Page 2 of Bewitched

“What can we do for you?” asked Orson, being so fast to want to please her. It disgusted her, and made her want to strike them both down dead just so she wouldn’t have to watch them grovel at her feet again.

“Riggs, I want you to saddle a horse for me. Orson, fetch my travel bag from my chamber with my things. Then, you’ll both escort me on a little trip.”

“A trip?” asked Orson, looking up and scratching his nearly bald head. “We didn’t know you planned on traveling today, my Queen. This is such short notice.”

“I just decided to go. Besides, I don’t need to report my doings to anyone.”

Riggs and Orson exchanged glances.

“Of course not, my lady. But where, if I may ask, are you planning to go?” asked Riggs.

“It’s really none of your concern.” Medea grabbed her cloak from the back of the chair and fastened it around her shoulders. “However, I’ll tell you, just because I don’t care who knows it. I am going to Tavistock Castle.”

“Tavistock.” Orson nodded. “Then you are going to visit your sister, Rapunzel, and her Dragon Lord husband, my lady?”

“Nay. I’m not going to exchange pleasantries with anyone. That is not my purpose at all.” Medea reached up and fixed her hair. “I’m going for an exciting adventure.”

“An adventure?” asked Riggs. “We don’t understand.”

“I’m taking a ride on a dragon, since I never got the one Marco promised me.”

“Oh,” said Orson, seeming very uneasy. After all, Hecuba had shapeshifted into a dragon to secure this castle as her own. Dragons were not something that anyone at Tanglewood welcomed. “So, the Dragon Lord will be accompanying you then, on your ride?”

“Of course not, you fool! I’m going by myself.”

“Yourself?” Riggs shook his head. “I am surprised the Dragon Lord agreed to let anyone else take his dragon.”

“He doesn’t know yet,” she admitted with a cocky smile. “You see, I’m going to steal the dragon and take it for a ride.”

“Y-you can command a dragon?” asked Orson with wide eyes. It was an unusual skill, and could only be obtained by those who were born into it. If one wasn’t a Dragon Lord, the dragon could turn on them.

“Of course I can command a dragon,” she answered, then made a face. Her magic might be powerful, but would it be enough to control a fierce, fire-breathing beast? “I mean, I think I can. After all, how hard can it really be?”

* * *

Medea froze as the dragon turned its head and its beady orange eyes stared a hole through her. The majestic beast filled the entire stable, its head rubbing against the ceiling as it snorted and pawed at the floor. Marco’s dragon was bright red with long, transparent wings folded back. Spikes stuck out from the ends of the wings, looking just as sharp as any blade.

“My, you look a lot bigger than I remember, seeing Marco ride you through the sky,” she mumbled. Once again, the dragon eyed her up, probably wondering if it should scorch her with fire to cook her before it ate her. The thing had the eeriest orange eyes with vertical black slits, reminding her of the eyes of a cat.

Her gaze roamed over its tough, scaly hide all the way from its head down to its long tail covered with sharp spikes. It had large, curved claws, or talons on its feet. She also saw a double row of long, sharp teeth emerging from its mouth. It truly was a terrifying sight. Mayhap she should have thought about this more before she decided to get this close.

On the other side of the enclosure was a second dragon that she knew to be that of Marco’s father. It was blue with red stripes down its wings. It too, snorted and pawed the ground. Anxiety thickened the air. Smoke streamed out of its nostrils. The dragons could feel her presence, her fear, and most likely her intent. By their actions it was obvious they didn’t like her being there.

Medea had briefly encountered the dragons before, but that day was naught but a blur in her mind right now. So much had happened so fast that it made her head spin.

“They looked a lot less threatening up in the sky,” she commented, swallowing hard.

“W-we’ll wait outside, m-my Queen,” said Orson backing away. He dropped her travel bag at her feet. Then, he and Riggs high-tailed it out of the stables.

“Run then, you cowards, I don’t need you!” she shouted. When she turned back to look at the dragon again, she jumped in surprise. The beast threw back its head and opened its mouth, enabling her to see clearly now its double row of sharp teeth. Flames shot out of its nostrils in a steady stream. The stables were constructed from metal instead of wood, and now she realized why. The dragon could burn anything… or anyone to ashes just by breathing on them. “It’s all right,” she spoke to the dragon in a soft voice. “I only want to ride you, not harm you.”

Dragons were very finicky creatures and could pick up emotions and bad intents from people easily. She wondered if they were spooked by the darkness inside her, or just upset to see a stranger here.

Picking up her travel bag, she slipped it over her shoulder and slowly unlatched the gate to the stall, trying not to frighten the beast. The dragon pulled anxiously at the chain around its neck. The chain was fastened to a metal spike in the ground to keep it stationary. It was also forged in magic, so the dragon could not break it and escape.

“You want to fly, I know. I can tell. I want to do that, too,” she spoke to the dragon, her eyes never leaving its piercing stare. “No dragon should be chained up like this. I agree.”

The dragon’s back was high, and there was no way to climb atop it unless the beast bowed down to her the way it did to its Dragon Lord master. That was something she was sure it would never do. So, with a wave of her arm she used her magic to transport herself, ending up sitting atop the back of the dragon before the beast even knew what happened.