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Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

M ary approached the stone cottage with caution. Hamish and Ivy were at her side, which gave her some comfort, but she was very nervous to meet this woman. She hoped that she would be kind. As she thought this, a mound of material moved from the doorway onto the porch and Mary stopped short.

"Don't just stand there gawking, girl, it's impolite, or hasn't anyone told you that?" the mound of cloth spoke in a craggy voice.

Scurrying forward on her large feet, Mary hurried to catch up to Hamish and Ivy. "I apologize."

"And don't be saying sorry to the Fae or they'll be thinking you owe them, not that I'm going to hold it against you, girl, but just so you're wary. Might as well come in then. Looks like we've got much to discuss."

"Are you Maggie?" Mary asked.

"Aye, seeing as these two are rudely keeping their mouths locked tight, I'll introduce myself. And you are?"

"Mary Cahill, though I don't normally look like this." Mary pulled the cloak back from her face.

"I expect not. You managed to let a goblin sorceress get a hold of your name and now look at you." Maggie shook her head.

"I do beg your pardon, Maggie. It was rude of me not to introduce you," Hamish said, ducking his head in greeting.

"It was, but it's done now, and I expect you've brought treats, so come in so we can partake of them."

"Good evening, Maggie." Ivy smiled.

"Ivy, it's been a day, everything well for you?"

"It is, and you?"

"It's a bit cold, but other than that, Darter and I seem to be doing fine."

They moved into the cottage and everything looked a bit crowded and jumbled to Mary at first, but then, suddenly things shifted and it all looked normal in a very strange way. She turned her gaze back to Maggie and what had appeared to be a mound of material, was now a friendly, elderly woman in several sweaters. She had long graying hair that fell to her waist, she was slightly plump and just a little taller than Mary was in her current body.

Mary blinked and Maggie was back to being a face in a mound of material. She heard footsteps coming down a set of wooden stairs and turned her gaze toward them. On the steps stood a teenage boy with a deformed arm. She smiled.

"Darter, come and meet our guests."

He took a hesitant step, his eyes widened and then a bright smile lit his face. In that moment he shifted from boy to goblin. He had large ears that stuck up on either side of his head like a horse's and were covered in tufts of fur. His skin was scaly and a bluish-gray. The arm that was deformed was shriveled and blackened as though something had happened to it.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Darter Hob." He walked up to Mary and held out his good hand.

Mary gently took his hand in her clawed one. "I'm Mary Cahill."

Darter seemed a bit surprised. "You're not a goblin. I mean you look like a goblin, but you aren't one, are you?"

Mary shook her head. "No. I'm a human who had her body stolen."

"Now that introductions are out of the way, what treats did you bring me?" Maggie asked.

Ivy giggled. "Here you are, Maggie." She handed over the bundle she'd been carrying.

Maggie unwrapped it and waved her hand at them. "Sit, sit. Darter, get us some cups for the whisky."

Darter scurried across the cottage and Mary could hear him rummaging for enough cups for everyone. He returned a moment later and set them on the table. Once again he resembled a teenage boy.

"How do you keep doing that?" Mary asked as Maggie poured the whisky.

Darter looked up at her, confused. "Doing what?" he asked, taking a piece of shortbread and nibbling on it.

"One moment I look at you and you look like a goblin, and the next you look like a teenage human boy. How are you doing it?"

"Ah. I see." Maggie nodded as she stuffed a piece of shortbread in her mouth. "Darter isn't doing it, you are."

"But I'm not doing anything." Mary frowned.

"It's the goblin sight. His goblin form is his true form, of course, it's the body he was born with. However, beneath that you see his soul, what his essence truly is. Because Darter is a Seelie Fae, you see the goodness in him and for you that interpretation is of a human boy. What do you see when you look at me?"

Mary swallowed and looked at Maggie again. "A nice elderly woman with long gray hair, a kind face wearing about ten layers of sweaters."

"Darter, what do you see when you look at Mary?" Maggie asked as she grabbed another piece of the quickly disappearing shortbread.

"A lovely human woman with dark hair and green eyes."

"You see?"

"How… how do you see my true form?" Mary asked.

"It is your essence, my dear, what your soul looks like. It still remains within you, even though this outer shell has changed, internally you are the same as you ever were."

"But how is she able to use the goblin sight, if she's not really a goblin?" Ivy asked.

"I expect it is the same as her having an allergy to iron. It's inherent to the goblin body, not the soul. You seem to have retained a few of the goblin sorceress's powers, if I am not mistaken."

"Is that the reason when she screamed the world shook and she created a dirt cloud that swirled ten feet high, or when she shattered the mirror and bowl?" Hamish asked.

"Aye. I believe that would be the case. Her soul is clashing with the goblin powers which are attempting to mold to her being."

"But I don't want to be a goblin. I don't want these things to keep happening."

"Unfortunately, unless the spell over you is broken, I'm afraid you will continue to have these occurrences on a more frequent basis until the goblin fully takes over you."

"No, no that can't happen!" Mary cried. "I can't stay this forever, I can't!"

"Being a goblin isn't a bad thing. At least not if you become a Seelie Fae," Darter said softly. "And if you stayed a goblin, you could live here with me and Maggie."

Mary sniffled and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "I don't even know what that means really," she whispered, "but thank you for the offer, Darter, it is very kind of you and Maggie."

"I won't grumble too much about Darter making offers about my home, as long as someone keeps me in shortbread." She gave Hamish a pointed look.

"We were actually hoping you would know of some way to break the spell."

"I anticipated the need for this, so I have called upon some friends who may be able to help. It will take a coven, you see. They will arrive shortly and we shall see what we can do to break this sorceress's spell."

"I still don't understand why me. I mean what did I do to make this sorceress take my body?"

"I doubt you did anything specifically to cause this, except perhaps to give the sorceress your name. You were na?ve and available."

"But I didn't give it to her, she found it among my things in that strange room below the lake."

"Ah, that does explain it a bit more. The Seelie Court are a curious group. I had wondered how this sorceress was able to get to you. Perhaps you can explain what happened? It might help us to break the spell."

Mary once again told the story of what happened when she awoke. "So then I followed her through the door, into the water and this large aquatic Brachiosaur helped me to the shore."

"Oh, I'll have to give her a treat later, that was good of her," Maggie replied. "And that does explain it. I'm not sure what a bank slip is, but if it had your name upon it, and this goblin was able to read it, then she must be one of the powerful goblin sorceresses. There aren't many of them. If I had my guess, I'd say we're dealing with Nellie Sharpfingers."

"Nellie Sharpfingers?" Mary asked, looking down at her hands.

"Aye. Younger sister to Grimtooth, who was killed not long ago by Clan Grant."

"Do you think that is why she's done this?" Hamish asked. "Is she looking to cause mischief because of her brother?"

"I expect that is so. I'd not be surprised to see her trying to infiltrate the Keep or the village in this human form."

"So I am just a means to an end?"

Ivy patted her hand. "It will be okay, we'll break the spell and you'll be you again, right, Maggie?

"Can't guarantee that, Ivy dear. We'll do what we can. Nellie is quite powerful."

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