Transformed (Ancestral Magic Book 2), Page 3

  Lucinda kept her focus on the unsuspecting girl, watching as she scratched the feline’s belly. Adelia laughed when Merlin wrapped his arms around her hand and playfully bit her fingers.

  “Lucinda?” Gaston said.

  “She let’s that ball of fluff sleep with her?” the sorceress asked.

  “Every night,” the wizard replied.

  A mischievous grin crept to the woman’s face then. “You don’t say.”

  Chapter Three: Let Sleeping Cats Lie

  Adelia had never felt as rested as she opened her eyes then. She blinked away her fatigue and gave in to a powerful yawn. Her legs were asleep, and she reached down to pet the cuddling feline that hadn’t budged throughout the night. Merlin’s fur felt drier and not as soft.

  When the girl looked up, she understood why. It was no black cat that snuggled up beside her. It was a boy…and he was naked.

  A little gasp emerged from her lips, enough to have the stranger stir. He uncurled from his strange fetal position and stretched out his arms toward the girl. When he looked at Adelia, the most genuine smile crept to his face. But when he saw her shocked eyes, he noticed something different. His eyes settled on his hands, and then he bore the same surprised expression.

  A scream echoed out in the keep. Lucinda’s eyes hadn’t even opened before that mischievous grin returned to her face. Gaston stirred quicker than she realized, for she could hear him running down the corridor and calling out for his pupil. The sorceress sprung out of the bed and didn’t bother making sure she was decent.

  Despite her lack of urgency, she reached Adelia’s room just as Gaston did. “Wait. I have to tell you something,” she bade.

  “Not while Miss Kreegan is in danger!” Gaston protested. He threw open the door and burst into the room. His apprentice remained on the bed, bundled up in blankets, while she held her hand out toward the opposite corner of the room. The sage’s eyes navigated there until he saw the stranger crouched behind a fallen bookcase. “What is the meaning of this?” Gaston boomed.

  “Mister Camlann,” Lucinda tried to meekly interject.

  “He was sleeping on me when I woke up,” Adelia cried.

  “It’s what I’ve always done,” the lad insisted.

  “My magic wouldn’t touch him,” the girl went on.

  “I begged her not to,” the stranger pressed.

  “And he’s naked,” Adelia warned.

  “Now that,” the lad said, “that I can’t explain. Nor these hands or…” He paused for a moment and furrowed his brow. “Or this voice.”

  Gaston narrowed his eyes and slowly turned his head to regard the woman who had recently arrived at the keep. Lucinda met that glare and returned it with the most innocent smile she could muster.

  “He’s no intruder, Miss Kreegan,” the sage informed. “Though he’s clearly not himself.”

  Those words washed over her, and once the shock of her morning slipped away, she arched an eyebrow as the truth hit her. “Merlin?”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” the former cat bemoaned from the corner. “I went to sleep a cat, but I woke up like this.”

  “I have a theory,” Gaston said.

  “Oh, all right,” Lucinda said. “It’s no big surprise I make foolish decisions sometimes. I was just having a laugh.”

  “Are you mad, woman?” Merlin said. His command over the common language was flawless. “We shocked my friend half to death, and she nearly repaid me in kind.”

  The sorceress who set all the events in motion dragged her hand down across her face. “I should have known he’d speak like you, Gaston.”

  “He’s right,” Adelia pressed. “I nearly killed him. If he didn’t dodge that lightning bolt—”

  “He was never in any real danger,” Lucinda countered. “I’ve stacked enough wards on him that he’d have a hard time getting wet if he jumped into a river.”

  Gaston slipped out of his robe and handed it to the newly transformed boy. “She’s right. There was a great deal of protection placed on our friend here. But what our visitor fails to realize is just how talented you are, Adelia. She has greatly underestimated your power.”

  “And I’m sure I am to be punished appropriately,” Lucinda said.

