Stolen Hearts

by Sasha L. Miller

  "It's better," Denzil announced after a minute. "The heartbeat is perfect, and I don't think you could get resting blood flow any better."

  "Good," Mervyn said, pleased. He stretched his legs out in front of himself, fighting a yawn. "So what did you come looking for us for, Denzil?"

  "Malone is here," Denzil said sourly, turning to frown at Mervyn. "Did you really have to ask him?"

  "He's the best investigator I know," Mervyn said lightly. He glanced at Callisto, but Callisto just looked grave and resigned, and Mervyn didn't know what to say to reassure him. "Did he say what he was reporting on?"

  "I didn't talk to him, Evandie did," Denzil said, sounding as annoyed as he always did when Malone came up in conversation in any way.

  "We'd all better go, then," Mervyn said, wincing as his knees cracked when he stood. Denzil signed, but obligingly headed for the door, falling into step with Callisto and giving Mervyn a suspicious look as he followed behind. Mervyn just stared back innocuously, biting back a smile when Denzil snorted and turned away again.

  Malone was tall and burly, and he managed to somehow take up the entire corner of whatever room he was in. His hair was dark, but cropped so close to his head that he was practically bald. He had a dark, intense stare, and definitely looked the part of a thug who no one would want to mess with—an attribute that had come in handy more than once for Mervyn.

  "Malone, how are you?" Mervyn asked pleasantly, unsurprised when Denzil sulkily threw himself in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room from Malone. Callisto sat nearby, obviously curious about Malone.

  "Can't complain," Malone said, glancing over at Denzil briefly and then offering Callisto a smile. "Yourself?"

  "The same," Mervyn said, moving to help himself to some of the tea Evandie had set out. "You know Denzil, of course, but this is Callisto. He's Denzil's younger brother."

  "A pleasure," Malone said gravely. "Though I do wish it was under other circumstances." Callisto just smiled briefly, looking tense. Denzil scowled at Malone, probably displeased Malone wasn't living up to obnoxious and a jerk like he'd claimed.

  "Can we cut to the chase, please?" Denzil snapped, slumping further into his chair. Mervyn rolled his eyes, but nodded at Malone, sipping at his tea briefly to sooth his dry throat before setting it aside.

  "I wish I had good news," Malone said slowly, pausing when Denzil snorted. He frowned, but continued after a second. "I was having no luck with your original query regarding the stolen heart. There have been a few other cases, similar in that the persons involved were missing their hearts, but those cases had stalled out and the investigators had no leads."

  Mervyn hid a wince, watching Callisto. Malone was certainly softening his language, but he did know Callisto was the only living person who'd had their heart obviously stolen. Callisto hadn't moved, and his attentive, grave expression hadn't changed at all.

  "You said were," Denzil said, scowling. "You were having no luck. What did you find out?"

  Malone obviously hesitated, and Mervyn frowned, worried. If Malone was hesitating, whatever he'd found wasn't good. "How well do you know Baldric?" Malone asked slowly, and Mervyn grimaced, hoping that didn't mean what he thought it meant.

  "Well enough, and you better have proof for what you're implying," Denzil snapped out, sitting up straight and glaring at Malone.

  "Baldric Illini works at the local hospital—"

  "I know that!" Denzil snapped, and Callisto flinched back, startled by Denzil's outburst. That seemed to recall Denzil some, and he slumped back in his seat unhappily.

  "He works there as an assistant surgeon to Janan Fudoir," Malone finished. Mervyn winced, unable to help it. Janan Fudoir was a prominent wizard who worked mostly to heal the ailments of the rich in the city. He was notoriously finicky and would only work with other wizards, something Mervyn knew intimately, since Janan was his eldest brother and had picked up all of their parents' prejudices.

  Denzil clenched his jaw, but otherwise didn't move. "What else?"

  "I did some checking," Malone said, still obviously reluctant to share whatever he knew. "Since Baldric was the only wizard I knew to be in the area the evening your brother was attacked. I found links to five of the other six people who were found with no heart."

