The Heartstone

By Helene Opocensky

Corbin, a powerful shapeshifting young mage, is just beginning to learn to flex and harness his magical powers. When he hears that a young witch, who doesn’t know that her strangeness is due to magic, has run away for fear of being institutionalized for a second time, he knows that he has to help his friends find her so that she can learn to celebrate what makes her different rather than fear it.

What he doesn’t know is that finding her will snowball him into a position where he again feels obligated to his scheming former mentor, Max Grobian. Nor does he know that Max will, once more, try to manipulate him into betraying her daughter Lorelei, a girl Corbin feels heart-bound to, yet fears to fully love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662912245

Book preview

Chapter 1

Corbin sat with his legs dangling over the crumbling wall of the crenellation that topped the remains of the ruined castle overlooking, with an ominous presence, the magical sanctuary of Hexenheim. He heard a quiet Hi, Cory behind him. He turned around to see who it was.

Hi, Karl, he answered smiling, glad to see the big blond boy. Karl wasn’t that much taller than Corbin was himself, but he was bigger boned and heavier than Corbin. He was better looking than Corbin as well, with honey blond hair, a straight nose and large brown eyes, but Corbin had a charm about him that, despite his large nose and bristling black eyebrows, drew people to him more so than Karl Heinz’s handsome good looks. That, among other things, had irritated Karl Heinz, and when Corbin originally met him, they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Some of that, Corbin admitted, was his fault, but when Corbin saved Karl from being turned into rabbit stew, they patched things up between them.

Over the past few months, however, things had become strained again. Before Max sent Corbin to Hexenheim, Karl considered Lorelei to be, even though she never thought so, his girlfriend. Then Corbin came along and the two of them, Lorelei and Corbin, fell in love. They both tried very hard not to, but love, they found was not anything that could be controlled. When they told their friends, including Karl Heinz, what the situation was, Karl got miffed and quit hanging out with all of them including Rolf and Maggie, who were completely unaware of what Corbin and Lorelei were up to and totally blameless.

Lori here? asked Karl sitting down next Corbin.

No, answered Corbin, not yet anyway. I got out of classes early. The rest of them should be here soon.

It was the last day of school before the start of the summer holiday, and the young mages of Hexenheim had only a half-day of school – no afternoon magic school session. Because Corbin was very advanced in math and science, most of his morning classes were private ones. Today neither Magus Eule nor Magus Spacek kept him long and dismissed him while his friends were still in class. It was a bright warm June day, and, not having anything else planned, he had made his way up to the broken-down old castle where they had all decided to have a picnic to celebrate the last day of school.

You still mad at me? Corbin finally said not looking at Karl Heinz, instead keeping his gaze fixed on the vista before them.

The view was sensational. A good hundred feet below them, spreading out like an open fan against the cliff that held the brooding presence of the castle, they could see the entire medieval town of Hexenheim with its red-roofed buildings, many of them half-timbered, shepherded together into a tight group, neatly separated from the outlying countryside by a completely intact protective stone wall.

Karl Heinz shook his head. Not anymore.

Corbin nodded and said, Good. He was glad. He hated to be on the bad side of anyone, and he and Karl Heinz had definitely had their history.

Again, an awkward silence settled between them this time broken by Karl Heinz. You mad at me?

Mad at you? answered Corbin continuing to stare at the town instead of the boy sitting next to him. Why should I be mad at you?

For being a niggling idiot, replied Karl Heinz his eyes also glued on the scenery before them.

Corbin shrugged. You’re not, he said with a quick glance over at Karl, letting bygones be bygones. I understand why you were ticked off. I’m the one that stole your girlfriend.

Karl Heinz snorted. Lori wasn’t my girlfriend. I wanted her to be, but she wasn’t. It took me awhile to come to grips with that. He sighed, grimacing in self-derision. It usually does. Do you think she’ll forgive me? he asked turning his head and looking at Corbin.

Of course, she will. She’s been wanting to make it up with you. She felt bad about the whole situation.

