Understanding dawned. I looked at the spot where the woman had disappeared. “You interfered with the past. This Chloe of yours might not exist in the future now.”
Portia jerked angry eyes to me. “You think I don’t know that?”
Shock stole my breath—but only for a second. She’d jeopardized everything, and she was angry withme?
I stepped close and lifted a finger. “The chronomancer gave youonerule, lass, and you spent a scant five minutes in this time before you broke it to pieces.”
Her snarl was loud in the clearing. “You’re not helping!”
“Ha! That makes two of us.”
She balled her fists. “What would you have done in my place? Stand there while they burned her alive?”
I stepped closer, towering over her. “That’s exactly what I would have done.”
She recoiled as if I’d struck her. “You’re a monster.”
“A monster who’s not supposed to be here at all.” I stabbed a finger at the stake. “Thathas already happened in both my time and yours.”
Portia went even paler.
“You just changed history,” I growled. “The chronomancer said that guarantees disaster. You wanted to save this Chloe’s ancestor? Well, you might have just erased her from existence!”
Portia clapped a hand over her mouth.
I nodded. “That’s right. And don’t forget what the chronomancer said about the jumps. You messed this one up, Princess. You might have just stranded all three of us in the past.”
Moisture filled her eyes. Guilt swamped me, the sight of her tears twisting my guts.
“Lass…” I said, stepping forward.
“No!” She scrambled back, then fumbled with her bodice, withdrawing the plum-colored bag. “I-I can try again.”
Wind ruffled my hair, and then Albie stood a short distance away with the bag in his hand. He’d moved too swiftly to track.
“Not here,” he said, tucking the bag inside his jacket. “This isn’t the sort of thing you rush into. And we can’t stay in this forest. We need to find a safe place to think.”
Portia wiped her eyes. “You’re right.” She swept an apprehensive look around the woods. “But where can we go?”
I jerked my head toward the trees behind her. “That way.”
Portia turned. “Why that way?”
“It’s as good as any other.”
She swung back, eyes glittering. “You?—”
“We should go,” Albie said smoothly. He went to Portia and took her arm. “Don’t fash yourself, lass. Tavish and I know our way around a forest. We’ll find a comfortable spot to come up with a plan.”
She nodded, and she let him guide her from the clearing.
I fell into step behind them, my ears pricked for the sound of humans. But none appeared, and we slipped through the forest with the light steps and graceful movements of our kind. Images of the blond-haired woman flashed in my head, her blue eyes filled with borrowed flame.
She’d been unaware of her gift. I’d stake a tidy sum on it. But if Portia was right, she’d passed her magic onto her descendant. We’d saved a donum from burning.
And only the gods knew what that meant for the future.
Chapter
