54. Blinding Speed
Thinking better than to trust the decidedly devious looking witches Rosella’s sharp blue eyes had watched back and
forth the eye passing from witch to witch as they tried to lull her into a naïve state of young girl’s trust. After getting the
time down just right, Rosella dashed forth with a sharp slender hand and popped the glass eye up into the air, taking a
few measure steps backward as she kept her eyes on “the ball.” Down came the eye into her waiting hands, a perfect
catch! Rosella backed up a few more steps for good measure, not wanting any surprises from the now fulltime trio of
blind witches. “Our eye! You wicked girl! Give us back our eye!” Rosella tapped her heel not giving in that easily to
their begging. The witches, sensing this, crouched down onto their knees to plead with the wicked princess. “Please…
we beg you… give it back.” More silence followed and the witches were forced to bargain. The middle hag produced a
small object from deep within her sleeve and tossed it forth. It scuttled forth across the dirt floor of the cave to stop at
Rosella’s feet. She looked down at the round item with a looping chain attached in curiosity.
“What’s this?” asked Rosella crouching down to scoop up her new prize. It appeared to be some sort of amulet. A
polished obsidian stone clutched within a wrought iron frame just like the cauldron in the middle of the room.
“It’s… a scarab… it will protect you,” answered the witches, “from the darkness… that wanders… in the cemetery.”
Rosella shivered at the mention of the horrors that walked under the moon in Tamir. While the ogre and the forest
terrified Rosella, the terrors outside the crypt were unspeakable. If the witches spoke the truth, such an item was
invaluable to the success of her quest.
“Thank you,” she said as she slid the scarab over her head and around her slender neck while pulling her long blonde
hair out from under the chain. The chain was cool on her neck, and there was a dark magic inside the stone that made
her feel a little sick in her stomach. It had to be endured; at least until she retrieved Cupid’s bow from the depths of the
mummy’s crypt.
“What about… our eye… little girl?” asked the witches, desperate for the exchange. Rosella had the scarab, which was
what she needed. There was no need to give the witches back their eye. Giving it back to the wicked hags might prove
to be her undoing. On the other hand, the witches had given her a very valuable item, and perhaps it was the right
thing to do to return their precious eye. As Rosella left the skull cave, she had a decision to make.
Return the eye
Keep the eye