by Reilyn Hardy
“Doesn’t mean I don’t mean you harm,” she said, not lowering her weapons. “How did you get in here?”
“Through the front door,” I said. “And if you meant me harm, why did you turn me around?”
She lowered her sai.
“Do you know where we are?” She asked, tucking her weapons back into the holsters on her back. “This is the home of the Time Keeper. No one can enter unless they have good intention. Why are you here?”
Coin had told me others would be after the stone too, I was sure she was one of them.
“I think you know why.”
“So you think it’s here?”
I shrugged. “This is the town the Time Keeper fled to, this is his home. Where else would it be if it was left with him?”
The boarded up windows began to rattle as revenants tried to make their way into the house. My hand moved to the handle of my dagger again and she laughed at me.
“Did you hear what I said? No one can enter unless they have good intention. They can’t come in here,” she told me and crossed her arms. “It’s protected. Who are you?”
“You first.”
“Li Annen Kimiko, though friends call me Miko — or at least they would if I liked company enough to keep some.”
“Mae,” I said quietly.
“Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
I shrugged again. I wondered if she was going to make fun of me the way Ferris did, but she shrugged it off too.
“Did you bring the wolf here?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Well, I hope he makes it till sunrise alive.” She reached behind herself as she spoke and stuck a hook into the metal cuff. “Soon.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There’s so many of them. I’ve watched them attack him all night. Though I admit, he’s stubborn. Hasn’t given up yet, ripping off their heads and all.”
I moved back to the window.
“What are you doing! Get away from the window!”
“Why?” I snapped. “You said they can’t come in here.”
She backed off of me.
I hated what I saw. I ran toward the door and flung it open. “Jace!” I shouted. There were revenants attacking him from all angles, growing in size and piling on top of him.
“Are you crazy!” Miko tried to close the door but I leaned against it as hard as I could, spreading my feet apart so she couldn’t move me.
I yelled for him again, and that time, the werewolf looked right at me. Revenants were lingering at the door, but they couldn’t touch me. They couldn’t enter just like she had said. Jace shook them off of himself and ran right toward us.
“We’re gonna die,” Miko said softly before she darted toward the stairs.
He tumbled right into the house and fell on his side. He was back to his normal self, his human self. The sun was rising and the revenants began burning up in the streets, while others ran to hide in the shadowed corners and opened homes. I slammed the door shut and ripped the sheet that was draping off of one of the tables nearest me and put it over him. He was covered in scratches and bite marks, and the wounds were still all bleeding profusely.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and Jace just groaned where he lay.
Miko started coming back down the stairs again. I hadn’t noticed at first, but she was light on her feet. She made absolutely no noise, despite the floorboards creaking when I walked on them.
“Who’s that?” He asked, and narrowed his eyes, he didn’t take his focus off of her. He inhaled deeply and then frowned. “Why can’t I smell her? And why do you smell like a corpse?” He pulled away from me.
How could I forget about the dead body I dragged over myself?
She pushed her hair back to show her pointed ears.
“I’m part elf,” she said. “Glad to know something good came from my dad’s side after all.”
He sat up on the floor and held the sheet up to his stomach.
“I’m Miko,” she said, offering her hand. “And you’re a real werewolf. A real live werewolf. I’ve never met a werewolf before.”
He stared at her hand before turning to me and I shrugged. Jace ignored it. He stood up on his own and wrapped the sheet around his body.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked him again since he hadn’t answered me the first time.
“Yeah, I just — my body will heal itself eventually. I need to find my clothes.”
“There’s a bedroom upstairs,” Miko chimed in. “The dresser was still full.”
“How long were you here?” I asked as Jace walked past her.
“Only a few days. I didn’t know there were any other living people here.”
“Neither did we.”
“Do you know who did this? Who killed everyone here?”
“I have a hunch. But why are you looking for the stone, Miko?”
“That’s not really any of your business, Mae.” She dragged her hook along the wall. “But I won’t cause any problems, just don’t leave me here.”
“What?”
“I’ve searched through this house over a dozen times. I can’t find it. I was going to leave last night and these dead bodies started coming to life and you showed up with a werewolf and... if you have better luck than me, just let me come with you. I promise I won’t get in the way.”
I wasn’t sure why, but I trusted her for some reason. I turned away from her and glanced up at the triskelion that was carved into the wood above the doorway, there was a faint white glow fading from it. She got into my grandfather’s house. I should be able to trust her.
The two of us start rummaging through the house and Jace later joined us once he was dressed. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but he still looked some kind of awful.
I dug through the bookshelves and knocked over lamps. I was making a mess — more of a mess — but I didn’t really care. By the looks of things, I doubted he was coming back and it had to be there somewhere.
“I went through every room in this house,” Miko leaned against the stairway. “This useless.”
I sat up on my shins and scanned the house.
“Well what did you expect me to do?”
“Hey, Mae — what about that room?”
