Rowena Through the Wall: Expanded Edition

Rowena Through the Wall

Melodie Campbell

ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL

Copyright © 2012 by Melodie Campbell. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. And any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead (or in any other form), business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

http://www.melodiecampbell.com

EXPANDED EDITION - SECOND EDITION EBOOK

Imajin Books

February 19,
2012

ISBN: 978-1-926997-51-3

Cover designed by Sapphire Designs:
http://designs.sapphiredreams.org

Praise for Melodie Campbell

"A hot, hilarious, romantic fantasy that
enthralls you from the first line. If you enjoy Diana Gabaldon's
Outlander
series, you'll adore Rowena and her riotous romps in an alternate world…"―
Midwest Book Review
, Betty Dravis, author of
Dream Reachers

"Filled with plenty of fun, action, and a mai
n character that takes no prisoners,
Rowena Through the Wall
is an exciting romp through a fantasy world that will leave you completely and utterly satisfied."―
Allbooks Review

"This raunchy romp transports us to an alternate reality where being a woman pr
esents unique challenges. Luckily, Rowena is equal to both challenge and challengers and never loses her sharp intelligence or sense of humor. She'll need both to survive! Fun and surprising."―Mary Jane Maffini, award-winning author of
The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder

"Time-travel romance with a rollicking sense of humor...A new dimension of romance in a parallel universe."―Lou Allin, author of
She Felt No Pain

"Filled with brutal, sword-swinging danger, yet sexy and funny, you'll be rooting for Row as sh
e uses her head to stay alive and her heart to find love."―Kelsey Lewis, author of
Hot and Bothered

"Multi-published author, Melodie Campbell is a talented story teller. Her award-winning short stories pack a powerful punch and her alternate world fantasy
novel,
Rowena Through the Wall
, is a rollicking, sexy romp through time."―Dee Lloyd, award-winning author of
Out of Her Dreams

"
Rowena through the Wall
is a wild ride of fantasy, with a lusty lady who male readers will wish had walked through a wall to them."―Mark Alldis, former editor
Distant Suns
fantasy magazine

"Rowena is the most interesting, unique fictional character to come along since Lisbeth Salander. She is smart, witty and down to earth...I can't wait for Book Two!"―Cathy Astolfo, author of
Seventh Fire

Dedication

For my family, who has good-naturedly tolerated the "black hole of writing" that often extends into the night.

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Alison, for keeping me sane at work and sharing this grand adventure with me. Cathy, your sparkling enthusiasm has truly guided and inspired me this year.

Special thanks to my earliest readers―Angela, Cindy, Cheryl, Marilyn and Grace―who were always there for me with encouragement; Janet, Helen and my other 'Sisters in Crime' from the Toronto branch; Lynda Simmons, first a student, then the teacher―how life
comes around.

And everyone needs a Mark, the best friend a girl could have, who has pushed me to keep writing for nineteen years.

Cheryl Tardif of
Imajin Books
and Jennifer Johnson of
Sapphire Dreams
, thank you for making dreams come true.

Chapter 1

I saw the first one right after class. It was late April and already hot as a Swedish sauna in my home town of Scottsdale, Arizona. Kendra Perkins had stopped me to ask about a mark on her undergrad veterinary assignment, and while I was moving my hair away from my neck and longing stupidly for winter, I looked over her shoulder and there he was.

The man was extremely large and very blond. He wore a banded tunic with leggings and had leather bands on both his wrists.

My first thought was, how the heck had he gotten to the back of the classroom without me seeing him? Especially with that long gunmetal-gray sword that was hanging from a belt at his waist.

I blinked twice and stared. He didn't move.

Crap. He appeared to be real.

"Is there a medieval festival in town?" I asked with a little skip in my voice.

Tunic-man looked right at me, startled. His eyes were ice blue.

Not one of my students, I realized. I'd never seen the guy before. And believe me, I would have remembered. Scary and way too attractive. Well, let's just say scary.

I'd only taught for one term and I'd only been out of veterinary school for a year, but the impetus to protect my students was automatic.

I stepped around Kendra. "Hello―can I help you?"

I managed a smile and that seemed to surprise the stranger. He frowned and bent his head slightly as if to bow. Then he swung around, walked through the wall and was gone.