  "And the sixth?" Denzil asked, calm as anything. Mervyn grimaced—Denzil was going to be a mess after this, not that Mervyn could blame him, if what Malone was insinuating was true.

  "We don't know who he is, so we can't find a link to anything," Malone said, and he really was trying to break the news gently, but Denzil never took bad news well.

  "Right," Denzil said, standing and storming from the salon. He slammed the door behind him, and a moment later a door slammed from somewhere deeper in the house.

  Mervyn sighed, wondering how he was going to talk Denzil down from this. It had been bad enough when Denzil had found out Seth, his first beau in the city, had been a wizard. Add to that, the wizard he was seeing was very probably responsible for stealing Callisto's heart, and Mervyn wasn't sure there was anything he could say to make Denzil feel better.

  "I'm going to—" Callisto began, standing and gesturing after Denzil. Mervyn nodded, frowning worriedly, but Callisto didn't look upset—worried, yes, but not like he was going to yell at Denzil for the entire mess.

  "I'm sorry, Mervyn," Malone said gravely as the door shut behind Callisto. "I never seem to find good news for you or for Denzil."

  "He will get over it," Mervyn said, though he wasn't so sure. Denzil had been holding a grudge against Malone for years now.

  "Mmm," Malone said, obviously not believing a word of it. "Unfortunately, Baldric seems to have caught wind that someone is on to him. He's gone to ground—hasn't shown at the hospital or any of his usual haunts, and he's not staying at home. Either of them."

  "Wonderful," Mervyn muttered, wondering what had spooked Baldric. Perhaps simply seeing Callisto after they'd replaced Baldric's draining heart charm. Though it still didn't make sense—why put the charm in Callisto but not in Denzil? "Do you know if Baldric did any casting at either of his residences?"

  "Too small," Malone said confidently. "The one is a tiny apartment in the Halin district, probably a cover since it's not linked to the hospital in any way. The other is a fashionable villa near Cadill."

  Which meant small and crowded close to the houses around it. Mervyn frowned thoughtfully. If Baldric didn't cast at either place, he had to have some other place to work—there was no way he'd be brazen enough to perform spells like the one he'd cast on Callisto at the hospital where anyone could see.

  "Before you ask, I'm still checking into other places he may have set up shop. Unfortunately, he's not been stupid enough to leave his name anywhere but the apartment, his villa, and the hospital," Malone said, running a hand over his short-cropped hair distractedly. "It's strange, though. From what I've heard from his colleagues and acquaintances, Baldric didn't seem the type of wizard to be able to invent and pull off as complex a spell casting as would be necessary to replace a person's heart."

  "Perhaps he hid it well?" Mervyn suggested, but then thought of the charm in his basement. "Though at that, I did note the charm he used was very well made, but the spell casting itself was sloppy and not at all thought through."

  "Add to that, Callisto is the only person actually found with the device," Malone said grimly, glancing at the door Callisto had just left through. "The others just turned up, no heart, and usually missing for a few weeks."

  "That's … odd," Mervyn said, frowning. "Why let Callisto go with the charm? And where did he keep the other people in the time they were missing?"

  "Good questions, all of them," Malone said. He fell silent, obviously lost in thought. Mervyn let him be, wondering how Denzil was faring. He was betting on 'not well,' though hopefully Callisto could calm him down some. Regardless, he'd have to find a way to keep Callisto and Denzil in the house; he didn't trust Baldric to not make some sort of play to get De
nzil to meet him, at least, if not both Denzil and Callisto.

  "I best be on my way," Malone finally said, standing and making the chair creak as he moved. "I'll keep looking for him and keep you updated if I find anything."

  "Thank you," Mervyn said, standing as well to walk Malone to the door. "I'll keep a close watch on Denzil and Callisto until I hear from you."

  "Good idea," Malone said, again running a hand over his head as they left the salon. "I don't trust this wizard, and I certainly don't trust Denzil to not do something stupid."

  "Hopefully Callisto will ground him some," Mervyn said mildly, opening the front door for Malone. "Keep in touch and take care yourself. I don't doubt Baldric plays dirty."

  "I will," Malone said simply, stepping out on the front porch. He squinted at the sun briefly before heading down the front walk with slow, ambling steps.

