The Sorceress smiled at her, her sharp teeth glimmering in the torchlight. “It’s about your species being incomplete,” she said, and thrust a hand down to the floor. Brilliant white sparks shot out of it, shooting across the stone, and lighting up a circle around Marren’s feet.
“What — !?” cried Cerise, whirling around, but she leaned back, shielding her eyes. Already the light was overwhelming, brilliant, a whirling wind about him as he lifted off the floor. “No, stop!” she cried, waving her hands, but she had no control. His shadow began to bend and contort in the light, twisting and warping as her own once did, and to her horror, she heard him cry out just as the brilliant white light burst outward like a thousand lightning bolts, flying past them and searing her hair.
The newly-minted centaur floated to the floor and landed on his hooves, breathing hard. The Sorceress stood up and took a deep breath herself, then strode over to him, taking his chin in her hand, and examined his face.
“What have you done?” said Cerise, slowly lowering her arms.
“Perfect bodyguard and partner,” said the Sorceress, “just as he agreed.”
“But — ”
She grinned at Cerise. “You’re free to go. But he’s obligated to follow you for a year. After that, you’re both free to do as you see fit.”
“How could you — I didn’t realize — ”
“Lovey, what did you *think* was going on?” said the Sorceress darkly. “You really didn’t think just one girl would be enough for an entire new species, did you? You needed a male, and now you have one.”
Cerise’s face fell. “I can’t believe — you tricked me. And what you did to him — ”
The Sorceress strode over to her, arms folded, her lips curled down. “Now listen. *You* were an utterly useless creature before I changed you. Your village burned? Your people destroyed? What did you think you were going to do, coming here? Get my magic? Seek revenge? You ought to be happy you have *this* future, because your old future was alone on the streets of Aureath, begging and selling sex for food, and dying of a miserable disease at the bright young age of thirty-two, a used-up, wasted life. I made something better of you. His story was just as pathetic as yours, and now you both are something the world actually *needs*, something new, something worthy.”
She waved her hand, and the drawbridge fell, revealing a starry night sky outside. She pointed at it. “Get out. The both of you. Out of my Tower, out of my home. Someday you’ll realize the gift I gave you today. And if not, with any luck, the two of you will *still* produce more of my lovely new species, so I win either way.”
Cerise glared at the Sorceress, and then looked at Marren, who was still exhausted from his transformation, and then at the lowered drawbridge. She turned back to the Sorceress. “I hate you,” she said. “For what you did to me, and for what you did to him. This isn’t over.”
The Sorceress smiled. “I’m sure it isn’t, she said. Now go.”