Champions of Time (The After Cilmeri Series, #13) Read online

  Champions of Time

  The After Cilmeri Series, Volume 13

  Sarah Woodbury

  Published by The Morgan-Stanwood Publishing Group, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CHAMPIONS OF TIME

  First edition. May 13, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Sarah Woodbury.

  ISBN: 978-1386052203

  Written by Sarah Woodbury.

  Table of Contents

  Dear Reader

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Sample: The Last Pendragon

  A novel from the After Cilmeri series

  Champions of Time

  by

  Sarah Woodbury

  Copyright © 2018 by Sarah Woodbury

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  April 1294. With David returned from Ireland and Anna from Avalon, the time has come to confront the traitors who sought to assassinate David and take his throne.

  But before that can happen, David is tested yet again by his inability to account for everything or everyone in his life—and especially the magic that surrounds him.

  Champions of Time takes place immediately following the events of Outpost in Time and Shades of Time, the previous books in the After Cilmeri series.

  Complete Series reading order: Daughter of Time, Footsteps in Time, Winds of Time, Prince of Time, Crossroads in Time, Children of Time, Exiles in Time, Castaways in Time, Ashes of Time, Warden of Time, Guardians of Time, Masters of Time, Outpost in Time, Shades of Time, Champions of Time.

  To my Carew

  Dearest Reader:

  While many of you will have a better recollection of the events of the previous books than I do, some readers might be joining us only now (note, if that’s you, you might consider starting with the prequel to this series, Daughter of Time, which is free in ebook at all retailers! https://www.books2read.com/daughteroftime) or be struggling to recall some key events from the previous books. If that’s you, read on!

  The After Cilmeri series begins with Meg, a young, troubled modern American widow, who, at a moment of catastrophic danger, falls through time and into the life of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last Prince of Wales. A strong and charismatic leader, he saves her, and she in turn saves him, thanks to her knowledge of future events. Although powerful forces seek to divide them, by working together, Meg and Llywelyn navigate the dangerous and shifting alliances that constantly undermine his rule and threaten the very existence of Wales.

  But before they can create a future which avoids Llywelyn’s predetermined death at Cilmeri, Meg is ripped from his world and returned to her own—in time to give birth to their son, David.

  In Footsteps in Time, David and his older sister, Anna, as teenagers, return to the Middle Ages to save Llywelyn yet again. As Meg warned him they would, Norman lords have lured him into the fateful ambush at Cilmeri in eastern Wales. Without warning, David and Anna are thrown into a world they do not understand, among a people whose language and customs are totally unfamiliar. Ultimately, David is recognized as Llywelyn’s true son, and he and Anna begin to make a life for themselves in the Middle Ages, culminating with David’s crowning as King of England (Children of Time).

  Over the course of fourteen books, it becomes clear that the medieval world is actually an alternate universe, and Meg, Anna, and David (and ultimately his son, Arthur) time travel when their lives are in danger. In the process, many new characters, both medieval and modern, are introduced. These include Math, a distant relation of Llywelyn, who marries Anna (Footsteps in Time); Ieuan, David’s captain, who travels with him to the modern world, also known as The Land of Madoc or Avalon (Prince of Time); and Lili, Ieuan’s sister, who becomes David’s wife (Crossroads in Time).

  From the modern world comes Bronwen, an anthropology graduate student who marries Ieuan; Callum, an MI-5 agent suffering from PTSD, who attempts to prevent Meg and Llywelyn from returning to their world (Children of Time); Cassie, a Native American woman, who was plucked from the mountains of Oregon in the wake of Meg’s plane crash (Winds of Time) and must survive on her own in medieval Scotland (Exiles in Time); a busload of twenty-firsters, who make the mistake of traveling on the same bus as Meg and Anna and end up in their alternate universe (Ashes of Time); Meg’s family, including Christopher, David’s cousin (Masters of Time and Shades of Time), and three twenty-firsters, George, Andre, and Sophie, who work for David’s new ally, Chad Treadman.

  All the while, the combined efforts of Anna, David, and their family and friends are transforming the medieval world. Not everyone appreciates the burgeoning equality, universal education, and democracy, however, and throughout the books, the twenty-firsters face threats both from outside their inner circle and from within it.

  Champions of Time picks up where Shades of Time and Outpost in Time left off.

