Chapter 20
Torr refused to allowWilona to defeat Finnian. Possessing no magic, Torr only had his sword arm.
Rising to his feet, he removed his doublet and used it to cover Cat's head. "Stay here. I'm going to help Finnian." Sword in hand, he strode forward.
"Nay! Come back!" Cat yelled. "You cannot kill her, or you will make the curse permanent."
She was right, but he had to protect Finnian.
Focusing his thoughts on his main strength—his love for Cat—Torr circled behind Wilona. He couldn't run her through, but he must do something to break her concentration. The basket hilt of his sword, which protected his hand in a cage-like structure, was durable silver. He bashed it against the back of the witch's head. With a shriek, she toppled to the ground. Spitting leaves, she tried to push herself up. He held her face down, her mouth to the ground, preventing her chants.
She jerked and kicked at him.
"Finnian! Are you well?" Torr yelled.
The old conjurer rose to his feet, lifting his arms higher. His voice echoed toward the clouds.
"Here!" Cat knelt beside him. "Gag her with this." She held a piece of material that looked like the doublet's sleeve.
"Put it in her mouth." He lifted Wilona's face from the ground.
"Cruthaich...a' chomhachag!" Wilona yelled. She vanished from his grip, and amid a cloud of smoke, an owl flapped toward the treetops, then disappeared into the darkness.
Torr leapt to his feet. "Damnation!"
"She's gone." Shivering, Cat wrapped her arms around his waist, and he drew her close.
"Are you all right, Finnian?" Torr called.
"Aye."
The wind died, and an eerie silence descended. The air gradually warmed to a moderate temperature. They made their way toward Finnian through the thin layer of melting snow.
Torr glanced around the forest and up through the tree branches. The clouds parted and the moon glowed in a dark blue sky.
"What the devil?" Could it be so? It was too much to hope for. "The moon! 'Tis after sunset, and I'm still a man."
Cat grasped his shirt in her fists. "The curse is lifted!" Squealing and laughing, she jumped up and down, then looped her arms around his neck.
Though he was almost afraid to believe it, he laughed. "Aye." He picked her up, whirled her around, and kissed her. Saints! The lass had saved his life and given him happiness untold.
Finnian ambled forward, relying on his staff for support, his breathing labored. He paused, eyes wide. "You two have banished the curse."
"Aye. Cat deserves all the credit and thanks." He hugged her to him and kissed her cheek. "She was too stubborn to give up on me."
Grinning, Cat returned his embrace. "Now we must go to Farspag Tower and help Brodie destroy his curse."
"Aye." Sighing, Finnian sat down against a thick tree trunk. "But first, I must rest."
"That magical battle must have taken a lot out of you," Cat said.
"Indeed, lass."
Torr hoped Finnian would return to normal once he had a good night's sleep.
"While you rest, we'll retrieve the horses."
They found their mounts wandering about the wood and led them forward. After Torr helped Finnian into Rosie's saddle, he lifted Cat onto Hercules, then mounted.