Jace pointed at a door I was sure I hadn’t seen before. When I looked at Miko, even she was surprised. She started for it and he stopped her.
“Not you,” he said. “I don’t trust you.”
She took a step back and extended her arm forward, motioning for me to go ahead.
There were many bookcases that lined the walls, packed full of books. There wasn’t an empty space in sight. I took a seat behind the desk and inspected the book that was already opened — but the page was blank.
I dusted the book off with my hand and flipped to an earlier page of what appeared to be my grandfather’s journal. Cupping the book in my arms, I sat back in the chair and outstretched my feet on the floor. I hit something on accident and I sat back up.
When I investigated, I saw a small white marble near my boot. I put the book back on the desk and got on the floor to get a closer look. There was a whole sack under the desk with the same white marbles spilling out of it. I grabbed it and crawled back onto the chair. Plopping the bag onto the desk, I took a closer look at the marble. It resembled a pinch of a cloud trapped in a crystal encasing. I had never seen anything like it.
“Is that an icebreaker?” Miko asked at the door. Excitement filled her as she bounced up and down on her heels.
“A… what?”
“Err — charm of Thirondel? When you break one against the ground, it frosts the area and cracks. It creates a direct passage to wherever you need to go. Once you go in, the frost melts into the space and makes the ground whole again. My dad used to talk about them a lot. They’ll link you to almost anywhere as long as you have a clear idea of where you want to go. They were created by the chronomancers with the help of the elf, Thirondel. They’re really rare.”
>
“So why does he have so many?” Jace asked. “Whose house — is this — are we — Mae?”
“Yeah.” I sat back in the chair, not taking my eyes off of the charm. “We’re exactly where you think we are.”
“I knew it. But where is he? I mean, forget Alekoth. Their father could end this once and for all. He’s the Time Keeper.”
“He’s not a chronomancer anymore though,” I said. “At least not according to the story.”
“But I mean, how hard can it be to become one again? He just has to return to Glasskeep, right? Isn’t that how it works? I wish I was a chronomancer. Can you imagine? The things I’d be able to do.”
I looked up at him and frowned.
“You’re a werewolf. You can do loads of things —”
“Yeah, but I also turn into a giant, hairy monster at the same time.”
“He’s got a point.”
He turned around and glared at Miko.
“Not always,” I continued. “You ripped the padlock off of that door, and you’re probably only going to get stronger. Your body literally pushed toxins out of itself and you healed before turning into stew. I can’t do that. And okay — so you turn into a wolf-man. But you’re not bad. The worst is over. Just be happy with — who you are.”
I frowned at my own words fully knowing I should’ve been taking my own advice.
“I could’ve killed you, Mae —”
“I could have killed you too but neither of us succeeded.” I put the charm back into the sack. I tied it shut and threw it into my bag. “We’re even.”
“I just need to know you’re going to stop me before I make a mistake,” he said. “Your dagger has silver embedded into the blade.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
Miko sighed at the door.
“Can you two either go back to looking for the stone or let me help?”
“You stay where you are,” Jace said to her. He moved toward one of the shelves and I looked back down at the book in front of me. I turned it over to the front and stared at the brown leather bound. I flipped open the cover and a single page fell out.
It was for me.
Artemis,
Take this page and place it back into its original book. The fourth book in from the window, on the shelf to your left.
I glanced to my left and at the window. My gaze dropped to the bookshelf and I counted four books in. I closed the journal and shoved it against Jace’s chest while I moved to the bookcase.
“What’s this?” He asked me and flipped through the pages.
“I think it’s the Time Keeper’s journal. Read it and tell me if there’s anything useful in it.” I told him without looking back at him. I didn’t take my eyes off of the fourth book and I pulled it from the shelf. There was a gold dragon printed on the front hardcover. Subtle.
I flipped it open.
To my disappointment, all of the pages were blank.
I put the book down on the top of the bookcase and carefully lined the ripped page with the seam. It started to repair itself like new, like it had never been ripped from the book in the first place. I tried to flip through the pages again hoping to find printed text, but they had sealed themselves together while the center of the book hollowed out.
There was a white cloth in the box with another folded piece of paper.
Be careful, Artemis.
You’re more alone in this world than you think.
The words faded as I read them. Subtly, I glanced at Jace once I read the last line. I didn’t think I was that alone, but I guessed my grandfather had reason to think so.
I was sure he was.
I started digging through the white material and the red stone was wrapped in the cloth, placed among various time pieces. It didn’t surprise me — I wasn’t sure what else to expect from a chronomancer known as the Time Keeper.
“You found it!”
I jumped, nearly dropping the book. Miko was standing right behind me. I had no idea how long she had been there.
“Miko!” I snapped, but she was too excited to care she had startled me.
“Now we just have to get to the land of the dragons!”
She tried to hook the book away from me but I closed it and kept it close to my body.
Jace scoffed and closed the journal. When Miko turned her attention to him, I quickly ripped out the first page again and stuffed it into my pocket.
