“I know. But try not to be.”
“So I guess this is goodbye.”
“Maybe.”
“Damien, tell me you didn’t shoot him. Please.”
“You won’t believe me.”
“Have I ever?”
“They won’t believe me.”
“They never did.”
“I didn’t shoot him,” he replied.
Zoë cried even more.
That morning, she flew out of the airport, headed for Paris.
She stepped out of the pilot’s cabin for a moment and walked into a hallway of her ship, then heard a noise in the kitchen; pots and pans falling over. Startled, she walked toward the doorway, and saw two people standing inside: Jamie Parsons, and the girl she remembered as Ariel.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping in the room.
Jamie looked at Ariel, then brushed the snow off his jacket. His sunglasses had a thin coating of ice on them. “Um,” he said, “hey, Zo.”
Zoë stared at both of them.
“You’d better explain,” Ariel said to Jamie.
“I can’t explain. Jude was always the one who explained.” He turned to Zoë. “We kind of slipped into your ship.”
“What? When?”
Ariel checked Jamie’s platinum watch. “About ten seconds ago.”
“That’s ... not possible.”
“We kind of let ourselves in.”
“Uh … how? We’re flying over the Atlantic.”
Ariel turned and looked out the window. She could see a sparkling sea beneath them. “Whoa,” she said.
“Zoë,” said Jamie, “this is my friend Ariel. And ... there’s something we need to tell you.”
4.
When Thomas awoke, he felt disoriented, as if the world would not stop moving.
“Ah, welcome back,” said Kira.
He squinted, then he grabbed for something, anything, when he realized where he was. He turned to the window, and saw buildings and cars pass them in a sea of blue sky. They were in a flying car.
He sat back, his heart beating madly.
“Relax,” said Kira, from the front-passenger seat. “We sedated you, or we’d never have gotten you inside. We’re just moving over Tenokte, in my personal car. It’s about the only place in the city that isn’t bugged. You already know John Caxton, my faithful assistant.”
“You’ve been out all morning,” said the Celestial agent, who was driving.
“What am I doing here?”
“Well, why don’t you ask her?” said Kira.
Thomas turned and realized someone was sitting next to him. He couldn’t make out the face, but the girl had a pink scarf over her hair.
“Hi, Mr. Huxley,” said the girl, in a sweet voice. “I’m Emily.”
He turned to Kira, his eyes wide.
“The princess was hoping you could transport her to her guardian.”
“What? No, you can’t do this to me. I’m sorry, but you can’t give me this kid who could get assassinated any minute—no offense, your Highness, but—” He paused. “Wait, what? I thought you wanted Ariel.”
“Delacroix does,” said Caxton, “but we’re pulling a coup d’etat.”
“If the Commander finds time travelers, he will have no need for the traditional secret police,” said Kira.
“You made me wait two nights to tell me that?”
“We had to make a show for Delacroix and wait until we could get Emily out. Delacroix knows that someone has her, but not whom.”
“And who’s that going to be?”
Kira only smiled. “We have your things.” She tossed him his cell phone, and pulled out a pair of black plastic-frame glasses. “I don’t know if these will help, but you wore these in college and left them at my apartment one day.”
He took them hesitantly and put them on. The prescription was close enough, at least until he could get his contact lenses. He opened his phone and listened to his messages, oldest to newest.
“Hey, Thomas, it’s Zoë. If you get a chance, please call me back.”
Beep.
“Zo again ... look, I’m sorry for what I said. But I really need to tell you something. Give me a call.”
Beep.
“Thomas, please pick up. We need to talk...”
“It must be really important,” Kira murmured, glancing at Caxton.
Thomas ignored her and listened to the rest of the messages: from Zoë, from his sister, from work. Finally came to his only saved message: “Bonjour, mon ami...”
He snapped his phone shut, as if it had given him an electrical shock. He had re-saved that message roughly every ninety days for four years. Within the next week he would have to save it again ... or if Ariel was right, and he would die, it would disappear.
“That was Madison, right?” said Kira. “It’s been so long.”
He didn’t hear her. Ariel. Where was Ariel? He had told her to leave, but she always came to people when they died. He saw that in her mind. And if anything, he needed her now. And he wanted Zoë, too ... he had a feeling he knew what she wanted to tell him.
“I need to find my fiancée,” he told Kira, as the car twisted and turned. “Where is she?”
“Probably in her ship. She’s flying out of the country.”
“What? I need to see her now. You have no idea how important this is.”
“Then call her,” said Kira.
He turned his phone over in his hands. “I can’t involve her in this. Where do you want me to take Emily, anyway? My job is to report news, not conduct secret operations, espionage—”
“It’s only one trip. I gave you a full pardon to get you out of that facility. And if you do this for me, I’ll tell you what happened on the morning when you were shot.”
He glanced over at Emily, then back to the lieutenant. “This is going to get me killed. Why are you going against Delacroix? You’re his protégé. He’s guided you your entire career.”
“Yes,” said Kira, “but I feel he might try to harm the princess. There has been some cover-up involved in Damien’s case. In my opinion, the Commander is no longer fit to rule.”
