Page 3 of Time of the Warlord (Stones of Scotland #5)

T he man said something else, but Sadie couldn’t understand a word. It sounded almost like Gaelic, but nothing that Sadie quite recognized - although, admittedly, she hadn’t paid much attention in her Gaelic lessons at school in Glasgow.

“I don’t understand you,” she said, as clearly and calmly as her trembling body would allow. No reason to panic. This was all a misunderstanding.

But the man frowned and said something else, equally unintelligible.

Now Sadie did begin to panic. How could he not understand English ?

“Please put down the sword,” she said in her most authoritative voice. He said nothing, just stood there, his eyes fixed on hers. The sword did not waver.

Sadie’s mind raced through a hundred possible scenarios. Unfortunately, it seemed that, under the circumstances, there was only one explanation.

Time travel .

She’d come out here hunting for time travelers, and it seemed like she’d found them. She just hadn’t expected this to happen. But now it all made sense. That man hadn’t appeared from nowhere - he’d traveled through time. And whatever mysterious energy made that possible must have still been rushing through the standing stone when Sadie touched it.

Hesitantly, she reached to the side and brushed her fingers against the stone again. Nothing. Well, that would have been too easy. She would have to find another way home.

But first, there was the problem of the man with the sword.

Another deep breath, in and out. The man was still staring at her, but the tip of the sword gradually drifted downwards. Sadie was hardly threatening, after all. He must be a foot taller than her, his shoulders twice the breadth of hers.

Concentrate, Sadie .

She had it. Sadie slid the strange metal object out of her pocket and slipped it straight into her ear. She winced slightly at the strange feeling, like static right inside her ear, but it passed in a heartbeat. A pulse of pride rushed through her. She’d guessed correctly - this was a language chip. Why that strange man had given her one, she still didn’t know, but at least one part of the mystery was solved.

“Hello,” she said to the man with the sword. “I am very sorry if I’m trespassing.”

His eyes went wide. The sword lifted again.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“My name is Sadie,” she said, hoping that her best interview smile would work here - or, more accurately, now.

The man lowered the sword at long last, although his eyes were still narrowed. Sadie couldn’t even imagine the effort it must have taken to hold the weapon aloft for so long.

“How did you get here?” he asked.

Sadie hesitated. For perhaps the first time in her career, she didn’t have a story ready. She had never expected this to happen. She was looking for evidence - either the bodies of the missing women, or some clues about where to look next. Traveling through time was not part of the plan.

The man seemed to sense her hesitation. He stalked around her in a broad circle, his footsteps slow and measured. Sadie turned to follow him, unwilling to let him out of her sight.

“I’m lost,” she said at last. “Could you tell me where I am?”

“You’re not lost,” he said dismissively. “You could not have reached this place without my permission. Who are you, and why are you here, on my land?”

Sadie glanced at the stones without even meaning to. What could she say? What story might make sense?

And then the strangest thing happened. Understanding dawned in the man’s eyes.

“You’re one of them,” he breathed. “You came here from the future.”

The shock was so powerful that Sadie could barely keep her knees from buckling.

“What do you know about the future?” she asked in a whisper.

The man shrugged.

“You are not the first time traveler I’ve met,” he told her. Sadie could not quite read the inflection in his voice, or the look in his eyes. He certainly did not sound overjoyed.

Sadie straightened her shoulders.

“I am here entirely by mistake,” she assured him. “If you know anything that can help me to return home, I would greatly appreciate that information.”

He didn’t raise the sword again - but he didn’t sheathe it, either.

“Give me one reason why I should trust you,” he said.

Sadie’s heart pounded. She’d never found herself in a situation like this before. Whoever this man was, he was armed and clearly dangerous. What could she say? What evidence might make him trust her? Her mind had gone entirely blank. She could do nothing but gape at him, feeling more lost and afraid than ever before.

I should have stayed at home .

“Yes, you should have done,” the man said, and Sadie realized she had spoken aloud.

“Please believe me,” she croaked. “I did not mean to end up here, and I just want to go home.”

Her mind was already whirling, though. What if Norah was here? What if this time held the answers she’d come for? And this man knew about time travel. He might be exactly what she needed.

Sadie widened her eyes, looking as afraid and unhappy as she knew how.

“Please help me,” she whispered. “I’m afraid.”

At last, the man cracked. He slipped his sword into its sheath and took a step closer to her.

“I can help you,” he said. “But not here, and not now. You will have to come home with me.”

Sadie swallowed hard. Great. Going home with a huge, armed man. Definitely not a sensible plan - but it was the best she had if she was going to find out the truth about Norah.

“Thank you for your help,” she said softly, fluttering her eyelashes at the man. He didn’t smile, but she could already feel him softening. Thank goodness that men were more or less the same, regardless of time period.

“Follow me,” he said. With that, he turned and strode away as if nothing else needed to be said.

Sadie ran after him, still clutching the shovel and desperately trying to keep her footing on the rough ground.

“Wait!” she called. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Ciaran,” he called back over his shoulder, not slowing down in the slightest. “And I am the lord of this island.”