"I think this is your department, Elron," Wells said.
Glancing out the front windshield, I had to agree. "I believe you are correct."
I quickly exited the truck, and I carefully approached the doe. This was the same deer I had helped escape from the maze. "Greetings. I had not expected to see you again."
Delivered message. Help coming!
"Many thanks, and blessings to you and yours." I gave her a shallow bow.
The doe dipped her head, twitched her ears, and then bolted off the road.
I listened carefully and thought I heard the faint rumble of an engine. When I was sure they were getting closer, I hurried back to the truck. "I can hear a couple of engines, but I do not know if it is help or something else."
Wells considered the information. "We'll keep going but slowly. I don't want to get in an accident with our rescuers."
"Wise." As soon as my door closed, we began making forward progress.
Before long, I could hear the engines, and a short time after that we met up with several police cars. After that, things picked up. Ned was handed over to a group of officers who were better rested. At my insistence, Burly stayed with Michelle and myself. When it came time for us to switch to the ambulance, we had to split up. I wouldn't leave Michelle, and the three of us wouldn't fit. Wells assured me I would see Burly at the hospital.
They had Michelle on a gurney in the back of an ambulance. While I had lobbied to be in the back, the paramedic told me it was front or police car. I climbed in the front seat of the ambulance. On the way to the hospital, I managed to borrow a phone and call a number I had never thought to need.
A crisp female voice answered the phone. "Ethel's office, Trinity speaking."
"This is Elron. I need to talk to Ethel." When Michelle heard of this, she would not be happy, but it was for her own good, and even she could not argue with that logic.
"I'm sorry. She's in a meeting."
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Tell Ethel Elron is calling with an emergency. She will take my call."
I did not know if it was my tone or something else, but after a short pause, she said, "Please hold."
Only seconds passed before I heard Ethel's demanding voice on the line. "What happened to Michelle?"
"She has been injured. They are taking us to the Gilmer County Hospital. I know her mother works there, but she needs to be seen by someone who specializes in the inner workings of witches as soon as possible."
Ethel barked an order at someone. "I can have a medical witch I trust there in forty-five minutes."
"Thank you."
"I never thought you'd actually use this number. I'm relieved that you know when to reach out for help."
I nodded, not that she could see it, and hung up. I did not want Ethel to be involved, but I knew if I had not called, Michelle could end up being examined by someone with less expertise or someone less trustworthy. Although I did not like Ethel, she could be trusted with Michelle's health, and she knew far more dangerous secrets than what we had discovered up on that mountain.
*******
It seemed like forever later, but in truth only an hour had passed while I was sitting beside Michelle's bed in her private room. Burly was in the other corner, the two of us having been given a clean bill of health. They were still going over the tests they had done on Michelle, and I was glad I had been there to prevent them from doing truly unnecessary things like an MRI and CAT scan. None of my arguments had stopped the X-rays.
To the best of my knowledge, they had found nothing more than a lot of bruises, scrapes, and one bone bruise on her knee. That dovetailed with the injuries I had seen her acquire. I did know that someone had called Michelle's parents, who would be arriving any moment now.
After a brisk knock, a tidy woman in a white coat stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. "I'm Dr. Stiles. How is Ms. Oaks?"
"Still asleep," I answered warily.
She nodded, flipped through the chart, set it down on the table, and eyed me. "So you would be her elf. I've heard about you. Ethel doesn't approve."
I raised an eyebrow. "It was my understanding that you were here to give medical advice, not judge our relationship."
Dr. Stiles snorted and smiled, and now I could see how she'd gotten the hard creases around her mouth. "I can do both." Her expression sobered. "Ethel said you were vague on the reason for this visit. I presume you were unable to talk about the cause when you placed the phone call."
I nodded. "Did anyone tell you what happened?"
She glanced at Michelle before forcing those sharp eyes on me. "I've gotten the overview from a trusted source. You were in the woods, fighting a sorcerer-type creature, and something happened to Michelle."
Letting out a breath, I told the woman what I'd seen. "I do not know how she ended up holding on to that much power, but I fear it may have damaged her."
Dr. Stiles considered my story. "It isn't uncommon for a witch to glow a little."
My voice hardened. "Doctor, I have watched Michelle do incredible magical feats before. She did not simply glow. She was a sun, so filled with light I did not recognize her and thought she was a creature of legend come to life."
She pursed her lips. "Would you allow me to see what you saw? You said you were injured, and I have spoken to a great many people who were prone to exaggeration. I'd like to see your memory."
I held out my hand. "You may, but it will not do justice to how she appeared."
The spell slid into place without any discomfort. Dr. Stiles's voice was low. "When you are ready."
Closing my eyes, I relived the memory of watching Michelle walk out of the building and deal with the golem. I allowed us to go up to the point where Michelle was walking back to me, looking more like herself, before I came back to the here and now.
Dr. Stiles gently disconnected herself from me. If her eyes were wider than they had been, I could hardly blame her. It was not a normal experience.
"The Rite of Power," she whispered. "In our early days it was used to select our leaders. It was like that but less."
