N M Lombardi

The True Heart and Other Tales N M Lombardi

The Blacksmith
A man is born who cannot speak the truth, and decides to seek his fortune as a blacksmith. But what will he do when the only words he can speak to the woman he loves will end up breaking her heart?

Many Lives
A childless farmer and his wife seek the assistance of a witch to grant them their greatest wish, and in the bargain she transforms a tiny barn kitten into a human child. But, as with all deals with the arcane, this one comes at a cost: the girl must receive a kiss from a true love by her 16th birthday or return to her original form forever.

It seems simple enough, until the girl's true love refuses her his kiss.

The Painted Bride
Mina was born with skin like patchwork, a two-toned girl with painted flesh that made her an outcast. Betrothed to Henrik, a boy with legs too weak to walk, the two children planned to stage a future for themselves built on love and tolerance.

With the passage of time, however, Henrik finds that he no longer needs crutches to walk. Now Mina must ally herself with a man of artistic talents and questionable morals to convince him he still needs her.

The True Heart
A kingdom stands at war with its own people, kept at heel under the reign of a cruel king with a seemingly unstoppable weapon: a heartless, murderous knight. Within the king's castle, however, a quiet resistance is gathering strength.

A simple scullery maid finally gets the opportunity to kill the knight once and for all, but discovers by accident that his heart isn't missing. It's been replaced.

Now she must find the literal key to unlock his heart, battling time and a power-hungry castellan for the fate of a man who no longer believes he's worth saving.