by
Marva Dasef
The guards brought Vendevor the Wizard into the castle's main hall, converted to a temporary courtroom for the trial. Vendevor, stripped of his bag of magic herbs, cowered under the glare of Tain, the centaur Lord of the Valley. Tain wanted to show mercy, but the wizard's crime was too horrible. Vendevor had poisoned the lake, killing three of the resident merfolk. It was murder, plain and simple, and Tain must pass judgment.
"What should I do with you, Wizard? What is the human's punishment for murder?" Tain asked, frustrated that he would likely have to hand down a death sentence. Unused to crime and never having seen a murder, the valley had been a safe place to live. . .until now. A place of inherent magic, it was a natural gathering place for the creatures who inhabited it.
"Why, Lord Tain, have your harpy witch make me forget and send me from the valley. I regret that the merpeople died. I assure you, it was an inadvertent mistake," the old wizard whined as he groveled before Tain's hooves.
Not believing him, Tain knew the facts showed the truth in the matter. The wizard had come into their peaceful valley. He had seen the merpeople playing in the shallows of the lake. He had cast the spell that poisoned that part of the lake, then attempted to cut the fins and tails from the bodies of the dead.
Witnessing the entire crime from a hilltop, a family of sphinxes dashed to their rescue, but didn't reach the lakeside until the deed was done, only managing to stop the mutilation from going too far. The Harpy Wizard testified that the wizard would have used the body parts in concoctions for his spells.
"Lord Tain, Lord Tain. Please hear us. This foul wizard has killed and he did it deliberately," a merman sang from the shore of the cleansed lake.
"You see, though, I thought these merfolk to be only fish. My eyesight is poor," the wizard pleaded.
No, Tain thought, the wizard could not have mistaken the merfolk for fish. He was guilty and now Tain had to do find a punishment to fit the crime. Unfortunately, the only punishment could be death.
Reluctant to pronounce the sentence, Tain knew what it must be. He addressed the court.
"Wizard, enough talk. I have heard from the sphinxes and the merpeople. You are lying, that much is clear. As Lord of the Valley, I must sentence you to death. The execution will be carried out tomorrow at dawn."
"Guards, take him to the castle and create a cell to hold him."
The valley folk had never had a need for jails or cells, so they added a heavy door to a storage room facing on the castle's courtyard. The guards tried to lead the wizard, but had to carry him as he refused to rise. Tain shuddered as the guards dragged the screaming wizard away.
The valley folk dispersed to their homes, satisfied their Lord and Protector made the right decision. Having no stomach for a public execution, they chose to return to their homes and not stay over for the morning's grim proceeding. The wizard would be offered a poisoned cup of wine. If he would not drink voluntarily, then he would be forced. Enjoying such things, the harpies volunteered for the duty of enforcing the sentence.
Once locked in the makeshift cell, the wizard asked for his knapsack. Looking at the contents, the potions missing and seeing only harmless herbs, the naive guard handed the doomed prisoner the pack, feeling a bit sorry him-a decision he would live to regret.
While the castle slept, the wizard, knowing escape was impossible without his potions, concocted a spell with the remaining herbs.. As dawn crept over the horizon, he cast the final words of magic. Nothing seemed to happen, but the wizard seemed satisfied.
In the morning, forcing the wizard to drink the deadly potion, the harpies did their duty with glee. His life fading and deadly sleep upon him, the wizard swore at them, damning them with his last breath. Laughing at his curses, the harpies left him to die thinking his final efforts rather poor.
Life returned to normal for the valley folk, all thought of evil wizards gone from their minds. But as the sun sank and night was upon them, it became apparent that all was not as it should be. Weird forms began to consume their bodies at they morphed into unknown beasts.
Thinking he was hallucinating, Tain felt dizzy as he watched his arms shrinking and his four legs shorten-hooves became claws, his human face lengthened into a canine muzzle. His teeth grew into two-inch fangs. As his form lowered to the ground, he felt his mind fog and then he knew nothing more until the next morning.
He awoke in the forest with the remains of a sheep torn asunder near where he lay. When he saw the bloody bones and remains of flesh, he vomited up the ghastly contents of his reeling stomach.
Knowing the horrors taking place at night could only be the result of some final wickedness from the wizard, the valley folk were unprepared for the changing forms their bodies turned into each night. Tain became a werewolf. Others took on other aspects, some deadly, some innocuous. But, all of those that lived in the valley spent each night in something other than their natural form.
