Tricky

Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of Harold's face as the color of his eyes faded. His skin was cold to touch as he grew weaker with each moment that passed.

He lay in bed groaning as he tossed and turned holding his stomach as though his insides hurt.

Catelyn stood by him with a cloth, wiping him as he sweat. Her eyes had formed dark circles underneath. She was completely exhausted and frightened.

Marie moved close to Harold and placed her hands on his abdomen as she closed her eyes. She sensed his wolf trying to awaken. It was causing Harold pain in his already weakened state. His body wouldn't be able to take the shift.

The magic she used should have lasted longer. She knew Sybil had something to do with this, especially since the full moon was nearing. Sybil would try to force Harold to shift so she could finally end him.

Sybil was probably angry with Marie for breaking the spell she placed on Vianna and blocking her from reading her mind.

Children were very different when it came to spells and curses. The purity of a child made it easier to cleanse them from any outside impurities trying to invade them.

An adult that has already shifted for many years is easier to make a curse stick. The brilliance of attacking the wolf separate from the human form is actually a brilliant, diabolic idea that is very difficult to handle.

The last time Marie handled an issue like this one, the wolf died, then the human died a few months later. She was sure he would survive after the spell but after some time, the wolf did not wake up and his heart gave out.

That is when she figured out that she would have to try breaking the spell from the source in order for it to be destroyed completely.

Marie was devasted when she failed to save the victim. She tried so hard. She couldn't let this happen to Harold.

He had a family that needed him, and she cared deeply about them all, regardless of how sloppily Sargon had been handling the situation with Dezerae. She didn't want this family to hurt anymore.

Her mother had taught her the spell to save the wolf and the human seperatly, but something didn't work right. She thought that losing her mother right before she tried to break the spell may have weakened her.

Millions of "what ifs" ran through Marie's mind at the time. This time she really had no room for error. An entire family and kingdom depended on her. She wished her mother was there to help her. There was no way Sybil would be able to win with their combined power.

"What is happening to him?" Catelyn asked pulling Marie out of her thoughts as tears pooled in her eyes.

Marie removed her hands from Harold and took Catelyn's hands in hers.

"Catelyn, I will be completely honest with you. I need you to be very strong right now. The next couple of days will be extremely difficult. Harold's wolf is trying to awaken and cause him to shift. That is something we cannot let happen. It will kill him. The witch that cast this spell is growing stronger with the full moon, as I am." Marie said carefully.

Catelyn covered her face with her hands to hide her tears.

"It is ok to cry. Love is a powerful emotion. Release the pain and focus on his recovery. He will make it through this. We will all make sure of that." Marie said.

She remembered her mother always encouraged her to cry if she needed to. It gives you a chance to focus on solutions once you release some of your pain.

"What can we do to help him?" Catelyn asked as she wiped away her tears with her shaking hands.

Marie reached for a piece of paper and a pen and whispered a spell before writing. She knew Sybil would be waiting to hear what she was doing, and it was the only way she could tell Catelyn her plans secretly.

"This is to hide our plans from the enemy.

We will need to have guards in the room at all times.

The castle needs to be secure so there are no distractions. She will try to draw our attentiveness away from Harold. He will need all of our attention.

I will also need to gather a few things to prepare a spell. I will need to redo the original spell. However, it needs more strength.

I am hoping the moon will also give me the additional strength I need. I may have to work on him through the full moon.

The following day the moon won't be as powerful, but I will continue if needed. Once I can bring him through the full moon, he will be ok.

Dr. Brinks will also need to give him a shot similar to what he gave to Vianna right away." Marie wrote on the paper then handed it to Catelyn.

Catelyn carefully read the words on the paper and nodded her head in acceptance of the plan.

After reading the words she handed the paper back to Marie who then shared it with Dr. Brinks.

When Dr. Brinks was finished reading the words, Marie took the paper away from him as the words began to disappear. She then held the paper over a candle light and let it burn completely.

"What if it doesn't work, Marie?" Catelyn asked.

"That is not an option, Catelyn. I must help him. This will work." Marie said trying to convince herself as well as Catelyn.

"I will go speak with Sargon and then go get the things I need. Let me know if there are any changes." Marie instructed as she gave Catelyn a hug and left to locate Sargon.

Catleyn sat on the bed near Harold and held his face in her hands as she kissed his forehead.

"I love you so much." She said, placing her forehead on his.

"I love you more," Harold said, breathing heavily as his claws began elongating.

Dr. Brinks quickly administered the shot to Harold while Catelyn held him as he slowly drifted off to a relaxed state.