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I had imagined a dilapidated castle on the edge of a cliff, or a ghastly dwelling within a swamp, or a repurposed jail for criminals abandoned a long time ago, or even something as simple as a creepy cave.
Not a quaint little house by the riverside of a remote village!
“Is this a prank?” I asked the boy who served as my guide.
“What? No! You asked where the witch lived; that’s where.”
“Can you remind me what she looks like?”
The boy looked up at me in exasperation and sighed like it was the most straining effort in the world.
“Short brown hair, dark eyes, about your height, always wears black robes.”
Well, if he was lying, he was at least consistent.
“And that’s her house?” I questioned him again.
“Yeah, I told’ja a hundred times already. Where’s my two golds?”
I huffed. It wasn’t like that price was anything to me.
“Why is she living this close to your village? You do know she’s dangerous,” I said, picking two coins from the pouch within my overcoat and handing them to him.
“Her? Dangerous?” He snorted, snatching the coins before giving me a look. “What did’ja smoke?”
“Excuse me?” I asked, voice rising into a squawk, taking a step forward.
“Woah! Woah! Alright, calm down, lady. What did’ja want with her anyway? She’s been livin’ here forever. Even protects the village from beasts and whatnot.”
My eyebrows furrowed as he spoke. What was he saying? She was a notorious witch.
“I’m…” I trailed off. If he was spellbound or under the impression that she was harmless, I couldn’t exactly tell the truth here. “I heard she knew some powerful spells and came to see if she would share her knowledge, is all.”
“Hmmm… Well, all the same t’me. Thanks for the money.”
He turned on his heel, and I followed suit, looking at the house which was a reflection of perfection. There was no misalignment in the roof tiles, the windows were impeccably clean despite their proximity to the river and the stone structure was all too level. There were even little daffodils and bellflowers in full bloom, which made no sense at all.
If this was actually her residence, it screamed of illusion magic.
I would have to be careful, as expected.
I closed my eyes, letting my fingers trace a rune through the air and feeling the hot waft of my flame ward enveloping my body. I kept my wand within my grasp, hidden in the sleeve of my protective cloak.
If the sayings were anywhere near true, I could not let my guard down for a second.
I approached the house.
A dispelling wasn’t in my cards. It would take too long and I very much doubted that it would go unnoticed.
I didn’t bother with sneaking around, and concealing my presence wasn’t an option for me. Instead, I opened the front door to an inviting aroma of… strawberry.
I shook my head instantly, keeping my mind away from my favorite snack.
Zestoria. It was a cantrip meant to evocate the senses, the pleasures, one meant to distract, to open up my guard. My rune should have prevented its effects, burnt its scent, but perhaps witchcraft was already at play.
Still, I wouldn’t fall for it.
To my left were stairs leading down while a living room lay on my right. As the name would imply, it actually looked lived in. Various books were lying precariously on the armchairs’ arms, rare magic tomes were proudly displayed on top of the chimney’s mantle and yet more were piled up in high columns around the room.
Whatever impression she wanted to give, I didn’t buy any of it and continued forward, immediately noticing the noise that came from the end of the hallway.
I carefully made my way there, continuously sensing for traps and other potentially magical snares.
But there weren’t any.
I kept my breath calm and silent as I glanced into what appeared to be a kitchen… and immediately frowned.
She was cooking?
“Welcome, Claire.”
To add to my sudden shock at hearing my name, the front door, which I had intentionally left open, slammed close with a clatter, shaking the very foundation of the house.
My heart skipped a beat.
But that didn’t stop me from stepping firmly into the open and holding up my wand.
“So you know my name?” I questioned, taking a haughty tone to hide my surprise.
It really shouldn’t be unsettling. This was just proof of her witchcraft.
“Of course. A host has to know their guest in detail in order to offer good service.”
“Service? Is that what you call hiding yourself behind illusions and supposed cuisine?”
“Illusions?” she mused, the hand that had been stirring the contents of her cauldron stopping. “None of this is an illusion, Claire.”
“Nonsense. You might have spellbound the townsfolk, but your notoriety goes beyond this hamlet.”
“Oh, and what have I done to deserve such praise?”
She giggled, sprinkling what seemed to be herbs into her cauldron before smelling a whiff of whatever she was stewing. Without turning to face me, she nodded and rudely continued to mix the contents.
The strawberry odor only seemed to thicken.
“If I were to voice every crime you’ve committed, we would be here for the remainder of the day, witch.”
