Heartmender

by V. Romas Burton

  “We should probably take a look around,” he continued as he adjusted the pack on his shoulder. He started trudging through the thick snow.

  I nodded before following. The layer of ice on top of the snow crunched beneath our feet, echoing against the eerie silence.

  James’ head turned from left to right every few steps he took, analyzing the state of his former home. Barracks was probably still a fruitful land of happiness and warmth when he was last here. Unfortunately, that Land was long gone.

  Taking a few strides, I caught up to him. He breathed in deeply, allowing the air to trickle slowly from his mouth. I was curious about this strange, quiet man who had agreed to accompany me on an unknown journey.

  "So, a Magister?" I asked, hoping to relax the harsh line of his brow as he looked ahead.

  James grunted as he shook his head, keeping his ice-blue eyes focused forward. The market was just coming into view. "It's a position of honor bestowed upon those who have mastered the way of the Mender." He tapped his chest, where the mark of the Mender was carved.

  "Is that what that extra line means? That you're a Magister?"

  He nodded. "Eman is an ancient creature, knowledgeable in the oldest of magics. When darkness first descended from Regno, he chose one Magister from each of the Lands to protect and defend them. I was the Magister for Barracks."

  I sucked in a breath as we stepped into the thick mud the filthy ice had changed into. I wasn't sure whether to ask how Ophidian had entered Barracks so easily. Luckily, James explained without much prompting.

  "It was my job. And I failed." He whispered these words so quietly, I could barely hear them.

  My new heart beat with empathy for James, knowing that he had been carrying that burden for many years. Swallowing hard, I stopped and turned toward him.

  "Yes, you did." He winced at my words. "But that's in the past now," I said, remembering what Eman had said before. "Everything that happened in the past can't be changed. What matters is what we do now." Pulling out the sword, I held it out to him in imitation of Eman, offering the hilt. "Are you willing to help me bring the Twelve Magisters together to stop Ophidian?"

  I had been filled with fear and anxiety for years, allowing everything in the past to torment me. The sorrow and pain I had felt would always be with me, but I would no longer allow it to control me. I wouldn't be fighting the coming battle alone, and neither would James.

  He studied me carefully, rubbing his hand over his chin before reaching toward the hilt. As soon as his large fingers encased my own, a line of cool, white light wrapped around our hands, twisting in on itself until an intricate knot was formed. As soon as it was tied, the light dissipated from the air, sprinkling to the ice below.

  "An iuram," James said with fascination, looking down at our hands. "It’s been many years since I’ve seen one made.”

  “Eman showed me,” I replied, remembering how the heartmender had offered me the choice in uniting the Twelve Magisters to defeat Ophidian.

  “It is a powerful oath,” James continued, flexing his fingers. “Not many can bind another to an iuram without the use of strong magic."

  He looked at me the same way Eman had, as if seeing something more than what was there. As the final light faded, we broke apart.

  "I am bound to my oath to you, Bellata," James said, bowing on one knee. "I will fight with you until the end."

  I bent my fingers a few times, still feeling the power rushing straight through them to my heart. I nodded, unsure of how else to respond. James stood and brushed the grime off his slacks before we continued to the market.

  A fierce wind erupted, spewing debris against our already-frozen faces. We both held up our arms to shield our faces. Hunching forward, we fought against the strength of it as we marched through the slick terrain. I didn't remember the air being so thick or strong.

  As we reached the opening of the market, my eyes widened despite the wind, studying the scene. It was nothing like the vivacious place it had been before. Displays were knocked over, broken beyond repair, with holes tearing through their fabric roofs. Countless items were sprawled, tattered and broken, along the street.

  The air smelled of ice, but a repulsive stench lurked beneath it. I wrinkled my nose and continued.

  "What happened?"

  James shook his head, his eyes narrowed, as he continued to scan the market.

  I took a step to investigate when something soft squished beneath my foot. Red mush from rotten fruit stained the filthy ground crimson as a horrid smell secreted from its opened skin. Scrunching my nose in disgust, I wiped the mess off my boot in a nearby snowbank. The destroyed displays and rotting food were disturbing enough, but where was everyone?

