Mirrored Time (A Time Archivist Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

forgotten by almost everyone. Pulling the collar of his coat up against the biting wind, he moved closer to the edge of the building.
    The city spread out before him, lights shining in the dark. So many people with no idea how their lives could be affected by the next move of Miss Gwendolyn Conway. It wasn’t fair to place that burden on anyone. But now Alistair was forced to destroy her innocence for people who would never offer her their thanks.
    A noise behind him drew him from his thoughts, but he didn’t turn. He didn’t have to. Standing in silence, the two watched over the city below them. For a long while, there was just the lonely howl of the wind. Then Alistair spoke.
    “So it begins.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    T HE GREEN OF THE scenery flashed by with the clack-clack of the moving train. Gwen ignored it. While the train was warm, she still felt chilled to the bone. She had gone straight to the train station from work, buying a ticket to visit her aunt. The rippling face of the mirror would not leave her thoughts.
    When Alistair had asked her if she was all right, she had almost blurted out her fear that she was losing her mind. The words had danced on the tip of her tongue. But what could she have said? How did she tell someone that she might be going insane?
    Now, in the relative quiet of the train, she was relieved she hadn’t said anything. She was still shaken. The lingering terror oozed through her veins like crude oil. It made her feel sick and heavy.
    As the train moved farther from the city and closer to her aunt, her thoughts finally began to clear. Magic didn’t exist, and people didn’t disappear into mirrors with liquid surfaces. So, she had two options in front of her. One: She was going crazy. The nightmares, the sleepwalking, the delusions, they were all the product of an overwrought mind—a mind needing help.
    Or two: There was a reasonable explanation. And Gwen, whose belief in magic had been destroyed at a very young age, knew there was always a reasonable explanation. The easiest answer? The most logical? What she had seen was all just an elaborate prank designed by none other than Rafe … What’s-his-face . And she had fallen for it. Hook, line, and sinker.
    Her cheeks burned to think she had almost told Alistair. She doubted her boss, the epitome of the stoic gentleman of ages long past, would have been amused by such a hysterical reaction. The dreams had her more off balance than she thought, which is why she needed Maggie. Her aunt never failed to calm the rage of emotions within her. And if she was falling for stupid pranks, then she needed a calming presence.
    It wasn’t long before the screeching brakes signaled her arrival. Outside on the station platform, the rain poured, hitting the concrete with heavy splats. Her thin coat wasn’t going to offer much protection. She grimaced, pulling the coat tighter around her. It would have been smarter to head home for a change of clothes and a heavier coat. Yet, as soon as she had mentioned visiting her aunt to Alistair, she knew she would be taking the first available train to see her. A visit to Maggie would put her perspective back into focus.
    Hopefully, she would start feeling less like Pandora after the girl had unleashed chaos from her magical box. She snorted to herself. Lack of sleep sure makes me melodramatic.
    The mad dash to a free taxicab left her drier than expected. A few short words of direction to the driver and the vehicle lurched from the curb. Gwen let her gaze follow the raindrops running down the glass. It had been so long since her last visit, and here she was coming home for such selfish reasons. Maggie was going through her own difficulties, and the last thing she needed was Gwen bringing a whirlwind of turmoil home.
    Gwen straightened her shoulders and set her jaw. She wouldn’t repay her aunt’s love with selfishness. A quick word to the driver had the cab taking a detour. Thanks to the short stop, she stood at her