Treasure So Rare (Women of Strength Time Travel Trilogy) Page 12

  Iliana looked about at the suddenly sparse fields. "I believe it is time I returned. I have neglected much this afternoon," she said quietly. She frowned. "Rowenna?" she called, walking toward some gaily colored tents.

  Erik also looked around, but he did not see the girl with William.

  Iliana began to run toward the tents. "William. Rowenna --!"

  She tripped and fell to one knee. Erik quickly helped her up, saw the panic on her face.

  "I must find William."

  "We shall find him," Erik said.

  "Where can they be?" she asked, when they discovered a second empty tent.

  Suddenly Erik saw a small bonfire around which people had gathered, just beyond the tents. "There," he said. "There is the child." Rowenna was bouncing William merrily on her lap as she sat on a stump, other children around them. In their midst stood a young man playing a musical pipe. Several young men stood in a semi-circle, their heads together as Erik and Iliana approached.

  Iliana hurried toward the bonfire.

  "Calmly," Erik said behind her, "calmly now Iliana. He is well and happy."

  She slowed her pace, and reached the small gathering. Rowenna turned to see her and smiled, then stood with little William in her arms. His face and hands were sticky with food and Rowenna reached down into a wooden bucket beside her and washed his face, then dunked his hands.

  Erik felt Iliana's impatience, but she waited until the girl had washed him relatively clean. With a forced smile and a murmur, Iliana lifted the child into her arms.

  "Good day, mistress," said Rowenna. Several of the young men stared at him, and he felt their mistrust and lack of enthusiasm to have him there. They stood with clenched fists, nudging at each other, eyes dark and sullen. Combined with the empty ale jugs on the ground, their dark looks made him wary for their safety.

  "Good day," Iliana said and she turned back toward him. He saw the look on her face, the way she held William to her breast and closed her eyes, dropping a kiss on his dark, tousled hair.

  Then she started across the field and the path to the keep.

  Erik watched the group for another moment, then fell into step beside her.

  "Do not ever tell me how to conduct myself where my child is concerned," she said stiffly, staring straight ahead. He heard the strain in her voice, the trembling of remembered fear.

  "As you wish." Erik sighed, feeling he'd just taken two giant steps backward.

  As they continued on the path through the woods, he knew he could not leave things as they were, with words unspoken between them.

  "Iliana, I did not mean to interfere."

  "Then do not."

  "Nor was my caution to you random."

  "It matters not," she said quickly, her voice dismissive.

  "It does matter. There were some in that group who may have itched for a fight, or a confrontation."

  "You feared you might have to fight for us?"

  "Not that. I would fight for you without question."

  She stopped and looked at him, her surprise clear. "Then what?"

  Patiently, he said, "I would not want you or the child caught in the middle of any fighting."

  She stopped. "Most men would not worry over such a thing."

  "Some men," he corrected gently.

  She looked ready to argue, but then she suddenly blurted. "You will have to excuse my hesitation, but I have seen too much of men who ride roughly over a woman. And the law will uphold the man's right to do so."

  He nodded agreement. "Whether a man has the right or not under the eyes of the law, it is another thing when his behavior goes against what he knows in his heart is right."

  She stared at him, her eyes wide, then shook her head. "Men do as they will and expect to be obeyed."

  "That is not how I wish to treat a woman." He regarded her seriously. "That is not how I wish to treat you."

  They had reached the postern door, but now she hesitated. "Please continue."

  "I have told you that we have met before."

  Her expression became guarded. "You vow you are a changed man?"

  "I swear I am not that man. We are two separate men."

  He recalled Camdork's bragging reference to that horrid event four years ago and a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He felt rage that that bully wanted Iliana.

  He clenched a fist against his thigh. Assaulting a woman was not something he'd ever want associated with his name, but how to make her see he was not Camdork? He looked around warily, knowing the woods at their backs could be full of spies.

