The Clockwork Heart

by T Ariyanna

  A wave of nausea twisted in her gut, emphasizing her fear. Cy turned away from her and changed back into the indifferent demon that didn’t seem to care about anything.

  I’m risking everything to save Arion, and I’m not even sure if he’s more demon or friend.

  Kaitlyn

  Kaitlyn pulled herself onto the small landing, rolling over to lay on her back, panting. The constant climbing had made her sweat, but the winter mountain air chilled her to her core. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing for a jacket. She closed her eyes and forced herself not to shiver.

  Something came down on top of her, covering her bare arms and neck. Her eyes shot open and looked down at the jacket draped over her. Cy was standing a short ways away, his metal arms now bare. He watched the sun start its descent through the gaps in the peaks.

  “How high have we climbed?” Kaitlyn asked, breathless. The slope had only gotten steeper, and her limbs heavier as they climbed, making their progress slow. They were already on their fifth day of climbing, but she still couldn’t see the peak.

  “We should at least be halfway up. There are less and less caves this high. It's best if we rest here in one of them. The mountain only gets tougher from here.”

  Kaitlyn groaned as she sat up, wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. She buried her jaw into the collar. As she warmed up, exhaustion settled over her. Her eyes started to droop, and she shook herself to stay awake.

  Snow fell from the sky slowly, gradually picking up its pace. It wouldn't be too long before a blizzard swallowed them up. Kaitlyn watched the snow dancing in the wind around her, drawing her attention to the high walls surrounding the landing.

  There were two caves set into the mountain across from them. Cy went to each, peering in, but he turned to her and shook his head. “It's impossible to see anything without going inside. I heard there's a number of hot springs buried in the mountain, but I don't know if it's true. We just have to pick one and hope we get lucky.”

  Kaitlyn nodded. Cy continued to look into each cave, creating a small flame in his hand. Standing, Kaitlyn stretched as she put her arms into the sleeves of the jacket. She walked up to Cy, but still kept her distance.

  “This one looks as good as the other, right? Let's just get out of the cold.”

  “Right,” Cy replied, though he didn't sound too sure. “I'll go first, though. Just in case. Don't mean to brag, but I am a bit more durable than you are.”

  He smiled at her smugly, and she opened her mouth to protest. Logic overtook her, and she pulled the collar around her neck and jaw. Glancing into the cave, she nodded.

  Cy crept into the cave, the flame in his hand growing. Kaitlyn stuck right behind him, holding onto the back of his shirt. The flame did no good in the cave. It actually made it more difficult to see, casting mysterious shadows over the walls that only frightened Kaitlyn more than the darkness itself.

  Cy shook the flame from his hand, plunging them into complete darkness. All that could be seen was a haze of white behind them as a storm raged outside, and the faint glow of Arion's magic within Cy's body. “Good timing,” Cy muttered.

  They delved deeper into the cave at the slowest pace imaginable, but Kaitlyn felt as though they were moving miles away from the entrance with each step. She clung tightly to Cy's shirt, and he slowed his pace again.

  “I don't think there's much of anything in here. Obviously not a hot spring, but at least it's better than staying outside. It should be a little warmer in here for you, even if it's not much. My metal will only make you colder though, so we should…”

  Cy was cut off as he was ripped from Kaitlyn's grasp. In her attempt to hold on, she was pulled down to the ground. Her hand fell into a deep pool of boiling hot water, and she ripped it out with a scream. She stared into the water, coming to a decision. Throwing her pack to the side, she reached into the pool. She felt around in the water, biting back a scream, but there was nothing to be found. No edge of the pool, no bottom, and no Cyllorian.

  “Cy! Cyllorian!”

  She took a deep breath and put her head under the water. The heat was too intense, and she screamed. Ripping her head out, she coughed out what water had infiltrated her lungs. She shook her head and her wet hair fell from its restraint. It flailed wildly around her and stuck to her face. Holding her breath, she dove into the water again. She stretched herself as far into the pool as she could without falling in herself, grabbing at empty water.

