Unchained Hearts

by Ash Night

  Maybe I could talk Cam into making me some of his coffee before we left. From his chipper demeanor this morning, he had obviously found some.

  Coming out of the bathroom and sitting on the bed, I slipped on my shoes. My shoulder was hurting from the workout of combing through my mangled forest of hair, but I'd be damned if I was going to say anything. Cam was already treating me like an invalid.

  "Ready?” I asked brightly, ignoring my throbbing shoulder.

  "Yup," Liam said, jumping up. He picked me up and walked out the door to the elevator.

  I sighed. "Ya know, walking is good for me. I was in a bed practically half the day and all night."

  "I know, but no harm in taking it easy a bit longer, right?"

  Cam nodded, stepping into the elevator after us. "He's right, Sunshine." He pushed the button for the first floor. I was surprised to see we were on the fifth floor out of fifty. This hospital was huge.

  "If either of you get hurt, I'm going to baby you into the ground and then we'll see how you like it." I pouted as they laughed. The elevator descended and, in the blink of an eye, we were at our destination.

  "Leaving so soon?" The nurse who had been the first one to take care of me was just walking through the doors as we approached the front desk. If I remembered correctly, her name was Colleen.

  "Yeah, to be honest, I'm surprised they're letting me leave." I pointed to Cam and Liam.

  She laughed. "They're just worried. Don't worry, they'll back off in a day or two. You should have seen my brothers after I broke my arm climbing a tree. They were sweet as snowberry pie to me. Even dressed my dolls."

  "Must be nice," I replied. "I'm an only child."

  "Oh, wow, I wouldn't have guessed, Serena. You and Liam banter back and forth like siblings! You three seem very close."

  I smiled. "Me and Liam get that all the time. Used to fight like cats and dog too."

  Colleen sipped her coffee. "Well, take care now. Don't go around picking any more fights with wolves."

  "She won't," Cam and Liam said in unison. Colleen laughed and we said our goodbyes. The sun felt good on my face as we made our way out to where Cam had parked the magicart.

  "How did you get ahold of this?" I asked, studying it. The round white carriage was pulled by two dusklings. They pawed at the ground eagerly.

  Dusklings were jet-black horses with dark purple flaming manes and tails. I hadn't seen these creatures much, except for the rare times the occasional noble would pass through the village. Stronger and faster than normal horses, they were nearly impossible to outright own unless one was insanely wealthy.

  "Wow, these beauties nearly put Daisy and Lil to shame," Liam said as he reached out to pet one. He jumped back when it nearly bit his finger off. It seemed to glare at him, snorting angrily.

  "Not the friendliest of animals," Cam remarked, chuckling, as he opened the door and held out his hand to me. "Ladies first, madame."

  I took his hand, used the small step to get into the carriage, and sat down on the plush white velvet seat. I'd never felt anything so soft. No wonder royals rode in these. It was like sitting on a cloud. "Thanks, Cam."

  "Any time, Sunshine."

  "What, not gonna help me inside?" Liam asked as he ducked down to enter the carriage. Suddenly, his face hit the other side of the carriage. "Oof! The hell was that?"

  Cam smirked with his leg slightly raised. "That enough of a hand for ya, Snowflake?"

  "Thanks for the foot," Liam muttered. Sitting across from me, he sprawled out on the seat. "Oh boy, I could get used to this."

  "Spoiling you makes my life complete," Cam said sarcastically, sticking his tongue out at Liam. He turned to me. "How ya doing, Sunshine?"

  I smiled wide. "This is amazing, Cam! Thank you so, so much!"

  "Now, that smile alone makes it worth it." I could tell he was being sincere this time. He turned away.

  "Wait, you aren't sitting with us?"

  He turned back. "Wow, you really don't know how this works, do you?"

  I shook my head. Liam didn't react. Wasn’t he curious? "Nope, I've only seen it a few times. I just assumed the guy on top wasn't allowed in the carriage because nobles are snobs."

  Cam laughed so hard he nearly fell off the step. "While nobles are snobs, the guy on top of the carriage was the driver."

  "I thought dusklings weren’t like horses and stopped when you told them to. You need someone to drive a carriage? I thought they just yelled out the window."

