Part 5

Vaust was doing his best to not show any emotion as Yurn explained what he had encountered. The poor fool had no idea how close he had come to death. But he couldn't explain it to him. When Yurn finished, Vaust thought for several moments before speaking.

"I think you should wait for Sirene to return in a month's time." Vaust said carefully. "She'll want to know what happened personally." You'll also be safer in my domain you lucky idiot, Vaust thought inwardly.

"I'm not rich, Mister Innkeeper." Yurn replied. "I can't afford to stay here for an entire month."

"Don't worry about that." Vaust said dismissively. "Sirene will pay for it. Choose any room you like, it's yours until she returns."

"Well, if you insist." Yurn conceded. "I admit I'm rather tired from the day's events, so I'm going straight to bed. Same room is okay?"

"It's all yours." Vaust said, smiling. "I'll see you in the morning."

Sirene arrived right on schedule on the first day of winter less than 3 weeks later, and Vaust immediately motioned for her to come into the kitchens when she arrived.

"Was the issue resolved?" She asked him quietly.

"No, in fact it's grown into a far bigger problem. If you would?" Vaust replied, motioning around them.

Sirene nodded, placing her hand on the floor. The doorway shimmered and the flow of time beyond the two of them seemed to stop. "What's on your mind, Vaust?"

"Gustav is dead, killed by his own creations." Vaust answered. His brow was furrowed.

"That's hardly bad enough to need a time bubble, old man." Sirene said, crossing her arms.

"Let me finish. Yurn encountered a stitched up woman. She called herself Liddell."

"No, it can't be. Liddell is dead. I killed her myself, Vaust!" Sirene shouted at him. "She's been dead a thousand years!"

"Which is the problem. Resurrection isn't possible, you know that. What did Gustav do?" Vaust said gravely. "More importantly, does Eigengrau know?"

"Of course she does. The fact she has not intervened means this was supposed to happen." Sirene said with a sigh. "That means Gustav did not use any sort of time magic."

"Yurn described a woman who matches Liddell perfectly. Deadpan. Paranoid. Polite. Murderous. It's not just a coincidence."

"I can't believe I'm hunting down the same woman again." Sirene said, shaking her head.

"As Eigengrau said, time is a flat circle, Sirene." Vaust said with a chuckle.

Sirene could only laugh at Vaust quoting Eigengrau.