Unchained Hearts

by Ash Night

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cam replied, taking my upper arm and steering me toward the door. Liam was already outside, sitting under a tree and punching the ground repeatedly with one hand. His knuckles were already bloody.

  “Who the hell does that lady think she is?” Liam exclaimed without ceasing his attack on the ground.

  “She’s a friend of Master Cisco’s,” I replied, grabbing Liam’s wrist before he could punch the ground again. “He obviously trusted her. We should too.”

  “But why? I don’t like her.”

  Cam smirked. “Not big on trusting new people, eh Snowflake?

  “Shut it.”

  I looked at Cam. “I think we should get moving. Master Cisco’s death will be big news around the village and this could be our only chance to escape before everyone flocks to his house to pay their respects.”

  Cam nodded. “You’re right.”

  Liam stood up and offered me his hand. “Good thing you’re here to think, or we’d be screwed.”

  I laughed. “You’re welcome.”

  Daisy trotted up to the gate, her big brown eyes somber. I walked over and rubbed the white patch in the middle of her forehead.

  “I wonder if they know,” Liam said, petting Lilly. “I wish I had some carrots. Never thought I’d miss these two, but I will. For as stubborn as you guys are, he really loved you. Guess you grew on me, too.” He looked at both of the foals fondly. “We lost a good soul today. But someone is here to take care of you and change your water buckets every day and give you plenty of apples.”

  Suddenly, two apples appeared in front of us, floating in mid-air, and I reached out to grab one. Liam did the same.

  “It’s a shame carrots don’t grow on trees. But apples do.” Cam winked at me.

  “You are such a showoff,” Liam muttered but then he smiled despite himself. “Thank you.”

  Daisy and Lily happily munched on their treats as Liam gave them each one last hug. As we walked away, he walked backwards so he could look at the house. It was quite a while before he turned around, even after the house had disappeared from view. No one spoke for a long time.

  I had a feeling Liam and I were thinking the same thing: This was it. There was no turning back now.

  He grinned at me. I smiled back. Neither of us regretted our decision.

  Chapter Thirteen

  My legs were pumping as fast as I could make them, and my lungs felt ready to explode. Where was I running to? What was I running from?

  Risking a glance backwards, I saw a group of Shadow Knights, their starched white uniforms burned into my brain, running with me. After me.

  My brain struggled to move as fast as my feet. I needed somewhere to hide. I was too untrained in magic to risk a fight. Where were Cam and Liam?

  “Run all you like, Serena,” hissed one of the Knights. “You’ll never escape us now. Ha, and you thought you were free. You’ll never be free! We’ll chase you and that dirty spawn of Crossfire’s to the ends of the earth if we have to!” he hissed, sending shivers down my spine.

  Tripping over my own two feet, I faceplanted into the dirt. Something sticky and wet covered the grass. Holding up my palm, I bit back a scream.

  It was blood. And it wasn’t mine.

  I woke up with a start, as if someone had thrown ice water on me. Looking around, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was still in bed at the inn we’d checked into earlier tonight. Or last night. The Time Codex open on the table beside the bed informed me it was quarter past two in the morning.

  The sounds of Cam’s soft breathing in the bed across from me and Liam’s loud snoring next to me calmed my fear. I was safe. I had my magic. One day, I would be able to use it. One day, I would be able to defend myself.

  Sighing, I sank into the giant oversized pillow. I wished I could keep the pillow. It was insanely comfortable and it was lavender purple, my favorite color. Maybe I could ask Cam to convince the innkeeper to let me buy it.

  Cuddling up next to Liam, laying my head on his chest, I felt safe for the first time since I’d woken up. I smiled at Cam, splayed out on the king-sized bed. Even though he was wanted, he slept without a care in the world. Of course, it wasn’t just him that was wanted anymore. Liam and I were too.

  Would I ever be able to sleep like Cam again?

  The gentle tapping of rain roused me out of my thoughts. My body had started to tingle, beginning in my chest and spreading into my hands and my feet. Sleep would be impossible with this feeling, if it had even been possible to fall back asleep before it had started.

