Beneath the floorboards, Elizabeth and Klaus stepped onto the soft bed of earth at the bottom of the stairs. The steps down were steep and uneven and dipped with their weight as they passed. At the bottom of the staircase was a thin tunnel. Klaus ducked his head to pass underneath the low ceiling. They both turned on their shoulder lights to see better into the pit, revealing the tunnel stretching further than the light could touch. There were no doors on either side of the burrow, giving them a direct pathway down. Off in the distance, they could hear the scurrying footsteps of the Bact racing away.
Elizabeth and Klaus tracked the Bact to the end of the route that opened up into a high ceiling cave. Pockets of light broke through the ceiling and a thick smell of swamp water, suggesting they had ventured outside the resident district and further into the woods. There were ledges chipped into the walls ascending to the top of the cave, creating steps. It was difficult to judge, but it appeared the top opened up into the gutted body of a tree trunk.
“Well, now we know how she got into the building.” Klaus touched the wet rock when a noise chirped beside them, turning them around. The sounds the creature made were inhuman, drawing influence from birds.
From a nook in the structure, a long, thin woman stepped forward. Her legs wobbled, the large knobs of her knees knocking together with each step, unbalancing her as she walked. Long black hair concealed her narrow face, stopping at her starved bony hips. “Five hundred moons pass but no time has changed my enemy. Collector, the bones of temptation. Lost steps lead you down wrong paths.”
Klaus stepped back from the wall. Elizabeth held her gun up, but felt no safety behind the weapon. Klaus cocked his head. “Who are you?”
“A footprint self in soil gone unnoticed by eyes lost to wonder.”
“Give me a name!” he demanded, losing patience.
“Nature names not but through devilish tongue I carry Si.”
“Si?” Klaus clarified. “What are you doing here?”
Every bend in the creature’s posture bowed her out of shape, shrinking her naturally long physique as though crippled by arthritis. “Klaus?” Elizabeth whispered, “What going on?”
“Just look and listen, Elizabeth. We have an elder Bact in our presence.”
Elizabeth glanced at the haunting woman uneasy with her presence. The creature’s bones crackled as she moved forward, unfazed by Elizabeth’s weapon. “Through warmth fire, through water flood, wind break trees by armies. Built by peddles mountains do not bow. Does not man grow thumbs to climb?”
“What on earth is she on about?”
Klaus grinned, slowly understanding the creature’s mutterings. “She’s talking about evolution. An evolution of the Bactes to take down the humans.”
The creature chirped gleefully, “Flowers root from weeds, matter not. In blood carry our promise, the death of all. Droplets to form oceans, oceans to take lands.”
His back straightened at her threat when a voice called through the tunnels. “Klaus? Elizabeth? Are you there?”
Elizabeth turned toward Catherine’s voice, dropping her attention long enough for the bufo Bact to jump her. Mural snared Elizabeth by her hair and leapt onto her back, throwing Elizabeth down on her knees. Flashlights flooded into the cave as the rest of the group caught up, their heavy panting covered by the scrambling of the fight. Elizabeth screamed, tearing Klaus’ focus away from Si. Si leapt to him and sank her teeth into the exposed skin on his neck. The bite was fast, brutal, clearing a junk of muscle off into her mouth. Klaus propelled himself around, ripping her off of him. He held her throat in his grip, his Collector’s blade ready in his other hand, but ended up dropping his hold on her to stop Mural’s from biting him. A gunshot went off, the noise amplified inside the pipe. Klaus flinched as the bullet shot past him and clipped Si out of her mid-air jump. She hit the wall and scurried out of range. Blood ran the length of his collar, the stinging, exposed nerve throbbed with the rush of adrenaline.
Effortlessly, he snapped Mural’s neck and dropped her. His hand found the wound on his neck, feeling the missing skin and tissue already start to heal. His bloodied fingers trembled as he held them to his face. Si feverishly climbed up the wall toward the opening. Elizabeth followed her with her gun but the creature had vanished.
