as a contingency plan, a long time ago," Dream said. "When the first batches of Reapers that came after us were made. It's something we, among the First Ten, thought we might use to… punish Reapers who might—"
"Color outside the lines," Nightmare added, giggling.
"Right. If they broke one too many rules, for example. It had been Death's policy at the time that they all had to serve a specific term, which varied from one circle to another. When a Reaper stepped out of line, repeatedly, we'd invoke the Seals of Agalor to put them to sleep, to isolate them for a certain number of years."
"The Seals were freshly placed on Time, here, and were probably meant to last for at least a couple of centuries, which was the usual minimum," Nightmare continued. "We could wait it out, but that would obviously not help our cause. So, to break it, we need certain protocols, which we are now engaging in."
Dream began a series of chants in a language I didn't recognize. Nightmare noticed my confusion and did not hide his amusement.
"What?" I replied. "It's weird. Answer this, then. You guys have been off the grid for a long time. Who enforced the Seals of Agalor on Reapers who got out of hand, in your absence?"
"The instances of using the Seals were ridiculously scarce. I’m sure the Spirit Bender would've handled them, discreetly," Nightmare said. "Or Death herself. I mean, she taught us the spell to begin with."
"I'm still shocked I haven’t heard about the Spirit Bender among our ranks for so long," I replied. "Surely, the word would've gone out. I thought all of you were just… I don't know, the stuff of legends."
Dream grinned, but continued her chants.
"Spirit is elusive by nature," Nightmare said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he manipulated Reapers into forgetting who he is. He can bend spirits to his will. No one thought he'd use it against his own kind, though. He never gave reason for suspicion, even with all that bitterness regarding his fate as a Reaper."
Herbert let out a low growl. "You mean to tell me he's betrayed everyone because he's pissed off about being a Reaper?"
"That's pretty much the consensus, yes," I replied.
"It's what we make of it, at least," Nightmare said. "Frankly, I'd love to hear it from the horse's mouth, but, as you can see, we've got a missing pony."
The Time Master's eyes popped open as he sucked in a breath. Light flashed through him for a split second, and Dream and Nightmare moved back to give him some space.
"Never underestimate my skills again," Dream hissed at me. "I'm very good at what I do."
"Yeah… I can tell," I murmured.
"Hello, brother!" Nightmare chuckled as the Time Master pulled himself up into a sitting position. He blinked rapidly, taking deep breaths as he tried to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. Whatever that seal thingy was, it had done quite a number on him.
"What… Ugh, what am I… Where am I?" Time asked. "What are you two doing here?" He looked at me next. "Who the hell are you, and why is there a ghoul still standing in our presence?!"
He fumbled through his tunic, the color draining from his face as he froze, downright horrified.
"What's wrong?" Dream replied.
"My scythe. Where's my scythe?" he managed, spiraling into a fit of sheer panic.
"Calm down, brother. One question at a time," Nightmare said and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "First of all, pace yourself. You've been under the Seals of Agalor for at least a year or two."
I groaned. "That's what you meant by 'freshly placed?'"
"Who put a… Oh…" Time seemed to remember some things. "That bastard. That scheming, two-faced son of a bitch."
"I take it you're confirming the Spirit Bender's involvement?" Dream asked him.
He nodded. "Yes. I'd been investigating him, though I kept all my endeavors under tight wraps. I've had suspicions since Thieron was stolen, but I was never able to prove them. A couple of years back, I caught a lead."
"And had you also established yourself as a god on Astram, during that time? You know, while you were at it?" Nightmare retorted.
The Time Master sighed. "Yeah. That aside, I started digging deeper. One day, Spirit summoned me, which came as a surprise, but he said he needed my help with something. I went with my guard up, of course, but I didn't for a second think he would use the Seals of Agalor against me. I admit, I was foolish."
"Then he brought you