Chapter 16

Mac heard the muffled sounds of shouting, and in the distance someone called his name. The pain was a part of him now. It wrapped him in a red blanket as his consciousness drifted toward a dark void that promised relief and comfort. He was not going to give in to it.

He was not ready. He would not go. Not yet. The pain was steady as it pumped the blood out of his body and with it the will to live. He had to stop the tide, at least until he knew Ana was safe. The last thing he remembered was Roderick pulling her away toward Edinburgh Castle.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, knowing what would follow. Shards of pain cut through him, breaking the web that had encased him. Now he must…stand. He clenched his teeth together.

He heard Jamie’s voice and felt hands pushing gently on his shoulders.

“Do not move.” There was a trail of tears down Jamie’s dirt-smudged face.

“I must.” The effort to speak brought a fresh wave of pain. “Bind this wound. I’m losing too much blood.”

“I’ve nothing—”

“Your shirt.” It was no doubt dirty, but he wasn’t going to live long enough to worry about the luxury of dying from an infection.

Jamie pulled his shirt over his head. He pushed it against the knife wound in Mac’s back and tied the sleeves across his stomach. Jamie wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffed.

“How is it?”

“Needs to be tighter.” Mac groaned as Jamie did as he was told. “That’s good. Help me to my feet.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Ye cannot.”

“Ana needs me. Just do it, and get me a sword. I think there’s one in the stuff Finn’s squire brought. Then head me in the direction Roderick took Ana.”

Jamie put his arm around Mac’s waist and pulled. Mac stood unsteadily, a renewed current of pain spreading through him. He mentally brushed it away. He’d played football with injuries all his life. He was used to blocking out pain.

He’d never needed that skill more than now. This time it wasn’t for him but for the woman he loved. Thoughts of her flooded his mind as he saw Jamie lead two horses toward him.

Jamie handed Dragon’s reins to Mac. “Ye lack the strength to walk across the tournament field, let alone to Edinburgh Castle. I have strapped Finn’s sword to your saddle.”

Mac nodded and let Jamie help him onto his horse’s back. “Thank you. You have been a good friend.”

Jamie blinked away his tears. “Ye are not going alone.”

“Jamie, the risk is too high.”

Jamie shook his head and mounted his horse. “We are wasting time.”

Mac smiled, and Jamie slapped Dragon on the rump. Wind cooled him as he and Jamie rode toward Edinburgh Castle.

Mac wished he could stay in this century. There was no place he’d rather be. No place he’d felt more at home. When he was with Ana the world made sense.

She had to survive. It didn’t matter what happened to him. He’d rather die than return to his own time and have to live out his life without her.

****

Flames devoured the tapestries hungrily. Ana reached for Rhiannon’s hand. There was no way to escape. Roderick fought to beat out the flames with a section of the last tapestry her mother had worked on.

Ana reached down and grabbed the blade Roderick had dropped. Outside, on the tournament field, Mac was lying in a pool of his own blood, his face the color of ash, his eyes mirroring the pain he had endured for her.

Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, “I love you, Mac.”

The heat of the fire and the smell of smoke pressed in on her. Ana tightened her grip on the Golden Sword. She held the blade before her with both hands. The flames reflected on the steel. She was prepared for death and vowed to take Roderick with her. Her only regret was that her mother would die as well.

She raised her voice above the roar of the flames. “It has ended.”

Roderick dropped the tapestry and drew his sword from his scabbard. He turned toward her. “You cannot destroy me. Your champion lies in his own blood. You and your mother will follow him to the grave.” He swung his blade toward her.

She deflected the attack and readied herself for another assault. Ana felt the strength and power of the Golden Sword travel through her.

Roderick raised his weapon and swung it over his head. Flames curled around her. He hissed, “You cannot escape me.”

A tapestry snapped free of the wall. Roderick turned toward the sound and screamed. He held up his sword as if to ward off an attack. The tapestry plummeted to the ground, covering Roderick in a blanket of flames. His muffled screams rippled through the room.

Another tapestry thundered to the ground, and another.

Ana reached for her mother and together they backed toward the door. They pushed against it, but it was stuck. Ana’s pulse raced. They were trapped.

She turned and faced the chamber. A wall of fire rose before her. The smoke was so thick she could hardly see, hardly breathe. She coughed. Ana remembered once seeing someone tied to a wooden stake. Fire had burned away flesh as easily as wax on a candle. Ana shuddered and felt the hot sting of the flames against her skin.

She screamed and called out Mac’s name. She knew he was beyond her reach, but she wanted his name to be on her lips before—

The sound of pounding rose above the roar of the fire. The vibration was coming from behind her. Someone was trying to save them.

“Stand back,” a muffled voice called out.

