Unchained Hearts

by Ash Night

  He took a deep breath. “The weather is amazing today.”

  “I love summer.”

  Suddenly, he flipped to his feet. “I feel strong today!”

  Chuckling, I got up. “You say that every day.”

  “Well, today I mean it. You first, milady,”

  I shook my head. “No, you first. I insist. I made us late, after all.”

  “Okay,” he said as he bounded across the clearing. “Seven steps!”

  I was already at least fifty feet away from him, but I complied nonetheless. The seven steps thing was his rule and I respected that. He was always worried about me getting hurt when we came out here to practice magic. Even if he was the only one who could do it, the thrill of trying was enough for me.

  When Liam was seven, he’d gotten in a fight with a boy on the playground. His Seal had broken, and he was banished from his homeland, the Kingdom of Syiel. He’d lived in the woods by himself for three months before Master Cisco found him one day while the master was coming back from seeing Syiel’s king. He took him in and Liam came to live in Maple Grove. It took about a year of getting to know him but, twelve years later, we were the best of friends.

  Despite being very chatty with me, Liam was a very closed-off person. He still hadn’t told me what had happened to him in the woods and we didn’t talk about it. That was okay with me. Everyone was entitled to their secrets. But other than that, once anyone got to know Liam, he was an open book. He was an upbeat, laid-back guy most of the time.

  Whatever happened in those woods, though, gave him nightmares. He never slept over at my house, or anybody else’s for that matter. I could always tell when he had them. The next day he was slow, unhappy, and extremely tired. He didn’t get them as often now, but when he was settling in, he had been absent from school a ton that first year because he’d refused to sleep at night.

  Liam smiled at me as I counted my steps out loud to him. Once he was sure I was a ridiculously safe amount of space away, he took a deep breath and concentrated. A light dusting of snowflakes exploded in a poof from his hand.

  “Woo! Did you see that? I did it!” Liam looked like he’d just successfully stolen a treasure chest from a sleeping dragon. It was a small feat, but it was amazing. Ever since that episode when he was seven, despite his Seal breaking, he’d always had a hard time summoning his magic. That was the reason Master Cisco had never reinforced his Seal. Liam would never harm anyone so he didn’t see the point. Master Cisco and I were the only ones in the village who even knew Liam’s Seal was broken.

  To break the Seal containing our magic was illegal. Liam was lucky no one had found out and turned him in. That was why we had to practice magic in secret. My Seal was still firmly in place. A fact I resented.

  It was like living in cotton. My senses had always felt muffled. Liam described the feeling of magic as if all his senses were completely open to everything around him. I envied him, but I didn’t have the guts to try and break my Seal. There were groups called Sealbreakers that had broken their Seals Their goal was to recruit others to do the same. I’d heard most of them died in the process.

  My parents were well aware of those groups. They would have a heart attack if they knew what I was doing out here with Liam. They would rather I come home pregnant with Liam’s baby than break my Seal.

  “Ready to try yours?” Liam asked excitedly. He was close to me, completely unafraid that I would blow him up. He raised an eyebrow when I took a small step back. “You may as well be a flower sprite. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

  “If I tried. You do know the term ‘accident’ exists for a reason, right?” I replied. He just laughed.

  I’d never done anything remotely magical before and I was anxious about the consequences if something did actually happen. Breaking my Seal wouldn’t be the worst thing if no one found out, but it would be if anyone did. I’d be put in prison. That thought made me shudder. I was an only child. I was all my parents had.

  Liam beamed at me. “You can do it!”

  Concentrating on a small flower bud, I tried to imagine it blooming. I had no idea why, but I always concentrated on plant life. My guess was that I had an affinity for it. It was also somewhat safer, I felt, than concentrating on blasting ice everywhere like Liam did. Liam seemed to have an affinity for ice magic, despite the fact that he hated anything cold, even cold food like ice cream.