“Klaus! Elizabeth!” Catherine ran at them. Elizabeth’s entire body trembled, coating her in cold sweat as Catherine forcibly peeled the gun out of Elizabeth’s shaky grip. “It’s okay, it’s okay you’re safe now.”
“That was an elder Bact.” Benjamin spoke in disbelief between puffs. “What on earth was it doing in a place like this?”
Dennis walked over to Mural’s body before nudging her with his shoe. Her neck had been twisted so far around it had tore her neck muscles into shreds. “How did you do this?” He looked up at Klaus. “What type of doctor are you?”
Klaus couldn’t hear Dennis. His attention stuck on his wound. Carefully, Klaus felt around the bite mark, but the sensitive tingling vanished under his touch. Hudson caught up with Leah and crouched down to study the Bact’s corpse. “She definitely is dead.” He glanced around the walls where claw marks scaled the rocks. “Scratch marks? These aren’t from the bufo.”
“No, these marks belong to an Elder Bact,” Benjamin informed. “Amazingly, Klaus and Elizabeth managed to fend her off on their own. If I didn’t see it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“I knew I liked your company.” Leah grinned, stepping around them. “How about that, Dennis? Can’t say they’re incompetent now.”
Elizabeth glanced at Dennis. His red hair remained flattened by sweat, and despite Leah’s teasing, he didn’t look at all pleased with Klaus’ work. He glanced at Mural once more and then turned to leave. Behind him, Catherine proceeded to take photos.
“I’m sure we can all agree they are capable. You did exactly what we were contracted to do. One dead bufo means a massive payday for us.”
Chapter Thirty:
Celebrations back at the Raps Rips were lost on Elizabeth and Klaus. Both were too shaken from the previous events. Elizabeth sat down on one of the lounge chairs, her body angled to watch her cousin through the mirror over the mantel piece. The others huddled around a table drinking, leaving mountains of empty glasses scattered over the counter. Every shift in the shadow turned her around, her mind playing tricks. She reached over and took a shot of hard alcohol, trying to calm down.
“Are you alright?” Catherine approached and took the seat opposite her. “You seem shaken up.”
Elizabeth smiled weakly. “Sorry, I think the realisation is finally sinking in.”
“What realisation?”
“About how weak I am.”
Catherine shrugged thoughtfully. “Nothing a bit of training can’t fix.”
“Not just muscle weakness. I couldn’t even stand on my own two feet against a bufo Bact. I choked up. How am I going to survive against a Time Collector such as Nikolas?”
“You’ve already survived him once before,” Catherine reassured her. “Bactes are different. They’re unpredictable, feral almost. You weren’t prepared.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Why do you do this type of thing? It can’t be for the money.”
Catherine twisted her lips thoughtfully. “True, I don’t need the money.”
“Is it the thrill then?”
She shrugged. “Partly. Plus, I get to carry around some neat weapons and beat up boys who look at me weirdly.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I don’t know if I should admire you or send you off to the psych ward.”
Catherine smiled and looked down. “My reason for hunting Bactes isn’t as glamorous as revenge or as selfless as hero work, but it’s slowly becoming a part of my identity. My mother was upset when I told her of my intentions. She, of course, blamed my uncle’s influence. She wanted me to be some sort of elegant lady who attended charities balls and tea parties, but that isn’t who I am. I love the thrill of the chase, the heart pumping danger. Spea
king of which,” Catherine shifted around to search the room. “Where is that mysterious companion of yours anyway?”
“You mean Klaus?” Elizabeth asked, looking around. “I haven’t seen him since our return.”
“Is he alright?”
Elizabeth cocked her head at the question. “I would think so, why?”
“He doesn’t care to celebrate victories?”
Elizabeth quickly brushed it off. “More like he doesn’t care much for the company of others. He works better alone.”
Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, Klaus’ isolation only deepened his troubles. He caught his reflection in the window of a parked car, his fingers searching the smooth of his neck for the pain from a wound now healed. The attack from the Bact wasn’t what scared him, but her passing words. A war not only against humans, but against Collectors as well. The fact she jumped and bit him came as a massive surprise, especially as Bactes do not tend to attack Collectors. They shared a similar DNA, one forged through magic and missing human emotions.
