CHAPTER 10
In the morning he was woken by Alice busy rattling pots and making something to eat, Athermine and her mother had lost a lot of their brightness and were over with Pee Wee in Sophie’s chair, she was explaining to him that when her task was finished as it soon would be, she must go back with her mother and would he come with her, the little fellow was looking at her in a very affectionate but sad way.
“I can’t go back with you Athermine, my place is here, that’s if Wizzo will have me, anyway you know what I’m like in the cold, my bones become stiff and I just can’t move, no little one you must go back, your mother needs to teach you many things, also your Queen is most wise and she demands that you return.”
I don’t care what she demands Peewee, we have been together and looked after each other for so long, is it all to end?”
“End, what we have can never end, our love for each other is forever, but now you must go back and see your father, your family and get to know what it is to be a Fairy, a true Fairy for that’s what you are and always will be.”
“But what will you do my true and trusted friend, what will become of you?” she asked sadly
“I’ll look after him and he will look after me, and don’t forget we have a Dragon Queen to train; she will want somebody to play with!” Said Wizzo, just then Sophie came down yawning and stretching her arms in the air.
“Allo everybody, I hope ya slept as well as I did,” she walked over to her chair and on looking down onto it she smiled, “looks like it’s all full up;” pulling her skirts up she knelt down in front of it.
“What’s goin on ere then, is it time for you to go my little love, is your task finished, cause I feel good and me lump never felt better. I think I got a horse in there he kicks so ard.” Sophie was trying to make it easy for Athermine to go, she was beginning to get to know and understand Fairies and besides that she felt well enough and strong enough to let her little friend depart with her mother. She had thought about it for most of the night that’s why she had put on such a display of having slept so well so that Athermine wouldn’t be worried. Athermine first went to Peewee and kissed him on the nose twice, and then she went to Sophie and did the same.
Wizzo was about to call Elthra but had no need to because she and twelve other Fairies had appeared and were now hovering in a circle above Athermine and her mother returning their strength to them.
“Can you get home all right Cathra, or do you need my assistance?”
“I think we’ll be all right Wizzo;” they were both now standing up in Sophie’s chair and holding hands.
“I’ll take you up to the main gates then;” he said.
“Can I come?” said Pee Wee, Wizzo went over and picked him up.
“Come on then little fellow let’s see these two good Fairies on their way and we’ll stay outside the shield and listen to make sure that they get home alright.” He turned to Sophie.
“Are you staying here Sophie?
“I think I will Wizzo, I don’t like good byes, my thanks to ya Athermine, ya saved me and my little one’s life, I won’t never forget that, will ya come back and visit sometime?” the caring look in Sophie’s eyes was enough to melt even the hardest of hearts.
“Of course I will Sophie, you’re my task, and it isn’t finished yet!” Sophie looked surprised at this last statement.
“Not finished!” was all she could say.
Athermine just smiled and looked at Wizzo knowingly.
“Fairies have secrets Sophie, I thought you’d know that by now;” he said with a big smile on his face.
They left Sophie and went outside, the sky was filled with dark heavy clouds and flakes of snow had started to float down. When the main gates were closing behind them he looked up at the sky.
“Are you sure that you’ll be all right Cathra? I don’t like the look of this; you’ll have trouble if it is snowing heavily where you’re going.” Cathra looked up into the snow filled clouds.
“I’ll ask Bethermere;” she concentrated for some time, “I’m not getting an answer Wizzo.”
“Neither am I Cathra;” he turned to Peewee, “you had best go back inside my little friend, it seems that I’m needed.”
“We will meet again my one and only love;” said Peewee, Athermine came over and kissed him on the nose three times.
“That’s so you will not forget me!” it was too much for him, he floated up in the air.
“Three times,” he said, “she kissed me three times!”
On Wizzo’s command the gates were opening and Peewee floated reluctantly back inside, when the gates were closed Wizzo opened his cloak.
“Come inside little ones. Give me your thoughts Cathra and I will get you safely home;” this was one of the most difficult things for a Fairy to do, in the giving of her thoughts it would mean that she would become powerless, completely in the other persons hands. Wizzo was unable to go anywhere, he waited and while he waited he put his hood over his head so as to try and hear her better, still nothing came, her past fears had closed her mind to him.
