Chapter 3

It felt as though she was falling from a great height, even though her feet never left the ground. The closest Lily could come to describing the sensation was when she'd been on a rollercoaster at an amusement park and had experienced a sense of weightlessness for a fraction of a second.

She staggered, her ankle twisted, and she suddenly found herself on her backside on Bettie's garden path.

Except it wasn't a garden path.

Instead of smooth concrete slabs beneath her, she found herself sitting on damp, muddy grass. The cold of it was already beginning to seep through her leggings. She sprang to her feet, wiping off the worst of the dirt.

Damn. These would have to go into the washing machine the moment she got home. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, she turned to set off—and froze.

She was not where she expected.

The street that should have stretched ahead of her wasn't there. Instead, all she could see was open moorland, brown and stark under a leaden gray sky, with a cold wind whistling through grass and heather. A couple of stunted trees stood beside her, their twisted branches forming an arch above her head. She stared for a second, then screwed her eyes closed, counted to three, and opened them again. Nothing had changed. The moorland was still there.

Okay. Just what, exactly, was going on? Don't panic, she told herself. Just go back to Bettie's and sit down for a minute. Everything will be fine.

She turned back towards Bettie's little house only to find that where the house should have been was only more empty countryside, stretching into the distance. She didn't recognize any of it.

Fear fluttered in her stomach. This wasn't right. This wasn't where she was supposed to be. What was happening?

She pressed a hand against her chest to try to still the sudden thumping of her heart and sucked great deep breaths through her nostrils, letting it out slowly as she'd been taught to do.

It's all right,she told herself. Just figure this out.

Everything had been fine until she'd stepped into that swirly-air thing under Bettie's pergola. Then she'd slipped and fallen—

Ah, that must be it. She'd hit her head, obviously. She'd had some kind of blackout. And during that blackout, she'd somehow traveled here—wherever here was. She'd had these kinds of episodes before, especially after...what happened. The doctors had said they would fade in time and they'd been right. She'd not had an episode for over a year now and she'd dared to hope they were done with. Seemed she'd been wrong.

Okay. She had to get home. Time to get a cab.

She unslung her bag from over her shoulder and began rooting around inside for her phone. In fact, it was probably best if she got the cab to take her straight to her doctor. He would want to know about this latest attack. She took out her phone and peered at it. Her stomach sank as she saw the screen. No signal. Damn. Just what she didn't need.

She dropped the phone back into her bag just as a noise caught her attention. She looked up. A little to her left was a wide farm track, criss-crossed with footprints that showed it was well used, and in the distance on this track, she saw a figure on horseback approaching quickly, the horse's hooves making that distinctive clip-clop noise on the loose stones.

Relief shot through her. So at least she hadn't wandered into the middle of nowhere this time. At least there were still people about that she could ask for help. She stepped out onto the track and waved her arm.

"Hey! Over here!"

The figure rode closer and pulled to a halt. It was a man. His auburn hair fell in unruly waves around a rugged face adorned with a neatly trimmed beard that framed a strong jawline. His piercing blue eyes studied her with curiosity, as if trying to decipher how she had appeared out of nowhere. The man's attire was strange. He wore a layered wrap made of traditional Scottish plaid, its colors vibrant against the gloomy backdrop of the moorland. It swayed gently as the horse stamped, revealing glimpses of well-muscled legs beneath.

"Are ye her, lass?" he asked in a deep voice.

Lily blinked. "Sorry? Am I what?"

"The healer. If so, I've come to meet ye."

Lily's mind raced, desperately trying to fill in the gaps of her fragmented memory. Though she had experienced blackouts before, this felt different—more unsettling.

"Um...I'm a bit confused," she replied cautiously, her voice laced with apprehension. "I'm not sure how I ended up here."

"Ye came up from Abbotsfield, aye?"

"Abbotsfield? The town down in the valley? I have some clients there." She rubbed her forehead, trying to make sense of all this. "But they're not on my rota for today."

The man frowned. "Are ye a healer or aren't ye?"