  Cast of Characters

  Anna—Time traveler, Princess of Wales

  Math (Mathonwy)—Lord of Dinas Bran, Anna’s husband

  David (Dafydd)—Time traveler, King of England, Anna’s brother

  Lili—David’s wife, Queen of England

  Llywelyn—David and Anna’s father, King of Wales

  Meg—Time traveler, David and Anna’s mother, Queen of Wales

  Christopher Shepherd–Time traveler, David and Anna’s cousin

  Callum—Time traveler, Earl of Shrewsbury

  Bronwen—Time traveler, Ieuan’s wife

  Ieuan—Lili’s brother, Bronwen’s husband

  Mark Jones—Time traveler, MI-5 agent

  Livia Cross—MI-5 agent

  Chad Treadman—Avalonian mogul

  Andre—Time Traveler, Chad Treadman’s employee

  George—Time Traveler, Chad Treadman’s employee

  Sophie—Time Traveler, Chad Treadman’s employee

  Humphrey de Bohun—Earl of Hereford, Constable of England

  Edmund Mortimer—Earl of the March

  Roger Mortimer—Edmund’s brother

  John Balliol—King of Scots

  Robert FitzWalter—Lord of Beeston Castle

  Matha O’Reilly—Irish ambassador

  Samuel—Callum’s
companion

  Bevyn—David’s companion

  Venny—one of David’s soldiers

  Constance—Lili’s bodyguard

  Cador—Archer, Constance’s husband

  Hugh—Venny’s father

  Rhys—one of Math’s soldiers

  Mathew—Venny’s friend

  Chapter One

  Dinas Bran

  24 March 1294

  David

  David stepped into Dinas Bran’s receiving room and immediately came to a dead halt as the various members of his family who were present looked at him. “Uh oh. This looks like trouble.”

  Mom patted the chair next to her. “No trouble at all—or at least, not more than you already knew about.”

  “So why are you all looking at me?”

  Anna picked up one of the balls of yarn Bronwen was crocheting into a hat for Catrin and threw it at his chest. It bounced off and hit the floor. “Because you walked into the room, silly.”

  He tossed the yarn back to Bronwen, who caught it, and then sat in the chair his mother had indicated. “I don’t believe you.”

  There was a pause as the various members of David’s family—Dad, Mom, Anna, Math, Bronwen, and Ieuan—looked at each other, silently communicating in some fashion that resulted in Mom turning to speak to him again. “You’re right. We were talking about you.”

  “Specifically, you becoming King of Scots,” Anna said.

  “I knew it.” David slapped his hand on the table. “The answer is no. Besides, any idea of me claiming that throne is premature. While its current occupant has invaded England with an army, at the moment he still wears the crown. John Balliol was elected democratically. I don’t have the power to dethrone him.”

  “You do, actually,” Anna said.

  David didn’t know what it was about her latest trip to Avalon that had done it, but in the few days since she’d returned, it was as if the real Anna had been unleashed. She said what she thought more than ever without worrying about anyone’s sensibilities. He was willing to bet quite a large portion of his treasury that it was she who’d called this meeting.

  Mom shot her daughter a quelling look. “Regardless of what happens over the next weeks and months, Balliol incited a rebellion against you. You can’t let him keep his throne.”

  Anna nodded. “Give us a chance to explain. We need you to listen to Mom.”

  David’s father had been the first to push David to take England’s crown, and while he’d accepted the mantle out of a sense of desperation, he wasn’t sorry about being King of England now. Similarly, the High Kingship of Ireland had been thrust upon him by events that had careened out of control. And as his father’s eldest son, he was the heir to the Kingdom of Wales. He would accept that crown because, if it was anyone’s birthright, it was his.

  Scotland was another matter entirely. It had a long tradition of choosing its own rulers, and David’s claim to sovereignty there was beyond tenuous. The fact that, according to Uncle Ted, he did have a blood descent from Avalon’s King Alexander was beside the point. This was Earth Two, so that connection meant nothing.

  But because it was Anna who’d spoken, David held back a further retort. She was certainly right that something had to be done. Some had hoped that Balliol would fold his tents, apologize for conniving with wayward English barons, and fall back into Scotland from his current position at Barnard Castle, his family’s seat in the north of England. David had not been one of those optimists. Balliol would not be able to stand the resulting loss of face.

  Thus, with as studious an expression as he could muster, David prepared himself to be lectured. His mother usually knew what she was talking about.

  “In the past, English kings have aspired to the thrones of all four countries: Wales, England, Ireland, and Scotland, either by force of arms or by claiming the right through a fictive or mythic past.”

  “Sometimes dating back to Rome,” Bronwen said, “but always including King Arthur.”

  “Who was Welsh anyway,” Anna said.

  The three women were on a roll, but Mom made a gesture, asking not to be interrupted. David had no doubt they’d discussed what they were talking about at length before he’d arrived.

  “In Avalon’s Middle Ages, which is really the only time we care about at this point, King Edward came the closest to achieving the goal of uniting all four kingdoms. Once he conquered Wales, he allowed his barons to pursue absolute power in Ireland while he moved on to Scotland.”

