Magic on Changeling Mountain

“Can you tell if he’s telling the truth?” Carolyn asked.

“I think he is. It’s a hard trick to learn, especially when he’s thinking so fast.” Tammy said.

“Well, let’s just hope the sisters get here soon and they can stop this dark presence from chasing you. Maybe they can even change Sebastian back.” Carolyn said.

“I think he will be able to change on his own once Armand dies completely.” Tammy said. “Once he’s gone all the way, then his spell will be broken and Sebastian will be able to transform at will again.”

“Well, then, you need to rest as much as Sebastian does. I’ve got a feeling that once the witches get here, you are not going to get much rest.” Carolyn told her. “I’ll give Sebastian his shot then we’ll get you back over to the house so that you can get some rest before dark.”

“Great. I never could sleep during the day.” Tammy said.

“Well, even if you don’t actually sleep, you can at least lay down and rest. We’ll have to get some sage to burn tonight. Looks like someone is going to have to hunt the woods for it. You didn’t have much in your apartment and I brought all you had.” Carolyn said.

“I’ll check with Harvey. He had some in the teepee.” Tammy said.

Carolyn administered Sebastian’s shot and told him. “Rest. I’m going to take Tammy back over to the house and stay with her while she sleeps some. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on you.”

Sebastian purred in agreement and put his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. For the first time in a long time his stomach was full and the medicine she had given him was taking the pain away and he felt safe enough to fall all the way asleep. He barely even noticed when Carolyn let herself out the door.

Carolyn walked Tammy back over to the house and up to her old bedroom. It was at the front of the house on the second floor. Carolyn closed the blinds but she didn’t pull the drapes over them so there was still some sunlight coming in but it wasn’t overly bright. Tammy laid down on the bed and Carolyn pulled a chair out into the hall. She left the door slightly open so that she could hear anything that went on in the room. She even considered changing back into her cat form.

Angela came up a little while later and whispered. “Harvey just got a call that the witches are on their way. They should be here either later tonight or early in the morning. Oh, and I asked Harvey about the sage. He, Kevin and Donna are out looking for more. Harvey had a couple of bundles but he said they wouldn’t last as long as we might need and he wanted to replenish his own stock.”

“Good. Tammy is my best friend and I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. She’s had it rough enough growing up. I just pray these witches can teach her enough to protect herself and help us stop this dark presence.”

“I know. We will do everything we can but we don’t know many witches and from what Harvey has told us, this dark presence was a very powerful warlock. I just hope these witches are going to be able to defeat him. Tammy also needs to learn how to not only use her magic but to protect herself from others that would use her power against her.”

They both agreed and Angela added, “Well, since you are more than likely going to be up all night, you had better get some rest too.” Carolyn agreed and Angela smiled as she watched her daughter change into her cat form and curl up on the floor.

Tammy managed to sleep for a little while without dreaming and she felt much more refreshed when she woke up. It was the first time she had managed to sleep without dreams in a couple of weeks. When it began to get dark, they lit sage in every room of the house and everyone gathered in the living room. Tammy felt strange being the center of so much attention. She sat on the sofa between Carolyn and Harvey. Harvey was teaching her to draw her aura back into herself, to control it.

“I’m hoping the witches will be able to teach you how to project your power in a controlled way so that you can use it to protect yourself.” Harvey told her.

“Come and eat everyone.” Angela called to everyone. Everyone ate and then they either played cards at the dining room table or sat out on the porch talking. They had all agreed that they would sleep in shifts so that at least 4 people were up, watching over Tammy all the time.

Just before 10, Harvey stood up and without saying anything to anyone, went out to the porch. A little while later, they heard a car pull up and everyone went out onto the front porch to greet the sisters, who had finally arrived.

Harvey opened the passenger side of the car and helped Lucinda to step out of the car and then Amelia, without hesitation, got out of the car and began walking towards the barn. She entered the barn and again did not hesitate as she turned and entered the clean room, followed closely by an amazed Carolyn.

