The Keeper's Heart

by Catherine Stovall

  Marcus’s split lips parted, but he never had the chance to speak. The heart stone pulsed in an instant of bright red light, nearly blinding them all. The warmth of it in her hand became more intense, heating Amara’s flesh to an uncomfortable temperature. Something was coming, but she didn’t understand what.

  Turning away from the others, her declarations of innocence forgotten, Amara scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of place or changed since she had traveled the mists with its previous inhabitant. Yet, she could feel tension in the air. The hairs on the back of her neck raised and a cold shiver ran down her spine. They were not alone, but who watched them and where they were, Amara had no idea.

  Chapter 23

  Tragic Splendor and Bitter Sweet Goodbyes

  Her first thought was about the others, and she whispered, “We’ve got to get you guys out of those chains, now!”

  Panic filled her, as Amara tried to concentrate. I need a key or something. Something to open those cuffs, because cutting that thick iron is not going to work.

  Rhea’s voice came through over her shoulder, and the answer to whom or what was spying on them became abundantly clear. “Use the heart stone to free them, with that much power, it should be no problem.”

  Amara saw the wide-eyed shock on the others’ faces, and when she turned, her own eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open. The room was alive. There was just no other way to describe it. The walls twisted and flexed as the rock nearly turned liquid. Faces and limbs formed beneath its rough exterior and slowly peeling outward into three dimensional beings.

  Amara did not question the voice. Doing as she had been told, she held the heart stone near to her chest and whispered, “Unlock, unlock, unlock.”

  The manacles clicked open and fell to the floor in a clanking thunder. The doors and windows made a satisfying click as the tumblers spun open. Even the box full of dead heart stones on the desk popped open as if an invisible hand had undone the fastener.

  Rubbing at their chaffing wrists, Anthony, Desiree, and Marcus looked impressed. She could see the curiosity in their eyes as their minds contemplated all the things they could do with such a thing. Even the best hearts held a bit of greed when it came to possessing something as potent as a heart stone bloated with power.

  Quickly concealing the ruby back into the pouch on her side, Amara turned to face the writhing creatures still emerging from their stony sanctuary. “Thank you, Rhea.”

  A woman, only half of her profile freed from the rock wall, spoke through the side of pouty lips. “Do not thank me yet, child. You’re still not free of the curse that has brought you to our layer.”

  Amara didn’t like the tone of her voice, the hidden challenge beneath the words sounded ominous at best. Unwilling to continue a conversation with half of a face, she waited. Holding on to her bravery and feeling comfort in the nearness of her friends, she silently watched in horror as the hidden Keepers completed freeing themselves.

  Rhea freed her head and shoulders. Her long dark hair and pale skin were covered in a layer of ancient dust, but her eyes shined like brilliant emeralds. Bit by bit, the female Keeper made her way free, and at last, tugged clear of the wall.

  Tall and thin, with pointed features, she looked more like a pixie than she did a Keeper. Even the rotted robes clinging precariously to the woman’s frame somehow enhanced her loveliness. Amara wondered if the fae people were real, and if Rhea could be one of them. Everything about the ancient Keeper screamed tragic beauty.

  A few wobbly strides brought Rhea to stand in front of Amara. Wasting no time on pleasantries, she asked, “You have come to weave a new destiny for you and yours, and yet you are only human. Why did you not take Cronus’s heart to rid yourself of this fragile mortal form?”

  Amara was shocked. “It’s not mine to take. This power belongs to the dead Keepers and to the Creator. I have no right to it. Surely you are not suggesting—­­”

  Rhea held up one delicate hand, issuing her into silence. “I’m not suggesting anything. I simply wanted to know your reasoning behind your choice. Don’t assume you are safe to insult me, young one. I will drain you, and your human counterparts, until there is nothing left but the fatty marrow inside your fragile bones.” The words were not a threat, and Rhea’s violet eyes held the promise of pain.

  Amara almost cowered down in the face of such fierce indignation, but a familiar hand gripped hers. Marcus stepped up, intertwining their fingers and giving her the strength to stand her ground. Her heart leapt with the knowledge that, after all she had said and done, he still believed in her.