“Don’t we have plenty of time? We could discuss over dinner?”
“No, thank you. I have come to execute your sentence only.”
“Hmm… and yet I don’t find myself turned into a pile of ash yet. How curious… Unless… Is this your first time?”
My hand twitched and I shot out a spell, watching it disperse entirely on contact—contact?! What kind of protection did she—
“Careful with the fire spells. We wouldn’t want this charming house to burn, Claire.”
The way her voice seemed to rise playfully as she said my name irritated me to the highest degree—and she didn’t even turn! She wasn’t taking me seriously in the slightest.
I raised my voice. “As ordered by the Bauer Court of Magic, you, Rae Taylor, are to be arrested and detained for the remainder of your days.”
Whatever the reason—now—she left her ladle behind and finally turned to face me. Her features were as described, but I only felt my annoyance rise at the sight of the gleam in her eyes and the smirk on her lips.
“It’s okay, Claire. I’ll be your first. I can teach you all you need to know about witchcraft… and me.”
Air flared through my nose as my eyes narrowed.
“Dispel your illusions and surrender,” I said steely. The runes engraved into the ebony of my wand began to glow, gathering magic.
“As I said, there is no illusion—”
With a quick guiding rune, flames appeared before me, and I sent them all around us with a flick of my wand.
I watched her raise her hands for the first time, large water drops popping into existence to quench every flame with implausible speed. Witchcraft was as I heard, entirely too efficient.
“For someone who professes that there is no illusion, you were quick to protect it.”
“My house would burn, Claire.”
“If you care so much, why not surrender? After all, any fight between us would result in the same.”
“Any fight?” She made to approach me but seemed to think better of it as I drew up part of a rune. “You must be quite the fiery partner in bed then…”
Her voice echoed in my ear, softly, suggestively, manifesting visions that could not possibly have come from my own mind.
And my whole body tensed up against my will.
I took a rallying step forward, my boot slamming against the wooden panels, and finished my rune, firing off a bolt of searing heat. Like thunder, the clap rang in my eardrums, and instantly, it struck her arm—and fizzled out as if blowing on a candle, a similar fate as my previous flames.
My eyes narrowed, immediately noticing the gap with my trained eyes. Another one left my wand.
It connected and dispersed with the same flash of blueish magic, confirming my theory.
“Now you’ve gone too far, witch.”
She only smiled, nonchalantly turning back to her cauldron to mix it again.
“Don’t worry, I would still ask for consent.”
“Eurgh! Enough! You have been warned.”
I readied my wand, drawing the complex rune required at the same time. If she was going to underestimate me, then she had only herself to blame.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“I know about your witchcraft.”
It was a discordant art, cantrips and wards able to achieve much more unscrupulous ends than what the sorcerers of our time ever wished for. But the price for it was steep: the hazardous employ of the witch’s own body as a conduit for magic.
It wouldn’t be able to withstand the might of Magic Ray.
“What do you hope to do with your back to me?”
She shrugged. “I warned you as well.”
Magic grew dense in the surrounding air, but the witch only continued to ignore me. She was either overly confident in her abilities or didn’t seem to care in the least about what happened to her.
“You know…” she sang, “more magic doesn’t equal a better spell.”
“I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it. Do you really think they would send a single sorceress to deal with the likes of you if they weren’t confident in her abilities?”
This made her turn again, but the reaction she gave me betrayed all expectations I had.
With the same seemingly perpetual smile as before, she opened her arms wide.
“Show me then. I am all yours, Claire.”
I had enough.
I completed the rune, and brilliant lights formed all around me. This was the culmination of my research. It was the reason I was here to begin with. These rays wouldn’t just pierce her wards, they would obliterate them—and they did, instantly. The impact was so strong, in fact, that they launched her into the cauldron’s cast iron behind her, and she collapsed to the floor, quite and clearly dazed.
I rushed forward, drawing another rune to capture her before she could retaliate. Bright bands of light started to form around her. I only had to touch her. Contact was necessary for the strongest bonds.
“Claire…” I heard her whisper, oddly chuckling just as I laid my hand on her wrist—and felt my entire body grow rigid for a second.
Then the flame wards I had initially cast to protect me shattered in front of my eyes.
“I told you you shouldn’t have.”
A deep shiver ran through my entire body.
“What did you—”
I never finished my demand as I saw everything around me grow bigger—as my entire body morphed, limbs shortening, nose flattening, fur growing out of my skin. It all happened so quickly and without pain that I was staring up at that despicable witch in the next instant in utter befuddlement.