  "Someone needs to direct them like you would direct a horse. I equipped the magic siphon so we can get there even faster."

  "Siphon?" Liam asked. "And no one asked questions?"

  "What's that?" I asked, wondering how Liam knew about it.

  Cam whistled. "Damn, Sunshine, you really were sheltered, weren't you? Allow me to explain. Magic siphons are devices you attach to your forearm and they pump magic into the dusklings to allow them to go faster."

  "That's cool."

  "No one asked questions?" Liam repeated skeptically.

  "Black market item, dumbass. You ask too many questions there, you're likely to get yourself killed. Why do you think I went by myself last night? I didn't want to have to explain to Serena why you wound up dead."

  Liam flipped him off. I gasped. "Liam!"

  Cam returned the gesture, laughing at my mortified expression. "Prepare yourself, Sunshine. We are going to unshelter the hell out of you."

  My stomach flipflopped excitedly at his words. He shut the door and I heard him plop down on the raised wooden seat on top of the carriage. Minutes passed and nothing happened. Suddenly, I heard Cam hiss a string of curse words.

  "Everything okay?" I asked. Cam popped his head in. He was looking at us upside down and his fiery hair hung in his eyes. He looked embarrassed.

  "Um...I can't raise my magic high enough to get it to work..."

  Liam burst out laughing.

  I bopped him on the head. "It's not his fault!"

  "Perfect bodyguard no one asked for," Cam replied, his smile returning.

  Liam sighed and climbed out of the carriage. "Scoot over. I'll do it."

  "Do you need me to show you—"

  "I know how to do it."

  "Fine. I'll leave you to it, Snowflake." Cam took Liam's seat across from me. "Enjoying yourself, Sunshine?"

  I looked at his sleeve, worry in my eyes. "Are you okay?"

  "Never better. But, again, if it weren't for these damn things, I'd have no problem revving up the siphon." He looked down at his wrists in disgust. "I hate them."

  Resting a hand on his knee, I gave him an encouraging smile. "I don't know much about Shadowsilver, but we will find a way to get those off you. I promise."

  He looked at me, back to the cocky, confidant Cam I knew. "Thanks, Sunshine. I can't wait to get rid of them."

  "I bet."

  The carriage lurched forward, and I practically fell into Cam's lap.

  "Oh! Sorry!" I scrambled to sit up, my face burning.

  He banged on the roof of the carriage, the only real solid part of the entire giant cloud ball we were sitting in. "Snowflake, could you ease up on the gas? Tryin' to kill us?"

  Liam banged back. "The entire thing is a giant marshmallow. You're fine, you big baby!"

  "I cannot wait to be rid of these and really kick his ass," he muttered as he sat back against the seat.

  "Does the magic siphon thing hurt?" I asked, eager to change the subject. Angry Cam wasn't a side of him I particularly liked.

  His features softened. "No, not really. It's basically like when a nurse puts a blood pressure cuff around your arm. It's harmless, unless you pump out too much magic. It has an auto-stop feature so it shuts off if you pass out so it wouldn't kill you but...some people are just showoffs!" He pounded on the roof to illustrate his point.

  "Says the king of the showoffs!" Liam yelled. To illustrate his point, he made the magicart go even faster. These idiots were going to get me killed.

&n
bsp; "Can I try it when we stop for lunch?"

  "Sure, you can try it for a bit."

  "Speaking of pumping out magic too fast..." Clinging to my seat, I winced as the magicart hit a bump. The dusklings neighed loudly, their hooves thundering down the dirt path.

  "Oh, don't worry about Snowflake. He'll be fine. It'll be a few hours at least before he runs out of excess magic."

  "How long will it take us to reach Kaldar?"

  "A few hours."

  I smacked his shoulder. "Not funny!"

  "Yeah, Cuff Boy! I could go for days with running out of magic!" Liam yelled proudly. He was excited. My magic was responding to his and I felt as though I had just touched a lightning bolt. My whole body was tingling with energy. Even the throbbing in my injured shoulder had diminished to a dull ache.

  Cam handed me a piece of paper attached to a clipboard. "You feel that. I can tell by the look in your face."

  Nodding, I held up the piece of paper. It was one of Cam's sign-up sheets. "Why are you giving me this?"

