Sewing Broken Hearts

By Christian Clason and Andrew Gray

Talia discovers a world beneath Medelthia that has taken her as a victim. Yet, through the pain, she finds love and salvation. She struggles with constant negativity surrounding her, while trying to stay positive about her future. She is worried though, what will happen to hers and Fiornam's baby? What will happen to her new love? Melinda is on a mission to find her twin sister. She would tear the human world apart to do it, but she wants to keep her father's temper at bay. She turns to a stranger, who turns out to be a very helpful person, and a very lovable person. Yet, his stern demands of her are that she does not fall in love with him. How can she control her heart? Peter has spent the past few decades in this tiny room, wishing away the days til he would be rescued. But all positivity was long lost to him, until the day Clara and Talia came into his life. They changed his life and he would lay that life down if it meant protecting them from the dangers of the blood ring.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781312919686

Book preview

Sewing Broken Hearts

Sewing Broken Hearts

Book 1 of Iron Hearts

Characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictional and based on fictitious ideas.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

All rights reserved, including rights to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

©2015 Andrew Gray & Christian Clason

ISBN: 978-1-312-91968-6

Chapter 1 ~ Chains

The heart of Medelthia was already so full of war. Humans against humans, with pashers in the midst. A sage unused to this world could not tell the difference between them. A young woman like Talia, a powerful sage from the palace of New Arkan, could so easily be lost in this world.

Just the night before, she had been curled up with the man she had fallen for. A human General – an old for his breed – with a masculinity complex to boot, had won her heart. But, General Fiornam had been attacked in the night, and she had been taken during the chaos.

After a night of being violated by multiple men, Talia sat tiredly atop a horse. There were five soldiers accompanying her now. Half a dozen pack horses followed behind her horse. Of course, the horse she was on seemed to be nothing more than a pack animal itself. She was simply lumped onto the saddle like a sack of wheat. Her hands were tied to the projectile horn on the front, to prevent her from escape.

Dazed and tired, she could not think straight. She could not properly decide on what she should do. Whether she should escape, or wait for her love to come for her, was a decision that would not come through the piercing headache.

There they are, she heard one of the soldiers mutter.

He fingered the hilt of his sword, warily. They were meeting some shady people. Even Talia could see that they were not the type of people one would openly greet on the street. They had their own needs in mind.

Don’t spook ‘em, the leader of the group said, firmly, We still need the money.

Right, the others responded with nods.

They came to where a wagon stood halted before an impasse. Here we are, the soldier closest to her breathed.

Their leader approached the wagon. Several men hopped out of the back to have a discussion with him. They kept their voices low so no matter how Talia strained, she could not hear what they were talking about. She had a hunch they might be negotiating for some goods.

When their discussion came to a close, the leader returned to retrieve Talia. He cut the bindings on her wrists and gently pulled her off of the horse. He carried her to the wagon, and sat her in the back. One of his men was shaking hands with what appeared to be the group’s leader.

A pair of the wagon’s men approached Talia to get a better look at her. They looked her up and down, with interest. A third man approached from behind, with a silvery device dangling in his hand.

Move out of the way, he grunted, pushing through the two men. He quickly clipped the device around Talia’s neck, a cold set of metal chain links. There! he grunted, patting Talia’s head, Clap twice!

Suddenly, without command of her own arms, her hands clapped together twice. She gasped with surprise. She did not know what had happened, but it seemed that this man had taken control over her body. She reached to touch the chain hanging around her neck.

Don’t touch that! he barked.

Her hand froze. Her heart felt frozen. She was frightened by him for some unexplainable reason. Perhaps it was the unfounded control he had over her behavior. She could not even keep herself from flinching upon every command he gave her.

Good girl, he said, patting her hair again, Be good and you’ll be treated alright. You’re pretty too, maybe you’ll be somebody’s favorite.

Take me back home! My father will pay you whatever you want! I am the princess of New Arkan! Take me home! she pleaded.