  I imagined the flower erupting into a colorful burst of red petals. Red was my favorite color. My magic was so close. I could feel it. It was like chasing a butterfly but, as soon as I got close, the butterfly flew away every time. The feeling left me empty and hollow inside.

  When I opened my eyes, I was immediately disappointed. The green sprout hadn’t gotten any bigger. In fact, it seemed smaller than before. My eyes welled up with tears. Liam wrapped his arms around me.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad. One day, this stupid magic ban will be lifted and we’ll all have our magic back and then a thousand flowers will bloom the instant you look at them! I promise!”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tried to smile. “I hope so. I would love to make them grow, even in the winter.”

  He grinned. “Of course! It’ll be absolutely amazing! Look at it this way, at least you aren’t some illegal hooligan like me.”

  Resting my head on my knees, I took a deep breath. “Sometimes I wish I was an illegal hooligan…” I muttered.

  His grin turned evil as he scooped me up into his arms and raced toward the pond connected to the brook. The rush of cold as I hit the water nearly caused me to scream in surprise. He jumped in after me.

  I came up, coughing and laughing. “Liam Grey! You jerk!”

  “Got you to smile, didn’t I?” he asked as he floated on his back.

  Floating beside him, I held his hand. I was grateful to him for so many things. He smiled. I sighed. “I want my magic back. More than anything. I don’t want to be wrapped in cotton forever.”

  “The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you, Serena. I don’t think breaking your Seal is possible, though.”

  “Yeah? And why’s that?” I looked over at him skeptically.

  He smirked. “Because mine broke when I was extremely angry. You’re the most peaceful person I know, aside from the forest faeries.”

  “There’s no reason for me to be angry,” I said. “My life is nice. I have my parents and you, plenty of books to read, and I can basically go swimming whenever I want.” Taking a deep breath, I dove underwater. The world underwater was calm and serene. Clusters of pink coral sparkled on the sea floor. Laying on the sandy bottom, I looked up at the filtered light. It was incredible. I loved being underwater. It was a whole other world to enjoy.

  The familiar ache in my chest came all too soon. I wish I could have stayed down there forever. The ache grew until I finally gave up and surfaced. Liam swam over to me.

  “New record. I was getting scared. I was actually seconds away from coming to get you.” He was smiling, but his hazel eyes showed a small hint of worry. “You should have been born a mermaid.”

  I laughed. “I wish. I would love to live underwater.”

  “If you lived underwater, you’d be able to catch me all the fish I could eat! Wait…do mermaids eat fish?”

  “No idea, but I guess that wouldn’t matter since I would be catching them for you.”

  “If I was a mermaid, I would definitely eat fish!”

  I chuckled. “Would you also be okay wearing a clam bra?”

  He smirked. “What? Worried I’d look better than you?”

  After debating about mermaids and what they ate and didn’t eat a bit longer as we dried off, Liam walked me home after presenting me with a flower. It was something he always did when we had our weekly forest outings. I had no idea when the tradition had started, but he never forgot give me a flower. I’d given up on finding anything special for him at the end of our sessions. Nothing felt right.

  Liam’s stomac
h growled. “I wonder what the old man has on for supper tonight. It’s his turn to cook and he always makes something delicious!”

  “I think Mom said she was making her famous one-pot bean stew.”

  His eyes widened. “Lucky! Her stew is the best!”

  Nodding, I jogged home and he easily kept up. I could smell supper cooking. “Ya know, I could walk you home every once and awhile. Switch it up after all these years.”

  He shook his head as he handed me my bag. “Absolutely not. Girls are supposed to be walked home. If I get jumped, I could defend myself.”

  I rolled my eyes, looping the strap of my bag around my shoulder. “Who would get jumped in Maple Grove?”

  “It could happen.” He shrugged. “I mean, it’s practically impossible, but you never know. I would rather it be me.”

  Hugging him tight, I kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”

  He hugged me back. “You’re welcome, milady. Any plans for tomorrow? I have a soccer game, but I can swing by earlier and we can grab breakfast.”

