Child of Time Read online

  The creature snuffled at this. ‘You puny-minded Earthlings! You pretend to grasp the secrets of psionic science, yet still you cling to your linear concept of time!’

  The Grand Master was hastily conferring with the Chancellor, but from her hand gestures, Honoré wasn’t sure that she had the slightest idea what the creature was talking about. He smiled to himself. That’s what came from messing about in the web of time... Things could get very confused if you weren’t careful.

  The Grand Master turned back to the Dæmon, drew himself up to his full height and addressed the creature. ‘My Lord Dæmon. We have summoned you here at this time to bear witness that your race’s experiment on Earth has been a great success. Through the Sodality’s skilful manipulation, human evolution has advanced to a level previously undreamed of, with the creation of time channellers and time sensitives.’

  He clapped his hands together, and the six kneeling children were prodded to their feet by the attendants and separated into two groups of three. They too were mesmerised by the beast.

  ‘See these fine examples of our work. Individually, they may seem no different from other human beings of their era, but put a time channeller’ – he gestured to the first group – ‘together with a time sensitive’ – he indicated the second group – ‘and they can take you anywhere in time and space! Yes, with their combined abilities, they can move fettered between the ages, and take others with them! No longer do we – or you – need to be restricted to the psionic nexus points! We present these fruits of our labours for your appreciation, Lord Dæmon, and ask that you now bestow your great powers on us – on me – and leave this world to our wise governance.’

  The Grand Master bowed and gestured with his hands, indicating that these pitiful children were now the Dæmon’s to do with as it wished.

  The creature looked at the Grand Master for a moment, and then a booming, echoing sound rang out. Honoré realised that it was laughing.

  ‘For me?’ chuckled the creature. ‘I am Mastho! A Dæmon! What use do I have for humanity’s first childish steps into infinity?’

  ‘My Lord Mastho,’ said the Grand Master, stepping forward a pace. ‘This is just the start. With your power bequeathed to me, we will be able to continue the work and create the ultimate product of human evolution: the Child of Time! The first of a truly new breed, combining the abilities of a time channeller and a time sensitive in a single individual... able to traverse the years alone and unaided. With your power, we shall achieve this goal, find the genetic key to free movement throughout all time and space!’

  The Dæmon was silent for several moments. The Grand Master and the Chancellor looked up at it expectantly, their faces still hidden beneath their goat-skull masks.

  Slowly, the creature raised its head and started gazing about the hall... apparently looking for something. ‘There is someone here...’ it said, its voice low and threatening.

  Watching from the gallery, Honoré and Maria shrank back slightly. Had the creature somehow registered their presence? Perhaps when Honoré had probed its timesnake?

  ‘... someone old and yet young... a time traveller...’

  The creature continued its slow scan of the room, but the Grand Master broke in. ‘Of course, my Lord. These six children are the most adept of our time sensitives and time channellers. They have been required to travel through time on many occasions, always under guard of course, to test the extent of their abilities.’

  Mastho turned its head back to regard the Grand Master. ‘Perhaps that is it...’ It raised an immense hand to point straight at the masked figure. ‘So, you consider your experiments a success?’

  ‘Why, yes, My Lord... can you not see? We have summoned you here with us to observe our accomplishments and rejoice.’

  ‘Rejoice?’

  The Grand Master nodded enthusiastically, and glanced at the other assembled Sodality members for corroboration. They all smiled inanely and nodded along with their leader.

  The Dæmon shifted and took a step towards the Grand Master, looming over him. ‘I shall tell you what I think of your experiments. They are not a triumph. They are an abomination!’

  A collective gasp went up from the masked throng. Of all the things they might have expected to hear, this was not one of them.

  ‘An abomination, because they threaten the very plans of my race. The Dæmons seeded this planet you call Earth many aeons ago... and we have been watching it carefully ever since, monitoring the development of your puny race. My people set this planet on its evolutionary course, and now you... you and your Sodality...’ – it spat the word with contempt – ‘have dared to interfere with that course through your clumsy meddling with history? You have corrupted our experiment!’

  As the creature’s roar of displeasure echoed around the room, the Grand Master tried to retain his composure, although he, like his fellows, was clearly alarmed by this unexpected turn of events. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the many of the masked adherents were edging closer to the doors, perhaps in the hope of battering them down and making their escape if this all turned out far nastier than any of them had expected.

  ‘My Lord,’ he began in a placatory tone. ‘No disrespect was intended... Everything we have done has been with the noblest of motives, to demonstrate to you the full potential of humankind, and to serve your purposes. The children are –’

  ‘Children!’ Mastho’s voice was a roar of pure energy. ‘I have no need of children! You. Grand Master. You have subjected them to pain and suffering for nothing!’

  ‘Nothing? But –’

  ‘Silence!’

  The creature’s roar echoed away and the room fell silent. All whispering and shuffling stopped, and everyone stood in hushed awe, awaiting the Dæmon’s next proclamation. All very aware that it could also be the last thing any of them ever heard.

