creature to access his kii, but not his life energy. Once the kii begins to rebuild, which shouldn’t take too long given he seems to be extraordinarily strong-willed, he should regain consciousness.”
Kii was the word that witches gave to the magical energy we used. There were different types of kii, which determined what kind of magic a witch could use, but it was separate from the essential life force, and yet it was linked.
“What about Tad? He’s not a witch.”
“That’s why, on a physical level, he’s far weaker than Hank is right now. But it’s also why he’s conscious and Hank isn’t. Tad’s life force was being drained, while the creature—whatever it was that attacked them—drained Hank’s magical reserves first. It hadn’t tapped into his life force yet, so physically, he’s in no danger. Magically, I think you found him in time.”
I looked at Caitlin. “So, if the victim has magical capabilities, their magic will be drained first, before their body?”
“Right—as long as they shield themselves with the magic. It’s like having an extra wall of defense.” Dr. Fairsight sighed. “The question is, what attacked them will attack others. And from what you said, it already has killed a number of times. The land, if the creature is immersed in it, needs to be cleansed. And I don’t think you’re going to be able to do so on your own. This will take a far greater force.”
“Who could do it? Can the Court Magika help?” I wasn’t too sure of what all the court encompassed—whether it was only focused on judicial matters.
Dr. Fairsight frowned, then turned to Dr. Banks. “I wonder if I can have a moment with Ms. Jaxson and Ms. Tireal?”
Dr. Banks shrugged. “I need to get on with my rounds. I’ll be around if you have any more questions, and when Tad’s parents arrive, have the nurse contact me. Since he’s human, I’m overseeing his recovery.”
As he walked away, I detected the slightest hint of irritation. Once he was out of sight, I said, “Did we just get snubbed?”
“No,” Dr. Fairsight said. “I think sometimes humans have a hard time admitting they can’t treat all of the patients who come through. It’s not so much a matter of pride as a desire to help and the frustration over not being able to. All right. You both work for Tad, correct?”
We nodded.
“We’re all part of Conjure Ink,” Caitlin said.
“Then I’m going to give you some advice on how to cope with your creature. You can either contact the Witches Guild, or you can talk to Rowan Firesong. I suggest the latter. Rowan’s the most powerful witch I know of. At least, she can probably tell you what it will take to eradicate this curse-turned-creature.”
“How do we contact her?” I asked.
“Rowan keeps to herself and I seldom send anyone her direction, but when there are serious magical issues that arise, she’s the go-to person in town. Sort of the godmother of the town, you might say. She probably knew your great-grandfather when he founded Moonshadow Bay,” the doctor said, smiling at my look of surprise. “Your family is known around here. And…I don’t think you remember, but I worked on your mother, trying to keep her alive. Unfortunately, her injuries were just too great.”
As she stood, the doctor handed me a card, with Rowan Firesong’s name and phone number on it. “There’s not much you can do here tonight. You should go home,” she said. “Your friends will be safe with us.”
I tucked the card in my purse and nodded. Witches didn’t shake hands a great deal—we could feel too much, all too often. Sometimes it was disconcerting to flash into someone else’s life and discover that they liked to wear baby-doll underwear and eat M&Ms when they had sex. I warded myself up a lot to prevent the unbidden glimpses, but now and then they still broke through.
“Thanks, we’ll call her…” I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was going on eight. “It’s early enough. We can call her tonight.” I looked at Caitlin. “Are you going home? You can come over and hang out if you want.”
She brightened a little at that. “Thanks. I really don’t feel like being alone.”
As we headed out, with a promise that if anything changed overnight, the doctor would call us, I shivered under the trickle of flakes that drifted down. They were so small they were almost like a fine mist. One thing I was sure of—we’d be warning