Time Weaver

by Jacinta Maree

  She licked her lips. “Why are you so interested in something out of a story book?”

  Klaus’ eyes sharpened quickly; perhaps she was walking into territory he didn’t want to explore. “Because I hunt them.”

  Her heart squeezed in both excitement and dread. Was it possible that a Time Collector had killed her mother? The biggest question still burned on her tongue, what are Time Collectors? But she was unable to form the words. “So, they are real? Time Collectors exist?”

  His chin dropped as a small smile pressed dimples into his cheeks. “Absolutely.”

  Overhead, the lights flickered, causing Elizabeth to jerk her head up. When she glanced back down, Klaus now held the piece of paper. She quickly glanced at her hands, noticing they were empty.

  “How did you-?”

  “It was nice speaking to you, Miss Wicker.” He moved toward the door before glancing briefly back at her. “But I must warn you; the next time you feel the urge to touch my things I won’t be so kind.” He stepped back into the hall and disappeared.

  Chapter Eight:

  Ignoring the uncertain flutter of her heart, Elizabeth ran toward the east wing. She barged into the guest room but the bag was gone, leaving the rest of the room unscathed. There was nothing left behind, not even a fingerprint among the dust. She turned around before leaving, disappointed.

  That night, Elizabeth had waited at the dining room table for William to come home. It was roughly eight o’clock in the evening, the second car gone once more and the streets eerily quiet. It was Harry who told her that William was in the east library, skipping dinner again. Determined, Elizabeth went to the east library before letting herself in.

  “Miss Elizabeth?” William looked upwards. “Is something the matter?” He was back at his desk in the far corner, consumed with his books. A single lantern sat by his head.

  She took a deep breath so her voice held some authority. “I want to know more about the man staying in this house.”

  “Harry?” he asked with uncertainty.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “The other man. Klaus”

  William stood up as if jabbed with a hot poker and slammed two hands against the desk. The pile of papers fell to the ground. “You went against my orders!” His voice strained in his anger. “You were not to approach him!”

  “I know and I’m sorry for breaking my promise, but I need to know the truth. Who is he really?” Elizabeth’s voice jumped with desperation despite her efforts to stay calm.

  It felt too difficult to explain without sounding insane. She had never seen anyone like Klaus, so she couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly that made the hair on her arms stand up. He was different, but different in a way that tore her focus to shreds. It was the type of different that gnawed into her until her sanity snapped.

  “Go pack your bags, you are leaving tonight. You can live with a friend of mine; there you can apprentice under her and become a fine seamstress!” He pushed back his chair and rounded the desk.

  “I’m not leaving.” Her voice rose. “Don’t you want to know what really happened to my mother? I think Klaus has the answer.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The night of her death, a man went into her room holding a weird looking blade. I recognized that same blade in one of Klaus’ books.”

  William stopped moving immediately, and lifted a shaking hand to his mouth. “A blade?” Fear softened him. Elizabeth slowly edged closer.

  “I didn’t know what to think. I thought I was crazy.”

  “Did he see you? The man who went into your mother’s room, did he see you?”

  Elizabeth looked down to jog her memory. “I called out for him to stop, but he didn’t react.” In a different breath, she delicately whispered, “What are Time Collectors?”

  William’s face dropped two shades in color, making him even him paler. “Time Collectors? I’ve never heard of them.”

  “I believe a Time Collector killed my mother! I’m not going anywhere, something happened to my mother and I want to know the truth. Please?” Her shoulders dropped as she reached out to grab his sleeve. Desperation painted her in sweat. She quickly dropped her hands before she could grab him, forcing herself to step back in an attempt to collect her composure. To show weakness was like to cut an artery, and she couldn’t afford to bleed anymore.

  Pained by his own thoughts, William turned back. “If the man went for Lady Ana then he may come back for you and moving towns won’t stop him.” He rushed to a shelf on the other side of the room before returning with a thick, poorly preserved textbook. “I’ll tell you, but you must promise me, promise me, this information never leaves the room.”