  “Oh, you are in love then? That’s precious,” Rhea’s smile expressed just what she thought of such trivial and silly emotion. Turning to where Desiree and Anthony stood together, she questioned, “And you two, will you stand by her side as well? Will you embrace her, even though you no longer trust her?”

  As they always did, they moved as if they were one. Stepping forward without uttering a word, Desiree took Amara’s other hand and Anthony placed his hands on the girls’ shoulders.

  “I see.” Rhea inclined her head. “There is but one problem. Without a Keeper’s heart, Amara cannot weave your new destinies. Only a Keeper can work the looms of time.”

  The unspoken dilemma hung in the air as Amara’s mind churned with moral quandary. “I’d be no better than Cronus if I used his heart to make me a Keeper once again. I cannot do so with a clear conscious.”

  Rhea chuckled, “Even if it costs the lives you have desperately tried to save? How do they feel about that? Have you told them of what will become of you once that heart is placed inside your chest? Do they know you will be returned to your rightful place among the Keepers, or even imprisoned here in the walls of Sheol with us?” She made a wide gesture with her arm and the ghostly figures of the other Keepers stepped forward, all intrigued by the drama unfolding.

  Marcus turned to Amara. “Is it true? Will you have to leave us?”

  She dropped her head, studying the floor in silence.

  Never the quiet one, Desiree intruded, “So, what you are telling us is either Amara accepts that heart, condemns herself to a life no one would want, or we all die anyway? You can’t be serious! Can’t you work the loom, Ms. High-and-Mighty-Keeper-Lady? Can’t you just change our destinies?”

  “I can, but I will not. It’s not my responsibility. Amara knew what she was facing when she broke the Keeper laws. An eternity with her brethren is far better than an eternity as a shade.”

  The choice was easy for Amara, but she knew the others would not accept it. Her voice was low, but she raised her head to lock eyes with Rhea. “The decision has already been made. If it will save them, I will do whatever it takes.”

  Desiree and Marcus protested. Their voices rose together, demanding she find another way as they turned her to face them. Neither could lose her, but the third and final voice was one of reason.

  Anthony placed his hand on Desiree’s arm and gave Marcus a stern look, “Amara has lived hundreds of years, but we have yet to live a lifetime. The choice is hers, and she has chosen to give us life. Let her be.”

  Grateful for his wisdom, Amara gave him a half of a smile, which was all she could muster around the tears building behind her eyes. He nodded and returned her sad smile with one of his own as Desiree and Marcus fell into silence.

  With a heavy heart, Amara began saying her goodbyes. “I will miss you all. Anthony, Desiree, I can’t be sorry for saving you. You gave me the one thing in this world I wanted. Hope for the hopeless, and a future for those without fate. Love each other always, and don’t let the human world take away the faith you have in each other.” Hugging them both at once, she kissed their cheeks and whispered, “I love you.”

  When she pulled back, letting her hands slide down their arms to grip their hands, she saw the tears streaming down their young faces. Neither could find the words to tell her what she meant to them, and how thankful they were for all she had done, but Amara already kn
ew.

  Allowing them to turn to each other for comfort, Amara faced Marcus. For an instant, her mind screamed, I can’t do this. I can’t let him go. Losing him will shatter any heart placed within my chest. I can’t bear not having him now I have finally found him.

  A million questions barraged her. Would it have worked out? Were we truly in love? Would we have grown old together, gotten married, had children, and lived to see each other turn gray? Would he break my heart, or I, his? A thousand what if’s filled her with misery, as she placed her hands on each side of his face.

  “Marcus, I love you. You took a broken, torn thing and awakened it to the emotions only a human heart can hold. For the brief time I knew how to feel, you gave me the best feeling of them all. You gave me love to treasure. Keepers are not meant to feel passion. They can pair and live in compatible harmony, sometimes even caring for another, but they never truly love. I will hold on to this memory of you for as long as I can.”

