Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Watch

Chleo watched her dad twitched under the covers. He still refused to wake. Dai insisted he would when he was ready.

“Dreams are tricky things,” she’d said. “They twist and turn, guiding us through journeys our minds need us to take.”

Chleo lifted a wet rag to wipe sweat from her dad’s forehead. His brow relaxed the slightest bit, a soft sigh passing through his lips. She liked to think she helped, even if it was only a little.

“We’re landing today,” she told him. Dai said he might hear and follow her voice home. “They say their people may be able to help.” She glanced at the research she’d stolen from the palace sitting innocently on the bedside table. “Both of us.

“I still don’t understand what they did. I know it’s only been two days but…” She blinked away an unshed tear. “You know how impatient I can be.” She forced a laugh through a frown. “I wish Mom were here. She’d know.”

Her hand reached into her borrowed cloak’s pocket to fiddle with her mom’s watch. Will had surprised her with it the day before. He’d found it in his uncle’s study alongside the book. “They said she made the cocktail they injected me with.” Her fingers flipped the watch open, then closed. She’d only had it a day and it was already becoming a habit.

“Dai said I could keep her cloak,” she said steering away from dangerous territory. Her goal was to bring her dad back, not chase him away. “She even offered to take me shopping when we land so I can have some spares. Can you believe that? Me with spare clothes.” A real smile lit her face. The thought of owning something she picked out herself… it was exhilarating.

She pulled her mom’s watch from her pocket to examine it. “I don’t suppose you could tell me what it does?” she asked him, still unable to figure it out. Her thumb flipped it open before polishing the glass face.

“Or,” she mused, “if you’ve ever heard of something called Umbra? No one else has.”

The watch hands spun out of control before landing on the numbers one, two, and twelve. “That’s weird,” she muttered trying to spin the dial and correct the time. The only movement was the second hand slowly inching from the one closer to the two. She shut the lid and reopened it. The hands ticked back to the correct time.

Chleo’s eyes slid from the watch to her father’s prone form, an occasional twitch racking his body. “It can’t be that simple,” she muttered, Mr. Mungow’s watch flashing through her mind.

“Umbra,” she repeated. Again, the hands spun out of control landing on twelve, two, and one and a half. They were directions.

Chleo leapt from her chair, and ran for the door. She had to find Will. They needed a plan.

 

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A quick author's note:

A huge thanks to everyone that's stuck with me so far!!!  I still can't believe people are interested in something I wrote.  It's incredibly motivating.  You're all amazing!

This marks the end of Volume I.

Don't worry, the first chapter of Volume II will be posted at the same time tomorrow!  My backlog is still keeping up!  I know,  I couldn't believe it either :) .  Like I said, you all are super motivating!  Stay awesome!

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