Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 3.9

Onyx doesn't come with me to the village. In fact, Onyx doesn't even leave the tree tent again. Bronna's always there watching Addy, so I don't know why he feels he has to glue himself to the spot.

Unless, of course, he thinks Bronna's the killer. He hasn't said anything like that though.

No one in the village can tell me about the girl with the red hair. It's just like Addy said before I left - all the villagers have hair in black or yellow. I don't see a single person with red hair.

The villagers tell me that no such person lives there. Well...those that will talk to me anyway. Most of them take in my Zilitron clothes, sniff, and walk away.

It's a small village - there can't be more than a hundred people here. And yet, no one knows of a Bethany with red hair. I was sure she said she came from the village, but maybe I'm getting things confused. Or maybe she was confused. She certainly hadn't been in the right head space.

I head back into the rainforest. I'm halfway back to Ta-Mamau when I get burned by a fire-lily. The stupid thing sits there innocently until I'm a hair's breadth from its petals, then shoots an orange flame at my arm. Now I've got a burn on my arm, on top of all the warts I'll probably have from the acanthine bites.

I slump down next to a tree trunk and nurse my arm. It's not too bad really. Fire-lilies can do much worse. If I didn't know any better, I'd think this one was going easy on me. It's fluttering excitedly now, giggling with little crackling noises.

I'll brew myself some salve when I get back, in addition to the wart medicine. I'm going to do the salve first, because I tend to get a little nervous with wart medicine. I had a ...mishap...some time back. But that's a long story.

A twig cracks to my right. Green eyes peer at me from the dark.

"Bethany," I say, surprised.

She wriggles out of the shadows, leaves falling from her auburn hair. Her eyes widen when she sees my arm. "You're hurt," she says. "What happened?"

"Never mind that. It's nothing. I asked for you at the village. They told me there was no one there with red hair."

Bethany blinks. Her gaze is lost in my own hair. "My hair wasn't always like this. I was born with hair like yours, but my mother made me charm it. She said purple hair was for witches."

I regard her warily. She's still admiring my hair, a dreamy expression clouding her face. "What were you doing at the party?"

She blinks at the sharpness in my tone. "I was watching you."

"Why?"

"I thought you were her. I thought she had come back for me." She looks down at her bare feet sadly.

"Was it you? Did you send the snake?"

"Snake?" Bethany looks confused.

"Did you touch that beetle dish?"

Bethany floats back into her dreamlike state. "Snakes and beetles," she says, smiling. Then she shakes her head. "I'm not allowed to touch anything. Rikamu says so."

I sigh. "You thought I was someone you knew. So who's trying to kill Addy?"

Bethany's eyes widen again. "Is someone in danger? Someone from the village?"

I shake my head. "Addy is Queen Irine's daughter."

Bethany stills. "Queen...Irine?"

"You can't miss her. She's got blue hair."

This was a waste of time. Bethany wasn't the killer. She couldn't stick to a train of thought, let alone hatch a murder plot.

"We must make your arm better," she says. She reaches for me, but seems to think the better of it. "But you are whole. You cannot come to the forbidden place. Rikamu will be angry."

"Well, we don't want to make Rikamu angry," I agree, pulling myself to my feet. "I'll be fine, Bethany. I'll get some salve at Ta-Mamau."

Bethany nods. "Okay. But promise me, Lily."

"Promise you what?"

Bethany's gaze flutters like the petals of the fire-lily. "Promise me, Lily. Watch the Queen."