"This is m-my friend, Harrison."
"Your friend?" Her voice was thin. "You told me it was a girl."
"I don"t get it, how did he even get here?"
Harrison recognized Dom"s voice then another followed that he had not heard before.
"They must have been touching when she transitioned." A swift expletive followed. "Go find him some clothes, Dominic."
Suddenly aware of his naked vulnerability, Harrison rolled onto his side to cover himself.
"Touching?" The question came from Gemma"s mother. "You were touching? Gemma, what exactly were you doing with this friend?"
He glanced up to see Gemma"s face burn red as it popped through the coa.r.s.e woolen tunic. "Mother! Not that!"
"Well, what then? Were you holding hands?"
"No," she mumbled as she tied a leather belt around her waist.
He tried not to notice how good her legs looked in those tights.
"He was just giving me a goodbye kiss." He could sense her forced casualness as she began to braid her long hair.
"A goodbye kiss, as in he knew you were about to turn into dust?"
Gemma"s nimble fingers froze. Harrison felt her panic. This was not going down at all how they had planned. Sure, tell the parents her boyfriend was a normal human. Tell the parents he knew everything about her? Not so much!
"Gemma, what have you DONE?"
Gemma flinched.
"Okay, Penelope." A calm voice forestalled any further outbursts. "We"ll discuss this when we get home."
Harrison watched the feet approach then noted the hand being extended his way. His bones were grounded together as he was hauled to his feet. Mr. Hart"s eyes were filled with loathing. Dropping his gaze, Harrison focused on the dirt beneath his feet. Gemma"s father was not the kind of man you enjoyed meeting when taking a girl out on her first date let alone landing her in a bunch of trouble by inconveniently following her through time.
Okay, this is just too weird.
"Gemma! Avert your eyes!"
Mrs. Hart"s shrill voice grabbed his attention. Glancing up, he watched his red-faced girlfriend mutter an apology and look to the sky.
A blush warmed his cheeks as he realized her perusal. He guessed it was payback. He certainly hadn"t minded the glimpse of body he"d seen a few months ago.
A pair of hoes and a wide necked tunic was thrown in his face. With trembling hands he pulled the garments on. They smelt of old sweat and hard labor. The situation he had been trying to avoid swallowing suddenly tasted very real.
I just traveled through time. Holy c.r.a.p! I"m in the...
He studied his surroundings as he sat to slip on the pointed, soft leather shoes Dominic just handed him. They were sitting at the edge of a forest. A dirt road led east towards a formidable looking castle. They were huddled on the outskirts of a small village with thatched roof houses. Wispy smoke billowed from holes in the rooves. Harrison could hear the mooing of cows, the clucking of chickens and the thud of hooves quickly approaching.
"Into the forest!"
Hands grabbed his collar, pulling him into the thicket. Landing on his back with a crunch, he held his groan in check, sensing Gemma"s body beside him.
"Where are we?" he whispered.
"I"m not sure. It looks like England. Fourteenth or fifteenth century maybe?"
She met his eyes. He read her apology and shook his head.
"It was my fault." He touched her face with a gentle finger. Her eyes softened for the briefest of moments before snapping blank at the sound of her father"s voice.
The hooves were fading into the distance as the party got to their feet.
"Okay, slight change of plans I suppose." Mr. Hart shot Harrison a death stare. "The castle up the road is currently holding an innocent man in its dungeon. He used to work in the stables, but was thrown in a cell after stopping the Earl"s son from taking advantage of one of the milkmaids. He"s been falsely accused of treason and is due to hang tomorrow.
"I"m going to arrange safe pa.s.sage for him and his family. All we need to do is get him out of the castle and into the forest. He should be able to hide easily enough until dark. I"ll make sure a wagon comes by at night to collect him and his family."
"How do you want to do it?" Dominic"s voice was all business.
Harrison had not seen this side of the guy before and admired his cool calm.
"We"ll do the split a little differently. You three and that guy..."
"His name"s Harrison."
"I don"t care what his name is!" Mr. Hart"s hard glare made Gemma shrink. She lowered her gaze and Harrison felt a flash of anger burn for her. Reaching for her hand, he gave her fingers a quick squeeze.
"You will extract the prisoner while your mother and I get his family into the forest and organize the wagon.
"I want stealth. We don"t want anyone to know we"ve been in or out. The Earl is currently in attendance so the castle will be heavily guarded, although if we"ve timed this right, most should be eating in the great hall.
