stay with me. I ken he wants to go, find his
brothers, then return to being a mercenary, making the fine money
he did, so I could have the grandest house in Durness, mayhap in
all of MacKay country. But I asked him to stay, for I’m...well, I
need him to stay for a bit. And now ye’re here, so he’ll stay as
long as ye do. Will ye being staying with me in my house? I’d be
honored if ye did. Oh, but I should go find my Duncan to help me
get the house ready for ye.”
Before Fleur could respond, Helen was on her
feet, shuffling toward the exit Fleur had yet to see. She stood and
turned around, alone in the house. Alone and suddenly so scared.
She rushed toward the front door, the one where Duncan had pressed
his fingertips against the small of her back. When he’d done
that—oh, the tingly sensations still rippled through her.
Fleur found herself in Helen’s garden, close
to a thigh-high rosemary bush and wavy chamomile white and yellow
daisies that flickered at her. This was so like her grandmother’s
garden, back when Papa was still alive. And Helen looked so much
like Rachel. Maybe...maybe all of this was a dream. But how could
she wake from it?
“You don’t,” said a nearby female voice.
Fleur jumped when she looked just beyond the
rosemary to see two dark redheads pulling weeds in a row of
carrots. They both wore golden coveralls, and were covered in small
smudges of dirt. One looked up at her and smiled, and that’s when
Fleur took a step back.
“You’re...you.”
The redhead nodded.
The other looked up from pulling a dandelion
then winced. “Shoot, they keep dandelions, don’t they? They use
their roots and their leaves in teas and in tinctures, huh?”
The closest redhead nodded. “That’s okay. I
think the dandelions were taking over the poor pansies over there.
See? So you can pull a few of them.” Then she smiled up at Fleur.
“Remember me? I’m Clio.” She then pointed to the other woman.
“That’s my sister, Erato.”
Fleur snorted a laugh, remembering slightly
her mythology. “The muses. Are you telling me you’re Greek
muses?
Clio turned to Erato again. “She knows a lot
for being a genealogist.”
Erato scowled. “I did tell you she was super
smart. What was your high school called? The one you went to down
in Texas?”
“T-Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science,”
Fleur whispered, not quite feeling her feet any more, stunned that
Erato knew so much about her.
Erato nodded. “An American Justice of the
Peace went to school there. Which one?”
Both the muses turned to Fleur, their hands
still in the sandy dirt, but paused as they waited for an
answer.
Fleur shook her head. “This can’t be
happening.”
Clio blinked. “Well, as you said to Duncan,
it is, because you’re here. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but you
said something like that. And quite honestly, I thought you were
handling the switch in time rather well until now. There you were
on the road, trying to get him to believe you’re from—”
“The future!” Erato finished with a
triumphant smile that looked like she was attempting to imitate Doc
from Back to the Future . She even had a finger pointed to
the sky as she grinned.
Fleur sank to her knees. “Why? Why are you
doing this to me?”
Erato was first to kneel close to Fleur,
hugging her around her shoulders. “You know, this morning wasn’t
what we expected. We’ve never worked with Coyote before. That’s why
we decided to come back so soon and talk to you privately
about...well, everything.”
Fleur didn’t know why, but after hugging
Helen and now a woman who was trying to pass off as a muse
seemed—God, she didn’t know what was wrong with her—but she didn’t
mind at all.
Still, she wanted some answers. “So—so I
really saw Coyote this morning?”
Clio nodded. “He loves you, which made things
a little serious there for a moment. Not that Erato and I don’t
adore you, but we haven’t been watching you since you
brothers, then return to being a mercenary, making the fine money
he did, so I could have the grandest house in Durness, mayhap in
all of MacKay country. But I asked him to stay, for I’m...well, I
need him to stay for a bit. And now ye’re here, so he’ll stay as
long as ye do. Will ye being staying with me in my house? I’d be
honored if ye did. Oh, but I should go find my Duncan to help me
get the house ready for ye.”
Before Fleur could respond, Helen was on her
feet, shuffling toward the exit Fleur had yet to see. She stood and
turned around, alone in the house. Alone and suddenly so scared.
She rushed toward the front door, the one where Duncan had pressed
his fingertips against the small of her back. When he’d done
that—oh, the tingly sensations still rippled through her.
Fleur found herself in Helen’s garden, close
to a thigh-high rosemary bush and wavy chamomile white and yellow
daisies that flickered at her. This was so like her grandmother’s
garden, back when Papa was still alive. And Helen looked so much
like Rachel. Maybe...maybe all of this was a dream. But how could
she wake from it?
“You don’t,” said a nearby female voice.
Fleur jumped when she looked just beyond the
rosemary to see two dark redheads pulling weeds in a row of
carrots. They both wore golden coveralls, and were covered in small
smudges of dirt. One looked up at her and smiled, and that’s when
Fleur took a step back.
“You’re...you.”
The redhead nodded.
The other looked up from pulling a dandelion
then winced. “Shoot, they keep dandelions, don’t they? They use
their roots and their leaves in teas and in tinctures, huh?”
The closest redhead nodded. “That’s okay. I
think the dandelions were taking over the poor pansies over there.
See? So you can pull a few of them.” Then she smiled up at Fleur.
“Remember me? I’m Clio.” She then pointed to the other woman.
“That’s my sister, Erato.”
Fleur snorted a laugh, remembering slightly
her mythology. “The muses. Are you telling me you’re Greek
muses?
Clio turned to Erato again. “She knows a lot
for being a genealogist.”
Erato scowled. “I did tell you she was super
smart. What was your high school called? The one you went to down
in Texas?”
“T-Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science,”
Fleur whispered, not quite feeling her feet any more, stunned that
Erato knew so much about her.
Erato nodded. “An American Justice of the
Peace went to school there. Which one?”
Both the muses turned to Fleur, their hands
still in the sandy dirt, but paused as they waited for an
answer.
Fleur shook her head. “This can’t be
happening.”
Clio blinked. “Well, as you said to Duncan,
it is, because you’re here. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but you
said something like that. And quite honestly, I thought you were
handling the switch in time rather well until now. There you were
on the road, trying to get him to believe you’re from—”
“The future!” Erato finished with a
triumphant smile that looked like she was attempting to imitate Doc
from Back to the Future . She even had a finger pointed to
the sky as she grinned.
Fleur sank to her knees. “Why? Why are you
doing this to me?”
Erato was first to kneel close to Fleur,
hugging her around her shoulders. “You know, this morning wasn’t
what we expected. We’ve never worked with Coyote before. That’s why
we decided to come back so soon and talk to you privately
about...well, everything.”
Fleur didn’t know why, but after hugging
Helen and now a woman who was trying to pass off as a muse
seemed—God, she didn’t know what was wrong with her—but she didn’t
mind at all.
Still, she wanted some answers. “So—so I
really saw Coyote this morning?”
Clio nodded. “He loves you, which made things
a little serious there for a moment. Not that Erato and I don’t
adore you, but we haven’t been watching you since you
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