Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON TWO (Ongoing)

Part 1.10

I help witches save the world, he tells me proudly.

When Addy finally breezes in she's damp and fragrant, like a freshly-plucked rose. She scoops Onyx up in a tight hug.

Onyx wriggles out of her grasp. Adamantine, I do not like to be wet.

"Now that we're all here," I say, "let's start."

Addy gives Onyx a gentle pat on the head before turning to face me. "Ruby isn't here yet, Lil."

I groan. "Someone tell me why we invited Ruby again?"

"Oh Lil, we can't just not invite Ruby," Addy protests.

I throw my hands up in the air. "She eats. Everything. She's worse than Onyx."

Addy rubs her chin thoughtfully. Then she lights up. "We'll just get more food next time! We'll make sure there's enough for everyone."

"Okay. So instead of getting food for four humans and a cat, we'll get food for three humans, one cat, and one large horse."

"I love horses," Addy says, turning dreamy. "Let's go to the Equine Hills for our next holiday."

Ruby takes another ten minutes to get here. "Had to fight off some birds," she explains, in between mouthfuls of cupcake.

"Great," I say drily. "Owen's blood was negative for everything, as was the well water and soil. But there is something going on in that village."

"Oh, is there?" Ruby smirks.

I hold my annoyance at bay. "Yes, there is. I heard a voice calling me. Owen denies having heard it, and Ruby didn't hear it either."

Addy frowns. "A voice? Was it Ignatius?"

I shrug. "Not unless Ignatius is a little girl."

"So you were wrong." Ruby plops a raisin into her mouth. "The great Logical Lily was wrong."

"Yes, I was wrong," I say through gritted teeth. "I'm allowed to be wrong. I tested Ignatius's bark too. Negative."

"Maybe it matters where the bark sample is taken from," Maya says. "Taking a leaf might make a difference too."

I sigh. "I guess you're right. The actual tree is hard to get to because of all the plants growing from it. Some of them are full-grown shrubs."

"They're called epiphytes," Maya explains. "Plants that grow from other plants."

"Well, those epiphytes are a pain. I'll try and get more samples tomorrow." I exhale my exasperation. "What I don't get is the motive here. Why would Ignatius trap everyone around him?"

"Maybe he's lonely," Addy suggests. "All his siblings went underground with the Light One. He had no one left."

"But he had plenty of contact with people," I argue. "They revered him."

Addy considers this. "Maybe he was tired."

Maya blows a daisy into the air. "That could be the explanation. He was tired and couldn't return to the Light One, so he slumbered above ground and drew humans to himself so he wouldn't be lonely."

"I guess." I still have the feeling there's something I'm not getting here. "I'd like to do more research into Ignatius."

"There isn't a library here," Maya says apologetically.

Ruby waves her communications monitor at us. "I've got info saved on here. I did some browsing before we left."

"Browsing" isn't really the word for what she did. She's taken a snapshot of every page from the third chapter of 'The Light One's Children: A Comprehensive Guide'. Ignatius dominates the first page, his leaves alight with silent fire. I see no malice in the curves of his face. There's only serenity, and nobility.

Eyewitness accounts mirror this. The words of lost travellers drenched with relief, of children sobbing in the wilderness, the injured who had resigned themselves to death - they were all the same. Ignatius was kind. Wise. Serene. Like a sage made of nature itself.

No one spoke of loneliness or tiredness. Then again, people don't always see those things.

Ignatius was known to the ancient people of Eastern Kadrea. Sightings, the books said, were usual before the meteor shower. It seemed a shame that Ignatius didn't frequent the snowy areas of northwest Kadrea, where his burning leaves could have done even more good. Perhaps he wasn't built for the cold.

A memory brushes against my mind, soft as a snowflake.

Something clicks.

Addy rests her chin on her palms. "From all the accounts, Ignatius was a nice guy," she says. "His purpose was to help people. No wonder the Light One let him stay behind longer."

"Maybe you could probe his energy, Lily," Maya suggests. "It might even let you communicate with him."

I nod. It's a good idea. It seems only Ignatius knows why he's doing what he's doing.

But first, I have to make a call.

Because I've finally remembered where I've seen that strange stone on Talia's ring.