Amelia approached Sebastian, who was still reclining on the floor but lifted his head when he heard the door open. He seemed to smile at her as she approached and began to purr when she put her hand on his head.

“Hello Sebastian. I’m very happy to see you again. What happened to you? Did Armand do this to you?” Amelia wanted to know.

“No, a farmer down the road did it when he tried to steal a chicken.” Carolyn offered. “Hi. I’m Carolyn.”

“Hello, Carolyn. I am Amelia. Thank you for taking such good care of my friend, Sebastian.”

“Glad I was able to help him. I’m hoping you are going to be able to help my friend, Tammy.”

“That’s why we are here. I just had to see for myself that Sebastian was OK.”

As if they could share their thoughts privately or just knew each other well enough to speak volumes with just a look made Carolyn wonder if they were more than just friends.

“Be well, Sebastian. I will be right back. Let’s go see what we can do about helping your friend.” Amelia said, as she patted Sebastian one more time and started to walk towards Carolyn. As they stepped out into the barn, Amelia said “Let’s hurry. Warn the other changelings to stay in their human form unless they wish to end up like Sebastian. I’m not sure if Armand is strong enough to actually cast a spell but let’s not take any chances.”

Carolyn started to run towards the house, fighting the urge to turn into her cat form, especially since she had the feeling that they were being watched. She felt more powerful when she was a cat and right now, she feels totally helpless. She quickly passed the word to everyone to remain in their human form as they rejoined everyone in the Masters living room.

Lucinda was sitting on the ottoman across from Tammy, holding her hands. Amelia joined her sister and asked everyone to leave them alone for a bit. “We have some things to share with her that are for her eyes and ears only.” Lucinda said.

Angela herded everyone into the dining room and asked if anyone wanted coffee. Some of the men went out to the porch to smoke and keep watch. Everyone seemed on edge and Carolyn could tell that some of them were struggling to stay in their human form as it was in their nature to change into the animal form when there was danger nearby.

Carolyn was also struggling with it. Her senses were more heightened when she was a cat but she tried to keep her mind off of what might be happening in the living room by helping her mother in the kitchen but she couldn’t help peeking out of the kitchen window every time she passed it.

Everyone was on edge and when Angela dropped a coffee cup that shattered when a wolf howled from somewhere on the mountain, Carolyn thought to herself that she had never seen her normally calm and collected mother so jumpy and clumsy. Nor had she ever heard a wolf howl like that, unless it was a warning.

Her sister, Donna was hiding out in her room with their brother, Kevin who was itching to come out and find out what was going on but their father had ordered him to stay with Donna and keep her safe.

Kevin had been in enough trouble lately, so he was doing as he was told for once. Carolyn prayed that just this once, he would do as he was told until it was safe for them to come out again. Carolyn was so curious to know what was going on in the living room that she began to understand what her brother went through all the time with trying to keep his natural curiosity reined in.

After about an hour, the doors opened again and Amelia came out to talk to them. “We cannot teach her how to defend herself in such a short time. She may be very powerful but she has no clue as to how to truly tap into her powers. I warn all of you to stay in your human form or to leave all together. You will not be able to help us in our battle with Armand.” Amelia told them.

“In fact, you may become a liability since Armand is not above harming one of you to get to us. Since he no longer has a solid form, he’ll be virtually impossible to kill so we are going to have to trap him first. Since I’m not from this area, I may need your help in locating something that will help us set a trap for him. We have brought with us a vessel that will hold him once he’s caught. I wish he had not been able to draw on Tammy’s powers because he’s obviously gotten strong enough to stick around for this long. He’s not going to be easy to catch.”

“What do you need?” Carolyn stepped forward.

Amelia explained that they would need a safe place to set the trap. A place where she, Lucinda and Tammy would be able to hide until they could draw Armand out. It was decided that they would have to wait until the morning to do anything, since at night, Armand could hide anywhere and could be upon them before they realized it. They would spend tomorrow gathering the things they needed and planned to take action just before the sun went down.

Since Armand was so sensitive to sage, they were going to need lots of it. Amelia gave Carolyn a list of things she would need and then turned to Harvey. “We are going to need your teepee.” Harvey nodded his approval.

