Page 21 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

I slipped the glowing heart ember within the glass containment and the princess of Veridia’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her face turned ashen. Her body fell limp to one side—lifeless.

On cue, all the ghostly instances of myself vanished with a poof into the carpet of gray fog that remained around us.

I took a deep breath.

Mission accomplished.

Taking a moment, I clenched my teeth to rein in the initial shock at the overwhelming feelings I’d felt from Allie. The rapid beating of the heart in my chest turned from incredibly alarming to merely disconcerting.

Cracking my neck in the strain, I strode across the courtyard.

Allie was crouched beside one of the marble balustrades. Her eyes were wide, her face pale.

All around us, wildfires still crackled, smoke and fog lacing the chilly night with a ruinous omen, the flickering fire the only glow in the darkness, but the courtyard and the kingdom had gone otherwise silent.

Because I had killed everyone.

As I approached Allie, the heart in my chest beat a bit faster again, accompanied by a heavy dread. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, as though every hair on my body stood on end, every nerve was alert, alarmed. My mouth was dry. My skin cold.

I tilted my head.

Was this…fear?

I let out a slow breath.

I was feeling Allie’s fear.

I hadn’t felt fear in a long, long time.

The vision of those terrifying shadows came screaming back into my mind. I couldn’t move. Instead of Allie, it was me crouched low on the ground, my head covered with my arms. I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to hear. I didn’t want to feel…

I forcibly shook my head to clear the disturbing images.

Not now.

Steadying myself, I held my hand out to help Allie up. “Come, we must return to my tower.”

Allie’s face was blank. It was as if her brain had churned to a halt after attempting to process too many thoughts. Her voice was flat when she asked, “What-what are you?”

I cleared my throat. “I told you. I am the Queen of Hearts’s most notorious assassin.”

Her expression didn’t change. “You’re…the bad guy.”

I sniffed. Well, at least now perhaps she finally believed how powerful I really was.

She extended a finger toward the object in my hand. “And what-what is that?”

“It’s called a Heartlamp.”

“You killed everyone. And you…stole her heart.”

“That is my job. The Queen of Hearts tasks me to fetch fresh hearts for her to eat.”

“Eat?”

“In a manner of speaking. Hearts contain powerful mystical energy. I bring the Queen the hearts and she extracts their energy magic.”

Allie clutched at her chest. “I had a feeling… I couldn’t feel mine…” Her tone hollowed. “Did you give my heart to the Queen too? How am I still alive?”