All traces of my magic had understandably vanished, and all my clothes lay in a pile under me.
But there was only one big question screaming throughout my mind: How had Magic Ray not destroyed a polymorph ward?!
Scratch that! Why did she look just as perplexed as I was?!
Of course, it soon disappeared to give way to her previous smile.
“I had totally forgotten that I had embedded that ward into myself.” Into herself?! “Good job, Claire. I never expected your spell to break through my spellbind wards.”
“Why would you do something so reckless?!” I shouted, though my mouth only formed very audible meows.
She giggled. “Sorry, Kitty Claire. I don’t understand cat talk, but don’t worry. This kind of cantrip only lasts a day usually.”
“I know that!”
I spun on my paws with surprising ease. I had to flee and recover. This witch was much more deviant than described. What kind of unhinged person would embed wards into their own body?!
Only, as soon as I turned the corner, I saw the door that I had heard slam close earlier—and slid to a stop.
There was still the windows—
I felt my paws leave the floor and gasped, desperately needing to touch solid ground.
I heard her airy tone behind me. “Hehe, you’re just as adorable like this. Here. Don’t panic so much.”
With her hands snug under my front legs, she turned me around so I could face her.
I shouted insults and demands at her but all that came out were growls and hisses.
“Well, I guess we have time now, but it’s best to get the obligations out of the way.”
Her words brought my complaining to a stop. What did she mean by that?
She brought me closer, shifting her arms to hold me around my belly.
It didn’t matter what she meant!
I took the opening she thoughtlessly left me to dig my claws into her skin, pulling blood and a yelp out of her. Her arms loosened as well, allowing me to dislodge myself and fall to the floor—and my eyes widened and closed as it came surprisingly quickly. Yet, still, I landed on my feet—paws.
With a very brief sigh, I ran off.
It was true what they said, but there was no time to muse about it. I needed an open window!
“I know how you must feel, Kitty Claire,” the witch called after me, “but there’s no way out.”
I glanced into every room as I ran—and she was unfortunately right. Every window, every corner. There was nothing opening up on the outside world. No matter if this was or wasn’t an illusion at this point. I had no access to magic.
My only option was to hide.
I found her bedroom and ran under a thankfully deep bookshelf, low enough to leave room for me.
I watched her stop in front of it, kneel and bend down to look at me.
“Come, Claire. You probably wouldn’t like the alternative.
“What are you going to do to me?!”
“Do you think you can escape me forever?”
“I will try my damndest! You can be sure of that!”
She sighed. “Well… Again, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
With the wave of her hand, in spite of my claws scratching the wooden planks in a desperate effort to find a gap to hold on to, my paws and body were magically dragged toward her.
As she said, this was the worst kind of spell to be subjected to. Like spellbinding, my body being forced to act against my will made my skin squirm and my fur stand on end.
Before I inevitably reached her, I gave my last ounce of resistance and went with the forced movement to bite her—but my fangs didn’t penetrate past her newly cast wards.
“Now. Now. It’s okay, Kitty Claire,” she said, picking me up in her arms again.
“Stop calling me that!”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
I could only watch as we started toward the front of the house again.
There were worse things than physical harm!
“I just need to make sure you don’t make too much trouble for me.”
That was exactly what I meant!
There was no doubt in my mind that she wanted to spellbind me like the townsfolk. She even mentioned the wards in question just earlier!
I angrily meowed at her.
“Spellbinding? Oh no, I have to admit that you’re quite skilled, Kitty Claire. You could most likely bypass that given enough time.”
She could understand me?! What was that pretense earlier then?!
“That’s why,” she started, irritably petting my head in spite of my protests and struggles, “I have better for you.”
“What?” I demanded in a single meow.
“Oh, you’ll see.”
She arrived at that staircase I had noticed upon entering her home and descended it.
At the bottom, my cat eyes widened even in the darkness.
That rune was…
I let my claws out again, wanting to rip the skin off her arms, but their sharpness was still nowhere near enough to tear through the wards.
“As I thought, this might be forbidden knowledge, but you are acquainted with it.” She scratched my ears, and I complained loudly at the treatment. “Well, this is for both our safety. I’m sure you’ll come to see it as a boon.”
She placed me in the middle of the room, which I now realized had been entirely prepared for this. A barrier immediately formed around me as soon as my paws touched the ground, effectively preventing me from escaping.
