Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) (87 page)

Robert Campbell stood in o
pen-mouthed shock and stared fi
rst at Dallan, then what lay beyond him: Shona in full Muiraran glory as she now stood and faced them. He croaked in alarm and released the boy, panic now the captor.

Dallan grabbed the boy with his free hand as he pulled a struggling Brennan forward with his other and shoved him at Campbell. “Ye t
wo devils ought to get along fi
ne!”

Robert Campbell took one look at Brennan, yelped and raised his dirk in defense.

“
Nooooo
!
” Brennan screamed as Dallan fl
ung him at the Campbell.

Robert Campbell tumbled over backward as Brennan’s body met his,
both of them landing on the floor in a heap. Th
e Campbell leader
screamed and began to struggle wildly to escape from underneath Brennan’s writhing form.

Dallan took several steps back, the boy held in his arms, crying and clutching at him with every thing he had. “Die, ye
Sassenach
devil. Die
by yer own foul hand.” With that, he backed out of the small room and returned to where Shona knelt once more, her song continuing softly as she held the door open for him. He stood proudly, eyes narrowed to slits. “For you, Grandfather.”

He raised his free hand, closed his eyes and shut the door, the light of his hea
rt erasing the outlines in a fl
ash, the sound of Shona’s song and their joined heart nearly deafening just before it softened to almost nothing.

Kwaku fell to his knees shouting praises in Azurti, then laughed boisterously and slapped his knee with one hand. “Ha! I knew you could do it, Boyeee!”

Dallan hugged the child in his arms, ignoring Kwaku’s boisterous laughter. Tears streamed down the new Time Master’s face as he looked at the boy, his whole body shaking with such emotion it brought him to his knees. He grabbed the boy’s head to his shoulder and let out a
gut wrenching
howl as years of anguish were released from his heart.

The boy too, cried, his own sobbing nearly as loud as Dallan’s.

Shona stood and took a step toward them as she softly began to sing. Her song hit the pair to slow the tears and both became somewhat calmer.

Dallan’s voice escaped on a choked sob. “Are ye… are ye all right, lad? Did he hurt you?”

The young boy trembled as he looked around himself, hi
s eyes fi
nally coming to rest on Shona. “Dallan! ‘Tis one o’ the Faerie folk!”

Dallan smiled
and nodded, his tears still fl
owing. “Aye…
tha
… that it
‘tis, lad. But she’s a good one. More importantly, she’s mine.”

The boy looked at him in shock. “Yer own? Ye captured her then? Did she give ye any wishes?” The boy looked frantically about. “Where’s Mother?”

Dallan’s face fell. “Nay, no wishes o’ the kind yer thinking of. And Mother… she’s where she ought to be, lad.”

The boy stared at Shona in awe. “D… Dallan, she’s looking at me.”

Shona, her song stopped, made her way to the pair, head cocked to one side, moving slowly so as not to frighten the boy further. When she reached them, she stopped and placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder, her heart’s instinct searching and calming him all at the same time. “Hello, Alasdair.”

Alasdair’s eyes widened and he clutched Dallan tighter. “Ye ken my name? Are ye going to put a
spell on me and carry me off
then?” He took in the sight of the others. “Where… where are we?”

Shona smiled and walked around her husband, her movements graceful like Zara’s, one hand always touching the boy. “You are where you are safe. And it is I who was carried away, Alasdair. By your brother.”

Alasdair gasped. “’Tis true, he captured ye then? Ye belong to him?”

“Yes, Alasdair. I belong to him.” She drew her hand away and he slumped in Dallan’s arms, stilled by the sense of utter calm she’d given him, the wound to his throat, gone.

Dallan let go a shaky sigh, wiped at his own tears with one hand as he stood and put Alasdair down. John stepped forward and dropped to one knee in front of the boy. “Hello, Alasdair. I’m a friend of your brother’s. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Alasdair clutched
at Dallan as he looked into John’s eyes. “Who are you? Have I seen ye before, sir?”

John smiled. “No, no, I don’t believe so.”

Lany stepped forward and also knelt to eye level w
ith the boy. He grinned and off
ered him his hand. Alasdair looked up at Dallan, who nodded calmly to him, then turned back to Lany, his eyes wide as he grasped the hand before him. “And who might you be sir?”
   

Lany’s smile broadened. “A friend of your brother’s and one very happy individual at this moment.”

Alasdair looked him over carefully before tugging on Dallan’s sleeve.

Dallan bent to one knee and Alasdair w
hispered loudly in his ear. “Th
ey talk funny here. Where are they from? Are they English?”

Dallan smiled. “
Nay, they no
be
English lad. Th
ey
be
from the…Americas.”

Alasdair gasped with delight. “The Americas!” He spun back to Lany. “Tell me what it’s like! Are there really naked savages? Can the ships really get that far?”

Kwaku burst out laughing and sent Alasdair scurrying behind Dallan.

Dallan now fully recovered, again stood, folded his arms across his chest and glanced ove
r his shoulder at the boy. “Dinna fash yerself,
lad. ‘Tis only a bloody heathen.” He held an arm out to Shona who immediately went to him. He wrapped it around her and drew her closely to his side before he brought his face down to her own. He kissed her tenderly as he patted Alasdair on the head
with his other hand. “Are ye fi
ne then, lass? Yer no tired? How d’ye feel?”

Shona looked up into his eyes. “I love you, Dallan MacDonald.”

His face fell into tenderness and he kissed her again. “Aye, Flower, I ken ye do. And I ken ye need something. What is it,
M’eudain?
Does yer heart need to be fed?”

