Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON TWO (Ongoing)

Part 4.5

It isn't so bad, living this way. Being alone suits me. Just me and the cave walls, doing no harm to anyone. I haven't used magic in a week, and it feels great. It'll take time for the connection to break, but I'm happy that I can't hurt anyone. I block out the memory of what happened to the skreevar every time it surfaces. I'm not ready to face it, not yet. It would take all my strength, and I need strength to keep the First Witch at bay.

I've been succeeding so far. She hasn't tried to communicate with me since the last time. No one visits me, just as I ordered. Onyx teleports food outside the cave every couple of days, but he doesn't dare take his fluffy butt inside.

I'm still not 100 percent okay with him. He hid the very nature of his being from me. Even if he isn't evil, he's been deceptive. I don't trust him.

The Larans stay well away. Maybe some of them remember a certain witch and her demon panther firing ice shards at skreevar. No one's turned up at the cave with a pitchfork yet, and that's a good thing.

I feel almost at peace here, shut away from the rest of the world. Not having to worry about hurting anyone takes a massive load off my shoulders. I'm no longer the big bad witch who needs to save the world, but is doomed to destroy it instead.

I eat, I sleep. I count the dust motes that hover in the occasional beam of light. Through a hole in the cave ceiling, I watch the sky. With magic out of my life, I feel remarkably human.

The only nuisance is the idiot bird that won't leave me alone. The ravleet turns up day in and day out, chirping about sales and limited stocks. I haven't been giving it any food. The box Onyx teleports outside the cave for me is secured, and I've let him place a scent-masking charm on it to keep the ravleet away. It's the only magic I allow near this place. Still, the ravleet turns up. If I try to get away from it, it follows me. I don't want it getting lost, so I don't try and escape to the farther reaches of the cave. It's like it has a death wish.

"It's not safe for you here," I tell it now, as it shakes dust off its feathers. "Haven't you heard? I make things disappear."

"Bad deal," it agrees.

"I don't have any kazza seeds either, and I refuse to share my cupcakes. So there's no need for you to risk your tail here."

The ravleet ignores me and pokes around the cave.

"You're not leaving, are you?" I sigh. "I'm going to call you Bob," I tell it, "because I don't have the energy to think of something else."

"Doors close at five," Bob sighs back.

"So Bob," I continue, "sounds like you've come from Kazatron. Get much shopping done? Any hot bargains?"

"This one has a hole in it," Bob explains.

"I feel your pain, Bob. My life has a hole in it."

If Bob has any sympathy, he doesn't show it.

My communications monitor buzzes.

After a few days of complete isolation, I decided to take monitor calls. At first I was afraid that the dark power could somehow travel through the connection and hurt my friends, though the idea sounded silly, even to me. I let my paranoia win, because it was safer. Now that I've put some distance between myself and magic, I feel a lot better about using the monitor.

"Did I press the wrong button?"

Addy's frowning face comes on screen.

"I'm here, Addy," I say.

Her expression brightens. "Lily! It's such a relief to see you. Did you get my cupcakes? I asked Onyx to promise to give them to you, but he just said 'meow'."