I know. That’s what I want her to forgive me for. I made her unhappy. The worst part is that I did it on purpose, to punish her. I didn’t care if I hurt her. I do now though.

Karl Heinz shifted his gaze back to the expansive scenery before them and shrugged his shoulders. It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway, he said quietly, once again staring straight ahead as if he were talking to the air instead of the person sitting beside him. A lot of times I don’t know what she’s talking about, especially when she talks about magic. I watch the two of you together. She tells you something and you get it right away. Then the two of you are off babbling away and I’m there scratching my head. She’s better off with you. He shrugged his shoulders again, and Corbin wondered if Karl really believed what he said.

At least you think things out and don’t get all prissy faced over stuff. Karl Heinz continued. We friends again? he asked turning to face Corbin once more. I missed her, er, I mean I missed the whole lot of you.

Karl Heinz did look like he meant what he said.

Yeah, we’re friends, idiot. We all missed you too. Corbin reached over, threw his arm around him, pulled his head down and rubbed it hard with his knuckles. It was a gesture that the Instidudes, Corbin’s old classmates at the Grobian Institute for Boys, habitually used when they made up one of their arguments. It was meant to be a sign of affection.

Karl Heinz may have misunderstood the affection. He flailed his arms and struggled to get away from the hands giving him the noogie. Hey, cut it out, he said pushing at Corbin. Corbin only held on tighter, and Karl pushed harder, straining to get free. Finally, he gave Corbin one well aimed jab in the side with his elbow and a giant shove.

Corbin felt himself teeter precariously on the edge of the wall and let go of Karl. Thrashing about vainly, trying to regain his equilibrium and his perch on the crenellation, he caught hold of the rough stone of the wall with fingers clawing forcefully into the rock.

Karl Heinz grabbed hold of the hand gripping the wall. As his fingers wrapped around Corbin’s wrist, Corbin lost his tenuous hold on the crumbling stone. Karl Heinz, unsettled by the jerk of Corbin’s hand as it released the rock, lost his grip around the wrist, and Corbin fell backwards, tumbling head over heels off the castle wall, spinning through the air towards the quiet unsuspecting town below.

Sorry, yelled Karl Heinz watching Corbin plummeting helter-skelter out of control through the air.

Corbin, however, despite the rush of air and the fast approaching rocks below the castle, was not the least bit unsettled by his loss of balance and knew exactly what to do. Of all the magic that he could do, he was best at turning. He had been doing it since he was ten years old when a mysterious crow showed up on the fire escape of his Bronx apartment, stared him into the eye and showed him how to be a bird.

Thoroughly enjoying the sensation of ripping through the air as a human, he quickly stopped himself from twisting and righted himself upside down with his arms pointed straight ahead as if he were going to nosedive directly into the rapidly advancing roofs of the town. With one giant sweep, he brought his arms back against his sides, and, as they pulled against the draft of the air rushing against them, the fabric of his shirt began to fray. Then, as he pierced through the wind and sky, and the air continued to tear more and more at his shirt, the fraying started to blur and rustle. With another pull, forward this time, Corbin extended his arms against the strong current created by his fall and felt the rush of air tear at his face and hair. As he abandoned himself to the will of the wind, the frayed fabric of his clothing transformed, becoming feathers, and the body diving into the earth turned. The human, flying headlong towards the ground, became a large black crow that swooped downwards through the air, skimmed the turret of the school building, flew back up to the crenellation and quickly turned back into a boy, with fully intact shirt and jeans, when his feet touched the earth.

Karl Heinz stood in awe. Wow, was all he said.

Corbin laughed. That was fun! I never turned like that before. I let the elements turn me, instead of willing the turn.

Karl Heinz grinned in response. With a touch of uncertainty, he turned to his newly reclaimed friend and said as he mounted the top of the wall, That was awesome, dude.

