Page 10 of Time of the Warlord (Stones of Scotland #5)

S adie was an excited and emotional mess by the time the boat left the harbor. She was going to go home. She was going to meet Bethany Edmondson. It was hard to grasp which one was most important. What if Bethany could tell her the truth about the missing women? She’d been married to the ringleader, after all.

There was a delicious excitement in knowing that Ciaran had finally spilled his secrets, albeit reluctantly. Bethany Edmondson was here in Celtic Scotland - and married to the king. Even more importantly, she was a time traveler in her own right, able to move between periods without requiring any of the expensive equipment that her ex-husband used. Sadie fizzed with excitement at the thought. Surely Bethany would be able to help her.

Leaving the island felt oddly bittersweet. It was a beautiful place, with its wide sandy beaches and high hills. Sadie had arrived here full of so much hope. Things had taken a path she could never have imagined, but she was sure that this boat would lead her in the right direction. The truth could not be far from her grasp.

“It will be a day or two before we reach Dunadd,” Ciaran said softly, coming to stand beside her at the boat’s railing. “We need to sail the whole way around the headland from here, but it’s still quicker and safer than traveling by land.”

Sadie nodded. From what she remembered of the geography around here, that sounded about right. It would be a long time before modern tarmac roads criss-crossed Scotland. She hated having to wait the extra time, but there was nothing to be done. This was the middle ages, after all, and travel was a time-consuming endeavor.

“Will we stay on the boat overnight?” she asked.

Ciaran nodded. “We’ve enough sailors to alternate shifts,” he said. “And this boat is big enough to hang hammocks belowdecks. You’ll have to sleep alongside the rest of us, I’m afraid, but it won’t be for long.”

Sadie nodded. She hadn’t expected any special treatment, even if she was the only woman aboard ship.

“Norah?” someone asked behind her. Sadie whirled around, scanning the faces of the soldiers and sailors, but no one looked familiar. Who had spoken?

“What is it?” Ciaran asked. Sadie shook her head distractedly, still scanning the crowd. Had she imagined it? No one else spoke, and no one seemed interested in her. She must have imagined it.

“I’ll make sure the soldiers are in order,” Ciaran said. He gave her an odd look, and strode off. Sadie turned her attention back to the beautiful view of sea and islands, trying to forget the strange voice as she clung to the railing and stared out across the choppy water.

They passed the southern tip of the island and drifted out into more open water. The maze of islands and peninsulas that made up Scotland’s west coast protected them from the worst of the Atlantic waves, but Sadie could still feel a difference in the way the boat leaped and fell in the water. She clung to the railing more tightly. Did Ciaran really expect her to sleep like this? Perhaps for two nights? It didn’t seem possible.

“What are you doing here, Norah?” a voice asked.

Sadie spun around with a gasp. One of the sailors stood beside her, clutching the railing and frowning. His eyes flickered from side to side nervously. It seemed that he did not want anyone to see them together.

“I’m not Norah,” Sadie said, taking a wary step away from him.

“I don’t have time for this,” he growled. “You need to get the hell off this boat, and get out of this time before we reach Dunadd. I don’t even know how you got here so fast.”

Sadie’s pounding heart left her light-headed. This man thought she was Norah. Norah had been here .

“Why can’t I go to Dunadd?” she asked cautiously.

The man’s eyes widened in what looked like horror. “Are you mad?” he hissed. “They’ll be pulling the whole place apart by now, looking for you. Even if you did mess up the mission, the king will want your head. You need to get off this boat right now .”

Mission? The king wanting her head? Sadie’s heart pounded even louder.

“I can’t get off the boat,” she said. “We’re not stopping.”

“I’m not having you captured,” the man said viciously. “If you talk to save yourself, we’re all doomed.”

Sadie stared at him, trying to pull together a picture of what was happening. Who was this man? He looked slightly familiar, but she couldn’t place him. What was going on?

The deck lurched beneath her feet as the boat hit an especially large wave, then another. The man lunged forwards. Before Sadie realized what was happening, something heavy slammed into her side. She hit the railing - and kept falling. She screamed, but the impact of the water knocked the air from her lungs. In what felt like a fraction of a second, she had gone from standing on deck to desperately treading water.

She splashed towards the boat, but a huge wave buffeted her aside. Saltwater filled her mouth and nose, leaving her coughing. She was a strong swimmer, but the waves here were powerful and she could already feel a current tugging her away from the boat.

“Help!” she screamed, waving up at the deck of the boat, but it was already far away enough that no one would hear.

That man had pushed her. He wanted her dead rather than in Dunadd.

Sadie struck out for the boat once more, but it was hopeless. There was no way she could reach it. Paddling to stay afloat, she twisted around in the water, and saw with horror that the shore was also too far away. No . She was not going to die out here. She set off for the shore with determined strokes, trying to move with the waves, rather than against them.

Behind her, someone shouted, the noise faint. Sadie paused and twisted around again. Had someone on the boat seen her? Something splashed in the water, but from here she couldn’t tell what it was. No point waiting for rescue - she had to save herself. Setting her face grimly, she headed for shore again. Every stroke was harder than the last as her arms rapidly weakened. She hadn’t swum in years, and it was starting to show.

“Wait!”

That was definitely a voice. Sadie tried to tread water for a second, but a large wave knocked her off balance, sending her tipping sideways. She fought to return upright - which way was air? Panic caught her for the first time, and she kicked out desperately. Something gripped her by the arms, tugging her upwards. She emerged above the waves, spluttering - and found herself face to face with Ciaran.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted.

“Get off me!” Sadie shouted back, but his grip on her arms was like iron. He maneuvered her into place and set off for the shore, his powerful kicks propelling her floating body through the water. Sadie wanted to argue, but he was clearly an experienced swimmer, and in much better practice.

Sure enough, he had her on the beach in just a few moments. The two of them coughed up the last of the sea water, then collapsed on the sand and turned to glare at each other.

“You bloody idiot,” Ciaran said, reaching out to grasp her by the shoulders and shake her hard. “You could have died! And now we’re stuck here, because the boat can’t return against the tide.”

“You didn’t have to come after me,” Sadie shouted at him, wrenching his hands from her shoulders so that she gripped his wrists. “You could have stayed on the boat.”

“What, and watch you drown?” Ciaran retorted. “What the hell do you take me for?”

He stared down at her, his furious gaze fiery hot. And then, just as Sadie opened her mouth for another angry retort, he swooped down and kissed her.