Page 11 of Luthias

“Your guards may.” The birthmarked man gestured for the others to move away, and then Emery saw Luthias approaching them.

“That’s the guy who talked about beating me,” she whispered to her new friend. “Could you not let him do that?”

“He’ll need go through me first, my lady.” He awkwardly patted her shoulder as if to reassure her.

“I’ll take her, Darach.” Luthias inspected her before he said, “Mistress Parker, you should be resting. Permit me escort you back to your chamber.”

“Really? Ameron told me that it was your chamber. Don’t you have any guest rooms around here?” Looking down her nose at a man who stood a foot and a half taller than her required some clever head tilting, but she managed. “I don’t know why this happened, but I’m here, so let’s be friends, okay? Where’s that sword with the magic powers? I’d really like to look at that one again.”

“I told her a wee bit of the legend,” Luthias said to Darach, who sighed.

“Dinnae pay heed to her lies,” the bad hair day guy said as he pushed his way through the other men to join them. He gave Emery a look so full of contempt she expected him to try to punch her again. “’Tis clear she serves the Carack. Give me an hour with her, my lord, and I’ll ferret out why.” As the pale, dark-haired highlander made a rough sound he glared at him. “Think you I shallnae, Taveon? I dinnae care she’s a wench.”

Boy, this guy really had it in for her. Since Emery had always been the smallest one in her grade school classes, however, she’d learned early on how to deal with bullies like him.

“Who are you? The clan’s biggest blockhead?” As the men around them chuckled, she regarded the bully. “Look, I don’t know who the Carack is, but I don’t serve him or anyone.” She leaned closer to Darach to murmur in a loud stage whisper, “Does he know Halloween isn’t for another four months?”

“Pay no mind to that dolt, lass.” Her new friend stepped in front of her, one of his big hands knotting into a fight-ready fist while the other curled around the hilt of the sword sheathed on his hip. “You’ll no’ put a hand on the lady, Camdyn.”

The jerk gave him an ugly smile and grabbed the hilt of his blade. “Shall I make that a lie for you, Chieftain?”

Oh, these two really didn’t like each other, Emery thought, genuinely alarmed now. What she really needed to do was find out how she could go back to the twenty-first century, not instigate a brawl between guys armed with claymores, daggers and God only knew what else.

“No fighting, gentlemen. It’s okay, I am a little tired, so I’ll head back to the chamber with the laird. I need to talk to him about things anyway.” She went to Luthias and tucked her arm through his. “Come on, let’s go before they start with the swords.”

The laird didn’t say anything until after he guided her through the highlanders and past Ameron and the other guard to go back up the stairs. “My thanks, Mistress Parker. You’ve a fair hand at managing contention.”

“No problem. Darach is very nice, by the way, but that Camdyn guy definitely has some issues.” When they reached the chamber she saw two young men in dark, embroidered robes waiting on either side of the door. Both of them looked at her as if she were dressed in a thong bikini and interested in a threesome. “Are these friends of yours, too?”

“Of a kind. No’ now, lads.” Luthias waved off the pair, who bowed and trudged away as if disappointed. “They shallnae harm you. They belong to the enclave of sages that serves the MacRoss.”

An enclave of sages. Right. Next he would tell her they had fairies working in the kitchens, and fire-breathing dragons in the dungeons.

Still, at this point, she thought, anything was possible. “What do the sages do?”

“Many things to help the clan and our vassals.” He opened the door and followed her inside.

As she watched he added some wood to the fire, and then sat down in one of the chairs by the hearth. She was glad he hadn’t perched on the bed, which would have been awkward, and went to sit on a little bench beside the fire so she could warm her hands.

“Who is the Carack?” Emery asked first.

“They’re a clan whose territory border ours on the east.” Luthias’s jaw tightened. “They mine the highlands for gold, silver and precious stones, and possess much wealth, but they’ve ever coveted our lands.”

“So they’re your rivals. Okay. Please tell everyone that I don’t work for them when you get a chance.” She pushed back her hair. “Oh, did you take my hair clip?”

“Aye, forgive me.” He took it out of a pouch on his belt and handed it to her. “I needed to convince my men that you come from another time.”

“I think they got that message loud and clear.” Emery took it and expertly twisted up her hair before clipping it back from her face. “So why did your sword bring me here?”

“Do you believe what I’ve told you, then?” Luthias asked.

“I don’t want to,” Emery told him frankly. “I know there are a couple of castles in New Hampshire, but none of them look like this. Since I don’t carry my passport around with me, I doubt you could have flown me to Scotland. I can spot a medieval reproduction a mile away, and all of this”––she gestured around her––“looks too much like the real thing. Even your clan reads fourteenth century Scots to me, what with the tough talk and squabbling. They probably lift great big round stones to prove how manly they are, right?”

The laird smiled a little. “Aye, so some do.”

“I’m definitely in Scotland in the Middle Ages, then.” She shifted a little on the bench, and remembered the etched stone chip in her pocket, which she took out and handed to him. “I found this when I woke up. Did you drop it on the bed?”

“No.” Luthias said, turning it over to study the symbol. “’Tis a love charm. I’ve no’ seen one of these for many years.”