Once Upon A Highland Legend by Tanya Anne Crosby Page B

memory was a bit of a trap. Everything she had ever read was rattling around in there somewhere, and she searched the stores of her brain for info on the moon. She had read somewhere that it took about 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle was about 29.5 days. She had no idea at what point in the cycle she’d come to be here, but she did know that in as little as twenty four hours, she could see the new moon pop up in the night sky—sometimes longer when there was pollution involved, but there was no pollution here. The sky was as clear as she had ever witnessed it, with a beauty that was unsurpassed. Her eye scanned the lower heavens, knowing that’s where the moon would appear, rising parallel to the horizon. So this was it. She calculated she had about twenty-four hours left—maybe thirty-six if she was very lucky.
    After searching the entire area around the caverns, she knew there was no way inside, except through the cave entrance, where at least two men guarded it at all times.
    She needed a distraction.
    She had been watching the men work, and she had an idea though she hated to do it—really hated to do it. But she had to create a big enough distraction that everyone would rush to see it at once—including the men up on the hill— especially the men on the hill. And she thought she knew how…and if it worked, she would be on her way home soon. Why that thought made her feel so glum, she suspected she knew, but she couldn’t allow it stop her.

Chapter Thirteen

     
    After a bit of a cold snap, the following day brought a bit of late summer warmth.
    The sun shining down on the loch gave it a beautiful jewel-like appearance. Annie decided to freshen up. Keeping Dunneld at bay, she spent far too long swimming in the loch, and didn’t come out until her fingers were pruned. But she was thankful for his show of trust. She shimmied back into her skirt, smiling over the reaction Callum had had to something so simple as a zipper. There was so much she had taken for granted…and hardly any of those things seemed important here. Televisions, who cared? All that was on anyway was news about war, politicians sleeping with porn stars and senators sending penis pictures to their interns. Here, there was the ring of children’s laughter in the air, men shouted jests at each other over their labor, and the women worked side by side with the men. At night, they sat about the bonfire, telling stories, laughing and sharing whisky.
    After nearly two weeks, everyone’s hard work was coming together—buildings taking shape, and gardens being planned for the coming spring. A young lass by the name of Fiona showed her the seeds they would sow to plant their woad. Once harvested they would create their dye from it, as well as soap and a medicinal tincture.
    In return, Annie gave Morag a tip about refrigeration. As she recalled, even the outer cave was freezing and filled with mist, especially where the cooler stream met warmer air. She explained the concept of refrigeration—obviously not in the context of electrical power, because that, she sensed, was more than these people could process. But she suggested they might want to use the cave to keep their cheese and other perishables stored. It was far colder in there than it was in a butcher’s freezer. And the prospect of having old Morag’s cheese stored for far longer than they were capable of doing now excited them. She was happy. At least she would have done some good here, considering the destruction she was about to create. All their hard work was about to come undone, but it couldn’t be helped.
    She had a very devious plan, and she had an unsuspecting helper in Dunneld, so she sent him to work, promising to give him her socks. He’d seemed enthralled by them as he watched her wash them in the loch. Of course, he accepted…because, indeed, winter was coming and thank God for one-size-fits-all.
     

     
    Callum had a bad feeling settling in his