Considering the vice-like grip the old woman keeps on your arm-wing appendage, you put aside the option of making a break for it right now. The maneuver would no doubt damage your flight feathers, and you would definitely need those to fly. If you really can fly, that is. No, it would be better to accept whatever help you can until you can get clear of the mob.
Even as these thoughts run through your brain, the old woman yells, “To me, Ebony!”
“Caw!”
The lovely maiden only hesitates a second before leaping onto the old woman’s back, wrapping her arms and legs around her for support. Despite the awkward position, the old woman barely flinches. Showing incredible strength, she hauls you off your feet and plops you onto her back alongside Ebony. “Both of you, hold on tightly!”
Holding on with all your strength, you feel a jolt as the old woman launches into a sprint. The world around you becomes a blur as the townsfolk are left in the dust. Several steps later, the buildings give way to cultivated fields, then to forests. Still, on the old woman runs, her spindly legs eating up miles like inches. You briefly wonder if you ought to escape now, but the whoosh of a passing tree gives you pause. At this speed, you would hit something, for sure.
At last, the witch comes to a stop on the far side of a river after jumping across. Without a word, both you and Ebony tumble to the ground. The old woman grips her chest and wheezes for a while. “I’m getting too old for that spell,” she gasps.
Getting to your feet, you spin to face her, backing away a few paces. Ebony stays on her knees, watching you with unsettling directness. A check of your surroundings reveals only forest. There’s no way out.
“W-Who are you?” You peep. At least, it sounds like a peep to you, high and clear.
In answer, the old woman removes her veil, revealing a gaunt face with dark, piercing eyes. A black jewel hangs over her forehead from a thin chain encircling the top of her white hair. Despite her exhausted expression and bent posture, she exudes an air of authority. This strikes you as appropriate now that you recognize that you are addressing the king’s head sorceress herself!
“Lady Hevara!” Quickly, you try to bow, only for your long arm-wings to send you tottering on your new bird feet. Looking down, at first you think your knees had gone backwards, but it becomes clear that what had been your feet as a human had stretched out into a third leg section while your calves have shrunk to accommodate. Your thighs, while keeping some of their human proportion, are now stuck in a slight crouch with your hips tilted forward and rear jutting out behind you, much to your embarrassment. On the upside, it keeps the long tail feathers gracing your backside from dragging in the dirt. Overall, you seem more bird than human, which almost distracts you from the whole female thing.
“Easy there, my dear,” Lady Hevara warns gently. “It seems my spell has had some drastic effects on you.”
Pulling your wings to your side, you glare at her. “Your spell!? So you are the one who did this to me! Change me back!”
The witch ignores your demands, however. Instead, she lowers herself onto a rock and begins muttering to herself. “Hm, this is troubling. Passing through my familiar obviously altered the spell’s nature, transferring some of her previous nature to its intended target. Now, neither of them are quite complete.”
She glances at the raven-haired girl who now crawled through the grass, snatching insects with her nimble fingers and cramming them into her mouth. Then, she studies you like a sample under a lens. Finally, she sighs. “I guess there is no hope for it. The only solution is to…”