Corbin chuckled softly. When he first arrived in Hexenheim, the local kids, whenever they spoke English, all used mostly British slang, coming, no doubt from Lorelei who was raised in Wales, or maybe from Rolf whose mother was British. Now, even though Corbin had been with them only a few months, American slang had crept into their vocabulary as stealthily as British slang had crept into his. Despite Karl’s excellent understanding of the English language, he had a slight accent, and whenever he called anyone dude it inevitable came out sounding a little off – more like ‘doot’ or even ‘toot’. It always made Corbin chuckle – quietly, though. He didn’t want Karl to feel embarrassed, and he definitely did not want to stop Karl from calling him toot.

I want to do it too, said Karl oblivious to the meaning behind Corbin’s grin. Do you think I can?

Sure, replied Corbin. I’ve watched you turn. You’re fast enough and the ground is far enough away for you to have plenty of time to make the turn. He gave Karl Heinz a pat on the shoulder for luck. Then, remembering that Karl had two alter egos, added a final instruction. Just make sure you keep the bird image in your head all the time you’re diving down. You wouldn’t want to turn into a bunny by mistake.

Karl Heinz nodded as he peered over the edge hesitantly for a moment. He took a deep breath, raised his hands over his head and dove gracefully off the edge.

Corbin ran to the precipice to watch him arcing towards the ground. Let the wind grab you instead of you grabbing it, he yelled after him. Let it pull you into feathers.

As Corbin screamed his instructions into the air, he watched the body falling through the air change. Slowly the clothing disintegrated, and as the wind tore into it, it transformed. The colors of the white t-shirt and black trousers blurred together in the onrush of air, and the tatters of the frayed cloth, flapping in the force of the wind, turned into dark gray feathers. The feathers ruffled turbulently on the form dashing dangerously headlong towards the ground, then with one strong triumphant sweep of arms, Karl Heinz dwindled in size and turned into a wild gray goose winging its way comfortably through the sky.

He flew back to the top of the castle and landed. He ruffled his gray feathers, twisted his head and changed back into himself. That was amazing, he told Corbin.

The two looked at each other laughing from the sheer joy of it.

Let’s do it again, they both said. They simultaneously took off running towards the wall and leapt over it, screaming as they jumped off into the wide blue of the sky.

When they both returned to the top of the castle wall and regained their human form, they found that they were not alone. I watched you, said Rolf his eyes shining with excitement. I watched you do that. Quick, before Maggie gets here and tries to talk me out of it, teach me how."

Teach you how to do what before Maggie gets here? said the blue-eyed girl who had just turned from a swallow into her human avatar.

Rolf turned around and smiled sheepishly. Uh, nothing, Mags.

Don’t you say ‘nothing’ to me Rolf Adler, she said sternly. Do you think I’m blind? I was flying right behind you. I saw what Cory and Karl did, and don’t think I’m going to let you do it!

Oh Mags, really? Rolf said scowling angrily at his girlfriend.

Yes, really Rolf, she scowled back at him, then giggled. At least not before I do! She climbed up on the castle wall. Come on Cory, show me how.

Rolf scrambled up next to her grinning. Yeah Cory, do it.

Not without me, called Lorelei who had landed neatly on the wall next to Maggie and changed from her skylark alter ego into a very pretty girl with fire-bright hair sparkling in the sun.

Corbin and Karl Heinz quickly gave them instructions and soon all of them were diving headfirst into the air over the town, turning and skimming the buildings to return back to the top of the castle only to quickly repeat the process all over again.

Chapter 2

After numerous turns dive bombing the town, when she had once again turned into her human self, Lorelei said, Okay, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting very hungry.

Her friends agreed, and Lorelei pulled the picnic lunch out of the enchanted gold wrist cuff she wore. When she touched it, Corbin caught a glint of a scene engraved on it. It was different from any of the ones he had seen before, making him wonder just how much could possibly be engraved onto one wide bracelet encircling such a delicate wrist as Lorelei’s. The gold cuff bracelet, or elifsac as Lorelei called it, was magical, and Corbin should not have been surprised by anything it did. Made by elves out of special gold, it could store a vast number of things inside, even though it was as thin as an ordinary bracelet and didn’t look at all hollow.

