Unchained Hearts

by Ash Night

  “Still really sore, but the scab is getting smaller.”

  "Where’s the injury?” Kat asked.

  Wincing a little, I slid down my shirt sleeve. Kat, without even asking, tore at the silk bandage, exposing the wound. I bit my lip when a bit of the scab stuck to the silk and saw pus leaking out.

  “Simple enough to heal,” Kat mused. “It is a bit infected so you’re better off with me just healing it for you.”

  “If you could, that would be great!”

  Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Kat rested her hand gently on my injured shoulder. My shoulder began to tingle with magic. The tingle spread throughout my body but unlike with Cam when he’d showed me magic, the tingle made me feel sleepy. I watched in awe as the large weeping scab shrunk right before my eyes until it disappeared.

  Moving my arm up and down cautiously, I smiled. “It’s not even sore!”

  “That’s amazing!” Liam said, gently touching my shoulder.

  I hugged Kat as tight as I could. “Thanks! Now I can train without having to worry about it! That was so cool!”

  She jumped up and down. “Compliments make me so happy!”

  Liam looked at me. “Ready to get to work, ladies?”

  Kat pulled me closer to her. “Let me handle it. If I let you teach her first, you’ll probably teach her bad habits. Boys are clueless.”

  Warmth spread through my chest. So, this was what it felt like to have a big sister.

  Kat was extremely patient, even going as far as turning into me to show me exactly how I would look casting the spell. Her method was working really well, even if watching myself move was a bit creepy at first. So far, I had learned to wrap a vine around a dead tree, crushing it as if it were an enemy instead of myself, and I'd learned to draw power from the earth, feeling the energy flow into me as easily as if I were breathing. I felt a lot better knowing I now had a way to defend myself and I looked forward to learning more.

  While taking a small break, I watched Kat work on her dagger skills, slashing at an invisible enemy while concentrating on moving faster and faster. Liam was further away, working on summoning storm clouds, sweat pouring down his forehead. Hopefully, he wasn't planning on working with lightning. He hadn't used that spell since we had escaped Maple Grove. Clearly that lighting strike back in the village had been a fluke, making that memory a hundred times scarier.

  Even when I’d thought he’d known what he was doing, that particular spell had scared me. Weather spells were powerful magic and there was a reason those had been expressly forbidden. They were deadly. Lightning could easily stop the user's heart or get out of control and fry someone, or a group of people, to a crisp.

  Liam smiled at me. "You did great."

  "Thanks, you too. What exactly where you trying to do?"

  He grinned like a kid in a candy store, looking to make sure Kat wasn’t within earshot. "I feel bad for judging Kat so harshly when we first met. To make it up to her, I'm going to make it snow for her."

  "She'll love that!" I clapped my hands together. "That's a great idea!"

  He pulled a towel out of his Packing kit and wiped his face. "It's gonna take some time, but I'll get it. I'm starving."

  "Me too."

  Cam was still working on his notes, a few scattered crumpled-up balls laying at his feet. He looked up and smiled. "That must be one hell of a nickname you thought up. Snowflake is sweating from thinking so much!"

  I giggled. "Kat was helping me with my magic, actually."

  Cam's brow furrowed. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I haven't been able to help, but I will. Soon!" he promised.

  "It's really okay. I know you're busy. I don't mind waiting."

  He gestured to his work. "I've been making more sign-up sheets. I’ve also been making posters we can hang up around town. The next big city we’re stopping at is called Doveport. It’s even bigger than Kaldar, if you can believe it. Doveport is a trading town and ships come from all around, carrying goods and people. We'll hang up posters and we're sure to get at least a few hundred willing to fight."

  While part of me shared in his enthusiasm, after all, this was what we wanted, a small part of me was unsure. Hundreds of creatures traveling together wouldn't be hard to miss, especially the eclectic bunch we were sure to amass. Cam had said anyone was free to join up. And it was my understanding not all races got along. Elves and druids were particularly nasty toward each other. More than once, my dad had had to step in to break up a fight in, or even outside, the bakery. Things could get tense in the blink of an eye and, especially with Cam's limited use of magic, it could get dangerous.

