Unchained Hearts

by Ash Night

  Unchained Hearts

  Ash Night

  Prologue

  Smoke filled the air, an eerie backdrop to accompany the horrified screams of half-burned bodies. Kalden and Mary-Beth Crossfire were the cause of those screams, and they knew it. Running through town, the only thing on Mary-Beth’s mind was her baby. The only thing on Kalden’s was escape. A battle had never gone this bad before. Death had never been this close.

  His only objective now was to protect Mary-Beth and his unborn son. They were the only ones who mattered. Everyone else, including himself, could die if it meant they were safe.

  Boom! Glass and dust sprayed them as they ran. A local store window had just exploded. Dust stung Kalden’s razor-sharp green eyes as he pulled Mary-Beth in a different direction. It was a miracle he didn’t run into anything. He could barely see. The land had always been as dry as a desert on the outskirts of the city. That was a good sign. They were getting further away.

  Neither of them spoke, even though each had a myriad of things to say to each other. Maybe it was because they knew that nothing had to be said. They just felt it in their bones. It had been a rough twenty years. But the pair loved each other and always would.

  Mary-Beth’s ragged breathing was the only sound Kalden was focused on. It meant she was alive. It meant that, for the moment, his heart had a reason to keep beating. And that was more than enough.

  Kalden was tired. He’d been tired for the last twenty years. At the tender age of fourteen, they’d put that cursed Seal on him. They’d locked his magic away. A fire had been lit inside him that day. A year later, he had amassed an army that was willing to fight and die for him, for the cause. They were going to take their magic back.

  The day his Seal broke was a day burned into his memory. It was the day his little brother died. His Seal broke the minute he’d discovered his brother dead on the floor, an arrow in his throat. A clear message for Kalden.

  An unkillable rage had flooded his veins and then he felt it. A searing pain ripped through his body, knocking him to his knees. Tears filled his eyes. A strange mix of relief and sadness. His magic had returned to him.

  It had nearly been worth it.

  “Kal…I…I can’t…” Mary-Beth wheezed. “Please…just run…” She tripped and instinctively fell on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her swollen stomach.

  His eyes blazed as he helped her up. “I am not leaving you! I’ll be damned if I thought that for even a fraction of a second! You are my wife and you are carrying our son! I will not abandon either of you!”

  Mary-Beth’s blue eyes welled up with tears. Those eyes were the ones that could reduce Kalden Crossfire to dust with just a glance. They held a power over him that no one else possessed. Seeing tears in them tore his heart in two, and he would rip the world apart with his bare hands just to make them stop.

  He hugged her as tightly as he could and bent his head to whisper in her ear, as he had done so many times before. “I will protect you until the fires of Hell consume me.” He straightened as a howl caught his attention. The wolves had arrived.

  “Hell can’t come for an angel,” Mary-Beth said as she reached up to touch his cheek. He let out a small sigh of relief. There was nothing to be relived about. The Shadow Knights were after them. He was nearly out of magic. Death was knocking at the door. But Kalden was relived in that moment. She had a power over him he couldn’t explain, even after fifteen years of marriage. Even with her Seal, she was the most powerful woman he’d ever known.

  “I love you, Mary-Beth Crossfire.”

  She stepped back to look him in the eye, her eyes shining with desperate determination. “I love you too, Kalden. And Campbell.”

  “Campbell?”

  She touched her stomach lovingly. “That’s his name. Do you like it?”

  He smiled. “It’s perfect. I couldn’t have come up with anything more perfect.”

  “I just thought he deserved a name…before…” Her breath hitched.

  “Shhhh. Shhh, honey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” He drew her close to him, resting his chin on her head. “I promise.”

  “Oh, Kal, I’m so scared…”

  That single word froze his heart. Never once had she ever said she was scared. It wasn’t just pregnancy hormones. She was truly and undeniably scared. Her admitting that to anyone was a huge deal.

  He had met Mary-Beth Alders while searching her hometown for survivors twenty years ago. She was a fierce warrior that took anything that came at her head-on. Which was needed when one was married to the most wanted man in all of Valora.

