Heartmender

  Heartmender

  V. Romas Burton

  Monster Ivy Publishing

  Copyright © 2019 by V. Romas Burton

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover image from shutterstock.com

  Cover design by Cammie Larsen

  To my wonderful family, loving husband, and amazing friends. Without all of you, this wouldn't have been possible.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Heartbreaker

  “[E]very time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature[.]”

  * * *

  –C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

  Prologue

  The dark, twisted trees arched high above my head, casting shadows all around me. Sweat beaded at my brow. I took my steps cautiously, knowing what was coming next. Every time I tried to outrun it, I failed.

  Agonizing screams erupted through the forest around me, sending a shock through my spine as my feet sprinted across the dirt ground. Branch after branch cut into my skin as I pumped my legs harder, running toward the screams. My arms stung, but I kept running faster. With each step, the shrieks grew louder and more desperate, ending at the mouth of a cave. The screams beckoned me in, pleading for my help.

  A wild heartbeat rang in my ears, but not in my chest. Where was it coming from?

  A scream bellowed louder than the others. I had to do something. Gathering my last ounce of courage, I stepped inside the cave.

  As soon as I entered the cave, the ground hardened beneath my feet, shifting from the soft soil into something solid and unmoving. The dim light around me extinguished. The heartbeat continued to palpitate. As the cave darkened, the screams ceased.

  The heartbeat quieted as well, and I reached down to the earth. A hard, smooth object weighed heavily in my palm, chilling my fingers. As soon as I closed my fingers around it, a blinding light appeared, igniting the space around me. The blood drained from my face as I stared at the object in my hand.

  A black heart.

  The light reappeared, growing brighter and revealing piles of black hearts surrounding me. I screamed and dropped the heart. As I turned to escape, the piles of black hearts grew, trapping me within the cave. The more I struggled, the more they consumed me. I cried out but knew no one would come.

  The hearts constricted around me, squeezing the air out of my lungs. As they buried me, my head about to be encased, the hearts stopped moving, and a chilling voice said, “Don’t worry, little Addie, your time is coming.”

  Chapter 1

  I bolted from the house, slamming the door shut as I raced to catch up with Lyle. The warmth of the morning danced across my skin as my dress swished with each step.

  "Lyle, wait!" I panted with excitement. It was time for Heart Reign, and I couldn't wait.

  There were always countless trades to choose from at the annual Heart Reign festival, many of which we had just learned about from Headmaster Clive. From wealth and beauty to social standing and the latest fashions, you could trade your heart for anything. Headmaster Clive had explained that some of the vendors, being citizens of Barracks, were always the same: old man Chank with his youthful potions, Lady Truosh with her class caste system, and, as always, Lord Farmount, looking for a new wife.

  "Hurry up, Addie," Lyle huffed, sterner than he usually was. I frowned but brushed it off as nothing more than nerves.

  "Coming!" I skipped to catch up to his long strides. "Are you excited?" I grinned up at him.

  He glanced down at me with the ice blue eyes we shared before adjusting the spectacles he wore in front of them. "You seem to be."

  I pushed a lock of my dark curls out of my face, allowing the breeze to twirl it. "I'm just excited to see if what everyone says is true."

  Only eleven, I had spent the previous weeks begging Lyle to let me go with him to Heart Reign. I had heard so many stories of how the vendors would pull out their best tricks when they came to the festival to attract Traders to their booths. There were beautiful colors of fabric and flags surrounding each display, enticing Reigners, those who had already traded their hearts at previous festivals, to take a closer look. Some held mouth-watering foods that made the mind go numb to anything but their rich, delicious flavor. Other displays glittered and sparkled like stars in the night sky. No one could withstand their beauty, and all were instantly entranced. I had read about the interesting trades previous Reigners had made and the even more interesting people they had met. I couldn't wait for my own Heart Reign to do the same.

  Unfortunately, since the first Heart Reign of Barracks, the only individuals allowed to attend the festival were those of the age of eighteen or those who had already traded their hearts. Everyone knew that by the time most children in Barracks had reached adulthood, their hearts were shrunken, gray, dead, or dying. Once a child was of age, their heart was so shriveled and gray, it would only kill them if it stayed within their chest. At least, that was what the vendors had insisted and was the reason why the people didn’t mind trading their hearts to begin with. After all, what good was a dead heart?

  Lyle and I both knew the rules, but Governor Willow hardly ever enforced them. And, since Lyle was my guardian, he agreed to let me come.

  The brilliant colors of the tents and booths gleamed against the light of the risen sun. My eyes widened with awe as we came upon the gated entrance.