  A door slammed at the far end of the market, and my heart jumped. Maybe I could find someone to tell me what had happened. I rushed toward the sound, careful to avoid the wooden remains of the displays scattered throughout the path. The door slammed again, and my gaze landed upon Doctor Magnum's office. My mind swirled with the memories of when I was last here. I placed my hand over my new heart, assuring it that it would never be extracted like my last one.

  Maneuvering around a large display that had once held valuable paints, I made my way to the slamming door. Disappointment weighed on me as I placed my hand on the door and found the culprit to be nothing but the wind.

  Walking into the familiar office, I shut the door behind me. The patients’ chairs were either destroyed or missing entirely. Strands of shredded newspaper lay all over the floor, muddied and crumpled. I let out a sad sigh, remembering how tidy Doctor Magnum had kept everything. At least the sterile smell of the office kept out the putrid scents from outside.

  I was about to leave when a glint of color beneath a sheet of newspaper caught my eye. Grabbing the hilt of the sword, I dragged its tip along the page and gasped. Large, blotched letters scrawled across it: RUN. The end of the n whipped to the right, as if the person writing it had been dragged away before he could finish. An unsettled feeling fell on my heart, and I shivered.

  "Addie!” James called from outside the office.

  "In here!” I yelled, still staring at the word.

  Crouching down, I ran my finger along the letters. They had been dry for a while, but I knew this dull red-brown wasn't cherry filling. The feeling in my stomach grew into a nauseating knot in my throat that I forced myself to swallow.

  James's footsteps stopped behind me as he looked over my shoulder. A grunt came from his throat before I heard his footsteps retreat outside.

  I narrowed my eyes at the letters and traced them once more. "What happened, Doctor Magnum?"

  Moving more of the newspapers out of the way, I found my answer. Five long claw marks were etched into the hard floor. Fear gripped my heart, and I swallowed hard, realizing what had happened.

  Standing abruptly, I walked out of Doctor Magnum's office to find James. With his back turned to me, he stared in the direction of Nana's house.

  "James," I said, causing him to turn around. "Ophidian was here. Or, at least, the siti were."

  James nodded thoughtfully before turning back toward Wintertide. I followed his line of sight, confusion threading through my heart. Had he known Nana?

  “Is there someone you’d like to see?” I asked, the intrigue of the Magister growing with each second he didn’t answer.

  “There’s someone I’ve been wanting to see for a long time,” he replied with a grunt. Adjusting his pack once more, James marched through the broken displays of Heart Reign toward my grandmother’s house.

  Excitement bubbled in my chest as I bounded through the debris to catch up with him. My mind reached back to the memory of Nana’s journal and the man who had brought her extracted heart back. Could James be him?

  The ice cracked beneath our feet as we stopped in front of Nana’s old house. It looked older and more worn than I remembered. Patches of shingles from the roof had fallen to the ground, and the shutters were askew or missing complet
ely. I held back my worry, praying that what I thought wasn't true.

  James froze, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, not even a cough or a wheeze.

  I placed my hand on his shoulder before sliding past him and up the wooden stairs, enjoying the familiarity of their creaking. I soon heard more creaking coming from behind me as James followed.

  Once we reached the porch, we both stared at the wooden door. Giant claw marks had sliced through it, leaving five long gouges in the wood.

  Holding the sword high, I tested the knob. The door slowly swung in, sending all my senses on edge.

  The floorboards creaked beneath my feet as I walked through Nana's house. It was vacant, as if no one had been here in ages. The furniture was in disarray: chairs, tables, bookshelves all broken or shredded. Claw marks had punctured everything. All the windows were broken, leaving shards of glass scattered over the floor. My new heart ached at the sight of the destruction. If this was what the siti had done to the house, what had they done to Nana and Silas?

  James began to wander through the rooms as if in a daze, picking up things and turning them right side up. I decided to let him be.