  The seconds ticked by, and the Dæmon seemed to be enjoying holding them in its thrall. Eventually it spoke again, this time more quietly. ‘Although I am greatly displeased by your actions, I am prepared to be generous. If, by the time of my third and final appearance, the Sodality has succeeded in wiping out all these so-called time channellers and time sensitives from the face of the Earth, throughout history, I might be prepared to overlook this unfortunate meddling. Otherwise, I shall judge our experiment a failure... and destroy this planet!’

  The Grand Master glanced at his Chancellor, aghast. ‘But, my Lord, that would be a near-impossible endeavour. Through our work, we have already caused time channellers and time sensitives to be born throughout human history. One of our biggest challenges is to locate and capture these special individuals, to use for our purposes. There are many still at liberty... possibly hundreds! To find and kill them all... would take centuries!’

  ‘I give you one thousand years exactly,’ replied the Dæmon. ‘My third and final summoning shall be in the time of your own origin, your year 2586... and then, I shall decide whether this planet has been a success... or a failure.’

  Whispering and muttering started up again amongst the masked adherents. Honoré saw that some of them were looking around them, desperately seeking a way out – presumably these were time channellers and time sensitives who had been working willingly for the Sodality’s cause, and who now found themselves facing a sentence of death. Others were glancing nervously at their fellows, possibly trying to spot which of them was now under this genocide order.

  The Dæmon smiled, knowing full well the effect its words were having. It turned back to the Grand Master, whose mask could not disguise the fact that he was deeply shocked to have been presented with this ultimatum. ‘To assist you in your endeavour,’ said the creature, its voice cutting through the babble, ‘I shall make a start, and these innocents shall suffer no more.’

  It reached out a hand, extended a finger, and the small group of children were instantly vaporised. Wisps of dar
k smoke rose from where they had been standing, and a dusting of ash fell gently to the wooden floor.

  There was silence in the room.

  ‘And now I take my leave... Remember... one thousand years...’ And with that, the Dæmon abruptly turned in on itself, as if it had all been some trick of the light, and vanished from sight.

  With the creature’s hold over the room broken, panic erupted. People surged towards the doors, banging on them frantically and demanding to be let out, and screams rang out from some of the women as they were thrust aside in the rush.

  ‘My friends!’ shouted the Grand Master, but no-one was listening to him now.

  Watching from above, with Maria still close by his side, Honoré saw that the situation was descending into chaos. He waited to see what the Grand Master would do next; would he be able to restore order and reassert his authority?

  The Grand Master turned and nodded to his Chancellor. At this signal, she pulled a pistol from beneath her robes and fired it once into the ceiling.

  The loud retort shocked everyone into silence once more.

  ‘My friends...’ started the Grand Master again. ‘Why this panic? Calm yourselves.’

  One of the crowd stepped forward. ‘Are you mad! You heard what that... that thing said... Our fellows are to be slaughtered! This is not what we have been working towards!’

  ‘You are right, of course,’ admitted the Grand Master. ‘We badly misjudged the Dæmon’s reaction. But it is more important than ever now that we keep our heads and work together as one! We have been set a challenge, and we can meet that challenge. We have achieved so much already, and now we have a new focus for our efforts. Before, we were like children ourselves, struggling to understand and to know where we were headed. But now we have a firm direction, and a time frame in which to work. We can still succeed!’

  He turned away from the crowd and motioned his Chancellor to come closer. Together they had an intense, muttered conversation. Honoré, far above on the balcony, could hear nothing of what was being said, but he suspected that the very future of the Sodality was being mapped out right here and now.

  The Grand Master turned back to his people. ‘It is agreed. Our loyal time channellers and time sensitives, you have nothing to fear. You shall not die: on the contrary, you shall be crucial participants in our efforts to cleanse the time streams of renegades.

  ‘Furthermore, our scientists must continue to work toward the creation of the Child of Time, for that will give us the ultimate means to conduct the search through time and space. Any who remain loyal to us will be guaranteed wealth and happiness and protection from the purge. We shall also put our scientists to work to find a means to reverse or annul the time channeller and time sensitive abilities, so that those who aid us can be protected from the Dæmon by the time it makes its third appearance.’

  The Grand Master smiled, holding his arms aloft and standing before his people like some kind of prophet. And that, Honoré thought, was probably exactly what he was. Taking the words of his god and presenting them to his people in a manner that they could accept. It was obvious that he needed the continued co-operation of his loyal time channellers and time sensitives, and no doubt he would say anything necessary in order to secure that. Honoré had seen this sort of thing happen before in London; gang leaders twisting the facts so that the rank and file bought into them and didn’t think to question the truthfulness of what they were being told. But he knew what followed: anyone who didn’t toe the line would meet with a tragic and unexplained accident.

  ‘Furthermore, my friends,’ the Grand Master had not yet finished. ‘We must appoint someone to oversee this great endeavour. Someone we trust and who has the capability and determination to do what has to be done. Who better, then, to be charged with this most important of tasks than my own Chancellor? As you know, she herself is a time channeller, so she will feel as keenly as you do the urgency and importance of what we have to achieve. Henceforth, my Chancellor shall be known as the High Executioner... and with you as witness, this day the appointment is made.’