  "Lyle Tye?" the guard seated behind a tall table asked in a monotone voice, his cheek resting on his fist as a green quill dangled from his fingers. His hooded eyes glanced down at the large book of names before looking at us again with an apathetic sigh.

  I stood on my tiptoes and strained my neck to see around him and into Heart Reign, but the table was too high. Lyle's hand grabbed my shoulder and shoved me behind him.

  "Yes," he said, shielding me.

  The guard let out a lethargic sigh. "Has your heart already been extracted?"

  Lyle hesitated. "Yes."

  The man waved to two other guards monitoring the entrance with another sigh. "Very well, proceed."

  The guards simultaneously placed their hands on the shining handles and
opened the large, iron gate that was installed each year for Heart Reign. I latched onto Lyle's shirt as we walked through, holding my breath until we passed. If the guards noticed me, they didn't care.

  Once we had walked far enough from the entrance, I released Lyle's shirt, my mouth falling open at the scene before me. The stories I had heard were true.

  A huge smile enveloped my face as the vibrant colors of the flags above the displays waved in the breeze. Each of the vendors called out to whoever passed by, trying to entice them to trade. The giant clocktower stood tall in the center, decorated with the different flags of the twelve lands of Decim.

  "Come on, Addie," Lyle said gruffly as he pushed me past a large-nosed woman selling self-adjusting dresses.

  I frowned again, pushing a lock of stray hair behind my ear. Lyle usually wasn’t this forceful. Could he really be that nervous about trading his heart?

  "This is so fun," I told him with a smile before reaching out to take the cherry donut he had traded a fuzz-covered stone from the desert land of Obesque for. Not all the vendors at Heart Reign required a heart for trade; some were satisfied with exotic objects from the other northern lands in Decim.

  I watched all the people laughing with one another as they traded their hearts to better their lives before I bit into the flaky crust of the pastry. A small glob of red jelly dripped out, and I quickly lapped it up with my tongue. I looked back at Lyle, expecting to hear him laugh at my charade, but he didn't. Instead, he looked distant, uninterested in everything around him. While others freely traded their hearts for the first thing they saw, Lyle gripped his tightly in his pocket.

  "What's wrong? Are you not having fun?" The donut felt like a rock in the pit of my stomach as he gave me a weak, unconvincing smile.

  "Nothing, Addie. Just thinking." He quickly withdrew his hand from his pocket, allowing a crumpled piece of paper to peek out from between his fingertips.

  "Thinking about what?" My eyes scanned his clutched hand, then his face. It was strange for Lyle to keep something from me. He had always been honest, and his secrecy ignited a flame of curiosity and concern within me.

  I waited for an answer when the clock tower in the center of the market rung loudly. Everything stilled until a cloud of black smoke appeared a few feet away. A woman holding a vase of flowers screamed, releasing the arrangement to shatter on the ground. Those around her didn’t notice the mess, their eyes too focused on the charcoal mist swirling in the air. Soft whispers emerged from the townspeople, but they were silenced as the smoke cleared, revealing a vendor no one had ever seen.

  Dressed in black slacks and a crisp white shirt, a burly man stood in front of the white birch trees of Wintertide Forest. A bright blood-red door stood on his right, and a bright blood-red door stood on his left. Grinning through his pale, smooth skin, the Vendor revealed perfectly chiseled teeth that entranced the growing crowd before him.

  Lyle and I watched as the crowds left the other displays, flocking toward the strange new Vendor. I studied the man as an uneasy feeling sprouted within my chest. Looking back at Lyle, I began to ask if he felt the same, but there was something in his eyes that silenced me and provoked the uneasy feeling to grow.

  Stretching his arms out, the Vendor caressed the arched frames of each door. He leaned forward, allowing his dark, straight hair to roll over his shoulders.

  "Are you brave enough?" he questioned in a deep tone, silencing the chittering crowd. His eyes were a black abyss, masking any existence of pupils. They scanned over the crowd, as if reading the hearts of every person standing before him. "Are you brave enough," he repeated, "to choose without knowing your choice? To take a leap of faith and trust your judgment, whatever the consequence?”

  As if in a trance, Lyle was drawn toward the crowd, dropping the piece of paper on the ground before leaving me without a second glance. I quickly finished the last of my donut, wiping the excess crumbs on my dress before I scooped up the crumpled paper and ran after him. Something strange was going on, and my heart didn't like it.

  Lyle pushed and shoved the other Traders, his dark curls disappearing into the crowd as he made his way to the front. I jumped, trying to find him, but the plume of a man’s hat obscured my view. Grunting, I crouched and crawled through the crowd. Thankfully, I was small enough to weave around their legs, and I caught up to Lyle right as the Vendor spotted him. Hungry eyes stared at my brother, ready for a feast. The uneasiness that had been building within me grew into fear, slithering through my veins as I stood next to Lyle.