The outside was engraved with pictures of events in the life of its owner, and whenever Corbin managed to see one of those scenes, the event popped into his head allowing him to catch an actual glimpse of the event itself. This time he saw Lorelei crying before the outraged figure of Maxim Grobian, an event Lorelei had told him about, and when he saw it in his head, he could feel the small child’s terror of the man that was about to cause her mother’s death.

Just seeing it made Corbin want to sweep her up in his arms. He reached over and lightly brushed the elifsac with his finger, almost as if trying to erase the event from her life. As his fingers brushed the gold and his eyes glanced at the bracelet, another scene appeared and popped into his head. This time Lorelei stood by a waterfall with arms holding her in a tender embrace. The arms were his and the two of them were kissing. He smiled remembering the day the two of them had finally acknowledged the feelings between them. He was both pleased that the incident was important enough to somehow become commemorated on her wrist cuff and unsettled by the doubts that started to plague him soon after that life-changing kiss.

Lorelei looked over at him as if she knew how he felt.

Due to her unique magical talents, she had a mysterious insight into people’s feelings, his more so than anyone else’s. The odd part though was that it wasn’t just Lorelei who always seemed to know how he felt. He also was uncannily aware of her. Ever since that acknowledging kiss by the waterfall, he could feel her presence. Even when she wasn’t with him, he felt her within him, like a whisper in his heart. Almost involuntarily he threw her a kiss and smiled in her direction, but as he did, the nagging perpetual doubt snuck up on him again and slapped him in the face like a challenge. What was he doing?

Lorelei frowned slightly in reaction to the change of mood, and he reminded himself that he had to be careful. She was a seer after all. He nodded reassuringly over at her, putting the doubt once again aside for the time being. The smile returned back to her face, and she came over to sit down next to him on the blanket decked out with their picnic.

Uh, Lori, said Karl Heinz addressing her from where he sat across from her.

Lorelei’s eyes sparkled with happiness, glad that he had finally decided to join them again. What Karl?

I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot, he told her self-consciously, looking embarrassed.

You’re not an idiot, Karl, she assured him. Corbin and I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I’m not happy that we did.

I know, that’s why I’m sorry, Karl Heinz replied, telling her the same thing he told Corbin earlier. I was being selfish, Lori, he explained, revealing the truth he had finally come to accept over the past few months. He gave a sheepish smile. But I’m over it now, and I’m happy for you, for the both of you. Really I am, he insisted,

Lorelei’s face lit up even more from his apology. Oh, Karl, she said rising from where she had settled herself next to Corbin and walked over to Karl Heinz. She sat down next to him, threw her arm over his shoulder and kissed him sweetly but soundly on the cheek.

Geez, Lori, he said grinning at her. You wait until we break up before you kiss me? That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

The others chuckled, relieved, and Lorelei got up to resettle herself back at Corbin’s side. Glad that the friendships were back to normal, they hungrily dug into the meal Lorelei provided.

So, Karl, asked Rolf swallowing a mouthful of potato salad, What have you been doing all this time while you were off sulking by yourself?

Karl grimaced momentarily. For want of a better weapon, he pulled some pieces of grass from the area next to him and threw them at Rolf. They floated harmlessly in the air between them, landing haphazardly with a benign grace in the middle of the picnic. I wasn’t sulking, he replied with feigned dignity, I was adjusting my thought processes.

They all laughed again.

Maggie dusted off the blades of grass that had fallen on top of the container of cookies Rolf had brought. No really, Karl she insisted unsnapping the plastic lid and doling out the cookies. We missed you. I really want to know. What have you been up to?

Oh, mostly feeling sorry for myself, he replied with a self-deprecating shrug of his shoulders. At least for the first week or so, but since then, I’ve been getting to know Vaclav Holub.

His friends looked up sharply at the mention of the name.

