Page 25 of Bewitched

“Brother, this is a tough one, and I don’t envy your position,” said Darium.

“It is a dream come true to be a king’s heir,” Zann told him. “Rhys, you might be a fool to turn it down.”

“At the expense of two innocent lives?” Darium scowled at his brother. “How can you even say that?”

“Aye. You’re right.” Zann shrugged and looked the other way. “So, Rhys, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

“And I thought I was the one who was damned when I almost ended up trapped in the Land of the Dead forever,” mumbled Darium.

“Let’s go.” Rhys turned his horse and continued riding for the mountains.

“Wait. Are you going through with this or not?” asked Zann from behind him.

“I have a job to do,” Rhys told them without even looking over his shoulder. “The first thing I need to concern myself with is catching that dragon before it destroys all of Mura.”

“What’s the second thing?” asked Zann.

“Aye. What about the girls? Are you going to kill them as ordered?” Darium wanted an answer.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Rhys, feeling like screaming out loud. “I guess I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“I think I’d better come along on this little journey of chasing a dragon after all,” said Darium.

“What about your honeymoon and spending time alone with Talia?” asked Zann.

“How in the name of Zoroct can I relax and enjoy myself when I know my little brother might make a choice that he’ll regret for the rest of his life?”

Rhys wondered if Darium meant the choice to listen to the King, or the choice to ignore him. Either way, it didn’t matter. He already regretted any decision he was about to make.

* * *

Medea materialized with her sister, right in front of a grouping of caves that were layered one on top of each other and spread out across the coastline. The waves of the sea washed into the bottom caves, then receded and slipped back out again.

“Well, I’m not sure this is where we’re supposed to be, but at least I see caves,” said Medea with a satisfied nod.

“I wonder how long it will take the men to join us?” Rapunzel looked around and then sat down on a large, flat rock in the sun.

“I’m sure it’ll be a while. After all, they’re on horses and need to cross the mountains,” Medea told her. “Oh well. Mayhap I’ll cool off my feet in the water while I wait.” She sat down on a rock and removed her shoes.

“Medea, you have been very bad by stealing Marco’s dragon.” Rapunzel lay back on the flat rock with her eyes closed, sunning herself.

Medea didn’t like her sister scolding her the way she always seemed to do. It only stoked the fires of her anger. “Well, if Marco would have kept his promise and given me a ride on the dragon, I wouldn’t have had to steal the damned thing!” She got up and sloshed through the water.

“It seems as if your darkness is taking over again, Medea. You need to control it, or you’ll end up just like Hecuba.”

“Nay! I won’t!” Medea’s anger grew so fast that any thought other than revenge was masked in her mind. She spun around, using her dark magic to blast Rapunzel, sending her flying through the air.

Rapunzel was used to this, and prepared to defend herself. When she hit the air, she was able to levitate, using her own powers to send a wave crashing over Medea, knocking her to the ground.

“Stop it!” cried Medea. “You are always so rude with the way you speak and treat me.”

“Mayhap you’re forgetting all the horrible things you have done to me in the past, Sister,” answered Rapunzel. “I could never be as mean or as rude as you have been to me.”

“That was before. I’ve changed since then.” Medea made a limb of a tree shake, and the branch came crashing down, nearly landing atop her sister. Rapunzel was able to stop it, and send it sailing right back at Medea. Medea blasted it with her powers causing the thing to splinter and shatter into a million pieces, raining down around them.

“Have you really? I don’t see it,” said Rapunzel. “You’re just as mean as you used to be when Hecuba was alive.”

“I am not, and stop saying that or you will be sorry.” Medea could feel her eyes turning black. It was as if a dark shadow snaked up through her body taking control and she didn’t know how to stop it.