Heartbreaker

by V. Romas Burton

  I gritted my teeth before spitting at her shined black boots. Dacenda stepped away, her lush lips curling in disgust before a terrible laugh escaped her throat. I snarled at the sound, wishing I could break out of my chains and stifle it.

  She crouched down and placed her head between the bars of the cell. Condescension dripped from her voice as she asked, “Are you upset with me, Bellata? It’s not because I captured you and your friends, is it? Or is it because I killed your parents? No, no, maybe it’s because the man you thought was your friend was working for me the entire time.” She grinned broadly, and this time, I did spit in her face.

  Dacenda reared back, a choking sound escaping from her throat as she wiped the saliva from her cheek. A scowl replaced her vindictive grin, revealing the monster beneath the beautiful façade. With a flick of her hand, the bars of my cell disappeared. Before I could react, Dacenda stalked toward me and grabbed a fistful of my short curls. Pain seared my skull as she yanked my head back. I bit my tongue, not willing to give the witch the satisfaction of hearing me scream. The point of her blade rested on the tender skin on my throat.

  “Rebel while you can, Bellata, but you will soon come to an end. Just like your parents, just like your friends, and just like your pathetic brother.” Dacenda’s cool breath crawled over my skin as she pressed the blade deeper.

  “I will kill you if you touch them,” I said through clenched teeth, accepting that this woman had lost her humanity long ago.

  She only laughed, releasing my hair from her grasp. I jerked my head away, cursing her perfect, curvaceous figure exiting my cell. I wished my power could strike her down with one glance.

  Dacenda waved her hand again, and the bars reappeared on my cell. “You should actually be thankful for your betraying friend,” she said, turning back to me with a hand on her hip. “If it weren’t for him, I would have already given you to my lonely warriors. They’re so bored, waiting for the inevitable battle. I thought you would be some entertainment for them. But the little lord thought our master wouldn’t want you tainted.”

  Grabbing the torch from the wall, she flipped her hair over her shoulder before she laughed again. I growled under my breath, watching her stalk into the darkness.

  Once Dacenda was gone, my anger dissolved, and I bit my quivering lips. Tears burned in my eyes, but I held them back. I wouldn’t allow Dacenda the satisfaction of breaking me. Sniffing, I blinked until the tears were gone.

  Angling forward, I searched through the iron bars, trying to find if anyone—Silas, James, or Romen—were near. But I was once again alone.

  My heart wrenched at the thought of not having any of them with me. And Claire. Tears gathered in my eyes again, but I pushed them away. She wouldn’t want me to cry and babble like an idiot.

  “Don’t be stupid, Addie,” she would say, and then tell me what to do. But she wasn't here, and I had no idea what to do.

  Steadying myself, I looked through the bars again. I narrowed my eyes but could only see a black abyss. I flopped back down and discovered that I wasn't completely in a cage. The back wall was made of rock, enclosing me on three sides. The iron bars completed my confinement. Panic gripped my throat as I remembered the last time I saw cages like these. They held siti and half-transformed Traders in Ofavemore.

  The shackles pinched my wrists as I gripped the iron bars. That couldn’t be right. I couldn’t be back in Ophidian’s Realm. I wasn’t sure where I was, but it wasn't as dark as Ophidian’s Realm. And while this place seemed awful, Ofavemore was ten times worse.

  I scooted against the back wall, defeat mocking me in every direction. My satchel was gone. My alme was gone. I had nothing. I had no one.

  Fear slithered around my neck when the clomping of footsteps echoed from the shadowed corridor. It sounded like the steps of the siti-phagos hybrid from Dunsque. I pushed myself into the farthest corner of the tiny cell and hid in the darkness until the footsteps disappeared.

  “How am I going to get out of here?” I whispered to myself once I was sure the creature had passed.

  My question died on my lips. The bars … they were gone.

  While trapped in a cell of a place that was clearly evil, a lot of things could happen. Giant monsters could walk by; Blondie, as Claire would say, could threaten my life. But I never thought I would witness the iron bars of my cell disappear.

  “While your shock is flattering, we don’t have much time,” a deep voice grunted from outside the cell.

