Witch Hunters

Liam and Maeve continued to look over the letters and pictures since they were things even she had never before seen despite knowing her mother had been a witch. She even showed Liam her mother’s book that she read constantly, though she felt it bared her even more personally than a diary might. Confessing that she was a witch to someone was odd and personal and terrifying. She half expected he would attack her again even though the rational part of her knew that they were in this together now. He wouldn’t hurt her – he even stood up for her against his friends.

That didn’t change the fact she was still fearful.

“I can’t believe that we could have grown up with one another.” Liam muttered, dropping the papers and turning to Maeve.

“It’s quite strange, though I knew there was something special about you the moment you arrived in town. I was drawn to you. Now, I know why.”

“I was drawn to you, as well. I remember watching you at the town meeting, sitting in the back with your grandmother and trying not to look at me.”

Maeve smiled and blushed. “Tried and did not succeed.”

“As did I.” Liam gently grabbed her hand and held it in his, turning completely towards her. “I am so deeply sorry for how I reacted. After everything you did to protect me and I …”

“It’s all right. I knew how you would react.” She assured, cupping his cheek with her free hand.

With only a second of hesitation, he leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet and soft kiss. She had just applied a bit more pressure, scooting off her chair ever so slightly to be closer to him, when they heard Harry’s voice screaming Liam’s name. “What in the …” He stood hastily and scrambled to the door.

Maeve was close behind and immediately saw why Harry was shouting. An unconscious Lilly lay in his arms and he looked disheveled and bruised. “What’s happened?”

“Witches … she won’t wake. I think she was poisoned.” He explained, bringing her into the cabin and placing her on the table to Maeve’s direction. “Please … I know what she said and did but, please … help her?”

“Of course, Harry. Give me a moment, I need to see what is wrong with her. You need to step back.” Gingerly, Maeve took Lilly’s hand from Harry’s and Liam ushered him back from the table. “I need you to go over to that cupboard and grab me some chamomile to help calm her down and put her to sleep.”

Harry jumped at the chance to help and got Maeve what she directed. After getting Lilly into a slumber, Maeve breathed out words of a spell to see what type of poison was running through her veins. From the cut on her shoulder, it appeared to be spider-webbing so she knew she had to work fast. She began to shout out orders for the boys to gather the various herbs she would need to mix while her grandmother, who had awoken due to the shouting, began to boil a cauldron over the fire.

“Uncaria Tomentosa, Sambucus, Echinacea Purpurea, and Rosemary.” Between Harry and Liam they figured it out and brought them to Maeve who measured out what she needed from the vials and tossed them into the water. Stirring the combination elicited a dark purple smoke and a smell of wildflowers in the room. She removed her hand from the ladle which continued to spin in the water and held her hands over it, closing her eyes. “Sana mente, mundare animam meam. Tollendum de omnes mala. Sana vulnera mea, mundatis secat. Tollendum de omnes mala, ego di sume misericordia. Upoun corpus et anima.”

Neither Liam or Harry knew what she was saying only that as she spoke the smoke turned from a dark purple to a bright green and then finally to white. After a moment of the smoke swirled into a pattern of rings and then a bright spark lighted from the cauldron and Maeve opened her eyes. Quickly spooning out some of the water into a cup she took it to Lilly who was still unconscious with Harry holding tightly to her hand. Maeve mumbled more words they couldn’t understand with her free hand on her forehead and immediately awoke Lilly.

“Drink this – all of it.” She handed the steaming cup to Lilly who downed it in a few gulps. Within seconds the spider-webbing of the poison began to pour back out of the wound and Maeve swiped it away with a cloth and lit it on fire, tossing it into the cauldron. The white smoke turned black then completely vanished. “She should be completely fine in a few hours.”

As Harry remained by Lilly's side, Maeve sank into a chair and held a hand to her head. Liam noticed her change and walked over to her and sank to his knees to be eye level with her. "What is it? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine ... it was a powerful poison that required a powerful spell. I've just done a lot of magic lately. I need rest."

"Thank you, Maeve. For doing that. You don't owe us anything and yet ... thank you. We are indebted to you."

"Liam, be a dear and carry her off to bed. She needs to sleep to regain her energy." Her grandmother said, patting him on the shoulder as she passed to her room.

Liam easily lifted her up and carried her where Maeve directed him and gently put her on top of the quilts of her bed. She was out the second he put her down but he didn't leave the room. Instead, he pulled up the wooden stool in her room to be next to her bed and sat in it to keep watch. He didn't know much but he assumed that whatever evil witches were out there knew where they were and knew that Maeve was a witch. It was only a matter of time before they attacked again and, after everything she had done for them, he refused to let anything happen to her.