The Time Mechanic

by Victoria Bastedo

  “Don’t tell me you two had another argument last night when he got home,” she scolded.

  “If we did I slept through it.”

  “Actually,” said Mars as he came around the corner, “If he hadn’t been asleep I would’ve told Jeremy all that I thought of him. He’d still be listening because it would take so long.”

  The man stopped on the other side of the counter as Jeremy turned the eggs. He looked up and met Mars’ eyes.

  “It would all be good, I’m sure,” he said.

  “Good reasons why I should knock you down every day of the week,” Mars said, savoring the idea.

  “Just once a day then?”

  “That’ll do to start with.”

  “But not now while I’ve got a hot skillet in my hand?”

  “I’d wait till you put it down, of course.”

  “Like this?”

  At last Mars chuckled.

  “You’d have to put the knife down too.”

  Kannikey shook her head.

  “You two really are ridiculous,” she commented. “Go ahead then.”

  “Excuse me?” said Jeremy.

  “Fight. Put your fists up. Splinter every piece of furniture in the room. Now before Ffip gets up and stops you.”

  “Well I…” said Mars.

  “Go on! I want to see!”

  “Haven’t you seen enough in your life?”

  “I’d suggest taking your shirts off first,” she said, with a slow smile. “I’d watch that.”

  “Kannikey!” gasped Ffip, from where she’d appeared at the corner. “What are you telling these men to do?”

  “Well if they insist on making us watch them feud all the time we may as well enjoy it.”

  Ffip froze, and her eyes went far away for a moment.

  “Never mind,” put in Jeremy. “Let’s just eat breakfast.”

  They all sat down and he carried over the two pans he’d prepared. He scraped some onto the four plates he’d set out and then went around with the kettle.

  “Coffee?” he asked Mars.

  The man grunted so he poured. Once everyone had what they needed silence fell around an awkward table while they ate. Jeremy could see that Kannikey and Ffip kept smiling at each other, however. He cleared his throat.

  “So Fillipi,” he said, swallowing his eggs with a gulp of coffee.

  “Hmm?” she replied.

  “Do you think Halbernon could analyze that sample of Surebelow that Kannikey took last night?”

  Her eyes went serious.

  “Yes, I think so. He has a large Steam Definer.”

  “A Steam Definer?” asked Kannikey. “What is that?”

  “He uses it to study plant and soil samples. It can separate out each element, and tell him what the substance is made of.”

  “Just what we need!” Kannikey said.

  “But Jeremy, you don’t really suppose that Surebelow has the poison we’re chasing do you?” Ffip demanded. “There’s hardly been time to process it, bottle it and sell at a booth, surely!”

  “These men have been in preparation for a long time,” he said, “months if not years.”

  “But… this poison is so virulent there could be no doubt of its effect! Instantly everyone would know what’d poisoned them and who the villains responsible were!”

  “Yes, you’re right,” said Jeremy thoughtfully. “They’d hardly have time to make a big profit from that. The first wave of buyers would fall sick and no more Surebelow would be sold.”

  “Then they’d be arrested,” said Ffip.

  “Nevertheless we need to know what this elixir is, just in case.” said Jeremy. “If Surebelow is innocuous then we need to stop wasting our time wondering about it and turn to other potential threats. But just imagine if the elixir is the poison. The Festival is tomorrow.”

  As he said the words his heart pounded in anxiety. Time was running out. The others all paused as well, as the reality became clear to them.

  “Let’s clean up the dishes later,” said Kannikey.

  Everyone agreed and stood up.

  “I didn’t bring the large carriage today,” the girl said as they got ready quickly and hurried outside. “My stepfather needed it for something.”

  Jeremy saw she’d brought the carriage that she’d had that first night, when he’d been uncomfortable having Ffip sit on his lap because he thought she was a man.

  “No problem,” he said now. “We already know we can fit.”