  I almost cried tears of joy when Romen’s irritated voice ricocheted off the cell’s walls. As I tried to stand, the shackles around my wrists pinned me to the sides of the cave, holding me at a crouch.

  “I can’t get out. I’m chained,” I whispered back.

  Rowen growled, and his tall figure blocked the entrance of the cell. Without another word, he whipped out one of his dark blades, slicing through the metal chains. I jumped back, not realizing how sharp his swords were.

  “How did you get out?” I whispered, rubbing my wrists.

  “I’m a thief,” he grumbled. “I can always get out of a cage.”

  I didn’t question him further, but, as he turned, I noticed a glow around the flat sphere chained to his belt.

  The heavy steps of the siti-phagos hybrid echoed down the corridor again.

  “Where are the others?” Romen asked as we ducked into a small opening in the wall.

  “I don’t know.”

  He growled again. “You would think we would hear that feisty friend of yours, seeing how everything echoes in this place.”

  “Claire,” I whispered softly. “Claire’s gone.”

  Before he spoke, Romen waited until the hybrid’s footsteps echoed away from us. “No, she isn’t.”

  “How could you say that? I watched her die.”

  Romen shook his head, clamping a hand on my shoulder. A wave of comfort passed through me. “Dacenda’s bolts can paralyze, knock one unconscious, and even slow their pulse, but they can't kill. No matter how hard she tries. I should’ve seen her attack coming.” He cursed. “My power alone isn’t strong enough to weave the whole strand,” Romen muttered to himself.

  Hope lightened my chest. Claire was still alive? But that meant she was here somewhere and that we could find her.

  If Dacenda’s bolts couldn’t kill … then my parents …

  “No, Dacenda’s bolts can’t kill,” Romen continued. “If they could, she wouldn’t still be third in command. Ophidian can’t have anyone close to him with power equal to his own.” He removed his hand and looked down at me, his golden eyes flashing. “I don’t think I need to continue.” Understanding his point, I nodded.

  We left the small space and crept through the corridor, pausing whenever we heard the slightest echo. I was thankful that Romen was navigating, because my mind was a hurricane of thoughts.

  Claire was alive! And with this new information about Dacenda’s bolts, my parents might be, too. I wasn’t sure what to think about it, but I didn’t have a chance before a hand grabbed my wrist, the other covering my mouth, preventing me from screaming.

  The large hand yanked me backward a step before Romen slowly turned around.

  “It would be wise for you to unhand the lady,” Romen said, calmly. “Especially since I don’t deal kindly with traitors.”

  Before Romen could act on his threat, the hand released me. I spun around, instantly recognizing the newly shaven face and perfectly styled coif. Balling my fist, I swung hard. Satisfaction came over me as my knuckles contacted bone, snapping it in half. A surprised groan bellowed from Damien’s lips.

  The darkness in the hallway receded as Damien dropped the lantern he was holding and grabbed his nose, his other hand held up in surrender.

  In one fluid movement, the thief unsheathed one of his black blades, flipped it, and offered the hilt to me.

  “You traitor,” I spat at Damien, gripping the sword. “How dare you? We trusted you.” I stalked toward him, wielding the blade before he
took a few steps away, clutching his bleeding, broken nose.

  “Wait, Adelaide!” His emerald eyes pleaded behind his swelling face. “Let me explain.”

  Before he could move, I pointed the sword at his throat until its tip nicked the skin on his neck. “Why should I listen?”

  His gaze darted between Romen and me, deciding to focus on me. “I had to.”

  “You had to what? Betray all of us?”

  “Careful,” Romen breathed behind me.

  Damien cowered away from the thief. “You don’t understand.”

  I pushed the blade in, and he stiffened. “I’m waiting.”

  Damien’s throat bobbed as he lowered his hand from his broken nose. I held back my wince at the jagged line that replaced his once beautifully straight bridge.

  “When you jumped through the red doors, terrible creatures invaded Barracks. But with them came that conniving woman. She instructed those hideous monsters to kill everyone in her path, including my consorts. The only way to get close to her and seek my revenge was to trade all of you. I did try to warn you that we were being followed.”