The door burst open. Jamie threw a wet blanket over her mother’s head. Someone did the same with her. She fought against the person who held her.

“No. Please let me go. Mac needs me. I must go to him.” She felt dizzy. Ana was lifted into a man’s arms.

The damp wool soothed her skin as she was held gently against his chest. He was speaking to her, whispering words she could not hear over the roar of the fire. In her dazed state, the voice sounded like Mac’s. She knew it could not be him. He was lost to her forever. She had survived. How could she go on without him?

****

“Ana, my daughter. You have been asleep for too long.”

She coughed and opened her eyes.

Rhiannon lifted a goblet to Ana’s lips. “It is time to awaken.”

Ana took a long drink of the wine. She was sitting on a blanket of soft cool grass. It framed the shore of her enchanted pond. She was back at Dannon Manor. It would seem lonely without Mac.

Danu and Colin walked toward them. Danu smiled.

“I am glad to see you have recovered at long last. Rhiannon, Fergus and Jamie are hungry and vow they can eat a haggis between them.”

Rhiannon smiled and kissed Ana on the cheek.

“Rest, my daughter. I will have some broth brought to you. You are fortunate. Your burns were slight and will not scar.”

It mattered not to her. She took a deep breath. “Who saved me? I would thank him.”

Her mother smiled and pointed behind Ana.

She turned. Her champion stood before her, the morning sun glistening behind him. The air stilled.

Was she dreaming? She whispered, “Mac?”

He winced and knelt beside her. “In the flesh. Although that could be debated. I’ve lost so much blood, Danu and Rhiannon were beginning to think I’d drained myself dry. But I was worried about you. I kept calling to you, and for a while I thought you’d never wake up. It was my idea to bring you here. I thought the fresh air would bring you back to me.” He grinned. “And it worked.”

Rhiannon cleared her throat. “Well, I can see I am no longer needed. Come, sister, we will see to the others.”

Ana heard the rustle of leaves and knew she and Mac had been left alone. Her fingers trembled as she put them over his mouth. It was warm to the touch. She was not dreaming. She had never thought she would see him again, touch him… “You are alive.”

He smiled. “Of course I’m alive. Who do you think saved you from the fire?”

She could feel the release of tears travel down her cheek. “I thought you dead.”

“What kind of champion would I be if I allowed a few broken ribs, sword wounds, not to mention the loss of gallons of blood, to stop me from rescuing the woman I love?”

She felt warmed at the words he spoke. “It is not possible that you are still here. Roderick is dead and my mother safe, so you should have returned to your own time.”

He shrugged. “Your mother took care of that when she burned the tapestries. Clever lady. However, when I first heard what she’d done, I thought she really had gone mad. Then she explained it to me. Actually it took more than once.”

She reached for his hand and held it close to her heart. “Do not keep me in suspense, how did she manage the change? She told me it could not be done.”

“It can’t. That is, not until the events in the tapestry unfold. At the moment the events in real life and on the tapestries coincide, that is when time can be altered by burning the fabric.” He leaned over and kissed her softly on her lips. “Now back to my question.”

She smiled. “What question?”

“Do you love me?”

“Have I not told you over and over?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, but that was when you thought you could get rid of me. Do you love me?”

She laughed. “Of course I love you. Now and forever. You are the man I conjured from my dreams.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that. There’s something I have to do.” Mac reached for the football that was wrapped in a blanket on the grass. He uncovered it and held it in both hands. “This should be the right spot.” He turned to Ana. “Do you remember when you and I stood beside the water and you told me about the Lady of the Lake?”

She nodded.

He continued. “You said the energy is associated with the ebb and flow of time and new beginnings.”

She smiled. “When you truly believe, it is then you will succeed in having your wishes come true.”

“Let’s see what happens. It’s time to ask the Lady of the Lake a favor.” He threw the football in a high arc into the center of the lake. “That should do it.”

It dropped into the center and ripples circled out toward the sides of the pond.

“Mac, my love, I thought you did not believe in such things.”

“There was a time when I didn’t believe it possible to travel through time, or find someone to love. I’m glad I’m not always right.”

She snuggled close to him. “But we already have assurance that you will stay here.”

He kissed her lightly on the top of the head. “That was not my wish.”

She looked over at him. “What do you mean?”

He smiled. “I wished for the Lady of the Lake to let me know if you would obey my every command. If the football sank to the bottom, that means yes, if it rose to the surface, that means no.”

Ana started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

She pointed to the center of the pond. “It seems as though the Lady of the Lake has given her answer. I fear you may be disappointed.”

He looked in the direction Ana had indicated. The football had bobbed to the surface of the water.

Mac pulled her into his arms and smiled. “She knows my heart after all.”