by Sarah Noffke
Liv ignored him and glanced at the shop. It was a jewelry store that looked as though it could use a renovation, since the archway of the door was cracked and looked ready to fall in. The display case in the window was covered with cobwebs, obstructing most of the jewelry.
Rudolf placed his hand on the door handle. “Okay, are you ready to stand around and look pretty?”
“This is the shop you want me to accompany you into?” Liv asked, peering into the window. She was unable to see much.
“Oh, yes!” Rudolf said victoriously. “That’s good. Pretend to look around out here first. I like that.”
Liv straightened, narrowing her eyes at him. “What’s going on? What deception are you playing at, Dolf?”
He frowned. “I don’t like that nickname. Call me ‘Hottie’ or ‘Abs’ or ‘Handsome.’”
“Do I have to keep a straight face when I do?” Liv asked.
“And yes, this is the shop. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Just come in here and stand inside the entrance. I’ll take care of the rest,” Rudolf explained.
“Is it safe to go through that door?” Liv asked, eyeing the crumbling frame.
“Usually no, but we’ll be okay together.”
Before Liv could voice a complaint, Rudolf opened the door, waving her through. The smell of dust spilled out of the store as if trying to escape.
“I’m certain I’ll regret this,” Liv said, stepping over the threshold and searching the dark shop. Rows of cases lined the store, most of the contents obscured by the thick layers of dust covering the glass. The chandeliers overhead were shrouded in thick cobwebs, and eerie piano music crackled from a speaker at the back.
A gnome wearing a jeweler’s magnifying glass strapped to his head looked up when Liv came through the door. “We’re closed,” he said, hardly noticing her.
Rudolf shut the door and came around Liv, holding his hand back to stop her from moving any farther into the store. “Stay here,” he said in a hushed voice.
Liv was about to protest when the gnome yanked the headgear off and slammed it on the counter. “What are you doing in here, you scoundrel?” He shook his tiny fist in Rudolf’s direction, a deep scowl on his face. “I told you what would happen if you stepped foot in my grandfather’s shop.”
Faster than Liv had ever seen Rudolf move, he sped across the dusty carpet, his hands in the air in surrender. “You’re going to want to think twice about honoring that promise this time, Subner.” He leaned down, speaking in low tones to the gnome.
Subner glanced around Rudolf, giving Liv a speculative glare. She waved from the front of the shop, not wanting to be rude.
“She does resemble her mother, but that doesn’t prove anything,” Subner said in a terse voice.
“I’m trying to help you out, old friend,” Rudolf said loud enough for Liv to hear.
“Help me out? You brought a Warrior into my shop!” Subner yelled.
Liv backed up, glancing around to ensure there were no other gnomes hiding behind the counter or cases. She didn’t spy anyone, but a spider the size of a purse dog scurried out from behind the counter and streaked across the floor. Liv threw herself against the door, making it creak painfully, the cracked frame sprinkling dust on her.
Rudolf and the gnome exchanged more terse words. Subner hopped up, looking over the fae’s shoulder. “Hey, Warrior, I don’t want any trouble.”
“Yeah, me either,” Liv responded, searching the floor for the spider, which had sharp pincers and more hair than Rory.
“Just get your grandfather,” Rudolf encouraged, his voice jovial. “Then we will get out of your hair.”
The gnome, who didn’t have any hair, scowled at the expression. “I’m not leaving you alone in the front of the shop.”
Rudolf laughed. “I’m with a Warrior. I’m not going to try anything. You think I want her taking me in?” He angled his thumb over his shoulder. “No, thanks. She doesn’t let a damn thing go.” He leaned down, his words directed at Subner but his eyes staring at Liv. “A real stickler for justice, just like her mother.”
“You want to see Papa Creola?” Subner asked Liv, his beady eyes looking her up and down.
“Umm, who?” Liv asked.
“Yes,” Rudolf cut in abruptly. “And you know that old gnome can’t hear you if you call to him, so go ahead and fetch him. The sooner you do and the more cooperative you are, the better.”
