Page 8 of A Keeper of Time

“I thought she’d be here,” Angus said.

“How long has she been gone?” Cailin’s face was etched with concern.

“Since some time during the night. I woke and she was no’ there,” Angus explained. “I must find her. She would no’ leave on her own without telling me.”

Robert stroked his chin as he thought. “Do ye believe someone’s taken her then?”

“I doona ken it, but I feel it.” His gut knew it to be fact, but he lacked proof.

“Gather the others and we’ll search for her,” Robert ordered.

Cailin and Cormac nodded and left the hall.

“Do ye think she’d go to the Campbells?” Irene asked.

“’Tis possible. Or to Lena and Ewan.” Lena was his daughter. He was sure if Edna went there for any reason she would’ve woken him so he could accompany her.

“We’ll go to the Campbell’s first then,” Robert said. “As we work our way back toward the bridge we’ll stop at Lena and Ewan’s.”

“Aye. ’Tis a good plan.” Angus didn’t want to think about what he’d do if she wasn’t there and so he wouldn’t. He would hang on to hope for now.

Irene had coaxed him to eat something while the men quickly prepared to leave. Soon, Angus, accompanied by Robert, Cailin, Cormac, Dougall and Logan rode out in search of Edna.

It was good to ride with these men. It gave Angus the sense that they would find Edna no matter where she was and no matter who had stolen her from him if that was the case. If need be, Edna’s friends among the faeries and elves would be of help as well.

Edna had many friends that loved her here in this time. He wasn’t alone. They would fight alongside him if it came to that. He felt a little better knowing he wasn’t alone in his desire to have Edna back safe and sound.

***

Edna paced back and forth across the floor of her bedroom prison. The cat who had been watching her for what seemed like hours had disappeared and although Edna checked everywhere around the room, including under the bed, it was nowhere to be found. Instead the crystal ball that was her view to the outside world was all she was left with. It had settled atop the bedside table where the lamp cast a yellow glow on the swirling inner fog.

“Why am I here?” Edna wondered out loud. She’d had nothing to do but think and was at a complete loss. She thought about Evanore and was quite sure she didn’t know her. Edna remembered everyone she met, no matter how much time had passed between meetings, but there was nothing familiar about Evanore. Perhaps she had conjured some spell to disguise herself from Edna—she was a witch, after all. She stopped pacing as she contemplated what she had done to cause Evanore to kidnap her and lock her up here? There were no answers that made any sense to her.

Gazing at the swirling fog of the crystal ball, she noted that it was changing. The ball lifted from the table and came to her, stopping at eye level about a foot away. The fog began to clear. Edna’s eagle eye honed in on the swirling colors as they began to take shape. She could see the men of the Mackenzie clan riding alongside her husband. She recognized the ground they were covering as the road to the Campbell clan. Angus was getting further and further away, which meant he wasn’t coming to help her any time soon. Frustrated and angry, Edna slumped down on the bed with her head in her hands. Her ordeal wasn’t going to end for some time yet.

The orb followed her and waited for her to focus on it once again. This time she saw and heard the women of Breaghacraig gathered together in deep discussion.

“We’ve got to do something,” Ashley said, looking from one woman to the next.

“Ashley’s right. Edna needs us,” Jenna added.

Edna couldn’t help but feel delight at what she was seeing. These women, all so happy together, were the reason she did what she did. Watching them holding their babies while the older children played nearby was a gift she would never tire of receiving.

“The men have gone off to the Campbell’s.” Jenna went to stand behind Ashley as she spoke. “They’ll be gone awhile. I think we should head back to the bridge and search there ourselves.”

“Irene, you and Helene should stay here and keep an eye on the kids. If you don’t mind, of course,” Ashley said.

Ashley’s pleading look touched Edna’s heart. She’d never once regretted her efforts to help these women find love and family.

“Aye. I agree.” Irene nodded and looked to Helene.

“We’ll only be gone a few days,” Jenna said.

“We’ll take good care of them. Doona ye worry yerselves,” Helene added.

“We should get going then. I’ll go arrange for our horses to be ready at first light,” Sara said, handing baby Lily to Irene. “Don’t worry little sweetie, Momma will be back in no time.”

They all went their separate ways to pack and prepare for the trip.