  The feeling pulled at me until I was out of bed. A crack of thunder made me jump. The tingling intensified until I made my way down the stairs and out the front door of the inn.

  As soon as the cold raindrops hit my skin, a feeling of pure calm washed over me. A small gasp escaped my lips. Power seemed to explode inside of me. I’d never felt so…alive.

  The earth thrummed beneath my bare feet. Sparks of thunder lit up my soul. My magic sang to me in my veins. Laughing, I danced in the rain under the full moon, not a care in the world.

  To think, this feeling had been locked away inside me for nearly twenty years. I was happier in this moment than I had ever been.

  I finally felt complete.

  The Snow Fleece Inn provided a free breakfast which was nice, considering I was starving after my early-morning rain dance. I’d thankfully been able to get a few more hours of sleep before breakfast. Cam was already up, bright-eyed and bushytailed, furiously writing at the small desk in the corner.

  “Mornin’,” he said.

  I waved, yawning. “Morning.”

  “Liam went to get breakfast. You should eat. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, I’ll save you a spot.”

  “Thanks.”

  Grabbing an outfit and my makeup bag, I headed to the bathroom and got ready to start my day. My stomach growled. I hoped they had blueberry muffins.

  Cam was still hard at work when I exited the bathroom. I grabbed Vex’s journal off the bedside table before leaving the room. I was eager to read more. Vex and Nox had a very interesting story. They were sisters, twins in fact, learning their powers. I felt a strong connection to these centuries-dead girls. I wasn’t a witch, but I was dying to explore my magic as well. I couldn’t wait to try later today. Maybe I could ask Cam and Liam to help.

  Breakfast was served in a large room with huge rectangular tables lined with benches. The mix of smells were amazing. Scrambled Warblendriver eggs, Galepig sausages, cornpowder pancakes, and a variety of baked goods.

  Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the line of hungry guests.

  I smiled to myself when I finally got to the plates. There was a sign beside them that read Only 2 Plates Per Guest. That was smart. With people like Liam staying at the inn, they’d probably lose money instead of gain it, even if most guests stayed for lunch and dinner.

  Everything looked, and smelled, so good that I had a hard time deciding what to eat. I finally chose a small scoop of scrambled eggs, two pancakes with mapleflower syrup, and three mini blueberry muffins. My stomach let out an enormous growl and I blushed when a few people looked at me. I walked away quickly.

  Liam waved me over. “Mornin’.”

  “Good morning.”

  “This food is so good!” Liam exclaimed. I looked over and saw four plates stacked up in front of him.

  “Didn’t you see the sign?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I was hoping the innkeepers at least waited until I was done eating my muffins to kick us out. Not much could make me mad, but getting in between me and baked goods was a surefire way to see me angry.

  Liam laughed. “I paid a few dudes for one of their plates.”

  I laughed. “Only you would think of that.”

  He smiled. “You have it easy. I wish I was a girl. All I’d have to do is bat my pretty eyelashes and I’d have guys climbing over one another to give me their plates.”

  “Yeah, that’s how it wor
ks.” I giggled.

  “Try it, bet you two silver it’ll work.”

  Shaking my head, I swallowed a bite of my eggs. “No, thanks. Two plates are enough for me.”

  “It’d work on me.”

  “No, it wouldn’t! You wouldn’t give up food!” I laughed. “I’d rush you to Dr. Stead if you ever did that. A sure sign you were delirious.”

  Liam shrugged. “I’d ask the pretty girl to join me and we could share a plate.”

  “Ever the romantic, eh?”

  “You know it.”

  Looking around, I sighed. “If Cam doesn’t get here soon, he won’t get any breakfast.”

  “Serves him right for not being on time,” Liam said, shoving a piece of toast with wildberry jam into his mouth. “Oh no. I lost her to a book.”

  I smiled playfully as I pretended to ignore him and keep reading. “This old journal might be one of my favorite books. I was reading a few pages last night. They’re fascinating.”

