in the rock formation. When his fingers brushed the treasure hidden within, the familiar emotions of anger and bitterness, sorrow and hope resurfaced as they always did.
Returning to the fireside, he unwrapped the object he'd spent the last 216 years guarding with his life.
Lady Jill stopped talking and stood stone still, all color draining from her face.
"Oh, my God. That's it! That's the tapestry!"
Surprised at her claim, Baelin clutched the edges of the tapestry, threatening to rip the woven cloth in his white-knuckled grip.
"Are you certain?"
"Oh, I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She eyed the object that had controlled his fate for over two centuries, her breathing rapid and shallow.
"That's the damn thing that brought me here."
CHAPTER 5
Jill's world tunneled in on the tapestry cradled in Baelin's hands.
She watched him grip it tighter, as if he feared she might try to take it from him.
"You must be mistaken."
"Oh, no. I'd know that damn thing anywhere. It's permanently imprinted on my brain." A sickening feeling churned in the pit of her belly, then crept its way up her throat until it threatened to choke her. "Where did you get it?"
"The tapestry has always been in my possession. I have guarded it every day of my life as a dragon, for it holds the beginning and the end of my curse."
Jill searched her memory, trying to recall the details of the incredible story he'd told her only moments ago. Chills prickled her skin and her breath came in short, desperate gasps. She dreaded asking the question rat-a-tat-tatting in her mind like the drum roll before an execution, but she had to know.
"What year is it?"
"'Tis the year of our Lord, 1214."
"Twelve…?" She swayed as she shook her head in denial. "No. No. Noooo ."
The walls of the cave closed in on her. She stumbled in a circle, desperate to find anything that would snap her back to reality. But everything she saw—a shield, a sword, even the gown she wore—confirmed exactly where and when she was. She covered her face with her hands, trying to block the objects from her vision, but they remained in her mind's eye, irrefutable evidence of an inconceivable truth.
"This isn't real. This cannot be happening." She staggered toward the mouth of the cave, desperate for fresh air before she passed out. But before she could gain the entrance, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, jerking her back against a rock-hard chest.
"You cannot leave."
Jill struggled against his powerful grip as the acidic taste of bile rose in the back of her throat. "I can't breathe and if you don't let me go, I might heave what little I have in my stomach all over you."
A long moment passed, then the grip on her waist eased. "I will take you."
With his arm still around her, Jill stumbled out onto the ledge and managed to sit before her legs buckled from under her. She dropped her head between her knees and drew in large gulps of air. When she was reasonably sure she wasn't going to faint or vomit or both, she raised her head and looked out over the valley illuminated by the full moon far below.
No city lights glowed in the distance. No headlights passed by on a road below. No beacon blinked atop a cell tower warning planes not to fly too close. Just the unending darkness of an empty, desolate landscape, devoid of even a twinkle of electric-powered light from the twenty-first century.
Somehow—though logic and common sense dictated otherwise—she had traveled back in time. To the freakin' Middle Ages of all places! How was that even possible?
She glanced to where Baelin's steely fingers still circled her arm. "You can let go now. I'm not going anywhere."
"'Tis dangerous." His grip relaxed, but he did not release her. "I do not wish you to…fall."
"I'm fine. Obviously, there's nowhere for me to go." She stared into his dark eyes as he squatted beside her, his shadowed face only inches from her own and way too close for her peace of mind. "What do think
Returning to the fireside, he unwrapped the object he'd spent the last 216 years guarding with his life.
Lady Jill stopped talking and stood stone still, all color draining from her face.
"Oh, my God. That's it! That's the tapestry!"
Surprised at her claim, Baelin clutched the edges of the tapestry, threatening to rip the woven cloth in his white-knuckled grip.
"Are you certain?"
"Oh, I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She eyed the object that had controlled his fate for over two centuries, her breathing rapid and shallow.
"That's the damn thing that brought me here."
CHAPTER 5
Jill's world tunneled in on the tapestry cradled in Baelin's hands.
She watched him grip it tighter, as if he feared she might try to take it from him.
"You must be mistaken."
"Oh, no. I'd know that damn thing anywhere. It's permanently imprinted on my brain." A sickening feeling churned in the pit of her belly, then crept its way up her throat until it threatened to choke her. "Where did you get it?"
"The tapestry has always been in my possession. I have guarded it every day of my life as a dragon, for it holds the beginning and the end of my curse."
Jill searched her memory, trying to recall the details of the incredible story he'd told her only moments ago. Chills prickled her skin and her breath came in short, desperate gasps. She dreaded asking the question rat-a-tat-tatting in her mind like the drum roll before an execution, but she had to know.
"What year is it?"
"'Tis the year of our Lord, 1214."
"Twelve…?" She swayed as she shook her head in denial. "No. No. Noooo ."
The walls of the cave closed in on her. She stumbled in a circle, desperate to find anything that would snap her back to reality. But everything she saw—a shield, a sword, even the gown she wore—confirmed exactly where and when she was. She covered her face with her hands, trying to block the objects from her vision, but they remained in her mind's eye, irrefutable evidence of an inconceivable truth.
"This isn't real. This cannot be happening." She staggered toward the mouth of the cave, desperate for fresh air before she passed out. But before she could gain the entrance, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, jerking her back against a rock-hard chest.
"You cannot leave."
Jill struggled against his powerful grip as the acidic taste of bile rose in the back of her throat. "I can't breathe and if you don't let me go, I might heave what little I have in my stomach all over you."
A long moment passed, then the grip on her waist eased. "I will take you."
With his arm still around her, Jill stumbled out onto the ledge and managed to sit before her legs buckled from under her. She dropped her head between her knees and drew in large gulps of air. When she was reasonably sure she wasn't going to faint or vomit or both, she raised her head and looked out over the valley illuminated by the full moon far below.
No city lights glowed in the distance. No headlights passed by on a road below. No beacon blinked atop a cell tower warning planes not to fly too close. Just the unending darkness of an empty, desolate landscape, devoid of even a twinkle of electric-powered light from the twenty-first century.
Somehow—though logic and common sense dictated otherwise—she had traveled back in time. To the freakin' Middle Ages of all places! How was that even possible?
She glanced to where Baelin's steely fingers still circled her arm. "You can let go now. I'm not going anywhere."
"'Tis dangerous." His grip relaxed, but he did not release her. "I do not wish you to…fall."
"I'm fine. Obviously, there's nowhere for me to go." She stared into his dark eyes as he squatted beside her, his shadowed face only inches from her own and way too close for her peace of mind. "What do think
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