Page 14 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

I glared at her yet again. “Oh, shut up.”

Allie and Chez met each other’s gazes and both of them burst out laughing.

I blinked hard. Seriously? What the hell were they doing making jokes when I could be dying?

“Oh, you know what—you two deserve each other.” Grumbling, I tried to sit up in an attempt to get away from them but Allie shoved me back down.

“For god’s sake, lie down.” She put a hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up.”

I shrugged her hand off and turned away so my back was to her. “No, I’m not.”

“Didn’t you say you were the Queen of Hearts’s most notorious assassin? How can you be such a big baby?”

“I’m not a—” I stopped short to cough, then I glanced back over my shoulder in incredulity. “Is nobody else alarmed that this girl just tried to poison me?”

Allie rolled her eyes. “Relax, if that herb was really going to kill you, you would be dead by now.”

I shot her a suffering look. “Oh, I’m so relieved.”

“Well, hey, you’re the most powerful sorcerer in Wünder. Granting that condition is true, the conclusion must be that you’re going to be fine. You probably just need some rest.”

Chez gave her a curious look. “You say that with such conviction.”

Allie shrugged. “It’s only logical.”

“What does logic have to do with it?” I snapped in annoyance. “You’re a strange girl who doesn’t belong here. You don’t know anything. You don’t even know anything about yourself.”

“Tsk.” Allie clicked her tongue. “I don’t know if the cranky is him getting better or worse.”

“His mystical core is sapped,” Chez noted, looking me over. “Rabb just needs a moment to restore himself.”

“Does he need any medicine? Is there any medicine in here?” Allie cast a glance around the loft.

“He’s a sorcerer. The overnight mystic tides should restore his magic.”

The rest of their conversation was hazy in my reverie as I slumped back against my pillow. My vision blurred. “Chez. Don’t let her escape…”

Chapter 5 - Allie’s Lab

The overnight mystic tides regularly washed across the land, bringing fresh, renewed magic to all the creatures of Wünder. It was all I needed to regenerate my power core and recover from my sudden bizarre malady.

I was relieved to note that Allie was not in my loft when I awoke.

Chez was though.

The purple cat was lounging on the corner of my bed, licking one paw. When he noticed me stir, he shot me another big, yellow wide-eyed prompting look. “Sooo…the plan didn’t work, huh?”

Groaning, I swung my legs over the side of the bed to sit up. I tilted my head at the faint clinking from the apartment beneath mine. “She’s still here?”

Chez purred. “I guess she felt guilty for poisoning you.”

I stared at the wooden floor panels. “She’s a fool. She should have escaped when she had the chance.”

Then again, there was no place in Wünder she could go where I couldn’t track her down. Truth be told, I hadn’t been on that kind of hunt in a while. Maybe I should have let her run.

It wasn’t that taking lives ever made me feel anything. Not guilt. Not remorse. Not pleasure. It was just something I did. A finite order of steps.

I clutched at my chest—heavy today, and took several staggered deep breaths.