  “You’ll simply refrain from torturing or traumatizing those I care about,” he snapped. “You may have protected Merlin, but the same cannot be said for the walls of Miss Kreegan’s room. You’ve overstepped your bounds this time, Lucinda.”

  The sorceress bowed her head like a scolded child. “You have my apologies, Master Camlann.”

  Gaston scoffed as he pushed past her. “See to it Merlin is reverted back to his true form.”

  “If I may,” Lucinda dared to say, holding up her finger like a lightning rod that might catch the sage’s wrath before the rest of her. “This may have spiraled a little out of control, but we could make the best of it. Your pupil wasn’t able to study the squirrel after it had been turned into my personal valet. But this is a great opportunity for Adelia to study an animal that has been transformed into a person. He would change back automatically when the enchantment expires.”

  Standing in the doorway, Gaston squared his jaw. “You’re saying this like Merlin is naught but a tome to be cracked open and read. He’s a member of this family, you’ll find.”

  “Of course,” Lucinda appeased. “Do I have your permission to allow him to remain in this form for the duration of the spell?”

  Gaston shook his head and stepped out into the corridor. “You’re asking the wrong person.”

  The sorceress lowered her eyes and allowed those words to truly permeate the room. With a discreet sigh, she turned to the transformed cat, who stepped out in the open under the cover of his borrowed robe. Adelia still sat bundled in her bed in the opposite corner.

  “Merlin, I hope you can forgive me,” the sage’s apprentice said. “I would have never meant to hurt you if I knew it was, well…you.”

  He nodded but averted his gaze. Stepping into his line of sight, Lucinda bore a smile that a merchant would be jealous of.

  “What do you say, boy?” she asked. “This is a rare opportunity for you as well. For the first time since you met the young lady, you finally have the means to speak with her. I could change you back now, or you could wait until the noonday sun arrives. Wherever you are then…poof! You’ll be an adorable feline once more.”

  Merlin stepped aside and peered at his friend across the room. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Adelia. Say the word and I’ll go right back to what we expect.”

  For the first time since the odd occurrence, the sage’s pupil let the blanket drop from around her. She wore a silken nightgown, the most comfortable garment she ever wore. In those moments, when she considered what the transformed feline had offered her, she ran her fingers along the side of that gown.

  “You sound like that would disappoint you,” Adelia said. “I don’t want you to be sad. If this is something you want to experience, I would never take that away from you.”

  “Excellent,” Lucinda said, clapping her hands together as quickly as a hummingbird’s wings fluttered. “I shall leave the two of you to it then. He can likely tell you more of the experience than I can.”

  As Lucinda stepped into the doorway, Adelia cleared her throat. “He could use some clothes, you know.”

  “Could he?” the sorceress replied with her mischievous grin. When she was met with stern gazes, she sighed and furrowed her brow. “Very well,” she relented. “I’ll be back in a moment. Honestly, can no one see the joy in anything anymore?” As she made her way out of the room, she continued talking to herself.

  If she had stayed just a moment longer, she would have seen the stolen glances of both people that remained in the room.

  *****

  She was out among the gardens again and with a companion who had often accompanied her. Adelia was not used to looking up to speak with Merlin. He was not used to that slow, upright gait—
or the curious glances the girl shot his way.

  “Lucinda said it didn’t hurt,” the girl said. “Was that true?”

  Merlin stopped to ponder, looking at himself. His hands seemed so different without any fur on them. “I don’t remember anything, so it must be true. I can’t tell if what I’m feeling now is an aching or just being aware of my body because it’s so different.”

  “What about your tail?” Adelia wondered. “It’s not there anymore. Does that hurt?”

  “I barely noticed it. I don’t feel like I’m lacking anything, but I do feel a bit…off-balanced, you could say. And I can’t smell anything,” he exclaimed. “That’s the worst bit! Thousands of smells and they’re all gone. I have no idea what I claimed and what I didn’t.”

