Heartbreaker

by V. Romas Burton

  I burst out laughing, never having seen James so frustrated before. James peered up at me, exhaustion rimming the new wrinkles around his eyes.

  "You’re amazing to have dealt with both of them,” I chuckled, sitting down next to him.

  The warmth of the flames seeped through the fibers of Lyle's old sweater. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, attempting to hold in the heat as long as I could.

  Leaning back, James cracked his neck before scrubbing his hands over his face. I glanced over at him, now noticing his age. Though he physically didn't look any older, the shadows growing under his eyes said the opposite.

  “You doing okay?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he replied gruffly. He plucked a few pieces of dried meat from his satchel before yawning.

  “Why don’t you rest,” Silas suggested, taking a seat next to me. “Addie and I will keep a lookout for anything.”

  James chewed slowly, watching us suspiciously before giving in. “All right, but wake me if you see or hear anything. Understand?”

  We nodded obediently.

  Satisfied, James slumped to the area between Claire and Damien and laid down.

  Once I saw the steady breathing of his chest, I couldn’t contain my anticipation any longer. Scooting closer to Silas, I whispered, “What were you guys talking about earlier?”

  Stoking the fire, Silas raised his brows, a flicker of mischief gleaming in his eyes. “Stuff.”

  Taking the bait, I moved closer to him until our knees touched. “What kind of stuff?"

  He waited a moment until his lips curled.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. "Are you going to tell me or not?

  Silas laughed. “There were some things I wanted to ask him, and some things he wanted to tell me, that’s all.”

  “The same things Divad wanted to tell you, too?”

  He worked his jaw, keeping his attention on the fire. “Sometimes, I wish you weren’t so curious.”

  With questions overflowing, I wanted to drill him for further information. But when I saw his stooped posture and distant look, my chest ached, heavy with grief. I had seen that look before; it was the same one Eman had. It was as if Silas had to carry a thousand burdens, and I couldn’t lift one for him.

  More secrets.

  “Silas,” I said, placing my hand on his arm. “I understand that you want to keep this to yourself, but it’s clearly bothering you. What’s wrong?”

  Avoiding eye contact, Silas poked the fire once more before answering. “There’s just a lot I forgot while I was in Barracks.” He gave me a weary smile as if his troubles were nothing.

  “I know there’s something you’re not telling me,” I began to say, but Silas cut me off.

  “I know there are things you haven’t told me, either.” His voice was sharper than the blade he carried.

  I pulled my hand back at the harsh tone. Steady Silas had never spoken to me like that.

  He’s not Steady Silas anymore.

  Silas’s fingers gripped tightly around the stick he was holding. His breathing became heavy as his eyes darkened.

  I scampered away from him. Why did these episodes keep happening?

  After a few moments, the muscles in his back relaxed, and his hand with the stick fell to his side. Silas’s throat bobbed, and he sniffed as if he were trying to hold back tears.

  Keeping my distance, I decided to try a calmer approach. “Ophidian’s Realm was hell.”

  Silas slowly turned toward me, a dark fog covering his eyes. The hairs on my neck stood on end as fear punctured my thoughts. What was happening to him? He resembled Claire when Ophidian took over her body in the Seven Choices. Is that what was happening to Silas?

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and stared into the fire. “If it wasn’t for Claire and Eman, I would be dead.”

  Focusing on me, Silas’s chestnut irises reappeared, the fog lifting. Good, my new approach was working.

  “I made it through the first few doors with only physical injuries,” I continued. “But I left the Fourth Choice completely broken.”

  Silas's eyes fully cleared, and he blinked, closing the gap between us. “What happened?”

  My neck grew hot, and I started drawing in the dirt, trying to hide my embarrassment. “You were there,” I said, creating a lonely stick figure in the earth. “Well, it wasn’t you. But I didn’t know that until after.”

  “Until after what?”

