Marc didn’t bother to dispute their claim. He knew it was true. Both Tienan and Logan had the right to try to win Kathryn’s love and affection. “It must be her choice.” On that point he would not waver. Marc’s insides were tied up in knots. He’d wanted to avoid this but knew it had to happen. “Kathryn is very fond of both of you. She is also attracted to you.” He almost choked on the words.
“What are you suggesting?” Tienan’s eyes narrowed. Marc could tell the other man was weighing and measuring his every word.
Marc pushed away from the mantle, taking the measure of the men in front of him.
They were worthy adversaries. He didn’t want to like them but he did. Their devotion to Kathryn was obvious and they put her safety above their own. He had a feeling that if he knew them better, they could be friends.
“That we follow the customs of Javara. The three of us will go to Kathryn tonight and pleasure her. That way, when the time comes, her choice will be made with full knowledge.”
“She won’t accept us all in her bed.” Logan shook his head even as Marc sensed the other man’s growing desire.
“Maybe not back in her world but here…” Marc let his words hang in the air.
Christina had told him much about the sexual norms on her planet. He knew what he was suggesting would be foreign in their world unless their culture had changed a great deal in the past hundred or so years. “Here it is totally acceptable and expected.” His heart pounded heavily and he wanted to fight, to work off the excess anger flooding his veins. “I have seen her looking at you both. She will accept you and welcome all of us.” Marc knew it had to be this way. Otherwise he’d never be sure of Kathryn if she stayed.
And if she left…
He couldn’t even fathom the possibility. For the first time, he began to entertain a different idea. If she wouldn’t stay, perhaps he could go with her when she left. She was not safe in her world but he could fight by her side. Tienan and Logan would teach him to use those strange weapons that he’d seen. Even if he died in that strange world, he’d be with her. Leaving behind his family and his home would be hard but losing Kathryn would be like losing himself. He would not survive.
He stepped forward. “Are you with me?”
Logan nodded. Marc turned to Tienan.
“I’m in,” Tienan replied, rubbing his hand thoughtfully over his jaw. “Although I still think that you’re wrong about her accepting all three of us in her bed.” Marc shook his head. “She already has, or do you not remember the dream?” Both men appeared shocked and then Logan smiled. It was filled with male satisfaction and a hint of anticipation. “She has, hasn’t she?”
Kathryn had waited until the door closed before rolling over onto her back and staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t believe the debacle she’d just experienced. While she understood their want of a woman, the way they were going about it almost guaranteed that any sane woman was going to run in the opposite direction.
She turned onto her side and something dug in to her stomach. The journal. Sitting up, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small leather volume. She stared at it for a long time. Somehow she knew she’d find answers in there.
Sliding off the bed, she padded over to the window seat where the light was better.
The colorful panel was a thing of beauty, depicting a garden scene. She traced her fingers over the vibrant reds, blues, yellows and greens before settling on the seat.
Opening the journal, she began to read. Page after page, she scanned, the story unfolding. Seems her ancestor was a sorceress, if one believed in such things. A few days ago, Kathryn would have scoffed at the idea. A woman of science, she dealt in the facts. But she was also smart enough to know that there were many unexplained and undiscovered things in her world and beyond.
She was living proof that there was such a thing as travel across time and space and her ancestor was responsible for it. The woman talked about living in various worlds, in different times. Whether it was fact or fiction, it made for fascinating reading.
The woman, whose name was Sarainta, had apparently lived in Javara for a while.
Though she had decided not to stay, she had been moved by the plight of the people and the ingenious solution they’d created for dealing with it. Using her magic, she’d created the tapestry to travel to other places and times and bring to Javara women who did not fit in their own time but who might flourish here. One per generation, maybe two. The decision belonged to the tapestry. If it could find two women, it could offer them the choice.
Kathryn curled up, resting her head against the stone wall as she thought about the science behind time travel. It boggled the mind. Turning her attention back to the book, she began reading once again.
Her eyes widened as she read about the various brides who’d been brought here over the years. Gasping, her fingers gripping the book tightly, she read about Christina and how Sarainta had enticed the other woman to buy the tapestry. She detailed the story of Jane Bakra, formerly Jane Smith, whom Kathryn had yet to meet. Her story was as amazing as Christina’s. She also explained the book in the attic. Apparently, Sarainta had befriended a writer and gifted her with the stories, encouraging her to tell them.
The writer had believed them to be nothing but fanciful stories of fiction but had agreed to tell the fantastic tales, enthralled by the unique tales of love and devotion.
Incredible!
Kathryn rubbed her forehead in wonder. This must have been written around the same time Christina actually arrived in Javara. That was over a hundred years in earth time but Christina had only been here for about six years. Time was fluid and it seemed that the tapestry and her ancestor had been able to move easily through time and space.
Totally enthralled, she continued to read until she stumbled across her own name.
Heart pounding, she read her own story on the pages. It detailed everything, including the battle in which Marc appeared and her own journey to Javara. What it didn’t have was an ending. The story abruptly stopped after it detailed her finding the journal and reading it.
Okay, now she was totally freaked out. This wasn’t possible. Yet it was there in black and white. She almost tossed the book away but at the last second flipped through the remaining pages, stopping when she saw more writing.
Her eyes flew over the sheets, absorbing everything. Ohmigod! The secret of the tapestry was in the book. It was so simple if you knew the secret and accepted that there was such a thing as magic.
Kathryn swallowed as she read the final lines aloud. “This is my legacy to you but it is your choice. You are of my blood. The only living descendant of my line on Earth.
Whether you go or stay, you will have the knowledge of the tapestry to help and guide you. It is a portal to other worlds if you but know its secret. Trust that the tapestry would never have brought you here if you could not find happiness in this world. The tapestry has an intellect and a life all its own. You are but a guide but as you alone are of my blood, you can call it to you if necessary.” Stunned, Kathryn read the final instructions at the bottom of the page. Standing, she staggered slightly when a pain much like pins and needles poking at her went through her leg. She’d been sitting on it for a long time. The sun had passed its peak in the sky and the afternoon was waning. Kathryn knew that her time alone would soon come to an end.
Stumbling over to the fireplace, she stirred the embers, carefully adding several tiny pieces of kindling to it until she got a small flame. Slowly, she knelt and stared into the fire as it snapped and reached higher. She took a deep breath and ripped the final pages from the leather book and fed them one at a time into the flames. The fire greedily consumed them, protecting their secrets forever.