  “I know, my love. It’s okay to be scared. We all get scared sometimes. When you told me you were pregnant with our first child, I was shaking in my boots. But our Cam will be great. I just know he will be. I love you both so very much.”

  Mary-Beth buried her face in Kal’s worn tunic. It was sweat-stained and caked in dust, but it smelled of him. It was comforting. It gave her the courage to keep moving, to find that inner warrior he’d fallen in love with. Now wasn’t the time to feel anything but the determination to survive.

  She lifted her head and smiled. “Let’s go.”

  He smirked back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s the spirit, Honeycakes. I knew you were still there.”

  “Stop! You two traitors are charged with treason, the deadliest offense that can be received. If you do not come with us, you will be killed.” Four Shadow Knights rounded the corner.

  Kal’s smirk widened and he held Mary-Beth close, shielding her. “If we do, we’ll just be killed anyway. So, I don’t really see the point in stopping.”

  One of the knights stepped forward. “You’d really risk your wife and child, Kalden?”

  He growled, betrayal shining in his narrowed eyes. “You would think that! After all, you left! You abandoned us. You’re the traitor, Shale!”

  Shale sighed. “I did what was best for them. I wanted my wife to have a safe life. For our child to have one.”

  “Life without magic is no life at all, and you know it! Dammit, Shale, you were my best friend, and now look at us! You used to fight for the right side!”

  Shale pointed his sword at Kal, no emotion on his face. “I’m sorry, but you made your choice. And I have made mine.”

  Mary-Beth gripped Kal’s shoulder. He had nearly pushed her behind him. “Kal…”

  “Mary-Beth, I want you to run.”

  “But I can’t just—”

  “Now!” There was no arguing with him. The air around him shifted as he summoned his magic. She was surprised. She didn’t think he had that much magic left in him. “I love you, Honeycakes.”

  Hugging him tight, she kissed his cheek, a desperate attempt to make the moment last as long as she could. She didn’t want to leave, though she knew it was her unborn son’s only hope Magic radiated off of Kalden and enveloped her like a soft caress. “I love you, my angel.”

  “Get going, I’ll catch up,”

  It was a lie. She knew that. He had never lied to her before, but she knew he was lying now. He didn’t think he’d catch up. The thought turned her stomach, and she was nearly sick right there. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Right now, she couldn’t afford to think.

  Her legs were moving before she even registered that she was rounding the corner. It was eerily quiet after running a few blocks. Her heart felt ready to explode. Her chest burned. Looking around, she recognized the street she was on.

  The pile of rubble to her left was Mrs. Brindle’s flower shop. Or at least what was left of it. Mrs. Brindle was an old woman whose husband had died years ago. She had had a miscarriage when she was twenty years old and had never tried again. When she’d found out Mary-Beth was pregnant, she’d been
so happy, as if she were a grandmother. Mary-Beth smiled at the memory. Having lost her own mother in the attack that led to her meeting Kalden, she thought Mrs. Brindle would have made an excellent surrogate grandmother for her child.

  Mrs. Brindle didn’t deserve this. No one deserved this. It was the downside of Kalden’s passion. People got hurt. Innocent people. None of it was fair. It wasn’t his fault, though. Kalden only wanted to help people. It was for the greater good. Though the lives lost haunted Kalden. Many a night, Mary-Beth would wake up to find he hadn’t slept at all. She worried the guilt would one day tear him apart.

  Kalden was charismatic. People followed him because he knew what to say to inspire them to change. He inspired them to fight for what they wanted. He inspired them to be better. The ban on magic infuriated him.

  Magic was a basic right. It wasn’t something to be taken away just because the government was scared, he said. It hadn’t taken long for Mary-Beth to become as passionate about the cause as he was.

  Gingerly taking her hand away from her stomach, she examined the crimson splotch on her palm. The bleeding hadn’t stopping. Just then, she felt a sharp kick. She smiled. That was a good sign. He was still alive. He was a fighter, just like his father.