  She pushed open the postern door and looked up at him. "Did you kill Agnes?"

  "No."

  She took a deep breath, shook her head. "I want -- how can I believe you?" She appeared to struggle a moment, her mouth in a straight, determined line. "You speak of a ship -- but I remember no ship," she said.

  "And I would help you remember," he said urgently. "This affects both our lives. I ask that we talk privately where others cannot hear."

  She hesitated a moment. "Meet me later tonight after the house has quieted."

  "Shall I come to your chamber?"

  "No," she said quickly, "No -- those witches are ever hanging about. Meet me at the far edge of the courtyard by the twisted trees. The trees create a natural arbor. Do you know of where I speak?"

  "Yes."

  "I warn you, Camdork, if your news is not of my liking, I will not stay overlong."

  Erik grinned. "Well, it is my guess you may be intrigued by what I have to say. Good day, Iliana. Until later."

  Eric closed the door behind them and leaned against the sturdy wood. "My Lady Iliana?" he called.

  She turned back.

  "Thank you for the day." He smiled and saluted her. Quickly, she turned and hurried from him, but not before he had seen her fleeting smile.

  ¤¤

  Iliana paced the floor in the great hall, then began to help clear the tables for the next day's meal. Her mind was heavy, her thoughts racing.

  She planned to meet Camdork despite her fear and the warnings inside her head. There were too many things which did not make sense to her. The late afternoon and evening had been long and filled with arduous tasks. Despite her reservations about Camdork, she had enjoyed the festival. For a few short moments, she had forgotten her worries and she had forgotten Camdork's reputation.

  The afternoon had turned sour when she had lost sight of William for those tense moments. She had suffered a terrible panic, feared him taken, even though she had always trusted Rowenna. Rowenna, after all, was the daughter of Thomas the carpenter, a family long associated with the keep.

  Iliana worried about Camdork and his men-at-arms encamped in the courtyard and outside the walls. Her men patrolled, but she knew they would be no threat if Mandrak and his witches decided to cast evil spells.

  Only this evening she had learned of the death of another young girl in the village. Only fifteen, she had been the oldest daughter of a family that had lost a mother only last spring. The girl had been found drowned in a swamp on the edge of the village. These deaths reinforced Mandrak's threat to kill the innocent, whether he was responsible or not.

  Iliana walked up the stairs, down the darkened corridor and made her way to her chamber. William had been put down to sleep over an hour ago and she needed to see him undisturbed before going to meet Camdork. In truth, she was feeling bone tired tonight, but knew she dare not put this off for the morrow.

  She opened the door and quietly entered her chamber. The young girl Matilde lay next to her son on a pallet on the floor. She lifted her head when Iliana leaned over William's cradle.

  "He sleeps my lady."

  "Where is Rowenna?"

  "She will return in the morning, my lady."

  "Rest. I will return within the hour."

  The girl lay back upon her pallet. Iliana lifted the candle on the dressing table and moved closer to her life tapestry. Not unexpectedly, the tapestry showed in vivid d
etail the festivities of the day, little William in her arms, and Camdork with his double shadow. But something else she noted deeply disturbed her. There were three dark shadows lurking in the forest beyond the festivities. She moved her hand over the silken threads, and an area further beyond the festivities came into focus.

  She put a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp of shock. Beyond the trees several bodies lay in the swamp, sprawled upon the edge of the green abyss, a trail of blood leading back to the three forest shadows. Gently, Iliana touched the woven threads, watched the colors rearrange and swirl into a new placement.

  Far from the keep, far from the festivities, one man stood in the hills all the way to the edge of her tapestry. Could this be the sorcerer? A strange cloud surrounded him, its texture dense and dark. Leaning in for a closer inspection, Iliana began to see faces take shape in the dark cloud; faces expressing anguish and terror. Quickly, she stepped back, waving her hand over the cloth to wash away the scene. The sorcerer surely walked in evil as he carried poor souls with him.