"I'm an occupational therapist."

"A what?"

"I help people with their rehab."

The man glanced at her bag and then back at her. "Can ye set a broken bone?"

"Well yes, that's part of basic training."

"Good enough for me. Come on." He held his hand out to her.

Lily stared at it. "I beg your pardon?"

"Come on. We dinna have much time. Yer patient is waiting."

Her patient? She rubbed her head again. "What patient?"

"The one who needs yer help," the man replied, exasperation in his voice. "Why else do ye think they sent ye? I've come to take ye to him. It's quicker to ride than travel by foot."

Lily didn't move. "From Abbotsfield?"

"Are ye daft, lass?" he snapped. "Aye, from Abbotsfield. Now, are ye going to come see this man or do I have to find somebody else?"

Lily stared. She wished she could put all the pieces together. She had been leaving Bettie's house, she'd slipped, and then she'd ended up...here. Near Abbotsfield. Perhaps during the blackout she'd wandered in this direction, knowing her next patient was here. But...why would she do that? She'd been heading home. Hadn't she?

None of this made any sense. But if the man could take her to Abbotsfield, she could take a quick look at this patient then call an Uber.

The man was still staring down at her, his hand held out.

"Um. All right."

With a deep breath, Lily took his hand, feeling the roughness of his palm, and allowed him to pull her into the saddle in front of him.

The horse, a magnificent creature with a thick, dark mane and an intelligent look in its eyes, seemed to sense her unease, keeping still while she settled her weight. She felt the man's arm wrap around her waist, steady and strong, like an anchor in a tempestuous sea.

"What's yer name, lass," he asked by her ear.

"Lily," she replied. "Lily Jones."

"Oskar Galbraith. Now hang on tight. I'm in a bit of a hurry."

As Oskar urged the horse forward, Lily held her bag tightly with one hand, the saddle pommel with the other, her mind racing with questions. The wind whipped through her hair and the rhythmic galloping of the horse beneath them filled the silence. They rode across the vast expanse of moorland, the landscape transforming into a blur of green and gray.

The air grew colder as they rode and a mist began to rise from the ground, clinging to their clothes and obscuring their surroundings. Lily shivered, pulling her coat tighter. The unease in her gut only intensified.

She twisted in her saddle and looked at Oskar. His face was only inches from hers, his eyes set on the road ahead. "Who is this person who needs help? Are you a friend? A relative?"

Oskar snorted, one eyebrow curling in amusement. "Hardly. I just need him patched up so he can travel."

Lily wasn't sure what to make of this answer. His eyes met hers and the intensity behind Oskar's gaze sent a shiver down Lily's spine. There was something about him that felt familiar, like a distant memory tugging at the corners of her mind.

He was attractive, that was for sure. His deep red hair was tousled by the wind, his jawline sharp and defined. The proximity between them meant she could feel the warmth of his body seeping through his clothing, and she could feel the strength in the arm that he kept locked securely around her waist.

Who was this man named Oskar Galbraith? And how did he fit into what had happened to her?

Lost in her thoughts, Lily barely noticed the horse slowing. Ahead, a large, imposing building rose out of the mist, looking halfway between a castle and a country house. Oskar brought the horse to a stop in front of the entrance. He dismounted then extended a hand towards her.

Lily looked around. "Where are we? This isn't Abbotsfield."

"Nay, lass. This is Dunhaven Manor."

"But you said we were going to Abbotsfield!" She felt a little panicky and clutched her bag tightly.

"Nay, lass," he replied, shaking his head. "I said ye had come from Abbotsfield, not that we were going there." His face folded into a frown. "Ye told me ye could fix a broken bone. If ye've been wasting my time—"

"I can take a look but I'm no doctor," she said, cutting him off. "If you have someone here with a broken leg, they need to go to hospital—"

"Can ye patch him up or not?" Oskar snapped. "It's a simple enough question."

Lily sucked in a deep breath. She felt shaky and disorientated but she was still a therapist and someone needed her help. Fine. She could call a cab once she'd seen the patient. This place hopefully had a land-line phone she could use.