“I have a good idea were your home is, Bethermere told me as much, I’ll take you as near as possible then perhaps you can direct me from there, with that he was gone.
Next he found that he could smell the sea, the snow was falling in sheets and swirled around him, he called out in his mind to Bethermere.
“I am here with Athermine and her mother, will you give me some direction my lady,” a voice came drifting back to him.
“This way, this way, my little ones, come this way.” He floated through the swirling blustery snow; he had no idea where he was going, he could only hear the voice, repeating.
“This way, this way my little ones!” He was getting closer now, the feeling he was getting was not as it should be, he stopped and the voice kept calling.
“This way, this way my little ones.” There was something not right, so he quickly went back the other way. He stopped, listening with every fiber of his body, it was then he heard soft cackling laughter, it was as if somebody was trying not to laugh but couldn’t help it. Then he heard another voice, it was definitely not the same one, it came from a different direction, it was soft and it seemed only for his ears.
“This way Wizzo.” He only heard it once but it was enough so he flew in that direction, he was going along the coast, he’d gone maybe ten miles or so, Cathra knowing and feeling that she was nearing her home popped her head out and pointed.
“Over there Wizzo! Over there!” He found himself up against a rock wall; Athermine and Cathra flew out of his cloak, found a small crevice in the rock face and disappeared inside. A soft whispered voice came back to him.
“We thank you Wizzo, I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, you can go now, we will be safe and we thank you once again for your kindness.”
“What about the Witch I heard Cathra, will she trouble you?”
“She has always troubled us; we live in fear of her!”
“I’ll go and see what can be done.”
“Be careful Wizzo, she is a most powerful witch, with a most powerful friend!”
He had never had any trouble with witches before, most were just a nuisance, flying around on their broom sticks at night and having what they called fun, well he supposed it was fun to them, most would not interfere with Fairies because Fairies were too hard to catch and even if they did catch one they could only display it like a bird in a golden cage, they could do it no harm, the trapped Fairy would grant them a wish and they would let it go, or so he was led to believe.
He made his way back along the coast. It wasn’t until he had travelled some distance that he thought he heard someone singing. As he moved closer, he realized that it wasn’t exactly singing, it sounded more like a croaking, cackling sound mixed with words.
“I shall catch you my little ones, cackle, cackle, I’m getting closer my little ones, ever closer and closer my little ones, cackle, cackle, when I do you will grant my master his wish, cackle,
cackle!” Wizzo found himself outside a warped rotten wooden door with only one leather hinge stopping it from falling to the ground, it was attached to a very small stone built shack, covered and banked up with snow. There was smoke billowing out of the chimney, it smelt foul, she was making some kind of potion. Witches thought that if the potions smell was extremely bad, it must be strong, the more it stank, the stronger it must be. Wizzo made sure that his cloak and hood was tightly wrapped about him and that not one part of him could be seen or touched, he carefully lifted the rusty latch on the door and quietly entered.
He found himself in a small stinking room full of smoke, a table was on his left up against the wall, there were shelves above this full of little stone jars of all shapes and sizes covered in thick dust. There was another small rickety table in the center of the room littered with small stone jars dirty pots and an assortment of dried herbs, the old Witch was on the other side of it and was leaning over the fire stirring and sniffing her foul smelling brew. She had on a torn dirty old black cloak and due to the fact that it was too big and a good part of it dragged on the floor it had suffered considerably, the cloak had mystical signs embroidered into it, most of which he couldn’t make out because it was torn in so many places. Her brown pointed hat was all bent and he could see the dust and dirt lying in the creases of it. Under it was a face that would even put a fright into another Witch, sunken eyes, pointed nose and almost toothless mouth. Her grey matted hair hung down over her shoulders to below her waist. Then there were the talons, you couldn’t call them hands, the nails of which being at least an inch or more long and each had been cut to a razor sharp point, he supposed they were used as weapons or for tearing things apart, these were attached to her thin scrawny arms.
He closed the door quietly behind him, not that it made any difference because it was full of holes and cracks and even when it was closed it didn’t keep out the wind or the snow to a great extent. He crept up behind her.
