The Serpent and the Sorceress

David awoke slowly, swimming through the depth of distorted dreams to reach the light at the surface of wakefulness. He felt stiff. His mouth was dry and bitter tasting. He rubbed his eyes trying to clear his vision. Where was he? Sunlight shone weakly through a small diamond-shaped window in the low, slanted ceiling. He lay in a small bed. An identical one was nearby. It was so familiar. “Krystin?” he muttered. He sat up and swung his feet to the floor. The room spun as he cradled his dizzy head in his hands. When the spinning feeling finally slowed and then stopped, he slowly raised his head and looked around again. Of, course! He was in the cottage loft, his childhood bedroom. But how did he get here? He had no memory of what had happened since he rode up to the cottage. Was that yesterday? Or was it still the same day? He stood up and staggered a couple of steps, bracing himself with his hands on the low ceiling. What had happened to him? He heard footsteps below, then tramping up the steep steps up to the loft. A girl with fire-red hair poked her head up through the opening in the floor. She smiled up at him. She looked familiar. Did he know her? “Ah, I see my patient is awake! How are you feeling this morning? “I’m a bit unsteady,” David replied weakly. “Well, that’s to be expected after such a fall,” she said sympathetically, as she completed her climb into the loft. “You’d better sit back down.” “A fall?” David exclaimed. “When did I fall?” “Why, yesterday,” the girl explained innocently. “I found you unconscious next to your horse and brought you here.” “I fell off my horse?” David said surprised, as he stumbled back onto the bed. “I don’t remember that!” He had taken to riding well and had never been unseated before. “Don’t worry. It’s quite common to lose some memory after a fall,” the girl replied. “I’m Odethia.” “My name is David, and I guess I owe you thanks.” “Not at all!” Odethia said, smiling. “Some say I have a magic touch when it comes to fixing things. And when you’re made better, you can help me out with a few little things.” “I’d be happy to,” said David, rubbing his aching head. “I’m sure you will,” Odethia stated, smiling again, though there was a hard edge to her words. “Does your head hurt?” she went on sweetly. “Yes, as a matter of fact. It’s really pounding, and I feel dizzy” “You may have hurt yourself more seriously than I thought,” the girl replied. She fixed her eyes on David’s and he suddenly felt weak. “You just lie back and I’ll bring you a nice drink to help you become stronger.” He lay down as ordered and closed his eyes. Perhaps a drink would help him feel better. In a few minutes, Odethia came up with the cup and handed it to David as he heaved his unwilling torso up on his elbow and groaned. He looked at the liquid. It was deep green and smelled horrid. He looked up at Odethia and made a sour face. “Well,” she said, “you can’t expect medicine to be as sweet as honey, can you?” “I guess not,” David replied quietly. He moved to put the cup down, but Odethia stepped up to him quickly and took his hand. Her warm touch made him look up into her face and eyes, those green eyes! The pain in his head increased. “David,” Odethia said quietly, but firmly, “you must drink this. It will make you strong and powerful.” David tried to think, to pull back away from her gaze. “But I don’t...,” he began weakly. “Drink!” she ordered, tipping the cup to his lips. He gulped it down, then shuddered and choked. Some of it trickled down his chin. It wasn’t hot but it burned his skin. He wiped his face on his sleeve. “What was that?” he choked. But that was all he could manage to say. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he fell back, curling into a ball on the bed. Then the blackness of drugged unconsciousness took him completely.