Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 6.7

ADDY

"So you've got a date." There's a teasing glint in Ruby's eyes.

"It's not a date," Addy insists. "Prince Marsi's just showing me the faerie gardens."

"Sounds like a date to me."

Maya regards Addy with something like relief. "I'm glad you're taking some time out," she says. "I was beginning to get worried about you."

"I thought you didn't like him," Addy says.

Maya considers this slowly. "I don't not like him...I'm just wary of strangers. We don't know him that well."

"You'll know him much better when he and Addy get married," Ruby sniggers.

"Ruby!" Addy wails, embarrassment burning her cheeks.

Addy wasn't sure she was going to say yes, anyway. How could she prance about with faeries when Lily needed her? Every second counted.

They were getting nowhere with their research. No one seemed to know how the Dark Witch died. What if no one did know? The thought grew centipede feet and clattered around Addy's mind. Even Onyx didn't know, and Onyx knew everything.

If they couldn't find the answer, would Onyx have to fight Lily? Addy didn't understand how he could. He was only a cat. How could a cat fight a witch?

He did have magic, that Addy knew, but how strong was it? And what if one of them got hurt?

Later that night, snuggled up in her blankets, Addy puts a gentle hand on Onyx's warm body. The cat had taken to sleeping in her quarters since Lily had disappeared. Addy was grateful for the company.

"Onyx," she murmurs, pausing in between strokes. "Onyx, I don't know what you are."

Onyx, who had been glaring at Addy's hand pointedly when the petting stopped, turns to face her. What do you mean, Adamantine?

"Are you a Phaedrean? Sometimes when you talk about Phaedra you say 'we', and other times you say 'they'. You did say Phaedra was your home planet, but you also said Lily was the last Phaedrean. So what are you?"

I am...Onyx yawns. Sleepy.

With that, he rests his little cat face on Addy's palm and closes his eyes.

*

The faerie gardens weren't what Addy was expecting. She thought they'd be bright and energetic, but was instead presented with a section of wooded area that was completely closed in by twisted branches and vines. Through a narrow opening, she could see darkness starred with glowing buds and blooms.

Addy marvels at it, while Prince Marsi chuckles next to her. Eamonn accompanies them wordlessly, the picnic basket balanced on his lion's back.

"I do enjoy your Witch Doctors Inc stories," the prince tells her, smiling with content.

"You wouldn't believe what happened with Lily's spell once," Addy says, proceeding to tell Marsi about the frog explosion, and how Lily had to clean up the evidence using laundry detergent.

Prince Marsi throws back his head, shooting streams of barking laughter into the morning light. Something glitters at his eyelid. Addy blinks with curiosity, then realises the prince is laughing so hard he's crying.

There's a sharp intake of breath from Eamonn. Prince Marsi touches a finger to his cheek, bewildered.

"Into the gardens," Eamonn snaps. "Now!"

Prince Marsi makes a mad dash for the garden's opening. Eamonn overtakes him by using his wings; he shoves his master into the dark, claws glinting.

Addy rushes to catch up. "Wait!" She stops to catch her breath at the entrance. "Are you okay?"

Prince Marsi is standing in the vine-wrapped tunnel, breathing heavily. He wipes the tear from his cheek. "I am just very excited," he says, "to show you these gardens."

Eamonn hands the basket to him and steps aside.

Addy follows Prince Marsi into the tunnel, wide-eyed. It's just as dark as it seemed from the outside, but the glowing flowers are much more beautiful up close. They come in a variety of pastel colours, and their petals emanate a soft, unearthly glow.

All around her, silence brims with the eeriness of unspoken words.

As they go deeper into the tunnel, whispers swirl in the darkness.

A human...who, not the prince...a princess...pretty...

Addy searches for the source of the whispers, but all she sees are glowing vine buds giggling in the dark.

The faerie garden in a glade with a pond glimmering in the middle. Like the tunnel, it is completely covered by foliage, and lit only by the glowing petals of flowers. Lilac, emerald, pale gold, rose - thin, trailing things, they ripple to an unheard song.

She likes our flowers...perhaps a trick?...no, no...

Prince Marsi leads Addy to a large flower with white petals. It sprouts from the earth with a thick green shoot, sturdy enough to withstand any careless feet. In the middle of the bloom sleeps a creature with lavender skin, pointed ears, and hair of pearlescent smoke. She's clad in flower petals that dance about her skin with no need for a breeze. Every so often, her slumber is punctuated by a hiccup that sends a cloud of multicoloured glitter into the darkness.

"She's beautiful," Addy whispers.

"This is the plant she grew from," Prince Marsi explains. "It was part of her body during infancy, but now it is her home."

"That's amazing. The poor thing is so tired. Let's make sure not to wake her."

Addy tiptoes away.

Prince Marsi puts the picnic basket down next to the pond. "Food may bring our friends out," he reasons.

Addy sits next to him as he lays out trays of loukis and blueberry pie. She can't help still marvelling at her surroundings. She'd never seen anything like this before. Sactaphranians, she decides, lived in pure bliss.

As the aroma of baked goods wafts into the air, the whispers grow in number and frequency.

Go and say hello...no, you go and say hello...

"If anyone wants loukis, they had better hurry," Prince Marsi says loudly.

Three flower buds snap open. Each spits out a lavender-skinned faerie that starts as a small glow, but stretches into a fully-formed creature with large ruby eyes.

There is the cherished loukis! one of them cheers.

Oh, the princess is pretty, the second says, swooping down to stick her nose in Addy's face.

Addy giggles. "I think you're pretty," she says.

The third faerie has already dug into the loukis.

"Careful," Marsi laughs. "Do not drown in the chocolate."

Watching the faeries' antics, Addy is glad Maya made her come. She was going to turn it down in favour of more research, but Maya wasn't having any of it. "Have fun," the pink-eyed girl told her sternly. "I want to see a big smile on your face when you get back."

Despite her reservations, Addy had a big smile all ready. Listening it Prince Marsi regale her with more of his heroic tales while the faeries made a right mess of the picnic food, Addy feels her worries slip away from her.

All could be, and would be, right.