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SUMERIA – 2150BCE
“You shall not inherit your father’s kingdom,” my stepmother hissed under her breath as my body stiffened.
Gazing down, I watched dusty-white granules form on the surface of my skin, changing its appearance from glossy caramel to an ancient-looking bronze. The frosty texture crept from my feet, up my ankles, and past my shins, freezing my legs in place. I tried to wiggle my toes, but they wouldn’t budge. It made me think of the time we traveled to gaze at Great Aunt Edith, who’d turned into a pillar of salt.
I bet Kubaba was responsible for that curse, too. I thought, struggling to break free of the old hag’s spell-cast grip.
“Now that your mother is gone, my path to the throne will be clear once you are out of the way.”
I battled against the magic holding me captive, but it was useless. No matter how I fought, words could not escape my lips. Strangely, even though my mouth wouldn’t open, I could still move my tongue around inside and swallow. I tried to lift my hands to cover my mouth, but my arms were fixed at my sides.
They weren’t exactly frozen because I wasn’t cold. So, whatever the wicked sorceress did to me didn’t involve a temperature change. I was actually beginning to sweat. Droplets formed on my forehead, slowly sliding toward my brows. All my other bodily functions seemed to work. I was breathing just fine, and even though my heart was racing from panic, still, it was pumping. And I could blink my eyes. In fact, seeing and hearing weren’t a problem at all. But those darn beads of sweat started running into my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to keep the salty liquid from entering, making them sting.
“Stop struggling, girl,” the witch murmured, reaching around and grabbing a cloth from a side table. Then, moving toward me and bending over, she gingerly patted the moisture away.
“I’m not going to kill you,” she cocked her left eyebrow, smirking at me.
“Just eliminate you from the equation…”
Facing me, the sorceress raised both arms in the air and uttered a string of incomprehensible words.
Then everything went black.