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As requested, Sabree misted to the Edinburgh mansion’s library, assured he and Brian would be alone without other ears listening. Brian had asked that they meet here after he deposited bomb number one on some dead planet. Too bad he didn’t take Farian on a one-way trip to the same planet. He had stopped calling the man Father years before the traitor plotted to destroy Turian. Then Brian came along and stole the show, earning the title as assassin. How did one justify murder in this situation? He had promised redemption.
“You’re stalling, Brian.” Sabree knew why his friend asked him to meet here before they left for the Caderen. The topic had been already discussed one time too many. Either convince him to find another place to live on or travel back in time. Fact number one—time travel did not agree with Sabree. He suffered still from the last jaunt. During the past few months of his long life on Earth, he discovered the sensation of fatigue—tired of living, tired of life, tired of love, and tired of it all. Sabree blamed the time travel resurrection.
“You’re not thinking, Brian.” How pathetic. Brian had begged him to take Ariane along with them. Like him, her insect obsession, to this day, continued to damage her mind. The last time they spoke civilly, she admitted her fears and how she sought an end to her brokenness. Unable to accept the loss of her daughter, she begged him to squash her.
“You’re late.” Sabree began to pace but paused in front of the liquor cabinet. They emptied it the last time they met here. Worry filled the tremulous pit of his stomach. Brian rarely arrived late. Did the bomb go off before he reached the planet? Although their previous conversation was dire enough to drink the bar dry, he forgot what they talked about. It seemed ages ago. “What’s this?” He cocked his head to shift his eardrums.
A faint tick, tick, tick, a pause, and then another tick, tick, tick repeated itself. The noise troubled Sabree, especially the way it continued, faint yet loud enough to snare his attention. Keen eyes scanned the bookshelves behind and above the bar. Movement and then a glint caught his peripheral vision. He looked down at the row of empty decanters. At the far end, a weird brass clock wobbled in place.
Sabree leaned in for a closer look. “Ah, one of Brian’s steampunk contraptions. Noisy little devil.” He picked up the faceless clock to study its exposed gears and immediately dropped it onto the bar when the piece vibrated in his hand. Electrified, unexplainable, unlike anything he had ever handled. His fingers still tingled. Perhaps Brian booby-trapped the clock.
He continued to stare at the hands as they jerked counterclockwise. The ticking repeated itself for three clicks, three times in a row with a pause in between. A means of communication he learned during his crash-course to catch up with the modern world. Morse code. SOS! It had to be from Zoeree.
“I hear you, sweetheart” Sabree whispered into the ticking hands. He glanced around the library to make sure he was alone. Brian would trash what’s left of his reputation if he caught him speaking to a clock. “Please let me know how I can help you?” His eyes focused on the gears that moved with each click, waiting for a sign.
A whoosh breezed by Sabree’s face. Not the sign he had wished for. “Merde, Brian’s back.”
“The one and only,” Brian said as he steadied himself. “You sound disappointed. Uh, sorry, about the abrupt landing.” His tired gaze swept the room almost as if for the last time. “I’m going to miss this library. No wait, maybe this time I won’t put the mansion up for sale. Ariane hates it, but who cares. I will live in Edinburgh.” Brian spun the large globe and stopped it by mashing a finger onto the map of Scotland. “Talk her into starting her business here instead.”
“Shut up,” Sabree hollered inside his mind, interrupting his yapping. Frayed nerves over Zoeree soured his mood. He kept the close encounter to himself. “Did you get rid of the neutralizer? What about number two?”
This time Brian spun the globe so fast it almost jumped off its axis. “What about it? No coordinates, no disposal service. No one knows where Farian hid it.”
“And the one you found.”
“Ten minutes left on the detonator. So, the thirty-third trial was the charm. Lucky me, unlucky you.” To demonstrate his frustration, Brian twirled the globe so fast, it unscrewed off the stand and shot through the window. Glass shattered everywhere.
“Easy there.”
“No biggie, the globe will be on its axis and the window in one piece when I travel back in time.” Brian turned away from Sabree and pointed at the broken Ming vase. “Same here.” A quick glance at Sabree, and then he muttered at the liquor cabinet, “At least you’ll be restocked.” He turned, his gaze darting everywhere but at Sabree. “Listen, device number two is supposed to go off in ten minutes, which is why I requested we meet with Cayiel right away.” Brian paused. “Why so quiet?”