“Are you ready?”
I only growled. This witch! She had known the entire time. Whatever divination she was capable of, she had seen it all coming. I had played into her hand from the beginning.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She held out her palm while the other rested on her heart, and we both watched as the forbidden spell took form. Above her chest and mine appeared the prismatic glow of a mix of runes and cantrips. They outlined the ultimate partnership, pulling the innate magic of our souls together between us.
How could I let this happen?!
All because of some random ward she had madly embedded into her body and forgotten about?
Such foolishness!
There was no way I could have predicted that!
I had to watch as her magic, dark as the midnight hour, and mine, fiery as the shining sun, continued to grow and mix, soon forming a pure whole and sapping most of my strength in the process.
That wasn’t surprising.
Even the witch had dropped to a knee.
Though we could not physically feel the effects of such a binding, I knew it had well and truly been completed. The sudden but temporary loss of strength and magic which was the mortal cost for the spell, and the bizarre fleeting connection that now existed between us were proof enough. The witch was still grinning as our united souls returned to our bodies.
“Well, perhaps we can have an actual conversation now?”
“Don’t count on it…” I muttered. I truly hated how it came out as a soft meow that seemed almost like an agreement.
Without too much apparent effort, she stood back up, but I could not do the same, most likely because of the limited strength of this cursed cat form.
“How about some strawberry soup to lift your spirits? It is your favorite, right?” she asked, reaching for my sides.
“Fine,” was all I could reply.
At this point, I didn’t have any resources at my disposal to resist and there wasn’t much worse she could do.
At least, I thought as much until she tried to serve me on the floor.
A mighty hiss was enough to make her rethink her action, though not without a few disrespectful giggles.
We both silently ate, and as neither of us could stay awake despite the sun only just starting its transition into the moon, it was time for bed.
Without surprise, there was only one.
I stared from the nightstand as the witch held up her covers for me to jump in.
I looked around in hopes of a miracle, but, again, there was only one bed.
And I wasn’t about to sleep on the floor.
So I reluctantly leapt in.
The night was thankfully eventless in spite of the witch’s seeming disregard for boundaries.
I had awoken from my slumber without a hint of drowsiness, unlike usual, and after growling at this ludicrous situation, I had curled up on my pillow to think this through.
I continued to look at the witch as the morning sun transitioned back, rays of light breaking through the glass windows. Illusions were never so perfect or persistent, and I had to admit that my initial assumption had been wrong.
Even in her sleep, she seemed inscrutable, a mystery. Why had she chosen to do this? Having acquired such forbidden knowledge, she could very well have killed me. It didn’t make any sense.
However, it was certainly effective.
I couldn’t apprehend her any longer. With our souls linked, so were our lives. There was too much risk involved in making one of us powerless. Witches died in prison. I had seen as much. Her notoriety would simply ensure she did.
There was the option of leaving and telling the Court that she had to be killed because of unexpected circumstances, but the lie could easily be discovered if they investigated, if the witch did some other deeds.
No, as much as I hated the thought, I would have to stay right here with her for surveillance. Ensuring she did not continue her evil deeds was still my duty, and that could start by forcing her to remove the spellbind keeping the people of the village under her govern.
In time, as this meant I would go missing in their eyes, the Court would send someone else to complete the task. A dreadful thought, but I may yet be able to explain myself then. In the meantime, I just had to bring this witch under my control. A task easier said than done, perhaps, but one which I would have to do.
I heard her chuckle before I realized she had woken up.
“What?”
Hearing my own meows still irritated me, but this was considerably better than being incomprehensible.
“Finally settling in?”
“Do I look like I can cook like this?”
“Hungry then? I can fix that,” she said, sitting up and petting my head—I batted her hand away, claws out.
“Stop that.”
“Sure, Kitty Claire,” she said, holding her hand up to look at the red claw marks. “You know, you don’t have to mark your territory, though?”
“Keep your fantasies to yourself and get up.”
“So demanding…” she sighed, leaving her bed and heading out, “but I love that in a woman.”
“Witch, what did I just say?”
“I thought you said you wanted to stay?”
“Like I have a choice!” I leapt off the bed and followed after her. “If I can’t apprehend you, then I—Wait! How do you know about my intentions?!”
She turned all of a sudden, making me stop at her feet.
“Like you said, you have no other choice, do you?”
I could only growl—and more so as she picked me up.
“Come on, Kitty Claire. Let’s have some breakfast and we can talk about all this.”
