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“Oh,” Ronnie said with a slow nod of her head, “right. Did you get the bark?”
Dewey thrust it into the air. “We did. And now, while Paige peruses your new lead, I will be whipping up a concoction to cure her.”
He flitted to the kitchen and tugged a tiny apron from a drawer, tossed it around his neck, and secured the strap behind his back.
“You found a cure?”
“More or less,” Dewey said, rattling bowls around.
“Dewey created his own formulation after studying a few different sources.”
“What’s the likelihood this works?” Ronnie questioned as she handed the folder off to Paige.
Dewey let a bowl clatter to the counter and offered Ronnie a glaring look.
She held her hands up, cocking her head. “Just asking if this was foolproof or an experiment.”
Dewey resumed his work, tugging a mortar and pestle from a high spot within a cupboard. “It is a foolproof experiment. The wound is infected with parasitic vampire worms. That’s the reason it doesn’t heal. This concoction should kill them on contact and, when taken orally, eradicate the infection throughout her body.”
Ronnie wiggled her eyebrows and grinned at them. “Excellent work, Dewey. Will you write this up?”
“Definitely. I plan to publish it in a few journals.”
She pumped a fist close to her chest. “That’s what we like to hear. You two are going to put Shadow Harbor Library on the map.”
“Move over, Grand Archive,” Dewey exclaimed as he tossed the bark into the mortar and began grinding it. “Shadow Harbor is going to be the new go-to.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, let me know. Paige, once you’ve reviewed this, if you need travel approvals, just shoot me a text.”
Paige waved the folder in the air. “I will as soon as I’ve got a travel plan.” She glanced down at her dress, wrinkling her nose. “And change.”
Ronnie chuckled, giving them a wave as she headed for the door.
“Okay, I’m going to get out of this dress and take a look at this. My brain feels scrambled after that trip through fairy-tale land. I need to refocus.”
“Need scissors?”
Paige winced, sweeping a hand over the fabric. “Or a knife.”
Dewey rooted around in his junk drawer before producing a pair of utility scissors. “These babies will cut through anything.”
“Thanks,” Paige said as she accepted them and disappeared into the bedroom. Dickens crawled from under Dewey’s nest.
“I’ve done it this time, Dicky. I was nearly beheaded for refusing to marry a prince. No time for drama, though, I need to rush off again. Don’t worry, I’ll have Ronnie feed you.”
After hacking away at the dress, she managed to tug it off her body and replace it with leggings and a hoodie.
She stalked back into the living space and flopped into her armchair.
Dewey whisked something purple in a bowl. “Topical’s almost ready. Then I’ll work on the oral.”
“Sounds good,” Paige said, flicking open the folder Ronnie provided her and tugging her notes onto her lap.
After a quick refresher on her previous research, she scanned the new printouts from Ronnie. Several references from SupNet discussed crystals. Another handful from the same account posted pictures in Egypt.
Paige glanced back at her notes, tapping a finger on the circle she’d made around that country. Could the wand and the crystal be in the same place?
She crinkled her brow as she stared at her notes. The pixies were also in Bulgaria, another prime location for the wand. Which should she go to first?