  She lost her breath and retreated. She rubbed at the numbness from her face, and gasped at the sight of her hand. Her sight had become clearer, more accustomed to the darkness, but it was still difficult to see accurately.

  She carefully pushed her sleeve up to her elbow. It stuck to her skin, and came apart with difficulty. As her arm was revealed, she lost her breath. It had turned blue and purple, with patches of raw skin visible either from her jacket melting to skin or from the extreme heat.

  “My arm. It's burnt, or bruised. I can't keep doing this, but I can't let Cy drown.”

  Her eyes pricked with tears as she plunged into the water yet again. She put both hands in, balancing on her legs as she searched as much of the pool as she could. The water was darker than the cave, though she didn't know there could even be something darker. She couldn't see a thing, and the intense heat was gnawing at her. It was impossible. She would never find him.

  Don't give up now! she yelled at herself. She pushed herself, leaning more and more into the pool. By the time she realized she was slipping, it was too late.

  She fell into the pool, and the heat tore at her victoriously. It stabbed into her like knives, and she screamed. Water tore through her throat and filled her lungs, burning her from the inside out. She flailed wildly, trying to find the surface, but it was too dark. She was being drug down to the bottom, drowning slowly. She begged for air, and opened her mouth without thinking. Water plunged into her chest, and she choked. Her body convulsed into itself. Her head was throbbing, blood pounding wildly beneath her scorched flesh. She floated motionless in the murky pond. She had given up fighting.

  Her eyes searched for any escape, whether it be death or air. She didn't care, she just wanted to be free of the pain.

  Just as her mind had decided on her fate, a vivid light engulfed her, and she panicked. Reality had taken hold of her, reminding her what must be done. She pleaded with her limbs to move, to take her away from the light. No, I can't die. Cy's still somewhere, and Arion's waiting for us to bring him back! I can't die now, not this soon!

  She tried to yell at the light to leave her alone, but it resulted in more torture. She closed her eyes, willing the light to just let her be. It grew brighter, blinding her even through her eyelids. She tried to whimper, but bubbles formed thick in her throat.

  She was seized up and pulled toward the light, restrained by something powerful. She tried to fight against her binds, assuming them to be the clutches of a monster, but they held tight. She wasn't getting free. Her burnt skin was agitated as she was dragged through the water.

  Cold air hit her face, causing more pain than the heat had. She collapsed onto the ground, unable to hold herself up. Whatever had saved her from the water kept her above the ground, gripping her waist enough to keep her steady, but not enough to hurt her further.

  She screamed, spitting and coughing up water. Her throat was ripped to shreds as it poured out of her, gagging with the effort to drain her lungs. She struggled to stay conscious, and she would've slipped under if she wasn't being held up.

  Something slapped against her back, and she yelped. It caused another coughing fit, and more water was forced out of her, mixed with her blood. The haze was slowly clearing from her vision, and all she could see was her arms. They were covered in burns and bruises, swollen and flaking in places. Seeing the damage only made the pain worse, and tears streamed down her cheeks. The salt in them stung her face, but the pain only made her cry harder.

  The pressure holding her up vanished sud
denly, and she fell to the ground. She tried to pick herself up, but she was far too weak. It was all she could do to keep herself awake. Above anything else, her heart ached for home. She longed for the simple days of harmless stories and made up monsters. She missed her home, her father. She missed Arion, and the countless days she spent with him, even if they had been false.

  Kaitlyn had made her choice, and cursed at herself for letting go of that so easily. This wasn’t a fairy tale, and her problems wouldn’t float away on the wind if she wished it. Only she could fix herself, and telling herself that she was strong would only last for so long. She had to act, and soon.

  Small luminous crystals shone a faint light in the cramped cave, just barely bright enough to see by. “Were these here before we fell in? There wasn’t any light before. Did I end up in a different cave?” she wondered aloud, her woozy gaze gliding over the scarce gems. A glint of light caught on the disturbed water behind her.

