I had been there, waiting, between the shadows, every Samhain for the past eight years—she hadn’t come.

Empty Shadows

Sky Watcher Series Book 4

by Heather Lynn

Genre: Historical Fantasy Time Travel Romance

Every year, Charlotte faithfully performs her Samhain ritual, anxiously awaiting her visit with Jessica. But Jessica has not appeared for the past eight years. What could possibly have happened to prevent her from being there?

As a stormy night sets in, Charlotte’s friends arrive entangled in a web of theft and murder. When an old adversary resurfaces with plans of their own, the situation becomes more complicated, and secrets begin to unravel.

In the aftermath, Charlotte and Ben establish the “Doctor’s House”, offering comfort to the ailing. An obscure summons leads them to a stranger being held in the gaol—his presence in the schoolhouse a mystery, the turpentine and striker in his possession leading to more questions. Who is this man? What secrets does he hold? And what does he seek from Charlotte?

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With only a few weeks of school remaining, the students were more than ready for summer. The warmer temperatures often made for disagreeable, sweaty children, but not this day—this day was altogether different.

“What do you think this is about, Ben? Why do you think this guy would want to talk to me?” Charlotte asked as they walked toward the grist mill.

“I have no idea. We just have to wait and see.”

Larry met them at the door, looking very serious. “I won’t beat around the bush. Lenny and Greg caught this man coming out of the schoolhouse this morning. Long story short, when they approached him, he was holding a tin of turpentine and a striker. It looked as if he was trying to start a fire.”

“What? With the children inside?”

“Yes. They each grabbed an arm and held him while they sent one of the children to find me.” He looked at Charlotte now. “Calls himself Carl. He was asking for you, Charlotte, you and Ben. Don’t know why. Would you care to speak to him?”

She looked at Ben; they’d never know what it was about if they didn’t see him. As far as she knew, neither of them knew a Carl, but Charlotte was curious to learn his interest in them. “Yes,” Ben said. He began walking toward the door of the gaol. Larry reminded them he was just outside if needed.

Charlotte followed her husband into the cell and heard the door close behind them. Inside was a man sitting on the edge of the thin pallet—elbows on knees, chin in hands—who glanced up as the door locked. He appeared to be of medium height and build, with short, tousled light-brown hair, and looked to be about forty years old.

“Carl, is it? We were told you wanted to see us?” Ben began.

Carl nodded and offered a nervous smile. “I was not trying to burn down the schoolhouse, not at all. In fact, I was trying to stop what would have become a fire. I tried to tell them, but they didn’t want to listen.”

“I don’t follow,” Ben responded.

Charlotte had been looking at this man’s face, feeling as if she should know who he was, and yet she did not. “I’m sorry,” she started, “but have we met?”

He looked from Ben to her and smiled. “Many years ago.” Her mind was searching, trying to remember. “And not for many years to come.”

Between the Shadows

Sky Watcher Series Book 3

She didn’t see this coming . . .

After glimpsing Jessica’s grief-stricken face reflected in the window, Charlotte Williams—along with her husband, Ben—is pulled back to the future she left behind to help her friend. What Charlotte and Jessica share connects them irreversibly, their lives now intertwined forever. Confident their bond can transcend time, Charlotte returns “home” to her life in the past.

Following a risky time jump, Charlotte and Ben are reunited with their friends and family in 1819 and she resumes her mission to pass on a dear departed friend’s heirloom ring. As they begin to grow their own family, they face a series of challenges, including a surprising opportunity for Ben. The ensuing adventure leads to an inevitable encounter that tests their marriage absolutely.

The love between Charlotte and her friends spans time and space, helping her to define family and what home is. And yet, illusion and betrayal threaten to obscure her reality. Will she come through this with her family intact? How will Charlotte move forward?

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. . . After lighting the white Goddess candle and the red God candle, I quietly welcomed them into my sacred Samhain circle where I would work my will between the human and the spirit world. “So mote it be.” Then I lit the candle in the jack-o-lantern, which was sitting in the West beside a picture of my mother and one of Jessica. I did not intend to call my mum, she told me that it was too difficult for her to come to me here; I simply put her picture there as a reminder of her. “Jessica and Wiccans past, the veil between our worlds is thin, please join me and celebrate.” I picked up the last candle, the white one used to call Jess, and I anointed it with oil, as I spoke. This is the part I’d been waiting for. I lit the candle, sat in front of the altar and relaxed in order to allow our thoughts and feelings to mingle.