  Mervyn waited until he'd reached the front gate before he shut the door. Frowning a moment at the empty foyer, he debated between going to find Callisto and Denzil and heading downstairs to reexamine Baldric's heart charm. After a moment, he headed downstairs—best to give the brothers some space, especially since Mervyn had been tangentially responsible for Denzil receiving the bad news.

  *~*~*

  Callisto shut the door to the salon quietly behind him, not giving himself a chance to think as he walked down the hallway. He hesitated briefly when he reached the library, but Denzil hadn't left the house, and Callisto couldn't see him retreating upstairs or down. That left the kitchen or the library, and as Evandie was always in the kitchen this time of day, Denzil had to be in the library.

  He stopped outside the library door, shifting restlessly as he debated. He could leave Denzil alone; obviously Denzil didn't want to deal with any of it at the moment. Seeing Callisto would just hammer home what Baldric had done—and what Baldric had probably been planning to do to Denzil at some point.

  On the other hand, Callisto wasn't sure Denzil should be left alone. He'd obviously been upset when he'd stormed out of the salon, and Denzil upset tended to do stupid things. Like storm off and confront a wizard who had no qualms about stealing people's hearts or killing them.

  Callisto really had been incredibly lucky to find Mervyn.

  Grimacing, Callisto reached up and touched the metal charm embedded in his chest. Even through two layers of fabric it was unyielding and foreign-feeling. It still made his chest ache dully most of the time, but it wasn't Denzil's fault it was there. Forcing himself to drop his hand, Callisto reached for the library doorknob.

  It turned easily under his hand, thankfully, and Callisto let himself inside, shutting the door behind him. Denzil wasn't in immediate sight, so Callisto headed further into the massive room. He walked slowly, trying to be quiet, but Denzil wasn't in any of the little seating areas, and he wasn't in any of the rows of bookcases that filled the room.

  Frowning, wondering if he'd guessed wrong, Callisto headed to the back of the library. He'd try the second floor—there was a little reading nook by a window up there—and then he'd check Denzil's room. Climbing the little wrought-iron staircase slowly, Callisto winced at the loud noises his footsteps made on the way up.

  At first glance, the little reading nook was abandoned, but one chair had its back to the room, and as Callisto approached, he could make out Denzil's boots beneath the chair. He hesitated a second more, but then Callisto made himself walk over and sit in the other chair in the little nook.

  It was a cute little area, with two overstuffed armchairs sitting at angles around a large window that overlooked the garden in the back of the house. There was a little table between the chairs that held a delicate-looking vase with a bouquet of dried flowers.

  Denzil didn't look over when Callisto sat down, apparently absorbed in staring out the window. He was sitting slumped in the chair, so low that the chair's back extended a few inches above his head. He was scowling, but he wasn't crying, thankfully. Callisto wasn't sure what he'd do if Denzil were in tears.

  Callisto fidgeted briefly, shifting restlessly in his seat. He still wasn't sure what to say, and having found Denzil hadn't inspired anything either. Maybe it would be easier if Denzil had acknowledged his presence, but he was still stalwartly refusing to do anything but stare out the window.

  "You're not who I expected to follow," Denzil said, without so much as glancing at Callisto. "Usually it's Mervyn."

  "I'm not usually here?" Callisto offered quietly, wondering how often Denzil stormed off like this. Probably fairly often—it had been his favorite way of dealing with arguments with their parents, and there had been a lot of those.

  "Well, you can go away now," Denzil said, not meanly, but Callisto winced a little anyway. "I'm fine, and I don't need coddling. This isn't the first time—" Denzil cut off, finally looking at Callisto. He still didn't look happy, but Callisto really couldn't blame him.

  "Okay," Callisto said, not wanting to intrude if Denzil truly wanted to be alone. "But—you know it's not your fault, right? Just like it's not mine."

  Denzil snorted, shaking his head and looking away again. "It's not the same at all, Callisto. If not for me, you never would have met Baldric, and you never would've been alone for him to attack you."

  "You cared about him," Callisto said slowly, hoping he wasn't making things worse. "You trusted him. He—when I saw you two together, he seemed like he cared about you, too."

