Page 40 of Glass Hearts

Groggily, my eyelids flutter, the sting of my back’s recent wounds flaring as I shift.

The floor beneath me is cold and unforgiving, the roughness biting into my spine as I try to sit up.

My hands are bound tightly behind me, and the coarse rope bites into my skin.

My wrists throb, raw and swollen, and my throat feels parched and aching.

I must’ve been unconscious for hours, maybe longer.

“She finally wakes. About damn time,” an unfamiliar voice spews in vitriol. My vision is still adjusting to the light as I spot Bernice. The unfamiliar man seems to lose patience and roughly grabs me to stand. I wince at all the pain, but I will not cry. She doesn’t deserve my tears any longer.

“Bernice, what are you doing here?” I try to feign innocence.

“So you’re not trying to break the unbreakable curse? Victor couldn’t even break that. Speaking of, Victor,” she trills. Victor enters into the light. A cruel smile upon his face as he takes in my tied-up state. A cold realization creeps up my spine.

“T-there was never a mage…”

They both throw their heads back and laugh.

“Silly girl, of course there wasn’t. I had a feeling you had been scheming, looking at how to break the curse.

I found coins in your room and suspected you had been whoring yourself out for money.

So we put it in your mind to find a mage.

We had originally expected you a month ago, but you never showed.

Yet, here we are. Tell me. Is it so bad seeing your stepsisters happy?

I am sure they are off to the princes bedrooms, sealing the engagement.

Wouldn’t an early grandbaby, even out of wedlock, just be so magical? ” She gives me an evil smile.

I won’t break down in front of her again.

“What do you want, Bernice?” The quake in my voice deceives the strong facade I am trying to implement.

“Randal, come on out from behind, and meet your new bride.” I turn to see a slimy-looking man. Randal is tall with a belly, at least twenty years my senior. He is missing a tooth as he grins a predatory sneer at me. He licks his chapped lips.

“I always like them a little feisty to start, makes watching them break even more… pleasant.” He tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, a single tear of fear falling from my eyes. He turns to Bernice and Victor. “Well, let’s get on with this marriage already. I am growing impatient.”

Bernice motions for me to have a seat as she organizes the paperwork.

‘Marriage contract’ pokes out from the corner of my eye.

Bile rises from my throat. I try to run, but Randal stops me by yanking on the rope.

Falling, I hit the hard floor with a yelp.

I yell for help, hoping someone, anyone, is outside to help me.

“That is, quite frankly, enough dramatics, Arabella. Stop yelling; you are hurting my ears. We are in the country, far from the city. Nobody will hear your useless pleas. We can sign this contract with a pen or your blood.” Randal forces me up from the floor and aggressively shoves me down to sit on the chair.

I can feel the slowly healing wounds on my back start to reopen and bleed from all the forceful movements.

“Let’s do blood. I have had enough of waiting. I would rather sample the goods I purchased sooner rather than later, Bernie.”

“It’s Bernice, you wretch.”

He grabs a pocketknife from his pocket and cuts a line on my shoulder, drawing blood. He then cuts his hand to draw blood as well, bringing the paper to my shoulder, rubbing my blood onto it.

Victor is instantly there, sealing the contract with a few mutterings.

Instantly, Bernice and I gasp as we feel the curse leave our bodies, as if it were an apparition lurking within us the whole time.

“Belly, looks like you got your request from the mage.” Victor hands me the marriage contract. “Perhaps not how you would have wanted it. But I don’t care.” Victor and Bernice get up to leave.

“Now, Randal, be sure to make sure she stays your problem, not mine,” Bernice says as she and Victor walk out, leaving me behind.

Randal, my husband, looks at me like prey. Knife still in hand, he uses it to cut my shirt open. I attempt to squirm away.

“You are going to love what I do to you, wife.”

I scream, my voice raw from all the pleas to stop. Calling out for help, I reach out to any animal nearby. I am topless, and the tears start to rapidly fall anew.

“They fucking sold me damaged goods. Why the hell is your back bleeding so much?! Maybe I won’t keep you for that long, then. What a shame a pretty thing like you is so defective.”

He continues to try to cut my pants away, but before he can cut any further, a huge grizzly bear slams into the room, roaring in anger.

“What th-” Randall tries to say before the bear slams into him.

He attempts to stab the bear, but it already has him pinned with its enormous paws.

I should stop the bear as he tears into my husband.

But I don’t. I sit there and watch as he shreds Randal, tears still falling down my face as I shake.