  Emily was woken by the sound of the door opening, and she cracked open one eye to see Honoré and Maria entering the safe house. It was still dark outside, though the rosy glow of dawn was just touching the sky.

  Emily stretched like a cat and yawned. Her legs were stiff where she’d curled them beneath her body in the battered old armchair under the window. She’d wanted to bring the children back – make them eat and sleep – but Violet had stubbornly resisted the idea, her strength of mind increasing with every step away from the Palazzo. Finally she’d turned to Emily, touched her gently on one arm.

  Thank you.

  ‘But – ’

  Violet had said nothing, just taken Freia from her arms and grabbed Jimmie’s hand. Before Emily had had a chance to react – not that there was anything she could have done to have stopped them – they had vanished, and she had been left to return alone.

  ‘Sorry if we woke you.’ Honoré’s words dispelled the last of the sleep from her brain. He hung the jacket of his costume up on a peg behind the door.

  ‘It’s okay,’ said Emily, stretching again. ‘I was dreaming about stars and travel.’ She wondered if there was any food in the house.

  Maria barely managed to suppress a yawn herself. ‘After what we’ve seen tonight, I don’t think I ever want to dream again.’

  Honoré chuckled. ‘Sleep without dreams. That’d be worth a price. But we do need to rest.’

  ‘Before you do,’ said Emily, ‘there’s something I have to tell you.’

  Honoré and Maria glanced at each other. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I rescued some of the children... and Honoré, it was Violet, Jimmie and Freia! I got them out of the Palazzo and then they vanished and...’As Emily spoke, her words spilled out faster and faster, falling over themselves as she explained what had happened, how they’d escaped, what Violet had done, and what she had heard about the Child of Time. She felt in her soul that this was the answer to her amnesia and to everything that had been happening to her – this was her identity, what she’d been searching for these two past years, and it made her heart and soul glow with pleasure to know that she’d found it.

  ‘Slow down there.’ Honoré laid a hand on her arm

  ‘But Honoré... you don’t understand,’ she continued breathlessly. ‘It all fits. I think I must be this Child of Time they’re talking about. My missing past is here –’

  He frowned. ‘It could be. But don’t go rushing to conclusions. Maria and I... we’ve had a pretty interesting evening ourselves. And we found out some things that –’

  ‘... and if this is my past, then I can deal with it, really I can, Honoré. It just feels so great that I can...’

  ‘Emily.’

  ‘... finally stop worrying about it and...’

  ‘Emily!’

  ‘... start to get my life back on track.’ Emily paused, panting for breath, suddenly aware that Honoré and Maria were both looking at her strangely. ‘What? What is it? I’m right, aren’t I?’

  Honoré shook his head gently, and for a brief moment Emily thought that he was expressing disagreement, but then she realised that he was just quietly amused by her burst of excitement. Then she saw the affectionate smile in his eyes turn to a look of concern, and she followed his gaze to Maria, who was gripping the back of the chair with her teeth clenched.

  ‘What is it?’ He grabbed her shoulder, but she pulled away, doubling over as though she’d been punched in the stomach. ‘Maria?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I think...’

  But Emily knew. ‘She’s phasing again.’ She leapt out of the chair. ‘We’re going with her this time.’

  ‘I think,’ Maria spoke through gritted teeth, ‘I can control it. But hurry.’

  Emily took her hand gently, offering support. ‘Where are we goi
ng?’

  ‘The future. St Paul’s,’ said Honoré, taking Maria’s other hand. ‘Let’s see if we can finish this.’

  Maria relaxed, and Emily could feel the power. Static electricity tingled through her hand, and she had to fight the urge to let go. She wondered where Violet was, and if she’d ever see her again, as the room flickered from view and the air caught in her lungs.

  Blue lightning filled the room in a place and time that had yet to see the wonders of electricity, and the three travellers faded from sight, leaving nothing but the scent of ozone and some rapidly-dissipating residual sparks flickering around the floorboards.

  [1] See Time Hunter: Peculiar Lives

  The Child of Time

  London, 2586

  1

  The High Executioner again found herself watching Dr Smith via the monitor screen on the desk in her room. He was in the suite he had been given – or, to be more precise, confined in – on the top floor of the Palace, gazing out of the window and down the Mall. As usual, he seemed completely at ease. He had lit a cigarette and was blowing a long, thin stream of smoke from his lips. Then, with a smile, he started blowing smoke rings and even, extraordinarily, a few smoke squares. At length, he wandered over to the table where his lunch had been served, dipped a finger into the bowl of trifle and licked the chocolate cream off absently. Did he somehow know that she was observing him? She couldn’t see how he could, and yet she strongly suspected that he did. She felt a strange compulsion to go and talk to him again, and eventually decided to resist it no more.

  She turned to the acolyte posted by the door. ‘You there. I am thirsty. Fetch me a jug of water.’

  The acolyte shifted uncomfortably. ‘But, my lady, the Grand Master said that I...’

  ‘He said that you were to assist me, did he not?’

  ‘Yes, my lady, but...’