Time Weaver

by Jacinta Maree

  The door swung open as Klaus charged in with his shoulders hunched. He walked past them, stormed up the stairs and barricaded himself in the east library.

  William glanced after him. “I’m going to have a shower. You should rest. It’s been a long night.” William took to his room.

  Instead of returning to her own chambers, Elizabeth followed Klaus to the library. Inside, the fire pit had cooled as she wrestled the door open, looking inwards to find it empty. Through the dead silence of the house, she heard something rattle and floorboards groan near the back of the room. The noise led her toward a lone door she hadn’t noticed before near the back wall of the library.

  She reached out to twist the handle, but paused at the sound of a loud thump. She hesitated, wondering if this was where Klaus hid during the day. Elizabeth ignored her better judgement and let herself in.

  Aisles of books narrowed the space in front, forcing Elizabeth to turn sideways to walk through the room. The air was thick with dust, carrying with it a scent of damp wood. The banging of furniture against floorboards continued as Elizabeth quickened her steps, reaching the end of the aisle where it opened up to a dark attic. There were old, neglected couches, chairs, tables, books and frames stashed along the walls. Piles of boxes were stacked on top of each other high enough to almost touch the roof. Every time a loud bang sounded off, the stacks would rattle with the threat of tipping over.

  “Klaus?” Elizabeth called out. The further she walked, the more she couldn’t see beyond her shoes. Her arms panned out open in front of her, fingers spread trying to see with her hands. The outline of Klaus started to appear among the dense shadows. He was panting hard with two hands propped against a desk, his head bowed low.

  Elizabeth’s breath trembled. Along with the dark, the cold tightened ropes around her body, making her clumsy and stiff. In her blindness, she tripped over a box and fell into a bookcase, causing it to tip forward, spitting books from its shelves. Luckily, Klaus spun and caught the bookcase before it could fall.

  “What are you doing?” he barked.

  Elizabeth scrambled upwards. “Sorry, it’s just so dark in here. Are you okay?”

  There was a grunt as Klaus pushed the bookcase back into place.

  “You shouldn’t have followed me here!”

  “I want to know what happened.”

  “What do you think happened? I was too late! He got away.” Klaus turned back toward the table and slumped over, resting on his palms.

  Elizabeth paused briefly. “Did someone die tonight?” Klaus didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. “You can’t be so hard on yourself.”

  “Don’t try to comfort me.” Klaus jerked away from her. “This is my fault.”

  “How is it your fault?”

  “I couldn’t stop him.” He exhaled in a low, angered sigh. “I was right there, and still…”

  “The fastest way to destroy yourself is to take reasonability for somebody else’s actions.” Elizabeth stepped around the books and gently placed her hand against his shoulder. The warmth from his skin tingled her fingers.

  Klaus turned his chin away. “You don’t understand.”

  “I think I might, a lot more than you think. Before I arrived here, there was a man who was interested in buying me from the academy. I would’ve become his slave, a thing for him to torture. I was so scared of him that I jumped at the first chance I could to get away. And it is because of my small-minded cowardice that my best friend is now the one in his hands. Of Arthur Beaumont. Because I wanted to save myself from his cruelty, I didn’t think what that would mean for others.”

  “You were just a servant to be sold. You had no choice who bought you.” Klaus tore away from her. Elizabeth took a step back.

  “What have you got to be ashamed of? You hunt Time Collectors, the things that do these terrible things to people.”

  “Time Collectors are merely tools; they just obey. Nikolas is my problem. It’s my one purpose in life. And I can’t believe I’ve failed again.” He pushed off the table. “You should go. Sir Wicker will not be happy knowing you are in here with me.”

  Angered, she wrenched her hands down to her side. “Stop it! Stop telling me what to do. I am so sick of being the helpless one here.”

  “If you want to be useful then stay out of my way.” He turned to leave, but Elizabeth sidestepped to block him.

  She pressed her finger to his chest. “Nikolas killed my mother. If you really are in charge of stopping him, then it is your fault she’s dead.” She quickly swallowed to dislodge the tremble in her voice. “If you are this tormented by your guilt then I am the person you should be trying to appease. Only I can relieve you of that guilt.”

