Gods and Dark Creatures (Book 3)

CH. 7: Dragomira

It seemed like they had been walking for hours when they finally began to approach the house of the witch they were looking for. Despite the fact that the magic that kept them in that vicious circle seemed to have passed, they still preferred not to take their eyes off the lights of the house.

They approached the small cottage. A layer of moss covered the roof, hanging over its edges. A wisp of smoke wafted from the chimney, melting into the mist. It looked frail like it was about to fall apart at any moment. Dragomira and her father exchanged hesitant glances.

She knocked.

"Next!" came a throaty voice from within.

They slowly opened the door and walked in with uncertain steps. The cottage looked cozy from the inside. It was illuminated by the soft light of the fire burning in the fireplace. A kettle was hanging there, she was cooking something. It was bubbling. As if a witch had emerged from the shadows. Dragomira was startled by the sight. She was an old woman. Hunched over. Her hair was thinning and white as snow. Her face was marked by time. Her big nose was looked like a hook. Her skin was marred by age spots and warts.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to my humble home, Your Majesty." the witch spoke in a hoarse voice. When she smiled she revealed her missing teeth.

"How did you recognize me?" wondered Dragomira.

"I know everything," replied the witch. "And where is your king?"

"If you know everything, then I would expect you to know what happened," said Dragomira. "I guess you know what brought me here. The king is gone. I was hoping you could help me find him."

"Is the king lost?" wondered the witch.

"They kidnapped him," Dragomira corrected her.

"Before anything else is said, I'd like to know if we found the right witch." Dragomira's father interrupted them. "Are you the witch Sidonia?"

"You found me," said the witch with a wicked smile. "However, I wonder what happened to the king."

"He was kidnapped by the Goddess of Chaos, Eris," said Dragomira.

"So she finally got him," said the witch, more to herself than to them.

"What do you mean by finally?" Dragomira didn't understand.

"The Goddess of Chaos is not one of those nice goddesses. She plays twisted games with her victims and always destroys them in the end." the witch explained to her.

"She's playing one with us now," said Dragomira.

"King Cassius has been playing her twisted games for centuries. He just dragged you into them now." the witch corrected her.

"How do you know all this?" she asked her. "Did you know Cassius?"

Dragomira found it suspicious how much she knew. She had no idea if she could trust the witch's words. What if she is the messenger of Eris? What if it's a trap of the Goddess of Chaos?

"Of course I knew King Cassius. He visited me here more than once because of my abilities." replied the witch. "Did you know that the ring you wear on your hand belonged to his mother?" she pointed out to the ring Dragomira kept playing with.

Involuntarily her eyes fell on it. She had no idea if it was good or bad and it was visible in her face.

"He used to come here to talk to her. She's glad he finally got the girl he desired for so long."

"Long time?"

"Haven't you noticed that the king has had his eye on you for over three centuries?"

Dragomira remembered the evening when Cassius had admitted to her that he was the one who had offered her to join the royal guards so that he could have her closer to him. Until now, she thought it was just out of a selfish desire to keep his brother from having her, but maybe he was selfish for a completely different reason.