by Perrin Briar
“Can I help you?” a voice said.
Jera turned to find a fresh-faced constable with a clipboard and pen. Jera gave him a warm smile.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m new here, and this place is so big. I got lost.”
“You’ll get used to it. Where are you trying to get to?”
“The jail cells. I’m looking for where Elian Stump was taken.”
“He’s currently in an interrogation room.”
“Thank you. But, uh, where is that exactly?”
The man smiled.
“Go down this corridor, turn left, and keep going till you get to the end,” he said.
“Thank you,” Jera said, turning away.
“It’s a sort of unwritten rule here that long-serving constables treat new employees to lunch.”
“Oh,” Jera said, looking at the floor in mock coyness. “That sounds nice.”
The constable smiled.
“I’ll be here at my desk,” he said. “Easy to find.”
Jera followed the constable’s instructions and came to the interrogation rooms. Two of the rooms had ‘IN USE’ written on the chalkboards beside the doors. One had ‘El Patrick’ written on it, the other ‘Elian Stump’.
Jera straightened her shirt, held the paperwork to her chest, took a deep breath, knocked on the door and opened it.
The room was dark with a single candle sat in a holster above them. It was like she had entered someone else’s nightmare. Elian’s head hung down, his chin resting on his chest. His arms and legs were tied to the chair.
“Miss, please don’t come in here,” an older constable said.
He looked distinguished, and held himself with authority. In the darkness he hadn’t recognised her.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, “but there’s some important paperwork needing your signature.”
The man took the paperwork, and as he did, exposed the pistol in Jera’s hand.
“What is this?” he said.
“Put your hands up,” Jera said.
“Hey now,” he said, “let’s not do anything crazy.”
“Back,” Jera said, “against the wall.”
“You’re making a big mistake here, darling.”
Elian looked up.
“Jera?” he said.
“You’re Jera Wythnos?” the constable said with a smile. “That’s great! Finding you was easier than I thought. Hey, put the gun down. You don’t need to kill Stump. The law will take care of him.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” Jera said. “Untie him.”
“I don’t think you understand the situation,” the constable said.
Jera moved forward so fast the constable didn’t have time to react. She smacked him on the side of the head. He stumbled back.
“Ow!” he said.
“Untie him,” Jera said.
“You don’t know how to use the gun,” the constable said with a grin, but it disappeared when Jera pulled the hammer back.
“Now.”
The constable untied Elian, who stood up and massaged his wrists and ankles.
“Get in the chair,” Jera said to the constable, gesturing with the gun.
The constable got in the chair. Elian tied him up.
“I told you I didn’t kidnap her,” Elian said. “But now she’s kidnapping me!”
The constable stared daggers at Jera. Elian took the constable’s shoes and socks off. Elian’s head jerked away from the socks’ stench. He stuffed the socks into the constable’s mouth.
“He’ll die of poisoning if we leave him like that,” Jera said.
“Maybe then he’ll learn to change his socks more often,” Elian said. “Sorry, Uncle.”
Jera tucked the pistol back into her pocket and led Elian through the corridors and out through the front entrance.
“Just keep your head down and keep walking,” she said.
Elian’s breath caught in his throat when they came to the front lobby. It was packed with white uniforms. He stopped and almost turned around, but Jera was there to nudge him forward. They kept moving. Nobody paid them any mind as they edged their way to the door, emerged outside and left the town.
“Where do we go now?” Elian said.
“That’s easy,” Jera said. “To the mountains.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Shards of flat grey stone shifted beneath their feet and skittered down the mountainside like doomed ships on the rise of a giant wave. Once they had scaled the top they turned and looked back at the town of Crossroads below, nestled in the heart of a valley. Elian chuckled.
“What is it?” Jera said.
“You,” he said. “You were great back there. I never thought you had it in you.”
“Back then I didn’t. But now… I guess I’ve changed.”
Elian frowned.
“Changed when?” he said. “We’ve only been separated a day.”
“It’s been a lot longer than that. I just skipped here from three days in the future.”
Elian snapped to attention.
“Three days?” he said. “What happened?”
“Everything works out, but there’s something I need to tell you. You’ll get captured and there’s no way for you to escape. But don’t worry, a friend will rescue you. The most important thing is that we split up. We go our own ways. No matter what happens you mustn’t follow me. I want you to stay away? I want you to go on and live your life.”
Elian puzzled over the information.
“What happens between us?” he said.
“Nothing. But do as I say.”
“You’ll never have to worry about that. I’d never put myself in danger without good cause.”
“Good.”
They approached an outcrop of rock that formed a corridor between two mountains. Circular rocks formed by thousands of years of wind and rain sat on the edge of the precipice.
“Wait,” Elian said. “We’ve been here before.”
“This is where our adventure begins.”
Jera smiled and then took a deep breath.
“I suppose this is goodbye,” she said. “Any second now I’ll skip back to my time and the present me will return.”
“You didn’t tell me about all the stuff that’s going to happen. You could warn me so I can avoid all the bad stuff.”