I remembered the morning of my twelfth birthday. Mum and I had driven up to the cottage with Jess the night before, singing together with the stereo most of the way. The two of us had stayed up, talking and giggling well into the night. In the morning Mum had made us triple chocolate pancakes, drizzled in syrup and we were talking about what we would do for the day, it was my choice; canoeing, swimming, and tanning were high on the list. Now, I sat in the candlelight smiling as I remembered those happy, carefree feelings. The image changed then as Mum stood up from the table and looked deep into my eyes, she put her hands over her heart and smiled at me with wet eyes, unable, it appeared, to speak. I thought, I love you too, Mum. From the darkness, I began to hear Jessica’s voice. “I called Sarah this evening, Charlotte, you and Sarah,” she said. Mum put her arm around Jessica and the two stood smiling at me, and then it was Gracie who stood beside Jess. I looked at Gracie and thought-asked, It’s true isn’t it? They looked at one another before Jess turned toward me. “Yes, it’s true Charlie, it’s true.” She seemed to be the only one able to speak. I watched her as she turned her head to her right, I followed her line of sight and what did I see? It was Gifted Hands; she was sitting in her chair nursing Mitenah. She looked up as she became aware that we were in the room with her. Her smile, as always, was beautiful. Jess looked back at me now. “I brought us all together. Charlotte, you look . . . Charlie?” She sucked in her breath and tears began to trickle from her eyes. “You’re going to have a baby? I can see its glow within you. Oh my God, Charlotte, how wonderful! And Gracie—” she didn’t finish her sentence, instead she glanced at me—I understood. To Gifted Hands she said, “I thank you for being such a good friend to my Charlotte and for helping to save her. She told me so much about you; I almost feel that I know you. I wish you much happiness, Gifted Hands.” Looking back to Gracie, she said, “Gracie, you must have the soul of Sarah Gray within you, for I have seen it . . . You have been with Charlotte in two lives and you have loved one another so very much in both. I thank you as well, Gracie, and wish you every happiness.” She came back to me, as the others disappeared. “Please, Charlie, while we can, show me what I’ve missed since you returned.”

Déjà-Vu

Sky Watcher Series Book 2

Charlotte Harper’s best friend Jessica is shocked to receive a letter detailing Charlotte’s journey back in time to save her possible ancestor Elizabeth. The letter, written in 1819, speaks of the consequences of Charlotte’s actions and asks for Jessica’s help.

Charlotte’s adventure begins with a Wiccan ritual and spell that takes her back to 1818. After arriving at a small town on the shore of Owasco Lake, New York, she settles in, finding work at the general store to earn her keep. While awaiting Elizabeth’s arrival, she forms strong bonds with those around her, finding herself part of a tight-knit circle of friends and deeply in love.

Charlotte knows that walking through one door often closes many others, so when she dreams of warnings from the future she left behind, she wants to understand. Is Jessica reaching out to her? What is she trying to tell her? Knowing that one single choice can change who is your friend, your lover, who lives and who dies, Charlotte must choose her path wisely so as not to make the same mistakes.

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Prologue

She tucked her purse under her arm and stepped out of the car, ready to make a run for it. The rain was pouring down as she dashed toward the front door. As she turned the key in the lock, she heard a horn beep twice and looked over her shoulder to see a white delivery van pulling into the driveway.

The driver jumped out and walked briskly up the driveway. “Good afternoon. Package for Miss Jessica Miller?” he said, stepping under the overhang.

“Thank you,” she answered as a plastic envelope was placed into her hand. Curious, she stepped inside the house, setting her bag on the kitchen table and tossing her jacket over the back of a chair. Jessica stood at the counter, envelope in hand, and flicked on the kettle; a nice cup of tea would take the chill out of her. She tore open the top of the plastic envelope and then the plain cardboard envelope within it. What she pulled out next was a manila envelope, labelled with her name and address. This contained yet another envelope. What the? She blew a loose bit of hair off her face.

This last envelope was slightly yellowed with faded but still legible handwriting. On the front in pale black ink was her name, Jessica Miller, and the address of this house, Charlotte’s house, followed by the line, Please deliver after April 1st, 2012. Turning the envelope over she saw a red wax seal and a somewhat faded black stamp, that read “Bank of New York.”

