Page 1 of Wendy Meets the Highlander Hamish (Scottish Highlander I Never Knew #5)
S tanding on the deck of the ferry that would take her to Vashon Island, Wendy Carson stared out into the waters of the Puget Sound. She’d gotten on early this morning with plans to visit a friend and go over the notes she had for the book she was writing on some ancient Scottish legends.
Wendy had driven down to Normandy Park from Seatle to catch the ferry and couldn’t wait to meet up with her friend Lauren who shared her passion for ancient legends, the Fae, and all kinds of mystical beings. They’d both been doing their research and were meeting up to compare their findings.
Brushing her dark curls from her face, Wendy sighed.
It wasn’t a very pretty day, but then again it was pretty typical weather for northwestern Washington.
The Sound was fairly busy with boating traffic and more than once as she looked out into the water, she thought it amazing that there hadn’t been any accidents.
The way some of these boaters drove, it was a wonder that anyone chanced taking the ferry at all.
Leaving the deck, Wendy ventured inside and found a table in a small interior room.
She pulled her laptop and notebook out of her bag and started going over what she had so far on her book.
As she began to work on the chapter she’d left off with, one about kelpies, a dark skinned man poked his head in the door.
Wendy looked up and frowned. “Um, hi?” she said in a questioning tone.
The little man smiled, and she noticed the scar on his face. “Ah lass, would you much mind if’n I settled my wee bones in the chair here with you for a moment?”
Wendy was completely taken with the Scottish accent that fell from the man’s lips. “Not at all, please, sit.” She gestured toward the chair across from her.
“What’s that you be workin’ on, lass?” he asked, eyeing her notebook.
Wendy glanced down at the paper and realized there was an image of a kelpie she’d drawn on the page. She blushed. “I’m writing a book on the myths, legends, and folklore of Scotland. Something I’m going to bet you know quite a lot about.” She laughed.
“Oh aye, I do know quite a bit o’ such things.” He nodded wisely as he touched the side of his nose. “One o’ the Fae I am.”
Wendy was amused that he was claiming to be Fae. He was rather short, and he did seem to have a mischievous sense of humor, so she decided to play along. “I’ve always known they were real. Can you tell me about the Fae? I’m always looking to learn more.”
“Aye, that I can, lass. I’m Dub Sith, an’ you are?” he asked, offering his hand.
Wendy took his hand and shook it. “Wendy Carson.”
“Tis my pleasure to meet you, Wendy Carson.” He winked.
“Now, the Fae as you probably can imagine are a curious bunch, they are. A bit of a rogue, a bit of magic, and a whole lot of mischief we are. Some say we dance in the moonlight and charm the very stones themselves an’ they would nae be wrong.
But we're not to be trifled with, for we can turn a man's fortune in the blink of an eye. "
A shiver went down Wendy’s back at his warning. “I shall keep that in mind. I’ve read that the Fae can’t lie, is that true?”
A grin spread across the man’s face. “Aye, tis true, we will always tell you the truth, or avoid tellin’ you anythin’.”
Wendy frowned. “Isn’t that the same as lying?”
“Tis nae, lass. Tis avoiding and misdirecting, but tis nae a lie. We’re very particular about that.”
“Have you encountered other Fae?”
Dub Sith chuckled. "Aye, I’ve had a few encounters with other Fae here and there. Mind you, they're nae always as friendly as one might hope. Sometimes they've a peculiar way of showin' their favor, and other times, well, let's just say you'd best avoid the circles they leave in the grass."
“You mean the Faerie circles? The ones that will allow a human to cross over to the Fae world?”
“Aye, those would be the ones, best not to venture into them, most are traps,” he answered.
“That is fascinating. And what of kelpies? I’ve always thought they were beautiful and misunderstood creatures.”
“I’ve not had the pleasure, lass, but they are nae to be trusted.
” He gave her a thoughtful look. “I wonder if perhaps you might be willing to assist me?” he began.
“You see, some friends of mine back in Islay are having a wee bit of trouble with some Fae and I’ve been unable to help them.
