Highland Shifter (MacCoinnich Time Travels #4)(68)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“Didn’t the prisoner give any clues where to look?”

Duncan laughed. “A man of loyalty doesn’t divulge his laird’s secrets.”

Helen pinched her eyes together. “Well don’t you guys torture in this time?”

Simon shot Helen a smile. “Bloodthirsty, lass?”

“Well there has to be some benefit to living in this time.”

“The man wouldn’t speak, lass. Hard as we tried to loosen his tongue,” Ian explained.

“Now what?” Tara asked.

“We find him. How hard can finding one man be?” Helen turned to Ian.

“If it were only so easy. The Highlands are vast, Helen. What you say is not so easily done.”

Simon noticed the frustration mounting in Helen’s stance. Her hands ran over her arms and her fingers dug into her palms.

“I found Simon on a different continent and in a different time. I’m sure I can find Malcolm in the same neighborhood.”

“You can do that, lass?”

“Sure. Why not?” Helen shrugged her shoulders and glanced around the room to astonished eyes. “Why the looks? We all have a gift. Mine just isn’t often useful…well, until now.”

Ian let a rare smirk spread over his face while he glanced to his oldest son.

Duncan shrugged and turned to Fin.

“How can we help?” Fin asked as he rubbed his palms together.

She hesitated. “I guess a picture of the guy is out. No personal affects. I could talk with Philip—”

“No!” Simon shouted the word.

“It’s not my first choice, either, but he does know the guy.”

“What else can you use?”

Helen placed her palms together and brought them up to her face, taping her nose in thought. “We believe Malcolm had one of the stones, right?”

“Aye.”

“The smaller stones came from the larger ones. Where are those?”

“Hidden about the Keep,” Ian told her.

“Bring them to me. I have an idea.”

Ian nodded to Duncan. Fin and Duncan quickly left the room to retrieve the stones.

Simon leaned close to Helen’s ear. “You think you can truly do this?”

She smiled with only a hint of hesitation. “Hey, I’m a time traveler. I have the ‘finding people’ thing down.”

He chuckled, running a hand over her soft cheek. “’Tis good to see you smile again.”

Helen leaned into his touch. “We’ll get through this.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

With every ounce of bravo Helen could muster, she placed the stones in a line and concentrated. Her fingers tingled, whether from anxiety over the past days, or her gift kicking in, she couldn’t tell.

She stroked the necklace hanging from her neck and pulled in a deep breath. Her skin tingled until she hovered her hand over the stones, feeling the vibration of one. She lifted the stone and placed it to her side.

“Is that the one?”

“No, that one gave me my necklace.” The feeling was absolute as she moved to the next. She envisioned Amber and quickly removed the stone on the far right. “Amber’s”

She thought of Cian. But when she lifted that stone she didn’t add it to the elimination pile. “This is Cian’s. But we don’t know if his knife drove Malcolm here.”

Staring at the remaining stones, her vision blurred. Helen spread her fingers wide and closed her eyes.

Malcolm, buddy boy, which one are you?

She smelled a fire and rain. At first both hands tingled, making her wonder if she’d narrow her search to one. Soon the overall sensations muted and heat took its place. A cold gush of air met her palms as she moved them over the stones on her right. Keeping her eyes closed, heat emanated from one. When she rested her palm on it, the sizzling of her skin singed all the way to her skull. “This one.”

Everyone in the room sighed.

“What now?” Lora asked.

Helen lifted the stone in her hand and smiled. “We go find the bastard and make him stop.”

“We? There is no we.” Simon corrected from behind her.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s too dangerous for a woman to—”

“Save it, Simon. I don’t have a death-wish or anything, but unless you can use this thing as a laser pointer to Philip’s brother, you don’t have a choice but to take me with you.”

Simon placed both of his massive hands on his hips, ready to fight her.

“The lass has a point.”

Fin stepped forward. “And if she’s anything like your mother arguing with her will only waste time.”

Helen smiled.

“I don’t like it.” Simon glared at his father. “The battlefield is no place for a woman.”

“Agreed,” Ian said.

Helen opened her mouth to protest.

“Don’t bother,” Tara told her. “They’ll kick this around for a few minutes, grumble about the weakness of our sex, and then fold.”

Duncan glared at his wife.

“What? Did I stutter?”

Lora chuckled under her breath.

Ian shook his head. “The lass is right. No use pretending we can do this without Helen’s help. We’ll keep her safe, Simon. No harm will come to her as long as I have breath.”

Todd, who had kept silent through the whole exchange backed away from the door. “I’ll gather Philip and meet you in the courtyard. I don’t know about you, but I miss my wife and kids. Let’s get this done.”

“Good point,” Fin moved to Todd’s side. “I’ll help.”

Helen glanced down at her gown. “I need to get out of this.”

“Dammit,” Simon muttered as he led her from the room to change clothes.

* * * *

Rain drizzled against them as the horses plucked their way over the green hills. Ian used his gift repeatedly driving the heavy rains away. Helen was still soaked.

Simon sat behind her on Kong, the two of them leading the way. Helen ran her hand over the stone she’d tucked into the waistband of her pants. Her skin tingled and pulsed, the stone acting as a compass. She lifted her hand and pointed to the west, the rest followed.

Their small party had left the Keep as dawn broke. It was past noon now. They hadn’t seen another soul since leaving, and from the expressions on the men’s faces, they worried.

Helen glanced over at Fin. He led another horse that carried Philip. Draped over the ass end of the animal, Philip was anything but comfortable. Many times in the first hour of their trip, Helen noticed Philip attempting to watch where they were going. Trying to keep his head up must have been too difficult and now he simply hung there. She wanted to muster an ounce of sympathy for him, but then remembered the terror he’d put her through.