Vaclav Holub was a recently discovered newborn mage, someone who wasn’t born into a magical family and didn’t know he had magical abilities. Karl and the rest of them had uncovered him when they were spying on him because he had been hired to search out Hexenheim by Verrus Salvatore, an especially nasty Inquisitor, whose mission was, as is the mission of all Inquisitors, to destroy magicals. Holub had wanted to turn Karl into supper when Karl was searching his house in rabbit guise.

You know how it is, said Karl Heinz, when someone wants to turn you into rabbit stew, it creates a bond. Besides, I need to keep him under observation to make sure he isn’t eying me as future fricassee.

Corbin laughed along with everyone else. He had become better acquainted with Karl and understood that much of his intensity came from his fervent devotion to the principles behind the establishment of Hexenheim. Karl was almost manic about the need to find newborn magicals so that they wouldn’t become overwhelmed by their unknown abilities. He dedicated himself to help find and fit them into the safe haven that was Hexenheim, a place where they could become comfortable enough with themselves to learn and appreciate the gifted people they were. It was a burden Karl Heinz, who came from an established magical family and had never felt himself at odds with the world because of magic, took upon himself. Corbin suspected that, underneath the joking, Karl’s real purpose in getting to know Holub because Karl felt guilty for misjudging Holub, felt responsible and wanted to make sure that Holub understood that he was accepted and part of the magical community.

As if in confirmation to the thoughts in Corbin’s head, Karl said, I just wanted to show him the ropes around here. You know, make sure he found everything – answer any questions he might have. He was pretty lost, and he’s not the friendliest of fellows. Karl Heinz paused. "After you get to know him, though, he’s an okay person. A little dour, but after what he’s been through, who can blame him? Ever since the magic started to come out when he was fourteen, he thought he was going bonkers, which of course he wasn’t at all. It was his magical talent coming out, and he’s very talented. His talent is sort of like Bear’s. Well, not exactly, but similar."

He can find the magic inside wood like Bear? asked Rolf, as familiar with the talents of Magus Barend van Huysen, known to everyone as Bear, as the rest of the mages in Hexenheim. Bear had the unique talent of being able to see the magic inside wood and bring it out into the open. When Rolf first came to Hexenheim, Bear had presented him with a very handy wooden club that would spring out of a sack and protect Rolf from whatever was threatening him.

Karl Heinz shook his head. Vaclav isn’t a wood mage. He’s a builder. It’s his talent that works like Bear’s. What I mean is that when Bear looks at dead wood, he knows exactly what he should make out of it. Well Vaclav’s the same way with construction. He can look at a building and instinctively know what needs to be done to make it sounder. And new construction? He’s a whiz at it. All he has to do is touch the materials and the house practically builds itself.

Karl Heinz frowned. "It scared him, the poor soul. Magic is a scary thing when you don’t know what it is. Vaclav was afraid to do what he’s naturally good at and wouldn’t go near a construction site because of the strange things that happened when he did. The problem was that building is the only thing he enjoys or is good at doing. Consequently, he couldn’t find a job he either liked or could do well. All he was able to find were these meaningless jobs that paid nothing. He scraped along as best he could. It was really awful for him. No wonder he was so cranky.

Bear is mentoring him. He’s been showing him how to feel the materials and allow them to show him what they mean to become, Karl explained, telling his friends everything that he had learned about the man who was hired by the Inquisitor to find their home. And I’ve been working with him a little too. He grinned at his friends. I think I got some building talent too. It’s not like Vaclav’s. His has more to do with construction, and mine with design. Working with him has helped me a lot. I’ve finally figured out what I want to do next year. Out of the five of them, Karl Heinz at eighteen was the oldest and this was his last year in school with them. I’m going to be going to the Architectural Institute in Prague this fall.

They all congratulated him.

We’ll miss you, said Maggie.

