Guardians of Time

by Sarah Woodbury

  “Mark and I will go with Math, Anna, and the Shepherds to the Black Boar, after which we’ll make our way to the castle square. We’ll keep in touch by mobile phone. These particular mobiles can conference all of us into one call, which means we can stay in constant communication.”

  “You’re going to be inside the city walls, and there are only a few exits,” David said. “You need to be careful—and Math should leave his sword in the van so as to be less conspicuous.”

  Math frowned, but he nodded.

  “That leaves Abraham with David and Llywelyn,” Callum said.

  “I’ll stick with David too,” Darren said. “You never know when an MI-5 badge will come in handy.”

  “I expect security to be everywhere.” Callum checked his phone. “We have an hour and a half before the meeting. I want to know how many men Tate brings and where they are.”

  Mark lifted his chin. “Only Math has never popped up on MI-5’s radar. They may forgo men on the ground in favor of cameras.”

  “We should expect both,” Callum said. “With the Prince of Wales—” he gestured to David, “—not you, of course, speaking in nine hours, all of Caernarfon will be crawling with security.”

  “That’s why we will park again in the Tesco parking lot,” Cassie said. “From there, I can monitor what all of you are doing and be on hand to pick any of you up if I need to.”

  “It’s also is a quick drive from there to the other side of the swing bridge if Abraham’s friend needs an assist,” Callum said, “though the road is really narrow.”

  “I know my job, Callum.”

  Callum put out a hand to his wife. “I didn’t mean—”

  She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I didn’t either. It’s okay. We should go.”

  They drove through the darkened village and entered the motorway heading west, driving past Bangor towards Caernarfon. Few people were on the move yet. Anna sat beside Elen, who grinned and said, “This was the best Christmas ever!”

  Anna put an arm around her shoulders. “People are better than presents.”

  Behind her, Anna heard Aunt Elisa whisper to Mom, “If I were a better sister, I’d say that I want to come with you, but I don’t.”

  “You don’t have to explain,” Mom said. “It’s totally okay.”

  Meanwhile, Uncle Ted bent to Anna’s ear. “What did you say to Christopher?”

  Anna smiled. “You can thank me later.” Then she laughed. “Or not.”

  Reaching Caernarfon, Cassie navigated the city with aplomb and stopped in the Tesco parking lot as planned.

  Anna elbowed David in the ribs as he got out of the van, since he was eyeing the nearby McDonalds again. “You just ate.”

  He patted his stomach. “I could get something to go.”

  “After,” Mom said, overhearing. “It’s Christmas Day. They’re not open anyway.”

  Callum laughed. “Since David isn’t going to be allowed to eat again, we’d best get started.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Anna

  Feeling pressed for time now that they’d arrived at the Tesco, the companions split up. David, Abraham, Darren, and Papa wended their way along the river that ran past the castle, heading for the swing bridge, while Anna’s group walked through the neighborhood to the east of the castle square.

  Within a few paces of entering the neighborhood beyond the main street, they saw that Mark hadn’t been wrong about the high security. Men in black coats and yellow reflective gear were already setting up barriers everywhere, stopping all local traffic and waving only official vehicles through. The security men mistook them for tourists—one benefit of being with Aunt Elisa’s family.

  Once past the initial barricades, they turned north, heading for the walled city. Snow lay nearly half a foot deep on the ground in most places, and Anna tightened her parka as she crunched through it. Math, having seen the wide-brimmed hat Papa had borrowed, now wore a floppy fishing hat pulled down low over his eyes. It kept the snow out of his face as well as hiding his features from cameras that might be pointed in his direction.

  Callum was in his suit and trench coat, which made him look not only respectable and very handsome, but semi-official. Mark was far less so in a sweatshirt, jacket, and jeans.

  “Once we get inside the walls, we might have trouble getting out,” Anna said, as she watched two men in black winter parkas with striped reflective strips turn away three cars in a row that wanted to enter the walled part of the city. Fortunately, the guards weren’t yet checking ID’s. Callum could get them through any barrier, but Anna would rather he didn’t have to show his badge and alert Tate to his whereabouts just yet.

  Anna slipped her arm through Math’s. “Act casual. We’re simply visitors to Caernarfon out on a Christmas Day stroll.”

  They had initially thought to enter the walled part of Caernarfon near the entrance to the castle, but that entrance was blocked off even for pedestrians. Thus, they followed the wall around to the north to the next gate available. It turned out to be the one Cassie had tried to drive through the previous night, and the one which led directly to the Black Boar Inn.

  A security guard manned the entrance, but other than a cursory look, he didn’t pay them any attention and waved them through what had to have once been a formidable gatehouse.

  “Just like at home,” Math said.

  Anna smirked. “Except at home you, in particular, can go anywhere you want and are recognized throughout Wales on sight.”

  Math moved his arm across her shoulders and squeezed. “I am much humbled by the experience of coming to your world, I assure you.”

  Mark laughed, and his laughter came at just the right moment, diffusing whatever suspicions might be directed at them, as one of the security guards had fixed him with a beady eye.

  “This is where we leave you.” Uncle Ted came to a halt outside the inn. “You should just keep walking.”