  "Obviously not," Denzil said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "I should have just had him checked out to begin with. It was stupid of me to not, since everyone and their mother have bets on whether I'm a fairy."

  "I wouldn't have," Callisto said firmly. He frowned at Denzil, but Denzil was studying the floor intently now. "That seems a stupid way to start a relationship."

  "And that stupid investigator seems to think anyone that I'm dating needs to be threatened," Denzil grumbled, sighing. "And it might not be good for relationships, but it is safer."

  "Why does he threaten them?" Callisto asked, baffled. Malone hadn't seemed mean, and Mervyn obviously liked him and held him in high esteem.

  "Because he thinks—because he's an idiot," Denzil decided on, scowling. Callisto blinked, wondering what Denzil wasn't telling him. He'd have to ask Mervyn later.

  "Okay," Callisto said, pausing before adding, "I don't blame you for any of this. I mean, you didn't want it to happen, and it—everything you did made sense. Especially since you knew there was someone out there after you."

  "I was fool enough to play right into his hands. I didn't even think twice about it, but Baldric left not five minutes after you did that night," Denzil said, sounding bitter and unhappy. "If I had just paid more attention—"

  "Denzil!" Callisto snapped, and getting annoyed at Denzil probably wasn't the best tactic for convincing Denzil that he didn't blame him for Baldric. "You trusted him, yes?"

  "Yes, but—" Denzil began, frowning, but Callisto cut him off again.

  "And you thought I'd be safer away from you?"

  "Yes," Denzil said, obviously exasperated. "Still, that—"

  "And you've done everything you possibly could to make this—" Callisto touched the heart charm lightly, "—work the best that it possibly could?"

  "Mervyn—"

  "You helped, every way you could," Callisto said heatedly, scowling fiercely at Denzil. "You don't get to brush it off and say it's all your fault when it's not, not at all. You could've had Baldric checked out, I could have ignored you and stuck with you that night. You didn't do anything but trust your lover, like you're supposed to. It's not your fault that Baldric turned out to be unworthy of that. It's his fault this happened, not yours and not mine."

  "Okay," Denzil said, staring at him wide-eyed. Callisto flushed and sat back in his seat, wondering when he'd leaned forward. "I'm still going to help find him and your real heart."

  "You're not leaving this house," Callisto said sharply, glaring at Denzil. He didn't really think Callisto was going to let him get away with that, d
id he? "If he went after me, it was probably because he wanted some confirmation that you could be a fairy."

  "Except that's no guarantee," Denzil said, shaking his head. "You could be, when it skips me."

  "It's still a pretty good indicator," Callisto said, shrugging. "Why else would he try for me and not you?"

  "I don't know," Denzil said, looking thoughtful briefly before his expression cleared. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Is the heart charm still working well?"

  "It is," Callisto said, stifling a sigh and wondering how many more times he'd have to answer that question.

  "And the modifications Mervyn made?" Denzil asked, and Callisto blinked, flushing a little when he recalled how Mervyn had integrated the supplementary spells into his charm.

  "They're good," Callisto said belatedly, flushing deeper when Denzil just smirked.

  "I think I'm going to have to have a talk with Mervyn," Denzil said, grinning. Callisto shook his head, pleased to see the smile, but not so pleased that he had to suffer for it.

  "No, you really don't," Callisto said, rolling his eyes. "It was just spell casting, honestly."

  "I'll say some spells were being cast," Denzil said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you two need a chaperone?"

  "Definitely no," Callisto said firmly. "Besides, he's just—he likes the casting is all. I don't think he's interested past that."

  Denzil snorted. "You don't know him like I do. He doesn't ever do casting upstairs, and certainly not as familiarly as he was with you."

  "How else was he supposed to do it?" Callisto asked, baffled. "It's embedded in my chest."

  Denzil just shook his head, still smirking. "Sure, that was the only way to do that. Anyway, I think I'm going to retreat to my room before Mervyn comes along and tries to make me feel better, too."

  "I hope you do," Callisto said awkwardly. "Feel better, that is."