As Big Daddy's footsteps retreat, Rachel turns to me."We need to get ye inside without anyone seeing.There's a secret corridor I found a few years ago, and no one else knows about it."
"It's not a dungeon, is it?"
"No, ye dafty."She sighs and grabs my hand."Dinnae fash.I won't hurt you."
My life in the twenty-first century wasn't exactly awesome, so I guess letting this crazy girl lock me up couldn't be as bad as what Fulvio would've done to me.Yeah, I've lost my mind.
I wave toward...wherever we're going."Lead the way."
We creep along the edge of the moat, staying low and using the bushes for cover.As we near the corner of the castle walls, Rachel seems to spot something, though all I see is ivy climbing up the bricks.But she pulls open a small wooden door that had been masked by the vines.
"There," she says, smiling and pointing at the door."We'll slip inside here and find ye some dry clothes."
Rachel walks behind me as we head for who knows where.
What else can I do?I follow close behind the hot medieval girl as she eases the door open, wincing when the hinges creak.The narrow passageway beyond is dark and musty.Doesn't this place have an HVAC system?No, I guess it wouldn't.If I believe this is the past.I must be dreaming, right?A beautiful, sexy girl didn't pull me out of a moat, and she definitely didn't check out my ass a minute ago.
Finally, she halts and fishes a key out of her skirts.There must be a pocket inside there, though I couldn't see enough of it to be sure.As she eases the door inward, I wonder again if she plans to lock me in her private dungeon.But instead, Rachel plucks a lantern off the wall, where I can see a hook has been installed.She lights the wick, and the golden glow spreads throughout the room.
"Mind the step," she warns, taking my hand to guide me.
"In ye go," Rachel whispers, her lilting accent making my dick twitch---not enough for her to notice, thankfully."And mind yer head, Joey."
I duck through the low doorway, my eyes adjusting to the dim light.It's not a dungeon, thank God, but a small chamber with rough stone walls.A fire crackles in a hearth and casts dancing shadows across the room.The smell of herbs and something earthy fills my nostrils.
"Sit," she commands, pointing to a wooden stool.
I obey, watching as she bustles around the room, grabbing jars and vials from shelves I hadn't noticed before.
"So, uh, what is this place?"I ask, trying to sound casual and not like a guy who just fell through time or...something."And what are you doing with those vials and stuff?Are you trying to brainwash me?"
"Nay," Rachel says with a faint chuckle.She pauses in her work, holding a bundle of dried plants in her hand.Her blue eyes lock onto mine, and I swear I see a spark of humor dancing within them."This, my dear time traveler, is where we figure out just how ye managed to tumble into our century."
I chuckle nervously."Right, because that's totally a normal thing that happens."
"Och, ye'd be surprised," Rachel quips, tossing the herbs into a mortar and beginning to grind them with a pestle."Though I must admit, it's usually old relics or magical artifacts that find their way through time, not handsome gentlemen."
I'm no gentleman.But she doesn't need to know that."So, you, uh, deal with this kind of thing often?"
Rachel's laugh is like music, echoing off the stone walls."Not exactly.But my great-aunts, now they've seen their fair share of oddities.I'm simply the apprentice, trying to muddle through."She pauses her grinding and looks at me thoughtfully."Though I must say, you're by far the most interesting thing that's stumbled into Dùndubhan in quite some time."
I shift on the stool, unsure whether to be flattered or concerned, and I mumble, "Lucky me."
Rachel resumes her work, adding liquids from various vials to her concoction, humming tunelessly all the while.The aroma intensifies, filling my nostrils with a mix of earth and spice like nothing I've experienced before.While I watch her fiddling with potions and herbs, I can't stop myself from babbling.
"No offense, Rachel, but the gunk you're whipping up smells like a pig's ass."
Her delicate laughter reminds me of tiny bells."Dinnae fash, Joey.'Twill smell much better once I'm finished."
"How long will that take?"
The hottest girl I've ever met casually shrugs one shoulder."It takes as long as it takes."
Yeah, that's an incredibly helpful statement.
"Have you always been a witch?"I ask, just for something to do.
"Not quite always."She grinds the herbs with a mortar and pestle, sighing wistfully."My work would go much faster with fewer accidents if I had the MacTaggart witches' book.Unfortunately, 'twas lost many moons ago, before anyone can remember."