"Now, the wall along the riverside is the easiest to breach. There is access along the southeast side of the wall. It should be big enough for you to squeeze through. The tunnel will bring you up beneath the great hall. From there you will head east to the first tower. You will be most vulnerable at this point, so watch your backs. The dungeon is at the bottom of the tower.
"Once you have the man I want you to head back out through the stables. They"re adjacent to the tower on your right. At the northern end, the last stall, there should be a s.p.a.ce you can squeeze through. It will bring you out on the eastern side of the castle below the gatehouse. We"ll be waiting in the forest. You"ll need to be careful. If anyone spots you, they"ll raise the alarm and we"ll have h.e.l.l on our hands. Dominic." He placed a hand on his son"s shoulder. "Do what you have to do."
Harrison felt a chill run down his spine as Dominic"s face set like concrete. His eyes were hard as he nodded.
"Look after the girls and bring them home in one piece."
"I will, Dad."
Harrison squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. They were about to break into a prison. His head swirled as he imagined how it might play out. The gnawing fear in his gut competed with sudden bursts of adrenalin.
I can"t believe you are actually excited about this. Wipe that smile off your face, you moron!
Gemma"s father gave him an a.s.sessing look, helping Harrison smooth out his expression. The man"s steely eyes then turned to his youngest.
"Can he look after himself?"
"He"ll be fine."
Harrison was boosted by Gemma"s confidence, but it withered when her father approached him and grabbed his collar. "You want to get back in one piece, you don"t leave her side."
Harrison swallowed and nodded.
"Don"t give me a reason to leave you here."
"Dad!" Gemma"s protest was lost as Dom started laughing. "Shut up, Dominic!"
Her eyes were fiery when they landed back on him. He reached out and took her extended hand, trying to avoid the black emotion coming from Ruby.
Keeping his eyes firmly on Gemma, he let her guide him through the forest and up towards the castle.
It wasn"t until they slowed and crouched along the edge of the large stonewall that reality hit him once again. Like a bomb exploding in his stomach, he felt the shrapnel of fear and disbelief shred his insides.
I"m in the middle ages! I"m about to break into a castle in the middle ages! This isn"t real! This can"t be real!
Gemma stole a glance over her shoulder and took in Harrison"s pale expression. How could she have let this happen? He shouldn"t be here. What if he wasn"t touching her when they went back? She had no warning signs on their return. Reaching behind her, she pulled him closer, needing to feel his warm breath on her neck as they waited for Dom to squeeze through the tunnel.
"I know you"re probably struggling with reality right now." She watched the river amble past and wondered how it could be so calm. If it only knew... "This isn"t a dream, okay? I need you to stay close and alert. Just forget where you are and focus on me and what we"re doing. Do you understand?"
She felt his breath wisp up and down her hairline as he nodded.
"You"re strong enough to do this, Harrison. Just stay next to me and I"ll get you home."
His lips were warm as they brushed the nape of her neck. She felt a flame lick down her spine.
"Let"s go." Ruby"s command was stark. She crouched low and pulled herself into the s.p.a.ce.
Gemma tried not to think about the waves of anger that radiated from her sister as she squeezed her body into the narrow gap and began crawling over the damp stone. The air was freezing. The trickling water beneath them was soaking into the wool of her tunic, making it stink. She held her breath and kept on crawling. Moments later Dom was grabbing her hand and roughly pushing her behind a stone pillar. She breathed in. Placing her foot lightly on Harrison"s head, she kept him in the tunnel until the scuffle of feet had faded.
Ruby hadn"t spoken a single syllable to her since their confrontation after school. Thankfully, she hadn"t breathed a syllable to her parents either, although that felt somewhat irrelevant now. She hated the rift between them, but...
What am I supposed to do?
She glanced back at her boyfriend. His brown eyes were focused. She watched his lean body maneuver easily through the pa.s.sageways and felt the fire stir in her belly. Catching his gaze, she shot him an encouraging smile. It was returned instantly.
She couldn"t live without him.
The battle she knew awaited her at home was heavy on her mind, but as the raucous laughter from the great hall reached her she was suddenly aware that this battle must be won first.
The idea sent a charge racing through her body. Determination took over; forcing images of Ruby"s anger, her parent"s horror and Harrison"s sweet gaze out of her mind. She had a job to do.
Her focus was complete by the time they descended the spiral staircase and entered the dank bowels of the tower. The cool stonewalls wept, sending a trickling echo running through the narrow pa.s.sageways. Dom"s frame looked ma.s.sive in the confined s.p.a.ce. The torch he held to guide them bobbed in front of them. She stayed focused on the flame and tried not to think about what might be crunching beneath her soft leather shoes.
