All My Tomorrows

By Linda Kay Silva and Alex Westmore

Jessie Ferguson has her hands full.

 

Between sending her soul to the jungles of Viet Nam and visiting the oak groves of Merlin's backyard, Jessie races against the clock to save her little brother who is caught in a time and a body she does not know.

 

With danger lurking around every soggy corner for American troops slogging through the bug-infested rain forest, Jessie must find who Daniel was and get to him before he becomes a wartime casualty.

 

If that isn't enough, she must return to the Druids and face the wrath of Morgana for past deeds. Jessie has slipped through time again and again, but never has so much been at stake.

 

Can she reach Daniel before a bullet finds him first? And does she have the power to face a foe as deadly as Morgana? As sand falls through the hourglass, can Jessie get to both in time to save all of her tomorrows?

 

Join her on yet another adventure through time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Storm Enterprise
• Release date: Oct 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223820697

Book preview

Chapter One

He was gone.

She should never, ever have left the door to the portal unattended but she had, and now her little brother had gone through it…alone.

He was alone, somewhere across time.

No, no, no! Jessie cried, kneeling down to examine the unconscious and empty shell of Daniel. His slow, rhythmic breathing told her he was still alive, but she knew nobody was home; there was no consciousness because that had left with him when he stepped through the portal and into the past. Daniel had stepped into the anteroom of a time portal that allowed Jessie to slip through time.

The portal was her charge to guard from misusers and abusers; it was a flap, as it were, in the seam of time that enabled Jessie and those like her to move in and out and around time, not in corporeal form, but in spirit. She could (and had) cast her soul across time until it connected with who she used to be or would become. So far, she had traveled to ancient Egypt, first century Britain, Elizabethan England, and the American Wild West. She had fought Romans, pirates, witch hunters, and murderers. She had met druids, witches, fae folk, and familiars. She had done so much in her brief twenty-two years to protect the gate through time and those who lived on the other side, but she’d never left the door open.

Ever.

And now she had a much bigger problem than keeping people out. Now, she would need to find a way to go after someone who went in.

The only problem was she had no idea when.

Jessie was a trained and experienced quester who had studied under the tutelage of Cate McEwen, a Druid priestess Jessie had once been in a past life. Cate had taught her so much in the last five and a half years, yet it only took one mistake, one moment of lost focus for the unthinkable to happen.

Cate and her lover, Maeve, would be so disappointed that Jessie had allowed this.

Daniel wandering about in time was worse than unthinkable. It was dangerous and life threatening, not to mention scary as hell for a teenage boy who knew nothing about time travel.

Until recently, Daniel hadn’t even known about the portal’s existence on the third floor of the bed and breakfast inn their parents owned. He had only recently learned what Jessie was and what she did, but she had made sure she protected both the portal and Daniel from each other until the time was right.

When is the right time to tell someone you love that you travel through time?

The time was so not right, but was here nonetheless, and she was sick to her stomach thinking of him out there on his own. Alone. In another place and time without her.

Lost.

Goddammit, Daniel! Jessie cursed, growling. She turned, ready to step into the portal, when she realized with growing fear that she had no idea where or when he had gone. Without knowing the ways of the portal, he could wind up in fifteenth century Japan, pre-industrial New York, or ancient Greece. He could find himself in the body of a young girl, an old man, or—Jessie swallowed hard—Daniel could have very well flung himself into a body that was in danger.

And that meant imminent danger for his physical being, for if he died in the body of who he used to be, his soul would never make it back to who he was now, killing him in both worlds.

A body can only live for so long without its soul. Then, like a star collapsing on itself, the body quietly gives up, turning into a void as wide and as gaping as a black hole.

Jessie paced back and forth, running her hand through her hair and trying desperately not to panic.

Kneeling down, she brushed his bangs off his forehead. "Alright, Sport. I’m going for help and then I’m coming after you, okay? You just hang on. I’ll be right back."

With that, Jessie stepped from the room and closed the numberless door, where it faded from sight.

There was only one person in her time who could help her: her mentor and fellow quester, Ceara.

Chapter Two

Once upon a time, over two millennia ago, Ceara had been a Druid priestess who had stepped through the portal in search of help for her people whom the Romans were murdering. What she found in the twentieth century was a homeless, alcoholic woman who was tired of her hard life and who simply didn’t want to live anymore. It hadn’t taken Ceara very long to convince the woman, Erma, to turn the controls of her body over to Ceara in exchange for peace and comfort deep within the confines of their being.