“We do have a lot to talk about,” I reluctantly meowed.
“We sure do!”
To her credit, she did cook well enough.
Our breakfast ended shortly, though our conversation would end up taking up the entire morning, and the witch insisted on taking me to the village to confirm that she hadn’t spellbound anyone.
As she correctly pointed out, there were none of the telltale signs of the spell. Every person’s movements were natural, and their manner of speech was not distorted in odd places. But the fact that she hadn’t wasn’t the most unbelievable one; it was rather that the boy had been right. She seemed well appreciated by the townsfolk.
It made no sense at all. I knew well all the overwhelming evidence against her.
Even as we returned to her home, I knew, there was more that she was hiding.
But she clearly had no intention of telling me.
So I would have to continue to observe and monitor her.
At the very least, I had no choice but to—
As soon as we stepped inside her house, a terrible poison assaulted my nose.
My body warmed up and my mind suddenly seemed obsessed with…
“Silvervine?! You depraved witch!”
She didn’t answer, but I could see the spring in her step.
It was coming from her.
And the need to roll myself in the scent was overwhelming—enough that I was unable to control my urges as she sat in her living room with one of her books. I leapt into her lap, desperately meowing for her to pet me in spite of any pride I had.
And she did.
Of course, she did!
Her hand caressed down my back, ruffling its fur with a touch that was much too light for my present—forced—cravings. I had to press my body into her hand, pacing around her lap so her lazy touch could soothe every itch.
“See? Isn’t this better, Kitty Claire?” she giggled.
All I wanted was to haul her over the cauls.
But all I could actually do was collapse into her lap and let her pet this cat I had become.
I was going to have my revenge. She could trust in that.
It wasn’t until the sun was well into its descent that the urges calmed and a tingle spread under my skin, the telling sign of a cantrip losing its hold.
Finally.
The polymorphic effect would wear off.
I was completely exhausted despite doing nothing but rolling around in her lap.
I felt her hand stop mid-caress on my furry back.
“Oh…”
I leapt off her before she could stop me and shot out of the room.
There was absolutely zero chance that I was letting her see me. Unfortunately, she had purposely washed my clothes which were now hanging outside, but I knew of her walk-in closet.
I pushed the door close with my head just in time for the transformation to occur in reverse.
“Claire?” I heard her call from outside.
“I hate you,” I replied dryly.
“Good to hear you’re well.”
“Don’t mock me, witch,” I spat, taking deep breaths as I was still coming down from the effects of that terrible poison. “There is nothing good about this—and don’t you dare ever try to pull a stunt like that again, or I will make sure you regret it.”
“I’ll take note of that.”
Her tone indicated the exact opposite.
I grunted, standing up to look at my choices… of which there was none.
“You also need to find a new tailor.”
“Black is always in style.”
“They’re all the same robes! And what sorceress wears pants!
“I am a witch, though.”
I took a pair to wear. I didn’t have anything else. At the very least, her underwear was perfectly suitable.
“Things will change around here.”
“Oh? That’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re warming up to the idea of staying with me.” She paused. “I’ll go make dinner for us, kittycat.”
“Do not call me that!”
Her voice came from further away as she called, “Honey then!”
“Not that either!”
Having put on one of her unflattering pants and robes, I took a moment to cast a ward and swung the door open to run after her,
“Come back here, witch! And stop with the appellations!”
As I turned the corner of the kitchen doorway, I almost rammed into her. She was simply smiling—still and again—looking straight into my eyes with the same glimmer as when I had first seen her.
“If you call me by my name.”
Staring at her, I couldn’t help but feel that she was playing me. However, this was, by a long chalk, the fairest thing she had said since I met her.
“If that’s all it will take, I certainly hope you hold up your end of this compromise, Rae.”
“Shall we shake on it, Claire?” she asked, putting her hand forward.
“Why, that sounds like a great idea,” I replied, grasping it firmly.
Did she take me for a fool?
Her obvious cantrip surged between us and would have struck me if not for the ward I had cautiously cast just earlier. I kept my gaze on her to see her reaction as the polymorphic effects would bounce back to her.
But she, too, was only staring at me with a wide grin.
“I knew you were a clever girl.”
I felt the magic run up my hand and arm.
“No,” I gasped, trying to separate our hands, though it really wouldn’t help me now. She had used her own body again to trick me!
“Don’t worry, Claire. At this rate, you’ll make a fantastic familiar!”
“Rae, you despicable witch!”