He crashes into the moat with a tremendous splash, sending water arcing high into the air, and vanishes beneath the waves.Without thinking, I hitch up my skirts and wade in after him in the shallows.The icy water shocks me, but I charge forward, searching desperately for any sign of the stranger.
"Halò?"I call out, my voice trembling."Can ye hear me?Are ye injured?"
For a heart-stopping moment, there's nothing but silence.Then, a few yards away, the surface of the water breaks.The man has sprung up out of the water, gasping and sputtering.He thrashes about, clearly disoriented, seeming on the verge of going under again.
"Hold on!"I shout, plunging deeper into the frigid water."I'm coming to fetch you!"
The man's wild eyes lock onto mine as I swim toward him.His lips move, but I can't make out the words over the splashing.As I draw closer, I see panic etched across his face.
"Take my hand!"I shout, stretching my arm out.
He hesitates for only a moment before grasping my hand tightly.His grip is strong, his desperation obvious.I pull him toward me, wrapping my arm about his chest to keep his head above water.
"I've got you," I assure him."Relax and allow me to guide us back to shore."
The stranger nods weakly, his body shivering violently against mine as I slowly swim us back to shore.By the time we reach the bank, my arms and legs are burning from exertion, but I manage to haul us both onto solid ground.We collapse onto the muddy shore, gasping for air.
"Are ye unharmed?"I ask between breaths, glancing at the mysterious man.
He's lying on his back, chest heaving, eyes squeezed shut.His strange clothes---unlike any I've ever seen---are soaked through and clinging to his body.
As I watch, he slowly opens his eyes and turns his head to meet my gaze."How am I not dead?I fell from way up high, got thrown around like a ragdoll, and sank deep into the water.I should be a red smear on the grass."
"But ye aren't, and I'm grateful for that."My magics must have saved him, but I cannae tell him that yet.He might panic, or worse, try to murder me.Witchcraft is performed in secret.Witchfinders have been known to haunt the Highlands in search of witches to burn.
"Where am I?"he croaks, his accent unfamiliar to my ears, though it reminds me somewhat of my mother's manner of speech.
"You're at Dùndubhan Castle," I reply, pushing myself up to a sitting position."In the Highlands of Scotland."
He pushes up on his elbows to study his new surroundings."Where did all the tourists go?"
Tourists?I know what the word means, but I dinnae think it's wise to let this man see that I know.I learned it from my mother, who was a tourist in the twenty-first century, until she was pulled into the past.
The man's brow furrows in confusion as he takes in my words and appearance.He sits up fully, wincing slightly, and runs a hand through his dripping hair.
The man blinks repeatedly, seeming even more bewildered than before."Tourists are...um, people visiting from far away?"
He waves his hand vaguely in the air.
"Oh!"I behave as if I have no idea what a tourist is, even though I do understand."Well, Dùndubhan is not that sort of place.'Tis our family seat."
"Family..."His voice trails off as he attempts to process my words.Wincing, he raises a shaking hand to his head."Damn, what happened to me?"
I shrug."Something very strange.'Tis all I know."
He wipes a hand over his face and sighs."What's your name?"
I stare at him with my brows wrinkled.Should I tell him who I am?Nay, I should not.Or mayhap I should.His presence has made me terribly confused which might explain what I say next."I am Rachel MacTaggart.And you are..."
"Joey Finnegan."
An Irish lad?No, he doesn't seem at all like an Irishman aside from his surname.His accent is quite unusual---to me, at least.
"I don't understand," Joey says, his voice hoarse."I was just...Fulvio grabbed me and then...crazy shit happened."He trails off, shaking his head as if to clear his mind."This can't be real.Am I dreaming?"
I reach out hesitantly, placing a hand on his arm.
He flinches at the contact but doesn't pull away.
