Chapter 31

  “Hey…Hey!”

  “Hmmmm,” Fia groaned. She was so tired, and her bed was so warm. “Just a few more minutes, Sophie,” she mumbled. “I promise…”

  “Who’s Sophie?”

  “Stop it…I just need a little more… I’ll be up soon…”

  “Seriously, who are you talking to?”

  “Soph…Cari!!” Fia gasped, struggling out from beneath the covers. The young girl sat at the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket. Her green eyes peered out from behind oversized spectacles, watching Fia curiously.

  “Cari!” She jumped across the bed to sit beside her. “Cari, tell me what happened?”

  Cari tilted her head, short locks falling just past her eyes in a tangled mass. She leaned in, taking Fia’s hand and tugging it towards her. She was so small, maybe half Fia’s height, and she couldn’t have been much older than ten or eleven. And yet there was a maturity to her, a wisdom beyond her—

  “—Is this about the bacon?” she whispered; her face was wracked with guilt.

  “What?”

  “It's… It's just…” She fell silent, fidgeting with her glasses and kicking her legs out at the end of the bed. Then she took a deep breath, and the words tumbled out of her. “Well, I was getting so hungry. And honestly, I thought you might be dead. The bacon… It looked like it might go bad, and I thought I might as well eat it, seeing as you might never wake up…” She bowed her head, solemnly, but Fia caught her peeking up through her lashes, a hopeful gleam sparkling in her emerald eyes.

  “Oh, Cari,” She sighed, “This isn’t about the bacon!” She had broken the one rule. Don’t bring anyone into the loop. Timor had been very clear about that. About how dangerous it could be. Although… He had been wrong. Cari was here now, inside the shop. And nothing had happened. Perhaps nothing would. He really hadn’t been right about much, had he?

  “Cari?”

  “Hmmm?” The little girl was distracted so easily. She had turned her attention to the window. And was watching some soldiers gathering outside the shop across the street.

  “Come on now.” She pled, pulling at Cari’s shoulder and turning the reluctant girl to face her. “I need to talk to you about something very serious.”

  “Am I in trouble?”

  “No, of course not!” Fia smiled. “I want to ask, if you will stay with me?”

  “Here?” She frowned, rubbing her nose thoughtfully. “But where would—”

  —Craaaack—

  An ear-splitting sound shook the walls, rattling the glass and sending Cari diving under the blankets.

  And from the first floor, a voice called. “Fia? Fia, are you here?” It was Timor. Why did he always seem to show up at the most inconvenient times? But she couldn’t let him find Cari.

  “Listen to me!” She hissed as the poor girl shook beneath the blankets. “No matter what, stay up here! The man downstairs cannot know about you. Do you understand?”

  The shaking stopped, and Cari’s head poked out from behind a pillow. She nodded fiercely.

  “Good. Now get back under there.”

  Quickly, Fia threw some bits over the bed. Parchment, brushes, a couple of books, anything that might hide the distinctive lump of a small child.

  “I’ll be right down!” She cried. “Don’t come up here! I’m still getting dressed!”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Timor shouted back. “I am merely relieved to once again hear your voice.”

  She found Timor sitting behind the counter. He had lost weight. Not that there had been much for him to lose, but his fine silks now hung loosely from his meager frame. And his hair was thinning. Had it been so long since they had last met, or was there something else that had aged him so?

  “Ah, there you are, my dear girl!” His pale lips stretched into a smile. “It has been far too long.”

  “How are you?”

  “Always so polite, but,” he waved his arms, gesturing to himself, “I’m sure you can see that the last few years have not been kind to me.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Years?!”

  The man’s smile faded. “So, this was not expected…That is concerning. Tell me, how many cycles has it been since we last spoke?”

  “It could not be more than five.” She replied.

  Timor’s face turned to ash. He looked away, muttering to himself. After a long while, he finally faced Fia again and spoke, “We are running out of time. The loop is slowing down. It has been five years, for me, since we last met.”

  Fia gasped. Drawing in a quick breath that immediately caught in her throat, sending her into a coughing fit. “What… Why?” She spluttered, barely managing to squeeze the words out between hacking wheezes.

  “I’m not sure.” Timor grimaced, shaking his head. “While I have been away, I have spent a considerable amount of time observing the loop, studying the structure of its spell. It has, sadly, not revealed much to me. But I can see that, since we first met, there have been significant changes to its foundation. I feel this must be the reason for our timeline's divergence, but I am at a loss as to who or what is making these changes. Is there anything you can tell me that might help illuminate the answers we need?”

  Her heart dropped, sinking into her stomach, where it pounded uncomfortably in its pit.

  “Well…” she searched for the word, “We’re bringing things in and out of the loop that must be what’s doing it…”

  “Yes,” he pursed his lips, “That was the first thing I considered, and while I was actively moving between the timelines, there were changes, but they were almost unnoticeable, insignificant little things.” He regarded her suspiciously, his dark eyes boring through her eyes, deep into her mind, threatening to take hold of her very thoughts. “It was not until after my last visit that the changes began to accelerate.”

