Heartbreaker

by V. Romas Burton

  “This isn’t over,” he growled. Beating his wings, Schism took off into the evening sky.

  As soon as Schism was gone, the rays around Silas disappeared. He slammed to his knees before falling prostrate to the ground. Without hesitation, I threw the fire poker to the side and rushed down the stairs.

  “Silas?” I knelt down and flipped him over, brushing the filthy snow away from his face. He was still breathing but didn’t respond. I ran my fingers along his scars when James wailed.

  Spinning around, I gasped as James fell to his knees with Nana in his arms, tears rolling down his face.

  “What happened?” I cried.

  “I don’t know,” James sobbed. “She’s ice cold. I can’t … she’s not responding.” He gently cupped her face. “Anna? Anna, can you hear me?”

  Breaking from Silas’s side, I barreled up the stairs to Nana’s. Her body was even more frail and thin than a few moments ago. Fresh tears misted my eyes as I pushed away the thin strands of her white hair from her face. Her skin was cold as death.

  “Nana,” I whispered. One of her eyes cracked open, searching for me.

  “Addie,” she wheezed, extending a trembling hand. “You came back. I’m so … so … happy you came back.”

  “Of course, I came back,” I answered, my voice wavering. Why was this happening? I had only just found Lyle and returned to Silas. Was Nana getting sick? Would I lose her?

  Pain jabbed my chest, and I clutched my hand over my new heart, fighting back a scream. A sharp snap whipped between my ears, a crack ripping through my heart. I pawed at the spot, desperate to apply pressure, anything to soothe the sting.

  Not even a day old and you already damaged your new heart. Are you sure you’re worthy of it?

  I shook the slithering voice away. Then, my satchel quivered.

  The book. Eman.

  Yanking the flap back, I plunged my hand between the various items until my fingers gripped the binding of Eman’s book. The book was meant to direct me when he couldn’t. Praying through the pain, I hoped he was right.

  As I peeled the cover open, the binding perfectly balanced itself atop my fingertips. Then, an invisible quill scrawled in blue ink:

  Bring her to me.

  I had just enough time to read it before the text disappeared, replaced with a map. A conglomerate of houses appeared, surrounded by a thick forest of trees. Bringing the map closer, I noted that the houses were the same as those surrounding the market. The quill sketched a solitary house at the edge of the trees. I glanced at Nana’s house before referencing the map again. That had to be Nana’s. And if that were true, then this was a map of Barracks, and the forest was Wintertide.

  Rotating the map, I traced the trees with my finger. The page ended at the edge of Wintertide. I tapped the artfully drawn forest. There were more Lands beyond Barracks. Why did the map end there?

  “James, what does this mean?” I pushed the pages toward him.

  James leaned over and scanned the map while rubbing his hand across his chin. “It’s a map telling you where to go next.”

  “But it stops at the edge of Wintertide.”

  James tucked a lock of Nana’s snowy hair behind her ear before securing the quilt around her. “Then we go to the edge of Wintertide. Eman must be guiding us to the doorway back to Ramni. He’ll be able to help Anna and Silas.”

  “You’re right.” I shoved the book back in the satchel. “We should probably get moving before the siti return.”

  “Agreed,” James replied. He scooped Nana up in his arms and stood. Her head lolled to the side, limp. Gingerly, I helped James adjust her head, so she rested against his chest in the crook of his arm.

  As I hurried back to Silas, I inspected the surrounding trees and the barren market. We were at least fifty yards from Wintertide, and there was nothing that indicated a way to Ramni. I pulled at my thoughts, trying to remember what Eman had said before we had left: The door will always open, you only need knock.

  I made a mental note to inform Eman to be a little more specific about which door to knock on.

  Creaks and snaps echoed from Wintertide, and I halted. The siti had hidden within its trees. Were they returning to finish us off?

  After no other sound emerged, I carefully crept toward Silas, praying the monsters wouldn’t appear.

  Before I reached Silas, his hand moved to his forehead, and he groaned.