“So why me? Why not any other agent?”
“No one will suspect you,” said Caxton, glancing at him from the rear-view mirror. “It’s been four years since your last assignment. And you already know Emily’s selected guardian.”
“You kept me in the dark for four years for this? To call me up when no one else will do?”
“No. I wanted to protect you,” said Kira.
“Then let me see Zoë.”
“Call her,” said Kira. “She’ll only come for you.”
Thomas looked from her to Caxton. “Right. And you need her … why?”
Kira adjusted the rearview mirror. “It turns out that the princess does have relatives, though not descended from Dimitri Reynolds. Related by marriage, through her grandmother, Reinette. The late queen had one brother, Remy Deschaine, who had a daughter, Valerie. Valerie’s two children are still alive. By tomorrow morning, one won’t be.”
Thomas turned to Emily. “Zoë’s your cousin? Wait, Damien’s your cousin. How come—how come no one knew that?”
“They’re not descended from Dimitri Reynolds, so they’re not considered to be part of the royal family.” Emily shrugged. “They brought it up in the hearings. It’s been mentioned a lot in the news. I take it you haven’t been watching much?”
Thomas sat back. No, he hadn’t. Not with his fiancée controlling the remote. But still…
“This is treason,” he mused, to Kira. “If you’re caught, you’ll be executed.”
“Only if you fail,” Kira said smoothly, “and I would bet my life on you. Come to think of it, I have ...”
Thomas dialed the number. “I don’t owe you anything, you know. And you won’t get at Ariel through me. I’m just going to call Zoë. No promises.”
“Agreed,” said Kira.
He put the phone to his ea
r, then waited for her to pick up.
5.
Zoë thought she knew a lot about the world, but that changed when two time travelers showed up in her ship’s kitchen.
“How did you get here?” she asked. “Did you sneak on before I took off?”
Jack, the ship’s robot, rolled in. “They were not here at liftoff,” he said.
“Then what?” She seemed totally bewildered.
“She’s a time traveler,” said Jamie, gesturing to Ariel.
“Oh, don’t even start. Really, this isn’t funny.”
“It’s true,” said Ariel. “I didn’t want to tell you unless I had to.”
Jamie took off his sunglasses and handed them to Zoë. “It was really cold, and it was snowing.”
She looked down at the ice coating the plastic and then handed them back, shaking her head. “You could’ve just put them in the freezer. Please, I don’t need this right now.”
Ariel looked at the kitchen’s clock: 12:30. “Doce y media. Wow. What day is it?”
“A better question is, what are you doing here? You stole my fiancé away, and then—”
“Uh, no. I’m sorry if you thought that, but what day is it?”
“June twentieth,” said Zoë.
Ariel cast a critical eye on Jamie.
“What?”
“I wanted to be here on the nineteenth.”
“I set it for the nineteenth. It’s going wonky.”
“All right. I’m a bit behind, but while I’m here, I might as well stay. Where’s Thomas?”
“You tell me,” Zoë said, surly. “He hasn’t been returning my calls. And will you please tell me what’s going on?”
“I can travel in time, all right? I can reach any day, in any place, in any year. Sort of. That pocket watch Jamie has? It isn’t just for measuring time—it’s for controlling where I am in it. The Celestial Federation found out, and started tracking my device.”
“Then why come here?”
“Because I found someone who I thought could help me. Now Thomas is in serious danger because of it. And—why are you flying over the ocean?”
“I’m going to Paris,” she said. “I’m not staying to watch Damien die.”
“Right. Good. But go back to Tenokte instead, because he won’t die. Trust me.” She slipped on her green sunglasses. “If something happens and I don’t come back, tell Thomas you love him. Just once. That was always your only regret.” She opened the pocket watch, and was gone.
Zoë stepped back, alarmed.
“Class A teleport,” remarked the ’bot. “My programming did not anticipate this. A bit flashy, but effective.”
Zoë turned to Jamie, confused and nearly in tears. Her brother’s execution was a tragedy, but an alteration in the laws of physics was world-breaking. She was starting to doubt her own sanity. “I suppose it’s too late to ask if this is a joke,” she said.
Jamie shook his head. “Impossible. She has no sense of humor.”
Zoë landed the ship in an airport field in Tenokte, only an hour after she had lifted off. She left the pilot’s cabin to her robot, and walked out.
“You still don’t believe it, do you?” Jamie called, trying to take off his seat belt. It clicked, and he sprang up, chasing after her.
“No, I don’t.” She crossed her arms.
“She vanished. That doesn’t mean anything to you?”
“Just because I can’t think of anything else to explain it, doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Jamie walked through the kitchen, and saw Thomas’s laptop still sitting on the table. He checked his own phone, and saw with some dismay that Damien’s death had been set for the following morning. He slipped the device into his pocket and didn’t mention it.
“So who is she, really?”
“Ariel? Oh ... I can’t even begin to describe her.” He thought of all the times he’d spent with Ariel—ancient memories now. She reminded him of a melody heard long ago, where the words are forgotten but the tune remains.
