Page 21 of Treachery in the Highlands
"Magic, Father, that's what brought Joey here.The sort of magic our family has guarded for generations."
"You told him of our magics?"He sighs heavily, shaking his head."Your actions have been very foolish and quite unlike you.Have you no sense of the peril you might have unleashed in our home?"
I bite my lip, frantically scrambling for a plausible explanation.
My father glowers at Joey once again."What is your vocation, Joey Finnegan?"
"Well, I---" Joey makes a pained face."In the twenty-first century, I was an orphan who became a petty thief.Not proud of my lifestyle.It's just what I had to do to survive."
My father's face is turning an odd shade of crimson, and I must say something to stop him from ejecting Joey from the castle.But before I can speak, a commotion erupts from the hallway.The door bursts open, and my Great-Aunt Lachina stumbles in, her eyes wild and unfocused.
"The veil!"she cries, her voice raspy and urgent."The veil between worlds has been torn!"
Father's attention snaps to Lachina.His brows furrow, and his voice abruptly becomes gentler."What do ye mean,gràidh?Explain so we might all understand your upset."
Lachina's gaze fixes on Joey, and she points an accusing finger at him."This one...he has crossed through time itself.Dark forces pursue him, Kieran.Forces that threaten us all!"
The room falls silent, save for the crackling of the hearth fire.Never have I known Lachina to be so afeard.Her face is pale, and she wrings her hands.
My mother, who had remained in the background thus far, now clasps Father's hand."Relax, Kieran.Let's hear what this guy has to say before we toss him down the garderobe shaft."
"Mayhap you are correct,mo chridhe.Your wisdom always exceeds mine."
Joey surreptitiously clasps my hand, squeezing it gently.I can feel the tension radiating from him, but he stands tall, meeting my father's glowering gaze.
"It's true, Mr.MacTaggart," Joey concedes, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation."I don't know how I got here, only that I was at the modern version of this castle when---wham!---I got sucked into a tornado and then dropped into a whirlpool in the moat.And I think...well, I'm beginning to realize it must have something to do with your family's magic.Jeez, I can't believe I'm talking about witchcraft."
Father's eyes dart between Joey, Lachina, and me."Rachel, ye will explain this.Now."
I lay my hands over my belly, lifting my chin."Joey appeared at Dùndubhan through a portal.One that I suspect our ancestors created long ago, though it had been dormant for many moons.He's from the future, and he escaped to Dùndubhan because bad men were after him."
Before the laird can chastise me,Màthairinterjects."Rachel, if Joey is wanted by bad men, maybe there's a good reason for that.How much do you know about him?"
How can I respond to her question?I know so little about the man I allowed to ravish me, yet I know in my bones that he would never harm me.My family remains too skeptical to understand my feelings.
"The threads of fate are becoming entangled," Lachina whispers."The universe is weaving a new tapestry here at Dùndubhan.I've seen visions of dark figures, men with strange weapons, searching for something...or someone."
Joey steps forward."Mr.MacTaggart, I---"
"You will call me Laird, yecacan."
"Sure, whatever."Joey's jaw is clenched, but otherwise he seems almost relaxed."I know this sounds crazy.Hell, I can barely believe it myself.But I swear to you, I mean no harm to your family or your secrets.I'm just trying to figure out what's going on and how to get back home."
"And where exactly is this 'home' of yours, laddie?"
Joey hesitates, his gaze darting to me before he answers."New York City.In the year 2025."
A collective gasp echoes through the room.Even Father, usually so stoic, can't hide his shock."Impossible.Alyssa was brought to this time by my aunts' magics.They did not send you here.Aye, Lachina?"
"Yes, but..."She shakes her head."Kieran, please believe me.Darkness is coming.The men who sent this laddie here are fearsome enemies."
I seize the moment, pressing our advantage."Father, Joey needs our help.And if Great-Aunt Lachina's visions are true, we might need his help as well.Whatever forces are pursuing him could be a threat to all of us."
Father studies Joey with the intensity of a hawk eyeing its prey."And what skills do ye possess that could possibly aid us against such a threat?"
Joey straightens his shoulders, meeting Father's gaze with a determination that makes my heart swell with pride."I may not have magic, but I know the future these men come from.Their weapons, their tactics.I can help you prepare for what's coming."
A tense silence falls over the room as my father considers Joey's words.I hold my breath, acutely aware of the weight of this moment.Finally, Father's shoulders slump ever so slightly, and he nods.
