Page 198 of Castings & Curses

Rocks and pine needles covered the uphill path, making the going difficult for the twins. Jinx had a right to complain. It was a slow walk. Bellatrix noticed that her sister’s limp was becoming more prominent, and she leaned heavily on her staff.

“My breath is heavy and my limbs feel overwhelmed. I need to rest a moment,” she declared and motioned to a nearby log for them to sit on.

“Ugh! This stupid leg,” groaned Jaiyana as she plopped down on the timber. “How I wish I could be like you where you walk with no pain.”

Unsure of what to say, Bellatrix touched her sister’s shoulder. “If I could trade places with you, I would.”

“You do not want this. It is not fun to feel unworthy and utterly lacking in value for others.”

“You are enough for me, Sister,” replied Bellatrix with a kind smile, “and it appears that you are enough for Grün, too.”

Jaiyana poked her head up. “What is this foolishness you speak of?”

“Oh, please, Sister, do not act all innocent, I can see the way Grün looks at you and how you return that gaze.”

“Your inability to speak the language of love is confusing your judgement. Besides, we have more important matters. We are in the midst of trying to break a curse. Then we still have to solve the problem of our destiny as monarchs of our realm. How could father do this to us?” hissed Jaiyana. “We are his only heirs! We are his children!”

“I do not know, Sister, but right now we need to focus on getting the crystals,” replied Bellatrix. She paused. Her powers spoke to her of the location of the cave. “We are close. It is not much farther. And if you and Grün ever want a chance at love, we will have to hurry.”

Jaiyana gave her sister a playful shove, laughed lightly, and picked up her staff.

They rounded a corner and the path ended at a large cave in the side of the mountain. Bellatrix’s instincts had been correct. They had been closer to the cave than they realized. The princess grabbed her sister’s hand as she looked at the wide opening descending into darkness.

“Butterflies and bat wings! We are here at last!” observed Jinx. “My dear princesses, I present to you the Cave of Aldenshine, a place of mystery and mythological lore. You must be forewarned, however. Deep within the cave lies a ferocious dragon who is as big as the palace, with tremendous scaly wings and a fire-breathing mouth. Its mission is to guard the precious crystals. These are the Crystals of Past, Present, and Future. When combined together with magic, they allow the owner to reverse spells and alter Fate.”

“So we can just use our powers to get the Crystals from the dragon,” replied Bellatrix.

Jinx frowned at the princess, “You think if it was that easy more people would have taken possession of such a fabulous prize by now. But the dragon is a weaver of various charms. His own powers will be pitted against yours. And he has never lost a battle.”

“We can do this,” the maiden nodded to Jaiyana. “We are stronger together.”

Entering the cave with caution, the trio observed the walls of the barren cavern as they shimmered in an icy display of greens and blues. Light filtered in from the openings at the top of the cave, and stacilites hung down from the ceiling. But it was the quiet atmosphere that Bellatrix feared most. Anticipation that anything could jump out at them at any moment made her resolve weak and her anxiety strong.

As they trekked deeper into the darkness, a muffled noise filled their ears. The closer they came to the center of the cavern, the louder the noise echoed against the walls. Bellatrix thought it sounded like snoring. Her assumption became true as they rounded the corner to find a large sleeping dragon in the middle of a treasure trove of gems and jewels.

Awe gripped the princesses and their cat as they stood in silence observing the giant beast that lay before them. The creature had red and gold scales that glittered as its chest rose and fell. Its immense wings were folded against its back. Spikes protruded out its neck and down its tail. Behind the dragon in a circular niche was a small mountain of treasure. Heaps of gold, jewels, and other trinkets lay in piles.

Bellatrix’s eyes widened. “Dragons have always been known to be protective of their treasures,” whispered Jaiyana, “but I do not see what it is we are looking for.”

“I believe it is there,” offered Jinx.

In the middle of the niche was a large stone. On top of the stone, floating in a yellow glow of circular light, were three fabulous crystals. One crystal was red, another was black and white, and the last one was gray. Each was about the size of a child’s fist.

“Princesses, see if you can get near the crystals. Use your powers to sense if there are any protection enchantments surrounding them. I will make sure the dragon stays asleep.” With rapid steps and his tail held high, Jinx jumped onto the dragon’s leg, then its back, and then patted his way up the neck to the beast’s ear. Drifting into a sweet lullaby that Bellatrix remembered her own mother singing to them when they were small, Jinx whispered the melody in gentle notes. Succumbing to the magic of the music emanating from the cat, the monster’s tail swished back and forth in child-like comfort.

Breaking herself out of the nostalgia, Bellatrix motioned for her sister to follow. They crept over the dragon’s legs and headed towards the glowing light that highlighted the jewels. The twins admired the gorgeous gems that lay scattered over the floor, the bars of gold stacked in a pyramid formation, and the various chests which housed secrets. Peeling her eyes away from the display, Bellatrix focused on the three crystals that floated before them. Looking deep into herself, the princess sent out feelers for any magical hexes that could be protecting the crystals. She felt something but was not sure what it was.

“These diademas are guarded by powerful protections,” chimed Jaiyana who had performed the same examination as her sister. “We will have to break down the enchantments to see if the yellow orb will release the stones. Even then, it is not certain if we will be able to walk away unscathed.”

Bellatrix turned to her sister, “We have to try. We have nothing to lose. Everything has already been taken from us.”

Jaiyana nodded and placed her hands forward. Bellatrix put her palms on top. As their fingers interlocked, they closed their eyes, and magic began to flow between their outstretched arms. The power of sisterhood and royalty circled around them as purple sparkles of light floated within spirals that flooded the space with their beautiful amethyst glow. The purple streaks raced over to the yellow cloud that housed the crystals. Colors combined with purple as the spells began to battle with each other. In their minds, the girls focused on breaking down the barriers of guardianship that kept the crystals captive. Merging together until they became a shade of brown, the glittering relics flashed a brilliant hue of violet, and all the yellow was gone. Tints of purple vanished and the crystals floated downward and rested on top of the stone.

“We did it!” cried Jaiyana, and she flashed a glance at Jinx who was still singing to the dragon.

Bellatrix reached forward and picked up the red crystal. No sooner had her fingers touched the blood- color stone when a high-pitched sound echoed off of the wall. The gem turned a dark shade of ruby, and the princess felt as if she had touched fire. She dropped the crystal back onto the boulder and withdrew her hand. The vibrations drowned out Jinx’s melody, and the dragon snorted. Steam billowed out of its nostrils. Its lids began to retract backwards, and the creature raised its head. With a loud meow, Jinx jumped off the dragon’s back and scurried to safety in the shadows.

Jaiyana clutched Bellatrix’s arm as the dragon’s pupils took in the two witch princesses who were trying to take what was rightfully his. With a large breath, he shot a spray of flames in their direction. Bellatrix pushed Jaiyana out of the way as a flash of heat blazed overhead and melted the top of the wall. Molten rock began to drip down in red rivers.

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