  Klaus jerked around at her comment. “What can I possible offer you that will grant your forgiveness?”

  “Teach me how to fight.”

  The suggestion caught Klaus off guard, “What? Why?”

  “For many reasons, but right now I need to stop Arthur.”

  Klaus straightened his posture. “You are willing to emotionally blackmail me to learn fighting technics?” She nodded. Klaus smiled. “You…continue to surprise me Miss Wicker.”

  In a fluid side step, he managed to get around her and walk toward the door. Elizabeth spun toward him. “So?”

  “So what?”

  “Will you teach me?”

  Through the darkness, she heard him slow and stop. “See you tomorrow, Elizabeth.”

  Chapter Thirteen:

  The news from the previous night had already hit the radio podcasts. A mud avalanche had wiped out thirteen houses, completely crushing the families inside as they slept. It happened within moments. The sturdy boulders somehow shifted from their beds before ploughing down shacks, trees, roots and bricks onto the houses huddled below. It happened after midnight, roughly the same time they had left the party. The slopes were far on the other side of the city, far enough that she couldn’t hear the devastation, aside from the ringing of sirens.

  Elizabeth rolled over and touched her fingertips to her mouth. She was underestimating the power of Time Collectors. In a matter of seconds, he had killed over twenty people and made it look like an accident. A person capable of delivering such swift death to so many…was it brave or foolish to hunt them?

  After her tutoring session, Elizabeth met up with Klaus within the hidden storage room at the back of the east library. Klaus appeared to be more relaxed since the previous night. His hair was swept back and his sleeves rolled to allow more movement. The curtains were pulled back, letting sunlight illuminate the whole room.

  “First lesson in attacking is self-defence.” Klaus loosened his collar and pulled at his tie so it hung lower down his chest. He stepped up to Elizabeth. “If you are ever grabbed by the wrist, you can rip free by pulling at the weakest point in the grip. The weakest point is where the tip of the thumb and fingers meet.” He demonstrated by placing her hand to his wrist then pulling his hand out by forcing her thumb back. “Now you try.”

  He grabbed her wrist and immediately Elizabeth felt just how weak she was in comparison. She followed his instructions closely, but even so, she struggled to pull her wrist free. If Klaus was really attacking her, she would’ve been killed by now. She repeated the manoeuvre until she was confident enough to pull her wrist out of his grip. Her skin had been rubbed raw. They continued practising different defence stances, practising long into the afternoon. It had just ticked over to the afternoon when Elizabeth found herself unable to stay focused.

  Her mind buzzed with questions. “How did you and my father meet?”

  The sudden question caught Klaus off guard. He growled, disgruntled. “Concentrate!” Promptly, he stepped forward to grab her, initiating an attackers approach. Elizabeth sidestepped around him.

  “I’m curious. You’re not exactly an ordinary person and you don’t seem the type to be out at fancy socials.”

  “Sir Wicker met me on one of his travels.” Klaus turned to grab her sho
ulder. Elizabeth slapped his hand away, pretending to deliver an elbow to Klaus’ nose. None of her hits made contact as she moved in slow, concentrated steps to ensure she got the technique correct.

  “He had said he had gone looking for you specifically. Do a lot of people know you hunt Time Collectors?”

  “Nein.”

  “Then what about your family? They must be concerned considering you’re so far away from home?”

  “Elizabeth, stop!”

  “Have you actually met a nice Time Collector? How did you know they existed? Who taught you how to hunt? Is it a family tradition? Do you have siblings who also hunt?”

  Klaus stepped quickly around her, capturing Elizabeth by the wrist and pinning her arm so fast behind her back she yelped. She stumbled off balance, only being held up by Klaus’ awkward hold.

  “Concentrate. You are not concentrating!” he snarled as Elizabeth squirmed in his grip. He abruptly let her drop so she crashed onto her knees. He turned away, walking over to get his coat. “If you’re not serious, then I am leaving.”

