Heartbreaker

by V. Romas Burton

  I thumbed through the other pages to find them all turning the same shade of red. Closing the book, I looked up. A field of red cloaks laid out in front of me. Red pages and red cloaks. Was there a connection?

  Suddenly, an image came into my mind; an image of something else that was red. Something that had haunted me for years.

  I quickly stood and turned to Silas. “Are you well enough?”

  He raised a brow. “For what?”

  I extended my hand to him. “To follow me.”

  He gave me his crooked grin as he grasped my hand. “Always.”

  “Come on,” I said, pulling him up. “I think I know how to stop this.”

  We wove through the crowd of people, leaving James to tend to Claire and Lord Farmount. We stopped beside Neural, who was using his magic on a young woman and her baby.

  “You will be well soon,” he said gently, placing a hand on the baby’s smooth forehead. He stood to face Silas and me, sorrow replacing the hopefulness he held moments before. Neural led us away from the young woman before speaking.

  “I pray you have an idea, Bellata. Time is running out.”

  I clutched the book to my chest. “You said the disease came to Dunsque and spread to Trefair a few years ago.” He nodded in confirmation. “How many years ago, exactly?”

  “Eight,” Divad said from behind us. "Eight years since this disease has ravaged our people.”

  “Eight years since Schism,” Silas said, following my train of thought.

  Neural took a deep breath, stroking his beard. “The doors.”

  I hugged the book tighter. For once, I wanted to be wrong. But it looked like I’d have to face those horrid doors again. “Where?”

  Neural cast a hesitant glance at Divad.

  “We must show them, Neural,” Divad said. “It’s our only hope.”

  Turning back to us, Neural took a deep breath, igniting his hand with light once more. “Come. I’ll show you where this evil began.”

  Chapter 16

  Silas and I rushed to keep up with Neural’s rapid pace through a tunnel lined with crimson crystals. Divad followed behind us, his steps so light I almost forgot he was there. With each step away from the cavern, the crystals dimmed, shifting from bright red, to dark ruby, to brown, then black.

  The light from Neural’s palm dwindled as we trekked further and further into the tunnel. Sweat beaded on his brow as he tried to ignite it to a brighter light, but it only faded into a small glow. Eventually, he couldn’t light it at all, and we were enveloped by darkness.

  A low moaning and scratching echoed ahead of us, and my heart stopped, halting every cell in my body. The memory of the siti’s claws ripping my flesh churned my stomach.

  The scratch of Silas's sword against its sheath rang throughout the tunnel. I clutched the book to my chest and my fingers immediately heated. When I looked down, I saw the pages glowing. Lifting it above my head, I watched as the book shone brightly, lighting the tunnel once more. Ebony crystals stood out against the tan walls, blemishing the once beautiful gems.

  As I moved the book to light the rest of the tunnel, a siti clawed at me, and I screamed. It moaned loudly as its large black eyes bore into mine. Thick obsidian claws reached out, scratching at the air as if they were ready to attack. Was this where Ophidian wanted to unleash his army from the Shadow realm? Did the black door I saw in Ramni lead to Dunsque?

  “No need to fear, Bellata. They cannot harm you,” Neural said, taking a slow, cautious step toward the creatures.

  There were several siti packed tightly together, moaning and scratching. Although they continued to reach for us, they were fixed in their position like boards nailed together. Around them, a swirling gray mist flowed, creating a barrier.

  “We thought this was the source of the disease, as well,” Divad commented, fixated on the siti. “We’ve done all we can to prevent the monsters from taking any more of our people, but we still can’t figure out how to destroy them.”

  “‘Any more’?” Silas asked.

  Neural sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He looked more worn and tired with each moment that passed. “These monsters came through our tunnels before the morb. After we had slain many of them, our people became infected with the disease.” He straightened his cloak and squared his shoulders before he shook his fist at the siti. "First, the beasts, then the morb, then that ‘doctor.’ What more destruction can these cursed doors bring?"

  “Is this where the doors are?" I asked.

