Page 20 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

All the kingdoms in Wünder, no matter how powerful, how innovative, how unique, would always succumb to the Queen of Hearts. No attempts to overthrow the Queen in the past had ever succeeded. And they never ever would.

Because of me.

As I rode in on a dark cloud, the sky lit up with lightning and I grabbed the bride. She screamed as we lifted into the air, her struggle against my grasp futile.

All at once, a barrage of arrows and swords and magic came whizzing right at me from all directions but I barely needed to wave my arm to summon a thick fog that disabled them and enveloped the entire kingdom. A fresh surge of energy boosting my powers, everything seemed easier today.

So easy.

With another wave of my arm, multiple copies of myself set upon to attack the rest of the guests and guards in the courtyard, in barely visible shadowy blurs, bathing the air in horrified screams, slashing, breaking, and generic terror.

Just another day. Just another—

A deep stabbing in my chest caused me to suck in a gasp.

What—

Blinking, I cast a confused look around but the princess and I were all alone, aloft in the air. There was no culprit. No enemy. No dagger. No arrow. I glanced down at my shirtfront. No crimson stain. No wound. No visible injury.

Except for this agonizing sensation of gouging pain in the core of my body.

Swallowing hard, my eyes widened in almost knowing dread, as suddenly—the supposedly lifeless heart in my chest began to beat…

Hard.

Strong.

Fast.

I groaned at the sting, almost dropping the princess of Veridia in my shock. Although, perhaps I should have. Her screams were grating in my ears.

But dammit—what the actual hell was going on?

I forced a couple of blinks and an overwhelming wave of force struck me, a concussive impact like a physical blow, and a momentary burst of light seared my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, for some reason I was seeing the world as though I was outside myself.

I realized exactly what was going on.

Allie.

Allie was here.

And more than feeling her feelings, this time, I could see what she was seeing.

From some dark corner of the courtyard, Allie was watching the dozens of copies of the monstrous sorcerer decimate all the guests at the wedding, blood spraying everywhere as I whirled in the air, on the ground, and in between tables as I attacked everyone.

Allie’s heart hammered even harder in my chest.

The princess’s screams rang in the air as I slaughtered each and every one of her loved ones. At the same time, the accumulated mystical power contained in her heart grew and grew, because the more of her loved ones I slew, the more powerful her heart was going to be once harvested.

When the last of her family was slain, I, the monster, reached into the princess’s chest and extracted her still-beating heart. With its substantial power, it glowed in my hand, ever so much more than the last ember I had collected.

As I slowly descended to the courtyard, my feet touching down on the floor, my vision returned to me.

The princess of Veridia went slack in my grasp. She crumpled to the stone floor to her knees.

Her mouth still open in silent horror, the princess lifted her wide eyes to me, as if to watch as I drew something from my pocket. With another spell of my finger, the little trinket from Chez grew into a full-sized Heartlamp.