You seem to have quite a bit of knowledge, do you think perhaps you’d be interested? ”
Wendy's heart quickened, and the prospect of a new adventure filled her with curiosity. She considered Dub Sith's proposition carefully. "Friends with a problem on Islay, as in Scotland?”
“Aye, lass, that would be where I mean.” He nodded.
“Well, I'm always up for a bit of mystery and folklore and if I can help, I would love to.” Wendy reached into her bag and pulled out a notecard and then wrote her information on it. “Here's my contact information." She handed him the neatly written card with her details.
“Ah, thank you, lass.” He pocketed the card. “Now, I think I should be on my way and leave you to your work. I’ll be in touch.”
Wendy watched him go with a smile. It had been an unusual encounter, and she wasn’t sure why, but she actually believed that he thought he was one of the Fae.
He’d certainly seemed mysterious enough to be one, but she couldn’t help but wonder what kind.
From her studies she’d have to guess either a dwarf, or perhaps an elf of some sort, though he was taller than she imagined for one of them. If he actually was what he said he was.
Looking at her open laptop, Wendy started working again, but after a few minutes she decided to find the concession area because she was suddenly ravenous.
Packing her things up, she left the small room and went down a set of stairs.
She wandered down the hallway toward a line of people where she could purchase a snack and some coffee.
As she waited for her coffee, she looked around the belly of the ferry where she was now. She could hear the engines down here, as they were much louder than they were on the deck or even in the small room she’d made use of to work.
Suddenly, a tremendous jolt shook the ferry, and it began to list to one side.
Chaos erupted. People screamed as they began to run from the concessions area toward the stairs, but the ferry shifted again, tipping even more and nearly everyone lost their balance.
Objects clattered to the ground and more screams rent the air.
Wendy, fully panicked now, knew she wouldn’t make the stairs, she looked for another way to get out of the belly of the ferry, but was thrown off her feet, a sharp pain shooting through her head as she hit the corner of a table. Darkness overcame her.
When Wendy regained consciousness, the sensation of frigid water against her skin shocked her into alertness.
She realized with mounting horror that the ferry was on its side, and water was rapidly filling the space around her.
It was dark, all the lights had shorted out and only the glow of an emergency light on what used to be the ceiling shone.
More panic set in as she struggled to find her footing on the wall of the ferry so she could look for a way out.
Everything seemed disorienting, and she feared that she would drown before finding her way to the exit.
Desperation spurred her to action as she pushed against the rising water, seeking any way out of the small hallway.
Her heart raced, and every second counted as she moved toward where the stairs should be.
She couldn’t see any other people down here, and she wondered if in their panic to get out, they’d simply left her behind or if they hadn’t seen her fall.
Suddenly a voice called out from in front of her.
“Lass, are you there?”
It was Dub Sith, the little man she’d met earlier. His form was outlined by an eerie, otherworldly light in the darkness. “Here! I’m here,” she called out.
He extended a hand to Wendy, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “I can save you, lass, but there is a consequence to accepting my help.”
Wendy shuddered. Did he mean because he was Fae? She knew she shouldn’t ask favors of the Fae, they never turned out well. “What do you mean by consequence?” she asked, knowing he couldn’t lie to her, he’d told her that himself earlier.
“I asked you before if you could come to Islay to help my friends. I can take you there, but you can never return here to this time and place.”
The way he worded it sounded off to Wendy, so she asked, “Clarify that for me. What do you mean I can’t return to this time, what time would I be going to?”
“To the past. The seventeenth century.”
“And if I chose not to go?” she asked, warily.
“I am afraid you will nae survive. I could be wrong, but I will nae lie. The ferry is submerged and the way out of this area is blocked.”
In this dire moment, Wendy felt she had little choice. It was either die here today, or go with him and live, but in the seventeenth century. With a nod, she took his hand and accepted his proposal. “All right, I’ll go,” Wendy said, a feeling of trepidation filling her heart.
Dub Sith's strong grip enveloped hers, and, in a swirl of energy, they vanished from the rapidly flooding hallway of the ferry. Wendy's last vision was of the dark waters closing in around her as she left it all behind.