  “Silas,” I breathed. Kneeling down, I laid my hand on his cheek, my fingers running over the raised skin of his facial scars.

  “What happened?” He rolled onto his side and tried to sit up.

  I stood and offered him my hand. He locked his fingers with mine, and, leaning back, I pulled him up. After a few wobbly attempts, he managed to stand, but he didn’t release my hand.

  Moaning drifted through the air, and Silas tightened his grip. Although the siti didn’t sound near, I didn’t want to take any chances.

  “I’ll explain later,” I said, gently shaking his hand away and motioning him to follow James and me. “We need to go.”

  Silas reached for my hand again but hesitated and tucked his hand in his pocket. “Right. Those creatures will be back.”

  I sprinted toward Wintertide with James right behind me, carrying Nana against his chest. A darker gray coated the sky in a foreboding patch of fog. The sun must be setting. If the siti came back while it was night, we were done for.

  “Come on,” I yelled over my shoulder. But as I focused back on Wintertide, the crunch of our footsteps faded away, replaced with the strange ticking of a clock.

  Chapter 6

  I spun around, nearly losing my balance as Silas collided with my front. His hands grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. That ticking—where was it coming from?

  “Do you hear that?” I asked, twisting my head around. Wisps of hair escaped from the string as I searched.

  An eerie silence filled the air as the wind vanished around us. No birds chirping. No branches swayed in the breeze. No snow falling. Everything had come to a dead stop as we stood at the edge of Wintertide. As did the ticking.

  “Hear what?” Silas questioned as he peered around my shoulders into the trees.

  “I—” The moaning returned, closer this time. The branches of the white-barked forest shuttered.

  I clutched Silas’s arms. Was the noise coming from inside? Was there a safe path? Where do we go from here?

  “Addie,” Silas said, cupping my face. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay.”

  My pulse leveled, and I stepped away, feeling foolish. “Right, of course.”

  Taking a few steps to the left, Silas held the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning white. “Shouldn’t we head south? The siti have been staying to the north. Are you sure this is the right way?”

  Is it the right way? Are you sure?

  Tucking the stray hairs behind my ears, I flipped the map open. The picture hadn’t changed, but I was sure we were still headed in the right direction.

  “This is still the right way,” I said as Silas hovered over my shoulder. As he leaned toward the map, his arm brushed against mine. My breath hitched, and I closed the book to check on Nana.

  “How is she?” I asked James, sweeping my fingers across Nana’s cheek.

  “She’s stable,” James replied. “Do what you need to do, Addie. If anyone can get us back to Ramni, it’s you.”

  “Ramni?” Silas questioned.

  “It’s the only place that can heal Nana,” I explained.

  A low moaning rumbled from my right, so loudly, snow and icicles fell from the trees. I tensed, holding the book up like a weapon.

  After a few minutes, the noise quieted. Relief itched at the back of my thoughts until the familiar scratching of razor claws scraped against tree trunks. I backed away as a long-limbed figure sauntered its way out of the trees, impaling the white birch with its midnight black claws. Spirals of bark spun to the ground, surrounding the trunk of the once beautiful tree. A cold sweat
dripped from my brow.

  “Silas,” I whispered, beckoning him away from the edge of the forest.

  “I know.”

  Silas planted his feet, widening his stance as he leveled his sword at the siti. The weapon immediately gleamed. Silas’s shoulders rose as the golden power soaked into his arm. Though he was shaking, the glow seeped steadily into his hand, coating his body with glittering light.

  “When I say run, you run,” he commanded.

  Is he in charge now?

  The group of gray siti from Schism’s entourage crawled out of the forest, their leathery skin a stark contrast to the white birch bark. The tips of their black claws sunk through the thick ice, plunging into the frozen crystals as a small pack surrounded us. Moans tumbled from their sewn lips as they focused on trapping their prey.

  Fear heightened my senses as I heard every step, saw every breath of our predators. These monsters were once human. A tremor skittered through my bones at the thought.

  The siti continued their slow crawl out of Wintertide as if they were taunting, playing with us before they attacked.

