Time of the Draig (10 page)

Without facing him, she asked, “My men are only safe if I marry you?”

“You and your men are welcome as honored guests. I ken you seek to travel home, but there is a good chance it will nay happen. ‘Tis my hope you fail in this endeavor if you want the truth.” Yet, he knew he would never be satisfied if she married him only out of responsibility for her men.

Faolan moved around to see her face. Cupping her cheeks, he said, “If your warriors choose to stay, they are welcome. But I do want you by my side and for my own. Take the time you need and consider what I offer: my home, my protection, my name, and a fine life together.”

Her eyes softened. “You don’t understand. You are supposed to marry someone from this time and probably create treaties and bonds with your neighbors. Being with me is wrong and could have huge ramifications on your time and the future as a whole.”

“Change my future, Samantha. Work by my side each day and spend your nights wrapped in my embrace.” Faolan added, “From what I have heard of the future, it should be changed. Start here and change it with me.”

“It’s not that simple. I have to go back,” Samantha said as she held his gaze.

Is it my imagination, or do I truly see grief in her eyes?

Faolan offered a soft smile, which she answered with her own. His heart skipped a beat as he realized she hadn’t said no. She also had not pulled away from his reach. He dared to bend to place a small chaste kiss to her lips. “Do what you must within the safety of my household. I dinna fault you for wanting to save your people, and in fact, ‘tis most admirable. Just ken this: if you fail, you are already home, and I am waiting for you. If you succeed, I will wait for your return to my side.”

She laughed before she said, “You still seem to be under the impression I am marrying you.”

His grip tightened slightly on her face, not enough to cause hurt, merely enough to force her to focus on what he said. “You bear my mark. The fates drew us together and made certain we would recognize the other. So aye, I ken we will marry because I will spend each day together proving my devotion to you. Before you return to your chamber each night, I will bid you sweet dreams with a kiss designed to bring you to my bed. Once in my bed, you are mine for all time.”

Before she could reply, he kissed her as he had threatened to do. Lips and tongue devoured her, but his hands remained on her cheeks. She met him as he had hoped, with passion returned. When she whimpered, he broke away abruptly from the kiss. He whispered, “My control has a limit where you are concerned, Samantha. If you remain in this loch with me, I will claim you.”

She stepped back and laughed. As if to taunt him, she replied, “You won’t claim a thing tonight, Faolan.” With that said, she turned away, walked out of the water, gathered her things, and left.

He smiled as he realized he had left out one of her more admirable traits; Samantha had a fine sense of humor when she wanted. Faolan lay back into the loch and let the cool water wash over him. Unfortunately, even the cool loch didn’t diminish the yearning for what had ended abruptly. He stayed beneath the surface until his lungs screamed for air and the ache lessened in his loins. He repeated the process until full dark had consumed the sky.

When he rose, Boomer was crouched at the edge of the water waiting for him. Faolan lifted his hand in greeting and swam to the confrontation he expected.

As he stepped onto dry land, Boomer stood to full height. Faolan knew the posture was meant to be imposing; he had to look up to see the man’s eyes, and his arms were crossed over his chest.

“Why are you here?”

Boomer looked him up and down. “No games. You know exactly why I’m here.”

“Samantha should nay be left alone.” He told him of his encounter, or at least the part where she was unresponsive.

“I agree. From now on, I don’t leave her side. That’s the only warning you will get from me,” Boomer stated.

“There is no danger to Samantha from me,” Faolan offered. “We both ken that if she wanted to be left alone, I would now have broken bones.”

Boomer chuckled. “True. However, you aren’t trying to kill her. You need to know she’s not some piece of ass for you to conquer.”

While the words made little sense, Faolan could grasp the meaning. “I dinna ken what she told you, but my intentions had nothing to do with conquest. I offered to marry her now rather than later.”

“Yeah, I got all of that. Now here’s the part you need to know. She’s my family.”

“You are of blood relations?” Faolan asked in disbelief. He couldn’t see any resemblance between them.

“Don’t be stupid, but she’s my family just the same. In a totally fucked up world, she kept me safe. When everything we knew collapsed, she kept me from losing my mind. Through it all, she has given me love and friendship.” Boomer’s hand thumped his chest as he stated, “Samantha is my sister in all the ways that matter the most.”

“Do I need your permission to wed with her?” Faolan asked.

“Maybe, but that’s not why I’m here.” Boomer stared hard as he continued, “Samantha is brilliant, but she has lived a sheltered life. I believe I am the only friend she has ever really had. Before me, her life was spent with older tutors and her father’s soldiers. When we joined the Marines, she was so small and lost in the crowd. Even now, I remember her eyes lighting up when I sat down next to her and asked her name.”