  They climbed inside and sat in their assigned seats. Jeremy was very comfortable with Ffip on his lap now and he thought Mars didn’t mind sitting so close to Kannikey either. She clicked up the horses and they trotted quickly across town. Soon the pleasant College grounds stretched out beside the road.

  “It’s still early,” said Ffip. “Halbernon should be in the greenhouse.”

  A few moments later they climbed out of the carriage and hurried up to the greenhouse door. Ffip knocked and they went right in.

  “Professor Halbernon?” she called and the man popped up from a row of plants near the back wall.

  “Ffefferpip?”

  “Yes, sir, it’s me!”

  The older man stepped forward to better see them. His eyes lit up as he arrived in front of them.

  “There you are, young man!” he said to Jeremy. “It’s good to see you alive and on your feet!”

  Jeremy felt a rush of emotion at the delight in the man’s eyes. His voice was a bit thick when he replied.

  “Thanks to you, Sir,” he managed. “I should’ve come and said that sooner.”

  “Bah!” said the man, waving that away. “You’re here now.”

  “For more than one reason, I’m afraid. Forgive me if I seem to only show up when I need your help.”

  “Best reason to come. What is it this time?”

  Jeremy held out a hand, Kannikey placed the bottle of elixir in it, and then he showed the sample of Surebelow to the Professor.

  “Please,” he said. “Would you analyze this and tell us what it’s made of?”

  A short while later they’d all retired to a large room at the back corner of the greenhouse. Inside many tables were pushed together to provide enough surface for the device that stretched out from one end to the other of the room.

  The Steam Definer fascinated Jeremy quite a bit. He’d heard of the contraptions before and had been intrigued but now he had personal experience with the steam that came from under Tonturin. Halbernon explained that once there’d been a deep excavation near the center of Tonturin for the investors were searching for a deposit of precious metal that was rumored to be located there. They’d found no metal, but they had come back with many of these steam-treated stones. It was believed that these stones had once been attached to the wall of steam that misted mysteriously under Tonturin.

  “The miners all came back hallucinating,” Halbernon joked as he told them the story. “They thought the grass under their feet was ten feet tall. One of them was convinced he could read his neighbor’s mind. Fortunately for them the effect wore off once they stayed away from these stones. But cover the stones so they aren’t handled, mix them with steam, and add a few more essential mechanisms and you can make a Steam Definer. It can’t read men’s thoughts. But it can separate each element in a substance and define it. Here Jeremy, let’s decipher this elixir you’ve brought me.”

  Steam filled the chimney chamber once the coals were heated but then the steam was pulled inside the massive definer. Halbernon explained that under the surface of the definer was a container of residue from each plant, mineral or soil that could be found near Tonturin. The steam would absorb the new sample and then single out which elements it contained. Then the used steam rose from the Definer and drifted out of a chimney in the roof of the greenhouse. Halbernon poured a small amount of Surebelow into a tube. He sent them out of the room to make him some tea, stressing that he couldn’t work with them all staring at him.

  “I’m used to my so
litude,” he complained. “Except sometimes I miss having Ffefferpip around.” He shuffled them all out with Ffip’s pleased dimple leading the way. Before the tea was finished he was urging them back in again so he could tell them what he’d discovered.

  “You’ve defined it already!” said Ffip.

  “Of course I did, my dear.” The man turned to Jeremy. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It isn’t.”

  “It isn’t what?”

  “This elixir isn’t made up of anything harmful to humans. And, since you didn’t ask, there’s not a trace of that poison you were dosed with that nearly killed you.”

  Jeremy stared at him in surprise.

  “How did you know I wanted to find out about that?”

  “Not hard to figure, young man. Every time I’ve seen you so far it’s got something to do with that vile plant.”

  “So Surebelow is nothing to worry about- just healthy herbs steam-treated like they say?”

  “Mostly yes, that’s true,” Halbernon nodded. “But I can tell you there’s one interesting ingredient you’ll want to hear about, however.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Surebelow is largely made up of the substance I prepared and fed to you a few days ago when you were so sick. Its main ingredient can be used to countermand the effect of the poisoned berries. It’s the antidote.”

