Edwin Betancourt Jr. has a new gay fairy tale romance out: The Enchanted Witch.
For centuries, Mortals have been unaware of the existence of the Magic and Enchanted Realms. Sure, Mortals tell stories about a poisoned apple, a glass slipper, a sleeping princess and a mermaid longing for love; but they don’t know the whole truth about these Realms.
Jayson Santos is an Enchanted Witch, a Being born from a Dark and Pure Witch. He left the Magic Realm in 1521 leaving behind his mentor named Agatha, the ghosts from his past and his failed marriage to Prince Nathaniel Echoes.
Moving to the Mortal Realm was the only option Jayson felt was necessary in order to start over, but now in 2021 his life is about to take an unexpected turn.
When Agatha is murdered, Jayson is left to deal with the aftermath which includes a Demonic Assassin, the return of Prince Nathaniel and the conjuring of a Witch eating Jester named Rowan No End.
It is up to Jayson and Nathaniel to forget their past and focus on the present or else there won’t be a future for them.
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Excerpt
Jayson nodded. “It did. But not to the extent he was hoping for. He only got the Magic temporarily.”
“Wow.” Dean Tremaine gasped in fascination. “I did not know Witches had Magic within their blood. I thought their Magic came from books or family heirlooms.”
Jayson had no idea how Tremaine was a Dean of Magic School if she knew nothing about Witches.
“Yes, it’s one of the many reasons Vampires are repulsed by us. To them our Magic smells like rotten eggs or meat. Now back to Rowan, are any of the students missing Witches?”
Tremaine shook her head slowly. “We tried to do a few outreach programs to enroll students who identify as Witches, but we haven’t heard from any of them.”
Can you blame them? Jayson thought.
“Do you think we’re dealing with the actual Rowan and he somehow stayed alive throughout all these Centuries?” Nathaniel asked.
Jayson looked at Tremaine, “You mention there’s an Urban Legend about Rowan. What is it?”
“Ah yes.” Dean Tremaine straightened her posture in the seat, ecstatic to finally be involved in the conversation. “The urban legend states that students call Rowan No End’s name three times and he appears. When he appears he is able to grant the caller their greatest desire.”
“In exchange for what?” asked the Witch. Jayson had been alive long enough to know that when it comes to desires or wishes, there is always a catch.
Dean Tremaine shrugged her shoulders at the question. “That’s all I was told.”
Nathaniel chimed in, “Well considering we have four missing students, I’m pretty sure their lives were probably the price they paid.”
None of them wanted to think negatively but they had to face the reality.
Jayson opened his mouth but he paused as he pulled out a sheet of paper from the box and read it.
The sheet had four names on it: Cindy Charmer, Angela Uma, Augustine Kui and Maxx Sheppers.
He turned the sheet over to the Dean. “Who are these people?”
Dean Tremaine skimmed through the names and replied, “Those are the witnesses. Cindy and Angela were present when Lilly Snow was taken, Augustine and Maxx were present when Ariel Sebastian was taken. Sadly, no one was present when Decker and Jimmy Kanters were abducted. Their screams were heard through the halls. I didn’t think they took Jimmy because he was a quiet student. He comes from a long line of Pigs, that’s not a slur but the truth. He has a pig snout that is always running. Poor soul. His parents survived an attack by one of the Big Dire wolves. He has a stuttering problem and low self-esteem, but Decker was a star student. His parents are-.”
“You have four witnesses and not one investigation was conducted?” Nathaniel cut her off, impatient.
One missing student should’ve been enough for her to call for help, but why she waited until that number increased was beyond the comprehension of the Witch and knight.
The Dean’s smile didn’t fade once from her tired face. “I understand how upset you must be, Mr. Echoes, but students run away from here all the time. No one wants to be at school. I’m sure you both resented your parents for taking you.”
“That’s not true. I enjoyed learning,” Nathaniel stated.
“My mother died during childbirth and my father gave me up because I killed my mother.” Jayson replied, causing Nathaniel to look at him in shock as those words came out of his mouth.
“Are these students present today?” asked Jayson, completely ignoring both the knight’s reaction.
Dean Tremaine nodded. “Upon your arrival, I contacted them. They’re waiting for you in the library.”
Nathaniel took out a photograph from the box and examined it carefully. It was a picture of a black crystal. The crystal had been shattered from the inside; its edges were sharp as if it was attached to something and was roughly ripped apart.
He showed both Dean Tremaine and Jayson the photograph. “Any idea what this is?”
Dean Tremaine shook her head. “Not at all. We found it at the disappearance site of Lilly Snow, the first missing student. I thought little of it, but the photographers must’ve thought it was important.”
Jayson cleared his throat, and Dean Tremaine looked at him and. After a moment, he started to cast a spell.
Love in life is what we’ve seen, Lost in fear when we are mean. Lose the hope and paint it green, Use my words to freeze this scene.
Dean Tremaine opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t utter a sound. Instead, she stood motionless like a statue staring at the Witch.
Nathaniel glanced at Jayson. “Did you just freeze her? Jayson we talked about this centuries ago when you used to freeze my parents. You can’t do that!”
“Oh calm down.” Jayson replied dismissively. “Dolores Umbridge is fine. She’ll thaw out in five minutes. It’s enough time to give me a break from her perky attitude.”
The knight could tell there were many questions that were dancing around in Jayson’s head. “What do you make of this case?”
Author Bio
Edwin Betancourt Jr. is a self published author, playwright and poet hailing from the Bronx, NY. Inspired by Fantasy shows, Soap Operas and the LGBTQ+ community, he makes sure that his works reflect not only his community; but also his love for the absurd, whimsical and twisty storytelling.