Heartmender

by V. Romas Burton

  "Claire!" I yelled, grasping the bars. I stifled my gasp as her face came into view. Her bun had been pulled down, hair now laying in limp strands around her face and shoulders. Her left eye was completely closed with a blue and purple bruise decorating the skin around it. And on the right side of her face, three large gashes extended from her forehead to her cheek, as if someone had attempted to claw her eye out.

  "Claire," I said again, softer. "What happened?"

  "What? You don't like my new look?" She gave me a weak smile as she pointed to her face. Chains rattled from the shackles binding her wrists. I winced as blood slowly dripped down her arm. The shackles were purposely too tight.

  I gripped the cell bars until my knuckles turned white, trying to ignore the screams coming from farther inside the cave.

  "This happened because of me, didn't it?"

  Claire let out a snort. "Not everything's about you, Addie." Then she smiled. "Don't be stupid. Of course it happened because of you."

  If I could feel my heart, I was sure it would be breaking again. "Claire, I'm—"

  "Don't." She held up her shackled hand. "I don't need your apologies. If I had the chance, I would choose to help you again. Don't you understand? I chose to be here. Me. Not my mother. Not Ophidian. Me. And I don't want you to feel guilty because of my choice."

  "But," I murmured, “look what Ophidian did to you."

  Claire chuckled. "This? No. If Ophidian dealt with me, I wouldn't look this good. This was my fun time with one of his little projects."

  The rage from the previous door, the red one, burned in my stomach. I took a deep breath to calm down. I had no way to avenge Claire, even if I wanted to.

  "Still, I'm s—”

  "Addie," Claire snapped. "What did I just tell you? Don't apologize, and don't be stupid."

  I nodded as I pressed my face between the cell bars.

  "Remember what I told you?" Claire said in a softer tone. "That you were chosen?"

  I nodded again, bowing my head toward the floor. I knew she said not to feel guilty, but that was all I could feel.

  "I was right."

  I moved my eyes up to hers. "What?"

  "I was right," she repeated. "You were chosen."

  "I don't understand."

  Claire scoffed. "The signs are all around you. Your heart, the sword, your ability to make it through the Choices."

  "I just thought it was luck and your green stuff that kept me alive."

  Snorting, Claire lifted her hand to her head, jangling the chains. "Oh, Addie. Luck is rolling away fast enough that your eye isn't gouged out. Luck is buying enough time to distract a monster and save your own life. I've seen luck. You don't have it."

  I frowned. I had thought I was at least a little lucky in some of the Choices.

  "Don't give me that look," she continued in a motherly tone. "You and I both know that something a lot stronger than luck is on your side."

  I stared at her, my eyes wide with curiosity. "What is it?"

  "Are you serious?" By the look on her face, I knew that if Claire hadn’t been chained up, she would have slapped me.

  I sighed. I knew what she was talking about. Or who she was talking about. But I couldn't admit it. It all seemed too unreal to be true.

  I shook my head. "I don't know, Claire."

  A low hum flew through my ears, and I immediately tensed. I quickly looked to Claire, not knowing who or what was coming down the corridor. Her face was stern as she nodded to the left, prompting me to find a large crevice in the cave wall where I could hide.

  As soon as I slipped in, a dark figure passed by. A deathly aura permeated the air, squelching any notion of life. A dark mass, resembling a hooded being, floated through the tunnel.

  The figure continued past me, then stopped at Claire’s cell. I stuck my head out enough to see a solitary red eye centered on its face. It said nothing, only stared into the cell. Claire’s screams arose from within, and I jumped out of the crevice. I had no defense, but I wouldn't allow that creature to destroy her.

  "Leave her alone," I shouted over Claire's agonized howls.

  The red eye snapped to me, leaving echoes of whimpers from the cell. The dark creature floated toward me, its red eye focusing on me. The lifeless atmosphere lay heavily on me as the creature hummed closer.

  The master is waiting for you.