Her heart nearly pounded its way out of her chest, she was being kidnapped and sold into slavery. She was beginning to realize her fate. She whimpered as she felt the baby within her kick. Gods of all that is good and loving and justice seeking, do not allow harm to my baby inside me. Grant me the strength to endure, so that I can escape.

He chuckled, Poor thing will say anything to get outta this, won’t you?

Let’s pack up and go! the leader called to his underlings, The boss wants the shipment in by tonight! Let’s get moving! NOW!

Alright! Alright! the man left with the others to pack up the wagon. She was left to sit on the back edge, waiting for them to send her inside with the rest of the things sitting inside.

My father will kill you all…if my sister doesn’t get to all of you first! she snarled as she shook.

When everything was packed, the men filed into the back. They took her by the arms and pulled her in so they could pull the canvas down to cover the back. The driver smacked his whip across the hinds of his oxen, sending them forward into a lumbering jagged trot.

When she was finally brought out of the wagon, she was escorted into a dirty looking building with stains on the walls and nasty smells. She was not sure if the smell of death and blood was any stronger than the smell of urine. All of the walls seemed to be soaked with something or other.

She was led down a set of iron wrought stairs that brought her to a cleaner area of the building, better kempt than the exterior entrance. Though, she could still smell the rank stench that refused to leave her nose alone.

Alright, you can set up in here, the man gave her a gentle push, ushering her into a metal stall. She listened to the door slide shut loudly, though no lock was put there.

Hiding in the shadows were three withering young women. They were suffering malnutrition and appeared to have been beaten at some point.

When somebody finally came for her, they ushered her out of the cell and straight to an office. A man in a white mink jacket was counting pieces of gold from the chair behind the desk. He paused to look up. He had mean blood shot eyes. Though, they appeared to be from the influence of some ingested drug.

Fancy one, don’t you think boss? one of the men beside Talia asked.

She seethed with anger and hate. She longed to lash out at them. But, something told her to stop and wait. She would hear what this boss had to say before she started spouting threats.

She’ll be a fine specimen for the blood ring, the boss finally responded. He gave a long pause before going on, I don’t want her pretty face marred though. Take her out of the gladiator section and put her in the whore section.

Yes boss, the man nodded, as he took Talia by the elbow.

Talia growled, and blasted the man with a stormbolt turning him to ash, I am no whore! I am a princess of Arkan! Yet the collar reacted at once and shocked her, bringing her to her knees. She could barely let a whimper escape her lips.

Suddenly, somebody was upon her, with a sharp grip on her collarbone, You will do what you’re told, love! And you will smile about it! Never use that power again, you understand me? No powers. You’re a servant now. And you only do what you’re told you can do. All of your tricks don’t exist, unless they are meant to serve. He grabbed her chin, lifting her face to look her in the eyes. Now be a good girl and follow Thomas to your bed, he commanded.

Her head tilted to the side, and she smiled kindly, even cheerfully. Okay! she giggled playfully. It was all the collar, but she was unable to express fear or anything short of obedience.

He patted her hair like a dog, Good girl. He helped her to her feet and directed her towards Thomas.

Thomas beckoned for her to follow, as he made his way out into the hall. He led her to a cleaner area, where the cells seemed more sanitary. There were more people here though. All of them wore little or nothing.

We’ll start you on your first rounds tomorrow, Thomas told her, as he opened the cell door for her to enter.

She nodded and entered her cell, Oh…can I get some food? I’m a bit peckish… She giggled at him with a blush. Seemingly back to her bubbly self.

You’ll have food with the others! he barked. He banged the door shut and left them there. There were four two tiered bunks at either side of the cell. There were three women hunkered in nothing but the blankets. One of them looked terrified and distraught, as if she had recently suffered some form of severe trauma. The other two looked dead in the eyes. It was as if they were zombies, unable to react to the terrifying world that surrounded them.

