Heartbreaker

by V. Romas Burton

Keeping more secrets from your friends?

  I didn’t keep it from her on purpose. There’s been a lot going on. I waited for the voice to respond, but it stayed silent.

  Claire tilted forward, her freckled nose almost touching Lyle’s face. “What? Did something happen to him? Is he all right?”

  Lyle gave a concerned frown before he continued. “Don’t worry, he’s okay. He’s actually better than okay … he’s here, in Ramni with all the others from Barracks.”

  Claire sat back. “What?” She shot me a glare. “That would’ve been nice to know earlier.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mouthed while lifting my shoulders sheepishly.

  “After you all left, he woke up,” Lyle continued, glancing over at something, then back at us. “He wanted to see you, but I told him that you were on a quest.”

  Silas snorted. “A quest, indeed.”

  “Shh!” I said, slapping his foot.

  “What did he say?” Claire asked.

  “That he missed you and wanted to see you.”

  “Oh.”

  A few moments of silence passed as we waited for one of them to say something. Finally, Lyle asked, “Do you want to see him?”

  Hesitating, Claire drummed her fingers on her thigh before nodding. It had been years since she'd spoken to her father. After he had left her in Ophidian’s clutches, I wouldn’t be surprised if she never wanted to talk to him.

  Lyle motioned someone over, then stepped out of view, allowing Doctor Magnum to take his place. The heart extractor still held onto his youth and appeared more at peace than the last time I’d seen him.

  “Claire,” he breathed.

  Claire swallowed again, tears rimming her eyes. “Hi, Dad.”

  Doctor Magnum’s lips quivered as he reached out to Claire. Claire hesitantly placed her hand on the pages.

  “Claire, I’m so sorry.” He bowed his head, his shoulders shuddering. “I was such a fool. A coward. I didn’t know what your mother had done, or what to do about it, when he came.”

  “It’s okay, Dad,” Claire replied, blinking away the tears, her face a mask of calm. “At least you’re safe.”

  “And he’s been a big help,” Lyle’s voice chimed in from behind him. Soon, he and Doctor Magnum were sharing the space on the pages of the book. “He’s been trying to help Eman and me lift the curse.”

  “That’s great,” Claire said, her voice straining as she summoned a weak smile. I placed a hand on her trembling fists, and her eyes pleaded for help. Moving closer to the book, I changed the subject.

  “Lyle, do you know anything about a blonde woman named Dacenda?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why, but something was probing me that she was involved with our parents.

  Lyle shot a worried glance at Claire, then focused on me. “Who’s Dacenda?”

  I gave Claire a small nudge to push her out of Lyle’s view. Holding back her sobs at seeing her father, Claire crawled into the thick grass.

  I gestured at Silas to go to her, but he shook his head in refusal. What was wrong with him now? Pursing my lips, I motioned to James, who quickly found Claire and offered words of comfort.

  “She’s this woman who’s been tracking us,” I explained, remembering how Damien discovered that someone was following us. The lord stood silently as he straightened his knives. “She can control the malum, so she definitely works for Ophidian, but I didn’t know if you knew anything else.”

  “Hmmm.” Lyle placed a hand over his chin, his eyes shifting back and forth as if filing through all the books he had read. He furrowed his brows in thought before they jumped up. Nodding, Lyle picked up a different book. He rifled through the pages, then stopped, his lips turning down. “Yes, I actually do know something.”

  “What? What is it?” I asked, gripping my knees.

  Lyle’s eyes darted across the pages before he took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. “I think she’s the one who killed our parents.”

  Nausea boiled in my stomach, and my heart wrenched in two. I curled my fingers into fists, hot tears burning in the corners of my eyes.

  “What?”

  “It’s all right here,” Lyle said softly, holding up the book.

  Sunlit pages welcomed me as a group of people walked across the page. They were jovial, smiles adorning their faces as they conversed with one another.

