Time Thief: A Time Thief Novel (38 page)

TIME MANIPULATIONS

Travellers have long been thought of as “time thieves,” but that term is considered by most Travellers as a misnomer. The Travellers claim that their ability to extract amounts of time from willing or unwilling targets is not so much a theft as it is a manipulation, a rechanneling of existing time from one individual to another, conducted on a subatomic level. Although most victims of such manipulations refer to the phenomenon as having “lost time,” in fact the time is not lost; it is simply gained by the Traveller, who may then use it in any number of ways.

How Travellers first gained the ability to steal time is a subject of much debate, but common Traveller lore indicates that it was a power granted to them by a deity or demigod in appreciation for some unnamed act. Consideration has been given to the aptitude of savant Travellers (so-called because of their ability to acquire more than just a fleeting moment of time here or there, as is common with most Travellers), which manifests itself in
the capacity to harness and utilize electrostatic energy, namely lightning, and to a lesser extent small static charges.

There is no evidence that Travellers utilize static energy surrounding them in order to steal time, although it is rumored that all savant Travellers bear “lightning flowers” branded into their skin. Better known to scientists as a Lichtenberg figure, this phenomenon is created when lightning strikes a human, the current of which leaves a feathery reddish pattern along the skin as it discharges. Although the subsequent markings on mortals are in general of a temporary nature, they are permanent for Travellers, frequently bringing attention to the fact that the Traveller is not what he appears. This “branding” has long been viewed as a viable method of distinguishing a Traveller when he attempts to fool his persecutors into believing he is a mere mortal.

Because of the clannish nature of Travellers, scientific proof of the connection between lightning and time theft has yet to be made. Only the Travellers know for sure whether a correlation exists, and if so, to what extent the two things are related.

animus:
That essence of a being that can live on after the death of the body. In the case of Sunil, his life force (more or less his soul) was bound to Peter by the Shuvani in punishment for wrongful death. Animuses can take many different forms, but Sunil’s naturally sunny nature resulted in his form as a ball of golden light.

gadjo:
A Traveller (and Romany) word for outsiders, people who do not share their heritage. It can be merely a descriptive word to indicate someone outside the family, or an insult, depending on the speaker’s intent.

kris:
A Traveller tribunal called when judgment is needed to be brought against other Travellers. They are officiated by three krisatora, who make a final decision as to the fate of the accused individual.

krisatora:
Three individuals of Traveller blood who preside over a kris.

L’au-dela:
The formal name for the Otherworld, the society of people who live beyond mortal laws.

L’au-dela Watch:
The police force of the Otherworld, the Watch is responsible for keeping the peace among mortals and immortal beings, as well as protecting the mortal world from abuses by members of the Otherworld.

lich:
A person who was resurrected from the dead, a lich looks like a normal person, aside from his black irises. Most liches are bound to the individual who holds their soul.

Lichtenberg figure:
The pattern made by an electrical discharge through a soft medium.

Lightning flower:
The name for a Lichtenberg figure when made on a human being. The pattern is of a delicate, feathery nature, and is also referred to as a
lightning tree
. The pattern is most likely caused by the rupture of capillaries as the current passes through. Although lightning flowers are temporary for mortals, they are a permanent brand on Travellers.

mahrime:
A Traveller (and Romany) word for those who are deemed unclean. For Travellers, this can mean one who has impure blood (i.e. one non-Traveller parent) or someone who has no Traveller blood whatsoever.

martiya:
A spirit of the night. Travellers, like their Romany cousins, have a great dislike for ghosts, and will go out of their way to avoid them.

pollution, idea of:
The idea of pollution from outside sources is very important to Traveller society. They fear having their inner body polluted by outer influences, and for that reason avoid contact with non-Travellers. They
also believe cats and dogs are polluted (because they lick their outer body, bringing the dirt into their clean inner self), which is why Travellers seldom have pets living in their homes.

porrav:
A Traveller word with Indo-Aryan roots, it literally means “to open up” or “blossom.” In Traveller culture, it refers to the joining of a man and woman, and their shared abilities mingling to form something greater than the parts.

puridaj:
A respectful way to refer to a Traveller grandmother.

Rehor:
an Eastern European version of the name Gregory.

Rom, Roma, Romany:
Words describing an ethnic group most commonly referred to as Gypsies. Travellers and the Roma may share a common ancestor since they share a few traits and words. Like the Travellers, the Romany were frequently persecuted for being outsiders.

shuvani:
Spirits who hold Travellers accountable for their actions. There are four flavors of shuvani: earth, water, air, and field. A shuvani can be friendly or unkind, depending on his or her nature, but all are charged with punishing Travellers who abuse their abilities.

Travellers:
A group of mortal people who possess immortal abilities, can steal time, and have an affinity with lightning.

Vilem:
An Eastern European version of the name William.