Timekeeper (Timekeeper #1)(71)

“Listen to me, the both of you! This is a most serious matter, and I will not have you squabbling like children. Four clock towers have been attacked and there are bound to be more. Two mechanics are hospitalized, and another is dead. You two could have died as well.

“Daniel. Please, tell the truth. Why did you switch assignments with Daphne?”

Danny’s mouth turned dry. He rubbed clammy hands against his trouser legs. “Sir … it’s hard to explain.”

“I don’t care. Explain.”

He sat stupid and uninspired until he blurted out, “I have a lover in Enfield.”

The room fell silent. Then Daphne scoffed.

“You wanted to trade jobs so you could get cozy with some Enfield boy?”

The Lead massaged his temples. “Is this why you requested to remain on the Enfield assignments?”

Danny nodded, blushing. The Lead sighed.

“You had no authority to trade assignments with Daphne without my consent.”

She bared her teeth at Danny. “Aren’t you going to question him? It’s suspicious, isn’t it? First he goes to a village that Stops, then he’s seen snooping around where he shouldn’t be, Lucas dies, and now this! And let’s not forget his father’s trapped in Maldon.”

Danny stood so fast his chair toppled over. “Don’t you dare bring my father into this! If you think I had a hand in that—”

“I don’t know a thing about your father. For all we know, he beat you and you fixed it so he’d never return.”

“Enough!” the Lead roared, standing. “Daphne, I agree that the circumstances are odd, but I believe Daniel had no part in what happened. Did you?” Danny shook his head, breathing hard through his nose. “Lord knows I should reassign you both to some godforsaken corner of England, but I’m afraid I have to take more drastic measures.

“Daniel, Daphne, you are both hereby dismissed from the Mechanics Union.”

The maroon carpet tipped under Danny’s feet. The whole damn world tipped.

“No,” he whispered under Daphne’s “What? But I didn’t do anything!”

The Lead looked as though he’d aged ten years in ten seconds. “I can’t be certain you aren’t lying about switching assignments. With the state of things, I can’t take any chances.”

“But, sir, the committee.” Daphne’s eyes were wide. “The foreign exchange program. I need—I mean, I thought I was—I wanted—” She couldn’t finish.

The Lead drew a deep, weary breath. “Maybe when this whole mess is cleared up, I’ll consider reinstating you. For now, your hospital bills will be paid for, but you are no longer members of the Union. I’m sorry.”

Daphne was told to go home and rest. She turned to Danny with hate in her eyes, but whatever she wanted to say wouldn’t come out. She stormed from the office with a muffled sob. Danny hung back, certain that the Lead wasn’t through with him.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” the Lead said softly. “Did you have any knowledge of the attacks?”

“Sir, you can’t really believe I had a hand in this.”

“What Daphne pointed out is incriminating. You know that, don’t you? Lucas said he thought your behavior was suspicious, and I must admit I wasn’t too pleased to hear you’d been to the Maldon site. And let’s not forget your little incident at the hospital.”

“But Tom and George were right there at the tower. They had access to the blueprints. Tom was at Shere before I was. He had pipes to build bo—”

“Do you have proof, Daniel?”

Danny’s silence was answer enough.

“You will leave those mechanics alone. Is that understood?” He waited for Danny to nod. “Now, answer my question. Did you know?”

Danny took a shaking breath. “No. I didn’t know anything about the attacks.”

The Lead didn’t look convinced. “Daniel,” the man said gently, “you’re going through a difficult time. Your mind may not be completely sound.”

“Sir, please, don’t do this.” Danny’s voice broke. “I’m begging you.”

The Lead passed a hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I really am. But you can only have so many chances, and you’ve squandered your last one. I hope one day you’ll understand.”



AETAS AND THE END OF TIME


Aetas stood upon the solemn shore with outstretched hands, the time threads extended from his body as if he were a loom ready to be used. He didn’t dare stroke a finger across them to feel them vibrate with possibility as he once had. Now there were too many possibilities, and he had only one choice.

He cast the threads out. They traveled from his body into the depths of the world. They snaked over Oceana’s waters. They ran through Caelum’s sky. They climbed over Terra’s mountains.

They struck humans, twining around bodies strong enough to carry them. Those humans felt a great movement within them, apart from them, in the oceans and the sky and the mountains. In the depths of Aetas’s heart.

When enough threads had been siphoned off, Aetas cut them from his body and they continued to thrive, to pulse, to glow. Time went on. He held the rest of them, the smaller number of threads he could maintain on his own.