[Mkguild] Horse and Rider

[Chris]

Another story from me! 2 in less then 6 months! Amazing!

I hope you enjoy! Comments are welcome!

Chris
The Lurking Fox


*************


Horse and Rider
By Christian O’Kane

Rule 3 of Morlunds rules of sorcery: Beware of bystanders when casting,
especially children. It can lead to unexpected complications.

**

   The sun was shining by the time Arlyn arrived at his sisters farm. It
always seemed to be raining here but the weather was the last thing he
was worried about. Lyssa’s message had been brief and short on details
but there were enough to bring him here. He found her standing in the
middle of the farm yard. The woman was wearing a dark green dress that
was a bit worn and faded from use. Her black hair was braided with
silver ribbons that fell down to below her shoulders.

As a mage he had many responsibilities that took him across the world
and brought him into contact with kings and queens and he was friends
with dragons and griffons. But he always remained close to his family as
it reminded him to remain humble and to never forget the simple people.
Arrogance was a failing of many mages and it had also been the downfall
of many others. He truly loved his sister and her family. And with her
husband way in the war they needed all the help they could get.

   “What happened to Belle?” Arlyn asked as they walked into the barn.

   “We were pulling a stump when the pulley slipped loose and hit her in
the skull,” his sister explained as she opened the door to the barn.

   The mare was laying on her side in the center of the barn. Her
usually lustrous brown coat was dirty and covered with and splattered
with blood. What caught his attention first was the bloody bandage tied
around her head and ears.

   Sitting on the floor next to the mare was a small girl of around ten
years old. Her black hair was braided in the same pattern as her
mothers. Samantha’s dress might once have light blue but it was so
covered with dirt and dust that it was hard to tell. The girl paid no
attention to her uncle and didn’t seem to notice his arrival. Instead
she kept petting the mare tenderly on the neck.

   He knelt next to the mare and carefully removed the bandage. He
didn’t like what he saw. The wound was very serious and had penetrated
the mares skull and deep into her brain.

   “I’m a mage not a healer,” he explained to the girl and woman. “I can
repair the flesh but I can’t restore her mind.”

   “SAVE HER!” Samantha shrieked through her sobbing. “Save her!”

   “Honey, I can’t . . “

   The little girls sobs and hysterical crying drowned out his answer.

   What can he do? The mares spirit was still there as bright and
friendly as ever but most of her higher skills were gone. He couldn’t
restore those. Then an idea occurred to him. If he couldn’t restore them
maybe he could replace them.

   “Take Samantha into the house,” he ordered his sister.

   “What are you going to do?” Lyssa asked.

   “Something drastic,” he answered.

   “What?” Samantha asked.

   “Go into the house. I need to be alone with Belle for this,” he
ordered.

   Reluctantly the girl was guided from the barn by her mother. She
lingered at every step and looked back at the mare, clearly upset.

   “Go,” Arlyn ordered. “I can help her but we need to be alone.”


******************


   Arlyn closed the door to the stable and turned to where the mare was
laying. He stared at her for a long moment before finally deciding what
to do next. He knelt down next to the mare bringing his hands in contact
with the mare’s neck. Arlyn closed his eyes and concentrated his inner
sight. What he was trying to do wasn’t dangerous but it was difficult.
Slowly he began to gather the magic needed to work the spell and
concentrate it in his hands. When he had gathered enough magic he
activated the spell and the power flow from him and into the mare. Aylyn
guided the magic through her neck and into the skull. Carefully he
controlled the magic and skillfully started to regrow the damaged and
destroyed parts of Belle’s brain.

   With the damaged flesh repaired and the mage slowly reached out to
Belle’s mind with his own. The mare was confused and frightened but she
recognized Arlyn and was glad he was there. He pushed deeper into her
mind found that the mare had lost much memory and knowledge but not as
much as he had feared. Her basic personality was intact.

   “What are you doing?” a voice said suddenly.

   The voice was soft but it boomed through the mage interrupting his
train of thought for a moment. It was only the briefest of moments but
it was long enough. The carefully manipulated weave of magic unwound
suddenly and completely. Arlyn felt the magic wrap itself around his
arms and sink into his flesh. Then he felt his arms being pulled INTO
the mare. Man and mare screamed in agony as the magic roared through
both bodies grabbing, twisting and intertwining their flesh.

   The blind panic of the mares mind roared above all else and it
threatened to overwhelm him as well. Frantically he fought back his own
panic as well as Belles as he tried to gain control of the spell. As if
they didn’t have enough problems he felt another mind and body sucked
into the maelstrom of magic. Samantha! The girl had strayed too close
and she was sucked into the twisting, reshaping mass of flesh. The girls
growing panic was added to the torrent that assaulted the mages mind and
he felt himself loosing control. This was going to end badly for all
three of them.

   “Save the girl!” the mage shrieked trying to drown out the mares
panic and the mayhem of the spell roaring through his mind.

   The mare calmed instantly, her mind concentrating on the little girl
and forgetting all else. He felt Belles love and caring for Samantha
come through. The mare reached out to her and calmed Samantha,
reassuring the child and herself at the same time. Arlyn used the
respite to concentrate on the weave of the spell. Working fast he
snipped the threads that tied Samantha into the spell and themselves.
But the three were already badly intertwined and he had to make some
drastic choices. Finally his niece was separated from the man and the
mare physically and was bound to them only by the spell. But there were
problems. He had cut the bindings quickly and some of the mare had gone
to the girl and some of the girl had gone to the mare. Arlyn reshaped
his nieces body to restore her to a form that was at least familiar if
not her original one. With a curt command he withdrew the magic holding
her and Samantha fell to the floor safely away from the spell.

