“Quiet, Adelaide! They’ll hear us,” the man hushed, tugging me down behind a giant trunk.
I wrenched out of his grasp and massaged my shoulder. How did he know my name? Was he someone from Barracks? The demand for an explanation rose in the back of my throat when the man brought a finger to his lips before pointing to the worn bark.
I followed the direction of his finger and bit back a gasp. The trees of Wintertide had been cleared. Not moved, but cut down, leaving a large, open circle filled with cages. Dozens of square, iron cages filled with people.
Placing my hand on the trunk, I swallowed hard. Though a year had passed, I could still recognize some of the local vendors that had participated in Heart Reign each year. Lady Truosh, who was always squeaky clean, was now seated on the dirt, her face and hands covered in filth. I remembered Old Man Chank and his long, black beard. But now it hung in scraggles from his chin, as if it had been haphazardly cut.
The groups in the cages were quiet. Some were munching on rations of bread, while others sat with their legs crisscrossed, and heads bowed, as if praying.
“Who did this?” I whispered. “How long have these people been here?”
The stranger reached beneath his cloak and fisted a jeweled dagger. “Too long. Help me free them, and I’ll help you with anything you want.”
The rough voice held a twang of familiarity. Trying to get a better look, I leaned in and spotted dark waves beneath his hood. “Who are you?”
Before he could answer, the stranger wrapped his arm around me, smashing me against his hard chest. He whipped his cloak around us.
“Hey, what are you—”
“Quiet!” he hushed again, his breath blowing the stray curls along my cheek. Ice and iron wafted into my nose as I quieted my breathing. After a few moments, he threw the cloak off. “Don’t speak, just look.”
Scooching to the other side of the trunk, I peeked around, and my heart dropped to my stomach. Surrounding one of the cages was my worst nightmare from Ophidian’s Realm: malum. Three of them focused on the furthest cage from us, their red eyes swirling. Why were the malum here? What did Ophidian want with these people?
The malum hovered around the cage, their black forms twisting like smoke beneath them. As if in a daze, the once somber people inside began to rise, staring blankly at one another until a man with thinning red hair punched his neighbor in the jaw. I brought a hand to my mouth as a full-out brawl started in the cage. The group of thirty people continued thrashing and beating one another senseless. They snarled and growled, attacking one another until there wasn’t a single body that moved. Those in the surrounding prisons fled from the wild cage, backing into the farthest corners of their cells. Curling my hand into a fist, I turned away as Lady Truosh fell to the ground. What Claire had said was true. The malum could change a heart from good to bad.
A shimmer of yellow light glimmered from the corner of my eye, and a beautiful woman with long golden waves materialized from the woods. I did a double-take, my inner voice screaming in horror. Her tall, voluptuous figure was wrapped in a snug, black coat that grazed the tips of her black boots. A silver necklace with the yellow stone glinted around her neck as she stalked to the cages.
That woman was the one I saw with Silas in the Seven Choices. The air escaped my lungs. How was she real?
Her lips twisted in satisfaction as the malum moved to corrupt the next cage of people. I gritted my teeth. Beautiful or not, it was clear she sided with Ophidian.
As my gaze ran along the line of the cages, my heart jolted at something I hadn’t noticed before. Or rather someone.
In the cage closest to us, rocking back and forth, sat a man hugging his knees to his chest, with a long white braid cascading down his back. Doctor Magnum.
Chapter 7
Retreating around the trunk, I knelt in front of the bearded stranger. “How do we save them?”
I couldn’t let these people, especially Doctor Magnum, be killed. My own father was taken from me; I wouldn’t allow the same thing to happen to Claire.
He twisted a thin blade between his fingers. “We need to distract those creatures long enough, so I can get the locks off the cages.”
I peered over my shoulder, watching the malum float to the next cage. We had to hurry. “Then what?”
A scowl curled the man’s lips. “What else is there?”
“Where do all the people go? How do we keep them from being captured again?”
