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Way The Wind Blows
Chapter Nine
Kathryn walked with Mark along the lakeside while Petunia ran before them, sometimes diving into long grass, other times running into the lake. As they walked, Kathryn told Mark about the castle's history and all about her adventure with Cheb in a similar castle in Ohio. Mark laughed and went on to tell her amusing stories from his youth.
After walking for a while, they stopped by a cluster of rocks and decided to rest for a moment. From their position, they had a good view of the castle and Mark studied the impressive ruins.
"If I didn't know we were in Canada," he said, "I could well believe we were in Austria or Germany or somewhere else in Europe that has ancient ruins." He paused. "I wonder why they built the castle in such an elevated position, though. It would have been easier to build on flat land and not so awkward to get too. It's quite a climb up that slope from here."
"This is the back of the castle," Kathryn explained. "The main entrance is the other side. They probably wanted the castle to be accessible, but not too accessible, and the rocks would offer a solid foundation to build on. Many castles in Wales are built on rocks, for example. Also building it up there would give them a better view."
"I guess. Have you ever been inside?"
"Yes," Kathryn replied, rather uncomfortably. "The view from the towers is quite spectacular." She paused. "It's quite a dangerous place for dogs, though, otherwise I'd offer to show you around." In many ways, she was glad of having Petunia as an excuse. She associated the castle with Chakotay now, and his departure from her life had unexpectedly left an ache in her heart.
"It's okay, Kath. I don't really enjoy looking around castles. I'd much rather take a swim in the lake."
Kathryn smiled. "Well, perhaps we can do that sometime." She then fell serious and averted her eyes. "Mark, do you believe in love at first sight? Or if not at first sight, exactly, at first meeting? I mean, do you believe it's possible?"
"I don't know," he considered. "I suppose. People have talked about it and written about it for centuries, so I suppose there must be some truth in it."
"But how can you love someone you hardly know?"
"A very philosophical question. How would you define "knowing" a person? How long does it take to know a person? Can we ever really know a person? Can a person really even know themselves? How long does it take to love someone? Can love exist before the experience of falling in love? If so, is falling in love really falling into love or something else? Is it falling in awe? Can there be one universal answer to these questions? I don't think there can be." He paused. "Have you met someone, Kath?"
"Not really," she replied. "I mean...I have met someone, but not in a conventional way. We only spent a couple of days together, but there was something about him that I can't forget. When I was with him, I felt...I've never felt that way before, not even with Justin." She paused. "But I'm just being crazy. He was a stranger and I'll probably never even see him again."
"It's not crazy to have feelings for someone, Kath. Sometimes there's an instant spark between two people. Perhaps that's what love at first sight really is...being immediately captivated by someone."
"Perhaps. He was captivating."
"Maybe you should track him down. If you feel you could have something special with him, I think you should."
Kathryn made no reply. She couldn't tell him that it would be impossible. The only Chakotay she could track down would be his younger-self, and she didn't see the point in that. The older Chakotay had clearly not been interested in her that way. And yet...and yet there were times when she was sure she saw desire in his eyes. "What about you?" She asked, wanting to divert the attention away from herself. "Have you met anyone recently who could be special?"
Mark smiled. "As it happens, I have. Her name's Olivia. I met her at a wedding a few weeks ago. I like her a lot and I think she feels the same way."
"That's great."
"She's invited me to her church's annual spring festival at the weekend. It should be a lot of fun."
Kathryn was going to answer, but just as she was about to, she noticed that Petunia was no where to be seen. Concerned, she got to her feet. "Where's Petunia?"
"I don't know," Mark replied. He gestured to the slope. "She was just by those rocks a moment ago."
Kathryn raised her hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the dazzling sun, and scrutinized the rocks. She saw Petunia about half way up the path.
"I see her," she said. "She's climbing the path. I'd better go after her before she wanders too far and either gets lost or does herself an injury."
