Ilosovic Stayne: The Knave

Chapter Eighteen: Time

Heavy footsteps from leather boots walked down a rather narrow corridor in a darkened yet rustic looking palace; the sounds of ticking ringing through the halls.

Time, himself, was walking quickly down to the gates of the Underland Living where he kept ever single time clock of each Underlandian citizen. Thousands of pocket watches hun in the air by chains, each one labeled with a name. He walked down the pathway of the balcony leading out into the middle of all of them and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Who has ticked there last tick, tocked their last tock?" He questioned, taking a moment as he focused. "Hm?" He hummed and his eyes snapped open as he found which pocket watch that had stopped ticking in the thousands that hung there. He held his hand out as the golden chain lowered the pocket watch into his palm and he unhooked it with the other hand. He brought the watch up to his face, reading the name.

"Ilosovic...Stayne?" He questioned, a slight confusion in his voice. "Interesting, you weren't suppose to tick your last tock yet..." He muttered to himself, his thump pressing down on the button on top of the watch to open it up. He looked at the time his heart had stopped beating, his brow narrowing together as his other hand brought up to the watch to tap his index finger to the dials, seeing if he could get it starting to tick again. When it didn't work he closed the watch and stared off for a moment in thought before quickly turning around and walked out of the Underlandian's Living, room.

Time then walked across the way and stopped in front of the gates to the Underlandian's Deceased to go hang up Ilosovic's pocket watch. Time pushed opened the gates and walked down the isle of the balcony heading down to the S section of last names. He looked closely at the names until he came across the Stayne family line. There was only one spot left where a free swinging chain hung. The Stayne family bloodline had ended and Time was about to hang up the last Stayne name. He reached his hand up and grabbed the chain, holding Ilosovic's pocket watch out to it.

TICK!

Time had stopped, pausing all movement when he heard that noise. His brow raised a little as he heard it again.

TICK!...TICK!...TICK!...TICK!...

Times lips flatlined a little and he took a step back, letting go of the chain while he looked down at the pocket watch in his hand. "I was right..." He muttered. "WILKINS!" Time shouted to the top of his lungs for his assistance, quickly walking out of the Underlandian's Deceased room and back over to the Living, heading down the walkway to the middle of the room; holding out his palm. When the empty chain came back down to him, he gripped the end of it and placed the pocket watch back on the golden chain; a small smirk coming to his lips. "Use the rest of your time well..." He muttered and then let go of the watch, his eyes watching as the pocket watch lifted back into the air and hang where it once was.

A clanking came running down the isle, a short little mechanic bot hurrying as best as he could up to Time. "Yes sir?" He quickly replied.

"Wilkins!" Time exclaimed, turning to him quickly. "I have paperwork to do! Get Ilosovic Stayne's file...he still has a lot of time on his hands..." He ordered and Time quickly walked off back up the isle and out of the Underlandian's Living, room.

To Be Continued...