Page 73 of The Uprising
‘Are you okay?’ she said, yawning again.
‘Yes, I’m fine. Just too wired to sleep. I’ll read a bit and see what I can find out about the monasteries in the area at that time.’
Cara tried to fight the heavy wave of weariness, but her eyelids drooped. George switched off the bedside lamp and the cosy mattress seduced her into a deep sleep and she dreamed they were all together again at Willow Manor, walking through the cornfields with Cornelius, and enjoying the long, lazy golden days of a traditional York summer.
A couple of hours later, George strode up the stairs, balancing a freshly brewed cup of coffee in his hand.
‘Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty,’ he said loudly.
Cara opened her eyes and peered at him in the pale morning light. ‘There should be a law against being as cheerful as you in the morning. I feel as though I only just fell asleep.’
‘You’ve been asleep for hours, my darling. I’ve got loads to tell you, and I can’t wait any longer. I thought you’d never wake up.’ He kissed her forehead.
‘What did you find out?’ she said, instantly intrigued, but still groggy from the unexpected, heavy, second-wave of sleep.
‘Drink your coffee and I’ll tell you about my startling discovery.’
Cara pushed herself up against the pillow and sipped the coffee. She slowly perked up as the caffeine flooded through her system. ‘Go on, I can’t wait to hear. And thanks for this coffee—it’s hitting all the right spots. I slept so heavily I must have been almost unconscious,’ she said.
‘I researched orders of monks and monasteries in York that would have been around in 1536, and I found a couple of possibilities. But when I read more detail, I knew immediately what we’re looking for must be St. Mary’s, the ruined Benedictine Abbey.’
‘St. Mary’s—yes; I know of it. I went on a school trip there when I was a kid. They had an impressive library until the Dissolution of the Monasteries and then the place was stripped and fell into ruin,’ Cara said, taking another sip of coffee. ‘It sounds like it could be what we’re looking for, but what makes you so certain that’s where you’re being held?’
‘I wasn’t sure. But then I thought about the Latin Bible from my dream. In my online searches, I stumbled upon a related post about a Latin Vulgate bible which was auctioned recently, and they said it was inscribed inside the front cover with the nameBrother Grayson.’
‘Right...and?’
‘Brother Grayson was the exact name I saw in my dream. The minute I read it, I knew.’
‘Oh my God! So, presuming your location is correct and isn’t just some kind of jumbled mix of memories of Sylvia’s reading, this means that you somehow directly connected to your past life while you slept.’
‘Odd as it sounds; it would seem so.’
‘Amazing. I’ve heard of people being regressed to their past lives, but I didn’t think that would work for us. I must get back to Willow Manor to see Edward, so we can go and find you.
She took another sip of her coffee and looked at George, excited to hear more. But then she felt the harsh, cold air of the vortex swirl around her.
‘I’m going,’ she said, putting the coffee cup down and reaching for his hand.
‘Well, hang on a minute. Where? Let’s go together.’
‘We can’t. I mean, I’m going to Tudorville, now!’
The last thing she saw was his confused face, and then she was gone.
George blinked.
‘That was surreal.’
‘What was?’ said Cara, looking at George.
‘You just entered the vortex while we were talking.’
‘Did I? Bloody hell, I didn’t feel a thing.’
George shook his head, bemused. ‘It’s the strangest thing.’
‘How did you know I was going?’
