The Wand of Nyngra

The two Ell-women, companions of the dark lady, were on him immediately.  Marty tried to scoot back and he tried to rise up but the two grabbed him.  One with feathered hands and the other with hands covered with fish scales.

Calfree-Cat and Beth-Kitten had seen everything.  Beth-Kitten couldn’t speak but Calfree-Cat could.

            “Go tell Sally and Megan,” he said.  “I’ll go help Marty.”

            As Beth-Kitten ran for the cookhouse Cat went into a hunting crouch and crawled toward the corral.  Marty had been dragged into the middle by the two Ell-Women and roughly thrown down.  The women bowed slightly toward the dark lady and murmured her name.

            “Frau Welt,” they spoke together.  One chirruped birdlike and the other voice sounded somehow slimy.

            “We told you so,” the largest ugly Phouka shouted.  The three of them charged toward Marty.

            “Silence,” the dark lady screamed.  Sparks raced around the hem of her gown and shot from her hair.  The Phouka and the Ell-Women cringed back.  She grabbed Marty by his hair and jerked him to his feet.

            “You,” she screeched and flung him back onto the ground.  “You were at the castle.  You interfered then and you’ve done it again.  You will pay.”

            Cat had reached the fence around the corral.  He wanted to rush in and leap on the back of the dark lady but he knew, from all the years he had been her prisoner, that she was very powerful.  So he waited—and watched.  He saw the three Lauru dwarves moving very slowly to the corral edge.  In all the confusion the Phouka’s and the Ell-Women hadn’t noticed Blossom was gone.  But the Lauru had.  Cat watched for only a moment then decided to go to them.  From what he had seen and heard the Lauru were captives just like Blossom.  But now, as the dark lady and the Ell-Women fought with the three Phouka’s for power and for control of Marty the Lauru saw their chance to escape.

            As Calfree-Cat moved around to where they were the three dwarves slipped under the corral fence and into the trees.

The noise and yelling in the corral was still going on as Cat crept up to the dwarves. 

            “Follow me,” he said in Italian, the language of the Lauru.  “I know where you can hide.”

            The Lauru recognized his magic and knew that if they could just get far enough away from the Phouka their own magic would return. The three little men followed as Cat led them toward the cook wagon where the girls were.

Back at the corral the dark lady had discovered the Lauru were missing and she thought they had taken Blossom with them.  She was in a rage.  Sparks were flying in every direction and even the evil Phouka were frightened.  She grabbed Marty up from the ground and shook him.

            “What did you do?” she screamed.  “How did you do it?  Who helped you?”

            Just then Cat dashed in and leapt for her face.  He scratched her forehead before she dropped Marty and flung Cat away.  He didn’t run but charged again.  The dark lady kicked and connected. Calfree-Cat went flying and his head hit one of the corral posts.  Hard.  Hard enough to knock him senseless for a few seconds.

    &nbs