“I do not know, Dallan. My
heart feels fi
ne, but yet…”

“Yer no hungry, Flower? Then what is it?”

She shook her head helpl
essly. “Something is still unfi
nished. I feel it building inside of me, growing. I do not know what it is!”

“Easy, lass. Dinna let it ha’ its way
wi
’ ye like this.” He turned to John, who shrugged, then to Kwaku.

Kwaku stood proudly, arms across his chest, a knowing smile on his face. “She is hungry, Boyeee.”

Dallan snorted. “She says she
isna
.”

Kwaku chuckled.

“What is it now, ye good-for-nothing? What else haven’t ye told me?”

Kwaku burst out laughing.

“Is that a real heathen, Dallan?” Alasdair
finally
asked from behind him.

“Aye, lad. Unfortunately.”

Kwaku strode to where they stood. “She hungers for home, Boyeee.
Her own kind.
Her heart will not be fully at peace until she is back where she belongs.”

Dallan looked into Shona’s eyes. “Then we need to get ye home now, lass. Ye’ll feel better once we do.”

She leaned into him, wrapped her arms about his body and began to softly weep.

Dallan brought both arms around her. “There, there now, Flower. What is it?”

Shona pulled away slightly and turned to look at Evan and Maggie. Dallan followed her gaze and leaned down to her ear, his voice a whisper. “Go
M’eudain
and
say what ye need to say. Invite them along…”

John, now on his feet, touched the
new
Time Master on his arm. “No, Dallan, you can’t. Not without pri
or permission by the Elders. Th
ey would only send them back.”

Dallan’s face became stern as he gave Shona a warm hug. “I’ll do what I can to see to it ye can come back,
M’eudain
. Ye’ll not be kept from them, I promise.”

Sho
na turned back to him, eyes fi
l
led with tears. “Th
ank you.” She
left his arms to run
in
to those of the only parents she’d ever known.

Everyone watched as the Maiden sobbed and held tightly to the Whittards. The scene made sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Except for Kwaku. He stood, his eyes locked in seriousness on a still-bewildered Kitty. He stepped to where she still clung tenaciously to Tomy. “Remember what I told you, my treasure. Remember who you are.” He turned on his heel and strode to join the other men with Dallan.

Kitty swallowed hard and w
atched him. Tomy, her senses fi
nally awakened, pried Kitty’s hands from around her waist. “What was that all about? What did he mean remember what he told you? Kitty Morgan, what have you gone and done now?”

Kitty’s mouth opened and closed a few times in silent answer. “I haven’t the slightest idea.”

Tomy groaned. “Why am I not surprised?” She grabbed one of Kitty’s hands. “C’mon, let’s see Shona. I have a feeling this show
ain’t
over yet.” She pulled Kitty over to where
Shona and her parents stood. Th
e girls all
began to talk at once.

Angus grabbed Julia and dragged her to Dallan. “Ye’ve still this one to contend with, lad.”

Lany stepped forward. “I’ll take care of her, Angus.”

Angus looked to Dallan in silent question.

“Give the woman to Master Lany. He’ll know what to do.”

Lany took Julia’s arm. “You’ll be judged in Sutter’s Province or Mishna. I’m not sure which.”

Her eyes became frantic. “Please you said you would help me if I helped you. You have what you want. Shona and Dallan are alive, Philip gone. Please…”

“I’ll do what I can, but Eaton is
the one with the power to infl
uence.”

John nodded in agreement and joined the two. “I’ll see to it Kwaku makes a formal statement to the Elders.”

Julia shook her head. “Elders?”

“Th
e rulers of our time,” Lany off
ered.

Julia swallowed hard. “When exactly, is your time?”

Lany took a deep breath. “We’re from the year thirty-six ninety-eight.”

Julia’s eye
s
locked with Lany’s
a moment before they rolled back into
her head and she fell to the fl
oor in a dead faint.

“She took that well.” John commented dryly.

Lany looked at him, shock written all over his face. “Why, Eaton. You’re beginning to sound like me.”

John’s face became somber. “Well, how about this for one of your lines? I want to go home!”

Lany bent to Julia’s unconscious form before returning the look. “No argument here.”

“Angus,” John began. “We’ll come back later for your things. Right now we need to return to Genis Lee. Secure your building. We’ll leave in a few minutes.”

Angus rubbed his hands together, smiled and trotted off to lock everything up.

“Dallan,” John called.

Dallan came to him, his eyes never leaving Shona, one hand holding one of Alasdair’s. “Is it time then, John?”

John nodded wearily. “What you did today, Dallan, will be recorded into Muiraran and Human histo
ry. You’re a hero, you know. Th
ere’ll be
quite a fuss over you and Shona for awhile.”

Dallan’s gaze drank in the sight of the Maiden. “Can I
no ha’ some privacy
wi
’ her fi
rst? I’ll no share her just yet.”

“You will have the customary seven days after joining. After that I’ll see what I can do.”

Dallan turned his gaze on him, a slight smile on his face. “Am I free now, John? Can I move about without being watched? Can I go to the city?”

“Yes, Dallan. You’re free.”

Lany suddenly walked over to Dallan and nudged him in the side conspiratorially. “And don’t get any bright ideas about taking Shona and disappearing into the Muiraran wilderness. You’re not familiar with it and it’s not the safest place right now.”

Dallan raised an innocent brow, totally missing the joke. “Now what makes ye think I’d do a thing like that?”

Lany smiled an accusing smile at him. “I remember my honeymoon. And I had two weeks. You’ve got one.”

“Two weeks?” Dallan asked surprised. He turned expectantly to John.

“I’ll see what I can do
,” John off
ered with a smile. “Let’s get going.”