  His sapphire eyes blazed with heartache, and a desperate need quivered in his words, “Please, don’t go. Please. We can find another way. This can’t be what you want, Amara. If you love me, you’ll stay. I never hoped to find someone to love, not after all I have seen. Then you were there, and you were everything I wanted and needed in my life. You understood my curse and you didn’t turn from me as if I was a freak. I love you.”

  She wanted more than anything to give into his pleas. She wanted to scream out that she wouldn’t play by the Keepers’ rules, but she had no choice. Instead, she stifled a sob. “I must go. I have a gift for you. I promised to take away the sight if we made it through this, and now I can.”

  Her hand reached for the bag at her side, but he stopped her before she could loosen the strings. “No! If I lose the sight, then I lose all hope of ever seeing you again. I can go on knowing that there may come a day when you can return to me. Without that, I will have nothing. Don’t take it away.”

  An invisible band wrapped around her chest, squeezing the air out of her lungs and causing her heart to ache with an intense fire that formed a burning lump in her throat. The tears fell without inhibition from her thick lashes, trickling down her cheeks. No matter how much she wanted them to stop, they poured continuously like rain.

  Marcus pulled her against his chest, and she wanted to sink into him and hide from the world. This is it. This is the last time he’ll hold me. The last time I will know just how perfectly our bodies match together so that my head rests perfectly over his heart. This is the last time I will feel the warmth of this hands against my back and his breath on my cheek. It’s over.

  The whispered I love you’s would have broken even the strongest of human hearts, but Rhea was not mortal. “You do realize this isn’t some sappy field of flowers. You’re standing in the unoccupied office of the controller of Sheol with your lives lingering in the balance. Care to get a move on?”

  Behind her, the other Keepers worked to pull something from the rock wall. The appearance of the ancient loom sealed her into her decision, and Amara pulled away from Marcus, kissing him softly before facing Rhea once more.

  “First, the heart. You must ask the Creator to bless you and take it into yourself. Only a Keeper can touch the threads of human lives,” Rhea instructed.

  Amara’s hands shook and a churning sensation filled her abdomen as she reached her fingers in to pull out the heart stone. With the ruby cupped in her hands, she took one final backward glance at her companions.

  “I love you all.”

  Amara’s human heart drummed in a rapid staccato, causing Desiree’s sobs to fade into the rhythm. Before she could change her mind, she said the words, “Great Creator, you have given your blood to the Keepers. A sacred oath to hold us to your will and bless us with eternal life. With your blessing, I take this heart into myself, so I can be one with you.”

  Slowly, painstakingly, Amara drew the heart near her chest. A force from within her pulled at the stone, opening her body up to the offering, preparing her for a transition into something more. Only centimeters separated her from the completion of the act, and Amara felt the weight of her choice fall on her.

  Never again will I love.

  “Cronus!” an angry voice shattered the silence in the room as the door exploded open, crashing against the wall with enough force to splinter the wood. “How dare you make that little chit your heir. We had a de—”

  Chapter 24

  Swords and Sacrifices

  Chiyo’s anger filled the room as she stopped mid-sentence, a deadly gleam flashing in her eyes. “What have you done?” The rage in her voice amplified as she took three menacing steps forward.

  Amara stood her ground. Ready to die to protect the others long enough that they could escape, she faced her enemy. A creeping thought snuck into her brain. She is your true foe. She won’t die as easy as Cronus did. Pride will not distract from her duty.

  “Answer me, you mongrel brat! Where is Cronus?” Chiyo glared at her, hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at her side.

  Amara knew the Apollumi soldier would not hesitate to attack the weakest link in her group in order to distract her. Petrified for Desiree, she glanced back over her shoulder. Her first thought was one of relief when she saw she was alone. Marcus, Anthony, Desiree, the Keepers, and even the loom were gone. They had faded into the walls without a single trace. Her second thought was a sudden pain. Even though she knew the Keepers had to protect their secret and they had taken the ones she loved to safety, the act of abandonment felt like a slap to the face.

  Shoving the heart stone back in the bag at her side, Amara faced Chiyo. “Cronus is dead! Killed in the mist by the spirit of a Keeper he murdered long ago. You have no place here, Chiyo. None at all.”