  Adelia smiled at that lamentation. “That’s to be expected, I suppose. Dogs and cats are supposed to have a more refined sense of smell. What about your thumbs? What do you think about those?”

  “They’re odd little things on humans, aren’t they? A finger that moves sideways…”

  “Well, you can grab things better now.”

  “Without my claws? Hardly.”

  The sage’s pupil shook her head with a grin still on her face. She bent down and plucked one of those flowers from the ground. With a gentle grasp, she pulled Merlin’s hand close and placed the stem between his fingers.

  “All right, that is a mite easier.” He lifted that flower to his nostrils and breathed deeply. “No, nothing. In no time, I’ll forget what it was to smell at all.”

  “You’ll only be like this for a few more hours. It’s not all bad, is it?”

  Merlin stared ahead, giving that question serious thought. “It really isn’t. But it’s also quite foreign. Every sense is unfamiliar. I see differently. I feel differently.”

  “Focus on the good,” Adelia said. “What are some positive things about being in this form that you are happy with?”

  “Well, I…” He stood straighter then. “I see farther. And in more vibrant color. And while I’m quite large, I don’t feel quite as threatened by small spaces. My body feels stronger as well. If I wanted to, I could pluck ten flowers from the ground.” When she giggled at that stated perk, he arched an eyebrow and smiled. “And then there’s that. I can communicate with you on a new level, and while your laugh is the most delightful sound, I have no idea how to reproduce it.”

  “You don’t know how to laugh?” she asked. “You just…smile and push air out—”

  “I’m sorry,” he interrupted. “What I meant to say is I don’t know how to make you laugh. It was something I even enjoyed in my true form, but now I finally have the opportunity to ask you how to have you make it again.”

  “Oh. Well, a laugh is…when you hear or see something funny, like a joke or a silly dance.”

  Merlin sighed. “I fear a day wouldn’t be enough time to truly understand all of the intricacies of being a human. You perform your strange rituals and your brash demonstrations of dominance through loud speech. And that says nothing for you and Gaston and your powers. I’d just like the opportunity to learn a little more.”

  “Well, Lucinda may stay with us a while longer. Perhaps she can change you again.”

  “Perhaps.”

  The girl smiled and shrugged. “All this talk has made me kind of restless. Did you want to see what running through the flowers is like as a human?”

  “I’d imagine that until I can get a better understanding of my balance, it would be an awful lot like falling on my face. Would you be able to—that is, would you care to show me what else one can do with their thumbs?”

  Suppressing a giggle, Adelia clapped her hands together. “That’s the spirit! And it just so happens I have the perfect idea. Lucinda’s lesson yesterday inspired me to learn more about transformative magic, and I think I’ve pieced together a lot of the concepts. So, I’ll make a deal with you. If you can pluck a flower from the ground, I’ll show you some new magic I’ve learned.”

  Merlin looked at his hand, bringing his thumb and index fingers together in a multitude of ways before he found an orientation he liked. He held it out to the girl like a child showing off his favorite toy, but Adelia raised her eyebrows and gestured toward the flora.

  The cat-turned-human snagged one of those flowers and pulled upon it. His grasp was gentle, and the stem protested before it was tugged from the dirt. He handed it to the would-be sorceress, his eyes eager to see if he had passed her test. Adelia’s smile was wide and genuine, and she accepted the trade.

  Just like the day before, she reached into the flower to find every little detail about it. But she had learned new pathways and avenues and discovered how to add new concepts to an item. That vibrant green stem turned an opaque white, and the head and petals of the flower morphed and slid aside, becoming a wide and tall plume instead. She handed the quill back to Merlin and scoured the area for more components. In only a few moments, she had an inkwell and a roll of parchment in her hands, made respectively from a rock and a tree branch. She held those items out to her companion, eager to see him attempt to write.

  “What is it?”

  “You’ve seen Gaston do this one hundred times. Maybe a thousand.”

