Read Online A Clockwork Heart by Liesel Schwarz - Free Book Online Page A

Oracle within the comfort of their home. But, despite her best efforts to make the best of things, these duties were something she was still not entirely happy about.
    â€œAnything?” he said from the other room.
    â€œNot yet. But I won’t be a minute,” she said with a little smile as the panel slid shut.
    There was no fireplace in this room and the floor beneath her bare feet felt cold.
    She took a deep breath to ready herself before stepping onto the mosaic. This circle was sacred; it was a portal—a place where one could access the barrier that held the two realms of Shadow and Light apart. The multitude of layers that made up the universe lay before her.
    She closed her eyes and focused, reaching into the metaphysical space that opened up before her to reveal the great divide. It unfurled in sheets of golden, gossamer light. The realms of Light and Shadow lay like mirror images of one another: Light and Dark; Yin and Yang; Alpha and Omega. The divide had been placed there by the Council of Warlocks in an attempt to restore harmony to the worlds after the terrible wars that became known as the Dark Ages had ended. On the one side lay the world of man. It was a place of progress, enlightenment and science: the modern world. On the other, was the ancient magical side where creatures spoken of in myth and folklore dwelled forevermore.
    And, like the spine that holds the many pages of a book together, she—Eleanor Marsh, née Chance—was the spine, the binding force that held everything together.
    Gently she reached out to touch the sheets of energy on either side of her. Right for Light, left for Shadow.
    Allowing her mind to run along the divide was not unlike running one’s hands along sheets of finely woven silk. It had been only half a year since she had ascended to this strange place of power, and now she did it with practiced ease, all the while keeping an eye out for any knots or snags that might cause trouble for those who dwelled on either side of the barrier. All seemed smooth and peaceful. There certainly was no sign of any clocks or clockmakers. .
    Elle considered stepping across into the Shadow, to make sure that nothing bad was lurking close, but decided against it. She always seemed run into inconvenient things when she did that. Her knowledge of creatures of the Shadow was less than perfect, so it was always a bit of a risk. And she did not have time for taking risks this morning. She had work to do.
    Carefully, she shifted out from between the worlds and opened her eyes. All was well with the barrier, and the Shadow would have to wait until later.
    â€œEverything all right?” Marsh asked as she stepped out of the secret chamber and bundled herself back into the warmth of the bed.
    â€œAll is well,” she said, snuggling up against him.
    â€œGood grief, your feet are like icicles.” He flinched, but kissed her again, running his hands over her shoulders, willing her to sink into the covers for a little while longer.
    â€œI had such a strange dream this morning that I actually thought something was amiss in the Shadow, but it’s nothing.”
    â€œThen stay,” he said.
    Elle moved out of his embrace and sat up. “There will be plenty of time for that later, oh amorous husband of mine. I have to get to the airfield before they ship the Phoenix out.”
    He sighed. “Yes, I know. Flying always first.”
    She slipped out of bed and walked across to the darkened doorframe that led to Elle’s pride and joy: their newly installed, state-of-the-art, spark-powered en-suite bathroom. It was a miracle of copper pipes and brass taps over inlaid marble designed to create maximum comfort and pleasure. The bathroom even had a built-in lavatory and an imported Huber’s Gegenstrom rain bath unit that blasted out a cascade of heated water to bathe under.
    Much to their amusement, Mrs. Hinges called the shower apparatus the work of Beelzebub.