  A cold chill swept through my body as the creature spoke in my thoughts. There was no feeling in the voice, no life. I took a step back; there was nowhere else to go. The red eye gleamed brightly in the dark cave before the creature floated past me, disappearing from sight.

  I took a deep breath before rushing over to Claire. "What was that?"

  Tucked into a ball, Claire's tear-stained face slowly lifted. "You don't want to know."

  Anger rose in my stomach. How many times would Ophidian torment Claire?

  Before I could ask further questions, the chains on her wrists began to shake. A white light shined in my peripheral vision, and I turned toward it. The light was moving fast, growing brighter, until it began to consume the cave.

  "Claire!" I screamed, clutching her cell bars as the light consumed me as well.

  "I'm all right, Addie," she yelled back. "Don't worry about me. Just run!"

  I gripped the bars of her cell until the light fully encased my body, causing everything to burn brightly until it turned black.

  "Hey," someone wheezed in my ear as they shoved my shoulder.

  I opened an eye to see the man's ice-blue eyes staring at me once again. Groaning, I sat up and placed my hand to my head, breathing a sigh of relief. I was back.

  Reaching down, my hand grazed the leather of the satchel. My heart was safe, beating soundly. I let out another sigh of relief when I saw the sword laying next to me. Its glow had disappeared, aside from the orange outline of the mark.

  I extended my hand toward it, grabbing the golden hilt like I'd done many times before, but this time it felt different. This time it felt as if the sword was no longer a sword, but a part of me.

  I felt the power of it blending with my heart, engraving its strength into my cells. A white light shot through my arm over my charred skin, causing it to tingle with a fiery sensation. I watched in amazement as my skin was healed of all burns.

  "You are not alone, Addie."

  I stared at the sword. I knew the voice came from it. But swords didn't talk. Even magical swords had their limits, right?

  "You were never alone."

  I gripped the sword tighter, not knowing whether I should talk back to it or not.

  Before I could decide, something moved in the distance. The broken shards of the light wall began to rise from the floor, shifting and shaping, their color transforming from white to violet. The shards clinked against one another as they flew through the air. Like pieces of a puzzle, the shattered light molded together, creating the shape of a door.

  The man let out a gasp. “The seventh Choice." He gave me a look of surprise. "You did it."

  Standing, I placed the sword through the metal circle on the satchel. I had done it. But at the same time, I hadn't. Not entirely. For the first time, I began to believe what the voice said. I wasn't alone.

  Although it never felt like it, I had always had someone there for me. First Lyle, then Silas, now Claire. Regardless of what the last Choice had said, I knew they cared about me. Without them, I wouldn't have made it through the Seven Choices. They loved me when I was alone. They saved me when no one else cared. The beating in my heart pumped harder. Now it was my turn to return the favor.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked over at the man. I had no idea what his backstory was, or why he was here. But I did know that his path had crossed with mine for a reason. Because of that, I was determined to do whatever I could to get him out of this hell.

  Giving him a smirk, I said, "I had help."

  I began walking toward the violet door. A key with the head of a lion rested in the lock, waiting to be turned.
I remembered seeing this key when Claire had first described her bondage to Ophidian.

  "The last Choice," I said. I was almost there. I prayed Lyle could hold on just a little longer.

  Grabbing the metal key, I twisted it until the door clicked, opening inward. I glanced over my shoulder to where the man was still standing.

  "Are you ready to get out of here?" I asked.

  Without any hesitation, he gave me a nod. A smile filled my face. I wouldn't allow whatever rested in the last Choice to have any power over me.

  I stared back into the gray mist swirling through the violet door, ready for whatever Ophidian had waiting.

  "Then let's run."

  Chapter 32

  My heart beat simultaneously with the pounding of my footsteps as I ran through the gray mist. I glanced behind me every so often to check and see if the man was still with me. For an older guy, he kept up pretty well.

  We sprinted until my eyes landed on what I had been waiting for. Reaching over, I removed the sword from the satchel's ring. The sound of the blade caressing the metal loop brought tingles over my skin as I lifted the sword toward the archway of trees. This nightmare had haunted me long enough. It was time for it to end.

