Page 101 of The Uprising
‘The thing is, my lord, this man has been following you both for a while now, and at first, Lady Cara didn’t know who he was, but a friend of ours who has special powers, saw in a vision that he is someone from another life. You and Lady Cara were together in yet a different timeline; we think it must have been during the eighteenth century. We don’t know the details, but this man and Cara were childhood sweethearts, and when you and Cara met, you naturally fell madly in love because you’re what’s known as Twin Flames. You are soul mates, destined to always reunite on your spiritual journey, and in your case, a journey of five centuries or perhaps even more.’
George looked stunned. ‘This is an extraordinary tale. So, if I’ve understood correctly, you’re talking about a time that’s not even happened yet. A time still to come...the eighteenth century, you say? Assuming all of this is true, why is this man hunting her down here in 1536?’
‘I’m afraid the tale grows ever more complex, my lord.’
George ran his hands through his dishevelled hair. ‘Go on...’
‘I believe this man; Ralph Knight, I think is his name, belongs to a group of souls known as Karmic Warriors. I had heard about them but don’t know him personally. It seems he has the ability to travel through time as we do, perhaps even backwards and forwards on demand. Judging by what he said, he believes you stole Cara from him, and it looks as though he’s been biding his time and now means to exact his revenge.’
‘Time travelling—Twin Flames and karmic warriors. My head is spinning,’ said George.
Swifty approached. ‘Best we don’t complicate matters further by trying to explain this to the lad, just now. His moment of truth will come. For now, it’s safest to keep the circle of information as small as possible. I don’t need to tell you we could all be burned for even speaking of such things.’
‘Yes, quite so,’ replied George. ‘But we can’t leave Lady Cara in the hands of this brute.’
George’s hand was pressed to his side and he looked like he may pass out.
‘Agreed, but you’re in no state to rescue her now, and we have no weapons. We don’t know where he’s taken her and you’re far too weak to launch a counterattack. You must rest, and we must bind your ribs. Let us go home to Willow Manor, and return later with weapons and reinforcements,’ said Edward. If we go after her now when he expects us, we would likely put her in even greater danger.’
Cara’s heart pounded, and she clung onto Ralph as he pushed the black stallion relentlessly onwards, and the distance between her and George grew. She was reluctant to touch him but would fall off if she didn’t.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she said.
‘You’ll see soon enough,’ he replied. His voice sliced through the air like a poison arrow.
Cara trembled at the thought of what he meant to do to her, and she sensed George’s spirit was as low as hers. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled silently down her face as they rode. She wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction of hearing her cry. It was the thought of George, bereft, not understanding what was going on that overwhelmed her.
After what seemed like hours, Ralph brought the black stallion to an abrupt halt. ‘Get down, and don’t try anything foolish or you’ll pay the price,’ he said, his voice full of menace.
How is this man someone I loved?
‘Ralph, I’m afraid there must be some mistake. You said something about us having been together, but I don’t know you. This is all just a terrible misunderstanding.’
‘I feared you wouldn’t remember. After all, our time hasn’t come yet, has it? But it will. And you will rewrite it for us, my love.’ He softened for a second and brushed his fingers across her cheek, emotion shining in his manic blue eyes.
‘I’m not your love,’ said Cara, a chill rippled through her body and she pulled away from his touch.
‘No, you’re not. But you will be. You destroyed our love. You destroyed me; you heartless vixen. But now it will all be different, you’ll see. The timeline will be rewritten, and the future will reset. Things between us will be wonderful again—like in the early days. You are the one who made a dreadful error, but now you have the chance to put it right and redeem yourself.’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sir. No idea, at all. My husband is Lord Cavendish whom you have had the pleasure of meeting, and we have been married for several years.’
Ralph growled, ‘And what about two hundred years from now? Do you remember anything about what happened between us, then, my dear Caroline?’
‘How on God’s earth, am I to remember what happens in the future?’ Cara said, purposely looking blank. During the long journey, she had decided the best way to handle him was to act as though she had no knowledge of the future. Perhaps he would leave her alone when he saw he’d got it all wrong.
‘You are not getting off that easily, Lady Cara Cavendish,’ he enunciated each syllable. ‘You’re a countess too, now, I understand.’
Cara snapped, ‘That’s right, and what business is it of yours, Sir?’
‘You are destined to be my wife, not his. You will see.’
He spoke with such chilling certainty that Cara began to doubt herself. She knew they were connected, but she couldn’t remember how.
‘If what you say is true, why are we in 1536, and not in the future you speak of?’ she asked.
‘You killed our future. You were my Caroline; my dearest beloved, until you met him and forsook me. You broke my heart and I’ve been burning in karmic-hell ever since. But no more. It’s our turn again now, and you owe it to me to put things right. Now I’ve found you once again, you are mine.’
Cara bent her head and retched on the carpet of green and gold leaves that lined the forest floor. She prayed she was dreaming, and she would awaken soon from this hellish nightmare. She longed to be in George’s arms again.