  Greatly disturbed, she retraced her steps to the great hall below, moved quietly through the thick wooden door and made her way across the courtyard. None would follow her to the trees, mainly due to superstition and fear over their strange and twisted shapes. She knew the circle held vast amounts of energy, and that energy could be harnessed so that one might see worlds beyond the present. For Iliana, it represented a gateway; however, even she did not know the full power of the circle.

  Iliana entered the trees where the limbs bowed and created a natural opening for her to slip through. In the moonlight the limbs seemed to welcome her. She stepped inside and sought the stone bench. She knew he would be occupied with his horse in the stable for a little while. Iliana took note of the softly pulsing white light all around her.

  She closed her eyes, feeling the familiar sensation of lightness, her body as weightless as a feather as she slipped through the fabric of time and the constraints of gravity.

  Chapter Nine

  She lay so still, Erik feared she was dead. He ran over to Iliana, placed an arm under her shoulders and lifted her from the ground where she lay. Instantly, he felt as if a jolt of heat coursed throughout his entire body, then an electric jolt of pain traveled up the healing flesh of his relatively new wound. The sensation was not pleasant, and he struggled not to drop her.

  His mind was invaded by a barrage of images, people and places flashing across his eyes. He staggered, then sat on the stone bench, Iliana in his arms.

  Her body jerked, and then she sat upright, pulling away from the shelter of his arms. She came to her feet, then at once sat on the stone bench. As soon as her body left contact with his, the images abruptly ceased. Erik shook his head, trying to rid himself of the unsettling whirl of images.

  "What the devil was that?" he demanded, putting a hand to his head.

  "My Lord Camdork --" Shaky and uncertain, her voice was a mere thread of sound. "Surely the time is not right for us to meet." She rubbed her eyes. "Why have you come so early?"

  "It was time, or so I thought." Erik brought his face closer to hers in concern. "I came here and thought you injured or ill."

  "What has happened?" Iliana looked shaken, as if she were disoriented. "Never have I felt this way before." She looked around, her eyes wide in panic at the faint glow of pulsing light. "You are inside the sacred circle. H-how do you come to be in here?"

  Erik watched the strange light begin to dim. "I don't know about a sacred circle. I came through the trees to find you lying on the ground. You were white and cold as ice."

  "You touched me."

  Erik surged to his feet. "I thought you were injured."

  "Please forgive me. I am not quite myself."

  "Something strange occurred when I touched you."

  "What?"

  "It was a jolt, a shock to my body, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with images, people's faces and places."

  Carefully, Iliana said, "What kind of places?"

  Erik shook his head. "It is difficult to comprehend, much less give an explanation. It happened so quickly. When my hands no longer touched you, the images ceased. There were battles, people crying out, babies being born."

  Iliana stared at him in fascination. "This is strange," she muttered. "How could you possibly see more than I see? Please tell me what you saw."

  "One scene is clearer than the others. Many are fighting. Two men fall, a third hurries to their side and he too falls, an arrow from behind. There was a man on horseback, a light colored horse, concealed in the brush. It is he who shot the deadly arrows, taking down all three."

  Unable to contain herself, Iliana gave an anguished cry. "Three years I have tried to see, three years I have sought the truth of that day. And now you see it. How can that be?" Clearly agitated, she moved away from him, toward the opening in the trees.

  "Come, Iliana, be cautious. We might be easily seen from the castle walls. Tell me," he urged, daring to catch her hand and pull her back into the circle's center. "Tell me the significance of what I saw."

  Iliana spoke in an anguished voice. "It was Sir William, his two sons, the twins Aisyn and Desryn. They fell during a skirmish, taken down all three by a coward's arrow. All were shot in the back."

  "I am baffled and surely it was like a dream. How could I witness such an event?"

  "Many things are possible in the sacred circle. It occurred eight years ago. Sir William and Aisyn, their bodies were brought home for burial, and their wounds were recorded. Desryn was never recovered, never laid to rest in the family burial place."

