Sands of Time (Out of Time #6) by Monique Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

the forces of darkness threatened made their life simpler, except for the nearly dying every time.
    Their most recent trip to Natchez was a case in point. They’d had several close calls and Simon’s arm took over three weeks to heal, but all that remained now was a thin red scar. However, the part of the mission that shadowed Elizabeth, shadowed both of them, was Old Nan’s prophecy—that their child, their future child, would die. They’d discussed it and then discussed it again, finally deciding that they could not live in fear of what might be and put their worries aside as best they could. Despite that, it was never far away, this fear for a child they did not yet have, lingering just on the edge of thought.
    Trying to move on meant a return to normalcy. Of course, normal for them was planning another time traveling adventure. They’d been about to do just that when a different sort of ghost from the past appeared at their door. Peter Travers, a member of the Council for Temporal Studies, arrived and brought with him disturbing news from the Council. Was there any other kind?
    The Council had apparently split into two factions, one even less trustworthy than the other. This new Shadow Council, as Travers had called it, the enemy within, was secretly trying to collect all of the time traveling watches. To what end, Travers didn’t know, but it surely wasn’t anything good.
    Of the few loyal members, one had disappeared completely and another, Charles Graham, fearing for his life, had gone on the run. In order to stop whatever nefarious plans the Shadow Council had, Travers and the handful of remaining members he trusted made plans of their own to recover all of the watches. They’d sent George Mason to find one that had been lost in time, its location unknown. But when Mason himself hadn’t returned as scheduled, Travers had come to Simon and Elizabeth for help.
    While they wouldn’t have wept at the demise of the Council, the idea of its corruption was the stuff of nightmares. Each member held a powerful privilege, the ability to travel in time, and if it were turned toward evil…
    Elizabeth shivered, shook her head and went back to brushing her still damp hair. She couldn’t get caught up in the giant what ifs, she had to concentrate on what she knew. Which, sadly, wasn’t very much.
    They had no idea what Mason knew about the location of the missing watch or why he’d gone out into the desert in the first place. Or, honestly, what they should do now that he was dead.
    Elizabeth sighed and put down the brush just as Simon emerged from the bathroom, a towel around his waist. He scrubbed another towel over his hair and then held onto the ends and put it behind his neck.
    “Feel better?” she asked.
    He ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back. “Marginally. No food yet?”
    On cue, there was a knock at the door.
    “Ask and ye shall receive,” Elizabeth said with a flourish.
    She started to get up to answer it, but Simon waved her off. He ducked into the bathroom and re-emerged belting his robe.
    Answering the door, he took the tray of sandwiches and two bottles of Perrier, and set them on the small table in the sitting area.
    He patted his robe pockets. “I’m sorry, I don’t have anything today. But, tomorrow,” he assured the bellboy.
    “Wait,” Elizabeth said as she dug into her trunk. She pulled out a small clutch purse and pulled out one of the of-the-era pound notes Travers had supplied them with. She hurried to the door and handed it to the man. He blinked at it for a moment and then grinned, bowed and hurried down the corridor.
    Simon closed the door. “That was extravagant. Probably fifty times what he’s used to receiving.”
    She shrugged and went straight for the food. “Let him live a little.”
    She bit into her sandwich and said in between bites, “I don’t know what it is, but it’s good.”
    Simon took a sandwich and carried the tray over to their bed.
    “Oh, breaking