  I thought for a moment. “Sure, you can stop by. I was going to get up extra early and make apple cinnamon bread.”

  “Yum! Sounds amazing!”

  I chuckled. “It’s food. To you, any food sounds amazing.”

  “True,” he admitted. “I’ll see ya tomorrow, then.”

  I waved goodbye as he walked away. As soon as he left, I was reminded why I hated this part of the week. The warmth his magic provided had faded and always left me cold.

  Chapter Two

  “Honey, can you come here and set the table?” Mom called from the kitchen.

  “Sure, just a minute!” I pulled the Codex of Eternal Pages off my bookshelf, flipped to a new page, and pressed the sky-blue flower into it. I would have to write the name of the flower down later. I kept all the flowers Liam had given me in that book.

  This particular codex was one of the more expensive ones and had cost me one thousand gold. But it was worth it to never have to worry about buying a new one. Each and every one of Liam’s flowers were important to me. This particular Codex kept them suspended in their pressed state so they would live forever inside this book.

  Sprinting down the steps, I headed for the kitchen. The delicious smell of simmering stew reached my nose and my mouth watered. “Smells great, Mom!”

  My mom turned away from the stove and smiled. She was like an older version of me, same green eyes and mousy light brown hair. She and my dad ran Loaves of Love, the only bakery in our small village, so she always smelled like cinnamon and flour. “Thanks, hon. How was your time with Liam?”

  “Great, we saw a family of squirrels playing in the clearing. It looked like they were playing tag,” I said. “Liam and I also went swimming today. It’s so nice of him to include that when we hang out.”

  She chuckled. “He knows you love it. He’s such a sweet boy. He isn’t getting you in trouble, is he?”

  I shrugged playfully. “Maaaaybe. You know Liam.”

  “Yes, and he’s an amazing young man. A little stubborn and hyperactive, but I suspect you’re a good influence on him.”

  “Me influence him? Something tells me you don’t know him as much as you think.” I chuckled. “I was thinking of making cinnamon apple bread tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure to be quiet since I know you and Dad sleep in on days off.”

  “Great, cinnamon apple bread sounds divine.”

  We stood in comfortable silence as I set the table and Mom splashed a bit of oil into a pan on the stove. She cursed quietly to herself. “I knew I forgot something. Where is that recipe codex?” She rummaged through the books on the shelf above the sink.

  I bit my lip, debating on whether or not to tell her about my desire to break my Seal. She always known I’d wanted to have my magic. Every infant did. That was why birth rates were suffering more and more. No one wanted to deal with a cranky infant who could never truly have what they wanted.

  “What was it like, having your magic?” I asked, chickening out on my original thought.

  She sighed. “It was wonderful. Everything was good. Cooking wasn’t as hard, that’s for sure. All I would have to do is imagine a peeled carrot in my mind and it would peel itself, the trash would take itself out, the dishes would get washed. I’d have so much more time to work on my painting…”

  I frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.” Guilt gnawed at my stomach.

  “No, it’s okay, sweetheart. It was a really good feeling. I miss Kalden Crossfire. Now there was a man who knew how to lead…” She looked thoughtfully out the window.

  “Kalden Crossfire? Who’s that?” It was the first time I’d heard of him. From the expression on her face, I could tell he had meant a lot to her.

  “A man who fought for what he believed in, the right for magic. He believed it was for everyone. Your dad was going to fight for him before you were born, but then we got married and settled down. Kalden died a few centuries ago, and after the news broke, everyone, even his most dedicated followers, lost the will to fight. He and his wife both died. It was rumored Mary-Beth had been pregnant with a child at the time and I can only imagine how he would have turned out…”

  The sad, intense look on my mom’s face almost made me change the subject, but at the same time I was desperate to hear more.

  “I wish they had succeeded. His mantra was ‘Magic is a right, not a rule.’ Truer words have never been spoken.”