But I’m hungry now…and so is the little one… she said softly.

She patted her tummy where the baby lay. She sighed, and started to smile and within the cracks of the cell plants began to grow rapidly. From the energies around her she formed an entire garden of vegetables. It was a start, and it would be enough to keep her happy. She tried to offer some of it to her cell mates. Yet they did not seem to know how to react to someone so cheery. As a direct order, she was told to be a good girl, and a good girl she was being.

It surprised her when a hand came upon her. She lurched with pain and dropped to her knees, clutching the back of her head. That’s enough! he barked, "You go about cowering in this cell! And no power use! None!"

The others shook with fear and cowered fiercer. They tried not to meet his eyes, for fear that he might target them too. They were nothing more than shivering, cowering dogs by how they reacted.

It was a long and sleepless night for Talia and the women in her cell. There was no peace or quiet either. The long howls that almost belonged to animals echoed throughout the building. She could hear them from a distance. They kept her awake and made her think of terrifying things.

The building itself had quite a bit of creaking. It groaned under the weight of its own mass, especially when people moved. The floors above her creaked and moaned, shifting with the weight of people walking or running. They moved in a formation style, with a certain timing that must have meant they were pacing the area on guard.

Even the darkness itself seemed haunted. It was not necessarily darker than dark, but it gave her chills when she opened her eyes. Only closing her eyes to a blacker night gave her a sound peaceful thought. She felt trapped in the darkness, with no way to create light.

When she woke up, she and the others were brought bowls of gruel. It was a foul smelling type of food. She was not sure if it had any meat, vegetables or a mix of them all. But when it came down to it, she was too hungry to care about the flavor. She ate it all and asked for more, but was refused the extra gruel.

Each of the other girls was taken away. There was a crowd gathering in another area of the building. It was distant, yet loud. She heard screaming and cheering, as if they were watching a fun event. It even lifted her spirits about the place, after the night’s frightening howls.

But, then they came for her. With a snap of the fingers, they beckoned her from the cell and led her through the long hallway. towards the noise. The hallway led to a set of stairs, which led to a small room. There were double doors here, large metal doors with hinges as large as her head.

She could hear the cheering on the other side of the door. They were clapping and screaming for more. They whistled at whoever was in center stage. They wanted more, and they were too eager to wait.

The man handling her was quick to take a hold of her. He tore off her clothes, stripping her nude until all that was left was a piece draped around her loins.

He paused, enticed by the sight of her supple body. He gave a curious squeeze to her breast, to which she reacted with a moan. He quickly let her go, then wrapped a half shirt around her bosom, tying it behind her.

Don’t leave me cold! she pleaded, feeling intrigued at the man’s curiosity.

But, he showed no more interest in her. He finished tying the back of her shirt and then pushed her towards the double doors. He grunted to the men, who prepared to open those doors upon command.

When these doors open, you’ll go in, he told her, "You will be confronted with Titus, today’s gladiatorial winner. You are his prize."

One of the men at the doors snickered at a thought. He caught the attention of her handler. The handler then asked him to speak his mind.

Oh it’s nothing, the man said, waving off the question, It’s just…Titus! Always badass! Why would you waste the first time of a girl on him anyways?

This one’s a sage, the handler was suddenly very close to her. She could feel his breath on her skin. A hand was caressing her inner thigh, meandering curiously up the remains of what was her skirt.

No time for that! an unseen voice barked, Get her out there!

The hand let her go and she was pushed through the double doors. She stumbled out into an arena of dirt. There was no sky, only a few small skylights to let in natural light. The rest of the place was lit with torches. Surrounding her was a wall, behind which thousands of people cheered from the high stands.

The crowd grew louder upon her appearance. It was as if she was their hero, she was what they had been waiting for. She was the main event of this show. She was exactly what they wanted to see.