"All right. I'll see what I can do." With a deep breath, she took his hand, and swung down from the saddle.

"This way."

Oskar led her through the heavy wooden doors, revealing a dimly lit hallway. The air inside Dunhaven Manor was stale and heavy, filled with the scent of aged wood and dampness. Lily followed Oskar, her footsteps echoing along the corridor as they walked deeper into the ancient building. The flickering candlelight barely illuminated their path, casting shadows that twirled across the walls.

Why were they using candles? Had there been a power cut? It was unnaturally cold inside and Lily pulled her coat closer about her. Jeez, who lived here? Some dusty old aristocrat too stingy to put the heating on?

As they walked deeper into the manor, Lily couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that clung to her like the mist outside. The silence seemed unnaturally thick, broken only by the soft rustling of their footsteps. She stole a glance at Oskar, who seemed unaffected by the eerie atmosphere. His gaze remained fixed ahead, his jaw set with determination.

Suddenly, a voice boomed from behind them. "Ah! Ye are back!"

Lily turned to see a figure emerge from the shadowy depths of the hallway. The man was huge, towering over them with broad shoulders and a thick frame. He wore a sleeveless tunic that left his muscular arms bare and he had the physique of a footballer. His face was smooth and unlined, framed by dark, unruly hair, and a warm twinkle shone in his brown eyes.

"Didnae I tell ye I'd bring her, Magnus?" Oskar replied.

Magnus walked up to them and nodded in greeting. "Ye must be the healer, lass."

"Um...sort of," Lily replied. "Although I'm not really—"

"I'm Magnus. An honor to meet ye."

To her surprise, he took her hand, bowed, and kissed the back of it. "I canna tell ye how grateful we are for ye coming at such short notice. I hope Oskar wasnae too bad-tempered on yer journey."

"Bad-tempered?" Oskar said with a scowl. "I'm not bad-tempered."

"Nay, and I'm the king of Scotland."

Oskar's scowl deepened and Magnus grinned. Lily wondered what the relationship between these two was. They obviously knew each other very well but they looked nothing alike which suggested they weren't related.

"Come," Magnus rumbled. "I'll take ye to our erstwhile patient. The sooner ye see him, the sooner we can be on our way and Oskar can find something else to gripe about."

He turned and led her along the corridor, Oskar trailing behind. They reached a battered wooden door which creaked as Magnus pushed it open, revealing a small, bare room. It was dimly lit by the soft glow of a flickering oil lamp sitting on a rickety nightstand beside the narrow bed.

Clutching her bag, Lily went inside. The floorboards groaned under her weight as she approached the bed where a man lay motionless. His features were worn and weathered, etched with lines of pain. He looked like he'd probably once been overweight but now it had melted off him, leaving his skin sallow and saggy like candle wax.

A second man straightened from where he'd been mopping the first's brow. He was in later middle-age, small and with thinning hair. He was dressed as strangely as Magnus and Oskar, although his clothing looked more expensive. He smiled at her.

"Ah! Ye must be the healer. Thank ye for coming so quickly. I'm Henry Eberwyn."

"This is his house," Oskar supplied.

"Um. Right. What's his name?" Lily asked, approaching the man in the bed, who seemed to be asleep.

"Alfred Brewer," Oskar replied, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the door with his arms crossed. His expression was hard as he glared down at the man in the bed.

"Alfred?" Lily said softly as she approached. "I'm Lily. I've come to have a look at your leg."

The man didn't stir but his eyelids flickered briefly.

"Careful," Oskar warned in a low voice. "We've taken precautions but the man canna be trusted."

Lily pulled back the thin blanket that covered the man and gasped at what she saw. She whirled on Oskar, Magnus and Eberwyn.

"Why is this man restrained like that?"

Both of Alfred Brewer's wrists were tied to the bed post with thick rope.

"Didnae I just tell ye?" Oskar replied. "He canna be trusted."

