Chapter 12

  Meredith And Victor

  Weeks passed, and Meredith sparsely saw her new tiefling friend, but when she did, he was agitated, jittery, and quick to depart.

  One day, after a particularly brief encounter, Cici paced the counter with Meredith behind it and said, “Yikes! What else happened? You said you told me everything, but I think you’re holding out! Spill it!”

  “I did!” Meredith exclaimed for the umpteenth time. “I’ve told you everything that happened!”

  “Then why is he acting so weird?”

  “I don’t know! Don’t believe me? Go read my diary!”

  “It didn’t say anything different than what you told me!” Cici howled.

  “Aha!” Meredith jabbed a finger at him. “So you do read my diary!”

  “That’s how I know there’s something you’re not telling me!”

  “How do you keep getting into it, anyway?”

  “Tell me what really happened between you!”

  “How can you read, but you can’t count?”

  “Please, Meredith!”

  “You’re worse than Patricia!”

  Days passed. Meredith and Victor hadn’t been able to plan another get-together; the doctor always had a constant stream of work for Victor.

  Phillip visited at least once a week. Meredith never had anything to report, but when he came, the two idly chatted when there weren’t too many customers. Meredith told him of her time at the academy, and Phillip described his tales of adventure as a member of the Dragon Riders. Through their conversations, she learned much about their extensive culture and how they shaped history, none of which had ever been taught to her at the academy. At least that she was aware of. According to Cici, Meredith hadn’t been the most attentive student. But the more they talked, the more she began to suspect that Grandma was right, that the academy was a shell of its former glory. She wondered how it could produce a powerful witch like Grandma, while by comparison, she floundered in the dark. Meredith decided to learn as much as possible before returning in the fall.

  One day, Meredith stood behind the shop counter, adorned in a dark purple robe and black boots. Cici lay atop it, his legs folded beneath him. She stroked his back as she watched the mysterious and magical patrons hustle and bustle amongst themselves and the crammed shelves and tables overflowing with witchy goods.

  The doorbell tinkled as Victor strode in, clad in his usual attire.

  “Victor!” Meredith beamed.

  “Hey.” He waved and returned a curt smile as he strode towards her.

  “What does the doctor need today?” Meredith leaned on the counter toward the tiefling. She noticed how calm Victor seemed and how relaxed his face was compared to his previous visits.

  “Nothing from here, actually,” Victor started. “I have errands in the next town over. I was passing through and wondered if you wanted to come with me.”

  “The shop closes in five minutes!” Meredith called out, excited to hang out with her friend.

  “What, really?” Cici turned and stared at her incredulously.

  Thomas appeared on the counter beside her, astonishing Victor.

  “Meredith, this is highly uncalled for,” he said. “You don’t even know where you’re going! You can’t just up and leave on a whim! There are a dozen customers here!”

  “I deserve a break,” she said, her hands on her hips. “Besides, you know how our customers like to dawdle!”

  “Meredith—”

  “I come and go as I please.” Meredith folded her arms and cocked her hip to the side.

  Thomas rolled all three of his eyes.

  “Very well.” He disappeared.

  ‘Well, that was easy,’ Meredith thought. ‘I thought he’d put up more of a fight.’

  “I didn’t know you had a talking toad.” Victor stepped to the side, beaming, as customers lined up to purchase their goods.

  “It’s complicated.” Meredith swiftly rang them up. She was unsure if she should get into that topic.

  “Okay,” Meredith finally said after the final patron exited, and she turned the sign to ‘closed.’

  “Wait here, I need to change!”

  Meredith dashed through the shop and house and into her room. It was dark. She swished her wand and whipped the blinds open. Sunlight shone through the single window, illuminating the witch’s small abode.

  Her desk was littered with books, scrolls, and quills, alongside multiple spent candles. Trinkets and baubles lined the walls atop shelves, and the floor and chair were littered with tired clothes. Rumpled blankets lay atop her narrow bed. Meredith ripped the closet open and perused its contents.

