Dora lowers her sword and steps back, "Morgana, are you ok?"
"I'm fine."
"If your fine, why are you battering at me like you're using a bat?"
"Because someone prayed to me."
"Don't they do that all the time?"
"They were in battle, and they have enough magic that it worked, so I couldn't ignore it."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"I don't know. Am I just an anachronism from a bygone era? What do I do if more people start to pray to me? There's a thousand people buried in my domain. Each one was a follower of mine during the last years before the exodus. 20 of them were my chosen. How many will I have to watch die this time?"
"I don't know, but I know you well enough already to know that's not what's bothering you. People make their own decisions, and you don't begrudge them that. What's really bothering you?"
"I forced myself on a woman."
Dora laughs, loudly before bringing her sword up to block an irritated swing, "Come on, that's ridiculous and you know it. Mrs my partner cheated on me, so he's never getting any until he makes it right."
"Her name is Mihaela, and she was an atheist. I dragged her to my domain and made her pick a rock, and intimidated her into bleeding on it so I could tie it to her. I apologised this morning, but that just shocked her more."
"So why did you do it?"
"I was surprised, angry, and bleeding from digging a bullet out of my shoulder. I didn't take it well when she said I couldn't exist because she is an atheist."
"Well, at least you didn't pull out her gizzards and through them to the crows." Morgana looks sheepish, "You didn't, did you?"
"No, but I told her that we used to hang people from a tree and let the crows feed on their liver while it grows back every day."
Dora shakes her head, "Well you didn't so that's a plus. Personally I'm more worried about the Statute of Secrecy."
"Fuck the statute, I have to answer prayers when they're made properly for the right situation. Once your magic finished changing you'll get your own turn at that."
Dora screeches, "What!"
"Dora, you're not mortal anymore. You're not Danann, but you gave up your mortality when you made those oaths to me. Why do you think I've been pushing you so much harder than I have anyone else?"
"Because of our bargain! Not because I'm going to be pulled here there and everywhere whenever some idiot says the right prayer."
"It's not quite that bad, you get a sort of sense of why they're praying. That being said, I stopped teaching the prayer back in 85 when Harry and I joined the re-enactment group. I didn't want any of those nutters learning it and then calling it out during a re-enactment and leaving me no choice but to respond."
"So why didn't it happen before?"
"Magic, for those without it, they need to use life to power the prayer. Usually just a small drop of their own blood will do it. I forbid you telling anyone that, do you understand? I do not want anyone to start sacrificing people to attract my attention. One of the soldiers was from the magical community, but he only has about as much magic as Marianne does."
"How do you know he's from the magical community?"
"He flinched when I asked if Hogwarts meant anything."
"Look, I'm still worried about the statute of secrecy. You have no idea how seriously they treat it. They can and do kill to preserve it. Normally, they'll just wipe people's minds though."
Dora is not prepared for the lightning fast lunge that Morgana uses to grab her by the neck and drag her into the mist.
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A tired Cornish voice calls out from a bunkbed, "They won't remember. None of them will. Yesterday's attack never happened."
Morgana stops and looks at the person she gave her symbol to and grinds out, "What do you mean?"
"You know, the obliviators and magic reversal squad."
"What of the symbol I gave you?"
"Destroyed. They tried to do it to the rock too. Hell, I haven't had any sleep as they kept me up all night trying to find out who you are."
"That. Symbol. Was. Irreplaceable. Sinéad Mhic Cómhaltáin! Remember her name, as that's who I made it for in 300AD. She died buying time for Clothru's followers to finish eating their apples and leave for her domain."
"Oh, shit. I didn't know."
"What do you mean you didn't know?"
"I, uh."
Morgana releases her glamours and stands to her full height, "Dora, go and get Airmed. Tell her we need my husband too. Tell them that The Morrigan demands their presence."
As Dora disappears with a frightened look on her face, Morgana calls forth her crows for the first time in centuries, "What do you mean you didn't know?"
"You need to understand just how hard it is for a squib. They would have wiped my memories."
In a dead calm voice, Morgana almost hisses, "You're not answering my questions, I can make it easy for you."
The Cornish soldier relieves himself and grabs for an amulet. Morgana is faster and she snatches the whole necklace from around his neck, dangling accusingly in front of her is a small wooden crucifix next to his dog-tags, "Christian, you're a Christian!"