  "Where will they go?" I asked. "We're sure to get spotted with such a large group."

  "Exactly." Cam raked a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "I could send smaller groups on ahead, but it would take time to find the right person to lead each group. I need people I can trust, and they can't have biases against any creatures. That in itself is a chore." He groaned, lightly banging his head against the rock. "How the hell did Kalden figure this shit out? From what the fairies would tell me, it was effortless for him to lead people."

  I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It probably wasn't easy. Most likely, he had the same trouble when starting out, but he just made it look easy. It takes time to figure this stuff out. You're gonna look back on this moment and wonder what you were so worried about. I know you will."

  His arms were around my waist in seconds and his mouth landed on mine. "Sunshine, you're the best. Thank you so much," he said after parting for air.

  I smiled breathlessly. "You're welcome."

  "Hey Spitfire," Kat called, smirking at us. We turned our heads to look at her, Cam wearing an amused grin. "Get a room."

  “I would love to.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The streets of Hollowsville were just that— hollow. Not a soul in sight, and the chirping of the birds seem to echo in the silence. If not for the muddy path, our footsteps may have echoed as well.

  "Where is everybody?" Liam asked. "People do live here, right?"

  "Idiot, do you not see the torches lit? Of course, people live here!" Cam snapped. Another morning without Calderdash coffee had him on edge. He had bought some on his way to return the cart, but apparently, he had dropped it when he passed out.

  Just another reason for me to hate these fucking cuffs, he had said this morning at breakfast. I went to the spot where I had passed out, but the can was dented and the grounds had spilled everywhere with carriage tracks trailing through them.

  "Welp, there's torches lit so let's go ask around at the inn. Goddess, why, oh why, did you make boys so stupid?" Kat winked at me. I giggled and followed her into the inn while the boys continued their argument in the empty streets. Before the door closed behind us, I heard Liam threaten to punch Cam’s face in.

  Have fun, boys, I thought, rolling my eyes and turning around. Well, guess we solved the mystery of the missing townspeople. The inn was packed. No wonder the only torches lit had been the two in front of the inn. Every pair of eyes landed on us.

  "Uh, hi..." I could feel my ears getting hot. I did not like being the center of attention.

  Kat stepped forward. She handled the attention with ease. "Can someone tell us why it's a literal ghost town outside?"

  "Wyvern infestation, ma'am," a gruff voice replied, pushing his way through the crowd. A bearded dwarf with a massive steel axe strapped to his back limped over to shake my hand and then Kat's. "Albus Hammercoat, at your service, lassies."

  "Serena,” I said. "And this is Kat."

  "Did I hear right? You said a wyvern?"

  Albus chuckled. "Not just a wyvern. An infestation. A single one we could handle. The damn things swoop down from all directions, making it damn near impossible to fight off the one in front of ya."

  "I didn't even know those were real," I breathed. "You're sure that's what they are?"

  I remembered seeing a picture of one in a library
book. It was said to be a two-legged dragon with leathery wings and a tail that ended in the shape of a diamond. Their claws could rake off the flesh of a grizzle bear in one swipe and their tails could pierce stone. Their colors varied from blood red to brown. A few reports claimed to have seen a wyvern with purple skin, but I hadn’t believed the creature existed at all. Now, I wasn’t sure what to believe.

  "A few of those damned beasts snatched up my baby boy. He was only three summers old, just playing in the goat pen by himself while I tended to the garden. They couldn’t have snatched up a goat to eat... By the time I turned around, he was already too high to reach, screamin' somethin' awful..." A woman started sobbing as a man, presumably her husband, hugged her and stroked her hair.

  My heart went out to her. I didn't have a son, or even a brother, but the pain she felt was clear in her tone.

  "We'll help," Kat said calmly. "I'm sure Spitfire won't—"

  '"Can't. We're on a schedule," Cam said, walking up to stand beside me. I looked at him, shocked. Our schedule could wait a day or two, couldn't it? I couldn't believe how selfish he was being. These people needed help and we had the power to help them.

  "Listen, if this is about your stupid Calderdash coffee—" I began.

