Page 63 of Bewitched

“Really? She looks like me?” Rhys’ head snapped toward her and his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Aye. She has a full head of oaken hair, just the color of yours,” reported Rapunzel.

“If the baby looks like Rhys, then it’s ugly,” said Zann, shoveling food into his mouth, no longer caring that he was eating fae food that was naught but seeds and roots.

“This is the first girl born to a Blackseed in a long time,” commented Darium, taking another helping of food for himself. “Rhys, I think you might just have broken the Blackseed curse.”

“Broken the curse?” asked Rhys. “Nay, not at all. I think I just created a new one.” He started feeling upset again. “How could this have happened?”

“It’s called lust,” came a wiry little voice from the door. Elric walked in, leaving the door wide open. “You big oaf, what’s the matter with you?” The elf walked over and slapped Rhys on the leg, not being able to reach much higher since he was so short. “You just sired a child of darkness. That baby will be evil, just like its mother and her mother before her. It’ll be darker than The Dark Abyss, I tell you.”

“Nay! Don’t say that.” Rhys kicked at the elf, but the little man sped away in a blur, appearing at the table now. “Why are you here? No one invited you, elf.”

“No one had to invite me.” Elric giggled. “I am a sage. I go where I want and do what I please.”

Darium was about to take a bite out of a hunk of bread, but Elric ripped it out of his hand, chowed it down in the blink of an eye, and sped around the other side of the table to stand next to Zann.

“Stop that,” growled Darium. “I don’t like you taking my food.”

“You don’t need it.”

“Yes, I do.”

Elric made a face. “Oh, that’s right. Now that you don’t do much sin-eating anymore, you’re probably hungry all the time.”

“Elric, what is it you want?” asked Rhys. “Because, if there is no real reason for you being here, then please leave.”

“Leave? Nope, can’t do that.” Elric shook his head furiously. He was still wearing the stupid jester hat he’d worn when he was the court fool at Macada Castle, even though his clothes were now all green. The little bells on the hat jangled. “I’m here on a mission, to give you a message from the gods.” He snatched the wine goblet away from Zann, sucked down the liquid with a big slurp, and put the goblet back in his hand before anyone even realized what happened.

“Can someone please make him leave?” complained Zann, staring into the empty goblet. “I’m starting to see why Darium doesn’t like him.”

“Oh, shut up, you fool.” Elric picked up a cloth napkin and snapped it at Zann in a whipping motion, as if he were riding a horse and trying to make it go faster. Zann jerked backward to avoid being stung.

“Do that again, and I swear you’ll be sorry,” warned Zann. “I’ll shift into a wolf, hunt you down, and eat you as an appetizer, since I never seem to get much meat in a meal anymore.”

“Oh, Zann, watch that temper.” The elf made a tsking sound with his mouth. “If not, you’re going to turn evil, just like the witch girl.”

“Her name is Medea,” said Rhys through gritted teeth. “And she is not evil.”

“Hmph. If only that were true.” The elf eyed up a piece of cheese in Rapunzel’s hand next.

“Tell us your message, and then leave,” Rhys commanded.

“Okay, okay, calm down, man.” Elric’s eyes remained on the cheese. Rapunzel handed it to him. He nibbled it quickly like a rabbit, and then licked the crumbs from each of his fingers when he finished.

“Elric, if you’d like, I can set you a place at the table,” offered Talia, in a kind gesture that the elf didn’t deserve.

“No thanks,” said Elric, licking his lips and burping. “I’m not really hungry. But now that you mention it, what’s for dessert?” He stretched his neck looking over to the kitchen.

“Pie,” Talia answered.

“The message, Elric,” Rhys ground out, before the elf could even respond to the pie comment.

“Oh, yes. The message. It seems the gods wanted me to remind you, Rhys, that Medea was a very bad girl when she visited their temples.”

“If you mean because she didn’t leave an offering at the pyramids, and that she stole the crystal key, then I already know about it.”

“And the ring. Don’t forget she also tried to take back your ring,” the elf reminded him.