15

Rosen hugged her injured arm with the stump of her left and pushed up on her knees to stand. Varick’s silver gaze met hers, and he took one step forward before suddenly clenching his chest and collapsing onto his back.

“Varick!” She dashed to his side, kneeling, touching his cheek with her blistered hand. “Where are you hurt? Why aren’t you healing?”

He stared up at her, a small serene smile on his lips. His hand reached up, cupping her face. “This isn’t something that can be healed,” he said, voice faint and hoarse.

Rosen blinked through sudden tears. “I don’t understand.”

His lips parted. “I lied to Licht—to everyone—about this cursed necklace,” he said.

“You mean, that if you fall in love, it’ll make you ugly? Oh come on, Varick. I would never care how you looked,” Rosen told him.

He shook his head, a slight, painful movement. “Not ugly. The curse is that I would die. I’m…I’m dying, Rosenrot. This necklace is all that’s been keeping me alive—its power sustaining my body, ever since my heart was torn out.”

Rosen looked down at him, his words slowly sinking in. Every time his hand had pressed to his chest, it was because the necklace was killing him. It was because of her.

“Varick…I didn’t mean to…if I’d known… I’m so sorry.” Tears tumbled down her cheeks. His thumb brushed them away.

“I’m not sorry,” he said. “My life was cold…lonely…before you. If getting to love you means I have to die…then it was worth it.”

The last of the glowing ruby rose petals on the necklace flickered out.

“I wasn’t good at showing it, but…I love you, Rosenrot.” His hand slid, fingers caressing down her cheek to her chin, and then his arm fell limp and the light faded from his silver eyes. Strands of black hair fell about his pale face.

“I love you, Varick.” Rosen squeezed her hand over his, tears drowning out her vision. Pain greater than any kind tore at her heart while she sobbed, bending to press her forehead to his chest. Only the sudden crunching sound of boots made her look up. She took the necklace off of Varick and tossed it away; he would no longer be under its curse.

Gasto came trotting across the snow to her. When he saw Varick’s body, he slowed to a stop. “No…oh no. What have we done? Lord Varick…” He came nearer, cheeks as tear stained as hers. “Wait, where is Kalt? Where is that twisted monster?”

Rosen straightened and looked about. The place where Kalt had fallen, supposedly dead, was empty.

“If he ever shows his face again…!” Gasto’s fists shook. He made his way around the bonfire and picked something up, bringing it near. “A spell book?” he muttered, turning it over.

Rosen bolted to her feet and snatched the book from him, startling the young man—or rather, vempar. Now the long canines which all of Freudendorf’s people had made sense. She set the book on the ground and flipped through the aged pages.

There had to be something.

Surely, there had to be…

Her fingers slid over page after page. She chewed her lip, until the drawing of a heart caught her eye: It was illustrated in detail below the title Organ Remake.

The spell could create a heart, but it required someone else’s heart to take form: dividing a single heart into two, and thereby shortening the lifespan of the other person.

Rosen smoothed the page to keep it open as she hurried over to the star symbol, knelt and scooped up what sparkling orange salt she could see from the lines.

Gasto watched with a baffled expression as she carried the special salt over to Varick and sat before the spell book. She poured the salt into a careful pile on Varick’s chest, over where his heart should be, and drew a sun-like symbol the book showed. Then she took some of the salt in her burnt hand and pressed it to her chest.

The book stated that an artifact able to connect with the natural-energy of their surroundings was needed for non-mages in order to activate the spell. But the cane, and anything else Kalt had had with him, was missing. Rosen had nothing to use but her hope.

She closed her eyes and with her mind tried to feel for the life that made up the world around her, but it was beyond her grasp. “Please…please let this work,” she prayed, trying again.

Something plopped into her lap. She looked to see the necklace—a mage artifact, Kalt had called it. Her stump of an arm pressed it close to herself, and again she focused, this time feeling a warm glow flowing towards her, weaving around the salt pressed to her heart and connecting with the salt on Varick.

Her chest felt hotter and hotter; a pink glow in the shape of a beating heart exited through her skin. She watched the ghost-like image float across the path of energy and down into Varick’s chest. The light of the glow faded as it passed through his skin.

His chest pulsed with a faint light for several seconds, then the light winked out and the energy of the spell vanished.

Rosen let down her hand.

“Did it work?” Gasto peered at him.

She lowered to Varick’s face, pressing her fingers to the side of his neck.

There was nothing…no, a deep pulse was slowly starting to form, taking rhythm. She watched expectantly as Varick’s eyelids began to flicker, and then his eyes flickered open, gazing into hers.

Gasto nearly fell over in shock.

Varick seemed at first confused, as if he’d been somewhere else, but then he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. “How did you…?” he began, but she bent down, pressing her lips against his.

He wrapped his arms around her, embracing, holding her close.