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

to David that Elliott had two choices. If he chose Tavis, Joseph, Kenzie, and Cullen, they could all leave and never return. Or Elliott could choose Erik’s brooch and assume the Council’s power that came along with it.

You are the Keeper’s wing, young David. Choose what you know to be right. Do not choose with your heart. Choose with your wisdom.

Aye. I am Elliott’s wing.

David knew what the decision had to be for the future of the clan. He knew the advice he had to give Elliott.

I have given you wisdom. You must use it now.

David gazed at Kenzie and then at Cullen, and he willed them to know he would protect them. He signaled Elliott, and Elliott jerked as if the signal had been a cattle prod, and Elliott signaled David to confirm, which he did.

Elliott straightened his shoulders. “This is my request—”

“We grant it,” Arne said.

“I haven’t asked yet,” Elliott said.

“We know what you want—Tavis and Joseph.”

“Ye’re wrong. My request is for Erik’s brooch.” Elliott held out his hand.

David balanced on the balls of his feet, prepared to lunge at Arne if he reached for Kenzie’s SIG. Time slowed. His mind slowed. Now it was all about muscle memory.

Instead of the brooch, Arne pulled out Kenzie’s gun.

Using the bullet speed that made Austin’s ball delivery famous, he brought down his powerful shooting arm, snapping the bones in Arne’s hand. The gun fell to the dirt floor. Ensley kicked it out of the way, and Tavis swooped it up and pointed it at Arne.

Elliott reached inside Arne’s robe and unpinned Erik’s brooch. “Erik and his family have had this for centuries. It isn’t yers.”

“You cannot keep it,” Arne said. “If you take it from here, it will lose its power. And we will never tell you the secrets.”

“The only thing that will lose power is this Council. Erik’s family will create a new Council in the twenty-first century,” Elliott said.

“And as for the secrets,” David said, “you’ve used that line of bullshit to maintain control over the Keeper.” He knelt beside Kenzie, pulled the cloth out of her mouth, and kissed her before cutting the ropes that bound both her and Cullen’s hands and feet. “Can ye walk?”

“Aye,” Cullen said, pushing to his feet.

“I’m not so sure,” Kenzie said. “But let’s try.”

David helped her stand, then gently pulled her into his arms. “Let’s get this hellish adventure finished.”

They gathered their weapons and left Arne’s longhouse. As soon as they were away from the settlement, David pushed the talk button on his handheld radio. “This is Six Alpha. All our packages are ready to go home. Return to CP.”

Ensley jumped up into Austin’s arms, straddling his waist, and kissed him. “Man, those moves were just like the ones you used when you killed the bear. You’re amazing.”

Austin laughed. “At least my shooting arm is good for something these days.”

“How’d ye know Arne had a gun?” David asked.

Austin grinned. “You’re not the only person who knows Morse code. I heard Kenzie’s tapping as soon as we walked inside the longhouse. JC and I played games in the cave. One of them was deciphering Morse code messages. We did it fast and only had one chance to guess right. The loser had to sneak a bottle of whisky out of the house the next time we escaped to the cave.”

“Who won the most games?”

“After I got the hang of it, we tied mostly.”

Remy was the first to make it back to the CP. When he saw Kenzie and Cullen, he went right to work patching them up.

David sat beside Kenzie and held her hand while Remy tended to her cuts. “Why’d Arne do this to ye? I should have killed him when I had a chance.”

“You should see his men.” She tried for a smile but grimaced instead while patting her busted lip. “Cullen and I took down the first four, but the replacements weren’t so easy. We got a bit roughed up, but we did a lot of damage, didn’t we?”

Cullen wiped the blood off his cheek with his handkerchief. “Aye.”

Braham and Lincoln returned to the command post, and when they saw Cullen on the ground, hurried to his side. “Let me do that.”

Cullen gave Braham the handkerchief. “I heard Kenzie took down Rick and JC, and I never could figure out how that could happen. Now I know, and I never want to be on the receiving end.”

The twins arrived and rushed to their mother. “Oh, god. What happened?” Henry asked, taking her other hand. “Is your nose broken?”

“I doan think so,” Remy said, “but her face is going to be swollen for a while.”

Robbie sat down next to Henry. “Did that Arne guy do this to you?”

“No. Arne’s men captured us without a fight, but Cullen and I didn’t like the idea of making it easy on them, so the first chance we got, we went for it. You should have seen Cullen. He used several Tai Chi moves Sophia taught him. I was very impressed.”

“So Arne didn’t threaten ye?”

“No. His men took us to his longhouse, removed our armor and boots, and tied us up.”

Remy gave Braham a handful of supplies. “Use these instead of the handkerchief.”

Braham opened a cleaning cloth and started washing Cullen’s face.

“Give me one of those,” Lincoln said. “I know how to do this. I’ve seen Mom do it enough times.” He went to work on Cullen’s hands as meticulously as a manicurist.

“Did you have a knife at your throat during the first call?” Robbie asked.

Kenzie shook her head.

Churchill, Patrick, and Noah sat down with the twins. “Does it hurt bad?” Churchill asked. “You’re the first bloody warrior I’ve seen since the Battle of New Orleans.”

“Let’s hope you never have to see anyone else beat up like this,” Kenzie said, holding an ice pack against the side of her head.

Joseph sat down between the twins and mimicked their body language, with his elbows on his knees. “Grandpa Elliott,” he asked, gazing up at Elliott.