Stolen Hearts

by Sasha L. Miller

  "It's not for that," Mervyn said, shaking his head. "It's related—I put together a new design for a pain charm. I think it will be more effective, based on what you told me earlier, and if it works I can incorporate it into the heart charm."

  "Oh, that's a good idea," Denzil said, briefly resting a hand on Callisto's shoulder before slipping past him. "I don't think the charm he's got now is working completely."

  "Denzil," Callisto hissed, giving into the urge to smack Denzil on the arm. "It's working fine."

  "Ow, hey," Denzil protested, but then he grinned. "If it's working fine, then why do you keep wincing?"

  "Because…" Callisto started, but trailed off, frustrated he couldn't explain it. It hurt, but it was manageable, and he was just taken by surprise sometimes.

  "Denzil," Mervyn said, getting their attention. "It should be in the work room we were in earlier. Go look at it, please."

  "Going," Denzil said lightly, giving Callisto a crooked smile before heading towards the door. A second later, he was gone, leaving Callisto alone in the library with Mervyn.

  "I have a few questions for you," Mervyn said, gesturing with the papers, and that really shouldn't make Callisto nervous. Questions weren't bad. "Can we sit?"

  "Okay," Callisto said, stifling a sigh. He returned to his seat on the sofa where he'd been sitting before. Mervyn sat down in one of the adjacent chairs, thankfully, though he was self-contained enough that Callisto wouldn't have minded if he'd sat on the sofa too.

  "First, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to," Mervyn said, solemn and utterly serious and that wasn't helping Callisto's nerves any. Callisto nodded, twisting his fingers together and wondering what was worth hesitating over when Mervyn had had no trouble asking him anything about the heart charm yet.

  "I want to get the man Denzil is seeing checked out, for Denzil's safety. I trust his judgment, but he can be impulsive and it's … it's gotten him in trouble in the past," Mervyn said, and Callisto blinked, startled. That wasn't at all what he'd expected. "Unfortunately, he's being much more secretive this time. I don't know anything about his lover, not even a name."

  "His name is Baldric," Callisto said quietly, hoping Denzil wouldn't be too upset when he found out what Mervyn was doing. But if Denzil got to be protective and smothering, then Callisto would do the same right back. "That's all I know. He had dark hair, and he was shorter than me. Um, his face was kind of squashed-looking, though I really only got a short look at him, so none of that could be accurate."

  "That's more than I had," Mervyn said, smiling ruefully. "Thank you."

  "I don't want him hurt," Callisto said, wondering what trouble Denzil had gotten into in the past. Probably Baldric wasn't anyone dangerous, and Denzil would get huffy, but that was what he got for being an interfering jerk on Callisto's behalf.

  "I'll let you know what my Inspector contact pulls up," Mervyn said, jotting down a few notes. "How are the warming and pain spells working, really? I want you to be as comfortable as possible until we can replace the heart charm."

  "They are fine," Callisto said emphatically then sighed. "Sorry. They really are working well. The warming spell is perfect, and the pain-blocking spell blacks most of the pain. I just get … flashes of pain. They go away quickly."

  "That sounds like the charm is wearing off," Mervyn said, looking at him with something akin to alarm, "and not that it's not functioning correctly."

  "Oh," Callisto said quietly, feeling stupid. He probably should have figured that out.

  "I'll get another charm put together tonight," Mervyn said, making another notation on his paper. "The modified design should last longer …" Mervyn trailed off, obviously lost in thought as he scribbled notes on the papers braced against his lap.

  Callisto stayed quiet, letting him work, though he itched to protest and tell Mervyn to focus on the heart charm.

  "Sorry," Mervyn said a moment later. "Um, the other thing—" He paused, shuffling through his papers before pulling out a drawing. He passed it to Callisto, who took it gingerly, setting it on his lap with shaking fingers.

  "The drawing is terrible, I do apologize for that," Mervyn said, somewhat sheepishly. "Drawing never was my forte, much to my professor's discontent. But that's, roughly, the new charm. It's not perfect, but I built it on the assumptions that we want to get a replacement in as soon as possible, and that eventually we'll be able to reinstate your own heart."

