Witch (archetypal crone) enslaves girl (orphan?) by embedding jewel(??) in her belly(?) which makes the girl weak & appear hideous.Girl makes friends with other slave creatures. Witch has broom & familiar (cat?). Girl frees self in end. Probably adult fantasy due to sexual content. Prob 80’s novel.
Could it be The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown?
The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown. Other creatures also have gems embedded in them eg; goldfish, in it’s mouth. The witch calls the girl ‘Thing’.
Thank you, thank you! I believe this is the book – I am so happy to have found it again, I thought I never would. Thank you both very much!
Thank you thank you! I really think that might be it – I thought I’d never find it! Thanks again.