  Still gripping the sword, I was about to check the kitchen when a rustling came from Nana's living room. I sucked in a quick breath, fear tensing my muscles. I knew James had stopped moving, along with the rustling. As light as I could, I tiptoed toward the living room.

  My breathing became soft, my pulse racing faster. The only sound was the saliva running down my throat as I swallowed my nerves. The rustling sounded once more, only to stop again when I did. I'd learned how the siti attacked. This was no siti.

  Bracing myself against the nearest wall, I closed my eyes and listened to all that was around me. Ophidian could have created any number of creatures to stay in Barracks. Eman had said he could make more.

  Or I could be paranoid, and it could be a small animal looking for food. Either way, I was going to find out.

  Taking a deep breath, I tightened my grip on the hilt once more. In one solid move, I jumped out from behind the wall with sword held high, only to hear the clanging of metal against metal.

  Opening my eyes, I watched as the sword clashed against Nana's long, iron fire poker. My eyes followed the line of the iron to the hand holding it, then up the arm to the ferocious face staring back at me. I let out a gasp as the hand released the poker, sending it to the ground with a clang.

  "Addie?" Silas asked, his face softening from anger to disbelief.

  Before I could respond, two strong arms wrapped around me so tightly, I could barely breathe. The sword dropped from my grip as my body turned rigid against his. Could he really be real?

  Silas released me from his grasp before his rough hand cupped my face. I was frozen, unable to move. I didn’t realize what my reaction was until I saw his furrowed brows.

  “Addie,” he breathed again, lowering his hand as he studied me.

  I stared up at him, unblinking, as confusion and turmoil ran through my heart.

  Steady Silas looked at me with a crooked smile on his lips: the beautiful, crooked smile I had seen in Ophidian’s Realm. But it wasn’t real there.

  “I thought I lost you," he said softly when I said nothing.

  My heart was torn between the Choices and right now. Too many emotions and thoughts swirled within me. It was better not to speak. I shook my head, sending my short curls sprawling.

  His crooked smile morphed into a frown, but he didn’t move from his position. "What happened to your hair?"

  I tried to speak again but failed, choosing to look away instead. I couldn't tell Silas of the shame I felt from Ophidian's Realm. From every door I had received a mark, a scar of what had happened there. Though not all of them could be physically seen, they were all still fresh and easily torn open. I had cut my hair to be rid of my greed, but the burns on my skin, although healed, were still aflame beneath my flesh, reminding me of the horrid blue door.

  "I know it looks bad," I finally said, refusing to look at him as the memories of the beautiful blonde woman he had been with whipped through my mind.

  Silas took a small step forward. "No, it looks beautiful. You always look beautiful."

  My heart beat faster at his words, softening against the torturous memories. What was happening? Was this all a dream, another trick? Silas would never say things like that.

  I began to conjure some sort of response when Silas leaned forward and slowly reached for my hand. I didn’t help or stop him but allowed him to bring my hand to his lips. I expected a burning sensation to singe my flesh, but it didn’t. Instead, a soft, warm flutter danced on my skin and went straight to my heart, enveloping it with comfort and peace.

  For a moment, the memories fled, allowing me to look at Silas as he released my hand. His tall stature and strong muscles. His handsome face and tousled hair. I let out a small gasp as I finally noticed the three red lines etched into his skin from his forehead to his neck. I knew these scratches were from the siti. But how Silas managed to still be alive, I had no idea.

  I frowned as I looked up at him. "Silas, what happened?"

  He began to open his mouth in response when wheels rolled along the old wooden floor.

  "Addie?" a withered voice asked.

  I spun around, my eyes locking onto Nana. My heart wanted to crack at the sight of her, because it was my fault. Nana's thin white hair was thinner than it had ever been, displaying the pale skin of her scalp. Her arms and legs were corpselike, looking as if they would break with one movement.

  A fresh batch of tears welled up in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I rushed toward her. She extended her arms with a weak smile, beckoning me closer.

  "I'm so sorry, Nana," I cried as I fell to the ground, clutching her old, tattered skirt.