  Elizabeth numbly nodded.

  “Time Collectors come from mythical stories of an ancient curse placed upon the souls of humans, making them immortal and incredibly powerful.” He planted the book down and flipped through the pages. Unlike Klaus’ books, there weren’t many pictures; the pages were mostly filled with lines of small print. “They are creatures capable of granting wishes to anyone who asks.”

  “Granting wishes? Are you being serious?” She scrunched her face up to stop from laughing. “So, they’re like genies?”

  “Not exactly. Genies are the retellings of Time Collectors where spirits live in lamps and grant limited wishes. Time Collectors aren’t as glamorous or kind hearted. They are called Time Collectors for a reason; for every wish they grant, they create what they call a contract. In exchange for the wish, the person must pay with their time.”

  “Their time?”

  “Their life expectancy. Every wish has a certain value. Big wishes can cost over thirty years, say for the wish of wealth or fame. You don’t know how much it’ll cost until after the contract is made.” He turned the page where it opened on a similar image of the blade. He pointed at it. “They collect time by stabbing the person and withdrawing the soul through their blood. It doesn’t leave any marks on the skin. Time Collectors are so scarce now; many believe they vanished centuries ago.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “My mother never made a deal with a Time Collector. I mean, I don’t think she did.”

  “No, you’re right. Lady Ana never made the deal. It’s actually the whole reason why I had to find Klaus. We need to hunt the Time Collector down and stop him.”

  “Why would you want to hunt down something that grants wishes? Do you want to kill them or make a contract with them?”

  William reeled backwards as if Elizabeth had slapped him. “I will never make a contract with a Time Collector, not even in my darkest moments. It’s completely unnatural and foolish to tamper with such dark magic. No one knows what happens to the souls touched by the Time Collectors. The old tales say they perish forever in a land of darkness. I needed Klaus here because normal Time Collectors take the time from the person agreeing to the contract, but there are other Time Collectors known as the corrupted. These Time Collectors grant the wish to one person, but take the time from another.”

  “So, someone else made a contract and took my mother’s time for payment?”

  “Exactly.”

  Her cheeks roasted. “That…that…but why her? Why target my mother?”

  William shrugged, exhausted as though he had asked himself that question over a thousand times. “It could have been at random, an unfortunate draw for your mother. It also could have been targeted. I don’t know.”

  Elizabeth wobbled against the desk. Someone had her mother murdered. Confirming what she already suspected didn’t ease her. It tightened her rage. “Then what do they look like, the Time Collectors?”

  “Unfortunately, that’s the tricky part. They look like everyone else.”

  “Then how do you find them?”

  “With a lot of difficulty. Klaus is the expert at this. He’s a hunter, so his hunter genetics are wired differently to ours.”

  “Like telekinesis?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I witnessed i
t. He was able to slam a door from across the room. Seemed the only explanation.”

  William cleared his throat. “Yes, like telekinesis. I’m not sure if it’s a new profession or an ongoing family legacy, as old as the myths themselves. He’s also incredibly dangerous, like I’ve been warning you.” Elizabeth nodded despite being overwhelmed with the tightness in her chest, remembering how Klaus loomed over her, completely freezing her up. “Time Collectors have a finely tuned survival instinct and a particular type of magic making it almost impossible to kill them.”

  “Then how do you plan on stopping it then?”

  William stepped back and retrieved his suitcase from underneath the desk. “I’ve been working on a prototype for nearly eight years.” The suitcase looked heavy as he placed it on the table. He unlocked the two locks on either side. As the top lifted, he revealed a secret compartment hidden in the cover of the case, where embedded in foam was a golden pistol. William carefully lifted the weapon upwards, which by the shine of its coat appeared to be made out of pure gold. “This pistol is the only thing that can kill a Time Collector. Well, we believe so in theory. We haven’t practised it yet.”