  Then the pages changed. The people ran, the background of the pages shifting from bright white to a dark gray. The group was half of what it had been in the previous scene. Their faces were cloaked in fear as they disappeared off the other page.

  The pages then turned to black. There were only two people from the group left: a man with blond hair and a woman with dark curls. Recognition pulled at my memory before the scene changed again. The man and the woman ran to the right page, glancing over their shoulders. A woman with long, blonde hair came into view, stalking behind them as if they were her prey.

  Everything within me stilled.

  The couple tried to retreat off the page but were pushed back by a group of black figures. When the singular red eye appeared on each of the black creatures, I instantly recognized the malum.

  Dacenda stalked toward the couple, but they refused to back down. The man sent streams of white light from his hands, while the woman sent out bright orange ones. Dacenda easily deflected their attempts and countered an attack. Ice-blue bolts shot out of her hands, immediately knocking the man down. The woman crouched beside him, and though there was no sound, her shuddering shoulders exemplified her cries.

  Pain stabbed my chest. I clawed the area, trying to subdue the agony of my breaking heart. A large hand gently gripped my shoulder, but I couldn’t tell if it belonged to Silas or Damien.

  Dacenda sauntered toward the woman with dark curls and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her off the man. She sneered at the woman before dragging her along the ground, disappearing off the page. The images from the pages flickered, then disappeared, returning to their original cream color.

  I tried to breathe, but my breaths came out as sobs.

  You’re not the only one keeping secrets, the voice mocked in my thoughts.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I gasped through tears, slamming my fist on the book. Thick droplets fell to the page, absorbing into the parchment.

  “Because,” Lyle said, his face fallen with grief as he shut the text. “I didn’t know who she was. The name and description you gave me matched the story perfectly. So, I have to assume she’s the one. She’s the murderer.”

  “But why did she kill them?” I questioned, fighting the tears.

  “Because they were the last ones in their time to follow Eman’s ways.”

  I forced myself to face James. He had stepped away from Claire, who had her head buried in her hands. James placed a hand over his eyes, bowing his head.

  “Did you know?” I asked through clenched teeth. “Did you know my parents worked with Eman? Did you know Dacenda killed them?”

  James’s entire posture slumped forward as if he couldn’t bear to hold himself up.

  Betrayal whirred inside me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  My grandfather started to speak when Lyle interjected. “Addie, it wasn’t only James who knew. Eman was the one who told him, but not us. When I found this book, he told me the whole story, explaining that the time was now right for us to know.”

  “But why wait? Why didn’t you tell me when you knew?” I exclaimed, distrust churning in my thoughts as I pointed to James.

  He didn’t tell you he was your grandfather either, remember?

  “Or you?” I spun around and picked up the book, glaring at Lyle.

  All this time, Eman, James, and Lyle knew what had happened to my parents. I had been hoping for more information, praying for Lyle to get his memories back so we could find out more. But he didn’t need his memories to find their story. Eman had known all along.

  And you still trust the heartmender?

  “I just found ou
t her name, Addie,” Lyle replied, setting his glasses on his nose. “And I really wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, but I only just learned the entire story, and you had to leave so quickly, and we didn’t have the time to talk …”

  I wanted to throw up. I wanted to hide. I wanted to run.

  I threw the book down, turning away from Lyle’s babbling.

  “Addie.” Silas cautiously placed his hand on my arm. I shoved it off and stalked away from them.

  “Addie, wait!” Lyle’s voice rang through the grass. “There’s something you need to know. Something about Eman. Please, listen!”

  Heat built in my chest. I took in deep breaths, trying to calm the rapid palpitations of my heart, but my thoughts couldn’t move past the deception and betrayal. Balling my hands into fists, I did what I hadn’t done since this journey began: I ran away.

  Chapter 25

  I ran hard and fast. I didn’t look back.

  I sprinted until my knees grew weak. Every breath I took seared my lungs. Tears stained my cheeks as I crashed to the ground, falling into white sand instead of green grass. Bottles and vials spewed from my satchel as I curled into a ball and cried.