Everyone pitched in to help get things ready and by the time the sun started to go down the next evening, they were as ready as they could be, under the circumstances. Amelia told them “You should tell them to go. I would hate to see any of them get hurt and once it starts getting dark, they won’t be able to do anything but be in the way. Harvey should go as well. He has some powers but not of the kind that will give him much protection and we don’t need to have anyone around with powers that Armand can feed on. It’s going to be hard enough to catch him since he’s going to have regained some of his power by feeding on Tammy.”

Harvey agreed and left, along with most of the other changelings. Only the Masters family, which included Daniel’s brothers and one of Carolyn’s eldest cousins, Jake, remained but they were going to remain in the house and would be burning sage to keep him away. They all spent the afternoon resting or preparing for that night. Armand would not come out during the day.

Amelia, Lucinda and Tammy spent the morning preparing what they would need and then slept most of the rest of the day since they had been up most of the night. They had shown Tammy how to focus her power and she was getting better but she was not going to be a match for a trained witch or warlock for a while.

Just before it grew dark, Carolyn walked with Tammy to the teepee. Tammy was basically going to be the bait for their trap as well as the only one of them that truly had enough power to kill Armand. The problem was that she was not skilled enough to do it, so the witch sisters were going to wait until Armand was in the teepee with Tammy and then they would channel her powers to trap Armand.

The flap in the teepee was purposely left open and for anyone that was watching, it looked like Tammy was entering it alone. Amelia and Lucinda cast an invisibility spell on each other and hid until it was dark. They didn’t have long to wait.

Lucinda sensed him first. She was hidden just outside the teepee entrance with her cloak drawn close around her. She didn’t dare peek out or allow her aura to glow and give her away. Carolyn felt him as well and she had to concentrate hard not to shift into her cat form. She was so worried about her friend, Tammy. She knew she was probably terrified and Carolyn’s primary instinct was to protect her.

Armand knew the witch was here. He could see her faint glow through the opening in the teepee. He wondered why she was in there and was she alone? He needed to find a human form and soon. He could have entered any of the changelings or even the so-called Shaman that had been here last night but they did not have the kind of power he needed and he was not going to take a chance getting stuck in their human form for any length of time. The effort to maintain the fog as a mass was draining his powers, and he grew weaker every minute.

As he grew closer to the teepee, he could see inside and he almost laughed when he saw that she was alone. She was sitting in the middle of the teepee and appeared to be meditating. He floated closer and closer, the power of her aura drawing him in.

Tammy had a small fire going in front of her and she was sitting in a traditional yoga position and she seemed to be meditating. He almost cackled in glee when he saw that the light from the fire was the only other light besides her aura.

The insides of the teepee were not well lit which would work in his favor. The faint smell of sage blurred his senses and made him feel disoriented but the prize he was seeking was within his grasp. He watched her as he floated towards her as she sat silently reading whatever it was on the paper she held in her lap.

Suddenly the flap of the teepee closed and Tammy looked up and straight at him and she began to glow brighter and brighter. Her aura seemed to rise up from the floor, driving him upwards as she began to chant under her breath. It was an old spell and Armand did not have the power to fight it. A thousand thoughts seemed to flood his mind.

Where had she learned such a spell? She was untrained and would not have found this spell in any of the silly books she had in her apartment. He rose up the sides of the teepee towards the opening at the top but too late he realized it was stuffed with sage and a medallion of good magic. He had to get out of here.

Too late he realized that she had set him up and that made him angry. He gathered all of his remaining strength and began to chant his own spell. Suddenly, the flap of the tent moved and before he could react, his beloved Lucinda entered the tent. Surprised and caught off guard, his chant was interrupted.

As soon as Lucinda entered, she pointed her wand at him and cast her own spell. A strong wind began to swirl in the tent and he could feel her magic wrapping itself around him but for some reason that he couldn’t fathom, he didn’t feel any stronger. He should be able to draw on both of their powers when they were both so close, he should be getting stronger but, if anything, he was beginning to feel weaker. Was it the white witch’s incantation? What was it she was whispering? How was she blocking him? How was this untrained witch rendering him powerless to feed off their auras? Or was it Lucinda?

