94. Into The Woods.

Cece was glad to get away from those disgusting crows, even if it meant trouncing through the forest in the dead of night. Darkness had never frightened her, anyway. In the dark, it was easier to hide--that’s why she’d enjoyed the catacombs so much.

She always figured Simon’s men would catch up with them eventually, but she had to give them credit -- this was much earlier than expected. The very first timehole. Or timepiece, as Abe was so fond of calling them. She smiled. Abe wouldn’t leave the entrance, Cece felt confident of that. Now it was just a matter of whether Simon’s men found Abe first, or --

"Hello, Celine.” It wasn’t Simon. No, he wouldn’t dirty his fingers something like this. It was just a couple of his thugs, muscled yes-men that she habitually refused to dignify with names. Instead, she mentally labelled the two men standing in the brush ‘Thug 1’ and ‘Thug 2.’ They were big, brawny idiots who probably couldn’t have found the time on a watch, let alone the entrance to an actual timehole, without hand-fed instructions.

"Are we going to have a problem?” She all but snarled the warning, and was delighted to see Thug 2’s face falter for a moment. They might be twice her size, but they knew who she was.

"You tell me,” Thug 1 replied. He opened his arms with a patronizing smile. “We are going towards the timehole. You are going away. Perhaps we just pass each other, without a word. When Simon asks how it went…” He shrugged. “Maybe I forget I saw you.” Clearly, he thought he was doing her a favor.

Unfortunately for him, he completely misunderstood her intentions. Cece hadn’t come into the woods to flee from them--she’d come out to find them. 

93. A Rigged Trial.

 “I told you, it was the nanny!” The priest spoke with a thick Italian accent. His heavy eyebrows hung wildly over his eyes. He stroked them constantly, a nervous tick. “That woman -- the nanny!” He glanced at Ava. “Who are you?”

She breathed a sigh of relief as the knight took in his words. “You don’t know this woman?”

The priest shook his head, and glanced to his right. They were in what must have been the dining hall of the castle, set with tile floors and lavish tapestries. At the moment, however, it was an impromptu courtroom. The knight stood to the side, presiding, and three other robed monks sat at the table in a line. They looked at Ava with disgust -- she realized her jeans and boots must look horribly inappropriate in this era-- but they were even more disdainful of their brother, the nervous eyebrow-comber.

"Then we’ll deal with her later,” a nasal-voiced priest decided. “You, Brother Antonio, have been charged with the murder of his Lordship Giuseppe, aged twenty-three months at the time of his death. Eyewitness account has verified --”

"Whose?”

The priests all turned to Ava at her question, as if just remembering she was there. “What?” the nasal-voiced priest asked with irritation.

“Who’s the eyewitness?” she pressed, although she already had a suspicion.

“He’s gone!” Brother Antonio cried in distress. “He testified and fled, the cowardly stranger, and you, my brothers, take his word above mine--I tell you, the Lord’s nanny is responsible--”

"Enough!” the knight roared. “Your actions prove…” But Ava didn’t hear much else of what he said; she was too busy trying to figure out what she would have to do. If her grandfather accused this priest of murder, then clearly she’d have to absolve him. That was the only way to put things right.

92. No Murderer.

There were yellow roses above her, growing up the wall of the castle, unkempt enough for the occasional stalk to be leaning away from the stone, making a little unsteady arch. They hadn't been there, before. “State your name, jade,” the knight spat. His armor gleamed in the bright sunlight, although over his chest he wore a pure white tunic that hung long over the horse and had a bright red cross embroidered at the center. He held up his sword and his horse snorted anxiously, waiting.

Ava was mostly surprised to hear him speaking English, with an accent not too dissimilar from Abe’s (although much thicker). He was certainly a long way from home.

“I said speak, whore!” he yelled, and the horse reared impatiently.

"A-Ava!” she stuttered. She was suddenly and uncomfortably aware of how vulnerable she was. “I’m sorry, I’m lost!” she cried. She doubted he would believe her, but couldn’t think of anything better to say.

The knight laughed a nasty, arrogant laugh. “Your lie gives you away, woman! You’re in league with the priest. Murderer!” He pointed the sword directly at her chest. “Do you deny it?”

"Yes! Of course! I’m no--no murderer!” She couldn't help the small hesitation, as the faces of the men on that plane flashed before her eyes. The men from the timehole.

That didn't count, she thought. They were already dead.

She stood up taller, trying to fake her confidence. “I swear it. I don’t know anyone here, least of all any priest.”

The knight lifted up his visor to get a better look at her, his brow furrowed and his eyes suspicious. “You don’t know any priest?” he snarled. “Then you’re worse than a murderer. You’re a pagan.”

"That’s not what I meant!”

"Did your witchcraft help the priest murder that innocent child?” he asked, his face growing redder by the minute. “I ought to behead you right here. But go!” He gestured to the entrance with his sword. “I’ll take you inside. You can join that disgusting priest for his trial.”

91. Alone In The Dark.

"Now what?” Cece stared at Abe with a bored expression. The misty knight had vanished with Ava, and although the crows still occasionally cawed and fluffed their feathers, they had mostly calmed down. Cece made sure to keep a certain distance between herself and the birds, which made Abe grin. She could pretend to be as cool as she pleased, but he knew better. She was nervous.

"Now we wait,” he replied. “It takes one hour.” He glanced at his watch. About two minutes had passed.

“A whole hour?” There was just a hint of whining in her voice, and she still gazed at him. “What will we do for an entire sixty minutes, monsieur?” She was closer to him now, maybe three feet. He hadn’t noticed her move in the dark.

“Erm--” He involuntarily stepped backwards. “Just, um, wait, I suppose.” She stepped closer again, a smile playing at her lips, her eyes never leaving his. It made him exceedingly uncomfortable. “I suppose I might read something--or--”

"In this darkness?” There was now less than a foot between them. Abe’s throat felt tight. He tried to swallow.

"I have a flashlight.” She smiled again. He glanced over his shoulder. “We should probably keep an eye out for--” But then her hand was playing with his shirt buttons and he completely lost his voice. “Um, I--what--what’re you doing, Celine?”

She laughed. “What do you think, monsieur?” She leaned her face into his--her lips nearly brushed his own--he could feel her breath on his face and was irritated to find she smelled warm and sweet, like roses and saffron...

Then she left. She just walked away. And when Abe finally caught his breath, cursed his idiocy and shook himself back alert--he realized his gun was missing.

90. Click.

Ava recognized the sound this time. The ‘click.’ The knight on the horse still stared, though. It took a step towards her and she jumped--she reminded herself this wasn’t a ghost. It was the timepiece. It wasn’t a ghost. It was the timepiece.

Click.

The crows cawed more anxiously. One dove down towards the knight with a little scream and the horse reared.

Click.

 Ava glanced back at Abe and Cece, who were frozen, staring at the strange scene. “It’s the timepiece!” she whispered hoarsely. Abe nodded nervously.

Click.

There was no point in delaying it any longer. She ignored the knight and stepped towards the archway, towards the clicking sound. The horse reared again, and another two crows dove down at it, clawing at its face.

Click.

It was louder now. The horse tried to get closer to her, but the more crows kept flying down, apparently to keep him from doing just that. She moved around the space, feeling for the opening she knew must be there--

Click--she felt the earth twist away from her feet, her body tumble in a whirl through the air, and she landed against the dirt path again with a painful thud.

When she looked up, the night had been swallowed up into a sparkling afternoon light, and Abe and Cece were gone. The knight, however, was still glaring down at her from his horse, more bright and solid than before.

She hesitated. He drew his sword.