  "Figured you should be the first to fill one out since you were the first one to join me."

  My heart leapt to my throat. "Really? That's so sweet of you."

  He handed me a pen. I signed my name as best as I could. It was difficult to do since we were practically flying down the road. I chuckled, giving up on filling out the rest. "Maybe I should fill it out later."

  "Good idea."

  "Cam...about our kiss...I, um, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I got caught up in the moment and—"

  "Sunshine, it was the most enjoyable kiss I've ever had. You're quite talented."

  "I just really, really like you..."

  "I really like you too, and I'm glad you decided to come along with me. You and Snowflake are powerful allies. We're going to change the world."

  My heart thudded in my chest. "I hope so."

  He held my chin in one hand while caressing my cheek with the other. "You are such a pretty girl, Sunshine. I can't wait to teach you more about magic. Think you're up for a lesson this afternoon?"

  It took me a minute to remember how to breathe. "Sure."

  "If it weren't for that damn injury, the first spell I'd teach you is the underwater spell. If that wolf wasn't already dead..." A dark look crossed his face.

  "Cam, Cam, it's okay. I'm fine. Please don't worry about it."

  His eyes focused on me. "Okay."

  I sighed. That scary look disappeared, but I couldn't get myself to relax. Angry Cam was one thing. Scary Cam was an entirely different beast I wasn't sure I could handle. It felt like it was just a matter of time before his white armor turned onyx. What would happen then?

  ***

  Two hours later, the magicart was no longer going at breakneck speed, but it was still impressive. Liam hadn't asked to take a break yet and kept reassuring me he was okay whenever I asked.

  "Can we stop for lunch?" I asked. I wasn't that hungry, but I knew Liam was starving. He hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast before Cam showed up this morning and had refused to take any of mine, saying I needed my strength.

  Cam banged on the roof. "Hey, Snowflake, stop here! Serena wants lunch! I'm sure the dusklings could use some water too."

  The magicart halted to a stop and I ended up in Cam's lap again. He held me steady, careful of my injured shoulder.

  "Thanks," I said.

  "No problem."

  Liam ripped open the door. "Let's eat!"

  I giggled. "I had a feeling you were hungry."

  He hugged me, picking me up and setting me down on the ground. "Yes! I'm so glad you understand!"

  Cam got out and carefully unhitched the dusklings while keeping a tight grip on their halters. Leading them was easier than I expected.

  Once they knew Cam's intent was to lead them to water, they became docile creatures. He led them to a pond. While they drank, they paid little attention to him as he clipped small square device to each of them. The device blinked red as soon as it was secured to their halters.

  "Laser Leads," he said as I stared at them curiously. He bent down to wash his hands. "They connect to this device here." He showed me a similar device in his hands. The one in his hand was blinking green. When he pressed it, two beams of red light shot out from the devices on the dusklings' halters and connected to Cam's device. His device's light, along with the others, was now a solid red laser rope. "It enables me to lead them up to twenty-five yards." The dusklings were calmly munching on grass, unperturbed by the leads.

  "That's really cool! What kind of magic is it?"

  "No magic. It's a new tech that just came out a few weeks ago." Cam set his device down and dipped his hands in the pond. "Cold!"

  I laughed. "Sounds like what you really need is a Water Reader." Excitedly, I pulled off my shoes and plunged both feet in the water. "You big baby! It isn't even that bad." Gazing into the water, I could see straight to the bottom. "Stupid shoulder!"

  Liam sat beside me, gently kicking his feet back and forth, creating ripples in the pond. "I'm sorry. I should have gotten bit. Not swimming isn't as big a deal to me. Besides, it'd be funny seeing Cuff Boy forced to wash my hair."

  Leaning back on my hands, I kicked my feet in time with his. "It's okay. I'll survive. I just wish I could take the spiderwick silk off and go swimming for a little bit. I don't think it would hurt."

  He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Oh, you've got the rebellious bug now, don't you? 'Bout time! But seriously, doctor's orders were to stay dry."

  "I know."

  "I think she'll be fine. The wound is just a scab at this point, anyway. I say rip the silk off and take a dip, Sunshine. Anything goes wrong, you got us here and you have more silk in your bag so we can rewrap it as soon as you dry off." Cam smiled at me. "Whatever you want to do."