  “Hmmm,” she pressed her brow together, hoping the lines would make her look puzzled. “Well. I can’t think of anything, and unfortunately, I have nothing for you today, so…”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No. No! Of course not,” she laughed, “It’s just well, I am a little busy today and—”

  —THUUD—

  From right above their heads, there came a loud crash, immediately followed by a stifled squeal. Timor slowly raised his head, eyes watching the ceiling. There was a series of hushed footsteps, almost as if a small girl was running around cleaning up from a tumble.

  “Fia,” Timor groaned, “Tell me you didn’t.”

  Fia looked out the wide window. It was such an interesting day. Soldiers outside who were never there. And bearing such a strange symbol, too. A golden circle filled with fire. Perhaps she would watch them, just a little longer. See what they were—

  “—Fia!”

  She jumped. Timor had never shouted before, he seemed much darker with his voice raised. “Look, don’t be angry,” the words spilled out of her, “It was an accident and everything’s fine now. Well, not everything, but the loop didn’t collapse…” She trailed off.

  “Fia, what did I tell you?” He had regained composure and was no longer shouting, but his jaw was clenched, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

  “Not to bring anyone back into the loop…” She couldn’t meet his gaze.

  “Then why did you?”

  “I died…and she was in the shop…”

  Fia watched his jaw relax, and he let out a deep breath. “Oh,” he sighed. “Alright then, bring her out.”

  She shook her head, “I don’t—”

  “Oh, I’m not going to hurt her,” Timor snapped, “Go on, call her.”

  It didn’t seem like there was much of a choice. “Cari,” she called. “Cari, you can come down now.”

  There was another thud, then a shuffling, and from the top of the stairs, Cari whispered, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, it's safe.”

  And slowly, the stairs creaking with each step, Cari inched into view. She gripped the trident in both hands, holding it out in front of her as she crept down. With nothing to hold her spectacles in place, they had slid dangerously far down her nose, balanced precariously on its tip.

  “Don’t hurt us!” She squeaked, waving the trident back and forth. “This is a dangerous weapon! A God Slayer! With it, I killed the great serpent—”

  “—Oh, goodness, this is much too slow!” Timor interrupted, raising his hand and beckoning to Cari with his fingers. And the girl flew down the stairs, dropping the trident and shrieking as she zipped towards him.

  “Don’t hurt me,” Cari whimpered as she came to a halt before him, “I’m so young…” Then suddenly she turned to Fia, crying, “Get him!” as she curled her fists into tiny balls, swinging them wildly at Timor’s frail figure.

  And Fia burst out laughing. Cari looked ridiculous. Whipping her hands in a vain attempt to bring down a man who towered over her. She was so easily frightened. And yet, in moments, as brave as any hero. She had run from the fishmen but returned to rescue Fia from the wyrm. She had been a lost girl, but Fia would take care of her now.

  “Well,” Timor grumbled, holding Cari back at arm's length, “She certainly has spirit…”

  Fia stepped between them, taking the girl in her arms. “It’s alright. He’s not going to hurt us.”

  “No, I’m not, but I will take that trident.” Timor lifted it off the ground, admiring the ivory and gold. “Did you say it was a God Slayer?”

  “Hey, that’s mine!” Cari yelled.

  “That’s not on the list, it's not part of our agreement.”

  Timor gave an exasperated snort, throwing his hands in the air as Cari pulled the trident from him. “My dear girl, do you really expect me to leave here empty-handed? Especially after the stunt you pulled? I’m going to have a difficult time explaining this as is. I’ll need something to soften the blow with my employer.”

  They stood, silently, glaring at each other.

  “I know!” Shouted Cari. She wriggled away from Fia and ran back up the stairs. There was a loud rattling and then a crash, and she returned holding a crown of coral in her hands.

  “Will this do?” She held it out to Timor, and his eyes grew wide.

  “Now that’s more like it,” he sang. Doing a little dance as he took it from her. “The Sunken Crown!”

  “Cari, where did you get that?” Fia demanded.

  “From the Lady… Well off of her. She didn’t seem like she would need it anymore, and I thought it might be useful.”

  “And you were absolutely correct!” Timor Whooped. “Perhaps having a partner will be good for you, Fia. The girl seems to have a natural affinity for finding treasure.” He smiled, eyes glittering greedily. “And you’re going to need the help, at the speed the loop is diverging, you’re going to need to significantly increase your rate of delivery if you want to finish your contract.”

  He turned back to Cari, sweeping himself into a dramatic bow, “It was wonderful to meet you, young lady, and I am sure we’ll be seeing each other again. In the meantime, do try to keep Fia there, out of any more trouble.”

  And then, with a loud crack, he vanished.

  Cycle: Cari 1-1