Subner hesitated for a moment. “If you mess with anything while I’m gone, fae, I’ll—”
Rudolf waved him off. “Hey, have I ever taken anything that didn’t belong to me?”
“I’m certain that is a trick question,” Subner answered, sliding off his stool and disappearing behind the counter. His footsteps receded as he disappeared through the door at the back.
Rudolf sprinted over to a case beside Liv, brushing off the dust so that he could see what was inside it better. Gems of various colors sparkled to life like they had simply been waiting for the dust to be cleared to shine brightly. “Where are you?” Rudolf muttered to himself.
“Ummm, what are you doing?”
“I’m looking for something,” he answered.
“That gnome told you not to mess with anything,” Liv warned, still wary of the spider hiding somewhere close by.
“I promised not to take anything that didn’t belong to me,” Rudolf said, continuing to search the cases.
“Dolf…” Liv cautioned, a warning in her voice.
“Eureka,” Rudolf exclaimed in a loud whisper. “Here it is. Now I just need you to place your hand on this case, and we’ll be done here.”
“What? No!” Liv yelled.
Rudolf jerked around, his eyes frantic. “Shush. Not so loud. All you have to do it stick your hand on the case and we’re out of here.”
“No. You said all I had to was accompany you to this shop, and I’m certain that more is going on here than you let on,” Liv said, and then amended her statement. “Actually, I know it for a fact, but whatever.”
Rudolf kept looking over his shoulder at the door in the back. “Look, do you want to know how to survive Queen Visa and get her to sign the new agreement? Because I know how, but I’m not telling you until you put your hand on this case.”
Liv rolled her eyes. It was a small request, but something told her that it was filled with deception. Still, she had her own goals, and as far as she knew, Rudolf was in the best position to help her. And what was the big deal with sticking her hand on a dirty jewelry case, besides it probably being covered in centuries of bacteria and germs?
With an annoyed sigh, Liv trudged over to the case and slapped her hand on the grimy glass. To her surprise, the floor rumbled under her feet as sparks shot out of the cabinet beside her. Liv jerked her hand away and shielded her face, but the commotion quickly died away, and the shop went quiet.
Liv peered around her arm. Rudolf reached into the now-open case, removing a purple gem. He grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her toward the exit. “All done here. Let’s be gone.”
“What just happened?” Liv asked, looking at the cabinet that had opened like a box at her touch. She tugged away, wanting to study the scene further even as Rudolf encouraged her out the door.
Thundering footsteps resounded from the door at the back. The fae’s eyes shot in that direction, panic on his face. “We’ve got to go.”
“Why?” Liv asked.
Subner appeared in the doorway, murder written in his eyes. “You deceived me, fae, and you’re going to pay!”
Chapter Eleven
Rudolf grabbed Liv by the arm, yanking her toward the exit with more strength than she’d known he had. Bolts that hadn’t been there seconds prior materialized over the rickety door, locking them inside the shop. Subner disappeared back down the hallway behind him, which didn’t make Liv feel any better. She didn’t think for a second that he was going to go cool off and forget this whole mess.
“What the hell did you do?” Liv yel
led at the fae.
“I took what rightfully belonged to me,” Rudolf responded, swinging around, frantically searching for something. “Did you see where the spider went?”
“What? Are you serious? This isn’t the time for pest control.”
Roughly, Rudolf shook his head, dropping to his knees to look under the cabinets. “The spider has the key to the locks.”
Liv rolled her eyes at this. “Of course, he does. Silly me for thinking this was a Brinks security system and we just needed the code. Of course, we need to hunt down a furry man-eating spider and steal the key from him.”
Reaching blindly under the cabinet with his face pressed to the floor, Rudolf grunted. “The spider won’t eat us, but it’s a bitch to catch.”
“Well, I realize all you have are your looks and lack of personality to rely on, but I have magic.” Liv pointed her hand at the locks and was just about to mutter an incantation when Rudolf launched himself off the floor, diving into Liv.
“No!” he yelled, knocking her into a dusty case.
With his face too close to hers, she read the seriousness in his eyes. “Let me guess, magic only makes it worse?”