She pulled her rucksack off her back and rummaged inside it for Petunia's leash. "I knew I should have put the leash on her," she continued, "but I didn't have the heart as she was having such a good time."
Kathryn pulled out a belt, to which was strapped her tricorder and phaser, and began to fix it around her waist. "I'd better put this on, just incase." She then returned to her rucksack and pulled out the leash. After closing the rucksack, she put it down on the ground and addressed Mark. "You stay here."
Mark was only too glad to oblige. The prospect of chasing a mischievous dog up a slope did not appeal to him at all.
As Kathryn hurried up the slope, she called Petunia to her, but the animal ignored her cries. Unable to see her dog, Kathryn pulled out her tricorder and searched for the animal's lifesign. It was not like Petunia to be disobedient. Perhaps she was hurt. It took only a moment to find Petunia's lifesign, and Kathryn saw that the animal was lingering on top of what seemed to be a mound of stones. Kathryn quickly made her way to the mound, and when she got there, she found Petunia standing on top of it, wagging her tail. As soon as the animal saw her, she disappeared over the heap.
Kathryn knew her dog well and knew she wanted to play chase. It was one of her favorite games. "Not now, honey," Kathryn said. "No game now. Come on."
The dog did not reappear.
"Petunia. Come here!"
Kathryn heard the scutter of feet against stone, and then Petunia appeared on top of the mound. The gleaming anticipation in the dog's eyes had gone now and she began to bark.
Kathryn knew that bark, Petunia was trying to tell her something. "What is it, honey?"
The dog disappeared over the heap again and then reappeared, barking all the while.
Kathryn turned to her tricorder and studied the information it displayed about the rocks.
"I don't see anything," she said. "There's no cause for alarm, honey."
But the dog would not be placated and disappeared over the mound again. When Petunia did not reappear, Kathryn looked at her lifesign on sensors. The animal was making her way slowly up the path, so slowly that it made Kathryn wonder if she was sniffing a trail.
Kathryn performed a wider scan with her tricorder and detected a male lifsign in the castle. She then called to her dog. "You've tracked the scent of a visitor, honey, that's all. Come on. Come here!"
But the dog did not return. The trail the animal had found was evidently fascinating her, and she was not going to abandon it. Kathryn sighed. The stones looked too slippery to climb safely, so there was no way she could go after her dog. There was only one thing she could do. She and Mark were going to have to make their way to the front entrance of the castle, enter the ruins, and meet with Petunia at her destination. All Kathryn could hope was that Petunia would greet the visitor as a friend, not a foe, and that the man liked dogs.
Petunia determinedly followed Chakotay's scent all the way up the path. Then she followed it along the castle wall, into the ruins, and down the corridor until she reached the room with the well.
Chakotay was still asleep on the floor, and Petunia went over to him. She studied him for a moment, whimpered when she realized he was hurt, and then began to lick his face.
Chakotay slowly stirred awake and recognized the animal right away. "Petunia?"
He sat up, pain searing through his body as he did so, and looked towards the door. "Where's Kathryn?" If Petunia was here, then Kathryn had to be around somewhere.
Petunia barked, trying to communicate something, and then ran into the corridor beyond, leaving Chakotay alone again.
Following Petunia's lifesign, Kathryn and Mark entered the castle ruins and crossed a grassy courtyard.
"She's leaving the man," Kathryn said, "and heading the way she came."
"Shall we turn around and head back to the slope?"
"No need for that." Kathryn put two fingers into her mouth and whistled hard. Then she looked at Petunia's lifesign on her tricorder and saw that the animal had changed direction. "She heard me."
Just to give her pet better bearings, Kathryn whistled again. Not long after, Petunia appeared in a collapsed doorway and began to bark at them.
Mark questioned. "What's the matter with her?"
"She wants us to follow," Kathryn replied.
"What for?"