The man angled his head before turning toward the sound of snapping branches. He growled.
“Stay here.” He yanked his hood down further before taking quick, silent leaps in the direction we had come from.
I quieted my breathing and focused back on the cages. Those people weren't just any people. I grew up with them. They thought I was a burden to Lyle and accused me of ruining the best trade of his life. They called me a leper; they destroyed my home. But no one deserved to be at the mercy of the malum.
My throat thickened as I recognized more of the prisoners. Headmaster Clive’s balding head contrasted with the auburn ringlets of Nelly Shone, the baker. Though my former teacher hadn’t been correct about Ophidian, I didn’t want this to be his end.
Who wasn’t in the cages were the members of The Reliance, Eman’s followers. I searched through the faces, trying to find the man with the woolen cap from my Heart Reign, but he was nowhere to be found.
As my sight reached the furthest cage, a twinkling just beyond it caught my eye. I pressed my palms against my knees as tiny sparkles of light gathered in an arch formation. Past the malum and through the cages lay a door made of shimmering white wood. The door to Ramni.
Running a hand over my hair, I huffed in frustration. To get to the door, I would have to fight through the malum. Eman had said to bring Nana to him, but maybe I had found a way to save the prisoners, too.
Swift footsteps glided across the ice before the bearded man returned, followed by Silas, James, and Nana. James quickly eased Nana to the forest floor, trying to position her as comfortably as possible against a trunk nearby. Her skin was almost translucent, her chest barely moving.
After tightening the quilt around Nana’s shivering form, James stood, offering Eman’s book to me. As I took it from his grasp, he started to speak when the hooded man gave a motion of silence. Any sound could alert the monsters to our location.
After securing the book in my satchel, I motioned for Silas and James to come closer before pointing to the cages. They peeked around the trunk, and their eyes widened in horror. James surveyed the area before he locked his gaze on the white door.
The bearded man crouched down next to me, drawing back his cloak and unveiling several daggers and knives attached to his belt. Picking two, he gripped one in each hand.
“I know how to save the people once you free them,” I said.
He brought one of the knives to his face, inspecting it as he snorted. “And how’s that?”
“There’s a door that will transport us to another realm, one of healing for these people.” I wasn’t sure whether this man would go on blind faith that there was a door on the other side of the cages.
“White, shimmering?” he grunted while straightening the other knives on his belt.
I paused, surprised. “Yes, behind the cages.”
“I don’t see any door,” Silas added, one hand gripped around the hilt of the sword, the other balled in a fist. “Addie, who is this guy? Why are we helping him?”
“We need to help save these people.”
Silas pointed to my dying grandmother. “But what about Nana? She’s our main priority.” Silas flicked a hand at the stranger. “Let him figure out his own problems.”
“Silas,” I chided in a hushed tone. “These are our people. We can’t just let them die.”
“They’ve never cared about you before. They would’ve let you die.”
He’s right, you know.
I flinched at the truth. Silas was right. These pe
ople had never cared about what happened to me. I had hated them and everything else in Barracks. But I was different now. I didn’t want to be friends with any of those people, but it wasn’t right to let them die.
“I’m helping save these people,” I said with finality. Ignoring Silas’s mumbles, I directed my attention to the man. “What do you need us to do?”
A sly smile crept over his bearded lips. “A distraction.”
“I can help with that,” James volunteered. A spark of white light emitted from his palms, causing the axe with the hook to appear in his hands.
I blinked at the weapon. It must be James’s alme.
Without warning, James gave a battle cry and ran toward the malum.
“Is that what you had in mind?” I asked.
“It works.” The stranger shrugged before launching into a sprint.
The cloaked man threw one of his knives as he ran toward the malum but missed his mark. Quickly, he reached for another knife on his belt and threw again, this time striking a malum at least forty yards away. How had he hit it from that distance? Who was this man? He soon joined James in combat against the malum, using his two knives to swipe and jab.
