Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels #5)(10)
Author: Catherine Bybee

He turned to look in Amber’s direction. “What’s making you sick, m’lady?”

She drew in a long-suffering breath. “My gift. I’m an empath. Since the day we destroyed Grainna, my powers have grown to the point of crippling my movement…my life. My mother foresaw my death in our time and sent me here to protect me. Only this is no better. Though I don’t share my mother’s ability to see the future, I know I don’t have long in this world as I am.”

“Don’t say that,” Helen scolded her.

Amber lifted her soulful gaze to Helen. “I’m not trying to frighten you. I’m stating a fact. I know my death is inevitable. I would have returned to my family to die at home, but their pain would be too great for me to bear as my last thoughts. Selfishly I must stay here where only the three of you will suffer the pain. For that I’m sorry.”

Giles would have liked to offer reassurance, but all his books pointed to the fact Amber did die young.

Simon rested a hand on his wife’s shoulder as he addressed Giles, “The Ancients brought you to us, so you must hold the answers.”

“I’ve never heard of any Druid dying because of their gift. Quite the opposite. But then there has never been a presence as dark as Grainna who needed to be defeated. Didn’t it take your entire clan to destroy her?”

“Aye.”

Giles stood and started to pace the room. “It’s been told that when one Druid destroys another the surviving soul can absorb the powers of the other.”

“Only if the Druid is dark. Amber isn’t,” Helen reminded them.

“My powers increased, but not the way Amber’s did,” Simon said.

Giles stared at Simon with renewed interest. “Which MacCoinnich are you?” Could he actually be in the presence of two original family members?

“My mother is Liz. Elizabeth MacCoinnich.”

“You’re Finlay’s son?”

“Yes. Adoptive, but Fin is my father.”

Giles scratched his head. “The books don’t speak of an adopted son.”

Simon shrugged. “I was born in this century to my mother. We both traveled back in time.”

“The books aren’t clear, but I always thought there were some connections made through time travel.”

“While the refresher on the family tree is fascinating, can we get back to saving Amber’s life?” Helen’s voice cracked as she spoke. “The Ancients aren’t known to drop arbitrary people into our laps without a purpose. You must know something useful.”

“Right!” Giles crossed the room to the book he’d been studying when he’d slipped in time. “I was searching this book for references to you, Amber. There are some passages in here from your family’s children, and their children.”

“Why me?”

“Kincaid asked that I search for the name behind a portrait he noticed on one of his travels. He’d not seen it before.”

“Kincaid?” Amber’s soft voice asked.

“Yeah.” Giles stopped flipping pages and straightened his shoulders. “Did you by chance sit for a painting? One with your hair down and without the robe you’re wearing?”

“Aye. Last season. The portrait hangs on the wall in my parents’ chambers.”

“Seems I found the answer to Kincaid’s question, but not to yours.” Could the Ancients have brought him to this time because of his question and not to save Amber? Or was there more to learn from the old leather-bound pages?

“Let me help.” Helen jumped up from her chair and placed her hands over the book. “Show me!” she whispered.

Without warning, the book opened, slamming the cover to the table, and the pages within flipped, paused, and started flipping again.

Giles spotted the page numbers as the book paused every few chapters before moving on. When the end of the book was reached, the book closed and slid across the table, catching Giles across his thighs.

They all stood perfectly still and said nothing. And then Mrs. Dawson chuckled. “I do believe that was a magical slap,” she declared. “Seems you have some reading to do, Giles.”

Giles lifted the book, felt the energy around it snap against his fingertips.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I think I’ll retire.” Amber slowly walked to the door and offered him a smile. “Thank you in advance for searching for answers, Mr. Giles.”

“I won’t sleep until I’ve found a cure.” He wouldn’t.

Once her retreating footfalls were no longer heard, Simon turned his attention toward him. “How do you like your coffee?”

Coffee? Real coffee? Perhaps this century had its perks after all. “Black.”

****

“Can we follow him?” Rory asked

“We could try, but we might be running into a trap. Whoever did this is powerful,” Colin said.

They met in the basement safe room while Sybil and Mathew searched the compound looking for breaks in the wards they’d placed to protect those inside.

“But Colleen feels he hasn’t left the house. How can we be falling into a trap if he’s still inside these walls?”

“How did he shift time? He’s not marked and he wasn’t in any of the portals.” Kincaid absently rubbed his left arm where his mark had been etched into his skin like a tattoo over a decade ago. Only warriors, and strong ones at that, were chosen to shift time. Kincaid’s ability to take others with him made him more valuable than most.

“He was summoned,” Colleen said with absolute conviction. “The path of energy sought him out.”

“Are you sure, Lena?” Only Colin got away with calling his sister by her pet name.

She nodded once then directed her attention to Kincaid. “You were talking about the first family.”

“Yes. And Giles was searching for information about the youngest daughter. He thinks hers was the portrait I saw on the wall of the Keep.”

From the stairwell, Sybil and Mathew jogged down to join them.

“Well?”

“Everything is secure. There was a breach over the library when we arrived.” Mathew glanced at Sybil.

“Did you mend it?”

Sybil shook her head. “We didn’t need to. It mended itself.”

Her announcement took everyone by surprise.

“I don’t like this!” Colin shoved out of his chair. “Someone, or something, reached its hand into our fortress, snatched Giles, and covered its path? Who is that powerful?”