A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,32
gemstone from the floor, where it had been wedged between two of the base's stones. He frowned, cautiously sniffing it. "This was his. It fell from his watch."
"His watch," I repeated, hoping he'd clarify his statement.
"His accoutrement, shall we call it?" Dream said. "They call him the Time Master, Kelara. Naturally, a tool of time measurement is his favorite accessory. A pocket watch, to be specific, with the lid made of rare blue gold and covered in precious, unique gemstones. See?" She pointed to the sculpture's pocket watch. "That, right there. It's a real thing. He spent eons foraging through the darkest corners of the universe in search of the perfect stones for it."
"And this is one of them. Well, it was. No longer, clearly," Nightmare said.
The temple texts spoke of the Time Master having spent a considerable amount of time on Astram. It irked me that he'd taken such liberties, against every single rule that Death had set for us on the matter.
"He wasn't just worshipped here. He lived on Astram for centuries. They brought him offerings. They sought his council. He made and broke empires during that time. It's so illegal," I mumbled.
"That aside, would you like to know what happened to him and where he went?" Nightmare replied dryly, one eyebrow raised in contempt.
"It's what we came all the way here for," I said, trying to set aside my dismay regarding the First Tenners' behavior. It was disrespectful to Death, their maker, the way they'd been behaving. The First Ten were nothing like the rest of us, indeed. They were spoiled little children who did whatever they wanted, thinking there would be no consequences whatsoever, while we toiled and struggled to stay within the lines, fearful of disturbing the balance between the living and the dead.
We needed to bring law and order back, but we couldn't until all the First Tenners were reunited, and until the Spirit Bender was punished for his atrocious deeds.
Nightmare pressed the chipped gemstone against his scythe's blade, repeating the tracking spell he'd learned from the Soul Crusher hours earlier. "Well, I'm a quick learner," he said upon noticing my befuddled expression. "And we finally have something physical of Time. This puts us ahead of the game."
"He left it on purpose. You know that, right?" Dream replied, staring at him. He nodded. "The Spirit Bender came for him. His motive… I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet it's Death and Hermessi related, still. The Time Master probably told him to go screw himself."
"A fight ensued. Time was injured. Perhaps Spirit took him," Nightmare continued.
Two priests crossed the room, their hands hidden in their long sleeves and their heads covered in golden wreaths. They did not see or hear us, but I could almost feel the hairs on their arms raising. They did sense us. For a moment, the two stopped by the statue, gazing up at their Lord of Time.
"Do you think he's ever coming back?" one of them asked.
The elder priest shrugged. "I don't know. But our people must be made to believe that he will return, someday. By the time it becomes clear that he won't, all those who last saw him for themselves will be dead and buried. Including you and me."
"I still don't understand what happened," the younger priest said, clearly disappointed.
"None of us do, but our faith must continue. It has kept peace within our kingdom. It must not be allowed to die."
They walked out of the temple and down the steps. Soon they were out of sight, while I had another piece added to the mystery puzzle involving the Time Master's disappearance. The people here knew nothing about it. One day, their Lord of Time had simply… disappeared.
Nightmare's blade glimmered red for a moment, reacting to the gemstone infusion. Its hum became audible, sending shivers down my spine. "We've got our next destination," he said.
I joined him and Dream as we walked out of the temple, space bending to our collective will. We jumped off the stone steps and through a massive wormhole made of blackness and wandering stars. Swirls of pink-and-yellow stardust flashed around us. Solar storms burst in bright explosions, until our feet touched ground again and another planet took shape from below.
As we breathed out, simultaneously, we found ourselves on a small but ravaged planet. Dream scoffed, shaking her head with sheer disgust. "We're in the Mirinin constellation," she said. "Still in the Earthly Dimension."