I pointed the tip of my dagger at the Hykah’s chest, still subtly rising and falling as it expelled the last of its breath. “See. The muscles are still contracting, and I have a theory of my own to test.”
Crunching noises filled the courtyard as I cut through layers of muscle and cartilage, forcing my hands inside and tearing apart the Hykah’s flesh so I could see what resided in its chest cavity.
A heart, black and still subtly beating, laid within the four walls of the creature.
“How is its heart still beating?” Sawyer asked.
“I literally just told you,” I enunciated with a hint of attitude.
“No. You said itsmuscleswere still contracting,” he corrected.
Painfully slowly, my head turned over my shoulder. “Sawyer Sinclair. Are you telling me you did not know that the heart is a muscle?” I was dumbfounded.
He granted me a sheepish grin as a reply.
With a shake of my head, I turned back to the organ and I stabbed my dagger into its center. The heart ceased to pump, proving my hypothesis. “It can be killed if we stab it in the heart,” I said simply in response to my observation as I yanked my blade free.
“How do you know?” Sebastian gagged, forcing himself to crouch down and take a look.
“Didn’t you guys take beastly anatomy in primary school?” I interrogated, looking up at the two men who shrugged.
“I never paid much attention if it didn’t involve reading or battle,” Sebastian replied.
“I didn’t pay attention at all,” Sawyer added.
Looking back at the Hykah, I gently prodded its static heart with the tip of my finger.
“Oh for the love of fuck, Maeve! Don’t touch it,” Sebastian practically squealed.
My eyes rolled into my skull. “Seeing as you both clearly forgot, any living thing that has a heart can be killed if the muscle is stopped. I wasn’t sure if something without a soul evenneeded a heart to survive, but I guess so. Anyways, if the Hykah didn’t have a heart, then I would put more faith in thepower of the gods theory, but this seems to be our lucky day.” I guess the starlight was a bit much looking back, but better safe than sorry.
“So Kohen’s god theory was way off,” Sebastian stated, relief coating his tongue.
“Well, not entirely,” I countered, breathing out as I pushed to a stand. “Sure, theycanbe killed by stopping the heart, but good luck getting close enough to one to do that.” In all honesty, I was so relieved that this was even an option as it took a small amount of pressure off of me, but it didn’t solve the problem.
“Soooo, he was right?” Sawyer asked to clarify.
“Yes and no. If you can get close enough to stab it in the heart, then you can kill it. However, chances that you can get close enough to kill it that way are next to none by the looks of the thing,” I began. “Magic would give you the best odds, so Kohen was right in a sense. Kill it with a god. Kill it with godly power. Same difference.”
“It must have a brain then?” Sebastian asked. “I’d imagine it would be the same kind of deal. Right?”
I nodded, but there was no way to confirm. If it had a brain, it was burned to ash.
Sebastian and I turned to Sawyer as he shouted with his arms in the air, “I’m so fucking scared and confused right now! Explain this to me like I’m five.Please.”
“Stabbed in the heart? Dead. Stabbed in the brain. Dead. Easier and more reliable way is to use your magic,” I stated.
“Thank you,” Sawyer spat out with a bite.
“I guess they are more mortal than we thought,” Sebastian lamented, his surprise evident.
“It’s kind of sad the more I think about it,” Sawyer added, dropping back to sit and stare at the thing. “This was someone just like us at one point.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Why do you guys think I want to do everything in my power to stop Beaumont? This,” I pointed to the Hykah, “isn’t fair. And I don’t want to become one of them. I’m sure you two don’t, either.”
Neither of them answered.
“Ready to hear my ideas yet?”
