Time After Time
Chapter 20

They mounted their horses as the sun rose. Dew glistened on the grass, and dense fog rolled across the forest. Kate strode back to the cottage to check if Hermes was coming, William was inside talking to Hermes. She stopped in the doorway.

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“I don’t know if it is safe here with me,” said the old man. “I have concealed my presence until now. But old John of Westhoughton tells me they have their suspicions. Lancaster will stop at nothing to get hold of this box. Take it with you to Wales.”

“I married this damned woman on your instructions. I brought this box all the way from Syria for you, and now you want me to disappear abroad with it again?”

“I’m sorry William.”

Hermes pushed a small wooden box into William’s hands. Carved into the lid was the symbol from the door. She had not asked about the symbol. Now it would have to wait until she saw him again. Kate returned to the horses.

William wished them good luck and rode off into the morning.

“If you head north you will pass through Wigan,” said Hermes. “You should veer northeast until you are well past the town. You must be careful. Lancaster’s men are scouring the area, looking for you.”

Within half an hour, they arrived at the area that would one day be the Plantations. They rode down a hill, and along the banks of the river, the rising sun reflecting off the rippling water. In other circumstances, it would have been the perfect morning for a ride. They slowed to watch for landmarks from the night they arrived.

“It should be around here somewhere,” said Kate. “I recognise the bend in the river ahead.”

“”It all looks different, it was too dark,” said Tom.

“We weren’t paying attention,” said Kate. “Why would we? We didn’t know what had happened.”

“Let’s look out for the symbol I carved into the tree,” said Pete.

They stopped and stared at Pete. He continued to ride for a few seconds, looked back, and almost toppled off his horse while trying to make it stop.

“Piotr Diabrowski. What tree? What symbol? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you know, the caduceus, it’s a kind of staff with snakes and wings. I’ve been seeing it everywhere recently, so I suppose it stuck in my mind. When we were looking for Sophie I thought it might be a good idea to make some kind of mark.”

Pete looked at the astonished faces of his friends.

“And you never thought it relevant to mention any of this until now?” Kate asked. “How do you know all this stuff anyway?”

’“Colin Wilson.”

“The idiot who sniffs glue under the Science block?”

“No, the writer. You know, The Outsider, The Occult...”

He stopped mid-sentence.

The others turned to see where Pete was looking. Lancaster wound his way down the hill on the other side of the river. He took his time, glanced at them and smiled, like a cat watching a trapped mouse.

Lancaster reached the river. He stopped at the edge, peered into the depths and rode along the bank. It was too deep for him to cross at this point.

“Get looking,” said Kate. “It won’t take him long to find somewhere shallow enough. Let’s spread out and meet back here in five minutes.”

Kate set off up the hill away from the river. She slipped under the cover of the trees, the sound of the rushing water faded, replaced by birdsong. She clambered over fallen trunks and through thick brambles. This did not look familiar at all. They needed to find the slope Tom had fallen down. The portal would be at the top.

There was a shout. It sounded like Pete. Kate ran, ignoring the branches scratching at her face. He could not be far away. She emerged into a clearing.

Lancaster stood with his sword across Pete’s throat. Kate stood frozen, her ragged breath forming clouds of steam, her eyes fixed on the Earl and his hostage. Lancaster would not hesitate, he would slit Pete’s throat if it benefited him.

“You know what I want,” said Lancaster. “I suspect you can help me find it.”

This was the place. She recognised the slope behind Lancaster. Then she saw it, a shimmering in the air, not a fog at all.

The Earl must have caught a shift in her gaze. He smiled to her and hit Pete over the head. Pete crumpled to the floor. Lancaster walked away.

Kate hurried to check on her friend, he was unconscious but still breathing. There was no sign of Lancaster

“Tom!” She shouted.

“Do you have to screech so much?” Pete mumbled.

He was awake.

“Are you crying?” Pete asked. “That’s a bit embarrassing.”

“There’s something in my eye. It must have happened when I rushed save your life for the second time today.”

“I was lulling him into a false sense of security. Another minute and I’d have had him with my Ju-Jitsu.”

“I’ll leave you to it next time.”

Tom appeared at the edge of the clearing and ran to them. Kate explained what had happened. Together, they helped Pete stand up. With Pete’s arms over Tom and Kate’s shoulders, they climbed the hill. Climbing, while carrying Pete, was difficult, and they slipped several times. They grabbed hold of clumps of grass and roots with their free hands. As they approached the top, there was a humming.

The portal was faint in the daylight. It was little more than a green tint to the air, shifting in the light pouring in streams through the branches above.

“It’s fading. Why is it fading? Quick,” said Kate. They dragged Pete along the top of the slope, and without pausing; fell exhausted into the green light.

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