  “What makes you so sure if you haven’t tested it?”

  “We have collected the only type of mineral that can penetrate through their natural defence shields. It is a type of gold that isn’t affected by their magic. Unfortunately, we only had enough to make one single bullet. The gun is made purposely to fire this bullet—can’t have one without the other.”

  Elizabeth ran her fingers cautiously over the barrel of the gun. “Do you know who is using the corrupted Time Collector then?”

  “I believe so, but Klaus informs me the Collector would have many contracts within the city, so we can’t just focus on the one suspect. Just because I am telling you all this, doesn’t mean I want you out there hunting down Time Collectors. If the

  Collector saw you, you’re only safe here, under Klaus’ trained eye.” He packed the gun back into its suitcase and placed it carefully underneath the desk.

  “Is Klaus even human?” Elizabeth whispered as though the walls could hear her.

  William glanced down. “He is human enough.”

  Chapter Nine:

  Time Collectors existed. They were creatures capable of twisting fate, delivering incredible promises and taking time through the point of a blade. Elizabeth found herself infatuated with her father’s books, reading as much as she could about these cursed immortals. Most of the stories were similar—people who wished for fame and fortune usually died young. Time Collectors hunted down their contracts mercilessly. It was this reason that Elizabeth guessed why Time Collectors were such hushed secrets; they killed off whomever they worked for. There was close to nothing written about the Time Collector hunters though.

  That night she had trouble sleeping. She couldn’t pinpoint the problem, maybe it was the cold; maybe it was Klaus and his mysterious persona and how William’s forbidden rule made the temptation sweeter. Despite this puzzling thought, Elizabeth had found herself up and walking around the house in the early morning hours. She hadn’t realized just how large the Wicker Estate was, consisting of an east and west wing, one armory, two libraries, a large oval pitch with a garden, ten bedrooms, two grand halls, a music room, eight bathrooms and counting. Heat pressed against the door into the east library. Elizabeth paused outside the entrance, her heart in her throat. She pushed against the door panel quietly. It swayed open.

  She’d hoped for Klaus to be reading inside again, allowing her a second chance at some one-on-one time. But the room was empty aside from a pile of books scattered around the back desk. Doctor Wicker must’ve forgotten to put out the fire. She walked in and ran her hand along the mantel above the fireplace. The dying flame spat chewed up paper. The pleasant warmth hugged her from the chilly night. She took a book off the top of the pile and sat down in front of the hearth. The words blurred in her drowsiness. Her head dipped and quickly jolted upwards, fighting off sleep. In the matter of only moments, from the time she closed her eyes and bolted up right again, Klaus had appeared, sitting in a chair opposite her.

  She flinched and dropped her book. Klaus didn’t look at her. Instead, his expression slackened in boredom. Nervous shyness backwashed over her initial excitement. The dread of sounding foolish rendered her momentarily speechless.

  With a kind laugh, she feigned shock. “You startled me. You must really be a ghost. I didn’t even hear you come in.” Klaus sat in his chair, only shifting whenever the page needed to be turned.

  “May I ask what has you so captivated?”

  Again, he didn’t answer.

  A thought struck her. “Are you perhaps deaf, I wonder?”

  The muscles in his neck tightened. He definitely heard that. Elizabeth brushed down her dress, smiling to herself. “Not deaf, just mute I see. That’s quite alright. I enjoy speaking. Doctor Wicker told me briefly about your profession. About the Time Collectors.” She scooted over so she was cross-legged and leaned against the stone of the fireplace.

  Klaus stopped moving, implying he had also stopped reading. But his eyes did shift away from the book. He listened warily.

  “He even went as far as calling you an expert. To my understanding, Time Collectors are not an easy creature to prey on. Can you assure me that killing these creatures is possible? Surely the least you can give me is a nod?”

  Irritated, he sighed. “Ja.”