  As I moved forward, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Glancing back, I was met by the man's wearisome eyes.

  "What?"

  He shook his head. “There's no way to kill Ophidian. He's too powerful."

  I shared a small smile with him. "Good thing I'm not here to kill him, then."

  Ophidian was never my goal. There was only one person I was here for, and I would bring him back.

  Turning toward the trees, I breathed in the cool air and closed my eyes, allowing the power resonating from the sword to run up my arm, through my body, and into my heart. I had overcome six Choices. I would overcome the last. Opening my eyes, I looked at the man.

  "Then why are you here?" the man asked, rubbing his chin as he studied the forest around us.

  "To save my brother."

  I took off in a sprint before he could say another word. I hoped he would stay outside Ofavemore and be safe. This was one Choice I knew I must face alone.

  The thumping of my heart and the power of the sword filled me with life. The harder I ran, the more I felt it flowing through me.

  I breezed past the trees, watching, waiting for what I knew would come next.

  Sooner than I expected, an agonizing scream bellowed ahead of me. I raced toward it, gripping the sword. The trees began to separate before my eyes, revealing the darkness of the cave I had traveled to many times before. My steps slowed as I cautiously approached the source of my fears.

  My shoulders tightened at the piercing screams. I had heard them countless times before, but nothing compared to the present sound. Gripping the hilt, I refused to succumb to my fear. I had made it this far; nothing would stop me from finding Lyle. The hope and strength that had sprouted in my heart bloomed, prohibiting any terror or doubt that attempted to grow.

  The sword glowed a faint white, lighting my way as I stepped into the cave. My nightmare was accurate in what I had heard, but the details of the cave made it difficult to focus. I strained to see through the dark abyss beyond the light of the sword. The sharp odors of sulfur and musk filled my lungs. Monitoring my breathing, I continued to walk, my boots gliding silently across the dirt floor, effectively concealing my presence.

  White marks, etched into the gray walls, glowed as I passed by. A shudder ran through me as I recognized the same marks that had branded Claire's face in my vision.

  A gut-wrenching cry, echoing from the end of the cave, stole through my thoughts. I turned, trying to find the person who had screamed, but the rapid vibrations against the stone walls made it impossible to locate the source.

  Once the screaming subsided, I let out a deep breath. Whatever was in this Choice was worse than anything else I had faced.

  But I didn't have to face this Choice alone. I knew someone, or something, had continued to encourage me through each Choice. I knew someone had sent me this sword. Whether it was true or not, I finally thought I could believe that if there was darkness, there had to be light.

  The sword shone brighter than freshly fallen snow, as if it had heard my internal proclamation. I had to shield my eyes as it pulsated with light against the weary shadows.

  When my eyes adjusted, the light illuminated the entire length of the cave. The screaming continued once again, piercing my heart, but I kept on until the light of the blade revealed openings in the cave walls. As I shifted the blade, the light reflected off the iron bars of a prison cell. The rods were thick, prohibiting anyone from going in or out. Holding the light to the cell door, I peered in, hoping to find Claire.

  But as I leaned closer, I didn't see Claire, but a man wearing pants and two ties with no shirt underneath. As he cowered in the corner, bloodied and bruised, I recognized him as the balding man, who offered his leather shoes for the bottle of happiness in the second Choice. He rocked back and forth, muttering under his breath, “Need happiness. Want happiness.”

  The vision the bottle of happiness had shown me—of Lyle living in Barracks unscathed—flitted through my mind, but I pushed it away. Nothing was more valuable than a human life. Still, had it not been for the voice, I would have been no better off than this man; it could have easily been me in that cell. With a heavy heart, I moved on. If I could give this man happiness, I would.

  I continued through the cave to the next cell. I knew Claire had to be in one of them. As I peered into the cell, a hand swiped at the sword before I could yank it back. The fingers were instantly severed on the blazing metal. Wails sounded from the cell, and I made sure I was at a safe distance before I looked again. I didn't recognize the face, but I was confident the woman had come from the fifth Choice.

