Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

S uddenly a whirlwind kicked up and was so strong Mary struggled to run.

The ground turned muddy and slowed her even more. It was as though she was moving through quicksand. It was thick and sticky and clung to her legs.

Her movements slowed to a walk. She did her best to keep pushing forward but each step was a struggle. As the wind died, she was able to move forward a bit faster again. The mud began to slough off. She kicked her back legs, shaking off more of it. Then wagged her whole body like a dog, trying to remove the rest.

You're not going to stop me, Nellie! she thought.

She took off again, finally catching up with Hamish, who hadn't struggled as much as she had, but now he was cutting through brambles with his iron sword.

"Another spell meant to slow us down," he grunted. "I don't know what she's got planned but we'll catch her."

Once he'd managed to cut a path through, he led his horse through and Mary followed before the brambles grew back into the path.

"Are you okay?" he asked, glancing at her.

Mary bobbed her head up and down. She couldn't speak in this form, not in a way he could understand her anyway.

Hamish mounted the horse again and they took off once more giving chase, but then something inside Mary pinged and she fell flat on her face. Her donkey form was gone. It was as though something had pulled it from her. She was breathing hard as she watched Hamish racing on. In front of him, she could see Maggie's place.

The goblins were heading to Maggie's!

She couldn't allow them to harm her or Darter. She needed to do something fast. She climbed to her feet and began to run. She thought about shifting again, but she couldn't get the thought to solidify in her head. It was as though the idea was just wiped from her brain.

So she raced onward. She could see that Hamish had reached Maggie's now. She didn't slow down. She needed to catch up. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, praying she wouldn't trip on these large goblin feet of hers.

As she ran she heard the horse squeal and when she looked up, Hamish was flying from the back of the horse. "Hamish!" she screamed. She watched him tumbled to the ground in the side yard of Maggie's cottage and land with a loud thud.

The horse bucked again and took off running back to the road, turning and racing toward the castle. It blew past Mary who had reached the road, as she raced toward Hamish. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. She was still several yards back from him. Her little legs in goblin form just weren't as fast.

She really wished that she could remember how to become a donkey again. She knew she could do it, she'd done it before, twice, but it was just blocked. She couldn't access it.

As she watched two goblins crept closer to Hamish. "Stay away from him!" she shrieked.

The goblins paid her no attention.

She ran, pushing herself harder than she ever had in her life. She had to make it to his side, she had to help him. She had to defeat Nellie and these other two goblins before they stole the only love she'd ever known.

She wasn't going to let them win.

Not ever.