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She could only assume it was a girl.

Then again, she still wasn’t quite sure and still didn’t know what species it was. She’d already looked at the books on her shelf that detailed different animals, and none of the illustrations matched the strange little lizard.

It paused its eating to stare at her through the corner of its eye. Then, very slowly, almost with exaggeration, it continued to pick the fish clean around bone.

When it wasn’t looking, she picked up its tail - which almost gained her another scar from its bite.

Then she remembered her hand. She started lathering that same ointment she’d put on the lizard onto her wound. It wouldn’t work as well without the sun, but she’d managed to heal plenty of people without it.

Amalia crinkled her nose.

“You do not have a disease, do you? Last thing I want is to get sick because of some lizard.” Then she gave a burst of laughter. “Would that not just be ironic? A Witch dying by a sickness.”

It saw no humour in what she said.

“You are not laughing only because you cannot understand me. I assure you, I am quite hilarious.”

And then it started. The pesky, annoying wailing that she could never, ever, ignore – even if she wanted to. Rushing to the door, she shoved it open and Bala sauntered in.

“Yes, your highness. Your bed awaits you.”

He didn’t often come to sleep in her home, but she always allowed him in when he wanted to. Actually, she found he’d been here more over the last two days than he ever usually was. Sometimes she wouldn’t see him for days.

She walked back over to the creature who continued to watch her.

“Sorry Lady Lizard, but you are going to have to go back into the birdcage.”

It started squirming in her hands. When she tried to put it inside, it held onto the sides of the cage door for dear life, refusing to go in. There were a few moments of struggle where she pushed its back to get it inside, and it pushed away from the cage.

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. She stood stuck, laughing while pushing its arse while its hands and feet had a death grip on the cage as it pushed back.

“I think this is the most fun I have had taking care of an animal, but I do not particularly want to wake up to a bloody massacre because you have become cat food. Now, in you go.”

She shoved it hard, forcing it in and immediately closed the door. Quickly locking it, the creature swiped through the bars with its front claws at her in obvious displeasure.

“Come, Bala. I will make us both something to eat and then we will go to bed.”

She knew the feral cat wouldn’t be able to get to the birdcage while she slept.

Chapter 3

It had been well into the next day when banging at the door brought Amalia out of a trance as she sat the dining table watching the brooding little lizard.

It wasn’t happy with her again because she’d bathed it to remove the previous day’s medicine so she could reapply it. It definitely hadn’t appreciated it when she lifted its tail and rubbed its bottom from behind.

“You are just as bad as Bala!” she’d yelled when it scratched and bit her.

With the way it was reacting, someone would think she was trying to drown the thing.

Once it was calm, but obviously seething, she’d forced it to drink more tea and she put more ointment on its wounds.

Then they lazily sat in the sun together.

She was a little concerned that the medicine she’d given it the previous day had done absolutelynothingto start mending it. Its wings were in the exact same state they’d been in the day before, and even its scratches weren’t healing.

It was odd. With the humans, she couldn’t explain why their bones or bodies suddenly mended without being accused of being a Witch, so she diluted the remedies she provided. But with animals, she could heal them as fast as she wanted with stronger ointments. Even though she knew the bones might take time, the scratches, at least, should have been gone by now.

At the knocking, Amalia gave no warning and quickly wrapped the strange lizard up in the towel before tossing it into the birdcage so the humans couldn’t see it. If they found she was harbouring such a strange creature, they might steal it and do unthinkable things.