  Enraged, the warrior drew her sword and leapt forward. Growling out promises to behead her, Chiyo spun the blade in her hands as if it were as light and innocent as a baton.

  Amara tried to avoid the deadly edge. She ducked and spun, the sword barely missing the left side of her head as she slammed into the edge of the desk. A sharp pain shot through her hip as the wood dug into the bone, causing her to cry out.

  Thinking she had wounded her enemy, Chiyo turned, zeroing in on the distinct outline of a face still fading back into the wall. Nearly as skilled in smelling fear and weakness as the Sheol hounds she usually hunted with, she raised her sword, ready to pierce the fragile outer layer of stone.

  With her enemy distracted, Amara did the only thing she could. Launching herself across the room, she tackled Chiyo at the waist. The impact knocked the sword from the warrior’s hand, and they landed in a heap on the ground. They rolled, grappling for the upper hand, and Amara ended up under the weight of Chiyo’s knees.

  Locking onto the woman’s wrist, Amara tried to hold her as she summoned the strength to transport them both into the mists. Determined to get the woman away from the others, so that they might attempt an escape, she drew on the power of the stone. Just as the ascension began, Chiyo’s fist broke her concentration.

  “I’m going to kill you, little Keeper.” the Apollumi warrior’s mask had come loose, and the grill dangled like an extra set of jaws to the side as she spoke. Her small hands locked onto Amara’s throat, squeezing with every ounce of strength she could muster.

  Amara dug her nails into Chiyo’s fingers, clawing for breath as she tried to force her mind to focus. Choking and gasping, she twisted her neck and pried at the claws pinning her in a deadly vice. Through the corner of her eye, she saw the figure beyond the surface of the rock wall push harder against the barrier that held it within. Marcus was trying to resurface, so he might come to her aid.

  Following Amara’s worried glances, Chiyo looked up, and her grip faltered. The distraction gave Amara the chance she needed. Thrusting her hips upward in one swift motion, she knocked Chiyo off balance and managed to roll sideways. On hands and knees, she scrambled, still gasping around the hard knots in her throat. With a lunge, she tried to reach the sword
.

  Just as Amara’s hand reached for the hilt, the Chiyo’s boot heel ground down on her outstretched fingers, and her husky laughter filled the room. “You thought you could out fight me? You really are as stupid as those humans you protect.”

  Amara jerked her hand away, trying to protect herself from Chiyo’s boot as it landed with a hard crunch against her ribs. The air rushed out of her lungs, making it almost impossible to escape. She scooted her body with her feet, trying to turn over onto her back, and waited for the swift promise of death.

  “Oh, that’s right. You are still one of them, aren’t you? I see that Cronus never got around to that part of your bargain before you killed him,” Chiyo gloated

  Amara watched Chiyo do another lazy spin of her sword and dark rage filled her, climbing up her spine and burning in her heart like a never ending blaze. The Keepers’ voices joined the pounding of the blood in her skull, whispering words she could not understand.

  Chiyo continued throwing insults and talking non-stop, a real life bad movie cliché. Fury furrowing her brow, she kicked Amara’s legs hard enough to make her cry out. “What’s wrong with you, you stupid cow? Can’t you hear me? Or are you so twisted in your inept little brain that you don’t realize what it is I’ve said? Give me Cronus’s heart!”

  Fumbling for the satin ribbons, Amara felt as if the small strings had come to life and were purposely avoiding her fingers. To prolong the moment, she tried to bargain, “Let us go. All of us. Just let us walk out of here, human, fragile, and running for our lives.”

  “You are trying to negotiate with me? You have nothing to offer that I can’t take once I kill you. I just want to make you hand it over. A little humility to go with your epic failure.” She flipped the sword again, a devious smile on her lips.

  “Can you get anymore cheesy?” Amara laughed despite her aching ribs and growing rage. She could hardly hear her own words over the voices in her head. “Seriously? The monologue is bad enough, but, for the sake of all things, shut up and kill me already if that’s what you are going to do. I understand some broken thing inside a psychopath’s brain makes them need attention from their victims, but honestly, I’m about to die from boredom.”