Beneath his feet, darkness flickered. Klaus noticed the shift out of the corner of his eye, and in a sudden lunge, he drove his Collector’s blade into the road. A tiny whistle erupted from the crack in the bricks. The gremlin deflated as fast as a punctured balloon. A sharp zap shot upwards through the blade and into his hand. Klaus flinched and inspected the skin between his thumb and index finger. Black ink bled like a bruise, forming the shape of a tattooed compass. He closed his fist tightly. This was as much of a threat as it was a reminder. Elizabeth was always within Nikolas’ reach. Gremlins were his shadowy hands, the eyes of ghosts haunting him.
He made his way back into the tavern and found Elizabeth conversing with Catherine on the lounge seats. Both women sat up on his entrance, but his eyes fell automatically to Elizabeth. It wasn’t until he had slowed down and properly looked that he noticed just how much the confrontation shook her. How much all of this had shaken her. Whereas he hid behind his blade and natural abilities, she faced the same threats completely unarmed. In the face of fear, her courage rang as loud as a gunshot.
“Klaus, what is it?” Elizabeth sat up straighter, “What’s wrong?”
His voice lowered. “I know where to find him.”
#
“What makes you think you know where Nikolas is?” Benjamin asked across the breakfast table.
Klaus ate only small portions, enough to sustain himself for the day. Klaus was careful to bandage his new tattooed hand with a handkerchief, explaining it away as a mere injury.
“The Elder Bact told me through a series of riddles. He is to be at Westicher Palace.” He glanced sideways at Elizabeth’s confused expression, but he’d guessed she was confused throughout the entirely of Si’s speech and therefore wouldn’t call him out on his lies.
“And you’re certain?” Dennis asked, sceptical.
“It took me a while to figure it out but ja, I am positive.”
Leah pursed her lips. “Since when did Bactes and Time Collectors work together?”
“There have always been a great divide between the creatures touched by magic and those without. It’s not that big of a surprised a Bact would work with a Collector.”
“It’s a bit like a dog teaming up with a wolf, but I get your point. They do belong to the same pack in many ways.”
Klaus’ face tightened distastefully at the comment, an expression Elizabeth caught. It was hard to remember sometimes that Klaus’ human exterior might only be that: an exterior. Exactly how human he was on the inside was still to be figured out.
“The fastest way to Westicher is by train. The fog over there is too much for airship.” Catherine stated.
“And we know this isn’t a trap, how?” Dennis pointed out.
Klaus smirked. “If you are worried about one’s safety, I suggest picking up a different profession. I for one, don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Dennis clenched his jaw. Catherine sighed. “Nikolas is no ordinary Collector. We’ll just have to be extra careful.”
#
As they waited in line to purchase train tickets, Elizabeth stepped out of ear shot to speak privately to Klaus. “What are you planning?”
“What?” He turned to her.
“Going to Westicher? That creature, Si, did not mention Westicher at all.”
Klaus coyly smiled. “No, but a gremlin did.”
“What?” Elizabeth’s voice lowered fearfully. “Nikolas is here?”
“No, but his spies are never far. He has his little pets tracking you, waiting for the moment I step away to hone in on your location. He left me this.” Klaus peeled the handkerchief back and showed Elizabeth the tattoo compass on his hand. “A meeting point.”
“For what?”
“I imagine to kill me.”
“That’s usually the type of thing you try to avoid. And you still plan on going?”
“He has already shown he’s capable of tracking me down, so I can’t run from him forever. I figure my best chance is to bring a team of Guardians to back me up.”
“Then why doesn’t he attack you now?”
“One of Nikolas’ last threats to me was setting my world on fire. Who knows, maybe he plans on blowing up Westicher Palace with me still in it.”
“Sounds dramatic.” Elizabeth tried to laugh, but her voice quivered with uncertainty. Klaus noticed the hesitation, same as he had noticed her fear yesterday at the bar.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes of course.”
“No.” Klaus growled, “Don’t just say that to sound tough. Are you alright?”
