Page 28 of Time of the Warlord (Stones of Scotland #5)

C iaran couldn’t understand a damn word the man said, and it was driving him mad. One thing was clear, though - this man was threatening Queen Bethany, and that could not be permitted. Unfortunately, the ladies’ attitudes also suggested that the object in the man’s hand was some kind of weapon, and a dangerous one at that. Ciaran remembered the pool of blood, back in the old cottage. He must not do anything foolish.

“What’s he saying?” he asked Sadie.

The man rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, then fumbled with his ear for a second.

“I’ll repeat it again, for the barbarians,” he said, in accented but fluent Gaelic. “I am willing to make a deal with you all. If Bethany gets this machine working again, I’ll hand over the red-head and you can all go home unharmed. Frankly, it will save me the trouble of disposing of her body.”

Sadie flinched.

Ciaran clenched his fists. Every inch of his body screamed at him not to trust this man. Whatever he was offering them, there must be a catch. There was some hidden secret here, something that he was not telling them. There was no way he would let them all go free.

“If I am the one powering the machine, then I will be unable to travel,” Bethany said calmly.

Trust her to see straight to the heart of the matter.

“There is no way that I will leave my queen behind,” Ciaran growled, calculating the distance between him and this man. He could definitely take him. And he had five guardsmen at his back. Surely this unpleasant little man could not kill them all.

“Ciaran, don’t,” Bethany snapped, clearly reading his mind. “It’s a good offer. I can take care of myself.”

Ciaran shook his head stubbornly.

“The king would have my head if I left you here alone.”

Bethany squared her shoulders and glared at the man.

“Where is Lucan, Henry? I demand to speak to him.”

The man - Henry - just shrugged.

“I’ve no idea. He took off about a year ago and never came back. Jack dropped a few hints about knowing where he was, but it was all talk. Jack doesn’t know anything important.”

Jack must be the man who lay injured in Dunadd - and perhaps he knew another layer of this mysterious tale. Ciaran filed that away as information to act on later. For now, he had to deal with the scenario right in front of him.

“Bring Norah in here,” Bethany demanded. “I won’t agree to anything until I know she’s alive and well.”

The man shrugged.

“Very well,” he said. “It’s a reasonable request. But I won’t have you wandering about while I’m gone.”

He stepped out into the corridor and closed the door behind him. Something clicked loudly. Ciaran rushed forwards to test the door - which, of course, did not budge. They were locked in.

“Bethany, you can’t possibly accept his offer,” he said, panic rising. “That man can’t be trusted.”

“Don’t worry,” Bethany said with a grin. “I don’t believe a single word he says. But I also think I have a way to get us out of here. I just need to make sure that Norah is with us first.”

Ciaran wanted to ask her more, but he was distracted when Sadie slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her fingers tightly. No matter what happened, at least he was here with her. If only he’d had the chance to tell her how he really felt. They both had to get through this, just so he could have that opportunity. She had to know.

“Now, you must all be ready to seize Norah as soon as you can,” Bethany instructed the guardsmen. “But beware the weapon he carries in his hand - it may look small, but it can cause a lot of damage. And at a distance, as well. Think of it almost like a bow that does not need to be drawn.”

The men’s eyes widened, and no wonder. Ciaran did not like to even imagine the potential of such a weapon.

“What then?” he asked Bethany. “How are we all going to get out of here?”

“I will start the time machine, just like he wanted,” Bethany said. “The men will get Norah through and back to safety.”

“I am not going to leave you here,” Ciaran insisted.

Bethany’s smile actually widened.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of leaving you out of the fun,” she said. “I want you and Sadie to stay here. We’ll be traveling back by a very different route. Sadie, I assume you can drive?”

Sadie nodded, although Ciaran didn’t quite understand the question. What on earth was Bethany planning?

“Ciaran, be ready to get Henry out of the way as soon as the machine is operational,” Bethany instructed. “But, like I said, beware of his weapon. It can kill in an instant.”

Ciaran’s eyes widened. That little piece of metal? It hardly looked capable of anything. But Bethany’s face was deadly serious. He did not question her.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few moments, the door scraped open again. Henry appeared in the doorway - and, to Ciaran’s relief, the man was dragging Norah along with him.

“Here you are,” he said, thrusting Norah towards Sadie. He raised his weapon again to point it at Bethany. “Now, hurry up and get the machine running. And no tricks.”

Bethany nodded humbly. Ciaran hoped that Henry had not seen the flash of fire in her eyes. Sadie was already shifting Norah over towards the guards, who grasped her arms firmly. The air in the room was thick with tension.

Gently, Bethany lay her hands on the machine.

“I’ve never worked with this before,” she said to Henry over her shoulder. “It may take some time.”

“Just get on with it,” he growled, the hand that held the weapon beginning to shake slightly.

Ciaran took a small step to the side, then another. It would only take one blow to disarm the man, he was sure of it. He just needed to wait until Bethany gave the signal.

The lights on the machine flared into life.

“There we are,” Bethany said, satisfaction evident in her voice. “Guards, Norah, you go first.”

Norah looked at Sadie, a panicked expression in her eyes, but she did not object as the guards led her towards the huge, humming machine. Ciaran saw the first man flinch, but the king’s guards were chosen for their bravery. One by one, they all stepped into the machine and vanished. Ciaran could only hope they had reached their destination.

“Now the rest of you,” Henry said impatiently. His hand really was shaking now.

“Very well,” Bethany said calmly. “Ciaran, it’s your turn.”

Ciaran lunged. A deafening noise split the air.