She wondered what this could be. It certainly looked old. As far as Jessica knew, she had no business with anyone in New York. She set the envelope on the table and returned to making her tea. Her impulse was to call Charlotte and tell her about this. Had Charlotte been there, she probably would have waited for her to open and read it, but she wasn’t. It was now the second week of May; Charlotte had been gone for seven weeks. It had been a long seven weeks without her best friend to talk to, to laugh with. Jessica missed her so much.

While her tea steeped, she ran upstairs to change out of her office scrubs and into some sweats, slinging her hair up into a ponytail. Now she was ready.

Tea in one hand, envelope in the other, Jessica went to the family room and sat by the window in her favourite chair. Gingerly, she lifted the wax seal and carefully pulled out and unfolded a delicate letter.

FFebruary 1819

Dear Jessica,

You do not know me, so please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ben Williams. I know of you because when your friend Charlotte left you, she came to live with us, and she told us about her dearest and oldest friend. This letter will surely seem strange, but please read on and I will do my best to explain.

Charlotte came to us last March, a stranger to our town and our time. She left you without telling you where she was going or why, for fear that you would think her “crazy.” We will try to help you understand the where, the why, and the result.

There was a side to Charlotte that she shared with no one, not even you. She told us that one of her courses in school was called The History of Witchcraft. Her curiosity led her to delve deeper into the subject and she found herself interested in Wicca. Her interest led her to practice certain rituals and celebrate certain days of the year, as she found her own beliefs to be very much represented in Wicca.

During this time, she learned of a woman she thought might be an ancestor. Her name was Elizabeth Gray Bruce. She was charged with murder by witchcraft and hunted as she tried to escape the country, eventually being found in our town in February of 1819. She was hanged one month later. Our Charlotte, thinking this woman an ancestor and obviously not guilty, decided to use her knowledge and belief in Wicca and try to come to our town, to our time, with the hope of saving Elizabeth.

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Jessica set the letter on the table beside her and stood, hand to forehead. Charlotte, is all this true? She paced once around the room, stopping to look out the front window and watch the rain fall as her mind tried to understand this information. With a deep breath, she returned to the chair, picking up the letter once again.

Your best friend, Charlotte Gray Harper, left you in March 2012 and came to us on the same date at Owasco Lake, New York, in March 1818. When you receive this letter, Charlotte will have been gone from here a matter of weeks; but at the time that this note is written, we will have known her for just over ten months. I understand that this will come as a shock to you; it did to us as well.

Jessica sat for a few moments before realizing she’d zoned out. What the hell? She went back in time? Back in time?! What the hell made her think that would even be possible?

I say “us” and “we” because, though this letter is written in my hand, four friends are helping me compose these words, friends who have grown to love Charlotte. It is our hope that by telling you what happened here, you can try to help us from there. Again, I know that this will sound odd, but please bear with me and I will do my best to explain.

A Shadow in Time

Sky Watcher Series Book 1

Charlotte Harper’s life isn’t going as she expected. She had to change her course of studies, her ex-boyfriend has hooked up with her best friend, and she misses her mother desperately since her passing.

Searching for meaning and direction, she pours herself into her family history, researching her roots. When she learns of a possible ancestor named Elizabeth from the early nineteenth century, who was hung for the crime of witchcraft, she is determined to try to save her fate. Charlotte explores the strength of her Wiccan beliefs and the powers within her stones, preparing a spell to transport herself back in time nearly two centuries.

She arrives at a small, sleepy town on the shore of Owasco Lake, New York. Intending to stay just long enough to save her ancestor, she creates a cover story and attempts to fit in, but after waiting for weeks with no word of Elizabeth, she immerses herself in the community. She works in the General Store to earn her keep and uses her knowledge of herbs and medicine to help those in need. She soon forms strong bonds with those around her, finding herself drawn into the simple and fulfilling life of a bygone era, and even falls in love—more deeply than she ever thought possible.

As the deadline of the execution nears, visions of the future begin to plague her and those around her. Can she truly save Elizabeth and undo what happened almost two centuries ago? With two lives on the line, she knows she must face the consequences of meddling with time, even if it costs her everything.

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Prologue

Time is always. It is now, it is then;

it cannot be stopped, and it waits for no one.

