Time Weaver

by Jacinta Maree

  “Elizabeth will be your greatest downfall. You chose her knowing she is the only one who can destroy you. The power you need can only be achieved by Chronos himself.”

  Nikolas threw his hands up. “Perfect, Chronos, eh? The God of Time is the only thing in the entire spiritual universe that can help me?”

  “Not entirely. You carry the power to change everything right there, in your pocket.”

  “What? My blade?” Nikolas reached into his pocket where his knuckles knocked against the pistol.

  Leah’s lips twitched. “That gun.”

  “This piece of rubbish?” He gestured to it.

  “That weapon has been carefully crafted with ancient scripts embedded in the barrel. With it and the matching bullet, you can not only defeat Chronos but you can also inherit his God-like powers. You would be able to do anything, even retrieve Claudia from the dark.”

  “If that’s true, where’s the matching bullet?”

  “With another Collector. I cannot tell you where.”

  “Fine! Say I find this Collector and take the bullet. How do you suppose I summon Chronos?”

  “If I tell you, do you promise to set me free?”

  Nikolas nodded. “I swear on my life and code.”

  “Very well, Chronos can only be summoned at the death of a Time Weaver.”

  “What?” Nikolas stood back, suddenly feeling cheated. “But, Time Weavers have been extinct for decades! I personally made sure to kill every single one of them myself.”

  “Not all of them.” Leah smiled, amused by Nikolas’ confusion, “Sun and Moon. Ying and Yang. Life and Death.” Nikolas froze. It couldn’t be. “You’ve been travelling with her all along.”

  He almost couldn’t say her name. “Elizabeth Wicker?” The words echoed in his head like sirens. Elizabeth’s smile lingered, the brush of her hand, her upset glare as she scolded him. The bond clenched his heart, making the idea so repulsive he gagged. He couldn’t. Not to her.

  “You’re crazy.” His anger churned as he stood and faced Leah straight on. He lifted his knee up to his chest. “I will never set you free,” he said, and struck, piercing the blade further into Leah’s heart as she was kicked from the ledge. Her body fell into the dark abyss of the well behind. Nikolas pulled the concrete slab across the top, sealing her tomb.

  He slumped back against the well. Eternity seemed to move in seconds. Everything he desired—freedom from his curse, the return of his lost love and the power of a God—was offered to him at the exchange of Elizabeth Wicker’s life, the last remaining Time Weaver. The thought of her death pained him, devastated him. But the thought of losing Claudia all over again hit harder. Sun and Moon. It was time to decide.

  To be continued…

  Thank you:

  Writing a book is never easy and takes an amazing team to help bring everything together. Such a team can be found at Ragnarok Publishing who have been some of the hardest working people I have ever had the pleasure to meet and work with. Time Weaver would not be the book you see today without the amazing work from the editors, cover designers, publishers, publicists and fellow authors at Ragnarok. The team have been a continual source of inspiration, and I hope to continue working with them with future releases. A big thanks to Tim Marquitz and Joe Martin, for they have been the champions of the Ragnarok name and I owe them all so much. Thank you for believing in me.

  Special thanks to my parents, David and Jacqui Burns, for being my very first fans. They are, and always have been, my greatest supporters and have given me everything I could ever need to take this journey into the publishing world. Every success I have in life is thanks to them. And thanks to my brother and sister, Jason and Melissa Burns, and all my family who have sent hours and nights up with me, for your continual enthusiasm and endless support. I know I can always rely on you and you have never let me down.

  Thank you to my kind friends who became the voices of encouragement when I lose my own. Jessie Gawne-Buckland, Jessica Lam, Danielle Martinson, Vanessa Murray, Tom Stefancic, Kerri Kemp and of course, to my partner James Teh. I know I can tackle every obstacle in life because I have you all by my side. Thank you for the gift of strength and courage to continue on.

  Thank you to my amazing street team, Maree’s Madness, for making me smile, giving me hope and showing me such amazing kindness throughout the years. You helped better my life in so many ways, and I am eternally grateful for your confidence and support.

  Thank you to the writing community who have walk with me every step of the way, Jo-Anne Mcleary, Leah Watterson, Christine Maree, Heather Savage, Rachael Grace Micallef, Marley Galea (and family), Chris Clark, Nick Stewart, Ellen Naismith, Bree Walsh, Alain Goodman, Kimberley Clark, Laura Hunter, Danica Silva-Peck (and family), Kathryn McDonald, Nathalie Salvato, Lauren Bearzatto, Mandy Lou Holt, Brittany Hayes, Glenn Clark, Gavin McNab, Maise Louise, Rhonda Helton, Jessie Potts, Belinda Crawford, Catherine Davenport, Lauren McKeller, Carmen Jenner, Amber Garcia, Tina Gephart, Caroline Angel, Becky Johnson and so, so many others. It is thanks to all of these people and others that the writing community has become an amazing family, full of comfort, support, understanding and encouragement. I can’t express how grateful I am to be able to call you all friends. Thank you.

  About the Author

  Born in Melbourne Australia, Jacinta Maree considers herself a chocoholic with an obsession with dragons, video gaming and Japan. She writes a variety of genres including YA paranormal, steampunk, horror, new adult, dystopian and fantasy.

  Winner of 2014 Horror of the Year, she is the author of the My Demonic Ghost YA trilogy, and is currently working on The Immortal Gene series starting with book #1, Soulless, which won AusRom Today’s 2015 Reader’s Choice Award for “Cover of the Year.”

  Jacinta writes to bring enjoyment to others while fulfilling her own need to explore the weird and the impossible.