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Around them, crowds of travelers were caught in Esta’s magic. Groups of suited men and women were clumped throughout the cavernous space mid-stride. Most had the determined expressions of people on their way to somewhere else.
“There are too many eyes here, Esta,” Harte said, warily searching the crowd for any sign of movement. He wasn’t going to be caught off guard again.
“I know, but it’ll be faster this way,” she told him. “He can’t control everyone.”
Harte shot her a doubtful look, because they actually didn’t know what Thoth could do. But Esta didn’t notice. She was too busy looking up at the large board on one wall.
“I’ll have to let go of time,” she said as she studied the tracks and the arrival times.
“No—”
“The train can’t get here if it can’t move, Harte. The next 6 train should be arriving in a few minutes. Until then, we can use the crowd for cover.”
“Why do we need another train when we could go on foot?” he asked, not liking the idea of her letting time go.
“We could,” she admitted. “But the place I have in mind is a good distance from here. Probably over an hour’s walk.”
That was a long time to risk being seen. And Thoth didn’t seem to be bound by Esta’s affinity, so it didn’t much matter whether time was still. Better to get wherever she had in mind quickly. “Fine,” he told her with a nod. “I trust you.”
Warmth lit her golden eyes, and suddenly the station sprang to life. The sepulchral silence of the terminal was instantly replaced by the droning murmurs of the hundreds of people filling the large hall.
“The trains are over there,” she said, pointing toward the doorway capped by the large glowing clock. Its seconds hand was steadily inching around the dial now. “We should try to time it so that we get to the platform right about the same time as the train. In case we’ve been spotted, we won’t tip anyone off to the direction we’re going until it’s too late.”
“I’m not jumping off any more trains,” Harte told her, remembering the grime of the tunnel the day before.
“We shouldn’t have to.” Her eyes cut to him. “As long as your affinity’s working?”
He reached for his affinity and felt the connection to the old magic that had been with him his entire life, sure and strong. He nodded.
Having his affinity back didn’t make him feel any more confident. It was a sign that Esta had been right. Nibsy intended for them to return to the past. But Harte wasn’t in any hurry to meet the fate waiting for him in the pages of that diary.
Looping her arm through his, Esta pressed her body close to his. “Let’s go.”
The tunnel that led to the trains was even more crowded than the large hall they’d just left. Dim chandeliers that might once have been ornate had too many lights missing to truly illuminate the passageway. Esta seemed unbothered by the crush of people that jostled them as they pushed their way through, but every bump and brush with a stranger put Harte more and more on edge. Along the passage, a few police officers in crisp dark-blue uniforms watched the crowd, but thankfully, there wasn’t any sign of Guardsmen. And there was no sign of Thoth.
When they arrived at the platform, they still had three minutes until the train they were waiting for arrived. Esta led them over to a place by one of the steel pillars that lined the tracks and curled into him, tucking her face close to his neck. His heart raced at the scent of her so close to him before he realized what she was doing—hiding her face from the crowd. Following her lead, he dipped his head toward hers, blocking the view of their faces with the bill of his hat. It was a ridiculous-looking thing with “I NY” scrawled across the front, as though anyone could love this trap of a city.
“Just a few minutes more,” she whispered, her breath warm against his neck.
“I don’t mind the wait,” he said honestly. Especially when she was so close to him.
She’d only just smiled up at him when he heard a commotion coming from the tunnel that led to the platform they were currently standing on. The shrillness of a whistle cut through the noise, and Harte sensed the people around them shifting. It didn’t matter that the squealing of the approaching train was already echoing into the station. No one cared about its arrival, because everyone was craning their heads to look back and see what was happening. Esta stepped back from Harte, and her expression conveyed the same thing he was thinking—trouble had just arrived.
Somehow neither of them noticed that a small older woman had sidled up next to them until she was too close to avoid. She moved faster than anyone at that age had any right to, and before either of them could step back, she’d latched on to Esta’s wrist.
“Let her go,” Harte growled, but the old lady ignored him.
She was a tiny thing, but she must have been stronger than she looked, because Esta couldn’t seem to shake her off. Or maybe she wasn’t trying to? The old woman’s eyes were clouded with age, but there was no inky blackness staining them.
“Gram, let that lady go,” a woman with curly blond hair said. She looked at Harte with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry about this. She doesn’t mean anything.”
“I know what I mean, Ella,” the old lady said. “Go make yourself useful and keep them occupied.”
“Gram—”
“Go!” the old woman told her. “You know what to do.”
“But the Guard…” The frenetic energy of whatever was coming toward the platform was growing.
