The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (comprehension books .TXT) 📗

come for me. Did you and Austin fall in love? He said you would because he had a vision of Austin carrying you in the snow.”

“He did?” Ensley winked at Tavis. “He’s right. We’re very much in love.”

“Did Erik tell ye about Ensley?” Elliott asked.

“Arne told me when I brought Erik’s body home. I don’t know why Erik didn’t tell me himself.”

“He didn’t tell me, either,” Ensley said.

They all started walking, but Elliott pulled Tavis aside. “Just so ye know. We’re not leaving without both of ye.”

“Arne won’t allow it.”

Elliott put his hand on Tavis’s shoulder. “Arne might push us to the edge, but I have a card to play.”

“If we leave with you, he’ll find us. He’ll bide his time, and he’ll take Joseph away from me.”

“I’ve heard that when God leads ye to the edge of a cliff, ye should trust Him and let go. One of two things will happen, Tavis. Either He’ll catch ye when ye fall, or He’ll teach ye how to fly!”

78

Jarlshof (1125)—David

David stepped out of the fog and into the battering wind—alone.

He was a dozen or so yards from the edge of a cliff that overlooked an unspoiled coastline, which was astonishingly beautiful, raw, and uncivilized. The coastline looked very different from the Jarlshof of the twenty-first century. Rising seas and coastal erosion had destroyed much of the settlement.

He reached for his Panoscan MK-3 panoramic camera and snapped several pictures to compare to the future landscape while doing a quick gut check. Surprisingly, he wasn’t worried about being separated from the others. He’d expected the teams to arrive separately. That’s why they had maps and a meetup point.

Usually, there was a purpose for dispersing the travelers. But not this time. His gut told him the separation was a deliberate move to put their experience and firepower at a disadvantage.

But why?

Only one reason he could think of—the Keeper was a threat to the Council, and they decided to neutralize the threat. Not that they would kill Elliott, but they needed to limit his power. But what made him more powerful today than he was the last time they met?

Tavis and Ensley.

The Council knew the Keeper would come for Tavis. And although Elliott was coy when Ensley asked if Tavis was Erik’s son, David believed the answer was yes. The similarities in their eyes, cheekbones, chins, and their muscular bodies, were evident to anyone willing to ask the question—are they related?

He was surprised Sophia hadn’t already suggested it based on her sketches of Erik and the other Council members.

Now, with the allegiance of Erik’s two children, Elliott’s position was far more powerful. Could he demand Erik’s brooch? Had that been Erik’s plan decades ago, when he impregnated two twenty-first-century women? He could have fathered others, and if so, were they all on the “good” side now? Or had they turned evil, like Sten and Andrew MacKlenna? Assuming the rumors about Andrew were true.

This intrigue went much deeper than it seemed on the surface.

David continued scanning the area, wishing he’d thought to bring a drone. Directly across from where he stood, smoke rose from thatched-roof structures. He duck-walked to the edge, where he lay down on his belly and unpacked his handheld radio and binoculars.

It was time to get answers.

Without the binoculars, he would have missed the speck on the horizon. Was it a ship full of raiders, or did the vessel belong to the settlement?

A horn blew, and the wind carried its bellow across the cove. Was it a welcome or a call to arms? He pushed the talk button on the handheld radio. “Six, come in.”

“Six Alpha, we have the package,” Henry said.

David chuckled at how professional Henry sounded. “Six, have ye seen the rest of my team?”

“You lost ’em?” Henry asked.

David made a mental note to remind his son to always answer a question before asking one. “Separated for now. Have ye seen Six Bravo or Six Charlie?”

“That’s a negative.”

David zoomed in again on the ship, but it was still too far away to get any specifics. “I need a situation report.”

“We’re east of the settlement. Near the airport. Where are you?”

“I’m on the west side of the cove. Stay where ye are. I’ll come to ye.”

“Copy that, Six Alpha,” Henry said.

The twins and their cousins had played war games since they were wee lads and lassies. He’d taught them to take every game seriously because the day might come when their lives depended on their skills.

David crawled away from the edge until he couldn’t see the beach below and stood. Dressed as he was, he’d stand out like a black monolith against the sun. He picked a landmark in the direction he intended to go and took off in a run across the rocky terrain, aiming to run wide of the settlement and circle back to the meetup point on the east side of the mainland.

After thirty minutes, he pressed the talk button. “Six, I need a sitrep.” He waited a moment until his device beeped.

“I have eyes on you, Six Alpha. Turn left,” Henry said.

David jogged left until he spotted Henry lying on his belly. He rapped on the top of his son’s helmet. “Stay where ye are and stay sharp.”

The rest of the team was a few feet away, sitting on the ground drinking water from their canteens.

When David saw Tavis, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He dropped his rucksack and rifle and grabbed Tavis, and they wrestled on the ground like kids.

“Ye son of a bitch,” David said, rolling over on Tavis. “Don’t ever leave again without talking it over first.”

Tavis flipped David. “I didn’t have a choice, bro.”

They flipped each other a few more times until their game was over, and they sat up, laughing and knocking heads.

“I know ye didn’t.” David brushed off the dirt he’d picked up while rolling around in the grass. “How long has it been?”

“Since I brought Erik’s body home?” Tavis looked David in the