  “It’s a miracle! He talks.” Elizabeth cheered in mocking enthusiasm. Klaus’ glare hardened. “But alas, he does not speak English. I’m afraid I don’t know what ja means.”

  His gaze shifted, “Ja means yes.”

  Shyness crept back into her voice, weakening her tone. “What’s that accent? Are you from Germany?”

  “Ja.”

  “How long have you been hunting Time Collectors?”

  He turned the page, his eyes back onto the book. “A very long time.”

  “You can’t be any older than twenty-two. Twenty-three max.” She tilted her head to try to see his face, which he’d covered with his hand resting in his chin. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

  “You talk enough for the both of us. An unpleasant trait for someone of your intelligence.”

  Her smile dropped at his insult. “I’m trying to be polite, something you’re clearly not capable of. I thought it’ll be fun to know you.”

  “Fun?” He looked at her. “Why would you think it would be fun?”

  “You hunt mythical creatures as a profession. How could that not be fun?”

  Elizabeth must have struck a nerve as Klaus leaned back in his chair and snapped the book shut. His face, though it was always serious, seemed to tighten with annoyance.

  “Ignorant,” he growled before pushing back his chair. He tossed the book to the ground, causing the pile to topple over. “It is not fun. This is not a game.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Elizabeth quickly corrected. William was right; he really was dangerous. She could see it by how his eyes flashed in rage, and his hands automatically curled into fists. She felt sick with uncertainty. “Of course, I know this is serious, why else would I want to talk with you? I believe a Time Collector killed my mother.”

  “He did.” Klaus suddenly turned and picked up his trench coat from across the back of the chair. He swung it around himself and slipped his arms into the sleeves. “Nikolas.”

  “W-what?” Elizabeth stuttered after him. “Is that his name? Nikolas?”

  “Ja.” He whispered before walking toward the door.

  “Wait, Klaus?” He slowed enough to crane a look over his shoulder. “Don’t tell Doctor Wicker I was here. Okay?” He nodded briefly—well, she hoped he had nodded—before making his exit.

  Chapter Ten:

  William started joining in with her morning studies.

  At the beginning, he merely observed, only staying for twenty minutes, but the next day he stayed for an hour. The following morni
ng, he started to chip in with his opinion, making him an hour and a half late to work. He didn’t seem to mind, extending his time at home a little bit longer every week. Elizabeth worked on economics. Biology. French. William was always quick to correct her, improving her grammar, her pronunciation, her problem solving. It kept her busy, but not busy enough to forget about Time Collectors, or Klaus. Knowledge built a foundation for her confidence, and soon even she was correcting William on certain topics.

  Weeks later, she noticed Klaus’ car parked outside. She pressed her nose against the window. A shiver ran through her, prickling under her skin. Her feelings toward Klaus had been clouded with fear and admiration. She brought a hand to her throat where her locket hung, picking away at her thoughts in an attempt at understanding them.

  To ease her anxiety, Elizabeth took her violin and headed out toward the music room. She had a feeling where Klaus would be hiding, and though she still felt the itch of curiosity, she didn’t want to approach him if it meant he was going to yell at her again. Instead, she played her violin. The crisp melody bounced about the entire room, completely removing her from reality. At times, she would hit an awkward note and she’d growl at herself, tweaking the strings.

  “I must apologise!”

  “Ah!” Elizabeth jumped in her surprise. She spun around at his familiar voice, surprised just how close Klaus got before announcing his entrance. He paused within a step from her. She clutched the violin to her chest. “Don’t you ever knock?”

  Klaus straightened his posture, cleared his throat and knocked twice on the table. Elizabeth did not find humour in his joke. “Right, my apologies, again,” he said. “I realized I should not have been so hard on you last time. I did not mean to call you unintelligent. That was improper and incorrect of me.” Elizabeth glanced around, unsure what to say. Klaus then indicated with a tilt of his chin. “You play beautifully, may I?”