Scrabbling backwards, he falls off his bunk, "No… No… The local obliviators gave it to me, it will send them my coordinates."
Morgana growls, "I name you betrayer, betrayer of your brothers in arms. This punishment I lay upon you, until the sun crests the horizon every falsehood you knowingly make will cost you your humanity as you slowly turn into a deer from the feet up. The last thing to go will be your voice."
"You can't do that!"
As the mans feet narrow painfully as his toes fuse together and become cloven hooves, "Obviously, you already knew the answer to that. Now, did you betray these people to the magical community?"
The man shakes his head mutely, and then calls out in pain as the remainder of his feet extend into hocks.
"I see, why did you betray them?"
The soldier whines, "I can't tell you."
As nothing changes, Morgana nods, "I see. If you'd thought of it, could you have told me you were going to betray them?"
The mans face crumples as he shakes his head. Morgana's shoulders slump as she realises that the soldier is just as much a victim as the others here.
"Can you tell me how old you were when the thing you can't tell me started?"
The man nods, "I was 11, and I didn't get my Hogwarts letter."
"Is this the first time you've had to betray your people like this?"
The man shakes his head sadly.
"Why haven't we been bothered by people investigating your screams?"
"I'm not sure, probably some sort of charm over the area so that everyone stays asleep. It's normally the same."
Morgana sighs, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you've been forced to betray so many of your brothers at arms over something you did when you were still a child."
"What about my feet?"
"They are now your feet, the magic of my people was often bound to known wrongs. The punishment I enacted gave you the choice to not incur its effects. Because you willingly incurred the punishment, so far as I know, it's permanent. If I'd sentenced you to 100 years of sleep, that could have been broken. As can the punishment I've given you, by someone with the right amount of knowledge. Sleep now, I'll wake you if we are able to reverse what was done to your brothers at arms. Otherwise, you will wake in the spring court after sun rise."
The man tries to say something before his head lolls back, fast asleep.
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Dora returns with both Airmed and The Dagda while Morgana is looking at the sleeping men, women, and children, and how cold and wet their conditions are. As they watch, she walks over to what used to be a convenience store, and the place she'd turned into a longhouse.
Turning around to face the two Danann she gestures behind her shaking her head, "After I defended these people and drove off the attackers. I turned this into a longhouse and supplied two boars on spits. The magical community turned it into this, a bombed-out shell of what it was when I found it. They tricked an 11 year old child into agreeing to inform them if they witnessed magic. I don't know the specifics, as they can't currently talk about it. However, I labelled them betrayer, and the magic stuck."
The Dagda nods gravely, "What punishment did you give?"
"Loss of humanity, turning into a deer. He's currently asleep until the sun rises."
"You're going soft wife."
"Nay, I've grown in understanding. Living in this world has taught me patience, humility, and a sense of justice. Did he betray them? Yes, most definitely. Did he have a choice in the matter? No, something that he did when he was 11 took that choice away. Every person here has had their memories altered. I wish to remove that magic and restore their memories if possible. Especially the atheist, as she is bound to a piece of my domain. Once that is done, I want to bless this whole area, so that those who wish harm to the people living here will be unable to find it, even with artillery. While you're both working on healing, I'm going to build and stock a new longhouse."
The Dagda looks around and sighs, "It would be easier if Brigid was here."
"You're right, but my son is too young to channel her domain enough to help without losing himself. I miss my sister as much as any of you, possibly more. However, I love my son and I want to see him grow into a man and inherit Brigid's domain."
"Then we will make do, I think I remember enough of the Druids art to put together a ritual for the three of us."
The four of them work tirelessly through the night, though Dora starts flagging towards dawn. As the first of the suns light touches the area the four of them are ready to enact the ritual that The Dagda designed. As the sun clears the horizon, the last words of the ritual are said, and a pulse of magic spreads out for 500m in each direction. Everyone it touches has all harmful magics purged from their systems, and the damage undone. Including the sleeping soldier, who's feet and legs return to human, and his bindings are broken.
One by one, the for leave, with Morgana being the last. Thoughtfully she looks down at the soldier who's name she is yet to ask. With a sigh she pulls another crow from the mist and places it around his neck. Then she creates a velum note and places it in his hand.
By the will of magic, you have been given one more chance.
Do not betray your brothers at arms again.
For by betraying them you also betray me.
I will not be so forgiving next time.
The Morrigan.