  "This is your family?"

  She turned from him, bowed her head.

  "I am lady here, am I not?" she replied quietly. "Sir William was once the greatest knight in this realm. A dark enemy lured him into war and then killed them all."

  He nodded in somber reflection. "I understand your pain -- how keenly your loss must ache."

  "I am alone in this," she whispered. She put her arms around her waist. "How I have longed for comfort but dared not seek it."

  Erik dropped to the ground, leaned his back against the stone bench and drew up one knee. "Tell me how this happened," he urged.

  Iliana moved to perch on the stone bench. She pushed the hair behind her ears. "I cannot shake this uneasiness that stalks my memories of Camdork." She stared at him piercingly. "Sorenta tells me I should not still think of it, yet I cannot seem to let the images go."

  "This involves Camdork?"

  "Yes, but there are other memories that slip in and out. At times, I fear insanity. I feel as if I have lived another life." She looked at him sharply. "Many times things are not as they seem in this world."

  Erik grinned ruefully. "True. Dragons in the sky, a London court with a queen who never came to the throne, and a man who would be king but who is imprisoned. Wood carvings that come alive. The next thing," he said, humor creeping into his voice, "you will tell me there are unicorns throughout the forests."

  Iliana stared at the tree limbs sheltering them. "Nay, only one grand unicorn."

  Erik sat up straighter. "One?"

  She looked at him, waving a hand as if unicorns were of no importance right now. "I am gifted with certain knowledge. I can see the future, sometimes I am permitted to shape it so lives are not lost, but I have no idea how to control this knowledge, or even if there is a way for it to be controlled. Since William was born, I am almost afraid to come here. In this trance when I travel to other places I fear not being able to return. Should I be lost to my son, it would surely kill me."

  "Make me understand what you do and what you see."

  She stared at him for long moments. She bit her lip. "Time enough for that. Tell me again your name."

  "Erik Marcus Remington."

  "Erik, not Camdork. And yet you bear a resemblance to him."

  "So he claims. I do not see it."

  "How did this come about? Begin with the ship you sailed through time, and be exact in th
e telling -- this life you claim as Erik Remington."

  "I used to live in New York in the United States of America. Across the sea from England. I lived most of my early life at sea, save the years after I met my brother Darien. He persuaded me to try land living for a time. After Darien left, I went back to the sea. My crew and I do salvage diving. We dive to shipwrecks off shore in east coast waters."

  "For treasure?" she asked, sounded intrigued.

  He nodded. "Gems, coins, jewels and gold that went down with the ships. The coast is littered with such wrecks." Erik smiled. "I have quite a stash of gold buried, you know." He stared at her blue eyes. "If ever I make it back, I will go and dig it up."

  "And this brother, Darien, you said he and his wife are gone?"

  "It is an involved story. Suffice it to say I knew my brother a mere fifteen years. We found each other quite by accident. My father did not believe in wedding the women he loved, and he loved many. Darien was six months younger than I. We were half brothers."

  "You speak in the past?"

  "I think of it in the past, but I am no longer sure what is past and what is present. My brother has traveled far -- to another time and into the future." Erik watched for her reaction.

  Iliana watch him as if transfixed, a strange half smile parting her lips. "It is a fantasy tale," she finally whispered.

  "Perhaps." He sobered quickly. "Many times I have wondered did they reach their destination safely. I have told you something I expect never to tell another living soul. Regards our voyage here, I work for my government and chase ships that deal in white slavery. They promise women a better life, work, and then enslave them on their ship until they reach a far flung destination. The women are hidden away and become slaves to those who pay."

  "A loathsome trade," she derided. "Not so different from this time. What is your time?"

  "1844. It is that time you came to me aboard the Merry Maiden."

  Iliana frowned. "I have seen many places --" she hesitated, then shook her head.