  "Okay," Callisto said, staring blankly at the scribbled charm. A few of the spell marks looked familiar, but most of it was gibberish to him. "I don't—"

  "Oh, right," Mervyn said, shaking his head. He stood up, moving to stand next the arm of the couch where Callisto was sitting. "Here, this, overall is the charm, right?" Mervyn drew an ink-smudged finger around the outline of the charm. "I'll be making that tomorrow, since it needs to be custom."

  Callisto nodded. That made sense—he highly doubted there was enough demand for custom-made heart charms that Mervyn would be able to go out and simply purchase one.

  "What will it be made of?" Callisto asked, trying not to fidget. Mervyn smelled of ink and paper and something sharp and clean, and he really shouldn't be noticing something like that right now.

  "A steel composite. It's durable, water-proof, and I can sterilize it easily," Mervyn said, leaning a little closer and pointing to a few of the spell marks. "Those will help keep you from getting sick, too. The charm you have now isn't very efficient, which is why your hands shake and you get cold, and everything else, too. The wizard who cast the charm spells was very … unpolished about it. He probably didn't do so well in the health magics, which is why he used an aluminum base for the charm."

  "The base makes that much difference?" Callisto asked, baffled. Wizard magic was far too complicated.

  "It can, but in this case, the part of the spell he set up to take over your heart's function is also inefficient; the wizard who cast it took a lot of shortcuts that are exacerbating your symptoms," Mervyn said, then gestured to a thick cluster of spell marks, none of which looked even remotely familiar to Callisto. "The current charm just cycles your blood continuously, and obviously not quickly enough. This row gives you a heartbeat, though it will restrict you some. The charm will work fine for simple tasks—walking, sitting, sleeping, but if you try to do anything more strenuous, you'll start experiencing the symptoms you're currently experiencing. I think I have an idea on how to get it to work at variable rates, but that will take me a few days to work out, and it's something I can add in after we switch out the charms."

  "Okay," Callisto said, taking a moment to process that. So he'd have a heartbeat, and Mervyn's heart charm would work well as long as he didn't strain himself. "What do those do?"

  "They keep down inflammation and just generally help everything work more smoothly," Mervyn said, then tapped another spell mark. "And that will help cut down any pain around the charm, since a metal charm magicked into your chest is always going to hurt some."

  "How did Denzil help?" Callisto asked curiously, handing the paper back to Mervyn. "It looks like all wizard marks."

  "It is," Mervyn said, moving back to his own seat. "He helped me pick which spell marks would be most effective. For every spell mark I showed you, there are at least two similar marks that do nearly the same thing. Denzil's good at picking which ones work best with fairy physiology."

  "Oh," Callisto said, frowning. Where had Denzil learned something like that?

  "The outside plate of the charm will show all the spell marks, which will make it easier if any other wizard has to do work on it for whatever reason," Mervyn said. "Not that I think it will be necessary, but I do like to be thorough."

  "Okay," Callisto said, refusing to give into pessimism and wonder how long the wizard would keep his heart alive after the charms were switched out. "Thank you for explaining it all."

  "No problem," Mervyn said, smiling a little as he shuffled his papers back together. "I like to explain my magic, as I'm sur
e Denzil can tell you."

  "It's interesting?" Callisto offered, because under any other circumstance he'd be fascinated to see wizard magic up close. "I like knowing how it's put together."

  "Well, good," Mervyn said, smiling. He ran a hand through his short hair, disheveling it and only adding to the messy, absent-minded professor look he had going on. "Do you have any other questions? I'll probably spend most of tomorrow making the charm, and then we'll do the operation the next day."

  "How long will it take?" Callisto asked, wondering how he'd manage to avoid Denzil for another day. Probably best to hide in his room, if only to enjoy the quiet and actually rest before Mervyn swapped the charms.

  "I'm not sure?" Mervyn said, looking pensive. "I've done some extensive charm work before, but nothing quite like this, so it will probably take a while."

  "Oh," Callisto said, wondering if he should be worried about that. But Denzil trusted Mervyn, and Mervyn had already proven to be much better at magic than the wizard back home had been, so Callisto resolved to not think about it. Dead by Mervyn's charm was better than dead from an unknown wizard draining all his energy. "Um, would it be okay if I took some books up to my room?"

