Dragon Witch ✔️

61 - Dopplegangers

"Let it go," the person who'd grabbed me said.

"Let it go? Are you insane?" They must've found the same thing that made Kyton act weird. "I can't let it go. You let me go. I can help him." I struggled, but the arms holding me were stronger than me in my befuddled state.

"It's not me, Lilly. It's a monster. Look, it's not me."

I shook my head. What was he saying? It was Kyton, my friend, my- my crush. I couldn't let him die.

"Let me go!" With one tremendous jerk, I yanked myself out of the arms. Falling to my knees, I pressed my forehead to Kyton's again.

The stench of rotting flesh soured in my nostrils. I jerked back. Kyton was already dead. Long dead. His wings and antennae were gone. Flesh hung from his bones. Before my eyes, he dissolved into a pile of ashes.

I grabbed handfuls of ashes. "No, no-" Why hadn't I stopped him? I could've stopped him from coming here, from leaving me to scout the area. I should've stopped him. Tears ran down my cheeks and sizzled in the ashes.

"It's not me." Someone hugged me from behind. "Look, Lilly, I'm fine."

I spun around to glare at him. My tears blurred them beyond recognition. "Why'd you stop me? I could've saved him. Why-"

Feathery-soft fingers brushed the tears from my cheeks. "It takes a minute for the spell to wear off. Just look at me."

Rubbing my eyes, I pushed him away. As my vision cleared, I got a better picture of who I was talking with. Blue face, huge eyes, hovering antennae--it was Kyton. How...? I looked back at the ashes. He'd died. I looked back at Kyton. He was alive.

"What?"

He sighed and sat back on his heels. "Dopplegangers. I've heard of them before, but I've never seen them. They use your surface thoughts to make a replica of someone close to you--friends, family, lovers. Then they drug you with magic, wrap you in a cocoon, and drink your juices."

"Oh." The fog lifted from my mind. "Where's Piper and Nissa? Did you see them?"

His cheeks turned a darker blue. "No, I was preoccupied. I can go-"

"No." I realized I was holding his hands in a death grip, so I let him go. "We can't get separated, or we could get tricked again."

"I wasn't tricked the first time. I'll be fine." He glanced past me. "Your potion's boiling over."

I twisted around to the cauldron. White liquid was boiling over and splashing onto the soggy ground. Quite a lot of it was splashing onto Eva. Her stone covering cracked, and she exploded out of it with a screech.

Wet wet wet! Shaking herself furiously, she hopped out of the stream of potion.

I reached over and turned off the hot plate. Then I grabbed Eva in both hands and squeezed her against my chest. She squirmed, but I didn't let her go.

This is why I didn't want you to come. You got hurt, you could've died.

She nipped my hand and wiggled out of my grip. I fine now. You fix. Fix me easy, fix you hard. You no phoenix. That why I come. No complain. Fluffing up on my knee, she started preening the white goop out of her feathers.

Kyton patted my shoulder. "I'll be back soon."

"What if-"

"I won't be fooled, I swear. If I run into a version of you that's interested in me, I'll spear it. If you run into a version of me that can't keep his hands to himself, stab it. Stay here in case the others come back." With a flick of his hand, he made a spear-shaped column of water fly up to hover at his side. It froze in an instant, and he flew off.