"Caryn's New World, The Valley"
was the first book in our series and now, the sequel is taking shape.

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"Caryn's New World, Medea's Revenge"

A slight ruffling of her clothes and a strong pinch on the nose produced the right amount of tears for a believable appearance before Medea entered the village and stepped into the open door of a shop at the beginning of the main street. Feigning a severe pain in her side, she let out a loud moan and fell to the floor. The shopkeeper looked up from his books.

“Help me!” she gasped. “Please…!”

He jumped over the counter and ran to Medea’s aid. “Don’t move Ma’am! What’s wrong, where are you hurt?”

She looked up at him and painfully mumbled, “It-it’s my side. I-I was running…. The soldiers… were chasing me… I hid… and ran…!”
Heavy breaths punctuated her pleas but the zenith of her performance was a long exhale and a very convincing act of fainting.

“We need help here!” yelled the shopkeeper. “A lady is injured, we need help!”

Several people on the street heard the commotion and crowded around the open door.

“Oh-my-goodness, she’s –– Ma’am, are you…” asked a woman while feeling Medea’s throat. “Unconscious, she’s unconscious!”

“Well, get her out of the doorway,” ordered another woman. “You can’t leave her here!”

“Over here, in this chair,” said a man and, together, he and the shopkeeper carried Medea to a soft chair by the back office.

People crowded into the shop and questioned each other about this surprise event. One over the other the questions came until the din in the small room was deafening.

“Who is she?”

“Is she dead?”

“No, I think she just fainted.”

“What happened to her?”

Suddenly, Medea “awoke” and began pleading as if those trying to help were her alleged attackers. “Please, please don’t hurt me any more… please, I beg you!”

For a moment, the room went quiet. “The poor girl is delirious,” said a woman breaking the silence. “She must have gone through a terrible ordeal!”

The shopkeeper tried to assure her. “You’re safe here! No one’s going to hurt you Ma’am. You’re safe. Calm down now. You’re among friends.”

“The soldiers aren’t… they’re not here?”

“There are no soldiers here. Not to worry, no one’s going to hurt you.”

Through eyes glazed with tears, Medea looked at the people standing around her. Then she sighed, put both hands to her face and began sobbing. The shopkeeper’s heart went out to this ‘terrified’ girl.

“No one’s going to hurt you anymore,” he said giving her a hug.

“Water…, do you have…, may I have some water?” she asked in a dry sounding rasp.

“Of course,” he answered. “James would you –– there’s a pitcher on the ––” But James was already pouring water into a cup.

“Ah, thank you. Here Ma’am, cool fresh spring water, this should help.”

Although Medea’s performance was merely an act, she was quite thirsty and drank the whole cup without taking a single breath.

“Whoa, not so fast,” said the shopkeeper. “A little at a time… there’s plenty more.”

“Oh my… Um, I was so thirsty! Thank you, you’re very kind, um, what is your name?”

“I’m called Cian. This is my store, and you?”

“My name is… um.” She rubbed her throat stalling for time to think.

“May I have more water please?”

“Yes, of course, here… but drink slowly.”

Between sips and sobbing breaths, Medea made up a new name and persona to fit the situation.

“My name… is… Aedem and I’ve been… running… from those horrible soldiers… They chased me through the woods… and… I thought they ––”

“It’s okay Aedem. No soldiers followed you. You’re safe.”

Medea smiled with a mesmerizing sparkle in her eyes. “Thank you Cian. You’ve saved my life.”

Cian, a middle-aged widower, was a lonely man and she was a beautiful young woman with perfect timing and a stellar performance. He gazed into her tearful eyes with an expression that clearly showed his compassionate feelings and Medea knew she had found her pawn.

She moved into a small room at the back of the building and, over the next few months, helped in the shop while secretly working to regain her powers but progress was nonexistent.

This is just not working she thought one night before retiring. I still can’t even move a simple stone. They think me a weak young woman, a common human.  They may be fools but, at the moment, they’re right.

She sat on the edge of the bed mentally replaying every failed attempt at regaining her powers but could discern no other course of action. No chant, spell, charm or ritual was left for her to try.

It has to be the distance, she supposed. I’m too far from the Ocean of Nascence. That has to be it, too far. I’ll have to change that tomorrow.

Satisfied with her possible solution, she slept with a sly smile and the next morning, made the shop ready for its opening before Cian came down from his flat above.

I’d better keep up the ‘nice-human’ act, she thought as she cleaned and dusted. I may need to use these people again sometime.

Just then, Cian came down the stairs with a huge smile. “Good morning Aedem!”

“And to you Cian!” she replied as if it was just another morning. But, when he looked past the woman of whom he had become very fond and saw several bags on the floor near the front door, his smile disappeared.

“What’s this?” he asked. “Bags… your bags… are you going somewhere?”

“Yes Cian. It’s time. I have to continue my journey.”

“But Aedem…” He choked a little on his words. “You’ve only been here a few short months. I was hoping ––”

Medea moved close, put a finger to his lips and interrupted his words. “I know. And, you have been absolutely wonderful but now ––”

“Aedem, if it’s the bedroom… I know it’s small but I’ve arranged ––”

“No, no. It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“I have something to do, something very important and I must start today.”

“But Aedem, I was hoping… I thought ––”

Medea cupped his cheek with her hand and smiled. “I understand. And you’re very sweet but I must do this thing. I have no choice my dear.”