Suddenly, Amelia entered the tent and Armand felt a rage build inside of him. She had killed his body. She was the reason he had had to wander the land, feeding off the powers of inferior witches for the past few months. She was the reason he was so weak now. The reason that he was not, at this moment, able to be with his beloved Lucinda.

Amelia opened something she was holding in her hands and set it on the floor. Armand recognized the symbols on the vessel and knew they were going to try to trap him! No! He was one of the most powerful warlocks that had ever lived. These silly women would not trap him! He tried to lose himself in the shadows inside the teepee. If he could just get to an opening, he could get out and lose himself in the night.

But they were blocking the doorway and the opening at the top was stuffed with sage and that stupid medallion. He whipped around the tent, trying to find even a pinhole of an opening but there wasn’t one. He was truly trapped! He strained to hear what the white witch was muttering but he couldn’t hear her as she continued to whisper the incantation. Armand realized that there was no escape and he had no choice. He was going to have to fight!

Armand slid along the shadows cast by the fire as Amelia lifted her wand. She began to chant as she spun her wand in a circular motion. She was pulling the light around him, using the light to surround him. He tried to focus and gathered a small energy ball which he directed at Amelia first.

His hated enemy, his murderer. She easily deflected it and sparks flew as her white magic met his dark magic. Then Lucinda pointed her wand at him and began her own spell. In his arrogance he couldn’t believe that she was turning against him too. But as he felt her spell begin to try and bind him he grew angry. He drew himself in and began chanting his own spell. He was going to prove to her that black magic was superior! Amelia and Lucinda stood side by side in front of the opening to the teepee. Slowly they stepped away from each other, effectively creating, Armand realized too late, a triangle of the three witches. Their magic had him trapped on all sides but he directed the last of his power at his hated enemy, Amelia. He tried to aim his magic at her but as the light encircled him, his powers faded until he was too weak to fight anymore. At most it created an intense light show as good magic and black magic met.

Once Armand was completely encased in light, Tammy stood up and lifted her hand, her fingers spread wide. A strong beam of light left her palm as she chanted. Armand was now nothing but a small ball of dark smoke but it felt as if it had physical mass as her aura grew closer, encircling him in her pure white light.

“Remember, do not touch him. Just direct him to the vessel.” Amelia whispered to Tammy. Tammy nodded that she understood and she began to close her fingers as she lowered her arm, drawing Armand to the vessel.

“Hurry, Tammy.” Lucinda’s voice was weak.

Tammy drew Armand to just above the vessel and then lowered him inside. He screamed as Amelia slammed the lid on it and Lucinda dropped to her knees.

“Sister, are you all right?” Amelia rushed to her sisters’ side, holding the vessel tightly against her side.

“I will be but it took almost everything I had, Amy. I’m very tired.” Lucinda said. She was visibly shaking as she leaned back against the teepee wall.

“I knew this was going to be too much for you. Hang on, Lucy. I’ve just got to seal it so that he can never get out.” Amelia said. “Tammy, bring me the candle.”

Tammy quickly lit the white candle and passed it to Amelia, who chanted a spell that had not been uttered in over a hundred years as she dripped wax along the seam of the vessel, sealing it.

“Now we will bury him deep on sacred land and he will be trapped forever.” Amelia said. She set the vessel down and went to her sister. “Lucy? Are you ok?”

Lucinda nodded slightly. “Very weak, Amy. That took a lot out of me. I need to rest.”

“Maybe Carolyn can help?” Tammy asked.

“No. She may be a good changeling doctor but witches are different. Her magic needs healing, not her human form. Right now Lucinda needs to rest. I was afraid that she wasn’t going to be strong enough for this. It’s only been a few months since we last battled Armand and he wounded her almost fatally then.” Amelia told her.

