Thief of Time - Anticipate

The sweeper skidded at the carp pond, which was now erupting in strange waves, and headed down a shady track alongside a stream. Red ibises erupted into flight- He stopped, and threw himself flat on the paving slabs.

'Get down now!'

But Lobsang was already headlong. He heard something pass overhead with a plangent sound. He looked back and saw the last ibis tumbling in the air, shrinking, shedding feathers, surrounded by a halo of pale blue light. It squawked and vanished with a 'pop'. Not vanished entirely. An egg followed the same trajectory for a few seconds, and then smashed on the stones.

'Random time! Come on, come on!' shouted Lu-Tze.

***

The Thief of Time - p119