Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As much as Amity wanted to be a normal girl, she’d long come to grips that it was an impossibility. Not as long as she was a Blight, at least.

Amity came from a wealthy family, born the youngest in a long line of entrepreneurs who helped change the face of industry forever. Her family line found its way to fame and fortune all the way back at the start of the industrial revolution, when Alastair Blight, her great, great… however many more ‘greats’ Grandfather made his start. He invented and patented a steam powered conveyor belt that increased productivity tenfold, helping modernize the factories into what they were to this day.

Blight Industries in the present was a powerhouse of modern ingenuity. Mostly making products for home and private security, Amity’s parents had expanded the business to cover all matters of fields and specialities. You could hardly find a child who didn’t own some form of toy or gadget that had come from her parents' factories, or an adult who didn’t own one of their cars. Even Amity’s cell phone had been developed with her parents' tech.

As the Company Motto went, “If it’s Blight, it’s Right!”

Of course, with all this wealth came a lot of fame, and celebrity-like status. Which was why, when Amity was six, they had moved out to Gravesfield, Connecticut, an impossibly small New England town. Not to avoid the fame, no, if anything moving out to a small town like Gravesfield helped make her parents even more famous, at least locally. They brought a lot of revenue to the town, so much so they were practically treated like royalty by the mayor. No, the move was to get away from the paparazzi, who were always sticking their noses in the Blight's business.

Amity could hardly remember a time from her early childhood when there wasn’t a camera shoved in her face anytime they were out in public. She had just wanted to be able to go out and do normal kid things, like play at the park, but she’d never got the chance when they lived in the big city. She hadn't had the chance when they moved to Gravesfield either, but that was because Odalia just wasn’t the type of mother to take her children to the park. Not when they had tutors to study under, or trophies to win. Anytime Amity wasn’t studying was meticulously planned out for her by her parents down to the very last detail.

Case in point, as Amity closed her locker, finished packing her things inside her bag at the end of the school day, she was met with the bored expression of Clara Heartfield, resident mean girl, and one of Odalia’s chosen few that Amity was allowed to hang out with. Even her friends were preselected for her. Clara was, after all, the Head Cheerleader of their little school. Bright, popular, “going places” as her mother once put it.

From an outside glance, Amity and Clara could probably be mistaken for sisters. Relatively the same height, prim posture, carefully guarded expressions that masked their thoughts. The same brown hair that had obviously been dyed golden blonde. Clara had naturally tanner skin, a few shades darker than Amity’s own pale complexion, and a pink stripe to cover up her roots, but those were some of the only differences between them.

While they weren’t related in the slightest(and Amity had checked once, being curious), Clara did have one more thing in common with Amity’s actual siblings, Edric and Emira, in that Amity only tolerated their presence because Odalia made her.

“Do you need something, Clara?” Amity asked bluntly, carefully concealing the book she’d taken out by hastily stuffing it in her bag, not breaking eye contact so Clara wouldn’t look away, and see the cover.

“Not much,” the cheerleader shrugged, leaning her back against the cool metal of the lockers behind her. “I hear Jenkin’s is throwing a party this weekend, thought I’d see if you’d like to come?”

Amity raised an eyebrow, swinging her bag over her shoulder, “Jenkins? Isn’t he at the total bottom of the totem pole? Since when do we go to those kinds of parties?”

Clara grinned, “We don’t, but I thought it might be fun to crash it. I know he knows he didn’t have a shot at us coming, but to hear he didn’t even invite us? Now we have to wreck the place.”

Amity rolled her eyes at the cheerleader’s juvenile idea of fun, “That sounds more up Ed and Em’s alley, why don’t you go bother them about this? I have studying to do.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it also made for a convenient excuse to not spend time with the other girl. Clara groaned, banging her fist against the locker, “Ugh, you always have studying to do! Can’t you ditch it just this once? Would it kill you to just have a little fun, Blight?”

Amity glared, her eyes becoming slits, “You’ve met my mother, so you should know the answer to ‘will it kill me’ is a very loud ‘yes.’ Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the library and catch up on some reading.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll drag your brother and sister along to the party instead. I’ll call you and tell you how it went afterwards.” Clara conceded, then sent Amity a little wave, “I’ll see you at the game tomorrow! Gotta cheer our star player on!”

Amity didn’t respond, instead gripping her bag’s strap tightly in her fist as she made her way down the halls of the school. That was another thing her parents controlled. Amity was the star rugby player, a sport that hadn’t even been played at this school until her parents had gotten their fingers all over it. A few meetings and suggestions about bringing some ‘culture’ to this town and the school, and the school board welcomed the idea of using the already strained budget to fund another sports team.

Of course the only reason Odalia had wanted it to be played was because it was the only sport she was a fan of, so if she was going to have to show up and support Amity, it was going to be something she wanted to watch. What Odalia wanted, Odalia got.

Amity… didn’t hate the game. She actually found it a good outlet for all of her pent up aggression that came from dealing with her family and the situations they put her through, but the fact that she didn’t truly have a say in joining the team, or even choosing it over the other sports, grated on her nerves.

The baseball team certainly had cuter uniforms for their girl’s team. Not that Amity cared about that. She absolutely had nothing to say about girls running around in cute uniforms. And she certainly didn’t find the cheer squared more distracting than they were helpful. Even if she did, it’s not like her parents would let her date another girl anyway. They probably already had some guy picked out for her to marry already, and were just waiting to drop that news on her when she turned eighteen.

Knowing her entire future was planned out for her made her think about just leaving it all. More than once she’d entertained the idea, a little fantasy in her head about tying a knapsack full of her belongings and a stolen pile of her family’s cash, and putting it on a stick to carry on her shoulder so she could go out on her own. Being free as the wind. She didn’t entertain the idea for long anytime it popped into her head. With the wealth and power at their fingertips, there was no running from the Blight family. They’d find her eventually.

She trudged her way to the school’s library. The place was small, underfunded, and rarely visited by the rest of the students, especially after school hours. The book selection was limited, so much that even with how small the space was, the shelves they did have were pretty barren. Despite it’s pathetic selection, the lack of visitors made it the perfect place for Amity to hide away from the world, her own small pocket of solitude and privacy. Even the twins didn’t pop in often to bother her unless it was important. She wasn’t sure if that meant they actually cared about her and her feelings, or if they just hated the library that much.

She passed the librarian without a word. Mother didn’t like it when she talked to the help anyway, and by this point it had become a habit even if she didn’t like to think of anyone else as less than her. She made her way into the back of the building and threw her bag onto the back of a chair as she took her seat. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out her book, the one she’d tried so hard to keep a secret from the rest of her classmates, and propped it open, immediately pouring into the world inside.

Azura the Good Witch was a book series that was a bit of a guilty pleasure of hers. Azura was such a free spirit, roaming the countryside in search of friendship and adventure. Nothing was too difficult for her to do, no one was too far gone for her to help. Amity especially connected with Hecate, a once cruel and evil witch who had simply been controlled and manipulated her entire life to be the way she was. Azura had reached out to her, pulled her from the darkness, and while it was a long and hard road, Hecate had earned her redemption by the end of book three.

Amity remembered wishing she had someone to be the Azura to her Hecate for a while after reading that book, then came book four… Amity still couldn’t think about that without a deep blush covering her entire face. She would never have guessed that the friendship the two had would become so much more, and it felt oddly indulgent in how much she enjoyed how their relationship changed in that story.

“Hecate, you lucky, lucky girl,” Amity clicked her tongue, a little jealous of her favorite fictional character for getting to date someone as amazing and magical as Azura.

She flipped through the book and continued where she left off, not many chapters left before the end. She went through the pages of her book, completely absorbed in the story she must have read over a dozen times by now, until finally she closed the cover, finishing it once more with a sense of satisfaction. However, a glance at the clock on the wall drained her of that feeling as she realized she had stayed too late, much too late. Her mother expected her to be home half an hour ago, and Blights were never tardy.

Slipping her book back into her bag, Amity quickly ran out of the library, not minding the librarian once more despite the woman’s attempts to shush her for the noise she was making as she departed. Amity raced to the front of the school, where her bike had been locked up, thanking her own foresight for talking her parents into letting her ride to and from school everyday instead of catching the bus. The excuse of the exercise making her better at rugby had been all she needed to secure another little bit of privacy from the world, instead of being crammed into a noisy school bus, or worse, one of her parents' limos.

She biked the familiar path home, out of the town’s limits, where the roads became hilly. She pushed herself to her limits, knowing she was already going to be punished for her lateness, but it was better to get there sooner than later. Every added minute her mother spent waiting on her was just another harsher punishment. And so she peddled, until her legs felt numb, until finally she could see the mansion on the horizon. Her home.

Amity only stopped long enough to punch in the code for the gate, then slipped inside, praying her mother hadn’t noticed her absence, but knowing it was futile. She alway noticed. She didn’t even bother to properly park her bike, instead throwing it down to the grass and racing on her half numbed legs, running up the lawn and throwing open the door.

“You’re late,” A woman’s voice rang out through the entrance hall, and Amity stiffened. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was her sister, Emira, who had spoken, peeking in from around the corner, a smirk plastered on her face. Beside her was Edric, an equally large grin on his own face that looked so punchable.

Amity bit back her annoyance upon seeing them as her brother spoke, “where have you been, Mittens? You’re usually right on time.” He said, eyes full of mischief, twinkling like a cat who had a mouse trapped.

Amity grit her teeth, willing herself not to get so angry she forgot to breathe. They didn’t need her passing out in the hall. Again. “That’s none of your business. Now, was my absence noticed?”

The twins exchanged a glance, their grins falling ever so slightly, “She’s in the kitchen, waiting for you.” Emira answered, shifting a little on her feet, but it was all she would allow herself to show that she was uncomfortable with the topic of their mother.

“She’s… not happy, Amity.” Ed warned, and the youngest Blight’s breath caught in her throat at the use of her proper name. Something was wrong. They knew she hated their dumb nickname, and used it at every opportunity.

“Your report card came in.” Emira spoke carefully, watching her sister with an aura of worry that was unusual for her.

“M-my report card?” Amity gulped. How had she forgotten? She’d been dreading it all week, but her time in the library had let the fact slip that her grades would be coming in. She always worked hard, an A+ in every subject, but the wait up to her grades coming in never left despite that. Not with how demanding Odalia was of her. One slip up was all it took for her mother to look for another excuse to remove a little joy and freedom from her life.

Amity couldn’t dally, she couldn’t just stand here. Her mother was already upset about something in her report card, and she had been late on top of it. Without another word, she pushed past the twins, who offered no resistance. She thought for the briefest moment she felt one of their hands graze her shoulder, but they’d never been supportive before, why would they want to start now?

She did what she did best and ignored them, instead focusing on where she needed to be. The path to the kitchen was complex. Her parents spared no expense when it came to their home, having a dozen bathrooms, a swimming pool, an indoor tennis court(that no one even used, because no one in the family played tennis), and a variety of rooms that Amity didn’t even know the use of. She had to walk past all of them to reach the kitchen towards the back of the house, something her mother likely had in mind. The kitchen was for the help, not a usual place to meet, but it was far enough towards the back of the house that it made for a long, intimidating walk.

Her mother must have chosen it because it was the best room to make her sweaty and anxious just getting to it.

Amity had been so busy, counting the doors she passed on her way there, that she almost didn’t stop in time to keep from ramming head first into the kitchen door. The solid wall of wood reached to the high ceilings, only serving to accentuate her feelings of being small and vulnerable. She raised a fist, intending to knock, to announce her presence, but stopped before knuckles could rap against wood. This was the kitchen, not her mother’s office. It would be fine to just walk in. It’d be ridiculous to knock.

Biting her lip, the young girl gathered her courage, pushing against the door and entering the spotless kitchen that she’d never seen anyone but a member of the kitchen staff cook in. She spotted her mother instantly, the only person in the room, digging through the fridge in search of something. A nice breeze flowed through the open window, the only sounds beside her mother’s searching being the occasional tweet and birdsong from the garden in the backyard.

Hearing the door behind her open, Odalia Blight turned to face Amity, an unimpressed look on her face. “You are late.”

Odalia Blight wasn’t a tall woman. Taller than Amity, but not by much. But she carried an aura of judgment and held herself in a way that made those much taller than her feel small in comparison. Decked out in high heels at all times of the day, including in her own home, she also wore a simple pantsuit in an off white color, an outfit that was probably worth more than all the appliances in the kitchen combined despite it’s plain appearance. Odalia didn’t do extravagance through appearance and jewelry, she did it through the brand, wearing outfits only the best designers created, nothing store bought, all tailor made. Her head was topped with golden blonde hair, a staple of the Blight family that the twins inherited, and Amity had not.

Amity swallowed, and opened her mouth, “I’m sorry, Mother, I was-“

“A Blight doesn’t make excuses. You were late. And a Blight is never late, do you understand?” Odalia interrupted sharply, cutting her daughter off. Amity meekly closed her mouth, and lowered her gaze, unable to meet her mother’s eyes if she couldn’t at least meet her expectations.

Odalia set whatever she had pulled from the fridge aside on the countertop. A plate covered in foil. She passed it up for now, instead focusing on her daughter. “Rather than give excuses or apologies, I expect better from you in the future. We will talk about punishment later, we have more important things to discuss.”

Reaching into her back pocket, Odalia pulled out a folded piece of paper, which Amity understood to be her grades. Unfolding it slowly, Odalia placed it on the counter, turned it around so it was facing Amity, and slid it across to the other side. Amity took a few steps towards the counter, careful not to let her legs shake in the process, and took a look at the damage.

She gazed at the paper, seeing a plethora of A+’s. As she went down the list, she paused, and had to start again from the top, missing where she’d gone wrong. She paused as she was about to pass her math grade, spotting a solitarily ‘A’ among the various plus signs.

Amity glanced at her mother, who had her arms folded, waiting to hear what Amity had to say. Except that Amity had no idea what to say. This was what had upset her mother so much? That she had straight A’s in every class, but missed just enough to not get an A+ in math?

Amity remembered when Clara had been talking about her own grades last semester, and her mother had been ecstatic that she’s got mostly B’s with a few A’s and only a C or two. But Odalia wasn’t like other mothers. She demanded perfection, in a way Amity wasn’t sure how to deliver. She spent almost all her free time studying already.

“Well?” Odalia asked impatiently, looking at Amity as if she were a child who had scribbled on the walls with crayon.

“I- I did my best, mother, I’m not sure what else I could have done-“ Amity began, already knowing that wasn’t what her mother wanted to hear.

“What I want you to do, is better.” Odalia stated, her jaw tightening. “You need to study harder, and rectify these mistakes.”

“I already spend all of my time working on my grades. Do you want me to give up rugby? Anytime I’m not studying, I’m busy with being the team captain.” Amity tried to defend herself by attacking another one of her mother’s decisions, but Odalia was having none of that.

“No, you have free time in your schedule. You came home late, and I know precisely why. Give it over.” Odalia held out her hand, and Amity’s blood turned to ice.

“W-what?” Amity belted out, trying to bluff her way out of this. “I don’t know what you mean?”

“The book in your bag, Amity.” Odalia spoke in no uncertain terms, and Amity wondered about it. “I know you were in the library, reading drivel when you could have been studying. Get it out. Now.”

Amity, trying to keep her heart from breaking, stared back in defiance, an act she’d never performed before, only to crumple immediately under her mother’s gaze. With shaking hands, she took the bag off of her back, opening it and pulling her favorite book in the Azura series out for her mother to see.

Odalia spared it a glance, then pointed to the trash can in the corner. “I’ve let you indulge in your little fantasies for too long, Mittens. It’s time to face reality. Now, get rid of that… thing, and-“

Amity fought back tears as her last bit of freedom was being torn from her, “but Mothe-“

“Do not ‘but,’ me, Amity.” Odalia warned, pointing once more to the trash. “That book is making you an outlier in the family. Get. Rid. Of. It.”

Amity stumbled towards the trash, holding her book tightly in her grip. Her one escape, her break from the harsh reality and expectations placed upon her shoulders, and she was going to have to get rid of it. Knowing her mother, her other Azura books had already been disposed of before she’d even got home, her privacy disregarded by servants sent to raid her room for them.

This was all she had left, if she was correct.

She stared at the cover, brushing a finger over the illustrations on the hardback. She refused to cry, refused to showany weakness that wouldn’t help her in the slightest, and only make her punishment worse. It was taking all she had to keep it at bay, however, as she let loose her grip, and the book fell into the trash. Amity stood, defeated, as the sound of her mother’s heels clacked against the tile floor, and a hand settled on her shoulder in something that almost resembled comfort.

“There, there, Mittens. I know this may be hard, but one day, you’ll thank me.” Odalia’s voice purred in her ear. Amity just closed her eyes tight, and did her best to ignore her mother’s presence. The older woman’s grip soon left her shoulder, the clacking returning as she wandered back toward the counter, to the plate she’d nearly abandoned.

“I’ll talk with your father, and set up something with your principal tomorrow. We’ll get you some extra credit activities to boost that grade up to match the others.” She tore off the foil, revealing leftover pieces of chicken from the previous night, which Odalia tore into.

Amity didn’t say anything, prompting Odalia to continue, “oh, and make sure your bike is put away, under lock and key. You won’t be using it for a while. I’ll put in a call to… Paul, and he’ll take you back and forth to school from now on. That will give you more time to catch up on your studies.”

His name was Kevin, but Amity didn’t expect her mother to remember their driver's name. He was just hired help, and beneath them, after all. She didn’t have it in her to correct her, though, her emotions still reeling. She couldn’t even find it in herself to talk back.

Odalia took another bite, then put the foil back over the plate, setting it back inside the fridge. She turned to Amity, and said with a playful laugh “oh, just look at what you’re doing to me, Mittens. I’m stress eating over your grades. You know what that does to my figure, it goes straight to my hips.”

Amity nodded absently as her mother, with a smile, but without another word, turned and left, leaving Amity alone. Odalia was gone a whole three seconds before Amity turned back around, ready to dive into the trash can to save her book. She tore through food covered wrappers and paper, looking for it, but not finding it, “It’s got to be in here someplace! I can save it, and put it someplace safe, where no one can ever find it, ever.”

She frantically pulled piece after piece of trash from the bin, tossing it onto the floor, before losing her balance and falling, knocking herself and the can of trash to the ground. The trash spilled out, but no matter how hard Amity looked, she didn’t see it in there. She wondered briefly if her mother had somehow managed to take it, steal it away, but she hadn’t come near enough, and Amity would have seen it and-

“Hoot!”

Amity stopped mid-panic attack, and stared at the source of the sound. There, in the open window, was a tiny owl. Beside it was a bag, filled to the brim with objects Amity couldn’t place. Except one. Peeking out from the brim of the bag was her Azura book, which caused Amity’s eyes to widen.

The girl and the bird stared each other down for a moment, neither making a move. Then, as if realizing it had been caught in the act of theft, the owl took off, too heavy to fly but light enough to run, beak full of cloth bag. It leapt from the windowsill and down to the ground outside, and just as it acted, so did Amity, leaping to her feet and chasing after, disregarding the pieces of trash that still clung to her.

She flung open the back door, stepping outside and into her mother’s garden. Well, it was a garden her mother liked to show off, but she didn’t lift a finger to take care of it herself, but Amity was too busy to think of such things. Instead, she glanced around, desperately looking around for the small brown owl that had stolen her things. She could see it, hopping across the grass at speeds she didn’t think possible for something so weighed down, and gave chase.

“Get back here, you feathered menace!” She growled through clenched teeth. Her time on the rugby team had helped her speed and stamina, the little owl only barely keeping out of her reach as she chased it off into the woods behind her home. The back gate barred the way, which the owl took advantage of, fitting between the bars and taking the bag with it. Amity, so focused on the pursuit, threw herself at the gate, climbing it with the ease only an athlete like herself could do.

Once Amity was back on the ground, the owl zigged and zagged, artfully dodging Amity’s every attempt to free it of the burden of her belongings. They traveled deep into the woods, far enough that Amity’s house was nothing more than a small dot on the horizon. There were moments when the owl was right in her grasp, only for Amity to trip on a convenient tree root, which just angered her more.

Red in the face with anger after a few falls, she was so focused on the little creature, she failed to notice when they stumbled deeper into the trees, and into a small wooden shack, where she promptly disappeared from this world in a flash of light.

Chapter Text

“Get back here, you stupidly cute criminal!” The teenager grunted, lunging for the owl that had stolen her things one last time, only to miss and land on the floor in a huff. The owl didn’t even look back as it moved through a tent flap, which… hadn’t been there a moment before.

The anger and frustration that had clouded Amity’s mind during the chase began to fade as she took in her surroundings. This wasn’t the woods. This was a tent. One filled with a variety of old junk, and even a few things that were disturbingly thrown together to look like new junk that looked like it belonged in a haunted house. Amity had a vague recollection of seeing a house, some run down old shack, and going inside of it when angrily chasing the bird, but it certainly hadn’t looked like this a moment ago.

“Finally! You’re back!” A voice on the other side of the flap made Amity flinch, a brief moment of panic settling in her stomach as she picked herself up off the floor. She shouldn’t be here, this was trespassing, and if she was caught, her mother was going to kill her even more than she would when she got back and discovered the mess Amity made in the kitchen.

Still, she needed that book. She wasn’t giving up so quickly, not after coming all this way. Carefully, she opened the tent flap, just a bit, and cast her eyes out to see who had spoken, her jaw dropping at what she saw.

A vast, busy market filled with a variety of creatures she couldn’t even begin to comprehend filled her field of view. The sights, the sounds, the smell. It was like the cosplay conventions she’d always heard about, but never had the courage to convince her parents to let her attend. As fantastical as it seemed, she shook her head and cleared her thoughts, this was obviously some kind of weird demon themed Renn Faire. Fantasy stuff didn’t exist in real life, after all. This was all just a major set of really strange coincidences.

Amity held back a gag, hoping that it had at least been clean, when the next item the woman pulled out was the very thing Amity had come for, her Azura book. The woman held it aloft, glancing at the cover with a quirked brow, then flipped through the pages, inspecting it for damage. Lastly, she put it to her face, and took a whiff, then held it out at arms length, “Bleh. Well, it looks oddly familiar, but it certainly doesn’t smell that way.”

With a shrug, the woman tucked it under her arm instead of placing it on the table in front of her, whistling a little tune as she bent over to inspect what else may be in the bag. Seizing her opportunity, Amity reached out of the tent, snagging the book from the lady.

“Sorry, not sorry, but this is mine!” Amity squeaked, then turned around to bolt. She only had a fraction of a second to realize there was a door suspended in the middle of the tent that she must have come through, before it folded in on itself and vanished, leaving her no place to run. Turning back, she met the otherworldly golden eyes of a wraith filled scavenger lady, who looked about ready to snap.

“You’re not going anywhere.” The lady said sternly, a key in her hand with an eye that matched the one that had been on the door. Amity quickly threw out that this was a renn faire at all out of her mind, realizing that she’d actually found some kind of fantasy world, and that she was trapped. Before she could put together a plan to rob the lady of her keys, her mind too preoccupied with not fainting to get the heck out of wherever she was, the key was pocketed in the woman’s hair of all places, and Amity was filled with panic.

Running to the back end of the tent, she pulled up the flap and bolted, heading out the back end in such a rush she nearly fell off a cliff the tent was settled nearby. As she regained her balance, Amity gazed upon the view before her, eyes wide in a mixture of horror and wonder at the vast cityscape, larger than all of Gravesfield and bustling with an army’s worth of demons of various shapes and sizes. “Oh, God. I’m in Hell, aren’t I?!”

A cold hand clamped down on her shoulder, forcefully turning her around to glare down at her. “Oh, you wish, girly. You wish.”

The next thing Amity knew, she’d been dragged out in front of the tent(a market stall, now that she could see it from the front) and shoved down into a stool. “I just wanted my book back!” She growled, trying her age-old coping technique of covering the weaker emotions she felt like fear with aggression.

The grey hairedlady narrowed her eyes down at her, making Amity shrink under her gaze, instinctively pulling her legs in closer to her body. “Look, I know you’re not going to kill me, if you were, you’d have done so already!” Amity stammered out, eyes glancing around, looking for a way out of this and seeing none.

“Kill you? Why would I kill…” The lady stepped back and spread her arms out, “A potential customer!”

Amity could only watch as the woman tried to peddle her wares to her, each item’s description more inaccurate than the last, as Amity realized this was just some kind of vendor who pulled one over the other inhuman schmucks by convincing them human garbage was treasure.

The more she heard of this sales pitch, the more she wished this woman had just killed her.

It became quickly apparent that despite looking far less bizarre than the people and monsters around her, that this woman was not at all human. The eyes so gold they practically glowed? The living owl on her staff? The complete disconnect from the everyday objects she was selling, as if she had no clue what they were or their purpose? This woman was clearly some kind of demon like everyone else, and as such was not to be trusted.

Amity suddenly had a small portable television shoved in her face, the older woman declaring it a “box that could only reflect sadness.” Amity stared at her reflection, at her expression, and realized the woman wasn’t entirely wrong on that front. Shoving the thing out of her face, Amity breathed out, calming herself, “Look, I just want my book back. If I buy something, will you let me go?”

The pale woman grinned, rubbing her hands together, “Depends on how much you’re willing to pay. I’ve never had a captive customer before, that’s got to include a markup, right?”

Amity frowned, and reached into her pocket, grabbing a handful of bills she kept for emergencies. To any other high schooler, this amount would have been staggering, but this was pocket change to a Blight. “I’ve got four hundred, is that enough?”

With glee, the woman snatched the cash out of Amity’s hands, excitedly counting it, at least until she noticed it was the wrong color, with the wrong people on it. “Wait a minute, these aren’t snails.”

Amity’s brow furrowed, wondering if that was the currency in whatever place this was, but quickly set that thought aside. “I fail to see how that’s my problem. You wanted me to pay for a human item, and I just paid in human money. I expect my book back, and our deal to be honored.”

What Amity got in response was a wad of cash to the face, with her stuffing what she could back into her pockets. “What’s your name, kid?” The woman asked her, bending over so they were eye level and tone dangerous.

“Amity. Amity Blight.” For once in her life, Amity hoped the name meant something, carried any kind of weight, but she saw no recognition in the older woman’s eyes.

“Well, Blight, I’m Eda. Eda The Owl Lady.” A hush that fell around the market as the newly revealed Eda spoke in a raised tone. Amity could feel at least a dozen pairs of eyes on them. “And I don’t take my deals lightly. You do not want to try and cheat Eda the Owl Lady.”

She turned to prostrate to the crowd, “I’m the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles! I am respected, feared-“

“Busted!” A deep voice interrupted Eda, slamming a fist down upon the television she’d been trying to pawn off to Amity and breaking it to pieces. The crowd watching took off in a panic as the newcomer took out a wanted poster and held it aloft, “Eda the Owl Lady! You are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors!”

Amity, taking what shelter she could manage from the side of the table, side eyed Eda, “Why am I not surprised by this revelation?”

The guard, as he could only be a guard, went on about taking Eda to someplace called a Conformitorium, which Eda outright refused, until Amity was accused of fraternizing with criminals and about to be hauled off herself. Before Amity knew it, Eda had submitted to the guard’s arrest, only to pull a predictable stunt and attack the man, then grabbing Amity by the wrist and tugging her along, her staff over her shoulder and the knapsack of stolen goods hanging off of it.

“Owl Lady, if we don’t get out of this alive, I’m going to kill you!” Amity hissed between her teeth as she did her best to keep up with the taller woman, who was still dragging her along, Amity hardly keeping up with Eda’s longer strides.

Eda just laughed, “You’re feisty for a human, aren’t you? But don’t worry, we’ll get out of this alive. You’re not much use to me if you’re dead!” Before Amity could question what she’d meant by that ominous phrasing, she felt herself being pulled up into the air, flying on the crazy witch’s staff like she’d always seen them do with brooms in cartoons.

As they flew over the odd, bewitching landscape known as the Boiling Isles, Eda filled Amity in on what the Demon Realm was. A place full of magic, where every myth the human world had was just a bit of Eda’s world leaking over to Amity’s. Somewhere along the way the bandana the woman was wearing came off from the rushing wind, exposing long, pointed ears. Amity had understood this woman wasn’t human already, but still couldn’t help but stare a little.

As cool as flying through the air was, Amity was getting antsy. Every moment she was away from home was another moment for her mother to find out what she’d done. She’d left the kitchen a mess, there was no way the kitchen staff wouldn’t complain about it when they started making dinner for the family, and then Odalia would know she’d taken the book back. The anxiety was beginning to eat at her until finally they landed, only to be exacerbated by the fact that Eda left Amity on her staff with her severed hand still gripping the handle.

“Okay, I’m done. Send me home now, please.” Amity moaned, biting back the urge to gag as Eda took her hand back and fused it to her wrist once more.

Eda grinned and flicked Amity’s forehead with one of her long fingers from her bony hand, “Sure, but only after you help me first.”

The witch erupted into laughter as Amity’s grimace deepened, levitating her things beside her and gesturing for Amity to follow, “Come with me, human.”

Amity’s eyes followed the path the witch was taking, and realized they were near a house. A cottage that looked like it had jumped right out of the pages of one of Amity’s fantasy novels, right down to being alongside the edge of a cliff near an ocean filled with water that was colored unlike any Amity had ever seen. Behind the small building was a stone tower, looking older and more ancient than the house did, and Amity briefly wondered who exactly left that behind, and the mythic history it held. If it belonged to the witch, surely it contained a multitude of secrets, and had seen many magical ceremonies.

Amity clutched her book tightly to her chest, and bounded after Eda towards the house, pushing the cool tower out of her mind. The Owl Lady couldn’t be stupid enough to live here, right? When she clearly had a bounty on her head and guards chasing after her? “Is this place even safe for us to hide out in?”

“Don’t worry about the guards,” Eda winked, “my house has a state of the art defense system!”

As soon as the words left her lips, the thing Amity had assumed to be an owl shaped knocker on the door’s eyes opened up, and it spoke. “Hoot hoot, password please!”

Amity clamped her hands over her ears and grimaced at the annoying voice that came from the things mouth, but Eda shut it up quickly by poking it’s eyes with her fingers. “We’ve got no time for this, Hooty, let us in.”

“Alright, alright, geez!” Hooty complained, glaring at the two, “You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!”

Then he opened his maw, and Amity gagged for the second time in less than five minutes as she was more or less dragged inside by the arm. Standing inside, Eda, with the same dramatic flair she seemed to really like speaking with, declared, “Welcome to the Owl House!”

With a snap of her fingers, the place came alive. Flames burst in the fireplace, which was unnecessary if you asked Amity. It was already summer and these Boiling Isles were hot and humid to begin with. A broom started sweeping up the cobwebs in the corner,, cauldrons stirred their contents, and a grand mural on the ceiling lit up, illuminating the entire room.

“This is where I hide away from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Also ex girlfriends.” Eda snorted, finding her own joke hilarious, though Amity could tell she was only partially joking.

Amity took a look around, stepping into the room properly. “This place is… something else.” She breathed out.

It was a dump. A dirty, dusty, junk filled dump, but Amity knew better than to disrespect a witch in her own dwellings. Still, despite the place not exactly being the most sanitary place Amity had been in, it did have an overwhelming aura of magic and mystery to it, that she couldn’t help but feel awed all the same. “So, is it just you and your… door living here?”

“Actually, I do have another roommate.” Eda corrected, crossing her arms as a crash sounded throughout the house. Loud, booming sounds came down the hall, and a voice began to bellow.

“Who dares to intrude upon I, the King of all Demons!”

Amity turned to face where the sounds were coming from, and out stepped a small creature, covered in dark fur with a bone covered head. It’s body was wrapped in a towel with duckies on it, with it have a rubber duck in its hands, clearly having just finished bathing. The small demon glared at her, but Amity wasn’t in the least bit threatened.

Instead, Amity felt an overpowered temptation to coo over how adorable this little guy was. She’d never been one for overly cutesy things, like stuffed dolls or the like, that was more Edric’s kind of thing, but there was something indescribably precious about this demon. As he marched up towards her, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and petting his head, barely holding back from scooping the demon up into her arms.

“You are just so cute!” She couldn’t help but slip out, scratching behind one of his horns like he was a dog, and that was his ear.

King tried to slap her hands away, “No! Stop! You should be bowing! Groveling before your betters! Not- Not-!”

He seemed to melt a little as Amity scratched a spot under his chin, one of his legs twitching like a happy little puppy. “Ooh, right there is good… No, wait!” He shoved Amity’s hands away, and back off, fear in his eyes.

“Eda! She’s some kind of powerful sorceress! She incapacitated me effortlessly! Execute her!” He screeched, pointing a clawed finger up at Amity.

Eda chuckled, “She’s not even a witch, King. She’s a human. Amity the human. And she’s here to help us with our… situation.” She said vaguely.

King perked up, and all was forgiven, “Oh, okay!”

Amity, worried about how no one had exactly explained what it was she would be doing, put her foot down, “Listen here, I didn’t agree to anything yet. I’m not doing anything unless you explain what’s going on!”

One explanation later, with Eda more or less blackmailing Amity into doing what she wanted, or else Amity wasn’t going home, and the three were standing outside of a building called the Conformatorium. With little fanfare, Amity and King were sent in through a window up in a tower while Eda went around to distract the warden.

They hadn’t even been inside for more than three seconds when a voice rang out that made Amity jump. She couldn’t possibly have been caught already, right? Turning, fists raised to defend herself if she had to, she was instead greeted by a woman behind bars. “Hey, Human, how did you get out of your cell?”

Amity lowered her fists, feeling a little foolish. It wasn’t like she even knew how to throw a punch anyway. Tackle someone who had a rugby ball? Sure, but she’d never actually been in a fight before. “You got it wrong, I’m not a criminal.”

“Yet!” King corrected jovially, hanging off of her shoulders. He was surprisingly light and clingy, so she didn’t really mind.

“Yet.” She agreed with a sigh. She was kinda in the process of stealing something from this world’s version of the police, after all.

“Well, neither are we.” The woman said. “That stupid warden likes to lock people up who don’t fit in.”

She explained that she wrote fan fiction of food falling in love, which Amity thought was weird. The guy in the cell beside her liked eating his own eyeballs, which Amity thought was disgusting. And the last one, a small demon with a lisp was into conspiracy theories, which Amity wasn’t even going to touch upon.

Despite her internal judgments, Amity couldn’t help but frown. “You guys don’t sound like criminals. You’re just a bunch of weirdos… But if you knew you’d get locked up for being different, then why did you even bother? Why not just be normal?”

Before any of the inmates could reply, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching met her ears. “It’s Warden Wrath! Hide!” The witch in the cell warned.

Amity’s breath caught in her throat at the idea of being caught. Eyes wide, she tried to find someplace, anyplace to run, her body frozen like a deer in the headlights. It was only due to the fast acting of King, who leapt from her shoulder, down to the ground, and dragged her by the hand into a nearby empty cell that saved them. Amity only just managed to pull the bars down and closed when the door slammed opened, and Wrath stepped inside.

“I can hear you.” The masked man spoke, his large form filling the door completely. Amity took him in, throat tight and legs shaking as his every footstep made the floor shudder. He was taller than any man Amity had ever met in her life, with arms as thick as steel cables. His pristine white uniform made his inhuman gray skin stand out, and coming from a land of strange and fantastical creatures, Amity almost mistook his beaked mask to be his actual face. “Just what are you talking about?”

He eyed each of his prisoners silently, and for a moment Amity was worried that he’d fail to recognize her, and would know she didn’t belong. Instead, his gaze moved past her as easily as the rest, who all remained silent and nervous under his obscured eyes.

All except the small, big nosed conspiracy theorist, who shrieked, “Fwight against the oppwessorws! We will wesist, we will conqwuer! We will nevah be afwaid of you, you cweep!”

The Warden bent down to be eye level with the strange creature, seeming unimpressed. After a moment, he opened the cell, earning a jubilant cry from the smaller creature.. “Hooway, I’m fwee!”

Wrath suddenly grabbed the small creature, his hands almost as big as she was. Giving the conspiracy theorist a tight squeeze, the Warden lifted her for all to see. “Let this be a warning to all of you. There is no place in society if you can’t fit in.”

With another squeeze of his mighty hand, the girl in his grip squealed in pain, making Amity wince. Without another word, Wrath stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him, and the room became still and quiet once more. Trying to keep from shaking, Amity quickly reopened the cell she was hidden in, and stepped out, not taking her eyes off the door the Warden had just departed from.

“King…” She spoke softly, making the little demon look up at her. “You know the way to where we gotta go, right?”

King gave her a nod, “of course! This isn’t the first time Eda and I have broken in here, after all.”

“Then lead the way. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.” Amity took a moment to collect herself, and together the two left. Amity was in such a rush to get out, she didn’t even realize she’d left the other prisoners behind. The fan fiction witch sighed sadly as she watched Amity go, but didn’t blame her. A jail break would only get the kid caught, anyhow.

“If it makes him happy, it makes me happy.” Eda smiled, her eyes glancing away from Amity and back to King for just a moment, a little sparkle in them as her friend did a happy dance with his reclaimed Burger Queen crown. “Besides, us weirdos have to stick together, ya know?”

Amity gave a tiny nod and smiled back at Eda. She understood a little bit. From what she understood, King was sorta like Eda’s pet, or her kid, and like any good parent, Eda wanted him to be happy. Getting him that happiness was all she needed at the end of the day.

Amity understood that’s what a good parent should want.

“Well, we owe you one, so let's get out of here before the Warden finds us, and loses his head.” And just like that, Eda lost her own head, it being severed from her shoulders after being struck with a blade and falling into Amity’s arms. Amity would have found it ironic, if she hadn’t been screaming her lungs out.

“Ow! I hate it when that happe-“ Amity kept screaming, Eda’s face scrunching up in pain in the child’s hands. “Hey! Kid! I can’t exactly cover my own ears right now, could you stop screaming for a moment?”

Amity nearly dropped Eda’s head, and for the upteenth time that day almost lost her lunch. This was way more than she signed up for.

“Finally, I have you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady. My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet’s toy you’d come running.” Wrath uttered in his low voice, holding King’s Burger Queen crown in the palm of his hand. With absolutely no effort, he crushed it like the paper it was.

“No! My power!” King fell to his knees in despair, and Amity, despite her overwhelming fear, scowled at the man for making someone so adorable be so sad.

Eda seconded that scowl, glaring up at Wrath, “What do you want from me? I’ve never actually broken any of your stupid laws! … in front of you!”

“I want you…” The Warden growled, then pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, “to go out with me.”

Amity’s jaw dropped. “I was not ready for today…”

Wrath continued, ignoring Amity and encouraged by his guards' cheers, “You’ve always eluded our capture, you’ve always been the one that got away. I found that alluring.”

“I hate everything you’re saying right now.” Amity uttered, Eda’s downturned face silently agreeing with the human girl.

“You stay out of this!” With a thrust of his hand, it turned into a mass of sticky tendrils that scooped Amity up off the ground effortlessly, causing her to drop Eda’s head. The witch clearly objected to this mistreatment, cursing up a storm as her head began to roll, but she too was picked up by the hair with Wrath’s other hand.

Amity was a little too preoccupied with trying to escape to hear the exchange between the two adults, but Eda managed to get the warden to drop them both, and the four of them(Amity, King, Eda, and Eda’s body), scrambled, Amity hopping onto Eda’s staff with the others who then took off down the halls of the conformatorium.

The Warden chased them down the halls, moving at impossible speeds to keep up with the flying staff, screeching and calling for Eda as they moved. The witch flew past the same cells Amity had seen earlier, knowing it was the nearest way out. Just as the exit window was in sight, and Amity was about to cheer at their victory, it was snatched from them as the Warden struck, knocking them all out of the air and into a courtyard below where they landed with a harsh thud.

The three scrambled up, Eda’s body grabbing her head and placing it back on as King groaned in pain from the fall. Reaching into her hair, Eda pulled out a key and handed it over, “Amity, go back to the human world.”

Amity stared at the key, not believing her luck, nor that the Owl Lady was just going to hand it over. She hadn’t seemed the type to give up anything for a stranger. Then again, she also hadn’t seemed the type who’d break into prison to make her friend happy, either. Amity took the key, holding it tight in her palm.

She could leave. She could run away, and never look back. She had her book. She owed them nothing. They were only in danger because they placed themselves there. And yet… “What will you do?”

“Don’t worry about me!” Eda cried, almost seeming surprised at Amity’s concern.

King laughed, “we’ll be fine, you should have seen her last boyfriend!”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Eda reminded, dodging a blow from Wrath, his arms now turned into blades. Taking her staff, she put it under Amity, between her legs, “You’re worry’s touching, kid, but you have to go!”

Before Amity could object again, Eda gave the staff a smack and it took off into the air.

Owlbert tried to carry Amity, though being unused to riding on a staff, her balance was completely off, and the poor girl found herself clinging on for dear life. In an attempt to find solid ground to keep the girl alive, the staff flew back into the prison, through the window they’d fallen out of, allowing Amity to land right back where she’d started her infiltration.

“Oh, hey. You’re back.” A familiar voice greeted her. Turning, Amity saw the same witch she’d spoken to earlier, still in her cage.

Amity, once more ignored them. Instead she palmed the key in her hand, weighing her options. She really could just leave, but her conscience was nagging at her. That she should stay and help. She had no idea how she was going to help though, and Eda had told her to go, so really, shouldn’t she listen?

“Personally, I think you should just go. The warden always wins in the end, anyway.”

Amity turned to the witch, a slight blush on her cheeks. She must have been panicking aloud. “I didn’t ask you!”

The witch held up her hands in surrender, “Okay, okay. No need to yell.”

“I-I just, I can’t leave!” Amity insisted, pacing back and forth in front of the cell.

“Why not? No one would blame you. You didn’t seem to have a problem when you left us earlier.” The witch pointed out, but there was no bite in her words. Only defeat.

Amity flinched. She had. She’d left them there without a thought. Even knowing they didn’t do anything to deserve being jailed, she’d made no attempt to free them from their confines. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.

She’d only mentally derided them. Thought that if they hadn't wanted to be locked up, they’d have just followed the rules. Been normal. That maybe they’d fit in better when everything was said and done.

‘I’ve let you indulge in your little fantasies for too long.’

‘That book is making you an outlier in the family.’

‘One day, you’ll thank me.’

Her mothers words echoed in her head, and she realized in the moment, she’d been no better than Odalia. Even knowing it was wrong for them to have been caged like animals, she’d made excuses in her head to justify why they deserved to be there, and it had sounded exactly like what her mother would have said. She kept instinctively ignoring their existences, because her Mother wouldn’t have allowed her to fraternize with such people.

Gritting her teeth, Amity made her decision. She raced to the lever that opened the cells, and pushed against it, trying to get it to raise, to open the cage and free the prisoners on this cell block. The witch raised an eyebrow as she watched Amity try to lift it. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m setting you guys free!” Amity spoke through clenched teeth. The mechanism was half rusted shut and wasn’t moving, no matter how hard she tried. Wraith must have had a massive amount of strength of he could easily lift it with one hand.

“You should just save yourself the effort.” The woman said, but smiled at Amity’s attempts.

“No!” Amity stopped, then stomped her foot stubbornly. “I refuse! And do you want to know why?”

The witch put her face between the bars, and her companions in their own cells followed suit. The eyeball eater looked genuinely curious, and piped up. “Why?”

“Because you might be a bunch of weirdos, but that’s what makes you special! It’s what makes Eda and King special! At least to me! We might not be able to take the Warden down alone, but maybe we can stop him, if only us weirdos can all stick together!” Amity tried, desperate for their help.

The witch squatted down a little so she was eye level with Amity, and looked at her from between the bars. “And what makes you a weirdo?” She asked softly.

Amity bit her lip, and avoided her eyes. It was stupid. It was silly. It wasn’t anything more than these guys had been jailed for though, so she sucked it up, bringing her eyes back level with the witch. Then, loud and proud, she spoke, “I like- no, I love the Azura the Good Witch series! I love fantasy stories in general! I like girls!”

She swallowed, finally having that out in the open, “A-and maybe that doesn’t mean much, or doesn’t sound weird to you. And it’s not really all that weird in my own world. But it is weird in my family. And I’m tired of hiding it.”

The witch smiled gently at Amity and asked, “What’s your name?”

Amity smiled back, rubbing her arm a little bashfully, and answered “Amity.”

“Katya,” The woman grinned.

“Eyegore!” The eyeball eater added.

“Tinella Nosa!” The conspiracy theorist yelled.

“You’re right, we weirdos have to stick together. So get us out of here, and let's show Wrath what we’re made of!” Katya pumped her fist, and the others cheered.

Amity grinned, then rushed back to the lever, pushing against it with all of her might. As she did so, the prisoners cheered her on, chanting her name. Still, the handle wouldn’t budge. Unwilling to give up, Amity focused and tapped into the raw strength being a rugby player honed into her. She listened to the cheers the inmates gave her, and with one more mighty shove there was a click, and the level lifted, opening all the cells up and releasing her new allies.

“Come on!” Amity cried rushing off in the direction she’d left the Owl Lady, “We have to hurry!”

The group was victorious in their battle against the warden. With overwhelming numbers, they’d managed to send him packing, and the group stayed together as far as the gate of the conformatorium before parting ways.

“I’m going to learn to bake. There are so many more ways to eat my own eyeballs, and I intend to explore them all!” Eyegore chuckled, his voice filled with mirth now that he was free from the prison's walls.

“I’m gowing to start my own newspaper! The world must know the twuth!” Tinella declared, fists raised in the air.

“And I’ve found a taste for rebellion!” Katya cheered, before sobering, looking serious, “I need to find some like minded individuals. And make some pamphlets!”

“You had me at rebellion,” Eda said, throwing an arm around Amity’s shoulder, making the human grin, “but you lost me at pamphlets. We’ll see you guys later. Or maybe never. I’ve got a promise to keep.”

Together, Amity, King and Eda took off into the night, flying through the air on Eda’s staff until they were once more in the clearing in front of Eda’s house. “This was fun, kiddo. I’d say we should do this again sometime, but you seemed pretty eager to get back home…”

Amity looked up at Eda, a look of disbelief on her face. “Wait, really?”

“Well, yeah. I know it’ll make King happy to have the company.” Eda shrugged, downplaying her own enjoyment in having Amity along.

Amity felt a little bashful, and lowered her gaze. Looking back up, she saw there was a full moon, which illuminated the sky, and she realized that it was already night. Dinner must have long been served hours ago at her house. Meaning her mother likely knew what she’d done by now. It was too late to save herself from that.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, sure enough there was a message from her mother there, intentionally unalarming in it’s tone.

Amity frowned, then stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Her mother would be furious when she returned home. If she returned home. The reoccurring fantasy of running away from home, of deciding her own destiny, filled her head once more. Only this time, the thoughts of hiding out in an urban city, or in the countryside were taking on an entirely more fantastical angle. “Hey, I know… I know I made a big deal about going back, and all, but this place hasn’t been so bad. I had a lot of fun too.”

Eda raised a brow, a teasing smile gracing her lips, “Oh really? Did Little Miss Uptight finally learn to let her hair down?”

Amity tried and failed to hide a grimace at that nickname, but at least it was more deserving than ‘Mittens’ was. “What I mean to say is… I’ve got nowhere else to be, and you seem to want me around. And us weirdos have to stick together. So, why don’t I stay?”

Eda scoffed and crossed her arms. Then she realized Amity was being serious. “You’re not kidding, are you? Huh. Why would you even want to stay here? You hated it this afternoon.”

“Well, I have always loved fantasy. I like witches, and magic. I figured maybe you could teach me how to be a witch. And in return, I’ll help you find some real quality human stuff to sell.” Amity offered, trying to tempt the witch with a bargain, knowing Eda couldn’t resist a good deal.

Eda laughed in her face, “As much as I’d like a bunch of human junk, I’m sorry to say, but humans can’t be witches. You can’t learn magic.”

Amity shrugged nonchalantly, but on the inside was hoping her deal wasn’t about to fall through before it could even get off the ground. “Sounds to me like it's a deal in your favor, then. It wouldn’t be your fault if I can’t learn.”

Eda pursed her lips, and seemed to be considering it. “What about your family? I’m assuming you have one of those?”

Amity frowned, and looked away. “I- I don’t have a family.”

It should have been cruel of her to say. It should have made her feel awful. Instead, it felt oddly freeing. Not that she allowed Eda to see that. She needed the woman to believe her, so instead when she looked back up to meet Eda’s eyes, she gave her a small pout, trying to earn sympathy.

Eda put her hands on her hips and screwtinized Amity, carefully looking her over. Whatever she saw, she didn’t say. Amity felt fear gripping her as she wondered what Eda would say next, yes or no, when King clung to the witch’s leg.

“Let her stay! She can help us make snacks!” The Demon begged, earning a snicker from the witch.

“Okay, fine, you can stay. What is it with me and orphans, anyway?” Eda gave in, turning away from the two and marching towards her house.

“What’s that mean?” King asked. “I don’t remember any other orphans!”

Eda grimaced at her slip up, and shot King a backwards glance, “Nothing, my liege, just my mind going in my old age.”

“Understandable!”

Amity could hardly contain her excitement. She didn’t have to go back home. She’d never have to go back home. Goodbye Mom, goodbye Dad, goodbye twins, forever! She’d finally found a place out of their reach. They’d never find her, not in a million years. She was finally free.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket once more, and Amity took it out, seeing one more message from her mother.

Amity barely glanced over the text message before holding down the power until the phone turned off. She wasn’t sure if the tracking would work here, but she wasn’t going to risk it. Racing after King and Eda, she called out while holding her phone aloft, “Hey, I’ve already got a head start on some human junk you can sell!”