  Scarlet rage tinted my vision. He betrayed us for his own revenge? My rage swirled into a heated ball, throbbing in my chest, as my hands lined with orange, ready to strike.

  My heart quivered, and I paused. I needed to stop my power before I regretted killing Damien. But I wanted to kill him. He was a traitor, a liar. He deserved to die.

  As I began to sink the blade into his throat, a voice spoke in my mind:

  You are more powerful than you believe.

  I instantly recognized the crisp voice of Eman and stopped. His voice was as gentle and soothing as it had always been. It had been ages since I’d seen him, and he was still trying to help me defeat the darkness that lingered within me.

  Extracting my blade from the layers of Damien’s skin, I flipped the sword around and smashed the hilt on his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

  When I turned around, Romen shook his head.

  “What?” I asked, thinking he was upset I was too weak to kill a traitor.

  “It takes great strength to not kill in rage. You are a powerful warrior, Bellata.”

  “I would have thought rage was the only way.”

  “It is a way,” he said, taking his sword and sheathing it behind his back. “But it’s a regrettable way.” Romen pressed his ear to the wall. He waited a moment before saying, “We need to move before we encounter anyone else we don’t want to meet.”

  Caught up in the moment of being freed and not killing Damien, I realized the ticking had fled my mind. Now that the excitement was over, it returned with a powerful force. I stifled my cries as it pounded against my head.

  Romen’s shoulders tensed. “We’re close,” he muttered.

  Red light streamed from a tunnel coming to the right. We crept a few more steps before turning into it, hoping to find the rest of our group. But as soon as we rounded the corner, long, clawed hands grabbed us. Romen tried to reach for his swords, but more siti descended upon him.

  As I tried to struggle away, the two siti gripping my arms pierced my sides with their claws, moaning much too close. I cried out as their claws tore through my skin, draining the life out of me.

  “Didn’t I say not to damage the Bellata?”

  Dacenda’s beautiful face contorted as she snarled at the siti. Next to her was an ebony face I had hoped never to see again.

  “Little Addie,” Schism said, his voice purring like a kitten’s. He held out his arms in a welcoming gesture, displaying his black uniform with the silver serpents racing down his arms and pant legs. The black whip coiled around a loop on his belt.

  My gut twisted at the sound of the voice that taunted me for years. Though I no longer had my nightmare, Schism’s voice had burned into my mind. I glared up at him, trying to hide my fear at the sight of his stone skin.

  “It’s been too long.” He stalked toward me and grabbed my chin.

  “Not long enough,” I spat back, jerking my face away.

  Schism wiped his hand on his chest. “I thought when the siti tortured those two Magisters in the desert, they would’ve finished you, too. Pity.”

  My struggling halted. Sirhc, Bocaj. Was Schism telling the truth?

  “What did you do to them?” I snarled, lurching forward.

  “Still feistier than ever, I see,” Schism chuckled, giving my cheek a hard pat. “And I so enjoyed our conversations during your journey.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Schism straightened his uniform. “Who do you think made you start to distrust everyone?”

  The blood from my face drained to my feet. “No, not you,” I whispered, trying to back away, but the siti held me firm.

  Schism leaned to one side, placing a hand on the whip. “The seeds of doubt were there, but I just continuously sprinkled them with lies until they grew into that glorious battle in the desert with your beloved. How I wish that had ended with you killed.” He shrugged. “Thankfully, my lord granted me enough power to play with your mind. I’m only sad that it’s over.” Schism pointed to the siti holding me. “You two. Bring the Bellata. There is something she must see.”

  “What about the thief?” Dacenda said as she leered at Romen as if he were a delicious meal.

  Schism swatted his hand in the air. “Do with him what you will. He is of no importance to me.”

  I jerked my arms to wrench free, but the siti's grasp tightened. Straining to look over my shoulder, I tried to find Romen. At least six siti held him down. Dacenda strode toward him, her hand blazing with lightning as a lecherous grin played upon her lips.

  The siti yanked me forward before Schism led us down a winding tunnel. The zapping of electrical currents echoed through the hallway. I prayed Romen would be okay.