  Placing the book in my satchel, I readied my stance to attack as the siti circled us completely. There was no point in going back to Barracks; there was nothing left. Our only option was to continue into Wintertide and hope the door to Ramni was in there. And that meant we had to get through the siti.

  “Addie, did you hear me?” Silas demanded. “You run.”

  I stood straighter and glared defiantly at him. “No. I’m not running.”

  Silas spun toward me so fast, I didn’t have time to react. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and crushed me into his chest, sending my stomach into a spiral as I breathed in his earthy scent.

  “Stubborn girl,” he whispered in my ear, his warm breath tickling the nape of my neck. “I can’t lose you again.”

  I placed my hand on his chest, gently pushing off from him. “You don’t have to. I’m not that same little girl anymore, Silas.”

  “I know,” he said, kissing the top of my head before releasing me. He pointed his sword at the encroaching siti, and his warmth left my skin, replaced by the bitter cold. Shivering, I yanked Lyle’s sleeves over my palms.

  One siti leapt forward, claws extended. I screamed, ducking down, but Silas surged into action. Lunging, he wielded his sword with expert precision, as if he’d been fighting his entire life. With one swipe, he took off the siti’s head, pushing me behind him. Black blood spurted through the air before the siti’s body plummeted with a sickening thud.

  As if the death of their comrade was the signal to attack, the siti lurched forward. Their claws reached out, blindly swiping at any part of our bodies they could reach. James fought them off as best he could, one arm holding Nana.

  “James!” I cried, tugging Nana from him. “I’ll hold her.”

  James awkwardly lobbed off a siti’s arm with his axe before handing Nana off to me. “Thank you, Addie.” He spun back around and jumped into the wall of siti.

  I held Nana tightly, hating how useless I was. How helpless I had always been. And here I was again. No power, no weapon.

  Useless burden.

  “Addie!” Silas yelled, plunging his sword into the face of a siti. Hissing slithered from its sewn mouth as black blood spewed from the wound. “Run, Addie! Please, run!”

  His plea brought me back to Doctor Magnum’s office a year ago. The words that led me to Ophidian’s Realm and the Seven Choices—that led me to Claire, Lyle, and Eman.

  “Watch yourself!” James called, but he was too late.

  One siti swiped at Silas, its claws slicing a deep gash across his chest. Pieces of his black sweater curled to the ground as bright red blood dripped onto the ice.

  “Silas!” I cried.

  I waited for the panic to claw at my throat, for rage to burble in my chest, but they never came. I had to do something to help. But without the sword, what could I do?

  Frustrated, I balled my hand into a fist, then flinched. A bright glowing orange illuminated my fingers. Brilliant flames flickered off their tips, begging to be released. Life and power surged through my veins, more than ever before. Was this the power of the Bellata? Had it been inside me all this time?

  A frail hand laid on my arm. “Go,” Nana croaked, her lids still shut. “Go, Addie.” Her skin was turning blue. I had to hurry.

  Placing her down gently, I positioned my hands toward the siti, mimicking how I had seen James command his power in Ofavemore. My fingers shook as orange light streamed from my palms. The light twisted and turned, surrounding the creatures until it tightened. Shrieks rose from the horrible monsters until the light suffocated their noise. Like a raging river, refreshing energy flowed through my veins and out my hands while simultaneously leaving my heart. My knees shook as my body weakened from the purge of power.

  I held on for as long as I could before a hand grasped my wrist. I forced my gaze to James. Black droplets of siti blood marked his face and neck.

  “Stop now, or you won’t return,” he said hoarsely, worry flooding his eyes.

  “How?” I cried. The power was draining out so quickly, I couldn’t stop it.

  “Command it. You control your power.” He gripped my wrist tighter.

  Focusing on my hands, I willed the power back to me. It was wild and free, not willing to be tamed. I tried again, more firmly this time, and the light slowly dwindled.

  “Good,” James exhaled as he loosened his grip.

  After the light receded, I placed a hand over my heart. It thrashed against my ribcage, readying to explode. Sucking in the frigid air, I focused back on the siti.

