Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) by Geralyn Beauchamp Read Free Book Online Page A

supposed to be doing it, but he’s too shy. Vyn is more outgoing. I think he’d be able to do what Padric couldn’t.”
    “What!” Lany stood. “Eaton, are you out of your mind? My living stars! As unstable as the Scot is? Why he’ll… he’ll…” Lany gulped.
    “I’m sorry, Lany,” John began, his face fil led with concern. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. You’re right, Dallan might very well unintentionally hurt Vyn.”
    Lany plopped down in his chair. “Vyn? Who’s talking about Vyn being hurt? I’m telling you that by the time my son gets through with the Scot, there won’t be enough left to paint half a picture of him!”
    John’s eyes widened as realization hit him: it was Lany’s son Vyn that had accompanied his father on this journey, not his eld est son Jeremi. He shuddered. How could he possibly get the boys mixed up? Th ey were the diff erence between a quiet calm summer day and a natural disaster. Even Kwaku avoided young Vyn ant Mosgofi an and th at more than anything else defi ned the boy. “You’re right. I can’t subject Vyn to Dallan, or vice versa.”
    “Eaton,” Lany began, “you’ve been working too hard.”
      John tossed him a bewildered look.
    “Don’t you look at me like that, I know you too well. You’re exhausted. You’ve been worrying too much about this whole thing for months. Worrying won’t bring you results. Only action can do that.”
    John let go a heavy sigh as he nodded his agreement.
    “You know, let me talk to Vyn. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea.” Lany mused then added hastily. “Just so long as it’s done in a controlled setting. I wouldn’t want to give Vyn free rein; he might plunder the Scot you know.”
    “I wonder if Kwaku will approve. I’ll have to go t hrough him. He does have the fi nal say.” John quickly reached for the last hidden cookie, a sheepish grin on his face.
    “Oh, here.” Lany handed the morsel to his superior, annoyance in his voice. “I’ll give Anwen the recipe when this is all over. How long has it been since you ’ve seen your family, anyway?”
    J ohn frowned and stopped chewing, the taste of the cookie turning sour. “Too long. I’ve been in Genis Lee for a couple of weeks and in Mishna before that.”
    Lany could hardly imagine Eaton being separated from his family for so long. His wife Anwen and fi ve daughters were everything to him. He sat up in his c hair. “Don’t tell Kwaku a thing. I f you think Dallan would benefi t from exposure to Vyn or other children then let’s just do it. "
    John nodded. “Not all medicine is easy to take. But I’m positive it’s what he needs at this point.” He threw Lany a stern look. “Kwaku won’t like us going behind his back.”
    “As if he’s never done the same thing? C’mon, you know how Kwaku is. The Scot’s like a toy to him. He has complete and total power over him and loves every m inute of it. I think Kwaku needs to have the rug pulled out from underneath him a time or two.
    Lany went to his superior, bent slightly and rested a hand on the Lord Councilor’s shoulder, at once noti cing the tension beneath his fi ngers. He gave the shoulder a ligh t squeeze. “It’s going to be fi ne. From what Zara tells me, the Muiraran and the Scot should bond immediately. Trust me. It’ll b e love at fi rst sight.”
    J ohn shook his head, buried his tired face in his h ands and mumbled through his fi ngers. “I hope you’re right, Lany. I pray that you are. Because if any of us are wrong in this…”
    Lany nodded stoically. "We'll just have to stand and fight."
    John brought his face out of his hands. “Yes. But how do you fi ght something you can’t even see?   The outer regions are becoming a morgue.  They don ’t even know what they’re fighting ab out.  At this point it takes just one little thing to set the peop le in those sectors off and there you have it !  Enough to start a civil w ar! Add to that reports of the ol d Rites being practiced