Stone Heart

by Pauline Creeden

  “It’s getting worse,” he whispered. “Did you take the pills?”

  I nodded.

  He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my arms.

  “What are we going to do? He’s just going to keep chasing us.”

  “We have to keep going,” he replied. “If we end up fighting him, leave it to me, okay?”

  I rested my head on his chest and whispered, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Kane touched a spot on the back of my neck, which hurt as soon as his fingers touched it.

  “Ouch!” I snapped and tried to pull away.

  “I need you to stay still,” he said in a soft, but authoritative tone.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “There’s something on your neck that I need to get off. It’s what is causing your fever, I think,” he said, adjusting his position so he had better balance.

  I froze, aside from my uncontrollable shivering and clenched my eyes closed.

  He touched the spot again, and my entire body lit on fire.

  I bit down on my scream but let out a whimper. I refused to move, staying still as he continued to push on the area on the back of my neck. Warm liquid slid down my spine beneath my shirt.

  He grunted, pulled on something, and there was a strange pop sound. More liquid slid down my back, and I cried softly in pain.

  My neck and spine felt like there were bits of lightning shooting down it.

  He walked a distance away from me, did something, and then returned. “I’m going to bandage it,” he said.

  “What was it?” I asked, tears still leaking down my cheeks.

  “A tick. They bury their heads into your skin and drink your blood,” he explained. “This one burrowed right next to your spine, which could have been really bad, but he was a bit to the side, so it’s okay.”

  “What was all that liquid?” I asked, sniffling and wiping at my face.

  “You don’t want to know,” he whispered, got some medical supplies from my bag, and washed my wound with water from my canteen.

  “Will my fever—”

  Before I could finish my question, darkness edged into my vision, and I fell into Kane as I fainted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Just help her!” Kane shouted.

  I wanted to open my eyes and tell him that I was okay. I hated the sound of panic in his voice, but the fog I was walking through was so black... so thick. My limbs felt so heavy.

  “Help her? Why should I? So, you can keep going after the stone I told you not to go after?” Dad asked and scoffed.

  “She’s your daughter!” Kane roared. “You can’t just let her die.”

  “I’ll only help her if you swear to abandon your quest to find the stone.” Dad’s deep voice rang with finality.

  “What are we supposed to do?” Kane’s voice broke, his arms wrapped around me and squeezed me tighter to him. I wanted to hug him back, but my arms still wouldn’t listen to me. “Wander around for the rest of our lives? We can’t return without the stone.”

  “That’s not my problem,” Dad said.

  “Why are you so adamant that the stone not be found?” Kane asked, anger filling his words. “Don’t you want the region to be safe again?”

  “I want the elders to die,” Dad snarled.

  “Don’t let your daughter die for your vendetta. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s had a rough enough life as it is.”

  “Rough? What do you mean?” Dad asked, his voice quiet.

  Kane sighed. “Are you going to heal her or not? My magic doesn’t work on her right now, for some reason.”

  “Fine. I’ll heal her,” Dad said on a sigh. I felt hands take hold of my shoulders and lay me across Kane’s lap, so I was facing the ground still. The scent of wet earth filled my lungs, reminding me of the cave where we were trapped. My body tensed at the thought. Good, at least I wasn’t paralyzed this time. Cold fingers moved across the top of my neck where the most of my fire seemed to burn.

  “She was an outcast down there,” Kane whispered, finally. “She hasn’t told me everything, but from what she’s said, a lot of the older sirens don’t like her. She liked to go exploring and pull pranks. They were going to banish her but used this as their banishment instead.”

  The cold fingers continued to probe, but I was able to crack my eyes open and look at the ground beneath me. “Sh…” I tried to say, but that was all that came out.

  “Don’t talk,” Kane said, and turned me slightly so that I could see him. He offered me a relieved smile and rested a hand on my cheek. “Just rest.”

  “Stop touching her like that,” Dad snapped.

