Chapter 2: Just in Time

The museum was in a state of panic. Although most people were naturally inclined not the recognize magic, this was a high-profile event and it had enough security to know that something out of the ordinary and most likely sinister was taking place. It had taken a fair amount of correctly applied magic to get Dave, Riley and Abigail through the lockdown unscathed.

Still, they managed it and arrived at the old Rolls Royce's alley-parking place. A haze of depressing disbelief hung over the party. Dave had thought Balthazar dead before and had been proved wrong, and yet the possibility that, dead or not, he would never see his mentor again seemed all to concrete. Abigail and Riley seemed to feel the same way, albeit about their own friend.

In fact, Dave was distracted enough during the following drive that he ran two lights, blatantly cut off a speeding taxi and made Abigail yelp twice along with prompting a chorus of angry honks.

Finally they pulled into the parking lot of a neglected tenement building several blocks away. Dave discreetly disguised the automobile as a five-year-old hybrid, just in case Horvath came looking for Balthazar's car.

"Hello Dave," said the slender beautiful woman emerging from the shadows. She had dark hair and fair skin and wore jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt. "Who's this with you?"

Riley and Abigail introduced themselves nervously. "This is Veronica," Dave told them, "Another sorcerer and Balthazar's girlfriend."

"Speaking of which, where is Balthazar?" Veronica asked seriously.

"Shouldn't we put up some sort of magical field so we're not disturbed…" Dave started to suggest.

"Already done," said Veronica. "Your text only told me it was urgent. Now you need to tell me everything."

Dave began at the beginning, leaving nothing out. Riley and Abigail helped out where they could, but they still didn't really know what was going on. The new knowledge about the existence of magic had got them a little shell-shocked. Dave new Veronica cared for Balthazar probably more than he did, but she didn't even blink when she told her what had happened to his mentor.

"You have the hourglass with you, do you not?" she enquired after he had finished.

"Yeah…" said Dave.

"May I see it?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Dave turned to get it out of the car but Riley beat him to it.

"It came from the Templer treasure room," Abigail explained as Riley handed the piece to the sorceress. "I never really thought about it before, but it's really a very strange artifact, mixes styles from many different culture's and dynasties."

"You haven't thought about it before because you're meant not to think about it," said Veronica. "The surface charms are in place to prevent those without magical capability to pass it by, ignore it's more incongruent facets altogether."

'So what is it?" asked Dave, "Other than an sandglass I mean. What does it do?" He hoped it wasn't a death ray.

"I'll get back to you on that," Veronica said. She sat on the pavement with the hourglass in her lap. Scrutinizing its designs she turned it over and over in her hands, whispering ancient words under her breath.

The rest of them just stood around awkwardly.

"So," said Riley, "Read any good books lately."

"No, Riley, I still haven't read your book yet," Abigail rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say anything about…"

"No, but you implied it, which is worse," she said.

"This," said Veronica finally, "Is no ordinary hourglass."

"I had that much figured out," Dave admitted.

"It's old," Veronica explained, "Older than Merlin himself, or at least the sand within it is. It looks like sand, takes on its attributes, but these are the building blocks of creation, the original god particle. It is said in legend that the gods originally formed our universe from this substance, but I never knew it still existed in such pure form. Through vaguely manipulating the attributes of this sand in all matter around us we sorcerers are able to perform magical acts in the first place. One grain has more inherent power than the Prime Merlinian himself."

Riley raised his hand, "I think my general belief that this is more than some hallucination brought on by stress of bad food just dropped by about half, you know, give or take."

"Just pretend it's alien," Abigail suggested.

"Might as well be."

Ignoring them, Dave stroked his chin in thought. "No wonder Horvath was so interested in it."

"Makes me glad he didn't get ahold of it," Abigail agreed, "Whoever he is. But what did it do to Ben?"

"This is fine workmanship," Veronica continued, stroking the hourglass gently, half-speaking to herself. "The sand inside is in a state of temporal flux, continually regenerating. That keeps it from running out, makes the supply inexhaustible. It was a very heavy piece of magic to set that up, it must have taken several sorcerers working in concert."

"But what does it do?" Dave said. Balthazar was always mystical and dramatic, but Veronica talked about magic in very practical, scientific terminology. Sorcerers were always ahead of their time...some more than others. He couldn't help but smile as he tried to picture Balthazar attending one of his college classes, whereas Veronica might as well be teaching one.

"The shape of an hourglass is all too appropriate," said Veronica, looking up. "It influences time."

"You mean like time-travel?" Dave couldn't keep the shock of his face.

"I think so, yes," said Veronica. "Among other things. Time does not solely a linear progression of events; it's more like a crumpled mess, a pile of intersecting realities and generational gaps."

"The angels have the phonebox…" Riley trailed off as the women both glared at him. Dave was only one who appreciated the reference, let alone recognized it.

"Through proper manipulation of this artifact," said Veronica, "Which requires magic, of course, you have the capability to bend the time-stream to your own desires."

"If such a device was briefly activated…" Dave mused.

"I believe that's exactly what happened back in the museum," Veronica agreed. "Balthazar Blake and Benjamin Franklin Gates have been lost in the time-stream."

"Lost in the time-stream?" Abigail blanched, "Are you crazy?"

Veronica and Dave looked to her. Together they raised their fingers slightly parted. "Little bit," Dave shrugged.

"As long as he's America sometime after 1776 Ben'll be fine," Riley said. "He's probably his own grandfather by now or something."

"Charming," Dave made a face,

"Either that," said Veronica, "Or they've been destroyed, their atoms torn apart and spread across some future landscape. One of the two."

"Let's hope for the first one," Dave said.

"Do you have any idea where they might have ended up?" Abigail asked Veronica.

"No," the sorceress admitted.

"Can you find out?" asked Riley.

"Yes," Veronica nodded.

"So…that should probably be our next course of action," said Dave. Everyone agreed.

"The incantation necessary will be taxing," said Veronica. "I think I have the abilities to perform it successfully, but it will take time. I will need a large secluded space, somewhere I won't be disturbed."

"I think I know just the place," Dave said.