Dragon Witch ✔️

2 - Otherworlder

Snapping my witch's kit shut, I scrambled to my feet. Mom's implied threat of disownment echoed in my thoughts, but I forced myself to ignore it. I would be home before Leo could catch me.

Legs pumping, I sprinted alongside the stream. Low branches and tall thorn bushes snagged my shirt. One cut my arm, but I couldn't slow down to check it out. Sweat trickled down my back as I leapt from one mossy rock to another. My sides ached already. I'd never get home in time at this pace.

Gritting my teeth through the stitch in my side, I pushed myself harder. One rock wiggled underfoot, nearly tipping me into the stream. I jumped to another rock. A cool breeze flicked my hair back, and I stiffened, balancing on one foot. Magic sparked on that breeze. Strong magic, like I'd never smelled before. If the wand had been a campfire, this was molten lava. Whatever it was, it came from across the stream.

I should ignore it and keep running. It could be dangerous. At the very least, stopping to check it out would slow me down. But that smell...

Even before I consciously decided to follow it, my feet had carried me to the opposite bank. I stumbled through the trees in a daze. Every step made the smell grow stronger. It was richer than chocolate, more refreshing than lemonade, and so strong I could've followed it blindfolded. What could possibly put off that much magic?

My foot hit a squishy mound of dirt, and my ankle twisted beneath me. I hit the ground with a grunt. Pain distracted me from the magic smell long enough to remind me I had more important places to be. Leo was looking for me right now. I pushed myself to my feet.

"Owww."

Had I said that? I was pretty sure I hadn't. Maybe I had. The smell was making it hard to concentrate. Though, I was pretty sure my voice was higher than the one I'd heard.

"A little help?" someone asked in the barest of whispers. That was definitely a guy's voice, not mine. Where was he?

All I could see was a mound of dirt, covered in clovers. A flicker of movement drew my attention to the far end of the mound. What had moved? There was it again, just a little flicker and--eyes! Two eyes peering out of the dirt, staring at me from behind violet-tinted glasses.

"What the-"

A mouth slit opened under the eyes, and he shushed me. "Quiet, Lilly, or it'll hear you. It just fell asleep."

A million questions swarmed through my brain. What was it? What was he doing in a pile of dirt? Why did he need help? How did he know my name? More importantly, why did he smell like a warehouse full of ice charms? Witches and magical animals gave off some magic scent, especially when they were actively using their powers, but they never smelled this strong.

Not even the entire contents of Grandma's potion lab smelled this strong. If Mom was here, she would be screaming and running for the hills. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but lean closer.

What if- what if he was an Otherworlder? That would explain the magic smell and the seamless glamour making him look like a pile of dirt. I shivered, partly from fear and partly from excitement. Otherworlders were the bane of Mom's existence. She thought magical creatures from other planets should stay on other planets and leave respectable nomahus (non-magical humans) alone.

Grandma said Otherworlders had been living on Earth for centuries, and she had the fairytales to prove it. Of course, you couldn't believe everything in fairytales. Most Otherworlders were relatively normal, non-murderous, non-baby-stealing people. According to Grandma.

I wasn't sure what to think. This guy didn't seem murderous, though admittedly, he was pretending to be a pile of dirt--and I couldn't imagine any reason to be a pile of dirt unless you were planning to jump out and attack someone. Then again, he'd asked me for help politely, and even Grandma admitted Otherworlders could be aggressive if you offended them. I wasn't about to brush him off without a concrete reason.