The shocked and hopeful cries of the people bounded through the forest as James and the man fiercely attacked the malum, successfully leading the monsters away from the cages.
I itched to join in, but what could I use? Back at the house, I had been in such a rush to save Nana that I had forgotten the fire poker. Turning, I saw Silas rubbing his temples, a disgruntled look contorting his features.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, still not pleased with his earlier suggestion of leaving the people at the mercy of the malum.
“I-I don’t know,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. His whole body tensed as if in pain. When he opened them, he caught me ogling the sword. “Here.” He handed me the gilded hilt. “Help them.”
I didn’t need him to tell me twice. Grabbing the weapon, I headed toward the cages. Everything slowed around me, the screams fading into the backdrop of my mind. The cold of Barracks left my skin. Nothing but the wild beating of my heart filled my ears.
Screaming a battle cry of rage and sorrow, I attacked as the soft ticking clicked once more.
Death consumed the air as I passed the first cage of the malum’s victims. My heart cried out at the loss of innocent lives.
I sped by the blonde woman, expecting her to stop me, but she didn’t. Instead, she stood with her arms folded in front of her, watching us through narrowed lids.
James sparred against two of the malum while the bearded man stationed himself in front of the first cage. As he fumbled for the lock, another malum drew close. Before the monster could attack, I rushed at it, not hesitating to impale its red eye.
The malum screeched, falling forward as black blood dribbled onto the snow.
The bearded man fiddled with the lock, using one of his many knives as a key. In a matter of seconds, it clicked, and the door flew open. With her ringlets bouncing, Nelly Shone was one of the first to pour out of the cages. The rest followed, frantic.
“This was your part, remember?” the man yelled before running to the next cage, his dark cloak billowing behind him.
As if in response, Eman’s words appeared in my thoughts: The door will always open, all you need is to knock.
Swerving through the panicked group, I planted myself in front of the door to Ramni. I knocked three times. The white wood shimmered before the door swung open. Swirling lights of blue, pink, and orange twinkled, welcoming me back.
“Over here!” I shouted, waving my arms above my head. A few people froze, their eyes darting from me to the door, unsure. “Please, trust me.” I motioned to the door.
Before they could decide, streaks of blue lightning zinged through the sky. The people screamed and ran, fortunately toward the open door. The light zapped again, followed by more screams.
I ushered the people through the door, trying to count heads as they blurred past. By the size of the crowd, the hooded man had unlocked almost all the cages.
“Hurry, please,” I said as I stood on my tiptoes, trying to find James, Silas, and the bearded man in the crowd.
Soon, James appeared. He and Silas ran side by side, clutching Nana’s frail figure between them. They paused at the door just before a bolt of lightning struck behind them.
“Go!” I yelled. Standing guard, I raised the sword, ready to defend my family. It wasn't my alme, but it was the only weapon I had.
The light churned behind me, assuring me they had gotten through.
I started lowering the sword when a strong hand gripped my shoulder. Snapping my fingers back around the hilt, I reared my elbow back.
A grunt sounded as I whipped around, holding the sword steady.
"What are you doing?” Silas wheezed, one hand on his stomach as he leaned forward. He coughed. “You need to leave."
I winced, wanting to offer an apology before a bolt of lightning cracked behind me. I jumped forward, and Silas caught me before we both turned and faced the beautiful woman stalking toward the final cage. Lifting her hand, she rubbed her fingers across the yellow gem at her throat. A bolt of blue soared from her fingertips, barely missing the cloaked man as he wrestled with the last lock.
“I’ll be fine, Silas.” I tore away from him. “You need to go.”
Without hearing his reply, I dashed toward the woman. Her pleased look from before had disappeared, replaced with one of repulsion.
Pleadings from those inside the last cage ricocheted off the iron bars as I passed by. Without any concern for the lightning-wielding woman, the cloaked man continued wriggling his knife in the lock.