  My parents gave their lives for a man who chose not to tell me about their deaths. I let out a wail, placing a hand over my heart as pain jabbed my chest. Had my heart cracked again?

  I laid in the sandy grass for what seemed like hours, not caring about my fate. What did it matter about the Magisters or Ophidian anymore?

  “Addie!” My name echoed in the distance.

  I blinked a few times, lifting my head to hear the voice.

  “Addie, where are you?”

  I wanted to shout back, but I was too broken to speak. Instead, I raised my arm in the air, hoping he would find me. In a matter of moments, rushed footsteps approached me before Silas joined me on the ground. I was soon swept up into two strong arms. The pulse of his half-heart comforted my own as Silas cradled me to his chest, and I cried.

  “It’ll be okay,” Silas said, wiping the granules of sand from my cheeks.

  “How could it be okay?” I said into his shirt through sobs, clutching the plaid fabric. “He knew. They all knew!” I lapsed into another fit of sobs before continuing, “And they kept it from me. Not once did Lyle try to contact me when he found out. Not once did James mention why my parents died. Not once did Eman explain what happened to them. If I hadn’t asked about Dacenda, I would’ve never known!”

  “I don’t think so,” Silas said calmly, moving a strand of hair out of my eyes. “Eman may not say everything at once, but he’s always been truthful. Maybe he wanted to tell you at the right time, to make sure you would be ready when it came.”

  I scoffed. “This was the right time? When I’m trying to gather forces for him?”

  Silas sighed before cradling my face in his hands, bringing me back to the days when we were only a little girl and young man trying to figure out the realm.

  “Eman knows what he’s doing. You have to trust him.”

  I turned away and sniffed.

  Silas gently tugged my face back to him before placing his forehead on mine. “Sometimes, we keep things from those we love the most to protect their hearts from breaking.”

  I pulled away, ready to demand an explanation for that statement, but instead, Silas's hands cupped my neck, threading his fingers through my hair, and brought his lips to mine. I paused before melting into him. All thoughts of demands and heartbreak fled my mind.

  Silas wrapped his strong arms around my waist. Warmth coursed through my body, filling the empty hole as I drank him in, savoring the saltiness on his lips. Our hearts galloped faster as we embraced one another.

  Silas’s kisses were different than the ones we shared before. While those were passionate and hungry, these were desperate and pleading, as if he never wanted them to end. Like they were the last ones we’d share.

  I broke away and rubbed my thumb along the tears that had rolled down his cheeks. Pain seared my chest at the sight. Silas cast his eyes downward, refusing to meet my gaze.

  “What’s wrong, Silas?”

  My fingers grazed the thick blond hairs growing from his jaw before they met the scars from the siti. Silas had received those scars while protecting Nana. He was always looking out for my family and me.

  Silas worked his jaw. “There’s just so much …” Footsteps came from behind me. Silas peered over my head before he quickly placed a kiss on my palm. “Looks like they found us,” he muttered before standing up.

  Reaching down, he offered me his hand. I hesitated. If I stood, this moment would be lost forever. I would never understand what was going on with Silas. I so badly wanted to get inside his head and figure out what was happening. I needed to make sure he was okay and that he would always be by my side.

  Claire, James, and Damien trudged up to us at once, and I knew the time had passed. I wiped the remaining tears from my face before I gripped Silas’s hand and stood to face the others. Claire hugged the book to her chest, a few sniffles escaping from her. Damien scowled as he flipped his cloak over his shoulders, while James’s eyes burned red as if he had been crying, too. We stared at each other for a moment until James cleared his throat.

  “I believe I have some explaining to do.”

  I nodded quickly, not tempting my tears by speaking.

  James sighed, rubbing his chin before beginning. “Long before Lyle or you were born, Decim was a different place. Things were all around better. Your mother and father had just gotten married and were ready to start their life together. That’s when they met Eman. It was a few years after their Heart Reign. They both decided to keep their hearts instead of trading them away.” I opened my mouth to protest, but James put up a hand. “This was before the law of forcible trade.” He cracked a small smile. “Actually, I believe your parents were the reason why the law was made.”

