The Kidnapping King

LYDIA REMEMBERS

BOMBAY, INDIA - 1879 

 Jack turned to his grandmother, "And trying to prevent my parent's death?" he gawked, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "How could you have possibly known about their car accident?"

Jack wiped the underside of his nose and scratched his head. "I mean...you've been missing since my dad was my age." He shook his head and blinked hard two or three times, pushing long, dark bangs away from his face.

"Where to begin?" Lydia started, "I suppose the fastest way to get to the bottom of things is just to dive straight into it," she paused, glancing at each person in the room before continuing.

"Bottom line, Jack," she looked at him, "is that my magical gift is prophesy," she paused, "primarily," Lydia hesitated, Jack's eyes were wide and expectant.

"What I mean by that," she resumed, "is that when your dad was twelve years old I had a fore-knowing...or premonition...that showed me my daughters, your aunts Inez and Clara, would plan the murder of your father and mother."

Jack was stunned. He shook his head back and forth, jutting his chin out and blinking slowly just one time. "I mean, I knew that Inez and Clara planned my parents death," he paused, scrunching his eyebrows together, "But I guess I'm kind of shocked to learn that you knew about it...all those years before it happened. Why didn't you stop them?"

"I tried, Jack," Lydia rolled her lips together, "believe me, I tried. But preventing a future event is trickier than it might seem. Let me tell you the story." She took a sip from a china cup before she continued.

"I awakened from a dream one night," she started, "with the image in my head, clear as day.

DUBLIN, IRELAND - 24 YEARS AGO

Lydia's eyes flew open. Her chest was heaving, her breathing rapid and shallow. The hair at the back of her neck was saturated with perspiration and her pillow felt uncomfortably wet. She reached up and wiped beads of sweat from her forehead with the palm of her hand, then dried it on the fluffy down comforter covering her body. Grabbing the corner, she threw the spread back, and bolted upright in the darkness of her bedroom.

Her husband's steady breathing, next to her, made her apprehensive about waking him, as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Edward," she whispered, a hint of urgency in her voice, "Edward, wake up."

"Hmm? What is it, Love?" His voice was groggy but alert.

Lydia turned to her left and twisted the knob on a lamp sitting on her bedside table, flooding the room with a warm, amber glow.

"I've had a vision," she said, "a terrible, terrible vision."

At this news Edward pushed up onto one elbow, his head resting in his hand.

"What was it? Can you describe it to me?"

Lydia's breath was still ragged, but she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"Well," she pressed her fingertips to her forehead, "the children were all grown up, Ross was married with children, some of the details are unclear..."she paused, reflecting, "but I saw that he and his wife are going to be killed in a terrible automobile accident," her voice cracked.

"Oh, my lord," Edward shot upright, his hazel eyes focused and intent on his wife.

Lydia shook her head, as if trying to erase the image from her memory, and pressed her lips together into a tight line.

"And that's not even the worst of it..." she turned and gazed at him, eyes wide, tears pooling in the corners, "both Inez and Clara are to blame!"

"What?" Edward jerked backward in shock, throwing his hands in the air. "I can't imagine anything in the world that would cause our girls to commit such a horrific act!"

"I know!" Lydia shrieked, covering her face with her hands. She jumped out of bed, and began pacing.

"I've got to do something, Edward. WE have to do something to stop this from happening!" She stared at him, sitting on the bed.

"What could we..." he halted, jaw dropping open, brows raised high on his forehead, "no, Lydia, we can't. You know the risks involved..."

"I know, Edward, I know. But these are our children we're talking about," her tone increased in intensity with every word, "and our grand children. It's worth the risk." She walked to his side of the bed and placed both hands on it's surface, leaning in toward him. "You're needed here, but I could go. I want to go. Please, Sweetheart, help me." She stood silently, waiting.

Edward put his hands together in front of his face, steepled, and wiggled them, pursing his lips. Suddenly, he reached for the edge of the blanket, and Lydia moved back, out of his way.

"We can't possibly predict the repercussions. That's why The Order has rules in place prohibiting such actions," he rolled his eyes and pushed his hand through his raven-black hair.

"I know, I know," Lydia began, "but travel to the future is possible, in emergency situations. And this, I believe, The Order would consider a justifiable exception. Don't you think?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "There are just so many variables to consider...I mean, do you even know the precise time and location of the event? Those factors are vitally important, you know? We can't get that part wrong," he looked at his wife, "and what, exactly, would be the plan when you get there? How will you alter the outcome? There must be a very powerful incentive for the girls to orchestrate the murder of their little brother and his wife."

Lydia flopped down into a brocade wing-back chair and shook her head. "I don't know...but there must be something I can do. I have to try," she looked up at him, eyes swollen and mouth pursed. "I do know the location. The event happens in Portland, Oregon. Late at night. I don't know the exact date and time...but if I think hard, maybe some detail will come to me that will help to narrow that down."

"Portland, Oregon? That's strange..." Edward's brows crunched together and he lifted his chin to the right.

"Yes, there was mention of it in the vision...and this is bizarre, but I could see that Ross was dressed in a United States military uniform.

BOMBAY, INDIA - 1879

Lydia wiped the inner corners of her eyes, inhaling deeply then slowly exhaled. "I knew this was in their future. I couldn't see all of the events leading up to that tragedy, and I still don't know why your aunts chose to have their little brother murdered. But I saw the automobile collision and their plan to make it happen. And loving my children as I do, I felt compelled to take whatever action was in my power to try to prevent that event from happening. But like I said, preventing a future event is tricky."

"So, then, what did you do?" Jack sat forward, elbows on his knees, propping his chin up in his hands.

"I asked your Grandfather Edward to conjure up a magic hat that would send me to the location and time of their death. Which, against his better judgment, he did," she paused, "your grandfather told me there were serious risks associated with manipulating future events. But I was determined." Lydia's eyes glazed over as she stared at the wall behind Jack's head.

The room was silent for a long moment, waiting for Lydia to resume her story.

"And..."Jack prompted.

"And..." Lydia pursed her lips and heaved a deep sigh, "I was there when your parents were killed. I watched it happen," she paused, "and there was literally nothing I could do to stop it." She blinked and shook her head slowly back and forth.