  Just as annoyed, Elizabeth rolled over and clambered to her feet. “Geez, Klaus, what’s your problem? A simple, I don’t want to talk about it, would suffice.”

  “You’re obviously not ready for this. You’re wasting my time.”

  “I am ready. I want to learn, Klaus. Just wait a moment, would you?” She reached out to grab him. Klaus knocked her hand away.

  “Nein. No more. This was a bad idea.”

  Elizabeth crossed her arms arrogantly. “Fine, then I won’t forgive you for my mother.”

  He frowned at her. “I won’t allow you to manipulate me.”

  “I am desperate. Please? Klaus, please?” When he didn’t respond, Elizabeth changed her tone back to yelling. “Regardless if you train me or not, I am going to take Arthur Beaumont down. I won’t let him hurt my friend anymore. I don’t care if it ends up killing me, I will do what is right.”

  Klaus stopped, spun around, and flicked her forehead. Shocked, Elizabeth slapped her palm to her head. “What are you doing?”

  “Even if it kills you? Do you have no love for those around you? Throwing away your life so easily? You do not respect anything. That is real selfishness.”

  “Selfish? How is that selfish?”

  “You only think about yourself. You are so willing to hurt those around you through your carelessness, I thought you were better than that. Do you really think your mother would want this from you?”

  “My mother is dead, so it doesn’t matter now does it?” She snapped back.

  Klaus twisted his lips to the side, disappointed. “Do not dismiss the dead so quickly. They still matter.”

  Elizabeth paused. She was surprised at her cruel comment, and quickly lifted her fingers to her lips. “You…you are right. I am sorry, I don’t want to be selfish. But, I can’t let him continue hurting her. So will you please help me? Please?”

  Klaus stepped closer. “Beating up a boy won’t get your friend back. I know what kind of man you are dealing with. Ego is his biggest downfall. If you challenge him in front of his friends, he won’t be able to back down. Make it a bet, winner gets the girl.”

  “And that’ll work?”

  “If you train well, ja. He will try to cheat, but we will ensure he loses. If he doesn’t keep his promise, you can always send me in to…negotiate.”

  #

  The strenuous exercise on Elizabeth slowly took its toll on her heart. She had to take regular breaks, electing not to share with Klaus the truth about why she had to stop. She feared he’d react much like her father. It was enough William looked at her at though she was one sneeze away from shattering, she didn’t need it from Klaus too. With his guidance, she trained harder than before, determined to never see that look of sympathy on Klaus’ face. As they spent their evenings together, weeks into their routine, she noticed him change. It was subtle at first. A joke here. A relaxed smile there. It wasn’t until she managed to trip him over, pinning him underneath his own weight that the change made sense. He was proud of her.

  On their days off, they would play music together. She cherished these moments deeper than anything. Regardless if she had stumbled too many times and Klaus had lost his temper, they would always meet up to relax with music. Klaus found himself unable to step away from Elizabeth’s company. He hadn’t thought just how dangerous it was for him to get attached, for the both of them. On her time alone, Klaus would often find her in the music room, her stand propped up by the window and her silhouette bathed in gentle white light. He would stand by the doorframe and watch.

  When she eventually spotted him, she would ease her violin down and wave him over to join her. Even at the piano, Klaus found his eyes turning away from the keys. When she played, it was as if she became a different person. Her elbows softened, her lips would gently part, and her nearly closed eyes fluttered in thought. There was something about the violin, when she played and turned her cheek against her shoulder, it was as though she was shielding away. It teased Klaus to look closer. Pay more attention to her than he already did. He had missed seeing this side of humanity. In moment like these, forever wasn’t long enough.

  Chapter Fourteen:

  “Are you ready to tell me now?”

  It had been weeks since they first started their training. They were back in the room behind the library, which had become their usual meeting place. Klaus was by the window, pulling back the curtains to let the little sunlight they had into the room. The heavy clouds outside thickened, creating an unbroken smear of grey across the sky. He wasn’t surprised by her questions this time.

  “Why is this so important? Can’t you accept that your father and I are friends?” Klaus turned back to her and cocked an eyebrow, playfully grinning. Elizabeth shrugged.

