A Witch's Word

THE SEARCH

Cadmus had been unreasonably busy of late, and his best intentions to familiarise himself with his wife had fallen further down his list of priorities. Tearing at the loaf placed before him, he dipped it into the rich yolk of the eggs that he was pretty sure would be the best part of his day. His father had stormed into his bedroom that morning in a fury, knocking the books from his bedside table in unreasonable yet not unprecedented fury.

“We are launching another search! If I must turn over every realm of this universe and the next, I will not be disappointed again. Your sister will be found! Have you no shame? To sleep peacefully, while Kaiza is lost to us. Take your men, and our dragons and look for her. Be useful!” The door had slammed with such force it seemed to Cadmus that his entire bedroom had shivered.

It was a futile endeavour that risked inter-realm peace and was a reminder of everything Emperor Nokon had done to his allies when his daughter was first taken. It would be a long day for the prince, and a hopeless one too. For as long as Cadmus could fly, he always kept his sister in his heart. If love alone could find her, she would have been home and safe years ago.

Muttering from the end of the banquet hall erupted so abruptly that Cadmus was distracted from his hearty breakfast, then forgot about it just as quickly when the morning’s distraction arrived in the form of his wife. Dressed in laced-up knee-high boots that were pulled over her skin-tight leather trousers, red blouse, and the necklace she always wore that had been gifted by her sister, she strutted into the hall seemingly oblivious of the effect she was causing. Despite the strange substitution from her usual full-length dresses, she sat next to her husband and poured the milk of arubea into her goblet whilst picking for the ripest fruits available, taking far more than she usually ate in the morning.

“Big plans today?” Cadmus asked her, torn between amusement and desire.

“Yes. I’m planning to ask if Dex will take me to the riverside. There are some herbs I will need. My stock has depleted since I have been confined to the palace and town.”

Stunned by her answer, he returned to his eggs, slavering his bread in the yolk once more. Cadmus had never known Dex agree to fly anyone except his bonded rider, until the day in the meadow when he met Edith for the first time. It had never occurred to him that it could be a frequent event. However, if Dex was willing, there was nothing to stop his wife flying off with his dragon.

“Actually, Dex and I have been ordered to launch another search for my sister today. My father is expecting me to go once I’ve eaten. It will be a comprehensive examination of all the realms.”

“I remember them well,” Edith replied with a hint of judgment. “It always amazed me that such pointless lengths would be taken rather than asking your allies to conduct a location spell. Of course, it must be hard to ask for a favour after the matriarch of the coven community is killed during one such search.” Edith smiled as she delivered her shooting summative point.

Cadmus heard the offer beneath the hurt. Tempted as he was, his father would still expect his son to conduct the search for information, delve for a forgotten memory, locate an invisible enemy that hadn’t been found in twenty years. Signalling to his general, Reid crammed the last of his sandwich into his mouth before rushing over.

“Reid, I wish to pursue another avenue of investigation. Will you lead the search as usual? Tell anyone who asks that I am searching the mountain range and caves for any signs.”

Quickly understanding the subtext of his commander’s, and friend’s, orders, Reid bowed low to his prince and then before he left, he gave the same respect to Princess Edith. It wasn’t the first time that the commander had done so, but he knew his friend well enough to know when the tide was changing, and he could feel his own respect for Edith growing. It was a gesture that was followed by the rest of the riding force that left to begin the ruthless search based on a King’s whim.

Hand in hand, the newly wedded couple went to Dex’s nest. He was gnashing his jaws at the younger hatchlings who were yet to know the dangers of challenging the hierarchy. Surprisingly, Dex considered Edith for a moment, as if contemplating if he would acknowledge her. Beneath his skin, Cadmus felt the prickle of disappointment and betrayal, but it was second-hand, like ill-fitting clothes. Dex was unhappy with Edith, and it wasn’t the first time that day that Cadmus had wondered about the relationship between his wife and bonded dragon.

Edith felt the push against her mind, as Dex requested entry. She knew that dragons could force the issue if they wanted to, but that didn’t stop her erecting the strongest mind-shield she could. There were too many secrets she was keeping. Compartmentalising her mind, she allowed Dex’s voice to fill her head, waiting for her chastisement.

“You have forgotten about me witch. You have not kept your word!”

“You are right. I made a promise in desperation, not realising the complexities of the task, but I promise I will find you a mate. My word is as good now as it was the day I made it.” She answered, honestly.

“We shall see.”

Reluctantly, Dex lowered his body. Cadmus stood behind her, guiding her climb. Dex’s breathing sounded like the echo of a deep well, as he inhaled before leaning back and setting forth into the thick clouds. His leathery wings stretched across her view, and Edith could see the global muscles in his back pumping against the resistance of the wind.