  "We have that in the back. Take care of those wyvern and you can have as much as you can drink. On the house," the innkeeper said quickly. "Please. We need help. Those things have been terrorizing us for weeks. Everyone is afraid to go anywhere alone. It's gotten so bad our crops are suffering and we haven’t been able to get supplies from outside since the wagons refused to come weeks ago after a few of them were attacked. "

  Cam sighed. "All right, you've twisted my arm. We'll help and we'll destroy the nests so they don't come back."

  "Goddess bless you all!" the innkeeper replied.

  "Is there anyone here willing to take us to the nest?" Cam asked, looking at the crowd of villagers. They all shrank back, clearly too afraid to speak up.

  "I know where it is, sir," a boy, no older than twelve, spoke up. He stuck out his hand. "Name's Treyza."

  "Hi, nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. "When did the wyverns come?"

  He brushed black curls out of his face, his green eyes serious. "Bout a month ago. They didn't start attacking the villagers until a week ago. The little boy, Ryka, wasn't the first, but I really hope he's the last and we're able to find him safe. I knew his brother. He died in some far-off war a few years ago when his mom was pregnant."

  "Oh no, I couldn't imagine losing one son and then losing another. I hope he's safe."

  Kat led the way out the door. The sudden silence of the streets was just as creepy as it had been when we first arrived.

  "I'm ready to fight some stupid dragon!" Liam laughed.

  Treyza looked at him with wide eyes, which made me laugh. "Are you insane? You do know wyverns have fangs and claws and that diamond stinger thing on the end of their tails, right?"

  "Nope, never seen one, actually."

  "It's terrifying!"

  Cam whistled under his breath. "I, for one, can't wait to see it. I've seen a few different creatures in my travels, but I've never seen a wyvern."

  Kat sighed. "Do you guys have any sense of self-preservation, or has that just gone out the window?"

  "I ask myself that all the time!" I chuckled.

  Treyza smirked. "I like you guys already. By the way, are you guys in need of any weapons? My father runs the only forge for miles and he can make any weapon you can imagine."

  Winking at me, Cam replied, "Getting Sunshine a weapon wouldn't be a bad idea."

  Liam stared at him. "Um, Clumsy Roseheart? She shouldn't be given anything sharp."

  "It'd be nice to sharpen my dagger. It's seen better days." Kat smiled. "I could teach Serena to use one."

  "Nothing sharp," Liam said through gritted teeth. "Maybe a long-range weapon?"

  Hugging Liam, I rolled my eyes. He could be so overprotective. "Before we left, I was reading about a girl who became a professional archer. I always thought it would be cool to learn to use a bow."

  "A bow would be great against a wyvern since they can fly," Cam pointed out.

  Liam looked at me. "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah, it's a lot safer than a dagger, at least for me. The rest of you should probably watch out, though."

  "Dully noted, Sunshine." Cam had his usual grin on his face, but I saw a wariness in his eyes. He had every right to be wary. I'd only read about war. I'd never shot an arrow or held a sword. This was all new to me and it would be a miracle if I managed not to hurt anyone, myself included. Cam knew how good I was in new, unfamiliar situations.

  Liam clapped my on the back. "Don't worry, you'll do great."

  Treyza laughed. "My dad can definitely craft you a bow and make you a quiver, Serena. There's nothing he can't do!"

  "Can he make it so the arrows don't impale my friends?" I asked half-jokingly. My stomach was doing somersaults, and I wasn't even holding the dang thing yet.

  "Ooh, Treyza, can your dad make me a huge war axe like Albus has? That looked so cool!" Kat exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

  "Sure, Albus actually had my dad make him that shortly after he arrived in the village."

  "What would you do with a war axe?" Liam asked, looking at her. "Would you even be able to lift it?"

  "Probably not," Kat answered. "But it just looked so awesome!"

  Liam nodded. "Can't argue with that."

  Black smoke rose up into the air and I could smell the fire from here. We were close to the forge. My heart raced. Now that we had talked a bit about me using a bow, I couldn't wait to try it out despite my fear.

  Treyza led us up the winding path and once we crested the hill, the smell of melted metal filled my nose. A burly man with arms like massive tree trunks was pounding red-hot metal out on an anvil. He wiped his brow and then raised a gloved hand in a wave.

