Page 188 of Castings & Curses

KISS OF THE SCORPIO MOON

N.D. TESTA

CHAPTER1

“Bellatrix,you cannot stay here! You must leave!” cried Jaiyana. “He is coming!”

Foggy mists swirled around the silhouettes of two young royal princesses, cloaking them from danger. The massive castle of Maldinia loomed over them. The stone railing outlined their hiding place, and pillars bore statues of dragons. An eerie silence echoed through the castle chambers, and colors of red, yellow, and orange leaves swirled through the air.

Eighteen-year-old Bellatrix Meadowbrooke stared into her sister’s face, an exact copy of her own. Dark wavy hair fell to their waists, and their slender bodies were adorned in elegant garments. Amber eyes sparkled under thick lashes, and plump lips turned pressed together in worry.

“B-but what about you?” asked Bellatrix looking at her twin. The only difference between the two was the fact Jaiyana limped from a deformity suffered at birth. She used a long staff with intricately woven designs to help her walk. She hid the talisman from her father who often looked at her with disdain.

Jaiyana shook her head. “Father does not care about me! You see my stance. It makes me unsuitable for marriage, unsuitable for motherhood, unsuitable for anything. He simply tolerates me. But you are the one he is concerned about. Now that we are eighteen, he is going to arrange a hideous marriage to horrid Prince Roarke, and your life will be miserable until the day you die.”

Bellatrix looked out into the distant woods. Blood coursed hot through her veins and her heart beat in fury. This was their kingdom; they were the future heirs to the throne. Yet their royal claim was denied them, because their father did not believe a woman was capable of ruling a realm.

Something soft and warm pressed itself against Bellatrix’s leg, weaving in and out around her feet. She looked down to see their cat Jinx maneuvering himself between the two princesses. With trembling hands,she picked up the black feline and cradled him in her arms. Jinx’s eyes glowed yellow like the stars in the sky.

“This is an outrage,” she hissed. “This is our home. We must defend it!”

“How can we?” replied Jaiyana.

Before Bellatrix could reply, the neigh of a horse could be heard in the distance. From the nearby castle, their lady’s maid poked her head out of the upper window casement.

“He is here! If you are going to escape, you had better do it now!”

The princess took a deep breath and let the cool air fill her lungs. She would not become a wife to a man she did not love. Her kingdom would not fall to the hands of a king through an arranged marriage. She placed Jinx into Jayiana’s arms.

“I will come back,” she whispered. After giving her twin a hug, Bellatrix pulled up the hood on her cloak. She raced down the stone steps littered with fallen leaves and into the dark woods that surrounded the castle.

Tall tree limbs filled with stubborn leaves blocked most of the moonlight, casting the forest in darkness. Sharp briars bursting from thorn bushes snagged Bellatrix’s gown as she raced through the underbrush as quickly as her legs would take her. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, and her chest heaved as her lungs fought to take in as much air as possible. Above her head she could hear the owls hooting, never a sign of good fortune, and eerie noises jumped out at every turn.

Goosebumps broke out along her skin, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. The princess had no idea where she was headed. She knew she had to get as far away from the castle of Maldinia as possible.

I should have brought a lantern with me,she chided herself, but she knew a glow of light on a dark night would give her away. Discovery was the last misfortune she needed should her unwanted betrothed find her. Her body threatened to give out from exhaustion, yet she willed herself to continue to run. A sensation ran along her body and bubbled in her stomach. She was unsure of what it was,but it felt as if her soul was trying to tell her something.

A rustle to her right startled Bellatrix. She jumped to the side and her foot caught in an exposed tree root. She fell, hit her head on a boulder, and lay still.

* * *

One year later...

Lightfrom the open window fell across Bellatrix’s closed lids. Fluttering her long lashes, she opened her eyes at the sound of the bedroom door creaking. Sitting up, she turned to see Iris enter her room.

“Good morning, my dear. Did you have a good night’s sleep?” Iris was a short elderly woman with thick white hair that fell in cascades to her waist.

Bellatrix shook her head. “No.” For the past three weeks the same dream has plagued her soul. In her nightmare, she was running through the woods. Something was chasing her, but she could not see anything. She also had this feeling that a part of herself was missing, and she needed to find it, but she did not know what it was that she had lost.

“It could be your memory starting to awaken,” observed the kind woman. “The village healer said that your mind would return when it was ready.”

Bellatrix sighed. It had almost been a year since Iris had found her in the woods. The white-haired woman had been out picking berries when she found the young maiden lying on the ground with a wound to her head. Iris went for help and got the huntsman to carry Bellatrix back to her cottage. Unconscious when she was taken in by the good-hearted woman, the young maiden woke in a strange house with no recollection of her past. The only evidence she could remember was her name: Bellatrix; everything else was forgotten. She had no memory of who she was nor why she was in the woods. Upon examining her, the village healer told her that the head injury had caused a form of forgetfulness. When her mind had fully recovered, her memory would return. Yet here she was, a year later, with her identity still forgotten.

“No need to feel distressed. Remembrance shall come when it is ready. I told you that you are welcome to stay here as long as it takes for your thoughts to return. I enjoy the company of one so young. As a pretty maiden, you possess an intelligence that speaks of costly tutors and a well-stocked library. You are no ordinary young lady. When the time comes for you to remember who you truly are, there will be repercussions throughout the realm. Now it is time for us to make the jams.” Iris closed the door behind her.

Bellatrix got up and changed into her plain brown dress and apron. Iris lived in a small cottage on the outskirts of Maldinia near the forest. Her gentle benefactor concocted delicious recipes from ancient sources that turned wild berries into luscious, magical jams. Iris sold her unique delectables for a good price at the market in town. They brought happiness and good health to those who consumed the savory flavors of such fantastic fruits. For it is always in the fruits that the magic appears.

Moving the objects on the table, the young maiden looked for her hairbrush that had gone missing.

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