  “The creatures had to get here somehow,” Divad explained, matching his comrade’s glare. “We saw the doors when they first appeared, but since the monsters have grown to so many, no one has been able to get close enough to see if they’re still there.”

  I chewed on my lower lip. They weren’t sure the doors were there? Was I wrong? Was this a dead end? Doubt magnified my failure before the text moved beneath my fingertips. The glowing book shook, beckoning me to open it. Grasping the cover, I flipped open the pages. The red stain had been washed away, allowing a passage to appear on the cream-colored page:

  Destroy the doors, and the sickness will flee

  Then you will prove yourself worthy

  Annoyed, I pinched the bridge of my nose. While I was pleased the book was now speaking in my own tongue, it was definitely a message from Eman. It told me what I needed to do, but not how to do it.

  “Destroy them, how?” Silas asked, reading over my shoulder.

  I shrugged, not willing to close the cover, hoping the book would give further information. But the letters dissolved until a blank page stared back at me.

  Grunting, I slammed the pages shut and scrubbed my face with my hand. There had to be a connection between the phrase and the previous red page. Well, the doors were red. But then there were the siti. The only way to get to the doors, if they were there, was to get rid of the siti.

  Are you strong enough to kill them all?

  Would Eman ask me that question? Or was there someone else infiltrating my thoughts?

  I glanced at Neural, who was leaning against the cave wall, wiping the sweat from his brow. It amazed me that he hadn’t died from the disease yet. I assumed being a Magister had protected him, but since he had been exposed to it for so long, the morb had probably weakened his power. Divad sat on the ground with his head in his hands. He looked exhausted as well, but not as bad as Neural.

  Then there was Silas and me. Silas had his sword and could probably take down a good amount of siti. But all I had was this book. If I really tried, I could whack a siti with it, but that probably wouldn’t work too well with a greater number of monsters.

  My heart pulsed with the solution. We didn’t need to kill all the siti, just enough so we could destroy the doors. Once the doors were gone, no more siti would come through. Between the four of us, there was a chance it would work.

  A confident, clear voice spoke in my thoughts, confirming the idea. You are more powerful than you believe.

  I recognized that voice.

  The black gems on the wall winked back at me. Something within me understood that these jewels hadn’t always been shadowed, but bright and beautiful. Pressing my palm against one of the jewels, I dipped my head. Like the people in Barracks in the cages, the people of Dunsque and Trefair had been overtaken by shadows and darkness, and it was my responsibility to free them.

  With a fire burning in my heart, I lifted my head and turned to Neural. “Can you remove the barrier?”

  He straightened from his hunched position. “What?”

  “Can you remove the barrier?”

  Neural bunched his brows. “Well, yes. But I don’t see why I would want to.”

  “The siti got here through the doors. We had similar doors back in Barracks. I’m guessing it’s how Ophidian collects people from each of the Twelve Lands.”

  “Collects people?” Silas and Neural asked simultaneously while Divad considered my words. He nodded along, but a tight expression contorted his face
.

  "For us to destroy the doors,” I continued, “we need to get rid of the siti, which would require the barrier to be removed.”

  Neural paused for a moment and scratched his chin. Acceptance rolled over his features as he fully understood my words.

  Divad came up beside him, brushing the dirt from his cloak. “We don’t have much of a choice. Time’s running out, and it has been for a while.”

  Divad’s mention of time reminded me of the constant ticking invading my thoughts. Why did it keep starting and stopping? Was there a pattern I was missing?

  “Okay, Bellata. I will put my faith in you," Neural declared. Rubbing his palms together, he directed them at the gray mist. The Magister’s reflective light poured out in a steady stream, covering the wall of gray smoke. The mist swirled into a spiral as the light and smoke receded beneath his skin.

  “Addie,” Silas said, his attention on the moaning siti. “Once we get to the doors, do you know how to destroy them?”

  “No," I said truthfully, avoiding his gaze.

  Silas flinched. “What?”

