and currently live in what you call medieval Scotland. I dinnae know why exactly Mildred traveled back in time to see me but she did and not for a second will I ever regret it.”
Eyes locked hard and long, her brother wasn’t one to be easily convinced. “It’s clear you’ve already hurt her. My question, have you the power to erase yourself from her memory?”
“No,” Mildred blurted but Adlin put up a hand and shook his head, never losing eye contact with Jonathan.
“Aye, if that is what she ultimately wants.”
“Is that what you ultimately want?”
Adlin appreciated this man more by the second. He thought well considering his short eighteen years. “What I want won’t matter.”
“What do you want, Adlin?”
“I want her to want me for the rest of her life.”
“What about the rest of your life?”
“It willnae be worth living without her.”
Adlin felt Jonathan’s magic stir as he looked deeper then found something. “Age,” he whispered. “Slowly but surely. Without her, age will now find you.”
A warm wind blew within his mind and Adlin closed his eyes. This witch had just seen far beyond what even he could. Stunned, he opened his eyes and nodded. “Aye.”
Jonathan broke eye contact and stumbled back against the counter. Sarah ran over to him. “Son, are you okay?”
He nodded and shook his head. “Theirs is a true love, Mama,” he whispered. “A love that will be much harder on him.”
Adlin stood up straighter, disconcerted and on guard.
“Well deserved I’d say,” Irene spat.
“No.” Jonathan shook his head, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. “Let him be, Irene.”
No war would ever be the same if Jonathan was fighting in it. And Adlin knew full well that World War II was one that’d go down in history books.
Mildred was about to chew her nail but pinched the bridge of her nose instead. “I need to understand everything that just happened here.”
“Of course you do.” Content her son was okay, Sarah went to her daughter. “Come sit down.”
Mildred did, plunking down at the table.
“I’ll make everyone some tea,” Sarah declared because Irene clearly wasn’t.
Irene sat next to Mildred and took her hand. “Are you alright?”
She shook her head but said, “Yes.”
Stumped and a bit off center, Adlin leaned against the wall.
“He’s too powerful for us to get rid of but I can still give him a tongue-lashing if you want,” Irene said.
“If I want,” Mildred muttered, her eyes rose to Adlin’s. “Today’s all about what I want.”
“Today and all the days after,” Adlin murmured.
Jonathan sat as well. “Tell us about your experience traveling back to Scotland, Mildred.”
Her eyes stayed locked with Adlin’s and she softly said, “He’s my experience. There’s little else to tell.”
“I find that hard to…”
“Enough!” Sarah said while she made tea. “Your sister just told you her experience and what she took from it. Leave it at that.”
“But,” Irene started.
“No.” Sarah turned. “No, Irene. Despite how much you love us all, you cannot change what is.” She held her daughter’s gaze. “You simply cannot.”
Adlin felt heartache and confusion rock the room but Sarah’s words kept everyone silent. Sick to his stomach, he watched the family try to cope with all he’d introduced with a steely, silent determination. Shame on him, indeed. What had he done? True, he’d never expected to find her in his time but then again… hadn’t he?
When the gods had told him she was coming and where’d she’d be he’d rushed there, eager to finally see her, touch her. All along, he could have ignored the temptation. He could have sent another to meet her and take her far from the MacLomain clan. He could have been away, visiting another clan.
There were so many ways he could have avoided this.
Her.
Adlin folded his hands and breathed deeply. The truth was the world would’ve no longer mattered had he not been there when she traveled back in time. The truth was he was selfish and so much in love it physically hurt. Did the harm outweigh the good?
Never.
He had been so wrong.
For him.For her. For everyone who mattered.
Her eyes shot to him and he knew without doubt that she had heard his thoughts!
“No,” Mildred said, shaking her head. “No.”
Surprising even him, Mildred vanished from her chair.
A look of horror crossed everyone’s face. Sarah looked at him. “Adlin, where’d she go?”
Petrified, he stared at the empty chair. For all the magic inside him, he felt nothing. “I’ll find her. She’s alright,” he promised and fled the house.
Blind with fear, terrified, he ran.
And ran.
Not traveling