The Wraiths and The Apothecary

The first thing Aradia was aware of was voices. They sounded like they were coming from a distance, like she was trying to listen to people standing at the other end of a long corridor. The next thing she was aware of was a terrible ache in her shoulders and neck. She tried to unstick her eyelids which seemed to be sealed shut by a thick layer of crust.

"I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come through when you did."

The words were becoming clearer to her now. She could hear Prism talking at a slightly frantic rate.

"I'd just gotten her out of the water and managed to get her to cough up some of what she'd inhaled, and then those monsters showed up."

Monsters?

"It was no trouble. We had been keeping an eye on the portal for weeks thinking something like this might happen. When we heard you calling for help from the other side, we felt we had to help." The voice was low and gravely but non threatening. It had a pleasantly warm tone to it and the owner spoke with a slow measured cadence.

Aradia was finally able to open her eyes. The room slowly came into focus. It was a low-ceilinged cozy room consisting of many earthy tones. She turned her head slightly on what she now registered as a comfortable, fluffy pillow and, ignoring the stab of pain the movement caused, took in the stone fireplace and the crackling fire there.

"Aradia!" She heard Prism gasp.

The Pixie's face leaned into view and she felt a small but warm and webbed hand enclose around her's.

"Are you alright? After you blacked out, I wasn't sure how much water you inhaled. I managed to get you to spit out most of it once I got you out of the tunnel but then...well, let's just say there were bigger issues."

"What?" Aradia rasped but her throat felt sore and tight.

"Don't try to talk just yet." Said the gravelly voice from before. "Prism, help me sit her up and we'll get her something to drink, I'm sure she's eager to know everything."

Aradia's gratitude was quickly eclipsed by shock as the owner of the voice stepped forward to help Prism gently hoist her into a sitting position. The speaker, not Fae, was not like anyone Aradia had ever seen or heard of. This person (person seemed as good as word as any) looked like an upright mole, walking on hind legs, but with a longer muscled tail he seemed to use for balance. He had on breachers and a waistcoat and tiny speckles were perched at the end of his whiskered black nose. The gold chain of a pocket watch swung delicately from his front pocket. The only indication that he was not fully civilized was that he wore no shoes and his feet were rather dirty, but as Aradia also rarely saw fit to wear shoes, she did not strictly disapprove.

He gave what she interrupted to be a smile and there was a warm twinkle in his eyes when he did so.

"That's right, just sit back, and I'll ask the missus to make you something for your throat and aches. I would do it but she's a proper apothecary and will want to inspect you for herself anyway."

The kindly creature waddled away and Aradia looked at Prism. Who looked plainly relieved that she was awake, and Aradia felt something like kinship for a moment. It was she who broke the silence first.

"So, I take it that things didn't go as simply as we had hoped."

She made an attempt at an amused smile.

Prism laughed a little and shook her head, looking even more relieved that Aradia did not seem to be angry with her for this unpredictable turn of events.

"No, I guess they didn't. I should have told you not to bring the spear, but I thought it would fit. I didn't account for you being so much taller." She looked apologetic.

Aradia waved a hand and winced slightly and the tension in her shoulders saying, "Forget about that for now, I want to know how we got here, and did you say something about monsters?"

Prism's eyes widened.

"Oh yes! I don't even know where to begin" she blinked, her bright green eyes bright with the memory.

"Just start from where I blacked out." Stated Aradia with a touch of impatience.

"Right. So, you passed out just as I managed to cut you free from the leather straps holding your spear. You must be sore, I jerked you so roughly in my panic to free you." Catching a look from Aradia that plainly told her to get on with it, she continued, "Anyway, we finally broke the surface and I had to drag you to the shore. You weren't breathing and I quickly did a little bit of practical magic to extract the water from your lungs but I was panicking and didn't get it all right away. You were coughing though, so that made me hopeful. The reason I was so panicked, aside from worrying I'd brought you to your death, is that blue light was coming from a massive rip in the middle of the air and I could see dark shapes moving around inside." She paused and looked meaningfully at Aradia.

Aradia's expression was inscrutable and she nodded for Prism to continue.

"I turned to finish helping you, but just then a bunch of these huge creatures came out of the rip. They were made of just sort of...swirling smoke and the parts of them that seemed solid were blacker than black...like walking voids…" She was staring off and shuddered, but went on, apparently in a hurry to be done with this part of the story. " Well I thought we were finished for sure. I had never seen anything like them, and I'm not great shakes at any powerful sorts of magic anyway. With you unconscious and me with just my small knife, things looked hopeless, but then Mr. and Mrs. Dillinger showed up. They sort of held up these amulets that blasted those smokey creatures with this really bright light. The monsters retreated and Mrs. Dillinger told us to hurry up and follow them through the portal because the creatures would be back with reinforcements and then Mr. Dillinger helped me pick you up and then brought us back here."

