Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

“ H ow is Lady Mary?" Laird Donal asked.

Hamish sighed. "She is well, I think. Though… she is struggling with dealing with this transformation she has to go through every night. I wish there was a way to fully break this curse upon her."

Laird Donal laid a hand on his shoulder. "I trust that it will happen. There must be a reason for her being here, other than to be matched with you, Hamish."

"Do you think she is?" he asked, unsure. He was very attracted to her and didn't even mind that she suffered from these nightly transformations. Beneath that exterior she was the same feisty woman that he enjoyed being with.

"I do. And once we deal with this Nellie Sharpfingers, once and for all, perhaps this spell will break and she will be her normal self forever more."

Hamish nodded. "Mary did have a suggestion that I think is a good idea."

"What might that be? The women the Fae bring us are always full of ideas. What did she suggest?"

"She's been practicing with the powers she has, without much success, though there isn't much she can do up in that room without causing some chaos, so I'm sure it has much to do with her being cautious. Her suggestion was to see if Maggie might be able to help her learn to control these powers of hers and then she can use them against the sorceress. What do you think?"

Donal nodded. His eyes strayed to Malcom and Brendan who were seated nearby. Hamish knew they acted as his counsel and that he would gain their opinions before offering his own.

"Malcom? Brendan? What do you think of Lady Mary's idea?"

Malcom said, "It couldn't hurt. Maggie may not be as strong as this sorceress, but if Mary has her same powers, it could even the match or even turn it in our favor."

"If she can learn to use them quickly. We're already down a few men because of this goblin. I can't afford to lose more men. It would help to have your men down in the village with you Hamish, instead of here."

Donal nodded but stayed silent for a few moments. "I agree. If Mary can learn to harness the powers she has and wield them against this sorceress, we might be able to take her down. I also know that you aren't willing to allow her to stay with Maggie on her own without protection, but I agree with Brendan, we could use your men in the village hunting the goblin. Their skills are useful and needed." Donal paused as he deliberated on what to do. "I think you and Mary should go see Maggie, ask if she's willing to help. If she is, you and Maggie can camp there, and your men can go to the village to help track the goblin."

"We don't want this to take too long, the villagers are already worried. They can't afford to lose more lives to this goblin. How long before she needs to be ready?" Brendan asked.

"I know the more time she has to work with them, the better she'll be able to control them, however, Brendan is right. She needs to be ready soon. We'll give her a week. If she can't manage them by then, we'll have to come up with another plan."

Hamish nodded. "We'll go and see Maggie at first light and take provisions in case she agrees."

"For now, I think it would be wise for you to get some rest."

"What about my report from the village?"

Donal shook his head. "No need, I've already learned of what took place. Sean knew you might be seeing to Mary before the sunset, so he reported for you. He's a good man to have as your second."

Hamish sighed in relief. He hadn't wanted to upset the Laird by not reporting to him immediately, but he was right, seeing Mary had been important too. "Aye, that he is."

"Before you go, pull the men from Mary's door. They'll need to be well-rested to go hunting tomorrow. I don't think we need to worry about Mary harming anyone, nor do I think Nellie has a chance of getting in here at night. I very much doubt Mary is her target anyway. I believe Nellie may be aiming to come after the Watch and perhaps myself in revenge for her brother Grimtooth."

"Aye, I will see to it." Hamish nodded. He left the Laird to his friends and headed back upstairs to Mary's room. He hoped that Leith and Shaw had done as he'd asked and brought Mary some dinner.

"Back so soon?" Leith asked upon seeing him.

"Aye, I've just come from the Laird. Did you provide Mary her dinner?"

"Aye, though she hid from me when I brought it in. I feel bad for the lass having to go through this every night," Leith replied.

"She's still awake though. We have heard her in there working on those powers of hers," Shaw added.

"I'm glad, as I need to speak to her, even if she will only allow me to through the door. First though, the Laird has decided she no longer needs guards on her door. And she can be in charge of locking herself in, if that is what she wants. He believes this sorceress won't be after Mary and that she is actually out for revenge for her brother."

Leith nodded. "That does make sense. What are your orders then?" he asked as he handed over the key to Mary's room.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow, you all will go with Sean back to the village to track the goblin. Mary and I will be heading to Maggie's cottage to see if she will teach Mary to control these powers of hers. We'll stay there if she is agreeable and camp in her garden."

"For how long?" Shaw asked.

"The Laird is giving us a week."

"Then we shall be off to our rooms," Leith replied.

He and Shaw headed down the hall away from Mary's door. Hamish waited until they were starting down the stairs before knocking upon the door.

"Yes?" Mary called out in her croaky goblinish voice. It still sounded like her, just a bit rougher than her normal voice.

"It's Hamish. I know you do not wish for me to enter, but I need to unlock the door for you and explain what is going on. May I?"

Mary didn't say anything for a moment.