Bloody Hell.

"Row, who are you talk
ing to?" Kendra asked behind me.

I turned, my mouth gaping. "Didn't you see that guy dressed up as…as…" What, some sort of warrior?

Kendra shook her head. "I didn't see nothing."

"
Any
thing," I corrected.

Somebody was playing tricks. I walked to the classroom door and peered out. The hall was empty. No pranksters jumped out at me. No Derrick, Mark or any other of the motley crew in my first year class.

Kendra eyed me. "You're kinda weird, you know. But in a nice way." This, coming from an eighteen-year-old with spiky black hair, black leather boots, armbands and a complete assortment of Goth piercings.

Shaking my head, I let the whole thing drop.

That night, I had peculiar dreams. I was in a world where the sky was azure, the sun was orange instead of yellow and the green was too dark for normal foliage. The edge of the forest looked over a verdant valley. I scanned the sky for birds, as I always do, and saw none. Where were they?

From behind a split tree trunk, a little ground squirrel peeped out at me. It wanted to know what I was doing here, but before I could answer, I heard the pounding of hooves. Whether guided by instinct or by something more powerful, the squirrel and I slipped back into the foliage just in time to miss being seen by the riders. Horses whipped by us, frenzied mounts with riders clinging to their backs.

I waited until the last animal had swept past us. Waited until the air was clear of pounding. Then I stepped into the clearing.

Down the meadow I drifted, past Queen Anne's lace and clover. No bees hovered over the delectable menu of wildflowers. I called silently and nothing responded.

How could that be? This valley should be teeming with life.

I headed down to the river's edge and tried to get the attention of any frogs or fish that might be swimming in the turquoise water. Two clear eyes looked up at me and I smiled, reaching down to cup the small fish in my hands.

A deep male voice thundered behind me. "Who are you? And what in Hades are you wearing?"

As I turned, the scene faded and I awoke in a sweat.

Chapter 2

The second time I saw Tunic-man, he wasn't alone. It was the same classroom, two days later. I was alone, marking papers at my desk. I heard a sound and looked up.

There they were in front of me.

I dropped my pen. "Holy crap, you scared me."

The blond one wore the same tunic and leather get-up. This close, I put his age at mid-thirties, a little old for this sort of play-acting. His companion was blond as well, but younger, shorter and just as bulky.

They looked right at me.

"She's a comely lass," Tunic-man said in an unusual accent. "And she has the look of the Huel women."

The younger man's eyes lit up with excitement. "Astonishing. But is she fertile?"

My mouth gaped. Fertile?

"Excuse me," I said. "I'm right here, you know."

They stared back at me, shocked.

I sighed. "I'm not deaf and that is rather a personal question. Don't be rude." It's always best to talk plainly with students, I find, especially since I'm not much older than they are.

The younger one spoke first. "She can hear us?"

Tunic-man nodded. "Apparently so. Woman, what is your name?"

"Woman?"
I pushed back the chair and jumped to my feet. "Are you fucking out of your mind?"

"You don't have a name?"

I was almost speechless. Almost, but not quite.

"I don't know what fraternity you guys are from" I said, "but if you don't tell me what is going on this very minute, I will personally see that you two never
ever
graduate from anything other than obedience school."

Tunic-man looked at his friend. "They have schools for the obedient here, Janus. We should think about such things."

"This one doesn't look very obedient."

"Perhaps they don't send their women."

I picked up
Epidemiology for Veterinary 1
and slammed it on the desk. "This has gone far enough. Leave my classroom immediately."

To my surprise, Tunic-man grabbed Janus by the shoulder and pulled him though the wall.

I watched the empty space for a good thirty seconds before reaching for the cell phone on my desk. I called a coworker.

"Debbie, it's Row," I said. "Have there been any strangers hanging around lately? Strangers in weird medieval costumes like extras from Lord of the Rings?"

Debbie, of course, laughed and said I was crazy.

My name is Rowena Revel, but everyone calls me Row. Except for Dad, who calls me Red. It's the hair, which is a true auburn and reaches nearly to my waist. It's my one vanity, and by God, I deserve it. I'm not especially tall and I'm not slim. They invented underwire for women like me.