The Transformation
Maeve hummed softly to herself as she rode back home. Supposedly she had gone to town on an errand to purchase things she couldn't get in her small village. In truth she had gone to meet Kian, a friend from a neighboring village. Her father wouldn't have approved of such a meeting - he had already arranged a marriage for her and tried to keep her from any men in an attempt to preserve her honor. Unfortunately, since Maeve got along much better with young men than with women, this had the effect of leaving her friendless until the headstrong girl took it upon herself to go behind her father's back.
If her relationship with Kian went further than friendship, Maeve didn't think she would mind in the least - they got along handsomely, and Kian was good-looking, far more attractive than her fiance at any rate. But for now they were just friends, even if her father thought it was impossible for a woman to have a platonic friendship with a man.
The sounds of screams reached her ears as she drew closer to her village, breaking her train of thought. She brought her mount to a gallop and sped home.
She found herself staring at the fires consuming some of the houses. Dismounting her horse and sending her off, knowing that the well-trained mare would be able to find her way home, Maeve cautiously entered the village.
In the square, she saw the women and children enclosed in a ring of fire to one side. On the other side of the square were the men, frozen in place. Maeve didn't see her little brother in the ring of fire and sighed with relief, unwittingly announcing her presence.
"You. How did you escape my circle?" a snotty voice addressed her.
Maeve hadn't noticed the richly garbed girl standing in front of the men before that moment. Petite and beautiful, wearing clothes easily worth as much as Maeve's entire village, the dark-haired stranger wore a look of annoyance on her face.
"Who are you, and what do you want with them?" Maeve asked in reply, gesturing toward her fellow villagers.
"I'm asking the questions," the other woman answered, waving her hand. Maeve felt herself fly through the air for a moment before landing on the ground with a thud. "But if you must know, my name is Rumina, and I want your young men. Now answer my question. How did you escape?"
"Maybe your circle isn't as powerful as you think it is," the red-headed young woman remarked before she was hurled through the air again.
"My, you're a firebrand," Rumina observed. "I think I'll use you to teach these fools a lesson. I'll show you what happens to peasants who try make a fool of me."
Maeve rose and drew the sword she wore sheathed at her back - her father had raised her practically as a son before Dermott was born and had taught her all of his meager knowledge of swordplay. "I'll kill you first," she swore, assuming a ready stance.
A sinister laugh escaped Rumina's blood-red lips. "You think you can beat my magic with your little toy?"
With an angry cry, Maeve lunged forward. Before she could injure the sorceress, though, the sword flew out of her hand and flipped around so that it hovered in the air, pointing at her heart. The sword then flew toward her, and she was barely able to duck before it impaled her.
A slow smile crept across Rumina's face. "You peasants never learn." Then she began her attack, a savage firing of balls of energy. Maeve was helpless against such a display of magic, and it wasn't long until she found herself injured and immobile on the ground in front of her opponent.
Rumina smiled again and held her hands above her head, drawing as much energy as she could into a large sphere. When it was large enough, she raised her hands higher, preparing to hurl it down on Maeve.
"No!" a young voice yelled.
"Dermott!" Maeve exclaimed, eyes widening as she recognized the voice. Her little brother, emerged from wherever he had hidden, was running toward them. Before either she or Rumina could react, Dermott had run into the witch, knocking her to the ground and causing the sphere to fizzle out.
"How dare you?" Rumina spat, rising and seizing the little boy by the collar.
"You leave my sister alone, you meanie!" he yelled, his small feet kicking in the air. Dermott's right foot made contact with Rumina's thigh, and she cried out with pain.
"You little brat!" Rumina dropped him to the ground, formed another sphere of energy, and nearly threw it at him before she thought a minute and let it disappear. "No. Death is too easy for you." She looked first at Dermott, then at Maeve, a grin forming on her face as she focused on the latter. "Well, peasant, it looks as though I'll be sparing your life after all. However, your defiance can't go unpunished."
Rumina held out a hand, the fingers curved toward Dermott. She muttered something, causing a stream of energy to leave her hands and land on the boy.
Maeve tried to rise, but was unable to do so. "Leave him alone," she whispered, just as her brother started to scream.
Horrified, Maeve could only watch as her brother changed. The change was slow, Rumina purposely taking her time so that she could enjoy the look on Maeve's face.
"No!" Maeve cried as Dermott's screams, along with his appearance, grew less and less human. She couldn't watch any longer. She shut her eyes tight, holding back her emotions as she listened to Dermott's voice change.
His familiar voice was replaced with that of a hawk.
Maeve opened her eyes and stared at the bird with shock. She didn't speak for a few minutes, could do nothing but stare at the hawk and wonder what had happened to the little boy she doted on.
Finally, though, she turned hateful eyes upon Rumina. "How could you?"
Rumina only laughed as she disappeared, taking the young men in the village along with her.
The older men, no longer frozen, began to move and talk amongst themselves. The women and children, freed from their prison of flames, did the same. But Maeve paid them no heed, her attention fixed upon her brother.
"I'm sorry, Dermott," she said. She forced herself to reach out and stroke his feathers. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." The hawk's golden eyes, once so human and lively, regarded her with sadness as she spoke.
"I swear to you, brother, that I'll change you back. I swear it." Maeve, no longer able to suppress her tears, let out a soft sob as she repeated, "I swear it."
The Adventures of Sinbad is the property of Atlantis/All-American. All stories here were written by Krisa Star. No profit was intended in the making of this page.