  “I don’t know anything about you, aside from the fact you’re German and you hunt Time Collectors. Oh, and you play the piano and violin wonderfully. Yet, you know everything about me. I don’t think it’s fair.”

  “I don’t know everything about you,” he corrected. “I don’t know about your mother. I don’t know about your siblings, or your life before you came here. So, technically, it is fair.”

  Elizabeth leaned back on her elbows. “You could always ask. I would answer you.”

  He sighed lightly. “Okay, what do you want to know?”

  “Have you killed a Time Collector before?” She straightened up.

  “Ja.”

  “Are you serious? What happened? How did you do it?”

  Klaus grinned. “Nein. You’ve had your turn. Now, answer my question, the day of your bidding, if Sir Wicker had never come to get you, what would you have done?”

  Her face tightened. “I…well…” The answer was hard to say aloud. Quickly, Elizabeth glanced out the window, her mind returning to the moment Harold Beaumont walked into her house. She remembered the poison vial. Holding her head under the water. How the shattered glass glistened across the bathroom floor. She knew her answer, but was too afraid to say it out loud.

  “I apologise, that was rude of me to ask such a thing,” Klaus interrupted her thoughts. “Sir Wicker would never have allowed you be sold to the Beaumont’s.”

  Elizabeth smiled weakly. “You and my father?”

  Klaus straightened up his posture, his chin lifted up with admiration. “I respect your father, he is a great man with noble causes. I also trust him completely. I know your father will never make a deal with a Time Collector.”

  “How would you know something like that?”

  “Because he was given the chance.”

  Her jaw dropped open. “My father had the chance to make a contract with a Time Collector?”

  Klaus growled gently. “You’re drooling.”

  “I mean, it’s kind of just…and he said no?”

  “If he couldn’t resist temptation, even at the cost of his own life, then I would never have joined him,” Klaus said casually before turning back toward the
empty room.

  “If you didn’t have to pay time for your wishes that would be amazing. I know what I would wish for.”

  Mildly interested, Klaus asked, “Ja? What’s that?”

  “When I was younger I used to dream of owning this particular soft wood violin. I would walk past it every day to work.” She said quickly as she trailed her finger along the windowsill. A moment passed, darkening her thoughts. “But above all else, I would want my mother back. I would want her to be happy.”

  Klaus’ voice dropped, “You wouldn’t be able to afford such a wish.”

  “I said if we didn’t have to pay for it.” She rolled her eyes. “What would you wish for, Klaus?”

  “Nothing,” he answered automatically.

  “Nothing? There’s nothing you wished you had? Come on, humour me.”

  He sighed. “Liberty.”

  “Liberty?” She raised one eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  He pushed off the wall in a burst of energy. “Let’s change the topic. When do you confront this boy?”

  Elizabeth turned around also, her nerves bubbling at the reminder. “The Red Moon Festival. That’s almost in a week’s time.”

  “I don’t trust him not to play dirty, so you will need something to protect yourself.” Klaus reached over and pulled a suitcase out from underneath one of the tables. It was William’s, the one that hid the pistol. Elizabeth licked her lips nervously.

  “Won’t he notice the pistol is missing?”

  “You won’t be bringing this one with you, of course. I’m just going to show you how to handle it.” Klaus stepped around so he hovered behind Elizabeth before reaching down to cup her wrist. He placed the handle into her palm before securing her grip around it. Her heart accelerated at Klaus’ closeness. Smiling, Klaus added, “Don’t worry. It’s empty.”

  He brought her arm upwards before placing her other hand on the bottom to secure her hold. She instinctively closed one eye and stuck her tongue out. Klaus went over the basic dynamics of the pistol. He explained the trigger, the barrel, the reload cylinder, and how to switch the safety lock off. He explained where to look when aiming and how to keep her balance with a wide stance, stopping the recoil from throwing her off. Elizabeth’s mind wandered off, slipping between Klaus’ cheek pressing against her own and listening to his instruction on line positioning. Every time he spoke, the purr of his voice sent tingles along the nape of her neck where she’d pulled her hair to the side to expose the skin.