The wivari attempted in vain to run up the tree trunk. They howled in frustration, but their prey remained safe. Some gnawed at the tree. Another rammed into the trunk at a high rate of speed, but it bounced off harmlessly. The other wivari released their characteristic laughter in response.

Hours passed until they finally galloped away. Sarah could not see them in the darkness, but she heard their howls in the distance. John remained unconscious for the entire time. Sarah had placed him inside her pocket and buttoned it closed, just in case she fell asleep. Lucy flew around the tree to make sure the hounds were really gone. After rounding the tree three times, she stated simply, “All gone. Finally.”

Sarah’s recollection was fuzzy. She remembered running in the field and trying to get up the tree. She remembered seeing the wivari across the field, but, after that, her memory remained muddy. Sarah could not explain her actions, and Lucy seemed confused as well. As far as she knew, wivari did not have magic or any ability to control minds. But, after Sarah described how the thoughts had been pushed into her head, Lucy said she knew exactly what they were facing.

Sarah leaned against a branch of the tree from her perch near the top.

“That hound that you gazed upon for numerous moments was unlikely a wivari at all. I believe with great certainty that it was a shayde,” said Lucy.

Sarah just looked down at Lucy, waiting for further explanation.

“It looks like an upright shadow, and it gains strength by overtaking other creatures. It does not really alter its own countenance itself. It just claims the body of another creature and replaces that creature’s consciousness with its own,” Lucy said.

“Is that what that thing was doing to me? Was it taking me over?”

“That specificity is difficult to determine. My understanding of shaydes is based primarily on legends and less so on experience. Even the strongest shayde lacks the necessary fortitude to overpower a human. The higher the intelligence and willpower of the human, the more difficult it would be for the shayde to overpower the human. However, a shayde could likely implement principles of transference of will to influence decisions. They can temporarily push themselves into your thoughts and make irrational thoughts seem plausible and logical,” Lucy said.

“Like me not recognizing John and wanting to hurt him,” Sarah said.

“Exactly. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to overtake the will of an individual even momentarily. Such an act could likely destroy the shayde’s host body. This can be extremely dangerous, since the death of the host body would ultimately result in the shayde perishing. Unless the shayde translocated to another creature before the host died, the shayde would guarantee its demise. The shayde took a risk to influence your decision-making capacity, but it almost exterminated both you and John,” Lucy said.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I know. If I would have hurt John, I—” She stopped, tears coming to her eyes.

“We’re all safe with little injury. Neither John nor I had the awareness of what we truly faced. Also the happenstance of pixie magic I imbued likely weakened your natural defenses,” Lucy said.

“How so?”

“My magic gave the shayde an alternative entryway to your consciousness. A shayde’s attack is strictly magical in nature. Normally you would maintain only miniscule openings through which his magical attack could penetrate. But after I spelled you, with your new unmastered pixie aura effervescing through you, you were—how do you say it?—pickings of easiness,” Lucy said.

“Then how did I stop it?” Sarah asked.

“The shayde capitalized on magic I created in you. I realized this, flew down from the tree and removed all the magic I had imbued in you. This removal of my magic severed its connection and broke your hypnosis. To be forthright, I’m perplexed by your resistance against the shayde’s magical assault. You should have squelched John and allowed the wivari to devour you. I do not understand how you resisted the attack without having monumental magical abilities of your own.”

“You got me. I’m new to the whole magic game,” Sarah said.

The first rays of sunshine peeked over the horizon. Lucy went off on another scouting mission, this time expanding her search to a much broader area. She disappeared into the forest for a brief period of time and then quickly zipped back to Sarah.

“No sign of them?” Sarah asked.

“No. Wivari never voyage in the sunlight. The destructive remains of their nocturnal attack are strewn all over the campsite.”

“What about the shayde?”

“I saw no trace of the shayde either. Even if it escaped before sunrise, it will lack fortitude to pursue for over a week. Attacking you likely taxed the host body to incapacitation. It will probably require shifting to a new host soon.”

“Great,” Sarah said. “Why don’t we go back to camp and see if anyone needs our help?”

“I don’t think that is a good idea. It’s a gruesome sight,” Lucy said.

“People might need our help,” Sarah answered, climbing down the tree.

“But who will help us?” said Lucy.

Sarah hardly recognized the campsite. Bloodied body parts had been strewn everywhere in unidentifiable pieces. No one responded to her yells. Thaddeus Gumble’s carriage remained locked, but no noise came from it. Sarah pounded on the side of the carriage. Silence. He must have died, along with his mistress and the rest of the servants.

She had been a good servant, yet treated as a necessary nuisance. She supposed someone with her years of experience and common sense might be of some use, but other than the jewelry store …

“No one is here. Sarah, what will we do?” asked Lucy.

Sarah took one last look around the former campsite. A single horse had escaped the bloodshed. The pixie looked at Sarah, waiting for her to determine their next step. Sarah realized she had been taking orders her whole life. First from her parents and next from Gumble. She had immediately placed herself in a position where she would not have to choose. Sarah paused to think.

“We go back to Grandeur,” Sarah said. “We make the shop the best shop in the city and try to leave all this behind us. Do wivari normally come back?”

“Wivari kill for sport and revel in the terror they convey in their victims before utterly devouring all in their path. However, Wivari normally don’t attack campsites. Fires and noise usually dissuade their violent tendencies. I suspect the shayde influenced the wivari and overwhelmed their normal hesitance to provoke the attack,” said Lucy.

“We need to get away from here,” Sarah said.

Pointless destruction, thought Sarah. She reminisced about her mother and father, anger burning inside. For some reason she felt the familiar pull deep inside her growing stronger. Someone had to be held accountable for this, but Sarah had no idea who. But, for now, she had to get to Grandeur.