  I wanted to crawl inside my sweater and never come out. “Me and you, well, not you, but the creature that looked like you were ... closer than we’ve ever physically been.” I risked a look at Silas to find him staring at me with raised brows. “But I took care of it,” I said quickly, glancing toward the dancing flames again. “And then my heart broke, literally.”

  Silas was silent before asking, “How did you take care of it?”

  I rubbed my neck, trying not to remember the pain I endured during that door. Taking the stick Silas had used, I poked it into the fire.

  “You were very demanding,” I said quietly. “And were going to make me do something I didn’t want to do. At that point, I knew it wasn’t you, so I took care of it.”

  “How?”

  I turned away, not wanting to see his response. “I killed you.”

  For several minutes, only the sound of crackling flames stifled the silence. Then, Silas asked, “Really?”

  The genuine shock in his voice took me aback, and I whipped my head around. Staring back at me were two clear, focused eyes, not filled with revulsion or horror, but utter surprise and possibly admiration. Why wasn’t he horrified?

  “Yes, really,” I spat, pressing my palms against my knees. “But I almost killed myself in the process.”

  “Whoa, whoa.” Silas put his hands up in surrender, trying to hold back a laugh. “Calm down.” He studied my palms, which were glowing orange again.

  Seeing them glow orange made me angrier. Couldn’t I feel without there being a consequence?

  “Addie,” Silas said gently, grasping one of my hands. The orange light rolled between his fingers but didn’t harm him. He carefully caressed the top of my hand with his thumb until the light disappeared, and I found myself leaning into his side. “You did what you had to do. And obviously, you were right, because here I am. Alive.” He motioned to himself with his adorable crooked smile.

  I pursed my lips, trying to stop my grin, but it didn’t work.

  “Ah, there she is.” Silas’s face grew serious. “I know that was hard for you, but think about it this way: if you hadn’t killed ‘me’ then, you wouldn’t have gotten through the last Choices to get to Lyle. Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made for a better outcome.”

  More secrets.

  I studied his solemn expression closely, and although I nodded in agreement, I couldn’t help but think he was talking about something else.

  Silas stroked my hand, sending chills up my arm. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll keep watch for a while, then wake the lord,” he said, motioning toward snoring Damien.

  I chuckled and squeezed his hand before grabbing my blanket and a bag of dried berries out of my satchel. Standing, I padded to the vacant area next to James.

  As I munched on the berries, I wrapped my blanket around myself and laid on the cool ground. My mind replayed my conversation with Silas, and I realized he hadn’t told me anything at all. I ran a hand along my hair as I stared up into the trees. Maybe now that I shared some of what I went through, Silas would share more with me. My heart gave a thud, hoping it was true.

  As my eyelids fluttered closed, the point of a blade pricked my spine.

  Chapter 21

  I opened my mouth to scream, but a gloved hand clamped over my lips.

  “Make the slightest sound, and I’ll kill you all,” a commanding voice whispered in my ear.

  The tip of the blade dug deeper into my lower back, and I bit my tongue, restraining my cry. This cou
ldn’t be a Magister like in the caves before, could it? We weren’t anywhere close to the next Land. I tried to calm the racing palpitations thundering in my chest.

  “Very good,” the voice continued, removing his hand. “Now, grab your bag and follow me.”

  I instantly felt the presence behind me leave, expecting to hear the twigs' rustling, but nothing stirred. I obeyed and stood, my knees trembling as I shuffled toward the fire where Silas and my satchel were. Hearing my steps, Silas blinked up at me, gripping the metal cup in his hand.

  “Hey,” he said with a soft smile, drowsiness touching his eyes before taking another sip of the tea. “Can’t sleep?”

  I mustered the best grin I could, but it fell short. My fingers twitched at my sides. Instead of answering, I nodded and reached for my satchel. Silas watched my shaking hands as I slung the strap over my shoulder.

  “Going somewhere?”

  “Um,” I said, wishing he would just let me take my bag and leave. I didn’t want to lie. But I would rather lie than find Silas dead.

  “I have some … feminine things I need to take care of,” I blurted out, watching his face turn from suspicion to embarrassment.