  “Not yet, anyway,” I gave him a weary smile.

  Silas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before he gripped his sword with both hands. He mumbled something under his breath that I was glad I didn’t hear.

  Within a few moments, the last of the gray mist entered Neural’s palms, and he stumbled back before falling to the ground.

  With the barrier gone, the moans of the siti ricocheted off the stone walls, rattling into my bones. A dark wave of monsters raced toward us, eager for destruction. Pointed claws scratched along the hard ground, icing my bones. My hands trembled as the siti came right at us. Without the sword, I had no idea what to do or how to react.

  A beam of white light from behind us cut them off, and the siti shrieked and hissed.

  “Go!” Divad yelled, forming two scimitars out of light. Launching them forward, he impaled the first few siti as they attempted to slice Neural with their claws. Divad’s long, blond locks whipped behind him as he used both swords to maim and stab the monsters. “I’ll hold them off! Destroy the doors!”

  Before I could think, Silas grabbed my hand, and we ran through the mob of siti. They swiped at our limbs as we sprinted past, their long claws tearing into our clothes before piercing our flesh. My calf tore open, and I bit back my cry. I needed to focus. I had to get to those doors.

  Silas stabbed a siti in the forehead, black blood painting his blade. As the monster writhed on the ground, Silas pulled me over its body. Another siti lunged at me, and I smacked it with the glowing book, rendering the monster unconscious.

  We ran down the tunnel, the light of the book illuminating our way through the abyss of siti. The pain in my calf amplified with each step I took, blood coating my pant leg. My lungs squeezed as I tried to suck in more air. Finally, the light reflected off what we were searching for: two blood-red doors, exact replicas of the ones in Barracks.

  “Schism,” I growled, his name tasting like poison on my lips.

  “Okay.” Silas lowered his sword and circled the doors. "What now?"

  All siti had retreated to the opposite end of the tunnel, leaving the area around the doors barren. The clangs of Divad’s scimitars echoed down the tunnel, along with the moaning of the siti.

  At their groans, Silas whipped around, leveling his sword in one fluid movement. I dodged out of the way before stepping up to the doors. There were no scratches or markings on them. No chipped paint or splinters. I kept my hands clenched around the book, not daring to touch the cursed doors.

  “I don’t know,” I said quickly, trying to push out the moaning from behind us. I wasn’t sure of how many siti had been locked behind the barrier, but Divad probably couldn’t hold them for long. I opened the book again, ignoring the red splotches forming on my hands. I didn’t have time to think about dying. “It said, ‘Destroy the doors, and the sickness will flee,’ but it doesn’t say how.”

  Silas jogged over to me, squinted at the book, then glanced up. The moaning bounded closer. Holding the blade steady, he stood guard between the growing groans and me. “I’ll hold them off while you figure it out. You can do it, Addie. I know you can.”

  His words rejuvenated my spirit, and a new burst of strength flowed through me. I tapped my fingers on the blank page. How was I supposed to destroy the doors? I squeezed my lids shut. Think, Addie.

  The disease came eight years ago when Schism first came to Barracks. It affected everyone, but not at the same rate. Those with the mark of the Mender had more time. Those without it were doomed.

  I threaded my fingers through my hair. But what could destroy the doors? It couldn’t be something as simple as literally destroying them, could it? And the red page. Did that have something to do with it?

  "Addie!" Silas yelled.

  My eyes snapped open, and I jumped out of the way before a siti claw nearly sliced me in half. In one swipe, Silas’s sword cut through its arm. In another, he severed its head. The metal of the sword glowed crimson as Silas paused to breathe. Black blood splattered his clothes, and his chest heaved while a spark of excitement glinted in his eyes. “Anything?”

  Scrunching my nose, I watched the siti head roll away. “Not yet.”

  “Keep trying,” he said before running into the horde of oncoming siti.

  I took another breath and pinched my eyes shut again.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  “No, not now,” I groaned. Dropping the book, I pushed my palms against my temples, trying to cease the pounding clock. Instead, I focused on the moaning siti.