  “Oh? What race are they?”

  “Human. At least I think they are.”

  Liam stared at me. “Humans exist?”

  “Apparently.”

  “Damn, I always thought the old man was just telling stories.”

  “I’d love to meet one. But hopefully Cam doesn’t ask them to join us in fighting. According to Vex, most humans are pretty weak compared to us. No magic at all and they die quickly. In books that I’ve read, they refer to us as ‘supernatural beings.’”

  He laughed. “Really? Cuz they’re the weird ones! Only living ninety years? What a short life!”

  “I wonder how long Nox and Vex lived. They were from a bloodline of witches.”

  “Witches? Don’t see those every day either.”

  “They’re almost even less common than humans, according to a few entries.”

  Liam’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Think we’ll meet any of those?”

  “Maybe.” I was already imagining the possibilities. From the journal, I had learned that witches were very fond of robes, at least during magical ceremonies, and small items like stones and necklaces, anything that could contain power. That made me think of the stone Cam kept in his pocket. Was that similar to what a witch may have valued?

  “Your food is getting cold,” Liam said, snapping me out of my wild witch fantasies.

  I picked up a muffin and popped the mini bite of sweetness into my mouth. “Yum! These are so good!”

  He chuckled. “You and your muffins.”

  “I love muffins!”

  “Are they that good?” Cam slid onto the bench beside me and, reaching behind my back, he snagged a muffin off my plate. He chewed it as I looked at him with wide eyes.

  “Dude, don’t push that button,” Liam warned. “Too late.”

  “Wha— Whoa!” Cam yelped in surprise as he landed on his back. He chuckled. “Oh, that button.”

  “My muffins,” I said, turning back to my plate.

  Cam laughed as he sat back down. “Nice shove, Sunshine. Didn’t even see it coming. But your magic is flaring like a beacon after that little display. I can’t believe I didn’t think to show you how to hide it before you left.”

  “It is?” I asked, suddenly feeling as though I was naked in the room full of people. “I didn’t even notice.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve been shielding it since you walked in. No one noticed a thing.” Liam smiled. I felt his warm, familiar magic brush up against my own. My skin prickled. The feeling was incredible. I was dying to explore it more.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  Cam ate so quickly that he was done with the two plates in front of him by the time I had finished my first. Using my second plate, I piled it with finger foods so I could share with the boys. They gratefully accepted my offer.

  * * *

  After breakfast, we packed our things and headed out. Snow Fleece Inn was only a halfway point between two towns. We had a long day ahead of us.

  “So, Cam, what were you working on?” I asked. “It looked important.”

  He grinned. “Sign-up sheets. Anyone who wants to join us will put down their name, their Seal status, and abilities.”

  “Seal status?”

  “Whether or not it’s broken,” he explained. “If it isn’t, we’ll have to find a way to break it. Some people obviously don’t make it so it’ll be dangerous, but people who are dedicated to getting their magic back shouldn’t have a problem.”

  I shivered, thinking about my Seal. “I’m lucky then, huh?”

  He smiled. “Most Fae younger than two thousand years old survive easily. If they’re in good health, that is.”

  “Do a lot of them die?”

  Cam’s smile fell. “Yeah…my mother. It was the reason she died. If you break your Seal and then use too much magic right away, or use too much without taking the time to recover, you can die. She performed the Birth Transfer spell, which obviously takes up a lot of magic. From what I was told, she transferred me to a Birthing Flower mere minutes after breaking her Seal. Of course, her official cause of death was listed as a Shadow Knight kill.” The guilt on his face made me stop walking.

  “Cam, she loved you. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

  “Nothing?” He laughed bitterly. “I caused her death, Sunshine. I have every right to feel guilty.”

  Liam snorted. “Why? It’s not like she would have lived long, anyway.”

  I gasped. “Liam!”