  Silas rubbed the back of his neck and focused on the flames. “Oh, right, sorry.”

  If I wasn’t lying right to his face, I would’ve laughed.

  Clutching the satchel to my chest, I spun around and rushed into the trees, praying I didn't walk straight into the tip of a sword. After I few more steps, the deep voice spoke behind me.

  “That took longer than expected.”

  “I didn’t know there was a time limit.” Snapping my lips shut, I closed my eyes and scrunched my shoulders, bracing myself for a quick kill. But to my surprise, a chuckle responded instead.

  “Yes, I heard you had a mouth on you. Luckily, I came prepared for that.”

  The scraping of metal echoed off the trees, and I stilled. I couldn’t find the owner of the voice, but he had to be nearby.

  The icy tip of a dagger pricked the skin at my throat as I searched the darkness. Moonlight glinted off a harsh, black blade. The hilt was black, as well, but lined with shined bronze. A black-gloved hand extended out of the darkness, not revealing more than an arm covered in gray material.

  “Don’t speak. Only nod,” he commanded sternly. “Understand?”

  Carefully, I nodded. The gloved hand slowly moved the dagger away from my throat before returning with an empty, open palm. “The crystals.”

  My skin tingled from where the blade had just been. “What?” I asked, gambling he wouldn’t act on his threats.

  “The crystals from the caves.”

  Pressing my luck, I asked, “Why do you want them?”

  Before I could react, the fingers quickly locked around the dagger, and the blade pressed into my throat again. I winced as a small slice broke my skin, a thin trickle of blood dribbling down my neck.

  “You sure do ask a lot of questions for someone whose life is on the line.”

  I stood like a statue, waiting. After a few moments, the hand faced open once more. “The crystals."

  Without questioning again, I rummaged through the satchel, surprised to see that the book wasn’t glowing as it usually did when I was in danger. Moving it aside, I found the blue leather pouch holding the crystals from Neural. My stomach twisted as I grabbed the pouch and placed it in the gloved hand, praying we wouldn’t need them anymore. The gloved fingers firmly grasped the pouch before slinking back into the shadows. Only a slight rustling of leaves sounded, suggesting the thief's departure.

  I leaned against a nearby tree, my head sagging between my shoulders as I let out a shaky breath.

  “We will meet again soon, Bellata.” The voice carried through the leaves, echoing until it was only a whisper.

  I whipped around but was only greeted by the sound of ticking fading into the dark forest.

  I forced my wobbling legs to walk back to camp and quietly emerged from the trees. Silas was right where I left him by the fire, enchanted by its roaring flames. Thank the Heavens he didn’t try to come check on me. Quietly, I laid on the ground, clutching the satchel to my chest, wondering how a thief in the night knew who I was.

  Morning dawned, and the sun radiated on my skin, warming it from the coolness of night. As I cracked open an eye, James hurried past me. I opened the other and started to rise, letting out a groan, when my muscles refused to move. Grunting, I flung my arm from its place beneath me, a tingling sensation rushing through my veins as the blood returned. Carefully stretching, I realized I had curled my whole body around the satchel, protecting it just in case the thief returned.

  “Hey,” Silas said too cheerily as he approached.

  I growled.

  “Still not a morning person?” he asked with a laugh.

  “Obviously, you still are,” I grumbled back at him.

  Black rings laid heavily under his bright eyes as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. And though he smiled down at me, it seemed strained.

  What is he hiding from you?

  Silas chuckled again, extending his hand to me. Grumbling under my breath, I took it and stood, loving being so close to him, but hating the pain shooting down my spine. I let out another groan, shoving my fists into my lower back until it snapped like a twig breaking in half. Warm relief immediately quenched my sore back.

  “I’m surprised you’re not in two pieces,” Silas said, grimacing at the sound.