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Tain's hooves pounded the dusty road, his breath coming in short gasps as he raced for safety. Shia kept pace beside him, her tongue lolling from her mouth as she, too, exerted her last efforts. The sun was just touching the top of the hills and they must reach the keep before nightfall.
The centaur and the wolf crossed the bridge, running neck and neck until they pulled up heaving for breath in the courtyard. Tain bent his head down with his hands on his waist for a few moments trying to catch his breath. Shia dropped to the ground panting. Looking up at Tain, she wagged her bushy tail.
"Almost didn't make it," she said between gasps. A barking laugh came up from her deep chest.
Tain stood upright again and smiled at her. Then, his form began to waver and melt in the dying light of the sun. His arms grew shorter until they disappeared, the hair on his body became longer and rougher, and his body shrank into its night-time aspect: a werewolf.
He stood beside her prone form. Larger than she, with fangs nearly two inches long, the two were still strikingly similar. He looked lovingly down at his mate, before his mind was clouded again by werewolf passions.
Shia was a natural wolf. She did not change to a different form at night as Tain did. They had met one night while they both prowled the forests. It was hardly love at first sight. Tain attacked Shia, intent on killing her. Shia fought back with a strength enhanced by fear. As the battle raged between the two wolves, the rim of the rising sun showed in the eastern hills. Tain began to change back into a centaur again. Shia jumped back in wonder at the transformation, giving Tain time to gather his wits.
When the curse washed across the valley over ten years before, Shia had been hunting for mountain goats above the tree line. She had seemingly escaped the spell that changed every denizen of the valley thereafter.
The two talked through the day and found a growing like, and later love, for each other. The fact that they were different species didn't bother them. Love was love, after all.
After the two had met, Tain had resolved to not lose himself to his dark side. He loved Shia, but his other form, the violent werewolf, might kill even her. So, they returned to the keep each night where he was locked away until dawn reverted him to his natural form.
Tain loped to the cell where the guard opened the heavy door. Tain could barely force himself to enter as the werewolf aspect overtook him. Snarling, he entered the cell. The guard swung the heavy door shut and locked it securely.
Shia watched as her beloved was locked away for the night. Sadly shaking her head, she walked slowly up the steps into the main castle. She rested at night instead of hunting so she could spend the days with Tain.
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Shia yawned and stretched herself the next morning. Glancing out the window, she saw that it was mid-morning and hoped that Tain would be awake. She looked across the courtyard to the cell door. It was open. She hurried to the main hall where Tain would be having breakfast.
She joined him at the table where he stood eating a hearty breakfast of grain and bread. The servant anticipated Shia's entrance, laying a large shank of meat at her place. Jumping up to her stool, she tore at the raw flesh.
Tain wrinkled his nose at her less-than-elegant table manners. But she was, after all, a wolf and could not be expected to use knife and fork. Even the sight of the raw meat made Tain queasy. Only in his werewolf form would he even think of eating flesh.
The guard came in and bowed his head to Tain.
"What is it?" Tain asked.
"Lord Tain, a human is approaching the gate. I thought you should know."
Tain was startled. A human? The last human who came here was the wizard who had afflicted the valley folk in the first place. Tain turned away from the table.
"Let's see what he wants," Tain said to the guard.
Shia jumped from her perch to follow.
"No, my love," he continued, " humans are usually afraid of wolves. We don't want to startle him. Who knows how he might react?"
"Very well," she answered, "I'll go upstairs and not show myself." She trotted up the stairs as Tain watched her leave.
Tain and the guard walked out to the gate to greet the mysterious visitor.
"Hello, the castle," the robe-draped man called out from across the bridge. Tain gestured to the servants, who lowered the bridge and raised the portcullis.
The man approached and then gave a brief bow.
"Lord Tain, I presume."
"You presume correctly. I don't wish to appear inhospitable, but we've had nothing but trouble from your kind. Who are you? What do you want?"
"I fully understand your feelings, Lord Tain. I'd heard about what had happened here and I felt that I needed to do something. The Wizard who cursed your valley was a ... relative. I feel some familial responsibility."
The man continued, "I am Vedor, also a wizard, but not, shall we say, as excitable as my relative. I mean no harm. On the contrary, I hope I can help."