She was not sure what to do though. And as she approached the center ring, she was only more confused to see a stout yet muscular man approaching her. He was at least three inches shorter than her, but with enough muscle mass to hinder his own movement. He practically hobbled along from the weight of his muscle mass.

Yet, when he took her by the arm and flexed his muscles in show, the crowd merely cheered louder. He seemed to beckon for their cheers, swinging his arms in enticement. When he had finally had the cheering he wanted, he turned to Talia and bent her over.

He held her down with a hand on the back of her head. At first she was frightened, but then she moaned. It felt good to finally be released from the confines of tension. Yet as she looked around the ring, seeing the people cheering at Titus, the man forcing her over, the less she liked it. It became a pain and was nearly unbearable.

He did not last long either, so when he pulled out, he pushed her off balance. She fell on her face, only to get up slowly. Something had hit her hard when she fell, something in the dirt. She looked to see that there was a piece of something metal embedded in the ground and it had broken her lip.

When she managed to get to her feet, shaken and spun, she realized that two people had come for her. They took her hands and led her quickly from the arena. It seemed that this was much to Titus’ disliking, as he lunged for the men.

For a long time, Talia felt caught in a physical struggle. Titus was a monster among these men, but she was caught in obedience to them. In the end, Titus killed two men and left a third one with injuries.

Proud of his accomplishment and cheered on by the audience, he got on top of Talia, pushing her down on the ground. His weight was ridiculous for a man as short as he. But for her to disobey the collar telling her she was Titus’ prize, was impossible. She was stuck underneath of him until he was done once again.

Titus! a voice barked, vaguely audible through the roaring crowd.

She was helped to her feet as Titus moved away. The men who helped her were gentle, in a kind way. They almost seemed ready to put themselves between her and Titus, though she doubted that they would.

Titus, that’s enough! the man speaking wagged a finger at the hulking man.

He was lean and tall, with a defenseless appearance. Yet it was Titus who dropped to his knees and bowed his head with a submissive stance for forgiveness. He looked sincere in his apology, as if he did not need the collar to be an obedient dog.

You went too far, the man said, You’ll have to learn constraint. And to do that, you’ll sit in the cooler. He turned and motioned to the men handling Talia, who quickly led her away from the arena.

She was sat down on a bench, just outside of the arena. Around her were other slaves, most of them battered and cut up in some way. Titus was placed there too, seated across from her, at a distance.

Nobody moved unless a handler came in and told them to. Nobody spoke. Nobody seemed to be breathing. They were all too terrified to do anything.

Talia had not realized how much time had passed when a handler came to her. Can you hear me girl? Did your ears get hurt? he asked, with a soft and gentle voice, The doc is ready to see you now.

Titus first! one of the handlers barked at the man.

He turned around to face the other handler, No, women first. That’s the boss’ rules.

Who gives a shit, Titus is the multi-million dollar champ! He needs to get back in shape for tomorrow! He needs to be in the workout ring again!

Ladies! a man announced as he stepped into the room.

He waved them to silence. He looked as frugal with money as the boss Talia saw in the mink coat. This was the man who had commanded Titus to cease. But, now she saw his proper authority amidst them.

Let’s be nice, he said, They can go in at the same time, and Peter will decide who goes first. He’s a better judge than either of you.

Fine, the handlers agreed with a growl.

The man motioned for Talia to follow and she headed with Titus beside her into a small room. It smelled of chemicals and other weird things. It was unfamiliar and strange. It felt dangerous to her in some way.

Talia hobbled and staggered about. Her head was in a fog. She had a splitting headache, as if her brain was about to about to burst out of her ears. She groaned and rubbed her temple. The tears started to fall.

Chapter 2 ~ A Slave for Sex

Talia opened her eyes to see a man peering in her face. You okay? You sort of fainted on us, he said, with a soft and kind voice. His voice was deep and rich, almost melodious.

Go away… she groaned with a slight fog and haze in her voice. She shut her eyes tightly, too tired to keep gazing into the light.

