The castle's heartbeat
The pipes of the machine lead in many directions, but I and Zeke choose the one with the most of them—and the one that feels most logical.
The door to the castle keep isn't locked, but when Zeke opens it, I gasp and pull him away by the elbow. He doesn't resist, and looks just as alarmed as I feel.
"You sense that too, my Maya?"
I nod and stare inside the castle. From where I stand, I can't make out more than a glimpse of a hall with stone floors and stone walls. Nothing out of ordinary there, except for the feeling that rings in my head like a particularly shrill doorbell.
The source of it is visible in my mind's eye. I and Zeke stand on the edge of a powerful current—but not in water or air, but in time. I don't feel it like any other magic, but more like a knowledge that's just *there*. But I don't doubt my senses, not for a single moment.
"What a powerful magic. Is this the time disturbance Miss Violet warned us about?" Zeke asks.