He nodded, gulping in a breath. “Yeah. Unless you want the spider to turn into a man-eating dragon, don’t try to magic our way out of here. Believe me, I’ve done that, and it’s not fun.”
Liv pushed him off her, looking around the shop. It was strange that Subner had simply locked them in and disappeared. Strange in a foreboding way. She sort of wished he would have stayed and thrown fireballs at her. At least then she wouldn’t be panicking, waiting for whatever was supposed to show up to make them pay, as he had promised.
Rudolf was back to searching the floor for the spider when Plato casually showed up and perched on a case. He looked like he’d just awoken from a long nap and was amused by the scene.
“Looking for a spider key, are you?” he asked Liv.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she nodded. “Yes. Any ideas about how to catch the sucker?”
“Do you have a bolt of silk fabric on you?” Plato asked, watching as Rudolf scurried behind the counter, grunting the entire time.
Liv patted her jacket. “Shucks, I left that at home in my sewing den.”
“Oh, too bad. Hindsight would have told you to bring it,” Plato said.
Loud noises echoed behind the closed door at the far side of the shop, orange light illuminating the cracks around it.
“Anything else we can try?” Liv asked, in a hurry.
“Do you have any small live rodents on you?”
Liv couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “Do you count?”
“Come on, Liv, that thing can’t eat me. I was thinking more about bait for the spider key.”
“Well, since I don’t have any rats on me, can you offer a more practical solution for how to catch this thing?” Liv asked in a rush, the thunder growing louder.
“For starters, your friend needs to stop making so much ruckus. It scares the thing,” Plato offered.
“Right,” Liv said, drawing out the word. “Hey, Jerkface, will you stop banging around over there? Apparently, you’re making the spider nervous.”
Rudolf’s red face popped up on the other side of the cabinet. “I realize that, but I don’t really have time to quietly draw the thing out. Papa Creola is going to be up here any second now.”
Liv was guessing that was a bad thing. “Later I’m going to kill you, fae. For now, I’ve got to figure out how to get out of here, so stay quiet.” She spun around to face Plato again. “Okay, I made the bane of my existence quiet down. Now what?”
“Well, it so happens that the best hunter of the spider key is the lynx,” Plato said, not at all in a rush.
Liv’s eyes widened, and she motioned toward the cabinet. “Then go! Seriously, what are you waiting for?”
“For you to ask,” Plato stated. “I can’t secure a key for someone unless they specifically request it. You would have known this if you had read that book the giant gave you.”
Liv was seriously planning to kill both Rudolf and Plato when they got out of this store. She waved him away. “Yes, yes. Will you go and get the spider key for me?”
Unhurried Plato hopped down from the counter and disappeared around the cabinet where Rudolf stood. He shot her a frantic expression.
“You’re relying on a lynx to get us out of this? They can’t be trusted,” he screeched.
Liv couldn’t help but laugh. “Says the fae who is the master of deception.”
“Seriously, if Papa Creola gets up here, we’re screwed,” Rudolf nearly yelled, whipping his head between the locked door and the one on the other side of the shop which was vibrating from the ever-growing thunder behind it.
“Is he your papa?” Liv asked, unable to keep her curiosity quiet even if they were minutes away from death.
Rudolf shook his head. “No. I mean, yes. He’s sort of the father of us all.”
Liv’s face scrunched with confusion. “Say what?”
“He’s the father of time,” Rudolf explained, jumping up on the sill of the window at the front and working on getting the curtain rod down.
“Then why doesn’t he reside in a clock shop?” Liv asked, directing her finger at the rod and breaking it in two using magic. One of the pieces flew down to her open hand. The other landed with a thud on Rudolf’s head, making him stumble off the ledge. He rubbed the top of his head where he’d been hit, picking up the rod off the ground.
“Ouch. We’re supposed to be working together, not hurting each other,” Rudolf informed her, still massaging his head. “And it would be sort of obvious if he ran a clock shop, don’t you think? Especially because he’s in hiding.”