  Last night, Anna hadn’t been sitting near the front of the van, so she hadn’t had a clear view of what exactly had made Cassie avoid driving through this particular gate. Now she understood. While the road didn’t end at the Black Boar, it became a pedestrian walkway. Three pillars in the middle of the road prevented all vehicle traffic from continuing past the inn into the city proper. If Cassie had driven through the hole in the wall, she would have had to enter the parking lot adjacent to the inn, turn around, and go back the way she’d come, all the while under the watchful eyes of whichever agents had been present at the time.

  At the moment, Anna didn’t see any men in suits watching the front of the inn, so she risked giving her family a last quick hug. “Be safe.”

  “I should be saying that to you,” Uncle Ted said. “If you need anything, you call us. We aren’t leaving Wales until the 27th.”

  “We fully intend to be back in the Middle Ages by then,” Anna said.

  Aunt Elisa had been holding her phone down at her side, but now she waved it at Anna, “Make sure your mother calls me at least once more. I need to know how this turns out.”

  “Absolutely,” Anna said.

  The family disappeared into the inn, and Callum pulled out his phone. “It’s time to ring Tate.”

  As he prepared to dial, however, the phone rang. It was David.

  Callum made a continue on motion with his hand, indicating that they should keep walking, while David said, “Where are you?” His voice came tinnily out of the speaker.

  “In the city,” Callum said. “We’ve just dropped off your family, so I was about to ring Tate.”

  “What’s the security like at the Black Boar?”

  “Two men in a black SUV are watching the inn,” Callum said.

  At this unexpected bit of information, Anna turned to look, but Mark bumped her shoulder gently with his, blocking her view. “Don’t look, and keep walking.”

  “Where are they?” Anna said.

  “In the car park,” Mark said.

  “Did they spot yo
u?” David said.

  “I don’t see how they could miss us, though they haven’t made a move,” Callum said.

  “Keep talking to me,” David said. “I want to know if they follow you.”

  Anna smiled down at her feet, hearing the authority of the King of England in her brother’s voice.

  “They’d have to come on foot,” Mark said. “We’re on a pedestrian-only street.”

  “Probably they’re not supposed to leave their post, so they’re calling ahead to someone else who will pick us up inside the city,” Anna said, recalling the Christmas vacation in her former life where she’d mainlined spy thrillers for two solid weeks.

  They hustled along through the unplowed snow, still without MI-5 in pursuit, and then turned left to follow the road that ran along the inside of the city wall. From here, Anna could see the castle looming above them a little over a hundred yards away.

  By now Callum had conferenced in everyone else, including Mom and Cassie in the van, and Mark motioned that Anna should activate the earpiece that had come with the phone. By using it, she could leave the phone in her pocket but still talk and listen.

  “I see more barriers the closer we get to the castle,” Mark was saying when Anna came back on the line. It was weird to hear him talking as he walked beside her while at the same time having his voice echo in her ear.

  “That shouldn’t be surprising,” David said.

  “There’s more people out and about too,” Anna said, following Math and Callum as they cut down an alley to reach the next street over. “Believe it or not, people are starting to line up at the entrance to the castle. They must be going to wait all day!”

  “It’s because of the Prince of Wales,” Callum said flatly. “Security is everywhere.” He frowned. “I can’t immediately identify what organizations we’re looking at. Everyone’s in black. It’s snowing pretty hard.”

  David coughed and laughed at the same time. “Here too. What about you, Mom?”

  Mom’s voice resonated down the line. “I would agree that it is snowing.”

  “We’re all clear here,” Cassie said. “No security of any kind that I can see.”

  “I’m seeing mostly regular police wearing yellow reflective gear,” David said. “They’ve taken over the booth where you pay for parking. Meanwhile, Abraham’s friend is ready with his boat, as is the man in charge of the bridge.”

  “Not much to see here either,” Anna said. “I feel like we’re letting you d—” she broke off.

  Math and Callum had stopped cold in front of her, and she almost ran into them.

  Callum stepped into the shelter of the canopy over a nearby shop, and Math tugged on the fabric of her coat to pull her with him too. “This way.”

  Mark followed, swearing under his breath. The microphone picked up his cursing and broadcast it to everyone.

  “What’s going on?” David said sharply.

  “Hold on,” Callum said.

  Callum peered around the corner and down the street.

  Bracing herself with her hands on his back, Anna looked too. A hundred feet away, two men stood facing each other, talking intently. As Anna watched, they finished their conversation, and one darted across the street and disappeared down a side alley. The other, his hands deep into his pockets, started walking towards the line of people waiting to get into the castle. Just as he reached the gateway out of the old city, he glanced behind him, such that his gaze could have swept over Anna and Callum in the split second before they pulled back and out of sight.

  “No.” Anna spoke under her breath, not so much worried that her voice would carry, but because of her shock.

  Math prodded her. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  Anna stared at her husband. She hadn’t recognized the man who’d darted away, but Lee’s face was burned into Anna’s memory. She’d last seen him at Caerphilly Castle in a different world seven hundred years before today. Out of all the bus passengers, Lee had been most on everyone’s minds since they’d arrived in Avalon.

