‘Father, please don't make him leave. Not now.'
Her plea went ignored. A woman's desire was not important in that time. Their opinions were worthless. It would be a long time from now until that changed.
‘You will travel north. I want you to collect something for me.'
I nodded at him. I didn't know what to say. I was Nick, but I wasn't. I was Taurus, but I wasn't. It felt real. The touch of my woman's hand on my shoulder as she stood next to me. The caress of warmth from the fire after the cool wet cradling of the grass. It was so real.
‘Time to go.'
The voice was my own. The young girl looked at me, her eyebrows creasing together. I blinked as my heartbeat rocked my whole body.
‘We're back.' It was Nick's voice.
Opening my eyes, I lay my hands on the squared lino and pushed myself up. The kitchen in modern day London was the same as when we had left it. Or when our consciousness had left.
‘That was an interesting way of doing it. I can never tell how it's going to go when we time travel-'
‘Time travel?' I spluttered, clambering to a stand.
I was unsteady on my feet. The drug made me feel woozy.
‘Well, it's not time travel. Not when time doesn't really exist. It's just a human thing. But we went back to a time that has already played out.'
Nick was sitting at the table. His eyes were bloodshot. I rubbed a hand over my stubbled jaw. My vision was blurred as I lowered myself into a chair.
‘We've not finished. We come back to reality to make sure we don't get trapped there.' Nick laid his head on the table and closed his eyes, so I did the same.
‘It won't work.'
The man was huffing from the effort of trying to undo the rope. I was jumping from one foot to the other.
‘I have to get back to her. We're supposed to be getting wed today.'
I scratched at my unwashed hair, feeling the slick grease that lined it. She would kill me. She would think that I didn't want to be her husband. Her father had set me up on purpose. My errand had taken days to complete. He had said that I was to fetch a wedding gift, but when I arrived, there was nothing at the allotted inn. Not an innkeeper. Not a soul. It was abandoned.
‘Cut the rope, man!' I snapped, handing a knife to the older male.
He was a local farmer. I had persuaded him to lend me his only horse. I had to get back to my beloved. She would never forgive me for being late or not turning up at all.
Once the rope was free, I kicked the horse's sides. It sped away, almost toppling me off. I was at least a day's ride from our home. The ceremony would be taking place in three hours from now. I would never make it.
‘Why did he do this to me?' I whispered to myself as I whizzed past the trees in the forest.
I leant forward on the horse as my head started to bob up and down. No matter how hard I tried to fight sleep, it took me anyway.
‘Nicklaus!'
Her sharp tone brought me round again. I was hanging off the side of the horse. She stood in a clearing just north of our home.
‘My love!' I exclaimed, falling to the ground when I let go of the mare's mane.
///
I rushed to my feet and took her hands in my own. Her eyes were red and swollen.
‘Where were you?'
She took her hands away and tucked them under her dress. I frowned as she looked at the ground, unable to meet my gaze.
‘Your father sent me on a fool's errand. There was nothing there!'
A deep chuckle came from behind me. I turned to see my new enemy standing with a sword in his hand. ‘Nothing there? Why, my son, what about the inn?'
I rubbed a hand over my face to clear away the sleepiness. My beloved watched her father with tears sitting on the edge of her eyes.
‘It was empty!'
He shook his head as he chewed on his dry lips. ‘Of course it was empty. It was supposed to be your new home.'
What was he talking about? He had sent me away, knowing it would make me miss the ceremony.
‘I must admit, it was a test. I wanted you to prove your love for my daughter,' he said, raising the sword and inspecting the blade. ‘If you made it back in time, I would assume that you didn't care about a gift. You would have proved that you loved my daughter more.'
‘That's hardly fair! I would never abandon an errand set by my father in law!'
His eyebrows rose as his sword came to his side. ‘Not even for the love of your own beloved?'
I realised my mistake too late. He was a solider of old. He always completed the missions his master set him, but when it came to his wife, she had his full and total devotion. Even over his master.