"Untie him right now! What's wrong with you? Is this how you treat injured people?"

"Nay," Oskar replied. "It's how we treat criminals. This man is a traitor and an outlaw. We're taking him to Edinburgh to stand trial."

Lily said nothing, trying to take this in. She had expected to find a patient in need of medical attention, not a restrained man labeled as a criminal. The room suddenly felt suffocating.

"So who are you? Police officers?"

They shared a puzzled glance. "We're just simple soldiers, lass," Magnus replied. "Tasked by our commander to get this man safely to Edinburgh. Unfortunately, he had other ideas. He tried to escape. This was the result." He strode over to the bed and pulled down the blanket to reveal the man's leg. It was clearly broken, canted at an odd angle and had been inexpertly splinted with a piece of wood.

Lily breathed deeply. These men were soldiers? Were they part of some local regiment? That might explain their strange clothes and gruff manner. But it didn't explain why this house seemed stuck in a time-warp or how she'd ended up in the middle of nowhere.

"Why didn't you just call an ambulance or take him to the hospital?"

Oskar pushed himself away from the wall. "We dinna have time for all these questions, woman! Ye said ye could do what was needed. Now can ye fix him or not?"

Lily pressed her lips together into a tight, flat line. She opened her mouth for an angry retort but Eberwyn stepped smoothly forward.

"Ye dinna understand, lass," he said. "He is a dangerous man who is accused of plotting against the crown. We canna risk that he escapes or that his associates find out where he is. Oskar and Magnus brought him here when he injured himself because my manor was closest. The authorities will deal with his injuries once we have him secured in Edinburgh. We just need him fit enough to travel."

This was wrong. All wrong. She breathed deeply. One thing at a time, Lily.

"Is there any way you can loosen the restraints? At least until I can assess his injuries properly?"

Oskar glanced at Magnus and Eberwyn, exchanging a silent conversation before finally nodding. "Aye, but ye best be quick about it."

He moved to the head of the bed and untied the ropes around the man's wrists and then watched Lily expectantly.

Lily crouched and began assessing Alfred Brewer's broken leg. The man stank of whisky and she guessed he was dead drunk which probably explained why he didn't wake as she gently probed the injury, feeling the bones shift beneath her fingertips. It was a complicated fracture that might need surgery.

"We need to get him to a proper hospital," she said, looking up at the two men. "I can probably bind this enough to stabilize the fracture but he'll need to be seen in the emergency department as soon as he gets to Edinburgh."

Magnus and Oskar exchanged a look. "Just do what ye can, lass."

"Then I'm going to need your help," Lily said, straightening. "No matter how drunk he is, he's going to wake up as soon as I start working on him. You're going to have to hold him down."

They nodded and moved to either side of the bed. Lily rummaged through her bag, pulling out supplies. Then she moved down to the man's leg and placed her hands on it.

Sure enough, as she began to manipulate the bones, Alfred Brewer came awake with a howl. Oskar and Magnus grabbed him, pinning him down while Eberwyn hovered nearby, ready to help if needed.

"Get yer hands off me!" the man screamed. "Ah! Ye are killing me! Killing me!"

"I'm sorry, Mr Brewer," Lily said in the calmest voice she could manage. "I know it hurts but I don't have any anesthetic. It will be over in just a moment. I just need to...." There was a swift crunch as the bones snapped back into place and Alfred Brewer howled. "There, you see. All done. I'll just bind it up and these men will have you to the hospital in no time."

Alfred Brewer flopped back onto the bed. Sweat poured down his face and he'd gone as pale as milk. Lily wasn't faring much better. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and tried her best to calm her racing heart. She was not a paramedic and although she'd trained in basic first aid, it was a long time since she'd been asked to practise it. This was a world away from working with elderly hip replacement patients like Bettie.

Her eyes skipped nervously over Oskar and Magnus. They were soldiers? If so, they weren't dressed like any soldiers Lily had ever heard of. And why were soldiers escorting a criminal to trial anyway? Surely that was a job for the police? Unless they were military police?