Jera could feel the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
“I could,” she said, “but that would hardly be an adventure, would it?”
Rushing waves approached and washed against the inside of her skull. Jera ran a hand down Elian’s face.
“Goodbye, Elian,” she said.
She kissed him on the cheek. He became blurry with her tears. She skipped.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Elian touched his cheek, a sad smile twisting the corners of his mouth. He dipped the hard stale bread into the watery lentil soup and bit into it, letting it roll down his chin. Felix stood beside two horses, saddlebags packed and ready for a quick getaway.
Something stomped through the undergrowth before them. They all froze. Then Felix pulled the hammer back on his pistol and aimed it at the forest. A hulking figure cloaked in shadow emerged.
“Hold it there, partner,” Felix said.
The figure stepped into the early morning sunlight.
“Mac!” Felix said, lowering his pistol. “Why didn’t you do the bird call like we agreed? I almost shot you!”
“You’re such a bad shot you wouldn’t have hit me anyway,” Mac said.
Felix grumbled under his breath. Mac went to his horse and checked the straps were tight.
“Where’s Jera?” Elian said.
“She wouldn’t come,” Mac said.
“What?” Felix said. “After we risked our lives to save her? How ungrateful!”
“What about the clock parts?” Grandfather Time said.
“Jera said Richard Ascar promised to replace the clock parts,” Mac said. “She believes him. She’s going to m
ake sure the parts get replaced.”
Elian tossed the last of the watery soup out and handed the bowl to Felix.
“She can’t sacrifice herself like that,” he said.
Mac climbed into the saddle.
“She didn’t see it as sacrificing herself,” he said. “She saw it as a means to an end.”
“But she’ll still have to marry him,” Elian said. “He’s a monster.”
“Marrying the son of one of the richest men in the kingdom doesn’t sound too bad to me.”
“He’s a drug dealer.”
“Our mission here is over,” Mac said, voice forceful. “She doesn’t want us to follow her. There’s nothing more we can do.”
Elian grabbed Mac’s horse by the bridle.
“We can’t let Jera make this sacrifice for us,” he said.
“She’s making it for herself,” Mac said. “You don’t have anything invested in this now. I’m sure even the Ascars aren’t stupid enough not to replace the clock parts. Everything will work out fine. You’re a free man. You’ve done your bit to save the world. It didn’t make you famous like you’d expected, but that doesn’t matter.”
Mac leaned down and put his hand on Elian’s shoulder.
“She’s made her choice,” he said. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t you. Let her go. Here,” Mac reached into his pocket and extracted Puca, “she wanted you to have him.”
Puca was hunched over, the fur at the corners of his eyes stained with tears. Elian turned to Felix and Grandfather Time.
“Do you feel the same way?” he said.
Felix mounted up.
“It’s not our responsibility, Elian,” he said. “Jera said so herself.”
“This is about more than just us and a quick score,” Grandfather Time said. “We need to make sure the pieces are returned. Our mission isn’t over until then.”
“It’s another eight hours on horseback,” Mac said. “Fifteen if you walk. And look at you. Neither of you are in a fit enough state to be walking that kind of distance.”
“Then give us one of your horses,” Elian said.
Mac shook his head.
“You’re on your own from here on out,” he said. “I’m afraid this is where we say goodbye.”
“I thought you were Jera’s friend.”
Mac stared at Elian for a long moment.
“This is for the best,” he said. “Jera’s going to live a long privileged life away from people like us. And we get to carry on doing what we do because, well, there’s nothing else we can do.”
Mac and Felix turned their horses and rode toward the forest. Mac stopped and turned to look back, a hint of hesitation. Then he disappeared into the foliage.
“What are we going to do now?” Grandfather Time said.
Elian turned and headed into the forest on foot. He felt weary to his bones, but he forced his exhausted body on.
“We have to get to the town of Time,” he said. “We have to stop this wedding.”
“I’ll help you make sure the clock is correctly fixed,” Grandfather Time said, “but I’m not helping stop the marriage.”
“Fair enough.”
“Then again, if we don’t find a faster way than walking, we’ll probably be too late anyway.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jera peered up at the familiar mountains around her. She knew every nook and cranny. They were like friends to her. A light rain drizzled the peak of Doe Mountain. A flock of pigeese flapped toward the horizon. She watched them with longing. They were free.
Their vanguard of ten constables pulled off the road and ran alongside it. They passed a train of carriages in a multitude of shapes and colours. One was fifty feet long and made from the skin of a giant creature. Another was just as long, but twice as wide, taking up the entire road. They were queued for the remaining few miles, and as they got closer to Time, Jera could see a similar line stretched out from the east and west gates.
“What’s going on?” Jera said. “I’ve never seen it so busy.”
“They’re all here for the wedding,” Richard said. “It’s not every day a Wythnos and Ascar get married, and tomorrow there will be two.”
The vanguard slowed as they approached the north gate. They were waved through without stopping, angry looks from those still queuing. The constables on the ground saluted Richard as he passed.
