“Because,” he said triumphantly, “he holds the answers you’ve been chasing. Answers I can’t give.”
I stared at him, the seed of suspicion taking root. “Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me?”
John James lifted his hands in a casual half-shrug. “Just one more thing. Something that might tip the scales.”
He paused—then dropped the final twist with maddening calm.
“My brother and I… we’re Timebounds. If that means anything to you.”
The words hit like a lightning bolt.
Heat surged through my chest—not from the sun but something deeper. Rage. Confusion. Realization.
“Wait—what?” I shot upright. “You and your brother are both Timebounds? Whatisthat? And why the hell was this never mentioned before?”
John James just smiled, maddeningly serene.
“Because you weren’t ready to understand. Until now.”
Chapter 24
Alina
My mind wrestled with John James’ words as he stood beneath the shelter of an oak tree.Timebounds?Reconnecting with his brother in the future? None of it made sense. I had a hundred questions, but he wasn’t waiting for them—he was waiting for something else. A sign I understood. A belief I couldn’t summon.
His gaze flicked from my face to the ground, hesitant, as if deciding what to reveal next.
“What exactly is a Timebound?” I asked. “And why are you here while your brother is… there?”
I motioned toward the horizon—toward the future.
John James nodded, his expression set in quiet resolve. “My brother and I were born in this century but separated as children. Timebounds can only travel with the aid of a Timeborne. Even babies can be moved through time, but never alone. It’s a rare, almost sacred connection.”
He looked at me, then glanced away—toward the door, or maybe the past. There was a flicker in his eyes, a silent plea. He wanted to know if I believed him. If I, too, felt the pull of this strange tale.
Before I could respond, he continued, voice soft but steady. “We were sent to different eras in those first weeks of life. I don’t knowwhy. I don’t know how. All I know is, one day… he was gone. And no one would tell me where or why.”
The heat pressed down on me—maybe from the sun or his words. I wiped my damp forehead with the sleeve of my dress, my throat dry.
“I need water,” I murmured, swaying slightly.
John James was on his feet in an instant. “Sit,” he urged, pointing to the nearby stump. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
I collapsed onto the log, my limbs heavy. Across from me, Dancing Fire stood silently, and I scowled at him.
He should have told me this. I know he knows.
That same damn stony, unreadable expression met my glare. I wanted to scream. Inwardly, I growled. A stare-down with Dancing Fire would lead nowhere, and the heat was unbearable.
I tried to redirect my thoughts.Emily.Could that little charm around her neck have been a key? A marker of some kind? Maybe it appeared when she arrived—an announcement that she was a Timebound.
But my thoughts scattered at the sound of heavy footsteps. John James was approaching, carrying two clay jars of water. He handed one to Dancing Fire and passed the other to me.
“Thanks,” I muttered, the words tasting as forced as the water.
I gulped it down, but it was warm and wooden, likely scooped from a barrel. It only made my thirst worse.
John James stepped closer, extending a hand. “Let me show you how Timebound travel works,” he said. “May I see your dagger?”
