I was sweating.
“What in Time’s Teeth is happening?” Mimi whispered when he was out the door.
“It’s Master Talik,” Silas said. “He’ll get us out. Let’s go.”
But March put an arm in front of his chest before he could take another step. “Are you sure about this, Silas? How well do you know him?”
The look in Silas’s eyes. The way we saw his heart breaking at March’s words for a moment.
“As well as all of you know him. I told you the main story of what happened in the trials, but there are a lot more details I’ll have to go over, it seems. One of them ishim.” Silas nodded his head toward the door. “He was our teacher. I’m ten-hours certain he was part of the Underclock at one point, too. He’s safe.”
Teacher,he said.
“Guys, I need to be out of here. Ineedto—let’s get going,” Levana said, and she was the first to step over the pieces ofclocks on her tiptoes and slip out the door behind the Timekeeper.
One by one, the others joined, and Silas dragged his cane and his leg behind them. March and I looked at one another, and in his eyes, I saw the hesitation. He had no idea who to trust.
“He used to be our teacher. I think we’ll be fine.” I pulled at his hand. “C’mon. We’ll figure it out, whatever comes next.”If we don’t die first,was what I thought but didn’t say.
March nodded. “Stay close to me, Ora.” Equal parts plea and order.
“Walk fast. Don’t speak. And for the love of the Great Clock—” The Timekeeper, who was waiting for us right outside with a hand-lamp in his hand, threw a look back at us. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
Nobody said a word as we followed him.
It wasdifferent this time around.
The Timekeeper navigated the rooms and the corridors without hesitation, without a seeker, without even looking at the walls. It was clear to see heknewthis place. Like I knew the feel of pencil on the rough surface of my sketchbook paper, he knew every turn and every corner, even the pipes—he ducked without even looking.
The rooms we passed through were different again, but I was no longer surprised. I was no longerafraid, either. At least not half as much as I had been on the way down.
We followed the Timekeeper and the jingling of his tools, and the steady sound of his boots on the stone—and we didn’t askwherehe was taking us. None of us asked, but none of us were surprised when we made it back to the narrow corridor that would lead us to the hatch on the floor of Kohen’s Hollow.
The old Timekeeper was there, squatting near the edge, on his face an expression that said he’d aged ten years in the past few hours.
But he wasn’t surprised in the least to see the Timekeeper who led us here. He didn’t even sayhello.
Instead, Kohen only asked one question: “All of them?”
The Timekeeper nodded. “All of them.”
23
Master Talik.
After Silas told us the stories about him, it felt like I almost knew the man.
In fact, we were sitting in the Hollow, all around the three-legged table, eating and talking and trying to keep Silas distracted with questions, and I couldn’t wait to see his face again, certain that I’d remembermorethis time when I did.
But Master Talik had gone to see Calren Hock the moment we’d come out of that hatch and Kohen told him that Calren was indeed here. He’d disappeared into the darkness of the corridor almost two hours ago and had yet to emerge.
Meanwhile, Silas looked like he was seeing a ghost in his head any time he wasn’t talking or listening to someone talking to him. He’d get that distant look on his face, his cheeks would get pale, and his fisted hands white—and we all knew what he was thinking about.
The Host.
Reggie.
Each time he did that, I was reminded of the promise Imade, knowing that I couldn’t keep it. I was reminded of the look in his eyes then, the desperation, the feeling in my chest then, just as heavy as it was now.