   He felt relief from himself and the mare. “Thank you,” came the
mare’s thoughts to him. “I’ll name my next foal after you.”

   “Don’t thank me so quickly Belle,” he answered the mare. “We are
still tightly bound together. Remain calm and I’ll get this done
quickly.” And with those words he set to work. The two bodies were badly
intermingled and it took all his skill and determination to slowly
separate them. But he was out of time and energy. He was tired. What
energy that had survived the casting of the spell had been spent saving
his niece. The spell started to unravel suddenly then failed completely
and the two separated abruptly.

   The dizziness subsided after a moment and Arlyn slowly regained his
senses. He was still standing in the middle of the stable. He felt all
right. There was no pain and the dizziness faded quickly. With some
trepidation the mage began to examine his body trying to understand what
had happened. Arlyn twisted his head around and was rewarded with the
sight he did not want to see. 

   He had the body of a horse that looked to be a fine riding stallion
of the same color and breed as Belle. He was a horse complete with a
mane, four legs and a tail that swished back and forth almost of it’s
own accord. At least he was in good health as his mage sight revealed no
injuries or deformities.

   The new stallion looked at the little girl who was standing less then
ten feet from him. She seemed normal down to the waist. Below that she
had the body of a year old filly with fur the same black color as her
hair. Her tail was braided in the same style that her hair was. If the
change bothered her it didn’t show. His mage sight revealed that she too
was in perfect health showing no ill effects for all the magical mayhem
her body had just been through.

   “I thought I told you to go into the house?” Arlyn said calmly.

   Samantha blushed and looked down at her hooves. “Sorry Uncle. I just
wanted to see what you were doing with Belle.”

   Arlyn looked the little centaurette and shook his head “Your mother
is going to kill me. She’s still mad at me for the last time I changed
you.”

   There was a sound and both turned to see Lyssa standing in the
doorway. The woman walked up to the little centauress and hugged her
tightly. “Are you all right honey?”

   Samantha bobbed her head and smiled broadly. “Yes mommy. Uncle Arlyn
made me centaur again!”

   “That’s nice honey.” The woman looked from centaurette to stallion.
“I’m sorry Arlyn she got away from me,” Lyssa said to her brother. “I
was busy with little Beth and she escaped me. Are you both all right?”

   “We’ll both be fine but I’m afraid she’ll be that way for a while.
This whole ordeal has drained me rather badly,” the horse mage
explained.

   Lyssa nodded. “I’m just glad you’re both all right.”

   “How’s Belle?”

   Samantha’s question made both Lyssa and Arlyn turn to where the mare
was standing.

   Arlyn slowly walked around the mare as he examined her. Belle shook
her head tossing her mane back and forth. On her head where the wound
had been was smooth, healthy skin. Only the faintest trace of scar was
there. She looked healthy and certainly smelled like a fine, healthy
mare.

   “Is she all right?” the girl asked.

   “Why don’t you ask her?” the centaur replied.

   “Can she understand me?”

   The mare nodded in response. “Yes. I feel great!” the horse whinnied.

   “How?” the girl asked.

   “Much of her brain was destroyed and along with some of her memories
and knowledge. I filled that in with some of my own.”

   “You never fail to amaze me little brother,” Lyssa said and looked up
into his face. She laughed. “Big brother.”

   Lyssa looked at Belle and Samantha. The centauress was brushing the
mares mane. “Just how much of her has changed?”

   “I’m not sure of exactly what happened with me and Belle. I’ll have
to study her closely for the next few days to be certain but I think
she’ll be fine. But for the moment we both need some sleep.”

   “Let’s leave Uncle Arlyn and Belle to get some rest,” Lyssa ordered.
“I’ve made a batch of your favorite oat muffins. They’re on the kitchen
table.”

   The little centaur took off towards the house at a full gallop.
”YEAH!” she screamed with delight as her hair and tail streamed behind
her like party streamers.

   “Just don't forget to wipe all of your hooves before you go in the
house," Lyssa ordered her daughter.

   The woman ran her hands along Arlyn’s flank and patted him on the
neck. “You do good work brother. No scars or deformities. You are a
perfectly healthy stallion.”

   “And a fine looking one too,” Belle added and rubbed her head along
his neck as she nibbled at his mane.

   Lyssa smiled and followed after her daughter although at a lot slower
pace. “You CAN change Samantha back? Can you change yourself back?”

   He bobbed his head in response. “Yes. Samantha I can change back in a
day or two or whenever she gets bored with being a centaur. It might
take me a while to get my own human form back. At least when I want it
back”

   She laughed a little and smiled. “I’ll leave you two alone for the
night.” Lyssa paused at doorway and started to pull the door closed.
“There is an open stall you can use Alynn,” she said and pointed to two
wooden bins. “You know where the grain and oats are.” And with those
words she pulled the door closed behind her leave the mage and the mare
alone.

   Belle rubbed her head against his own. “Thank you for saving me.
Thank you for saving her.”

   He nibbled her lightly on the neck. “You mentioned something about
naming a foal after me?”

   “I’m not pregnant.”

   “Yet,” he answered and lightly rubbed his flanks against her own.

   “Can your magic change that too?” she asked.

   “NO!” he shot back. “Why spoil all the fun.”


End

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