  Dad came in and kissed her cheek. “Except maybe when I say ‘I love you’ to you, of course.” He chuckled. “I love you.”

  Mom giggled. “I love you too, baby.”

  He turned to me. “Want to know about Kalden Crossfire, huh? That’s my girl. Always curious.”

  I smiled. “I just wish I knew what having magic felt like. I mean, it is a part of me after all.”

  Dad smiled wide. “Yes, yes, it is. It’s a right. The government wouldn’t know a damn thing about that, though.”

  “What was it like when your magic was taken away, Dad?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine my dad getting mad about anything. He was very mild-mannered and didn’t like confrontation. I was more like him in that way. My mom was the one who enjoyed a good argument if the chance arose.

  “Before I married your mom and settled down, I wanted to fight for Kal. His words inspired a lot of young men.”

  I giggled. “Mom mentioned that.”

  Dad winked at her. “I admired Kalden very much. He was my hero. A hero to us all, really. I had the pleasure of meeting him only once, but it was an experience I will never forget. He was passing through on his way to a meeting with the town counsel in the next town over. Apparently, he had heard we had really good sweet rolls and wanted to try one. I was barely an adult and he was only a few years older than me, but it was as if he was hundreds of years older than he actually was. The very air seemed to still when he entered the room.”

  He sighed as he reveled in the memory. Mom’s sad look was replaced with a bright smile.

  “He strode up to the counter and his height was very intimidating. Politely, he asked for a sweet roll and a loaf of peanut butter swirl bread for his wife. He spoke softly but with an air of authority. His face lit up like a child on the Day of Friendship festival as I wrapped up the bread for his wife and handed him the sweet roll. ‘She’ll love this. Thank you so much. It looks delicious,’ he told me. Then he bit into the sweet roll.”

  “Did he like it?” I asked excitedly, completely enthralled by his story.

  Dad grinned. “He loved it. He had the biggest smile. In fact, he ate the whole thing, asked for another to eat and three more to go.”

  I was surprised. Our sweet rolls were huge. Most people wouldn’t be able to eat two in one sitting. They were really good though.

  “There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Pure muscle,” Dad assured me. “He polished off that one before he thanked me again. I tried to tell him his order was on the house, but he insisted on paying and left a mo
re than generous tip.”

  “Wow! He was such a nice guy. Was his Seal broken?”

  “Yes. You could feel his magic the moment he entered the bakery. He was a very powerful man.”

  “How did he break it?”

  Mom frowned at my question. She didn’t want me getting any ideas. She sighed. “His brother died. He was killed by a government supporter. He was a few years younger than Kalden, but they were very close. After that, Kalden became even more passionate and vocal about the right to magic for everyone. He spoke over the Broadcaster a few times a month.”

  Dad’s stomach rumbled. He laughed. “Guess my stomach is impatient with this conversation. Can we eat?”

  Mom hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Of course, dear.”

  I thought about Kalden all through supper. I was so distracted I didn’t notice Mom asking me to pass the peas until she repeated herself several times.

  “Thinking about something?” she asked, smiling.

  Passing her the full bowl of peas, I nodded. “Do you have a picture of Kalden? If he was so important, why didn’t we learn about him in school?”

  Mom bit her lip, clearly worried. “You won’t find any pictures of him. The school didn’t want you to learn about him because his name was banned.”

  “Banned? How can anyone ban a name?”

  Dad grunted in disgust. “The government bans whatever the hell they want whenever they please. They don’t care who it hurts or if it causes a war. The Seven are just a bunch of grumpy old men.”

  The Sacred Seven were a coucil of seven of the eldest creatures in existance. They worked under King Artemis. Each one was thousands of years old and, as Dad had just stated, were men. There wasn’t one female in the government as far as I knew.

  From my understanding, King Artemis was old but younger than the youngest member of The Seven. Their main job was to act as advisors to the king and there were rumors that each of them had access to their magic.