“Easier said than done,” he said.
“What did Coin mean?” I asked. “He was hinting at something to you, wasn’t he?”
Jace didn’t answer me right away, but I knew he knew what I was talking about. Their interaction was unusual, and I had to admit I was curious.
“I might know someone,” he said as he reached for the sack of Thirondel charms in my bag and started to untie it.
“Who can help us?” Miko said before I had the chance. Jace raised an eyebrow and looked at her while rolling a marble between his fingers.
“Us?” He questioned, before turning to me. “Who hopefully won’t kill us — me.”
“You aren’t talking about more revenants, are you?” Miko asked.
Jace shoved the journal into my bag and threw it toward me. I did the same with the dragon book, but I remained quiet. What was he doing? He didn’t answer Miko that time and we followed him into the hallway.
“You just say the place yeah?” He asked Miko and she nodded. She held up three fingers and rubbed her thumb against the tip of each. “You’re supposed to specify how many travel through, otherwise anyone can jump through it before it melts.”
Jace ran the marble against the tips of three of his fingers. He threw it at the ground.
“Thealey!” He shouted.
“Are you out of your mind!” I yelled at him as the frost started to travel across the hall. “You’re a werewolf!”
“Yes, Mae, I know. Very much aware of that. But most of the vampires should be in hiding. If they’re even still there. I don’t think any of them will attack me.”
The ground cracked and the house shook.
“You don’t think so? We were literally just attacked by creatures of Drarkodon! You’re of age, Jace! They’re going to kill you!”
“Let’s go!” He yelled. Miko had already jumped in and he shoved me into the crack in the floor right after her before I had anymore time to protest.
CHAPTER TEN
where darkness festers
Thealey was once an old Vampiric town, located far up North where the sun never shone. The sky was always filled with dark storm clouds and rarely did it ever actually rain. Some used to say the Grim Reaper had purposely cursed the land, keeping light from reaching it so the sun wouldn’t kill his first creations. Others simply said that’s just what darkness was. The absence of light.
Where there was no light, darkness would fester; and it grew.
I fell from the sky. My arms were waving wildly in the air trying to find something to grab onto, and there was nothing no matter where I reached. I fell right into a dead tree, and I was unlucky enough to hit every single rough branch on the way down.
I was almost to the bottom when I finally thought to grab hold of one. Of course the one I decided to grab wasn’t strong enough to support my weight. Unable to carry me, it broke, ripping right from the bark of the tree.
I fell flat on my face.
Jace on the other hand, landed on the ground standing upward on his feet just beside Miko who had gotten up, and was dusting herself off.
Of course.
“You okay?” He stepped over me and offered me a hand. He was always offering me a hand, and he probably didn’t realize it made me feel more useless than I was sure he intended for it to. That time, I didn’t reach for it and stood up on my own.
“I’m fine,” I grumbled and dusted myself off. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Should I have just let you die in the Ashen Hills?”
He took a step back.
I d
idn’t mean it like that.
“Everywhere I go, people think I’m a danger. You think I don’t hear them? I’m not deaf. In fact, I’m really far from it. I heard Coin. I didn’t say anything, but I heard him. This place is no different than any other place we’ve been. They just don’t hide their hatred. Maybe you didn’t wanna look for David to be a hero, Mae, but I did.” He shifted on his feet. “I don’t wanna run or hide anymore. I’m tired of wondering who’s still going to accept me after they know the truth.”
“I did.”
“You were a kid and I was your only friend.”
“Hey! I could’ve had more friends,” I grumbled and he smirked because he knew he was right. “But you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You don’t owe that to anyone —”
“Yeah,” he said suddenly. “Yeah, I do. Werewolves aren’t bad. At least I’m not — or I don’t think I am. If I don’t owe it to anyone then I owe it to myself. I have to prove that to myself. My kind isn’t bad.”
He sighed.
I didn’t understand.
“You’re a good friend to me, but just trust me, okay? Thealey isn’t the same. Not anymore. A lot of things changed after the Pryley eruption. A lot of things changed everywhere, all throughout Aridete. You’ll see.”
I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
“Where did elf girl go?” Jace asked. I looked around too, she was gone. I quickly opened my bag and the dragon book was missing too, so was the sack of Thirondel charms.
“I can’t believe this.” He punched the trunk of a tree and it splintered.
“She’ll have to come back,” I said and dug into my pocket for the front page of the book. “She can’t get to the stone without this.” I stuffed it back into my pocket and stared at my friend. “Jace, what are we doing here?”
He nodded toward the town and we started walking. We landed just outside of it, which was just as dark as Edgewick, if not worse. It was dreary, but far from abandoned. People of all sort, creatures of all kinds, were bustling through the area.
Thealey was known as a vampiric town, and there weren’t any in sight. Vampires stood out. Once fully transformed from their decaying corpses, they were beautiful creatures with mesmerizing eyes and enchanting voices.
