Highland Destiny (2 page)

What is it?" her voice strained as she worried about her friend.

"You shall follow us. My son will lead the way." The elderly man definitely looked uncomfortable.

Concern colored her tone, "Where?"

"Follow us," the plain man answered, and he turned without waiting for her reply.

Mackenzie did follow, more out of curiosity than anything.

The two men led her to a wall at the far end of the loft in the gallery. But before she could question their sanity, the old man pushed a tapestry aside and pulled on a lever causing part of the wall to swing open. Mackenzie gasped, and stepped back. The old man walked into the dark passage without hesitating, and the other man looked at Mackenzie briefly before grabbing her upper arm and pulling her in behind them.

Scotland 1792

The carriage was unbearably unforgiving. The horses flew along the craggy road (if it could indeed be called a road, Mackenzie had her doubts) as if the hounds of hell were chasing after them. Mackenzie sat on a wooden bench covered with a velvet pad that did nothing for her sore bottom as she felt every pebble and bump. "The Princess and the Pea" came to mind, and she almost smiled. Almost. The carriage's other two companions, the elderly man and his middle-aged son, gave her looks begging her forgiveness.

Mackenzie still couldn't believe it. She, Mackenzie Stewart, born in 1987, who just this morning had woken in the year 2010, was actually in a carriage in the Highlands of Scotland!

And that was not the crazy part! It was now the year of our Lord, Seventeen hundred and ninety-two. This time, the wave of nausea that encompassed thinking of the date didn't take as long to pass. She was getting used to the idea. Maybe she just figured that she was dreaming. Either way, her stomach only lurched this time due to the jostling of the carriage.

When the Nutty Professor here and his son had literally pulled her through the secret passage, she had screamed bloody murder. After a couple of good screams, Mackenzie had seen the concern in their eyes, and had thought them harmless. She'd figured them to be part of the castle tour, dressed up in period garb and speaking of Highland lairds and curses; so she'd played along. So, harmless indeed, she'd 14

She noticed the subtle and not so subtle changes in the outside of the castle, it looked smaller and brighter. And the sky...it was clear and sunny, not at all the grey overcast sky of an autumn day that had greeted her just hours ago. Then she had been bustled into a carriage, and a lump of soft wool had been thrust into her arms.

"You'll be needin' to change your garments, Miss Stewart."

The older of the two had spoken first, while she eyed what turned out to be a cloak and gown.

The look Mackenzie gave them was incredulous. Like she was really going to change her clothes in front of two perfect strangers! Right. They had some explaining to do. So she pulled the cloak around herself and pursed her lips instead, waiting.

Perhaps sensing the reason for her hesitation, the older man spoke again.

"Please forgive our methods, my Lady, however, we have great need of your assistance. It was foretold by the stars; the Stewart lass from a different time shall come through the gate and end the curse."

She played along, "And just how do you know that I am the right 'Stewart lass?' There have to be a million of us."

15

"You are the answer to the curse that has plagued our lands."

This time it was the younger of the pair who spoke.

"How?" It was stated so flatly that it almost wasn't a question. Mackenzie was afraid that she'd been kidnapped by a couple of crazies, what with their talk of the stars foretelling of her little time travelling adventure. But how could she deny what she'd already seen? Was
she
the crazy one?

"Why, you are the Stewart lass, it is to be." The younger man answered her again, in a tone that was so sure of the statement that Mackenzie raised her eyebrows and blinked.

His father took over.

"On Samhain, or as you would call it, All Hallows Eve, you shall help to defeat the Campbell laird and stop the end of his cruel vendetta against the neighboring clans. You are to break the curse your ancestors put upon these lands. Then our lands shall prosper without bloodshed once again."

"What do you mean 'my ancestors,'" Mackenzie demanded.

"What curse? And how on Earth am I supposed to help defeat some bloodthirsty tyrant? It's not as if I'm a ninja or a Navy SEAL. What exactly am I supposed to do? What is it you expect from me?"

16

"Well, we have foreseen that you'll be distractin' the Campbell with wedding and feast details, so that he will not be as intent on" he cleared his throat, "attacking the other clans."

"Excuse me? You expect me to be able to distract him from killing all of his neighbors with wedding plans?!" The incredulity was evident through the sarcasm.
What man has
ever been distracted by wedding details?
"You pulled me from my century to discuss wedding plans with an evil dictator?

Right. This is going to work soo well..."

"It will work." The authority of the old man rang in each word. "You are going to pique his curiosity enough that he will be so intent on being with you, that it will delay his other" he hesitated "plans." He added quickly, "Then Gregor and I shall use the distraction to gain access to and study the sacred texts." Then he muttered under his breath, "And we shall do so before he sacrifices you."

"Who's Gregor?" Mackenzie asked faintly before his words sank in, "Wait, WHAT?"

"Oh, have we forgotten to introduce ourselves? I am Morvern, and this is my son Gregor. We are the sorcerers of John Campbell. This is how we know of his plans, and how we hope to thwart his unpleasant plots."

17

You two are insane!" Mackenzie was almost shouting at them.

"You brought me here to have me
sacrificed
? No, uh-uh, no way, you can just take me right back home. Now. There is no way in hell that I am staying here to pretend to marry a man who wants to kill me. Absolutely not!"