Boomer continued to explain his initial goal of protecting her from others in their company and that he thought she would be a target for mischief. Faolan laughed when he described Samantha taking down two large men the second day of training and earning the respect of her peers.

“But in a way, she still needed me just like I needed her. I understand her, and she understands me and loves me anyway,” Boomer said. “In the past, I have made it a point to scare away the bums who wanted her because none of them were good enough for her. Though she is a sucker for a compliment.”

Boomer closed the distance between them. “I’ve let this go since we arrived because of what I saw. Now I think that’s a mistake because it goes against my extremely protective nature. So the only question is, are you good enough?”

Faolan refused to back away from the man. “Do you need to hear of my wealth, the security of my keep, the peace within my village, or the count of my warriors?”

“Nothing like that. I just want to know that you meant what you said to her. If you only want her, say so. I get it. She’s a beautiful woman. Just don’t mess with her head.”

Faolan thought over what Boomer said. “Do you think I offer marriage only as a rouse to get her in my bed?” He bristled at the notion of being doubted.

“Maybe or maybe you just want the men to replace the ones you lost,” Boomer replied.

“I want both.” Faolan said. “You and the others would add much strength to mine. Samantha by my side would be a gift beyond telling. Apparently I am a verra greedy man.”

Boomer nodded. “Just know that I’m watching you, always. If you hurt her in any way, you will answer to me.”

Faolan smiled, though Boomer glared at him. “Mayhap someday you will count me as your brother.”

Boomer laughed. “Don’t push your luck.”

Faolan smiled and asked, “Did you bathe earlier?”

“Yeah, it felt good. Why do you ask?” Boomer replied.

“Your body paint still remains,” Faolan answered.

Boomer roared with laughter and asked, “Am I the first black man you have ever seen?”

When Faolan nodded, Boomer explained all the colors he had seen in the men and women of the world. Faolan sat mesmerized. When Boomer was finished, Faolan said, “Thank you for the fine tale. Such wonders are hard to see in my mind and yet take my breath away.”

Boomer said, “Kagen says the meat is ready. Let’s go join everyone, and I’ll introduce you to some rehydrated rice and beans.”

Faolan grabbed his shirt, dagger, and sword. “‘Tis fine?”

“Better than some of the packaged food, though not even close to my mom’s version,” Boomer said. “Are those wet leather pants as uncomfortable as they look?”

“More,” Faolan replied. “I am grateful to have a dry pair in my saddlebag.” He chose not to comment on the part of him that was most uncomfortable within the trews. While he and Boomer had found common ground, he didn’t think it went that far.

Chapter 8

Samantha woke with a start and gasped for air while the dream faded. She was used to nightmares and knew how to banish those quickly, but that one was different. As clear as if it had actually happened, she could still see the two-dimensional dragons merge and become one larger-than-life three-dimensional being. The creature had called her name using Faolan’s voice, and she had never thought of turning away or denying the invitation. The serpent-like being had been warm when it coiled around her naked body. One head kissed her bare foot while the other whispered in her ear. It spoke of destiny, time, harmony, and many other things that should have been considered crude but weren’t. They were steamy and erotic, and the idea of Faolan touching her like that had her begging in the dream, begging him to once again become a man who would fulfill each and every sensual promise.

A familiar warm hand settled on her arm, pulling her back to reality.

Boomer quietly asked, “What is it?”

“Just a dream, Boom. Go back to sleep.” Samantha patted the hand and then wiped the sweat from her brow.

She listened to the sounds of sleep-filled breathing and knew she wouldn’t find any more for herself. It didn’t bother her since the sky was already beginning to lighten to the east. Dawn was almost upon them.

Careful not to disturb Boomer again or Faolan, who had taken the other side, she rose to her feet. It took all of her will to not stare at the man wrapped in his blanket. Even in sleep, he broke into a soft smile when she looked at him.

She forced herself to survey the camp. In the dim light, she could see Warrant Officer Efraim–Mark-sitting on the rocks. He had last shift on guard duty. With a quiet step, she made her way to his side.

He nodded in her direction and then went back to scanning the area with the binoculars. Efraim had still not said more than yes or no, and it bothered her. He did what was asked without complaint but stayed out of the conversation around the campfire.

When she sat by his side, he asked, “Dream, Major?”

A nod answered the question. “We’re the only ones up . . . call me Samantha.”

Efraim nodded and went back to his scan. With his eyes on the distance, he asked, “Do you need someone to talk about it with you?”

Samantha marveled at the complete sentence and said, “No. The last thing I want to do is talk about it.”

“I understand because I wouldn’t want to talk about mine either,” Efraim replied.