She swallowed thickly. She just wanted to get home and back to some normality.

"That's it?" Oskar asked brusquely. "He can travel?"

"I just need to bind it with clean bandages," Lily replied, turning to rummage in her pack once more.

Oskar threw up his hands. "God give me strength! Why dinna we wipe his arse for him while we are at it? And maybe burp him like a bairn?"

Lily straightened and turned to glare at Oskar. "Have you ever heard of the word ‘patience'? Or manners? I'm trying to help this man and my job would be made a lot easier if you would keep your smart remarks to yourself! By all means transport him before I've bandaged his leg if you want his fracture to move, tear the skin, and for him to go into shock before you've gone more than a mile!"

"Shock?" Alfred said from where he lay half-comatose on the bed. "What does that mean? I dinna want to go into shock!"

Oskar glared right back at her, his blue eyes flashing and his jaw clenched. Then he looked away.

"My apologies," he muttered.

Lily put a hand to her ear. "I'm sorry? What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

Oskar looked at her. "I said, I apologize. I should show better manners. Please, do what ye must." He glanced at Magnus who seemed to be trying not to smile. "We are grateful for yer help." The words sounded like they were being dragged out of him.

Lily went back to work. Taking clean bandages from her bag, she tightly splinted and bound Alfred's leg so that the fracture was stabilized. Magnus and Oskar held him tightly while she did so. When she was done, Eberwyn whistled under his breath.

"My, my, lass," he said. "Ye have quite some skill. Where did ye train?"

"At university in Edinburgh," she replied. "Although most of my time was spent on placement. I did a stint with the ambulance service and the trauma unit at the hospital. That's how I know how to treat wounds like this."

The three men shared a look as though not entirely sure what she was talking about. She cleared her throat. "Anyway. He should be fit to travel but as soon as you get to Edinburgh he'll need to see a doctor."

Oskar and Magnus took Alfred Brewer by the shoulders and hauled him up. He was still half-drunk and his head lolled on his neck as they lifted him upright and set him on his good leg.

"Where are ye taking me?"

They didn't answer. They supported him one on either side and half-carried him to the door. Lily grabbed her bag and followed, anxiously keeping a close eye on her patient. The splint and bandages seemed to be holding and Afred seemed in less pain than previously. That was good.

"Do you have a phone I could borrow?" Lily asked the two men. "I don't have any signal on my cell."

They exchanged another one of those blank-looking glances. She wished they'd stop doing that.

"A what? Er...we dinna have one of those," Magnus said carefully.

Lily turned to Eberwyn. "Or perhaps a landline? I'd like to call a cab."

Lord Eberwyn shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, lass, but I dinna have a...what did ye call it? A ‘land-line'?"

Lily sighed. Of course he didn't. What kind of people were they? She pinched the bridge of her nose and sucked in a breath.

"Right. Fine. Look, you're going to Edinburgh, right? I'm heading there too. Could you give me a lift?"

Everything would be alright once she got back to the city. She could go see her specialist and figure out exactly what had caused the blackout this time.

"We're on Order business," Oskar replied. "We dinna have time to coddle passengers."

"Coddle?" Lily said, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't remember asking you to ‘coddle' me! You're going to Edinburgh, I want to go to Edinburgh. Is it too much to ask to drop me off?"

"It might be useful having a healer along," Magnus mused. "In case anything goes wrong with our esteemed guest here. The last thing we need is to be delivering a corpse."

"Corpse?" Alfred squeaked in his slurred voice. "Why are ye talking about corpses?"

Oskar scowled at Lily. "Fine. Ye can come with us."

Relief washed over her. Finally, some luck. Once she was safely in their car, she could begin to relax. She could get to Edinburgh, book in to see her specialist, and get everything sorted. She would call work and explain what happened and maybe take a couple of days off to recover. Everything was going to be fine.

Lily followed as Oskar and Magnus half-dragged, half-carried Alfred Brewer through the dilapidated house and out into the courtyard. After the gloom of the house, the weak sunlight was almost blinding, and Lily put her hand up to shield her eyes.