  With a flick of her wand, she swapped her robe for a white, frilly dress with green, flowering vines stitched windingly throughout. Tan sandals replaced her boots. Meredith checked herself in the oval mirror. She twisted and turned before it, rechecked, summoned a floppy straw hat, admired herself some more, decided against the hat, tossed it back in her closet, fluffed her hair a bit, and rechecked herself again. Satisfied, she skipped back to the shop.

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  “I’m ready!” Meredith exclaimed as she burst into the apothecary.

  Victor’s eyes widened, then averted his gaze.

  “I’m going too,” Cici stated, bounding off the counter.

  “Really?” Meredith asked, surprised.

  “I want to get out, too,” he replied.

  The young witch eyed her tiefling friend, who shrugged.

  “Victor is fine with my coming along,” Cici announced officially. “After all, this isn’t a date, right?” He blinked at the tiefling.

  “Right,” Victor mumbled, eyes downcast.

  “Nobody said it was a date.” Meredith leered at Cici, wondering what had occurred between them while she was changing.

  “I should’ve known better than to leave you alone with Mr. Fussy-Pants,” Meredith told Victor.

  “It’s fine. Shall we get going?” He asked.

  “Lead the way!”

  The trio stepped outside, Cici sauntering behind the witch and tiefling.

  “Where are we going?” Meredith asked as they meandered down the dirt path towards Greenwood. The leaves cast shadows across the road, contrasted with the bright sunlight pouring through the canopy.

  “To Dooley,” Victor explained with a smile. “It’s a small farm town just southwest of here.”

  “How far is it? I could fly us there.”

  “Not far. And I’d like to walk if you don’t mind. The doctor allows ample time to complete my work; I don’t want to rush through it. Besides, that way, we get to hang out longer.”

  ‘Oh,’ Meredith thought, pleased that Victor wanted to spend extra time with her.

  “You seem to be in good spirits,” she said.

  “Why not?” the tiefling replied. “It’s a beautiful day, and I get to walk with a friend on a simple errand. It’s better than what the Doctor usually tasks me with.”

  “You seemed…” Meredith chose her words carefully. “…agitated the last few times I saw you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “You know I can’t tell you.” Victor tilted his head toward her, his hands in his worn pockets.

  “Okay. Well, what’s this errand about?”

  “Can’t say,” he replied. “But not because of the secrecy spell. I wasn’t told.”

  The pair chatted as they made their way into Greenwood, turned south, and followed the dirt path out of town. The river babbled beside them until the route wound away and split. Victor led Meredith and Cici westward through the forest. As they traveled beneath the canopy, Cici periodically pawed at leaves and critters, much to Meredith’s amusement.

  A nauseating stench smashed into the witch’s face.

  “Ugh!” Meredith reared in disgust. “What is that?”

  “We’re getting close,” Victor announced.

  “You’re just now smelling it?” Cici meowed. “I’ve had to deal with it for the last ten minutes.”

  “I don’t have your senses, kitty cat!” Meredith replied.

  The trio soon emerged from the forest and stood before wide open farmland. Wooden shacks, stalls, silos, stables, and barns were interspersed between fenced pastures and rows of crops. The gentle, rolling hills housed multitudes of vocal cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep. Somewhere, a dog barked, causing Cici’s fur to bristle.

  “Here we are.” Victor led the witch and cat down the dirt path that split the fields until they arrived at the dusty plot of land that acted as the town square, surrounded by wooden, ramshackle houses and shops. Dirt paths split off from the square deeper into the farmland. Very few people scuffed about, paying the visitors hardly a glance.

  “Where to now?” Meredith asked.

  “I’ve got to go in there.” Victor pointed at a shabby shop that didn’t look very sturdy. “Sorry, but it’s private. You two can wait out here or browse the shops or whatever. I’ll be out soon.”

  The tiefling stepped away and disappeared into the store.

  “Well…” Meredith scanned the inhospitable town square. “I think I’ll wait here.”

  “‘Or whatever,’ he says.” Cici rolled his eyes. “What are we, dogs? As if—oh!”

  A flock of multicolored chickens meandered into the town square. Cici’s ears perked up, and his pupils widened as he crouched down. His tail lay straight on the ground.

  “Don’t!” Meredith told him sternly.

  Cici remained motionless.

