“Witches, Epiprocta,” I say, entering her clinic.

“Hello Lavan. Loaf is alright, the ichor didn’t do anything to her.” She picks up Loaf to let her know I’m here, then places her on the floor so she can run over to me. “Anyway, what are you talking about?”

“Ichor trail, the ichor trail,” I say, scratching Loaf behind the ears. “I don’t want to be too anxious about it, but… witches. Could be witches. It’s really strange because–”

“Stop.” Epi smiles at me, a bit icy. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. Because you’re basically talking to yourself.” Oh no she’s right. “It seems very interesting, but start from the beginning please.”

“Okay, sorry.”

So I start from the beginning and tell her all about it. The Periwinkle god. The fact that a normal person couldn’t have injured them so directly. The things Camellia mentioned. Loaf escapes onto the floor to clean her fur.

“How far does the trail go beyond your house, anyway?” she asks at the end.

“Uh. I have no clue. Far enough that the others in the Guild have seen it.”

“I see.” Her head seems to be elsewhere for a moment. “So they’re strong enough for it now…”

“Who’s strong enough for what now?”

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“Don’t even worry about it.”

“I think I will, actually.”

She frowns. “I can’t tell you much about that, Lavan. Worry about your cat for now.”

“What does she have to do with it?”

“The obvious.”

“And can you tell me the obvious?”

“Well, it’s… it’s obvious.”

“Is it? Is it really?”

“Well, that cat is a god sprout which isn’t connected to a god!” She flails her hand around a bit. “This cat materializes and within barely two weeks, a bunch of… ‘witches’ get the power to hurt a deity?”

“So the cat is…?”

“Probably just a side effect of whatever led to that.”

“And do you know what led to it?”

“Yes.”

“Will you tell me more?”

“No.”

“Later?”

“You should go home.”

“Would it maybe be possible if some circumstances change?”

“Can I tell the future? No. So I don’t know if I’ll be able to. Go home.”

She picks up Loaf, hands her over to me, and opens the door in the most polite way she can manage.

So fine, I leave.

I want to head straight to bed and sleep for 15 hours or so. Down a can of melatonin, get deep, dreamless sleep.

Instead, I start trying to look for Camellia, bag slung onto my shoulder and Ms Loaf in my arms.