  She needed to get him out of town. They needed to wait for Kal. Once he caught up, they could run away and live free in a country far, far away from the Shadow Knights and the rule of a corrupt king.

  As much as they both believed in the freedom of magic, she knew they needed to settle down. Kal knew it too. Cam’s life was more important. They had been planning to run away tonight, but Kal’s wanted poster was everywhere.

  A Shadow Knight had spotted them and called for backup. Now, at least fifty officers were hunting them all over the city. Kal’s supporters, as many as he could contact on such short notice, were helping fight, but it wasn’t enough.

  Don’t worry, Cam. It’ll be okay. You’ll be fine, Mary-Beth thought. Her vision was blurring. Blood loss. She must’ve been losing more than she thought. Not good. Her knees hit the dirt and she knew she wasn’t getting back up again without help. Cam kicked again, as if urging her forward. She laughed in spite of herself. “Your father is right. You’re going to be just like him and do amazing things.”

  Focused on moving forward, Mary-Beth saw some red flowers at the end of the path. Birthing flowers. Her heart jumped into her throat. She prayed to the Goddess that this wasn’t a bad sign. Birthing flowers were flowers that could mimic a womb and carry a baby to full term They were normally used in case the mother was to die or if her life was at risk.

  The time it took for the flower to give ‘birth’ to the child varied on the maturity and specific breed of the flower. It could take anywhere for a year to centuries. There was really no way of knowing unless one had extensive knowledge of Birthing flowers. The big, bulbous flowers were beautiful but often seen as a bad omen to pregnant women.

  “I found her!”

  Mary-Beth’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces and, for a split second, time stood still as a black hole of grief overwhelmed her. They had found her and that only meant one thing.

  Kalden was dead.

  The Shadow Knights knew better than to risk the slightest chance of Kalden Crossfire getting up again. He had been lying through his teeth. He never would catch up. He would never call her Honeycakes again. He would never get to see his son grow up.

  Hot tears streamed down her face as she slowly crawled to the Birthing flowers, dirt caking under her fingernails as she dragged herself forward. She knew she had to reach them. It was Cam’s only hope. If they captured her, he would die. Pregnant prisoners’ babies were simply left to die either in the womb or in the cradle as the prisoner was worked, and starved, to death in the mines.

  At least Birthing flowers were protected by the forest faeries. They would take good care of him. The Shadow Knights couldn’t hurt him if they were under his protection.

  The sound of footsteps filled her ears. There were two sets. Kal had managed to take down three of the knights. A fae as proud as Kal wouldn’t go down without taking a few enemies with him, as many as he could manage.

  “Mary-Beth Alders, stop right there! Come with us and we’ll make sure your baby is not harmed,” a knight said. She didn’t dare look back. She was almost there. The knight was lying anyway. An offspring of Kalden Crossfire would never be allowed to live. Kalden was known as Valora’s most wanted man. That was a death sentence for anyone connected to Kal.

  It was the reason they had gotten married in a small underground cavern with no friends or family present. It was a five-minute ceremony that should have had flowers, a huge cake, live music, a wedding dress. Instead, it had the dim light of a few candles, no music, one piece of bread, and her wedding dress was simply what she wore that day. Despite that, it was the happiest moment of her life.

  Kal had given her his favorite green jacket to wear because the cavern was damp and he insisted his bride couldn’t be cold on her big day. The priest had found some honey to put on the bread so at least their stale ‘cake’ had some flavor when they bit into it. And Kal had hummed a song to her as he danced with her securely in his arms.

  It wasn’t the giant, beautiful wedding she had dreamed of as a young girl, but it was the best Kal could do, and it had been more than enough. She had been beyond grateful for the effort he’d put into it, although he had repeatedly promised her something better one day.

  That day would never come. Kal had said not giving her the wedding of her dreams had been his biggest regret, his only regret. No matter how many times she had told him that it didn’t matter. and that their wedding had been beautiful, he was convinced it wasn’t enough. She could have argued until she was as blue as a summersweet berry in the depths of winter.