It was a good thing Ceara had some place to put her soul because her body, apparently found by the Roman army she was trying to escape, had been killed, leaving her soul stranded in the late 20th century inside the body of a roaring drunk. But Ceara overcame the woman who cared little for the dark and dreary thing she called life. Subsequently, Ceara’s soul conscious took over Erma’s and, in doing so, changed the course and color of that life into something bright and wonderful.

Jessie Ferguson was now part of that light.

When Jessie first met Madame Ceara, the old fortune teller had implored her to remember.

"Remember," she had whispered that first day in town when Jessie moved to the cold, gray Oregon coast and away from her beloved San Francisco.

Ceara had seen something in Jessie that showed her Jessie was no ordinary screwed-up teenager; she was someone who brought with her the wisdom and knowledge of the ancients—if only she’d remember. Eventually, Jessie did remember, and in doing so, she changed her life and those lives she touched in every era she visited.

And she had visited quite a few.

Five years later, Jessie was no longer a drugged-up teen with no direction or ambition. Now, at twenty-two years old, she was finishing her master’s thesis in ancient history, helping run the inn her parents owned, and quietly learning the ancient craft of Druidry. She had more than direction: Jessie Ferguson played a vital role in maintaining the precarious balance of time. She was a Guardian of the Gate—a gate she’d left unlocked, and her fifteen-year-old brother had stepped through and was lost so very far away.

Chapter Three

Ceara was waiting for Jessie on the deck of her houseboat at the New Haven pier. Being the Druid priestess she was, Ceara had sensed something amiss and had nearly worn a path on the shiny deck of her houseboat pacing back and forth waiting for Jessie to show.

Hanging off the gray cliffs of the Pacific Northwest coast, New Haven was a small burg that had yet to feel the wrath of the big developers. There were only three stoplights in town, and most of the businesses catered to the folks who stayed in one of the many painted Victorian ladies dotting the coastline. The Seaside Inn, where Jessie lived, was one such lady.

I felt something happen within the portal, Ceara said anxiously when Jessie hurriedly walked up the plank. You didn’t—

Jessie shook her head. I wish it was me. Jessie shook her head sadly. It’s Daniel. He…he went through. Jessie hustled up the gangplank with Tanner, her ex-boyfriend and current best friend, quick on her heels.

Tanner had been helping Jessie dispose of a nuisance shortly before Jessie scrambled down the stairs to tell him Daniel had entered the portal.

Without another word, they both made the proverbial beeline to Ceara.

Oh no, Ceara said softly. What happened?

Tears sprang to life in Jessie’s eyes. I…I guess I left the door open when I was trying to get rid of Peter. He—

Ceara’s hand went to her mouth, her dozen colorful bracelets clattering against each other. Oh my. Oh no. That’s not good. Is he…did he go all the way through? That would explain the vibrations I felt.

Jessie tried to pull herself together, which seemed an easier thing to do now that Tanner had an arm around her. He slipped through to God knows where. We have to find him. I have to go after him.

Ceara squeezed Jessie’s hand. Well, of course we do, my dear, and as you know, that is no easy task. That is no easy task, indeed, and we must proceed with caution. Ceara cut her eyes to Tanner, who excused himself to go inside to make tea.

"But you can do it, right? Jessie asked. I mean, it’s not like a needle in a haystack, right?" Even as the question slid from her mouth, she knew the answer. She had never had to find someone fluttering through time like a butterfly in a tornado.

The sadness in Ceara’s eyes confirmed her greatest fear. I wish it were that easy, Jess. I’m afraid Daniel could be anywhere in any time, unless—

"Unless what? Jessie felt fear’s claw reach in and grab her heart. Come on, Ceara, we can find him, right? This is bullshit! I don’t believe it! My little brother is lost in time and there’s nothing we can do? There has to be something! He’s all alone, he’s—"

Ceara reached out and held Jessie’s wrist firmly. Calm yourself, dear. It does no one any good for you to panic.

"Oh, I’m way beyond panic, Ceara. My parents are due home in a few days and I’m thinking they expect to see Daniel conscious and alive, not in what amounts to a comatose state lying in a room they don’t even know exists."