  I closed my mouth, my curiosity growing.

  “Your Nana’s heart was the purest Barracks had seen. But that was before your mother and father. Once they met Eman, they discovered the purity of their own hearts and the power they held within them. It was then that Eman asked them to follow him—to learn his ways and become Magisters for Barracks since the previous Magister had disappeared.” James studied his boots as he wiped a hand across his mouth.

  Damien cleared his throat, stepping between James and me. “I know this is a pressing issue,” he offered, his voice soft as he interrupted. “But since we know we’re being followed, and Adelaide decided to wander off course, shouldn’t we figure out where we are?

  “That’s a good point,” Silas agreed.

  Scooping up the scattered items, I placed them in my satchel and slung it onto my shoulder. I wondered why Silas was agreeing with Damien. They never agreed on anything.

  As I brought my attention back to James, I noted his sagging shoulders and the pronouncement of gray growing from his chin. He looked exhausted, as if each word coming from his lips stretched him thinner and thinner.

  James’s ice-blue eyes filled with sorrow. “I know I should have told you before, but Eman and I didn’t think you were ready for the truth. I do wonder if Eman allowed Lyle to know before you so that you could hear it from your brother.”

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and nodded, now understanding what Silas had said before.

  James shuffled over and grasped me in a tight hug. “Your parents loved you and Lyle very much. The reason they sacrificed themselves was because they believed in Eman. They knew he would make Decim safe for their children.”

  I hugged him back, the betrayal dissipating from my thoughts. I still wasn't happy with Eman for keeping something so important from me. But I understood why he did it. And James had taken care of all of us on this journey. He wouldn't have kept this from me to harm me.

  “Thank you for telling me,” I said, releasing him. “I hope one day I can know the rest of their story and yours.”

  Silas came up behind
me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “We really should continue.” He turned to Claire, who was still clutching the brown book to her chest. “I apologize about before. Is there any way we can try to reach Lyle again?”

  Claire pulled the book away from her body, inspecting it. She opened the pages, thumbing through them quickly. “I don’t think so. I think only he can contact us. And after little miss feisty pants over there threw him on the ground, again, I don’t think he'll be calling anytime soon.”

  "Sorry," I said. Lyle was in the middle of saying something about Eman that I probably should have listened to. Hopefully, it wasn’t too important. “I’m also sorry for not telling you about Doctor Magnum.”

  Claire slammed the book shut, and I jumped. “As much as I would’ve liked to know before, there’s nothing I can do about it now. He’s safe with Eman; that’s all that matters.”

  I studied my friend. How could she forgive me so easily?

  “But”—she narrowed her eyes as she pointed the corner of the book at me—“if you keep anything else from me, I may not heal you the next time you decide to be stupid.”

  Chapter 26

  As I took the book from Claire, white grains of sand tumbled from the brown cover, joining the granules covering my boots. I shook my foot, trying to force the scratchy grains from entering the melted hole on the side of my shoe.

  Damien’s question regarding where we were resurfaced in my thoughts, and I opened the text to find out. Once the pages flattened, the invisible quill drew a bold blue line on the parchment. Grass and sand formed, but the line continued, sketching soft blue waves at the edge of the page. I turned around, and the book glowed, assuring me of the direction we were to take.

  “This way,” I said, not breaking my focus from the pages. The steady crunch of my feet pressing into the sand soothed my churning thoughts as everyone plodded through the sparkling snow-white grains and tufts of tall grass behind me.

  We continued until the sound of calming waves gliding in and out flowed through the air. Dusk coated the sky with alluring shades of pink and orange. Closing the book, I admired the beautiful sight. The sun was a work of art against the serene waves of the evening ocean. For just a moment, I forgot about everything. This journey, Ophidian, my parents. All that mattered was watching the intricate masterpiece. I didn’t blink, not wanting to miss a moment.