Chapter 22 - Heartfire
Arise of anger surging in my chest, I waved my arm to fire a spell, almost on instinct.
The Queen easily deflected my spell. She cackled. “Ah, Rabb. Always so aggressive.”
I shot her a glare that could cut as I moved to stand in a defensive pose, ready to fire again. “Let Allie go.”
“Keep firing and see what happens to your precious Allie,” the Queen proposed with a catch in her tone. “Honestly, Rabb, as you can plainly see, I have not harmed a single hair on her head.”
Still wary, I glanced over at Allie. My chest already ached with remorse. This was all my fault. “Allie, are you…?”
Allie waved quickly. “I’m fine, Rabb. She doesn’t want me. She wants—” Her lips pressed shut as the Queen cast another spell.
The Queen grinned. “Now, now, let’s not ruin the suspense.”
Allie clutched at her mouth in protest but it seemed the Queen was not going to let her speak.
My jaw clenched again. I slid my molten gaze over to meet the Queen’s still-amused eyes. “You,” I growled low. “You already killed my family and took everything away from me. Tell me why I shouldn’t break your neck right now.”
Smirking, the Queen shifted on her feet to square off with me. “What a happy coincidence that your memories have returned,” she remarked. “But perhaps I shouldn’t have been so careless with that spell.”
My mouth twitched. “What spell?”
Her expression took on a hazy wistfulness. “When I remembered your father, what I said acted like a spell to unblock your memories.”
I stepped back to give her a wide berth as she moved across the room. “Who are you? Why did you kill my family? What do you have to do with my father?”
The Queen contained her chortle in her throat. “Your father? Your illustrious father didn’t realize I was the only one who could make him happy. For god’s sake, I was the only one with any capacity for amusement at court. And to leave me for that boring woman,” she ranted on. “I mean, one might’ve thought he should have at least tried to fail up.”
I blinked. “Boring woman?”
“Your mother, you Tweedle Dumb,” the Queen rasped in exasperation.
Another ache stung my chest. My mother… Faint memories of crooning lullabies and warm embraces threatened to constrict my breathing. My mother…
“Everyone thought they were so happy. They thought they had the right to be so happy when I was so miserable.” Her face crumpled up in disdain before the glint in her eyes turned sly once again. “It really was quite amusing to watch them die together.”
It couldn’t be. My heart pounded in my chest. How… “How does nobody else know this?” I demanded. “How has nobody told me what happened before?”
The Queen smirked. “Perhaps you can already tell I was always quite skilled with fixing memories. Once I had gotten rid of the entire royal family, I made everyone on Wünder forget all about them. All about you.” She pointed a sharp-nailed finger straight at me before her grin widened. “And the best revenge of all was being able to toy with his beloved son. I thought cursing you to be a rabbit was particularly brilliant, but I confess I found it more amusing to turn you into a heartless assassin who feels no love.” Her eyes glowed. “Only I deserve love. And now everyone on Wünder loves only me.”
A bitter taste came up my throat. I felt like I was going to be sick. I shot the Queen a cutting glare. “You are mad.”
The Queen burst out laughing so hard, tears formed in her eyes. “Darling, this is Wünder. In case you haven’t heard, we’re all—”
Without warning, I pounced on the Queen with a roar and she fell back with a squeak.
But she didn’t protest when I held her down by her throat on the floor. Instead, she choked out another maniacal laugh. “Oh, please, yes, indeed, try to kill me. Let’s see how well that works out for you.”
My eyebrows snapping together, I balled up my fist to cast a spell to drain the Queen’s magic, but a glowing shimmer enveloped her form.
I swallowed hard. No.
The Queen had some sort of protective spell around her.
Her wild eyes gazed up at me. “You can’t hurt me. I own you.”
With a groan of frustration, I forcibly pushed away from her, backing up halfway across the room once again.
“You don’t even understand why I own you.” Her hand clutched at her throat, the Queen moved to get up, her skirts rustling. “As soon as I heard that my heartless assassin was falling in love, I knew I couldn’t pass up a chance to possess the most powerful Heartfire ember.”
I stood in defense once again, blocking my chest with my hand. “You’re not getting Allie’s heart.”
“Not that one, idiot.” The Queen moved to throw back a heavy curtain. It was hiding a shelf lined with two active Heartlamps.
