Bewiched

Chapter 23: Owen

Well, I wasn't. Asha said. Get off my back, okay?

Asha, Daphne, and Aris walked through the town, looking through the different stores.

“That's pretty,” Asha said, looking at a necklace in a shop. They all stopped to look at it. The beads were made of differently shaped blue stones, and in the middle, there was a white dragon scale.

“We didn't kill a dragon to make it.” the salesman told them. “No, we would never do that. My wife found it strolling through the countryside. Dragon scales fall out all the time.” He added as Sylvia sniffed the scale.

“How much is it?” Asha asked.

“12 gold coins. They don't come around often.”

“Oh.” Asha's face fell. That was a lot of money. “Well, we'd better be going, then. We have errands to do.”

“Well, be safe!” The salesman whispered to them. “I heard that the Dark Nights will capture you if you are out in the streets and don't bow to them when they pass by.”

“We'll keep that in mind,” Asha promised the man.

That's how they control the villagers, She added to Sylvia. They cause fear and take advantage of it, punishing people for no reason, starting rumors.

Right, Sylvia said, nodding toward her. Hey, she said, I'm going to go back to the hotel now, there's something I've got to do.

Okay, Asha told her, and she flew off.

“You know, we should probably get food and supplies here, in case we need to camp out somewhere when we leave. What do you think, Asha?” Daphne said, pulling Asha away from her thoughts.

“Oh, yeah,” Asha told her.

“I think we should be leaving soon,” Daphne said as they headed back to the hotel with their supplies. “There's not really much we can do here anymore. It's not like we'll get rid of the Dark Nights here, I mean, they'll just send reinforcements. We have to continue our mission and help Asha learn all the different magic.”

“Well said,” Aris clapped her on the back and she stumbled.

“But what about these people?” Asha protested. “We can't just leave them.”

“We have to,” Daphne said. “I confess that I don't like it much myself, but if you can learn all kinds of magic, we can save them, maybe by defeating the Black Dove.” Suddenly someone tapped on Daphne's shoulder. She jumped and they all turned around. It was Owen.

“Who are you?” Aris asked.

“Um, Aris, Daphne- this is Owen,” Asha told them. “Owen, this is Aris and Daphne.” She said, pointing to each of them.

“Wait, you know this guy?” Daphne asked, looking from her to him.

“Uh, yeah, we met this morning.” Asha blushed.

“We met this morning,” Owen agreed. “Listen, you shouldn't talk about the Black Dove here, or you'll get in trouble.”

“Why?” Aris asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Well, firstly, you'll get in trouble with the Elders. Secondly, you'll get in trouble with the Dark Nights for talking in that manner about her.” He paused. “And I should know- 'cause I talked about her, and I was punished horribly. That was a year ago, and they've still got their eyes on me.”

“What did they do to you?” Daphne asked, her eyes wide.

“That's not something I should say.” He said, looking around. “It'll get me into trouble again, and I don't want two strikes on my side.”

“But-” Aris said.

“No!” he looked around again. “Listen, you should get out of here as soon as you can. They'll find out you've come from a different planet soon enough, and they don't tolerate outsiders, especially ones who can use magic.”

“How do you know we can use magic?” Aris asked, her eyes widening.

“Myth magic can detect magic in an animal,” he told them.

“We're not animals though,” Aris said.

“Everyone who has a mind of their own is an animal,” Owen said. “Though we don't really classify ourselves as animals, we are, and the other creatures think of us as so. We only have more complex minds than they do.” Aris stared.

“Huh.” Daphne murmured.

“Go!” He said. “You must not stay here much longer!” He pushed them in the direction of the hotel. “Gather your things, then go!”