Published at 31st of July 2022 1:10 pm

Chapter 399 - Track Of Time- Part 2

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Lucas' frowned after he realised that Belle was not in the boat with Rower and Greed but here with the timekeeper and Barron. Belle was the one who answered, "Barron got stuck with death reapers because we forgot about the nonexistent bond before." He gave her a nod. At least one problem was solved in here, "By the time we turned back, Rower, Greed and the boat was not here. Catina said that it was because earlier she was playing with time that caused the change."

It was good that he had put the timekeeper to sleep. She was similar to Barron who had been causing trouble. As much as he wanted to go and stop her by going to the time frame where Barron had convinced her to take a vacation, it would cause far worse changes that one wouldn't be able to fix. And if he did, there was a possibility where Belle would have died when she was a child to end up completely like Portia.

But something didn't sit right here. There was something that bothered Lucas.

"Tear a page out of the book for me. An empty one," said Lucas. Belle didn't know what Lucas' plan was but she did as she was told. Tearing a page from the book, she handed it to Lucas. Though he was in his reaper form, Lucas turned part of his arm into a mortal to have skin and muscles. Using the other hand which was made of bones, he used the tip of the finger to draw out blood from the hand that had flesh to write something on the paper.

"What are you writing?" asked Barron who leaned forward and stuck his head close to look at what was being written.

"Who is it for?" Belle questioned.

"A gift from Barron," answered Lucas and Barron's ears shot up straight.

"I was only joking. Is it a good idea?" questioned Barron, "I know I always give good ideas."

Lucas' finger moved so fast that before they knew it, the paper disappeared with a spark of fire and so did the timekeeper, "Is it safe?" asked Belle, having a fair idea about where the timekeeper was sent.

"Better than her being left unattended. It will give time for them to cool off while also keeping them occupied," replied Lucas, "There's a soul that was picked up from the river of the dead a few years ago. I don't know if it was put back in the river or if it's rotting somewhere outside in the land of the dead."

"Whose soul is it?" inquired Belle. This was the first time she was hearing about it.

"It was a woman. I am not sure but I am speculating it was someone important, who Winston was trying to revive." This caught both Belle and Barron's interest, "It happened in the past. By going back in time and repeating the footwork which was left unknown before, it is easier to pick on things. The timekeeper is similar to the first Grims, like Edith and Rower mostly when it comes to keeping secrets. I have a doubt that Winston was trying to fix things that led to some discrepancy of time and the effect fell on me as a diversion, while part of the blame fell on Barron that he was the cause."

Wait, what? asked Belle in her mind.

Lucas continued to explain, "Don't you think it is strange that even though the timekeeper has been here for all this time in the land of the dead, nobody has come close enough to catch her?"

"I thought it was something to do with the ability," Belle said while trying to wrap her head around the rushing information.

"Sure," agreed Lucas, "She has the ability but we all know first comes the Hawverts, then comes the original Grims, after that comes the timekeeper and the rest of the reapers and creatures."

"No, no. Then comes we Grims and then lowly death reapers. You do NOT include me with those useless things," corrected Barron, who was more attentive towards his status, "Are you telling that she has been working with Winston?" asked the rabbit.

Somewhere it did make sense, thought Belle to herself, "She never received a bounty like the rest of you guys," Belle muttered under her breath in realization, "What if Winston is with Crane right now? Won't Catina end up there now?"

"I haven't sent her to the tower, she's somewhere safe where only Crane can find her," said Lucas, "I don't think Winston will sit still in the tower. We need to find out where he is."

"What about Greed and Rower?" asked Barron.

Lucas turned to Belle, "Use page seventeen paragraph four in the book to find them. You can use Barron as a sacrifice."

"What the fuck you mean use me as sacrifice?!" shouted Barron in shock, "What am I some emergency kit for you guys? Need to blame someone? There's Barron. Need to sacrifice someone? There's Barron. Helloo!"

Belle turned the pages, counting one after another. She came to the seventeenth page and the fourth paragraph as instructed by Lucas. She had been trying to read all of it but it had been hard with no headings to understand what it actually meant.

"If your theory is a hundred percent right, it only means that I am innocent!" explained Barron to them, "I wasn't the one who actually told her to go. Catina left her position on Winston's word," he said, forgetting he was also under suspicion for taking Winston's bone and turning to a fallen Grim.

Instead of listening to Barron's words, Belle started to read what was in there. Though she was in her dead form, she wasn't actually dead. Therefore, the spell ought to work as she came from the lineage of the white witches.

Tapping her hand in the air, Belle continued with the spells. The water suddenly splashed out, moving from the bottom to outside until the bank of the river, that left everyone drenched in water.

The boat came up and so were the two Grims, "Well that was fast," commented Barron looking at the two Grims in the boat, "Ophi!" came his excited voice when he caught sight of the soul that he had pulled out of the water a few hours ago.

"Thank you," Rower bowed his head to Belle while Greed looked more than annoyed.

"What were you doing under the water?" questioned Barron who was back to wringing his wet body. Every time he thought he was almost dry, someone or the other had to pour water on him.

"Someone froze us down there," answered Greed. When the boat was pulled near the bank of the river, he was the first one to get out of it. Now that they had got Greed and Rower back, Belle could only confirm that Catina was involved with Winston's plan. And that it was possible that she was trying to mislead them into a bigger trap. It was hard to think whom to trust and whom to not, thought Belle to herself.

"It was the timekeeper," informed Lucas, "Rower, did Winston pick up a soul from the river?"

Rower gave some thought over it, "He had picked many souls only to put them back. Why? Who are you looking for?"

"Timekeeper?" asked Greed on the other side for Barron to start explaining.

"I need the names of the most important people who came from the land of the living. Eleven years ago. The day I fell down from the Grim's position," Lucas gave Rower more information.

"Ah, I remember," answered Rower, his head moved to look up and then back at Lucas, "She had platinum white hair. A woman who wore white robes and a petite body. She was a black witch."

"Did he ever come to return it?" asked Lucas.

"No," replied Rower, "He said the Hawverts were going through the first species and trying to get an answer over the nature of the people in the living. And by the looks of the current condition, I am guessing that it wasn't for that?" Rower tilted his head in question to hear Lucas sigh and then shake his head.

Greed, who was done with getting the explanation from Barron, turned his head to say, "I don't think anyone ever guessed that Winston was up to something. It was just me and Baltimore who knew Winston was up to something but we didn't care to know more about it."

"Why don't we go and speak to Crane directly?" Belle asked. If Lucas had sent a note and the timekeeper to show his loyalty was with the interest of the dead, Crane would possibily hear them out, "Tell him it wasn't you Grims who started the events."

"But we are still part of it," said Lucas, "Even though we didn't have any ill intention, we have caused problems and those won't be overlooked. Not to forget, he still doesn't know about you," he added.

Why would Winston want a black witch in the first place? asked Belle to herself.

Lucas then said, "He cannot revive her because he has the wrong book in his hand. So the black witch is nothing but useless unless she is revived."

"So what's the next plan?" asked Greed.

"Go find Winston and see what he is doing," said Lucas, his hand changed back to skeleton form. At the same time, Rower stepped out of his boat and dusted his hand to receive looks from the other people.

"I am bored. I can have some fun," said the Grim reaper before sending his boat to sail by itself.

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