  Straightening, I grinned as I rolled up the sleeves to Lyle's sweater. The morning was pleasant and sunny, and I wanted to enjoy it. As I moved to the other sleeve, I wondered if I should tell everyone about the crystals and the thief. I thought back to how Eman’s book hadn’t glowed. Shrugging, I pushed the thief from my mind. If the book didn’t find him dangerous, then I wouldn’t either.

  Now, who’s keeping secrets?

  As if in response to my decision, my satchel shuffled on the ground. Snatching it up, I grabbed the book. The pages fluttered with excitement as my hands folded open its cover. The invisible quill sketched the edge of the trees we were in. The map moved further west, showing a small village not far from where we were. At the top of the page, the lines stopped, indicating our next destination.

  Still laying on the ground, Claire let out a loud yawn, stretching her lean arms above her head before flinging one over her eyes. “Where to now, oh, great leader?”

  “Here,” I said, offering the map to her.

  She lifted her arm and squinted at the pages. When she couldn’t read it from her position on the ground, Claire sat up, scrunching her freckled nose as she leaned in to study the page.

  “Where’s that?” Silas asked as he gathered our supplies.

  “I don’t know,” I responded.

  “Are we going to walk there?” Claire whined as she stood, undoing her long braid before whipping her hair up into its usually messy bun.

  “I’m sure it’s not too far,” James encouraged, giving Claire a quick pat on the shoulder as he strapped on his bag.

  “There’s no other way to get there,” Damien retorted at the same time, securing his pack across his chest. His emerald eyes scanned my face, and I found myself reaching to smooth my tangled curls again.

  “Thank you, Grandpa,” Claire said, cramming her vials of herbs into her bag. She slung it over her shoulder. “Unfortunately, the lord is right.” She gave him a mock bow. “We must not dawdle for his majesty’s sake.”

  I bit my lip, stifling my laughter. Damien mumbled a few curses under his breath and stalked away.

  Once we erased all traces of our night in the forest, we followed the book to the next village. My legs ached with each step, but my mind was on full alert. If a thief in the night found me, that meant word was getting out about us. And if that were true, it was only a matter of time before Dacenda, or worse, Ophidian, came after us again.

  Time is ticking.

  As we breached the edge of the forest, our group came to a standstill in awe of
the scene before us. A beautiful breeze twirled around us and onto the soft plains. Tall, yellow-green grass swayed in the delicate wind. It was so different from Barracks, so gentle and welcoming.

  Soon, all grumblings from the hard night on the ground vanished as the sun kissed our faces. We threw jokes at each other as we waded into the plains. Even Damien offered a riddle or two.

  My chest lightened as I admired everyone’s cheerful faces. I couldn't remember the last time I watched the light sparkle across the grass or dance upon the dew-covered leaves. Maybe, one day, the old Barracks would return, and there would be warmth and happiness again. Maybe I would even consider returning there.

  As we continued across the grassy plain in good spirits, a village made of gray stone cottages and thatched roofs came into view. Men and women roamed around their homes, running errands as average townsfolk.

  “Welcome!” a cheery voice yelled as soon as we entered.

  Everyone jumped. We all turned toward the portly man whose grin was a bit too wide.

  “Welcome!” he repeated, skipping toward us. Silas tightened his grip around the sword but waited to unsheathe it.

  As the man approached, he suddenly jerked to the right and hopped in a different direction.

  “Welcome!” he shouted to another person walking by.

  Goosebumps prickled my skin as we watched the man shouting at anything that crossed his path.

  “That was weird,” Claire said as she inched closer to James. She surveyed a group of children barking and running in circles like they were dogs chasing their tails. “Let’s hurry up and find the Magister so we can get out of here.”

  “They have to be around here somewhere,” I replied, taking slow, cautious steps through the village.

  We passed a woman with mousey brown hair sitting among chickens with a bag of feed. Everything looked normal until she folded her arms to mimic wings and started pecking at the ground. As we hurried by, the chicken woman clucked at us, jabbing at Damien’s foot with a wooden stake. He jerked away, grabbing two knives from his belt and pointing them at the woman before retreating.