shook the earth. Saffron clutched her arms around herself and frowned; this whole scene was getting too creepy. She locked her eyes on the timepiece and forced herself to concentrate, just so she could get the hell out.
It appeared to be even older than the parchment, with a bronze face and silver back that had blackened with time. The etchings in the metal, which were exquisitely detailed and abundant, had all been just about filled in by the build-up.
“ It will tell you how much time has gone by in the world you know as your home. It will show you the minutes here, the hours here, the days and years here....” Li let her voice trail off. She didn’t point out the section that counted off the decades, and the other section that kept track of the centuries — not after the look of horror that crossed Saffron’s face.
When Li said, ‘the years,’ Saffron felt her chest clench like it was in a vise. She raised her hand to her mouth as if to stop her heart from popping out. Then she took a deep, forced breath through flared nostrils and said, “No, Li — it won’t take years. I’m telling you right now — it will not take years.” She gritted her teeth and stared at the fairy. “My mother and Derek, Coco — they’re all going to be looking for me. My mother is probably wondering right now, this very second, if Markis and I are ‘getting it on’ in the woods. She’s going to come storming through the woods to find me pretending to be berry picking. If this takes twenty-four hours, even if we’re gone for two days, I’m going to have a hard enough time explaining myself, but that’s fine — I’ll deal with it. But Markis and I cannot go missing for years!”
Li smiled sadly. “You know, you may be right. Now that I ponder, I am sure that Ny wants you to come after him — he will want to be found. Maybe it will not take so long as I originally feared.”
Saffron grabbed the timepiece from Li’s hands. Li gently took it back, grasped Saffron’s wrist, and wound the long, golden cord trailing from the piece around and around again. The timepiece itself fit through a finishing hole and, voila, Saffron had a new necklace or bracelet she didn’t care much for.
“ And who will be in charge of this?” Li stretched out her long, lithe, white arm. In her palm was a small, flat, circular piece of glass.”
Saffron looked down her nose at the piece and pulled her head back like a nervous horse. “What is that?” She clasped her hands behind her back.
Wo snatched the glass piece out of Li’s hand and put it up to his eye, securing it between his eyebrow and his cheek. He squinted his other eye. “That’s a monocle, Luv. All the better to see you with!” He pinched Saffron in the rear-end.
She squawked and slapped his hand away.
“ That…” Li affixed a chain from the monocle to Tai’s lederhosen bib, “…will enable you to see a portal.” She stroked Tai’s hair and bent to kiss him on the tip of his nose. “Please behave. And although you can communicate with your brother telepathically, please have respect for our Saffron and speak out loud.”
Tai started to slosh away. Wo looked at Saffron and tilted his head, indicating she should follow.
Li wrung her hands. “Remember — though most realms have the energy to support magic, you must guard against it. Magic is not...legal — it will not be accepted without backlash….”
“ Yeah, yeah — we know,” Tai grunted without turning around. “Confucius say balance in all things, yeah — can we go now?”
Wo blinked and slapped a wet frond out of his way. “Who’s this Confucius?’
“ It’s this dude, a proclaimer that the humans are all rabid about.”
Saffron wrinkled her nose. “Confucius is dead — he died, like, a million years ago…?”
Tai shoved her in the shoulder. “Duh!” But he didn’t look too sure of himself now.
There was genuine worry in Li’s voice when she yelled, “Saffron, you must sleep. You
It appeared to be even older than the parchment, with a bronze face and silver back that had blackened with time. The etchings in the metal, which were exquisitely detailed and abundant, had all been just about filled in by the build-up.
“ It will tell you how much time has gone by in the world you know as your home. It will show you the minutes here, the hours here, the days and years here....” Li let her voice trail off. She didn’t point out the section that counted off the decades, and the other section that kept track of the centuries — not after the look of horror that crossed Saffron’s face.
When Li said, ‘the years,’ Saffron felt her chest clench like it was in a vise. She raised her hand to her mouth as if to stop her heart from popping out. Then she took a deep, forced breath through flared nostrils and said, “No, Li — it won’t take years. I’m telling you right now — it will not take years.” She gritted her teeth and stared at the fairy. “My mother and Derek, Coco — they’re all going to be looking for me. My mother is probably wondering right now, this very second, if Markis and I are ‘getting it on’ in the woods. She’s going to come storming through the woods to find me pretending to be berry picking. If this takes twenty-four hours, even if we’re gone for two days, I’m going to have a hard enough time explaining myself, but that’s fine — I’ll deal with it. But Markis and I cannot go missing for years!”
Li smiled sadly. “You know, you may be right. Now that I ponder, I am sure that Ny wants you to come after him — he will want to be found. Maybe it will not take so long as I originally feared.”
Saffron grabbed the timepiece from Li’s hands. Li gently took it back, grasped Saffron’s wrist, and wound the long, golden cord trailing from the piece around and around again. The timepiece itself fit through a finishing hole and, voila, Saffron had a new necklace or bracelet she didn’t care much for.
“ And who will be in charge of this?” Li stretched out her long, lithe, white arm. In her palm was a small, flat, circular piece of glass.”
Saffron looked down her nose at the piece and pulled her head back like a nervous horse. “What is that?” She clasped her hands behind her back.
Wo snatched the glass piece out of Li’s hand and put it up to his eye, securing it between his eyebrow and his cheek. He squinted his other eye. “That’s a monocle, Luv. All the better to see you with!” He pinched Saffron in the rear-end.
She squawked and slapped his hand away.
“ That…” Li affixed a chain from the monocle to Tai’s lederhosen bib, “…will enable you to see a portal.” She stroked Tai’s hair and bent to kiss him on the tip of his nose. “Please behave. And although you can communicate with your brother telepathically, please have respect for our Saffron and speak out loud.”
Tai started to slosh away. Wo looked at Saffron and tilted his head, indicating she should follow.
Li wrung her hands. “Remember — though most realms have the energy to support magic, you must guard against it. Magic is not...legal — it will not be accepted without backlash….”
“ Yeah, yeah — we know,” Tai grunted without turning around. “Confucius say balance in all things, yeah — can we go now?”
Wo blinked and slapped a wet frond out of his way. “Who’s this Confucius?’
“ It’s this dude, a proclaimer that the humans are all rabid about.”
Saffron wrinkled her nose. “Confucius is dead — he died, like, a million years ago…?”
Tai shoved her in the shoulder. “Duh!” But he didn’t look too sure of himself now.
There was genuine worry in Li’s voice when she yelled, “Saffron, you must sleep. You
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