Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 49

Theresa opened her eyes. The sun was bright and she found herself lying in an unfamiliar room. She had no idea where she was. She closed them again.

Every part of her body dreadfully ached.

And then everything that had happened flooded back into her mind.

She wished that it had all been a horrible nightmare, but she knew with a dread certainty that it had not.

She could not stop the tears that began to push out of the corners of her closed eyes. She rolled over onto her side. The movement hurt, but she did not care.

"Theresa?"

"What?" she groaned.

"Theresa! Oh, thank God! I thought that you might never wake up!" she heard Daphne say with real joy.

Theresa ungratefully wished that she really had never woken up. She heard Daphne crying softly.

"I would hug you, but I think it might hurt you. I am so glad that you're alright," Daphne said through her tears.

"I wanted to shoot her before she hurt you, but I was not completely certain that you were you. Then you were clawing her face off and I was afraid that I would hit you. When she threw you over the edge, I've never been more terrified in my life."

"I'm surprised that I survived," Theresa said. She felt flat.

"You fell so far, but cats land on their feet, don't they?"

"I don't feel like I landed on my feet." Her legs ached almost as much as her heart, but she did not want to think about that.

"It hardly matters! You're alive and Francine can never hurt us again," Daphne said. Her face was a mess of smiles and tears.

"What happened to her?"

Daphne grasped Theresa's hand.

Theresa realized belatedly that she was human again. It was a sign of her wretched state of mind it had taken her so long to notice such a significant fact.

She almost felt a flicker of hope that Wildwood had somehow survived against all odds, but then she understood that it was far more likely that Francine was also dead.

It was possible that Theresa no longer had any unwanted magic spells clinging to her.

She would gladly take the return of the feline transformation spell only to have Wildwood back in the world.

Daphne was blissfully unaware of Theresa's grief as she explained, "The king's soldiers arrived, Francine was captured, and they put this metal collar thing on her. I don't know what it was, but I understand that it prevents magic use. Thomas explained that."

Theresa nodded. Well, Francine without magic seemed only a positive development.

"You must have transformed back to human the moment she had the collar on. She was led before the king and sentenced to death..."

More tears escaped from her sister's eyes and dropped onto the bed next to her.

"I can't believe so much has happened," Theresa said, trying not to think about the gaping wound in her soul.

"Turns out the king moves fast when he has evidence of a crime. Besides, you've been out for a week. They've been forcing some healing slurry down your throat using some magical method. It did not look pleasant."

Daphne looked like she might completely dissolve into another flood of tears.

"I really thought that you were going to die. You were wasting away. Thomas was doing what he could, but he's only one man. The royal healers seemed to be pretty good, too, but they could not make you wake up either. I'm just so glad that everything worked out."