  “The last thing I want to do is follow in King Edward’s footsteps—”

  His mom put out a hand to him. “We know that, David, and we’re not proposing anything along the lines of what Edward attempted—or any other English king, for that matter, up to and including present-day Avalon.”

  “Then I really don’t understand. Why the history lesson?” David narrowed his eyes at his mother. “I thought you just suggested I become King of Scots?”

  Mom gave a vigorous shake of her head. “We did. We do, but not for the reasons you think or the way you think. The kings of England who had designs on ruling all four nations rooted their right to do so in the fact that each of them was the King of England. We’re not proposing that at all.”

  “In fact, quite the opposite,” Bronwen said.

  David sat back in his chair. “You have completely lost me.”

  He noted that Ieuan and Math weren’t looking at him—and he knew why. It wasn’t because they were as confused as he was. They agreed wholeheartedly with where the women were going with their argument and saw no reason to interfere.

  Anna leaned forward. “We are proposing that you do—we do—what you’ve always done: include people instead of exclude them. King Edward conquered Wales, Ireland, and Scotland and ruled them as the English king, from England, with the idea that English culture and laws were superior to any tradition in the barbaric north and west.”

  “I could never do that.”

  “Of course you couldn’t. And we couldn’t support the idea—” Bronwen was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, “—which is what is so great. This is the chance we’ve been waiting for. We talked about it years ago at Rhuddlan before Anna and Meg went to Avalon.”

  David took in a breath, and his heart actually beat a little faster. “You’re talking about the United States of Britain.”

  “With you as High King.” Before David could protest at her choice of title, Bronwen put out a hand to him like both Mom and Anna had done. “For now.”

  Mom took over again. “This wouldn’t be a situation where Wales, Ireland, and Scotland were subordinate to the English throne, and everyone had to become English, speak English, and abide by English laws. It would be a confederation, with each country having equal say, but united out of an acknowledgment that all the countries that make up Britain share a common future.”

  Anna nodded vigorously. “Here’s your challenge and our dream, David: to leverage your unique position into a meaningful monarchy of the whole of Britain, one that doesn’t make everyone English, but makes room for everyone.”

  David ran both hands through his hair and dropped them. “I agree with everything you’re saying. Of course I do. I want what you want. But it’s overstepping. How can we create unity out of something that will so plainly cause disunity?”

  “Who’s to say it will?” Anna said, and then at David’s baleful look, modified her question. “Yes, of course not everyone is going to like it. But seeing as how you’re already King of England, High King of Ireland, and Prince of Wales, are any of the people in those countries really going to argue with what we’re proposing? If the people of Scotland accept the idea, would that be convincing enough?”

  David looked around at the rest of his family. “All right, gentlemen. You need to tell me what you think. Ieuan? Or you, Math? Dad? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

  Ieuan laughed. “As you’d undoubtedly guessed already, Math and I are of one mind and have been for some time. Rule
Scotland as the King of England or as High King or as—” he made a dismissive gesture, “—president if you must. As long as you rule, we don’t care how or why.”

  Bronwen patted her husband’s thigh. “Some people are less concerned with theory than with practice.”

  “I see Bohun and Mortimer aren’t here either. Nor Lili.” David had left his wife bathing their sons.

  “They don’t care about the specifics of rule either, though for different reasons. Bohun and Mortimer are Norman and know only power and the ability and willingness to wield it.” Math looked hard at David. “I have been at your side for twelve years now, and I barely comprehend what my own wife is telling me. If it weren’t she saying it—and clearly of so much importance to all of you—I would probably have dismissed it out of hand as a finer point that means nothing in the end.”

  “But we have come to understand that it means everything in the end—not just to you but to all of us,” Dad said, speaking for the first time. “When you insisted that I welcome the Jews into Wales, I agreed. But it was more to show you that I respected your ability to make decisions than because I understood your reasons. I understand them now.” He looked around the table. “We all do, now.”

  Then he focused again on David. “Take the throne of the High King, son. Britain—and the world—will be better for it.”

  Chapter Two

  Chester Castle

  1 April 1294

  William de Bohun

  “Bohun! Get a move on! It’s nearly dawn!” The not-so-dulcet tones of his friend Christopher shouting at him from the corridor roused William from a deep sleep.

  He blinked his eyes and lifted his head, disoriented about where he was, though the feeling dissipated immediately when he recognized the room in the guest house he shared with the other young men at Chester Castle.

  “I’m coming! I’m coming!” He grumbled the words, annoyed at himself for waking late but also at Christopher for waking him. He’d been dreaming about Aine, a girl he’d met in Ireland. He hoped he would see her again, but right now this blasted rebellion was interfering.