  Ophidian created the malum and the phagos. Both creatures were far more powerful than the siti, and each could easily corrupt and destroy both Dunsque and Trefair. Why the siti? Did the morb have to do with them? And red? The cloaks, the pages, the doors, and now Silas's sword? How did it all connect? Did it all connect?

  A memory instantly resurfaced in my mind of my first encounter with the siti. They had surrounded me, torn my thigh open. It was bleeding profusely. I couldn't run anymore. But then Claire saved me.

  "What were those things?” I asked.

  Claire crouched down and began gathering her broken bowl. “Siti.”

  “What?”

  “Siti, or Life Parchers. They feed on all life that enters this realm. They were once humans, but now …”

  Alarm ran through me as I remembered the life force I had stupidly carried straight into this realm.

  Claire watched me suspiciously at first, then her eyes widened. “That's why they were after you ... No one ever gets past that wretch at the gates with their heart. I could practically feel the life coming out of you when I carried you here.”

  My eyes flew open, the ticking gone. “Life Parchers.”

  “What?” Silas yelled above the chaos as he ran his sword through another monster.

  “That’s what the siti are,” I yelled above the wails. “They feed on the life of those who enter Ophidian’s Realm. They attack the Traders, draining them of their lives to survive. When they were barricaded, they had no other way to feed. The siti used the morb to slowly suck the life out of the people of Dunsque and Trefair like Neural said.” I bounced on my toes.

  "Not to take away from your triumphant conclusion," Silas said as he stabbed another siti in the forehead, “but how does that destroy the doors?”

  A sharp pain pierced my shoulder. This time I cried out, wrenching away from the siti as I clutched the wound. Silas rushed over, cutting the siti down the middle before I could blink. His eyes filled with worry as he carefully peeled my hand away to inspect the wound

  “This needs to be bandaged as soon as possible.”

  I winced as he turned my shoulder before I noticed my hand. Bright-red blood from my wound coated my palm and fingers.

  “Blood,” I whispered. As the thick droplets rolled down my wrist, I finally understood what I needed to do. I h
urried back to the doors.

  “What?” Silas asked, taking quick, long strides to catch up to me.

  “Blood, Silas. It's what gives us life,” I explained. “It’s what the siti crave. They slice through their victims to parch the life out of them just like the morb sucks the blood out of its victims.”

  He studied the blood dripping from my hand. “Blood is going to destroy the doors?”

  The scarlet shade of his sword caught my eye, and an idea sprouted in my mind. I stretched out my blood-stained hand. “Give me your sword.”

  Silas tightened his grip on the hilt. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  The doors creaked open. More siti were coming.

  “Silas, please! Trust me!”

  He hesitated, keeping the sword close to his side.

  “Please,” I whispered, his distrust slicing through me like a knife.

  Forcing his arm forward, Silas handed me the sword. “Don’t be stupid, Addie.”

  I let out a relieved laugh. “You sound like Claire.”

  Taking the sword, I carefully ran my bloodied hand along the blade. The crimson light shone brighter as my blood coated the metal. More wails escaped from the doors. Wincing, I dipped my fingers in my bleeding wound and painted more blood on the sword, until there was no silver left.

  Lightheaded from the pain and blood loss, I reached out to Silas. “I need your help.”

  He quickly grabbed my arm, his distrust lessening as he held me close.

  “You lead, I’ll follow,” he said in my ear, sending shivers racing down my neck.

  I pressed into him, thankful I wasn’t alone.

  A siti stomped out of the pit of the red doors. It was bigger than the others and didn’t have a cord sewing its mouth shut. I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking. The new siti’s mouth opened in a snarl, revealing several rows of jagged, yellow teeth, almost as if it were a siti-phagos hybrid. My thoughts froze, my limbs with them.

  “Addie, you can do this,” Silas whispered as he tightened his arm around my waist.

  You are more powerful than you believe, Eman’s gentle voice encouraged me again in my mind.