  The Vendor removed his hands from the doors and walked the perimeter of the crowd, causing them to gape at his beauty. He clasped his hands behind his back, accentuating his muscular chest, and grinned at the crowd until he singled out one person.

  "You. Young man.” A long, pale finger pointed at Lyle. "Do you think you're brave enough to choose?"

  The fear in my heart slightly subsided, knowing that Lyle had never been easily fooled. Every decision he made, every step he took, was always thoroughly planned out. He would research and research until he mastered a subject completely. I had nothing to worry about. Lyle wouldn't be swayed by this new Vendor and his unknown trades.

  "Choose what?" Lyle asked as he pushed up the bridge of his squared spectacles, a gesture he had performed for as long as I could remember.

  Fear barreled into my heart. Lyle didn’t refute the stranger. The air around me began to thicken as I stared, dumbfounded, at my older brother. What was happening? Didn't anyone feel the same fear about this strange Vendor as I did?

  The laugh that erupted from the Vendor's mouth sent painful chills ricocheting up my spine.

  "A door, of course!" He flicked one of his hands back, gesturing toward the two doors.

  Lyle gave the man a skeptical look, his eyes darting between the two doors before they locked onto the grinning Vendor. "What's behind them?"

  For the second time, the Vendor let out a horrid laugh, throwing his head back for emphasis. The crowd, as if they knew what he was talking about, chuckled along with him.

  My skin crawled again, and I knew I had to get Lyle out of there. Something wasn't right. The way the Traders were transfixed by this Vendor was odd. Though the displays at Heart Reign were tantalizing, I had never heard of one Vendor captivating every person in attendance.

  I reached out and grabbed Lyle's hand, slightly tugging it to signal I wanted to go.

  "What fun would it be if I told you?" The Vendor flashed his shining grin again.

  Lyle didn't speak but took a step forward, releasing my hand. My heart cried out, feeling his touch disappear. I didn't know what came over me, but the force of the pain and fear in my heart caused me to lurch forward and grab his hand again.

  "Don't!"

  We were in full view of every person attending Heart Reign. The laughter had ceased, and the glares and sneers of the people I had grown up with beat down on me as I grasped my brother's hand.

  The Vendor took an easy breath and relaxed his broad shoulders, allowing a smirk to stretch upon his lush lips as he peered down at me. My heart tightened with dread before it plummeted to my stomach. His gaze felt as if he knew every horrible thing I had ever said, every nasty comment I had ever thought, all in one glance. What was worse was that his grin grew wider, his eyes hungrier.

  "Who is this?" he asked with a cocked head and a look that froze my limbs.

  "Addie, let go." Lyle forcefully ripped his hand from my own. The condemning snickers from the crowd swirled around my ears. A large knot formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down.

  "Lyle, you can't go," I whispered. Tears burned in my eyes. I didn't know what I was doing or why I was doing it. I only knew that this Vendor was bad, and Lyle couldn't believe what he said.

  "Addie." Lyle glared down at me, increasing the pounding in my heart. "Everyone chooses something."

  "You don't have to choose this," I sobbed, not caring about the growing murmurs of the audience and the enjoyme
nt of the Vendor as he watched our debate.

  "I'm going,” he said with finality before squaring his shoulders and walking toward the door on the right.

  Pity-filled words of, "That poor young man," and "What a burden it must be to care for a needy child" slithered through the air, branding into my heart. A burden. Is that what Lyle thought I was?

  "What a brave young man!" the Vendor exclaimed as my world began to crack. "Let's give him a round of applause!"

  The crowd threw their hands together, goading Lyle to continue his trade into the unknown. My heart cried out again, but my body remained frozen in disbelief.

  The new Vendor, knowing I had lost the fight for Lyle's heart, locked eyes with me and grinned, confirming my thoughts of his ill-intent.

  "Now, young man, before you choose a door, you must make your trade." The Vendor reached out his pale hand toward Lyle. A heart for an unknown choice.

  Terror built upon the fear in my heart as Lyle nodded, reached into his pocket, and placed his extracted gray heart into the Vendor’s palm. As soon as it landed on the deathly white fingertips, the heart vanished into a cloud of smoke. The crowd gasped in amazement, clinging to every moment of the Vendor’s show.

  "No need to worry, my good people of Barracks! This young man has just made the best trade of his life! A round of applause one more time, please!" The false grin shined upon the deceitful Vendor's face once more.