Timepiece (Hourglass 2)

Even though most of Ava’s belongings were still in the gate-house, it had an empty, abandoned feeling. The air was stale and cold. I flipped on a small lamp in the living room and cranked up the heat. It was the most remote place I could think of, a place where no one would look.

I made sure the blinds and curtains were drawn before I clicked on another lamp. I immediately turned it off. The darker the better for now.

“Ready?” I asked her.

Half of Lily’s face was cast in shadows. I didn’t have to see her to feel her sorrow.

“I am so sorry it’s come to this,” I said.

“I was willing to help before I was forced into a corner. We’ll make this right. Together.”

We sat down on the couch and put the Skroll between us. Stealing it from Dune’s room had been easy enough; he slept like a rock.

Trying to remember how he’d opened it was a little harder.

“Dune said that everything he’d seen in the Skroll related to either the Infinityglass or Chronos. We’re just going to cross our fingers and hope there’s something specific, some clue that points us in the right direction. To the right map.”

“I’ve never looked for anything I haven’t seen before.” Lily’s legs bounced as she waited. “What if I can’t find the Infinityglass? What if I find it and it’s in Africa? What will we do then?”

“If Jack or Teague thought the Infinityglass was in Africa, they’d be in Africa.”

“But—”

“Listen to me.” I put my hand on her leg. “It has to be close. All the key players are here. This isn’t a coincidence.”

“I hope not.”

“Here we go.” The holographic screen appeared between us, bright in the dim room. Lily reached over to turn off the tiny lamp and then faced me again.

I tapped the map icon on the screen with the stylus. Maps rotated in a circle as they projected from the screen.

“Any you feel good about?” I asked.

Lily watched them spin. “Let’s start big and work our way in. There’s a modern world map.”

I touched the corresponding map on the screen, using the stylus, and it projected into the air. I did it again, and the map spread out across the screen.

“Okay, close your eyes. We’ll practice.” I took her hands and put them on the screen. “Now try to find the Lincoln Memorial.”

She tapped her fingers across the map; once she hit DC, she stopped. “Here.”

“You got it.” I changed the dimensions and size, as well as turning the map sideways. “The Space Needle.”

She found it immediately.

“Don’t open your eyes. The Arc de Triomphe.”

Her fingers felt every inch of the map twice. Her mouth turned down at the corners. “I don’t feel this one.”

“That’s because it isn’t a map of France.”

She growled at me.

“Okay, try the Leaning Tower of Pisa—”

“There.” She opened her eyes. “I think I’ve got it.”

Her cheeks were flushed, and the excitement in her voice was contagious. I took her face in my hands and kissed her hard on the lips. “You can do it.”