The Time Keeper

Chapter 11 - Visitors

The man's words were like icicles, sharp and piercing. They left no room for response. Spits of rain started to fall behind them and the pitter-patter on the roof became noticeable.

"Who are you?" Caius asked, his tone betraying none of the fear I knew he must have been feeling.

"You don't have the luxury of knowing that," the man quickly and forcefully responded.

The two visitors walked in one after the other and stepped past Caius, their gaze shifting from him to me as they entered the living room. Their presence took up the entire house, suffocating it like a dense fog. The taller man took a seat in one of the chairs like he owned the place, while the woman remained standing leaning against the doorframe. "We have a few questions for you," the man said, his voice low and menacing.

Caius and I just stood as we were. "Ask away," Caius responded.

The man said nothing as he waved his hand, inviting us to sit down. Caius obliged whereas I was fine where I was.

So, what do you want to know?" Caius continued on coolly, but I could tell that he was anything but relaxed. He was tense, like a cat ready to pounce.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with a flick of his lighter, blowing smoke into the air with a look of confidence that only made Caius seem more nervous. He acted like the kind of man who relished in this kind of power dynamic.

"First of all, let me clear up a misunderstanding," the man said, waving his cigarette around between his fingers. "We're not with the enforcers. We aren't here to take you in or turn you over to anyone. We have our own interests, so I think it would be rather wise to cooperate."

I felt a light wave of relief wash over me. Perhaps I was right and things were not as dire as we had initially thought. But Caius remained tense, his eyes never leaving the two visitors. Did he think otherwise? Were our visitors not who they really claimed to be?

"Is that so?" I replied with my arms crossed.

The man took a long drag on his cigarette and leaned back in his chair, a wry grin playing across his face. "We want to know what happened the other night, with the both of you of course." He paused and looked between both Caius and I. "We have reason to believe that you two were involved in some kind of... altercation, and we want to know the details."

Caius and I exchanged a quick look, both of us weighing our options. We couldn't risk telling them too much, but at the same time, we couldn't risk making them more suspicious. If they were just enforcers of some sort in disguise, then it would be best not to mention the magic incident in the slightest.

"What kind of altercation?" Caius asked, trying to play dumb.

The man leaned forward as his smile was subtly fading, his eyes narrowed. "I don't think you understand the situation you're dealing with."

The woman spoke up for the first time. "Don't play games with us. We know you were there. We have our sources," her voice soft and cool like the similar chill in the air.

The tension in the room was visible, it was as if I were stuck in some kind of twisted interrogation scene from a movie. The man's eyes were like lasers, boring into me and demanding the truth, but I wasn't intimidated. I know my rights... oh, well not if they're different here.

"We were just passing by," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We had no idea what was going on."

The man raised an eyebrow, taking another puff from his cigarette. "Really? That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"