  Liam shot him a dirty look. "It may be just a scab now, but what if it opens back up?"

  Cam shrugged. "Then she dries off and we rewrap it. Simple."

  Taking off my shirt, I was thankful I'd thought to wear my bikini top. I wasn't well-endowed by any means, but the top was super cute. The spiderwick silk was soft but it wouldn't tear as easily as I expected. Peeking under it, I saw the wound was an inflamed red color and it itched badly. Swimming for a little bit wouldn't really hurt, would it?

  My heart sped up. Cam was right. It wasn't that big a deal. I'd be fine. I needed to start trusting myself more. Cam wouldn't have allowed that wolf to get anywhere near him. He would have used his magic, no matter who was watching. He also wouldn't let an injury get in the way of a good time.

  "How's it look?" Liam asked.

  Taking a deep breath, I stood up and, in one fluid motion, I ripped off the silk and jumped in the pond. Opening my eyes underwater, I was amazed. This was the first time I'd been swimming since I'd broken my Seal. I'd been too distracted to notice the feeling when Liam had saved me with his water magic earlier. Now I was free to enjoy the feeling of the water on my skin. It felt like it was alive.

  A tap on my shoulder nearly made me jump out of my skin. Cam stuck his tongue out at me. Turning around, I pushed off his shoulder, propelling myself to the surface. Liam was still on shore, dangling his feet.

  "Everything okay?" he asked with concern in his eyes. A rush of guilt flooded through me. I hadn't meant to make him worry. I was just trying to be a bit more like Cam.

  "Yup, still attached!" I waved at him to prove that my arm was, indeed, still attached. I wasn't in any pain, the water felt amazing, and I knew my choice was the right one.

  "See? Told you it wouldn't be so bad." Cam hugged me from behind. "It does look a little inflamed, though. It feels okay?"

  I nodded. "I'm good. No pain."

  He looked at me skeptically. "You can lie so how do I know you're telling the truth, Sunshine?"

  Splashing him, I giggled. "Guess you'll just have to trust me." He blinked and wiped at his eyes.

  "Oh, will I now?"

  "Can you teach me the air spell?" I hel
d his hand. "Pretty please? I promise I'm okay. Honest."

  He stared at me for a long moment. "Sure, but if anything goes wrong, don't freak out, okay? I'll be with you the entire time."

  "Why would I freak out? The bottom of the pond has to be, what, only twenty feet deep? I can easily swim that."

  "You'd be surprised. When I was teaching myself the spell, I nearly passed out. It takes a lot of magic for beginners."

  "Okay, I'll be careful."

  Cam smiled warmly. "I'm sure you'll do great. Now, when you start to feel the need to surface, concentrate on pulling the air from the water around you, okay? If you can't, squeeze my hand."

  "If she drowns, I'll kill you," Liam warned nonchalantly.

  "She'll be fine, Snowflake. You worry too much."

  Thanks for the concern, Li," I said. "One...two..."

  Cam grabbed my hand and we dove a few feet down. Again, I was amazed at how well I could see underwater. The water was so clear. I slapped Cam's shoulder and glared at him when I noticed him staring at the small white line on my hand.

  The grin on his face told me he was resisting the urge to laugh. I told you to quit worrying over that! I thought. Even though I knew he couldn't hear me, it got me wondering about telepathy. Was that a spell we could learn?

  I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as the seconds ticked by. Would I be able to perform the spell correctly? More than once, I caught myself glancing at the surface, judging how far away it was.

  Stop it, I chided myself. You're just nervous. You've never done this before. You'll be fine.

  Looking into Cam's eyes, I felt myself relax. Everything would be fine. I'd kick this spell's ass and then go on to learn other awesome spells. No sweat. My chest tightened.

  Showtime.

  In my mind, I imagined a water droplet with a small bubble of air inside it. I needed that little bubble. Extracting it was hard at first, it kept slipping back into the droplet, but then I got it. A rush of air filled my lungs as multiple bubbles streamed in almost effortlessly. My cheeks hurt from the giant smile on my face. Cam's returning smile was just as bright.