“Then let me accompany you. We can do whatever is so important together.”

“No Cian. We cannot. I must do this alone.”

With a look of despair, he exhaled a long breath and shrank in height a little, his eyes pleading for her to stay. “I-I don’t know what I’ve done… but if ––”

“You’ve done nothing my sweet, nothing but take care of me and make me feel wanted. I shall not forget your kindness but I must go.”

Cian sighed, closed his eyes and grudgingly accepted the situation. “All right, if it must be, it must be. What will you need for your trip?”

“I have most everything but it’s a great distance. If I could get a horse…?”

“Done! What else?”

“A bit of water and your blessing for a safe journey my very special friend.”

“Then you shall have it. Wait here. I’ll go and arrange a horse.”
Later as she rode away she thought, How simple those people are… pitiful. A little attention, a few kind words and they give me whatever I want asking nothing in return… very strange.

At mid-day, she stopped to rest and noticed an additional sack tied to her own belongings. Hello, where did you come from? She wondered. She untied it and carried it to the shade of a tree to look inside.

Food, Cian’s given me food for the trip! How… how… um –– She pulled out a juicy red apple. –– how humorous! I’ve never received a gift before. They may be simple commoners but –– She took a bite. –– Umm, this is good! I had forgotten how ––another bite –– how good these taste. Umm, I’ll take his stupid little gifts.

Centuries had passed in that dark forest since she tasted food and the apple, a rare commodity for that time of the year, freely given by Cian, was especially sweet and succulent. Medea had always had to take what she needed. Nothing was ever a gift without payment or, at the very least, strings to the giver’s agenda but, this time, she was dumfounded as to what Cian’s purpose might be.

Could he possibly think a sack of food would bring me back? Fool… perhaps he’s just a silly lonely man stupefied by my beauty. Ha, that must be it. He’s in love with me. How ignorant! How naive!
Thinking about her ability to manipulate men made her smile but still, she wondered why this shopkeeper would continue to be so kind and generous when she was unable to cast a spell to keep him mesmerized and further, gave him nothing in return. He must have realized I would leave. Ah, no matter, it’s time to continue.

Late in the day at the crest of a hill, a long swooping valley came into view. Medea looked toward the setting sun and saw the dancing silver reflections of moving water in a stream off to the right. It would be a good place to spend the night. She rode to the water, dismounted and removed the saddle but, as she began to prepare her makeshift camp, thoughts of that kind shopkeeper and those friendly people filled her mind. She paused, thought for a moment, sighed and went back to arranging rocks for a campfire.

Even a man cannot be that stupid, she mused while arranging her bags. All I did was cook a few meals and sweep the floor in return for a place to live and food to eat… a bargain for me from a gullible man.

The impotent sorceress waved her hand at the ground to gather firewood but, as before, nothing happened, so, with a disgusted grunt, she picked up a few sticks and twigs and arranged them in a pile.

“Burn,” she ordered. The twigs did nothing. “BURN,” she yelled so loud that her horse stopped drinking and walked back from the stream. She shook her head and sighed.

“We’ll sleep in the cold tonight horse. I can make no fire but this saddle and my bags should be sufficient for me.”

After arranging her makeshift bed, she decided to see what else was in the sack. Apples, oranges, knives and, voila, a flint-stone set; She smiled and quickly scratched the stones close to the twigs and leaves. Spark turned to a small flame, then to burning twigs and finally to burning branches. The ‘gullible naïve’ Cian had, once again, protected her from the cold of night.

He provides me with comfort even knowing I leave. Why? What could make him do that? It cannot be love. That word is a fantasy. I know. I thought it existed a very long time ago but what appears to be love is only betrayal. Surely he knows that. I just don’t understand this Cian.

Medea had never known genuine kindness, save the love of one man who ultimately betrayed her trust, and thought all night about Cian’s actions. He had treated her well asking nothing in return. For her, it was a very new experience indeed.

At first light, she continued her journey to the Ocean of Nascence but thoughts of Cian and the friendly people in that village distracted her. She actually missed their cordial greetings, their conversations and their presence!

“What’s the matter with me?” she muttered while trying to shake the emotion away. “They’re just stupid humans! Ha… they were easy to fool… very easy indeed! Commoners, that’s all they are, commoners, things to be used and forgotten.”

At the crest of the next hill, she gasped upon seeing the long stretch of road traveling straight ahead over a barren rocky plateau. The ground looked as flat as a tabletop with dark grey gravel and rocks on either side of a reddish brown roadway that looked as ancient as the mountains in the far distance.

“This will take longer that I thought,” she mumbled. “Horse, we have a very long way to go.”

The horse whinnied as if it understood.

“If only I could…” Then, with a long sigh, she thought of her once powerful magic that could transport her to any destination in a flash. “But, my friend…,” She patted the horse’s neck. “… I cannot. And…, I see no water, no shelter, nothing but a long flat plain. Where will we sleep tonight horse?”

The animal continued walking, silently, and Medea resigned herself to a long lonely journey, but Cian’s smile, his happy demeanor and his kind acts would not leave her thoughts.

“Humph…!” she said with resolve. “Concentrate… Concentrate…!” And she rode on undeterred, focused on reaching the Ocean of Nascence, focused on regaining her powers and having her ultimate revenge.