There was a silence in which Aradia pondered what to ask first. Finally she spoke,

"So, we passed through the portal, this rip you mentioned, to get here, and the monsters and the Dillingers all passed through it as well to get to the cave?"

"That's right." Prism said "but Mr.Dillinger said those smoke monsters aren't from here either, that the portal seems to overlap many different locations in different...well…'worlds' as he puts it and ever since it opened they have been monitoring the activities of those dark beings and apparently they have been wreaking havoc everywhere they can. Not enough to draw too much attention though, much like how they have been doing in my pond for weeks."

Just then the door opened and Mr. Dillinger returned carrying a tray behind a short, portly female of similar description to himself only she was a little shorter and wore a frilly apron over her breachers and when she spoke her voice was a little more melodic.

"Abraham, place that tray on the side table please." Said Mrs. Dillinger in a no-nonsense tone. "And you," she said, peering down through her spectacles at Aradia. "Let's have a look at you."

"I'm fine, really."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Aradia was not used to feeling steamrollered but something in Mrs. Dillinger's tone told her not to argue. Soon, The Apothecary's leathery, moleish hands were cupping her face and her eyes scanned her face screwdly. Her touch was surprisingly gentle even though it was firm and clinical. She pulled down Aradia's bottom eye lids and made her stick out her tongue, then she moved down to her neck and Aradia winced slightly.

"I know you're sore but I just want to make sure it's nothing more serious than strained muscles."

Prism had her hands clasped in front of her mouth and Mr. Dillinger looked on pensively. Aradia felt this was all too much fuss for nothing. She felt relatively fine. To be sure, she had felt much worse or at least as bad after her battle with that badger she'd made into an outfit.

At this thought she realized she had been changed into a linen dressing gown. She wondered who had changed her. She went to speak but Mrs. Dillinger cut her off, speaking to Prism.

"Dim the lights for me, would you dear? I see much better in darkness but we didn't want to have you two sequestered in a nearly dark room. Although, by the look of this one she might have preferred it."

Aradia was slightly taken aback, but this woman seemed clever and The Fae's clearly nocturnal adaptations must have given her away. Mrs. Dillinger smiled down at her slightly as Prism put out some of the candles and the room darkened.

"I have no doubt you can take care of yourself my dear, especially given the amount of scars you have" (that answered Aradia's concerns about who'd changed her) "but Wraiths are no laughing matter and they tend to exacerbate any small injury or weakness when they get too near. So, just indulge me a bit longer, and in exchange Abraham and I will be happy to explain ourselves."

This satisfied Aradia a little and she allowed herself to be poked and prodded while Mrs. Delinger examined her and muttered to herself. She tried not to squirm too much when the woman rotated her arm at the shoulder listening intently for any clicks or catches.

"Wings feeling fine? Can you lean forward and stretch them out for me?"

Aradia nodded, and did as he was told, grimacing as she pushed herself up and expanded her impressive bat-like wings.

"Wow!" Exclaimed Prism, her dragonfly wings, which were the standard for most Fae, with exception of the Royals who all had butterfly wings, fluttered with excitement."

Aradia worked hard to hide her pleasure at this small fuss. Of course, she had always thought her wings were beautiful and suited her but she had always gotten the impression most Day-Walkers found them...unsettling at best.

Finally, Mrs. Dellinger stepped back and said,

"Well, all in all it could have been much worse. You're obviously made of tough stuff."

Again, Aradia worked to hide the small look of pride that nearly flitted over her face, although she thought Prism may have seen. Composing herself she raised her chin and stated as firmly as she could with her still raspy voice,

"Now can you please explain…"

"Hold your whiskers, and drink this first. It'll help with swelling and it will soothe your throat and help your muscles to relax so you won't be so uncomfortable."

She handed a steaming cup to which she had just added some ingredients to Aradia and Aradia eyed it with mild suspicion. Mrs. Delinger, apparently reading her expression correctly said in exasperation,

"Oh for Burrow's sake! If I wanted you dead or harmed, I'd have left you to The Wraiths and would not have risked our lives coming to save you both!"

Aradia saw her point and after blowing on it for a moment took a small sip. It was slightly bitter but not unbearable and the effect on her throat was immediate. She took another, slightly larger sip.

Mrs. Delinger looked pacified. And she and her husband took seats at the foot of her bed. Prism, who had already been sitting near Aradia's head, eased back into her chair for a moment, realized she could barely see in the newly dimmed light, and leaned forward again. She obviously still could not see to her satisfaction, apparently because she squinted a little at their hosts as well and Aradia had to master the urge to snort into her tea.

"Now, I suppose you have questions." Said Mrs. Delinger.

Mr. Delinger was lighting a small wooden pipe behind her as if making himself comfortable for what he obviously assumed would be a lengthy discussion, and the pair waited on one of the Fae to ask the first question.