The Curse Conduit
Chapter 27

As surreal as their situation was the two women had bonded very quickly taking strength from each other’s experiences. Elizabeth was awed that Bethie was living in the midst of a war. Something she had only read about. But now firsthand she got to see how it really was.

Bethie was herself in shock at the things that Elizabeth told her of her own time. She pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket and Bethie took great delight in pushing the buttons. “You mean this little thing is your telephone?”

Elizabeth smiled. “Uh Huh.”

“But it has no mouth piece, no ear piece.”

Elizabeth took the phone back and showed her how it was used before putting it back in her pocket.

Bethie sighed. “It is nice to know that the world will be at peace again. “She looked at Elizabeth. “I don’t think I could go on if I lost Danny.”

The room was silent. Elizabeth had no words of comfort for her. She had no idea how things were going to turn out. No idea how they would possibly sort it all out and make it all go away.

After a while Bethie spoke up. “How exactly did you get here by the way?”

Elizabeth explained what had happened and Bethie smiled. “Musketeers eh. Runs in the family. That’s what the Colonel calls us. The three musketeers. I think it was the linking of the hands that did it.”

“If that is the case then why did the others get left behind?”

“Can you remember whose hands rested on whose?”

Elizabeth closed her eyes to think back. She opened them as she remembered. “I know that I put my hand on Derek’s and then Uriah put his hand on mine. Then it was like the room exploded.” She paused. “Do you think if we did it again it would work in reverse? You know take us home?”

“I’d be more worried about it taking me further away.”

The noise as the men returned put an end to their conversation. It was still a shock to see them all together. Derek and Danny walked in together making the most noise as Uriah and Urian followed them, quietly and with a heaviness that engulfed them all.

Bethie tried to shake the foreboding feeling from her. “Ian you’ve got room to put Uriah and Elizabeth up for the night don’t you. We can fit Derek in here but the place is too small for everyone.”

Elizabeth went to protest but Urian put up his hand. “I guess we had a few of the same thoughts. We thought you girls would like to stay together so we decided that we would all bunk back at my place.”

Now Bethie was not sure if she liked that idea either but she could see the sense in it. Smiling she went to Danny, draped her arms over his shoulders and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. “You’ve been gone two days and I have to wait another night. I am not sure if I can.”

Danny blushed a little as he pulled her arms from his neck. He could see Derek’s cheeky smile. “You’ll just have to be strong.”

He would have to be strong. He had not intended spending the night without her. So trying to make it easier he clapped his hands. “Okay boys let’s get this show on the road.” He gave Bethie another quick kiss. “We’ll be back for breakfast.”

Derek nodded his good byes to both ladies as Uriah and Urian walked forward and did the same thing. Uriah kissed Elizabeth on the check while Urian kissed Bethie in the same manner. Neither spoke, just kissed them. Seeing this Derek decided he needed to give Elizabeth a kiss. He took her hands after he kissed her and held them to his chest. “Urian’s place is just around the corner. I won’t be far if you need me.”

Urian’s house was bigger than Danny and Bethie’s. It had been his parent’s house and with four other siblings it needed to be big. It had seven bedrooms upstairs and the downstairs was well appointed with a large kitchen, dining room, family room and study. Derek and Uriah were surprised. Uriah was more surprised at that fact that Urian had such an accent if he had lived in England all his life.

Urian explained. “My parents love this country but they wanted me to know who I was, where I came from so I have been back to my home country many times. I studied there, I work there but when war broke out I came back to help defend the country that I also love.”

Uriah was curious about the rest of his family. “Your brothers and sisters?”

Urian sighed but had a small smile on his face. “Thankfully they have all returned to England. They are safe.”

Danny patted Urian on the back. “Yeah this big house gets a little lonely all by yourself doesn’t it Ian? That’s why he spends so much time at my place.”

Urian showed them to their rooms without answering but Uriah had seen that look in his eyes. He knew how he felt. He knew because he felt the same way about Elizabeth.

With Derek and Danny settled Urian was headed down the hall to his own room when he stopped outside Uriah’s as he heard him humming. He did not know the tune but it was nice, he liked it. He knocked on the door and Uriah opened. Urian smiled at him. “You sing?”

Uriah had a bit of a shocked look on his face but he had forgotten that Urian really had no idea who he was or what he did. So he answered with a smile “Yes. A little.”

“I liked the tune you were humming what was it?”

Uriah had to think before he answered. “Just a song a friend wrote. Do you sing?”

Urian smiled. “Not for a long time.”

The men fell silent then Uriah asked Urian a question that almost stopped him from breathing. “You love Bethie don’t you?”

Urian just stared at him. Had this man from the future seen something? Had he done something in the future that would let him know how he felt about Bethie? Urian’s mind raced from one thought to the other. He had vowed never to tell anyone of his feelings for Bethie and he had never let them be known to anyone. “How do you know this?”

Uriah could sense his pain. “Because I suffer from the same affliction.” Uriah let his eyes drop a little then looked back up at Urian. “Our friend Uri also suffered as we do. In silence, in torment, to be so close, never able to show her our love. She has bewitched us all. I understand how you feel Urian. It is the way I feel about Elizabeth.”

“You would not tell Derek how you feel?”

Uriah looked at Urian with eyes that held so much love for Elizabeth yet so much sorrow. “Would you tell Danny?”

Urian’s silence, Uriah’s answer.

That night was the first night in months that Uriah could not remember having a dream. If he had dreamt he did not remember.

Derek woke the next morning after sleeping all through the night for the first time in so long he thought it was never going to happen again. Their dreams had been one of the reasons the men had decided to sleep away from the women. If they had all dreamt that night no one knew how it would turn out.

It turned out to the best night’s sleep Derek and Uriah could remember having since it all started.

It was a relief but it was also a concern. With no dreams did this mean they were stuck in the time they were now in? That really would mess up history. Derek smiled to himself as he thought about it. Did that mean he would still be born like he had and exist in two different time lines? And if so how did he know that he was not the one from a different future. Derek shook his head as it started to hurt. He was sitting in Urian’s kitchen waiting for the others to get ready to go back to Bethie’s when Uriah walked in. “Bad Dream?”

Derek smiled. “No dreams.”

“But you are shaking your head like you have a headache.”

“I do. I was just trying to figure out this whole time line thing. You know if we are here now and can’t get home does that mean I never exist in the future or does it mean I had to come back here for me to exist. But then…”

Uriah raised his hand. “Derek stop. As smart as we are we are never going to figure this out. If you look at it logically you’ll just go nuts. Science cannot give you the answers.”

Uriah was a little wary at the cheeky smile that Derek gave him. “When we get back maybe we could tell the scientists a thing or two.”

“Just trying to explain to everyone where we have been is going to be bad enough.”

Derek frowned a little. “Wonder where Urian keeps the coffee?”