Eda turned around, “what is that, some kind of paperweight?”

“Something like that.” Amity gave it a toss, and Eda caught it, examining the phone closely as she opened the door to the Owl House.

The group noticed that, unlike how they left it, the place wasn’t empty. A short figure stood with a bag on their back, glancing around the place. At the sound of the door opening, the person turned around, revealing a girl.

She had a short, messy mop of dark brown hair that framed a light brown face. Her eyes were bright, literally, having golden yellow orbs much like Eda’s. She was dressed casually, in tights, shorts, and a hooded cat-eared T-shirt that while lovingly patched up and a little frayed from use, looked entirely too human in it’s make to have come from the isles, but with her pointy ears there was no doubt she was a witch. Her smile lit up the room as she noticed Eda come in, and she sent over a cheerful wave, “Oh, there you are, Mom!”

Eda blinked, “Luz? Oh, yeah, I do have custody of you today, don’t I? Slipped my mind with the whole jailbreak thing.”

The girl named Luz snorted, “You say that every week!”

King bounded over to the new figure in the room, chanting her name as this Luz person scooped him up inter har arms. She didn’t even seem to mind that Eda had forgotten about her. Amity meanwhile, could only stare at Eda in disbelief, “Wait, you’re a mom?!”

Eda snorted in a manner similar to her daughter, smirking at the human girl, “Oh yeah, bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?”

Stepping through the glowing door and out of the Demon realm, a basilisk lifted a hand to cover her face as the sun's rays beamed down on her. So this was the Human Realm? It was a lot more blue and green than she was used to.

Slithering through the grass and away from the beaten up old shack, Vee allowed herself to smile. To feel hope. She was out of Belos’ reach. He’d never be able to get ahold of her again. She only wished she had the chance to bring more of her siblings with her, but knowing them, they wouldn’t be happy without a source of magic to feed on.

The next question, of course, was what could she do with this newfound freedom? She’d never been able to choose for herself. Not with how careful she’d had to be while on the run. Now? She could go anywhere, do anything.

Vee made her way through the woods, curiously gazing around the terrain as she went. The occasional fruit from a tree littered the ground, and while she at first was reserved about trying it, the bright red orb looked delicious, and the human world was supposed to be a lot tamer. A lot safer. Biting into the flesh, it tasted sweeter than anything she’d ever eaten before.

Eventually, the trees parted, making way for a hard, paved road. Vee, careful as always, hid behind a tree and watched as large, metal beasts rolled past at amazing speeds. Across the street, she could see a small group of people sitting on a bench, next to a sign that said, “Bus Stop.”

She finished eating her fruit as she observed as these humans came and went, climbing into an extremely large specimen of metal beast, which must be a ‘Bus.’ As one group climbed on, another group climbed off, going on their way. Gathering her courage, and wanting to get as far away from the portal as she could, Vee remembered what the human who came through the portal had looked like, and assumed her shape.

Blond hair with brown roots, tied up in a half ponytail. Collared shirt with a sweater vest. A very modest skirt, with fashionable boots. Satisfied with her appearance, Vee carefully made her way across the street, taking a seat at this ‘Bus Stop,’ and waited.

Soon, she found herself smiling again from her seat by the window at the back of the bus, watching as they drove past a sign that said “Now leaving Gravesfield.”

Chapter Text

Amity found herself laying down flat in the darkness, on a pile of lumpy pillows and blankets that more or less formed a sleeping nest, on the floor of a stranger's bedroom.

The idea of Eda being a mother of all things hadn’t really occurred to Amity before. Sure, she had King, but that seemed to be the only other roommate she’d had, and she’d specified he was a roommate. Luz seemed very nice and all, but it still made Amity feel awkward for intruding on what was supposed to be Luz and Eda’s time together.

The young witch, when told Amity would be staying with them for a while, had at least been ecstatic to get a roommate. The two had hardly been introduced before Luz was dragging Amity by the hand all around the house, giving her “the tour,” which mostly consisted of Luz’s bedroom. The place was simple, a bed against the wall, a desk in the opposite corner, a giant, looming window in the shape of an eye against the far wall. Cozy and unique.

That tour was about where the night ended, though, as it was late and everyone except for Luz was utterly beat from the jail raid, especially now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Amity had expected to sleep on the couch, knowing the only other spare room was taken by Luz, but the witch just declared it a sleepover, and insisted Amity spend her first night with her. That was how Amity found herself on Luz’s floor, which considering the condition of the couch, was probably better for her to sleep on anyway. Fewer questionable stains to deal with.

Amity laid in the dark, staring at the ceiling in awkward silence. Other than the occasional rustling of blankets, Luz had been quiet enough that Amity was sure she’d fallen asleep, but to her sudden surprise the room lit up, a ball of light floating above the girl’s bed.

Amity sat up, looking at it in wonder as it floated. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to magic,” She murmured to herself.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to keep you up,” Luz spoke bashfully, blankets thrown over her shoulders like an oversized cape, “I just- I have so many questions! I was going to wait to bombard you with them, since everyone seemed so tired, but my curiosity is killing me and now I can’t sleep.”

Amity shook her head, “No, no, it’s fine! I wasn’t sleeping anyway. New place and all…”

Honestly, it wasn’t so much the place as it was sharing it with a stranger that had kept Amity awake. She hated to be so inherently distrustful of someone, but there was a bit of her that still sounded like her mother, insisting the other girl only offered up her room for the night because she wanted something. Maybe that voice wasn’t wrong, maybe Luz had wanted something, and it was just some harmless information about the person who was, out of nowhere, going to be living with her. It wasn’t exactly unfair for Luz to ask for that.

Luz clapped her hands together excitedly, “Okay, okay, so, I have this friend, named Augustus, and he’s a big human fanatic. He’s been trying to convince my Mom to take him to the human realm for years! Anyway, he says humans have gills, but I don’t think that sounds right now that I see you.”

Luz stared at Amity expectantly, and the Blight girl blinked. That’s what Luz wanted to know, of all things? Not ‘What do you want from my Mom?’ Or ‘why are you here?’ Amity opened her mouth slowly, “No, I, uh, don’t have gills. Sorry.”

The witch just grinned, and pumped a fist, “Yes! I was right, and Augustus was wrong! I can’t wait to tell him at the next HAS meeting.”

“The what?” Amity asked curiously, shifting herself so she was laying on her stomach, head propped up on her elbows as she looked up at Luz on her bed from the floor below.

“The Human Appreciation Society!” Luz explained, hugging her pillow to herself. “It’s a school club. Augustus is the founder, and I’m a member. As much as I love the little guy, he can be pretty stubborn when something he thinks is right might be wrong, so he sometimes doesn’t take any of my conflicting theories seriously.”

Amity’s face scrunched up, as she tried to imagine what a school club focused around humans would do. Would it be like those fantasy based clubs back on earth, where the members dressed up like elves and wizards and played Creatures and Caverns together? What would witches even do for a human role play?

The glimmering light from Luz’s spell illuminated a poster pinned to her wall behind her, and tore Amity from her imaginings of witches pretending to be bank tellers and tax collectors. “Is that Azura?”

The witchling turned, and smiled, “you can tell?”

It wasn’t an official poster in any capacity. Luz clearly made it by hand, if she was the one who made it at all. It seemed to be based off the first book’s cover, Azura standing up front and proud, with her mentor and her magical pet beast behind. The art itself was pretty good, not quite professional like whoever did the actual artwork for Azura, but there was clearly a lot of hard work put into it. The only major gripe Amity had with it was the eyes. Luz clearly hadn’t mastered eyes, as they looked a little too stylized, clashing with the rest of the art.

Amity took in what Luz said, and responded, “Of course I can tell! The first book has an iconic cover, after all.”

Shaking her head, Amity focused on the real issue, “How do you even know about the Good Witch Azura series?”

Luz chuckled, practically bouncing in her seat, “I found some of the books in Mom’s human trash collection while we were sorting a few years ago. She was just gonna get rid of it, human books never sell well, but I really liked the illustrations and wanted to look through them.”

Her eyes glimmered, “It was love at first sight! Azura was just so cool! Always going on one adventure or another. Sure, it’s not all that accurate to how magic actually works, but that doesn’t matter because the author did such a good job establishing their magic system-“

“Tying it into the lore and world building in a way where it practically leaps off the pages!” Amity finished, causing the witch across from her to nod with glee. “I never thought I’d find another Azura fan in another dimension! This place just keeps getting better and better!”

No wonder Eda had tried to keep her book, instead of selling it. She must have planned to give it to her daughter.

Luz suddenly let out a gasp, “ooh, we need to talk about them! I’ve had literally nobody to talk to about these books before. Well, Augustus, but he doesn’t count. He doesn’t get it like we do, he just sees it as an ‘interesting example of human literature’ and appreciates it for that, not for the actual plot and characters!”

Amity nodded in agreement, “of course we’re going to have to talk about it. You said you have the books? Are they here?” Amity looked around the room, but didn’t see any on Luz’s shelf, which seemed to only contain her school texts.

The human continued, “I only managed to bring the third book with me, which is a bit of a downer since I’ll miss the other books, but if you have them all I could just borrow yours.”

Luz was giving her a look, and for a moment Amity thought she’d overstepped. These books must be really rare in this world, she shouldn’t just assume Luz would let her borrow them, especially since Luz was already sharing her home with her. Instead, Luz asked, in an awed tone, “You have the third book? It’s the only one I’m missing from my collection! … I think. I have up to five, but I’m not sure if a sixth, or even more have come out yet.”

Amity hatched a plan, “I have the third, and you have the rest. I’ll happily lend you mine if you let me browse your collection when you’re not using it.”

Luz smiled, “Of course! I’d let you borrow them even if you didn’t have the missing piece! But… well, they’re at my other house, so you’ll have to wait until next week.”

Luz seemed to deflate a little, but Amity waved it off, “Don’t worry. I just finished re-reading book three earlier today, before I met your Mom. You don’t have to wait to read it if you don’t want to.”

Luz perked right back up, until Amity piped in, “Tomorrow. Eda said you have school in the morning, and it’s already getting late. If I give it to you now, you won’t go to sleep until you finish, and it’s easily the longest of the series.”

The brown haired witch pouted, but accepted that Amity was right, “okay, fine. We’ll have our Azura book club starting tomorrow, then!”

Amity raised a brow, “Book club?”

“Yeah!” Luz’s grin began to fade, along with some of her enthusiasm, “Um, if that’s alright with you? I don’t want to be a bother…”

Taking a moment to think about it, Amity decided that wasn’t a half bad idea. “Sure. That sounds like fun. Good night, Luz.”

The witch seemed relieved, laying her head back down on her pillow, “Night, Amity!”

Amity was awake at the crack of dawn, well before Luz’s alarm went off. It was a habit her mother had drilled into her, and as she stared up at the ceiling waiting for anyone else to wake up first, she made up her mind that this habit was the first one she was going to try and break.

After an hour or so, Amity could hear the tell-tale shuffling of feet outside the door, indicating that Eda was awake, and soon the smell of breakfast filled the house. Stomach growling, the human girl realized she’d skipped dinner last night, and eagerly arose to start her day.

Dressed in the previous day's clothes, Amity headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth. It was there that her lack of foresight bit her on the backside, as she realized she didn’t have a toothbrush waiting for her. She didn’t have anything except her Azura book, a few hundred worthless human dollars, and the literal clothes on her back. The girl breathed out a sigh, “Next time Eda stops by the human realm, I’ll have to go shopping.”

She wasn’t sure exactly what stores to go to, or what to buy. Clothes, of course, but her mother had always picked those out for her before. The idea of picking her own outfits out was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. But would she need anything else? Food, maybe? She only had so much money…

Thankfully, a toothbrush wasn’t on the list of things she’d need to buy, as after scrounging through the bathroom for a bit(and boy, was that place a mess. Makeup, hair dryers, bottles of hair dye... Emira had never been organized with her sink, but she hadn’t been this bad… and when was the last time this place had been cleaned?!), she’d found a spare toothbrush in one of the stuffy drawers. After opening it and getting her teeth cleaned, she headed downstairs feeling a little more minty fresh.

She passed King, who was curled up asleep on the couch like a pup, as she entered the kitchen. “Good morning, Eda, how are you this morning?”

The older woman flinched at the sound of her voice, and turned to face her, revealing dark bags under her eyes, and an expression that said she wasn’t all there, “wha? Who are you?” The owl lady croaked out groggily.

Amity frowned, “Amity. The human. Who you took in yesterday? Is that ringing any bells?”

Eda wiped at her eyes, blinking tiredly, then refocused on the girl, “Oh, yeah. You. Sorry about that, I’m the complete opposite of a morning person. You could even call me a night owl, ha! I don’t know how anyone can be so chipper this early.”

Amity folded her hands behind her back, feeling a little flushed. “It’s not that early,” She muttered, thinking about the time of morning she’d risen.

“Why are you up so early if you hate it, then?” Amity asked.

Eda let out a yawn, “Someone has to cook Luz her breakfast. Titan knows I’m not letting her make her own. She once tried to be a sweetheart and cooked me breakfast-in-nest, and, well… I like having a house that isn’t on fire, thanks.”

The older woman grumbled under her breath, “You’d think she’d be better at cooking, being in the Potion track in school…”

Amity’s ears perked up, “Wait, what did you say? Potions?”

Eda nodded, flipping something that resembles eggs in her pan. “Yeah, Luz goes to Hexside, a school for witchlings to learn magic in a cold, steril, environment that squeezes every last drop of individualism out of a person.”

“So high school?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Amity shook her head, trying to get back to her point, “Wait, if Luz is going to magic school, why don’t I just go as well?”

Eda crossed her arms, “Hey, wait a second, am I not good enough for you anymore? We had a deal, you’d do chores and help me get human garbage, and I’d teach you magic. Besides, you need to already know a spell or two before Hexside will let you attend.”

“What’s this about you teaching Amity, Mom?” Luz’s voice joined the conversation as the girl entered the room, clad in a yellow legged and sleeved outfit with a dark tunic over it. She took a seat at the table just as the food was finished, and Eda placed a plate in front of the girl, and another opposite.

Eda glanced at Amity and gestured for her to join Luz, “Eat up. It’s Griffon Eggs and Smashed browns. Not sure what you humans can eat, so let me know if you die, or something.”

Turning her attention back to her daughter, Eda continued, “And that’s just a little deal me and Goldielocks worked out. I need a bit of help around the house, since you’re only here half the time, so she’ll pick up your slack. And in exchange, I’ll teach her magic, if I can. Jury is still out on if we can even come up with a way for that to work.”

Amity picked at her food, cautiously taking a bite. The eggs didn’t taste half bad. “I’m sure we’ll find some way to teach me magic.” She said with a confidence she didn’t really feel.

Luz seemed excited, bouncing in her chair and exclaiming with a mouthful of food, “Ooh, I can help! Can I help? I want to help!”

“Swallow your food, then we’ll talk.” Eda chuckled, patting her daughter’s hair. Instead of making her own plate, Eda sat down with just a mug and a bottle of something called Apple Blood, which from the smell made Amity sure it was something not suitable for breakfast.

“I could use all the help I can get. Apparently, humans can’t do magic, according to Eda.” Amity filled in.

Eda nodded, “Last I checked, you don't have a bile sac like us witches do. Now, I know that sounds gross, but it’s how we filter the ambient magic of the Isles into something usable. Maybe you can find some other way to use magic, but I doubt you’ll be making spell circles like Luz or I do.”

To prove her point, Eda spun her finger, and with a yelp King was yanked from his spot on the couch and deposited into the last empty chair. It looked like the demon was going to complain about being awoken, until he took one look at the plate of food in front of him, and he quickly filled his mouth with something other than complaints.

Amity frowned. That did pose a pretty big problem for her. She wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on magic just yet, though. She hadn’t even had her first lesson.

They finished their breakfast, and soon Eda was rushing Luz out the door, shoving her backpack into the witchlings hands. “Go on. I know I hate that prison of a school, but your Mama would kill me if I kept you from your classes. Have fun, learn something, or don’t, I’m not the cops. Prank Bump if you feel you can get away with it, byyye!”

Luz laughed, with Amity getting the feeling this was something the two did often. Before the door could close on her, Luz clamped her arms around Eda in a tight hug, something the witch happily returned. “I’ll see you after school. Love you, Mom.”

Eda rolled her eyes playfully, “Oh, come on, you’re embarrassing me in front of my new apprentice, kiddo.” With one last playful shove out the door, she slammed it behind Luz, and turned towards Amity.

“Alright, the munchkin is out of the house, which means it's time for you to do some chores!”

Amity frowned, having hoped for a lesson before her payment would be due, but this was Eda’s house. She made the rules. “Fine. What do you need me to do?”

Eda pondered, going over a very large mental list of activities for the Blight girl to do, before settling on the two she personally wanted to do the least. “Well, you can either go with King to deliver some potions in town-“

That sounded like a lot for Amity’s second day here, “Pass.”

“Or you can give Hooty a bath.” Eda finished.

“Where are the potions and where am I delivering them to?” Amity swerved, not wanting to go near the creepy House Demon.

Hearing his name, or perhaps sensing her fear, Hooty opened the front door and slithered his way over to Amity, invading the human’s personal space, “You don’t wanna hang out with me, new best bud?”

Amity gagged over his body odor, cheeks flared red in anger, “I don’t know how much of you is neck, but I will break all of it if you don’t leave me alone this instant.”

Bonesborough really was almost too much to take in for Amity for only her second day in the Demon Realm. The demons it was named after, especially. From flying butterflies made out of various body parts, to bizarre centipede monsters with the faces of babies, Bonesborough had it all, and it was pretty disgusting to look at.

It was home now, however, and Amity could be adaptable. She just had to try not to stare and act like she belonged, and the day would pass with minimal amounts of horror and mental scarring.

“So, why don’t you tell me a bit about this place, King?” She asked her companion, who had been volunteered to join her. He hadn’t exactly been happy about that, voicing his displeasure the whole way through the woods on the way into town.

“What’s to tell? The Boiling Isles are nothing but a cesspool of despair, and it’s not going to change in this town.” King kicked a stone on the path as they walked, arms folded. “Let’s just get this over with before something eats you.”

“Nothing here wants to eat me,” Amity insisted, but frowned as a passing fairy politely told her that she was very wrong, and it would love to eat her flesh.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Amity grumbled as King gave her a smug look.

They continued on their way, going from address to address to deliver the potions to Eda’s clients. Some were polite. Some stared, never having met a human before. Others had doorbells that tried to digest her arm when she tried to ring them. She liked those ones the least. Before long, the long list of places to go had dwindled down to nothing but a handful.

A tug on Amity’s skirt brought her gaze downward, King yanking on it to get her attention with one hand, and rubbing at his own belly with the other. Seeing her eyes on him, King pointed off into the distance to a food vender, “I want a Not Dog!”

Amity gave him a deadpan glare, “Not now, King. We’re almost done.”

He stomped his foot, “I’m ordering you to take me to get a Not Dog!”

The paper full of addresses crumpled in Amity’s hand as it made a fist. She bent over King and looked him dead in the eye, “And I said maybe later. Do not try to boss me around, King.”

He stared back up at her in disbelief, then began to flail his little fists, “I’m the dreaded King of Demons, you should be listening to me, and I’m ordering you to feed my tummy delicious Not Dogs!”

The demon found himself scooped up by the scruff of his neck and lifted into the air. Amity steeled her face, putting on her emotionless mask she always wore around others who tried to impress or take advantage of her. “That title seems pretty debatable to me. I’m new here, so what do I know, though? Maybe you are the King of Demons.”

“Y-yeah! I am! So listen to me when I speak, human!” King uttered, a little perturbed by how quickly Amity’s face went cold.

“Of Demons, King. Last I checked, I’m human. You don’t get to order me around.” Amity let the little fur ball drop back to the ground. He cowered under her glare as she crossed her arms, feeling very much like a child in trouble with their parent.

“I left the Human World because I was tired of being ordered around. I refuse to be bossed around and made to do things I don’t want to do anymore-“

“But what about-“ King interrupted, raising a clawed finger.

“Eda? I’m doing as she asked because it was part of our deal. That’s not the same.” Amity clarified. “And last I checked, she’s also not a demon, she’s a witch, so should you really be bossing her and Luz around, either?”

King lowered his gaze, rubbing his hands together, “Well, when you put it like that…”

Amity sighed, bending down so she could be eye level with him again, “Look, I get it, you’re hungry, it’s lunch time. We’ll get some food in a bit. And you can ask me for stuff too, but don’t give me orders, got it? Just be nicer from now on.”

King nodded meekly, “Okay… does that mean we can get some Not Dogs when we’re done with the deliveries?”

Amity shrugged, “If you’ve got the money to buy them, sure. I don’t have any… snails, or whatever the currency here is called.”

King nodded again, and they continued on their way, “You- uh, you can be kinda scary! Act like that more often and I’m sure less people will try to eat you! Wanna job in my army for my inevitable take-over of the Demon Realm?”

Amity snorted, letting her face relax and the cold mask drop, “I’d be honored. Now, let's make this delivery to this-'' They looked up to see what looked to be a Castle in the middle of Bonesborough, towering over everything else. Even Amity was impressed with it, despite growing up in wealth in excess.

Slinging the sack over her shoulder, Amity headed towards the front door to knock, hoping there wasn’t a teen eating dragon on the other side of the door.

Amity trudged back to the Owl House in the early afternoon, feet tired from both the delivery run, and the long walk back from town. What she wouldn’t do to have her bike with her again. Maybe she could have Eda help her steal a new one if they ever went back to Earth? One with a nice big basket on the front.

Clenched in her hands was a paper, a map to her supposed destiny that some wizard named Adegast had given her. He’d insisted that Amity was special, in some kind of Chosen One way, despite Amity insisting she just wanted to be a normal girl, with a normal life. Or, as normal as life would allow on the Boiling Isles. She’d had enough of being considered special for just being born a Blight back in the Human Realm to last a lifetime.

Amity was pretty sure the map was a scam anyway. No one on the isles so far had been that nice to her, except maybe Luz. She’d learned early on in life that if someone acted like that, they were clearly trying to use you for something. Still, she’d kept the map, on the off chance it was real and Eda could sell the treasure, which was supposed to be some kind of ultimate magic staff. Amity intended to earn her keep, after all.

“That guy may have been full of bologna, but boy were his snacks tasty. And free!” King patted his belly as they entered the house. “Eda! We’re back!”

Eda was on the couch, reading through a magazine with the name ‘Playdemon’ emblazoned on its cover. She quickly stuffed it between the cushions when she realized she had company, standing to her feet. “So, how was your first day? Make me a lot of snails?”

Amity held out the bag of coins and bills she’d collected, which Eda enthusiastically scooped up, snuggling it against her cheek like it was something truly precious to her. “Ah, sweet, sweet dough. Mama needed this.”

She opened the bag, inspecting her pay, then took a handful and tossed them Amity’s way. “Here, your cut of the cash.”

Amity caught the Snails, inspecting them. It wasn’t a lot, but the fact Eda had paid her at all had been unexpected. “Thank you so much, Eda. I had thought that, uh-“

Eda raised a brow, “That I wouldn’t pay you? I’m cheap and a crook, but I’m not evil, kid.”

Amity shook her head, “No, it’s just, you’re already letting me stay here. I thought that was my payment.”

Eda shook her head, “look, you don’t have a snail to your name, in a world entirely alien to you. You need to know the value of a hard day's work, and that comes with pay. Someday, you’ll be out there, making tons of cash, maybe even following in my footsteps and ripping a sucker off to do so, but you gotta start somewhere.”

The witch shrugged, “besides, I pay Luz an allowance when she does this for me. And King as well.” She handed King a few coins as well, with the demon jumping for joy.

“More war funds!”

Eda snickered into her hand, whispering to Amity, “He spends it all on junk food.”

Amity clenched the money in her hands, still looking unsure if it was okay to take it. “Thanks, Eda. It’s different when you’re paying family, though. I’m just a stranger.”

Eda waved her off, “I think I know you well enough. Now, as much as it pains me, let's stop talking about money, and start talking about what else you’ve got in your hand.”

Eda pointed to the paper in Amity’s grip, and the girl held it out for her. “Some Wizard gave it to me, said I was a Chosen One or some other nonsense.”

Eda took the paper, and snorted, “Yeah, this thing reeks of fraud. Good on you for spotting it, though. I have to burn stuff like this at least twice a week to keep Luz from answering the call to adventure.”

Amity shrugged, “he gave us a bunch of snacks, so I can’t really complain. Besides, I know when I’m being tricked. It’s something my Mo-“

She clamped her mouth shut so fast she nearly bit her tongue after almost bringing up her mother so casually like that. She couldn’t contradict her own story about not having a family only a day into her stay. Or ever. Eda might send her back to be with them if she knew.

“What was that, Amity?” Eda questioned lazily, still looking at the paper.

“Nothing to worry about. I think the snacks must have given me a stomach ache, is all.” Amity covered, clutching at her stomach to try and sell her lie.

Eda frowned at that information, “Make a list of everything you ate today, especially at that guy's house. I’ll see what we can do, and what we need to avoid feeding you from now on. Don’t worry, it’s not an inconvenience, Luz can’t handle dairy, normal, or demonic, so it’s nothing I’m not used to keeping in mind when I shop.”

Amity nodded, and without further ado, Eda spun her finger in a circle and the map burst into flames, consumed entirely before it could even hit the floor. Not even ashes remained.

With a nod at her work, Eda grinned and looked back to Amity, “Rest up, you’ve got a busy day tomorrow as well! You get to bathe Hooty!”

Amity was aghast, “But I thought I had a choice!”

“Yeah, on what you got to put off until tomorrow. Make sure to scrub behind his ears.” Eda tossed herself back on the sofa, stretching as she relaxed and using her newly acquired money bag as a head rest.

“He has ears?!”

Amity awoke in the middle of the night, clutching her gurgling stomach in pain. Despite her lies about the food being inedible for her, it turned out it had a glimmer of truth after all.

“I’m gonna have to use my money to buy seeds and plant a garden.” Amity mumbled to herself, adding yet another list of items she needed to her expanding mental list for her human shopping trip.

“What was that, Amity?” Luz asked, making the Blight girl flinch in surprise. The young witch was on her bed, Amity’s Azura book in her possession, reading via light orb even this late into the night.

“Nothing. Go to bed, Luz, you’ll be up until dawn if you don’t put the story down.”

“But I’ve just reached Azura’s clash with the Gildersnake!” The other girl whined.

Chapter Text

“This had better be worth this humiliation, kids, or I’m going to hand out so many groundings.” Eda grumbled as she was led, blindfolded and by the hand by Amity and Luz through the Human Realm.

Well, she was led by Amity. Luz was too busy curiously looking around to focus properly, amazed by the sights and sounds and smells of the human world to focus. Amity had thought the girl would have been here before, but apparently Eda did feel some kind of responsibility as a parent and had put her foot down on letting Luz use her door in the past.

“I don’t want you wandering around, bug eyed and oblivious, into the streets and getting hit by a car! I’ve hit people with a car before, they don’t tend to get back up.” Eda had said. However, she had relented this time, since Luz was getting older, and more mature, and she’d have Amity as a guide. Amity was doing her best, and to her credit, Luz wasn’t dead yet, so she thought she was doing a good job, even if it looked like Luz was seconds away from unintentionally ditching them to lick a light pole, or something.

Thankfully, they had made it to where Amity had wanted to guide Eda. The Treasure Trove, she had called it, hyping the place up to the witch. “Okay, you can take the blindfold off!”

Amity watched in amusement as the witch did so, and her jaw dropped. “Kid… we’ve just hit the jackpot.”

Before Eda were mountains upon mountains of trash. Electronics of all shapes and sizes, toys, clothes, anything Eda could possibly think of to sell. All of it straight from the Gravesfield Dump and Scrapyard, the one place Amity could think of that Eda could take from freely without drawing suspicion.

Eda took off to the nearest pile, and Luz grinned beside Amity, “You did great! I’ve never seen Mom this happy about trash before.”

Amity grimaced as she watched Eda dig through a pile, “I may have done too good of a job. She might try to Scrooge McDuck her way into those piles of trash, and swim through it to get to the really good stuff.”

Luz just looked a bit confounded at that statement, but didn’t disagree that Eda needed to be reigned in before she hurt herself by jumping into the piles.

They joined the Owl Lady at her sides, the woman already pulling out a sack from her voluptuous hair to stuff full of goodies. “You humans really throw away a lot of stuff. This is a goldmine! Better than a goldmine, I don’t have to, you know, mine to get the gold. It’s just here for the taking!”

She stuffed a radio with an incredibly bent antenna into the bag, “I didn’t have my doubts about you before, kid, but this more than proves your worth. You need anything you just ask.”

Amity laughed and folded her arms, ready to test that theory, “Oh yeah, like what?”

Eda paused, thinking, then turned to the girls, “How about Luz’s hand in marriage? Is that good enough? You’ve just made the family rich, might as well join it!”

Amity blushed crimson, while Luz burst into giggles, “Mom! Don’t say stuff like that.”

“How about we just stick to the original deal, and you just teach me magic?” Amity grumbled, pulling the hood of the borrowed cat hoodie on over her face.

Not wanting to wear the same outfit every single day this week, and still in need of new clothes, Luz had lent Amity a few of her things. A lot of her outfits she kept at Eda’s place were human in origin anyway, stolen from piles of clothing Eda had salvaged over the years, so Amity at least knew what was fashionable. And the hood had another benefit, keeping Amity’s face hidden while she moved through this realm, where her parents had a good chance of finding her if she went out in the open.

Luz meanwhile, was wearing a dark blue Hawaiian shirt that had Pokémon on it instead of flowers. She’d been excited to show off her ‘human approved demon shirt’ to the world, wearing it proudly. Now if only she had ditched the mustard yellow cargo shorts she’d also brought along…

Eda shrugged at the kids, hiding her own grin over her teasing, “Suit yourself. I personally never thought it was all that bad being a Clawthorne myself. Or, in Luz’s case, Noceda-Clawthorne.”

“We are a fun bunch,” Luz agreed enthusiastically.

If Amity wanted to stick around to be teased, she’d have stayed at home with the twins. “I’ve got some errands to run today while we’re here. So, you take your fill, and I’ll meet you guys later, okay?”

“Have fun, kiddo!” Eda bid, not glancing back as she lifted up a torn banner, appraising it’s value.

Before Amity could leave however, Luz grabbed her by the wrist, “Wait! Can I come with you?”

The young witch gave Amity her best set of puppy dog eyes, which she learned from the best. No one could say no to King when he gave his own, and Luz had learned at his feet. Amity had no real intention of turning the girl down anyway, but seeing that look made her lose any ability to say no at all. “Fine, as long as it’s fine with Eda.”

Luz turned her gaze to her mother, intent on wearing her down with the same eyes, but Eda was already waving them off, “Go ahead, I trust Blondie to keep you safe. Or at least in one piece. Listen to her, she’s from this realm, and if I hear you stepped a toe out of line, I’ll be as mad as I will be proud, little troublemaker.”

The older witch gave Luz a fond hair ruffle, and with that the two girls left, heading back into town to get Amity’s shopping done.

Gravesfield didn’t really have a proper mall. They had a shopping center that a lot of locals called a mall, but Amity had been to malls before, and a handful of stores in the same parking lot didn’t meet those standards. It would have to do, however, unless Amity wanted to take a bus out of town. Keeping the hood up, and thankful the cat hoodie didn’t have something real embarrassing, like a tail, attached, she guided Luz down the roads and started the long walk to the shopping center.

It was a long forty minutes. Luz kept getting distracted, usually by various flora and fauna. Interesting plants that she said her friend Willow, who she’d talked plenty about before, would love, or all the bugs she was sure Hooty would love to eat. Amity kept having to grab Luz by the wrist to drag her along, fighting the urge to blush at the contact, Eda’s offer still fresh in her mind.

Her, and Luz? Please. Not that there was anything wrong with the other girl(except that she’d tried to eat gum off a bench they’d passed by), but she was Amity’s friend. Her first real friend her own age. The last thing Amity wanted was to get dumb feelings and mess that all up.

By the time the two girls made it, it could hardly be called morning anymore. Stomach rumbling, Amity mentally added a lunch bill to her list, and rationed her funds towards making sure they had full stomachs by the time they had to make their way back to Eda.

“Wow!” Luz looked around, gazing at all the buildings around her. She was used to tents and stalls in the local markets, not large brick and mortar shops that specialized in all sorts of items. Department stores, grocery outlets, a large Mal-Mart, “No wonder you guys have so much garbage, you have all these places that sell it!”

Amity snorted, not expecting that to be Luz’s observation. Holding out her hand for Luz to take, she gestured with her head, “Come on, you dork. I’ll show you around.”

Luz glanced down at Amity’s hand, and took it, lacing their fingers together. Amity realized just what it must look like to anyone watching them from the outside, but Amity had only done it to make sure Luz didn’t get lost. If she did, Amity would never find her. Still, she was once again glad she’d be wearing a hood to hide her red face.

The first stop was to find some clothes. Four hundred dollars for a normal person was a lot of money for clothing, but for Amity that wouldn’t have paid for a pair of jeans at one of the stores her mother liked to shop at. Knowing she was on a budget, she stopped by the Mal-mart first, hoping the prices would be low enough to fill her proverbial closet(as she did not have a literal one at the Owl House) for the next few months, if not years.

The human and the witch entered the store, Luz basking in the glory that was air conditioning during a warm summer day. If the parking lot had been a lot for Luz to take in, the inside of the store was sensory overload. The bright colors, in all shapes and sizes, the people wandering through the aisles, the music playing over the speakers, it all fried Luz’s brain. The witch immediately tried to run off to a rack of discounted coats, only being held back by Amity.

“Luz, please, it’s way too hot for a coat anyway.” Amity insisted, tugging Luz over to the women's section. “Now, if you’re good, we’ll stop by the toy aisle to browse a bit, and maybe I’ll even let you buy a candy bar when we’re in line to pay.”

Luz’s pointed ears perked, making Amity pale as she hadn’t considered those might make her stick out. “They have toys and candy here? I thought we were going to buy clothes?”

“Luz, this is a Mal-mart, they sell everything here. It’s cheap, manufactured garbage that doesn’t last long, but it is everything.” Amity took a quick look through the discounted items, and found a cheap beanie, taking it and pulling it over Luz’s head. “There. I don’t want anyone seeing your ears. Too many questions.”

Luz didn’t look happy with having them covered, and pulled the hat right back off, her hair now a mess. “I can fix that.”

With a swirl of her finger, which Amity immediately tried to cover with her body before anyone could see the circle of light that came with it, Luz’s pointed ears disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced instead with round ones just like Amity’s. Amity couldn’t help herself, reaching out and touching Luz’s ears, making the witch giggle. They were still pointed, Amity could feel it, but her eyes still could only see them as round.

“It’s an illusion,” Luz explained, smacking Amity’s hand away playfully.

Amity’s brow scrunched up, “I thought your friend Augustus was in the Illusion’s classes, and you were in Potions?”

The brown haired girl nodded, “I’ve picked up a few tricks,” She said slyly, shooting Amity some finger guns.

The two made their way into the clothes, with Amity grabbing plenty of undergarments. It was one thing she didn’t want to scrounge around for in trash piles, or borrow from Luz, after all. It was embarrassing to look through bras and panties while Luz was right there, though. After she was satisfied with those, they found some shoes, buying extra so Amity wouldn’t be without. The human girl silently hoped that she wasn’t about to hit a growth spurt soon though, because she wanted them to last a while.

Sneakers and some casual boots in hand, Amity browsed through the everyday outfits the store had on display, throwing a few cute t-shirts and pants from the clearance bins into her basket. However, even with those prices in mind, the cost was beginning to add up, and Amity was ready to call it a day at the Mal-mart. She had a cheaper place to be in the same parking lot, after all.

Amity still made good on her promise to Luz, taking her by the toy section. The witch ooh’d and aah’d at the colorful selection of plastics, pointing to a particular display “What are these?”

Amity took a look, then frowned, “I am not even sure where to begin on how to explain the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to a witch from another world.”

They went through the aisles, Luz having a particular fondness for the action figures. The idea of Legos blew her mind, with the witch making a verbal mental note to pitch the idea back home as a get-rich-quick scheme, until finally-

“Oh. My. Titan. Is that what I think it is?” Luz raced away from Amity’s side over to a colorful display that heralded what just might be the greatest thing either girl had ever witnessed.

“Special Edition Azura and Hecate figures, with movie accurate battle damage from their fight against the Beast of the Bog?” Amity gasped, looking at the set of action figures.

“I have never needed anything more than I have needed this,” Luz was practically salivating over the toys, picking up one of the boxes. “How much do these cost?”

Amity took a look at the price, and winced. Fifty for each, with Azura and Hecate sold separately. Pennies for her previous life, but far too costly for what she had to spend now. “I’m sorry, Luz. I just don’t have the funds.”

Luz frowned, but nodded in understanding, surprising Amity by not whining as she placed the box back. “Getting you the stuff you need to live is more important than toys.”

Her serious expression broke, “But you’ll still buy me a candy, right?”

Amity couldn’t help but smile at that, and made sure to buy Luz two.

With Mal-mart being too expensive to fill a closet entirely on her budget, Amity’s next stop was a thrift store in the same parking lot. It was one of the only stores in the area Amity had never been inside, forbidden by her parents to even think about it. That hadn’t stopped her mother from using the same location to attain free publicity by donating her old clothes to it, though. She just never mentioned that it was because those were last season's clothes, and as such she would never wear them again.

Amity quickly explained to Luz what a Thrift store was, and after getting a look around the place the witch exclaimed, “It’s a good thing these things don’t exist in the Demon realm.”

“What’s that?”

“Mom would try to burn it down.” Luz explained, winking at Amity, “Too much competition for her stand to stay in business.”

They quickly finished up their shopping, Luz joining Amity in trying various items on, before putting them back, and keeping herself entertained until Amity was satisfied with her selection.

Ladened down with bags and empty tummies, the two girls decided the next place to stop was for some lunch. Eager to get her fill of human food before she had to go back to what passed as edible in the Demon realm, Amity treated Luz to pizza at a make-your-own style place near to the shopping center. Luz had to stay away from the dairy, but they did have some vegan cheese, and the witch tried a pizza with everything on it. Literally everything. From the way the cooks eyes bulged at Luz’s requests, it was clear they’d never dealt with a customer quite like her before.

The two girls sat across from each other, eating their richly deserved treat, Luz basking in the flavors this new world opened for her. “I hope this doesn’t make me sick like our food did to you!”

Amity smirked, “I’m sure you’ll be fine. You can stomach pineapple on pizza, I’m sure you can stomach anything.”

Watching Luz laugh filled Amity with a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time. It was nice to be able to spend the day with a friend she actually cared about and liked for once, something she hadn’t had for as long as she could remember. She’d been dragged around this same shopping center with Clara and a few other girls her mother approved of several times, but had always considered it a chore, something she put up with. She genuinely had fun today.

Also, watching Luz’s reaction to carbonated soda was worth the price of admission, the girl being so surprised by the bubbles and laughing so hard it came out of her nose.

With one final stop at a store for gardening supplies and seeds for a variety of plants Amity intended to try and grow back at the Owl House to eat, they finally made their way back towards the town dump, only this time carrying a tower of packages and bags. At least Amity didn’t have to keep as close of an eye on Luz, who didn’t feel the urge to wander as they went, wanting to get back to her mother so that she wouldn’t have to carry anything anymore.

The shrill cry of “You guys are back!” Met their ears as they stepped through the door, slipping across the barrier between dimensions and back into Eda’s living room, all of them carrying their weight in items new and old.

The voice was King, who raced towards them with tears in his eyes. The diminutive demon clung to Eda’s leg tightly. “You were gone so long, I thought you were all dead!”

Eda groaned, “Dramatic, much? I knew you’d miss us, but I didn’t think you’d be that bad being alone for a few hours.”

“I- I didn’t miss you at all!” King insisted, wiping his eyes, “I just didn’t want to send my minions over to avenge you! That’s all.”

“And he’s not really alone,” Another voice added, one Amity didn’t recognize.

“Willow?” Luz asked, trying to reposition her mountain of baggage so she could actually see the other girl. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here as well,” another voice added, a boy this time.

“Ah, Dweebus. Perfect timing. Wanna be a gentleman and take this from a frail old woman?” Eda asked, not waiting for a reply and shoving a good chunk of her haul into the tiny boy's arms. He quickly buckled under the weight, collapsing under a small mountain of garbage.

Luz set her things down, and helped Amity with her own, “What are you guys doing here? I wasn’t expecting a visit from my besties today!”

Gus dislodged himself from the pile, and lay on the floor catching his breath, “King got a hold of your crystal ball, and called us over. He was really worried about you.”

“I was not!” The diminutive demon insisted, clenching his fists and stomping his little foot.

Amity glanced at the two strangers, unsure how to introduce herself. These were Luz’s friends, who she’d talked about off and on all week, and Amity wanted to make a good first impression. Fortunately, Luz noticed her standing awkwardly to the side and sought to rectify that, “Oh, everyone! Meet my new roommate, Amity!”

Snatching Amity’s hand, Luz dragged the human over to her friends, and Amity gave a small, if strained, wave, “Uh, hello! I’m Amity. The Human. I live here now.”

The two new witches stared at her for a moment, before Willow cracked a kind smile, “It’s very nice to meet you, Amity the Human, I’m Willow Park. Luz told us all about you at school, but wanted to let you settle in before we all met.”

The girl held out her hand for Amity to shake, but as Amity made to grab it Augustus stepped in, practically barreling into Amity with a grin wider than any she’d ever seen. He took the hand that was offered to Willow and pumped it enthusiastically.

“Augustus Porter! Can I just say, it is an absolute honor to meet you!”

Amity pried her hand away, forcing a smile on her face. “The pleasure is all mine!”

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the Human Realm?” Augustus asked, not waiting for Amity to answer before poofing up a notebook out of thin air. The boy flipped through it rapidly, making Amity’s smile become even more strained as she saw how absolutely full of questions it was.

Ah, that was why Luz had wanted Amity to be settled in. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said Augustus was a human fanatic. “Look, Gus, maybe I can answer a few of them later-“

He paused, stopping his frantic flipping, “Gus?”

At first Amity believed from his reaction that she’d offended him, only for his grin to appear once more, “My own human nickname? Everyone, from now on I shall answer to Gus!”

That at least to take his attention off of his notebook, much to Amity’s relief, and Luz patted him supportively on his shoulder. “If you remember, Amity, I told you that, uh, ‘Gus’ here is in the Illusion track at school. And Willow is in plants.”

Amity didn’t need Luz’s knowing look to know she’d thrown her an easy conversation starter, but it didn’t make Amity any less grateful. “Oh, yes! She did mention that! That sounds really interesting. Luz used an illusion to hide her ears while we were away.”

Gus beamed with pride at his friend, who showed off her round-ear illusion. Turning to Willow, Amity added, “And we bought a whole bunch of seeds to grow some plants. I, uh, have some issues eating some of the food here.”

Willow smiled politely, “I’ve never seen a plant from the Human Realm before. Do you need any help planting them?”

Amity nodded, mentally breathing a sigh of relief, “Yes, please. I have no idea how things like soil might be different here. Or if these will even grow. How does plant magic even work, exactly?”

Willow held out her hand, and Amity handed her a packet of seeds. Tearing it open, Willow retrieved a single seed, and glanced at it thoughtfully. Setting aside the pack and focusing on the one seed, she spun her finger and cast her spell, seeing if the plant would sprout.

At first nothing seemed to happen, causing both girls to frown, but then the seed burst open, a small sapling blossoming forth in Willow’s hand. “Ah, it does work! That’s great!”

Amity gazed in disbelief, grabbing Willow’s hand and bringing it close to her face to inspect the plant. “That’s amazing! You’re so talented!”

Eda rolled her eyes from the couch, “That’s baby stuff.”

Luz laughed, “Don’t be jealous, Mom. We are babies. But we’ll be stronger than you one day!”

“Just you try,” Eda said slyly, King blowing a raspberry their way to add insult to injury.

Willow just giggled in response, “Come on, let's get this outside and planted in the dirt.”

The small group of children headed outside, going over to the tower in the back where Eda had a few spare pots laying around. Filling one up with soil, Willow put the sprouting seed inside and covered it up gently.

“How long does it take for you to make a plant like this to bear fruit?” Amity asked curiously.

Willow blinked, then chuckled playfully, “Oh, not long at all.” With another spell, the plant burst forth in full bloom, fresh, ripe tomatoes on it’s stems.

Amity could only stare, before grabbing another pack of seeds and getting ready to put them into the dirt, “Mama’s gonna eat good tonight!”

Not wanting to be ignored, Gus joined the girls by the pots, helping fill them with soil. The boy seemed about ready to burst with questions, but after earning a warning glare from Luz he did his best to swallow them for now, instead asking “So, Amity, how are you settling in? I bet the Boiling Isles are really different from anything you’ve ever seen before, right?”

There was a look in his eyes begging that Amity missed, that begged the girl to please go into details about how the Human Realm was different so he could get some information to sate his curiosity. Instead, Amity just heaved a sigh, “It’s very different. Sometimes, I feel a bit like Alice, stumbling blindly through Wonderland, wondering how much deeper this rabbit hole goes.”

That was an apt comparison. Amity had always loved Alice in Wonderland. Her tutors back on Earth had of course had her read many of a broad selection of classic literature, but Alice was one that always stuck with her, for being so… unique. And unique was definitely one of the kinder words that Amity would very much use to describe the Demon Realm so far.

Her comparison however fell on ignorant ears, as all the witches looked at her like she’d grown a second, or even a third head. Gus whipped out his notebook and a pen, leaning in closely, “What did any of that mean?”

“So, what did you think of my friends?” Luz asked.

It was later that night, and they were sitting around the dinner table. Gus and Willow had left, staying only a little longer after Willow had got most of Amity’s new garden blooming. Using what Willow had grown, Amity had been able to make herself a vegetable soup for dinner that night, which was proving to be delicious. Magic really was the way to garden.

“They were nice. Gus was a bit… much, but I know he was just excited. Willow was really sweet, though.”

Luz sat up straight in her seat, a glowing smile on her face, “I’m so glad you got along with them. It’s important that both my old friends and my new one get along, after all.”

Amity felt her cheeks heat up at that remark, though she didn’t quite understand why. “I’m glad we all got along too. If I- When I learn some magic, I’m hoping to go to Hexside with you guys, so it’ll be nice to go to school with actual friends.”

“Ugh, you’re still on that?” Eda gagged, stuffing her own spoonful of soup into her mouth. Demon Realm soup, as they thought it would be best not to tempt fate. Luz didn’t seem to suffer any adverse effects from the pizza she had for lunch yet, but they still wanted to take it one vegetable at a time in case anything was poisonous to witches.

Amity smirked at the witch, “Of course. Magic school sounds so fascinating. And it could teach me a lot, unlike someone I know.”

Eda grumbled, “You’ll regret that. I’m going to learn you so hard you’ll regret ever doubting my ability to teach!”

King snorted condescendingly, “Psh, as if! You’re a terrible teacher, Eda!”

Luz chuckled at their antics, while Eda sized up the stack of items they brought from the Human Realm that was taking up space in her kitchen. “So, that’s everything you managed to get with your human snails?”

“Dollars,” Amity corrected, but nodded.

“Whatever.”

Luz perked up, “Oh, wait, that reminds me!”

Then the witch shoved her arm elbow deep into her own hair, making Amity’s eyes bulge. She’d seen Eda do the same thing plenty of times, but had never seen Luz do the same act. She always assumed Eda kept whatever she needed in her actual hair, held there in place by magic, not that it was some kind of pocket dimension. As Amity gaped in wonder, Luz pulled her arm out, hands clenched around a box that she handed over to Amity.

Amity held it in her hands, before leaping from her chair and wrapping her arms around Luz’s neck, “Thank you so much! How did you even get this?”

“Oh, it was easy. I just waited until your back was turned and stuffed it in my head.” Luz laughed, hugging Amity back. “Wait, let me finish the set.”

With another hand in her hair, Luz pulled a second box, and placed it beside the other. The Azura and Hecate action figures stood beside each other, in all of their plastic glory, making Amity squee as she examined them. Half of her wanted to tear the packages open, and the other half wanted to keep them in there forever to preserve their collectors value.

Eda picked the Azura figure up, not looking impressed, “Big whoop, it’s a toy. Now where’s the really good stuff?”

Luz chuckled nervously, “Well, I did grab a few other things while we were there…”

The girl began to empty her hair, pulling one item after the other out. There was so much stuff filling the kitchen table that they had to start setting it on the floor. Tired of how slow it was going, Eda even grabbed Luz by the ankles at one point and shook her upside down so things just spilled right out of the witches head and onto a growing pile on the floor.

Amity recognized everything as items she had to pass up due to their price. Shoe boxes, perfume bottles, clothes, and to her embarrassment even some undergarments. Even one of the jackets and the beanie Luz had been looking at when they first entered the Mal-mart were there.

When it was all out, Eda took one long look at the haul, and gave a sharp whistle. “Damn. You make me proud, daughter-o-mine. We’re making a crook out of you yet!” She enveloped Luz in a tight parental hug, that turned into a headlock and a noogie, causing the girl to squeal and flail as she tried to get out of the hold.

King was swimming through the pile as Amity inspected it, trying to sort everything and have some kind of order. When he did a backslide by the human, her nose was overpowered and she realized the little demon had sampled every last bottle of perfume he could get his hands on, each scent fighting for dominance on his fur. “Luz, this is amazing. Really. But I do have one question.”

