The ogre... the ogre was trying to regain his form while inside him.
Desperately, he pulled threads of magic to him to build a cage, gray threads from steel I-beams, dark brown from the hardwood flooring, white from the heat-resistant ceramics in the kitchen, weaving a bright sphere of magic inside his own body to contain his assailant. Something ripped inside. Ribs creaked and then snapped. Blood ran from his nose and mouth.
Trembling, he shifted to his human form to give his body more room as he fought to enclose the ogre, who now felt the size of a watermelon inside him. The sphere closed tight just as he felt the expansion pressing on his heart. He struggled to breathe, concentrating on shrinking the enclosure. Little by little, he gained ground, a little more breathing space, a little less white-hot agony with every millimeter the ogre lost.
Perhaps it was only in his imagination, but he thought he heard the monster shrieking as he forced it down to the size of a mouse, then a pea, then a dust mite. His promises allowed this attempt at extermination, most likely since self-preservation did not fall under willful harm. At last, he felt the ogre's magic extinguish, its oppressive presence erased from the world. The scurrilous property deed, still lying on the chair, vanished in a puff of sulfurous flame.
Kasha lay on the floor, bleeding, his breaths heaving in and out in rattling gurgles. Victorious one last time, he had paid a heavy price. I do hope Willem comes soon. It would be good to see him once more.
* * * *
Willem wrapped the blanket close around him, staggering from the van before it rolled to a complete stop in the blue house's drive.
"Wait!" Natt called after him. "Teddy, stop him!"
Strong arms closed around him, holding him up as much as keeping him from moving forward.
"You said he's in danger! I have to find him!"
Natt hobbled up, shaking her head. "You can't just go haring off into an ogre's house, dear. Your death won't help him much."
She stood still, eyes closed. A spark of light caught Willem's eye and he glanced down to see the top of her cane glowing.
"What's she doing?" he whispered to the younger Englestads.
"Gram's looking. Seeing what's happening inside," Morgen whispered back.
"Don't worry." Teddy gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing gets by Gram."
"I don't know about that, dear. I still can't find your amplifier cable." Natt's eyes flew open. "But the ogre's gone."
"He... left? Ran away?" Willem took an unsteady step forward. Since Teddy allowed it, he kept moving toward the house.
"No, gone. He no longer exists."
"That's got to be good, right?"
Natt walked beside him, forehead creased in a frown. "I certainly hope so."
The front door opened for them when Ettie muttered a few words over the lock. The stench that rolled out was appalling.
"Kash?" Willem's stomach did a hard roll. Something terrible had happened. He could feel it.
They made their way through the rooms in a tight knot, like children in one of those haunted houses set up at Halloween. Kasha wasn't in the front hall, the dining room, or the kitchen. He didn't answer Willem's increasingly anxious calls for him, ratcheting up the worry factor into the red zone.
When they did find him, curled in a ball on the ugly, purple living room rug, Willem let out an anguished cry and flung himself to his knees beside Kasha.
"God... oh, shit, he's bleeding!" Willem slid an arm under his head and shoulders and rolled him gently onto his back. Unconcerned for his own modesty, he pulled the blanket from around his shoulders and wrapped Kasha in it. "Kash? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?"
Kasha's eyes fluttered open, those beautiful green orbs dazed and clouded with pain. He smiled and rubbed his cheek against Willem's arm. "You did come. I hoped you would."
"What happened? What can I do?"
"I ate... " Kasha stopped to cough. More blood flecked his lips. "I ate the ogre. Wasn't the best thing for my insides."
"You'll
Desperately, he pulled threads of magic to him to build a cage, gray threads from steel I-beams, dark brown from the hardwood flooring, white from the heat-resistant ceramics in the kitchen, weaving a bright sphere of magic inside his own body to contain his assailant. Something ripped inside. Ribs creaked and then snapped. Blood ran from his nose and mouth.
Trembling, he shifted to his human form to give his body more room as he fought to enclose the ogre, who now felt the size of a watermelon inside him. The sphere closed tight just as he felt the expansion pressing on his heart. He struggled to breathe, concentrating on shrinking the enclosure. Little by little, he gained ground, a little more breathing space, a little less white-hot agony with every millimeter the ogre lost.
Perhaps it was only in his imagination, but he thought he heard the monster shrieking as he forced it down to the size of a mouse, then a pea, then a dust mite. His promises allowed this attempt at extermination, most likely since self-preservation did not fall under willful harm. At last, he felt the ogre's magic extinguish, its oppressive presence erased from the world. The scurrilous property deed, still lying on the chair, vanished in a puff of sulfurous flame.
Kasha lay on the floor, bleeding, his breaths heaving in and out in rattling gurgles. Victorious one last time, he had paid a heavy price. I do hope Willem comes soon. It would be good to see him once more.
* * * *
Willem wrapped the blanket close around him, staggering from the van before it rolled to a complete stop in the blue house's drive.
"Wait!" Natt called after him. "Teddy, stop him!"
Strong arms closed around him, holding him up as much as keeping him from moving forward.
"You said he's in danger! I have to find him!"
Natt hobbled up, shaking her head. "You can't just go haring off into an ogre's house, dear. Your death won't help him much."
She stood still, eyes closed. A spark of light caught Willem's eye and he glanced down to see the top of her cane glowing.
"What's she doing?" he whispered to the younger Englestads.
"Gram's looking. Seeing what's happening inside," Morgen whispered back.
"Don't worry." Teddy gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing gets by Gram."
"I don't know about that, dear. I still can't find your amplifier cable." Natt's eyes flew open. "But the ogre's gone."
"He... left? Ran away?" Willem took an unsteady step forward. Since Teddy allowed it, he kept moving toward the house.
"No, gone. He no longer exists."
"That's got to be good, right?"
Natt walked beside him, forehead creased in a frown. "I certainly hope so."
The front door opened for them when Ettie muttered a few words over the lock. The stench that rolled out was appalling.
"Kash?" Willem's stomach did a hard roll. Something terrible had happened. He could feel it.
They made their way through the rooms in a tight knot, like children in one of those haunted houses set up at Halloween. Kasha wasn't in the front hall, the dining room, or the kitchen. He didn't answer Willem's increasingly anxious calls for him, ratcheting up the worry factor into the red zone.
When they did find him, curled in a ball on the ugly, purple living room rug, Willem let out an anguished cry and flung himself to his knees beside Kasha.
"God... oh, shit, he's bleeding!" Willem slid an arm under his head and shoulders and rolled him gently onto his back. Unconcerned for his own modesty, he pulled the blanket from around his shoulders and wrapped Kasha in it. "Kash? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?"
Kasha's eyes fluttered open, those beautiful green orbs dazed and clouded with pain. He smiled and rubbed his cheek against Willem's arm. "You did come. I hoped you would."
"What happened? What can I do?"
"I ate... " Kasha stopped to cough. More blood flecked his lips. "I ate the ogre. Wasn't the best thing for my insides."
"You'll
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