Chapter 90: In a Tent

[Surprised_by_Witches]

Demelza felt like she ought to hurt more than she did. Her leg did feel numb and weird, like it had fallen asleep, and she had a sling on her arm, but she felt, really, quite good. She opened her eyes. She lay on a bed in some kind of tent, and after a moment she realized she wasn't alone. Sakira Yama lay next to her, shivering in her sleep, and without thinking Demelza pulled the blankets up so she'd be warmer.

Sakira stirred and opened her eyes. A single lamp lit the tent and a cat lay at the foot of the bed.

"Where are we?" Demelza asked.

"I made us a tent. How's your leg?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"That's the drugs I gave you. It'll hurt later. I'm sorry. It was a nasty break. I set it as best as I could. I can look at it again tomorrow."

"It's OK. How--how are you?"

Sakira sat up, looking haunted, and looked at Demelza with huge eyes that were suddenly filled with tears.

"I don't think I'll ever be OK again, but I know he loved me and that--" her voice broke, "is something."

"He believed the baby was his. He told me so."

"It is his," Sakira said fiercely, "and I'm so scared for my child. What if someone--"

"Don't worry," Demelza said. "No one will believe it. Unless it turns into a bat and flies out of the nursery everyone's gonna think you cheated on the vampire."

Sakira bit her lip.

"Hey, sorry, maybe levity isn't the best thing right now." She tried to sit up.

"Don't," Sakira said. "You should stay still. Are you hungry?"

"Famished."

Sakira got up and propped Demelza up so she could eat. She waved her wand and soon there were two steaming hot bowls of noodles.

"You're getting pretty good at that."

"Not good enough." Sakira shrugged.

"It's not your fault."

"It is," Sakira's voice was hoarse. "It is my fault. If I'd only tried harder to find him--"

"In what? A salt shaker? You couldn't have known."

"She's still alive," Sakira said. "But she won't be when I find her again."

"No," Demelza said. "Diego wouldn't want that." She didn't know how she knew that, or why she cared. When had her life entered bizarro land? "You have to think about your child."

"I have to do something."

"Then be a good mom." Something about that statement made Demelza's heart hurt. Maybe she should take her own advice.

"Shhhhh," Sakira said, suddenly. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" But then, a second later, she did. A sort of aura coming from the earth that hadn't been there before. Sakira threw open the door to the tent, which Demelza could now see was pitched on the porch of her ruined house, and looked out across the fields.

"Demelza, look." Sakira pulled back the door further so she could see. In the early evening light, something was advancing toward them, a rippling wave of energy that brought with it--

"Are those trees?" Demelza asked. "Just, you know, popping out of the ground?"

"Yes," Sakira said, her voice full of wonder.

"Are we in danger?"

"I don't think so." Sakira continued to stand at the doorway, looking out.

"I don't understand."

"Me either. But everything's changing. I can feel it, can't you?

"As of now, nothing will ever be quite the same."

-- The End . . . for now --

Read about the further adventures of the citizens of Veronaville in Fairy Tales, coming soon.

[Lynet]

Amazing. I look forward to it, SBW.

[yetyak]

Heck of a spot to leave this one in! Looking forward to the new also.

[muffin-tacos]

I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship for Demelza and Sakira. Well, at least, I hope so!

This is an exciting way to end it, SBW. I wonder what the tree thing was about. Guess I'll find out soon enough!