Let’s get her onto the table, the man said, I think there is more damage than at face value. Somebody else started laughing at the comment. The man did not sound enthused, What’s so funny? Silence answered him, as several hands lifted Talia onto a smooth table.

Go away, she groaned again as she did not resist their hands to put her on the table.

Let me have a look at your eyes, he said, forcing her eyelid open.

She squeaked and whimpered, That hurts you prick!

Then open your eyes, he said, softly. When she finally opened her eyes, he gazed at her for a minute. See? Is that so hard? Such lovely amethysts, he spoke softly.

Could you hurry it up? Titus is waiting! one of the handlers growled.

The man lifted his head to glare at the handler. That was when the chains shifted, a slight jingle that caught her attention from his neck. He too had no control over his own fate, yet for some reason the handler’s demands had no effect on him.

Cool it, another man growled, "You’d do well to be respectful to the doctor as you’re told. Or do you need a collar to remind you of your place?"

The others went silent, as the doctor returned his attention to Talia’s eyes. A bright light flashed into her vision, causing her to flinch. He held her eyes open with his fingers, putting light in her eyes after every few seconds.

Her vision seems fine. The corneas don’t seem to have any damage. Her reflexes are perfect. And no noticeable alterations to that amethyst color, he noted. He moved his hands to gently touch the wound on her lip. Definitely more damage than a cut lip, he said, as he pulled back her lip. That was when she realized a new throbbing pain in her jaw and teeth.

Fix her up, Peter. She’s a beauty. I don’t know which idiot decided to hook her up as a whore…especially in the ring with Titus. But, she’s too pretty to waste like that, the man in charge said.

Will do sir, the doctor nodded solemnly. He turned his full attention to Talia, ignoring the others as most of them shuffled out of the room.

He retreated to bring a side table closer to her table. He smiled at her, What is your name?

Talia…Princess of New Arkan, and Daughter of Sentinus, she glared up at him, Who are you?

Professionally I was known as Dr. Peter Shtonewell, he replied, But…just call me Peter. Everybody else does. Aside from doc. He took one of his tools and seemed to poke her lip.

She squeaked and flinched, Ow!

Sorry! Sorry! he exclaimed, This is going to hurt for a little while, but it’s part of the process.

She whimpered and started to tear up, I want my dad…I want my father! She tried to call out to him but was shocked by the chain around her neck.

He sighed with what looked like sadness in his eyes, I know…I know. I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it. He laid a gentle hand on her head. This is going to hurt, but just know that I am here, and I’m going to take care of you. Okay? his voice was soft and his hand was gentle.

I want to go home…I want to see my dad…and keep my baby safe… I shouldn’t have said that! Oh no! He’s gonna know I have a baby in me! Her heart started to race again, and her pace of breath quickened.

Relax…relax, he said gently. He laid a hand on her shoulder. You have a baby huh? How old? he asked.

A month…maybe more…I…I don’t know…don’t take it! Don’t take it from me! she started to bawl.

Easy girl! Easy! he tried to quiet her, I’m not going to take…you don’t… Clarity hit him in the face like a ton of bricks. You’re pregnant, aren’t you? he gasped, Don’t answer that!

He took a moment to gather his wits. He was astonished by her reaction. She’s new to all of this. He sighed and laid his hand back on her shoulder. If I knew for certain that she was pregnant, I’d have to take the child. At least by stalling, I can help her out or something…maybe. He became forlorn at the thought.

You…you want to help me? Why? she started to glare up at him.

He flinched, Stay out of my head! He scratched the back of his neck, focusing on blocking all of his private thoughts. "I don’t want to hurt you," he told her.

She sniffled and leaned into his hand, I can tell…I’m so scared though…I just want to go home.

Let me fix your wounds, he sighed, "It’s all I can do."

She nodded, Okay…okay… Talia tried to relax as tears rolled down her cheeks.

This one should only take a few more minutes, he went on, as he pricked her broken lip again. As he