  “Kal…you bastard! Our wedding was beautiful! How could you not see that? And why aren’t you here so I can yell at you?” Mary-Beth screamed at the sky, tears streaming down her face. A knight was getting close. He looked confused.

  Something inside her snapped. With an enraged battle cry, she swung her arm out and flames erupted from a huge crack in the ground, creating a wall of flame between her and the Shadow Knights. She blinked, in awe of what had just happened and at the power coursing through her. She recognized the long-forgotten feeling instantly. It was her magic. Her Seal had finally broken. She was free.

  Finding the rush of adrenaline had given her the power to stand, she got to her feet and ran to the flowers. Upon reaching them, she collapsed from a mixture of relief and lightheadedness. The blood loss was too great for any amount of adrenaline to overcome.

  The Birthing flowers made a soft tinkling sound that calmed her. Smiling sadly, she placed one hand on her stomach and one on a silky red petal. Her palm and stomach began to glow as she transferred Cam to the flower. The magic was warm and loving. She hoped Cam could feel it.

  I’m so sorry, Campbell. Your father and I love you very much. You are our greatest achievement. I’m sorry you won’t get to meet us. Hopefully, by the time you grow up, you’ll never have to fight for your magic. Magic is a right, not a rule.

  “I got through!” one of the knights shouted. She risked a glance back. The flame wall had died down. He was hot on her heels.

  She sighed, no longer afraid to die as the spell faded. It had been successful. She could be with Kalden now. She was ready.

  I love you so much, Campbell Crossfire. You were the one good thing to come out of this war… Like your father said, you’ll do amazing things. I only wish we could be around to see it.

  Chapter One

  300 years later…

  Ashbriar branches are particularly powerful in healing spells. Common treatments include: sunburns, chills, itchiness, and Oakspine fever. I wrote down the information as bullet points in my notebook. I would have to look for an Ashbriar tree and collect a few branches the next time I was out. Kala’s little sister came down with colds often so those would come in hand
y.

  Turning the page, I groaned. I would need to buy a new notebook. Again. I filled up a new one every few weeks and having to buy a new one was a pain, but I didn’t have the money to afford a new codex. It would be nice to never run out of paper, but it was way too expensive. Notebooks would have to do.

  “Serena! Are you ready yet? You’re taking forever! I thought girls only took this long to get dressed!” Liam complained as he rushed into the library at typical Liam-like speed. I was convinced his default setting was hyper drive. He was constantly in motion. A whirlwind would be tired after dealing with him all day. Lucky me.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Settle down. You’re going to piss off the librarian even more than you already do.”

  The librarian was glaring at him as I spoke. He just shrugged it off. “You’re the only one in here anyway. You’re always the only one in here. In fact, you’re the only one I know who reads!”

  I chuckled. “You know, if you tried it, you might actually like it.”

  He shook his head. “No thanks. My brain would most likely explode from boredom. You know I have trouble sitting still.” As if to illustrate his point, he was jogging in place.

  Slamming the book shut, I returned it to its place on the shelf. The librarian, a sweet old woman, said goodbye and told me she would see me tomorrow. I nodded as Liam raced ahead, carrying my dark green messenger bag on his shoulder. For as hyper-focused as he was, Liam never forgot to be a gentleman.

  We came to the small clearing in the forest a few miles outside our village. I could hear the babbling brook off in the distance. I was dying for a swim. Liam grinned at me. He knew what I was thinking.

  “After,” he promised.

  I smiled. “Good. I haven’t gone swimming all week.”

  “Too busy with your nose in a book,” he teased. After touching my back lightly, he ran off. “You’re it!”

  “Remind me again how old you are!” I laughed and raced after him. It wasn’t long before I lost sight of him. The sound of rustling leaves alerted me just in time to see him pounce. Launching himself from a tree, he tackled me and we landed in the clearing in a giggling heap. I hugged him tight. “This is great. I love it out here.”