Jessie—

What am I supposed to tell them? Well, gee, folks, the truth is I’m a time traveler in charge of a seam in time and I, like the irresponsible teenager of old, left the barn door open. Only this time, instead of —

That’s enough. Ceara’s sharp command froze Jessie’s words in her mouth. This is no time for a pity party, my dear. We must find Daniel and retrieve his soul before he is irrevocably lost to us. She held up a hand to silence Jessie once more. Yes, the situation is that dire, but I am not the one to remedy this. For you to track someone’s soul through time successfully, only Cate and Maeve can help you. Even then— Ceara shook her head. Even then, I don’t know how much she can do. It’s possible one of your other incarnations knows more about finding someone who is lost in there.

Spencer?

Ceara shook her head. Perhaps, though I suspect not. Go see Cate first. I’m sure she’ll be able to devise a plan, but do not tarry. Time is of the essence.

Jessie nodded and turned to go, but Ceara’s hand shot out once more to stop her. Before you go, find out everything you can about everything Daniel was learning or interested in. Often times, one’s soul goes to the times in the forefront of one’s mind. That might help.

Thank you.

And I want you to have a cup of tea before you go off the edge. Now is not a time for speed and fright. It is a time for calm contemplation. Tanner is making some chamomile tea. You are to have a cup, calm yourself, and try to see clearly. Understood?

Jessie nodded. She understood, but she did not wish to remain calm. She wanted to run around like a crazy lady screaming her head off until Daniel came home.

One more thing, Ceara said softly. What happened with Peter? Are we…safe now?

Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose. That’s all taken care of. You don’t have to worry about him anymore. He won’t bother us again.

Ceara waited while Tanner brought out the tea and the three of them sat in the Adirondack chairs and sipped quietly.

Take a deep breath, my dear. This could take a while and melting down will get you no closer to your little brother. This is testing you. Show the Goddess how you’ve grown and what you know. Be wise.

With that, Jessie and Tanner started across the street and back towards Morning Glory Drive. Jessie was walking so fast, Tanner could barely keep up.

I’ll look through his room, you take his backpack, Tanner said, catching up to her.

Tanner Dodds had been the first person to befriend Jessie here, and though her parents thought him to be a rebellious party boy because he wore a leather jacket and dyed his hair black, it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Tanner was the best friend she had ever had, and though they had tried to be more, the truth was, there was nothing more important to her right now than her friends…friends who could help her find Daniel.

Tanner had remained Jessie’s friend and confidante over the last five years, and though he now had a girlfriend, he still kept his part-time job at the inn and helped Jessie handle many of the paranormal experiences thrust upon her since accepting the responsibility of Guardian. He was a good guy, a loyal friend, and a trusted advisor of one who chose to wear the helm of Guardian.

Guardian, Jessie thought as she pushed up the stairs to the front door. Some guardian I turned out to be.

Stop beating yourself up over this, Jess. It’s not like you were sitting around eating bonbons. You were averting an incident that could have ended in disaster. You did all the right things.

Except close the damn door! If only I’d just closed the fucking door!

Tanner quickly moved past her and blocked her way up the stairs. "It was bound to happen someday, Jess. Daniel’s not some unconscious teenager floating through life on a self-inflating pillow. He’s into ghosts and poltergeists more than any classroom full of kids. He’s drawn to it. Who’s to say he wasn’t also drawn to the portal? Who’s to say the portal didn’t call to him like it did you? Have you ever thought of that?"

Jessie opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Blinking rapidly, she slowly nodded. It…that never occurred to me.

Placing both hands on Jessie’s shoulders, Tanner leaned over and looked hard into her eyes. Jess, you’re one of the best people I’ve ever met, and you’d eat hot coals before letting anything happen to Daniel. This may appear to be your fault, but it’s also possible he was summoned. Regardless of the hows or whys, we’ll find him.

Jessie stared up into Tanner’s face, his blue eyes warm with concern and…something else. In the moment when they’d tried briefly being more than friends, they both knew he was not the one. He was not her soul mate, and it just wasn’t right to give him her love only to take it away once her soul mate did finally arrive.

Instead, Jessie decided it was better they be comrades in arms in a supernatural world that had, more than once, called upon Jessie for help. More than once, her past self came through the portal needing her assistance, and she went without hesitation, without reservation. And every single time, Tanner was right there by her side, offering whatever aid she’d needed. He was the best, and though she wished she could give him more than her friendship, she just didn’t feel that way about him.

Am I interrupting something?

Tanner’s hands flew from Jessie’s shoulders and they both stepped away from the intimacy still dangling between them as if it had suddenly burst into flames.