  “I’m not sure if you recall, but I spend most my time wrapping around your legs. If I’m not thinking about food, I’m thinking about my next opportunity to wrap around your legs.”

  She couldn’t contain herself and finally let go of a laugh—that noise he treasured so. “This is as simple as it gets. You just drop the feather into the ink and then drag it across the paper.” When she saw his bemused look, she extended both hands to give him the opportunity to demonstrate his skills.

  “It sounds simple enough,” he said. After ensuring the quill was still held firm, he plunged it into the ink, plumaged end first. With pride, he smattered the soaked feather onto the parchment.

  Adelia could repress her bemusement no longer. Try as she might, that polite giggle turned to a guffaw, and she looked away. Eager to replicate that reaction, Merlin drove his talents further, dunking the quill into the inkwell once more before twirling it about on the paper. His companion fell to the ground and let fly a raucous bout of laughter. While she placed those transformed objects to the side, he sat down beside her, wearing an eager grin.

  “Show me more,” he bade.

  The sage’s apprentice abided him and plucked a blade of grass from the ground. “Get a nice flat piece of grass and hold it between your thumbs like this.” Merlin tried his best to find a worthy blade, and he took care to place it between his hands just right. “Okay. Now, bring it to your mouth and blow.” When Adelia demonstrated the action, a shrill whistle entered the air.

  Merlin’s eyes grew wide and filled with excitement. He mimicked his companion, drawing in a deep breath before expelling it between his thumbs.

  When the blade of grass shot forth and the noise wasn’t replicated, the girl fell to her back and reveled in the hilarity of that failure as well. Merlin was not far behind her, sidling up next to her as she settled down.

  “You know, I envy you, Merlin,” she said. “I sometimes lie like this and look at the sky and the clouds, and I wish for a different life. But you, you’re experiencing it. You’re a completely different animal. It’s incredible.”

  He lay there, silently, looking at those fluffy white accumulations in the sky that his companion had mentioned. “I’m glad you’re living this life,” he said. “Whether I’m a cat or a man, I’m just happy you are here.”

  That comment had Adelia blushing. She reached down and grabbed his hand in hers.

  One more thing you could do with your thumb, she thought.

  *****

  The keep seemed so much smaller then—less mysterious. Merlin’s gait was slow again, but Adelia knew he was comfortable in his temporary form.

  “Are you excited to change back?” she asked.

  He stopped, just inside the courtyard to ponder that question. “I’m not
rightly sure. Time seemed to move far too quickly for me as a cat, and I love the possibilities that would await me as a human.”

  “We could always have Lucinda change you again.”

  “One day, Lucinda won’t be here anymore. Maybe it’s better to only experience this once, lest I grow to love it too much.”

  She grabbed him by the hand and led him farther. They saw Gaston and Lucinda leaning against the railing of the upper floor. Merlin waved to his master and received another in return.

  The two youths arrived at the top of those steps with some manner of melancholy.

  “You look like you’ve had a rough go of it,” Gaston said.

  “We had a lot of laughter,” Adelia informed. “It’s kind of bittersweet this will end.”

  “You should be thankful, young lady. Not every cat gets to be a human, you know.”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just been nice to actually be able to talk to Merlin.”

  “You can still talk to me,” the temporary human said. “I can’t promise I’ll listen or understand, but I’ll enjoy hearing your voice.”

  “You’re a good friend,” Adelia said, rubbing his arm for good measure.

  “Well, enough of the pleasantries,” Gaston said. “Any moment now, you’ll revert to your proper form. Make sure anything that needs to be said is.”

  Neither of them said anything further, but Adelia wrapped Merlin in a tight embrace. Despite his unfamiliarity with the gesture, he reciprocated a moment later. She separated from him and took a step back, wary of the enchantment’s impending cancellation.

  They waited, staring at the former—and future—cat, trying to determine just when he would transform. They waited longer, the novelty of that spell wearing decidedly thin. And an even longer wait succeeded that one.