Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

I nside the cottage Mary lay on the long wooden table. The witches were gathered around her in a circle with hands bound together. Maggie stood at the head of the table at Mary's head.

They had prepared the table with anointment and sacred oils. Herbs and petals sat underneath Mary's body. Steam from a boiling pot of an herbal concoction filled the air.

The women chanted quietly, repeating the spell that changed in phases. Ivy, Darter, and Hamish sat far in the corner, away from them in order to not intrude their energies on the circle. They stayed quiet as they watched the proceedings.

Mary could feel something move inside of her in a dizzying manner. It felt to her like she was back in modern times on a carnival ride. Vertigo would hit her and cause her to become dizzy and then she would fall into a deep sleep and then wake. This repeated on and off again making her feel quite nauseous. But she felt like it could be a good sign because something was definitely occurring and she could only help but think it was the spell working.

Hamish watched as the women worked. He knew very little of such things. His knowledge came from the other side, that of tracking these creatures and defeating them, not trying to figure out their magic to remove it. He was a Watchman, a tracker. However he knew that it was quite dangerous to mess with such things as magic and he began to pray that Mary would be safe. He had only just begun to learn about her, who she truly was on the inside and to ignore the shell that she was on the outside. He had become quite attached to her and wanted to see her safe. He now could not imagine a life without her in it. She had to be all right. He would except nothing less.

Long agonizing hours passed by. The women continued and as he watched, Maggie seemed to grow more exhausted with each hour. Doing this spell had to take a lot out of all of them as was to be expected.

Hamish glanced at Ivy who sat beside him. She had her head bowed and her fingers clasped together in prayer as she murmured the Our Father and Hail Mary repeatedly as though she were reciting the rosary for Mary. He hadn't known her to be particularly religious, despite the fact that they all attended services on Sundays with Father Caleb. Still, she was right. The power of prayer would not hurt, so he murmured a few himself. Maggie and the women exchanged a look as though they all knew what was coming, though Hamish didn't. Maggie nodded to the woman and the chanting grew louder, more final. He wondered if it really was.

The last few words were shouted loudly among them as though to conjure as much energy into it as could be applied. Then they stopped. They let go of each other's hands and moved back away from the table. Each of them looked as though they'd not slept for days and their life forces had been thoroughly drained of energy. .

Mary who had been in a deep sleep state awoke. She opened her eyes and glanced at the women who were backing away.

“Did it work?” she asked. Her voice was still that of a goblin with a Brooklyn accent.

“That is yet to be known,” Maggie said.

Mary lifted her hand before her face.

Hamish could see the disappointment in her eyes as she realized it was the same goblin hand as before. Her body had not changed. She still occupied the body of Nellie Sharpfingers, the goblin sorceress.

“I'm to check on the guards.” Hamish whispered to Ivy. He couldn't stand to see Mary in so much grief. It physically hurt his heart and he needed a moment to gather himself.

Mary watched as he left without a word to her. She was growing increasingly upset. The energy building inside of her was swirling in a chaotic madness.

“It didn't work. How could it not work?” she cried out, her heart filled with anguish.

Ivy jumped up and moved to her side. She reached out a hand and took Mary's. "There is still hope, Mary."

Mary shook her head. She couldn't feel anything but the energy swirling maddeningly inside her chest. "No, no there isn't." Tears stung her eyes.

“There is, I promise. Maggie said it might take some time to take effect,” Ivy said.

“But what if she's wrong? She said it would work right at first. Now it is change to it might take time? It's not going to work, is it? I'm stuck like this forever. What will I do? Where will I go? What will I be?” Mary grew increasingly frantic and her voice grew louder.

Suddenly a large burst of light and wind erupted from within her and blew through the room of the cottage. It knocked everyone to the ground including Ivy, Maggie, and the women.

“Oh my God. I am so sorry. Please forgive me, I'm sorry,” Mary said getting off the table to her feet and running out of the cottage before any of the women could get to their own feet.

She ran away from the back door, through the garden toward the forest. She knew exactly where the guards were out front and she didn't want to see Hamish because she felt very embarrassed. She knew the guards would also see her as a threat. So she ran into the forest. She didn't care where she was going or what dangers were around her. In truth she almost wanted danger to find her because she was so upset. Mary knew she needed to get as far away from everyone so that she couldn't cause them harm with another power outburst. She couldn't control her emotions when she was feeling like this and it was dangerous for her to be around people.