  “Cy. . . Cyllorian. . .” she mumbled, reminding herself. She crawled with renewed strength to the water’s edge as bubbles surfaced. “Cyllorian!” she yelled. It hurt her throat to exert herself, and she coughed uncontrollably. Blood fell to the ground, splattering on her face. She needed to go back in for him, but she couldn't bring herself to get near the water. The threat of drowning, of burning froze her in place.

  “Damnit! What am I even good for?” she cursed at herself, slamming her hand down. It stung her arm as the force of the blow radiated through it, but she didn't care. She reached for the water again.

  A hand shot out of the water, tainted the same colors as her own. It caught her shoulder with precision and shoved her away. A figure surfaced from the water afterwards, climbing gracefully from the depths with one hand, and dragging a familiar body with the other.

  Cy's body lie motionless before her. The only sign of life was a spot of magic pulsing within his chest, and it was flickering with the effort to stay alight. She lunged for him, her own pain and weariness forgotten. The heated metal singed her skin, and she clenched her jaw against the new burns. Though he had been submerged far longer than she, he was already beginning to cool off as the magic of his body worked for his benefit. She shook his shoulders and head, pounded on his chest, but he wouldn't wake.

  “It's been filled with water. The magic inside of it is drowning, even though the body cannot die,” the person said, now perched beside her.

  She glanced at them in the faint light coming from crystals hanging from the ceiling, shocked by their appearance. The voice had been neither male or female, and all Kaitlyn could see of the person in the darkness was a slight frame. Despite the human-like features, she didn’t have a single idea as to what kind of creature her savior might be.

  The person had a thin stomach and relatively flat chest, covered by a skin-tight top that left its middle exposed, as well as its shoulders and arms. Its shorts were made of the same slick material, hugging its thighs. The figure was not muscular, but it wasn’t out of shape either. It was well defined in shape, but there were no gender-specific features that Kaitlyn could find at a glance. Even her savior’s face was neutral, with big crystal marine eyes, thin lips, and high cheekbones. It had no hair, and small holes where the ears should be. Its hands were webbed between the fingers, and its feet were long and thin, like flippers, with skin that was naturally a dark blue hue.

  Kaitlyn shook her head, forcing her attention back to Cy. Her hands fluttered over his body, racking her brain for anything she could do to save him. Her mind flashed back to when she had found him in his room, his chest plate open.

  She shoved her fingers under his shoulder blade, the metal biting into her skin. She felt for the leather and opened the clasp. Sliding her hand along his side, she found the second clasp and opened it. She pried his chest open, and water spilled out of it.

  “There's holes in his body. How did it stay inside?” she mused aloud. Though the water was draining, a bubble of water was left suspended around Arion’s magic that had been keeping him alive. It was thick over a heart that nestled inside. The heart was golden, adorned with metal roses in full bloom. Through Arion’s green light, a deep purple glow could be seen. The light in his chest pulsed lightly, smothered by the pressure of the water. It was growing faint, and a sense of urgency filled Kaitlyn.

  “It's magic, right? It’s not supposed to let anything in, which also means nothing can get out,” her savior said, a bit disinterested. “Besides, these waters are magic in themselves, made to protect my people. It's only doing its job.”

  Kaitlyn ignored the person and tried to scoop the water out with her own hands. “Come on, Cy, you can't leave now! You can't die this early into the quest. We still have to get him back, remember? So you can kick his ass! You told me you have to get him back so you can kick his ass! You can't leave me alone, not now!” Tears were filling her eyes again, and she scrubbed them from her vision.

  Nothing was working to help Cy. Kaitlyn sat back. Her hands were shaking in her lap, and her anger was replaced with sadness. In a last futile attempt, she touched the heart within his chest. She was both desperate and entranced. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and it held the last bit of Arion's magic that he had left with Cy.

  The metal was hot against her skin, though the rest of his body had cooled. A sudden flash of green burst out from the heart, dissolving the water as it expanded from Cy's chest. The light returned to the heart, and shot out in thin wisps throughout all of Cy's body.

  “I never did like swimming,” Cy's pained voice said. Kaitlyn's gaze shot up to meet his purple eyes, and she lunged at him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him. He held himself up with one hand, and put the other on her back slowly.