The sounds and smells brought a million memories back to Jera. She smiled at them, and then felt sad at the glaring truth: she had outgrown them.
The roads were packed, busier even than the busiest market day. Carriages inched forward at a snail’s pace, and signs hung from every hotel declaring ‘No Vacancies’. Richard’s guard formed a ring around Jera and Richard and forced through the crowd, knocking people and horses aside.
Jera looked up at the clocktower, standing sentinel over the town like a shepherd watching over his sheep. The entourage pulled up before the ‘Clock Maker’ shop. Gregory removed a bag that contained the spare clock pieces and dismounted. He offered a hand to Jera and helped her off her own horse. She removed the watch from her saddlebags. It now read:
3hrs 17mins 12secs
“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Gregory said. “You must be tired.”
“Tired or not,” she said, “it must be done.”
A constable pushed the shop door open, causing the bell to ring. The oily scent struck Jera the moment she stepped inside. She looked around at the clocks hanging on the walls, the precious silver parts still missing. Her eyes caught on the unassuming cuckoo clock hanging from the middle of the wall. She looked at the room as if remembering a scene from her favourite play.
“There are quite a few steps,” Gregory said as he approached the stairwell. “Are you sure you can manage it?”
“I think so.”
Jera hiked up her dress, exposing her ankles, and then ascended the stairs. She never slowed nor showed fatigue. Richard looked mildly surprised. At the top of the stairs they came to the giant clock room.
The cogs and sprockets and wheels and chains turned and clanked and grinded. A giant pendulum swung across the middle space making a whumping noise. The clock face spilled across the floor from one side. A dozen men and women in long white coats stood beside a library of books and journals piled high on wooden tables. One of them stepped forward. He was old with sagging wrinkly skin.
“Good morning,” he said, “I’m Dr Slyman. You must be one of the beautiful Wythnos girls I’ve heard so much about.”
“I’m Jera Wythnos. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I hear you’ve been on quite an adventure. We’ve been on one ourselves with this wonderful clock. I understand you might have something that can aid us in fixing it?”
Richard proffered the bag he carried over his shoulder. The doctor opened it and was bathed in a golden glow.
“My, my,” he said. “Oh yes, they appear to be made of the right stuff, all right. Please stand back. Replacing them is not likely to be a very pleasant experience.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Elian pushed the foliage aside. A large male deericorn bent down and stripped the shoots to the root with its teeth. The single twisted horn on its head caught the light. Elian and Grandfather Time lay on the ground watching it.
“If we can catch him we can both ride it to Time,” Elian whispered.
“But look at the size of it! How are we ever going to catch it?”
“We set a trap. I’ll climb this tree. I want you to walk around the deericorn, giving him a wide berth, and then shake some bushes to scare it toward me. I’ll drop down onto its back and we’ll have it. Easy.”
“Doesn’t sound easy to me. Are you sure you can capture it like that?”
“Do we have any choice?”
“I suppose not.”
Grandfather Time got to his feet and headed away from the deericorn, which never looked up from grazing. Elian rooted in his pocket and came out with Puca, whose eyes and mouth stil
l drooped at the corners. Elian put him on his shoulder.
He backed up against the tree and began to climb. He got to the first branch and pulled himself up. A cold sweat dappled Elian’s forehead from the effort. His limbs felt weak, the effects of his having been dragged behind a carriage for dozens of miles. He edged his way across a thick branch and perched over the clearing below. He closed his eyes when the ground began to spin.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dr Slyman laid the three pieces down on a table. They glowed like fallen stars. Jera blinked in shock when she saw the old pieces, cracked, splintered, and about ready to shatter. Jera held on tight to her watch.
“Be careful, Doctor,” she said in a small voice.
Dr Slyman, with an assistant on either side, gripped the old Cog of Fate. He pulled at it and worked it loose, and with a crunch, pulled it free. The rhythmical click of the second hand’s shadow on the floor seemed out of pace, as if it had minutely slowed. Jera looked down at her watch. The numbers flickered.
Dr Slyman, his movements a little slower, reached for the old Wheel of Fortune, and with a little effort, tugged it free. The Chain of Destiny hung loose and was removed with ease. The pendulum swinging in the centre of the room crawled past at a snail’s pace. The digits on the watch flickered and now read:
57mins 17secs
Then the countdown digits ticked by at an incredible rate, each minute now taking only a second. Dr Slyman, moving like he was in treacle, reached for the replacement Cog of Fate and began to push it into place.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Elian lay cradling the tree branch with his arms and legs wrapped tightly around it, the knots in the branch jabbing him in the legs and chest. But he did not move a muscle. The deericorn wandered down below, nipping at the grass, almost in the right position. A few more inches and Elian would fall upon it.
The deericorn’s ears pointed up and turned to face the foliage, in the direction Elian knew Grandfather Time to be. The foliage shook. The deericorn coiled its legs to jump. Elian closed his eyes and threw himself off the branch.