  Chapter Thirty-One (In Which Jeremy Adds Two to the Team)

  Right after Halbernon told them what Surebelow was made of Jeremy’s mind was overtaken with a vision. He realized something. He could snap it off before he blanked out. He could choose when to see a vision, and wait for a convenient time— say, when he was sitting down. That’s why he only tottered a bit, sinking to his knees and finding that Mars had stepped close and was holding him up by the elbow when he returned to clarity. He rose to his feet again.

  “I’m all right,” he muttered, trying to process what he’d seen and what it meant.

  But Halbernon had reached his limit.

  “Fainting again!” he piped.

  Jeremy frowned.

  “No, sir,” he growled.

  “Then what? Are you sickly from some malady, which you had before you were poisoned? Why don’t your friends appear surprised when you collapse like that?”

  Jeremy shook his head, but Halbernon clicked his fingers, and right in his face. He had to smile a bit like Ffip tended to do.

  “Come now, man,” Halbernon insisted. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s a secret.”

  “I’m closer than an old uncle, boy. I spent days saving your life!”

  “I’m not a boy.”

  “Then who are you? Out with it!”

  Jeremy felt a rush of frustration. He didn’t have time to argue. He clenched his fists.

  “I’m the new Time Mechanic!” he hissed.

  At his words Halbernon froze. His blue eyes grew large and he straightened his hunched shoulders.

  “Ahh,” he sighed.

  “You don’t believe me, I suppose,” snapped Jeremy. “But that’s fine. Just don’t tell anyone what I said.”

  “Oh, I believe you.”

  “You what?”

  “That explains why I felt such a strong drive to give you whatever you needed!”

  “But how do you know that’s what happens… I mean, that people get compelled…”

  “That’s a secret I’ve kept my whole life, Jeremy. You see, I knew the last Time Mechanic, even though I was just a boy when she passed away. She was my grandmother. She told the family all about her adventures, except for a few secrets that she took to her death bed, but made us promise to keep the details to ourselves or she wouldn’t tell us the stories. But I guess it’s all right to tell you!”

  An hour later they were jammed into Kannikey’s carriage. It was a wild ride. In order to fit them all Kannikey had to sit on Mars’ lap, Ffip was on Jeremy’s, and Halbernon was driving. Despite the way that the man roared at the horse to go faster and careen sharper around the streets into Tonturin Jeremy’s mind was distracted by what he’d just seen.

  Ffip’s steam eagle.

  She’d built a steam eagle, by herself. Or rather she’d paid students at the college, who were eager to improve their engineering skills, to build it for her. Halbernon had helped her arrange it, insisting that a fully functioning prototype, with an ornately designed eagle’s head was the only way she could prove that she was the original designer to her college back home. Jeremy glanced at the old gentleman now and smiled as the man roared, ‘YA!’ at the horse, thereby driving the carriage straight into a mighty pothole and bumping Ffip ever closer on his lap. He was getting fond of Halbernon.

  After the man had revealed that his grandmother was the previous Time Mechanic they’d gone along to a big building on the opposite side of the campus and seen Ffip’s steam eagle. Jeremy told them again for Halbernon’s benefit all about how their enemies were interested in the design and how he’d seen one built in his vision.

  “Let’s have no more secrets between us!” Ffip had cried. “I can show you my steam eagle right now!”

  Her steam eagle was not as large as he would’ve guessed. It sat with deflated balloon but the steam-powered engine at the back connected to its water source. There were two big compartments in the middle. One held the water to maintain steam for the steam engine and the steam diffuser. The other compartment was to hold the water or the fertilizer to be dispersed over crops. She took them into the head of the eagle, large enough to hold three people at most. It was entered through a hole in the roof. She gave them a brief explanation on how to steer the contraption once it had been elevated and how to release the steam beneath the wings to keep it aloft. The eagle was landed by releasing the steam from the balloon and coasting the bird gently to the ground.

