Heart [ON HOLD]

Chapter 4: Punishments Align

A heart doesn't have to stop beating to be dead
- e.c.

They were dead before he even touched their necks. They had dissolved into shuffling corpses, waiting in chains, to be free of their prison though they would never leave it, but that wasn't his fault. It up to him who died and who lived. They were down here for a reason, and it wasn't for him to question.

His job was only snapping necks.

One prisoner shuffled up to him, while the others alternating between watching and trying not to. The Wolf had to look at his face, but he never looked at his eyes. He skirted around them, finding the exact placement of his hands on the side of the prisoner's head and-

CRACK.

-the body dropped.

The Wolf stared at the body on the floor, head skewed. He'd found a sparrow in the woods once, with its neck snapped. If you encouraged it, the head would go all the way around.

The guards dragged it aside. There was already a pile for later.

His hands found another person's head-

Another-

More sparrows.

Spirits were the only thing that would fly free now, but the heart stayed caged inside the body.

The assassin's hands were already on the last man's head.

"You're the Wolf."

They never talked.

The Wolf's eyes flashed up-

The man's eyes were green - dirty, olive green with a smear of hazel around the center and black flecks like poppy seeds. His stomach churned. They were dead. Dead already. Empty, void, hollow, cavernous, consuming, damning-

The Wolf's grey eyed shield cracked. His jaw tightened.

"The Queen's pet."

The shield was engulfed in flame and the Wolf wrenched the man's head so hard that it spun like the sparrow's. The body keeled onto the dungeon floor and the head smacked so hard that it gave a second crack. The Wolf hauled the body over to the pile himself. The two other guards - the Two and the Three from earlier, also on execution duty as punishment from the Queen - watched him warily.

"This one's heart," the Wolf growled, "I take out myself."

The Two nodded so much the assassin thought his neck too had been snapped.

"There's five," the assassin said. "I'll take three. You each take one."

The Three opened his mouth to argue but the Two shot him a look.

Within moments, all three had their forearms painted red. Carefully practiced slices got three hearts out before the clumsier guards were even finished with their one.

"So," the Two said, "how many?"

The Wolf's blade edged glance caught him, but he pressed on anyway.

"Because, ah, we hear rumors, you know, in the barracks. About how many certain nobles have eaten."

"I doubt she keeps track anymore," the Wolf said. "And I don't keep a count for her."

"Ah, actually, I meant you," the Two said. The Wolf said nothing.

"Must be a lot, right?" said the Three. "Seeing as you're the best assassin in Catrimar. How many? Fifteen? Thirty?"

"Why don't you work on actually getting those two hearts out. When you're competent, come talk to me."

The two guards resumed work for another few minutes before they dared speak up again.

"Do you ever eat these?" the Three asked. "You know, sneak them. The Queen wouldn't miss one or two. And if it moved you up a rank-,"

"She notices. Even nibble on one and she'll catch you," the assassin said. "Don't try it. Otherwise you'll end up with chains on your wrists and my hands on your head."

They fell back into silence, then the Two finally managed to get his job finished with. The Three had finished while they'd been talking.

"Go bury them in the graveyard. It won't take all night if you're quick about it."

Both guards began hauling bodies off the raised stone slab they had been butchering on. The thing was almost like an altar, except with carefully scored grooves that led to depressions in the floor. Each pit held a bowl, and by the time they were finished removing the hearts, those bowls were filled with crimson liquid. The Wolf watched the guards drag the bodies out of sight down the dungeon hallway. Whoever was on heart duty would be here soon. They'd pick up the hearts and empty the bowls into the watering can for the bloodroses. Then tomorrow the watering can would wind up with-

-Cora.

The Wolf blinked when she peeked around the corner, a basket in one hand, watering can in the other. If he had ever wondered if she could get any paler, she did the second she saw him standing in front of the gorestained spectacle.

"What?" the Wolf growled. His fists clenched with a squelching sound.

Cora's lilac eyes widened enough to be a choking hazard.

"I'm- I'm on heart duty."

The Wolf's eyes narrowed.

"Hurry up."

She was quick about it, hardly stopping to look at the hearts she was shoving in the basket and the blood sloshing into the can. She was on her way out already when the Wolf said,

"You hate me more than the other maids."

Cora stopped.

"Yes."

"There's someone who hates me more than you do."

"I don't doubt it."

Cora began to walk away again, but the Wolf kept going.

"She's noticed you," he said. "Watch your back."

Cora's grip on the basket tightened.

"Actually, the Wolf said, "watch your head. And your heart."

"I'll do that," Cora said. Then, after a pause, she said,

"Thank you."

The Wolf blinked.

Before he could think of a response, Cora had turned the corner with a last flash of midnight hair, leaving him alone with three dead bodies, a dungeon, and claustrophobic memories.  

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Two chapters in one day. Weird. I just had time and this happened. It's not terribly long, but it didn't need to be.

Okay, I'm sorry for those of you who are a little squeamish. This chapter was a bit gory, but I tried to keep it as low as possible. Mostly, this chapter was to balance out the Wolf's character a little and elaborate on him, demonstrate what he's capable of, etc. before we get into later chapters. This is probably the most gory that this story gets, because this story does not revolve around gore, it revolves around survival and healing, despite the fact that it doesn't look like it right now. These chapters are about raising the stakes, providing contrast, etc. I promise I didn't just throw this in for fun. But more of that to come.

I think that after the next chapter, the bloody stuff is pretty much over. However, that doesn't mean the story doesn't get boring. Oh no. You guys haven't even met the dwarves yet! And the whole hearts thing just gets better... But I have to keep my lips zipped. So many spoilers...

Speaking of the next chapter, it's from the Queen's POV, and might stay that while for the next few chapters. She's a fun one to write considering *spoiler* and *spoiler* and *spoiler*. Ug. Fine. I'll just stop talking now.