  “Here we are,” Schism said joyfully, gesturing before him.

  When I saw where ‘here’ was, I wanted to vomit. Though it wasn’t the same one, an exact replica of Ophidian’s throne laid in the center of a large, scarlet room. The metallic scent of blood infected the air as I analyzed the dome shape of the ceiling. There were no exits other than the one we were standing in. The black skulls framing the throne were darker than the ones from before. And on the throne sat the Beast himself.

  “Adelaide,” Ophidian said, interlocking his pale, thin fingers as a wide grin spread across his face. His yellow eyes glinted in the red light surrounding him, the snake tattoos adorning his cheeks slithering up and down his temples.

  The siti shoved me to my knees, but I refused to take my focus off the Beast.

  “I was wondering when you would visit again.” He snapped his fingers, causing a black chain to appear in his hand. “A friend of yours came by, and I knew you would come along, too.”

  He tugged on the long chain. Appearing out of a cloud of smoke stumbled Claire, wrapped head to toe in rusted chains. Her white hair was matted with blood, her face swollen and bruised. But her head was held high, her chin up in defiance, not allowing Ophidian to break her spirit.

  “Claire?” I whispered, not able to believe she was really there. “Claire! Run!”

  A searing pain pierced my chest as I studied her awful state. I winced, my heart breaking further.

  Her eyes widened at the sound of my voice. “Addie, get out of here!” she screamed.

  Ophidian tilted his head back and chuckled. “Oh, Claire. She always has such a flair for drama.” He yanked the chain, forcing Claire to his side. When she was close enough, he grasped her jaw. “Thank you, by the way, for bringing back what was mine. I hate it when one of my possessions has scurried away.”

  Claire lurched forward and bit Ophidian’s hand. Growling, the Beast backhanded her across the face. I flinched when she landed on the ground, but as soon as she could, Claire rolled and hoisted herself back up. Ophidian may break her body, but he would never break her hardheaded spirit.

  Exhaling, Ophidian lifted his hand to snap. But b
efore he could, Claire repeated, “Addie, get out of here! He has Si—”

  He snapped, and she was gone.

  Torment wrenched my heart again, pain puncturing my chest. This time I screamed, and Ophidian laughed. I didn’t need Claire to continue her sentence.

  “The reason this whole problem began was because one insignificant little man wouldn’t give me his heart.” Ophidian stood, clasping his hands behind his back as he paced in front of his throne. “I didn’t think I was asking for much, but apparently I was. You see, he didn’t want to make a trade to me, because he wanted to give his heart to the woman he loved.”

  An awful grin passed over Ophidian’s face as he surveyed me. “Which, just my luck, happens to be you. Not only do you bring me back my pet” —he snapped his fingers, bringing back Claire, only this time her mouth was covered with a black ring of smoke around her head, preventing her from speaking— “but you also brought me what I have sought ages for.” He snapped again.

  A cloud of black smoke billowed in front of Ophidian’s throne before it vanished. Silas appeared on the red ground, his shirt gone, and his eyes closed. Shackles bound his wrists and ankles together.

  “Silas!” I screamed, tears streaming down my face. When he didn’t respond, I yelled louder. “Silas! No!” My shattering heart cracked between my ears at the sight of Silas’s motionless body.

  I shoved the siti off my arms and ran to his side. All my emotions of anger and frustration toward him dissolved. I couldn't let Ophidian have Silas’s heart. But as soon as I got close, Ophidian snapped his fingers, and Silas disappeared.

  “No! Please! Don’t hurt him!” I cried, clawing at the Beast’s legs. “I’ll do anything. Please!”

  Ophidian glared down on me, and I thought, for a moment, he would consider. But when a loud cackle burst from his lips, I knew I had made the wrong choice.

  “Oh, Adelaide, those days are long gone.” He kicked me away from him, but the pain was nothing compared to my breaking heart. “I told you before you would suffer the consequences of your choices. Now that time has come.” He snapped, and Silas reappeared at his feet.

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and I screamed, watching Ophidian’s fingers extend into claws and plunge into Silas’s chest.