"Mary?"

"Alright, open the door if you must."

Hamish unlocked the door and opened it. He noticed Mary wearing the large cloak and it covered her from the top of her head all the way down to her feet. The hood was pulled up and draped over her face. It made his heart hurt that she felt so ashamed of her appearance as a goblin. It wasn't her fault that she transformed and really her appearance wasn't as horrendous as she thought. Still, he understood her discomfort and he would respect her wish to not be seen by him.

"The Laird has decided that you can be trusted and in control of your own door. He's pulled the guards because he feels you aren't a target of this sorceress."

"What? How can he know that?" Mary whirled around to face him, though she still didn't remove the covering.

"He believes she is planning to come for him and the Watch out of revenge for her brother's death at our hands. Either way, it will mainly be for just this night for now. Tomorrow you and I will go see Maggie and talk to her about teaching you. If she agrees, we'll camp in her garden during the day and work on your powers at night."

"I see, well, good. I'm glad to at least be of some use," Mary said softly, her head bowed.

Hamish took a step toward her, but she took a step back. "Mary?—"

"Please, Hamish… I… I know what I look like, and I had hoped that you'd never see me like this again. I know that if Maggie agrees, you'll have to see me anyway, but… but I'd like one more night to … to prepare myself." She turned her back again. "I just don't want to see the pity in your eyes again. It hurts too much," she whispered.

Hamish was taken aback. Had he ever looked at her with pity? Perhaps that first day he had, before he'd gotten to know her, before he realized… and he couldn't blame her for how she felt. How could she know he didn't care about her outward appearance. Of course, he found her human side beautiful, but it was the person beneath that he was falling in love with. And she was that same person even in her goblin form, he could never look at her with pity knowing she was working so hard to stay true to herself.

He moved toward her and put his hands on her arms, pulling her back into him. "I care not about your appearance Mary Cahill. You are the same beautiful soul beneath whichever exterior you are currently occupying. I care about you." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'll leave now, as you've asked, but know that your appearance has nothing to do with the way I feel about you. I will see you in the morning. Pack for at least a week-long stay at Maggie's, though we'll be camping in the garden."

Mary did her best to keep her emotions in check, but his words filled her heart and a few tears escaped. "Thank you, Hamish, you don't know how much that means to me," she croaked, hating how off her voice sounded.

"I'll leave the key on the table for you. Please be careful, it is made of iron like the door handle."

"I will. I'll wrap my hand in the cloak," Mary assured him. She had no desire to burn her hand either. "Goodnight, Hamish."

"Goodnight, lass."

A moment later she heard the door close behind him and she turned back around. She moved across the room to the table and picked up the key with her cloak covered hand and then moved to the door, locking it. It felt good that the Laird finally trusted her and she wasn't going to let him or Hamish down.

The next morning, when she was herself again, she washed up and then dressed. She filled a bag with a couple of dresses, the shift she wore when she was in her goblin form and waited for Hamish to return for her. She didn't know if they would be going before eating, or after as she didn't think to ask, but she really hoped that it was after because she was actually hungry this morning.

Hamish knocked on the door a few minutes later. "Mary, love? Are you awake?"

Mary opened the door with a smile. "I am. And I've already packed, but I wondered if we could have breakfast before we head to Maggie's."

"Aye, that is why I've come up early. Maggie doesn't wake till later in the mornings, so we cannot be arriving before she's prepared for visitors."

Mary was glad to hear that. She picked up her bag and her cloak and stepped into the hall. "Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Aye, I do."

They headed down to the dining hall and sat at an empty table. They fixed themselves bowls of porridge and a platter of fruit to eat. They chatted a bit while they ate and then Hamish excused himself to pick up a package of goodies from the kitchen meant for Maggie. By the time he returned, Mary was ready to go. She'd grabbed a loaf of bread and a few pieces of fruit to take with them, as she wasn't sure what kind of offerings Maggie would have for her to eat in the evenings.

"Ready to go, lass?"

Mary nodded.

Hamish took her bag and carried it along with his own. They headed out to the stables, where his horse was already saddled and waiting. "Do you ride?" he asked.

"No, I've never been on a horse before."

"Then you can ride with me," he replied.

"Is the horse okay with that?"

"Scar will be fine. He is quite able to carry us both easily as long as we aren't going too far, which we aren't." He tied both of their bags to the saddlebags and then lifted her up onto the horse.

"Oh!" Mary exclaimed as he swung her up. Her skirts bunched around her waist and her ankles were showing. "Is this okay?"

Hamish chuckled. "You're fine, lass." He hauled himself up behind her, wrapped his arms about her waist and picked up the reins. "Just lean back against me and move with the horse. You'll get used to it, I assure you."

"Okay." Mary liked having her back pressed to his chest. She liked being so close to him.

Hamish nudged the horse and soon they were trotting out of the gate and down the land bridge.