Yeah, I’ll miss you too, said Karl, but Prague isn’t that far away. I’m going to be working with Vaclav on construction before school starts. With all the building going on in Prague right now, he found a job and I’m going to be working there as well, at least I will over the summer, and the three of us, Vaclav, Bear and I, will be going back and forth between here and there almost every day. I’ll be back here all the time while I’m working with him. He and I have become friends. He’s not that much older than I am. He’s only twenty-five, and I want to work with him. I want to help him.

"Is there anything we can do for him, Karl? asked Maggie a little ashamed for not caring more about Holub the way Karl did and feeling uncomfortable about having done nothing after spying on him. I really do want to do something to help him, now that he’s here living with us. She paused flustered. It’s not that I didn’t want to help him before, she explained. It was just that I didn’t think we could do anything. I mean, we’re just kids."

Her friends nodded in embarrassed agreement, and Maggie twisted her mouth in disdain. That’s just an excuse, she stated, admitting the truth to herself. I should have done something or at least have gotten to know him a little, like you did, Karl. She looked down at her hands. I feel a little guilty.

Rolf put his arm around her and kissed her on the side of the forehead. Me too, he whispered.

Actually, there is something you can do, Maggie, Karl answered. There’s something we all can do.

What is it? asked Corbin feeling as uncomfortable as the others because he had been so unsettled by his feelings for Lorelei that he had forgotten all about Holub and how he must have felt being a newfound mage, among strangers, dealing with sensations he had learned to fear.

Well, remember in the letter he got from his sister, she mentioned she had a daughter who had the same nervous problem he did?

They nodded in response. Very often, non-magicals described newborn mages who didn’t know they were magical beings, as suffering from a nervous condition. At least that’s what they said when they were being kind. Most of the times, though, they just called them out and out crazy.

Of course, that’s what we can do, interrupted Maggie as she bent forward so that she could see around Rolf to look over at Lorelei. She’s a new girl in town. Lori and I can go see her and make her feel welcome.

No, you can’t Maggie, said Karl. Wish it were that easy. She never came here.

Holub’s sister wouldn’t let her? asked Rolf

Karl shook his head. That’s not the problem. The problem is that she disappeared.

Disappeared? They all said looking at each other shocked. They were magicals and disappear meant something totally different to magicals. When a newborn mage disappeared, it often meant something really bad.

What do you mean disappeared? asked Corbin unaware of the meaning of the term in magical society. She up and vanished?

Karl Heinz shook his head again. Bad choice of words, he said in response to the implications of his words and the reaction of his friends. She ran away. She’s fourteen now, and when the magic first came out around a year ago, her mother was really worried about her and put her in a special school. According to Holub, Katya – her name’s Katerina Dobra by the way – really hated it. Of course, she hated it, she was magical, and she was in an institution where she was treated as though she had mental problems. Finally, around the same time we found Vaclav, her mother brought her home again. Well, he and Bear went to see his sister so that they could talk to her and convince her to let them bring Katya here. She agreed, but when she told Katya that she was going to go to a school with children just like her, she got scared. She thought she was going to another mental hospital and she ran away.

Oh, the poor thing, said Lorelei. Do they know where she went? Has anybody been looking for her?

Karl Heinz nodded. Yeah, Vaclav’s been looking for her. He asked around to try and find out if anybody knew anything. It was difficult because she didn’t have many friends, but there was this old lady that works at the train station. She remembered Katya because she’s really small, has a nose ring, and dyed her hair pink. Anyway, the old lady said that Katya bought a ticket for Prague.

The kids looked around at each other. The poor little witch was in Prague, fourteen years old, all alone, and probably thinking she was crazy!

Are they looking for her in Prague? asked Maggie.

Karl nodded. Yeah, and that’s how you can help, Mags. That’s how we all can help. Priya Aja is setting up a web.

Rolf, Maggie and Lorelei nodded knowingly, but Corbin, who was the newest arrival in Hexenheim, had no idea what Karl was talking about. What’s a web? he asked.

A web is a magical construct, Rolf filled him in, taking pride in the fact that he knew something that Corbin didn’t, which hardly ever happened. "We call it a web because it acts a lot like a spider’s web. Do you know how