  Her cheeks were plump, and her body was covered in remnants of food, thickly smashed in her hair and smeared down her face. But what paused me were the rows of pointed teeth that grew in her mouth. She jerked forward and chomped the air, and I jumped back. I tried to look closer, but she chomped again, giving me a harsh growl. Taking the hint, I continued my search for Claire.

  Walking a few more paces, I investigated another cell and gasped. A creature, mid-transformation, with dark, leathery skin like the siti, looked out at me.

  "Adelaide," the rusted voice of Governor Willow wheezed out.

  A cold feeling of dread and suspicion arose in my heart as I raised the blade to illuminate the cell. I hid my shock; from the waist down, Governor Willow's body had been transformed into a siti, but the leathery, gray skin continued to creep upward.

  "Governor Willow?"

  "Adelaide, " he repeated as the leather skin began to inch down his arms. "Ophidian said he would take the vendors away." He let out a cry as his arms began to extend into the sickly length of a siti’s. I winced and looked away. After the cracks from his bones stretching ended, he said, "But he was the one who sent them to Barracks. He gave them all the magical items in exchange for hearts."

  "What?" I asked, closing in on the bars again.

  "He wants your heart, Adelaide," the governor wheezed. "Your brother's wasn't pure, but yours—” The words were cut off by another ear-splitting cry from his mouth, sounding more like a moan than the first.

  Governor Willow panted after the pain passed. "Your heart will complete his mission. He told me to get him the pure heart, and he would take care of the rest."

  His words swirled through my mind. Was that why Lyle had traded his heart to Schism? Had Governor Willow somehow enticed him into trading it? But when it wasn't pure, Ophidian took pleasure in allowing Lyle to be destroyed, anyway?

  I gritted my teeth at the man before me. He had to have known about Nana's pure heart, back in the day. Why else would he have targeted our family?

  Governor Willow's fingertips grew into the long, black claws of the siti. "I will complete the task he gave me." He raised his hand. "I will give him you
r heart."

  I jerked back as he swiped a claw through the cell bars, then raised the glowing blade in defense. Leathery skin crept up the governor’s torso, covering what little human skin he had left. His limbs had fully lengthened to the elongated state of the life-sucking creatures, black claws protruding from each hand. As if a final farewell, the creature let out a moan before a single cord began threading over his lips, causing the governor of Barracks to be fully replaced by a monster.

  He tried to swipe at me once more, but I was already barreling down the tunnel. Like animals to the slaughter, Lyle and I had both been intended as sacrifices to Ophidian.

  The vendors had been coming for hearts in Barracks for so long, no one could remember how the tradition of Heart Reign had begun. Anger rose within me as I scoffed, realizing Ophidian was the one who had initiated heart trading. And Governor Willow was the fool I had always thought he was.

  I swallowed the tension in my throat, clenching my jaw as I remembered the extra guards that only I had at Heart Reign. I had run straight into the governor, who had just happened to be heading to Doctor Magnum's office right when I was leaving with my newly extracted heart. He knew Ophidian wanted my heart and was going to give it to him. Fury rose within me, but I had to let it go. For now. My purpose here was to save Lyle and Claire. I wouldn’t allow myself to become distracted.

  Deciding to pass the next few cells as the inhabitants moaned, I settled on one further down the cave. The light of the sword reflected off a head of white hair, flooding my heart with relief as I rushed closer and gripped the cell bars.

  "Claire," I whispered, not knowing who or what was close enough to hear.

  The downcast head moved slightly, but still hung from its neck like a weight.

  "Claire!" I said with a little more force.

  The head lifted to reveal Claire's face, beaten and bruised as I had seen before. I gulped, trying to control the despair and fury in my heart.

  "Addie?" she whispered, sitting up, her chains shaking as she brushed the black strand of hair from her cheek. An irritated look crossed her face. I sighed. She was okay.