Tia recoiled in horror when she saw Mac's face. His eyes seemed to repel the morning sunlight coming through the window. The queen had him, or part of him. Tia tried forming a light bomb with a hand held low so Mac wouldn't see it, but some other magic mixed in. The bomb was unstable. She closed her hand and squeezed the energy back into herself.
"Do you want to help Fifi or not?" he asked.
"I do, but not like this!" said Tia.
"This is the way she chose. It's on her, not me," said Mac, jerking his thumb at Cuttystool.
"That doesn't mean you have to choose it too! What happened to making friends with everyone?" asked Tia.
"She made herself an enemy," said Mac.
"What happened to the sweet boy I knew?" Tia's vision blurred with tears.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Mac. He turned back to the brownie. "The only thing I know how to do with this brush is cause pain. Until I hear of a better way to use it I'm going to stick with what I know." He jammed the brush into Cuttystool again. She winced. "Start talking," Mac growled.
"Mac, you don't have to do it that way. You can catch her and make her answer."
"I'm through playing damn guessing games!" Mac shouted, half at Tia, half at Cuttystool.
"Thoo thinks it hurts? I soofered warse," said Cuttystool.
Tia tried making another light bomb, but the same magic interrupted her. She could feel something all over her. It wasn't evil, just strong and wild, and male. Something masculine was in her hair and all over her skin. Then she realized it was Mac. It was the real Mac, not this monster in front of her. She had been in contact with his body all night and absorbed something from him. Maybe it was the orange stuff that Fifi showed her. But how to deal with male magic? It was in her body, but it was not hers. That's how it was with males, those seemingly bottomless sources of energy looking for something to desire them. Then Tia realized that desire was the key. She made another little magic orb, but this time out of her most feminine feelings. The male magic rushed in to fill it.
"Mac, Look!" Tia shouted. He turned just in time to get shot between the eyes with a ball of orange magic. Mac collapsed against the wall. The hairbrush and brownie fell out of his hands. The static roar of the hairbrush faded to silence. Cuttystool wiggled her way into a sitting position beside Mac's unconscious body. The elf and brownie stared at each other for several seconds.
"I know thoo face, but canna recall thoo name," said Cuttystool.
"Call me Tia," said Tia.
"I see she dinna waste the effort to give thoo the eyes."
"I don't work for that bitch," said Tia.
"Canna call her that!"
"I call her what I want. I have my freedom and my real name back."
"How?" Asked Cuttystool.
"Mac got it back for me."
"That monster?" Cuttystool jerked her head toward Mac.
"He isn't a monster. Most of the time," said Tia.
"Canna say that to my achin wood. Oonly sommat hellbent on hurtin me can do that."
"It's because you hurt Fifi. From what you did it looks like you are a monster too," said Tia.
Cuttystool didn't have an answer to that. She sat motionless and regarded Tia and Fifi with disdain. Tia held Fifi and tried to comfort her. The gremlin felt strange in her arms. Tia was accustomed to other elves. The little silver people were trim and toned, but Fifi was soft and chubby. It almost made Tia pull away from the sloppy little green woman, but she felt needed.
"Thoos wastin' time with that boggart. Her an the human. Just drag them oot and leave them," said Cuttystool.
"They are my friends," said Tia.
"You donna belong with them. You belong with the elves."
"No I don't!" Tia shouted.
"Then where? Not with a broken human an a half goblin," said Cuttystool.
"I belong with people who care about me."
"Mac donna care. He will leave again like he did lasstime."
"He didn't have a choice. You know what happens to humans."
"He left, an let her do this to me!" Cuttystool pointed at her wooden head.
"He couldn't know that, it happened years after he left."
"It happened because he left. He retreated, and she won," said Cuttystool.
Mac groaned and stirred. He pushed himself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. "What happened?" he asked.
"You almost became like Drochide," said Tia.
---
Mac was shocked. "How?" he asked.
"Remember last night you talked about making friends with everyone? You did the opposite just then." said Tia.
"I lost it," said Mac.
"You changed. You grew up. When you talked about rescuing everyone I thought you were the same Mac as before, but you turned into a grown up human; all cruelty and selfishness."
"I still want to. I want to be kind. I just don't think I can any more," said Mac.
"Thoos finally seen reason. Canna do nothin but stir up trooble. Take your boggart an' goo away," said Cuttystool
"I'm not leaving that easy. I'm not beat yet, and I'm not leaving at all until whatever thing you did to her gets removed,"
"So iffen I take the trap offa her, thoos go away and never return?"
"I'm not ready to make that deal. I already have an agreement with my cousin."
"Thoos think it oover. Thoos get thoo boggart back, I get my peace back. All us win," said Cuttystool.
"Don't do it, Mac. You are the biggest hope we have, even if you are a monster. If you give up, we all lose. Maybe permanent this time," said Tia.
"What do you mean this time? You keep talking about it like I did this all before. Is this a groundhog day thing where I have to keep getting in fights with short people the same day forever?"
"I don't know what a groundhog day is, but you were here either twenty or twenty one years ago. Nobody can remember which."
"I came for a few days when I was seven, but that was just for my great aunt's funeral."
"More like two months," said Tia.