“Because I can’t get a word in.” Sabree walked by the liquor cabinet and kicked it. The little clock wobbled, rolled off the bar, and dropped to the floor. Sabree swore it cuckooed.
“Don’t fret. This little clock will also return back to normal.” Brian leaned over to pick it up and dropped it. “Ouch!” He stood up straight. “It zapped me!” He looked to Sabree and cocked his head. “Did you chuckle?” He leaned over again, this time to open the lower cabinet. He handed Sabree a bottle.
“Salute Private Glen Fiddich,” Brian said. “Fine vintage single malt Scotch whisky. Stashed this beauty for a special occasion. Actually, I plucked the bonnie prize from Duncan’s private collection. I believe this is that special occasion.”
Sabree’s trembling fingers cradled the bottle while Brian collected two tulip crystal glasses. A mainstay at this point in the game, the alcohol would ease his troubled soul. Better yet, numb it into oblivion.
“Fine malt in fine crystal, it doesn’t get any better.” Brian took the bottle from Sabree, opened it, stole a whiff, and poured two glassfuls. “We’ll need this to get through the stuffy Caderen meeting however brief. But first, a toast to my BFF. Forever is a long time in our case.” Brian handed him a glass.
A distinct whiff of Oakwood wafted up Sabree’s nostrils as he twirled his glass. Preferring brandy as a final salute, Sabree shrugged and raised the glass, clinking it with Brian’s in a toast. A ting tickled his ears. “To Zoeree, to Mini-Me, to our friendship, to the end of Earth, and to your fresh start. Did I miss anything?”
“Except for Ariane, you covered it all.” Clinking his glass again, Brian waited for Sabree to take a sip.
“To us then,” Sabree repeated. He sipped the malt. Tannins and a hint of caramel burned his taste buds and burned as it trickled down his throat. He followed it with a few more gulps until the alcohol numbed his mouth. The glass emptied, he let Brian refill it. The usual euphoria anesthetized his mind, rendering his speech easier to spill forth. He let loose a heavy sigh. The truth of the matter would fall flat. “This was a toast good-bye, Brian. I refuse to inhabit another world or go back in time.”
“What if the Caderen agree to another world? Won’t you go with them?”
“Not enough time for such a great exodus. Anyway, they refuse to leave Earth. So do I.” Sabree pushed Brian’s glass closer to his mouth when he noticed the amber eyes glisten. “Catch up.”
As ordered, Brian emptied his glass. “Finding another planet to live on was your only hope for survival. I can’t take you or Ariane back in time. Jesse and Tim forbid it. Athorsis has no say in the matter.”
“Problem solved. We don’t want to go back. Start fresh for all of us.”
“Just like that?” Brian choked on a swig, poured another glassful, and guzzled the contents.
“Take Azrian as planned. We’re damaged goods.”
“Goods that I alone have damaged,” Brian said into his empty glass. He offered a final refill.
“Then don’t damage us in round two.”
“Aye, not another trial run, but my very own do-over.”
Sabree noticed how the amber eyes reflected the splashing whisky as
the golden liquor poured into his glass. “You effed me up for sure, but you never forced Ariane to experiment with bugs. She damaged herself.” They could debate back and forth until the alcohol slurred their words or worse yet, until the whisky ran dry, which was soon. “Cayiel awaits.” Sabree evaporated into a fine mist to avoid Brian’s final plea. The crystal shattered into a musical clamor when it hit the floor. The library already full of broken knickknacks, what harm could a broken glass cause?
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“Wait!” I hollered. “Forget the meeting. Ariane just sent me a telepathic message not to bother. They refused my offer to move to another planet. No need to waste time on the Caderen meeting. Stubborn, hopeless bunch.”
Sabree reappeared, a smile plastered on his face. “My sentiments exactly, which holds true for Ariane and me as well.”