I vaguely recognized the smaller ember as the last one I had procured for the Queen, but the other… The other Heartfire ember was not merely faintly glowing. Nearly twice in size as the first, it spouted a brilliant, mystical fire. A full ring of wispy smoke gave it an ethereal glow as it so very subtly throbbed behind the glass.
Bewildered, my eyes widened. The Queen possessed another coeur?
“I have to admit, I was glad you found the girl too,” the Queen went on. “I wasn’t sure how to slow the degradation of your Heartfire ember.”
I swallowed hard.
What. In. The—?
She cast me an amused smirk. “Why did you think your clock tower was slowing, my dear? I knew I shouldn’t have tied your existence to such a finicky old thing.”
My heart… My entire body chilled in dread. The Queen had possession of my Heartfire ember. All this time. The only reason the Queen was so powerful was because of my heart. A coeur.
Allie’s eyes were wide in stunned disbelief.
“I tried everything with your stupid Heartfire ember,” the Queen confessed with a shake of her head. “I even tried to wear it, but it fought me like a bloody little devil. But now that it’s filled with your love, I own the most powerful Heartfire ember in the world.”
Her haughty gaze slid back to meet mine as she stepped closer to Allie’s cage. “I confess I didn’t think it would be this easy for you to forfeit your life and break our bargain. But I guess this girl is really special. Nothing like a healthy dose of jealousy to close the deal.”
Meeting Allie’s wide-eyed gaze again, my chest heaved. I gritted my teeth. What could I do? I had to do something.
Her lips still pursed together, Allie was repeatedly jerking her head to one side, quite pointedly. She was trying to tell me something but I couldn’t decipher what.
When the Queen waved her arm again, my limbs froze. It was as if an invisible hand gripped me. As though I had been captured by the rainbow beast all over again, its vines constricting tight all over my body.
A low growl of protest was trapped in my throat.
“You did this to yourself, Rabb,” the Queen declared. “First, I’ll drain all of your magic.” I grunted again as she lifted me higher, my feet dangling in mid-air. “Then I’ll see about cutting off your head in the gardens in the morning. I expect it would be a rather well-attended spectacle, and I wouldn’t deprive my people of another fun party.”
I couldn’t move anything. I felt woozy as my magic siphoned away as the Queen sucked out my soul. My throat was closing up, eyelids threatening to droop. I winced, trying to keep conscious as a noisy clatter drew my attention over the Queen’s shoulder.
Allie was thrashing in her cage, kicking at and shaking the bars to no avail. I almost thought she was going to tear her hair out in frustration.
The Queen noticed my glance of concern. She let out a laugh. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll kill her first so you can watch.”
Fresh, molten rage surged in my chest. No. I couldn’t let the Queen hurt Allie. The heart in my chest was hammering away in alarm and dread once again.
Tilting her head to one side, the Queen mused, “Would you like me to remove your feelings again? So you don’t feel the pain when she dies? You were so desperate last time. Poor little bunny.” She tsked. “But I promise you, you will truly be set free. In that regard, it is not I who traps you, Rabb. You are enslaved by that heart.”
BOOM!
An intense and blinding flash of light flooded the courtroom. My ears rang as I blinked past the spots in my eyes. I glimpsed the flutter of Allie’s lab coat as she bolted out of her broken cage.
The Queen’s scream was choked as Allie grabbed her around the neck by the crook of one arm, pinned her arms with the other, and squeezed. The Queen screeched, “Off with her head! Off with her head!”
I fell free from up against the wall and crumpled to the floor.
Weak. Drained.
The Queen managed to free one hand and a wave of a quick spell threw Allie off of her.
Allie slid across the floor with a yelp. She was winded. I instantly felt her disorientation.
“You little witch!” the Queen rasped, raising her arms to point at Allie’s sagged form as she marched closer. “I’ll kill you right now and you can go join your ghost friends in the underworld.”
My eyes widened in alarm. “NO!” I grunted through the pain and forced my body to come upright.
I had always thought that humans were made weak by feelings. Feelings hindered actions. But the truth was, ever since I’d had Allie’s heart, my magic had been stronger than ever.
