The Purloined Heart

I swallowed hard as I realized she was no longer in control of her own body. Her face was a rictus of pain and regret, and something else, as if the force controlling her was not wholly used to manipulating her body.

She took another swing at me, telegraphing her move so openly, I had no trouble dodging it.

My magic sparked, casting a spell to stop her. The magic flickered and died before it even touched her bare skin. I gritted my teeth and punched her in the nose. Blood stained my hand, but she kept coming. I guessed whoever was in control of her had made sure he wouldn’t feel her pain.

Starlight drew her sword and hacked at me. I turned and ran, moving down the corridor as fast as I could. I was completely confused. I hadn’t sensed any spell capable of taking her over so completely, so quickly, yet she was clearly not in control of herself.

I could hear her chasing me, the magic in the air making it difficult to cast a spell to slow her down. A dozen options ran through my head, all certain to work, but at the cost of hurting or even killing her outright. I wasn’t sure what to do. If she wasn’t in control of herself…

I glanced back and saw her face, twisted unnaturally. What the hell happened to her?

I shaped a spell—the most powerful cancellation spell I knew. It would disrupt, if not destroy, every spell within reach—including the one controlling her. There’d be no hope of hiding our presence if a sizeable chunk of Lord Dragon’s spells vanished in a single catastrophic moment, but I suspected our presence was no longer secret, anyway. The serving girl had screamed, and something had overwhelmed Starlight.

I grabbed all the power I could muster, channeled it into the spell, and—

Something wrapped around my ankles and yanked hard. I fell to the ground, the magic dissipating as I landed badly. I could feel something slithering over my body and realized, to my horror, that wooden vines were growing out of the floorboards. They grabbed my hands, pulling them behind my back and wrapping around my wrists to keep me immobile.

I heard a grunt and looked up. A middle-aged man was looking back at me. I knew without a shadow of doubt that it was Lord Dragon.

“I wouldn’t try to cancel any spells,” he said in an oily tone that made me want to hit him. He spoke like a man so assured of his own superiority that he could play with his captives all day. “I’ve got your friend’s heart.”

I stared at him. Lord Dragon was surprisingly fat—unusual in a magician—with greasy black hair, a fleshy face, and beady dark eyes. He wore a purple toga long enough to cover everything below the neckline. A single jewel hung around this neck, glowing with magical power. His fingers rested on the gem as he stared down at me, magic glittering around his fingertips. Up close, I could see threads of magic linking the gem to Starlight.

I glanced at her and shuddered. She was standing there helplessly, slumped over like a man-sized puppet whose strings had been cut. I swallowed hard as it dawned on me what had happened to her. Lord Dragon had warped his power into her heart, taking her so completely that he could do anything to her. I didn’t know if I’d ever met the real Starlight. The person I’d met might be—

No. That couldn’t be true. Starlight had presented herself as an experienced adventurer, and I didn’t think that could be faked. She’d been real, and yet… she’d also been under his control. How much of the story she’d given me had been true? She hadn’t come across as a liar, yet most unsuccessful liars tended to be killed very quickly. I wondered, suddenly, if she’d been sent to bring a new victim to her master or… or what?

Lord Dragon kept speaking, prattling on like a man impressed by the sound of his own voice. I knew the type. It wasn’t enough to be rich or powerful, handsome or strong; they wanted to gloat, to make sure you knew you were screwed, and how badly you were screwed. I’d met mercenary captains who were happy to boast about the number of towns they’d sacked, or women they’d taken.

Perversely, it was almost a good sign. A man who wanted to gloat was almost always insecure, wanting to hide his lack of confidence under a show of strength. I reminded myself not to take it for granted. Lord Dragon had enough power to be extremely dangerous.

“She thought she could best me,” Lord Dragon said. He walked up to Starlight and grabbed her breast. Hard. She made no visible response, but I’d have bet half my fortune she felt it. “Churlishness like that deserves a special punishment, don’t you think?”

I kept my voice even. If he wanted to talk, I had no intention of stopping him. “What did you do to her heart?”

“I took it out of her and placed it in this gem,” Lord Dragon said. “She’s mine now.”