My eyes darted to Michelle. "Why did you discontinue the practice?"
"Many died or burned out." She cleared her throat. "I will examine Ms. Oaks."
With that she stood up, walked over to the bed, and gently placed her hands on Michelle's temples. It felt much longer than the two minutes that I watched the clock tick by when she sighed, released Michelle, and straightened.
Dr. Stiles turned to me, frowning. "I didn't see any damage, but I'd like to examine her again in the future. I don't know how she survived."
I wanted to shake the doctor. "Is she going to heal? Will she still be a witch?"
Still frowning, she nodded. "Yes, but I don't understand."
That was a common theme with Michelle's abilities.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Michelle
Waking up in a hospital was never my favorite, but Elron was there. Much to my surprise, I hadn't suffered any ill effects from handling all the energy from the snails. Much to Elron's surprise, I wasn't even angry that he'd called Ethel—or that he had a direct line to Ethel, but that was a different issue—and had Dr. Stiles examine me. Considering what I'd done, it had been the wise choice. As it turned out, Dr. Stiles was efficient, comforting, and would save me a conversation with Ethel, which was all I could ask for.
It didn't take long for my parents to arrive. Mom and Dad were worried, especially Mom, but I think that was because she read my chart. Wells chased them out after a few minutes so we could talk before I went home. There was a lot to say, mostly about Gudger.
I didn't want to remember how Gudger had looked on that cot. I didn't want to think about his loved ones and that if I'd done better he would still be alive. All I wanted to do was get past the grief and to the acceptance side of things. Losing him hurt, but at this point no amount of wallowing would change anything. Thankfully, Wells kept the conversatio
n focused.
While I didn't get to see Burly, Elron and Wells had been busy. Burly was going to a retreat that helped people like him learn about how life should work before coming back to the lodge. Elron had talked to Landa, and she'd agreed to help the minotaur. He didn't know it yet, but lots of people would be helping him.
Mom and Dad were reluctant to let me go back to my apartment, but they eventually agreed. A nice police officer delivered my car to the hospital, and Elron drove us home. Everyone at the lodge, including Ty, gave me an enthusiastic but delightfully short welcome-home celebration. Landa kept a sharp eye on me, and as soon as I looked tired, I was told to get some rest. Elron helped me to my place, assured me he was only a second away should I need him, and retreated down the hall to his place.
After everything that had gone on, my apartment was a welcoming piece of heaven. It was quiet but in a safe and comforting way. These walls had kept me safe from a demon, a ghoul, and other unsavory characters. They would keep me safe tonight.
As soon as I locked the front door, I hurried to the bathroom. Showers could make a lot of things better, especially after days in the woods and the hospital. After a lengthy shower, I crawled into bed and slept like a rock.
Morning sun woke me, and guilt and memories drove me out of bed. Here I was enjoying being in my own room, and Gudger was dead. As I got ready for the day, I promised myself I'd inquire about his funeral and whether I would be welcome.
After rubbing tears from my eyes, I took a deep breath and headed for the front door. I didn't want to go down to breakfast and face everyone, but I was out of food. Jerking open the door, I saw a tray sitting off to the left. Bless Landa for knowing I'd want to be alone today.
As I ate, I started on my report for the police. It was one of the longer ones I'd written, and by the time I finished, my butt was numb and my heart was heavy. Stepping away from the computer, I went out into the back garden where there was a small altar. I sat cross-legged in the grass and gave myself over to my reflections. There was a very special comfort in the steadiness of the earth below me and the warmth of the sun above me.
I couldn't shake my soul-deep guilt. If I'd been a better witch, Gudger would still be alive. Half of me felt that I had done my best in a bad situation. The other half felt that I should've done more. There was some truth in both directions and a lot of guilt. It was going to take time for me to find my peace with his death.
I wasn't proud of how I'd acted when I'd been flooded with all that power. I'd injured Burly, and even though there'd been purpose behind my actions, I should've searched for a better way to handle the situation. Luckily, the magic had healed Burly, and he'd been very understanding.
My actions with Ned also shamed me. While I'd had reason to take his memories, there had been other ways to accomplish the same effect. Then there was the burn. Wells had let it slip that Ned's arm would never be the same again. I had done that. I'd done that for no better reason than I was filled with magic and didn't want to control it. In that moment, I'd felt fully justified at being his judge. That was a choice I would have to live with the rest of my life.
I could feel Ty's footsteps, and after a simple prayer to the earth, I turned to greet him. He exuberantly wagged his tail, and I rubbed his cheek. Between the belly rubs and cuddles, I was in better spirits in no time. Before I went inside, I found a tendril of ivy curling around my ankle. It felt good to have the earth show me favor and feel the warmth of Varro's medallion against my chest.
Since I still hadn't gone shopping, I scrounged around the kitchen and found a can of soup. After slurping down lunch, I sat down with my phone and computer. It took more than two hours to catch up on the calls and correspondence I'd missed. When that was taken care of, I turned my attention to the scroll I'd found in the golem's remains. I couldn't read it, but that was hardly a surprise. I set it to the side, intending to do some research before I attempted to use magic to allow me to understand the writing. There was an energy about the scroll that made me think it would be a bad idea to use a spell. Laying one magic on top of another was a recipe for disaster. Considering the golem had given off the feeling of ancient and otherworldly magic and how much power it had taken to turn it to dust, I wasn't willing to take any risks.