‘Nicklaus!'
I turned to my beloved and looked her in the eye. I had failed her. I was not worthy of her love or her hand. ‘I'm sorry,' I whispered.
‘Father, please don't do this,' she pleaded, running to him and tugging on his arm.
My heart cracked into a thousand tiny fractures. It was time for me to leave my home and start again. I had to leave her behind so she could marry a man that deserved her.
‘The inn is yours,' the man that had ruined my life called.
The horse stayed still as I swung my leg over its back.
‘No, please, Nicklaus! Please, Father!'
Her cries went ignored as I kicked the horse into a trot. My beloved would never see me again. She deserved someone better. She would marry someone that could follow his heart. Not his head.
*
The coughing woke me.
My cheeks were wet from the tears that lingered on them. I couldn't remember the last time I had cried.
‘You loved her.'
I couldn't lift my head. Nick's grief was still reverberating through my bones.
‘More than life itself.'
His words were mumbled.
‘Boss?' someone called through the kitchen door.
He shuffled, so I raised my head and looked him in the eye. The grey iris was as familiar to me as my own eye colour.
‘You see. I'm not some evil man that has never felt a thing throughout our lifetimes together.'
He scrubbed his face and pushed back from the table.
‘Boss!?' The shout was louder.
‘What is it?' he called back.
The door opened and one of his men came in. He was a young man, about my age. He wore the typical black outfit. Trousers and a jumper. His hair was cropped short. He kept a straight face as he glanced at the drugs on the table.
‘I need to report something,' the man said.
He stood straight, but the wobble in his voice showed that he was new to the job. What was Nick building? Why so many men for only a few of us?
‘Go ahead.' Nick poured two small glasses of vodka and handed me one.
The young man glanced at me before frowning.
‘I said, go ahead!' Nick had been calm and collected. A spark of aggression showed as he glared at the young man.
‘Aries has been spotted in the vicinity. He's with Gemini. They're searching for Taurus. We have no idea how he knows we're on this street.'
Nick nodded and gestured for the man to leave. I downed my drink. My face screwed up as the burn woke me up.
‘Are you ready to go home?'
Nick had been heartbroken. I didn't know how he manipulated the scene to show it being historic. I didn't know how he had made it seem as if I was in his body but something was clear. His heart had turned to stone as he rode away from the woman he loved.
‘I still have many questions.'
He smiled and rose from his seat. ‘Of course you do. And now you know where to find me.'
‘You're going to let me leave? And come back?'
Holding out his arms, he gestured to the kitchen around us. ‘You have free will, Taurus. I've never seen the point in keeping any of you against your will. Other than Pisces, of course, but I've learnt my lesson from that. You want answers. I've got them. I have you at an advantage.'
///
Picking up my cap from the floor, I placed it on my head. He was right. The trip was the best one I had ever had, although the emotion that came from it wasn't that pleasurable.
‘Lead your friends away from here. I'll see you again soon.'
I got up from the chair and turned to go. He was right. He would see me again soon.
‘Taurus,' he called when I reached the door. ‘Don't take any more drugs. Come to me for this.' He gestured at the white baggies that still lay in front of him.
‘Even cannabis?' Could I really go without anything?
Picking up a bag, he offered it to me. ‘Yes, even cannabis.'
My hand was on the handle of the door. If I walked out without taking the drug, whatever it was, I would carry on with my life. I would still take the same stuff and be the same person. But I didn't have Sophie to go dancing with. I didn't have her to roll a joint for me when I was feeling lazy. She had only been in my life for a tiny time, but she had made a big impact.
‘Okay,' I said as I stepped back and snatched the bag from him.
‘I'll see you soon, Taurus.'
I left him behind, ignoring his men as they escorted me to the front door. I had to be careful not to be seen by the others. I didn't want them to know where I had been. Could I keep another secret from my siblings?