Luz managed to pry her way out of her mother’s arms, and settled in beside Amity, “Yeah?”

“If you could fit all of this in your hair, why did you have us carry our bags all the way back?”

Luz opened her mouth to try and explain, only to come up empty as she realized Amity was right. Eda just cackled at her daughter's expense behind her.

Even later in the night, Amity and Luz were back in their room, Amity’s new belongings taking up a decent chunk of the floor space until they could find a place to put it all. Opened out of their box, and displayed with pride on Luz’s desk were the Azura and Hecate figures.

Luz laid down in her bed, clad in her pajamas, and let out a sigh. “I’ll miss you this next week. I hope you can learn some magic soon, that way when I’m gone, I’ll still be able to see you at school when I’m staying at Mama’s house.”

Tomorrow Luz would be heading back to her other parent’s house for a week. Amity would miss her while she was away, but understood that Eda only had half custody of Luz, and alternated weeks with-

“Wait, did you say Mama?” Amity asked, sitting up so she could see Luz from her spot on the floor.

“Yeah. I have Eda, who’s my Mom, and Camila, who’s my Mama.” Luz cleared up, rolling onto her side so she could see Amity.

“How many Mom’s do you have?”

“Just the two,” Luz laughed at the strange question.

“No dad?”

The witch shook her head, amusement twinkling in her golden eyes. ”Nope, just the moms. Willow’s the one with the Dads.”

Amity laid back down, wondering how that even worked. Was Luz adopted? “Huh.”

“You’ll get to see Mama tomorrow, so that will be cool.” Luz assured her, letting out a yawn.

“I’ll be what now?” Amity asked, wondering when she was supposed to have learned this information.

“Oh, I guess it slipped my mind!” Luz let out a tired chuckle. “Mom is dropping me off tomorrow. Mama is going to be volunteering at something called the Covention tomorrow. She’ll be at a Beast Healing Coven booth. Me, Gus, and Willow are all going to go, I thought it’d be a great way to teach you about how magic works on the Isles.”

Luz craned her neck to get a look at her human friend, “Sorry, with everything that went down today, I totally forgot to actually invite you. I hope you wanted to go? You don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

Amity blinked at this new information, then laid back down. She had to be rested if she was going to have a busy day of learning ahead of her. “I’d love to Luz, thank you.”

Chapter Text

The next day found the occupants of the Owl House, plus Gus and Willow, exploring the Covention Center, the kids and King oohing and aahing at all the sights there were to see. King raced from stall to stall, claiming free “offerings'' from each, an accumulation of junk he’d forget about in a week’s time that would end up in the belly of some trash slug. Or worse, Hooty. The rest of the kids were more impressed by the multitude of magical masters who demoed their art for all to see, all vying for attention to their coven in the hopes of increasing their ranks, and as such, the Coven’s status.

Eda trailed behind the group, hood over her head to hide her face and recognizable hair, and tearing down any and all of her wanted posters as they went. As much fun as being chased could be, she didn’t want to spoil Luz’s fun. Luz loved the showcases the Covention put on, and it only came once a year. Eda may hate all this authoritarian propaganda, but she wasn’t going to ruin her daughter’s fun if she could help it. As long as Luz knew the dangers of the coven system, Eda trusted her to make the (ir)responsible choice when she came of age.

Luz wasn’t the only one having fun. Amity was just as excited at all the various branches of magic on display, only having seen a handful of spells performed in the Owl House by Eda and Luz in her week there. Willow and Gus had shown her a few the day before, but even that paled in comparison to the magical onslaught she faced today.

In the human girl’s hands, she held a pen and a notebook, rapidly scribbling down any and all new information in the hopes this would help her make some kind of breakthrough in her own studies. She frowned as she stared at the pages, “I should have brought a bigger notebook.”

Luz gave her a pat on the back, “You’ll be fine, Ams! Just write really small, and it’ll all fit!”

Amity frowned, turning her notebook around so that Luz could see the fruits of her labors, filled out in neat, microscopic writing. “I am writing small! And I’ve already filled ten pages, front and back!”

Willow blinked, taking off her glasses and wiping them clean, as if to make sure what she’d seen was real. “Gus, you may need to watch your back. You have some competition.”

Gus scoffed playfully, elbowing his plant-track friend, “Oh, please. I can fill a notebook on human stuff in like a day. That’s way more than ten pages of boring old witch stuff.”

“Ten pages since she walked in the door five minutes ago, Gus,” Willow pointed out, making the young boy pale.

“Oh.”

Amity flushed, holding the notebook close. Sure, obsessive note taking had been a habit she’d drilled into herself due to her mother’s influence. It kept her grades up. However, this time it was different. She wasn’t doing this for her mother, she was doing this for herself, and found herself enjoying being able to bask in the new subjects around her at her own, breakneck pace. “I’m not obsessed or anything! I’m just really curious! I’d like to be able to do my own spells one day, and I have to know everything if I’m ever going to get them to work!”

Luz put a hand on her shoulder in support, “I totally get it, I love this kind of stuff too, and hope to be half as talented as these guys are some day.”

At the same time, Gus spoke up, “Wait, do you guys think I’m obsessed?”

His friends didn’t have time to reassure Gus that they all found him loveable despite his obsessions, because that's when Amity decided to take off, racing on her short legs. She’d seen a familiar face standing on stage a bit farther into the building. The others chased after her, not wanting to get separated, skidding to a halt as Amity stumbled upon a showcase for the Construction Coven.

Tinella Nosa, as small and big nosed as ever despite the name, stood beside a burly man who had just built a house by doing nothing but tossing some stone and wood into the air. The tiny demon woman acted like she hadn’t only just broken out of prison a week prior, casually assisting the man in charge of the display. Spotting Amity, Tinella gave her a friendly wave, which the human returned, just as the burly witch placed a paper glyph of some kind onto Nosa’s face.

A change went through the demon the instant it happened, her pupils shrinking. She struck a pose straight out of an anime, energy flaring off her and she gave a cry of “I am the destwoyer of wowlds!” As she tore the place apart, even throwing a few people around like rag dolls.

Amity, eyes wide, scribbled what she could down quickly. Magic that someone could draw? Glyphs? That was fascinating. It didn’t seem to need any spell circles, so maybe she should look into that as some kind of alternative?

Her friends watched as she wrote and mumbles ideas to herself, but Eda, who’d caught up, put a stop to that. “Don’t get your hopes up too much, kiddo. A circle wasn’t used, but her own internal magic was. The glyph there just draws magic from the bile sac, granting the user strength that doesn’t constantly need to be reapplied with a spell circle. It’ll just last until the user either takes the patch off, or passes out from lack of magic. I’d say the odds are about half and half.”

As if to prove Eda’s point, Nosa, in the middle of tossing around some heavy objects and fighting off the Covention guards with an ease her small body shouldn’t be able to do, suddenly fell to the floor in the fetal position, gentle snores emanating from her mouth, easy prey to be restrained.

One of the Construction Coven members, seeing Amity’s worried face, tried to wave her worries away, “don’t worry, she’ll be fine. People just tend to go a little mad with power the first time they use one of those glyphs.”

That wasn’t exactly what Amity had been worried about, more that her friend might end up back in the Conformatorium, though the idea that people went mad from power over a piece of paper wasn’t all that comforting either, especially since they seemed to just be handing them out to other Covention goers as a free sample.

Eda did her best to herd the children away, especially from the guards, careful to keep her face hidden by the hood. As if worrying about having to see her ex wasn’t bad enough, she had to deal with guards, while being in one of the places she liked the least. It was no wonder she was grey at fourth-five, it’s from all this stress.

Amity was still full of questions though, stopping every few feet to ask them, with someone in the group always being able to answer. Until she asked one they hadn’t been prepared for. “So, what are these covens even about, anyway?”

The others stared at her for a second, wondering how to answer that, before Eda butted in, “Well, covens work like this… there are nine main covens, with countless smaller covens that split off from those main nine. Like branches. You sign up for a coven when you come of age, or even younger if you really buy into it, and you’re stuck with whatever magic you chose.”

Amity scribbled that down in her notebook, “So, it’s what? Like some kind of magic license? I suppose that makes sense. After all, if you are a practitioner of one or more branches of magic, you’d probably want that on some kind of legal record, for accountability.” And it did make sense. Amity was big on order. She preferred to have a notebook for every subject, and with nine main branches of magic, she’d need to go shopping so she could categorize them properly when she got back home.

Willow shook her head, “No, no, you only get to choose one coven.”

Amity cocked an eyebrow, “At a time? That seems to be really inefficient-“

“Not one at a time, one for life,” Eda cut in, smirking slightly as she saw the realization sink in for the human girl.

Amity gazed around the Covention floor, looking at all the hundreds of coven branches there were. “Just one? For life?”

Amity frowned, wondering if she’d have to choose when she came of age, whenever that was for witch society, and how that would affect her future. She’d never liked the idea of being stuck with one thing… she needed more information, she couldn’t worry about it yet.

Before she could bombard Eda with more questions, King returned from one of the neighboring stalls, arms full of free gifts, “I have subjugated yet another group of followers to my cause! All shall love me and despair!”

A gentle laugh met the group's ears, unfamiliar to Amity. The group turned to see a woman sitting behind a rather bare stand. Her brown hair pulled into a bun, skin dark, with friendly eyes behind glasses. She spoke, “You shouldn’t encourage such behavior in him, Eda.”

Luz’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she barreled forth, almost tripping over her own feet, “Mama!”

“Luz, it’s only been a week. You always act like it’s been a lifetime.” The woman laughed, though she embraced her daughter just as tightly. After a moment she pulled away, inspecting her daughter “I missed you, too. How was your week with your mom, Mija? Estabas bien comportada?”

The rest of the group made their way to the table, a simple banner labeling it as the “Beast Healer Coven.” Amity’s ears had perked up, her recognizing the Spanish spoken, curious to it’s casual use on the Boiling Isles. When she thought about it, it was strange that everyone seemed to speak English, so maybe it wasn’t so strange that some people here also spoke Spanish. Perhaps some of the Human world had bled into the Demon Realm, the same way all of Earth’s fantasy had come from the Boiling Isles? It was another thing added to her notebook for later.

Amity unfortunately didn’t have much experience with Spanish, though. What little she did know she had picked up from Clara, who had taken a class. Amity had helped her cram for a few tests, and her knowledge of words and phrases started and ended with whatever Clara was complaining about. Amity had been forced to take French, the “more sophisticated” language, and had her own fair share of troubles with it.

Now the only thought on her mind was if she’d meet some French speaking demons. It coming from the Demon Realm would certainly explain all the silent letters used in French words. Amity managed to regain focus on what was being discussed in front of her just in time for Luz to reply to her mama, “My week was great! I made a new friend, and we hung out the whole time. I even got to read the missing Azura book from my collection!”

Her Mama beamed, happy to hear her daughter had made more friends. “That’s great, mija. I’m very happy for you. Es ella de ahi?”

Luz left her Mama’s side, rejoining Amity and taking the human by the hand, dragging her closer. Amity found herself parked right dead center in front of the coven stand, feeling a little flustered and nervous, and trying to straighten out the wrinkles from her outfit. “Yup! This is her! Amity, meet my Mami!”

Amity held a stiff hand out for the woman to shake, which she did so. Her hands were larger than Amity’s own, but soft and warm, with a strength behind them Amity hadn’t expected. “Hello, Mrs. Noceda-Clawthorne, I’m Amity. It’s very nice to meet you.”

The woman looked amused, but at least didn’t laugh in Amity’s face, “The pleasure is all mine. You can just call me Camila. Camila Noceda. Luz may have hyphenated her mother’s name, but Eda and I never married. And if we did, It’d be a little odd to keep her name now that we’re apart.”

“What can I say?” Eda butted in, leaning against the table with an air of exaggerated indifference, “Marriage is a sham of an institution.”

Camila rolled her eyes, a mild flash of annoyance at Eda’s interruption, but she kept it playful. “Ever the romantic, I see.” Her comments caused a fit of giggles from the children her daughter had befriended, and Eda to grin.

The brown skinned witch turned her attention back to Amity, “So, tell me a little about yourself. How did you meet Luz?”

Amity smiled, “Well, I won’t bore you with details-“ what she meant was she wasn’t going to mention the jailbreak,” - but I met her through Eda. I managed to talk her into taking me on as an apprentice, and Luz just happened to be over at the start of the week.”

Camila’s eyes widened and she leaned over her table, interest peaked, “An apprentice? To Eda? You managed to actually get her to commit to something?”

Amity smirked, glancing over at her new mentor who was doing her best to avoid her gaze, “Something like that. We haven’t actually started any lessons yet. She’s mostly just had me doing her chores, but I’m wearing her down.”

“Well! I think you’ve chatted enough with my Apprentice, Cam,” Eda laughed nervously, placing a hand on either of Amity’s shoulders and steering the girl away. “Why don’t you catch up with Dweeb one and Dweeb two for a bit?”

Camila nodded, turning her focus to Willow and Gus, but the playful twinkle in her eye told both witch and human this conversation was far from over. Eda grimaced as she pushed Amity a bit farther away, groaning to herself, “Did you have to go make me look bad in front of my ex? She already doesn’t think all that highly of me.”

Amity frowned, hoping she hadn’t really upset Eda, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you cared.”

“I don’t!” Eda insisted, “I just don’t need any more reasons for her to take Luz away from me.”

“Would she do that?” Amity asked, not getting that impression from Camila.

Eda was quiet for a moment, then shook her head. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. Things were really rough between us after the break up. I usually don’t like to keep my exs in my life, but I made an exception for my baby-mama, since I wanted to be there for Luz. She’s a better mother than I’ll ever be, so I just don’t want her to think I’m slacking.”

Amity nodded, “I see… do you want to talk about it?”

Eda scoffed, “With you? No. I’m a grown-ass woman, I can handle my own issues. Besides, you made it seem like I make you pick up enough of my slack, apprentice.”

Amity smiled disingenuously, and held up her notebook, “Well, if you want to make it up to me, you can actually teach me some stuff, like you were a few minutes ago.”

The human gestured around to the rest of the Covention hall, “I still have plenty of questions. And what you said earlier raised plenty more.”

“Fine, fine,” Eda rolled her eyes, and snatched a free sample from the Bakery coven’s nearby table with a levitation spell. Taking a bite, mouth full and spewing crumbs as she spoke, Eda asked, “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me more about the one coven system. What if you change your mind? What if you picked the wrong coven?”

Eda took a moment to think, and swallow her cupcake. “Well, you’re more or less stuck with a coven forever. You have to have a pretty good case to make to switch covens, and it’s rare enough I can say I’ve never met anyone who’s succeeded. The only way out is to be kicked out, and that doesn’t happen often. No one wants to be kicked out of their coven.”

Amity scribbled that down, “And why’s that?”

“Because then you’d be labeled a Wild Witch, like I am.” Eda pointed to herself with her thumb, a prideful grin on her face. “I never joined a coven.”

“Makes sense,” Amity murmured, nose in her notes, “You don’t seem to respect authority much. You like to rebel, and it’s a system that forces someone to choose something for life. What’s so bad about being a Wild Witch that makes people join covens?”

“It’s illegal to be a Wild Witch, for one. I’m talking ‘join a coven, or prison for life’ kinda stuff. If you screw up enough to be kicked out, you’re now a covenless witch, and while you might be able to find another coven in the same branch of magic willing to take you in, that stigma and your screw ups could make that very difficult.”

“Which means jail time for most anyone who does get kicked out.” Amity surmised. “Why take the risk of not joining a coven, then?”

Eda stole another cupcake, munching on it before speaking again, “Of course, the reason I didn’t join was because I didn’t want to be stuck with all but one branch of my magic sealed away.”

Amity’s pencil snapped. The pointed tip had been pressed down so hard it had torn a hole into the paper, and broke the tip. Amity had brought spares, and a sharpener, she wasn’t an amateur, but this revelation had her looking up from her notebook to meet Eda’s eyes. The witch stared back, eyes serious for the first time since Amity had met her.

The human took a moment to breathe, “Can you explain that in a bit more detail?”

Eda placed a hand on top of Amity’s head, craning it to look back at Camila, who was still jovially talking to the other kids and King. “See that mark on her right forearm? That’s a coven seal. That brands her as a member of the Beast Healer coven, and she can only perform magic that fits that branch.”

Amity’s mouth opened, but didn’t make a sound. Checking her notes she’d made on the nine main covens, she quickly found her voice, “Wait, is that part of the Beast Keeping coven, or the Healing coven?”

“It’s technically a branch of the Healing coven.” Eda supplied, releasing the girl's head. “But don’t go thinking she can use all sorts of healing spells. She wasn’t deemed ‘good enough’ for the main branch of healers, who get access to everything. So she took on the Beast Healing branch. Her magic is locked away, so she can only use spells compatible with Beasts.”

“So, she’s a veterinarian?” Amity asked.

Eda gave a quizzical quirk of her brow, “A what?”

“A vet? She takes care of sick and hurt animals?” Amity explained carefully.

“Yes, she’s a Beast Healer. Stop using overly complicated words.” Eda rolled her eyes at the human.

“I suppose it makes some sort of sense to keep her from using other spells. I wouldn’t trust a vet to operate on me… but to take away the option of them ever learning entirely? Or going after something else?” Amity shivered, the idea of having her skin branded and having her future locked in place making her feel cold inside. Like she had felt under Mother’s watch.

Looking back at Camila, Amity asked, just for clarification, “So she can’t do any other spells?”

Eda shook her head, shifting her weight, “That’s not quite right. All witches have some standard spells they’re allowed to learn in basic education. Shield spells to give them cover from the Boiling Rain and for self defense, for instance. And depending on the coven, there is some crossover between the two. A potion coven member is allowed access to some pretty weak plant magic, to help grow their own ingredients. But they won’t be commanding any plants, or anything.”

The two trailed back to the table to rejoin the group as they finished out their discussion. Only they found yet another new person in their group, caped in white cloak and a pointed mask. Luz was talking animatedly to this person as they approached, a wide grin on her lips. Eda groaned, gesturing to the newcomer, “And then there are these assholes.”

“Really, Edalyne, is that anyway to talk to your own sister?” The figure asked, removing the beaked mask and hood, an air of calmness around her with a soft, confident smile gracing her dark lips. With the hood gone, a flowing mane of straight black hair blossomed forth, draped over the woman’s shoulders.

Amity blinked, looking between the two figures. Eda’s sister? There was a lack of family resemblance, the other woman holding an elegant, almost regal air to her compared to Eda’s slouched shoulders and messy hair. However, Amity supposed that since Eda wasn’t refuting that statement, it must be true. Eda instead just crossed her arms, her mouth formed into a scowl, “I said what I said.”

Turning her head towards Amity, Eda continued, “As I was saying, these assholes are part of the Emperor’s Coven. They can learn all branches of magic, as long as they enforce that masked moron’s laws.”

“We are the arm and dagger of the Emperor,” Eda’s sister replied smoothly, unaffected by Eda’s disdainful words. “Though I’m not sure why you’re having to explain this. Has this poor child been living under a rock her entire life, or are you just that poor a teacher?”

Luz frowned, and now Eda and Amity knew what she’d been talking about with her aunt before they’d returned. Luz had clearly been catching her up on the past week, and about Amity being Eda’s student. Eda grit her teeth, “I’d like to see you try, Lilith. I’ll have you know my apprentice is bright, curious-“

“And Human.” Lilith observed, seeing the girl’s ears. She let out a ladylike chuckle, the kind Amity recognized to be condescending and patronizing from all her time among the upper class elite, “You really should know by now that humans can’t do magic, Edalyne.”

The two stared each other down, while Camila checked Amity’s ears for herself, then shot a glare at Eda that promised there was more to discuss before they parted ways. Gus and Willow, sensing some family tension, excused themselves to take King to find more offerings, promising to be back later.

“Tía Lilith, please-“ Luz began, but her mother cut her off.

“We’ll see about that, Lily. After all, if you can learn magic, I’m sure anyone can.” Eda quipped, casually strolling past her sister as if she wasn’t there. Amity followed behind, wanting to keep close to her mentor. She didn’t like the look in Lilith’s eyes.

The dark haired witch hissed, and for a moment Amity was sure a fight was about to break out between the two older witches. Instead, Lilith forced herself to take a deep breath, and calmed herself. When she spoke, it was as serene as her greeting, “I won’t bring you in for your wild ways today, dear sister. I’d hate to ruin young Luz’s day at the Covention by dragging her mother away in chains. I have high hopes she’ll join us at the Emperor’s Coven some day, so I’ll grant you clemency. For now. Tomorrow, all bets will be off. Unless you’re willing to finally take up my offer for a position in the coven?”

Lilith turned to stalk off, ignoring Eda’s glare, murmuring out loud enough for Eda to hear a “Her poor mind must be going if she’s so far gone as to believe a human can be taught.” Just to rile her sister up.

It worked, Eda’s hair seeming to puff up under her hood, and she had to physically bite her lip to not shout something back. It was the single most restraint Amity had ever seen Eda show.

Luz looked down, unhappy to see her family fighting. Eda forced out an angry sigh, getting her frustration out of her system, then reached out and patted her daughter’s head softly. “I’m sorry, I always hope you two get along better-“

“Don't worry about it, Kiddo.” Eda assured, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “Lily and I will always have our differences. As long as she’s good to you, I’ll be happy.”

Eda’s eyes narrowed, “She was good to you, right?”

“Yes, she was, Eda.” Camila assured. “She’s never anything but polite to Luz and I. You just push her buttons as much as she does yours. She just stopped by to say hello and check in on us.”

“Good.” And Eda meant it. As much as she didn’t get along with Lilith, she didn’t want to deprive Luz of being able to see her if she wanted.

Amity stood by awkwardly, gaze held on her shoes. She’d expected a little ridicule for being human, but still, actually receiving it hadn’t been pleasant. She felt a soft hand in her own, and looking up she was met with Luz’s warm golden eyes. “You okay, Amity?”

Amity gave a brisk nod, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just learned a lot today. Wasn’t expecting things to be so… different than what I’d imagined.”

Luz smiled a little tensely, “That’s not exactly what I was talking about. Don’t worry, I won’t let her talk down to you like that again.”

Amity smiled, feeling warmth build in her cheeks, “Thanks, Luz.”

Camila waved them off, “Why don’t you go find your friends and look at a few more of the covens? I have some things I want to talk about with Eda.”

The two teens nodded, walking off hand in hand. Amity’s heart wasn’t as in it as it had been before, not after all she’d learned, but having a friend to lend her a hand was helping. She’d learn magic someday, she was sure.

As soon as the kids were out of earshot, Camila slumped into her chair behind the table, seething. “When were you going to tell me you were teaching a human?” She hissed.

Eda’s eyes widened, “Don’t go all Lilith on me. She wants to learn, so I’m going to teach her!”

Camila slammed her palm on the table, drawing a few eyes, “That’s not what I meant. Why is there a human here? If you’re teaching her, where is she staying? Is she-“

Luz’s words about hanging out with Amity all week floated through her head, and Camila was back on her feet, “You’ve been keeping her at the Owl House?”

Eda placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t appreciate the tone, Cam. If you think I’ve kidnapped her or something, frankly, I’m insulted. I would never do that. Not twice, at least.”

“Eda…” Camila growled, barring her pointed teeth.

Eda scowled, “Hey, she came through my door on her own. I offered to take her back, but she asked to stay. I asked if she had anyone waiting back home, and she told me she didn’t have a family on the other side. Besides, it’s not really any of your business who I invite into my own home.”

Camila breathed out a frustrated sigh, falling back into her chair, “So you decided to take in another child? With your bounty? Do you remember what I told you when you took in King? How you’re putting him in danger? Lilith wouldn't let Luz get hurt if they come for you, that’s why I let her stay with you every week, but she won’t be so merciful to anyone else in that house. Not if it means you’ll give into her demands.”

“Do you just expect me to kick her onto the streets, then?” Eda raised her voice, “Because I know what it's like to live out there, Camila Noceda, and I wasn't going to let some punk kid wallow through that like I did.”

Camila shook her head, holding up her hands, “No! No… I’m sorry, it’s just dangerous. It’s dangerous because of the Emperor’s Coven, and it’s dangerous because….”

Eda looked away, refusing to meet the pair of brown eyes on the other end of the table, “I know.”

Sighing, Camila reached out and placed a hand on Eda’s, “Does she at least know about the curse?” She asked gently.

Eda shook her head solemnly, “No, not yet.”

Camila bit her lip, patting Eda’s hand, “You need to tell her. It’s putting her in danger if she doesn’t know.”

Eda nodded, “I know. I’ll tell her. Just give me some time. I’m good with my elixir, there hasn’t been a transformation since Luz was small.”

“Don’t put it off for too long,” Camila conceded, taking her hand back and folding them both in her lap. She knew there wasn’t any changing Eda’s mind. “If things don’t go well, don’t be afraid to reach out. I’m sure if things go south I can help re-home her-“

“She’s not a pet, Cam. She’s a person.” Eda reminded sternly, a frown on her lips.

Camila composed herself, not wanting to start another argument over a misspoken word, “I’m sorry. It was bad phrasing. It comes with my job.”

Eda frowned, eyeing the seal on Camila’s arm. “Yeah, yeah.”

It was late into the night when Luz and Camila arrived at home, both tired from the long day spent at the Covention center. Camila excused herself to go to bed, having to be up bright and early to be at work in the morning, kissing her daughter good night.

Luz yawned and headed to her own room, tossing her backpack full of her things onto her bed and changing into her pajamas. Smiling to herself, prepared to read the last few chapters of the third Azura book Amity had lent her for the week, Luz crawled into bed and unzipped her bag, letting the contents spill out.

The items clattered onto her blanket, and Luz was prepared to sweep anything she didn’t need off onto the floor below as she grabbed her book from the piles contents, only to see something had joined its ranks that she hadn’t packed.

Luz picked up the Hecate action figure she’d stolen for Amity, carefully inspecting it for damage. If she’d known it was in there, she’d have been a bit more gentle dumping her items out. Her eyebrow perked when she noticed that attached to the doll by a piece of tape was some paper, and she tore it off to see what it said.

“Dear Luz

It only seems right that you get to keep one of these dolls. You did buy steal take them, and I only have them because you gave them to me. I know you’ll enjoy having it with you as much as I’ll enjoy having my our Azura on the desk to look and act out fanfics with play with.

I also hope you think of me when you see her. I’ve always wanted an Azura to my Hecate, so I’m so happy to have you in my life. I can’t wait to see you next week.

-Amity Blight”

Luz looked over the letter, reading, then rereading it, a faint blush on her cheeks. “The Azura to her Hecate?” She asked herself, reminded of how that friendship had gone in later books. In fact, Luz had never fully seen their friendship arc, as book three was the one where they set aside their rivalry to become true friends. Of course, there was no way Amity had meant it like that. They were just friends. They’d only known each other for a week.

Luz lay down, setting the Hecate doll next to her, and pulling the book out to read. She stared blankly at the pages for a few minutes, eyes skimming past the words and forgetting them all a moment later, heart thumping in her chest as she thought about Amity, and how she’d snuck that letter into her bag for her to read.

Frustrated, she closed the book, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to focus on it tonight. Face crimson at the thought of the blonde, she covered her head with her blanket, “Oh no...”

Chapter Text

The next week and a half blew by without much fanfare. When she returned to the Owl House a week after her departure, Luz mentioned something about a Moonlight conjuring at her Mama’s place, a sad little affair that never went the way she wanted it. Gus had wanted an action figure to come to life, but by the end of the night it hadn’t budged. This apparently happened every year, and Luz was quick to try and change the subject to what Amity had done while she was away.

Amity hadn’t wanted to talk about the body swap experience anymore than Luz had wanted to talk about her failed Moonlight conjuring. It was dumb, and embarrassing, and if this were the first season of a TV show, people would think it was the worst episode of the bunch. She really just wanted to forget about being stuck in Eda’s body for a day, unable to grasp control over the witch's magic. Not to mention that King had used her body to go make enemies with a gang of teens. She was sure that would come back to haunt her some day.

It had at least been educational. Amity now knew what it felt to have magic flow through her body. She tried to recreate the feeling once she was back to herself, trying to draw on the power within her, and push it through a spell circle, but nothing she tried worked. No bile sac, no magic, and no way to draw upon the ambient magic in the air.

Amity spent the rest of the time Luz had been gone studying. King had taken her on as his student in tandem with Eda, teaching her about the various demons that inhabited the isles. It was a topic he seemed passionate about, and he was just so happy to have someone listening to him for a night that Amity couldn’t say no. Even if she doubted a lot of what she’d seen in the books. She was halfway sure she’d seen a Snaggleback in town, and it was more of a pink monkey than a fearsome demon. She just didn’t make mention of this to King.

Eda had also taken her to the library, and that had been a fun trip, even if Amity was sure Eda had no intention of returning their borrowed books. She spent hours upon hours pouring over the tomes, drinking in their knowledge, but nothing she found helped her use magic. Eda had tried giving her a few tips and tricks, and they explored a few avenues, trying all sorts of spells. Nothing seemed to work though.

Eda had subtly suggested maybe Amity should try taking up potions, but that just made Amity even more depressed. Sure, that was technically magic, but it was way more like human chemistry than it was to the sorcery in her books.

That was how Eda found her Daughter and her Apprentice, laying on the floor of the living room and looking miserable together. “This is just sad.”

Luz didn’t budge, not even to look in her mother’s direction, “We’re complete magical failures. I couldn’t even get a doll to twitch.”

Amity groaned, face down against the floor, “And I’m starting to think I’ll never be able to do magic. I’ve been here for almost three weeks now, and I still can’t even figure out the simplest spell.”

Eda scowled and folded her arms, “Alright, that’s enough. Stop feeling so sorry for yourselves.”

She marched up to the two, kicking Amity over so she was looking upward. Glaring down at the two teens Eda continued, “I didn’t want to do something so desperate, mostly because it ruins my day plans, but I do have an idea. It’ll be good for you. Build character. So pack your bags, kids, we’re going to the Knee.”

Luz sat up, gasping dramatically, “The Knee? Oh my gosh, I’ll go pack right now!” Without another word she took off, bounding out of the room as quickly as her lanky legs would carry her while squeeing in such a high pitched tone that had King clamping hands over the sides of his head. It was as if she hadn’t just spent the past few hours moping.

Amity’s brow furrowed as she clambered up from the floor, “What’s the Knee?”

Eda looked at her funny, “What do you think it is? You can see it literally anywhere on the isles. It’s the Titan’s literal knee!”

Amity flushed, feeling foolish. “Oh. That makes sense.”

Eda rolled her eyes and gave Amity a shove, “Go upstairs and get ready. And pack something warm to wear, there aren’t many places colder than the Knee!”

Eda was right, there weren’t many places colder than the Knee. Amity found herself shivering, wrapped up tightly in the winter coat Luz had stolen for her during their trip to the human realm. King was clinging to her, wrapping his body and tail around her neck like a scarf, trying to keep his own shivers at bay as the group trudged through the snow.

“Why are we here again?” Amity called out, trying to be heard over the blowing wind.

She had a gloved hand placed over her mouth the instant she finished her question. “Shhh, don’t be too loud up here. Do you want to cause an avalanche?” Eda cautioned.

Gesturing to her daughter, the witch continued, “I’ll let Luz explain, I can see her practically vibrating from the excitement.”

Luz was, in fact, vibrating. Amity had thought she was just shivering this whole time, but could now see the barely contained excitement for their little field trip on Luz’s face, red from the cold winds that whipped by. The younger witch bounced over to Amity, seemingly unaffected by the cold, but still huddled near the human. “Okay, so, basically the Knee is one of the oldest homes of witches on the Isles. Magic is supposed to be a lot more potent here-“

“-Could just be the thinner air causing hallucinations,” Eda muttered under her breath, miserable from how icy she was. Today wasn’t the best day for this, the weather was acting up and making this a lot more brutal than she’d hoped for Amity’s first outing to the Knee.

“Basically, if there is any spot on the whole of the Boiling Isles where we can commune with magic and be empowered, it’s here! Do you feel it, Amity?” Luz continued, grinning brightly.

Amity just huddled closer to Luz for warmth, making the witch’s red face even redder, “I’m not sure I can feel anything, Luz. I’m t-too numb!”

Eda glanced around, squinting her eyes as she surveyed the area. Pointing off into the distance, towards a rocky wall they could barely see through the falling snow, she called out to her wards, “We’ll set up camp over there, in the ruins by that cliff face. It’ll offer us some shelter from the winds. We’ll get the tents set up before it gets too dark, and get a fire going for warmth, then get to some learnin’!”

They continued to trudge through the snow until they made it to the ruins. Eda was right, the nearby rock wall it did provide some cover from the winds, though a chill still ran through them that kept them shivering. Amity worried for a moment that they’d have to shovel the snow off the ground to start setting their campsite up, but Eda came through, blasting the ground with a bit of magical fire and melting it all away, warming the group with the steam that came from the rapidly evaporating snow.

Reinvigorated, the three got right to setting up their tent. Eda pulled the parts out of her hair as Amity sorted them, reading out the instructions while King held them all in place and Luz put it together. Before long a medium sized tent just big enough to house all four was standing, with a rudimentary fire pit constructed by Eda, giving the camp some warmth.

“So, Mom,” Luz chuckled nervously, warming her hands over the fire, “Why just the one tent? Shouldn’t we all have our own?”

Eda shook her head, “That’s no good up here on the Knee. If the nights get too cold, we’ll need to all bundle up for warmth, share body heat. So one tent it is. Why do you ask?”

Luz avoided her gaze, cheeks red at the thought of having to cuddle up to Amity late into the night, “No reason!” She squeaked out.

Beside her, Amity already had a book out, flipping through the pages, “I’m still not sure how being up in the mountains is supposed to help me study.”

“Not mountains, Knee,” Eda corrected.

“Whatever.” Amity grumbled testily.

“And anyway, you’re not here to read,” Eda yoinked the book right out of Amity’s hands, tossing it into the nearby fire where it burst into flames and crumbled into ashes, earning a distressed cry from the human, “You’re here to commune with nature! Come on, eat some snow, roll in the slushy ice, find a freezing pond and swim in it!”

Amity made a face, not wanting to part with the warm fire, “How is any of that supposed to help me learn magic, though?”

Eda shrugged, “heck if I know!” She stood up, turning Amity around so her back was facing away from the firepit, and instead she was looking out into the wilderness.

“Focus on that for now. All the magic we use comes from the isles, so it’s out there, waiting for you to discover it.” Eda poked a finger into Amity’s sternum, then ruffled her hair.

Amity breathed out slowly, then nodded. With a serious expression, she focused on watching the landscape. The trees, the snow, the ruins of whatever city had been here in the past, looking out at it and inside of herself for any way to tap into the latent magic it must have. “How long do you think it’ll take?”

“Who knows? Ten minutes? An hour? All night?” Eda resumed her place by the fire, reaching into her hair and pulling out a bag, “Now, who wants Marsh-mallows?!”

King stood up on the log that was his seat, hand in the air, “Me! Me!”

Amity stared out into the distance, wondering if she should be meditating or something and trying to ignore the joyful sounds her companions were making. Her hands twitched, wanting to write something, anything down, but she was worried Eda would toss her notebook into the fire like she had the library book she’d brought along. She certainly wasn’t paying that fine.

Instead, she forced herself to focus on what was stretched out before her. Scattered ruins were strewn about, pieces of buildings buried under small mountains of snow and ice, hardly peeking up from below the ground. They went as far out as she could see, all the way out past the tree line that must have encroached upon the old town’s territory after it had fallen. She wondered briefly just what had destroyed something so large.

Her focus was broken when out, far beyond the mist and falling snow, there was a brief hint of movement in the trees. Amity leaned forward, squinting her eyes to get a better look, but couldn’t see anything. She was so busy staring that she didn’t notice Luz had taken a seat beside her, until the girl spoke up. “Hey, Amity-“

“Gah!” Amity leapt from her seat, arms flailing wildly and nearly smacking the now laughing witch. Clutching at her heart, Amity sank back into her seat, panting, “Y-yes, Luz?”

Luz smirked at her, and offered her a stick, a lightly toasted Marsh-mallow on the end, “I just wanted to see if you wanted a treat!”

Amity eyed the sweet, and hesitantly took it, giving it a cautious sniff. It seemed harmless enough, so she took a nibble, and had her tastebuds assaulted from the sheer obnoxious sweetness, sweeter than any marshmallow she’d had back home. Luz just grinned as Amity grimaced at the marsh-mallow. “So, what’s got you so on edge?”

Amity blinked, then pointed out into the distance. “Something was moving out there. Something big. It was making some of the trees sway. Against the wind, so it wasn’t from this blizzard.”

Eda rolled her eyes at the kids overly dramatic take on the weather, “It’s probably just a Slitherbeast. Big, mean, and scary, but if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.”

Amity frowned, “Oh, great. A monster. Just what we needed.”

Luz gave her a pat on the back, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll keep you safe from the monsters!”

There was something about the earnestness of Luz’s tone that warmed Amity to the core. She found herself grinning back at the dumb witch, opening her mouth for a pithy reply, when King threw himself over both of their laps.

“What about me? You’ll protect me too, right?”

Luz patted his skull, “Of course, my dear, sweet Prince.”

“King! I’m the King!”

Despite the assurances, Amity didn’t sleep well that night. Maybe it was the bone chilling cold, that even the warmth of her friends couldn’t keep away. Maybe it was the idea that there were Slitherbeasts roaming the forest, and Amity, who hadn’t laid eyes on one yet, could only fill in the gaps of what type of terrifying beast it had to be with her imagination.

Or maybe it was that she’d still come up with nothing. An entire afternoon and evening, and she hadn’t come up with a way to cast a single spell, in the single most magical place on the Boiling Isles. She’d wanted to pull her hair out as she tried to commune with nature, while meanwhile Luz and King were having fun building Snow-witches, and Eda was seeing how many snowballs she could fit in her mouth.

The lack of progress was beginning to get to her. Amity wasn’t sure why she even tried anymore. She was a failure, and was wasting everyone’s time. A human witch? Who was she kidding?

She curled into a pathetic little ball, covering her face with her blanket. Tomorrow she’d apologize to everyone for having to bring her out here, and she’d have to face the music. She didn’t belong here. She’d have to go back… home didn’t feel like the right word anymore.

She sniffed, wiping at her eyes angrily. She wasn’t going to cry. She knew from the start that she might never learn magic. She’d just gotten her own hopes up. A Blight didn’t cry.

Amity did, though. She cracked enough to let angry, bitter tears leak from her eyes, only silencing herself enough to not wake the others. The blanket over her head acted as a barrier between herself and the rest of the world, where no one would ever know she’d been weak.

At least, until she heard a rustling noise, followed by being shaken by a pair of tiny hands. Wiping the wetness away on her sleeve, Amity calmed herself and rose, pulling the blanket off her face to meet the frantic eyes of King. “Eda’s gone!”

Amity felt the tiredness in her bones evaporate as she became alert at his panicked cry. Glancing over to where Eda had been, she found the diminutive demon was correct, the grey haired witch was gone, her blankets left rumpled on the floor of the tent. Beside them, Luz slept like a log, unmoving with a line of drool down her face.

Amity pulled herself to her feet, reaching for her boots. King frantically paced around, “I-I heard something out in the woods. It woke me up, but I wasn’t scared or anything! Then I noticed that Eda wasn’t here anymore, and I tried to wake Luz, but she wouldn’t get up to protect me, then I heard you making noises.” He explained frantically, not keeping his voice down, not that it bothered Luz.

Amity tied her laces up, then grabbed her jacket, “What did you hear out there? Did it sound big and loud?”

King nodded his head, “I heard groaning, and rustling in the trees.”

Amity gulped, “Do you think it might have been one of those Slitherbeasts?”

King played nervously with his claws, “I-it could have been.”

Amity, before heading for the flap of the tent, took a look at a few of Eda’s things, hoping to maybe find a clue as to where she might have gone. Nothing stuck out to her, nothing in or missing from the pack struck her as odd. Clothes, a few knickknacks, an unopened bottle of golden liquid that Amity, knowing Eda, assumed was liquor of some kind. It was labeled, but she couldn’t read it in the dark, and she couldn’t waste any time.

Amity didn’t have a clue where Eda may have gone, and there was fear in her heart, but she wasn’t about to leave Eda out there alone if there were monsters about. “Do you want to stay with Luz?” She asked the demon, gesturing to the young witch, who still hadn’t moved.

King looked like he wanted to say yes, but a conflicted look appeared in his eye. After a moment of silence, he shook his bony head, “No, I’m brave. I’m the King of Demons! I shall ride my steed into battle and help my friend!”

Amity didn’t get the chance to ask what he’d meant by steed, before he’d scrambled up her leg, back, and rested on top of her head. Oh, she was the steed. “Onward to Eda, my noble beast of burden!”

Amity resisted the urge to groan, but silenced her complaints as she opened the tent and was once more amongst the chilling air. At least King made a good, warm pair of earmuffs with his fur. She took a tentative step out, boots crushing the snow beneath her feet, and she inspected the dark campsite that was only illuminated by the moon.

The fire had burned out a while ago, and without its warmth the snow that was falling had built up a white, pillowy blanket, covering the ashes and the ground around the site. With the fresh layer of snow, it made tracking Eda easier, since her steps were as visible as Amity’s own, if a little hard to see in the darkness. Amity would have killed for a flashlight, but without the commodities that Earth provided, she had to make her way through the woods by the light of the moon and stars alone.

Her legs shook, both from the cold and fear as she made her way closer to the trees. King was right, there was something out there. She could hear it, moaning and groaning and growling. “Eda could take a Slitherbeast, right, King?”

She could feel him nod against her, “O-of course! She’s the strongest, besides me, after all.”

Amity couldn’t be sure if it was paranoia or not, but as they followed Eda’s footsteps, she could swear she could feel eyes on her, watching her every movement like she was prey. She wanted to just go back to camp, climb back into her blanket, and wait until morning so she could just go back to the Human realm already. It certainly didn’t help that the groaning was getting louder the farther they got.

All of a sudden it went quiet, the noise dying out. The only sounds Amity could hear were her own boots against the snow, and her heart pounding in her chest. She found herself wrapping her arms around her body, trying to bring herself some comfort in the uncanny quiet of the forest. Then a bright light blinded Amity, causing her to stumble on her feet and fall, making King spill out onto the ground in a comical heap. Amity squinted, trying to see through the light, her vision filled by a silhouette.

“You okay, kiddo?” Eda’s voice asked, and Amity breathed a sigh of relief. She took the hand being offered to her and was pulled to her feet, looking over the nonplussed witch. In Eda’s off hand was a ball of light that she was using to illuminate the way.

“Eda! You’re okay!” King cried, latching onto her leg, causing the Owl Lady to try to shake him off.

“Of course I’m fine! What are you two doing out here, anyway?” She said, scrapping the demon off as he fell back to the ground with a thud.

“Well, we heard some noises out in the woods, and you weren’t there. We thought maybe a Slitherbeast got you, or something, so we came out to check. What were you doing out here?” Amity filled in, just happy to see the other woman.

Eda’s mouth fell into a line, “Well, I, uh, I was answering the call of nature. When you get to my age, having too many sugary sweets can really give you a stomach ache… especially when said sweets were made in a Bog. I had to get away from the campsite, didn’t want to wake anyone with my groaning, but I guess that backfired.”

Amity blinked, then put it together. The creepy moans had been Eda, who had been… “oh, gross. Do you know how scared your trip to the restroom made us?!”

Eda put her hands on her hips, “Hey, I didn’t ask you to come out here, you assumed there was danger and came out here yourself. Which was pretty dumb, anyway. Neither of you can defend yourselves. Where’s Luz?”

“Back at the tent,” Amity explained as the group began to make their way back. “She wouldn’t wake up, so we thought it best to leave her be.”

“Yeeeah, she gets that from me,” Eda admitted, “Her Mama’s always been a light sleeper, but me? I can sleep through anything.”

Amity chuckled, relief flooding through her as they returned to camp. Everyone was safe, everything was alright. No Slitherbeast was going to get them, King and her had just overreacted.

That relief quickly left her as the campsite came back into view.

The three could only stare at what was left of the place, which had been torn to pieces. The tent was reduced to shreds, various items from their packs strewn about the camp. The firepit had been decimated, the clean white snow that surrounded it now stained by the dug up ash. The snow itself was disturbed, trampled by large, clawed footprints.

The stillness was broken by Eda, who raced forward, yellowing out panicked calls for her daughter, “Luz! Luz, where are you?!”

Amity was almost afraid to help search, not wanting to see what she might find. A Slitherbeast must have attacked while they were looking for Eda, and with how heavy Luz had slept, and how torn up the tent was… Amity didn’t want to see what was waiting there for there. Her knees almost buckled beneath her, King leaving her side to join Eda’s search, when the Owl Lady’s words hit her.

“She’s not here.” Those words were as comforting to Amity as they were horrifying. Luz wasn’t there. No corpse meant she could still be alive. If she was, she could be in that monster's hands, or lost in the woods alone, freezing. But at least she wasn’t here, where she would be dead.

“W-what do we do now?” Amity asked, still shaken up.

Eda didn’t respond for a moment, instead bending down and picking up a few items, shoving them into one of the surviving bags they had brought. A few of Luz’s things, a few of hers, clothes, a book, a bottle filled with liquid gold. Satisfied with what she was able to save, Eda returned to her feet, bag hoisted over her shoulder, “We start looking for my girl.”

Any fear Amity had felt before felt minuscule in comparison to now as they searched for Luz. The girl practically trembled in her boots as they searched the dark forest, looking for any sign of where the beast that had attacked them had gone.

The signs were easy enough to follow. The monster hadn’t hidden its tracks, which tore through the snow. As they made their way through the trees, they could see fresh claw marks over them, scratched deep into the wood. Amity’s throat clenched tightly as she thought of what it might be like to have those tear through her flesh.

Even a few small animals seemed to have been caught in the crossfire, their bodies staining the forest snow red, green, and purple, depending on what had been hunted. “Why are there so many? Wouldn’t it eat them?”

Eda didn’t pause in her steps as she answered, “It’s following it’s instincts, and hunts, even when it’s not hungry anymore. Probably already had its fill and is just trying to get any excess energy out in a way it thinks is fun.”

The three continued to explore, but whatever had attacked the campsite was fast. It had put a lot of distance between itself and the camp, and they didn’t seem to be catching up. Or, that’s what Amity initially thought, but she could hear the occasional rustle of leaves and branches, and growls from all around them.

Eda held out a hand when she heard them, stopping Amity and King in their tracks “We’re going in circles. It’s doubling back. It’s hunting us.”

That didn’t bring any form of comfort to Amity, who huddled up close to Eda. King let out a meep, then scaled the Owl Lady, hiding in her hair without a word and trusting he’d be safe within the warmth of her locks. Amity couldn’t find it in herself to blame him, she was half tempted to see if she could fit in there herself. Instead, she looked around, picking up a stick off the ground to use like a club, and kept close to Eda.

A shadow swooped over them, and Amity tightened her grip, eyes wide in panic. Eda held her staff in one hand, her ball of light in the other, expression grim as she prepared to be struck at any angle. From above them, a single brown feather fell, before being joined by a much larger force, all teeth and claws.

Amity stared at the blackened silhouette, unable to make out much of its form. It was large, and on all fours, wings beating a gust of wind towards them. “That’s a Slitherbeast?!” She cried, lifting her club up to prepare a strike.

“No,” Eda said solemnly, raising her ball of light, casting the shadows away from the creature and revealing a black eyed, but familiar face, “It’s not.”

The stick dropped from Amity’s grip as she gaped at the visage of her best friend, plastered onto a large, feathered body. “Luz?”

The monstrous witch snarled, looking ready to pounce, but Eda held the light up higher, a burst of blinding energy washing off it that caused her changed daughter to flinch and take a few steps back. “Amity, you should get out of here. I’ll handle her.”

Amity wanted to protest, but Eda wasn’t having it, “You’ve got a stick, kid, you’re not going to be able to stand against an angry Owlbeast like that.”

“Then why did you bother bringing me along?!” Amity cried, tearing her eyes away from Luz’s cursed form long enough to look back at her teacher.

“I did that so she’d focus on both of us, and not just on you if I left you by yourself. You’re too easy a target for her to pass up. Now, get out of here while she’s focused on me!” Without waiting for Amity’s acknowledgement, Eda thrusted Owlbert out, the palismen’s eyes shining with light as it took control over the orb from Eda, who used her now free hand to wrestle a bottle of the golden liquid she’d packed out of her bag.

“Come on, daughter’o’mine, it’s time to take your medicine!” Eda yelled, flaring the light once more. The Owlbeast screeched, batting a taloned hand at her mother, continuing to back off at a steady pace. The creature hunched over, looking ready to pounce, roaring into the wind, and for a moment Eda looked victorious, only for Luz to turn on her heels and run instead, disappearing deeper into the thicket.

“Damn it!” Eda screamed, giving chase and leaving Amity behind, the entire area flooded by darkness once more.

Amity wanted to give chase, wanted to help, but her legs gave out on her. Tears springing from her eyes for the second time that night. She grit her teeth and grasped the snow on the ground tightly in her gloved fist. “I’m useless.”

Even Eda thought so. She didn’t exactly say it in those words, but Amity knew. Eda thought she was useless and was just going to get in the way. Because she couldn’t do magic. Because she couldn’t do a thing to help her best friend in this world. Amity didn’t understand what was going on, but one look into Luz’s blackened eyes, and she knew her friend was in pain. And she couldn’t do anything to fix it.

She wiped futilely at the tears that leaked from her eyes and the snot that dripped from her nose. The cold weather just made it all worse, making her nostrils leak like a faucet. She’d probably get sick after running around all night in the snow on top of all the rest of the awful things that had happened.

