"Molly, wake up. You need to wake up. You have things to do..."
"Just five more minutes, mom," Molly mumbled.
She drifted in velvet darkness. The window must be open. She could smell... flowers.
"YOu NeED tO gET UP!"
"I'm not going to school today," she groaned. "I don't feel good, OK?"
"MÚSCAIL. MARAIGH É!"
Sigworth Residence, Rangerville, Thursday, May 20th, 2021, 10:20 AM
"No!" Molly shouted.
"She's waking up!" Christie called.
"What... where am I?" Molly mumbled blearily.
"You're on our couch," Christie said. "You've been sleeping forever and ever... but Huntress says you're gonna be OK. Lucius is here... and mom and dad. Lucius fixed them, so he can fix you too, 'cause he's a really real witch. So, everything's really gonna be OK."
"Christie? What? " Molly sat up and instantly regretted it. "Oh God... I don't know if I'm going to barf or pass out."
"You'll be alright in a minute," Lucius said.
"Dad barfed," Christie confided, sitting down on the floor.
"Yes, well, the potion did require a bit of refinement in the end," Lucius said, sitting down next to Molly. "But the good news is none of you died or were transformed into a twisted hybrid plant creature, so on the whole I'd say the process went as well as could be expected."
"That was a risk?" Molly gasped.
"Well, we did agree that it could be dangerous," Lucius said calmly. "Drink this."
"What is it? You know what, forget it. I don't actually want to know," Molly said, taking the bottle Lucius offered and chugging down the viscous contents.
"That's horrible," Molly coughed a moment later. "God, you really did put newt in it, didn't you."
"I believe you are correct a moment ago," Lucius said. "You actually don't want to know. What is important is that the potion destroys the spores that have colonized your brain and so banishes the Mother's influence."
"How long was I... out?" Molly asked.
"Three days," Lucius answered.
"Three days?!" Molly gasped.
"The process of refining the potion took time," Lucius said. "Fortunately, your reaction to the first batch was simply to fall into a deep sleep."
"Dad barfed," Christie repeated.
"You can stop reminding us about that, Christie," Dylan called from where he sat at the nearby dining table.
"You guys are OK now, right? Right?" Molly asked, looking from Lucius to the Sigworths and back.
"Indeed," Lucius agreed. "They are free of the Mother's influence and unharmed, save only Dylan's dignity... which will recover in time."
"... and you're OK, Christie?" Molly said, looking at the young girl. "I'm so sorry we left you alone like that..."
"I wasn't alone," Christie said. "I had Huntress and she explained everything... like that mom and dad really were under the control of the evil plant monsters and that you and Lucius were off doing what you needed to do to save them, and you guys sent her to look after me and everything..."
"The cat explained all that to you?" Molly said, dazed.
"She's a magic cat," Christie said, in the tone children reserve for the worst instances of adult cluelessness.
"She and I have been fighting the plant monsters too you know," Christie continued. "They tried to get in through the pipes... but we got rid of them.
"Christie's been very brave," Jess said smiling, clearly proud of her daughter.
"I'm really sorry we didn't believe you, kiddo," Dylan added.
"Yeah, you guys were pretty useless," Christie said, "But it's OK. You were being controlled by evil plants. So, I forgive you. Besides, those plants were no match for Huntress and me."
"You will need to continue being brave for a time yet, little one," Lucius said, rising and leading Molly to join the Sigworth adults at the table. "We have won a victory here, in freeing the three of you from the Mother, but she will not give us time to celebrate our success.
"The Mother is connected to all of her plants, and all of her thralls," Lucius continued. "In a real way, they are all parts of the one whole. She knows now that I have recreated the potion and freed you. She knows the threat this represents, and she cannot allow us to remain unopposed for long."
"You think she's going to attack us?" Jess asked seriously.
"She is attacking us even now," Lucius said. "Can you not smell her perfume, growing stronger on the wind? She hopes to overwhelm and bespell you again. This is arrogance on her part, believing she must best my magic with her own. Soon she will recognize that she cannot and take more direct action. We must act before she does."
"I was kinda hoping you had enough of that potion to free the Colonel," Jess said. "Maybe some Special Forces guys. A squad of those guys, with machine guns and rocket launchers, would take care of this bi... big plant."
"Even if I had enough of the potions, which I do not, the Mother would never allow it," Lucius said. "She would turn those warriors she has bespelled against us, to a bloody and tragic end."
"I don't suppose there's a magic Special Forces squad you can call in?" Dylan asked. "Like witch-commandos who fight monsters?"
"Not as such," Lucius said. "As it happens though, I do know of one group that could be victorious here... a courageous warrior, a dedicated companion, a wise councilor and, of course, a mighty hero to lead them."
"Great, let's call those guys," Molly said eagerly.
Lucius smiled.
"Molly," Christie said
"You can call those guys, right?" Molly said. "Right? You're gonna... call..." she looked around the table. "... those guys."
"Molly," Christie said again in that 'adults are dumb' tone.
"Are you kidding me?" Molly groaned. "We're those guys?!"
"We're those guys," Jess said confidently.
"We're big damn heroes," Dylan grinned.
-----------------
Author's Note:
MÚSCAIL = Wake up
MARAIGH É! = Kill him!
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