"I am listening," Tain said slowly as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"I believe I know the spell used and I think I can reverse it."
"That's good news, but how do we know we can trust what you say?" Tain responded, suspicious of humans, especially those bearing gifts.
"I can show you. I've studied this matter for several years. While I can't break the spell as it stands-only the original spell caster can do that-I can form a counter spell that would have the same effect."
Tain considered a moment. "We'll go to the valley folk with your proposal. If they agree, then you can cast the spell. I'll call a gathering for this afternoon. In the meantime, you can stay here."
Vedor followed Tain into the keep. Tain called his servants and sent them across the valley to announce the meeting in the village.
Tain and Vedor went into the hall. "Would you eat?" Tain asked. Now that the man was his guest, he must treat him as such.
Vedor surveyed the remains of the breakfast still at the table. His eyes widened when he saw the bloody haunch, then nodded his head as if confirming something to himself.
"No, thank you. I had a meal on the trail. If I could just have a place to rest for a while, that is all I'll need."
Tain gestured to a servant, who led Vedor up the stairs to the guest rooms. With a glance, Tain sent a guard to stand outside the wizard's door. Shia watched for the man's passing, then rejoined Tain in the hall.
After he recounted what the man offered, Shia was as dubious as Tain. Still, it would thrill her to rid Tain of the nightly agony he went through. She loved Tain with all her heart and anything that helped him was fine with her.
That afternoon, Vedor came into the hall, stopping short when he saw Shia sitting on her haunches conversing with Tain.
"Ah, Vedor," Tain said as he spied the man, "this is Shia. She is no danger to you. Don't be afraid."
"A tame wolf is unusual," Vedor said, without fear in his voice.
"I assure you, I am quite civilized," Shia answered him. Vedor nodded slowly, accepting that this was another aspect of the spell.
"The time for the meeting approaches. Let's leave for the village," Tain said. Attending the meeting were all of the castle's inhabitants, as they too suffered from the same affliction giving them the right to vote on the wizard's proposal.
Nearly every citizen of the valley gathered in the village square-centaurs, satyrs, sphinxes came, even the harpies sat in the trees. They listened carefully to Vedor's offer, then a few argued either for or against the proposal. At the end, however, the valley folk agreed that any chance of ending the curse would be best for all.
"All of you, go to your homes to wait for your change," Tain commanded.
"Tonight, just as the sun sets and you are changing to your night forms, I'll cast the spell that will return you to your natural forms," Vedor announced.
Later, as the sun lowered behind the western hills, Tain began to feel the effect of the change.
"Do it quickly, Vedor. As a werewolf, I am very dangerous," Tain said in a rough voice lowering into a growl as he began to change.
Vedor already set out his magical supplies and completed almost the entire spell; the finishing incantation to be said just as the changes commenced.
"Causilius animalius," Vedor said and, sprinkling a bit of dust about him.
"Ananimalius causilius," he incanted the next phrase.
"Reverto, reverto, reverto," he finished and dashed the last of the dust to the ground. A mist rose up around them.
Tain felt his body changing, but this time it was the familiar change from werewolf to centaur. As his arms grew and his fangs shrank into teeth, he felt elated. The nightmare would soon be over.
The mists crept back and Tain stood in his full centaurian form. He laughed and felt his body to find he was normal again.
"Shia," he called, "my beloved, the spell worked!"
Shia was crouched, snarling and backing into a corner. Her fangs were bared and eyes glinted with fear and hate. She leapt past Tain and ran from the castle keep.
Tain looked with confusion at Vedor. "What happened?" he said, his voice shaking.
"All of the valley's folk were changed back to their true forms. The only reason that your she-wolf could think and speak was the influence of this valley's magic. In any other place, she'd simply be a wolf-wild, savage, and unthinking. The counter spell simply returned her to her true wolf form."
Vedor shook his head sadly, then continued, "Of course, my father knew that would happen and I knew it from his writings. It took me ten years to find the right way to avenge his death." Vedor then threw a handful of magical dust which froze Tain in place.
He then spoke an incantation and drew runes upon the ground. He slowly disappeared, laughing at Tain's stricken expression.
As the freezing spell dissipated, Tain's grief began to be replaced with rage. Once he was free, the hunt for the wizard would begin.
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