Blythe! Tanner said, his voice higher than usual. What are you doing here?

Blythe cocked her head and aimed her retort at Jessie, her steel blue eyes smoldering with anger. "I suppose I could be asking you the same question."

Jessie waved her hand in the air as if batting away a foul odor. I don’t have time for this, she spat, pushing past Tanner. Put the ‘Be right back’ sign up on your way out.

Jess—

She did not stop or look back but took the stairs two at a time until she reached her bedroom.

In all her lessons over the last five years, Jessie had learned two ways in which to connect with Cate and the others. The first was through the portal, but that meant she had less than a minute or two before she melded into Cate’s being in the first century A.D.

Soul time travel was just that: a soul from one time traveled to another time and entered the body it once housed. Jessie’s soul would have that body’s consciousness for a few minutes before taking a passenger seat within the body it once wore.

That was the first way she learned how to slip across time. The second was journeying to the Dreamworld.

The Dreamworld was a place between reality and dreams, where one’s soul could go and actually face the other people it once was. The Dreamworld was outside of time, but the feelings within it were all very real. Jessie had spent the better part of two years learning how to access that space between time so she could visit it almost at will. She needed to go there, to experience what she considered a classroom of sorts to learn from Cate. She had learned how to call Cate, how to let her know she needed help. She had learned how to listen to the vibrations in time, much like a spider listens to the vibrations of her web. If the timeline felt off, Jessie did not hesitate to find Cate and vice versa.

They’d both grown very fond of each other and considered each other friends—so much so, she stopped thinking it strange to be friends with your former self and just accepted what was one of the best friendships she had ever experienced.

Jessie called on that friend now.

Closing her eyes, she lay back on the bed and focused on her breathing. It had taken her hours and hours of training and practice to be able to reach the Dreamworld any time they wished. Many people unwittingly visit the Dreamworld, only to pass it off as a dream.

But Jessie knew better.

She knew it was the one place she could go to actually face Cate’s physical form.

Opening her eyes, Jessie blinked several times before surveying the familiar terrain. In the center of a clearing was a fire pit surrounded by grayish sitting stones of all shapes and sizes. Ringing the clearing stood enormous oak trees swaying in a gentle breeze that came and went at will. To the left was a powerful waterfall crashing headlong into a pool that accepted the rage and smoothed it out to a calm, almost mirror-like surface. Mist from the falling water rose to kiss the ever-present fog that parted when Cate walked through in full Druid regalia.

I sensed your urgency, the small priestess said, taking both of Jessie’s hands in hers. Her Druid hood had fallen back, revealing auburn tresses with a scattering of gray strands. Freckles dotted the landscape of her nose and cheeks, which were absent of wrinkles or crow’s feet. Her blue eyes sparkled with a liveliness and joy Jessie had come to expect from her first century self.

Thank you for coming so quickly, Jessie said, releasing Cate’s hands.

I was meditating when I heard you, so I came straight away. Are you unwell? Is it the portal?

It’s my brother, Daniel. He’s come through.

Cate’s face fell, her joy replaced by something akin to alarm. I sensed a change but was busy helping Maeve finish with a healing before my meditation. I was not aware you had shared this life with him.

That’s just it. I didn’t. I mean, I haven’t. Not the portal. It was…I blew it, Cate. I accidentally left the door open. I’m so sorry.

"By ‘blowing it’, if you mean it was unintentional, you needn’t be so hard on yourself. Was it, as you said, an accident?"

Jessie nodded, feeling tiny and stupid.

Cate took Jessie’s hand. Then it is not important how or why. What is important is for us to find him.

Jessie felt part of her weight lift. She wouldn’t carry this burden alone, but that didn’t surprise her. Since she had been travelling through time, she had never once felt alone, never felt like a kite without a string. "Can you find him? I mean, is it possible?"

Cate adjusted her robe and moved to the fire pit. With the wave of a hand, Cate brought the fire to life, and it made a foom! sound before completely igniting. You understand the portal does not work that way, I’m afraid. Cate reached into one of the many leather pouches hanging from her waist and sprinkled a greenish powder into the flames, which spit and crackled. Since he has no idea what he is doing, his soul will travel to the place nearest his heart or mind.

Jessie walked over to the flames and saw an image of Daniel in his room. He was reading a magazine. Several books lay scattered around the floor of his room. Daniel has a lot of interests, Cate. I wouldn’t know where to begin.