  “Why do you care?” Kane asked, darting a glare toward my father.

  “I don’t want my daughter marrying your kind,” Dad grumbled.

  I could hear movement and what sounded like stones being rubbed together, but had no idea what was going on because I couldn't turn toward my father to see.

  “Really?” Kane asked. “You’re going to tell your daughter who she can and cannot marry?” He scoffed and then chuckled. “Good luck with that.”

  “Have you slept together?” Dad asked his voice dripping with venom.

  “Every night,” Kane said and then laughed. “No. We haven’t had sex. Your face got as red as a tomato.”

  Dad grumbled something beneath his breath.

  Something as cold as ice pressed against the spot the tick had been, and I hissed in pain.

  “She looks just like her mother,” Dad whispered. “I wonder how her mother is taking the fact that both of us were banished?”

  “Apparently, she and Ivy weren’t very close. So, I’m not sure,” Kane said.

  The stuff touching my wound was slowly cooling it. Whatever it was, I was glad it was there.

  “Her mother was an odd one. I still can’t believe they sent Ivy for the stone,” Dad grumbled. “This must be further punishment.”

  “Sounds like the siren elders are a bunch of dimwits, just like my elders,” Kane said, laughing humorlessly.

  “Why are you so adamant about getting the stone if you don’t even like your kind?” Dad asked.

  “I want the world to be safe again. I want to be able to build a house and live safely in it,” Kane said. “I want Ivy to be safe.”

  Dad grunted, and both turned silent.

  “Kane,” I whispered, my throat hoarse and dry.

  His hand slipped into mine. “I’m here,” he said softly.

  “Water?” I asked.

  Kane helped me sit up and pressed a water canteen to my mouth. I took a few drinks and then relaxed against him.

  “Her fever is already going down,” Kane said.

  “Feverwort,” Dad said. “I’d pick a bunch for your trip back.”

  “Back? No, we’re not going back,” I said and glared at him. My hand fisted weakly. Good. I could move just fine, even though it was hard, and my joints ached a bit.

  Dad glared back at me. “You’re not getting the stone.”

  “We are. We are going to heal the land and find a place to live where it is safe and flourishing.” My voice grew hoarse from the strain.

  “Ivy,” Kane whispered, offering me another sip from the canteen. “That’s enough.”

  “You’re not going any closer,” Dad said. He stood, grabbed his spear and leaned against a nearby tree. “And I’ll make sure of that.”

  “Your hatred will not be the death of me,” I snapped at him. “I won’t let you kill us. That’s what you’d be doing by keeping us from the stone, you know that, right? If we don’t get the stone, we’ll be forced to wander the lands until we die. I’ll be attacked every day. I’ll never have kids because it’s not safe enough to have them. I likely won’t live long enough to have kids anyway. I’ve almost died a few times, and I haven’t even been on this quest for long.”

  “Everyone dies,” Dad said.

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re a stubborn fool.”

  “You’re a naïve chi
ld!” he snapped.

  “Maybe if my father had come back once he found the stone, instead of hiding out in the forests, I wouldn’t be so naïve!”

  Dad flinched and looked at the ground.

  “I think that’s enough talking for one day,” Kane said. “Ivy, you need to rest and recuperate.”

  “I am resting,” I grumbled, and leaned my head against his chest.

  He looked down at me with a smirk. “You are pretty stubborn.”

  I scoffed, but a smile replaced my scowl.

  Kane dug in his pack and gave me a piece of fruit. “Eat up. It will help you recover, too.”

  “Where did you get that fruit?” Dad asked, moving away from the tree where he had been leaning.

  “Your daughter charmed a monkey into helping her. He gave us the fruit when we were stuck in a cave and then gave us some from the grove he had,” Kane said.

  Dad’s eyes widened. “Where is this?”

  “No!” I snapped. “Do not tell him where Hiruko is. He’ll probably just kill him and his family to hoard the fruit for himself.”