  SLAM!

  The chickens retreated, and Meredith and Cici whipped their heads toward Victor, emerging from the dilapidated building.

  “Business concluded!” He announced as he approached them.

  “That was quick!” Meredith said. “What’d you get?”

  A strange feeling encapsulated Meredith as Victor drew nearer, growing with every step.

  “Well….” Victor stopped before her. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to show you.”

  He procured a wood box from his satchel and opened it, revealing a thin glass vial. It was stopped with a cork and held a transparent liquid with a small yellow orb floating in the middle.

  Cici—roused from his hunting instinct—leaped away and hissed. Meredith flinched away from the small tube. An incredibly terrible, murderous, tantalizing aura emanated from it.

  “What is it?” Meredith asked, brow furrowed. She had felt such a presence before but couldn’t remember when!

  “I don’t know.” Victor shrugged, confused, closed the box, and slipped it back into his bag. “I’m just the errand boy. What’s up with you two?”

  “Something’s not…right…with that thing. What could Dr. Archibald even want with it?”

  “I couldn’t tell you if I knew. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Meredith and Cici walked beside Victor, uneasy and wary. They kept the tiefling between them and his satchel, trying to ignore the pressing weight of the dark object. The trio meandered back through the forest, happily chatting all the while. Eventually, they approached the outskirts of Greenwood and stopped at the branching path that led to the apothecary.

  “Hanging out with you was a nice change of pace,” Meredith said. “I had fun!”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Victor smiled. “Thank you for accompanying me.”

  “Meow!”

  “And you too, Cici.”

  The pair stood in heavy silence, shifting, neither making eye contact. Awkwardness settled on Meredith’s chest, and her cheeks flushed. Victor stared at his boots.

  Meredith wanted to keep hanging out with him. Should she invite him over? Oh, but she didn’t want that abhorrent item around her any longer. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak.

  “Care to walk me home?” Meredith asked coyly, her hands held before her, swaying gently.

  A low grumble emerged from deep within Cici’s throat. Meredith scowled at him before returning her gaze to Victor.

  “I wish I could, but I better get going.” The young tiefling glanced at Cici. “The Doctor doesn’t like delays.”

  “I’m sure.” Meredith glared at Cici, but he ignored her.

  Anger at Cici mixed with her ache for Victor. She didn’t want to keep the tiefling; she had seen the results of that once before.

  “Will we be able to hang out again soon?” Meredith asked.

  “Yeah.” Victor nodded. “I’ll be able to figure something out.”

  Meredith beamed—her heart aflutter—as she gazed into Victor’s flaming eyes, desperately longing for him to stay.

  They both remained steadfast, unsure of what to say or do.

  “Goodbye!” Cici demanded.

  “Goodbye.” Victor smiled, gave a slight wave, and walked away.

  “Bye!” Meredith returned his wave and watched him disappear into Greenwood.

  “What the hell, Cici?” She stomped and huffed.

  “What? Did you forget how to say goodbye? You say it to customers all the time! If I hadn’t said something, you two would’ve stood here all day!”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about!”

  “You want him to bring that thing to our home?” Cici frowned. “I can’t stand to be around it any longer!

  “I know,” Meredith sighed and started down the shaded path home. “I can’t either, but you could’ve given us some privacy!”

  “For what?” He strode beside her.

  “Just…to talk!”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “Why’d you even come?”

  “I wanted to know more about Victor. He seems nice. Besides, you said I should get out more.”

  Meredith started to reply, then stopped. Cici liked Victor? That was…good. She decided to go on the offensive.

  “What were you two talking about when I was changing?”

  “What in heaven was that thing?” Her feline companion ignored the question.

  “I don’t know. And answer me!”

  “It was such a terrible feeling, just dreadful. It made my skin crawl. But it felt familiar.”

  “Yeah!” Meredith nodded. “I thought so, too! So, what were you two talking about?”

  “You wouldn’t tell me about your date, so I’m not telling you about our talk!”

  “There was nothing to tell you! I still don’t know why he was acting all weird! He can’t say!”

  Cici trotted before Meredith as they walked home, his head held indignantly high.