I stared at her with my mouth open for what seemed like 5 minutes, but really couldn't have been more than a few seconds.

Stacy was sobbing, “I'm sorry, she made me do it...” over and over again.

I found my mind was sluggish, I could not muster enough concentration to use any magic. Also, I was unable to move.

Alyssa smiled coldly, “Don't bother trying, I have damped your mind to where you can't use magic, and you can't move, either. You have caused a lot of trouble for me, hiding as well as you did. I don't like getting in trouble, especially not through some little girl.”

She went on, “You're my ticket to get back into the Council's good graces. It's you they want and you they shall have. I will be reinstated when I deliver you!”

She took out a pair of handcuffs and put them on me. After she took a step back, I found I could move again. I seemed to recall that this sort of spell was somewhat taxing, holding someone in this state required constant energy expenditure and vigilance. Now, she visibly relaxed.

“Now, I'm going to walk out of here with you. No one will see or hear you, don't even think about crying for help. We will get into the car and I will deliver you to... wherever,” she stopped short of naming the place, then continued, “and then I will finally be rid of you,”

By this time, I was really scared; I was worried about what would happen to me. Why did they want me that badly? I was no danger to them and not even a fully trained sorceress. They couldn't know of my secret studies, could they?

My eyes flickered over to Stacy, who stirred and looked up.

Alyssa said, “We don't have any use for her anymore,” and turned to aim her hand at her to cast a spell. I panicked; she was about to kill the only friend I had left.

At this moment, the distress level of my tracer was reached and a sphere of energy emanated outward and sped away into the distance. Alyssa was distracted by the force of the energy, she was the receiver for that tracer, but it wasn't meant to trigger with her so close by.

She raised a hand to her head and her concentration broke. My mind was suddenly free to work and I reached into the well of spells I had learned. Any spell, any spell at all, any that looked strong!

I reached for a glowing rune, raised it up and imbued it with power, and spoke its name to release it. I didn't even know what it was, I had no time to look in my memory for the symbol, I just cast it. It was all I could do.

Purple energy surrounded Alyssa, who gave a short shriek and froze in place.

Slowly, she began to change, began to shrink, no, not just shrink, she was getting younger! I saw fear in her eyes, then it faded to a total lack of comprehension and finally it was replaced by a child's innocence. A cute girl, around three years old, stood in front of me. She looked at me with eyes wide and said “Mommy?”

Thirty-five

Stacy had watched the transformation with a totally incredulous stare. She said “Wow,” and blinked, “did I just see what I think I did? Was that you?”

“Afraid so,” I said, regaining my composure, “and not even a bit sorry for it.”

“It's poetic justice, in a way,” Stacy said, “she has chosen an evil path, but some good was left in her. Now she has a second chance.”

I pulled up a spell, visualized it and spoke the word, and with a click the handcuffs came loose. I dropped them on the floor and rubbed my wrists.

I nodded, looking at it that way, I had found the best spell imaginable for the situation. I really hadn't wanted to kill her; I had not forgotten that she had let me get away. “Maybe that was the one decent thing she's done in her life,” I mused.

“Anyway,” I said, “we have some decisions to make. One adversary is gone, but we know there are others who want me, and if Alyssa isn't successful, they will send someone else. We have surprise on our side right now, but I don't know how long that will last.”

“We also have a three year old girl that we can't just leave here.” I said. “Stacy, this is going to be a hard decision. If you come with me now, you will probably leave this life behind. I don't think you can come back here until this is resolved, and by that time, this,” I motioned around the apartment, “is probably not going to be here anymore.”

“I'm not expecting you to give up your life and your job to help me.”

“But, if you stay, they could come to you, looking for me. They have shown themselves to be deceitful and evil, resorting to violence to get their way. You might be in danger if you stay.”

Stacy said, “I had already made up my mind when you called. I'm with you all the way. Look at this, what do I have? I have a low paying job, a small apartment and no one to share it with. My family is not speaking to me because I love women. I can't see my life going anywhere here.”

“You have shown me a world of excitement. Sure, there is danger, but that looks much better than boredom, from where I stand.”

She smiled and continued, looking at me, “And I'd much rather be with you!”

That got me. After that one remark at the very beginning, she hadn't let on that she might be feeling this way, and I had thought it was just something said by way of making a compliment.

I smiled back at her, but didn't know what to say, so I gave her a hug and she turned it into a kiss. We were interrupted by Alyssa, when she said “Mommy?” again.

I guessed that was me. Oh God, what was I going to do now?

End of part nine