Page 16 of Bewitched

“I don’t remember asking for your permission,” she told him, not used to taking orders from anyone besides her mother. “Besides, I won’t need to hike the mountains. I can transport there in the snap of my fingers,” she explained. “Rap can do it, too.”

“You can?” asked Darium. “That’s impressive.”

“Medea, the rest of them might not be able to do what we can,” Rapunzel told her. “We have no idea how to catch the dragon and we’ll need them to be with us. We’re in a strange land. We need their help.”

“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and letting out a frustrated sigh. “I just thought it would be faster if I did this alone.”

“Darium, are you joining us?” asked Rhys.

“I’d rather stay here with my new wife. Go on without me,” said Darium, putting his arm around Talia.

“Darium, I’m a fae,” Talia reminded him. “They might need me. The pyramids and caves are just outside the Whispering Dale. You know that no one but the fae can stay there. This trip is going to take several days, so mayhap I can talk them into taking in a few guests.”

“I’ll go and do that,” offered Alaina. “My powers of the air might be needed. Darium, you and Talia stay here and enjoy the rest of your honeymoon. Alone.”

“Fine, then. We’ll head out first thing in the morning,” said Rhys, sitting down on Darium’s bed, stretching and yawning.

“Wait a minute,” said Darium. “You’re not all staying here. Not tonight.”

“If we’re going to get an early start, we’ll have to,” said Zann. “I can sleep on any chair.” He sat down on a padded chair that had a tall back, putting his feet up on a stool, placing his hands behind his head.

“Girls, you can share one bedroom, and I’ll stay in the other with Talia,” said Rhys’ mother. “The men and Elric can stay out here.”

“Me?” Elric’s eyes opened wide. “I’m not staying here with the Sin Eater.”

“I still don’t understand what a Sin Eater is,” remarked Medea.

“Don’t worry about it.” Darium plopped down on the other side of the large bed, falling to his back. He turned away from his brother and buried his face in the pillow. “This has got to be the worst honeymoon ever,” he muttered.

“I’ll be leaving then,” said Elric, getting ready to run out the door.

“Mage, you’ll be back here in the morning, or you’ll deal with me,” warned Darium. “And don’t think that I’m not capable of taking back every lock of hair we’ve ever given you.”

“You’ve given him hair before?” asked Medea, thinking how odd this was. Perhaps this whole land was full of strange customs.

“I’m a sage, I told you, not a mage,” Elric told Darium, his hand patting his pocket with the braids of hair. “I’ll sleep outside. I’m headed back to my home in Glint in the morning, so I’ll let you all travel with me.” Once again, in a blur, he was out the door.

“Rap,” said Medea, pulling her sister over to the side, speaking softly.

“What is it?” asked Rapunzel with a yawn. It was getting late and they were all tired.

“I don’t want the elemental and the elf coming with us.”

“Why not?” she whispered back. “They seem nice enough, and they have powers. They might be able to help us.”

“I don’t feel as if they like me.” Medea never knew when her darkness would overtake her. Having others around only seemed to trigger it more often. Having people around her who didn’t like her was only going to make it worse. She would be defensive and lash out at anything they said about her that wasn’t kind.

“You’re just imagining things. After a good night’s rest, things will look better in the morning. Now, let’s get some sleep.”

“Mayhap you’re right,” said Medea, following her sister to the bedroom, feeling very tired. She looked back at Rhys lying on the bed. Her eyes roamed down his opened tunic that was still shredded from his bout with the dragon, as well as with herself. His chest was visible. It looked strong and sturdy, and she wondered what it would feel like if she touched it.

“The room is this way.” Alaina stepped in front of her to block her view of her son.

“Thank you,” said Medea, trying to shake the thoughts of Rhys from her head before the man’s mother read her mind again. After all, from the way the woman was acting, Medea was sure that is what she was doing.

Medea headed to the bedroom, knowing this trip was going to be nothing but trouble. She could feel it deep in her bones. Back home, the only magical people she really knew were the members of her own family. She didn’t feel threatened by it there. Here in Mura, almost everyone so far seemed to have magic. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. To make matters worse, tomorrow they were traveling to the other side of the mountains where all the magical beings lived. Why, she wondered, did that make her feel so uneasy? She had her powers, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Still, she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Five