  "Shhh, child. There's nothing to apologize for." She stroked my hair, sending waves of comfort through my body. It was as if the curse of Barracks was lifting, allowing people to feel again.

  Everything that had happened rushed through my head at once, but the only thing I could get through my lips was, "I found Lyle."

  Nana let out a gasp. Before I could explain, soft steps against the creaking wood entered the room. I looked over my shoulder to see James standing in the doorway. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, as if he were scared to come closer. A cry of shock, pain, and relief came from Nana's mouth, causing me to jump up in surprise as she began to weep at the sight of him. My head whipped from Nana to James as he rushed to her, plummeting to his knees before taking her hands in his.

  "Anna." He kissed her old hands. "Will you ever forgive me?"

  Nana was too overcome by emotion to respond but gave a nod, and James wrapped his arms tightly around her.

  I opened my mouth to ask a question, but closed it, unable to form the right words. Was James the man from Nana’s journal? He had to be.

  “Addie,” James said gruffly, standing from his position beside Nana’s chair. Though his voice was hoarse, his eyes were lit with something new and alive. “Eman thought it best not to give you too much information at once.”

  “But,” Nana cut in softly, taking James’ thick hand in her own frail one. “James is my husband, your grandfather.”

  I blinked a few times, looking from James to Nana, then back to James. There had always been something familiar about him. “How long have you known?”

  “Since the first time I saw you in the sixth Choice. I hoped it wasn’t true. I hoped that one of my kin hadn’t been sucked in by Ophdian’s lies. But after I saw how you defeated the Choice and stood up to the Beast, I hoped it was true. Eman confirmed it when we arrived in Ramni.”

  I thought back to when James had saved me from the light wall in the sixth Choice, then again when he battled Schism and cloaked us from Ophidian when we were fleeing. My grandfather, all this time. My heart beat steadily in my chest, accepting James fully and without question. The pieces of my family were starting to come together aga
in.

  I smiled widely and walked over to James, giving him a hug. “Does this mean I can call you Paw Paw now?”

  His body went stiff beneath my hug, and he coughed twice. “James is fine.”

  Releasing him from my grasp, I chuckled. “Sounds good.”

  A hand lightly touched my shoulder, and I looked back at Silas. He gave me a quick nod toward the kitchen. Looking back at Nana and James, Nana gave me a delicate smile of encouragement. I tilted my head to the side. First Silas, now Nana. I’m not sure how many more beautiful smiles I could admire today.

  Stooping down, I picked up the sword before crossing the room and following Silas into the kitchen.

  His back was to me as he gripped the edge of the sink. A line of tension ran through his broad shoulders, and I swallowed, unsure of what he was going to say. His shoulders rose and fell before he turned to face me. Those warm brown eyes swirled with questions as they darted over my face. His Adam’s apple bobbed before he spoke.

  "It's been so long, Addie," he said quietly. "I thought …” he ran a hand through his golden locks. I noticed how much longer they had grown, and how they matched the light blond hairs growing on his jawline. How had I not noticed before? "I thought you were dead."

  I gripped the hilt of the sword, dreading the question I needed to ask. "How long?"

  "Over a year."

  "What?" I found the nearest unbroken chair and fell into it before I could faint. A year? It felt like days. How could I have been gone for over a year? My mind raced back to the ruins of the market. Something must have happened as soon as I left.

  "You didn't know?" Silas asked, sitting across from me just like he used to.

  I shook my head. Eman was right. Time did flow differently between our realms. A lot differently.

  I looked back at him, feeling my new heart give me strength. "I had to go. I had to know what happened to Lyle. I had to see if there was a way to save him."

  Silas looked away, balling his hand into a fist on the table. "And you did?" he asked. "You found Lyle?" I nodded. He looked back at me with furrowed brows. "Where is he?"

  I took a deep breath. "With Em—” I stopped, realizing Silas wouldn’t recognize the name. “With the Mender. He's real, Silas. Just like the stories said. Everything, the good and the evil. It's all real."