A Knight in Central Park(28)

“Not me,” Joe said with a faint chuckle. “I’m going home. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you could toss me my briefcase over there.” He pointed to his leather case propped within the high branches.

“Garrett, thank the Lord you are well,” Alexandra said as she walked up behind Joe, following his upward gaze.

“Where is Grandfather?” the boy asked her. “Is he dead?”

“Nay, he is faring well.”

“You should not have run off and left Grandfather to fend for himself,” Garrett scolded. “Where were you hiding?”

While Alexandra told her brother how Grandfather’s stones had taken her through time, Joe glanced at the moon and the stars, glad to see that the constellations looked the same. At the very least, he was still on Earth.

“I knew it!” Garrett said. “Grandfather spoke the truth all along.” The kid pushed his long straggly hair out of his eyes and focused his gaze on Joe. All excitement left his face.

Joe figured if he stared back at the kid, he would look away. But this was no ordinary kid. The boy hardly blinked.

“He looks questionable to me,” Garrett finally said. “Where’s his horse?”

Alexandra plopped a hand on her hip. “He has no horse.”

Garrett frowned. “’Tis not right for you to claim him as The Chosen One. He is too old. What kind of warrior would travel all this way to do battle only to watch foolishly as the enemy runs off with hardly a scratch?”

Alexandra sighed. “It matters not how old he is. He is our Hero...he is The One. And you, little brother, cannot change that simple truth.”

Joe’s newfound happiness at being alive was short-lived as he listened to them argue. He was in his prime for heaven’s sake. He’d be thirty-four in another week, but he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing his age. He’d never been overly fond of kids...they made him nervous...uneasy. And Alexandra’s brother wasn’t helping to improve his opinion of them.

“Do not listen to my brother,” Alexandra told Joe. “You saved our lives and we are forever grateful.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Joe said. “I don’t even know why Harig ran off.”

“You brought back the wrong man,” Garrett cried. “A big ol’ chicken is what he is. The Chosen One never would have run off like an old hen when Harig came at him.” Garrett put his hands under his armpits and flapped his elbows as if they were wings. “Wait ’til Grandfather finds out that you wasted his stones on a clay-brained chicken.”

Alexandra glared at her brother. “We will talk later, Garrett. After we get to the village and see how your sisters are faring. Verily they must be worried sick that we have yet to come for them.”

“They aren’t there,” Garrett said, his tone lined with frustration. “They came home whilst you were gone. After Sir Richard’s men disappeared inside the house, I saw Mary, Susan, and Rebecca heading down the trail toward home.” Garrett’s voice cracked. “I tried to warn them, but the wenches have cotton in their ears for they sang and talked until I had no choice but to holler. It is the reason Harig found me at all. He dragged me inside, tied my hands and feet to the table, and blindfolded me after he became frightened by my cruel gaze. ‘devil Eyes’ Harig called ’em.”

Garrett narrowed his eyes, giving Joe and Alexandra a sample of what he was talking about.

“Where are your sisters now?” Alexandra asked, clearly worried.

As they talked, Joe glanced toward the place where Alexandra had thrown the rock. Now wasn’t the time to think about how he’d ended up here. He’d think about that after he returned home, where he belonged. Until then, he planned on concentrating on the little things like staying alive, and more importantly...finding the last stone.

Garrett dropped from the tree to the ground in front of Joe and dusted himself off. “So, it is the truth that you come from another time?”

Although he still hadn’t grasped the idea fully, Joe nodded.

“How did you cause fire to spring from your fingertips?” Garrett asked next.

Alexandra took a firm hold of Garrett’s arm. “You can ask Sir Joe all your questions later. I need you to tend to Grandfather whilst I search for your sisters. We can only pray they are all safe.”

Garrett’s face paled. “Mayhap they are hiding in the barn.”