“No, they’re just too tight.”

“I applaud ye for trying, Lady Emily,” he declared honestly.

Voices down the hallway echoed up to them, and they all looked toward the door in a panic.

“Ye must leave,” he pleaded, his gaze hurriedly sweeping over her as if he was memorizing her face.

“I−I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she whispered to him.

“I’ll be alright,” he said with a grin, “I have a plan.”

“Emily, let’s go,” Katherine said sharply as she pulled Emily’s arm and helped her up. They dragged her away quickly. She took one final glance at him before she was pulled back down the tunnel. They began making their way above, listening intently for any who may have been following them.

“Are you insane?” Brianna scolded Emily harshly, as they hastened down the hallway.

“He was so handsome,” Emily smiled widely, as if in a daydream.

“Oh no...” Juliana said, looking over at Katherine, who rolled her eyes.

“You, dear, are nuts,” Katherine said stunned. “He’s obviously an outlaw, Em.”

“What were you thinking, attempting to break him free? You, of all people and your love of history, should know the times and that the Irish are not favored here,” Brianna retorted.

“I like him,” Emily said slowly.

“Well, forget him. He’s a prisoner.” Katherine stated sternly.

Sunlight brightened the day as they exited the keep and Emily looked cautiously around the inner bailey to ensure they wouldn’t be seen. Seeing that the way was clear, she leaned against the keep’s stone wall in a daze.

“You’re a crazy little girl with a crush on a man you just met. What are you thinking, Emily? He was tied to a wall, for God’s sake,” Juliana said, giving her a shake.

“Leave her be. She’s always had a thing for redheads,” Brianna laughed, winking back at Emily.

“Well, be that as it may, you probably won’t even see him again.” Katherine said.

Quick footsteps echoed in the tower where they had just come from, and they turned toward the opening.

“Tiernan?” Emily yelled excitedly. “How?”

“I told ye, I had a plan.” He winked and flashed his smile.

“How did you escape?” Brianna asked with acute curiosity.

“’Twas only one guard,” he shrugged and clapped his hands together. “Now, where’s that hole ye spoke of?”

Emily laughed brightly. “This way,” she said, leading the way, yet again.

They walked with caution to remain unseen through the baily and began shadowing the wall. Tiernan followed Emily closely with everyone else bringing up the rear. A shout high above them sounded the changing of the guard causing Emily to hold her breath fearing discovery. When no further alarm sounded, they again began to move until they came to the hay bale. The women began to push at it until Tiernan took over to move it out of the way. Emily got down on her knees and reached out to feel the sack still concealed outside the wall. Wary of being seen, Tiernan looked around. Satisfied they were still undetected, he turned back to Emily. With a smile of satisfaction, she stood.

“You should be able to leave from here,” Emily declared. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

“Of course, my lady,” he said and took her hand, placing a soft kiss on its back. “I am in your debt.”

Emily couldn’t take her eyes from his and was sure hers were hazing over with affection for a man she hardly knew. With a final smile, he dropped to the ground, fit his way through the gap and was gone. She gave a weary sigh, knowing that with his leaving, he took a piece of her heart with him. She would never be the same again.