East

"You do not leave your seat, Moonbeam," he told me firmly.

I nodded. Without another warning, he stood and strode to a doorway leading past the open floor of the dining area into the hotel part of the inn. He disappeared, and I paused in my eating, not liking the fact he was gone.

Shaking out my concern, I picked up the warm bowl of stew with both hands - they didn't have spoons - and sipped the broth. Where the meat was better off swallowed than chewed, the broth had a good flavor. The bread was basic and a little stale while the wine was stronger than I was accustomed to.

All things considered, it wasn't a bad dinner. I sat back to watch the rough world around me. No women were present, which I was guessing was probably a good thing. This crowd didn't seem like the kind to deal well with women.

The men at the table beside me rose, and my attention shifted to them. They wore a mix of clothing, the heavy wool of the Mongols mixed with faded silks and furs. They appeared to be wealthy traders, and the gleam of one's silver belt sparkled in the light of the hearth and torches. Several pouches dangled from his belt, weapons and …

… A cell phone.

I blinked and looked again. It looked a lot like a silver iPhone.

Jarred by the idea, I sat up straighter to get a better look, but he had turned away and started towards the hotel side of the inn. He and his companions didn't look any different than the others around me.

Neither did Taylor. My short-lived husband had fit in perfectly with the rest of the men from the eighteen hundreds.

The man with the phone disappeared down a hallway. I stood, adrenaline pumping and Batu's warning in my head. After a brief hesitation, I started through the crowd. I was small enough that most people didn't notice me, and those that did looked away after a glance in my direction. Tugging the hood forward, I sneaked peeks at those around me while hurrying as fast as I could to the entrance into the hotel area.

Stepping into a wooden hallway, I saw the man with the phone disappear into a room towards the end of the corridor, accompanied by the others. I hastened down the hall and paused outside the open door. They had stepped into a private meeting room, complete with another roughly hewn table and chairs, a hearth and pitcher of wine.

I ducked behind the doorway and stayed out of sight, listening closely in case they were time travelers talking about their adventures.