  Dad scowled. “Why would I do that?”

  “Well, you’re already hoarding the stone to keep the rest of us from being safe. Stealing food because you’re selfish isn’t that far-fetched,” I said.

  “Do you want to sleep in the trees?” Kane asked.

  I shook my head. “I’d rather feel the tremors if another owlboar comes back.”

  He adjusted his sitting position, tugged me so my back rested on his chest, head on his shoulder, and stroked my hair. “Tomorrow, we’re going to take the day to rest. I want you to be at full health before we move. I don’t want you to fall while running for our lives if we have to.”

  “Okay” My voice grew groggy and sleep made my limbs heavy again. How was I tired again after just waking up? Maybe I really did need to heal.

  Dad didn’t say a word, and the only sounds around us were the bugs and birds as the sun began to set again. I closed my eyes to it and just listened to Kane’s heartbeat. The sound of it grounded me. Kane grounded me. I don’t know what I’d ever do if this heartbeat stopped. I needed him, and I needed to protect him. I fell asleep and woke again with the dawn. Kane had us change position, so we were lying in the leaves by the tree. We didn’t move all day. Instead of walking and talking about our fantasies or dreams we had for the future, we just lay in silence. We ate, drank, and lay beside each other. Occasionally I’d sleep. Dad stayed close by, watching constantly without a word. I did my best to ignore him.

  That night I felt much better, though I was still tired and knew I’d be able to sleep again just fine. The night sky was clear again, and I was glad that we wouldn’t be dealing with rain like we had been the past few days. Kane stroked a finger up and down the inside of my wrist, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the touch. We were so close to finding the stone, but my dad was a huge hurdle.

  I would get that stone. I had to. I needed to be safe. I needed to be free to live.

  Part of me wondered if Kane would really want to live with me once the land was healed. Would he actually stay with me? I hadn’t said it to him, but…I loved him. What if he didn't feel the same? Once we found the stone, the truth about our feelings would be revealed. I wasn’t certain I was prepared for that.

  As night fell, Kane repositioned himself to lean against a tree. He spread his legs and held opened his arms, smiling.

  He was so handsome. So strong. So perfect.

  I sat between his legs, leaned back against him, and closed my eyes.

  Kane and I woke with the sun and resumed our journey. Neither of us was certain which direction we were supposed to go, but we hoped we would figure it out as we went.

  Dad walked behind us, not talking or attacking, so we let him follow.

  If he wasn’t threatening us, maybe we were going in the wrong direction. Or, that was what he wanted us to think.

  “I think a baby with my coloring and either your eyes or hair would be adorable,” Kane said, breaking the silence and continuing our normal routine.

  My heart fluttered at his words. I glanced over at him. “Yeah?”

  He nodded, his eyes soft. “What would you name him?”

  “Him? What if it’s a girl?”

  “Okay. What would you name him or her?” He laughed.

  I shrugged and looked at the path in front of us. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  “You’ve thought about building a house for a group of monkeys, but you haven’t thought about your children’s names?” Kane asked, smirking.

  I smiled at him. “Priorities. The monkeys are more important.”

  “You are a strange one, Ivy,” he said and chuckled.

  My smile slipped, and I turned my head away. My heart sank a bit in my chest. Why couldn’t I just be normal?

  He linked our fingers together and gave mine a squeeze. “I like you being strange.”

  “You’re not exactly normal yourself,” I teased, looking up at him.

  “The best people aren’t,” he said proudly, his chest puffed out a bit.

  “Klive?” I asked.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “You combined our names? You can’t do that to make a baby’s name.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “Who says I can’t? Is there a rulebook somewhere? Even if there is, we don’t like following rules, so I should be allowed to.”

  “Okay. Okay,” he said, still chuckling.

  “Ivan,” I said.

  He scoffed. “You still combined our names, but at least that’s better.”

  “Well, why don’t you tell me some names?” I asked.

  “Daisy,” he said.