The party slowed as the stairwell opened up with light. Gemma felt her hand being squeezed. Harrison"s breathing accelerated. She squeezed back as they crouched against the wall. Staring through the dim light, she caught her brother"s eye. He gave them a nod. Standing from their positions, they took the last few stairs down into the dungeon.
It was the smell that hit her first. Old blood and decay peppered with the sweaty stench of fear. She gulped back her gags and covered her mouth as they crept past the first cell that looked to contain a man so emaciated she doubted he had any breath left. His body was encrusted with filth, his long beard matted into the hay he lay upon. His sunken face was hollow and his gla.s.sy eyes didn"t even register the movement past his cell.
A light hand brushed the nape of her neck and squeezed. With a little nudge Harrison moved her into the heart of the dungeon.
Sitting on a chair, his legs stretched before him, his head drooped to the side in slumber was a tubby guard. Dominic dispatched him before he had a chance to wake and the man now lay in an unconscious pile on the ground. He extracted the man"s sword easily and threw it into his right hand, testing the weight. Ruby rummaged for the keys around the man"s waist and threw them to Gemma.
"Try the lower cells. Dom and I will keep an eye on the door."
Gemma descended the small staircase and checked the two cells below. The first cell was gracefully empty. She hurried to the next and found what they were looking for. Slumped in the corner, his head resting back against the cold wall was a man who looked to be in his early thirties. His beard was thick, his hair like wild straw and his eyes as still as a lake at dawn. She noted the shackles around his ankles and prayed she had the key for those too.
His head popped up straight when he heard her slide the key into the lock. He showed no fear as the door was flung open and his two rescuers rushed in to start working on his manacles.
"Are you injured?" Gemma fumbled with the keys.
"Here, let me." Harrison took the keys from her grasp and began testing each one in a calm, efficient manner.
Gemma glanced back up into those still eyes and watched them turn at the corners.
"You must be the angels I"ve been waiting for." His eyes glistened with reverence as he raised a frail hand towards her, pausing an inch from her face.
Unnerved by his awe, Gemma decided to go for business like. "We"re getting you out of here. Your family"s waiting for you in the forest."
"G.o.d bless ye." His lips quivered into a smile. "I"ve been praying for deliverance since entering this h.e.l.l and just this morning I found peace knowing I would die. Then G.o.d decides to rescue me." A brief chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. "He is a wonder."
A look of exuberant joy spread across the man"s face. Gemma smiled too, drinking in the elation of the moment.
"Well, let"s get you out of here then." Harrison threw the shackles away with a smile. Reaching forward he carefully placed his arm beneath the man"s and helped him to his feet.
Gemma took the other side when the man stumbled.
"He"s weak." She looked to Harrison. "We"ll need to take it easy."
Harrison"s nod of affirmation froze as they heard the d.a.m.ning words reach them from the top of the stairs.
"Hurry it up down there! Sounds like company"s on its way!"
The sharp clang of metal on metal followed swiftly and Gemma felt her insides clench. She shot Harrison a worried frown.
"We"re going to have to carry him."
"No." The man"s voice held an urgent energy. "I may need support, but I will run as best I can."
His eyes held no fear as Gemma wrapped a firm hand around his waist and hauled him out of the cell. The peace that seemed to emanate from him was enchanting and calmed her nerves.
As they ascended the stairs, a guard raced towards them with his sword raised. Gemma pushed the men away from her and stepped to the side in the nick of time. Metal crashed on stone. She slid her foot out of harms way. Grabbing the torch from above her, she turned to face her opponent, crouching into a fighting stance. The guard looked at her with a leering smile as they circled each other. The sounds of her siblings fighting faded into the background as she focused her energy on surviving the battle.
The guard attacked first, his huge broad sword arcing through the air, its heavy descent enough to cut her in half. She caught the sword with her torch, deflecting the blow. In one fluid motion, she snapped the wood free and clubbed the guard in the face. He dropped out of the way, just as another guard came barreling towards her.
His blade was heavy as it tried to steal her upper left arm. She flinched away, but not fast enough. The blade clipped her shoulder. She dropped the torch with a sharp cry. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the hay catch alight. She hated the vulnerability of being weaponless.
She dodged the next blow, only to fall over the stool behind her. Landing with a thud, she felt the air rush from her lungs and fought to find more. The guard approached her with a low laugh, raising his sword high for the plunge. She readied herself to roll out of the way, but found the need vanish as her name was yelled and Harrison"s arms wrapped around the guard"s waist in a brutal tackle.