How could anyone fix a broken man who claimed to decay from the inside out? A zombie-like shell who I alone had damaged the precise moment I delivered the poor soul into a future not his own. All answers pointed to one dismal conclusion—nothing or no one could repair Sabree. One being came to mind, but Athorsis had refused to help. Therefore, my inexperience with time travel had sentenced my friend to a life worse than death. My selfishness condemned him to a deteriorating existence. The ability to fix problems or the world turned out to be a curse rather than a blessing. How Tim E. Traveler wound up in time-travel limbo began to make sense. The only way Tim hoped to remedy his mistakes, was to educate his past selves. I let out a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Sabree asked staring ahead.
For some unknown reason, though I could imagine a few, Sabree refused to look my way. Maybe I understood. “Nothing, just laughing at myself.” I stared at him until my glare forced him to acknowledge me. “Here, take this.” I handed him the steampunk clock. Something about the gaudy piece enticed me to pick it up and give it to him. At least it didn’t zap me.
Sabree grabbed the clock from my grasp and cradled it against his torso as if it were the most prized possession he had ever owned. Tears welled in his eyes. “This is the kindest thing you have ever done for me. Thank you, my friend.”
“Aye? Thought for sure you’d toss it back at me.” My lip curled up in question. Not in a million years, would I understand the tremendous relief and joy this gift bestowed on Sabree. “Any hope you will change your mind?”
“Fat chance. Take Azrian and fix what you broke. Stop Farian. Start over. Befriend me again.” Sabree’s breath hitched. “We’ve already discussed our future or the lack thereof.” His glistening eyes revealed the emotion he held back.
My own eyes blinked back the wetness that began to pool. I nudged his shoulder and said, “I’ll go fetch Ariane and offer my condolences to Cayiel. Meet us on the crags. Mist there ASAP. JLS for me.” My eyes met his. “I’d like us to be together one last time before the world ends.”
54
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
O n top of Salisbury Crags overlooking Edinburgh City, I closed my eyes for a moment to recall the afternoon I stood on this exact spot in search of memories. The day we returned to Scotland to pursue a ghost. Sabree. It seemed ages ago. Lips spread into a smile when my eyes opened to the city vista below. A lone bagpipe droned nearby, carrying a melancholy tune in the wind. “How appropriate,” I uttered. Leaning against me, my sister stifled a sob.
The rocky outcrop almost alien in ruggedness perched on the edge of Edinburgh as though the crags were the city’s mammoth guardian. Across the horizon, radiant hues of orange and azure fused, weaving vivid lavender and pink ribbons. Brushstrokes painted the sky to crown the orange globe on the verge of its ascent. Streaks of white light radiated upward from the grand centerpiece, this spectacle an overture to the blazing destruction fated to arrive.
“Aye, she’s bonnie, our Edinburgh,” I whispered.
Sabree cleared his throat. “This is where it all began, and this is where it shall all end.” His lavender eyes reflected the setting ball. “Adieu…”
Bringing them here seemed the perfect place—the only place—to say good-bye, to behold the grand finale. “It doesn’t have to end here,” I reminded them. My stubbornness refused to give in. “We can all—”
“What,” Sabree said his voice catching again. “End it. Neither Ariane nor I can go back.”
“Sabree’s right, we’re broken. There are always our counterparts. The only way you can fix us is to return with Azrian and start over. Your experience will make things right this time around. You and Azrian will create new memories. Maybe in some strange way, the memories you shared with us will be within our counterparts.” She had never released his hand even after they appeared on top of the crags. “Return to the night before you met Azumi, before Azrian was conceived, so he won’t have to worry about leapfrogging into his unborn counterpart.” Ariane squeezed my hand. “What about yourself?”
From previous trips, as the initiator of time travel, I would beam into my past self, so no problem there. Their concern legit, there was no guarantee Sabree and Ariane would beam into their own bodies. If they did, all odds alleged their brokenness would likely beam in with them. Certainly, their memories and knowledge. “I will never forget you—either of you.”
Ariane nudged my shoulder. “Silly, how can you? You’re going back to square one. We will be our normal selves. Just don’t fuck us up this time.” Ariane slapped her hand over her mouth and giggled.