"Doggie fun, I guess. She loves to play chase." Petunia disappeared inside the castle and Kathryn turned to her companion. "And looks like she's successfully roped us in," she smiled. "Come on, let's just give her what she wants and get this over with. I'm sure we can tempt her into this leash with a few doggie treats."
Kathryn and Mark followed Petunia's lead through the castle ruins, and eventually came to the corridor that lead to the well. As they walked down it, Mark noticed some blood stains on the left hand side wall and pointed them out to Kathryn.
"Someone might be hurt," Kathryn concluded. "Perhaps that's what Petunia's trying to tell us." She pulled out her phaser. "But it's best to be prepared. Anything could be going on here." She put her hand on Mark's arm. "You go and wait outside. There's no point both of us walking into who knows what kind of situation."
"I'm not leaving you, Kath."
"If something untoward is going on here, then one of us needs to keep out of danger. You're unarmed and you're a civilian. You're not trained for this kind of thing." She paused. "Do you have a communication device with you?"
"Yes...in my pocket."
"Give me twenty minutes. If I'm not out by then, raise an alarm."
"Alright," Mark said reluctantly. "But if you're not out in ten minutes, I'm calling someone."
"Deal. Now go."
Mark turned to leave, and when he was out of sight, Kathryn made her way down the corridor. Petunia was waiting outside the room with the well, and barked impatiently.
"Alright," Kathryn said. "I'm coming."
Just as she was reaching the room, Petunia went inside, and Kathryn followed her.
Chakotay was sitting at the foot of the well... dirty, disheveled, and clearly injured. At the sight of him, Kathryn froze in her tracks.
"Chakotay," she gasped.
"Hello, Kathryn," he said, rather apologetically and with a hint of embarrassment.
Kathryn put away her phaser. "What are you doing here? I thought your people had come for you. What happened?"
"I fell on the rocks outside. My leg is broken."
Kathryn went over to him. "But what were you doing on the rocks in the first place? What were you even doing out here?"
Chakotay hesitated with his reply. "I think I'm trapped in this time-frame. I'm going to have to find my own way back. I won't be able to do that from your cabin."
"But to leave without saying goodbye?" She averted her eyes. "This is because of what happened, isn't it? I mean...between us...what I suggested."
"I just thought it was time I left," Chakotay said kindly. "The situation was getting too complicated, for both of us. One day you'll understand."
"Well," Kathryn replied, forcing herself to look up at him, "complicated or not, it looks like you're going to have to stay a while longer."
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind them and Kathryn turned around. Mark entered the room.
"Mark," she said, "I told you to wait outside."
"I couldn't leave you, Kath," he answered.
"But you shouldn't have come after me. As it happens, I know this man, we met a few days ago, but you could have put us both at risk."
"I told my friend Bob what's happening before I came after you." He glanced at Chakotay. "Shall I request an emergency medical transport?"
"No," Kathryn replied. "There's no need for that. I'm more than capable of treating him back at the cabin."
"I'll request a transport for us all there, then."
"No," Kathryn said, urgently this time. "You can't do that. This man's on a mission...Starfleet...No one's supposed to know he's here."
"I see," Mark replied.
"You'll have to go back to the cabin and transport us."
"I can't. I mean...I don't know the first thing about transporting..."
"Then I'll have to come with you." She didn't like the idea of leaving Chakotay alone with Mark. Chakotay could tell him things that she didn't want him to know.
Mark protested. "We can't leave..." He looked at Chakotay, his eyes asking for a name...
"Chak," Chakotay offered, not wanting to give his full name.
"Jack," Mark said, mis-hearing the name. "I'll stay with him while you go back to the cabin."
Kathryn hesitated, but Chakotay gave a subtle nod, suggesting that she go, and she saw that she had little choice.
"Alright," she replied. "I'll be as quick as I can." She turned around. "Petunia, come."
As her mistress left the room, Petunia followed, leaving Mark and Chakotay alone.
END OF CHAPTER NINE