Oh, that’s right. The Withered Lord was destroyed recently…I almost forgot. At least I am still here, undefeated.
One thing I knew, however, was that marrying a toad would certainly not improve my image.
Chapter Six
Jenny
The only way I understood bravery was from reading books. Being brave was not something my normal life called for. You didn’t need to be brave to make a cake or change bed sheets. You didn’t need to be brave when every day was the same. To defy Bernard in any way was impossible. When he asked me to do something, I felt a tug deep down in my stomach and I just had to please him.
It all started on that terrible day. Bernard had been curled up under his covers, muffling his sobs into a pillow, for hours and hours, while Mrs. Franch wailed downstairs. Jenny and Mr. Franch’s bodies had just been recovered from the ocean. All I wanted to do was comfort my poor boy.
“Maybe it would make Mom feel better if…if you could be Jenny for her,” he whispered.
“Be Jenny?” I thought it was like a pretend game, but maybe not a very good idea.
“You look a lot like my sister!” he said.
At that time, like any familiar, I didn’t interact with his mother very much. It was just me and Bernard.
“You could put on her clothes,” he said. “And we could call you Jenny. And you could eat dinner with us every day. I bet that would make her feel better.”
I felt very nervous about it, but I would also do anything to make Bernard stop crying, so I put on one of Jenny’s dresses. It wasn’t a conjured dress, but a real dress, so I had to make all of my magical clothing vanish first and slip it on my naked body, and I felt all the little tugs and seams that didn’t fit exactly right. I felt like an impostor as I came down with Bernard and he said, “Mom, it’s Jenny. See? She can make some pancakes for dinner like Jenny. Celeste is just like Jenny.”
I thought his mother would be freaked out. I thought she was be horrified at the idea of her son’s familiar pretending to be her daughter. For one thing, it was against the town laws.
I had no idea it was actually the last time I would ever hear my own name.
That evening, as I was settling in to sleep, farther away from home than I had ever been, a thunderstorm brewed in the desert landscape, and I could feel magic in the air. All seven of us familiars were immediately on edge. In amongst the rain and the flashes of light, a group of wizards appeared in the dark green uniforms of the Sinistral council guard. We hid in the trees and brush, watching them approach the house.
There must have been a dozen of them, and they strode forward, undaunted by the rain. They loomed large and I could feel the power emanating off of them, as the ones in the back were murmuring and moving their hands, working spells. I knew they were creating this unnatural storm. I immediately sensed that they were stronger than Helena or Bevan, and they were most certainly stronger than us.
We’re here to protect them, but what am I supposed to do? I thought. I was frozen in place, and I wasn’t alone.
Helena came out to meet them. She was keeping her cool, although she must know she was outnumbered. I felt guilty watching her because I was sure I’d never be that cool. The warlock at the head of the pack was speaking to her in a deep, low voice that grew increasingly angry.
The other familiars still were staying back.
Is anyone going to help her? I wondered. We promised Bevan we would!
It occurred to me that none of us were leaders. No one was stepping in to become a leader. Even though some of them vowed to die in order to protect their freedom, fear had fixed them in place.
“Ow!” Helena cried as the warlock zapped her.
“We have to help her,” I gasped, taking one hop forward in the grass. “If we don’t, we’ll be killed anyway, or we’ll have to go home and answer to our wizards about why we left. If we all put up a defense around her, we can help.”
“Okay,” Shawnda said. “Let’s—let’s do it.”
“All together now,” Bjorn said. “We’ll have to turn.”
“We’ll transform on the count of three,” I said, taking another hop forward. Shawnda was right with me, since robins have their own sort of hop. Grady slithered next to us.
“Three…two…one…”
I forced myself back into human form, although it had never been so hard because I was terrified of becoming a target. The other familiars came with me, every last one of them, and we ran toward Helena to protect her.
I reached out a hand to grab Henrietta, trying to form a defensive wall as I shouted defense spells. My magical voice felt rusty, but I was finding it again as the spell went up. I felt our magic hum together, finding a frequency that matched, and our defenses strengthened by the moment.
We’re actually doing it. We’re protecting her.
My fear started to vanish as I got into the fray. I didn’t feel anything so much now. All that mattered was the moment at hand, and protecting Bevan’s witch. I wished I had a witch like her, who was risking her own neck to help familiar-kind. He must really love her, because I still loved Bernard even though I also wanted to hate him. If Bernard actually encouraged me to do magic, I would be in heaven.
It felt so good to do what I was meant for. Protecting a loyal witch.
My moment of triumph didn’t last long before I was taken off guard by a flash and a hot pain that shot through my body as one of the wizards struck me with lightning from behind. I didn’t even realize my defensive spell could be breached before I was knocked down.
“Urgh…” I let out a little groan as I struck the ground. The pain had ebbed from the initial strike, but it was still a hot, potent feeling that made me feel scared for my safety but also more alive than I’d felt in a long, long time. I tried to move, to get back into the fight, but my body was slow to respond.
A few other familiars were also on the ground now. Although I wasn’t used to seeing their human forms, I recognized them easily. They still looked like themselves.
“Tina…are you all right?” I asked. The sparrow girl was curled into a fetal position, clutching her arm.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I just need a second…”
“Yeah,” I gasped. My vision was a little starry.
I was afraid to lift my head until I had recovered a little more. Magic was still flying around us. “Is Helena all right?” I asked, as if anyone would know.
I have to protect Bevan’s witch…
If only I had a connection to her, I would know exactly where she was and if she was in danger, but instead I was operating blind.
The fight seemed to be going all right without me. One of Helena’s men was threatening the wizards, and it seemed to work. They actually retreated.
Oh, thank goodness. I can rest a little longer…
I took a few long minutes for the pain to dull to a throb, and I scrambled to my feet, brushing a streak of dirt off my skirt. I saw Helena hurrying to the house to protect the Way of Paths.
Suddenly there was a ripple in the air as more wizards were entering the fray. I took a step back.
Bevan appeared to help protect us, just as he promised, and he had a lot more familiars with him now.