Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 5.10

PRESENT TIME
LILY

I dream of the burned tree. Its blackened bark is silent, soulless. Everything around it is dead. The wildflower, once blazing with purple and green, lies grey and withered on its side. The stream water, once wild and fresh, rots in a stagnant pool. And the bird, once mighty with song, lies choked in dappled shadow.

It is a glade of nightmares.

And yet...those bells. Magical and sweet, dancing on the toes of death with fairy-soft notes.

I want to dance with them. I need to dance with them. If I don't, if I don't...

I wake in a flush of cold sweat.

It's still dark at the windows. Onyx snores gently at my side.

I guess Addy's been getting to me with the snake sickness thing. I don't blame her for being paranoid. She was only six when her sister died. Her mother struggled with grief for years, often shutting Addy out.

To be clear, I'm not saying that there wasn't a new illness that reared its head in the Forest of Sorrows all those years ago. All I'm saying is, it would be jumping to conclusions to say that what Ruby has right now is the same thing.

I practice a bit of teleporting before Onyx wakes up. I visit a few isolated spots in Zilitron, places where people are unlikely to witness me appearing out of nowhere. The alley behind Mrs Francis's bakery, for instance, is perfect. The scent of rose-flavoured cupcakes wakes me up good and proper.

I go to the Equine Hills too, though I'm not a huge fan of horses. Addy loves them though. There are a few chewing away in the shade, but they don't even raise their heads at my sudden appearance. I guess fresh grass is more interesting than witches falling out of the sky.

I stop by Wyvern's Lake too, but its tranquillity does nothing to calm my nerves. I guess I'm nervous about Ruby too. I know I said she wasn't my friend, and she isn't. But she's always just...been there. There's something about a person you see every day that makes you nervous to see them in a hospital bed.

Me and Addy visit the hospital before work. Queen Irine doesn't come.

As we make our way down the hallway leading to Ruby's room, a doctor strides out and past us, his manner somewhat agitated.

I exchange a worried look with Addy.

Ruby's sleeping when we get there. The scales around her eyes are gone, and colour has returned to her cheeks.

The nurse beams at us when we walk in.

"How is she?" I ask.

"She's all better," the nurse replies, with a happy shrug. "She made the most amazing recovery overnight. Even Dr Carron can't explain it."

Addy's mouth drops. She rushes to Ruby's side, almost tripping over the tube hooked up to her arm.

"Careful!" the nurse calls.

"Oh Lily look, it's true! It's...gone. The snake sickness is gone." Addy sounds like she's about to cry. She sinks into the chair next to Ruby's bed, exhaling loudly. "I'm so relieved, Lil. I could never have forgiven myself if something happened because of our forest."

"It wouldn't have been your fault," I assure her. "Plus, Ruby can handle a few scales. She just needed the fever to cool."

"She was so sick though," Addy whispers. "I really thought..."

We wait for Ruby to wake up. Dr Carron comes in while we're waiting. "I would say it's a miracle," he tells us. His furrowed brow gives away his perplexity. "I'm keeping her here for a few days just in case."

Ruby complains about it when she wakes up. "I'm ready to get back to work now," she tells us. "Though I must say...this snake sickness thing. I want to look into it. There's something in the forest making people sick, and I don't buy the High Council's wishy-washy explanation."

I should've expected that. At least it'll distract her from witches.

"They found you asleep next to the tree," Addy says nervously. "The burnt one."

"Oh yeah," Ruby replies. "I remember. It's a weird tree. Sounds like bells."

"Bells?" Addy's face scrunches up in confusion.

"I heard them too," I admit. "These faint bells, like a melody."

Addy regards us both with a frown. "I've never heard anything like bells around that tree. No one's ever mentioned anything like that."

"Well I heard bells," Ruby shrugs. "I went to check it out, and I must've been tired or something, because I fell asleep. I had the weirdest dream too. There was this guy...no, this creature...with golden scales and eyes like a dying sun."

"You saw a snake person." I say incredulously.

"Not a snake person," Ruby replies with an exasperated groan. "Never mind. It's no use trying to fill up a closed mind."

Addy takes her hand. "I'm so glad you're okay, Ruby. I was so, so worried about you."

Ruby gives her a quick smile. "No need to worry about me. I'm made of strong stuff." She frowns. "Maybe I should go back and get a sample from that tree -"

"NO!" me and Addy shout together.

"Okay okay," Ruby replies, looking a bit put off.

Once the nurse brings Ruby's breakfast in I stand up to leave, but Addy wants to stay. Her first client isn't until a couple of hours from now, so she can afford it. Me, on the other hand? I've got a grumpy cat to look forward to.

Just as I make my way out the door, Addy's communications monitor beeps. I poke my head back in, sensing the sudden tension in the room.

"Who is it, Addy?"

Addy looks up from the monitor, eyes wide. "It's Maya," she says. "They found another body."