Once Randal is dead, the grizzly stops and looks at me.

“Sorry you had to see that, mistress. I heard you calling for help. That you were being attacked. Are you alright?”

“S-s-shock, I-I will be o-okay. T-Thank y-you.” Adrenaline races through my whole body.

“You can hear me?” he says as he comes up to me and nuzzles my cheek. The entire room is bathed in blood, and so is his bloody face nuzzling into me. Lying down next to me, he gives me space to get my breathing back down.

“W-whats your name?” I ask the bear.

“Sir Maxwell the Fifth, at your service, ma’am.” His large paw moves as he bows.

“May I just call you Max?”

“I suppose so. How did you get into this mess with the farmer? We don’t like him here; he is always setting death traps for us animals. And we saw him bury his past wives. Wish I could have saved them then, but I didn’t know.”

I thread my hands through his blood soaked fur. “You did well today, thank you. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Would you mind stitching the wound he gave me from his knife? Then maybe we can see if he has any food in his kitchen. I would rather not eat this gross man.”

I gasp as I see the large gash on Max. Immediately, I get up on shaky legs and run around the house, trying to find a sewing kit or emergency kit. Blessedly, I find a dusted sewing kit in one of the bathrooms. Max lies on his side as he spots me with the kit, and I stitch him up.

I tell Max the whole sordid story, a cathartic experience having someone—or I guess somebear—to talk to, as I stitched him up.

“I am so sorry he hurt you, Max.”

“It’s of no matter to me. Barely felt it. I wish I could help sew you up, too. Should have gone after those other two. They smelled like ash, like villains.”

“Villains have a smell?”

“Yup, evil has a smell. The farmer, Randal, smelled like one, too. Another reason I have no desire to eat him.” I hear a large rumble, I assume in laughter, from my new fury friend. I can’t help but giggle too, even after all the trauma.

“Let’s get ourselves some food, and maybe try to clean the blood from our bodies.”

I gave him all the raw meat that I found in Randall’s fridge; he happily chomps away. Pulling out the cheese and some bread, I make a sad sandwich for myself. Randall seemed to eat mostly meat. Why am I not surprised?

“It’s nice being able to talk to one of you humans. Maybe you can help us put restrictions on people hunting us? I have lost most of my family to poachers. Some are doing it just for sport.” My heart aches at the confession from the bear.

“I will do the best I can to help you and the others, Max. You have my word.”

We fall silent as we finish our meals.

Max goes to take a bath in the river, saying he will be back shortly.

The reality of the past few hours is sinking in as float around the house in shock.

I am free. I know I won’t have long until Bernice finds out Randal is dead.

Knowing her, she will still check in on me.

Not because she cares, but because she doesn’t want me to interfere with her grand scheme.

It’s time for a plan of my own.

The farmer’s house does not have any magical plumbing, so I opt to wash myself with the sink basin and a cloth.

The cold water was soothing to all my physical and emotional aches, washing away all the blood and emotions from the last twenty-four hours.

Going through Randall’s house, I find women’s clothing in boxes, which must have been from his deceased wives.

Thankfully, I find a pair of brown pants, though tight, and a cream loose-sleeved top.

I try my best to bandage my back, as it would be a shame to ruin this lovely top.

Putting my hair into a braid, I look in the grimy bathroom mirror.

I see a sad woman, but I also see a woman with new hope. Free from my curse, free from my downright evil stepfamily.

My plan starts to take shape.

In the closet, I also find a satchel, perfect for filling with supplies throughout the house that I may need. I try to skip around the bloodied scene in the living room, almost missing my dropped golden dagger. Can’t leave her behind.

Tip-tapping sounds from the window in the kitchen as grab road snacks. I open the window to find Petra.

“Petra! I am so happy to see you, friend.”

“Arabelly! I tried to get help, but of course, the humans wouldn’t listen to my calls. I am glad to see you are okay. Are we heading back to the castle?”

“No, we aren’t, dear friend. Your help will be needed once more if you are up to it.

” I cut an apple I picked off the tree outside as I hand it to her.

“I made a note for Elora; she needs to get Kip and Bert, and they need to get out of there. You are going to need to fly very fast. Can you handle it? ”

“CAW, of course I can!”

“Please take care, Petra, I will head southward to get away. Find me in the town of Quotina.”

She caws once more as she takes flight to deliver my message.

I hope Lo gets out. I am not sure what I am going to do if she doesn’t.