“Are you all right?” I yelled over my shoulder, lunging away from another lightning strike. Shards of ice cut into my cheek as I flattened myself to the ground. Warm droplets of blood oozed down my neck.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he barked, scowling at the lock. “Aren’t you supposed to be saving people?”
Growling, I wiped the blood off my face and neck and stood. I swiveled my head, trying to find the blonde woman when I spotted her pointing to the door to Ramni. The malum floated toward it, their red eyes humming. My boots slid across the ice as I bounded after them. When I was almost near, blue lightning struck in front of my footsteps.
The blonde woman shot an icy glare at me, her fingers pulsing with cerulean static. “I was wondering when we’d meet.” Steadying her hand, she paused, her eyes darting behind me. A look of panic crossed her features before she quickly covered them with a sly grin.
“Leave her be,” Silas commanded, standing beside me. Though he didn’t wield the sword, his presence commanded power.
The woman bristled as the static dissipated from her hand. “No matter.” She smoothed the black leather fabric of her coat and fluffed her blonde waves. “My pets can have the fun until it’s my turn.” Lifting her slender arm, she pointed her blue lightning at the ground and disappeared, leaving a new group of malum to consume us.
Spinning around, I faced the last cage. Men, women, and children stared wide-eyed at Silas and me, recognizing our identities. Their cries grew silent as they waited.
“We don’t have any more time,” I told the bearded man before lifting the sword. He barely had enough time to scamper out of the way before I slammed the blade against the lock. Metal clanged against metal, sending sparks flying. But the lock didn’t break.
Although they didn’t draw near, the heat from the malum burned my back, making each swing of the sword more agonizing than the last. I tried again and again to break the lock, each time with more force and frustration. Sweat dripped down my neck as my hands glowed a bright orange, but none of the power went into the sword.
Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, yanking the sword out of my hands. Before I could comprehend the action, I was tossed to the side. A loud clash bounded against the trees, and the prisoners screamed. Terror suffocated my throat before I found
Silas gripping the sword, the iron lock disintegrating. The people kicked open the bars and rushed out in a frenzy toward the white door, trampling the bearded man in their escape.
The malum immediately soared over to us. Their dark claws were sharper than the siti’s, resembling talons as they sliced through the now empty cages. Rods of iron clanged against one another as they rolled across the ice.
Without a word, Silas yanked me up and retreated to the open, white door. Though it was only a few feet away, the malum bore down on us.
You don’t have to run, the same slithery voice encouraged in my mind. Or help these people. What have they ever done for you?
The malum’s power clouded my thoughts of what was right and what I had to do.
But I was mended.
My heart let out a beat, and the temptations from the malum fled my mind.
“Wait.” I stopped, turning back to the fallen, bearded man. “We can’t leave him.”
“Yes, we can,” Silas snapped, tightening his hold on my hand.
Jerking out of his grasp, I ran back to the bearded man. I bent down and slung one of his arms over my shoulders, doing my best to hoist him up.
Wielding his sword, Silas made a final lunge at the malum, slicing the tips off one of their claws. The creature howled and reared its arm back, hissing at the glowing weapon. Silas slashed the sword through the air again, forcing the malum to retreat. Once they had fled to the woods, Silas sprinted back to me. Without a word, he grabbed the man’s other arm, and we ran toward the door.
We jumped through the bright light, and the screeching of the malum faded into the distance. I lost my grip on the bearded man, and he tumbled out of my grasp. Flailing my arms, I tried to find him before my head hit a hard surface, turning my vision black.
Chapter 8
Soft footsteps awakened me from a dreamless sleep. I struggled to lift my head, but the throbbing in my skull was so great, I stopped trying. A large, round bump had formed on my forehead. Jolts of pain raced down my skull as I poked it. I sucked in a sharp breath. So that was the source of the throbbing. Luckily, the ticking had stopped. I couldn't imagine both the throbbing and the annoying tick-tock noise swirling through my mind. When I opened an eye, a smiling face with bronzed skin and bright green eyes peered down at me.
Heartbreaker Page 6