Making to wipe her face off again with her sleeve, her eyes caught sight of a particularly large snowflake that was sticking to the fabric. She paused, bringing it closer to her face, but it quickly melted under the warmth of her breath. It couldn’t have been…

She was tired. And desperate, and clearly delusional, but this was the closest thing to hope she’d felt since she had arrived on this Titan-forsaken appendage. Holding her gloves out, she caught a few snowflakes as they fell, and inspected them, holding her breath as she did so this time so as not to melt them. The same pattern as the first, on both of them. A statistical impossibility. Snowflakes didn’t have the same pattern.

These ones did. Amity’s eyes widened, her mind at work. The Isles were hot and humid. They were situated on the Boiling sea. Even at the elevation the Knee was at, with the heat that usually beat down, especially in Summer, snow shouldn’t be possible. And yet it was. She’d spent the better part of her day in a blizzard.

Her mind took her back to the glyph she’d seen at the Covention the week before, and Eda’s words echoed in her skull, that the Power glyph drew from the bile sac to make the spell work, and the bile sac drew power from the ambient magic the Titan generated. These snowflakes were magic. They were no different than the Power glyph, but instead of drawing upon a bile sac, they cut out the middle man, and drew magic directly from the Titan itself. And they had a glyph in their center that made it all possible.

Shivering, hands shaking in the cold, Amity held out her hand and caught more snowflakes, using them as a template. Carefully she studied them, and with her other hand she drew the pattern into the snow itself, binding it in a circle. Closing her eyes and praying this worked, she pressed her hand down upon the center, expecting the sigil she’d just drawn to do nothing but be ruined, a handprint in its center.

Instead a small ice pillar formed, lifting from the snow, filling Amity with awe. She’d done it. She’d done magic!

Fists clenched with determination and filled with a second wind, the human rose to her feet and ran back towards the campsite, hoping her notebook and pencils were still in one piece.

Eda chased after her daughter, cursing under her breath. This wasn’t working. Every time she thought she had Luz cornered, the girl would find some way to out-trick her, getting just out of her reach. In a way, it almost seemed like a game to the Owlbeast, who mocked her with growls and whines like laughter.

Eda was pretty sure her feet were bleeding and blistered from all this chasing, but she couldn’t feel it. She had ice in her veins by this point, but she wasn’t going to stop until Luz was back to normal, or she died of hypothermia.

Once more the demon stopped its bounding, skidding in the snow to turn to face Eda, making sure she was still following. Eda huffed, her breath misty in the cool air. She palmed the potion bottle, glad she’d thought to bring it. She’d meant for it to be used on herself, in case anything had happened or there was an emergency. She was glad she’d had the foresight.

“Come on, Luz, stop with the chase. Come on, take the potion, and we’ll head back home. It’ll be toasty warm, and we’ll have some cocoa or something, doesn’t that sound nice?” Eda tried tempting the beast, hoping to reach her daughter inside.

The Owlbeast cocked its head curiously, taking a cautious step forward. Eda smiled, and took her chance, firing off a plant spell to make the trees around them sprout roots, all shooting at the changed girl to bind her in them. The Owlbeast was too fast, however, leaping backward from the main assault, and swiping with sharpened claws to destroy what was left. Luz let out a roar, mouth opened wide, teeth exposed, and Eda, feeling desperate, swung back her arm and pitched the bottle at the maw, only for Luz to duck at the last second.

Eda’s breath hitched in her throat as the glass bottle soared, only to land in a soft patch of snow, unbroken. “You’re really trying my patience, kiddo, I hope you know that.”

The Owlbeast seemed to smirk, and turned to race off again, to begin the chase anew, only to slam face first into a pole of ice.

Eda guffawed. She couldn’t help it, even she hadn’t seen it coming, because she hadn’t cast that spell- “Wait, what?”

The Owlbeast started to regain its senses, shaking its head and the pain off, turning to run off yet again, only for another pillar of ice to burst out of the ground. And another. And another. From all sides, it found itself caged. Turning to face Eda, its face became furious, tired of their game, and it roared once more.

“Eda!” Amity’s voice caught the witch’s attention, and the Owl Lady craned her neck to look behind the beast. Amity was there, holding her notebook in one hand, and the lost potion bottle in the other, holding it aloft, “Catch!”

With the grace only an athlete could call upon, Amity chucked the bottle high up and over the icy cage, over the Owlbeast head, and into Eda’s hands. The grey witch smirked, gripping the chilled bottle tightly, “Alright, lets try this again!”

The Owlbeast, cornered, screeched and cried, thrashing against the cell of icicles. Under its weight and strength, they began to crack and crumble, some outright breaking like glass, but the beast still couldn’t run. With one last mighty cry, it flexed its wings, shattering the cell into ice shards, intending to take for the sky’s.

Only to choke, as with that same mighty roar, its mouth had been opened wide, making a perfect target for Eda to get the bottle down its throat. Crashing back to the ground after only getting a few feet of lift, the Owlbeast twitched and cried, its roars and growls turning into horrifically human screams. Its form shrank, losing the cape of feathers, until only a small child remained in the shattered cell.

Luz collapsed into the snow under her, tired, but conscious. Eda breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against Owlbert, the effort of the night catching up with her. She began her approach, noticing that Luz was in nothing but her pajamas, which were torn and stretched. She’d need to fix that before Luz got sick from the cold.

Only to be beaten to it by Amity, who raced down to the broken cage, already taking off her jacket to wrap around Luz’s body. Luz clutched it to herself, shaking like a leaf equally from grief and the chill. “I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was supposed to protect you, but I’m the monster, I’m so-“

Eda watched as Amity threw her arms around Luz’s neck, holding her friend tightly. “Don’t you say that. You are not a monster, Luz. You’re my friend. I’m just glad you’re okay. Shhh, I’ve got you now.”

Eda lowered herself to the ground, wrapping both arms around the girls, listening as Amity murmured a mantra of “I’ve got you,” and “You’re not a monster” in her daughter’s ears. She’d never felt more grateful to the human than in this moment for her words. They’d sort out explanations later.

The four flew through the air, beaten and tired. The dawn's light was beginning to peak out over the horizon, and no one had gotten more than a few hours of sleep at most.

Eda sat in front, piloting Owlbert. Behind her was Luz, passed out and drooling on her shoulder. Behind Luz was Amity, helping sandwich the other girl between them so she wouldn’t fall. Clinging to Amity’s head was King, who had to be pried out of Eda’s hair after everything had gone down.

The ride was silent for the most part, Eda guiding Owlbert at a slower than usual pace so as not to disturb Luz’s rest. She knew it was time to break that silence, though. Amity deserved some answers, and Eda should have done this last week when Camila asked her to.

Eda opened her mouth, looking for her words. “When I was about your age, someone cursed me.”

Amity’s ears perked up as she listened. The Owl Lady continued, “I don’t know who it was, or why they did it, but they turned me into… that thing you saw. I quit school, and took off on my own. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, and I didn’t want anyone else hurting me, either.”

The witch sighed, “Then, one day, a few years later, I met Camila Noceda. And I fell in love. Heh, or maybe I just liked the attention. Either way, Luz came about from that relationship. We’d wanted a kid, and I guess I got a little too comfortable living a ‘normal’ life, and let my hopes get the best of me.”

Eda cleared her throat, fighting back her emotions, “I should have known things were going too good. Luz inherited my curse. She transformed the first time when she was six. The both of us take an elixir to keep it at bay, but as I’ve got older, the more I have to take to keep the Owlbeast at bay. Luz usually only has to take hers once a week or so, but I guess we’ll have to up the dosage.”

They flew in silence for a bit longer, “If I ever find the guy who did this to us…” Eda growled.

Amity finally spoke up, brushing a hand gently through Luz’s hair, “You’re gonna kill them, right?”

The Owl Lady scoffed, “There are a lot of things worse than death, kid. And I intend to inflict them all on whoever did this. Slowly.”

Amity nodded, “Good, if you didn’t, I would have had to pick up your slack. Like usual.”

“… I’m glad Luz has as good a friend as you, Amity.” Eda said softly, then turned her head so she could meet the girl’s eyes, “And congrats on finally learning your first spell! That was you, with the ice, right?”

Amity smiled wide with pride, despite the rough series of events, “Yeah. That was me. I just had to commune with nature for a bit longer. Like you said, it might take all night.”

“That’s my girl!”

Chapter Text

Amity landed safely on the ground, thankful for the dirt beneath her feet after such a shaky flight. While she wouldn’t say she had a fear of heights, she did have a very healthy respect for them, and it was only her trust in Owlbert that allowed her to fly as high and fast as she had on her way here.

Here being a small house in a neighborhood within the bounds of Bonesborough. The place was small, looking like the ground floor took up about the same space as the Owl House, but obviously lacked the tower in the back. Instead, it looked relatively modern, at least for the Boiling Isles. Less a rustic cottage and more similar to the houses Amity would see in the suburbs back home, though still a bit fantastical. Off-white paint, pale blue roof, screen door to keep out the demonic insect. A few shrubs and bushes around the place, though unlike the ones on Earth which existed to look pretty, these ones had berries and the like.

The place was certainly cozy, but she expected nothing less from someone like Camila Noceda. It was hard to imagine that Eda had ever lived here before she’d found the Owl House, though. It seemed too… domestic for someone as eccentric as the Owl Lady.

Still, Amity had something she had to do. She’d pried the information about where Camila lived from Eda(well, she asked, and it was given freely, it was more that the timing wasn’t exactly great. So much screeching), and now she was going to go through with her plan.

Tucking a book she brang with her under one arm, and gripping Owlbert’s staff in the other hand, she marched for the door, raising a fist to gently knock. She bit her lip nervously, waiting for an answer, which she got almost immediately. Camila opened her door, looking down at Amity through her glasses with a look of confusion on her face. “Amity? What are you doing here? It’s a little late, don’t you think?”

Amity felt sheepish, and a little intimidated by the other woman, who she still didn’t know too well. Camila was right, the sun was nearly set, sinking below the horizon. “I know, but I wanted to see Luz, if that’s okay?”

Camila seemed conflicted, standing uneasily in the doorway, “Is Eda okay with you coming over?”

Amity nodded, “She got stuck watching the Bat Queen’s babies for the night. I couldn’t stand all the crying, so I was getting out of there anyway.”

Camila winced in sympathy, “Better prepare to stay the night, then, cariño. You may not get any rest if her babies end up staying overnight.”

With that, Camila stepped aside, allowing Amity into her humble home. “Luz’s room is the first room on the right up the stairs. If you get hungry, let me know, I have plenty of leftovers from dinner.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Noceda.” Amity said politely, though she was already moving on autopilot, following the directions she’d been given until she was outside of Luz’s bedroom door. Her hand clasped the handle, ready to turn it, but she paused and knocked first instead. It was different when it was the room they shared at the Owl House, Luz deserved her privacy when she was at her Mama’s home.

There wasn’t an answer at first, making Amity worry. It had been a few days since Luz’s transformation, and the poor witch hadn’t been at her best in the time she’d been at Eda’s afterwards. Her entire body had been sore from the curse overtaking her, and that wasn’t even touching on what it did to her mentally. Just when Amity was ready to announce herself again though, Luz’s muffled voice answered, inviting her in.

“Luz? It’s me.” Amity spoke softly as she peeked into the room. It was dark, the lights off, only illuminated by the last rays of the sun that were now almost gone entirely as twilight set in. As far as decorations went, it was similar enough to Luz’s room at the Owl house, sparsely furnished, but what was there showed Luz’s character. A desk pushed against the wall, covered in art supplies. A few amateur taxidermy projects on the windowsill. A shelf full of Azura books. A rug in the center of the room that was covered in paint stains. And of course a bed that Luz herself was laying in, bundled up in her blankets like a cocoon.

“Amity?” Luz asked blankly, then sat up, unraveling herself from her covers. “What are you doing here?”

Amity stepped into the room, hand fumbling for the light switch so she could see better. Once the room was illuminated she got a better look at the witch, and felt a wave of sympathy for the poor girl.

Luz looked haggard. Tired, dark bags under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days. Her hair was frazzled, and her golden eyes had lost their luster. She looked ill, and if Amity hadn’t been there in the days after the Knee, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Luz was. It had been a cold night, and she’d been in nothing but her pajamas for a short chunk of it.

But Amity knew better. This wasn’t a cold, or the flu. Luz was unwell, but illness isn’t what plagued her. Her curse did. The transformation had taken a toll on the girl, and she hadn’t yet recovered from the physical and mental toll.

“I came to see you.” Amity spoke honestly, because that was the entire point of her visit in the end.

Luz’s cheeks burned red, something she was quick to hide with her blankets. “You didn’t need to do that. I don’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not, Luz. I came to see you, you didn’t ask for me to come by. And even if you did, it wouldn’t bother me.” Amity shushed her, sitting down on the edge of Luz’s bed, setting her book beside her. “Now, tell me the truth, how are you doing?”

Luz seemed reluctant to speak about her condition, avoiding Amity’s gaze. The human girl reached out, placing her hand over Luz’s, “Hey, it’s okay. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. We can just relax. Or I can leave if you want to be left alone?”

Luz shook her head, “Y-you can stay. I’d like the company. But I really don’t want to talk about what happened, please?”

Amity slowly nodded her head, “That’s fine Luz. As long as you’re comfortable, I won’t pry.”

The sun was down completely now, and so Amity moved on to the next part of her plan. “I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back, okay?”

The witch gave Amity directions to the restroom, though in reality Amity had no use for them. Instead she stepped out into the hallways, book clamped tightly in her grip as she made her way to a window that overlooked the yard and peeked outside. It was just about time…

Amity had heard rumors about the Wailing Star while at the Library. The Head Librarian, Malphas, had mentioned the Bonesborough Public Library would be closing early today because of the Wailing Star, and that for the safety of the books and the public the place needed to be locked down. The glow of the Wailing Star apparently brought books to life, though Amity had a hard time coming to terms with that. How could it bring an entire book to life when they were such complex things?

Still, she wanted her chance to see it in person, and wanted a chance to make Luz feel better. So as the glow of the star appeared in the window, Amity opened the book she had brought and set it on the floor in the light, hoping the magic would work as she wanted it.

Stepping back, Amity watched and waited, and before her eyes a figure began to appear. Like a ghost she took form, incorporeal, then amazingly solid, if completely otherworldly. In front of Amity was none other than the Good Witch Azura in the flesh.

She was tall, dark skinned and beautiful, green hair flowing past her shoulders. Her white robes hung off her body, and in her hands was her mystical staff that she’d used in all of her adventures. Atop her head was her pointed witches cap, a golden tiara wrapped around it’s border. She shimmered in such a way that Amity almost had a hard time comprehending her, for she wasn’t quite real in the way a person should be. Instead, she appeared like a three dimensional, living, breathing illustration, right from the cover of her books. She had pencil lines, and appeared almost cel-shaded, and yet she was clearly very much alive.

The Good Witch took in her surroundings, curious and kind eyes glancing around the hallway in which she’d been summoned. Seeing Amity there she spoke, her voice gentle, “Where pray tell am I?”

Amity’s mouth hung open, and she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Did Azura know she wasn’t a real person? A living representation of a character from a book? Or did she think she was actually Azura, torn from her adventure and placed in a strange new world? Was she the real Azura torn from her adventures in the book?

“Um, you’re in the Noceda household,” Amity answered lamely, feeling a mixture between starstruck and stupid.

Yet Azura just continued to smile down at her, patience emanating from every pore, “And where would that be?”

“The Boiling Isles. In the Demon Realm.”

A spark lit in the Good Witch’s eyes, “The Demon Realm? That sounds like a fascinating place. One of adventure, and danger. Have you brought me here to battle by your side against a horde of evil demons? Or perhaps to find some ancient ruins to locate an ancient treasure?”

Right, Azura was an adventure novel, and as kind and understanding as Azura was written to be, she was still a hotheaded young woman who chased after treasure and the call to action. “Actually, I brought you here to help my friend-“

Azura took a stance, slamming her staff into the floor, “So what are we waiting for! Let us go rescue your friend, you can tell me everything on the way!”

She brushed past Amity, only stopping when the human girl reached out and grabbed a fistful of her robes, “Actually, my friend, her name is Luz, you see, she was cursed-“

“-and you need to find a cure!” Azura put together, not entirely wrong, but that wasn’t why Amity had used the Wailing Star to summon her.

“I really don’t think we have the time for that,” Amity said, knowing their time was extremely limited. “You’ll only be in this world for a short period of time.”

Azura frowned, stroking her chin thoughtfully, “Then what would you have me do?”

Amity kicked her foot anxiously, “Do you think you could… help keep her company? Just for a bit? She’s your biggest fan, and seeing you would make her day. Night. Whatever. The point is, Luz is at an all time low, and I’d do just about anything to make her happy again. Can you help me with that?”

Amity felt ridiculous. She was asking a fiction character, who had done such great things in her own world, to visit a stranger. For a moment, she expected Azura to laugh in her face, but instead the woman bent down so she was eye level with Amity, and put her hands on the human girl's shoulders, “Of course I will. I couldn’t call myself a Good Witch if I didn’t.”

Amity’s shoulders sagged with relief, “Thank you,” she breathed out. Azura offered her a hand, and the two walked together back to Luz’s room, Amity peeking inside. “Luz? I have a surprise for you.”

Amity would cherish the look on Luz’s face for the rest of her life.

It was late into the night when Camila came to check on her daughter and Amity. Creeping down the hall, trying not to make a sound in case they were asleep. She was grateful that Luz had such good friends like Amity to check on her, who didn’t care about her curse. Luz was always so tight lipped about it, never telling Willow or Augustus about her ailment even after all these years of knowing them.

Camila understood why. Luz was afraid they’d leave her if she did. But that didn’t make Camila any happier that her daughter insisted on keeping what she went through to herself. Hopefully having Amity to confide in would help Luz reach out more, and realize she wasn’t a burden on her friends for needing help sometimes.

Camila squeezed the door knob to Luz’s room, slowly turning the handle and silently cursing as the door’s hinges squeaked as she opened the door. Peering inside, the room was dark, illuminated only by the light of a few orbs that floated near and above her daughter's bed.

A voice greeted Camila, one she was startled by because she didn’t recognize it. Under the light of the orbs, sitting on her daughter’s bed, was a woman. Young and beautiful, with a book held in her hands that she read aloud from in a soothing tone. Resting their heads on the woman’s lap were Luz and Amity, sound asleep, the reading woman brushing her fingers through Luz’s brown locks of hair.

Before Camila could confront the figure, blast her with a spell, the woman set aside the book and locked eyes with Camila. They each held their gaze, frozen, until the strange woman held up a single finger to her lips and let out a quiet, “shhhh.”

Then to Camila’s amazement she began to vanish. Like a phantom her body went opaque, translucent, then in a blink of an eye she was gone. The girls lay unharmed in their bed, unperturbed by the lack of lap to use as a pillow. Under the glow of the light orbs the book’s cover was illuminated, showing the very woman Camila had seen on it’s front.

The witch let out a sigh of relief. The Wailing Star. Of course. She’d forgotten what night it was, and had panicked for nothing. Or, almost nothing. The Wailing Star could be dangerous, as Camila would know from her own teenage years.

Still, seeing the content look on Luz’s face, the faint smile on her lips, Camila was once again happy to know Amity was her daughter’s friend. It had been too long since She’d seen her daughter this happy, even if it was only in her sleep.

Chapter Text

Amity was having an amazing morning. In the days since she’d discovered the ice glyph, it felt like an entire world of magic had opened up to her. Miniature ice sculptures littered the Owl House over the past few days. Sure, she hadn’t discovered any new spells, but Eda had been giving her potions lessons while she searched for new glyphs to supplement her limited magic lessons. As soon as Amity could find a second glyph, she’d be off to Hexside.

The prospect of learning beside Luz made her positively bubbly. Well, Luz and her other friends. She couldn’t possibly forget about Gus and Willow, even if she often did forget while daydreaming about classes with Luz.

She wasn’t crushing. She swears. Would she lie to her diary?

Besides, after what happened on the Knee, Luz needed a good friend to support her, not a girlfriend to distract her. Luz had seemed a bit more rested after her visit from Azura, and Amity hoped that as more time passed she’d get even better. She trusted Camila would see to it that Luz returned to her usual bubbly self in the future.

Until then, it was high time for another trip back to the dump to replenish Eda’s stock. The witches and demons ate her human garbage up when Eda had her pick of the higher end stuff, rather than whatever Owlbert could nab out of random trash bins. Amity had even managed to scavenge a few electronics in one of their previous trips, and introduced Luz and the others to a few Disney films. They loved the Lion King, but found anything with witches in it to be a tad offensive in how they were portrayed.

Still no bikes in working condition though, meaning Amity still had to suffer the indignity of walking everywhere when she wanted to explore Bonesborough, or run errands for Eda. Every time she had to deliver potions(ignoring the old Wizard’s house, which looked a lot more run down and empty than the last time she’d been there), the idea of sneaking into her old home to steal her old bike back sounded more and more appealing.

“Come on, kid, we don’t have all day,” Eda urged, standing impatiently by the opened portal door, tapping her foot.

Amity finished putting on her shoes, then lifted up the hood on her borrowed shirt to hide her face. Despite having her own clothes, Luz had left her hoodie here for her to wear on her Earth trips for some reason, not that Amity was complaining. It made her feel comforted, like Luz was right there with her. She wished she could be there for Luz right now and give the girl the same comfort.

Eda cleared her throat, and tapped at her watch, the meaning not lost on Amity. Shaking her head to clear her embarrassing thoughts, she bounded over to and then through the door, appearing all at once in the Gravesfield dump. Eda was right behind her, collapsing the door being them, folding it into a briefcase and vanishing it with a press of a finger to the eye of its key.

“Alright, let's start looking around. If you find anything you think might be valuable, bring it over here-ish. We’ll start a pile, and take it all back to my place when we’re ready to leave.”

Amity nodded, a cheerful grin on her face. A month ago, the idea of scrounging through a garbage dump for things people had thrown out would have sounded like her worst nightmare, and yet she found she actually enjoyed it. There was a sense of exploration in it all, and she loved the banter between herself and Eda, especially. She dug her hands into a pile, pulling out an object, “Look at what I found!”

Eda peeked over at her and scoffed, “Shoes? Really?”

Amity laughed, tying the shoelaces of the shoes together, then swung them around like nunchucks, “No, I think these can be marketed as a human weapon. One blow from this will not only incapacitate an opponent, but poison them with it’s stink. Well?”

Eda snorted, giving a thumbs up. The tied together shoes were tossed into the ‘keep’ pile, “I think Luz’s overactive imagination is rubbing off on you, human.”

A few electronics in somewhat working order, an unfinished set of billiard balls, a weight set and more CDs than Amity could count later, and the haul was starting to look pretty good. Another hour or so and they’d have more than enough to keep Eda’s stall running for another week or so. Seeing a bit of shiny metal under some plain black garbage bags, Amity grabbed and heaved them away, hoping to hit the jackpot. Eda’s words of praise always made the human girl feel utterly accomplished.

Instead, Amity sucked in a breath at what she found. Under the piles of smelly trash, there was a bike. Not just any bike, but the same model she used to own, with three major differences. This one was silver, rather than the purple Amity had picked out. This one also had a large basket just behind the seat, above the back tire, just like Amity had been hoping to find for her chores. And lastly, this one was utterly wrecked.

The body was mangled, probably run over by a car. Utterly unusable. The tire spokes were bent, and unsalvageable. Even the basket was just a bit beaten up. But unlike the rest of the body, it was usable. And with a bit of work, removable. Amity quickly ran to the ‘keep’ pile, searching through it for a screwdriver, giving a little cheer when she found one in a rusted old toolbox and returned to the bike’s side, carefully removing the basket.

It was fairly big for a bike basket. If someone wasn’t careful, it’d mess with their balance and make them fall off. Amity didn’t care, though, since it was just big enough that she could use it for her deliveries… if she had a bike to attach it to.

Once more, the idea of breaking into Blight Manor popped into her head. Odalia always made her children attend summer classes, and it was a weekday during school hours, so the twins would still be away, earning their education. There were so little obstacles in her way to retrieving what belonged to her anyway. All she had to do was go through the side door that was attached to the garage, which she still had the key for. From there, she just had to get back to the dump without letting anyone know she’d been there, or for Eda to ask any questions about where it had come from…

Amity could just tell Eda she’d stolen it from someone. She’d get a pat on the head and more words of praise for that, knowing the witch.

Mind made up, Amity returned to the pile, tossing her new basket into it and calling out to Eda, “I’m going to head into town real quick. Don’t leave without me!”

Eda’s detached head poked out of the trunk of a dilapidated car, held aloft by one of her hands, “Wouldn’t dream of it. Take your time, there’s plenty of trash still here for the taking.”

Amity waved, and took off, leaving the dump behind. It was a good twenty minutes walk if she wanted to get to Blight Manor from here, so if she was quick she’d be done and back in less than an hour.

The walk was tense, but uneventful. Amity kept looking over her shoulder the whole way, a paranoia settling over her about being discovered that hadn’t been there when Luz accompanied her into town a few weeks prior. Being alone with her thoughts was awful, especially when they kept whispering this was a bad, terrible, no good idea.

She could still just walk away, and never have to go back there again. She never had to even come to the Human Realm ever again, much less her old family’s house. The only reason she did so now was to help Eda out at the dump, and the only reason she was going now was to help with the potion deliveries. It made her feel useful. It made her feel wanted.

So she kept trudging on, until she made it to the gates that bared the way, that the common folk her parents felt were so below her couldn’t get through without a passcode. Not that Amity was going to bother using it, their security camera also took pictures of anyone who used the front gate. No, Amity was climbing it. She wasn’t allowing the cameras to catch anything but her backside as she was leaving the place on her bike, if she could help it.

The climb was a bit of a struggle, unlike the last time Amity had hopped it. She wasn’t fueled by righteous anger aimed at an owl this time, after all. When she jumps from the top of the fence and lands on the ground below, it makes her knees shake and she almost falls over, but she’s on the other side and that’s all that matters.

After ensuring that her kitty hood is still up and over her head, Amity made her way to the house proper, eyes darting around frantically to make sure no one could see her. No gardeners out working in the yard today. No staff cleaning inside with a view out of the windows who would see her. She allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief when she made it to the garage and the world hadn't ended, or collapsed beneath her feet.

Amity dug through her pockets, knowing she still had the keys somewhere. She’d kept them in case Eda hadn’t been satisfied with the junk heap at the Dump, a bargaining chip to secure her a place in the Owl House if all else failed. Her family had a lot of stuff Eda could have stolen to sell back at the markets, and it would have been untraceable with the portal, after all. With this last act, she hopefully wouldn’t need it anymore. Keeping it in the lock so she could relock it behind her when she left, Amity stepped inside the garage.

It wasn’t like your usual garage, that fit only one, maybe two cars. This was more a small warehouse, filled to the brim with cars the family both collected, or worked on themselves. A large array of tools lay scattered around hollowed husks of vehicles, torn apart or in the middle of being put together. One of Amity’s father’s hobbies. Alador Blight had an innate curiosity inside of him that compelled him to dismantle everything he could get his hands on, then try to reproduce the results on his own. It’s why his company manufactured a little bit of everything these days. The man couldn’t just make one type of thing and be happy.

Of her family, Alador was probably Amity’s favorite, or at least the one she could tolerate the most. He wasn’t invasive and demanding like Mother, or in her face and annoying like the twins. However, he was hardly in her life at all, preferring to be in his workshop, or the garage, taking things apart and putting them back together ad nauseum. She couldn’t find it in herself to blame him for his love of his work and the solitude that came with it, seeing as she’d run away from home to get away from the other members of her family as well, but he’d hardly been a father to her all the same.

She resented that she couldn’t really resent him for that. When she had called this place home, she’d take every chance to get lost in her own fantasies, no different than Alador did with his hobbies. If circumstances were better, she’d almost think of him as a kindred spirit.

Still, she was happy he wasn’t in the garage today. He usually spent his later hours working here, so it hadn’t been exactly something she’d expected to find at this time of day anyway. She wondered if he had been here if he’d have even noticed her presence, but filed it away as an issue she’d work out sometime never. She had Eda and Luz and King now, she didn't need the attention of her old family anymore.

Amity left the garage’s side door open as she cautiously stepped further inside, her footsteps echoing off the concrete that made up the floor. She cast her gaze around the place, searching for her bike. She hadn’t locked it away like her Mother had asked, she didn’t have time when she was chasing after Owlbert, so it could be anywhere. Perhaps the twins had put it away in her stead, or maybe one of the servants? Or maybe her mother had just left in there on the grass where it had fallen, expecting Amity to come home and carry out her orders like nothing had happened, and Amity’s trip to the garage had been for nothing?

Amity’s brain couldn’t help but conjure up images of her bike, rusted after being exposed to the elements for weeks. It would be just like her mother to do something spiteful like that, if only it didn’t look like an eyesore on her lawn. Amity shook her head to get rid of the mental picture, and in doing so caught a glimpse of purple. A grin appeared on her lips.

Her bike had been parked near the front entrance to the garage, by the big metal doors that allowed the cars entry. It glimmered and shined like it had been newly polished, unrusted and untouched, except by the faintest layer of dust on the seat. Her helmet hung from the handles by their straps, ready and waiting to be put on and ridden. “There you are, how’s my girl been while I was away?” Amity cooed, running a hand over the smooth metal frame.

The bike, of course, remained silent, and a bit of Amity was worried she’d spent too much time in the Demon Realm if she thought her bike would just magically talk back to her. Without wasting anymore time on that silly fantasy, she took the helmet off the handles, and plopped it on her head, then straddled the seat and retracted the kickstand, wobbling just a moment when the bike was on nothing but it’s two tires, before she started to peddle over to the open backdoor.

It felt freeing to be able to do this again. To be able to take back what was hers. That bit of freedom her mother had tried to take away just before she’d left, now reclaimed. Amity had to hold back whoops of joy as she biked out the door, leaving the key in the lock and the door wide open as she did so. She didn’t care to cover her tracks, she’d be gone like the wind long before anyone would notice.

She raced across the lawn, pushing her limits as she picked up speed, the wheels kicking up a bit of grass and dirt as she went and ruining the perfect lawn her mother prided herself on. The gate was in sight, and she skidded to a halt in front of it, cackling to herself like a madwoman. She’d done it. All she had to do was wait for the gate to open, and she would be out of their reach permanently.

Unlike when entering, which needed a gate code and took a picture of whoever put it in, this side of the gate had a motion sensor for leaving. Amity bounced in her seat as the gate creaked open at her approach, the happiness she felt bubbling over inside of her to the point it was overwhelming. She could do anything! She could fly! She could-

“Amity?”

Amity nearly fell off her bike in surprise, as on the other side of the gate were her siblings, the Twins, Edric and Emira.

Whatever sense of victory Amity had felt was fleeting, as cold terror welled up inside her instead. The two stared at her, transfixed, and she stared back, unblinking. They were still clad in their school clothes, bags over their shoulders. The summer wind swept through their golden hair, their mouths were agape, but they otherwise looked the same as Amity remembered them.

No, that wasn’t right. They weren’t smiling. Their stupid grins were gone as they looked at her, unmoving, but not in her way.

“Amity, where have you-“ Amity didn’t wait, pushing against the pedals with her feet and getting the bike moving again. The bike kicked up gravel, gliding past the two dumbstruck teens, and Amity kept going, hoping they’d quickly become dots on the horizon. Instead, she could hear their shouts and screams from behind her, and looking back she saw them chasing after her on nothing but their own two feet, waving her down as they called her name.

Amity paled, and went faster, pushing herself to go beyond her normal limits. They couldn’t catch her. She wouldn’t let them take her back. And with all the noise they were making, it was drawing far too much attention to who she was for anyone in shouting range to hear. Her breathing became panicked, and she turned her head towards them, yelling back, “Go away!”

They didn’t seem to listen, but the distance between them was growing. Edric had been on the track team, so he could run fast, but he couldn’t outpace a bike. Still, the two weren’t giving up, still following Amity even as she got further away, putting more and more distance between them.

Blood pounding in her ears, heart in her throat, and sweat beading down her face, Amity kept going until she’d made it back to the Gravesfield dump. Out of breath, she climbed off the bike, nearly collapsing to the ground as she tried to hurry over to Eda. The Owl Lady noticed her rushed in, eyeing the bike as she approached, giving a whistle, “Who’d you steal that from, missy?”

Amity shook her head, panting, “No time. We have to go. Now.”

Eda put her hands on her hips, “Now, wait a minute-“

“No time! NOW!” Amity screeched, practically lunging for Eda’s neck to get the portal key herself. Eda stopped her, placing a hand on Amity’s forehead to hold her at bay, the girl fighting against the witch to no avail.

Eda frowned, checking behind Amity and seeing nothing to panic about yet, “Hold your hippogriffs. We came here to do a job, and I’m gonna do it. Let me get our stuff, and we’ll go.”

Pulling the key off from around her neck, Eda summoned the door, which swung open as soon as it unfolded. She gave a swirl of her finger, and the trash she collected started to float, slowly hovering above the ground and through the opened door into Eda’s living room, where it crashed down to the floor. While this was going on, Amity hopped impatiently from foot to foot, this process taking entirely too long, so she grabbed the basket she had salvaged and began filling it with the scraps Eda hadn’t gotten to yet, and pushed it through the door when it was filled.

Eventually, everything was gone. With a gesture for Amity to follow her, Eda walked on through the door herself, Amity all too eager to join. Only to stop in her tracks halfway through the door. She’d forgotten the bike. Turning around, she saw where she’d left it, laying against the ground with a few more scratches against the body from its hasty collision with the ground. And voices were beginning to rise up around it, the twins still following, still calling her name.

Amity hesitated, looking between the bike and the door. She closed her eyes, took a breath, then raced for the bike, grasping it’s handles and lifting it back onto its wheels, pulling it beside her as she raced for the portal. Edric and Emira’s voices were getting closer, she had to be fast.

Turning her head, she could see them, and knew she’d been spotted. She’d run out of time, but it wasn’t too late. Panting and pushing the bike, the front wheel went through the door, but no more than that as the handles got stuck against the portal’s door frame. Grunting and pushing, trying to turn the handle to an angle it would fit, Amity tried again, “Come on, you stupid thing.”

Eda on the other side was trying to help, eyeing the approaching figures who were racing after her student. “Come on, Kid. Just leave it behind and get through the door!”

But Amity wasn’t giving up. She needed this to stay useful to Eda. She could get so much more done in the day! She just needed it to fit, and-

She came crashing through the door. Herself, the bike, and the set of twins who had tackled her, all crashing to the floor in a heap, covered in garbage and bruises. They lay there, grunting and groaning in pain and out of breath. Amity didn’t have time for the reality of her situation to set in before Emira had recovered enough to grab her by the scruff of her borrowed shirt and started shaking her, “Where did you think you were going?”

Edric, who landed with the bike on top of him, tried sitting up to join the conversation, “Ouch… Mittens, why did you run?”

Before either of the Blight twins could say anymore, they found themselves floating in a glowing field of magic, hovering above the ground much like the garbage had been when Eda was transporting it. The clacking of Eda’s heels joined the sounds of their screams of terror as gravity abandoned them, Emira flailing her arms and Ed upside down and clawing at the floor to make it take him back.

The Owl Lady didn’t look happy to see them, a stoic expression on her face. Her hair bristled up dangerously, like the feathers of the owls she took her name from, and in her hands was her staff. Her golden eyes were cold as she eyed the teenagers who had intruded upon her house, promising danger, as she spoke, “Well, what do we have here? Are you terrorizing my kid?”

Emira started to spin, looking green in the face. Eda rolled her eyes, and used Owlbert to prop her still, pressing the Palisman to her ribs to stop her momentum. Em almost looked grateful, if not for the fact she looked ready to pass out in fear, not understanding what was happening, or where she was. “Who- what are you?”

Eda ignored her, turning to face Amity. She offered the girl a hand up, which Amity took, the human girl not able to look her siblings in the face. “Thanks, Eda,” Amity murmured quietly, almost lost among Edric’s wails.

“No problem, kiddo.” Eda assured her with a gentle smile, clapping a hand on Amity’s shoulder, “Now, what do you want me to do with these two? Toss ‘em back out, or you want me to get all smitey?”

Amity considered the first option. She could have Eda just toss them out back to the dump, and that could be the end of it. But they had chased her the whole way. As much as they hadn’t gotten along, Amity knew the twins were smart. Cunning. Not to mention extremely dedicated when they put their minds to it. If they wanted to find a way back to the isles, back to her, they’d find it with enough time and effort, and there wasn’t much they could do to stop them. Not unless Eda gave up on her trips to the human realm altogether.

Not that she was thinking about having them smited, either. Nervously, she glanced at them, seeing the terror on their faces. They had no idea what was going on. All they understood was that their sister had disappeared, then shown up, then tried to run away again. Looking back at Eda, Amity swallowed, and asked in a small voice, “Actually, could you leave them alone with me for a little bit? Please?”

Eda pursed her lips for a moment, then snapped her fingers. The twins came crashing back down to the floor, back into the trash pile, moaning and cursing. Eda ruffled Amity’s hair, and gave her a nod, then handed Amity her staff, “I’ll head upstairs. Yell if you need me. Blast ‘em with Owlbert if they get too out of hand.”

“Thanks, Eda,” Amity sighed, not taking her eyes off her siblings as Eda walked past her and up the steps. Amity didn’t speak or move until she heard Eda’s bedroom door close, stepping forward as the twins were pulling themselves back to their feet. “Uh, hi?”

The twins looked around the place, which was a bit of a mess. It always was on trash salvage days. Instead of any awe or wonderment, like Amity had when she’d arrived, she only saw fear and confusion in their eyes. Edric was the first to recover, a question directed towards Amity, “Where are we? We were in a dump, and this place is a dump, but it’s not the same dump…”

Emira wasn’t far behind him with her own. Her gaze snapped to Amity, eyes stern, “Hi? That’s all you have to say after disappearing for almost a month, then running away when we found you?”

Amity instinctively took a step back, swallowing. Her hands shook a little under her sister's gaze, her hardened eyes too much like their mother’s in the moment. Edric came to Amity’s rescue, placing a hand on Emira’s shoulder, the teenage girl’s body beginning to shake as the anger left her.

Amity watched in astonishment as Emira, her big sister, began to cry. Not openly weeping, but the same stifled tears Amity would shed in secret, where it was clear every fiber of her being was trying to hold them back, to not be weak, and failing. Blight’s didn’t cry. Yet Emira was. Ed wrapped an arm around his twin, pulling her close and whispering comforting words until she began to calm down.

Amity, not knowing what to do with the silence and the tears, answered Edric’s question. “You’re, uh… you’re at a place called the Owl House. Specifically, outside the limits of a town called Bonesborough, located on the Torso of the Titan, on the Boiling Isles, in the Demon Realm.”

Emira clenched her jaw, wiping her face with her sleeve, “All this time away, and you can’t even be honest with us about where you’ve been? You have to make up some bogus place, with a ridiculous name, and-“

“Hoot, no one told me we had guests!”

Emira shut her mouth as Hooty pressed his face against hers, slithering his neck around to pull Edric close as well, wrapping both Blights up in his grasp. The two began to gasp for air as their bodies were squeezed, bound by Hooty who began to rant, “Oh, we’re going to have a grand old time, Hoot! First, I’ll tell you about all the bugs I ate. And then, we’ll have a tea party together. Maybe I can even introduce you to all my other tea party pals! Then we’ll-“

“Okay, okay,” Emira sputtered out, unable to breathe and barely able to talk, “We believe you!”

“Hooty,” Amity warned, fists tightening and baring her teeth, “Let them go, and get out of here.”

Hooty froze upon hearing Amity’s voice, and immediately loosened his grip. “Gosh, ever since the scary girl moved in, I haven’t been able to have any fun! Geez! Hoot!”

Hooty snaked out of the living room, settling back into the door and shutting it behind him, complaining loudly, though muffled now that he was outside. The twins breathed in heavily, sucking in lungfuls of air as Amity patted them on the backs.

“Was that a bird tube?” Edric choked out, looking back at the door at the entrance of the house.

“It was an annoyance,” Amity corrected, rolling her eyes. The group lapsed back into silence once more, and Amity led them to the couch, the only place free of trash.

On taking their seats, Edric and Emira squirmed a little, taking the occasional glance at either the door, or the stairs, expecting Eda or Hooty to return and make things worse. Eventually, they settled in enough to resume speaking to their sister. “So… Demon Realm, huh?” Emira began.

“How did you even end up here?” Ed asked, still not taking his eyes off the door.

Amity paced, still on her feet, “That’s a long story. To sum up, I found it by accident, and ended up staying here with Eda.”

“That creepy demon lady?” Emira cocked her head, gesturing towards the stairs the woman had retreated up.

“She’s a witch, actually.” Amity corrected. “I’m staying here with her and her friends and daughter.”

“Why?”

“I saw a chance to leave, and I took it. I know, you’re probably thinking, creepy place, I must have been kidnapped by the witch and her annoying bird-tube-door-thing, or something. But I chose to stay. I didn’t want to go back.”

“And she just let you stay? What about us? What about your family? Didn’t she care about that?” Edric asked, not caring for what he was hearing.

Amity bit her lip, “I told her that I didn’t have a family to go back to.” She lowered her head as she spoke, unable to meet either of her siblings' eyes.

“Oh,” Edric said shortly, unsure of what to say to that.

“Oh.” Emira uttered softly, understanding exactly what Amity truly meant by that.

There was a silence that built in the room, almost suffocating with its presence. The three avoided each other’s gaze, Amity looking at her shoes as a bit of shame built up in her chest. Ed broke the silence, asking quietly, “We’re we really that bad, Mittens?”

The shame burned away hearing that old nickname being uttered, and Amity glared at him, a fire in her eyes, “Bad? Bad? How about that time you put a bucket of water over my classroom door, and framed me for it when it fell on my teacher?”

Ed opened his mouth to defend himself, but Amity didn’t let him, “Or how about when you replaced my shampoo with red hair dye, and mother was furious with me for ‘rebelling against the family look,’” she shot at Emira, who shrunk under Amity’s words.

“Or, how about that time you stole my diary, and put up photocopies of all the pages around the school, huh?” Amity clenched her jaw so tightly she could hear her teeth creak. “That was a real fun prank, wasn’t it, watching me run around in tears, trying to find them all before the rest of the school could show up that morning. Did you even read it before putting them everywhere?”

The twins remained silent and pale, unable to meet their sister’s eyes. Amity continued to rant, “I bet you did, and you just didn’t care. You didn’t care that I wrote about my crushes. You didn’t care that you almost outed me in front of the whole school, let them know I like girls, didn’t let me tell anyone the way I wanted to. No, you just wanted a laugh!”

She breathed out her nose, anger exhausted. “So yeah, I told Eda I didn’t have a family. Because maybe I don’t.”

Amity wiped at her face, a few stray tears leaking from her eyes as she yelled. Her throat felt raw, and it felt so good to have gotten that out, to finally confront them for everything they had done to her. Yet they still just sat there, unmoving.

The oppressive silence resumed, worse than ever. Eyes glued on their shoes, the twins shifted uncomfortable, then…

“I’m sorry.” Emira uttered, her voice broken and full of shame. “I’m so, so sorry, Amity.”

Ed nodded slowly, “I am too. We were awful to you. I’m sorry.”

The twins glanced at each other, then slowly pulled themselves off the couch, and approached Amity, pulling her into a hug. “We knew things weren’t great for you at home. Mom put so much pressure on you, on all of us, but especially you, and we didn’t even think about helping you.” Emira admitted.

“And we also screwed up, by taking everything out on you instead of helping you. We teased you, and pranked you. We’d pin our mischievous acts on others on you so you’d take the fall. You were just such a goody-two-shoes rule follower, it all seemed like good fun at the time. But we went way too far. We knew that the moment you disappeared that a lot of that was our fault.” Edric mumbled against Amity’s hair.

“Ed and I were a team, united against the world. And we didn’t include you. We lumped you in with everyone else, and drove you away. We were cruel, and horrible, and we’re so, so sorry. I was a terrible older sister to you.”

“And I’m a crappy older brother. Can you ever forgive us?”

The two squeezed Amity once more, but this time, Amity managed to get her arms free. Instead of shoving them away like she had planned, to call them idiots and yell at them, she found herself hugging them back, huddling up against them, trying once more not to cry.

She failed again, but for once she didn’t feel weak for doing so. It felt good. She cried, and sobbed, clutching them to her as her body was wracked by old grief and present elation, until her eyes were red and nose was leaking onto their shirts. They held her close the whole time, until everything was out, then kept on holding each other.

“Thank you,” Amity murmured against Emira’s shirt, “For apologizing. I can’t forgive you, not yet, but I’m still happy to hear you finally say it.”

“It’s the least we can do. We’ll try to be better from now on. We’ll work for your forgiveness.”

“If you’ll have us?” Edric amended on his sister’s behalf.

Amity paused, weighing her options. Then she nodded, slowly, “I’d like that. I want us to- to try again. But I’m still not going home. I will never go back home. And if you ever utter a word about this place to Mom or Dad-“

“You’ll kill us?” Emira supplied.

“I was going to say I’d feed you to Hooty, but that’s about what would happen either way.” Amity uttered darkly.

Edric glanced once more towards the door, “Wait, can he eat us? His mouth seemed pretty small.”

“More than his neck can stretch. He can swallow you whole if he wants.”

“Noted.” Edric gulped, wishing he’d never asked.

Wiping her eyes once more, Amity pulled away from her siblings, who let their arms fall to their sides. “We try and do a run to the dump about once a week. Eda sells human trash as rare and exotic treasures here. I don’t have my phone anymore, I trashed it, so if you ever want to see me, it’ll have to be then.”

The two nodded, reaching out and putting their hands on Amity, Ed’s on her shoulder and Em’s on her head. “Do you mind if we stay just a while longer? Before you kick us to the curb?”

Amity faintly smiled, “Fine, but just for a little while. I’ll be hanging out with Eda’s daughter later. She’s my age, and her name is Luz. We get along pretty well.”

The two twins exchanged glances, Edric grinning, “Ooh, do tell? Is she pretty?”

Amity blushed, “Ed, it’s not like that!”

To Amity’s surprise, Emira elbowed their brother, giving him a look, “We just promised to be better, Ed, no teasing.”

Amity laughed, making the two look at her funny. “It’s nothing, you guys. I just should have run away from home sooner, is all.”

Eda rested in her nest, browsing through a magazine with one hand and nursing a bottle of elixir in the other, when Amity came knocking on her door. Lowering her reading material and chugging the last of the potion, Eda sat up, “Come on in, kid.”

Amity stumbled in through the door, looking tired, a bit worn around the edges, with eyes that were still red from tears, but she looked a little more content than Eda thinks she’s ever seen her. “Did things go well down there?”

Amity nodded, looking a little meek, “Yeah. They’re back on the other side of the portal.”

Eda raised a brow, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Amity pursed her lips, mouth turned downward in a frown, “Not really. But yes. I think I owe you an explanation. And the truth.”

Eda rolled her eyes at how dramatic Amity was being, “You don’t own me any more answers about your past than I’ve ever given you about mine, Amity.”

Amity shook her head, “No, I’ve been lying to you the whole time I’ve been under your roof, and I owe you an explanation about what happened today.”

The two stared at each other, until Eda conceded, gesturing for Amity to continue. The teenager took a deep breath, and started, “I lied about not having a family. Those two were my older brother and sister. And that isn't all. I have parents as well. I ran away from home. I saw a chance to disappear, and I took it.”

Eda stared at her blankly, then raised her magazine back up casually, “I know.”

Amity blinked, disbelief painting her face, “You- what?”

“I knew the whole time you were a runaway, Amity.” Eda clarified, looking over the pages of her magazine to meet her eyes. “And do you wanna know something else?”

Eda didn’t wait for Amity’s answer before continuing, “I was one too. The circumstances were probably a little different, in my case it was because of my curse, but I took off from my home when I was fifteen. Never looked back. I knew the moment I looked into your eyes that you were running from something, because I saw that same look every day in the mirror.”

Eda flipped to the next page, “So you don’t need to explain anything to me. My door is always open to you. You have a home here. You have a job here. If you want, you even have a family here.”

Amity sniffled, rubbing at her already raw eyes, “Do you really mean that?”

Eda’s mouth became a line as she threw aside her magazine and stood up from her nest. Stepping in front of Amity, she nodded deeply, “I mean it. And I’ll prove it to you. You want into Hexside, right?”

Amity smiled weakly, nodding her head in confirmation, “More than anything.”

“Then I’m getting you into Hexside.” Eda grinned, “I was already planning on going in this week to get you signed up. I know you only have the one spell, but that’s what the potion lessons have been for. I’ll go today, when I pick up Luz from school, if you want?”

The arms thrown around Eda’s waist was her answer.

Principal Bump sipped at a cup of tea he had brewed. It had been a quiet day, relatively speaking. No one had needed to be thrown in detention. There was only one killer plant incident in the Greenhouse that resulted in zero casualties, and the Grudgby game against Glandus had ended in victory, even if the entirety of the Hexside Banshees had needed a trip to the Nurse’s office afterwards.

It was days like this that made him glad to be in the field of education.

Suddenly, a cold chill went down his spine, and the warm drink in his hand did nothing to fix it. Something was coming. Something terrible. Something horrific. Something-

The door to his office was kicked open, and in stepped in a face he’d hoped to never see again.

Eda Clawthorne.

Groaning and setting aside his mug so he could bury his face in his hands, Bump moaned out, “I thought we all agreed that any school matters concerning your daughter would be handled by your Ex-wife, Miss Clawthorne.”