  Long, gray limbs draped over one another as the siti bodies laid motionless on the snowy ground. Yet as I watched their chests still moving, my shoulders fell. After all that work, I had only knocked them unconscious.

  “You did well, Addie,” James said with a quick pat on my shoulder before heading to Nana. He whispered something in her ear and scooped her up once more, his axe nowhere in sight. “We need to leave while we still can.”

  I brought my palm up to my face, scrutinizing the cold, red flesh before following James. Had I stored all the power inside of me? How could I unleash it again?

  Underneath a pile of lifeless siti, a tuft of blond hair poked through gangly gray limbs. Silas. With a grunt, I shoved the siti off him, and he hungrily gasped for air.

  After he coughed a few times, Silas smiled up at me. “That’s new, too.”

  Snorting, I offered him my hand. He grabbed it firmly and stood.

  “Silas,” I said as he brushed the ice and snow off his worn pants. “Your wound. It’s healed.”

  I cocked my head, as I trailed my fingers along the rip in Silas’s sweater. Nothing but Silas’s milky skin showed through. What had happened to the giant gash? Had the power of the sword healed him?

  Silas’s breaths turned heavy, and the half-heart in my satchel rammed against my side. Realizing what I was doing, I jerked my hand away.

  “Sorry,” I breathed.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he replied, his voice husky. Clearing his throat, he bent down and grabbed the sword. “Maybe the wound healed because of this.”

  “All right, kids,” James said, joining us. “We better get going. Addie, do we continue through the forest?”

  Pulling my gaze from Silas, I addressed the map. It had shifted, drawing rows and rows of trees. Snapping the cover shut, I replied, “Yes, the map now shows the entire forest.”

  Staring through the endless rows of trees before me, I took a deep breath, then plunged into their depths.

  Thin trunks of birch trees filled the frigid forest, obstructing any distinct trail. But as we approached their bare limbs, the trees folded out of the way, creating a path for us to follow. I had always read stories about Wintertide being enchanted but never realized they were true.

  Silence blanketed the forest, just like the market and my house.

  Tick, tock.
/>
  Tick, tock.

  Once again, the ticking softly tapped the back of my ears. I paused, searching for the source. But before I could look any further, the ticking vanished beneath the sound of James's and Silas's footsteps, crunching through the icy foliage.

  None of us spoke as we anticipated another attack. The cracking of bark bounced against the branches as the next trees rolled enough away to let us through.

  I stayed alert, looking in all directions as we continued. But after wading through the endless rows of tree trunks, I calmed my steps, keeping my attention focused on the white bark ahead.

  Just then, a cloaked figure dashed across our path. The cloak billowed behind the figure as it sped through a pair of trees thirty feet ahead. In an instant, the dark green cloak was gone.

  The book wriggled in my hands. The map had redrawn itself again, and, if I read it correctly, it wanted us to follow the strange figure.

  “Come on,” I whispered to the others as I took the lead. Maybe this mysterious figure could help us.

  I took quick steps, holding the book just below my eyes so I could track the figure. But when I tried to find them again, they were gone. I started through the next section of trees when the tip of a blade prodded my side.

  “Lonely damsel traipsing about the woods?” a sardonic male voice asked.

  My gaze slid to the side, trying to discover the identity of my captor. But the hood of his cloak shrouded everything except the long, thick beard cascading from his chin.

  “I’m not alone,” I replied with cool confidence.

  “No, she’s not,” Silas said, he and James with Nana appearing between the snow-covered trees.

  The man growled as he turned toward them. “Ah, the valiant hero come to save his beloved?” He grabbed my arm and wrenched it behind my back. Eman’s book fell from my grasp. Bursts of white light exploded in my vision as the cold point of his dagger rested against my throat. “You’re too late, hero.”

  He yanked me backward a few steps, and before anyone could stop him, the man whipped around and sprinted through the forest, dragging me behind him.

  “Wait!” I cried, my muscles straining to match his long gait. “Where are we going? Where are you taking me?”