Elizabeth glanced up at him, but before she could speak Catherine approached with tickets in hand. “Everything is ready, let’s go”
#
Sunlight bathed over the chrome cabin. Tracks cut along the border of fields and ploughed across the open grounds. Leah and Benjamin sat against the window, immersed with their card game. Benjamin pulled nervously at his collar as the game advanced in Leah’s favor. Elizabeth sat beside them inside the narrow carriage. In the hallway, directly outside the sliding door, she watched Catherine and Klaus talk. They both had their backs to Elizabeth, their expression shielded by the privacy of the conversation. Every now and again, Catherine would reach out and stroke his arm, but Klaus never slackened his military straight back. Elizabeth’s world turned hazy as the banter between Leah and Benjamin dropped to white noise. She could feel her fingers tighten.
“You’ll get used to it,” Leah chuckled, drawing Elizabeth’s attention away from her cousin.
“I’m sorry?”
Leah motioned with her chin at Catherine. “Guarding your man?”
“I’m what?” She flustered, embarrassed. “No! What?”
“Don’t worry, Catherine isn’t the one with a reputation for partner stealing. It was Hudson who stole her from her fiancé, amazing what high cheek bones and a taste of adventure can do to a woman’s heart.”
Elizabeth glanced at Klaus again. He was in an elite class of his own. Every look, every tilt of his chin or twist of muscle was elegant and smooth like a wave. He never lost composure. Even when he blinked, it looked like he controlled every eyelash. How could there ever be anything between them? He referred to her as a hooked hand, a flaw he didn’t want. He was a Time Collector, an immortal being capable of granting wishes. Even if he wasn’t all of those things, he just didn’t seem to be interested in her as a person. At every major corner, they clashed, leaving Elizabeth to play catch up behind him. He walked as though he was above them all, and in many cases, he was. Of course there was nothing between them. Of course.
“There’s no relationship between myself and Klaus, so…I’m not worried.” She laughed, weakly. “He was my father’s apprentice, that’s all.”
“I doubt it’s as simple as that. A doctor’s apprentice searching for corrupted Time Collectors? It doesn’t add up.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Why does anyone hunt down the supernatural? A doctor by
trade means he’s invested in helping others. To stop monsters is another way to save lives.”
“No doctor can snap a Bact’s neck the way he did,” Benjamin pointed out.
“I’m sure you can,” Leah teased, giving Benjamin a quick nudge.
“Yes, but I’ve trained my whole life to be able to do things like that. Doubt he’ll find the time, not with being a doctor and everything.”
“Oh?” Elizabeth perked up in her seat. “I didn’t peg you as a fighter.”
“Everyone underestimates me because I’m so short.” Benjamin went on smiling. “Makes victory all the sweeter when I punch them out.”
“Great things come in small packages as they say.” Leah grabbed his arm.
“How did you two meet?”
“Way back before we joined this group. Benjamin Kyneton, the great Two Punch Titan, could take on any opponent across the country. But of course, he is no match for me,” Leah answered.
“You’re a fighter too, Leah?”
“A dancer.”
Elizabeth looked at her confused. “I’m sorry?”
Leah laughed. “Everyone looks at me like that when I tell them. I don’t need to hit you to take you down. I’ve been dancing ever since I was a little girl and I’ve managed to turn it into my own fighting style. Not even Benjamin’s lightning reflexes would be able to catch me.”
Benjamin smiled. “Hudson is a crack shot, best I’ve ever seen. Catherine has her throwing knives and of course, Dennis is as brilliant as he is brutish. A real natural at hunting. What about you? Perhaps you’re a trained assassin? Secret spy? Or are you more of a behind the scenes master? Poison specialist? Explosive? Mechanics engineer? A genius for traps?”
Elizabeth’s smile dropped. She hadn’t realized just how out of place she was among these people. The thought pained her, when matter of fact, she has been feeling inadequate for a very long time. “A lucky shot,” Klaus answered for her, smiling.
“Yeah, lucky not to shoot myself,” she mumbled, before laughing off her own comment.
Time Weaver Page 18