A knock on the door interrupted any further musings. When I opened the door, a young officer greeted me by name. After signing too many forms, I was the proud caretaker of a box of evidence that included a live snail. I found a note in the box from Wells.
I read through it quickly and then pulled out the travel tank with the giant snail. It had a colorful shell, and its head was up as it looked around.
"Can I call you Earl?"
It kinda looked like its head bobbed.
"I'll take that for a yes." I carried Earl back to my workroom. "It looks like we're going to be roommates for a while."
I settled Earl in a corner that got indirect light and unpacked the rest of the box. There were a couple of evidence bags of white powder. One had a note that said it was still magical. Another evidence bag contained another bag, and the last one held a large piece of snail shell.
Wells had sent me all the magical evidence he could for a full evaluation. In the note he apologized for how little he'd been able to claim. I was shocked that he'd gotten anything at all. There was an alphabet's worth of agencies involved, and I'd figured nothing would trickle down to a lowly consultant. However, he'd gotten quality evidence to me, and with this I might be able to figure out how Ned had gotten so much magic out of the snails.
As for the rest of the investigative work, I was happy to leave that to the local and state police, FBI, ATF, and NSA. They were swarming all over the mountains, trying to track down everything Ned had ever touched. There were still a lot of loose ends to figure out, and given a little time the authorities would know all the secrets he'd been hiding. It was truly amazing how much work Ned had created for a lot of people. If he'd been half as dedicated to helping people as he'd been to taking magic for himself, he could've done a lot of good in the world.
I called Elron to see if he had a larger tank for Earl. He said he'd bring back a good home for Earl but couldn't stay for long. Wells had sent him several samples of rhododendrons from the mountain. With a totally new and unique type of magical plant in Elron's hands, the university was willing to consider his time away a work trip. He was eager to get to work but promised to stop by later.
Earl was oblivious to the discussion of his living situation, but I had plenty of curiosity about him. Now that I wasn't stressed and on a mountain, I had time to give him a better magical examination. Since I knew there was energy in his shell, I could look at it a different way, and what I found was rather fascinating. The creature was putting excess energy it consumed into its shell, where it stayed even after death.
I picked up an evidence bag with a large chunk of shell. It had a little less energy than what I could feel in the snail, which made sense since Earl was alive and producing energy. However, it didn't have nearly the energy I'd found in the powder, and the energy it did have was bonded to the shell. That was different from what I'd experienced, where the energy was readily available and easy to use.
Puzzled, I started examining the shell powder. It didn't take me long to figure out that it had been treated with something that increased the potency and availability of the magic. While I knew of several herbs that could have one of those effects, finding a combination of herbs that would work together and with the snail shell was a feat.
The good news was it would be very difficult for anyone to recreate Ned's work, and I doubted any witch who could do it would agree to the job. Herbs that amplified magic had terrible side effects. Sure, an herb might increase the availability or potency of magic, but it might also change the user's mood and brain patterns. The side effect list of those herbs was rather grim reading, and more often than not the witches who experimented with them became addicted, suffered mental breakdowns, and tried to kill th
emselves.
As bad as that sounded, there was really awesome news. I'd been afraid the powder could end up being common, used by anyone who could pay for it, but that wasn't going to happen. Herbs that had those effects on witches usually had an even worse effect on humans. Even if someone replicated Ned's herbal mix and process, this was never going to become a commercial product. There was no risk of people being able to buy buckets of magic at the grocery store.
Leaning back in my desk chair, I took a moment to thank the earth for her blessings. I'd been so afraid of what this powder could do if it was widely available. That would never be the case.
Sheer relief gave me the energy to start on my evidence report. I was nearing the end of what I'd learned so far when I heard another knock on the door. This time I knew exactly who it was and rushed to let Elron in.
We set up Earl's new home. Elron took a few moments to get to know the snail. He had reports of his own to do, and his impressions of Earl would be a sizable part.
After declaring Earl happy with his new home and the snail food, Elron made us dinner. We ate pasta, drank wine, and talked. Elron had examined the plant samples. He suspected a great many rhododendrons were permanently changed thanks to Ned's use of magic. We both thanked the earth that we weren't in charge of figuring out what to do with a mountain full of mutant plants.
Elron had spoken to Wells after the plant delivery, and Ned was in a maximum-security prison, being held without bail. There would be a trial, but it was just a formality. After everything that had happened, Ned would never be a free man again.
I didn't say it, but I still had some concerns. With so many people involved, I suspected the story of magical snails and powder would get out. Hopefully there would be enough useless speculation included that people wouldn't start experimenting on snails. I really didn't want to see that much evidence of death again.
On the bright side, there were a lot of old tales about readily available magic. Not one of them had been proven, so this was likely to end up as just another crazy story.
A Witch's Rite Page 25