They left the teepee, with Lucinda between them. As soon as they stepped outside, Daniel and Ray rushed to help them carry Lucinda inside with Carolyn in the lead. “Is she alright? Come, carry her inside and let me get my bag.” Carolyn said as Daniel lifted her into his arms.

“No need for your bag, Carolyn. She’s just worn out.” Amelia said. “She just needs to rest.”

The door to the barn opened and everyone turned to see a very handsome and obviously naked man, wrapped in a horse blanket, standing in the light that flowed through the open door as he leaned heavily on the door jam.

“Sebastian!” Amelia yelled. She ran to him and caught him as he sagged to his knees.

Carolyn rushed over to them and helped Amelia lift him to his feet. “Help me get him inside. He’s ripped open his stitches and I’m going to have to re-stitch him closed.” She said, as she felt blood on her hand. She glanced over his shoulder and saw that he had indeed ripped open several of his stitches when he had transformed.

Amelia now knew that they had truly trapped Armand and cut off all of his magic. Otherwise, Sebastian would not have been able to change back into his human form. She had hoped but had not been sure that the spells that they had uttered would work.

They took Sebastian back into the barn but into a smaller room with a metal table. They helped Sebastian up onto the table and Carolyn quickly washed her hands and then prepared a shot to numb his back. As soon as the medicine began to take effect, she stitched the wound for a second time. It had healed considerably except from where the blade had cut the deepest, just along his lower hip and butt cheek. “He’s lucky that Mr. McNair wasn’t standing an inch or two closer or he could have lost his leg.”

“Will he heal faster now that he can change again?” Amelia asked.

“Possibly. He’s already healed quite a bit but this part was really deep. I will say it’s much easier to stitch with him this way. I had to clip away quite a bit of fur before, but that will grow back over time.” Carolyn said as she clipped the thread on her last stitch. “He should try to stay in his human form until this is completely healed. Once it is, he should be able to shift again with no problem.”

“Thank you for taking such great care of him. If Armand had been able to harm him, I’m sure he would have. I wonder how he managed to stay hidden from him all this time?” Amelia thought out loud.

“That you will have to ask him. But for now, he’s going to be asleep for a while which is exactly what he needs. I gave him a good dose of medicine that should keep him asleep for a couple of hours at least. Right now, I want to go see Tammy.” They covered Sebastian with a blanket before leaving the barn.

They walked back over to the house. Lucinda and Tammy were sitting in the living room with Angela and Daniel Masters and Harvey Two Moons, who had reappeared almost immediately after Armand had been trapped. Most of the changelings had left and only Daniel’s brothers, Ray and Richard were still there. They were talking quietly on the porch when Carolyn and Amelia climbed the stairs but stood up when Carolyn stopped and introduced them before entering the house.

“That was some light display you ladies put on out there!” Uncle Ray smiled at Amelia.

“Glad you enjoyed it. I’m just happy that we managed to capture Armand. He was a very nasty warlock.” Amelia said. “I’ve not yet decided what I’m going to do with this.” She motioned to the vessel that she held.

“I vote for burning it.” Uncle Richard piped in.

“That might give him a chance to escape. He was basically smoke when we trapped him, after all.” Amelia smiled at him.

They entered the house and found Lucinda and Tammy sitting together on the couch again. Lucinda looked drained and exhausted and Amelia was concerned.

“Lucy, are you alright?” Amelia said as she sat down next to her sister.

“Yes, just very, very tired.” Lucinda answered.

“Why don’t you go lie down upstairs? You can stay in my old room tonight. Amelia, my bed is a queen sized bed but there’s also a roll away that we could set up for you.” Carolyn offered.

“No, that’s fine. We can both fit. I don’t want to be any trouble.” Amelia replied. “I would say we would go to a hotel but Lucinda is exhausted and needs to rest. Armand hurt her pretty badly when we battled him a few months ago. She was not fully recovered when we got the call that Armand had located a white witch.”

“Well, then, let’s get her upstairs so she can rest.” Angela Masters said.

Angela and Amelia took Lucinda upstairs and helped her get ready for bed.