Heartmender

by V. Romas Burton

  A look of relief covered his face. He began to reach out to me, but he stopped on seeing me tense at his movement. Pulling back his hand, he asked, "Is he safe?"

  I nodded, remembering Lyle's unraveling before I left Ramni. "He's safe. The Mender will take care of him."

  "What about you?" He stared at me intensely. "Who's going to take care of you?"

  I gave a small smile. "I'm not alone, so I'll be okay."

  Silas looked at me in confusion, then smiled. My heart warmed at the sight. I was starting to love his smile.

  "Plus" —I held up the sword— "I've learned I'm a pretty good swordswoman."

  Silas laughed, and my heart beat with adoration. His laughter was deep and soothing, full of life and joy. I couldn’t help but laugh as well. But when he looked at the sword, his smile faded into the stern line it had often been. He held out his hand, and I placed the sword in it, curious about his sudden change. As soon as the hilt touched his skin, a small, white glow pulsated from the blade.

  I studied the sword, my heart beating faster at the reaction. "Silas, what is it?"

  Silas grasped the golden hilt and studied it. "I don't know. I feel like I've seen this sword before. Like from a dream."

  I bit my lip when I felt a thump against my leg. I jumped in surprise, but Silas didn't seem to notice, still entranced by the sword. The thump happened again, and I looked down to see the satchel moving.

  With my new heart matching the pounding within the satchel, I lifted the flap and rested my hand on the tiny purple bag. I waited a moment longer, and the thump vibrated against my fingertips.

  Grasping the bag, I pulled it out of the satchel as Eman’s words reverberated in my mind: You will know what to do with it when the right time comes. The thumping increased as I thought this through.

  "Silas," I said, staring at the little purple bag. He pulled his attention away from the sword and focused it on me. "I think this is for you."

  A confused look passed across his face as I placed the bag in his hand. I watched intently as he pulled the gold cord, opening the pleats along the top. His eyes grew wide at what he saw inside. I leaned forward, bursting with suspense.

  "Addie," he whispered, not taking his eyes off whatever was in the bag. "How did you find this?"

  I was about to reach for the bag myself when he placed his hand in the bag, pulling out its contents.

  "What is it?" I asked, trying to contain my overflowing curiosity.

  Extending his arm across the table, Silas opened his palm for me to see what he was holding. I gasped and stared in disbelief.

  Beating steadily against his palm lay the severed half of a bright red heart.

  *Watch for the release of Heartbreaker in the fall of 2020! To stay up-to-date on all of Monster Ivy Publishing’s releases, become a Monster Ivy insider at monsterivy.com/contact.