In the peace, Edith continued to itemise the list of herbs she would need for her plans. Somewhere between lucidity and lethargy, an image from her grimoire had found its way to the front of her memory. Queen Loma’s seclusion wasn’t because she was unwanted or unloved, but rather because she found herself in the darkness of despair, and inescapable prison that she was unable to wrestle freedom from. The witch’s potion was not a cure for such confinement, but it was a balm that would let a little light be seen. Hopefully, enough so that the queen could follow it back to reality, as brutal as reality was.

“Will this location spell find my sister?” Cadmus asked hesitantly.

“It will depend if there is magic surrounding her and how strong that magic is will determine her success. It should rule out a few places. It is a shame your father didn’t accept our offer years ago,” she answered confidently, whilst adding buttercups to her mental list so that she could do the spell she had promised.

Discomfort was hovering in the shadows of her words. Cadmus had never known that his father had refused the help of the witches. He had always been adamant that he had tried everything, yet it seemed that wasn’t the truth: he had tried everything except for diplomacy.

Splashes from the river’s current alerted Edith to their destination. Rich with nature, she was confident that she would find what she needed here, and a few other necessities.

“Where are we?” She asked, amazed by nature’s splendour.

“We are on the boarder between ours and Barrett’s Kingdom.”

“You mean Madoc’s family’s kingdom before they were cheated out of it?” She rebuffed.

Remarkably, Cadmus nodded.

Acknowledging their first agreement on realm politics, Edith began to pluck the resources she needed from the ground, thanking the earth for each one and promising to replenish the land. Cadmus and Dex languished in the shallows of the river, and the stretching claws proved it was a rare treat for the mighty dragon. Once Edith’s basket was bulging with ingredients, she kicked off her shoes and followed her husband into the water.

“My sister and I would swim in a lake at home every Friday. We said it washed away the worst of the week and purified the best of it. It’s beautiful here!”

Cadmus agreed but thought the moment was so fragile that he didn’t want to obliterate it with words. Instead, he took her hand and held it in his own as if it were a glass casing to frame a beautiful day. Despite his assumptions, she didn’t pull away, but rather held onto him tighter, as if she knew how vulnerable he felt by defying his father and trusting his wife.

Threatening growls interrupted the solemnity of their peace. Snarling by the riverbank, three muscle-bound Lycans flexed at Dex, their knife-like claws poised for battle. Cadmus, guided Edith behind Dex’s leg and approached the angry scouts. Despite the significant size differences between man and beasts, the prince seemed impervious to their menacing presence, simply waiting patiently for one of them to shift. Having only ever read about a lycan shifter’s transformation, it was with a healthy fascination that Edith watched the bones of the middle aggressor crack and pop into a misshapen figure, condensing his structure, before reforming as a naked, blond, blue-eyed man.

“You did not seek permission, dragon rider, to step upon our territory!” the shifter accused them.

Pointing to the river bend, Cadmus didn’t speak immediately, instead he raised his eyebrow in the condescending manner that Edith was all too familiar with.

“I know you are new to the demarcation of land boundaries given you have recently confiscated this land from the werewolves, but you are trespassing on Novtexo land. Your boundary is at the river bend which you have clearly crossed. I will be informing my father, King Nokon, of your struggle to keep your paws off things that do not belong to you.”

Emphasising his rider’s words, Dex spat a fireball over the heads of the suitably chastised guards. The heat was so intense that the river bubbled just ahead of Edith’s position. Having nothing to reply to, but seeming a little apprehensive, the man returned to his brute size and the three raced back into the woods.

Although he hadn’t consciously been aware of his nerves, Cadmus raced to Edith and pulled her into his arms, shielding her from the potential dangers that had since passed. Placing a gentle kiss upon her forehead, he was amazed at his relief that the situation hadn’t placed her in harm’s way.

“I wish to come to you this evening, Princess. Will you allow me?” Cadmus asked, coyly.

“What do you seek, Prince? To know your wife or to please your father? All I know about you has been acquired through observation. You have shared nothing with me other than the life cycle of dragons and riders, yet you wish me to share my body with you? If you come to share my bed it will be as a stranger, but if you wish to share my life, come as yourself and expect nothing.”

Squeezing his hand and acknowledging how torn he must be, she climbed upon Dex’s back and waited for Cadmus’ comforting hand on her waist to brace her for the flight, and perhaps to brace her for the life they were to share.

She had waited for him that night, but Cadmus never came to her.