  After a moment, Cy said, “Um, Kaitlyn? Can I breathe now? I know I don't need to, but I want to.”

  Kaitlyn released him, her cheeks burning. He laid down and breathed deeply, Kaitlyn watching the magic swell in his chest in silence. Her mysterious stranger was silent though all of it, sitting beside her with its legs tucked under it.

  “He made it for you, you know,” Cy whispered.

  “What?” Kaitlyn asked, caught off guard.

  “This heart. Arion made it for you, but never was brave enough to give it to you. When I found it in my chest I realized how bad he really got, in the end. If he gave it to me, then he actually did give up. But I know he would still want you to have it.”

  Cy reached into his chest and pushed against the sides of the heart. With a click, it split in half and flew open. From it, Cy pulled out a small silver ring that gleamed in the light of his magic. He held it up to Kaitlyn, and she took it gingerly. Running her finger over the smooth metal, she found engravings of stars all along the band. It fit perfectly on the ring finger of her right hand, as though it was made for her.

  “He was always trying to talk himself into giving it to you, but you know how he was. I called him a coward, but I was right there in his head. I knew how hard it was for him. Maybe he knew that if he gave it to me that I could give it to you, eventually.”

  “Cy…” Kaitlyn started. “We can fix him, once we get him back. It might not be easy, but there’s nothing left to hurt him. We’ll make sure he knows that, and he’ll be safe. We can help him. I know we can.”

  She paused. Cy was staring at her with sad eyes. She tried to smile at him. His expression hardened and he turned away from her.

  Kaitlyn dropped her head and tried again. The words came out thick and slow, sending her heart into a frenzy as she spoke. “Together, we can make it all right. If we can get him back together, then why can’t we make him better, too? He won’t be depressed or scared, because we’ll all be together. It’ll be the three of us, right? Like it was before, except for real this time.”

  Her words ended at his silence. She slumped at her helplessness.

  “Kaitlyn, it’s not going to be that easy. Nothing is. Not getting him back from the dead, and not getting him back to… normal,
whatever that might be for him. It’s not his emotions that did this to him.” Cy said the words gently, though his bitterness cut through his soft tone.

  “What do you mean? What did it then? What changed him?”

  The stranger cut him off before he could answer. Kaitlyn felt a twinge of anger towards him, but it was quickly chased away by guilt. She made her resolve to continue their conversation in private.

  “So, you're a demon then. And you are…?” it broke off, looking at Kaitlyn.

  “I'm a human. Kaitlyn,” she answered sheepishly. She felt awkward under its scrutinizing gaze.

  “A human? Alright, then, if you say so.”

  “Just what is that supposed to…”

  “What are you doing wandering around the pools? Don't you know how dangerous it is for outsiders?”

  “We were just trying to get out of the storm, calm down. We don't care about you, we just want to get to the Drakens,” Cy mumbled. He pushed himself into a sitting position and closed up his chest. He glared at the stranger as he did, noticing how it studied him. Though Kaitlyn was struggling to make out the features of the stranger in the minimal light, neither it nor Cy seemed to be having any problems.

  “Drakens. What do you want to see them for?” For the first time, the stranger’s tone was not indifferent. It held an immense pain, and even a bit of betrayal. Its façade was slipping away, and Cy knew that as well.

  Cy opened his mouth, and Kaitlyn feared how he would answer, so she spoke before he could.

  “We're looking for ways to bring someone back from the dead, and our. . .friend said that the Drakens might be able to help. We have to go meet with them and find someone who will come back with us.”

  “Back from the dead? I don't know much about that, but if you want healing, then you should go to the Droll. Drakens are nothing short of barbarians. They only care about fighting.”

  “What are Droll?”

  “Me. I'm a Droll. We're water based creatures, and we live under the mountain. We do well in heat, so this mountain is perfect for us. Or it would be, if we didn't have to deal with those damn Drakens.” The Droll cast his eyes to the ceiling of the cave, a sneer on his face.