  "What? Oh, of course," Mervyn said, obviously not expecting that question. "There are a few in that case there that you shouldn't, but anything else is fair game."

  "Thank you," Callisto said absently, glancing briefly at the glass-fronted case Mervyn had indicated. It looked expensive, as did the books inside, and Callisto immediately marked it off-limits. He didn't want to accidentally ruin anything rare or expensive after everything Mervyn was doing for him.

  "Anything else you want to know?" Mervyn asked, and Callisto shook his head. There were probably things he should be asking, but nothing was coming to mind.

  "Well, if that changes, don't hesitate to have Evandie come and get me," Mervyn said, folding his papers in half around his pen. "I'll try to give Denzil some busy work, too—to keep him from fretting and pestering you to death."

  "I'd appreciate that," Callisto said, then winced because that sounded terrible. "He means well, I know."

  "He does, but he can be overwhelming with it," Mervyn said, sympathetically. "He can mother hen with the best of them, though he'll deny it if you ever tell him so."

  "He really does," Callisto said, smiling a little at the thought of calling Denzil a mother hen to his face. Maybe Callisto would try that if Denzil got too pushy.

  "Enjoy the quiet while it lasts, then," Mervyn said, giving Callisto a last smile before heading out of the library, papers in hand.

  Callisto watched him go, absently pressing a hand to his chest at another flash of pain. It subsided quickly, and Callisto stood as soon as it had passed. Collecting together the books he'd gathered, Callisto brought them to the table and left all but the book of paintings and a book of poems he hadn't yet read. Then he left the library, heading upstairs to his bedroom. Hopefully Denzil would be sufficiently distracted by whatever tasks Mervyn gave him that he wouldn't pester Callisto until much later.

  Part Four

  "Coffee, please, Evandie," Mervyn said quietly then let himself into the dining room. Unsurprisingly, Denzil was already there, eating a full plate of toast, eggs, and at least three different meats.

  "Morning," Denzil said, the greeting somewhat subdued. Mervyn just nodded, taking the seat across the table. Evandie bustled in a moment later, bearing a small tray with a pot of coffee, two cups, and a plate of biscuits and fresh fruit.

  "Thank you, Evandie," Mervyn said absently, accepting the cup of coffee she poured and drinking half of it immediately.

  "Should I go wake Callisto?" Denzil asked, nodding his thanks to Evandie when she handed him his coffee, tainted with a heaping dose of cream.

  "Let him rest," Mervyn said, applying himself to his food. Callisto wouldn't be allowed to eat until after the operation was complete, and Callisto really could use all the rest he could get.

  "Right," Denzil said, frowning at his plate before continuing to eat. Mervyn followed his example, trying to focus on his food and not the upcoming spell work.

  It should work, but Mervyn really would have been happier if he'd had more time to test, to research, and to track down the wizard who'd done this in the first place. But he didn't, and it really couldn't wait. Callisto had already burned through two pain charms, and he was getting dangerously low on energy; once his magical stores ran out, no doubt the wizard would start pulling his life energy. They probably didn't even have a full day left before it got to that point.

  So it had to be today, and it had to go right the first time, or else Callisto would die anyway.

  Mervyn sighed, pushing those thoughts away, and focusing instead on running through the procedure in his head again. It really was simple, in theory, but there was no procedure quite like this in any of the health magic books he'd had Denzil look through.

  Doubt would only make the procedure harder, Mervyn reminded himself. He was a good wizard; he could make it work. Denzil was fantastic at his magic, as well, and he was all the more invested in this casting because Callisto was his brother. They would make it work, and then they'd find the miserable, spineless piece of scum who'd thought he could get away with doing something this terrible.

  "Any prep left?" Denzil asked, fidgeting with his utensils, obviously anxious to get started.

  "I did it all last night," Mervyn said, then took pity on Denzil and added, "If you want to go double-check everything, we're going to be working in the center room. Then you can go wake Callisto, and I'll meet you down there."

