CHAPTER 22
Cemetery by Auld a′chruinn, Present-Day October
Payton opened his eyes and adjusted the back of his sport seat back into an upright position. He’d been getting worse
these last few days. He was sleeping a lot, frequently needing to leave the cold, wet cemetery to warm himself up in the
car. His body was no longer strong enough to do it by itself. The fever was eating him up from the inside, and the
cramps in his muscles made him scream in pain at times.
He was glad whenever he could find some sleep, because that was when he saw Sam. He saw her in his newly created
memories. He could feel her presence as if she were right beside him. But the images were faint. Only moments of
particular intensity seemed more tangible. He longed for those moments when yet another wave of excruciating pain washed
over him, as it was doing right now.
“Stay strong, Brother. He’ll be here soon. Maybe he can help us,” Sean implored. He’d been watching the dirt road in
the rearview mirror and heard the sound of a car approaching.
“That’ll be him.” Sean exited the car, waiting for the dark green Land Rover Defender to come to a stop a few yards
behind them. The driver got out.
“Roy Leary?” Sean asked, even though he was pretty sure that it was the right man. The description—a redheaded giant
—was to the point.
“Aye, and you are Sean? We spoke on the phone. I came as fast as I could,” he explained. “What you told me is
inconceivable. Are you absolutely sure? Truth be told, it would be a sensation!” He sounded both excited and agitated.
Sean nodded and pointed toward the cemetery that lay peacefully deserted before them. Nothing at all hinted at the
incredible story that had happened there.
“A sensation? A disaster, more like it. Samantha is in grave danger. There must be a way we can help her.”
They passed Payton’s car and Roy glanced through the window, greeting the young man he found hard to recognize.
“We shall see, aye? But what’s wrong with him? Wouldn’t he be better off in a hospital?”
“He’s refusing to leave this place.”
Roy raised a curious eyebrow.
Sean tried to explain.
“If I thought they could help him in a hospital, I would have no trouble taking him there. But he doesn’t have the
common cold, now, does he. No medicine on Earth could possibly take on a curse. And so I’m letting him have his way.”
Roy nodded and walked toward the cemetery with Sean following behind.
“So she’s really found the portal through time, aye? I would never have dared to believe that it actually exists,”
Roy admitted.
Sean pointed at the memorial stone bearing the name of the five sisters. Roy pulled his glasses from a shirt pocket and
crouched down.
“This is where it must have happened,” Sean explained. “We can’t say for sure, because we only noticed the stone the
next day. It looks just like all the other gravestones, which is why it didn’t spark our attention at first.”
Roy checked the names that were chiseled into the stone.
“Fantastic. The legend of the five sisters is one of the most beautiful tales ever. Their haunting story makes even a
full-grown man such as myself well up. I can barely believe that there should be some truth to it. Just look at those
mountain peaks. Do you seriously believe that those were young women once?”
“I don’t know. But Samantha has disappeared, and she keeps popping up in our memories as if she’s rewriting our past.
We are afraid she might be caught between two fronts. Besides, we have to think about Payton, too. He urgently needs
help.”
Roy examined the stone as closely and thoroughly as an archaeologist, letting the earth run between his fingers, and
inspecting its surroundings.
“What was she doing right before she disappeared?” he asked quietly.
“We don’t know. We’ve tried everything, but nothing’s happening,” Sean explained helplessly.
Roy got up and wiped his hands on his pants.
“Is it possible that it only works for women? After all, the father was clearing the way for his daughters,” Roy
contemplated.
Sean had thought of that before, and he shrugged helplessly. Payton didn’t have much time left, and Samantha was in
mortal danger. As he reflected on the time before Vanora’s curse, all he could remember were lies and betrayal, deceit
and dishonor. The blood feud between the Stuarts and the Camerons had cost many lives and brought pain and misery to all
involved.
There had to be a way of taking Sam out of harm’s way. He was a warrior! He had fought many battles and had always won.
And now he was feeling like a helpless child, unable to get this situation under control. They had to save Sam, if only
for his brother’s sake. Payton couldn’t die without knowing that Sam was safe. That was why Roy was here. He was their
last hope.