Then begin at the beginning. Make a list of his passions and interests. Find the age in which those interests occur. Whatever was in his mind when he entered is where we shall find him…unless—

Unless what?

Unless he was summoned.

That’s what Ceara said. If he was summoned then what?

Either way, your actions are the same.

Then go after him. But how will I recognize him?

Cate waved the two columns of fire closed and then pulled out some sort of leaves from a second leather bag hanging around her waist. Crinkling these into the flames, she murmured a Celtic prayer before parting the flames once more.

Jessie did not recognize the young woman standing next to a large horse, nor could she tell by the image what era it was.

Who is that?

Daniel. Well, it is one of his pasts. Just wait.

Jessie waited and watched. The woman near the horse was waving to someone who was riding up on a large grey mare. Jessie knew immediately. That’s one of us.

Cate smiled and closed the flames. In all this time, with all of the travel you’ve accomplished, you never once thought that Daniel’s soul is also tied to yours?

Jessie tilted her head. I never really thought about it. I’ve tried protecting him from what I do and who I am. It never really dawned on me that he could be a quester.

"Our souls travel in packs, Jessie. This, you know. Some lives will be drawn together, while other lives do not connect. Daniel has been in your circle more than once. It is one reason why you are so close in this time."

Jessie digested this. I can’t possibly go through all my lives in the hopes of finding him. That would take forever.

Correct. You need to see what his mind was on prior to going through, then go there. If he is there, you will know just as you know when you see Maeve. The feeling will not, of course, be as strong, but you will feel it. You will know.

And what then?

Then, you’ll have to convince whoever he is to come through time with you. You will have to coax him to a portal.

Jessie returned to her stone seat and sighed heavily. What if he is in danger?

Cate stood in front of Jessie, her green eyes warm and soft. You have faced danger more than once, my friend. You can do this. You must believe it.

"Do you?"

Smiling, Cate nodded. In you? Of course I do. You discover as much as you can about your brother, and once you have more knowledge, you come back to me, and I will see what I can do to help you find him. Cate squeezed Jessie’s hand. "You are not alone, Jessie. We will help you through this and we will find him."

Hugging Cate, Jessie felt less despair. Thank you so much, my dear, dear friend. I knew you’d make me feel better.

Cate pulled away and lightly stroked her cheek. "After all you have done for us? It is time we helped you, Jessie, and that is precisely what we are going to do."

Chapter Four

Jessie returned from her Dreamworld and met Tanner in Daniel’s room. He was rifling through Daniel’s bookshelf. Blythe gone?

Tanner nodded but did not look up. "In a huff…as usual. You know, I’m beginning to think some girls just enjoy being angry."

Sorry.

He shrugged. She huffs a lot but nothing ever comes if it. She’s not important right now, anyway. You need my help. Here I am. What do we have to do?

Eyeing the Superman cloak hanging above Daniel’s desk, Jessie felt time’s pressure against her temples. Her parents were due back from their little vacation in less than sixteen hours. They had to find him before then or she would have to explain the inexplicable.

What did she say? Tanner asked, looking up from the dozen open books spread across the bed and spilling onto the floor. Some of the books were about poltergeists, others were graphic novels. Daniel was a boy of many different tastes and it wouldn’t be easy to pin him down on any one subject.

Whatever Daniel was interested in at the time he went through is the key. All we have to do is get on the right path in the right era and we should recognize each other. It’s just… Jessie gazed at all the books before her. "getting there. What did you find?"

You mean other than poltergeists and ghosts?

Jessie nodded. A few years ago, they had had to exorcize ghosts from the inn, a task that took Jessie into the bloody history of the inn and its once-murderous past. In the ensuing months, Daniel had been steeped in every paranormal book, magazine, and chat room he could find. He immersed himself in all things supernatural. Their last encounter with the mystical world occurred a day and a half ago, when witches appeared at the inn in an effort to discover what had happened to one of their granddaughters.

Witches, Jessie murmured, turning one book over. You know how he is. As soon as he knew Ruth and those women were witches—

Shit.

Jessie nodded as they both gazed down at the book. Devil in Massachusetts: The Salem Witch Trials.

Jess, there is no way you’re going to just land back in witch-burning Massachusetts. It’s far too dangerous.

Jessie shook her head and waved him off. "I have to go, Tanner. Daniel could be locked in there for the rest of his life.