“What branch of the service were you in originally?” She knew he was several years older than she by the small lines around his eyes.

“I wasn’t a serviceman until after . . . until after it all happened. When I was twenty-six, I was drafted.” Mark Efraim took a breath. “I was an elementary school teacher in the Chicago suburbs, third grade to be precise. Long hours with mediocre pay, but I loved it.”

Samantha listened, and he talked about his few years of teaching, his love of the children, his loathing of administrators, and the future he was planning. There had been a fiancée visiting family in Manhattan to plan the wedding when it all started. His family had lived in central Indiana, but he didn’t think the town still remained.

“Do you think going back to find that object will change all of it?” Mark asked.

Such a big question for so early in the day
, she mused. “I think it changes enough of the dynamic and takes away a big chunk of the power struggle.”

He considered her answer. “So, if you can even get us to the early eighties and we find it first, then what? What happens to us?”

Mark had found the part of the plan that she had no great answer for but she offered, “Potentially, I can create another door to get us to another time. I don’t need to have UNK005 connected to my computer, only a neural link, which does allow for some distance.” As the words left her mouth, once again her hand opened and closed and opened and closed.

Mark interrupted her thoughts. “To which timeline do we return? The screwed up one we left or the new one we create?” He smirked and added, “While I don’t grasp it all, I get the concept of multiple universes co-existing via string theory.”

Instead of explaining how string theory was extremely flawed according to her research, she asked, “Which one do you want?”

His voice was sad. “I don’t belong in any of them. If you change our future, in theory I think a different version of me grows up in a better world. I find comfort in that thought.” Mark paused. “I won’t go back to our present.”

Samantha didn’t ask why; he would talk about it if and when he wanted. “Then what do you want?”

He dropped the binoculars in his lap. “I want to try to become a decent human being again. Maybe if enough time passes, I can forget the monster they turned me into for the sake of a war I never understood.”

Monster was a big word. His extremely pale blue eyes fixed on her as he waited for a response. Samantha asked, “Are you comfortable with our plan?” It was avoidance in a way and a complete subject change.

“Given the lack of options, yes. They seem decent, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly curious to see a village and stronghold from this era. It seems like history was wrong about several items.”

A small warning bell went off in the back of her mind. “What do you mean history is wrong?”

“Faolan introduced himself as a laird, a title I didn’t think came into use for several hundred years from now. He also spoke of a clan, again verbiage we wouldn’t have expected for this time period. Not a history buff?”

“History bored me because it was just memorization from the victor’s standpoint,” Samantha replied as she considered his observations. Which left the question, was history wrong or had something changed it?

A throat clearing behind her made Samantha turn to look. Boomer moved to sit by her side. “You should have woken me up. Thought we had a deal you don’t go anywhere alone.”

Mark chimed in. “She’s not alone. What am I, invisible?”

Samantha laughed at the comment while Boomer said, “You decide to break your code of silence with smart ass shit? I’m loving you already.”

Mark chuckled. “Sun’s on the horizon. Time to wake the men.” When he rose to his feet, he added, “With your permission, ma’am.”

“Granted. Let Jeff know I want boots walking in thirty,” Samantha answered.

Mark walked back to the camp, and she heard the men being roused. Light banter filled the air and orders to make breakfast were given. Yet she stayed on the rock watching the sun slowly creep over the horizon.

Boomer finally broke their comfortable silence. “How are you?”

He didn’t need to say more. She knew what he meant: had she dealt with her time alone with Faolan? While the real answer was “not really,” she had no idea why she had kissed him with such abandon or why it had haunted her dreams. Romantic notions had no place in her world and never had. She’d be lying if she said it was a slip caused by her fixation of quantum particles. Full awareness had been present the moment Faolan had touched her, or at least full awareness of him. She settled on the notion that the momentary slip should be left alone; her work needed to be her only focus.

“I’m dealing.” To avoid being caught in her lie, her eyes gazed at the rocks she sat upon. A crack ran through the outcropping at a surprisingly straight angle. She stared and mumbled, “Can you even seal the crack or only cover it up?”

Boomer chided, “Not now, Sam.”

“I need to go in. I need to work. There is something I missed, something incredibly large.” As if on cue, her hand opened and closed and opened and closed.

“After Jeff and I determine you are safe at Faolan’s, you can. But not one minute before we say,” Boomer replied.

She rose from the rocks. “Then let’s get going.”

The sun had reached midday height in the clear sky. Faolan had called out that his keep would be seen over the next rise. Samantha could smell the tang of salty sea air. She shifted the pack on her back and noticed that the men had quieted. While everyone had agreed to the destination, the apprehension had become palpable.