With a feral cry, I leaped forward to throw myself in front of Allie, taking the brunt of the Queen’s spell. And with the last remnants of my magic, I shot a powerful gust of air to blast the Queen away, sending her tumbling back to blow right through the courtroom chamber doors.
I crashed to the floor and Allie’s eyes widened in horror. “Rabb, no!” For a split second, she touched her mouth, realizing the Queen’s spell on her had broken. She sank to the floor with me. “No, crap—” She tried to help me back up. “Rabb, no, dammit—get up.”
I stifled a cough. “Allie, I’m so sorry. You have to run. Try to find your way to the river.”
She brushed my hair back from my face. “You’re such an idiot. Why do you keep jumping in to save me? You said you only wanted to live.”
I was spent. My essence was slipping away to join the ghosts, but all I felt was relief. I shook my head. I tried to lift my hand to touch her cheek. “I wanted you. I’ve only ever wanted you.” I managed a weak smile. “Thank you for fixing me.”
Allie’s jaw clenched. Her gaze dropped in deep thought. The gears in her mind were spinning again.
I frowned at her immobile form. I wanted to yell some more, but my limbs were starting to feel numb. What the hell was she still doing here? I told her to run. Run before it was too late. Run before the Queen—
“You two are starting to annoy me.”
Oh. Too late.
Menace in her snarl, the Queen shook off the torn fringes from her gown as she marched back through the broken courtroom doors. “I really liked this dress.”
I tried to remain lucid. Allie, run… But instead of running away, Allie crouched over to cover my form. She wanted to protect me from the Queen’s wrath. She was going to stay with me.
The sudden ache in my chest was accompanied by a warm surge of power and a shimmery white fog enveloped the two of us.
Allie sat up in surprise. “Rabb, what’s…?”
The stinging in my chest grew to a burning fullness—but it was warm, soothing, joyful…
A flash of images rushed through my mind. Allie in my arms when I’d saved her from Tulgey Woods. Me, helping Allie with her injuries at the Duchess’s house. How warm she’d felt in my arms when I soothed her at my clock tower. How full she’d felt last night, full of me, full of love…
Allie’s Heartfire ember had awakened with memories of love.
I blinked in awe, in wonder as fresh, renewed magic flowed through my body. I gazed up at those beautiful honey-brown eyes, utterly speechless. When Allie smiled back at me, I thought my chest was going to explode.
The Queen’s remark interrupting the moment, a corner of her mouth quirked up with derision. “Oh, so you’ve finally ignited her Heartfire ember. Took you long enough. But that measly little new ember will never defeat me.” She raised her arms to send a barrage of lashings our way.
Whirling around to cover Allie with my body, I conjured a deflective barrier to protect us.
Still half-squeezing her eyes shut, Allie tugged on my shirt. “I was trying to tell you before. She’s only powerful because of your heart.”
Eyes narrowing, I nodded. My gaze drifted up to the shelf where the Heartlamp held my coeur. The Queen had been using and abusing the power of my Heartfire ember all this time.
To end her tyranny, I had to destroy my Heartfire ember.
The Queen caught the focus of my gaze almost too late.
As soon as I raised my hand to summon the Heartlamp, the Queen let out a cry and waved her hand to do the same. A brilliant arc of crackling light shot between our hands as we both tried to retrieve the Heartlamp.
Groaning in the strain, my boots slid back on the floor as I struggled to hold my stance. The Queen’s power, amplified by my coeur, was too formidable.
Without warning, Allie shot out from behind me. Letting out a savage growl, she leaped onto the Queen’s back again. But the Queen was more alert this time. With another wave, Allie’s body whipped upward and was clutched in the Queen’s invisible hand, to dangle in mid-air as she choked for breath.
All at once, my throat constricted too. My hold on the Heartlamp wavered as I clutched at my neck.
The Queen cackled again. “See what happens when you feel too much?”
Allie’s eyes fluttered closed as she started to suffocate in the Queen’s python grip.
Allie!My entire being cried out for her. Collapsing to one knee, I swallowed hard. The Queen was going to take someone else I loved. I would be alone again. No…
Feelings make us stronger. Feelings help us endure.
I once had a family who loved me. I wasn’t alone. I also had Allie and the strength in her heart was all I needed.
Every nerve in my body strained as I pushed back up. I only had one chance left but I was going to have to use all of my magic for this to work. With an agonized cry, I let the Heartlamp go and summoned a massive ball of energy to hurl at the Queen. The sheer force of it threw me backward.