  “How quickly can the eagle be prepared for flight?” Jeremy asked.

  “Very fast once the steam is heated,” Ffip replied, “And with my steam diffuser that takes nearly no time at all. Right now I could get my eagle into the air within ten minutes if I wanted to.”

  “I see.”

  Jeremy had been very impressed with the elegance of her contraption. He’d told her it was a wonderful invention.

  “I’m sorry to say however,” he’d added. “That this isn’t the one I saw in my vision. Our enemies have built another one and are keeping it in some other big warehouse. I think I can find it from the outside, if we drive up and down Tonturin’s industrial area.”

  “Let’s go back to my house and make lunch and then make plans too,” Mars said.

  “Well, I’m certainly coming with you if you’re going to make plans!” Halbernon said. “You need the voice of age and experience. I’m a team member now!”

  As they’d climbed aboard the carriage Jeremy decided he’d allow the vision that he’d almost seen before when Halbernon had tested Surebelow play for him in his mind on the way. But with Halbernon driving he couldn’t concentrate on anything but keeping hold of Ffip.

  “There’s my street,” Mars shouted, pointing.

  Soon they were pulling up in the yard.

  “I’ll water the horse,” Jeremy offered and the others agreed and went inside the house to start lunch. He took care of the creature, pulling Kannikey’s carriage into the barn and then he climbed back in the carriage and sat in the seat so he could allow the vision. He knew he’d be frozen unable to move until the vision was over. He closed his eyes and invited it to begin.

  In the vision he was in a painter’s studio. It was a narrow room with tall ceilings and a lot of natural light coming in a bank of windows. There were a few canvases of landscapes and portraits, but it was obvious that the main business this artist lived on was that of painting signs. In fact, the vision showed the near finished signs that the artist was just completing. Jeremy blinked as the two signs became clear. They were both for Surebelow, for the little logo of gray berry next to a spray of herbage blossomed along the bottom of each. The first si
gn said: ‘Due to the overage of customers, supplies of Surebelow are extremely limited.’ The second sign said: ‘A representative must be seen to discuss payment options.’

  The vision released him and he sat back in the carriage seat in trepidation. It was the shortest vision he’d seen so far, but it carried so much meaning. He stumbled as he went into the house, his mind trying to form a complete picture of what it all meant. He was quiet as the others worked and talked with Halbernon in the kitchen. First they had to clear the breakfast dishes. The man was entertaining and soon had even Mars laughing as he complained about each ingredient or teased Ffip until her dimple came out. Jeremy wished he could join in and feel as lighthearted. He tried to make plans, but although he believed that he now understood the motivations of the villains they were facing, figuring out how to stop them still hadn’t entered his brain.

  The others made a few comments about his silence but accepted his smile and went on. Once lunch was prepared they all sat at the table, but there was a knock at the door before they could begin.

  “I’ll get it,” said Mars. “It’s probably my assistant; Joram must be wondering why I haven’t come in all day with the festival almost here.”

  When Mars opened the door, he froze.

  “Nemeth!” he said.

  He opened the door and Jeremy rose to see his old boss standing in the doorway. Mars showed the man in and everyone rose too while introductions were made.

  “I’m glad to see Jeremy here,” said Nemeth, as he shook hands with Mars.

  “How are you, sir?” Jeremy said a moment later.

  Nemeth frowned and then looked awkward.

  “I see I’m interrupting a party of friends,” he said. “I can return and talk later.”

  Mars protested and so did Jeremy, but it was Kannikey that straightened things out.

  “Sit down and join us, of course!” she insisted, taking Nemeth’s arm.

  “Well, if you’re sure…” he replied.

  Soon everyone was settled and Ffip was up and serving portions of salad into each bowl. It was several moments before all the pleasantries had been expressed and normal conversation could return.