“Ex-girlfriend, Bumpy,” Eda corrected, taking a seat in front of his desk. “I’ll even allow Ex-baby-mama, but we never tied the knot. Marriage is about the only thing that’s ever scared me in this world. Besides, this isn’t about Luz.”

He could already feel the headache coming on. “Then pray tell, what could be so important that you’d come back to your old place of learning, just to bother me?”

“I have a new student, one that might interest you.” Eda began, smiling brightly. “Her name is Amity, and get this, she’s a human who can do magic!”

Bump briefly wondered if this was a con. He wouldn’t put it above Eda to do so. Still, the idea was intriguing enough to capture his curiosity. “I’m listening…”

Chapter Text

I am six years old the first time it happens. My mind is still foggy when I return to normal, not understanding what has happened to me. Just that I stopped being myself for a while, and I don’t like it. There’s a primal anger inside that isn’t my own, screaming to be let out and it’s just so loud now that it’s had a taste of freedom. It pounds in my skull, reverberating through my bones. I now realize it’s always been there, under the surface, but I never had words to describe what it was before. Now I do.

I’m sitting on our living room couch, or what survives of it. The place is torn to bits, scratch marks on the wooden floors, furniture gnawed upon with deep teeth marks forming grooves, and a litany of feathers litter the place. None of that concerns me nearly as much as the raised voices in the other room, though.

I’m only six, but I know my Mama and Mommy are fighting because of me. About what I did while I was away from my body. I can’t make out their words, mostly, but I do hear a few.

“My daughter is a monster, Eda!”

Mommy comes out a little while later, crouching down so she’s level with me, cupping my face in her big hands. “I’m going to go away for a little bit, okay? I love you, and I’ll see you soon, alright?”

I just nod my little head, believing every word Mommy says.

Mommy doesn’t come back for a long time. When she does, she has her own house now, and she doesn’t stay over with Mama anymore. I know deep in my heart that I’m the reason her parents don’t talk anymore. I ruined everything, because I am a monster.

Luz wakes from her dream and she’s fourteen again. There’s a light layer of sweat on her skin, from her unsettling dream of the past or just the Summer heat, she isn’t sure which.

Groaning tiredly, she checks her clock. It’s only a few minutes before her alarm would have gone off, yet despite that she wants nothing more than to cover her head back up with her blanket and go back to sleep, feeling like she hadn’t got any rest during the night.

It had been almost a week since the Knee, and she was still at her Mama’s house. Back in the room of her childhood, which still bore the brunt of some of her earliest transformations into the Owl Beast. A rug in the middle of the floor hid claw marks. Her bedframe’s leg had been chewed, then the marks clumsily refilled to hide the damage. Nothing that had happened recently, she hadn’t transformed since… well, the Knee, but it had been years since her last one before that.

She’d almost forgotten how disturbing it felt, to be pried away from your own flesh and bones, forced into the back of your own head, where you just existed in a void until it was over. If that’s what the monster inside of her was always going through, she couldn’t really blame it for clawing its way out whenever it could. She’d do the same, given half the chance.

Luz’s alarm screams at her, and she quickly shuts it off, silently pondering if she should call in sick to school again, or if she should just suck it up and go. After a minute of deliberation, she decides to go to class. Her friends always cheer her up way more than brooding in the dark ever did, anyway.

Luz tried to perk up at the idea of trying to be a dark anti-hero who couldn’t brood, and it did improve her mood. Besides, how could she be truly broody when she was the only person ever to have a copy of Azura the Good Witch that had been signed by Azura herself?

That, and she’d be seeing Amity today. It would be her first day of school, after all, and that was worth getting out of bed for.

Amity was welcomed warmly into Bump’s office the day after passing her entrance test with flying colors. She always tested well, and knew what to do to impress a teacher, and Bump hadn’t been any different. He’d been honest with her after she was finished that making an ice sculpture of him had been going a little overboard, but made him feel appreciated, and that he would have accepted her as a student as long as she’d shown she was capable of magic, and the stage hadn’t been set on fire during her presentation.

Amity was glad she had learned an ice glyph first, rather than whatever the fire one looked like, in that case.

She’s been presented with a light grey uniform, and told to meet him bright and early for her first day of Hexside, and so here she was, getting her schedule and being told she’d have to pick just one of the nine branches of magic to learn.

“Well, any preferences, Miss, uh, Amity?” Bump asked, leaning in his chair behind the desk, eying her paperwork with it’s lack of last name. He shrugged it off as a Human thing, and moved on. “Normally, as an apprentice of Eda, I’d have you put in the Potions track. It’s what she took when she attended, and it’s a bit of a tradition for a child or an apprentice to follow in their parents or mentors footsteps.”

He leaned forward over his desk, and with a strained smile added, “However, that would mean pairing you up with miss Noceda-Clawthorne, and while you’ve made an excellent first impression at your entrance exam yesterday, I’m not willing to tempt the fates and put you in the same class as her. Just to be safe.”

Amity frowned at that. The only thing that had kept her out of the baby classes were her potion making skills. She did need something acidic to get rid of the giant ice sculpture of Bump, after all. Besides, getting to hang out with Luz all day had seemed like a really fun idea, only to get shot down before she even had a shot at picking it.

Seeing as Amity was struggling with her decision, Bump decided to make it for her, “How about the Oracle track? I know you don’t know any spells that would help you, but after seeing your skill set I do think it’s a good fit. They use a crystal ball for most of their magic, and seeing as you have to use outside sources, it’s probably the best fit. Unless you play any instruments?”

Amity blanched, thinking back on the time her Mother had made her take piano lessons. Amity had gone through four tutors before her mother had given up, labeling Amity as tone deaf. It had been the only thing she’d been ‘allowed’ to fail. “I’ll take the Oracle track, please.”

“Excellent,” Bump magically transformed her uniform into the deep purple associated with the class, then reached into his desk and handed her a piece of paper, “Here is your schedule, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. And if not, well, it’s too late to back out now!”

Amity frowned, sticking her new schedule into her bag and hoping she’d made the right choice.

Amity had in fact not made the right choice.

The oracle track was less about predicting the future, and more about spying on everyone, using a network of undead familiars to do so that were summoned via crystal ball. They’d invisible collect that information for the summoner to judge and predict trends in groups.

A lot of the class work almost seemed business-like in it’s approach. Students were expected to sabotage and feed fake information to each other, while working out the truth from the lies themselves. To reach a “prediction” students had to make graphs and charts using the information they had obtained that they had deemed truthful. This information would then be used to “make a prediction” and you were judged on how correct that prediction came to be.

Amity was frighteningly good at it, seeing as this was more or less a class on business sense applied to more than just the office. That was something she’d normally take an incredible amount of pride in, if this utter violation of her fellow students' privacy didn’t make her think of Odalia, and how much she’d love to have this kind of power at her fingertips.

Beside her, a dog-like demon she’d been introduced to named Barcus seemed to notice her discomfort, likely picking it up from his own crystal ball. Nudging her with his paw, he made a few growling sounds, and she sent him a polite smile. She couldn’t understand exactly what he’d said, but she caught the meaning. “I’m okay. This is just a bit invasive for my tastes.”

Barcus just nodded, also likely having put that together from his own readings.

Amity continued to frown, but didn’t voice her displeasure. Like Bump had said, she’d be stuck with this forever now.

“I can’t believe I’m stuck with this forever now,” Amity groaned, head against the cafeteria table as she and her friends ate their lunch two days into her attendance.

Luz patted Amity’s back, trying to console her. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine as the lessons go on.”

Gus ate his sandwich, not too concerned with what Amity had to say, “I’m sure Bump was just being dramatic when he told you you’d be stuck. It’s not like changing tracks is entirely unheard of here at Hexside. Willow did it!”

Amity peeked up at Willow, who looked a bit embarrassed to be called upon. “That was a special case, Gus.”

Amity however, was desperate, reaching out and grabbing Willow by her green sleeves, “Tell me your secrets.”

Willow patted Amity’s hand, giving her a little smile. “Well, my parents wanted me to be in the Abomination Track. It would have given me a good job when I graduated, that was less physically demanding than their own line of work. They wanted me to have a nice, easy life.”

Amity could sense a ‘but’ coming, and gestured for Willow to continue, “buuuut?”

Willow chuckled, “but, I was total garbage at it. I couldn’t make an Abomination no matter how hard I tried. Even after a whole year in class, I was no better than I was on day one.”

The plant witch looked back on those memories, and frowned sadly, “The other kids used to make fun of me. They called me ‘Half-a-Witch Willow.”

Amity leaned in, getting invested on where this was going, “And? How did you get transferred?”

“Well, I met Luz.” Willow said, as if it was as simple as that. “She encouraged me to follow my passion, which was plant magic. So, I studied up in secret, got even better than I was, and she pushed me to ask Bump to switch my track. He was pretty hesitant at first, since by that point I’d been in Abominations for two years, but he was so impressed with my plant magic he got in contact with my parents, and did all the paperwork to get me transferred.”

Luz clapped politely as the story finished, a big grin on her face. “So, all you have to do is impress Bump enough to get him to do the paperwork! It’s not like it’s illegal to switch tracks or anything, they aren't like covens.”

Amity pondered what her friends had to say, picking at her food, “So, I’ve just got to get really good at one branch of magic? That’ll be a task all of it’s own. I don’t even know all that much about the different tracks and what’s expected of them here at Hexside. I only know one proper spell and a handful of potion recipes, too. And what if I get really good at one in another track, then end up hating it just as much as Oracle magic after I transfer?”

Luz just grinned, bumping their shoulders together, “You just leave that to me, I’ve got magical exploration covered.”

Amity wasn’t sure what to expect when Luz led her into an empty classroom after lunch. The place was dusty from disuse, and she didn’t understand at all what this had to do with learning about more tracks, and what might fit her better in the long run.

She watched curiously as Luz took a nearby chair, and used it to prop the door behind them closed. Now it was just the two of them, alone, in a dark classroom that no one could enter, learning about ‘magic.’ Amity’s heart thumped in her chest as her imagination went wild over what was about to go down. She’d heard stories about high schoolers sneaking off to makeout in empty classrooms. Should she go along with it, or turn Luz down? Did she even want to turn Luz down? Were her lips chapped?

When Luz walked right past her without a word, instead taking a piece of chalk from the chalkboard, Amity felt a little confused, and more than a little embarrassed. Shaking the ridiculous ideas this situation had put inside her head, at least for now, Amity watched as Luz drew a square on the board, along with a keyhole.

With a grin, the dark skinned witch turned to Amity, “Can you keep a secret?”

Amity didn’t trust her tongue at the moment, so just nodded, making Luz give a squee. She pressed her hand against the board, and much like a small trapdoor, the square she drew opened up. Not a moment later Luz was climbing into the chalkboard, beckoning Amity to join her.

“What the-?” Amity gasped as she looked inside the trapdoor, and into the void on the other side. Inside of the room were doors upon doors, stretching over every inch of the place, some upside down, some sideways, others right side up, and most of them ever so slightly crooked. The room spiraled upward like a tower, the doors climbing ever upward.

“Welcome!” Luz exclaimed bombastically, spreading her arms in a very Eda-esc fashion, “to the Secret Room of Shortcuts!”

Amity quickly climbed inside the chalkboard to join Luz, who began to show her around the place. “My Mom made this room when she was attending Hexside, and used it to learn all kinds of stuff! She showed me how to use it when I started coming here, since she wanted me to be a little rulebreaker, but I mostly just use it to learn other branches of magic.”

Luz waved Amity over to one of the doors, opening it just a crack. Inside was the potions classroom, where much to Amity’s surprise, there was another Luz inside, stirring a pot. This second Luz caught Amity’s glance, and sent her a subtle finger gun, with Amity awkwardly waving in return, before turning her focus back to the Luz beside her, “How are you-“

Luz just laughed, “Illusions. Remember, I’m pretty good at them? Not nearly as good as Gus, but I made sure to cast a clone of the two of us and sent them off to our classes. They aren’t perfect, but as long as they don’t talk to anyone we know really well, and people don’t look too closely, no one will notice we’re not actually there!”

Luz took Amity by the hand and led her over to a giant, graffitied portrait of what was clearly supposed to be Eda, “This is our patron saint of naughtiness, my Momma-dearest, or as the other’s know her as, Lord Calamity.”

Amity snorted at the nickname, making Luz giggle as well, “She seriously went by that in school?”

Luz nodded, mirth over every inch of her face, “I know, it’s really lame, huh? Who knew Mom was such a tryhard as a kid?”

Amity’s smile froze when she realized what Luz had said a moment before, “Wait, others?”

No sooner had she said it did one of the other doors open, and three figures stepped inside. A short girl dressed in Healing track Blue, a much taller boy with a serious expression in Plant track green, and a familiar dog-like demon that Amity had met the day before, Barcus, of course in his own Oracle purple. The three seemed surprised to see her in the room with Luz, who had simply sent them a cheerful wave as they approached.

The girl stepped forward first, giving Amity a friendly smile, while the boy stayed behind her, looking cautious, “Heya, Luz. Who’s the newbie? I don’t think I recognize her.”

Barcus woofed, with the others all looking at him. The boy then spoke up, having understood him perfectly, “She’s in the Oracle track too?”

Luz nodded, “Yup. Today is Amity’s first week at Hexside, and I’m giving her the tour. Amity, this is Viney and Jerbo, and you’ve already met Barcus.”

The girl, who Amity now knew was Viney, offered a friendly handshake. “It’s nice to meet you. We’re all part of the Junior Bad-girl coven, and this is where we come to conspire to break the Empire’s most sacred laws.”

Amity, already mid-handshake with the grinning girl, had to fight to not immediately retract her hand. Luz just laughed, giving Amity’s shoulder a squeeze, “Calm down, Amity. She just means they study more than one track of magic.”

“Can we really trust her, Luz?” Jerbo asked, looking hesitantly in Amity’s direction, and borderline hiding behind Viney’s broader shoulders. “We can really get in trouble if she rats on us, is all I’m saying. And she’s brand new, so it’s not like any of us know anything about her.”

Barcus barked, giving Jerbo a sly grin, to which the plant track boy retorted, “It’s not like any of us who aren’t Oracles know anything about her, is that better?

Luz rolled her eyes, and threw an arm around Jerbo’s shoulder, “Jerbo, it’s fine! I’ve known Amity for weeks now, and she’s great. She lives with my Mom as her apprentice, and we all know my Mom is the baddest gal around. Amity won’t say a word, right Ams?”

Amity nodded, still not one hundred percent sure why she was here, but having no intention of getting Luz, or her friends, into trouble. “Uh, not to be rude, Luz, but how does this place exactly solve my Oracle track problem, and get Bump to let me switch tracks?”

Viney whistled, “You’re trying to change tracks? That’s a lot of paperwork for Bump to go through. As far as I know, it’s only happened once before.”

“I know the story,” Amity assured her, glancing between Viney and Luz.

Luz however, already had the answer to Amity’s question, “That’s easy! You wanted to learn which track would suit you best! So, using this place, you can look around at all of them until you find one you like enough to join. Then, you get really good at it by studying it in secret, and impress Bump so much he has to change your track!”

Amity fidgeted, “Not that I doubt your plan, Luz, but if it was so easy, what are these guys doing here?”

Viney clapped Amity on the back, “Don’t you worry about us. We’re not trying to change tracks.”

“We’re interested in more than one field at once,” Jerbo supplied carefully, still not fully trusting the new girl, “We’re not looking for a transfer, but this is the only way we can study the tracks we want to take. I’m officially in the Plant track, but I also am really passionate about Abominations, and there are so many ways to mix and match those branches that just aren’t allowed.”

“I want to learn Healing and Beast Keeping,” Viney added, pointing to two separate doors as she spoke that Amity could only assume led to the two tracks. Amity’s mind went to what Camila did for a living, at least before Viney spoke again, “My pet Griffon, Puddles, is an amazing assistant. Sure, she can be a bit enthusiastic, but she isn’t making the injuries worse. Mostly.”

Barcus added his own two snails, but since Amity couldn’t understand him, Luz filled in, “Barcus says he was placed in the Oracle track, but wanted to revolutionize the way it worked through potions. In my opinion, as a Potioneer myself, I think he’s got the right idea, potions are incredibly flexible in what you can get them to do, after all.”

Barcus gave a nod of approval, and Viney continued, “Luz here helped us all out. Multi-tracking is against the rules, but because Luz wants to learn all the tracks, she was also keeping an eye on us from this room, and got us all out of being thrown into the detention track by causing a little bit of Clawthorne mischief someplace else at around the same time Bump would have busted us.”

“Then it was just a matter of letting us join her here, and we’ve been learning a second track in secret while attending our main tracks ever since.” Jerbo finished. “We really owe her a lot.”

“Aw, you guys, that was all your hard work, I just opened the door for you,” Luz blushed under their praise.

Viney put Luz in a headlock, ruffling her hair, “Stop being so humble and take the credit when we give it to you!”

This just got Luz back into a laughing fit, shoving against Viney to escape.

Amity smiled as she watched Luz, surrounded by her friends, the people she had helped. Luz really did everything she could to help everyone around her, including Amity, didn’t she? “Is this what you did for Willow when you were younger?”

Luz winked slyly, finger gunning at her human friend, “Maaaaybe.”

Amity smirked, then nodded, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Huh?” The group stopped to look at Amity as she spoke.

“I’ll go along with your plan. It’s a good one, and I know it’ll work.” Amity clarified.

Luz’s face broke into one of the widest grins she’d ever had, and without warning she rushed Amity, wrapping her arms around the human girl's waist and lifting her off the ground, “We’ll absolutely get you into another track! Just you wait.”

“Now that that’s decided,” Viney added, smirking as Luz, who now remembering they had an audience, let Amity drop with a red hue on her cheeks, “Wanna put your name on the wall of troublemakers, newbie?”

The next few days were some of the busiest of Amity’s life. From the time she woke up, she’d be biking to make her deliveries, then biking to school, where she’d spend her pre-lunch hours in Oracle lessons. From there she’d go hang out with her friends, new and old, then study a little bit of every other track Hexside had to offer after lunch until school closed, all while not being caught in the act, before heading back to the Owl House with Luz. It was a lot to pile on her shoulders, but she accepted it all with glee. This was a challenge she fully embraced, and there was something kind of exhilarating knowing she was learning things she wasn’t supposed to.

On Friday things changed a little, her schedule going as planned until she stopped by her locker to drop off her books after lunch. Amity wouldn’t need them after all, they were all for the Oracle classes she’d be skipping, and the illusion clone Luz had made of her that would be taking the class in her stead wouldn’t need them either.

Just as her locker finished swallowing the books, keeping them safe in its belly, a hand slammed onto the locker next to Amity, and a flash of red hair entered her vision. She turned to see a three eyed girl giving her a triple stink-eye, a small gang of students from various other tracks behind her as they moved in on Amity.

“Can I… help you?” Amity asked cautiously, not understanding what this was about. Perhaps if she hadn’t skipped as many of her Oracles classes, she’d have seen this coming from the various data points she’d have had to put together.

The triclops glared at her, “What, you don’t recognize us? Are we that far below your notice, oh ruler and destroyer of the Treasure Shack?”

Now Amity was truly confused, looking behind the three eyed girl to glance at the rest for clues, “I- what?”

“It’s because of you that we spent three days trapped in other people's bodies!” The girl snarled, thrusting a finger into Amity’s chest, and now Amity remembered.

“Wh-wh-what! That wasn’t me! I had spent that day outside of my own body! You got stuck with a demon who was running around as me!”

The girl continued to glare, “You expect me to believe that crap?”

Amity grimaced, “If it makes you feel any better, I spent the day stuck in the body of a middle aged woman and harassed by the guards?”

While that didn’t make the triclops budge, it did make one of her cohorts snort behind her. A girl in red that marked her as a Bard laid a hand on the other girl's shoulder, “Come on Boscha, she’s acting nothing like she was at the Treasure Shack. I’d say she’s telling the truth about us dealing with someone else.”

While not everyone in the group seemed to agree, there were enough echoes of the same sentiment to at least give Amity the benefit of the doubt to make the triclops, Boscha, back off a bit. Rather than glare at Amity, Boscha instead leaned her back against the other locker, casually inspecting her nails. “Alright, let's say I believe you. What’s a human like you even doing in a school like this?”

“Learning magic, same as you,” Amity said, crossing her arms.

Boscha snickered, as if that were a funny joke, “Everyone knows humans can’t learn magic.”

“Actually,” One of her friends spoke up, the one wearing a beanie with long sleeves that covered his hands. The color marked him as an Oracle student, “She’s in the Oracle Track with me. She’s close to being top student, behind Barcus, after only a week.”

“No one asked you,” Boscha growled, but seemed to concede the point. “Fine, so you’re learning magic. Big deal.”

She seemed to consider something, her third eye widening, “Say, I tend to keep company with a lot of the best. I’m not saying I’ll let you into the group yet, but I’m willing to give a human with the talent to be near the top of her class a chance. What do you say, wanna hang out with us for the day?”

There was a murmur of agreement among the rest of the students, all of them siding with Boscha’s statement. Amity felt a little put on the spot, but they were giving her a chance, despite their run in with King when he was in her body. It would mean skipping out on hanging out with Luz and the rest of the Junior Bad-Girl Coven, but she was sure they’d understand if she took a day off of her studies to make some friends who didn’t already belong to Luz.

As much as Amity liked Willow, Gus, and the Troublemakers, she did sometimes feel like she was hogging Luz from them, or that she was akin to a third wheel. She was the newest person in the friend group, who only knew everyone else because Luz was connected to them. This was Amity’s chance to branch out, to get a group of her own. At worst, she could at least clear up this misunderstanding with the body swap, and clear the air between them.

Amity shrugged, “Sure, I’m game.”

Boscha grinned, exposing her sharpened fangs, “Sounds great. Tell me, do you happen to play any sports?”

Amity dodged a roaring ball of fire, the flames coming so close that it singed her clothing as it passed. When she’d been asked if she wanted to play a friendly game of Grudgby, she hadn’t been sure what to expect, but this hadn’t been it.

It was far more exhilarating than she’d thought any sport could possibly be. Also, deadly. Really deadly.

Beside her were Cat and the boy with the beanie, who’s name she’d been told, but had forgotten. They’d been assigned to her team, while Boscha had gotten Skara and Amelia. At the time, Amity hadn’t realized she was being set up, her team having two novices, with only Cat being a player, while Boscha had got to keep her primary team, and was the Captain of the Hexside Banshees to boot.

Amity’s team wasn’t exactly winning, but she was having a lot of fun regardless. The field was utterly destroyed around them, several patches of grass iced over from Amity’s own barrage, while just as much was on fire from Boscha’s attempts to take Amity out of the game.

“You okay over there?” Cat asked, side eyeing Amity. The witch was winded, and almost seemed sorry for her human teammate for getting caught up in one of Boscha’s rampages. “I didn’t think she’d be this hard on you when we decided to play.”

“I’m fine,” Amity replied shortly, smirking despite how her body ached and protested every minor movement. She was going to be so sore in the morning. “I think Boscha’s finally moved past trying to kill me. I might even say she looks like she’s having fun!”

Amity should have known this was some kind of trap. She’d gotten so used to Luz’s softness, she hadn’t expected to be set up by another witch. Still, despite what Boscha had thrown at her this entire game, the fact that Amity was still standing seemed to earn some of the triclops’ respect. Her sneer seemed more like a grin as she chucked more fireballs Amity’s way, missing the mark on all but one, that with an ice clad hand Amity caught from out of the air, reclaiming the ball for her team.

A glance at the smoking ball made Amity’s eyebrows perk, as the telltale sign of a glyph was scorched into it, quickly disappearing as the embers faded. “Here, take it,” Amity threw the ball to Cat, whipping out her notebook to scrawl the glyph down for later.

“What’s our play?” Beanie boy asked, and Amity kicked herself again for never learning his name.

The three huddled together to work out a plan of attack. They only had less than a minute left in the game, and were down by several points. It didn’t really matter what they did, there just wasn’t a way to score enough to win at this point. Still, Amity wanted to make a good impression, one Boscha would never forget, “Okay, here is what we’re going to do. Cat will take the ball, and will kick it to…. You. Keep passing it back and forth, keep their team in the middle of you, then get it to me when I reach the end of the field, near their goal.”

“And then what will you do?” Cat asked, pushing up her glasses, which had been cracked after she’d been tackled halfway through the game.

“Once it’s to me, there will be a huge gap between the ball and them. I’ll ice over the field so they can’t get to me easily, then race to get it into their goal. We won’t be able to win, but at least we go out with a bang. What do you say?”

The two other Hexolios nodded, pumping their fists, “We can do it!”

Amity cheered them on, loving the enthusiasm they had for the game despite knowing they’d lose. The play started, her teammates putting some distance between her and themselves as they passed the ball between them. No one on Boscha’s team was paying Amity any attention as she backed towards their goal while keeping an eye on her teammates, who did their best to weave past Skara and Amelia.

They didn’t do their job well enough, and Amity swore as the ball was stolen from them. Then she cursed again as she stepped on something round and smooth, feeling her foot slide out beneath her as she fell to the ground.

The sound of Boscha laughing at her met Amity’s ears as she rubbed her head. “Ugh, okay, who left their… ugly metal beetle on the field?” Amity asked, lifting the object she’d tripped over up, looking around and demanding answers.

Skara, who had the ball, dropped it, mouth agape. Cat and Beanie boy took one look at Amity, then broke out into cheers, huddling around the human and lifting her off the ground and onto their shoulders. Boscha grit her teeth, spewing one foul word after the other. It all left Amity feeling very confused. “What?”

“You found the Rusty Smidge!” Amelia informed her, coming over to help support Amity on her teammates shoulders. “That means you automatically win!”

That didn’t help Amity at all with her confusion, but she shrugged it off, “Well, they do say don’t look a gift horse in the mouth…”

The teens set Amity down, their exuberance flowing freely with cheers and fist pumps. In the midst of this though, Boscha stepped forward, arms crossed and face unreadable, and her friends became quiet, waiting to hear what their leader had to say. Boscha eyed each of them slowly, all three eyes landing on each one of her friends, before landing on Amity, who tensed under the Captain’s glare.

Then, Boscha smiled, “Not bad. For a human. What do you guys think, should she be welcomed to the Treasure Shack?”

The group unanimously cheered, and Amity was worried they’d try to heave her into the air again, “Wow, those are some high words of praise, coming from you, Boscha. Are you sure you didn’t get a concussion?” Amity asked, but unable to keep a smile off her own face. Boscha’s grin was infectious.

The triclops lifted a finger to her temple, and when she pulled it away there was a bit of blood sticking to her fingers, “We can’t rule that out, but you did a good job regardless. You’ll fit right in with the rest of my gang.”

Boscha threw an arm around Amity’s shoulders, pulling her in close, “You managed to beat me, even if it was just with the Smidge. That’s impressive. I like impressive. I hope you’ll be thinking of trying out for the team in the future.”

Amity felt a heat reach her cheeks at the closeness. Between the way Boscha was eyeing her, the sweaty uniforms, and how out of breath they all were, it was hard to tell if the girl was flirting with her or not. Or if Amity liked that.

Boscha grinned and her third eye winked, and oh yeah, Amity liked it. “Yeah, I think I will.” She sent the sports star a wink back, feeling a bit warm inside when she noticed a blush forming on Boscha’s cheek.

Together, the group began to migrate back towards the main campus, Boscha’s arm going from around Amity’s shoulder to around her waist. A bit forward, but Amity wasn’t complaining. Boscha had nice arms, and her confidence was incredibly attractive. “You know, it only now occurs to me that we all cut class to play a game, should we try to sneak in, or something?”

The others giggled at her suggestion, like it was ridiculous to even ask, but Boscha shut them up with a wave of her hand, “Nah, I’m the Grudgby Captain. The school lets me do impromptu practices whenever I want. Really, they’d let me get away with murder as long as I keep winning games.”

Knowing the Boiling Isles, Amity wasn’t sure if that was exaggeration or not. She merely hummed, and hoped the redhead’s body count was low if this was going to be the start of some kind of relationship between them.

At that moment, for whatever reason, Amity thought of Luz, who was also skipping her classes, though to study everything else, and felt the faintest bit of guilt for hanging out with another girl. She tried to force those feelings away, telling herself Luz would be happy for her. She’d found some new friends, and when Luz found out, she’d be ecstatic. Maybe they could even all hang out together. Yeah, Luz would like that.

The group made their way into the school, their excited murmurs echoing off the empty walls. It seemed oddly quiet, the Grudgby team being the only voices in the building, which at first didn’t strike Amity as unusual, until she realized she couldn’t hear the muffled speaking of teachers or students in their classrooms. It wasn’t just quiet, it was as if all the ambient noise had been sucked out of the building, down to the gentle hum of the lights.

A tug at her waist pulled her from those thoughts as Boscha continued, “So, huma- er, Amity, I was thinking, you don’t have to hang out with those other kids at lunch anymore. You can sit with us from now on. What do you say you and I get some grub next lunch period? Or… maybe tomorrow, if your Saturday is free?”

Amity’s cheeks flushed as she realized this was probably Boscha’s way of asking her on a date. There was just a bit of an issue she’d taken with Boscha’s tone, though, “I’d love to, really, but, well, I happen to like those other kids I eat lunch with. I would hope they’d be invited as well, um, at school, not tomorrow. Do you have some sort of problem with them?”

Boscha grimaced, “Ugh, I wouldn’t say it’s a problem as long as they stay out of my way. I mean, sure, Half-a-Witch got moved to a new track a few years ago, but she’s still garbage at anything other than plants. Even the basic spell curriculum like shields and fire spells are out of her grasp. The Illusion brat is good, and pretty funny, but he’s just a kid, I can’t take him seriously.”

Boscha shook her head, “But Luzer is the worst. I take Potions with her, and she can hardly stay focused on one thing, and her grades are in the tank. Besides, with her Mom being who she is, that practically makes her a criminal by association. You’re better off ditching them, they’ll just drag you down.”

Amity frowned, side stepping out of Boscha’s reach so her arm fell limp at her side. When Boscha tried to reclaim her place at Amity’s side, the human girl slapped Boscha’s hand away before it could snake back around her waist. “I happen to know Luz, and she’s a very hard worker. Don’t say stuff like that when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Boscha’s face fell, her mouth curved into a downward line, “She can hardly think straight. If she was as hard working as you say, she’d be the top in potions, like I am.”

“I don’t care that she’s not the top student,” Amity growled. Boscha’s groups watched awkwardly from the side, not knowing who to side with in this argument. “I like Luz, she’s been very kind to me. The same with Gus and Willow. They’re my friends. I was hoping we could all be friends.”

Boscha seemed to consider Amity’s words before she spoke next, pursing her lips. “I can’t be friends with those bottom of the social rung morons. You’re just gonna have to choose, me or them.”

The red head crossed her arms, her word final. Behind her, her friends seemed to agree with Boscha, nodding and folding their arms as well, even if they seemed a little sorry to have to do so. Cat and Beanie Boy especially, who’s glances seemed to beg Amity to choose Boscha, and by extension, them.

Amity looked back at them, then looked at Boscha, coming to a realization. Breathing a sigh, the human girl spoke, “You know, I was just like you, once. Only where you seem to choose it, I wasn’t allowed to have friends who were below me at my old school, so rather than disappoint myself and get close to them on my own, I’d act like a jerk and push them away before they could even try.”

Boscha’s eyes seemed to perk, indicating she was listening as Amity continued. “I had ‘friends’ who didn’t actually know or even care to know me. I had to hide my real self from them constantly, because as much as I didn’t really enjoy their company, it was better than being alone when they realized I wasn’t all that different from the people they considered below them.”

Amity looked Boscha in the eyes, a hard task to do when she only had two to Boscha’s three. “So, I gotta ask, Boscha, do you actually value your friends because they’re your friends, or just for their social status? And do you like who you are, or does the person you portray yourself as only exist to keep them from leaving you?”

Amity centered her gaze on Boscha’s group behind her next, “And maybe I’m overstepping, but you should ask yourselves that question too. Do you guys actually want to be friends with Boscha, or is it just because she’s Team Captain, and is ‘going places?’”

“I’m done pretending to be someone I’m not. I’m done having my friends chosen for me for their social status, or for what they can do for me. I won’t let you call my friends names like Luzer or Half-a-Witch, and if it means choosing them over you, I will do so every day of the week over you. Because they liked me before they found out I got good grades, or because I kicked their ass at a game I’d never played before that they’re supposed to be the best at. They like me for me, and I like them for them.” Amity jabbed her finger into Boscha’s chest, daring the other girl to say anything against her.

The place fell to silence. Boscha’s gang shifted uncomfortably behind their leader, and Amity wondered if her words had reached any of them, and if any of them felt they were true. Boscha remained unblinking, staring Amity down, but didn’t speak.

Breathing out her nose, Amity gave the Grudgby player a pat on the shoulder, “You’re pretty, Boscha. And talented. And probably a lot of other things I’d have liked to have learned about. If you ever decide to change, I’ll be happy to go out on that lunch date with you. Until then, goodbye.”

Then she turned around, holding her head up high, and started to march away. Maybe she burned bridges. Maybe she could have handled that better. But she couldn’t regret standing up for her friends and herself. Boscha finally sputtered, reaching out to Amity but she was too far down the hallway for her to grasp, “Wait, where are you going?”

Amity paused, then without looking back began to reply, “I’m going to find-“

The quiet hallway erupted into screams and hisses. Amity turned around, to see a large, snakelike monster had been where she’d been standing, its tail pinning down Boscha’s friends against the floor, while the redhead herself was in the beast's grasp. Its mouth was open, and it seemed to suck something out of Boscha, who tried to scream and cry, but her voice rang weak and hollow. The Grudgby captain fainted in the snake's grasp, and was dropped to the floor like a rag doll while the creature moved on to her friends.

“So much delicious magic to feast upon!” The fanged demon laughed, plucking up another teen, this time Skara, and repeating the process.

“- Luz…” Amity uttered out in shock, then took off as fast as her feet could carry her, hoping to make it to the empty classroom and the Secret Hall of Shortcuts before it was too late to warn her friends that the school was under attack.

Amity made it to the empty classroom, throwing herself at the door. It didn’t budge, of course. Luz liked to prop a door against the handle so no one came in while they were in the room of shortcuts. Still, Amity didn’t know the shortcuts well enough to find and open them anywhere else than here, so she pounded against the door, ramming her small body against it until the vibrations shook the chair on the other side enough to make it fall.

Amity crawled through the chalkboard, ignoring the dull aches of her flesh, only to be immediately pinned the moment she came through by a pair of strong hands. Fearing she was already too late, she gave a cry, only to be released just as quickly as she was taken down.

“Sorry!” Viney’s voice met her ears, the stronger girl climbing off of the human and offering her a hand up, “I freaked out and pinned you like any other Beast.”

As Amity was heaved back up to her feet, she breathed a sigh of relief to see everyone else was already here, looking just as panicked as she felt. Luz was pacing back and forth, her Scroll in her hand, muttering to herself. Jerbo was curled into a little ball over in the corner, looking a moment away from a panic attack, and Barcus seemed to be trying to divine the future with his crystal ball.

“I don’t envy any of the animals you’ve worked with,” Amity forced a smile, brushing herself off, “I’m going to assume from the state of things here that you all know what’s going on?”

“Yeah. A Greater Basilisk attacked while classes were in session. She posed as some kind of inspector or something to get in.” Viney explained.

“So, you basically know more than I do right now, good.” Amity breathed a sigh of relief. “Can you tell me anything about this Basilisk? You’re the Beast Keeping expert, right?”

Viney perked up a little, but deflated all the same, “Well, I can tell you only three things. One, Basilisks are shapeshifters. It’s how it got inside the school. Two, they eat magic, draining it out of witches until they’re too weak to defend themselves.”

“And the third one?” Amity asked, hopeful it would give them some way to defeat the thing.

“They’re supposed to be extinct, and have been for hundreds of years!” Jerbo cracked, losing what little composure he had left, “Meaning that any way to fight these things has basically been lost to time.”

Amity bit her lip, “Gotcha. What about Luz?”

Hearing her name, Luz glanced over, giving up with her scroll, “I was trying to call my Mom, so she could help us fight this thing, but the signal can’t get out of the room of shortcuts unless we open a door because it’s technically a pocket dimension.”

“And we can’t do that, why?”

“Because the second we open that door and make a call, the magical signal from the scroll will lead the Basilisk right to this room, where it’ll eat us.” Luz sighed, slumping against a wall.

“We’re doomed…” Jerbo moaned.

Amity looked around at their defeated faces, “Maybe not…”

Luz looked hopeful, “Gotta plan in that big brain of yours, Ams?”

“You said it eats magic, right? That explains why it more or less ignored me when it attacked the others,” Amity explained. “But I can still use Glyphs. With this room, we have the element of surprise, and the ability to move around like no one else can. I say we take the fight to it when its guard is down.”

Viney clapped a hand on Amity’s shoulder, “If you’ve got a plan, we’re listening.”

Amity stepped out of the Room of shortcuts, landing on the ground right behind the Greater Basilisk. With it none the wiser, she drew out a piece of paper with an ice glyph plastered on it, taping it with her finger and then quickly sliding it across the floor, where it erupted underneath the beast, slamming it against the ceiling.

With the Basilisk dazed and its focus entirely on Amity, it lunged carelessly, slithering across the ground where the human awaited it. “Now! Do it now!” Amity cried as the Basilisk got into position.

Without any time to respond to the unseen threats, the Basilisk found itself pinned to the floor this time by Puddles, Viney’s trusted pet Griffon. The two fought and wrestled, Puddles getting a good slash across the Basilisk’s face and even exhaling Spider breath on it, when a hidden door below the two opened up, and the Basilisk fell into the Room of Shortcuts.

Below, Luz and Jerbo were waiting, opening yet another door for the Basilisk to fall through, one that led right to the auditorium. Unfortunately, the basilisk was too big to fit through the second door, Jerbo having to summon a green Abomination made of sludge and plant material to attack, one of its arms forming into a stump that it used as a hammer to force the Basilisk through the door.

Flying down on Puddles’ back from above, Viney and Jerbo joined Amity and Barcus, the latter of which had crystal ball in his paws, and a potion in his muzzle, which was splashed onto the downed Basilisk’s face to blind it, while a summoned familiar held the beast down.

It was Amity’s turn next, as she eyed the creature before her as it wailed. With it blinded, it couldn’t counter their next strike by just swallowing it. She almost felt bad for doing this. Almost. “Time to fry!” She exclaimed, pulling out the page of her notebook that had her new fire glyph on it, holding it forth and blasting the Basilisk with a jet of flame that engulfed the beast.

As it screamed in pain, glowing balls of stolen magic flew out of its mouth, its body deflating more and more with each one freed, until all that remained of the Basilisk was a bit of charred snakeskin, cooking over the now burning auditorium stage.

Amity felt more than a little mentally scarred after watching that unfold, while beside her Barcus and Jerbo breathed sighs of relief. Viney tended to Puddles, who had sustained a few scrapes and cuts in the fight. Meanwhile, Principal Bump, who had witnessed most of this and had his magic reclaimed, now loomed over them, looking none-to-pleased to see students mixing magic. Seeing the Principal coming, Luz, still above in the secret room, grabbed the door and closed it to the point where there was just a crack allowing her to see and hear.

“Uh,” Amity raised a finger, “I know you said you’d have let me join short of me burning down the auditorium, but that was on Monday, so this doesn’t count as an expulsion, does it?”

“I’ll get to you, Miss Amity.” Bump promised ominously, instead making his way over to the members of the Junior Bad-Girl Coven. “You should know by now that mixing magic is very much against school rules. It skirts the Emperor’s laws. I should be handing you all out detentions, if not outright expulsions for what you’ve done.”

Amity strode between her principal and her new friends, holding her arms out, “And yet they saved the whole school! Without them, you’d all be powerless at best, Basilisk food at worst. You can’t punish them for that! If a rule exists just to punish someone, then it shouldn’t exist at all! And that’s coming from someone who loves the rules!”

Bump frowned. As much as he didn’t like a student telling him what he could and couldn’t do, he did have to begrudgingly admit that she had a point. “So, what would you have me do?”

“Let them take the tracks they want to take! Heck, they learned all this stuff on their own anyway, they’ll just keep learning no matter how you try to stifle them.” Amity pointed out, making the Principal sulk.

Heaving a sigh, Bump conceded, “Very well. I’m smart enough to know that if things don’t change, you’ll just rebel and overthrow the school like I did in my youth. I’d rather keep my head where it is, thank you. We’ll do a trial run. I want you all to know, if your grades can’t keep up, you’ll be punished and put back into a one track program. And the laws haven’t changed just because I’m bending school rules for you, when you come of age, you’ll have to join a coven. You’ll still have to pick just one of those.”

The troublemaking trio's eyes lit up as Bump gave his blessing. With a faint smile, Bump beckoned them, “Now, which tracks do you want to join?”

“Healing and Beast Keeping!”

“Plants and Abominations!”

“Woof!”

With their uniforms changed, Amity was the only one left, “And what is it that you want? I presume you’ll want to dual-track as well?” Bump raised a brow at the human, finger raised to change her uniform's colors.

Amity bit her lip and pondered, “Honestly, I don’t know what I want to be in yet. There are nine choices, and I barely know enough about any of them to choose. I’m good at the Oracle track, but I just… lack passion for it. It just seems like a lot to ask, but is there any way I could take, I dunno, a sample course or something?”

Bump scratched at his chin, then gave a nod. With a twirl of his finger, Amity’s uniform took on colors from all tracks, “I can see what you mean. You’re a unique case, Miss Amity, and don’t have all the context everyone else has when they make their choice on what to learn. I’ll allow it. You can take as many classes as you’d like for the semester, but I expect an answer on what track or tracks you’d like to be a permanent part of by the start of next year, am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Amity nodded.

That just left Luz, who was still above them, unnoticed in the Secret room. Amity glanced up at her, ready to call attention to the witch and let her get everything she’d ever wanted out of her school life, but Luz just gave her a sly smile, pressing a finger to her lips to shush Amity about her involvement. Amity sent Luz a wink, and the witch closed the door, leaving her friends to bask in the good news with Bump none the wiser of her involvement.

The school day had finally ended, and Amity and Luz were walking back to the Owl House side by side, “So, why didn’t you jump in to claim a spot as an all-track student?” Amity asked, nudging the girl beside her.

Luz grinned, “Well, I kinda like the super secretness of the hideout? I’m not ready to give that up. Besides, you heard Bump, this is just for a semester for you, and I’m not ready to narrow my interests down to just two tracks.”

After another moment she added, “Plus, that trial run required good grades. I’m good, but stretched between all nine tracks I’d end up getting kicked out of all the classes after just a week!”

Amity stifled a laugh, reminded of Boscha’s comments on Luz’s grades. She hadn’t seen the girl again after the attack, and wondered if her opinion of Luz would change if she knew she’d helped save Boscha’s life. But Amity mentally shrugged that off, it was the sports star’s loss for not giving Luz another glance for all these years.

“That reminds me,” Luz said, tapping her chin, “Where were you before the attack? We had lunch, then you left for your locker, but you never showed up at the Secret Room. I left an illusion of you in your class, but I guess that got eaten by the Basilisk.”

Amity opened her mouth, but hesitated. Finally, she answered, “I thought about making a few new friends. We played some Grudgby for a bit, which reminded me of a sport we have back home I used to play, just a lot more weird.”

Luz’s smile lit up, “That’s great! I’m happy you made some new friends.”

Amity faltered, “Don’t be. It didn’t work out.”

“Why not?” Luz cocked her head, a frown forming on her lips.

Amity shrugged, “Boscha thought I should stop hanging out with you. I told her that wasn’t cool, and I was going to stick with you.”

Luz stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Amity paused, looking back at the witch. “What?”

“You chose me over Boscha?” Luz asked quietly.

Amity walked back to Luz’s side, pressing a hand to her shoulder, “It wasn’t even a contest. You’re my best friend, Luz.”

Luz glanced down at her shoes, “I- I don’t think anyone ever thought of me as their best friend before.”

“You’re kidding, right? Luz, every single one of your friends looks at you like you hung the stars in the sky. I don’t think any of them don’t consider you their best friend. Willow, Gus, Viney, Jerbo, or Barcus.”

Luz sent Amity a wobbly smile, then wiped at her eyes as the sniffles started. “Thanks, Amity. I think you’re my best friend, too.”

Amity considered throwing her arm over Luz’s shoulder, but it felt more right to snake it around her waist as they walked the rest of the way home, hips bumping the whole way.

I am thirty-seven years old when my worst nightmare comes to life, when I arrive home to my girlfriend screaming in terror, and my daughter covered in feathers.

An elixir later, and Luz is back to normal, but is still far from herself. The girl is clearly disturbed by what has happened to her, and Camila’s panicking isn’t helping. I have to drag the frantic woman out of the room before she can make things worse, and sit her down. She’s is owed an explanation.

I told her everything. Because I’ve never uttered a word about my curse to Camila before, even after all these years together. Camila hadn’t been there at Hexside when I transformed the first time, she hadn’t heard the rumors about why they called me the Owl Lady, or if she has she thinks they’re just that, rumors. She’d gone to St. Epiderm, far from Bonesborough, far from my childhood, and we hadn’t met until years later, after I long had my condition under control, lock and key.

Except that now Luz had it, too. I have cursed her own daughter, just by having her with the woman I loved.

Camila wasn’t happy. Who would, knowing your partner had kept such a secret from you for years. She screamed, and yelled, and threw things. Some of them hit the wall. Some of them hit me. I don’t defend myself. Don’t raise a hand.

Except for when-

“My daughter is a monster, Eda!”

I had just stood there and taken it this whole time, but felt something snap inside me at those words, and on instinct my hand is raised, stopping mere inches from slapping Camila’s face.

“Don’t,” I hissed, “Don’t call her that.”

My eyes become wet as everything, all the revelations of the day, catch up to me, shock finally giving away to tears, “Luz isn’t a monster.” “

“She just goes away for a little while.”

“She’s still in there, she’s still our girl.”

“She’s going to be scared. Titan, I’m an adult and everytime I change I’m scared.”

“She’s not a monster. She’s just got one inside of her now.”

I say all these things as I try not to let my despair overwhelm me. Camila is sobbing, and for the first time since I have stepped into this house, she stops yelling and throwing things, and holds me. Camila apologizes, saying that she didn’t mean it. Didn’t mean to call Luz that. I forgive her, because I can’t blame her for being scared, and tell her to watch Luz for her while I’m gone.

“Where are you going? Why are you leaving when all of this is happening?” She asks.

“I never found the person who did this to me, Cam. I gave up.”

“I’ve got a new reason to start looking again.”

“I’ll have Morton drop off some elixirs for you tomorrow, enough to last a while.”

“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

I kissed Luz on the forehead before I left, promising I’ll be back soon. I lied. For the next five years, I only see my daughter a handful of times, and each time she looks at me with hopefully eyes, hoping this will be the time I stay. I don’t.

I’ve got a list of suspects, but each of them are dead ends. A board full of names and dates and magical abilities all tangled up with string that connects them, with possible motives. After five years of searching, I’ve come no closer to finding them and making them pay.

I give up. Again.

Camila has moved on, and doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. Not after I more or less abandoned them. By the Titan’s graces, she is willing to work out a way for me to spend time with Luz, and I’m beyond grateful for whatever she’s given me. I haven’t exactly been the greatest mother. Owls were never exactly known for that.

I never found the person who hurt my baby, though. Five wasted years, down the drain, for nothing. I’m not sure who I can’t forgive more, the one who cursed me, or myself for my failings.

Eda wakes in her nest with a start at the age of forty-five, groggy, mildly hung over, with a bottle of Appleblood clenched tightly in her hands. She let the bottle clatter out to the ground where it rolls, the sound banishing the memories that came with the dream, as well as spilling what was left in the bottle out into a puddle on the floor.

Eda climbs out of her nest on all fours, stretching and groaning as her joints pop. Scratching her backside, she stumbled out of her room, cursing how she feels more tired after her impromptu nap than before she took it.

The sound of laughter greets the witch’s pointed ears as she heads for the stairs. Peeking down them, Eda sees her daughter on the couch, talking and laughing with Amity, so close their bodies are rubbing against each other as Luz gestures frantically as she speaks.

Eda smiles, “Ah, the kid’s got it so bad.” And she does. Luz is as obvious as her Mama was when Eda met her, all bright red cheeks and physical affectionate touches. Eda sometimes thinks her apprentice is just as into Luz as Luz is into her, but really, that’s their business. As long as they’re keeping it PG when they’re sleeping in the same bedroom, Eda is happy with whatever relationship the two have… But maybe she’ll have King sleep in there with them, just in case.

Eda stumbles back to her room, opening her closet and removing an old, dusty cork board covered in string from the depths. She hadn’t touched it in years, but with recent events in mind, she figures it’s about time to start up her manhunt again.

Her baby was hurting the other day after her transformation. Amity’s presence made it better, more tolerable for Luz, but Eda couldn’t rest until there was a body in the ground. She’ll make them rue the day they ever cast this curse on Edalyne Clawthorne.

Chapter Text

Eda was a crook, through and through. She’d stolen, robbed, cheated, hijacked, pinched, poached, snatched, swiped and once even purloined. She’d done it all, and what that did to a gal on the lam was make her observant.

After all, if she was going to be emptying some pockets, she had to know which pockets to pick, often just by looking at someone. She’d learned to judge when someone was carrying a lot of snails, and how easy it would be to take them without being noticed. Not that it wasn’t fun to be noticed, the chase was half the thrill, but she always needed to know who was more on guard than someone else.