  “That is the name of a flower,” I scoffed and tried to pull my hand out of his.

  He gripped my fingers tighter. “So? It can be a person’s name, too. Ivy.”

  My cheeks flushed. I rolled my eyes. “Point taken.”

  Dark splotches began appearing on trees around us.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “Decay,” Dad said from behind us, speaking for the first time. “Don’t touch it.”

  “Charming,” I said.

  A feline growl sounded near us, and we all froze.

  “Oiline?” I asked in a whisper.

  “What?” Dad asked. “What language are you speaking?”

  “Ivy lingo,” Kane said, smiling down at me.

  The leaves above us rustled, and all of us looked up.

  An oiline stood on a tree branch above us, lips curled back in a snarl, and black oil dripping from its sides.

  “What do we do?” I asked Kane.

  “Don’t move,” Dad ordered us. “Wait for it. Sometimes it jumps down, and other times it just stays there and growls.”

  “Lots of experience with these, huh?” I asked.

  “More than I care to admit,” he grumbled.

  We all held still. Every cell in my body ached to run away. I had almost been attacked by one on Hiruko’s island, and only Kane’s magic had saved me, then. The warmth of Kane’s hand helped me to keep my breaths even.

  The oiline growled, the sound making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end. It crouched, leg muscles bunched together, ready to strike.

  “Don’t move,” Dad said again.

  Kane’s grip on my hand tightened.

  The oiline leapt from the branch, landing on the ground several trees away from us, eyes focused on us as it glared. It moved closer, its paws leaving black slime on the ground, like a slug I had seen leave at trail on a leaf.

  Slowly, I reached down to my holster and drew my knife. Kane gripped the staff he’d been holding in his other hand tighter.

  The oiline leapt at us, claws spread, mouth agape, and fangs on display.

  Kane dragged me around the tree we stood next to, and we ran, weaving in and out of the trees. We couldn’t outrun it. Oilines were faster than us. We were going to have to kill it.

  “We c
an’t touch it,” Kane told me over his shoulder. “We need to fight it without getting close, which means you can’t fight it at all.”

  “I could throw rocks at its head,” I said, offended he found me useless in this situation.

  He chuckled. “You going to imagine my face each time you throw the rock?”

  Now it was my turn to chuckle. “Maybe.”

  This was one thing I loved about him. The fact that he could make me laugh while running for my life.

  Kane pulled us behind another tree, holding me close to his chest, and we both panted from the exertion. I leaned my forehead against his chest while we waited, listening for any signs of the oiline. I didn’t hear it running towards us, though. That worried me. Was it stalking us? Or had it lost track of us and gone in the wrong direction?

  Kane peeked his head around the tree, and his eyes narrowed. “I don’t see it.”

  I looked up, expecting to find it prowling in the trees, but the branches were clear.

  “Maybe it chased after my dad.” My breath still hadn’t settled as I continued to pant.

  “Well, let’s not waste our chance to escape,” Kane said, grabbed my hand again, and led us away. We stayed at a walk, catching our breath and staying aware of our surroundings. Both of us kept casting wary glances around, knowing it wasn’t safe, even if the oiline had gone after my dad.

  There were just too many other dangers that could be around the next turn.

  It wasn’t long before we found a cave in the rocks. Kane made me wait while he searched inside. A few moments later, he came out and nodded. “It’s empty.”

  I followed him in, keeping my head low and moving slowly, just in case there were any low spots on the ceiling. I didn’t want to bang my head on one and knock myself out. The ground was dirt, and thankfully dry, so we both sat side by side, leaned against the side of the cave, and closed our eyes as our hearts slowed their rapid tempos.

  There was a weird pulsing in my body that I wasn’t quite certain about. It didn’t feel bad, just different. My heart wasn’t pounding anymore, so what was it? I’d never felt anything quite like it before.

  “You feel that too, right?” Kane asked me.

  “The pulsing?” I asked.