Adela guided me into a massive room filled with a maze of metal cogs, springs, and pistons, all in constant motion.A steady ticking came from every direction, marking the never-ending passage of time.The smell of machine oil permeated everything.Sunlight filtered in through towering stained glass windows on all four sides of the room.Clock hands and tick marks cast shadows on the glass from the outside.
“Welcome to the clockworks,” Adela said.“You are now among a select few who have ever seen this room.Follow me, and watch that you don’t get caught up in any of the gears.”
Adela guided me deep into the mechanics of the clock.Whirring sounds came from all around us.She took out a parchment that looked similar to the one I had given her earlier.“This contains information that is critical to the Emberlight Council and will also help you and your sister.Do you accept this mission?”
“I do.”
She explained that I was to meet a contact who would guide me to the council at a specific tavern in the Underworld.
“Now, on to the hard part,” she said as we approached a mechanism within the clockworks where a notched lever clicked along a ratchet wheel.Both were the size of full-grown men.
“Beyond these clockworks is a shaft that drains excess machine oil.It drops all the way to the sub-basement of the Citadel Library.Once you’re there, you’ll be able to leave the building without attracting attention as long as you wear your initiate robes.But as you can see, getting to the shaft while the clock is operating is impossible, since you’d have only one tick of the clock to get through without being crushed by the machinery.”
“You’re going to use your Chronothene Ember to slow time,” I said.
“That’s right,” Adela said, sounding impressed.“We do this occasionally to perform maintenance on the clock.It’s how we’re able to tune or repair it without ever stopping it.But you won’t be aware of the pause in time.I’ll push you through, but from your perspective, one moment you’ll be here and the next you’ll be beside a shaft that drops hundreds of feet.Everything is slick with the oil we use to keep the gears in motion, so you’ll have to be ready for it.”
“I’ve found that I have some awareness of time pauses, likely because of my Veilsense.Maybe that’ll only happen if you let me perceive it?I’m not exactly sure how it works.”
“That’s not possible,” Adela said, her eyes narrowing.“Only another person with Chronothene can share in the time shift.”
“I’ve done it before, and I assure you it is possible.”
“Done it with whom?”she asked.
My mind immediately went back to those nights with Darion.Although my thoughts were consumed with concern for my sister, I still felt my face heat at the memory of that intimate moment.
“His name is Darion Thorne.He’s the one who invited me to the Emberlight Trials.”
A subtle shift occurred in Adela’s eyes, barely perceptible but undeniably there.She said nothing, but her face was pinched.
“Do you know him?”I asked.
“We can’t delay any longer,” Adela said, almost too quickly.“Are you ready?”
Something felt off, but I didn’t have the time to dig further with Elena in danger.“Let’s do it.”
“I’ll attempt to extend my Chronothene Ember to you, but if it doesn’t work, be ready to hold on for your life.”
“I’m ready.”
Adela concentrated on the pawl as it climbed up a tooth of the ratchet.As it crested the edge, the warmth of her Ember enveloped me.The scent of ozone and citrus collided with what had become a familiar feeling of time ceasing to abide by its usual rules.Though I’d seen it happen many times now, it was still spectacularly unreal.All the machinery froze, and a low-pitched hum replaced the whirring and ticking of the clockwork.I couldn’t imagine ever getting used to this.
Adela looked perplexed.“You really can perceive this, can’t you?”
I nodded.
“Remarkable.But we have no time to waste.”
Adela barely fit between the gears.Machine oil streaked her sides, but it blended right into her worn leather garments as if this had happened a hundred times before.With my slight build and dexterity, I mostly avoided touching the machinery, but with time frozen, it felt like moving through molasses.We both had to stoop to avoid the cogs overhead.The ground was slick with oil.
“Watch your step,” she warned as we approached a dark square hole in the ground.I had never been afraid of heights, but the sight of the tunnel dropping so many stories made my stomach flutter.
“That’s a long way down,” I said.
“No one would survive the fall,” she said grimly.“Well, Cassian Nightbrook, this is where we part ways.I wish you the best of luck on your journey.And one last word of warning: Be careful who you trust.”
No one could say that I wasn’t skilled at climbing, but by the time I was halfway down the torturous ladder, I was ready for this descent to be over.Machine oil coated all surfaces, making every handhold a chore to grip and every rung of the ladder an opportunity to slip to my death.My hands were raw and slick with oil, and the bottoms of my feet ached.
