The Tale of Amaretto

Twelfth Grain

Author's Note: This was another of those small pesky little Grains that I had written on my cell phone. Pardon me for it's lateness as it was never actually completed. I completed teh small amount and am placing it here for your enjoyment.

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The sound filled the entirety of the shop. Though it was very quiet within the shop itself due to no one being there, the silence and ticking were actually quite deafening. Katherine breathed a sigh of relief. Amaretto was surprised to see that Katherine was not soaking wet. That was when she remembered the parasol that her aunt had. The sneaky faire had used it to stay dry! Amaretto was sure that she looked like a cat thrown into a river; wet and miserable. She thought about catching a cold in this dismal place far away from home and that she wouldn't be able to snuggle up in her bed while her mother brought her clam chowder. Amaretto always did like clam chowder more than chicken noodle soup when she was sick.

The next thought that went through her mind was that she was in a watch shop. Clam chowder was pushed to the side as numbers and hands began to be what Amaretto thought about. The endless march of time and as she looked around, many of the clocks were grandfather clocks and pocket watches. There were even a few water clocks on a small table tot eh side, but most of them were small cookoo clocks. That was when the horrifying image of all of the watches and clocks going off at the same time went through her mind. She hoped that it would not happen and thankfully, it didn't. Inside of the store behind a rather large counter top was an old woman who looked them both up and down.

The woman was dressed head to toe in black. She wore a tight corset and a stiff necked blouse that was severely buttoned up all the way to her throat. At the top, a single broach could be seen; an exquisitely done cameo. As to who it was Amaretto was sure that it was important. The woman's hair was tied up into a bun at the base of her neck and was tightly cinched. Steel gray eyes looked at the both of them and Katherine tried to smile at her to open the woman a little bit more, but that didn't actually seem to work.

The woman continued to stare at the two travelers and when her eyes passed over Amaretto, a slight glaze in the look in her eyes was all that could be seen. There was a slight sniff of dismissal when the woman actually opened her mouth and in a terse voice said, "Can I help you two ladies?"

The accent was thick and Amaretto was sure that it was a full nasal on as well. The woman looked back to Catherine and then sniffed again.

Katherine's voice seemed a little forced, but there was nothing that anyone could do about it. "We are here to see the watch maker, is he in?"

The woman behind the counter rolled her eyes heavenward and then sniffed in disdain again. She pointed to a curtained doorway that was behind the counter. Amaretto noted that this one was a beaded curtain made of thick wooden beads. She thought of a gypsies' caravan and then quickly squished the thought in her mind in fear that the old lady would read her mind. Katherine continued to smile and then grabbed Amaretto's hand rather firmly and all but dragged her through the curtained doorway. Amaretto noticed that her eyes never left the woman. At that moment, Amaretto felt the familiar pull of something in her stomach and then there in front of her was Tempus once again.

Tempus' mouth twitched slightly as his eyes widened and then he said rather loudly, "You made it! Thank Fate!"

"I don't feel much like thanking anyone," Amaretto mumbled in anger. She was annoyed already. She had been pushed twice through jumping through separate places and she was getting annoyed It was then that her stomach lurched. She clutched at her middle and fell to her knees.

"Tempus, make some tea. Her stomach is catching up to her now." Katherine leaned down and patted Amaretto on the back. Amaretto felt a twitch in her gut again and tried not to vomit the contents of her stomach on the all but invisible floor.

The room was familiar to Amaretto but as she watched, Tempus began to set out tea on the small table that sat beneath the towering dark shadow. The shadow was the same, the table was the same, and even the tea set looked suspiciously familiar. Tempus started to absently pour himself a cup when he said in a low voice, "Well I for one am glad to see you both are still alive."

Amaretto blinked; or rather she had to because her eye twitched so badly she thought it was going to pop out of the socket. "Still alive... Still alive?! There was a chance that we could have been killed when you sent us off?" Amaretto forced herself off the floor and then shakily stood her ground to stare at Tempus. Anger radiated off of her form in such a way that Tempus flinched for just a second.

Tempus paused and looked at his teacup frowning. His eyes looked slightly troubled. He looked up and said quietly, "Well I hate to admit it, but when I sent you and Katherine to Monde Cruex, I was a little worried..." his voice trailed off.

"You thought that we were going to die! I ought to kill you!" Amaretto surged forward only to be stopped by her churning stomach settling and the firm grip of her aunt's hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now darling; even though you want to you can't. The line is simply too long." Katherine paused to glare at the man in front of them. Tempus actually looked to the ground as his cheeks flared a deep red crimson due to embarrassment.

"Sorry," Tempus said. "When the alarm went off I knew it was trouble and so I fixed coordinates without even thinking. I didn't realize it until later that the coordinates might have been wrong." Tempus continued to look sheepishly at the ground.

"Well we made it give or take a few miles," replied Katherine acidly. "The temple was not crowded thank gods. La sorcéire showed us something rather disturbing though that we were hoping to discuss with you."

Tempus placed the cup that he had initially been pouring tea into on a saucer and then moved forward to pass it to Amaretto. "What did you see?"

Katherine looked a little nonplused, however the answer burst forth from Amaretto's lips before her aunt could even answer. "Her double at the Sand Mirror is in trouble!"

Shock fell along the lines of Tempus' face for a moment before he placed the cup and saucer laid them back upon the table. As he did so, Katherine walked over to the table and searched around the cups and glasses for a moment before turning her full attention to Tempus. "Still no table brandy Tempus? You really should get some just for me at least."

"No brandy at high tea," snapped Tempus quite suddenly. A nasty look crossed his face. Katherine looked surprised at the tone that Tempus had used. She then sat down in one of the small wicker chairs that surrounded the table and began searching through her purse, all the while muttering dire precautions and unimaginable curses under her breath at the man who had denied her.

Amaretto looked back behind her aunt and Tempus at the table and once again saw the strange tower once more in her view. It was still shrouded in darkness, but Amarretto swore that as she stared at it, she saw a giant pendulum. It was slowly swinging back and forth without making a single noise. "Hey Tempus, what is this thing?"

Tempus paused in his pacing for long enough to turn his head and gaze towards Amaretto.