“Ach lass, I have never been so frightened in me life. I know that ye canna understand all of this, no yet, but ye will when ye see it. I know that ye canna help but worry about Cooper, but Morna wouldna let harm come to him and neither would me family. He and Jeffrey are both safe, I’d stake me life on it.”
I nodded, sniffling as I tried to keep from crying again. “I just need him back.”
“I know. Let’s go to him, aye?”
I wanted to leave immediately, to let Morna spell me and send me hurtling back through time toward my son, but I couldn’t get Eoghanan’s wound out of my mind.
“Eoghanan, Morna said that she’d slowly been building your strength to travel back, that the time between now and your home was too far for you yet. What does that mean? It’s your skin, isn’t it? It’s still not healed well enough.”
“Aye, but I’ll do me best to survive it. The first time Morna sent me back, she sent me to the park where I saw ye and Cooper. When she pulled me back here, me wound split open and bled verra badly.”
“Yeah, I figured it was something like that. Nope. Sorry.” I pulled away, opening the door and leaving to search for Morna. I spoke as he followed me. “There is no way in hell that I am letting you go back with me. The park wasn’t that long ago. What do you think will happen to you if you’re sent back multiple centuries?”
“I doona care. I willna allow ye to go without me.” He grabbed my arm and spun me toward him, gripping me tightly.
“You won’t allow me?”
“No, and Morna willna allow it either.”
Jerking away from him, I called for her. “Morna, I’m ready to go. Eoghanan is staying here.”
“No. I willna do it, lass.” He wasn’t screaming like I was; he said it quietly, calmly, completely unflustered by the possibility of his imminent death.
“He’s right. I willna spell ye back unless he goes with ye.” Morna appeared suddenly in the hallway, spools of medicinal cloth in her arms.
“What if it kills him? What is all that for?”
Morna shook her head, clearly annoyed, and held them up in Eoghanan’s direction.
“Ye must think that I am no a verra good witch. I willna let the lad die. Now. Come with me.”
“How would I know what kind of witch you are? I didn’t even know witches actually existed until today.”
She ignored me, instead leading us into Eoghanan’s room where she’d stripped the bed of its blankets, leaving only a sheet. “Eoghanan, strip yer clothes. I will bind ye up so that when the scar rips open, at least it will be held in place when ye come back together.” She glanced over at me briefly. “Give him some privacy, unless ye wish to see every inch of him.”
Eoghanan laughed, “She’s already seen me. Still,” he winked at me, “perhaps ye might want to step out just a moment.”
*
Morna called me back inside nearly thirty minutes later. No matter how un-funny the situation, the sight of Eoghanan wrapped up like a mummy had Morna smiling with unexpressed laughter.
“What’s the matter with the both of you? You don’t even know if this is going to work.”
“Doona worry, it will work. I’ve made a special salve to place upon it. As long as the bandages are no removed for a few days, it should do the trick. ’Tis something I could have done to him much earlier, but he needed to remain here a while longer, even if he dinna know it at the time.”
“Why’s that?” Everyone—Eoghanan, Cooper, Jeffrey—they all seemed to adore Morna. I wasn’t quite there yet. She was too cryptic and had a penchant for meddling that had turned everything I thought I knew about the world, and my own life, upside down.
“If he’d left when he could’ve, he wouldna have met ye, lass. At least thank me for that, for whether ye are ready to say it yet or no, ye know well enough that the two of ye are a fine match.”
I couldn’t very well argue with that. She was right, but it still left me feeling awkward and shy. I fumbled for something else to say. “Why didn’t you just stitch him?”
“I am a witch, no a seamstress. I’m too squeamish to go about sewing him up from head to toe. Are ye ready?”
She didn’t wait for me to answer, moving quickly on from the end of her question to muttering words I couldn’t understand.
Eoghanan reached for my hand. I took it gladly as pain started to radiate through my body.
“Doona let go, lass. ’Twill all be over soon.”
Chapter 22
McMillan Castle
1647
“Mooommmm…Moooommmm…”
Some part of my brain registered the word, drawn out as if it were in a song each time. My head ached something dreadful, and I couldn’t remember what I’d been doing an hour ago or where I was now.
I racked my brain for the answer. When it came to me I threw myself forward, opening my eyes as he pounced on me, throwing his little arms around my neck. “Cooper!” The movement jarred my head. With my arms still wrapped around him, I grabbed my forehead, willing the throbbing to stop.