The Timekeeper's Watch

Chapter Fourteen - Dreary Reads and Fearful News

Thom was none too keen for his lesson the next day with Lutwyche. It began in much the same fashion, sitting at the corner desk reading the little yellow book. He was now halfway through the thing, although he wasn't confident with how much he actually remembered of it. Most of it was complicated rambling on the protocolised theory of Reseting. Just the thought made Thomas sigh.

He didn't realise he had done so audibly, until Lutwyche spoke.

'Something wrong, Thomas?' Lutwyche sat at his desk, scribbling away in a book.

'It's nothing sir...' Thom said. A moment ticked by. He could hear his Watch in the quiet. 'It's just... well, sir, I thought you teaching me how to Reset would be a little more... practical in nature.'

'Did you now?'

'Yes, sir.'

'And how practical did you expect it to be? Did you expect to be able to Reset autonomously in your first lesson?'

'Well, no sir, not my first lesson, but I -...'

'You need to learn the theory behind the practical components, Mr Firth. Otherwise you will fail,' Lutwyche said in a monotone voice. 'And you will fail not only yourself, but you will fail Mr Rigby also.' Lutwyche eyed him knowingly above the rim of his glasses.

Thom said nothing, and at that moment there was a knock on the door.

'Come in,' Lutwyche called.

The door swung open and a student Thom recognised as one of the administrative volunteers entered. He sent a disinterested glance Thom's way before stepping forward and placing a sealed envelope on Lutwyche's desk.

'This came for you urgently, sir,' the boy said. 'It bears the wax seal of the Society.'

Lutwyche nodded at the boy. 'I see that. Thank you, Alan.'

Thom watched on as the boy left, and Lutwyche proceeded to stand and take the letter over to the window, where he used a sharp golden letter-opener to open it.

Lutwyche was silent for a moment while he cast his eyes over the letter. Thom watched as he placed it down on the window sill and looked outside at something very far away.

'Sir? Is everything alright?' Thom asked slowly.

Lutwyche said nothing for a moment, then cast his eyes over to Thom. 'No, Mr Firth, everything is not alright.' He turned and folded his arms, leaned solemnly against the window sill and looked down at the floor. 'Professor Wiley failed to show for classes today. The Society were notified and they sent out Timekeeper's to investigate once they found her house empty.'

'Empty? Where could she be, sir?'

'Thom, I'm sorry, but Professor Wiley is dead.'

Thom's shock missed a beat. He opened his mouth to ask a question but didn't know what to ask first. Words threw themselves around in his head as he pictured the last time he had seen Professor Wiley. He had to think on it a moment, before remembering her in the class room the other day, her dress as red as her hair.

'Her body was found at the edge of the Green Creek lake. They say she jumped from the bridge.... It is a lie, of course. Her Watch was missing when they found her.'

'Her Watch was missing?' Thom stood to his feet abruptly. 'What does that mean, sir?'

Lutwyche moved from the window with pace towards his desk, gathering up loose papers and shoving them into a drawer. 'It means, Thomas, that someone is acting nefariously towards Timekeeper's. We must act at once.'

Thom looked around helplessly, unsure what Lutwyche wanted him to do. 'What can I do, sir?'

'You can remain silent about this information, Mr Firth,' Lutwyche said. 'Speak to no one of this. I need to go to the Society,' Lutwyche untucked his gold pocketWatch from amidst his vest pocket and proceeded to do something with his hands on the face. Thom watched, mesmerised. Lutwyche glanced back up hastily. 'Take the yellow book with you, and for Time's sake, be careful with it, boy. We will delay your studies until I return.'

'But professor -...!'

And with that, Professor Lutwyche left a rather perturbed Thom standing in the middle of his office, as he disappeared into thin air.