3

~Rosie 

A shudder went through me just hearing his name. 

It seemed like it suddenly made sense that he was appearing. I can taste his magic in the air, feeling his chilling presence around us. All the hunters look mortified at the idea of Time visiting, which I can’t blame them for. Their reactions are making me grateful they are hiding me away. I pray he won’t find me in this small tent like thing. 

“What’s he doing here?” I question lowly. The two hunters don’t answer me, moving back outside, leaving me sitting on an upturned bucket. Skylar walks in, looking me up and down skeptically. I can see her considering whether to hide me or not. 

She pulls up another upturned bucket, sitting in front of me. She has unfriendly eyes that survey me with no shame. “He’s here for you, you know.”

I frown. “You’re mistaken.”

“He senses something different. We all knew this would happen, just not so quickly. I can’t say anyone is happy about him coming,” Skylar tells me, glancing over her shoulder as if she is nervous her brother is listening. From the small snippets I’ve heard from Marie over the past few weeks, Time likes to make himself known, and leave an impression behind. 

“Rumour has it you work for him,” I comment. A chill has blown in through the tent, making me shiver. I can’t tell if that is the real weather, or if Time’s incoming presence is causing it.

Skylar sighs deeply, shrugging her shoulders. “Technically yes, however, Time only deals with my brother, not respecting or caring for the rest of us. I try get his attention while he is here, hoping I will get something from him, but it never works out.”

Her sullen expression tugs at my heart. 

Suddenly, her head jerks up, and she listens intently. Carlos is calling for her. Time is here, somewhere in this marketplace. I can feel him, his presence thick in the air to the point it weighs on me. Skylar clearly feels it too, as she shivers, standing up to walk back out the tent. 

I sit there, wondering if I should in fact listen to them and stay in this tent out of Time’s sight, or if I should try catch sight of him. At the thought of that in my head, I curse myself under my breath. Doing that could get me killed. 

The music seems to have quietened down, the festivities finding an end now that Time has arrived, wherever he is. People have even hushed down, waiting for him to come by their stall. 

I hope he bypasses this one.

The sound of voices from behind the stall catch my attention. Pushing the bucket I was sitting on back, I open the curtain to the other end of the stall, peering out to whoever is speaking. I spot a stall across the path, one man standing being served, his back to me. I know without thinking that it’s Time. 

He’s discussing something I can’t decipher, the stall owner looking visibly shaken, trying not to get on the bad side of the powerful immortal. Time is looking at fruit, picking some up and putting it down again until he settles on an apple. 

As he turns, I get the slightest glance at his face, but it’s not enough. He looks away from me. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like he can sense where I am. 

I’m safe just looking. For now. 

He’s dressed rather nicely for a simple visit to the market. He wears a tailored leather jacket, which is a strange sight on an Immortal. He has dark hair, as I’ve expected, however it doesn’t look as well groomed as I expected, as he pulls it back casually, not worried about it being messy. 

Finally he turns around, facing a stall eerily close to where I hide. He looks content, as he speaks to those who tend the stall. His eyes take me aback for a moment, admittedly breathtaking. They are an all consuming pure gold, concealing all his potential power. 

“Lovely night, isn’t it?” he says to the stall tender, shining his apple on his sleeve. He has a refined accent, totally foreign. It’s heard only slightly in the accents of the village people. 

I can see the tender tremble. “Yes.”

“Things here get awfully boring here, don’t they? Nothing new really...comes in,” he says smoothly, taking a crisp bite of the apple. I can see the stall owner sift through his own mind for the perfect way to answer. With an Immortal with such a powerful gaze looking at you, of course you would overthink everything. 

“You’re right, nothing new happens here,” he says. Time raises an eyebrow at him, and he seems to rethink what he said. “I mean, we all like it, of course. We love the life you have given us here, sir.”

Time nods, however, he doesn’t seem satisfied by what the poor man is offering. He looks around himself. “So, where is she?”

“Who, sir?”

Time sighs deeply, moving behind the stall. Suddenly, he grabs the collar of the owners shirt, pulling him up until only the tips of his toes brushed the ground. He’s effortlessly strong, picking up the man as if it’s giving him not issue at all. It makes me swallow nervously. Especially considering he’s looking for me.

“The girl, who came off the train. Rumour is she’s quite pretty, and you know no rumour passes me by. So I suggest being honest with me, and telling me where she is. Her and I need to have a little talk,” Time says, face awfully close to the mans in intimidation. 

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know where she is right now. All I know is she was staying with the baker,” he admits. 

I wince. Oh no.

Time lets go of the man, who scrambles away in fright. The Immortal doesn’t say another word to him, adjusting his jacket before turning to walk away, leaving the apple he had dropped at the foot of the poor, shaking stall owner. He then disappears from sight, so I pull the curtain back, taking in a breath. 

He doesn’t know I’m here, which means I’m going to stay in here as long as possible. The, I’ll need to get out of here. I’ll get back on that train and hope it takes me back to Fate’s territory. That place looked nice, by the sea. 

“My dear Hunters. Just the people I want to see,” I suddenly hear from outside the tent. I whirl around, walking back to the other side, peering through. 

It’s Time, facing both Skylar and Carlos. 

“Now you can probably assume why I’m here,” Time says, holding his arms open. He is looking around, as if to catch sight of me. I pull the curtain back for a moment until I brave looking back out. He hasn’t seemed to notice me, and Carlos and Skylar aren’t giving anything away. Why are they trying to help me so bad?”

“The girl, I assume,” Carlos says flatley, as if he’s uninterested in holding a conversation with an immortal. “Well, this is your village, and it is small. I don’t doubt you would find her fairly easy.”

Time seems to consider that, blinking through thick, dark eyelashes. “All I want is to speak to her. I’m curious about why the train brought her to my territory.”

Carlos nods. “I’m sure, Sir.”

“As hunters, I would like you to...well, do your job, and hunt her down. I need to speak to her immediately. You must know I don’t have much time to waste,” he says promptly. He’s an Immortal, he has all the time in the world. In fact, he controls it. However, Carlos nods, not giving anything away. 

He assures Time he will get on it soon. Pushing the curtain back, I step away, hoping Time will look elsewhere for me. I can hear him say his departing words, when I step back, kicking the bucket I had previously been sitting on. 

Of course.

I freeze, listening intently. The conversation outside ceases, and I pray they will move on, thinking I’m just someone who owns this store and is working with produce. I even consider making a run for it, however, he’s an immortal. He can appear and disappear whenever and wherever he pleases. 

“What was that?” I hear Time asks. He doesn't sound curious. In fact, he feels almost amused, as if he knows something no one else does. Maybe he does no I’m in here. Maybe I should make a run for it… 

“Store owner,” I hear Carlos say. He still sounds bored, as usual, a great actor. I hear Time hmm, before the store curtain is pulled open.

I jump, blinding by the bright lights from outside. 

My heart completely stops, as Time steps in, looking down at me with those shimmering golden eyes. I’m dead. He’s found me. That’s it for me. All those rumours about him are going to come true right now.

Time smiles softly. “Gotcha.”