  "Okay," Denzil said, finishing the last of his coffee in a large gulp. He left the room quickly, leaving Mervyn alone with his breakfast. Mervyn ate as much of it as he could and finished a second cup of coffee as well before heading downstairs to his work rooms.

  Denzil and Callisto weren't there yet, and Mervyn busied himself checking over the equipment for the fourth time as he waited. Everything was in its place, unsurprisingly, so Mervyn moved on to going over his notes again until Denzil led Callisto into the room. Callisto was pale, as usual, and there were deep purple shadows beneath his eyes attesting to the lack of sleep he'd been getting.

  "Good morning," Callisto said, then rolled his eyes, but let Denzil help him up to the table in the center of the work room.

  "Good morning," Mervyn said, smiling a little because he couldn't seem to not smile at Callisto. "How are you feeling? Anything new?"

  "Nothing new," Callisto replied, and Mervyn took that to mean that Callisto still felt terrible, but it wasn't any worse.

  "Did Denzil explain how this is going to work?" Mervyn asked, turning and fetching the first charm from one of the tables pushed against the wall.

  "I wasn't sure on all the details," Denzil said, then flashed a grin and added, "And I know how much you like to explain things."

  "I'm going to give you a new charm," Mervyn told Callisto, ignoring Denzil because that was what that comment deserved. "It has three purposes: to block pain, to put you to sleep, and to keep you from moving."

  "Okay," Callisto said, sounding exhausted, and Mervyn really hoped this worked.

  I'm going to remove your other charms, the warming and the pain-blocking," Mervyn said, frowning. "Then we have to test this one, because I don't want you awake or in pain, and while I'm confident, I'd rather be sure it works."

  "Me too," Callisto said softly. "Do you need me to do anything?"

  "Take off your shirt," Mervyn said absently, fussing with the charm. "Then we'll remove the other charms and put this one on. Once you're definitely out, we'll take it off, and you can let me know if any of it didn't work."

  Callisto nodded, pulling off the loose shirt he'd been wearing. Mervyn blinked, suddenly recalled to the fact that Callisto had a fine chest. Then he remembered himself and stepped forward to the table's side. "Lay down," Mervyn requested quietly. Callisto did so, resting his head on the small pillow at the end of the table and holding hi
mself stiffly.

  "Relax," Mervyn said, trying for soothing but not quite sure he managed it. Callisto nodded anyway, and he made an effort, but didn't really manage to relax much. The charm should take care of that, in any case, Mervyn thought, recalled to what he was doing.

  "I'm going to remove your charms now," Mervyn said, setting down the new charm they'd be using for the duration of the operation. It was near identical the pain-blocking charm Callisto currently wore—just a simple, woven bracelet.

  "Warming charm first," Mervyn said, half to himself. Callisto nodded anyway, twisting the chain of the necklace he wore so that Mervyn could get at the clasp. Mervyn carefully undid the clasp, then pulled the necklace free and tossed it across the room. It landed with a semi-loud clang against a sheet of scrap metal against the far wall, making them all jump.

  "Pain charm next," Mervyn said, ignoring Denzil's glare. "Ready?"

  "Do it," Callisto said, quiet and terse. Mervyn picked up a pair of nearby scissors and carefully sliced through the pain-blocking charm around Callisto's wrist. He tossed the scrap of bracelet aside and forced himself to ignore Callisto's half-smothered, pained cry and the way his entire body tensed. Instead, he focused on the new charm, wrapping it deftly around Callisto's wrist.

  It took only a few spell words to activate, and it worked immediately. Callisto relaxed completely, slumping against the table top bonelessly. Denzil shifted restlessly behind him, but he stayed quiet; that had been something he'd learned quickly, and Mervyn appreciated having an assistant who didn't pester him with questions every few seconds about what he was doing.

  Even—especially, really—when it was his brother they were working on.

  The charm appeared to be working. Callisto was asleep and relaxed, which meant he couldn't be feeling any pain. Still, Mervyn waited another minute more before carefully unweaving the closing on the spell. As soon as he spoke the last of the unweaving spell, Callisto half sat up, clutching at his chest and gasping for air. Mervyn flinched back, startled despite having braced himself for a strong reaction.