“A long time ago I traveled with her,” Jamie said finally. “And she was brilliant.”
Zoë poured a mug of coffee, then sipped it. “You make terrible pancakes,” she said.
“Oh, man, that was yesterday morning, wasn’t it?” he said. “I’m out of it. I’ve been on Dimitri Reynolds’ street today.”
She looked at him critically. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“There you go again,” she said. “All right. If you’ve traveled in time, do you know the future?”
“Yes,” he said. “In a way.”
“Does Damien die, then?” She hinged the question with more than a bit of importance, and closely watched for his response.
“I don’t know.” To her disappointed glance, he added: “Time can change.”
A faint ringing sounded, and Zoë pulled out her phone. Who’d be calling now? She looked at the number, and her eyes widened.
Thomas.
Chapter Fifteen
June 20, 2507, 5 P.M.
The candle-lit cathedral in southern Tenokte contained only a few people. Some sat in the pews or walked up to the front, genuflected, and settled into their seats. The evening Mass wouldn’t be for an hour, but some people needed prayer more than others.
Zoë sat in the third pew from the back, thinking and gazing at the ornate designs. The cathedral’s walls and ceilings were painted in swirls of white and gold, and its windows showed stained-glass depictions of Biblical scenes. Her mother had taken her to this church once, many years ago, during a visit to the city.
The pilot was dressed all in white, from a barrette in her honey-colored hair to her blouse, tiered skirt and boots, except for a gold charm bracelet on her wrist. Dressed for prayer. Tomorrow she would be dressed for a funeral.
One lone figure strode in, giving everything a quick glance, then took off his glasses and slipped them into a pocket. He slid into the pew, then sat beside her.
“I haven’t seen you in awhile,” she murmured.
Thomas gave a shy smile. “It’s been worse. Remember when you went on a trip for three weeks?”
“You knew where I was.”
“Not the whole time. What did you want to tell me?”
She moved her eyes to him. “All week long, I was sick. I thought it might have been stress, you know? So I went to a clinic ...” She looked down, shaking her head. “I don’t know how it happened. I was taking the medication, never missed a single dose. It’s supposed to work; it’s always supposed to work.”
“Zoë?”
A tear slid down her cheek. “I’m pregnant.”
He had that thought in his mind, dancing like the shadows cast by a flame, and with a sinking feeling he realized Ariel’s prophecy was coming true. But he brightened. “Zoë, that’s wonderful.”
“No, it’s not,” she said. “I’m not ready. I want to travel. I want to go to college. And I don’t want you to stay with me just because of this.”
“A baby,” he said, daydreaming, then he snapped back. “Wait—what? You’re still mad at me?”
“Thomas ... it might be better if we took some time apart. Just until I can think things through.”
He sat back, a bit wounded. “Fair enough. But Zo, if something happens to me, give the baby to my parents.”
“What?”
“They’ve always wanted another kid, but you know the law: two per couple. They’ve been bugging me since I turned about thirteen, wanting grandkids. They’d help take care of her.”
“Her?”
“… or him. We don’t know yet, do we? But listen. I want to stay with you forever, and I want to be a father, but if something happens to me…” He took her hand. “Then do what you think is best.”
“You’ll be fine. But Thomas, I’m not sure I want your parents to take care of her.”
“Audrey and I turned out all right. Well, maybe Audrey...”
“Thomas, old-fashioned conceptions can
cause a lot of problems. No one ever does it that way. It’s too risky. What if there’s a problem with the baby, and it’s all my fault?”
“I never told you, did I? I was a surprise for my parents, too.”
Zoë looked at him, and started to laugh. “That’s what I’m afraid of!”
“Oh, you’re awful,” he said, grinning. “Listen, if it were a girl—what would be your favorite name for it?”
“I haven’t even thought about it.”
“I’d really like if you named her Madison. No reason; it’s ... just a beautiful name.”
“You really think something will happen to you?”
“Oh ... I don’t know. This week has been insane. I wasn’t avoiding you, Zoë. I got arrested.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?”
“It’s a long, long story. But the point is ... I don’t even know if I can convince you of the point. But I love you. I always have.”
She glanced down.
“Don’t you feel the same way?”
“I don’t know. With Damien about to die, I don’t even know what to feel anymore.”
“I don’t know about that, but ...” Thomas moved his eyes toward the rear of the church. “I found someone who could use our help.”
Zoë looked confused for a moment, then followed his gaze to where a teenage girl stood admiring a statue.
“I have a favor to ask,” said Thomas.
They walked back to Zoë’s golden ship, the Halcyon. Emily shivered as she boarded it.
“No guards,” Emily murmured, glancing back at the takeoff fields, which were lit by a blazing sunset.
“Just us,” said Thomas. “One trip to Paris. Dimitri Reynolds built up the Federation from that city. When you’re eighteen, you can return.”
She grasped the handle of the metal door, then stopped. “I can’t leave. How can I?”
“Your brother was just killed,” he said. “Any of us would do the same.”
Emily looked up at him, then to Zoë. Finally she walked inside, her head high. The couple followed her.
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