And Amity was always on guard. Or, more accurately, always on edge. The girl had opened up about being a runaway, and even reestablished some form of connection with her siblings(an act Eda paradoxically both wished she could perform, and didn’t understand why anyone would want. Family was a bother.), but she’d kept her trap shut about whatever else had happened in her old home.

Eda didn’t want to pry. That wasn’t an exaggeration, either, she really didn’t want to pry. Amity’s past was behind her, and it was best it stayed there. Still, she was supposed to be a ‘responsible’ adult, at least according to Camila, so she did her best to make sure that Amity always knew she was welcome, and that she didn’t have a mountain of expectations on her to be perfect, that Amity didn’t need to wait for the other shoe to drop.

Clearly, Eda hadn’t been trying hard enough. Or slacking off enough? Whatever she was doing, it hadn’t worked.

Because her poor, dumb human seemed to have finally cracked and was on the verge of a panic attack over one broken potion vial, like Eda was going to snap at her for an honest to Titan accident.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Amity gasped, covering her face with her hands as she began to hyperventilate. Her body had frozen up, still as a statue as the potion soaked into her shoes, the puddle spreading the longer it lay there.

Eda fought the urge to roll her eyes, resisting her usual sarcasm. Instead she spun her finger, summoning a spell circle that vanished the liquid, though it did leave a bit of a stain on the floor, and gently placed her hands on Amity’s shoulders, “Hey, listen to me, it’s okay.”

Amity didn’t respond, so Eda carefully pried the girl's hands away from her face so she could look at her, brushing a thumb through the human’s hair. “It was an accident. I’m not angry at you, or anything.”

Tears beaded in the corners of Amity’s eyes as she stared back at the witch. “I- I’ll pay you back. You can take a cut from my pay, or-“

Okay, now Eda was rolling her eyes. “Enough of that. If I made Luz pay for every bottle she accidentally broke during her own potion deliveries, I’d be rich. I’m not going to make you pay, it’s fine. You don’t owe me anything, and you apologized, we’re good.”

She gave a gentle tug on Amity’s wrist, guiding her out of the kitchen and away from the cauldron Eda had been brewing at, “Come on, let's get out of here.”

Amity followed, shaking a little as Eda led her away, “What are we-“

“We’re taking the day off,” Eda said firmly. “You need a break. Between the chores, the Hexside classes, and trying to find all kinds of new spells on your own time, you’re starting to fall apart. You’re not perfect, kid, and you shouldn’t expect yourself to be.”

She had Amity sit on the couch, then scooted the coffee table closer, propping the Crystal Ball on top. “We are going to do absolutely nothing except watch bad soap operas, and eat eyescream. And you wanna know why?”

Why?” Amity murmured, as if she had no choice but to ask.

Eda gave her a little pat on the head, “Because this is the Bad Girl Coven. Where the only rule is that there are no rules! Think you can handle that for a day?”

Amity gave a little nod, making the Owl Lady grin. “Good. Now, I hope you like Booberry eyescream, because there was a sale at the- oh, who am I kidding, I shoplifted it.”

Eda watched the corners of Amity’s mouth perk upward into the world’s smallest smile, and considered that a win.

Hours later, the two were still splayed out on the couch together, having changed back into their pajamas despite it being midday. King was curled up between them, welcoming a day off from the pressures of ruling with an iron fist over his kingdom of stuffed animals.

The floor and table were littered with empty cartons of eyescream, the remnants left in the containers long melted and dripping out, making everything sticky. The witch and the human stared dead-eyed at the screen of the crystal ball, watching some brainless entertainment that had kept them captivated for the past few hours, until it faded to commercial.

Amity blinked, her eyes feeling mildly strained, “This was… thanks, Eda, I needed this.”

Eda waved Amity off, sitting upright in her seat and sliding her feet into her bunny slippers, “Don’t mention it, Boots.”

Amity raised a brow, “Boots?”

“Yeah, isn’t that what your brother and sister call you, for whatever reason? One of those dorky human nicknames?”

Amity shook her head, looking disgruntled over the subject, “No, it’s Mittens, and I hated it.”

“Then you’ll love being called Boots.” Eda said, as if that made any logical sense, “Doesn’t matter anyway, you wear both on your feet.”

“You really don’t,” Amity laughed, pushing aside the last of her eyescream.

Eda smiled softly at her, “Now there’s a sound I don’t hear often enough. You, laughing.”

Amity looked away, feeling embarrassed, “I’m sorry-“

“Don’t be!” Eda scolded, giving the girl a shove, “You’ve been walking on eggshells around here for too long. Loosen up! Come on, let’s go.”

For the second time that day, Amity was dragged by her wrist by Eda, this time back into the kitchen. The witch brought her over to a batch of empty potion vials, and gestured to them, “See these?”

Amity nodded slowly, confused, “Ye-“

“Fuck ‘em!” Eda exclaimed, then gave one of them a shove right off the countertop, sending it crashing to the floor. Amity flinched at the noise as it shattered on impact, and when she opened her eyes she found another bottle in front of her face, this time held in Eda’s spindly fingers.

“Well,” the witch goaded, “Go ahead!”

Amity tentatively reached out and took the bottle, looking between it and Eda, then the broken one on the floor before it clicked. “You want me to-“

“Break it!” Eda encouraged, giving Amity a pat on the back. Amity hefted the small glass bottle in her hands, inspecting it. It had a swirling pattern on it that twisted from the top to the bottom, and the glass glittered beautifully in the sunlight that peeked in through the kitchen windows. It was decorative, and gorgeous. Then she let it drop.

CRASH

And now it was none of those things. It was broken into a hundred little pieces on the floor, and Eda was cheering her on. Something welled up inside of Amity, and she laughed, holding nothing back. “Can I do that again?”

Eda pushed her over to the counter where the rest of her bottles sat, “Don’t ask, just do!”

Eda watched as Amity, face like a kitten inspecting its prey, pawed one of the vials off the edge of the countertop. The human’s eyes lit up as it shattered, and another quickly followed.

That’s just how it started. “Come on, I have more stuff we can break!” Eda chuckled and led Amity out of the room and down into the basement, towards all the trash she couldn’t sell.

With her hands held out, Eda gestured to it all, “Let’s have some fun!”

When King woke up from his nap on the couch, the living room was covered in dented electronics, stuffing and feathers that had been torn from pillows, and a plethora of other broken garbage. “What happened here?” He asked the two panting women in the room.

Eda held a pillow in both hands, holding it out away from her body, and Amity had a baseball bat, ready to swing. The two glanced at each other and snorted, falling into a fit of giggles. “I’m loosening up!” Amity chortled.

King watched with worried eyes as she brought the bat down, striking the pillow, which exploded into a flurry of feathers.

The next morning, Eda whistled happily to herself as she cooked up breakfast, patting herself on the back for doing such a good job. She’d never seen Amity happier than last night. And people thought she couldn’t be a role model!

The place was still a bit messy after yesterday's mayhem, but Eda had gotten Hooty to devour most of the mess. Having a House Demon was like having a living garbage disposal, and it was one of the few things the feathered fiend was good for. Really the hard part was stopping him from eating something that hadn’t been broken. Even the glass posed no problem for Hooty’s stomach.

Eda placed the cooked food on the table, glancing at her watch. Amity was usually up by now, ready for school, but she supposed after their rager last night, she’d slept in. “Hey, Boots!”

She waited, then when she didn’t hear anything, walked to the base of the stairs and yelled up again, “Breakfast is getting cold!”

Still nothing. A little knot of worry built up inside of Eda, and so she marched up the stairs, telling herself it was just the mom in her being a buzzkill. Knocking on Luz’s bedroom door, she received no response, and that worry spiked to full blown concern.

“Look, Kid, you’d better be dressed because I’m coming in,” Eda spoke, turning the doorknob and entering, eyes on the wad of pillows and blankets Amity normally slept in on the floor. Only she wasn’t there.

There was a rustling in Luz’s bed, and Eda relaxed. “There you are. What, get tired of the floor and decide to take Luz’s bed while she’s away?”

Amity yawned, stretching, “Something like that, yeah. What’s up?”

Eda smirked, “Fine, I won’t stop you. As long as you stick to the floor when Luz is home, that is.” She teased.

Amity frowned, a hint of red on her cheeks at Eda’s insinuation, “Edaaaa!”

Eda just laughed and shook her head, “I’m just pulling your leg. Breakfast is done, in case you’re hungry. Shouldn’t you get ready for school, though? You’re gonna be late.”

Amity smiled serenely, a hazy look in her eye, “You know what? I think I’m gonna skip school today.”

Eda blinked in surprise, but flashed a supportive thumbs up, “I like your enthusiasm! I wish Luz would skip class more often! Now get down to breakfast, or else Hooty will eat it like he did everything else.”

Amity spent the whole rest of the day in her pajamas, the same ones she’d worn the whole day previously. She doodled a bit, drawing a few glyphs, and spent an hour or so studying her own unique branch of magic before giving up, tossing the books aside to crawl back up on the sofa and watch more shows.

By the end of the day, she was beginning to stink, and Eda was beginning to worry. “Hey, Boots, don’t you think you should go take a bath? Or at least change?”

Amity shook her head, not taking her eyes off the screen, “Nah. I’m comfy, so no point.”

King walked by with a clothespin over his nose, “There is most definitely a point. You’re starting to smell like Hooty.”

Amity shrugged, popping a chip into her mouth and chewing loudly with her mouth open, “Don’t care.”

King watched, horrified, then clawed his way onto the sofa, “Hey, those are my snacks! You dare steal from the King of Demons?!”

Eda’s face fell, “Amity, I think-“

“Shhhh, this is a good part.” Amity hushed her, pushing King aside and keeping him at arm’s length as the demon tried to take his bag of chips back. She then continued to ignore Eda, much to the Owl Lady’s irritation.

The next day was more of the same, Amity hadn’t gone to school, and the only reason she was wearing something else was because Eda had laid out some clean pajamas for her to wear, and taken the old, gross ones away before Amity could put them back on. It didn’t solve the no bathing issue, but it was better than nothing.

There was also a growing pile of potions in the kitchen that needed to be delivered, and Eda’s patience was being tested. She loomed over Amity, who had once more claimed the couch and was doodling, this time not glyphs, and not on paper, but on Eda’s bounty poster, drawing a beard and mustache on the face of her mentor.

“You know,” Eda started, tone bordering on dangerous, “That isn’t a very flattering look for me.”

Amity hopped back, sizing up her work, “I dunno, I think it looks good on you.”

The witch shook her head, and tried to put some authority into her voice, “Your chores are beginning to stack up, little missy. I need you to get dressed and head out to the markets, you have potions to deliver.”

Amity plopped back down on the couch, spreading her limbs across it, “I dunno, that doesn’t sound like a ‘me’ problem. Why don’t you just have King do it?”

Eda glared, but Amity wasn’t even paying attention to her anymore, instead cracking open a comic book of all things and making a show of reading it right in front of Eda.

Fuming, Eda marched to the kitchen and grabbed the sack of potions, motioning for King to follow her. As she reached the door, Amity called out, “Does this mean I’ve earned my quitter badge?”

Eda waited until she was outside before she began to growl and grumble. King just shook his head.

By the time Eda had finished covering all the back orders and made it back home, the sun had gone down. She was miserable from walking around in her heels all day, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Not to mention Freeloader One wouldn’t stop complaining about how she’d broken Freeloader Two, and that she was just living up to Eda’s example.

Maybe she wasn’t the role model she thought she was.

She was welcomed back home to the sight of her walls, ruined. Amity had apparently been busy with her artistic skills, bottles of paint and brushes scattered around and the walls painted like a madman had escaped the asylum with a lifetime supply of art supplies. Brushes had obviously been limiting the girl, as she’d clearly resorted to finger painting as well, hand prints splashed onto the wallpaper.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Eda heard the sound of glass shattering, and let out a groan. This again.

“You know, I really thought we were over the whole ‘destroy all the glass in the house’ phase, Boots.” Eda seethed, marching through the living room and into the kitchen where the noise had come from.

As she entered, she found Amity, still clad in her PJs and standing on top of the counter. She was covered in a rainbow of paint colors, on her clothes, skin, even in her hair. On the floor was a broken bottle, one with a label that meant it had something in it. King weaved under Eda’s legs to sniff at the contents, then covered his nose from the harsh scent.

In Amity’s other hand was an identical bottle, this one full that she was cracking open, then to Eda’s horror she took a deep drink from it. The human burped, then pumped her fists, “Wooo!”

“That’s my Apple Blood!” Eda's mouth hung open in disbelief. Amity swayed, clearly drunk out of her mind, nearly losing her balance and falling off the counter, only to be caught by her mentor, who righted her back up to her feet.

Eda pried the freshly opened bottle out of Amity’s hand, inspecting it. “Just how much did you drink?” She was aghast, this was way too much for a first timer, much less a fourteen year old.

“At least this entire bottle,” King supplied unhelpfully from the floor, gesturing to the shattered glass.

Eda handed him the remaining bottle of Apple Blood as she began to coax the girl down off the counter before she hurt herself, “What in the name of the Titan were you thinking, Boots? Who said you could get into my booze?”

Amity brought a finger to her lips, “Don’ ask, just do…. Shhhh. Don’… don’ tell Eda- or, hic! Do, doesn’t matter. No rules, soooo no trouble.”

Eda paled, climbing up onto the counter herself to get the girl into her arms. Amity babbled about something that Eda wasn’t able to understand, her words becoming too slurred, not that Eda was listening. She was in the middle of an existential crisis.

“I’ve created a monster.” The witch moaned.

Amity booped Eda’s nose with her finger, and laughed. And laughed. Then laughed some more just to add insult to injury. Then she threw up all over the countertop and floor, before promptly passing out.

Eda scooped the girl up into her arms, cradling the human with a look of deep concern on her face. “King, can you get me some warm wash cloths and meet me by the couch?”

King set aside the bottle of Apple Blood and waddled to one of the cabinets to do as he was told. As Eda carefully maneuvered herself down from the counters and back to the floor she added, “And keep Hooty from eating the barf. That’s just gross.”

Eda carried Amity back to the sofa, gently setting the girl down onto it. With a spin of her finger she summoned up a bucket to sit beside her, in case the girl needed to empty her stomach again, and when King brought them, Eda cleaned the girl up with the wash clothes, then carefully covered Amity up with a blanket.

She stunk like alcohol, barf, and like she hadn’t showered in at least three days. And that was all on Eda.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Eda reached into her hair and pulled out one of the least used tools in her arsenal, her own personal call bird. Biting her lip, and feeling a bit anxious, she took one of her spindly fingers and dialed a rune she’d memorized, but never kept saved, and waited as it rang.

“Hola?”

Stomach churning, Eda opened her mouth, “Hey, Cam.”

“Eda?” Oh, and there was the worried tone that still tricked Eda into thinking Camila might still care about her. “What is it? What’s happened?”

Running a hand through her hair, Eda didn’t even know where to begin, “I need some advice. On, uh… parenting.”

The line was quiet, until finally the silence broke when Camila started laughing at her ex.

When Amity woke, it was to the single largest headache of her very short life. Clutching her head she groaned loudly, too loudly, that just made her head hurt worse. What had happened last night?

The human attempted to sit up, but that was clearly the wrong move. The world spun, a wave of dizziness and nausea hitting her that was so intense it felt like her insides were about to become her outsides. As she felt the vomit build up in her throat, something was shoved into her hands, a bucket, and she quickly shoved her head in that as she retched.

She was aware of a hand brushing against her back, gently patting it as she emptied the contents of her stomach. “Shhh, I got you Boots, just let it allll out.”

That sounded like Eda, but Amity was a little too preoccupied to care as a second wave hit her, and the bucket quickly filled.

When she was done, stomach empty and aching, a grey hand passed her a glass full of water and urged her to drink, and despite her wanting to do anything but put things in her mouth, she did so. Her small sips turned into desperate gulps as she realized just how thirsty she was, only before it could be quenched the cup was taken from her hands.

“Slow, Amity, drink it slowly or you’ll just chuck it back up.”

Eda started to pass the glass back to her, before thinking otherwise. The witch left Amity’s side, leaving her with her massive headache and unquenched thirst and feeling utterly miserable, and returned what felt like an eternity later with a plastic cup.

“A- A sippy cup? Isn’t this for babies?” Amity moaned, regretting her words as they made her brain hurt.

A hand brushed through her hair, “it’s one of King’s old cups. It’ll keep you from trying to drown yourself, at least.”

That made sense. Amity sat there, drinking her water for who knows how long. Eda said some things that she didn’t hear, didn’t stick with her, then after some time offered Amity a hand. She was pulled off the couch, stumbling on her legs like a newborn deer, as Eda led her to the upstairs bathroom.

“Take a shower, kid. You reek, and it’ll make you feel more coherent.” Eda helped her into the tub, carefully peeling the pajamas off of Amity until she was in her undergarments. “I’ll let you finish getting undressed. The toilet is here if you need to empty your stomach again. Take your time, but we’re going to have a talk after you’re done, got it?”

Amity nodded blankly, still not remembering how any of this happened. Eda left, closing the door behind her, and Amity turned the knob to start the shower, whimpering when the water came out ice cold before heating up to how she liked it. From there, time had no meaning. It was just Amity and the shower, and it always had been and always would be.

She cleaned herself up the best she could. To her dull surprise dried paint flakes peeled off her skin and went down the drain. She didn’t remember painting. The bar of soap slipped from her grip halfway through using it, and she couldn’t pin it down after that, so whatever remained unwashed stayed unwashed. Her hair was easier, the bottle didn’t want to slide all over the tub. She stayed kneeling on her knees the whole time, not trusting her legs to keep her upright, and she remained there under the warm water until it went cold again, and then she continued to stay there for a bit longer as well.

It wasn’t until she became aware of her own chattering jaw that she turned the faucet off, shivering as she blindly reached for a towel to dry herself off with. She felt better. Not good, but better. More present. She wanted to drink more water.

Amity stumbled out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, and made her way to the room she shared with Luz. She blearily looked at the mess she’d left Luz’s bed in after sleeping in it, and considered climbing in and taking a nap, only to feel a little embarrassed over having slept in Luz’s bed without her permission. She’d just wanted to sleep surrounded by Luz’s scent, and an actual bed had felt so good after weeks on the floor. She kinda felt like a creep for doing that. Maybe she should sleep in her own space next time, but she needed to get dressed first. Maybe later she could sleep until she didn’t feel like garbage anymore.

She didn’t own a dresser, so instead she had old boxes Eda had given her to store her clothes in. It was easy enough to pick something to wear, because frankly, she didn’t care as long as it was clothes, so that’s how she found herself in a loose pair of jeans and a beaten up old shirt that she’d gotten from the thrift store over a month ago. Her socks were mismatched, and she still felt cold, so she put a tattered robe on as well, then stumbled back towards the door.

The stairs were daunting alone, but she made it, and before she knew it she was back on the couch, head resting against a cushion and sippy cup back in her mouth as she rehydrated herself. Before she could get too comfortable though, Eda slid into the seat on the other end of the couch and asked, “So, ready to talk?”

Amity wasn’t, but she nodded her head anyway. Eda sat back in her seat and folded her arms, “Good, because I was going to talk anyway.”

“Now, what do you remember from last night?” Eda probed, sizing Amity up. The human shrugged, taking a drink of her water then set the children's cup down on the table.

“Not much. Kind of a blur.”

There was a loud thunk as Eda set something on the table, making Amity flinch at the noise. Prying open her eyes, Amity saw it was a bottle of Apple Blood, opened and partially emptied. “You got into my reserves, kiddo.”

Amity eyed the bottle, a little bit of last night coming back to her, “I drank that much?”

Eda shook her head, “That and an entire other bottle. You went for the good stuff too.”

Amity closed her eyes, feeling flushed, “I’m sor-“

“No, you’re not, but you’re gonna be.” Eda cut in, grabbing the bottle and uncorking it, taking a swig. After swallowing, she pointed a finger at her human charge, “I learned a little something these past few days. That rules exist for a reason. They exist to keep you, and I do mean just you, in check.”

Amity pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as Eda continued, “You descend into total anarchy without something keeping you on the straight and narrow. According to my ex, you’re one of those kids who ‘needs structure,’ so from now on we’re going to start establishing some… rules.” Eda had to choke out the word, looking like it took actual, physical effort to get it past her lips.

“Number one, no drinking. At least, nothing I bought.” Eda started, listing it off with a finger. “Two, you do your chores when I tell you to, no skirting them off to me or King, or even Luz. Three, you go to school. You need all the structure you can get, and I’m not a great example of that. And four, I’m gonna end up making more of these as we go along, and you’re gonna have to follow them. I’m new to all of this, Cam’s always been the ‘good’ parent between us, so I’ll take it a day at a time.”

Eda sighed, glad to have gotten all that out so she didn’t have to talk about rules and constraints anymore, “Just don’t let King tell you he’s allowed to make the rules either, that’s a power trip waiting to happen.”

Eda finished, and gestured to Amity for her turn to speak. The human, hoping to get this over quickly, gave a small, short nod, “That…. sounds more than fair.”

Eda seemed appeased, “Good. Also, since you broke rules one through three, you’re grounded.”

Amity supposed that was fair as well. She’d figure out the specifics like what she was restricted from, and for how long later. For now, she laid back down, curling into a ball to get some more rest. Before she could lose consciousness, she spoke again, “Eda? Thanks.”

The witch snorted, “You may just be the only person to ever be grateful to be in trouble.”

Even Amity couldn’t help but smile a little at the truth of that statement, “No, but really. I felt so free on that first day. Like I could do anything. Then I kinda spiraled after that because I could do anything. I knew I was getting bad, but having nothing to hold me back felt like a pit I couldn’t dig myself out of.”

Eda hummed, “Noted. You’re a rebel who needs a cause. Otherwise everything falls apart. We’ll sort it out. I’ll make a proper bad girl out of you while keeping both our sanities intact.”

Amity snorted into the couch cushion. “I look forward to how you figure that out.”

Amity had passed out on the couch again, and Eda let her sleep. The witch dropped a blanket over her, and got rid of the barf bucket before it could start to stink. She really was like Amity’s mother at this point, taking care of her when she was, er, ‘sick.’

That didn’t bother her much. She already had to take care of Luz and King, and to a lesser extent, Hooty. When did the biggest, baddest witch on the Isles become a full time mom to so many kids? She blamed Camila for getting that ball rolling. Still, Eda wouldn’t trade it away for the world.

As Eda made to put her bottle of Apple Blood away in the kitchen, she was half surprised and mildly annoyed to hear a commotion outside. Glancing out the window she groaned as she saw the familiar white capes of the Emperor’s Coven. It had been a while since they’d tried to lay siege to her house, she’d almost been hopeful that they’d given up for good.

Pouring herself a mug of Apple Blood, since she might as well if she was going to have to watch the show, she settled into one of the chairs at the kitchen table to watch out the window. Hooty took care of the coven guards as he always did, some screaming as they saw him, others begging for mercy and receiving none as they were forced into cute outfits and made to attend one of Hooty’s terrible tea parties. The poor suckers who couldn’t get away in time begged for death rather than have to sit under the gaze of those beady eyes of the House Demon as he yammered on about his day.

Eda watched it all with great amusement, but felt none sweeter than when she noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Wrapped up in Hooty’s coils, Lilith was brought around to the back of the house, Hooty pushing his head in through a pane of glass, “Eda! You have a visitor!”

“Unhand me this instant you slimy, disgusting, horrid creature!” Lilith screeched, arms pinned and unable to cast any magic while in Hooty’s grip.

“Put her down, Hooty. And Lilith, the back door is unlocked, let yourself in.” Eda chuckled into her mug, downing the last of her drink and slamming it onto the table.

Hooty did as he was told, leaving the witches alone as he went back to attend to his tea party. Lilith shivered in disgust, wiping the mucus that Hooty’s body secreted off of her clothes before she turned the handle and stepped inside the Owl House, cursing her sister and her house demon to the depths of the Boiling Sea.

“You get used to it. Really, it’s bathing him that’s the real pain,” Eda cackled, enjoying the sight of Lilith suffering in the way all siblings do.

Lilith leveled her glare at Eda, eyes flashing dangerously, before she breathed out a sigh and tried to look more composed, “Are you finally ready to hear me out then, sister?”

Eda kicked her feet up onto the kitchen table, “About what?”

Lilith clapped her hands together, “About joining the Emperor’s Coven, of course! He can cure you, I know he can, and then we can be together, serve him together.”

Eda shot Lilith a deadpan stare, “Hard pass. The hardest. Maybe he can cure me, I doubt it, but let's say he can? I still wouldn’t want to be within a mile of that dope.”

Lilith frowned, but before she could defend her precious Emperor, Eda cut her off, “If you want to help with the curse, we do it my way.”

Lilith opened her mouth, then closed it, pondering. Giving a brief nod, she held her head up high, “Very well, I’ll listen to whatever you have planned. It’s the most you’ve trusted me for years, I might as well see what you’ve been doing.”

“Good, glad you’re seeing things my way, sis.” Eda smirked, kicking her feet off the table and stepping out of the kitchen and into the living room, “Follow me. And be quiet, will you?”

Lilith trailed after Eda, looking over the house her sister called home and judging every corner of it, from the build to the decour. Eda hadn’t had time to get rid of the paint all over her walls yet. Lilith didn’t bother hiding her distaste for her sister’s dwelling, doubly so for the company she kept when she saw why exactly her sister wanted her to be quiet. “The human is still here?”

Eda glanced over at Amity, still curled up on the sofa where Eda left her. “Yeah. The brat’s learning some magic. Even signed her up for Hexside.”

She smiled fondly, Lilith might even call it warmly, “I’m proud of her for how far she’s come.”

Lilith rolled her eyes, “yes, I’d heard she was attending school. I visited Luz earlier in the week, and she was… worried about the human. Said she hadn’t shown up for her classes the past few days.”

“Careful, Lily, people might think you’re capable of concern!” Eda sneered. “She’s got a name. It’s Amity. So use it. And yeah, she skipped school a bit this week. She was, uh… sick.”

Lilith sniffed, “Nothing contagious, I hope?”

“Nothing you need to worry about, now get up the stairs.”

Eda stepped inside her room, guiding her sister inside. Once there, she gestured to a sheet on the wall, obviously covering something Lilith couldn’t make out. “And this is supposed to be…?”

Eda grabbed the sheet, pulling it off to reveal a board covered in names, pictures, and motives. “This is my suspect board. I’m trying to find the person who cursed me.”

Lilith folded her arms, feeling uncomfortable with the subject, but thankful she didn’t appear anywhere as a suspect. “I-I fail to see how this will help you track down a cure, Edalyne.”

“Easy, nobody is dumb enough to cast a curse without knowing the counter to it. It’s what we were all taught since we were small.” Eda scoffed, while Lilith just looked attacked, “So, if we find out who did it, then we can beat the cure out of them. Eh?”

Lilith eyed the board, which contrary to Eda’s usual disposition, was well researched. Eda had obviously put a lot of thought, time, and effort into constructing this list of suspects. Anyone on it was powerful enough to know unknown curses, and had some sort of history with Eda as a child. She hadn’t been popular, and her pranks and pickpocketing hadn’t been limited to the Hexside student body as a teen.

Still, this wouldn’t get her anywhere, since none of these suspects had done it. “This is a waste of time, Eda, why don’t you just come to the coven, and it can be done. In a day, an hour if you’d just hurry.” Lilith all but pleaded.

Eda sighed, and shook her head, “It’s not just about the cure, Lil. It’s about payback. I’m going to make whoever did this wish they’d never been born when I get my hands on them.”

“Why bother?” Lilith asked, sweating a little under her collar from the nerves, “Isn’t the best revenge a life well lived?”

Eda looked away, frowning. “I thought that once… For a short time. Especially after I met Camila. I didn’t really care about getting revenge.”

“Then what changed?” Lilith prodded, hoping to put whatever was keeping Eda searching to bed so she could just take her to the Emperor already.

Eda kept her mouth closed. She’d never told Lilith about how Luz had inherited her curse. Her sister already pestered Luz enough about joining the Emperor’s Coven someday, and if she’d found out Luz also carried this burden she might do something drastic to force Eda’s hand. Or tell their mother, who Eda already put up with enough. Eda had even considered going with Lilith herself after Luz had transformed the first time, handing herself over to Belos, but… She didn’t trust him to keep his word. She expected a quick incarceration, and an even swifter execution if she ever gave herself up, and she didn’t expect Lilith could do anything about it.

There wasn’t going to be a deal waiting for her with Belos, as much as Lilith promised. And there would be no salvation for Luz, either. Not from the hands of that tyrant. It was better to keep Lilith in the dark about Luz, she didn’t need to know.

“Nothing changed. Domestic life just wasn’t for me, and I needed a hobby.” Eda said shortly, cutting the conversation off. Running a hand through her hair, she turned back to look at Lilith, “Look, this is my plan. If you can’t help, don’t bother sticking around, alright? I’m not joining your damned coven.”

Lilith took a look at Eda’s list of suspects, and sighed, “I’ll take a look into all of these. But Eda, if none of them are the person who did this to you, if you run out of leads, you must trust me. The Emperor wouldn’t lie to me about this, not after how faithfully I’ve served him all these years.”

Lilith placed a gentle hand on Eda’s shoulders, and quickly left, eager to find evidence that would clear all her sister’s suspects so she had no choice but to give up her search for revenge and join the Emperor's Coven.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, Eda wasn’t very great with handing out punishments. Luz was such a good kid, at least by her standards, that she’d never had to ground her. Camila had, but that was different standards of parenting. As it was, the only thing Eda had been able to come up with for Amity, outside of Amity cleaning up her own mess, was that she wasn't allowed to stay at the house all day(fitting, since Amity’s crime had involved never leaving the couch), and that she wasn’t supposed to visit the library for a week.

“Why the library?” Amity asked, curious to exactly what made the library so off limits.

Eda shrugged, “Well, it’s the one place you enjoy the most. I gotta make you miserable somehow.”

Amity sighed, lowering her head in disappointment. Eda had her there, she did like the library.

Luz, looking between the two, piped up in an attempt to cheer up her friend, “Well, since you’re going to be free, why don’t you join me for the HAS? Gus has been pestering me to bring you along for weeks, but I wanted to give you a chance to settle into the Isles, and then get your footing at school. It’ll be perfect, he’s been having this ongoing feud with Mattholomule for a while, and maybe you could help settle that.”

Amity pursed her lips, giving it some thought, “I don’t know, Luz. Being poked and prodded by a bunch of fanatics for an hour or so sounds kind of unpleasant. I like Gus, and all, but he can have a stunning lack of respect for personal space when he gets excited. I’m not sure I’m ready for a whole club of people like that.”

“So, you’re saying you’d hate it?” Eda asked, raising a brow at the human. She wisely didn’t bring up that Luz had the same lack of respect for personal space when she was excited as well, and that Amity clearly had no issues there.

Amity nodded, “I wouldn’t have put it exactly in those terms, but yeah, I’d hate it.”

Eda pointed her apprentice's way, “Then you’ll go! Part of your grounding. Go spend a day at the Humanity Enjoyer Club, or whatever it was called, and be miserable. Then I’ll know I’m doing a good job as a surrogate parent.”

Amity groaned, and buried her face in her hands.

After an uneventful school day, Amity met with Luz and Gus by her locker. She didn’t exactly know where this Human Appreciation Society club room was located, so they had decided to walk there together when classes were done for the day during their lunch break. Gus, ever his positive self, was practically bouncing off the walls at the idea of Amity joining them today.

“I am so honored to be the first person in the HAS to bring in an actual human. Thrilled, really!” The younger boy clapped his hands together excitedly, casting grateful eyes in Amity’s direction.

Amity hated to burst his bubble, but she did need to keep his hopes from getting too high, “Now, remember, Gus, just because I’m stopping by today does not make me a member. I also need to be abundantly clear, I’m not to be dissected at all. Not even if you promise you can sew me back together.”

Gus did look a tad bit disappointed, with Amity hoping it was about the former, because she’d been joking about the latter, but he cheered up when Luz patted him on the back and said, “I bet you can’t wait to prove Mattholomule wrong, huh?”

“Ooh, I almost forgot about that!” Gus squealed, the bounce back in his step. “I’m gonna rub his face in it! Come on, this way!”

Luz cast Amity an amused expression, with the humans stifling a giggle herself.

When Amity stepped into the classroom used for the meetings, she was greeted by oohs and awes from three of the members inside. Amity had seen a few of them around, a girl named Eileen that was in the Potion Track with Luz, who’s face consisted of a single giant eyeball. Another girl named Bo, who was in healing track blue, and a Demon that was a mix of a goat, cyclops, and unicorn, who’s name was unpronounceable in any human tongue, so they just called him Baphy.

The three students swarmed Amity, each asking a question.

“How do Humans poop?” Bo asked, her eyes intense, disturbing Amity with her gross question.

“What is ‘Steam Power,’ and why did you infuse a giraffe with it? That sounds frightening beyond imagination!” Baphy inquired, his single eye boring a hole into Amity just as much as his horn could, while holding what appeared to be an album in his hands.

“Mmmmph mmm hmmm mmmph!” Eileen muffled, her voice stifled by her eyelid.

Then there was Matholomule, who gave Amity the stink eye the second she entered the room. From what she knew of him, he picked a lot of arguments in the HAS, and often tried to have Gus ousted from his leadership position, which he always tried to put to a vote. Thankfully, because of Luz, and just how likable Gus was, he never succeeded in getting the majority vote he needed.

As Amity fought off everyone else, Gus quickly put his President’s crown on his head, and brought this session of the Human Appreciation Society to a start. “Okay, guys, leave the human alone. We need to make her feel welcomed here, not like a beast to be poked and prodded. Now, I believe the first thing on today's agenda is-“

“Wait, wait, before we start, I gotta ask,” Amity chortled, pointing to the crown on Gus’s head, “What’s with the goofy hat?”

Gus grinned, all too happy to answer, “It’s my President’s crown! I’m Club President, and everyone knows that the royalty in the human realm call themselves Presidents. See, I even labeled mine!” He pointed to his handmade label, which was clearly just a piece of paper he’d taped to it that said “President.”

Amity bit her lip, trying not to giggle, “Gus, I’m sorry to say, but that’s not exactly right.”

Gus’s face fell, his hands clenched to his chest, “What do you mean?”

Luz, beside him, gave Amity a look that said, “Don’t hurt my boy.”

Amity almost felt guilty about this, but she wasn’t going to lie just to make Gus feel better. “Gus, our royalty aren’t called presidents. Those are Kings and Queens. Our Presidents are elected officials, and they don’t wear crowns.”

Gus seemed confused, taking the crown off his head to give it a look over, “but… How do you have both royalty and elected officials?”

“We have a lot of different types of governments. We aren’t one united Titan, Gus, we’re a very big world filled with many different nations.” Amity explained patiently. “Some of them have Kings and Queens, some have presidents. Presidents don’t wear a crown, though, because they’re elected leaders, not royalty. If you’d like, you can keep the hat, though.”

Gus frowned, looking at his hat in disappointment, before setting it aside on the desk, “No, I- I’ll be fine.”

“Ha! See, Augustus doesn’t actually know anything about humans!” Matholomule boasted, forcing the attention of the club on himself, which he seemed to revel in.

Luz crossed her arms, and came to her friend's defense. “He knows more than you do!”

The other three members look conflicted, this new piece of information casting Gus into doubt. Matholomule, seeking to egg them on more, shot back, “Well, how about all those real human treasures I brought in with me a few meetings ago, huh?”

The boy gestured to a table that had a bunch of labeled items on them. All of them were wrong in guessing what they did, with a Rubix cube labeled as a weapon, or a cheese grater as nail clippers. Then there was just a selection of junk that had been labeled as human artifacts, despite being items clearly picked up off the ground in the demon realm. The “Human Skull” was obviously just a normal griffon egg, it even seemed to be in the process of hatching.

Gus seemed to devise an idea, steering Amity towards the table, “Aha! We’ll let our honored guest here be the judge of that! Amity, if you could, please select the real items from the fakes!”

Matholomule paled, looking to the others for support, “He- He can’t do that! She’ll obviously be biased towards his stuff!”

“Except she doesn’t know which is his stuff, she’s never been here before.” Luz sided with Gus, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Bo, Eileen, and Baphy all exchanged glances, then excused themselves to speak in private on the other side of the room. After a moment, they came to a consensus, Eileen stepping forward to speak for the group. “Mmm mmmmm hmmm mmm hmmm, hmm mm!”

Bo then stepped forward to speak for Eileen, who’s lack of proper mouth made her almost impossible to distinguish, “She says we’ll allow it, since it will be a blind test.”

Amity pursed her lips, wondering when she was going to actually be asked if she wanted to do this, but decided to just get it over with. In a flash, she separated the two into piles, one filled with the stuff from the Human Realm, the other with fake “relics.” After a moment, she stepped back, gesturing easily to them, “Okay, these are the real ones, these are the fakes. Like, that smart phone? It’s just a rock with a picture drawn on it. How’d you all even fall for that?”

Matholomule seemed to panic, looking towards his fellow HAS members who were giving him very unimpressed looks. “Uh, well, you see-“

“However,” Amity interrupted, gesturing over to the real items, “These ones are all labeled incorrectly. The Rubix cube, for instance, is a puzzle toy where you match the colors, not a weapon.”

She picked up a bag of chips that was labeled “Whoopie cushion” and grimaced, “Also, I’m pretty sure these chips went bad a while ago. You should probably throw these out.”

Gus began to sweat as he too was called out, earning looks of disappointment from his fellow human fanatics.

Luz tried to step in again, hoping to keep everyone on Gus’s good side, “But at least they’re all real items, right? It doesn’t matter if they’re wrong, he was at least able to tell that humans made them!”

Amity nodded, “I’ll give him that. These are all human items, and I’ll admit, some of them could be kind of confusing without context.” She picked up the cheese grater, imagining it’d be labeled as a torture device by some on the Isles had it not been found by someone like Gus.

Gus however, seemed to have hit upon another idea to win back his adoring club with his knowledge of humans, “How about we move on to Human anatomy!”

Amity flinched, then put her foot down, “Gus, what did I tell you about dissections?!”

“I don’t mean that!” Gus insisted, trying to appear innocent, “I just want to inspect your body!”

Amity folded her arms over her chest, red in the face, and beside her Luz’s face was the same shade for an entirely different reason, “Augustus Porter!”

Realizing how that sounded, Gus frantically corrected himself, “I meant I wanna see if you have fins and gills! You’d just have to show off your forearms and neck!”

Now it was Luz’ s turn to look offended, “Gus, what are you doing? I already told you, and everyone else here at the HAS, Amity doesn’t have those! Why are you trying to prove me wrong?”

Gus now found himself facing the ire of two women, and did his best to defend himself. “No offense to you, Luz, but you can’t possibly be right about that! The Human Realm is a place covered in over seventy percent water! And none of their oceans are even partially boiling! You can’t expect me to believe your crackpot theory that they don’t have fish-like attributes!”

Luz gasped, “You just can’t admit that you were wrong! Ask Amity yourself, then!”

Both of Amity’s friends turned to look at her expectantly, with Amity none too pleased to be put on the spot like this. Still, she had to be honest, “Gus, I don’t have gills! Or fins! Humans are entirely land based creatures. I can’t even hold my breath for more than a minute.”

“Ha!” Luz cheered, doing a little dance, “Take that!”

“I saw we put it up to a vote!” Matholomule, sensing weakness not coming from himself, declared. “I’m thinking we need a new club leader!”

Gus’s eyes widened, “You can’t do that without a majority vote!”

“He’s got mine!” Luz glared, challenging Gus to speak against her “Maybe the next club president won’t throw me under the wagon to look good next time!”

Gus grimaced, looking towards Bo, Eileen and Baphy, who each raise a hand, signaling a vote for a new leader. He couldn’t fight it, and knew now that his time as ruler of the Human Appreciation Society was coming to a close.

The votes were quickly tallied with only six members to cast them. To Gus’s horror, he lost in a landslide, with victory going to Eileen, who promptly took his abandoned crown off the desk Gus had set it on, and placed it on her head.

“Hmmmph mmmph mmm mmmph mmm mmm mmmph!” Eileen declared victoriously, blinking away massive tears of pride and happiness.

Bo stepped forward to translate again, “She says, ‘I shall rule both with kindness to my followers, and cruelty to my detractors. May the Titan have mercy on those who oppose me.”

As the rest of the club cheered, Gus pouted in the back of the room, beside a just as indignated Matholomule. Both boys fumed, then Gus offered Matholomule his hand, “Truce until we can take down Eileen?”

“Then we get back to destroying each other,” Matholomule agreed, gripping and giving Gus’s hand a firm shake.

Amity groaned beside them, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation, “I am never coming back here again.”

Chapter Text

“Grom?” Amity asked, looking at one of the fliers a schoolmate was passing out that had been handed to her, “What in the world is Grom?”

Beside her, Willow glanced at Luz, who’s expression at the word ‘Grom’ could only be described as ‘idiotically constipated.’ Seeing as her friend was too preoccupied with her own thoughts surrounding the occasion, Willow took the time to fill Amity in. “Well, it’s a celebratory event that happens once a year. It’s a time for coming together, for romance, for fear-“

Something clicked in Amity’s brain, “Oh, it’s a school dance, got it.”

Willow hummed, a smile gracing her lips, “More or less. The event celebrates the reimprisonment of, or our imminent destruction at the hands of, Grometheus the Fearbringer.”

The human bit her lip, nodding her head slowly, knowing there had to be a catch. “Alright, I think I need a little more context. Human world school dances are a little more… mundane.”

Willow elbowed Luz, trying to bring the girl out of her thoughts and into the present conversation. Luz frowned, but Willow just shot her a look, “Oh! Uh, well, Grom escapes from his imprisonment under the school about once a year. He always gets sent back, but if he ever escapes, it’s basically doom for the rest of the Isles.”

“Why don’t you just destroy him, then?” Amity asked, feeling she already knew the answer.

Willow shrugged, “Well, at this point his imprisonment is practically tradition, so…”

“Of course…” Amity sighed, exasperated with how casually the inhabitants of the Demon Realm seemed to like gambling with death on the daily.

Glancing around the school, the group could see a few couples all shacking together, some handing out notes, others asking with handmade signs, while even more had complicated, eccentric Gromposals to ask their dates out. One boy even faked a medical emergency to ask Skara to be his date. Willow hadn’t been kidding about the romance. “This seems like a pretty big deal.”

“Well, if Grom doesn't get sealed away, would you want to die with regrets about not asking your crush out?” Willow explained easily, while giving Luz a pointed look.

“I guess that makes sense…” Amity conceded after thinking about it for a moment, “So, does that mean any of you have someone you’d like to ask out, or-“

Before Amity could finish, the school’s intercom sounded, and Principal Bump’s voice sounded through the hallways. “Yes, yes, get me a Dragon club sandwich from the deli, and remember to hold the mayo! Wait, is this thing on already? I hope no one on the lunch staff heard that…”

Some of the students laughed, while others just stood around awkwardly, waiting for the announcement to pass. Clearing his throat, Bump tried again, “I am honored to announce today that this year’s Grom Queen is to be Willow Park! Congratulations, Miss Park, we’re sure you’ll make the whole school proud. Check in at my office before you leave school today so we can make sure the info for your next of kin is up to date, thank you.”

The hallways were full of murmurs, most people looking sorry for Willow, others sending her words of encouragement. One upperclassman was even cheering for her, though he always seemed to do that. Luz just placed a supporting hand on one of Willow’s shoulders.

“I’m sure we can talk Princy B out of this decision if you want us to,” Luz whispered supportively.

Amity looked confused, and Willow quickly explained in a quiet voice, “Being Grom Queen means I’m the one who got selected to fight against Grom.”

Amity quickly nodded in agreement with Luz, “Maybe we can see if we can find a replacement? I’ll take the spot if I have to, or maybe more than one of us can fight it at the same time with you so you don’t have to go alone?”

Willow surprised them both however by brushing Luz’s hand off her shoulders. She held her head up high, “No. I- I know I’m not the most confident witch out there, but I was chosen for a reason. Principal Bump has to believe in my abilities, so I will too. The only thing I want you to focus on is having a good time, you two.”

Amity and Luz glanced at each other, then back at Willow, “Are you sure? Maybe you should come over to the Owl House, I’m sure Eda can help teach you a new spell or two?” The Human asked.

Willow smiled, “I’m absolutely sure. I’ve got it. But thanks for the offer, it’s just that Eda isn’t exactly known for being a great teacher. No offense, Luz.”

The brown haired witch snorted, having experienced her mother’s attempts at lessons firsthand through Amity, “None taken.”

“Besides,” Willow continued, “I already made plans before this to help Luz out at Ms. Noceda’s place. She’s gonna ask out her crush.”

Amity’s gaze turned to Luz so fast she almost sprained her neck, the witch’s cheeks burning red. Luz shot Willow a look, then took a step back, before all out sprinting away, “I’ll see you guys later, I, uh, think Gus is calling for me!”

No sooner had Luz rounded the corner did the very boy she mentioned step beside them, “Hi guys! Uh, what was up with Luz?”

“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about,” Willow soothed, patting the smaller boy on said head.

Gus just grinned, then noticing the flyer in Amity’s hands, snatched it away, “Oh! Grom! I came over to tell you guys, I’ll be helping host it as a commentator! And since you’re not panicking over the news, I guess I should congratulate you too, Willow, you must have done something to impress Bump!”

The girls were quick to congratulate Gus as well over him getting his own spotlight, but the boy realized one of them was a bit half hearted, “You okay, Amity? You look a little… What's the human phrase? Like someone kicked your puppy?”

Amity straightened herself out, and forced a smile to her face, “No, no, I’m good! Great! Just gonna… get ready for my next class. Busy, with all the-track and everything, heh.”

Without another word, the human stiffly walked off, Willow rolling her eyes at how oblivious her friends could be, while Gus just took her words at face value, “Well, I hope she feels better before Grom!”

Amity pursed her lips, the familiar cold chill of disappointment still clinging to her bones over Willow’s words about Luz already having a crush to ask out. Not that Amity had any plans on asking Luz out herself, but that didn’t mean she was entirely over the warm feelings that accompanied her anytime the Noceda-Clawthorne girl was in her presence.

As much as she tried to push past these dumb feelings, it was hard. She lived with Luz half the time, which meant a lot of close proximity. She just didn’t want to feel this way, and thankfully for the most part she had it under control. Every time she thought about dating the kind witch, it made her feel like an awful friend for wanting so much when Luz was perfectly happy with what they already had.

“Stop pouting, and turn around, let me get a look at you.”

Amity sighed, holding out her arms and doing a little twirl. From their seats on the floor her siblings watched, judging her outfit. Emira, who had been the one who had spoken, let out a sigh, “This one just isn’t doing you any favors either.”

“Oh come on, Em, cut our baby sister some slack,” Ed elbowed his twin, “She just needs to relax and smile more. All the dresses will look miserable on her if she looks stiff and miserable wearing them.”

Emira swatted him in retaliation with her hand, “She’s not miserable because of the dresses, she’s miserable because she doesn’t have a date. It’s our job to make sure she looks so drop dead gorgeous that everyone dumps whoever they brought for the chance to ask her out.”

“I don’t want to be asked out,” Amity groaned, dropping her arms. “I’m not even sure if I want to go to this… stupid monster dance thing.”

“You’re only saying that because the person you like has probably asked someone else out already,” Ed pointed out, earning himself his own elbow to the ribs from Emira and a glare from Amity.

“No teasing, Ed,” Emira reminded him.

“I’m not interested in Luz, so drop it!” Amity seethed, folding her arms.

“He didn’t mention anything about Luz,” Emira pointed out, making Amity’s eye twitch in annoyance.

“What was that about not teasing Amity, dear sister?” Edric smirked, laying back onto the floor with his hands under his head and his feet kicked out.

“It’s not teasing,” Emira stated plainly, giving Amity a reassuring look, “I’m just saying, if you have something you want to talk about, since you’re clearly upset about something, we’re willing to listen. Judgement free.”

Amity shifted, a handful of the dress clenched tightly in her hands, her fingers wringing the material. Emira gave her a gentle smile, so different from the ones Amity had grown up seeing. It was one that promised to make her feel better, rather than make her feel like the butt of the joke. With a deep sigh, Amity sank to her knees, joining her siblings on the bedroom floor. “Okay, fine. I… might have a bit of a crush on Luz.”

“Finally,” Edric laughed, sitting back up so he could be a proper part of the conversation.

“Sh-shut up, Ed, you haven’t even met her yet,” Amity reminded.

“And yet it’s still been so obvious,” the boy smirked, then had to duck as a pillow was thrown at his head.

“That’s enough, you two.” Emira said sternly, then turned her full attention to her little sister, “So, Amity, what’s the problem? Why can’t you just ask her out yourself?”

Amity glowered, “Other than that she’s already got someone in mind?”

“So? Maybe she does like someone else. That doesn't mean you can’t be their competition. You’ve had your nose in romance books for half your life, you should know there is always a rival for the love interest.” Edric advised.

“Or, for all you know, it could be you! Did she say anything about it?” Emira asked.

Amity pondered for a moment, “Well, technically, she didn’t say anything about it. Willow did. Then Luz ran off. I guess she didn’t want to talk about it.”

Emira gestured to Amity with an open hand, “There you go, she didn’t want to talk about it in front of you. So, that means you’re not out of the running.”

“Or maybe I’ve just been too obvious about my crush, like Ed said, and she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.” Amity frowned, thinking that was the far more likely answer.

