Calyx and Thorne own the Retro Bar and offer authentic dishes from the past, which they obtain by jumping through time. On such a jump, they meet Thomas, a man from their own time, and find themselves caught up in a deadly world they didn’t know existed.
As the relationship between Calyx and Thomas deepens, the darkness stalking them is always close. Will their combined magic be enough to defeat evil?
“How did you know to come here? Exactly at this time?” Calyx asked.
Thomas had the grace to blush, his cheeks and throat flushing deep pink. He coughed, glancing from Calyx to Thorne.
“Well ... I ... I eavesdropped. At the Retro Bar.”
“You what?” Calyx fought to keep his voice low, but could hardly believe what he was hearing. “How? When?”
“I come to the Bar a lot. Most people don’t even notice me.” Thomas shrugged. “And I buy your hair and body products. They’re amazing. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, and felt safest away from the Academy not only in terms of geography, but also in time.”
That phrase had both Calyx and Thorne sitting straighter.
“Look, how about we take a walk outside.” Calyx held up cigarettes he didn’t smoke. In this era, smoking was permissible, but Thorne wafted his hands at Calyx and Thomas as if encouraging them to smoke outside.
Calyx ambled casually away from the bar, closer to the river. The ferries didn’t run at night, so it was empty and quiet. Although Calyx had thought it best to be outside where there was no chance of anyone eavesdropping, he was now regretting his decision.
The night seemed to press in and around Calyx and Thomas as they walked quietly along the now deserted docks. The surface of the River Mersey itself only reflected faint glimmers of the city’s lights.
The air suddenly changed from fresh sea air, becoming heavy, thick, and cloying. Something else was in the air now, another scent. One that didn’t belong. Calyx raised his head, sniffing, ignoring Thomas’s stare.
It smells like damp fur. As well as death and decay.
At that moment, in the shadows close to the water’s edge, something moved. Calyx eased protectively in front of Thomas. His gaze following the scent of an increasingly foul stench. At first, all he saw was a flicker. A shapeless shadow that flitted between the piles of crates and ferries standing at the water’s edge.
Thomas stopped, his hand tightening on Calyx’s arm.
“Did you see that?” he whispered, voice barely audible over the lapping water.
Calyx growled wordlessly. The thing in the darkness was hard to make out. Sometimes it seemed to be standing upright, looming up on two legs, its outline remaining shaggy and indistinct.
Then, with a fluid motion, it would drop onto to all fours, moving with an animal’s stealth. But its eyes always glowed a deep, unnatural red, never blinking, always watching them. A chill ran down Calyx’s spine at Thomas’s words.
“It’s following us,” Thomas murmured. “Or rather, I think it’s following me.”
“What?” Calyx wasn’t sure he could take any more surprises from the young man. “Okay, come to the bistro tomorrow. You and I need a long talk about all of this.”
The creature’s gaze burned through the gloom, tracking their every step as they began to move slowly but with determination back toward the bar, lights, and people. It didn’t make a sound, but the sense of being hunted was unmistakable, even for Calyx.
Calyx reached into his coat, fingers brushing the protective talisman he always carried.
“Stay close,” Calyx said, his voice betraying neither fear nor uncertainty. “Do you have protections?” he asked, relieved when Thomas nodded. “Good. If it comes any nearer, run for the lights of the bar. Don’t look back. I’ll protect you.”
The thing in the shadows shifted again, its form rippling between semi-human and beast, always that bit indistinct, always watching. The docks felt increasingly colder, and Calyx couldn’t but hope that the river would keep its secrets until dawn.
