The ghostly fire seared my palms just as fiercely as any real flame. I sat on the grass, staring at those cursed black doors, grateful their owner hadn’t torched me for everything I’d said about his relative. Small mercies, I guess. But this infernal elemental had pushed me to my absolute limit. As I cast a pain-numbing spell on my fingers, it kept reappearing nearby, forcing me to chuck clumps of dirt at it. From the outside, it probably looked downright comical, because Mr. “Psycho” took pity on me. He opened the door, left a first-aid kit beside me, and retreated back into the house. Probably figured I’d hit my head on top of everything else.
Putting my gloves back on was out of the question with the inflammation, so I carefully got to my feet, muttering curses under my breath, and stuffed them into my bag. Somewhere nearby, the scent of mint wafted over again, and I felt like crying. Why was this elemental so fixated on me? Weren’t there enough necromancers in the world to bother?! Or was it because I’m the only witch in all of Deliria with this stupid gift?! I didn’t even choose it!
“Alright, I’m going already, stop roasting me! I’m not a potato!” I snapped, hiding my injured, bandaged hands behind my back. “Go on, run to your master! Roast him instead of me!”
“And who told you he’s my master?” the little dragon asked in a creaky, feminine voice, staring at me with its enormous eyes. “He’s my favorite grandson.”
“Then what did I do to deserve being used as kindling?! By the way, it’s because of you I snapped at your grandson,” I said, instantly switching to a more respectful tone out of deference to elders, while puffing out my lips in mock offense.
“You’re cold as ice. I thought I’d warm you up out of spiritual kindness. How was I supposed to know you can sense spirits?! What kind of respectable witch even deals with the dead?! Who’s ever heard of such a thing?!”
“Okay, fine, but why did you keep coming at me after that? I wasn’t messing with your Mr. ‘Psy—’” I stopped myself, realizing it wouldn’t be polite to call her beloved grandson a “psycho” to her face. She might actually burn me for real.
“I wanted you to pass a message to him for me. Tell him, plain and simple: ‘Find yourself a wife, Hile, or your inner dragon will sleep until the end of time.’ It’s keeping me from resting in peace on the other side,” the animalistic essence of this psycho’s grandma grumbled. I needed to get away from both of them. The sooner, the better.
“You pass it along yourself. I’ve got work to do,” I said with a sweet smile, bolting toward the edge of the property, hoping the elemental would leave me alone. “These lunatics are gonna land me in the hospital soon…”
“Hile’s not a psycho!” the multicolored marvel huffed, appearing out of nowhere right on my bag. Startled, I flinched and nearly tripped over my own feet. “For your information, he’s a highly qualified psychologist for non-humans!”
“Yeah, I can see the whole family’s non-human! Trying to give me a heart attack?! Or burn off my hair?! It’s gonna fall out on its own soon enough! Let it live a few more years at least!” I yelled, shaking the fiery creature off me.
“Oh, come on, it’s not like it’s written on your forehead that you can see spirits! How was my Hile supposed to tell you apart from a crazy person? Have you ever seen another witch besides yourself with a knack for necromancy?!” the spirit persisted, chasing after me. It didn’t let up even when I hopped on my broom and flew toward my next stop.
“Maybe there were some once, but with clingy spirits like you, they all dropped dead! I swear, my heart’s gonna give out! Holy Insania, help me! You don’t let me sleep, you don’t let me eat. You even track me down in the bathroom!”
“How about this: pass the message to my grandson, and I’ll keep other spirits away from you,” the creature drawled slyly, running a paw along my shoulder and dousing the flames on its tiny fingers. “Until he finds a decent woman to settle down with, I’ll guard you at night. You can sleep, rest, and recharge…”
“And what’s the catch?” I asked immediately, landing on a new patch of ground. “Spirits change their minds a hundred times a week. Making deals with you always costs more than it’s worth.”
The dragon’s overly honest eyes glinted, confirming my suspicions. Before I could say anything else, a dog the size of a person burst out in front of the estate. The giant took a slow step toward me, growling its opinion of my job. Suddenly, ringing the doorbell lost all appeal, and I started backing away. That’s when the little dragon leapt in front of me, taking a protective stance.
I stared at this colorful wonder, ready to sacrifice my already burned hands to grab it and run, when something beyond reason happened. My pint-sized dragon grandma, no bigger than my dumb head, grew to the size of several cars and roared at the black dog. Realizing the odds, the beast wisely disappeared, leaving us alone. My stunned expression caught the attention of the homeowner, who stepped out and greeted me politely:
“Good afternoon, Miss Witch. Is this mine?”
“Yes, Mrs. Green, your daughter sent some seedlings for your experiments. She insisted I deliver them today so you can plant them under the full moon.”
“Amy’s completely lost her conscience with all that science of hers. Does it really matter what moon you plant potatoes under if there’s no one to help? What’s the point of me sticking them in the ground all by myself?!” the woman lamented, adjusting a warm scarf over her tanned cheeks. “I need helpers to plant seventy acres. Otherwise, the fields just sit empty…”
“No helpers at all?” I asked sympathetically.
“Not a one, Soulo, dear! And Little passed away just the other day, so there’s no one to guard the land either…”
My pocket-sized dragon stretched its neck and coughed, clearly remembering that “Little” dog as tall as me with an equally “little” jaw. I tried not to stare too obviously, but its indignant face was so comical I barely held back a laugh at the woman’s misfortune. Mrs. Green couldn’t see spirits, after all, and might misunderstand.
“Please sign here. I’m in a bit of a rush today. We’ll chat longer next time, I promise.”
As soon as the signature was done, I hopped on my trusty broom and took to the air. The multicolored pain in my backside shamelessly plopped its belly onto the handle, propped its cheeks on its paws, and puffed smoke rings into the sky. Fiery sparks danced across its skin, and I prayed to Insania that this thing wouldn’t set my ride on fire. Though, I had to admit, as a bodyguard, Grandma Dragon was a pretty great companion.
“Thanks for protecting me,” I said, landing in a clearing. “That was awesome. So… I’ll swing by your grandson’s place after work and pass on your request. Just because. A good deed for a good deed. What’s your name, by the way, just in case?”
“Amoria Mind,” the elemental replied, carefully shaking my hand with its tiny fingers. “And sorry for burning you.”
“No worries. I’ve had worse,” I laughed. “See you around.”
After saying goodbye to the spirit, I climbed back onto my broom and flew toward my next destination. Trees, rooftops, and streetlights whipped past me, blending into a single streak like a Christmas garland. I could hardly believe Easter was already tomorrow. Maybe miracles did exist, and even among spirits, there were kind ones. I just hoped I’d run into fewer of them in my life.