Sabree and I laughed along with her. Rarely did Sis drop the f-bomb. A rush of emotions erupted from deep inside. Ones I had stashed away, although not deep enough to avoid a mushy display during our final good-byes. My eyes glistened, and my lower lip trembled even as I bit into it. Our hands continued to hold on, squeezing tighter, never to let go. If only I could find a way to immortalize this moment on the crags. “Wait!”
I let go of Sabree’s hand, my own numb from squeezing so tight. From the belt pouch, I pulled out the orange topaz gem stashed with the other eight without knowing why. Now I knew why. Pinching it between my thumb and forefinger, I raised the stone before us. The topaz blazed as it activated. “It’s a selfie stone.” Ariane giggled at my silliness. I nudged her playfully and spoke in a whisper to keep my voice from cracking. “This cherished moment will be frozen forever inside this stone. Your counterparts will be able to experience it.”
“Selfie indeed. It’s the recorder stone you swiped from your first Caderen visit.” Watch what you telepathically say. It records all types of Fallen communication.” Sabree touched the gem and nodded for Ariane to do the same. “Ouch! What the—” The clock Sabree had been holding dropped to the ground and rolled off the cliff.
My eyes widened. “It zapped you too?” A flash of light sparked in my peripheral vision. I stared at the stone, certain the flash meant it had activated. “Who knew we’d end up recording our final good-byes.” Heartbreak brought a tear to my eye. “And who knew an archangel tear would spill for us.”
“Who knew,” Ariane repeated, her lips trembling.
The earth rumbled beneath our feet. All three of us touching the topaz, our gaze scanned the horizon. A faint lime streak glimmered at first. The longer we stared, the wider the neon-green inferno grew.
“No way. Not now.” I never meant to record the end. Never wished to see my homeland burn to a cinder. My grasp squeezed the stone. “The show must go on,” I said, fingering the horizon. I wrapped both arms around my friend and sister and held them close. A final gasping sob choked me. No words would come.
“See, you finally changed things up,” Ariane’s soft voice whispered telepathically. “You’ll make it right this time, dear brother. I’ll send you off with my love.”
“Mine too,” I mentally squeaked in response. My sister was right. I had two choices: let Athorsis win again by resetting our lives or wind up like Tim E. Traveler. Not this time. I would do right by them. Athorsis would not get to punch the reset button because I ignored the second neutralizer. Leave before it devastated all. Ti
me travel although Athorsis forbade it. Win my redo. Fock his reset.
With that resolve off my mind, a rush of tenderness and warmth filled me. Our ability to use telepathy blessed us for our inability to speak words aloud while choking on emotions. Another whisper softer than my sister’s voice caressed my soul. Sabree said his good-bye without meaning it as a final message between us. Clarity took hold.
“Our friendship has no end and will transcend when you return to the beginning. I know myself, so there is nothing you can do to jeopardize our renewed friendship.” Sabree rolled his eyes. “Well just about nothing. Take care, dearest friend.”
Another rush, warmer this time, filled my mind. I pried my tear-filled eyes from the burning horizon and gazed longingly at each one. I sent them a telepathic message. “I will never forget this moment, as it will forever guide me in the future past. I love you both.” I squeezed them once more. The ghostlike figure of Zoeree glimmered as she slipped into the recording stone I held. My body faded next.
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A final, wrenching sob echoed in Sabree’s mind as Brian faded from sight. The absence of his hug and his mind left behind a bleak emptiness that chilled him. Then the warmth returned as Ariane filled the gap. Soon they would both be a blazing inferno. Returning her embrace, Sabree turned to her and continued to speak telepathically. “Did you see her?”
“Yes, I saw our Zoeree. She hitched a ride with him, didn’t she?”
Hope filled the hollowness. “I believe she did.” From the twitchy clock to Brian’s recording stone. The uninvited hitchhiker would certainly surprise father and son. Sabree squeezed her. “Don’t worry; I’m sure Brian, Azrian, and Zoeree will make the jump in time.” He tightened his hold. “We may as well enjoy Earth’s final sunset together. I think this one’s going to be brilliant.”
“Only you could make a joke at the end of all things, Sabree.” Her eyes widened as the wall of flames rushed onward, towering over them by a few thousand feet. “I have always loved you.”
Against the Fallen Page 39