Two horses and a cart stood in the middle of the courtyard with a fourth man busy adjusting the traces and checking the cart's wheels. He straightened as Alfred was led out and walked over. He had shoulder-length sandy hair held back with a leather band. A bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped across his back.

"Ye did it then?" he said to Oskar.

Oskar nodded at Lily. "She did it. Reckons he's alright to travel now."

The man's eyes shifted to Lily. "Then ye have my thanks," he said. "I'm Emeric."

"Lily," she replied, holding out her hand for him to shake. As Magnus had done, he took it and kissed the back of it.

"We owe ye a debt, my lady. The whole of the Order of the Osprey owes ye a debt, and the rest of Scotland as well—although they dinna know it."

Oskar rolled his eyes. "Will ye give over with the theatrics? Ye are as bad as Conall. Let's get Brewer into the cart and be on our way."

Lily blinked. Wait. Had he just said they were taking Alfred on the cart? Sure enough, the three men bustled Alfred over to the wagon and unceremoniously lifted him into the back.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, stomping over. "I thought you were taking him to Edinburgh?"

They glanced at each other. "Aye," Oskar said. "We are."

"In that?"

"What would ye like us to take him in?"

"How about a car like normal people?"

Oskar's eyebrows pulled down into a scowl. He was good at scowling, she'd noticed. "What are ye talking about? Lass, we are lucky to have even this. If Lord Eberwyn hadnae been kind enough to lend it to us, we'd all be riding on horseback with yer precious patient slung across a saddle. Now, do ye wish to come with us or not? We are in a hurry here."

Lily stared at the wagon. It looked like the kind of thing a farmer would use back in the olden days, with a large, broad bed and high, spoked wheels. Even the horses looked like something out of a story, with their enormous hooves, hairy fetlocks and unruly manes. This was madness. They seriously expected to transport a patient in that? And they expected her to ride in it too?

She looked around at the empty courtyard. There was no sign of any other transportation. What choice did she have?

The rickety wooden boards creaked beneath their weight as Emeric and Magnus climbed up and settled themselves in the back of the cart with Alfred.

Oskar raised an enquiring eyebrow and bowed extravagantly towards the seat at the front of the cart.

"If my lady would care to take a seat?"

She frowned at his sarcastic tone, but swung her bag up and then clambered up into the seat. Oskar climbed up after her, taking the reins in his hands.

Lord Eberwyn came to stand at the cart's side. "God speed to ye," he said. "I'll send word to Dun Saith, tell them what's happened, although I doubt any messenger will reach them before ye get to the capital. I dinna need to tell ye to be careful."

"Aye," Oskar replied. "We'll watch our backs. Ye have our thanks, Lord Eberwyn. I dinna know when we'll get yer cart back to ye."

Eberwyn waved a hand. "Ye owe me naught and dinna worry about the cart. I'm just glad I can still be of service to the Order. Get this man to trial and that will be all the thanks I need."

Oskar nodded. He clicked his tongue, urging the horses forward. They snorted, shook their shaggy manes, then began to walk.

The cart jolted into motion, the wheels rattling against the uneven ground. Lily glanced back at Alfred, who was lying spread-eagled in the back of the wagon. His face was pale and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

As they made their way along the winding track, Lily looked around. The landscape seemed unfamiliar, almost otherworldly. The trees were stunted and twisted, casting eerie shadows that danced across their path. A chill wind rustled through the branches with no sign of the spring bloom that had been in evidence in the park today. Up here, the trees were bare, the air was cold, and winter clearly hadn't quite relinquished its grip on the land just yet. She shivered, pulling her coat tight.

She glanced over at Oskar, who was focused on navigating the horses through the uneven terrain. His stern expression was mirrored by Magnus and Emeric in the back of the cart, who remained silent as they kept a watchful eye on Alfred. Lily couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this whole situation.

Getting to Edinburgh couldn't come soon enough.