Liv swung the makeshift weapon, noticing how different and mediocre it felt in contrast to holding Bellator. She should have brought the sword with her, but she hadn’t expected to be fighting the father of time, and she’d thought it best to leave it behind until she was formally trained.
“Why is the father of time in hiding?” Liv dared to ask as the thunder got even louder.
“Nobody knows,” Rudolf stated, putting his back to Liv’s and holding the rod like a baseball bat.
“And you stole his gem, is that right?”
“I took back my property,” Rudolf countered.
The thunder ceased, making Liv feel like she’d suddenly gone deaf. She glanced over her shoulder. “Is there a possibility that Papa Creola forgot about us or decided to let us go?”
Rudolf backed up a step. “Not a chance. It’s been nice knowing you, Liv Beaufont, Warrior for the House of Seven.”
Liv tensed. “I hope this was worth it, dipshit.”
Rudolf coughed. “Another nickname I don’t approve of.”
The door at the back creaked. Liv squinted, trying to make out the dark figure in the distance. A scurrying noise behind the counter stole her attention.
When she looked up, she was not prepared for what appeared in the doorway.
The father of time was simply adorable.
Chapter Twelve
Unlike Subner, who had a face full of wrinkles and a sour expression, Papa Creola had smooth skin and rosy cheeks. His long white beard hung in loose ringlets, and on his head was a cone-shaped hat, and to Liv’s surprise, he started whistling as he strode forward.
“Is it possible this was all a misunderstanding, and he’s come to talk it out?” Liv asked Rudolf from the corner of her mouth.
“No, it’s worse that he’s acting so nonchalant,” Rudolf answered, pressing more firmly into Liv, nearly making her topple over.
With his hands behind his back, Papa Creola swayed, his eyes on the case from which Rudolf had removed the purple gem.
“I figured you’d be back, Rudolphus,” the little man said, his voice as cheerful as if he’d just thought of a joke.
“It’s mine,” Rudolf argued, gripping the rod tighter.
Papa Creola halted, his sparkling blue ey
es connecting with the pair. He chuckled and rocked forward on his toes and back on his heels. “Of course it is, Rudolphus, but you should know as well as anyone how a thief works. It was yours and then I stole it, which makes it mine now.” He held out a stumpy little hand and wriggled his fingers. “Give it back, and I’ll let you go.”
“No!” Rudolf yelled. “And you’d never let us go from here unharmed. Not after what we did.”
The gnome’s eyes flickered to Liv, and she suddenly felt a chill. A thousand years had passed in a tomb. Her body lay cold in the ground. Winds swept across the desert, stirring up sand and creating a new landscape. Ages later, the planet was different, and yet time remained the same. A constant ticking.
She had the urge to clap her hand to her chest and ensure her heart was still beating. To look in a mirror to check that she hadn’t rapidly aged. To lie down and rest in a bed where she might one day die.
Shaking off the strange thoughts that didn’t seem like her own, she straightened, not breaking eye contact with the gnome.
“Olivia Beaufont. I should have known you’d be the one to rouse me from my slumber,” Papa Creola said, sounding amused.
“Ummm, have we met? And by the way, my name is Liv.”
He nodded. “Yes, my apologies. Only for the first seventeen years did you go by your given name. And this one you’ll keep for…well, I mustn’t offer spoilers. That’s gotten me in trouble a time or two.”
His eyes slid back to Rudolf. “Clever, bringing a Warrior from the House of Seven in here. You aren’t as stupid as you look, Rudolphus.”
“Thank you,” Rudolf said proudly, a half-smile forming on his face.
“It sounds like this has all been a misunderstanding,” Liv said, trying to see where Plato was. “Would you mind opening the door, and then I’ll be on my way? You can kill this fae if you’d like.”
“Hey!” Rudolf protested.
Papa Creola laughed. “I do plan on getting rid of Rudolphus. He has really been on this planet for too long. But I can’t permit you to go, Warrior Beaufont, for fear you’ll tell others about me. It is so tiresome moving about.” He looked around fondly at the shop covered in dust and cobwebs. “I was starting to take a liking to this place, and will miss it.”