He didn’t notice the cat laying on her bed, it leapt into life coming straight at him, screeching with claws out stretched, the cat got the surprise of its life, Wizzo’s cloak had been made by the Fairies thousands of years ago, Wizard had passed it on to Wizard, the cat coming into contact with it now felt a thousand needles sticking into its flesh, screeching with the pain, it raced away and disappeared under the old Witches bed. The screaming old Witch spun around to face him, she then threw the stinking spoon in his direction, to his surprise he was then attacked from behind by the broom, it received the same treatment as the cat, it flew franticly around, hitting first the roof then the floor, then smashing its way out through what was left of the door.
Wizzo moved over to the open doorway blocking the Witches only means of escape.
“Now then what have we here;” he said in a most friendly manner. She was now cowering in the corner by her bed, her scrawny fingers with those sharpened nails clawed the air, when she hissed strange and terrible sounds came from within her, she knew that she was at the mercy of this Wizard. The thing that possessed her he knew it was this that made the strange noises coming from somewhere deep inside her, her fearful eyes perched on top of her pointed wart hooked nose darted in all directions looking for a means of escape.
“It would seem that you are after my little friends, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that dear lady!” He said smiling at her. Wizzo knew by the sounds that were coming from her that she was possessed; either she had allowed it to happen as some do, or it could be that somebody who knew how to do such things had put it there for a purpose, the purpose of catching a fairy he thought. It had seemed a little strange to him that this place was so dirty and untidy, as she herself was, also she didn’t seem to feel the cold although it had obviously taken its toll on her body and her outward appearance. Wringing her hands together as though she was praying she said.
“Nay sir, ya got it all wrong, I would’na harm the wee things, really I would’na, I’m just a wee silly old woman, what harm can I do. Look around ya, would somebody such as a great and powerful Witch live in such a filthy hovel.” Even while she was talking the strange noises kept coming from inside her.
“There are no such things as great and powerful Witches, dear lady, sorcerer's maybe but Witches no.” He was now trying his best to mesmerize the old woman. It took some time before he could feel it working.
“This is not a hovel but a beautiful Cottage lovely lady, nestling on a hillside above a quaint little fishing town, why everybody knows that all who live here are the most friendly and charitable people and there are none here that would harm another. The people of the village love you dearly and would wish you no harm.”
He felt that now was the time, her face had softened a little, and had become indecisive, knowing that he would not get another chance he reached out with his staff and although she tried her best to push it away with her scrawny hands it touched her lightly on the forehead.
She shrieked as the vapors came out though her mouth and nose, the entity that possessed her made it’s escape and went screaming out through the roof.
The transformation was immediate, forgotten were all the things she had lived her life for. She no longer thought that she was a Witch or even knew what a Witch was supposed to do, she sat meekly on the dirt floor smiling up at him like a child, he now turned his attention to the possessed broom that he knew would be hiding out side. He turned to the opening that was once a door, raising his staff and smiling so that the broom wouldn’t fear him, he said in a soft voice.
“Broom, I commanded you to return, your lady is in need of you.” He stood to one side of the door when he said this so that he was out of sight, the moment the inquisitive broom entered he quickly reached out with his staff and touched it, this caused the broom to shatter and it fell in a heap of dust to the floor, that which possessed it was gone too another place, a place where all entities go when released. Having got rid of the mischievous broom he turned his attention back to the old woman.
“Now dear lady, you have no need to fear me, I am your true friend and as I understand it, you are a healer of some renowned, shall we not sit down and eat one of these delicious apples that I just happen to have in my pocket.”
He arranged the stools so that she would be facing him, she sat down in her rags, she smoothed them out as best she could and at the same time wondered why it was that she had on such torn and tattered garments, Wizzo was pleased to see that she was not a Witch any more.
“I would love one of your wee apples kind Sir, I can’na remember when it was that I last had one.” She took a bite of it as best she could, and then with a bright almost toothless smile she said, “Ti’s a splendid apple sir, may I ask as to why you're here, have you an ailment that I might assist you with?” He produced from within his cloak a large leather bound book, on handing it to her he said.
“There will be many who will try to steal this book from you, you must keep it hidden at all times and tell no one of its existence. In it you will read about lotions and potions with the power to heal all manner of ailments, ---- open it, --- tell me if you understand its meanings!” She opened the book and began to study it; he again reached over and touched her on the forehead with his staff. She looked at him with a genuine smile.
“I understand it well;” was her reply.
“Good! That’s excellent --- Mary Mac Gentle.” It was the first name that he could think of, he sighed, it would have to do, and anyway it suited her.