Jeff acknowledged it. “Seems like we have some campers with a case of the butterflies.”

As he spoke, they stood on the hill that brought the destination into sight. From the hillside, Samantha could see the keep ahead on another small hill. The stone and wood structure was surrounded by tall stonewalls, and the sea was visible in the distance. A village sat nestled in the shallow valley below the keep. She turned to Jeff. “Break it down for me.”

His eyes scanned the area. “Good defensible position with a line of sight to the surrounding countryside. The walls are high enough to provide security, and the wooden gate appears thick and solid from the distance. The village appears quiet and non-threatening. The well at the center seems to be the focal point of activity. I don’t smell a major hygiene issue, but I would like to find out what is done with human waste as a precaution.”

“Agreed,” Samantha said. “Do you sense any type of threat to the men?”

“Negative,” Jeff answered as he pointed to three men walking toward them. “Here’s the welcome wagon, and there are no swords on their backs or sides. I’m assuming the men who rode ahead with the animals were given orders to approach without weaponry. Though we have no idea what’s waiting behind those stone walls.”

As Faolan approached, he said, “All that awaits is my hospitality.”

Samantha could see the perceived insult written on his face. She asked, “Would you be slightly suspicious if you were us?”

He laughed. “Never. I would follow you anywhere, Samantha.” With a wink, he walked ahead to greet his men.

She couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was obvious instructions were given. As he walked back to her with the new men at his side, introductions were made, and Faolan took a wooden cup from one of the men.

He held it out to her and said loud enough for all to hear, “Major Samantha, you and your men are bid welcome to my lands. May my walls provide the safety you crave, may my table provide bounty to sustain you, may my lands be seen as your own, and may you only find joy by my side.” He held the cup out to her but caught her hesitation. Faolan turned the offer into a toast and raised the cup to his lips. Only after a large swallow did he again offer the cup to her.

She took the offering into her hands. “Your offer of hospitality is most gracious. We thank you for all and will endeavor to be worthy of your trust.” Samantha had attended enough ceremonial occasions with her father to know a decent reply. She took a swallow of the wine, and the cup was returned to Faolan.

“Please go with my men and rest within my hall. All has been made ready for you.” With that said, he removed an object from his saddlebag and turned toward the village.

Samantha saw the dagger in his hand and immediately knew the intention: somewhere in the village a family member waited to hear that Robert wouldn’t be coming home.

She called to her men. “Laird Faolan is in need of an honor guard. Who goes with me to stand for a fallen man?” She nodded her satisfaction when every last man stood at attention.

With a hand signal, the men marched at her back. The levity was gone as feet stepped in rhythm in a once time-honored custom.

As she walked by his side, Faolan asked, “Why are you coming with me?”

“It used to be our way to honor those who died in service. His family should know his loss is felt by those who fought by his side,” Samantha answered.

Faolan smiled. “‘Tis a fine custom. You do me much honor walking into the village at my side.”

Samantha thought to ask if everyone assumed she was still going to be his wife, but she didn’t. She instinctively already knew the answer and knew they needed to set the record straight. Instead of confronting him, she asked, “Whom does Robert leave behind?”

Faolan replied, “A wife, a small lad, and a child yet to be born.”

She cringed and asked, “What happens to them now?”

“They are my responsibility. I will see food set upon the table and ensure they have all needed. Surely your people do the same?”

If only that had been the case. Even before the war, there had been so many left without what they needed because of death or injury due to service. It had become her father’s main focus to right that wrong. The war had started before he could make any real changes. The United Forces didn’t do anything for families left behind, not that they did much for the general population either.

She answered simply, “We never did enough.”

It was somewhat disappointing that the cottage they sought was on the edge of the village. Even with the task at hand, Samantha wanted to see more of the village. The structures, while small, were built in an orderly fashion. Each one had a small side yard that contained enough space for a laundry line and an outdoor fire pit. The buildings were a combination of stone and wood, and all seemed in good repair, if not of newer construction. Though the path they walked was damp, it appeared to be from rain and not the expected sewage. In all, the place seemed surprisingly tidy and well-maintained.

Many called out a greeting to Faolan, but none approached. She didn’t blame them. She figured her men must have appeared threatening.

Faolan stopped and knocked on a solid door. A woman answered. She appeared to be around Samantha’s age. She wore a long dress of green, her long blond hair was tied in a simple braid, and her eyes showed recent tears. Samantha also noted the woman was at least seven months pregnant.

Before Faolan had a chance to speak, she said, “Baine came this morn and told me.”

“Alyssone, your Robert fought with great strength.” He held out the dagger and said, “I am sorry for your loss. Ken that all you need I will provide.”