  “What?” he asked, shrugging. “It’s true. Think about it for a sec. Cam’s mother was the wife of Kalden Crossfire, the most wanted man in the history of Valora! Do you really think they’d let her live happily ever after? No, she would have wound up exactly like Kalden, shot by the Sacred’s firing squad.”

  Cam chuckled, a dark sound sending ice through my veins. “You’re absolutely right, Snowflake.”

  Liam smiled. “So, in a way, you did her a favor. She died in a lot less pain. The firing squad aren’t exactly known for their aim.”

  When we finally stopped for lunch, or rather dinner, the sun was nearly setting. Liam’s stomach was nearly loud enough to wake the dead, but he didn’t complain. Cam had smirked out of the blue a few times and I knew he heard it.

  I was surprised Liam hadn’t once asked to eat. But then again, maybe it was another one of those bizarre pride things boys were known for. Neither was willing to break first.

  “Ready to make camp?” Liam asked me. “I brought an extra Camp Kit.”

  “Thanks,” I said. Camp Kits were even more expensive than Packing Kits. Where had Liam gotten the money for two? He did odd jobs, but still. How much money could he possibly make working only a few hours a week?

  Liam pulled out a small tarp and a few poles. Pushing a button on one of the poles after shoving all of the remaining poles through the correct holes in the tarp, it snapped together with the others like a big magnet. He tied the whole thing down so it wouldn’t blow away and then set up the other Kit.

  Cam simply set out a small blanket for himself, weighing the corners down with rocks. I recognized the symbol on the blanket. It was from the inn. When had he grabbed that? He smiled at me. “I’m starving!”

  “You’re speaking my language!” Liam replied with a laugh. “What’s on the menu?”

  Cam tossed him a homemade spear he retrieved from his own Packing Kit. “Whatever you can catch.”

  Liam grinned. “Sounds good.”

  I chuckled. “You primordial boys have fun.”

  “You know better than to use big words around me!” Liam laughed.

  Cam snickered. “Good one, Sunshine. Any requests for dinner?”

  “Any fruit you find,” I replied. “I’d appreciate it. I can get a fire started in the meantime.”

  Snapping his fingers, a flame appeared, engulfing the small nest of leaves and twigs we’d gathered within a circle of rocks. “Any choice of meat?”

  I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m a vegetab
les-and-fruits-only girl.”

  He nodded in approval. “Stickin’ to the old ways, huh? I like it.”

  “I’ll keep the fire going.”

  “Thanks, Sunshine.”

  With that, the boys set off to hunt their dinner. To pass a little bit of time before the sun completely disappeared, I collected as many sticks as I could. It occurred to me that I could try keeping the fire alive using my own magic, and while that sounded like a fun challenge, I was also more than a little worried I would accidently burn down the whole forest trying. Not a good way to stay under the Shadow Knights’ radar.

  Cam hadn’t mentioned teaching me more about magic or how to control it and I was a little afraid to ask. He was so busy with his sign-up sheets and plans for his eventual army. Would he even want to, or did he just expect me to teach myself the way Liam had?

  The thought of doing this by myself terrified me. What if I hurt myself? What if I gave away our location? What if I hurt someone else? My inexperience would only be a hinderance from here on out. This wasn’t a game we were playing. The stakes were real. It was kill or be killed. The Shadow Knights had no qualms about killing traitors like us. We had to have no qualms about killing them.

  I knew this, yet the thought made my blood run cold. Could I actually kill someone? I could if it was life or death, right? I’d nearly killed that poor guard outside the gate. Cam had said he was okay but something inside me told me I had come close to ending his life. Too close.

  I’d heard stories about the bloodlust of demons. Cam couldn’t lie so I knew I could trust him, but his urge to fight scared me. Liam had the same desire and he loved a good fight, but at least his eyes remained kind, the same eyes I’d known for years, in the heat of battle. Cam’s, however, changed. A calm sky turning into a raging wildfire.

  The flames threatening to turn everything around him to ash.

  I shivered, trying to shake away the thought. I was thinking like the people in the market. Cam was not poison. He was the antidote.