He got up and went over to the dust laden shelves that were above the table against the wall. Taking a good many of the stone jars he went outside and smashed them against the stone walls, he went back inside and found that he was being drawn towards what looked like a large lose stone in the wall next to the fire, he pulled it out. The face of the stone was very thin and behind it lay a cavity, inside was a well-used old book, the leather binding on it was so worn there was hardly anything left of the outer cover. He could feel the evil that posses
sed it, he picked it up and quickly threw it on the fire, to his surprise the fire went out, it was as if somebody had turned it off. He now knew that through this book somebody was watching, he smiled to himself, he then placed the tip of his staff firmly on the book, he uttered some words and the fire burst back into life. He held the book down as it struggled to escape the flames that consumed it, after a while it was gone, then he disturbed the ashes to make sure that the evil thing was destroyed.
The cat was under the bed, still too frightened to come out, he poked his staff at it and as soon as the cat’s claws came into contact, it rolled over on its back waiting to be stroked and tickled. He picked the now friendly cat up and put it on Mary’s lap.
‘Hello wee pussy, what’s your name?” she asked stroking it and playing with its ears.
“His name’s Fur ball; he seems to like you Mary”
“Can I keep the wee thing!” she said almost pleading.
“Of course you can, he’s yours.”
“Thank you;” she returned her attentions back to the cat. Wizzo couldn't help but see the snow building up inside the open doorway; he knew that she would freeze if he didn’t do something about it. He could move things around but he had never had to put a door back together that had been smashed to pieces before.
He put his mind to repairing it. It wasn’t long before bits of splintered wood started to move in all directions, he stopped, he would need to concentrate much harder, he did and they were trying but it wasn’t working, it’s too cold he thought, the woods frozen solid, it won’t answer to my mind.
He stood in the doorway for a while to keep the cold out.
The table; that was the answer. Walking over and seeing that it was about the right size, he took everything off it and then turning it on its end he broke off the legs, taking it over he stood it up in the doorway. He was pleased with himself; it turned out to be quite a good fit.
The leather straps that had acted as hinges for the other door were still there, the partly rusted nails were still in them having pulled themselves out of the rotten wood. He rubbed his hands together and with his mind he forced the old nails into the new door.
He stood back admiring his handiwork at least that will keep the winter out he thought. Next he went to the fire and lifted out the large stinking iron cauldron. He took it a short distance from the shack and put the cauldron down in the snow, then standing as far away as he could, he reached out with his staff and tipped it over. When the stinking mixture came into contact with the pure white snow it tried to escape by flowing down the hill on top of it, after a short distance with the mixture trying in vain to find something solid to cling to, the pureness of the snow finally consumed it. Putting handfuls of snow inside the still hot cauldron he waited for it to melt and then after swilling it round he emptied the contents out. He did this several times until he was satisfied that it was clean and contained none of the foul smelling mixture. He carried the cauldron back inside and placed it on the floor next to the fire.
She had finished her apple so he took some more fruit from out of his cloak. Putting these on the floor he then searched the place for any monies that might be hidden.
He’d never had to worry about how much or how little he had in the way of monies but now his own resources were getting low. His mind went to a flagstone under the bed, he went over to it and reaching underneath he lifted it up and pulled it out and scraped out the coins that were hidden in the dirt. Having sorted through them he found that most were copper and green with age and there were but two silver pieces and no gold. He sighed; because he knew that this old Witch must have spent too much of her time on her or somebody else’s fruitless obsession, that obsession being to catch a Fairy. He found it surprising that she was still alive; he took out his leather pouch and emptied the contents of it in with the rest. That should keep her going for a while he thought.
“I’ll hide these monies under here Mary, you may like to buy yourself a new table, some garments and get your sod roof and the door fixed up properly. I’ll go down to the town and see if I can find somebody to come and see to your needs.” He was thinking that after what he’d done to her mind she would never survive without some help, he would also have to tell them that the old Witch is dead and that a healer has taken her place.
He spent some time repairing her garments and as a finishing touch combed her hair. He stood back and looked at her, he sighed, it was like trying to make a sow’s ear into a silk purse, he sighed again, it would have to do.
“I’ll be back shortly Mary;” Mary didn’t even look up; she was too engrossed with the cat.