“Don’t be such a downer, sis. Why wouldn’t she want to date you?” Edric

Emira butted in, “Or more specifically, if you like her, why haven’t you already asked her out before learning she had someone she wanted to take to Prom?”

“Grom,” Amity corrected automatically, then took a minute to think about her answer. When she found it, she spoke slowly, “She already shares so much with me. I take up half her room. Half her home. I steal half of one of her mother’s time away from her. She even shares her friends with me. I already take so much from her life, it just feels… unfair for me to ask for more.”

Emira reached out and pat Amity’s arm, attempting to provide some comfort, “I mean, you aren’t taking those things. I’m sure her friends aren’t being made to spend time with you, they choose to, which makes them your friends too. You’re not taking Eda away from her, either. And well, usually when someone is giving you half of their life, that means you’re already pretty deep into a relationship.”

“More if you count Mom and Dad. She got way more than half of what she brought with her when she married into the Blight family,” Edric snarked

“Not to say we want our little sister to get married at fourteen. We know this world is kinda medieval, but we put our foot down at that.” Emira winked.

Setting her joking tone aside, Emira took both of Amity’s hands in her own, “But seriously, Amity, you shouldn’t think that way. Maybe you need a bit more help than other kids your age that Luz might know, but she knows your situation. She’s your friend, and she would be even if you didn’t freeload at her house. You’ve still got a horse in this race, and you can win it if you just try, I’m sure.”

Amity let out a shaky breath, “You really think I have a shot?”

Emira nodded, kicking Ed, who quickly agreed with her. “Now, let's get you into a dress that will blow her mind, okay? Just try not to look too miserable in the next one unless you actually hate it.”

Amity took a step back, admiring the pile of dresses that Emira had brought her the moment she’d heard there was a school dance. Old outfits that didn’t fit from old parties their mother had thrown that just wasted space in her sister’s closet, and wouldn't be missed should Odalia go snooping.

They were all fine, yet with every one Amity tried, something just felt… off. Twirling a finger through her blonde hair, Amity picked up one that looked okay, one in purple, her favorite color and held it over her body as she looked in the mirror, “I don’t know, what do you guys think?”

The twins glanced at each other, looking deep in thought. Finally Edric rose to his feet, taking the dress away by the hanger, “I think it looks great, but I can think of one thing that just has to be changed, don’t you, Em?”

His sister nodded, understanding what he was talking about “I know what you mean. Your head isn’t as full of packing peanuts as you’d lead us all to believe.”

“I do try, don’t I?” Was Edric’s amused response as both older siblings began to push Amity out of the room to do whatever it was they wished to accomplish.

“What am I going to do, Willow?!” Luz groaned, burying her head in her pillow. “Grom is tonight and I haven’t asked her out yet! How can I even show my face at the dance? She’s going to think I’m a total loser!”

Willow rubbed a soothing hand on her friend’s back, rolling her eyes at how overdramatic the girl was being, “Not to be a pain, but who’s fault is that? Amity didn’t know about Grom for the past few weeks, but you knew all this time, and still didn’t say anything when you had the chance.”

“I couldn’t decide on what I wanted to do to ask her out! I thought about asking her out to the fair when it was in town, but that didn’t seem, I dunno, big enough?” Luz whined, curling into the fetal position.

“It did seem odd that you’d pass up on a fair,” Willow nodded, “But how did that seem like a bad way to ask her to Grom? Couldn’t you have taken her on the Scarris Wheel and asked there or something?”

“Ugh, I thought of that!” Luz rolled onto her back, tugging at her hair, “But that’s the problem! I thought of it! So it was too obvious! Amity is way too smart, cool, and classy to want to be asked out to Grom on the Scarris Wheel of all places!”

“Is she?” Willow asked, then upon receiving a glare from Luz she specified, “I meant that she didn’t even know Grom was a thing until today, so how could she be… uh, too ‘smart, cool, and classy’ to turn you down about something she had no idea about?”

Luz seemed to think about that for a moment, then cursed under her breath, saying something that would make Eda proud, and Camila very cross with her, “You’re right, she didn’t have any standards already in place for something she didn’t know about! The Scarris Wheel could have worked!”

“How about a sign?” Willow suggested, gesturing over to Luz’s art supplies on her desk.

Luz shook her head, “No, it’s got to be something more personal! I can’t go waving a sign declaring my feelings for her above my head for everyone to see!”

Willow leaned forward, her chin resting against her closed fist, “I’m pretty sure everyone else knows already, but I get your point. How about something smaller, then? More personal that only she’d see?”

Luz paused, considering the suggestion. Her mind was too taken up by all the more brazen, big, grand gestures she’d normally love to do for someone to come up with anything private and subtle though, so she was coming up blank, “Like what?”

“How about a note? Just write out what you want to say to her, and then give it to her when you get there.”

Luz thought about it, trying to put her thoughts into written words. She was terrible at that, and her handwriting was atrocious, at least compared to Amity’s silky smooth writing. It’d probably come off as way too cheesy, and maybe a little pathetic since she’d have to ask Amity while already at the dance at this point, instead of before it. “I don’t know… What- What if she just doesn’t like me that way, and I ruin this by asking her out?”

Willow frowned, not expecting this doubtful angle from someone as normally upbeat as Luz, “Why do you say that?”

“I mean, she- Amity, she told me I’m her best friend, Willow. And… no one’s ever wanted to be my best friend before.” Luz confided, squeezing her hands together nervously.

Willow blinked, brow scrunched in confusion, “Uh, Luz. You’re my best friend too.”

That seemed to surprise Luz, who blinked rapidly as she tried to wrap her head around such a statement, “Wait, really?”

“Yeah! Why else would I be here instead of preparing to fight Grom if I wasn’t?” Pointed out the Plant Witch.

Luz considered for a moment, “I always thought Gus was your best friend. O-or maybe Amelia, since you guys are in the same track-“

“Gus is one of my best friends. But you’ve always do so much for me Luz, never expecting anything back. And Amelia? I’d say she’s more of an acquaintance, I mean we get assigned as partners for a lot of the same projects but that’s really about all… Why would you think no one wanted to be your best friend before?”

Luz’s answer was stuck in her throat. That she was cursed. That she was a monster. She’d come so close to telling Willow and Gus over the years, but she’d never come out all the way, never had the courage to say it… Except that Amity didn’t think she was a monster. Her warm embrace in the cold snow, Amity’s voice whispering those comforting words in her ear sprang fresh in Luz’s memory.

Before Luz could respond, Willow checked her watch then got to her feet, done with Luz’s pity party, “Well, we’re out of time to come up with anything else. If we don’t get ready now, we’ll be late, and if I’m late, the Isles are doomed and you won’t get a chance to ask Amity out anyway.”

Luz paused, then stared at Willow hopefully. The bespectacled girl narrowed her eyes at the brown haired witch, “No, Luz, I’m not going to let Grom sink the Demon Realm into a thousand years of darkness so you can get out of asking your crush out.”

“Shoot…” Luz moaned, then climbed out of bed herself. She’d get dressed and do her makeup with Willow, and then write the stupid note that asked Amity out. Only time would tell if she would be able to give it to her, though.

Amity stood in front of the doors to the gym, where the dance and gladiatorial combat was being held, too nervous to open the double doors and enter. As much as Ed and Em had tried talking her up before they went back to the Human Realm, she was scared to go in, scared to see Luz with her crush, which would prove it couldn’t possibly be Amity herself.

She’d been in front of the door for fifteen minutes now, and was ready to give up. Turn around and head home for the night. Make up some excuse as to why she couldn’t be there. Except that half the student body had already walked past her so far, and Eda and King had come with her and didn't know she was freaking out just outside, so wouldn’t have an excuse ready when her friends asked where she was.

Stuck in her stalemate, she was finally broken out when she heard her name being called. Turning, she found Willow, clad in a beautiful, if simple, green dress that looked a lot like a blooming, upside down flower, flanked by Luz who was…

Luz had her hair slicked back with gel, which helped frame her pretty face nicely, especially with the light layer of makeup she’d gone with. A bit of blush and eyeliner went a long way, though Amity couldn’t tear her eyes away from the glistening layer of glossy lip balm the witch was wearing.

Her outfit was strange, but oddly enough fit Luz to a T. Her top half was the kind of tux she’d expected and even seen on some of the boys who’d arrived at the dance, though she’d forgon any tie, instead keeping the collar loose. The jacket seemed to be tailored perfectly to her form, hugging her slim arms without any of the extra bulk the men’s jackets had.

Her bottom half was a pink tutu, and under that a pair of dark blue tights and a set of black dress boots. On anyone else, on any other day, this clashing combo of an outfit would look comical, but Amity had a hard time breathing. Luz looked positively dashing, a mix of beautiful and handsome that made the human girl’s heart thump in her chest.

Amity blinked, realizing that Willow was speaking to her, “I’m sorry, what was that Willow?”

Willow gave her an exasperated smile, “I was asking you what you were doing out here? You’re just standing in front of the entrance.”

Realizing she had no chance to leave now, and with Luz looking that good, she’d forgotten exactly why she had wanted to not go to Grom in the first place, Amity made up an excuse. “I was just… getting some air.”

Willow rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day, “Right… I need to head inside and prepare for my fight against Grom, so I’ll just leave you two here, since you need some… air, Amity.”

Willow snaked past Amity, reaching for the handle and getting through the door, Amity only remembering to give a call of “Good luck!” Just before the door could close behind the plant witch.

Being alone with Luz, Amity realized the girl hadn’t spoken in that entire interaction with Willow. Luz was staring at her, wide eyed, like a Windigo in the headlights. “Uh, you… look really nice, Luz. This look suits you.”

That seemed to bring the witch back to her senses, Luz gasping for air as she’d forgotten to breathe while in Amity’s presence. “T-thank you! I wanted to wear something humans would wear, for, uh… reasons.”

Amity felt her mouth turn down a little at that. Maybe Luz’s crush was in the HAS? … Maybe it was even Gus? That would make sense if she was attempting human fashion. “Well, you’re really nailing it. Or, at least, I think you are?”

Luz’s cheeks tinted a shade of red, shyly scratching at her temple, “I, uh, think you look really good as well. Especially with what you’ve done with your hair.”

Luz couldn’t take her eyes off of it, the previously blonde locks now a deep chocolate brown, same as Amity’s roots had always been. Over the two months Amity had been on the Isles, the brown had been creeping up more and more, banishing the gold that Luz now knew was a family trait that Amity had not inherited and been made to dye.

Amity nervously fingered one of the loose strands, giggling to herself, “Y-you think? The twin helped me with it, but I wasn’t sure if I should stick with brown. I’ve had to dye my hair most of my life, but it’s always been that dull blonde. I think I might want to experiment a little more, but for tonight, I thought going back to a brunette felt… right.”

Luz nodded, stepping beside Amity and offering her an arm as she opened the door. Amity blushed, but took the arm as they stepped inside, greeted by the sounds of music and the flashing of lights, “Any colors you’re really interested in trying out?”

“Well,” Amity thought, bringing a finger to her chin, “I have always really liked lavender…”

Eda sighed sadly as she used a ladle to scoop herself out a cup’s worth of punch. After what had happened with Amity and the Apple Blood, spiking the punch bowl didn’t seem like a good, or funny, idea. Which totally blew, since that was half the reason she’d volunteered to be a chaperone for Grom. The other half had been to see some poor schmuck get blasted by their worst fears, maybe have front row seats in the splash zone, only to find out Willow of all people had been chosen this year.

So all in all, her Grom was an absolute dumpster fire this year.

“You’re behaving yourself, I’d hope?”

Eda dropped the ladle into the punch bowl in surprise, splashing a little on her outfit and staining her dress shirt red. Cursing up a storm, she turned to see the person who’d snuck up on her, putting a smile on her face, “Cam! I hadn’t expected to see you here.”

Camila, dressed in a simple, modest yellow dress, stepped forward, spinning a spell circle with her finger and making the stains on Eda’s dress shirt fade into nothing, “Well, I hadn’t intended to chaperone, but then something very strange happened. Hieronymus sent me a Call Bird in a panic the other day, saying he needed my help because you had volunteered your services and weren’t taking no for an answer.”

Eda folded her arms, “Did you just call Bump by his first name? Who even does that?”

Her pose was copied by her ex, “Unlike you, Eda, I didn’t go to Hexside as a child. He was never ‘Principal Bump’ to me. Also, I’m not afraid of him.”

Eda was aghast at the insinuation, “I’m not afraid of him, either!”

“Sure. That’s why you go to such lengths to bother him. It had nothing to do with you being terrified of him and the authority he had over you as a child.” Camila mocked lightly.

“I’m not!” Eda insisted childishly, “Why would I ever be afraid of Bumpikins? I put up with Faust, didn’t I? He was infinitely more terrifying to the rest of the student body.”

“Because he’s one of the only people not related to you who has not only experienced every major embarrassing moment of your adolescence, but has written, documented proof they happened?” Camila supplied cooly, her own grin growing as Eda broke eye contact, sweating a little under her collar.

“You get all of that because I call him Bump? Maybe I just think Hieronymus is a stupid name. Because it is.” Eda grumbled.

“Either way, afraid of him or not, he called me in to help chaperone the event,” Camila sighed, leaning against the concessions table. “More to watch over you than the kids, I think.”

That brought out Eda’s trademark smirk, as she gave her ex a suggestive look, “As if you need a reason to keep your eyes on me, Cam.”

Camila scoffed, giving Eda a push that was just a little too hard to be considered playful. The mood between them was tense, but not awkward as they shifted their attention to the crowd. “So, you hear Plant Girl got picked this year?”

Camila nodded, “I helped Willow get ready. Bless her fathers, they’re good men, but they are helpless when it comes to getting a girl all prettied up to take on a living nightmare.”

“Yeah, you gotta put the mascara on in a way where it doesn’t run in terror.” Eda agreed, rolling up the sleeves of her blazer. “Say, what do you say about a friendly wager? What do you think the odds are she wins?”

Camila frowned, giving Eda a dark glare, “Eda, you’re incorrigible. I’m not betting on if a child dies.”

“Not out here you’re not,” A passing teacher remarked, sipping from their own cup of punch, “but we got our own betting station in the teachers lounge, if you want in.”

The teacher walked away wearing a bowl of punch on their head.

Luz fought with all her might to not tremble, feeling Amity’s hand on her bicep as they made their way inside. The weight of the note in her breast pocket weighed her down as if it were as heavy as a Snorse, making her brow sweat. “Okay, so, we’re inside now. What would you like to do first? Snacks? Snacks sound good!” Luz squeaked.

Amity herself was floundering, looking everywhere but at Luz, but at least she had a reason to do so. She didn’t see anyone coming up to the girl, or even glancing their way. “Uh, Luz, what happened to your date?”

Luz froze up, fumbling with her hands, “O-oh, them?”

“Is it someone I know?”

“No!” Luz all but shouted, her nerves getting the best of her. Realizing she’d just raised her voice, she forced herself to calm down, “No, uh, you don’t know them. They couldn’t make it, and they, uh, go to a different school?”

Luz couldn’t do it. She had the perfect opportunity, but she just couldn’t. It would be weird, and lame, and Amity deserves so much more than some stupid note Luz had maybe five minutes to scribble down. She knew this made her a coward, but she wasn’t like Willow, who was going to willingly fight against her deepest fears, or Gus, who wasn’t afraid of public speaking. Or even Amity, who braved this whole new world.

Meanwhile, Amity deflated, all but receiving confirmation that she wasn’t the person Luz had wanted to ask out. She let her grip on Luz’s bicep drop, wrapping her arms around herself. Still, she understood that Luz didn’t exactly get the date night she’d probably been hoping and planning for, and a well of empathy swelled inside of her despite her own disappointment. “I’m… sorry. I’m sure they’d have come if they could have. You’re a good person, Luz, anyone would be lucky to have you as their date.”

Amity would just… forget this whole thing. Focus on cheering Luz up, since she’d been the one who got turned down. Just forget all her dumb little fantasies about Luz grabbing her by the hand and sweeping her away to the dance floor to waltz the night away.

Luz coughed awkwardly into her fist, “I’ll just… go get us some punch then?”

Amity sent Luz a smile, only forcing it a little, “Punch does sound good.”

Before Luz could step aside though, the announcement that Willow would be taking on Grom sounded. Gus stood on stage beside King, ready to begin their double act of commentating on the match, despite the little Demon’s clear nerves. The ground parted, the arena formed, and Grom was unleashed.

Willow made her way down the ramp that led to Grom, her legs feeling a bit like jelly. She wasn’t sure if she could do this, but she had to try. She wanted to prove herself, that she’d been worthy of being picked for this task, that she’d come as far as she had from her old Abomination days.

As she stepped into the Arena proper, Gus and King began their commentary, introducing her to the crowd. “In this corner, it's the eternal, the nightmarish, Groooom! And in the other corner, she’s mean, she’s green, she's Willloooow!”

Beside her young friend, King squeaked into his microphone, then coughed nervously, “Yeah, Gus, and don’t you just know she’s going to, er, plant a fist right in his face, right?”

The audience booed the poor self proclaimed King of Demons for his bad pun, though Willow was thankful someone was trying to be funny, it helped soothe her nerves.

She’d forgon any weapons, only entering the arena with nothing but her dress, her magic, and her wits. It wasn’t like she had any experience swinging a mace around anyway, it was better to rely on what she was good at, what she knew. Plants spoke to her better than anything made of iron or steel ever could.

As Willow approached the other side of the arena, she could see Grom in the shadows, waiting for her to get closer so it could steal a peek into her mind and take on the form of what she feared the most. Around her were the shouts and cheers of her classmates, looking on from the bleachers or hanging around the edge of the arena walls, some giving her words of encouragement, some just hoping to see some bloodshed.

“Alright, Grom, let's see what you’re made of,” Willow spoke through grit teeth, edging forward. The beast stared at her, sizing her up, then began to change form, rapidly switching between something that vaguely looked like her parents disappointed in her, to a bad grade in her Plant course, then to the silhouette of the Principal, disapproval in his eyes.

It seemed to have a lock on what she was afraid of, being centered around her school. It lurched forward, once more changing shape, this time into an Abomination, slime dripping from its form as it charged. An arm formed into a spiked ball, and it swung at Willow, who only just dodged in time, leaving the ground she’d just vacated as nothing but a crater of cracked stone.

The crowd roared, and Gus said something about it being a narrow blow, but she couldn’t focus on those things right now. Willow spun a circle, calling forth roots that grew under the school to do her bidding. They burst through the cracking stone floor, lashed out wildly, flailing at Grom’s form with thorns, but nothing the plants did was permanent, as any harm was quickly regenerated from the purple Abomination sludge.

Even as they fought, Grom could sense this wasn’t Willow’s fear, only something tangentially related to it. It couldn’t truly feed and grow stronger until her truest fear had been exposed, even if it had to give up the advantages of this form to do so. The Abomination sloshed forward, a wave of purple heading in Willow’s direction that she couldn’t shield against. It surrounded her, forming back into a large hand as Grom retook shape, gripping her tightly in its grasp as it lifted her off the ground. Then a black tendril came from Grom’s depths, attaching to Willow’s head to get a better read on her mind.

Willow was dropped back to the floor a moment later, landing harshly on all fours, as Grom began to shift form again, abandoning the Abomination’s shape and twisting itself until it appeared before as a mass of faces and limbs. While the faces of Willow’s peers stared down at her from their seats, their warped doubles appeared in the girl’s midst as Grom found what made Willow most afraid.

Grom’s body was grotesque, a fleshy combination of arms, legs, torsos and heads. Their eyes on each of the faces were empty, yet pierced through Willow despite that. Before her were the faces she’d seen every day for the past eight years, watching her, judging her. Her friends, Luz, Gus and Amity, her classmates, Amelia, Bo, Eileen, Boscha and her gang, her teachers, and even Bump, all smashed together into one hulking body that almost hurt her eyes to look at.

Then as one, all the mouths opened, each chanting, each laughing at her, “Half-a-Witch Willow! Half-a-Witch Willow!”

A cascade of mocking voices, hands with fingers pointing at her, the sounds of a hundred children and adults maliciously laughing in her face. It was enough to make Willow freeze up, hands clamping over her ears as it wailed those words. She now knew what it meant to stare at horror, and to know what it meant to know true fear. Her own personal fear. Now Willow understood why this was a tradition. Not many witches had the privilege of knowing exactly what they were afraid of these days. It was almost humbling.

Almost.

“You know,” The young witch spoke, eyes on the floor as she lowered her hands from her ears back to her side where they tightened into fists, “That really is what I’m afraid of most. Of going backwards. Of being made fun of, and mocked, and bullied because of something I really couldn’t help…”

When she looked up at the demon, her eyes were hardened, and glowing bright green, “But as much as I’m afraid of that happening, it just makes me twice as angry to think about!”

She formed two rings of light with her hands, and the ground began to shake under her feet. “I am not weak, I am not half a witch, and I’ll show you, and everyone else just how far I’ve come!”

Eda whistled as Willow laid into Grom, its more solid form unable to bear the brunt of the vines and plants like it’s Abomination form had. “Damn. Remind me never to piss that kid off.”

“So, I shouldn't tell her you tried betting against her?” Camila deadpanned, sipping from her drink, sidestepping a wave of gore that was sent flying from the arena and narrowly missing both witches. “Maybe we should get out of the splash zone?”

“Yeah, in all this hustle to get here, I forgot my poncho.” Eda took a step back, gesturing over to the dance floor, “It’ll be a moment before that gets some use. Well, not long at the rate girly is going, but we’ve got time.”

The two witches meandered over to the empty dance floor, standing awkwardly as they sipped at their drinks. Eda felt stiff, being in a place with her ex that she knew couples would soon be slow dancing in soon. Beside her, Camila didn’t look much better, avoiding looking over at the grey haired woman.

“So…” Camila searched, “It’s probably been a while since you’ve been to a Grom dance, huh? St. Epiderm didn’t have Grom, of course, but we still had the occasional school dance. I never had a date to any of them, though.”

Eda shifted, popping her neck, “I never really went to my Grom, actually.”

Camila smirked, peering over her glasses, “What, no date?”

Eda snorted, then frowned, “No, that wasn’t it. Curse. Ditched this place before I could go. It was too bad, I’d promised someone a dance.”

Camila breathed out through her nose, trying not to feel too guilty for bringing the subject up. Of course Eda missed her own Grom. Still, she’d chosen the topic, so she was going to stick with it. “Promised someone a dance, huh?”

Eda smiled, looking back fondly on whatever memory was flickering behind her eyes, “Yeah. They were a little pint sized brat back then, not that I was any better. It took a lot of guts to ask me of all people on a date, especially with how shy they were. I even had a dress picked out and everything, but, well…”

Camila nodded, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” Eda spoke plainly, “If I had gone to that dance, I might never have met you.”

The Owl Lady smirked, gazing at Camila fondly “And yeah, sure, that ended up a mess and a half, but we got Luz out of it. So I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

The two glanced at each other, and for a moment they knew peace despite their differences. Neither of them would trade what had happened away for anything if it meant Luz wouldn’t be in their lives, and that was enough for them. Suddenly the lighting changed, and music began to play, a group of students clamoring over to the dance floor.

“Come on everyone, it’s time to celebrate and get your boogie on, grab your partner and get on the dance floor!” Gus’ voice range over the loud speakers as the music was changed to something vaguely romantic enough for teenagers to dance to.

“Guess Willow is finished up with Grom then,” Eda put together, resting her hands on her hips, cup of punch long vanished away.

“It would seem that way, yes.” Camila agreed, making to get out of the way of the dancing teenage couples before she could get trapped on the dance floor, only for Eda’s hand to grab her by the wrist, keeping her from getting far.

“Uh, hey?” Eda’s voice was unsure, but she had a soft smile on her lips, “Do you maybe want to join me for a dance?”

Camila gaped as Eda let go of her wrist, and instead held out her hand for the dark skinned witch to take. Camila’s gaze was torn between Eda’s eyes and her hand, and she let out a sigh, “I don’t know, Eda…”

“Oh come on, it doesn’t have to mean anything! Just two girls who never got to experience Grom getting to dance. What do you say?” Eda pleaded, shooting Camila her most charming smile.

“Fine, one dance.” Camila conceded with a shake of her head, taking Eda’s hand, “Just the one, and then we get back to what we’re supposed to be doing, chaperoning the kids.”

“Fine, fine,” the Owl Lady assured, “One dance.”

Luz and Amity watched as Willow tore Grom literally limb from limb with a ferocity they’d never witnessed from the usually quiet girl. The human girl gulped at the display, “I think I’m going to have a new worst fear after tonight.”

Luz nodded, dumbfounded at her friend’s strength, “I think Grom is going to have a new worst fear after tonight as well.”

Things seemed to be going so bad for the demon that Principal Bump had to run interference, clambering down into the arena, lifting his robes up past his ankles so he didn’t trip and calling Willow off. Grom, now little more than a sad pile of tangled limbs was gasping on the ground, struggling to crawl away from the Plant witch, begging for mercy from it’s many mouths, “Seal me, please, seal me!”

Ushering Willow out of the arena, Bump brought a mic to his lips and after getting over his speechlessness, forced an eerie smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “And there you have it! An… astronomical showdown from our own Willow Park! With Grom defeated, we all get another year to live, and another year of school, give her a hand everyone!”

A round of applause echoed throughout the gymnasium, with Bump using this time to get over to Gus, urging him to get some music playing before the mental scarring could sink in and no one was in the mood to dance anymore.

Before the two teens knew it, they were practically alone, everyone else moving towards the dance floor as the music kicked on. The two glanced at each other, then at the dance floor, longing in their eyes, but unwilling to broach the subject unless the other did first.

“Are you two just going to stand around all night?” Willow’s voice greeted them, the girls turning to face their friend instead of their troubles. Willow looked winded, her hair a little frazzled and her brow a bit sweaty, but otherwise was untouched, a bright smile on her face despite her carnage moments prior.

“You were amazing down there, Willow!” Amity complimented, taking a step towards the girl. “I knew you had it in you, but, well, I didn’t know you had that in you.”

Behind Amity, Luz nodded, “You almost turned Grom into plant food.”

Willow seemed almost bashful at their praise, rubbing the back of her head, “Oh, it was nothing really. I just tapped into some primal rage I’d been repressing, it was no big deal.”

“No big deal?” Amity inquired, wondering how something like that could ever qualify as ‘no big deal.’

“I know, you shouldn’t undersell yourself so much Willow!” Luz insisted, throwing an arm over Willow’s shoulder, “That was super powerful! A totally big deal!”

Amity raised a finger to object that that wasn’t what she had meant, and maybe Willow had some therapy to go through if she could just lay into something like that by tapping into her own buried rage, but decided this was just one of those Boiling Isles things she was going to have to get used to. No point in arguing over that kind of insanity as long as it wasn’t being pointed at her.

“Speaking of big deals,” Willow began suggestively, looking between the two, “Did anything interesting happen while I was busy handling the nightmare creature?”

Luz quickly shook her head, sending the girl a frantic look to not touch that subject with a ten foot pole. “Nope, nothing. What could possibly have happened while you were away?”

Willow’s smile downturned into a small frown, “Oh. Okay.”

“It was really brave of you to go down there,” Amity spoke with a bit of envy in her voice. “You were totally fearless, facing down Grom like that. You made it look so easy. You were completely unafraid, and I wish I had a fraction of your bravery.”

Willow shook her head, “You’ve got it wrong Amity. I wasn’t fearless, or unafraid. That’s not what bravery is. I was terrified, even after I was beating Grom back.”

Both girls looked at Willow in surprise, and she continued, “I know, I didn’t look like it. I’ve been pretty calm about the whole thing, but this was something I felt I needed to be able to do. For myself, and for everyone else. Being brave, it’s not the same as being fearless. It’s better, because I had to conquer my fear, rather than be without it.”

“Actually, I think that’s why they make this a tradition. So that once a year, a student gets to learn a lesson. What’s in front of you may be frightening, but by not letting that fear control you, you can find happiness and joy beyond it. That’s what the dance after the fight is for. I get it now.”

The bespectacled girl smiled brightly at her two friends, not actually believing a word she just said about the tradition, but hoping it would give the two of them the courage they needed to face each other. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, using all that magic has made momma hungry, I’ll be at the refreshment table!”

Amity and Luz waved as Willow departed from their presence, each mulling over the girl's words. Each thought over their own fears, desperately wanting to get over that hurdle, both wanting to emulate a fraction of Willow’s bravery. They stood in equal silence long enough that it was beginning to feel awkward.

Amity’s mind played with the picture of her fantasy of being swept off her feet and towards the dance floor, only this time, if she wanted to make that happen, maybe she had to be the one doing the sweeping. Sucking in a lungful of air and turning to Luz, Amity offered her hand, “Would you like to dance with me?”

Luz eyed the hand, then Amity’s sincere face, and her own lips broke from an ‘o’ into a wide smile, breaking past her own fear, “I would love to.”

From the refreshment table, Willow watched smugly, sampling the hors d’oeuvres with glee as Luz took Amity’s hand and together they rushed off to the dance floor.

The night went on seemingly forever, Amity losing track of the time as she danced it away with Luz. The witch was a surprisingly good dancer, even keeping up with Amity who had been trained by tutors as a child. Luz had immediately taken the lead, keeping an arm tightly around Amity’s waist as they spun and twirled together to the rhythm of the music, careful not to knock into any of the other dancing couples.

They focused on each other for the most part, with the exception of when Luz had spotted her parents dancing together, a grin stretched across her face and Amity giggling at the glee her friend felt seeing her Mom and Mama getting along in such a way. The two adults seemed lost in a world of their own together, much the same as their daughter and her dance partner were.

Feeling Luz’s body close to her own, able to gaze deeply into her eyes for hours on end, Amity felt lost in all the right ways. Everything but the music faded away, and even her fears seemed muted as long as she was with Luz.

Only for her to be pulled out of her fantastic night when a hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping their dance cold in their tracks. Turning to the newcomer, both Amity and Luz were surprised by who it was. “Boscha?”

The three eyed girl was clad in her own potion track yellow dress. It was sleeveless, showing off her toned, muscular arms. She kept her expression even when she spoke, addressing Amity, “Sorry to interrupt. I’ve been waiting half the night, but you just wouldn’t stop dancing, so I’m butting in. Do you mind if I have the next dance?”

Amity and Luz stared at the Grudgby player, then glanced at each other. Boscha crossed her arms and scoffed, “I’m not trying to steal your date away, Noceda. I just want to talk to Amity.”

Neither girl denied that Amity was Luz’s date, which filled them both with butterflies. Luz stepped back, biting her lip, “If it’s okay with Amity, sure.”

Amity considered it, then gave a short nod, “Just a dance. We won’t be long, Luz.” She assured, stepping away to join Boscha, who took one of Amity’s hands and settled the other on the human’s waist as the next song began to play.

The two danced awkwardly, not nearly as in tune as Amity had been with Luz. The human wasn’t sure if it was because Boscha wasn’t a good dancer, or if Amity had just clicked with Luz that much, but each girl stepped on the others toes more than once before they found their rhythm. “So, what did you want to talk about, Boscha?”

Boscha kept her expression guarded, “I just wanted to say that… after what you said before… I talked with my gan- my friends.”

Amity blinked, “Oh! Uh, how did that go?”

Boscha took a moment to consider her next words. “You were wrong. And also right. We did choose each other because of our status. Just a gathering of rich or talented kids who didn't want to hang with the losers rather than because we wanted to be friends. But we did choose each other, and after talking… We’re going to try and be better friends with each other from now on. For more than just how good we are at something, or how rich our parents are.”

Boscha gestured with her head to a table that had her group sitting at it, watching the two of them dance together. Seeing Amity glance over to them, a few waved. Skara and her boyfriend, Kat, and Amelia with their own dates. Even Beanie Boy, sans his beanie and almost unrecognizable to Amity without it, sent her a smile.

Amity allowed herself to give Boscha a small smile, which was returned. “That’s great. I hope you’ll be a little bit more open to accepting other people into your group from now on as well?”

“I’m considering it.” Boscha admitted. “I’d still really like it if you could join the team, and if that means you want to be friends with people outside my own group, I’m willing to accept that. Or get over it.”

“I’ll think about it,” Amity promised as they swayed. “I’m glad you and your friends have talked things out. Sometimes… I wish I had taken the chance to work things out with someone I knew before I left the human world.”

It had been a while since Amity had given Clara a passing thought. If Boscha had worked things out with her own friends, wanting to establish that they were, in fact, friends, she wondered how Clara would react to the same conversation. Amity had never considered her more than someone her mother approved of, but maybe Clara had always considered Amity a friend. Maybe she was worried about her right now, hoping that Amity was safe, wherever she was. Amity supposed she’d never know now.

The dance came to an end, and Amity and Boscha parted, standing still on the edges of the dance floor. The triclops gave Amity one last lingering look, admiring her outfit and new hair, “I’d ask if you’re still up for that lunch date, but… well, you’ve already got a date to get back to.”

Amity didn’t bother correcting the other girl. She’d already made up her mind on her feelings about Luz, even if this wasn’t an actual date. Boscha stepped aside, heading back to her friend’s table with little more than a backwards wave. Sending one last nod to the Grudgby team, Amity turned back to the dance floor, weaving through to where she’d left Luz

Luz held out her hand for another dance, and Amity, despite her sore feet from hours of twirls and dips, eagerly took it and gave the witch a tug, taking the lead this time. Luz’s cheeks blazed at Amity’s take charge attitude, but didn’t fight it, giving in as Amity closed the gap between them, pulling Luz in for a slow dance together.

“Alright everyone,” Gus’s voice rang out, “This is the last song for the night. We all hope you had a wonderful Grom, and hope to all see you alive for next year's big monster bash!”

A slow, romantic song began to play, all the remaining couples rushing to get one last dance in together before they had to leave. Luz, flustered, nervously opened her mouth and asked, “So, what did Boscha want?”

“She just wanted to ask me to join the Grudgby team, is all,” Amity answered. If Boscha had wanted anyone to know about her business with her friends, she wouldn’t have yanked Amity aside to do it, so she’d keep that private. Instead, Amity smiled, “Now shush, I’m not with Boscha right now. I’m with you.”

Luz seemed at a loss for words, with flushed cheeks and a goofy grin on her lips as they swayed. Together they held each other close, resting their chins on each other’s shoulders, more hugging than dancing as their song continued to play.

As the final song came to an end, they slowly broke apart, holding each other’s hands. People began to pack up and leave, but they remained unmoving. Finally, Luz broke eye contact, glancing at her shoes, thinking about how Amity had made the first move and now it was her turn as she reached into her coat pocket.

“I know, we only have like thirty seconds of Grom left before it’s officially over, but-“ She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Amity, who unfolded it, feeling confused as to what it could contain.

“Dear Amity

I would be otterly delighted if you would go to Grom with me~

                                                                                 -Luz”

Amity put a hand over her mouth as Luz tried to speak, “I know, it’s a lame pun, but otters are my favorite Human Realm creature, not that I’ve ever seen one in person or anything, and you’re form there, and I like puns, and you don’t have to say yes, and it’s basically already over-“

“Yes, you dork!” Amity pulled Luz into an enthusiastic embrace. Luz fumbled, not sure what to do with her hands or Amity’s excited response, but soon figured it out and wrapped her arms around the human girl’s waist.

“I thought you wanted to ask someone else out this whole time.” Amity spoke, face buried in Luz’s shoulder.

“Just you, Ams. Just you. I had a hard time coming up with any way to impress you, and I was worried you’d say no, and I kept putting it off. Willow made me write the note as we were leaving so I’d at least have something. I hope it’s not disappointing. I can do something bigger?”

Amity shook her head, “It’s perfect, Luz. Even if it did come a little late.

“So, did you finally ask her out, then?” Willow’s voice greeted them, the girl stepping onto the now empty dance floor, heels clacking against the floor.

“Wait, that’s what was going on this whole time?” Gus added, free from his duties, but far from missing out on the festivities.

“You’ll understand when you’re a bit older, Gus.” Willow assured, patting her friend on the shoulder.

Amity and Luz broke from their hug, still hanging onto each other but wanting to be able to face their friends. Luz spoke first, “Thanks for pushing me to write that note, Willow. It turns out it did work after all.”

“If you paid more attention, you’d see my advice is usually pretty good,” Willow joked.

“I’ll be sure to listen to you more often too, then,” Amity bantered back.

“Soooo,” Gus looked between the two, “does this mean you guys are together together, or…?”

Luz and Amity exchanged glances. “Well, I’d be happy to be more than a Grom date, if you’re up for it, Luz.” Amity extended bashfully.

Luz gulped and nodded, “Absolutely. It’s… kinda scary to think about, but Willow was right. Facing my fears allowed me to find something greater beyond them.”

“Before you get all caught up in the romance of the situation,” Willow interrupted, “This place is going to close soon, and we still haven’t had our pictures taken. If we hurry, we might still be able to get it done.”

They all nodded, Luz taking the time to add one last thing before they put a pin in their conversation, “We’ll talk more about the, uh, dating stuff later. I think we’ll have plenty of time to work that out over the next few days.”

Both the human and witch’s cheeks heated up at the idea of discussing dates later, walking hand in hand beside their friends to the photo booth, which luckily was still operating, the last few people in the building rushing to have their pictures taken as well just before they were pushed out the door.

The group posed side by side, Willow throwing up two V’s with her fingers, Gus posing with his microphone, and Luz throwing an arm around Amity’s shoulder. Just as the picture was snapped, the light flashing to capture the moment, Amity’s eyes widened as she felt something brush against her cheek. A soft kiss from Luz, who’s eyes were as wide as Amity’s own over her own action.

“S-sorry, uh, I think I hear my Mama calling me, I gotta go, bye!” Luz spoke frantically, backpedaling away from the group, Amity still stunned and grazing her fingers over her cheek where Luz’s lips had been, while Gus and Willow broke into hysterical laughter over it.

Amity made sure to get a few copies of that photo, just in case.

Eda, King and Amity entered the Owl house late into the night, stepping in through the side door in the kitchen so as to not wake Hooty. Eda’s feet and calves were sore, and likely swollen from all the dancing, but she wasn’t complaining. Camila’s one dance had turned into two, then three, then five. She’d always taken anything that woman would give her, and tonight she had given plenty. She’d just be paying for it in the morning.

Meanwhile, Amity was still in a daze, having had to be guided back to the house. A dreamy look was in her eyes, and her hand had hardly left her cheek, “I can still feel her lip gloss from where she kissed me…” She murmured tiredly to herself.

“Gross. You do know that’s my kid you’re talking about, right?” Eda reminded her, finally breaking Amity out of her trance.

“Oh! Uh, I’m sorry Eda. You- you don’t have a problem with us dating, do you?” Amity asked nervously, having never really thought about what the consequences of dating the Owl Lady’s kid might be, especially when she lived in her house.

Eda however waved her worries off, “Keep the door open at least a few inches when you’re together, and don’t stick your tongue down her throat while I’m in viewing distance and you’ll be fine. Luz could do a lot worse than you, Boots.”

That didn’t make Amity feel any less awkward as she shifted from one foot to the other, “Uh, thanks?”

“Welcome!” Eda snorted, then ushered her out of the room, “Now, get to bed. It’s late, I’m tired, and I don’t want to deal with your mushy Minotaur crap anymore for the night.”

King plopped down at a seat at the kitchen table, turning on the crystal ball that sat there, only for Eda to swiftly turn it back off, “You too, little mister. Off to bed.”

“But Eeeeda!” King complained, stifling a yawn, “My stories are on!”

“Your ‘stories’ can wait until morning. Titan, you need to stop picking up phrases from my mother, it makes you sound older than I am.” Eda picked him up and set him back on the ground, only to see Amity standing in the entrance to the living room unmoving. “Hey, what’s up, does no one listen to me anymore or something?”

Amity just pointed into the living room, and Eda marched over to see what all the fuss was about. In Eda’s favorite spot on the sofa, sipping a steaming cup of tea, was none other than Lilith, surrounded by stacks of papers and files that made a series of small mountains around her.

“You’re all back late,” The coven witch greeted smoothly, “did you have a nice night out with your pets, Eda?”

“Kids, go upstairs.” Eda ordered, all the tension drained from her night out soaring straight back. She sauntered over towards her sister to place herself between Lilith and the kids. Behind her they quietly obeyed, only pausing to glance at each other before they bolted up the steps and to Luz’s bedroom.

“You know, Lil, I don't break into your home uninvited and insult your family.” Eda drawled, placing her hands on her hips. “Not that you have one to insult, anyways.”

“Please, Eda, they aren’t your family. I am.” Lilith spoke nonchalantly, dismissing Eda’s wards in an instant.

“There is a difference between the family I choose and the family I’m stuck with, and I’ve made it pretty clear I stand with the former.” Eda warned, then settled down onto her couch, crossing her legs and staring her sister down. “Now, I’m assuming the reason you broke into my home in the middle of the night has to be important, right? Did you find any information?”

Lilith grabbed one of the files from the pile and held it out to Eda, “These are dossiers on everyone you had on your suspect board. Some of them are extensive, as they’ve all led colorful lives, others short, as those colorful lives came to an early end.”

Eda flipped through the folder handed to her, “There’s a lot to go through. Any highlights?”

Lilith shook her head, “Absolutely none. I used every resource available to me to find every scrap of information. Every one of these witches and demons all had an alibi for the time of your curse. Witnesses, doctors notes, prison sentences. I regret to say that none of these people could have cast that curse on you.”

Eda snarled, tossing the folder aside. “So what are you trying to pull here?”

“Nothing, Edalyne,” Lilith soothed, holding her hands up to placate her sister. “I’m just saying… The Emperor may be your only choice in the matter. I even brought all the dossiers as proof instead of just my word that these people are innocent, at least of the crime of cursing you.

She was met with a face full of paper, as Eda threw the files in her face. “No, it just means I need to broaden my suspect range. If it’s not one of the idiots I really screwed over as a teen, then I’m clearly not thinking petty enough, someone real low must have done this to me. These other guys were clearly too high class to curse a kid.”

Eda stood from her seat and began to march for the stairs herself, following after her kids. “Thanks for the assist, sis, but I’ve got work to do. Names to think of. Vengeance to plan. I’m sure you can see yourself out, and if you can’t, well, I’ll just have to wake Hooty and have him do it.”

By the time Eda was at the top of the stairs, Lilith was gone, the threat more than enough to get her moving and out the back door. As Lilith summoned her staff to her hands to begin the ride back to the Emperor’s Castle she cursed her sister’s name for being so stubborn. Lilith was running out of time to sway Belos any longer. The Emperor was not a patient man.

Chapter Text

Luz ran her plastic gloved hands over her hair, making sure the dye slathered over it was spread evenly. This was a monthly tradition for her, almost a meditative practice, where she massaged her scalp and washed away any physical signs of her curse that showed, pretending once more to be a normal, magical girl.

She sat and waited for the dye to settle, humming to herself impatiently. This was her least favorite part, the waiting. She got so easily distracted, and as a smaller child that had… consequences of having her wander off and accidentally getting dye residue all over the house. It was still hard to not wander far from the bathroom sink, but humming the latest song she’d heard being played in the Bard Track classes sometimes helped.

When it was time, she rinsed her hair out, making sure to get all the remaining dye out of her hair, reaching blindly for a towel to pat it dry and inspect it. Making sure to have covered up all the growing patches of supernatural grey coming from her roots with her usual natural brown.

Every month she did this, she swore she found more grey creeping in on her. Most of the right side of her head would have lost it’s brown by now if she’d stopped dyeing it. It wasn’t that she didn’t think the grey looked great. Her Mom pulled it off way better than a woman her age had any right to, and Malin Gael the Mysterious Soothsayer had it as well, and they were a cool Azura character. Even if their hair was more white than grey, but Luz didn’t care for the distinction.

Dyeing her hair wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was watching her Mom slowly lose her magic as time went on, and know that’s the future that lied before herself as well. It’s why Luz studied every track the way she wanted to, so she could revel in it while she had the chance. It’s why potions was the track she’d decided on, so she at least had something to fall back on when the time inevitably came.

The hair was just a reminder of her fate, and she preferred to keep it covered. Out of sight, out of mind.

Looking in the mirror at herself, Luz allowed herself to smile. She didn't want to have to worry about that kind of stuff today. Last night had been Grom. Grom! And she now had a… well, she wasn’t sure if Amity was her girlfriend yet, but they’d made plans to discuss that together. Luz couldn’t wait, and no amount of grey hair or loss of magic was going to keep her down today!

“Luz! You have a guest!” Her Mama’s voice rang from downstairs, dragging the witch from her thoughts. Giving her wet hair one last pat down with the towel before tossing it aside, Luz raced down the steps, each step making a loud thud as she ran, eager to see which of her friends(maybe Amity?!) had come to see her.

“As excited as I am to also see you, Luz, it’s uncouth to run in the house.” Her guest chided, tone halfway between stern and playful.

“Oh!” Luz’s expression fell at the lack of pretty girl, but her smile came back just as quickly, “Tía Lilith! How’s my favorite Auntie doing?”

Lilith sat at the living room sofa, legs crossed with a patient smile on her face. On the coat rack by the door her Emperor’s coven cloak hung, and beside it was her staff. It wasn’t unusual for Lilith to stop by when Luz was at her Mama’s for the week, always having an open invite for a seat at dinner in the Noceda household. It was, however, unusual to see her so early in the day, since her job demanded so much of her time.

“I’m doing well, all things considered,” Lilith answered, patting the seat beside her. As Luz joined her, Camila entered the room, a tray of refreshments consisting of beverages and snacks in her hands that was set down on the table for her daughter and her guest. “Thank you, Camila, you really didn’t have to do that.”

Camila just shook her head, “You always say that. Just eat what I give you already. You don’t eat enough as it is with how hard the coven works you.”

Lilith just chuckled, politely taking a handful of berries the mother and daughter had grown together in her hands to snack on while they talked. Topics like Luz’s grades and what she was learning in class, how Camila’s work was going, and Lilith’s duties and adventures with the Emperor’s coven were all discussed, though Luz could tell there was something on her aunt’s mind the whole time they spoke.

Finally, it seemed like enough time had passed that Lilith was comfortable trying to get to the reason she was here. Luz could tell by her posture, the way she sat up just a little bit straighter. “So, I happened to stop by Edalyne’s last night for a visit-“

At the mention of her ex, Camila’s eyes flashed, “That must have been a late visit, since we were all at Grom together last night.”

Lilith paused, “Ah, yes. It was a late night. Grom, did you say? Her and her human were dressed for the occasion.”

“Amity.” Luz corrected gently, but sternly. “Her name is Amity.”

Lilith gave Luz a tight, patronizing smile, “Yes, Amity-“

Luz wasn’t finished, “She was my date last night. I didn’t like how you talked about her at the Covention, so you’d better be nicer from now on.”

Lilith looked mildly uncomfortable with the notion, shifting in her seat, “Your date?”

“Yes, her date. Can you believe it? One moment my little girl is playing with dolls, the next she’s asking girls out on dates… and playing with dolls. The more things change, the more things stay the same,” Camila laughed, obviously catching onto Lilith’s discomfort and making sure she knew exactly where Camila stood on the subject.

“The Hecate figure isn’t a doll, Mom. It’s a collectors item! That I happen to play with like a doll. There’s a difference.” Luz defended insistently, then turned back to her Aunt. “And yes, Amity was my date. She’s my- well, she’s not my girlfriend yet, we, uh, we’re going to talk more about that later, but she’s important to me. She’s smart, and kind, and I like her. That isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

Lilith bit her lip and shook her head, “No, no. I’ll- I’ll re-evaluate my opinion on her, since she’s so… important to you. Anyway, as I was saying-“

“Good.” Luz interrupted again, taking a sip from her drink, not breaking contact with her aunt.

Lilith remained quiet for a moment, making sure they were done. When she was certain, she began anew, “As I was saying, I stopped by late last night and Edalyne and I were talking. About her curse, and what to do about it.”

Luz and Camila nodded, knowing that’s exactly what Lilith would say because it’s all she mentioned when she ever brought up her sister. It’s one of the reasons they tried so hard to derail the conversations with interruptions, on top of Luz wanting to defend Amity from her Aunt’s prejudices.

“The thing is, she’s insistent on doing things her own way, and refusing my help. Help she urgently needs, I’m sure of it.” Lilith continued. “I don’t know how much time is left before the curse entirely consumes her, and, well, you two might be able to talk some sense into her. Get her to join the Emperor’s coven.”

Camila shook her head, a warning in her next words. “Lilith, this is treading dangerously close to breaking our deal. We agreed you wouldn’t try to use Luz to try and guilt Eda into joining the coven with you. That is for her to decide, and she has made her choice.”

Lilith grit her teeth, masking it with a smile that hid a desperate plea, “You’re her partner, surely you can talk some sense into her?”

Camila kept her expression guarded, “I’m her ex, not her partner. And I can’t control her life, or make her decisions for her even if I was still her partner, and I don’t appreciate you asking such a thing when I’ve made it clear before that I won’t help you change her.”

Luz nodded beside her mother, “It’s Mom’s curse, and she gets to decide what to do with it. If she doesn’t think the Emperor’s Coven is worth it, then it’s not worth it to her.”

The young witch shrugged, “Besides, she has her integrity and her beliefs, and… I respect Mom for sticking to them, even knowing what might happen to her one day.”

“You mean her pride.” Lilith seethed, “Her integrity and her beliefs have never stayed consistent longer than her next con. Well, Damn them and her pride, I’m trying to save her! My Sister! Your mother!”

Camila was on her feet, face stern and presence commanding, putting herself between her daughter and her guest, “Lilith Clawthorne!”

