Page 17 of The Warlock's Trial

“I suppose I should see a doctor about some medications,” I admitted. “As long as we’re here, we might as well see what it costs.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Chief Cauac promised. “Our health institutions run independently and have programs to cover refugee healthcare. Now that our war is over, we pay for everyone’s healthcare now, including refugees in Hok’evale.”

It sounded too good to be true. “I’m technically not a Hok’evale resident, though,” I pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter to us,” Chief Cauac said gently. “You are on the run from your people, and we want to help. Let me give you directions to the clinic, and you should have your prescriptions filled before you leave today.”

I couldn’t express how touched I was by his offer. This place was so unlike the coven. The priestesses didn’t give two shits about whether I had my meds or not. Part of me wanted to run away to Hok’evale, but then Lucas squeezed my hand, and I remembered the rest of the coven. The priestesses would continue hurting people until there was no one left to go against them. We had to keep fighting until our last breath, because we could not let them win.

Chief Cauac drew a rough layout of Hok’evale on a scrap piece of paper, then showed us where to find the walk-in clinic next to the hospital. We said goodbye, and Lucas and I left the Hall of Records with a new spring to our step.

“I can’t believe what we learned today!” Lucas exclaimed once we got outside. “All we have to do is track Edgar down and get the Mortana Wand.”

“You make it sound so simple,” I said.

“Well, it isn’t simple because I still have to learn how to portal between realms, but we have more answers than before,” Lucas admitted. “At least we have a direction. And we have resources and allies. For the first time in months, it feels like we’re making progress.”

“We’re definitely on to something,” I told him. “I can feel it in my bones.”

We approached Leslie. The dragon was right where we left her, and Lucas showed her the drawing. “Can you take us to the hospital?”

She gave an affirming coo, and we climbed on her back. Leslie walked through the streets of Hok’evale, since the hospital wasn’t far enough to warrant flying. From the ground, we got a better view of the town. Children ran through the streets laughing, and a woman pushed a cart handing out ice cream. She must’ve been fae, because her ice cream cones shimmered with illusions that looked like fireworks.

We passed by a café with a sign that read The Falcon’s Nest. I caught sight of a man dining outside beneath an umbrella that blocked out the sun. He brought a glass of thick red liquid to his lips. At first, I thought it must be a Bloody Mary, until I saw the flash of his fangs. I realized it was real blood, and the man was a vampire. A waitress approached his table. I noticed a string of stars tattooed over her arm. She had to be an Astromancer, an enchantress who got her magic from the stars.

Nearby, a teenage girl laughed as a guy her age chased after her playfully. “Race you to the beach!” she called. She jumped into the air, and brown feathery wings as tall as she was burst out of her back. She flapped them and flew high above the town.

“Not fair!” the guy shouted. One moment he was running along on two feet, and the next his body had morphed into that of a griffin. He had the haunches of a lion and the head of an eagle. He pumped his wings and followed close behind the angel girl, nipping playfully at her ankles with his beak.

Here in Hok’evale, people of all different supernatural races interacted. It was odd to see, considering members of our own coven avoided each other if they weren’t part of the same Cast.

We arrived at a large building near an entrance marked Walk-In Clinic. We left Leslie outside, then entered and spoke to the receptionist. She asked us to sit and wait, but it wasn’t long before a woman came to get me. She was accompanied by a hamster-like creature with purple eyes and white tufts of fur on its ears. The woman had to be an Elementai, and this was her Familiar.

I was surprised by how short the wait was. It struck me how similar it felt to the first time I’d visited Dr. Yonker in Octavia Falls. When I first came to the coven, my quality of health care was better than I could’ve ever hoped for. That had quickly declined once the priestesses started shoving their bullshit policies where they didn’t belong. Dr. Yonker had really cared about me, and Dr. Mack had cared deeply for Lucas, but once the priestesses decided we didn’t deserve care, it didn’t matter. In the midst of it all, I hadn’t realized how quickly things had shifted, because I was used to being discriminated against when it came to my health. Now looking back, I was more appalled than ever.

Lucas stayed in the waiting room while I followed the woman into a long hall.

“This must be your first time in Hok’evale,” she said kindly.

“Did I make it that obvious?” I joked.

“First-time visitors are sort of my thing.” She gestured me into an exam room, then shut the door behind us. “Let me start by saying welcome to Hok’evale, Nadine. I’m Dr. Metzi, and I’m a specialist who meets with patients their first time at the clinic. As you know, Hok’evale is full of refugees, so it can be difficult to obtain their medical records without alerting the society they’re fleeing from. That’s where I come in. Using my healing magic, I can assess your medical history as well as diagnose certain things we may not see through traditional tests. I’ll also work with you to develop a treatment plan.”

“Healing magic? So you’re Anichi?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m a member of the Spirit House. Spirit magic can be used in many ways, but one of greatest strengths is healing.”

“Can you use magic to treat me?” I wondered. I’d asked Dr. Yonker the same thing when I first met him, but he’d told me that witches didn’t have powerful healing magic like other supernatural races. Our Alchemists could brew potent medications, but they couldn’t heal in an instant.

“Treatment through healing magic is possible,” Dr. Metzi told me. “But our healing magic is limited by your body’s own capabilities. My magic works by speeding up the healing process, rather than replacing it. Something like cuts and broken bones could heal very quickly, but my magic is already sensing that you’ve come for something much more complex. I can administer a healing treatment today that should help you feel better for a while, but again, it’s going to be limited by your body’s own capacity.”

“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked, trying not to give anything away. This whole idea of healing magic had me intrigued.

She reached out a hand. “May I?”

I placed my hand in hers, and her hands began to glow a bright white. I felt warm magic enter my body, and I found it incredibly soothing.

Dr. Metzi closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she explored my body with her magic. Something told me I was a bit more complicated than her typical cases.

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