Time ✔️

Chapter Three

Word Count: 1561

~Rosie

A shudder went through me just hearing his name.

It seemed like it suddenly made sense that he was appearing. I can taste his magic in the air, feeling his chilling presence around us. All the hunters look mortified at the idea of Time visiting, which I can't blame them for. Their reactions are making me grateful they are hiding me away. I pray he won't find me in this small tent like thing.

"What's he doing here?" I question lowly. The two hunters don't answer me, moving back outside, leaving me sitting on an upturned bucket. Skylar walks in, looking me up and down skeptically. I can see her considering whether to hide me or not.

She pulls up another upturned bucket, sitting in front of me. She has unfriendly eyes that survey me with no shame. "He's here for you, you know."

I frown. "You're mistaken."

"He senses something different. We all knew this would happen, just not so quickly. I can't say anyone is happy about him coming," Skylar tells me, glancing over her shoulder as if she is nervous her brother is listening. From the small snippets I've heard from Marie over the past few weeks, Time likes to make himself known, and leave an impression behind.

"Rumour has it you work for him," I comment. A chill has blown in through the tent, making me shiver. I can't tell if that is the real weather, or if Time's incoming presence is causing it.

Skylar sighs deeply, shrugging her shoulders. "Technically yes, however, Time only deals with my brother, not respecting or caring for the rest of us. I try get his attention while he is here, hoping I will get something from him, but it never works out."

Her sullen expression tugs at my heart.

Suddenly, her head jerks up, and she listens intently. Carlos is calling for her. Time is here, somewhere in this marketplace. I can feel him, his presence thick in the air to the point it weighs on me. Skylar clearly feels it too, as she shivers, standing up to walk back out the tent.

I sit there, wondering if I should in fact listen to them and stay in this tent out of Time's sight, or if I should try catch sight of him. At the thought of that in my head, I curse myself under my breath. Doing that could get me killed.

The music seems to have quietened down, the festivities finding an end now that Time has arrived, wherever he is. People have even hushed down, waiting for him to come by their stall.

I hope he bypasses this one.

The sound of voices from behind the stall catch my attention. Pushing the bucket I was sitting on back, I open the curtain to the other end of the stall, peering out to whoever is speaking. I spot a stall across the path, one man standing being served, his back to me. I know without thinking that it's Time.

He's discussing something I can't decipher, the stall owner looking visibly shaken, trying not to get on the bad side of the powerful immortal. Time is looking at fruit, picking some up and putting it down again until he settles on an apple.

As he turns, I get the slightest glance at his face, but it's not enough. He looks away from me. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like he can sense where I am.

I'm safe just looking. For now.

He's dressed rather nicely for a simple visit to the market. He wears a tailored leather jacket, which is a strange sight on an Immortal. He has dark hair, as I've expected, however it doesn't look as well groomed as I expected, as he pulls it back casually, not worried about it being messy.