Read Online Ashes of Time (The After Cilmeri Series) by Sarah Woodbury - Free Book Online

said.
    Jim jerked the wheel—just a quick back and
forth—but it showed his surprise. Then he steadied the truck. “Are
you friends of hers?”
    “ Yes,” Meg said. “Have you
seen her recently?”
    “ Not since last
Thanksgiving,” Jim said. “Do you know her grandfather,
Art?”
    “ We’ve never met, but he
should have heard of us,” Anna said. “You wouldn’t happen to have
his phone number, would you?”
    “ Not on me or in my phone.
I could take you to his house, but I don’t think he’s there.” Jim
checked his watch. “Another twenty minutes to Mission. Then I’ll
see what I can do.”
    Meg settled back in her seat, her head
against the headrest, and closed her eyes. She could feel Jim’s
glances, and she knew that he wanted to ask more questions, but he
didn’t, for which she was grateful. She had declared to Anna what
she believed to be a truth about the time traveling: that they
ended up where they needed to be, even if it didn’t seem like it at
first. Last time Meg had come to the modern world, she’d landed in
an indoor pool in Aberystwyth in a world-class health clinic whose
doctors saved Llywelyn’s life.
    This time they’d found a friendly face
already, and she was hoping that today wouldn’t be the exception
that proved the rule.
    As Meg had said to Llywelyn
only a few hours ago but in another world, and with humor then
instead of trepidation, Dear God, what have
we done?
     

Chapter Five
    November 2019
     
    Callum
     
    C allum’s mobile buzzed, but since he was relaxing with his wife
on a very squashy couch that would require considerable effort to
rise from, or even to shift to reach his pocket, he ignored
it.
    In fact, he’d been ignoring unpleasant news
from home all afternoon. Earlier, one of Cassie’s relatives had
turned on the television to the news—always a mistake—and it had
been full of the riots in London, Manchester, and Liverpool,
protesting the new austerity program the British government had
instituted. The London office of MI-5 had averted a suspected
terrorist attack at the Tower of London that morning. Callum’s
country was coming apart at the seams.
    Then his mobile buzzed again.
    “ You’d better get that,”
Cassie said, pushing her black hair off her shoulder. “It isn’t
Thanksgiving in Cardiff. It’s just a Thursday.”
    “ It’s half midnight on
Friday now.” But even so, Callum allowed two inches to come between
Cassie and himself and felt for his mobile phone. A quick glance at
the caller ID told him it was Agent Mark Jones, calling from
Cardiff, as Cassie had guessed. Callum put the mobile to his ear.
“What’s up?”
    There was a pause. “You’ve been spending far
too much time with your American relatives,” Jones said.
    “ Jones—”
    “ Someone’s
here.”
    Squashy couch or no squashy couch, Callum
was on his feet in an instant. He and Cassie had been stranded in
the modern world for two years. Having David or another family
member arrive wasn’t the same thing as going back, but it was a
start. The rest of Cassie’s family had been gathering over the last
hour for a meal that would begin at six in the evening. Cassie and
Callum had retreated to the living room with two aged aunts who
couldn’t hear a word Callum said—or possibly understand it if they
did hear it—and about twenty kids.
    Raucous or not, everyone looked at Callum as
he stood up, the mobile fixed to his ear. He was taller than anyone
in the room, with close-cropped dark hair and hazel eyes that
snapped with concern.
    That same concern was reflected in Cassie’s
nearly black eyes. “What is it, Callum?”
    His adrenaline had already started pumping.
“Where?” Callum moved towards the door, estimating how quickly he
and Cassie could drive to the closest airport, which out here
wasn’t exactly close, and flight times to the UK.
    Cassie grabbed both their coats and followed
Callum onto the porch, allowing the screen door to close with a
bang. Callum