The Temporal Knights (83 page)

Instantly everyone in Alfred’s group tensed.

“Hold!” Alfred and Peebles yelled together.

“Avigail!
Vio! These are friends…come back here now!” Galen shouted, clearly upset. The girl on the hummer tensed but immediately did as Galen asked, but the older woman remained where she was for a long moment. She eyed Ædwin and then the fallen Gospatrick before turning to look at Peebles and the man called King Alfred.

“You will not be allowed to threaten Galen,” she told them both and Peebles nodded, wondering at the woman’s accent. It was like nothing he’d heard before.

“Vio please,” one of the other men pleaded and the woman slowly sauntered back to her group, every step attractive and very sensual. She stopped by the man who spoke and smiled at him.

“Please, everyone stay calm,” Galen implored. “We are not enemies. We are here to help you,” he added and Peebles smiled.

“Corporal Jefferies,” the General said loudly, never taking his eyes from the group in front of him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes Sir,” Jefferies replied, rubbing his temple ruefully.

“Please refrain from pointing your weapon at our friends here,” Peebles ordered, stunned by the unbelievable speed the women possessed. The one called Vio shot right past him and he’d never seen her move until Gospatrick was on the ground. He hadn’t even had time to flinch.

“Yes Sir!” The Corporal answered and kept the M60 carefully pointed out into the open spaces.

“Did ye see her move?” Gospatrick sputtered as he sat up. “Did you see her move?” He repeated as Ædwin helped him back to his feet.

“Na,” Ædwin answered and turned to stare at the beautiful woman once more. “Na, I did
na see her move.”

“Who be ye people?” Alfred asked again.

Galen laughed and hugged the young woman named Avigail once more.

“That will take some explaining your Majesty,” Galen answered. “It’s a long story; perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more comfortable. We’ve traveled a very long way.”

Alfred looked over at Peebles, who shrugged.

“They say they want to help,” Peebles said with a smirk. “Let’s see what they can do.”

“We canna return to Winchester and Maiden,” Alfred offered with a curious smile of his own; life was so very, very strange.

“Excellent, I can get us there real quick,” Galen replied. “We thank you,” he added and then turned to a young woman near the back of the group and spoke in a strange language. The woman nodded and deftly mounted her horse and then rode back to the large column of cavalry.

“Patia will be bringing the others…if that is acceptable?” Galen asked. Alfred took a moment to look at General Peebles but then turned back and nodded.

“Would you like me to?” Avigail asked but Galen just shook his head.

“No…it’s in this world, and very close. I can manage,” Galen answered and then moved out alone onto the grassy field to the south and away from the group.

Peebles and Alfred glanced at one another for a moment.

“What’s he doing?” Colonel Lemay asked, still a bit stunned by the meeting and the speed at which the two women attacked.

The General and the King shrugged together, both watching a bit nervously as a thousand professional horsemen rode their way.

Galen stopped about fifty feet away, his back to everyone and stood completely still for a long moment.

General Peebles was about to ask about his behavior again when suddenly a giant Door sprang into existence in front of the young man. The Door was impossibly high and at least three hundred feet wide. Peebles gasped and could feel the power the Door demanded, but there were no machines in sight. It was perfectly formed, a giant bubble in the middle of the Salisbury plains, and framed in the very center were the main gates to the town of Winchester.

A great cry of surprise went up from the local Anglishmen and Americans alike, everyone stunned by the presence of the portal.

Galen turned back and smiled at them all.
“Travel!” He told them and began to laugh joyously.

“He’s made a Door!” Colonel Lemay gasped. “He’s made a Door!” He repeated. “Oh my God, he’s made a Door!”

The End

Author’s Note:

The Temporal Knights is first and foremost a work of fiction, written solely for entertainment and should be taken as such. While much of the life of King Alfred has been lost through the passage of time, I strived very hard to ensure that certain facts, names and places in the book are accurate. However, on occasion, I blatantly ignored history. Ivarr the boneless is just one example. Though the man is real enough, he was actually the nemesis of Alfred’s father Æthelwulf, but as an author I could not pass up such a colorful name. Guthrum was Alfred’s chief antagonist.

Any historical or scientific mistakes, either accidental or planned, are mine and mine alone. If any readers are interested in learning more about King Alfred I highly recommend Justin Pollard’s
“Alfred the Great-The man who made England.”

              Also by Richard D. Parker

The Temple Island Series:

The Black Horseman

Assassin of the Heart

Elsewhere

The Best of all Possible Worlds

For more information please visit my website at
http://www.richarddparker.net/