Morvern and Gregor shifted in their seats during her rant, but Morvern calmly stated, "Of course we shall return you to your time before he kills you." He was trying to soothe her, but Mackenzie was still freaked. Not only was her mind being asked to process time travel and magic, but now she had to act like a girl who was in love with the man who wanted to kill her. She felt nauseous again. Morvern continued, "Once we have an idea of what exactly it is that we need to do to accomplish this, we shall contact his most hated enemy, who is also the laird of the most powerful of the clans, Connor MacRae. The MacRae has been looking for a way to end the feuding and to dispose of the Campbell for years. He will help our cause."

Mackenzie thought that Morvern sounded like he was hoping this Connor guy would help, rather than being certain of the fact. She had no idea how she was supposed to believe these magicians, or whatever they were, when they didn't even sound too sure of themselves.

"Wait, wait, wait. Let's just think about this." Mackenzie was holding her hands out, palms facing them, and emphasizing each word with her hands. "You don't even know if this guy will help you or not? And you want me to agree to an engagement that has me being killed at the end rather 18

"We will do what we can to protect you, of course." Gregor pulled a heavy piece of jewelry from his cloak, and handed it to her. "This amulet has been charmed with a protection spell and it is also the key to getting you back to your time. It will open the portal on Samhain and you will be returned to your time as if nothing ever happened."

The talk of her going home calmed Mackenzie enough to find her voice.

"And what if I refuse to help you?"

Morvern looked staggered by her soft question, but Gregor looked smug, "The time when the gate opens again is set.

There will not be another opening until All Saints Day, the first day of November, and after that not until the end of the year."

"So I don't really have any choice in this, do I?" her tone was sour, even under the anger at being roped into this.

Morvern tried to placate her by saying, "We will not force you into our feud. If you choose not to help us, we shall find a way to hide you until the gate opens."

"And that's what, a month away?"

"Yes."

Mackenzie's mind was reeling. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose and hunching her shoulders, while she so casually discussed her fate. She figured that she really had nothing to lose; besides, she wasn't altogether convinced that this wasn't a dream. She exhaled forcefully, 19

"Okay, I'm here, I might as well do a good deed. So, you've dragged me 200 years into the past, now what?"

Gregor spoke up, "Now you will play your role. You shall use your middle name, it is Isabella, is it not?" At Mackenzie's hesitant nod, he explained, "Your given name is quite unusual in our time. Then you shall play the part of a woman excited at the prospect of a smart match. He is wealthy and titled, and in this time, that is enough for any bride-to-be. Your distractions must center on having him show you his lands and meeting his people. It will be time consuming, and a safe enough topic. You will need to dress accordingly. I hope you do not mind that we have taken the liberty of sending a trunk of clothing ahead for you?"

Mackenzie shook her head, feeling dizzy that they had this all worked out to such a degree. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. What about the fact that she was nothing at all like a proper lady of this time? Her mannerisms and her manner of speech, wait, she wasn't even Scottish!

Panic made her voice come out a little higher than normal,

"But I'm not Scottish. How am I supposed to explain how I behave and talk? And I know nothing about this time, and what do I call him? What's his first name? And what about..."

Mackenzie's voice trailed off as the fear clawed its way up her throat.

"Calm down, please. It is common in this time for men and women to know nothing more than each other's names before marriage. He has been told that you are Isabella Stewart.

20

Mackenzie rolled her eyes at that and muttered, "Right, this should be a piece of cake."

"Might I continue?" At Mackenzie's chagrined nod, he resumed his description of her character. "You are a little older than the average bride, so the story is that you were betrothed to a Frenchman whom you left on the day of the wedding. Although your reputation has not been tarnished, you chose not to marry any of the other potential suitors." He handed her something long and sparkly; a knife with jewels on the handle.

"Here is a
dirk
for your protection. You must hide it on your person once we have reached his keep."

"And once we reach his 'keep,' what then? It's the middle of the night!" Mackenzie was really nervous at the idea of meeting this Campbell guy, and she doubted that waking him up in the dead of night was the way to start off their relationship. Especially one where she needed to hide a dagger under her gown, and pray he didn't kill her on the wedding night. With that thought resonating in her head, she tucked the dagger into her waistband.

"We won't arrive until well into the day," Gregor spoke in a patronizing tone, as if to a child.

"Oh."

21

"My Lady, please do not fret. You will be the distraction we so desperately need, and it will work splendidly. Once we are able to vanquish him, you will be sent home immediately after. You need only act as a besotted bride for a few weeks and all will work itself out."

Right, act like a spoiled, obnoxious, brat to make the evil
warlord like me, this'll work
. Mackenzie was having trouble wrapping her head around the whole scheme. She blew out a long breath and squared her shoulders. At least she didn't have to do anything dangerous. This Highland warrior they were hoping would help was supposed to do all that stuff. All she had to do was visit a lord in his castle. And survive. Well, it wasn't like she was going to be held prisoner against her will. She was going in completely aware. Besides, she would be treated as a lady, with the privileges and graces afforded to one who would marry a man of that station. Mackenzie felt slightly hopeful that this whole crazy plan might work.