  "Papa! I brought customers!" Treyza announced as we walked up to the blacksmith.

  "Aye, I see. Is everyone still cowering at the inn?" he asked, wiping his hands on his dusty apron before extending one. "Hello, my name is Ezra."

  "Yup. Everyone is still at the inn. This is Cam, Liam, Serena, and Kat. They're here to get rid of the wyverns."

  Ezra smiled wide. "Really? That would be wonderful. I don't mind deliverin' orders to customers, but with those damn rats with wings flyin' everywhere, I'm doin' more deliverin' than I am creatin', and that's never a good thing. So, what can I make ya? Free of charge, of course."

  "Serena here would like a bow and a quiver." Treyza beamed at me. "I can't wait to see you shoot it. I can teach ya a few things. I've tested out all kinds of weapons for my papa. Jack of all trades, I am!"

  Ezra laughed as he set a few tools on the worktable. "Aye, and master of none. I told ya to stick to one thing, learn it well, and then move on, boy. You can't expect to master anything if you constantly switch from one thing to the next like an overzealous rabbit."

  "Then I'll master everything!" he declared, throwing his fist into the air. Ersa laughed and turned to us.

  "What would the rest of you like?"

  "Swords!" Cam and Liam answered in unison.

  Kat pulled her dagger out of her boot and handed it to him. "I'd like this sharpened, please."

  Ezra inspected it with a trained eye and whistled. "What a beautiful piece of steel. Would you like a companion for it?"

  Looking down at the ground, Kat was suddenly very interested in digging a hole in the dirt with her boot. "Um..."

  "It's no trouble. It would be my pleasure. You're doing this village a great service, after all."

  Kat looked up, a huge smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to accepting gifts, but yes, yes please! Thank you so much!"

  The blacksmith scratched his beard and turned back to the anvil. "I was making a sword for Cap'n Ernest in Doveport, but it can wait."

  "We'd be happy to drop it off for him," I said. "I mean, after we take ca
re of that wyvern nest. We're headed that way after this."

  Ezra’s dark eyes lit up. "That would be awfully grand of you. I'd really appreciate it."

  "No problem," I replied. "We appreciate you making us weapons."

  "And the best weapons they'll be!" he said as he readied a new piece of metal. "Two swords, one dagger, and a bow with quiver and arrows may take a few days each. That's with me going as quickly as I can. I could call in help and get it done quicker, but then you risk the weapons not bein' as good as they could be. Most o' the apprentices around here don't know a pommel from a sheath, if you get my meanin'. Got anything you can do until then?"

  "That's fine. Take your time, Ezra. Know where we can buy any horses?" Cam asked. "I'll need four of the fastest horses we can get."

  "Ol' Alton has a couple acres and a stable of fine steeds. Try askin' him prices. Prickly bastard, but he'll give you a fair askin' price."

  My mind wandered with thoughts of strawberry roans and appaloosas, as we walked down the dirt path. Horses were one of my favorite animals and even though Lilly and Daisy weren't too fond of anyone, I enjoyed helping Liam care for them. Even mucking out the stalls was something I enjoyed. I knew Liam would also be excited.

  "Already thinking of a breed?" Cam asked, nudging me with his elbow. "The old man had two horses. He teach you to ride?"

  I burst out laughing. Just the thought of trying to ride Daisy or Lily was hysterical. Cam raised an eyebrow, clearly no doubt wondering if I'd lost my mind.

  "Nope, well, I mean, he did, but it wasn't on either of those two," Liam answered. "Daisy and Lily were unrideable. Master rented a few geldings, coal-black brothers named Colby and Jack, for a few days. By the time they were returned, Serena and I were experts."

  I rolled my eyes and swatted his back in protest. "Experts? We knew how to get on and gallop without falling off. And that was after a lot of falling. My ass still hurts just thinking about the time Colby reared up and I fell straight on my butt!"

  "You had Colby? I was calling my horse Colby the entire time!"

  "No wonder Jack wouldn't listen to you!" I chuckled. "How many times did you fall off?"