Hamish and his men got to their feet. They had all been knocked backward as he spoke to them about taking turns setting up watch and rest.

“What was that?” Shaw asked putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“I don't know but I think I can guess. Stay here and keep watch,” Hamish said running toward the cottage. Hamish looked back over his shoulder expecting Sean to follow, but thankfully he'd stayed put with the rest of the men. He was afraid of what he'd find in the cottage. Had the spell worked and that was what caused the blast of air, or had it gone entirely wrong and brought Nellie Sharpfingers to them.

The door was wide open to the cottage.

“What happened?” Hamish asked striding into the room.

“Mary's upset. She had another outburst only this one not so little, as you can see,” Ivy said.

“Anyone hurt?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Where is Mary?” Hamish asked as he looked around the room.

“I think she ran out of the back door, through the garden. It was all so sudden and we were knocked off our feet. You didn't see her outside?” Ivy asked.

“No.” Hamish stepped out of the doorway and looked around the exterior of the cottage.

“What should we do? Is it a trick?” Errol asked as he came around the side of the cottage..

“No. No trick. She's upset it did not work as we hoped, but there is still a chance it might. She has run off, I am sure out of fear of harming someone. Leave it to me. I will track her. I see her tracks there through the garden. Stay here and make sure that that outburst of light did not attract any enemies,” Hamish said.

“Are you sure, Hamish? She could be dangerous. One of us should go with you. If she does you harm, the Laird will not let us hear the end of it.”

“I'm sure. She is just a scared woman on the inside. Stay here. Do as I say. See that these women do not come to any harm.” Hamish walked toward his horse and began to get provisions from his saddle in order to make the journey into the forest. He didn't think that Mary could get very far with the cumbersome body of the goblin but he could not be sure.

Mary ran hard and fast. Well as fast as her now short legs and large feet could carry her. It took a lot of energy out of her. And she didn't have much energy to begin with after that burst of light and wind that she didn't understand and terrified her. Then there was the ordeal of undergoing the spell-casting trying to get her to change her body and that took a lot of energy out of her as well. She slowed down and stopped running, but she didn't stop moving. She moved through the brush crying and feeling hopeless.

She came across a clearing with soft grass and small boulders at hip level that made a perfect bench. She sat down in order to regain her strength. Tears flowed and her body grew weak.

She knew that it was very near morning and that the sun would be making its appearance soon. But she didn't care. Let it burn me, she thought. I have no use in this life in this body looking this way. I don't want it.

She laid across the boulder resting on her arm. Heaving sobs vibrated her body. Before long her body gave way to the exhaustion and she drifted off to sleep.

Hamish found tracking her to be quite easy. Mary was not someone trying to hide her tracks and the breakage in the woodlands was easy to spot. Twigs and branches had broken in various places as Mary had made her way through. Her goblin feet made quite an indention in the soft earth and on the grass. He did not want to call out to her because he did not want to frighten her. She obviously wanted to get away from them all and if she heard him call out to her she would move deeper into the forest and that was not what he wanted. She did not know what roamed these areas, but he did.

He came to a clearing just as the sun was making its presence known on the land. The soft bursts of orange and yellows filtered through the forest canopy. He removed his cloak knowing that he would need to shield her from the sun when he found her. Just then he turned toward an outcrop of boulders and was shocked by what he found. It was Mary. He knew it had to be her, because the tracks led directly to her, but he was not looking at a goblin form any longer. He was looking at a human woman. A beautiful human woman.

Her form was slim and long laying across the boulder. Her skin was tanned and raven black hair was strewn about her in a wild manner. She was exquisitely beautiful and he felt a deep ache in his heart again for how he had treated her when they'd first met.

Mary felt a sudden warmth and strength envelope her. She opened her eyes to find strong arms around her and looked up into the light brown eyes filled with kindness. It was Hamish.

“Hamish, you found me. What are you doing? You mustn't, I'm dangerous,” She whispered.

“It worked. Mary, it worked. Have a look at yourself.”

Mary looked at her arms. She had returned to her old self. Then she looked at her entire body wrapped in the child's cloak, and her eyes filled with tears enjoy.

“Oh, Hamish, it worked!” she whispered and hugged him tightly.