Page 25 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

“What if I don’t accept your offer?”

“Then-then I’ll be relentless.” She stuck her chin up. “I already know, for some reason, you aren’t able to kill me—maybe you can’t or just don’t want to. I’ll try to escape every day and get into all the trouble I can find. Either way, you’ll never get a moment’s peace.”

My eyes flashed. “Look, you—” But I stopped short when something clicked in my mind.

Allie didn’t know what the Duchess’s job was. She didn’t know how the Heartlamp worked either. She didn’t have the faintest idea about magic or how Heartfire embers were used in Wünder. This was something I could use to my advantage.

I folded my arms across my chest. “Fine. Have it your way.”

Allie narrowed her gaze at me in suspicion.

Drat. Perhaps I had agreed too quickly.

She peered at my face. “How do I know I can trust you to keep your word?”

Giving her an even glare back, I measured my words carefully. “I assure you I have no interest in keeping you around. You were right in what you said before. I am as eager to get this heart out of me as you are to get home. I promise you we will both get what we want.”

Satisfied with that, Allie nodded. “Fine. First things first. I need to get my memories back. The other day, you seemed to have an idea how to go about retrieving them.”

I cleared my throat. Starting again, I tried to make my tone as guileless as possible. “I mean there have been stories of a similar case like yours. I believe there is a way to restore your memories.”

She tapped her chin. “What did you call that thing where you put the girl’s heart again?”

“A Heartlamp. It is the only vessel that can contain a Heartfire ember.”

I had to control the eagerness in my tone. If I could convince her to go see the Duchess… That was, if I could convince Allie to willingly deposit her Heartfire ember in a Heartlamp then perhaps I would get what I want. And once the power of her heart was extracted, Allie would no longer be my problem.

Careful not to let anything slip, I tilted my head as I spoke. “The Duchess is the only being on Wünder who makes the Heartlamps. I think if we could get the Duchess to craft you a special Heartlamp, it might help unblock your memories and you’ll remember who you are.”

Allie’s response was a slow nod.

I shrugged. “I mean, I won’t have the faintest clue how to find your way home back to…wherever you’re from. I’ll not be able to help you there.”

“I know. Leave that to me.” She gestured to her work table. “I’ve been working on an experiment that should help me find a way home. In fact, I was very close before you magicked away all my stuff.” She waved her hand as if mimicking what I’d done. “I found replacement parts for most of the things you threw away. Can you get them back?”

I gave her a no-nonsense look. No.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to make do.”

A meowing near the stairs caught her attention as Chez padded down the spiral steps.

“Chez!” Allie broke into a smile.

Chez pounced along and jumped up to the table beside Allie. “I brought you a gift.”

Allie plucked a small metal item from the purple cat’s collar. Her eyes widened in pleasure. “This is great, Chez. It’s the last thing I need to make another frequency detector. Thank you so much!”

I glanced from one to the other. I could care less about their tedious exchanges.

“How are you doing, Allie?” Chez asked, his tone adopting concern.

“Okay, I guess.” Allie shrugged as she spun to settle in her seat. “I still keep thinking this is all just a dream and that I will soon wake up, safe in my bed. But I guess…there goes that theory.” She drew out a few tools and scattered certain things before her. “The good news is Rabb has agreed to help me with my mission.”

“Did he now?” Chez looked amused, if not in disbelief.

I gave Chez a pointed look. “I told Allie we need another Heartlamp that only your mistress, the Duchess makes. She makes all the mystical Heartlamps for the Queen. We’ll need her to make another one for yours. And once you’ve deposited your heart in the Heartlamp, you’ll definitely regain your memories.” I raised an eyebrow, almost daring him to contradict me. “Isn’t that right, Chez?”

Chez looked puzzled for a moment before he caught on. “Oh—oh yeah, right. That’s definitely something that’s very possible. The Duchess can definitely help you with that.” He rolled over on the table, stretching out. “Besides that, I mean that heart really shouldn’t be inside you, Rabb. It’s just…off-putting.”