I asked myself once again: Charlotte, have you lost your mind? Have you gone completely off the deep end? My saner inner voice was becoming repetitive. In fact, it was getting on my nerves! Not for the first time, I tried to reassure myself that, yes, while even thinking about doing something like this would be considered crazy, attempting it was absurd—yet, here I was. I was on my way to Owasco Lake, New York, on what could prove to be the greatest, and quite possibly last, adventure of my life.

As the bus travelled East on the thruway, my mind was racing. My thoughts turned unexpectedly to the conversation I’d had with Jessica yesterday morning. She’d called about dropping some boxes off at the house. Given that I had some running around to do, I told her I’d leave the side door unlocked for her or Michael. She reminded me of a letter that had come for me, which she’d left on the table by the phone. As I told her I’d be in touch tomorrow, I scanned the table and the floor at its base, but saw nothing.

After speaking to Jessica, I’d gone to see my lawyer to review the handling of my affairs if I hadn’t come back within two years. Chances were, if I hadn’t come back by then, I wasn’t coming back. That’s assuming, of course, that I made it there at all.

I expected to be gone for a year or so, and had suggested that Jessica and Michael live in my house during that time. It was a win-win situation—my house would be lived in and looked after, and they would have somewhere to stay together while they saved for a house of their own.

Upon returning home, I was struck by how empty the house felt. The butterflies in my stomach started fluttering. This is not an ending, I reminded myself. It’s the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime! I went upstairs and released the staircase from the attic, climbing up with the last of my boxes. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around the large open space. This attic wasn’t a gloomy, confined room; it was properly floored and insulated, with two high, half-circle windows letting in the sunlight. Though it had a low ceiling, I could walk through the middle without having to duck my head. When I was little, it had been my playroom. We’d painted a wall pink, hung a large blackboard, and taken up a little table, chairs, and tea set. I still remembered sitting at the table with my biggest teddy, Super Fluffy, and my bunny, Alice, sharing tea and cookies. When I was a little bigger, I’d come up here with Jessica and we’d shared our secrets. Now the floor space was occupied by a rolling rack hung with off-season clothing, boxes of Christmas decorations, books, and keepsakes. I put the last boxes onto the floor and, after one last look around, closed up the attic. It was now midafternoon and all that remained for me to do was write my letter to Jess.

The weather this March had been remarkably warm, and I was hot! First things first: let’s get out of these sweaty clothes and freshen up. I dropped my clothes to the floor, reached in behind the glass shower door, and turned on the water. I took down my ponytail and brushed out my hair and when the temperature was just right, stepped in. Mm-mm, this, I will miss! Questions rushed through my mind. Would I succeed in making this journey? Could it even be done? I had seen Elizabeth’s name on that list on my computer and made up my mind to try to save her, but would I even be able to find her? Is it possible to change things that have already happened? Would there be consequences? Completely engrossed in my thoughts as I was, it came as a shock when Michael’s face came into view in the open shower door. As I looked at him, confused, he smiled and stepped in, pulling the door closed behind him. “Michael, what the—” He cut me off.

“Charlie, when I realized you were in here, I had to come. I just want to be with you one last time, to say goodbye.” His hand ran up my arm, before his fingers lifted my chin, his touch was familiar.

I put up a valiant fight, I did, but he knew me too well.

When he left some time later, I felt only emptiness. I sat on the edge of the bed, turning to avoid my reflection in the mirror. That door had closed some time ago. I thought back to the evening we’d called it quits. We had both known that breaking up was the right thing to do, that it just wasn’t to be. I’d come up to bed after he’d left and cried until I had no tears left. A soft, unfamiliar voice whispered to me in my dreams that night: “Every ending is a new beginning, Charlotte.” These wise words had stayed with me.

It was about a year later when he and Jess got together, and they were perfect for each other. I hoped that they would have a good life together, I truly did. I felt no jealousy, no hard feelings, though now I did feel a small amount of guilt. I suppose that my fear and uncertainty about what lay ahead of me had caused me to grab hold of the feeling of love and protection he’d offered, fleeting as it was. Without question, it would be easier to move forward when I was no longer in the here and now. Tomorrow would change everything.

Heather Lynn, born in Toronto, Ontario, lives with her family just north of the city. Her education in biology and health sciences has supported an ongoing interest in physiology and the potential of herbal healing. In addition, she has been intrigued by the possibility and impossibility of time travel since childhood. When she's not writing, Heather enjoys family time, working in her garden, and learning more about the 'power' of stones.

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