The Queen screeched in alarm but with both her hands occupied, she couldn’t protect herself from my spell. Tumbling backward, her skirts in her face, the Queen’s grip on both Allie and the Heartlamp faltered.
Allie fell to the floor, coughing to regain her breath.
The Heartlamp sailed down and crashed as the brittle glass pieces snapped and splintered across the floor on impact, ringing cracks reverberating in the air. A sharp gust of wind blew through the courtroom chambers, accompanying the tinkling shatter.
The brilliance of the exposed, burning coeur on the floor a few feet away filled Allie’s wide eyes. She scrambled closer.
“No!” The Queen’s eyes widened in alarm and from across the room, she threw a spell to keep the Heartfire ember from Allie’s grasp, but the spell merely bounced off.
My burning heart blazed wild, fierce, but Allie showed no hesitation as she picked it up.
“You little—” The Queen stalked toward Allie, red eyes filling with a terrifying menace.
Allie jerked in alarm at her approach. Her eyes darted around for two seconds as if at odds what to do. She couldn’t toss the ember over to me. If she dallied any longer, the Queen would regain control of my heart.
Allie clenched her jaw in determination before slamming the burning heart inside her chest. She cried out a gasp at the force.
The Queen of Hearts’s source of power was gone.
“No…no…” The Queen stepped back. Shaking all over, she stumbled over her long skirt and collapsed against the steps leading up to the raised podium. “It can’t be. It can’t be. You shouldn’t be able to.” Her eyes widened but she could only watch as Allie’s hunched form glowed blindingly bright.
Chains of light streaked through the air as crackling electricity filled the courtroom. With a massive shockwave of energy, a burst of magic surged from the coeur and whipped across the room like a gale-force wind.
The shockwave of power shunting through me, I almost tumbled over where I lay.
Allie straightened up, her figure still glowing. Her eyes mere bright slits, she approached the Queen of Hearts who was writhing on the floor from some unseen torture. She glared down at the Queen. “You are so not amusing.”
The Queen screamed in terror as her magical essence drained, sucked away by the Heartfire ember in Allie. Her figure seemed to blur and fade, her screams fainter, bit by bit, until no one could hear her cries any longer, and the slumped body on the floor disintegrated into nothingness.
The brilliant glow around Allie’s figure ebbed away. She turned to me, breaking into a run to drop to my side. “Rabb, are you okay?” When she met my gaze, the light in those honey-brown eyes was back.
With Allie’s heart, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and love. I touched her cheek. “My hero.”
That made Allie laugh.
Trying to sit up, I groaned at the strain. My feelings were fine, but my physical injuries still hurt like hell. The magic of Allie’s Heartfire ember was sapped. Blinking slowly, I resisted the need to pass out. “How the hell did you get out of your cage?” I wanted to know. “Was that magic?”
“No.” Supporting my back, a grin laced her lips as she spoke, “That was science.” She gestured to her pockets. “A bit of alkali, sulfur, magnesium, and voila!” she declared with a wink.
I half-scoffed out a relieved chuckle and moved to stand. “We should probably—”
“Wait.” Allie put her hand up and before I could say anything, she grabbed my face for a kiss.
Energizing magic and raw, potent want shot through my body. With her healing kiss, Allie’s Heartfire ember transferred a bit of magic into mine. But she broke off after only a moment. “Give it a sec.”
Feeling interrupted yet again, I grabbed the nape of her neck to tug her closer once more, my growl low with molten desire. “Give me back that damn mouth.”
Allie giggled but obliged as I slanted my lips against hers, kissing her hard, tasting that perfect sweetness, having my fill.
Making up for all the times I’d wanted so badly to kiss her but didn’t. Relieving that dreadful fear of having almost just lost her. Fearing I might never get enough of her.
Or…no, I didn’t fear that at all.
Pleasurably heady, I only pulled away to breathe.
Dropping her gaze, Allie’s cheeks were flushed as she touched her swollen lips.
A warmth spread in my chest as I sensed Allie’s contentment and satisfaction. It was all I could do not to lean in and kiss her again. But I didn’t want to tire her out—so soon.
There would be more time for that later if I had anything to do with it.