  “What is it?” David’s voice came low and urgent.

  “Lee is here,” Callum said. “He’s heading towards the castle now.”

  “Can you follow him without him knowing?” David’s voice indicated a distinct lack of surprise.

  Callum poked out his head and then stepped fully into the road. “He’s disappeared.”

  Anna was still processing that Lee was here and up to no good, but she caught Math’s hand and started after Callum and Mark, both of whom had set off at a fast walk and were already halfway down the street. Callum’s head swiveled this way and that as he searched for where Lee might have gone.

  “Do your best,” David said. “We’ve thought all along that Lee might be here. The Prince of Wales is his natural target.”

  “You need to call Tate right now, Callum,” Cassie said.

  Callum gave a grunt of disgust. “We’ve lost him, David.”

  Now it was David’s turn to swear. “I don’t want to ask if you’re sure it was Lee, but I have to.”

  “We’re sure,” Anna said, not waiting for one of the men to answer.

  “We’re moving towards the castle,” David said. “We’ll try—”

  Anna could hear the exertion in David’s voice.

  “You’ll try what, David?” Anna said.

  “—to get inside that castle,” David said.

  “No, David,” Mom said. “Look what happened the last time you ran up against Lee. I don’t want you anywhere near C-4 ever again.”

  “We are already near it. Give me a better option, and I’ll consider it.” As the King of England, David was used to making decisions that only he could make and was comfortable with the responsibility.

  “Tate has a hundred men at his disposal,” Callum said. “He can blanket the castle with security, and you won’t have to fall into his clutches. I’m ringing him now.”

  Callum disappeared from Anna’s ear, having disconnected from the call so he could telephone Tate, though she could still hear him as he strode beside her. Anna trotted beside Math as she tried to keep pace with the men’s much longer legs. She was trying to listen with half an ear to Callum’s one-sided conversation with Tate, while at the same time focusing on what was coming through her earpiece from the others.

  “Could he have gotten inside the castle?” Cassie said.

  “I can’t tell,” Anna said. “He was headed in that direction.”

  “There’s really only one way to be sure,” David said.

  Anna took in a breath. “David’s right, Mom.”

  “You’re taking David’s side, Anna?” Mom said. “He should not go into that castle.”

  “I’m not on any side,” Anna said. “I’m just saying that except for us, nobody in all of Caernarfon knows more about medieval castles than Lee does, thanks to you and me.”

  “What Lee knows or does not know is not your fault, Anna,” David said. “We’ve been over this.”

  “That’s why you blame yourself for his actions, is it?” Anna retorted.

  “Touché, sis,” David said.

  “We need to consider what he might be planning.” Math had been listening this whole time on his own earpiece. “There are at least twice as many people in front of the castle as there were when we arrived, and Lee is not among them.”

  “The car park is almost full,” David said. “We have to shut this down now before innocent people get hurt.”

  “How close are you to the castle, Cassie?” Darren said. “Can you get to the square to pick us up?”

  “Earlier, I drove around a bit, just so as not to appear suspicious,” Cassie said. “There are no spaces any closer to the castle than where we are now. The streets are closed off, and the police are only letting people leave, not enter.”

  “What about on the other side of the river from the swing bridge?” Darren said.

  “It’s a single lane road,” Cassie said. “We could easily get boxed in.”

 
; “Not ideal, then,” Darren said.

  Callum came back on the line, having finished his conversation with Tate. “David, Tate wants to meet immediately.”

  “I bet he does,” David said.

  Callum ignored that, too intent on what needed to be done to respond to the sarcasm. “Meet us in the square.”

  “Did Tate bring what we asked for?” David said.

  “He says he did,” Callum said. “I’ve told him to forget the bridge. Too complicated, and too much can go wrong. We’ll meet him in front of the NatWest as soon as an agent delivers the magnet and the power generators to the Tesco car park. Once Cassie says that she’s collected them, Mark can come forward.”

  “What did he say about Lee?” David said. “They need to cancel the prince’s speech.”

  “Tate is reluctant to do that,” Callum said. “The royal family is all about standing firm and not giving in to terrorism.”

  “Goody for them.” David’s voice had risen to the point that he was almost shouting. “Standing firm isn’t going to do them a whole lot of good if Lee has smuggled C-4 into Caernarfon Castle!”

  “How far do you have to go to get to the square, David?” Callum said.

  Muttered voices came across the line, and Anna could picture both Papa and Abraham talking David down. It appeared to have worked, because when he spoke next, David’s voice was calmer, and he seemed to have gotten a grip on himself. “Not far.”

  They had reached the road that ran along the north side of the castle. “I’m seeing more activity in the square and at the castle entrance,” Callum said. “I’m afraid if you don’t come now, you’ll be stopped from going past it.”

  “I’m not seeing that. It shouldn’t be a problem on our end,” David said. “What about you guys?”

  “Give us a minute,” Callum said, his eyes narrowed at the crowd and the security at either end of the narrow street. “We may have to go back the way we came.”

  “Fortunately, all the portcullises have been removed from the gatehouses,” Math said. “We’ll find a way out.”