Lilith sighed, her shoulders tense. She stood from her seat, “My apologies. I- I shouldn’t speak as if you don’t care. And I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

With a wave of her hand her cloak flew back over her shoulders and her staff returned to her hands. “I’ll be going. Thank you for the food and drink. And the conversation.”

She strode towards the door, Camila still glaring at her from behind. Lilith opened the exit, and stood in the doorway, “And Luz? Good luck with your new girlfriend.”

Then Lilith was gone, and the door was closed, and it was just the two Noceda women again. Camila lightly pressed a hand to Luz’s shoulder, concern on every inch of her face, “Are you okay, mija?”

Luz nodded, her heart heavy, “Yeah. I’ll be okay. I know she means well, but… it’s not easy sometimes. Knowing what will happen to Mom. What might happen to me.”

A kiss was pressed to Luz’s forehead, “I know what might happen to you mother someday can be scary. But there is always hope for a cure. New ones are found every day, I should know, I’m a Beast Healer. And just because she doesn’t want to join the Emperor’s Coven doesn’t mean you can’t one day, if the Emperor’s word can be trusted, that is. You have that option, I just don’t want it to be thrust on you anymore than I want it thrust on your Mother.”

Luz hugged her Mama, “Thanks. But I’m not sure he can be trusted. We’ve all seen what he does with people like Mom. I love my Tía, but I’ve been around Mom long enough to smell a con when it’s happening, and everything about The Emperor’s deal stinks of it.”

Still… if only there was some way to heal her mother of her curse. To be rid of it herself. She’d have a lot less grey hair to worry about, and not just the supernatural kind.

Chapter Text

Amity swelled with pride as she palmed the new iScroll she’d purchased in the markets. Well, okay, it wasn’t new, it was a used older model that she’d managed to pick up for cheap, but that wasn’t the point. What made her feel so proud was that this was something she bought on her own, with her own money, that she had earned by working for Eda. Not her parents' money. Not even Eda’s money, bought out of a sense of charity. Hers.

She’d stashed away every coin, every Snail Eda had paid her, saving it for something. She wasn’t sure exactly what she’d use the money for, until she realized she was the only one in her friend group who didn’t have a scroll. It was basically just a magical smartphone, which at first had Amity on edge. Phones back on Earth were more trouble than they were worth, a way for Clara to bother her, or her mother to issue orders, or the Twins to annoy her. Phone’s were little rectangles of anxiety, wrapped up in a time-bomb. A scroll was different though, she’d only let her friends have her runes. A bit of her just didn’t want to be left out, but another portion of her…

Her scroll dinged, alerting her to an incoming message. The human girl read it with glee, feeling a warmth spreading through her as she replied.

Amity giggled like the schoolgirl she was, clutching the scroll to her chest, right above her heart, as her face flushed. Now, not only could she keep up with all of her friends, but she could keep in touch with Luz while she was staying at Camila’s. And that made the scroll worth every copper snail she’d spent.

Luz was a little behind on human text lingo, which was fine with Amity. It gave them something new to discuss, and she hadn’t been allowed to use it with anyone but Clara anyway when she had her phone. ‘Too unprofessional’ Odalia had said. The two texted back and forth, when Amity remembered something, grabbing a piece of paper off the table and using the scroll's camera to snap a picture of it.

It was a new glyph. A plant glyph. She had found it just this morning, after Willow had come over to make sure the fruit and vegetable garden they had grown together had been staying healthy. While inspecting some of the plants, a few of them had bloomed but bore no fruit yet, and on closer inspection Willow had spotted a familiar pattern and pointed it out to Amity. It had appeared on the Earth plants as a sure sign of their magically influenced growth. After a little experimentation, the two confirmed it worked, summoning forth whatever plant Amity could think of from the depths of the paper, proving to be one of, if not the most adaptable and varied form of glyph yet.

Amity sent the picture, along with a message explaining what it did and how she’d found it.

If Amity felt accomplished before, she was absolutely pluming at her new girlfriend’s praise. Her repertoire of spells had grown immensely since she’d found the first up on the Knee, and she was certain there were more to find out there. It just took a bit more practice, patience, and a well trained eye and she was sure she’d have way more glyphs soon enough.

“Ugh, can you not do this at the dinner table?” Eda complained, digging her fork into her Salamander Steak, “Watching you be all sappy is making me worried about having to put up with what’s going to happen when she gets here later tonight. My cold, wretched heart can only take so much teenage happiness before it shrivels.”

“I agree, this much sweetness is nauseating. I demand normal sweetness, in the form of cakes and pies!” King commented, picking at his own plate. The self proclaimed King of Demons ignored his vegetables in favor of his meat, as he always did.

“You and me both, King.” Eda sighed, adjusting the scarf she’d put on sometime in the middle of the day. Amity eyed it suspiciously, knowing it was far too warm for Eda to be comfortable with it on inside the house, and the fact the witch kept scratching at herself only confirmed that the scarf was as uncomfortable and itchy as it appeared.

“Look, I’m sorry, I know I’m all… mushy, and stuff, but tonight is big! Huge! It’s Luz and I’s first date together.” Amity gushed, entirely unapologetic despite her words.

“Yeah, yeah, I’d hardly call stargazing on top of the house a date. Where’s the booze? The glamorous meals! The carnage?” Eda rolled her eyes, then sent Amity a lazy smile, “But, I guess I get it. First baby-date, Boots. I’d tell you to have her home by ten, but you guys aren’t even leaving, so where’s the fun in that?”

“You guys have fun watching the boring old stars. I’ll be inside, watching the greatest in Demonic cinema, ‘The Kingdom of Bloodshed 2: The Goreoning!’” King screeched from his chair, fists raised in the air.

“… Maybe I should keep an eye on what he watches from now on,” Eda muttered under her breath.

Dinner had hardly finished when Luz arrived, bursting through the front door so fast and frantically she might as well have been running on all fours. No one was willing to toss out the assumption that she hadn’t been, either. “I’m here, I’m queer, and I’m ready to… steer us… in the direction of our date!”

Eda groaned, head in her hands at her own daughter's lack of smooth moves. “I helped birth this into the world.”

“You didn’t birth anything, that was all Camila,” King corrected.

“Yeah, sorry, I… didn't think that through.” Luz seemed embarrassed for even trying.

“Well, I thought it was great, Hoot!” Hooty commented, slithering from the open door and into the living room.

Amity just laughed, knowing it was a terrible rhyme, but not caring. Luz was here, and they were going on a date. Together! Sure, maybe it was some of her nerves that made her laugh, but they were happy nerves. “I thought it was just fine too.”

“You can’t possibly be impartial about that kind of stuff.” Eda scowled, already sick of the gooiness that was permeating her living room. “Now don’t you two have better things to be doing?”

The two teenagers exchanged a glance, cheeks red, before both bounding up the stairs together, heading for Luz’s bedroom. “Hey! Remember what I said the other day, Boots! Door open at all times!” Eda yelled up at them as they went, just to embarrass them even further.

Sitting back down on the couch with her arms crossed, joined by King and Hooty, Eda gestured to the crystal ball. “Well, aren’t we going to watch your disgustingly violent movie?”

Climbing out of the opened bedroom window first, Luz offered a hand to Amity, assisting her through it like a gentlewoman until they were both on top of the roof together. The night sky was already dark, stars twinkling up above and helping set the romantic mood.

It had been Luz who had suggested it as a first date. No one had to pay anything, they didn’t have to go anywhere, and the stakes were low. Amity jumped onto the idea, because stargazing with the person she liked most sounded so utterly romantic, like it had come straight out of one of the romance novels she used to read at her old school library in the Human Realm.

The summer air was still warm despite the lack of sun, as they settled down on the roof hand in hand. One thing Amity had taken for granted up until this moment was the sheer lack of light pollution the Isles had compared to Earth. Sure, Bonesborough was visible from the Owl House rooftop, it’s dimly lit street lamps glimmering faintly like a candle in the far distance, but it wasn’t enough to blot out the sky like it had been in the Human Realm. Even a little town like Gravesfield had some issues with seeing all of the night sky in its majesty with the street lights illuminating the roads.

Yet here in the Demon Realm, above them the heavens bloomed, stretching out infinitely in the inky black void. Amity had never gazed long at the stars back on Earth, but she wondered briefly if any of these were the same as the one they had there. “I don’t see the North Star…”

Luz glanced her way, then leaned close so she could point it out. “It’s over there. And of course, there is the South star that way, and the East and West stars as well.”

As Luz pointed those out as well, Amity snorted, “You have other directional stars?”

Luz’s brow scrunched up in confusion, “The Human Realm doesn’t? How do you guys not get lost all the time?”

“We just follow the North Star.” Amity stated, smiling at the girl.

“But, what if you’re looking at it from the east? Doesn’t that mean it would look like it’s pointing west, not north?”

“I’m not a sailor or adventurer, Luz, I don’t know how it worked. We have compasses now anyway.”

The two giggled, bumping shoulders together as they continued to enjoy their night of pleasant conversation. “So, do you happen to also have constellations here? Pictures up in the sky made by connecting the stars?”

Luz nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, here, let me show you.”

Putting an arm around Amity’s shoulder and trying to ignore the heat rushing to both of their faces, Luz pointed to a patch near the North Star, “See that one up there, that group of stars makes the Orthrursa Major! See, there’s it’s arms, and it’s legs, and it’s second pair of arms, and it’s two heads!”

Amity nodded, not really seeing the image in the sky any better than she could imagine the ones back on Earth. At least, she couldn’t until Luz spun her pointed finger, casting an illusion spell that connected the stars and made them into the image of the fearsome beast. “That’s amazing! Is this how witches always stargaze?”

Luz chuckled, “Well, yeah, what, do humans just stare at a bunch of dots in the sky and try to picture it with just their imaginations?”

The look Amity gave her told Luz that yes, that is exactly what they had to do. “Oh my gosh, you’ve been missing out your whole life. Here, let me show you all the rest of the ones I can remember!”

The next half hour stretched on, Luz pointing out some group of stars to use her magic on, showing some kind of famous Demon warrior, or a monster that made human fiction look tame. There was even a group of nebulous stars that Luz said was Grometheus, though she didn’t give it form like the others. Apparently that group of stars looked different to anyone who looked at it for whatever reason.

“What about that group right there?” Amity asked, pointing to a patch of stars right above their heads. They had to crane their necks to be able to view it properly, Luz taking a moment to answer. “Well, that’s supposed to be Emperor Belos, casting a spell circle, according to all the stories I’ve heard, but honestly, I just don’t really see it.”

Amity’s lips downturned, “Wait, but hasn’t he only been around for a few decades? Why would he have a group of stars dedicated to him? What was it before he came around?”

Luz blinked, pondering, then shrugged, “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. All the books on stars just say it’s Belos. Some even say it’s proof he’s the Voice of the Titan. See, that’s supposed to be his head, and that’s his cape, and he’s standing inside of a spell circle...” Luz made to twirl her finger, bring the image alive with an illusion, but Amity stopped her, hand wrapped tightly around Luz’s wrist.

“Luz… wait.” An epiphany was hitting Amity as she gazed at that constellation, something clicking in her the longer she stared at it. Without another word, she left Luz’s side, excitedly scrambling back through their bedroom window, and grabbed a stack of papers and a pencil. Rushing back to Luz’s side, the witch just giving Amity an amused smirk at her antics, Amity began to draw what she could see in the sky.

It took a few tries. She wasn’t as good at drawing perfect circles as Luz, and a bit of what the stars were shaped like was up to interpretation without any actual lines, but eventually she got it, tapping a finger to the paper which crumpled up and formed into a warmly glowing ball of light.

“It’s a glyph.” Amity breathed. “It’s a glyph!”

Luz’s face was lit with amazement at Amity’s discovery, “Oh my gosh, you’re right! You just found another glyph, and in the stars themselves! How did you even do that?”

“I-I don’t know! It just looked like it had to be one. How did something like that even get up there? Did magic just make it happen?”

Luz frowned, looking back up into the night sky, “I’m more concerned about why they call that the Belos constellation, when it’s been an obvious magical glyph all this time…”

The two stared up in the night sky together, squeezing hands together, wondering what it all meant in the grand scheme of things.

Eda’s hands shook as she clasped her bottle of elixir and brought it to her lips. It’d been a hell of a morning, with Lilith trying(and failing, hah!) to capture her yet again. That wasn’t the issue, though, no. What made it a hell of a morning was trying to keep the kids in the dark about her failing health before they headed off to school.

She was thankful Amity had been so busy with her little date that she hadn’t questioned the scarf’s inclusion. It was worn loose now, exposing her gem, which was now more than half inky black even in spite of the elixir. This was her second bottle just since this morning, and it still hadn’t cleared fully, but Eda refused to turn into the Owlbeast. She hadn't changed in half a decade, since she’d been allowed back in Luz’s life, and she wasn’t going to start now. She could hold it back. Just a little longer. She still had work to do.

She couldn’t afford to transform. Not when she was pretty sure if she did, she wouldn’t be coming back again this time.

She took her pen in her hands as she squinted over the paper on her desk through her reading glasses. The document needed a few changes and additions to update it for recent events, and she needed to do this sooner rather than later. Titan knows she’d put it off long enough.

Updating her Last Will and Testament was a morbid task, but it needed to be done.

She knew she didn’t have a lot of time left. Maybe she was being an overdramatic old bitty, but it was starting to feel like she had days left, maybe weeks, if she was lucky. It wasn’t a lot of time, but she’d known this was coming. She was losing her fight, and the Owlbeast would take her over full time soon enough. It wasn’t death, but it might as well be, and she’d specified that her Will was to be opened the day she lost control and wasn’t coming back.

As for the changes… well, she wanted to make sure Amity was taken care of. Before she had left everything to Luz and King. Camila had been adamant that she could take care of herself, and to make sure the kids were taken care of instead of her. And Hooty would be provided for by whoever got the house. Now that Amity was here, now that she was family, Eda wanted to ensure she got her fair share of the loot.

After a bit of talk with Camila in private, where the kids wouldn’t overhear, it was decided that Amity would get the Owl House when Eda… wasn’t there anymore. It was for the best. She was more responsible than King and could take care of the place, and Camila had Luz down as the inheritor of her own place when she eventually kicked the bucket, so it only seemed fair Amity got a house as well.

Besides, with how smitten those two were, it’d still be Luz’s house someday, with any luck. If they were better at navigating their feelings than Eda had been, and didn’t screw it up like she had.

All she had to do was sign at the bottom, and send this off to Camila’s Lawyer(because Eda didn’t trust them enough to have her own), and it’d be legally binding. Then she would-

A resounding crash echoed through the house, making Eda flinch.

“I don’t want a bath!” King’s voice rang out as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

“Well, too bad! The witch lady said we had to give you one while we wait for Mittens, so you’re getting one!”

“Yeah, we don’t want to be turned into toads, or something!”

“I just might do that anyway if you all can’t be quiet!” Eda stood from her chair and yelled, her voice ringing throughout the house. Today would have usually been her trash collection day, which was when those idiot twins that belonged to Amity would visit their sister. Despite deciding to forgo her usual plans to work on settling her affairs, she’d still popped on over for Amity’ sake to let them know their sister wouldn’t be able to meet them today, but the two terrors had insisted on coming over to wait for Amity until after her field trip.

Since they were so insistent, Eda had put them to work doing all the chores she didn’t want to do, that she couldn’t make Amity do. Well, couldn’t make Amity do without feeling just a smidge bad about making the girl do them, anyway. It was her own way of getting back at them for being terrible to her new kid before Eda got her hands on her.

It seemed a fitting punishment, considering the two blondes were in front of her bedroom door, covered in mud and paw prints and looking miserable. “We’re sorry, he’s just so slippery!” Em cried out in frustration.

“At least we’re not bathing that Bird Tube thing instead…” Edric shivered.

Eda crossed her arms as she stared them down, “Don’t complain about what you’re given or else I just might have you do that too. Now go get King before he tracks anymore mud through the house already.”

The twins exchanged glances, and sighed, racing down the halls and back after King, who had given up his head start so he could linger behind and tease them for being so slow.

Eda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she heard yet another crash, “Why do I keep letting teenagers into my house, again?”

Quickly signing her Will and stuffing it into an envelope, she handed it off to Owlbert, the Palisman blinking at her with his wide eyes. “Here. Take this to Cam for me, would you? It’s important.”

Owlbert gave a soft hoot, taking the envelope in his mouth, hopping off the handle of his staff and out the window. Eda tried hard not to think about how having an Owl deliver her mail was a human stereotype for witches that she hated as she sunk back into her seat, right beside her pot of “magic s’ghetti” as Luz had put it, her witches wool. The last thing she’d likely make for her kids, and she had just enough for two cloaks. Maybe a nice beanie or two to keep their ears warm if she had enough leftover, but she wasn’t gonna press her luck.

She took her knitting needles in her hands and groaned, “tired, grey, writing my will, and now I’m knitting. When did I get so damn old?”

“You know, Luz, I’m surprised you’re going along with us on this trip,” Amity commented, sitting beside her girlfriend in the flying boat that made its way to the Emperor’s castle. “From what I’ve seen, these people don’t exactly treat your Mom well.”

Luz clutched a pamphlet about some of the things they’d be seeing and a notebook to her chest, trying to play it cool. After all, she was only coming along to the castle to attempt to steal the Healing Hat, a magical artifact from the Savage ages that was apparently housed inside the castle. That she’d only learned existed this morning. That wasn’t exactly a whole lot of time to make a plan up, but this was likely her only chance, short of joining the Emperor’s Coven herself in a few years.

And the way her Mom was acting, she didn’t think they had a few years.

Luz wasn’t dumb. Maybe if she didn’t share the same curse as her mother she wouldn’t have caught all the warning signs, but everything about Eda this morning hadn’t felt right. Her Mom was running out of time and was hiding that from her, so she wouldn’t worry, but that had backfired. Luz was even more worried because her Mom was keeping secrets, especially concerning her curse.

“Well, uh, it’s educational, and all. What about you, if you think it’s so bad, why are you going?” Luz asked, trying not to sweat over lying to her girlfriend not even a day after their first official date together.

“Well, I’m going because it’s good to know your enemy.” Amity commented easily. “I don’t plan on joining a coven when I’m of age, and that will likely make me a target. Best to know what I’m dealing with now.”

Luz nodded. That was a lot better answer than her own, “That’s really smart, Amity. I should probably do that as well.”

Amity waved her notebook in Luz’s face, “Don’t worry, I’ll share my notes. You are my girlfriend now, so you get those kinds of privileges.”

“Can they go more than two minutes without exclaiming that they’re dating?” Willow muttered from the seat in front of them to Gus, who just shook his head.

The school’s flying dragon boat landed just outside the drawbridge of the castle, which extended the bridge outward for them to enter. After a warning from Bump to be on their best behavior, they were allowed entrance by the Emperor’s assistant, Kikimora, who greeted them warmly. Amity could see why she was chosen for this role. Her small stature and soft voice made her seem non threatening to those looking to join one day, but under it all Amity could see a solid core of maliciousness. It was the eyes, and in the reverence of which she spoke about her Emperor.

Odalia Blight had assistants like Kikimora before. Dangerous fanatics who loved her for the wealth and power she had, desperate for her attention, who would probably kill on her orders if asked. Amity was fairly sure one of them might have done just that before, if the jail time he was serving had been any indication. Kikimora just gave off those same exact vibes, and it didn’t sit well with Amity at all.

The obvious propaganda they were immediately shown after meeting the diminutive demoness didn’t help with that impression. Amity glanced at the wall sized murals of the events of the last fifty years on the isles, feeling a little sick on the inside. Eda had told her already, so she knew what happened to the wild witches who refused to bow before the Emperor, though she hadn’t seen what was left of them in person. Petrified as a living statue, unable to move or interact with the world, but still fully conscious, with no way of undoing it. That was the fate of those who cowered in those murals of the past. Hundreds, if not thousands of them.

Amity reached for Luz’s hand, to draw some comfort, only to find her girlfriend missing from her side. Instead Luz was tugging tightly on one of the vents, clearly trying to pry it off the wall. “What are you doing?”

Luz let go, forcing a smile onto her lips that looked entirely too suspicious, “Nothing! I just love me a well ventilated castle!”

Amity didn’t know how to respond to that. If Luz didn’t want to tell her what was really going on, Amity wouldn’t press her, but she wished she’d just be honest about not wanting to tell her instead of making an excuse. “Well, hurry up. We don’t want to lose the group.”

Next was the Hall of Relics, which showcased the Emperor’s trophies from the Savage Ages. Kikimora explained how they were examples of the Emperor’s power, each being an artifact of unparalleled magical ability. Gus openly admired an orb, Willow fawned over a wooden glove, and once more Amity had to stop and pull Luz along when she got too close for comfort to a wide brimmed hat. Amity wasn’t sure what any of these things did, but if Belos took them from his days of conquest they were probably better off locked away, not in the hands of school children.

Kikimora continued to guide them, speaking, “Here at the Emperor’s Coven, we require members with sophistication, elegance, and grace-“

At that very moment the doors to the front of the castle opened, and in stalked Lilith, looking like none of those things, her white cloak dirty with mud and her hair covered in leaves and feathers from her morning attack on the Owl House.

“Make way for Miss Lilith Clawthorne, students” Kikimora had the students back up, allowing Lilith to pass. With a meep, Amity stepped behind Luz, hands still clasped. Around them, their fellow students all seemed starstruck at the sight of her, minus Gus and Willow who had met Lilith plenty of times through Luz.

Lilith seemed in no mood to put up with the children today, striding past them with hardly a glance. Hardly being the word, as she did pass her eyes over Luz, and in the process, Amity, her eyes narrowing just a smidge as they landed on the human girl dating her niece. Luz stayed in front of Amity, squeezing her hand to reassure her, and soon enough Lilith had moved on, her ire aimed elsewhere today.

Kikimora smiled beneath her raised collar at the mess the Head of the Emperor’s Coven was in, speaking once more to her excited students, “Yes, and if I’m not mistaken, Miss Lilith is on her way to speak with the Emperor himself. Let’s all wish her luck!”

Amity knew when someone was being mocked, as all the children eagerly, and none the wiser to Kikimora’s spiteful little joke, wished their idol luck. Lilith handled it about as well as Amity thought she would, proving she had a bit less grace in her than the demon that assisted her boss, “Thank you students. Good luck with puberty.”

With that she resumed her way, and Kikimora continued guiding her students behind her. As Amity made to follow, she was once more stopped by Luz, who hadn’t let go of her hand and was locked in place where she stood, looking back at the room they’d just exited, the one filled with Relics.

“Come on, Luz. Let’s go.” Amity gave a gentle tug, but Luz shook her head, letting go of Amity’s hand.

“You go ahead. There’s something I need to do.”

The human frowned, “What is up with you today? What are you planning?”

Luz backed up a step, “Nothing you need to worry about. I can handle it alone. Now go on, they’ll notice if two of us are missing.”

Amity crossed her arms, “Not if you send two illusions after them, they won’t.”

“Really, Amity… you’re just gonna try to talk me out of it.” Luz started, already casting the spell circle to summon their clones, two of them like Amity said, so the human wouldn’t get into any trouble while Luz tried to talk her out of staying with her.

“Maybe I will.” Amity admitted, leaning forward with a glare, “Maybe I won’t. But I’m certainly not leaving until I know for sure. So, what are you planning?”

“I- there is a relic back there I need to steal. Borrow! I mean borrow.” Luz explained, hastily trying to cover up her mistake.

Amity pursed her lips, not liking where this was going one bit. “Alright, you were right. I’m going to have to talk you out of this.”

She smacked Luz upside the head, “What are you thinking? Isn’t it bad enough that Eda has the Emperor’s Coven after her all the time? Do you want them after you as well?”

“But I need it, Amity!” Luz protested, glancing away from her girlfriend and down into the hall, the relics calling her name.

“Why do you need it, Luz? What can be so important about an admittedly fashionable hat that you’ll take this kind of risk?” Amity argued back, glancing over her own shoulder to make sure Lilith wasn’t on her way back, or that any of the guards would hear this conversation.

“It's not just an admittedly fashionable hat, Amity! It’s the Healing Hat!” Luz took out the brochure she’d been looking at on the way to the castle, cracking it open and showing the page to Amity. “It could heal any curse! I need it!”

Amity took the booklet, looking it over. It was the same hat she’d seen Luz eyeing in the Relic Room. Still, this was risky, stealing from the Emperor, “Do you think your Mom would really want you to steal this for her, Luz?”

The two lapsed into silence, Amity facepalming at her own question, “Okay, yes, she would. Bad example. But are you ready for the consequences if you get caught?”

Luz nodded without hesitation, “Yes. This… this isn’t just for my Mom, Amity. This is also for me. I can’t… I’m not- I don’t want to be a monster, Amity. Not anymore. Not if I can fix this.”

“You’re not a monster, Luz! I thought we’ve been over this!” Amity took both of Luz’s hands in her own, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I’m not, I know… but I will be. Forever, one day. The curse will get worse and worse as I get older, until I won’t be able to hold the Owlbeast back anymore. I’ll be consumed by it, Amity. I’ll be gone, and it will be free, and I will be a monster forever. I don't want that. So please, don’t stop me.” Luz pleaded, steadily losing her composure as she spoke, taking her hands back from Amity and turning around to go back into the Relic room.

Only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder, clamped tightly, “I’m not leaving, Luz.” Amity assured her, letting go of her shoulder to step right beside her.

“I may not think this is the best idea, but you’re stubborn. I can’t talk you out of this, so I’m going with you so if things go wrong I can give you some backup. Because we’re a team now. Let’s go grab your dumb hat and get out of here before anyone spots us, okay?”

Luz seemed to get teary eyed over Amity’s declaration, throwing her arms around Amity’s neck in a big hug, “Thank you so much Amity, you won’t regret this!”

With a tug on her girlfriend's hand, Luz pulled her into the room, “Come on, lets go get it.”

Amity was grateful she’d stopped Luz right after exiting the relic room, otherwise they’d have had to plan an entire heist montage just to get back to it. Instead, the hat was there for the taking, not even a glass case to keep Luz from swiping it. Luz removed it off its pedestal, examining it with uncontained enthusiasm. “Here it is! I just got to place it on my head, and boom, cured!”

Amity grinned, her own eye pulled over to a glass ball filled with goo and a golden stopper on top with an equally golden stand holding it, suspended above its own pillar. She took a step towards it, feeling it call her name, but kept her eyes on Luz. “Don’t just stand there talking about it, put it on and see if it works!”

Luz did as she was told, plopping it down on her head with an ear to ear grin. The hat began to glow, and Luz clapped her hands together excitedly, “I think it’s working! I can feel the magic inside of it!”

Amity clasped her hands around the sides of the glass orb, removing it from its golden stand, giving Luz a supportive hum. There was something special about this item, something that made it stick out to Amity. It wasn’t like the others, like the Green Thumb Glove, which would be handy for helping Amity with her gardening, or as expensive and extravagant as the solid gold Heavenly Harp. Next to the others, this looked rather plain. Inside an ethereal purple liquid floated around, almost looking like a lava lamp in how it moved, unbound by the forces of gravity.

Then there was the magic she felt within it, like it resonated with her, despite not knowing what artifact this was. Well, if Luz was stealing an artifact from the vault, she may as well take one as well. Sphere in hand, Amity returned to Luz’s side, “How do you feel?”

Luz paused for a moment, focusing on herself. Then, “Honestly, not a whole lot different? I felt all whooshy for a second there, but now it’s just kinda like there is a hat on my head and not much else.”

Amity pursed her lip, “Well, maybe it did work and it was just quick? We’ll take it to Eda, she’ll know better than we will. Now take it off, quickly, and hide it. Let's get out of here before anyone knows we took it.”

I w i l l k n o w

Luz nearly dropped the hat from her hands as she was taking it off her head, and Amity’s hand tightened on her stolen glass sphere. The two trembled, the voice feeling like a hand had phased through their skulls and gripped their brains in its boney fingers as it echoed through their minds. “We need to get out of here. Now!”

Luz didn’t need to be told a second time, racing for the doors. She was too late, for in that moment giant steel gates fell, locking them inside from either side of the room. Luz cast a spell at it, but it bounced off, ricocheting off and around the room before taking a chunk out of one of the marble pillars the relics rested upon, crumbling it and sending the Beast Bell clattering to the floor.

Amity clutched her artifact to her chest, eyes wide, before remembering this was supposed to be some kind of magical artifact vault. Someway, she’d be able to help get them out. She uncorked the glass bottle in her grip, yanking out the golden stopper and turned the bottle upside down and gave it a shake. Once, twice, three times, with her eyes clamped shut, waiting for something amazing to happen, something powerful. Nothing seemed to happen, until her girlfriend gave an excited cry of, “Whoa! Nice thinking Amity!”

Amity cracked open her eyes to take a look, and found three large, monstrous purple golems in front of her. Abominations, one for each shake she’d given the bottle. Despite their size far exceeding the sphere’s contents, there was still plenty of abomination goo left inside of it waiting to be used. She’d seen Jerbo use Abominations a few times, and had gone to class in the Abomination track enough to get a grasp on how they worked. “Okay, uh, gotta give them an order… uh, Abominations! Get us out of here!”

The gang gooey monsters merely glanced at each other, confused. Luz shook her head, exclaiming, “Too vague! Give them a simple task!”

“The door!” Amity corrected, pointed at the giant metal slab covering the exit, “Get that door open for us!”

The Abominations moved as one, understanding what they needed to do. With hands of sludge, they easily managed to squirm them under the minuscule crack that remained under the metal until they could get a grip around it, and heaved, slowly lifting the immensely heavy door. With each grunt and groan they gained an inch, and before long the gap was just large enough for Amity and Luz to fit.

The two teenagers raced for the gap created, but a figure clad in white swooped in before they could leave. Stopping in their tracks at the sight, they were met by Lilith, a mean gleam in her eye as she strode forth, easily banishing the purple golems with a wave of her staff and sending the door crashing back down behind her, locking the three in the room alone. “I’d been wondering how I’d complete my task. Eda doesn’t have any friends to speak of. No family I would be willing to use as leverage. But you, her human pet, you could work.”

Luz came to Amity’s rescue, parking herself between her girlfriend and her aunt. “I- I don’t know what you’re going on about, Tía, but if you want Amity, you'll have to go through meeeee!”

With a wave of Lilith’s staff, Luz was picked up off the ground and levitated to the opposite side of the room, far away from Amity. Before Luz could crash into a wall, she was slammed to a halt, and set down gently on the floor. In her surprise to be dealt with so quickly, the hat had fallen from her grasp, laying on the floor between Amity and Lilith.

The coven leader glanced down at the hat, unconcerned. Amity’s eyes flickered between the witch and the hat, before she dove at it, desperately trying to clutch it, only for it to burst into blue flames. “No!”

Luz let out a gasp from across the room, sinking to her knees, “I needed that to cure my Mom! Why, Aunt Lilith?”

“These are all useless, decrepit relics. You’d have found that hat had little more power than to cure a paper cut these days, Luz. Do you think I wouldn’t have tried it if it would have worked?” Lilith answered, dismissing the spell circle she’d used to ignite the hat and stepping closer to Amity, grabbing her by the hood of her uniform.

“E-Eda won’t stand for this, Lily!” Amity tried to put on a brave face, despite her growing fear of the woman, and the despair that the hat wouldn’t have worked as a cure.

“It’s Lilith!” The woman yelled, giving the human a shake, “And that’s precisely the point. She won’t stand for this at all. Eda’s always been possessive of her things.”

With Amity in her grip, Lilith gave another wave of her staff, bringing Luz back to her, “And you! What kind of influence is this human having on you if you were really planning on risking your future in the Emperor’s Coven to steal from Belos? You should know better.”

“I don’t care about that! And this was all my idea, you leave Amity out of this!” Luz fought to get out of the levitation spell’s grasp, but it was useless, only rendering her upside down as she punched and kicked at the air.

“I’ll be happy to leave Amity out of this, dear Niece. Believe it or not I don’t like having to stoop so low as to take a hostage, but the Emperor has forced my hand.” Lilith snarled, displeased with how her niece was speaking to her. “I need you to deliver a message to your mother. She’s to come to the castle to pick up her ward. She can come freely to join the coven with me, or she can just bring along her own chains, and we’ll sort it out later.”

Luz grimaced as she continued to spin in the air, “Mama and I already told you before, you can’t make Mom join your stupid coven!”

“She doesn’t have a lot of time left, Luz, and we both know that!” Lilith argued.

“And if she wants to spend it free, then she should be able to do that!” Luz cried back, tears leaking from her eyes. “I’m not dumb, Tía, I know what will happen to her soon!”

“Luz! That’s enough!” Surprisingly it was Amity who had spoken, shocking both witches into a mild stupor as they glanced at her.

“Yes, er, what the human said.” Lilith said dumbly, gesturing to Amity.

Amity growled at her captor, “Luz, listen to me. Do as Lilith says. Go get your Mom. I trust Eda, she’ll make things right. She’ll kick her dumb sisters scrawny butt like she always does, and we’ll be back home in time for dinner.”

“But-“ Luz tried to protest, her jaw clenched so tightly it was creaking.

“Luz… everyone in your family is too stubborn to ever change their minds. It’s why I knew better than to try to talk you out of this heist.” Amity did her best to smile, “Lilith isn’t going to change her mind and let me go just because you yell at her a bunch. Go get Eda. I’ll be fine.”

Lilith sideyed the human, the slightest bit of approval in her eyes, then looked back at her niece, “Seems you found yourself a reasonable enough girlfriend. You should really listen to her.” Without another word she swept her staff at Luz, catching the girl in the midriff, and off it went, flying off and out through the gated door, which opened by Lilith’s command.

Eda had just put the finishing touches on her pair of magical cloaks, setting them into a gift box with a note, sealing it, and handing it over to Owlbert.They would make a decent gift, a final parting present for the girls to enjoy after Eda was gone.

Titan, she was in a morbid mood today. “Just put it in the mailbox for me. You’ve already had to go to Cam’s once already. No rush for these to get to her like the last one.”

Owlbert gave an affirmative hoot, lifting the package in his little talons and flying out the open living room window to do as he was asked.

“You know, I don’t get what Mittens was complaining about,” Edric spoke, stepping into the living room from the kitchen, oblivious to Eda’s plight, with a box of crackers in his hand. “This Demon Realm food tastes amazing.”

Eda cracked a smile despite herself, “It’s not the taste she doesn’t like, it’s the fact it's all incredibly toxic to humans.”

“Wha!” Ed cried, spitting out his mouth full of half chewed crackers onto the floor, all while Eda cackled, “I’m not gonna die, am I?”

“No! At least, I don’t think so. Depends on how much you ate.” Eda said, vaguely threateningly.

“My life depends on how much I ate? Like, the poison builds up, or something?” Edric seemed close to hyperventilation at the news.

“No, you’ll just have a horrible stomach ache. I’m the one who’ll kill you if you ate all the snacks in my pantry.” Eda warned.

Edric breathed out a sigh of relief, just in time for Emira to come down the stairs and join the conversation, having changed out of her usual day clothes and into some of the scraps Eda had laying around in a closet after King’s bath had rendered her usual outfit wet and ruined. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing much,” Edric shrugged, then offered her the box of crackers, a sly grin on his face, “Wanna try?”

“Ooh, those look good!” Em took a handful, tossing a few in her mouth, “oh, man, these are delicious!”

Ed and Eda exchanged glances, stifling giggles as Emira took the rest of the box and helped herself.

“This was an indignation! I demand justice! Executions for the both of you!” King barked as he too came down the steps, wrapped in a towel, his hair puffed up and fluffy from the hair drier the twins had forced him under.

“You know, you’re lucky you’re so cute, or else I’d have drowned you in the bath water,” Emira growled at him, setting aside the box and crossing her arms at his sour attitude.

“Yeah, and Amity told us you loved baths. You had just gotten out of one when you two met.” Edric chimed in, sitting on the couch beside his younger sister’s mentor.

“I like bathing for comfort, not cleanliness! If I want to relax with Pierre the rubber duck, that’s my business! But if I want to wear nothing but mud, then I say the Emperor has new clothes!” King yelled at them, wagging his little fists in anger.

The front door opened up, and Hooty, oblivious to the yelling on the inside, called in, “I spy with my little eye, something starting with Luz!”

“Ah! They’re here!” Eda smiled, sitting up from the couch and making her way to the door. “Finally, I won’t need to deal with Thing One and Thing Two by myself anymore.

She snorted at her own joke, then paused, “Wait, just Luz?”

She opened the door to find her daughter looking up at her, tears streaking down her face. “Mom, we have trouble.”

Behind her, floating in the air and staring into the depths of her soul was Lilith’s pale ivory staff. Eda’s mouth turned into a snarl as she put what happened together. “Lilith…”

Without hesitation, Eda put two fingers in her mouth and gave a whistle, Owlbert swooping in, flying back over from the mailbox already in staff form, which she immediately mounted. “Get on the back, Luz, you can tell me what happened on our way there.”

Edric and Emira were by her side, confusion on their faces, “Wait, what’s happening, where’s Mittens?”

“There’s no time. My sister’s got her, and it’s not likely to be good. I’m going to go and rescue her, you two stay here and keep safe.” Eda tried to take off, but the twins blocked the door, not satisfied with her answers.

“Wait, ‘got her?’ Like kidnapped?” Ed cried out in panic.

“We need to go with you, we can help!” Em tried to mount the staff behind Luz, only for Eda to kick her off.

“No you don’t! My sister won’t care what happens to you in a fight. She’s not exactly fond of humans, and she’s already using your sister to get to me, I don’t need to give her more bait. She won’t hurt Luz, not if she can help it, so I can use that to my advantage.”

The twins didn’t want to accept that, “We should be saving our sister, not waiting around at some stinky old house in the woods!”

Eda wasn’t having this argument, “No, what should be happening is me sending you all home before I rescue your sister. I can still do that, and then you’d have to wait a week to hear about her awesome rescue when she goes to meet you again. Or, you can stay here, and we’ll celebrate when I get back from kicking Lilith’s scrawny butt.”

Before anyone could object, she gave a call, “Hooty!”

The House demon answered, wrapping around the twins and keeping them contained. “Hoot! Reporting for Duty!”

“Keep them from following me. King! You’re in charge, don’t go mad with power. Come on, Luz, let's go.”

“We need to hurry, Mom. I don’t know what Lilith plans to do if she thinks we won’t show.” Luz rushed, just as her scroll dinged, letting her know she had a message. Summoning it, Luz held it aloft and read.

Eda placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Come on Kiddo, let’s go save your girl.”

Lilith paced the drawbridge of the Emperor’s castle, irritated at her younger sister’s lateness. Behind her, just beyond the castle’s open doors, Amity was trapped inside a bubble, unable to break free. If Eda came, Lilith would honor her deal and allow the human to go free, unharmed, as long as Eda did as she was told. When this was over, they’d all thank her for what she’d done this day.

Above her, on the roof of the castle, Belos watched from black, eyeless sockets in his mask, his very presence a warning about what would happen to Lilith should she fail this evening.

Just as Lilith was beginning to lose the last of her patience, a flash of burning yellow electricity ignited the air. Eda had arrived, floating in the air with all the unbridled wraith of a Fury. They stared each other down, and with a flick of her magic Eda sent Lilith’s staff right at her, whizzing so close to Lilith’s head that it took a few strands of her hair as it pierced the stone of the emperor’s castle like a ballista’s javelin.

“Sister, I see you got my invitation to a witch’s duel-“ The words were hardly out of Lilith’s mouth before the area around her was blasted by bolts of pure, raw magical energy, which scorched the stone at her feet. She had no time to recover before Eda resorted to physical blows, flying through the air almost faster than the eye could track, seemingly teleporting. Lilith managed to block each blow, keeping her facial expressions cool, but on the inside she was rattled to see her sister so furious. Eda was going for blood.

“Where is she?” Eda demanded, pausing her onslaught just long enough to get the words across before immediately re-entering the fray.

The Wild Witch was stopped when Lilith raised a hand, “Easy now. She’s safe.”

The human was summoned, the ball Che was contained in flying from behind Lilith to join her on the bridge. “You can have her back, provided you can do as I say. Renounce your wild ways, and join the Emperor’s Coven. He can help heal your curse!”

To say Eda rejected the notion was putting it mildly. She verbally spit in Lilith’s face, and resumed her offensive, attacking Lilith in such a way she could barely keep herself from being knocked back. It didn’t get any easier when they took to the air.

For each blow Eda delivered, Lilith had to counter or dodge. It was exhausting, and more importantly, it meant she couldn’t attack herself, too busy reacting to Eda’s blows. Which meant Lilith had to cheat, sending Eda’s attacks towards Amity instead and forcing her sister to become the reactive one.

Eda growled at how dirty, how dishonorable this fight was going. Witch’s duels were supposed to be something sacred, something between just the two parties, and here her sister was dragging someone defenseless into it to be a shield. If her sister had been anyone else, the Emperor’s coven would be arresting her for this, and yet they stayed back, under the watchful eyes of their beloved ruler.

It was one thing for Eda to cheat during a witch’s duel. She was a crook, and there was no honor among thieves, but for her sister to act so high and mighty and doing it so openly, with a child as a hostage no less, it made Eda’s skin crawl. “Stop hiding behind Amity, you coward!”

“It’s so sad to see you slowing down in your old age, sister! Tell me, is it the curse?” Lilith goaded, trying to make Eda mad. Trying to make her lose what little focus she had so she’d strike out without thinking.

“Maybe it is the curse, but then how pathetic are you if you can’t best me at my worst?” Eda readied another volley, and fired it, Lilith moving Amity out of the way so she could throw up a proper shield spell.

Amity rolled inside her protective ball, bruised and jostled, but otherwise fine. She banged against the shield uselessly, wishing she’d brought along any of her glyphs. Instead, spying a stone spike that acted as one of the castle decorations, she tried to pop the bubble with it, ramming herself into it repeatedly. She still had her stolen Abomination sphere, and while the gunk was useless in the bubble(a fact she learned the hard way, as her purple stained clothes would show) and unable to summon the Abominations outside of the enchanted cage she was in, if she could get out she could still do something to help Eda win with it.

After several attempts, the bubble finally popped, and Amity landed on her back, giving a small cry, but was silenced by a hand clamping over her mouth.

“You always act like you’re better than me!” Lilith sneered, hoisting up her staff, attempting to keep her barriers up.

“I am better than you!” Eda declared angrily, preparing one final strike against her sister’s slowly shattering shield spell.

“Then why were you so easy to curse?!”

Lilith’s retort sounded across the battlefield, the words harsh, aimed like a weapon with the mindless intent to hurt. Every action paused, every body watching stilled. Even the Coven Guards upon the castle walls seemed to stop breathing. Eda stood with her mouth agape, finally putting the final pieces of the thirty year long puzzle together.

Lilith covered her mouth, shame written on every pore of her face as her darkest secret was finally revealed. “A-and I have the power to cure it, if you’d just let me explain!”

Eda didn’t respond. She simply stood there, the spell she was charging fading into aether in the breeze. Her body felt as if she’d been dipped into an ice bath that soaked down to her very core with its chill. Then she moved, slowly, to stand straight, looking right past Lilith, and spoke. “Luz. Take Boots and get out of here.”

“Luz?” Lilith asked in both confusion and horror as she turned her head, seeing her niece behind her. How she’d got behind Lilith, she didn't know. Luz had always been crafty, knew plenty of illusions, if she felt like she could turn herself invisible to get past the bridge…

Luz had heard every word she had just said.

Luz’s face was painted with disbelief, tears dripping from her eyes for a second time that day at her aunt’s action. She shook her head slowly, then frantically, “No, no-“

“Luz!” Eda ordered. “Go. Get your girlfriend home. Go to your Mama’s place.”

Lilith stood to her feet, shield dissipated, “If you think I’m just going to let you leave with my hostage, for you to chase after when you’re done-“

“I’m not leaving Lilith. You have my word on that.” Eda said, her voice hard. Lilith flinched at the use of her full name. No Lil or Lily. Eda never called her that, insisting she didn’t because they were sisters and she’d earned the privilege.

Luz didn’t move, still too shaken by the revelation, but where she hesitated, Amity didn’t, grabbing Luz by the wrist and yanking her with all her strength, pulling the girl along across the bridge, past Lilith who made no move to stop them. Past Eda, who only gave them a glance, and one small, sad smile.

Amity didn’t stop running, Luz in tow, because she remembered what Eda had told her, way back on their staff ride after the Knee, when Luz had been asleep.

“You’re gonna kill them, right?”

“There are a lot of things worse than death, kid. And I intend to inflict them all on whoever did this. Slowly.”

Whatever happened between Eda and Lilith, Luz didn’t need to see it. Not on top of everything else that had happened today. Not after having her hopes squashed with the hat. Not after having her girlfriend taken. Not after learning her beloved Aunt was the one who was responsible for the suffering her mother and herself had gone through with their curse for all these years. So Amity dragged Luz away, the girl too shaken to fight back.

Back on the bridge, Lilith shook, staring at her sister who hadn’t made a move. “You’re… surprisingly calm about all of this Eda. Has this revelation perhaps made you come to your senses?”

“No,” Eda said quietly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, “I’m just taking a moment to make my peace about what I’m about to do to you.”

Then she moved, faster than Lilith had ever seen Eda move before. Gone was the tired witch, slowed by the drain of her magic. She replaced her drive with fury, moving as if unhindered by her ailment. Their staffs slammed against each other, energy flying with each swing. Beneath Lilith’s heels the stone drawbridge began to crack. Each blow Eda sent lacked finesse, but behind it was the power of a thousand suns as Eda kept swinging, kept casting spells, each attack backed with enough strength to knock Lilith’s head clean off her shoulders if they made contact with her head.

Eda was really trying to kill her.

Lilith skidded back from a particularly hard blow that nearly left her staff in splinters. “Eda, please, this is- your condition is hardly worth killing me over. Just let me help you, and we’ll-“

“It isn’t just my condition, Lilith!” Eda roared, huffing and puffing, sucking in each breath with immense effort. Upon her chest her gem was darkening, clouding up with more and more inky blackness. “Your Titan damn curse… It’s hereditary!”

Her sister’s words meaning sank into Lilith’s bones, scorching her very soul, and she gave a shake of her head, rejecting the very notion. “No, noo, that- That can’t be true! Luz would have told me if she-“

“Like you told her you were the one who cursed me? Or heck, like I told Camila about how I was cursed before we had Luz? Everyone in this family has secrets, Luz isn’t any different.” Eda adjusted her grip on her staff, ready to strike again, but the weakness wasn’t leaving her limbs. “You already badgered her about your damn coven every chance you got, did you really think she wanted you to drag her away, to be poked at like some test subject until you got your cure?”

“I’m sorry!” Lilith cried, tears of guilt and anguish streaking down her face as she readied her own staff, “I never meant for things to go this way!”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it.” Eda growled, turning her eyes downward to hide her own angry tears. “All this time, you could have told me. You pretended to help me. All those other suspects, years of my life wasted, because I would never have suspected my own sister of doing this to me.”

They came to blows again, Lilith dropping any attempts to attack her sister, only relying on defensive spells and blocking with her staff. Lilith looked to her Emperor for help, to save her, damn it, but Belos stood as still as a statue. A few guards looked like they wanted to step in, but their Emperor raised an arm to keep them still, and Lilith understood there would be no backup for her today. What use was the head of the Emperor’s Coven if she couldn’t handle one wild witch by herself? It was just Lilith’s luck that Eda took the opportunity while Lilith’s focus was split to close the distance between them, their staffs locked together until Eda reared back, dropping her grip on the wooden handle with one of her hands to bring a fist swinging.

The blow collided with Lilith’s face, sending her reeling. Her vision blurred, she could taste copper from the blood in her mouth, yet despite the pain this helped Lilith out immensely, her stumbling backward from the hit putting some well needed distance from Eda, and helping her steel her focus enough to put up a powerful barrier between them.

Eda sent spell after spell at the shield Lilith cast, the magic absorbing the Owl Lady’s blows, but each putting a dent in how much longer Lilith could keep the barrier remaining. Eda didn’t seem to care how much magic she was expelling, just as long as it brought the shield down and Lilith was back in her grasp. With a last, might heave, Eda cast one more spell that shattered the barrier between them, leaving both witches panting for breath.

The Owl Lady shook, from her curse or from her rage, Lilith didn’t know. The gem on her collarbone glowed a inky black as Eda spoke under her breath, just loud enough for Lilith to hear. “Look… I know we don’t always get along, but we need to work together on this.”

For a moment, Lilith mistook Eda’s words as being meant for her, a sliver of hope building inside of her, until Eda continued, “We’re both… furious that you have to be inside of me. So use it. As a last request from the person you hate the most… or maybe second to most now…”

Eda wavered, her legs shaking as her sense of balance waned. She slammed the butt of her staff against the ground, steadying herself before she could fall. “I made a promise to myself, and I’m not strong enough to keep it. I don’t care what you do when you get out, as long as the first thing you do is take Lilith out with me, you got that?”

Lilith took a step back when Eda looked back up at her, Lilith’s green eyes meeting Eda’s now blackened ones. Then the Wild Witch lunged, Eda’s hand outstretched as it turned into a claw, nearly tearing Lilith’s face clean off. The younger sister let out a bestial, guteral growl, as her body began to change, but the blows didn’t stop coming. None of them relied on magic, Owlbert soon clattering from Eda’s hands and onto the stone ground, forgotten and left behind as a rain of teeth, claws and feathers came down upon the eldest Clawthorne sister.

Lilith defended herself as best she could against the attack, too drained to summon a proper magical barrier, though Eda’s claws still managed to land blows, particularly on Lilith’s outstretched arms that held her staff, her only defense. Lilith backed off, trying to put some distance between them, until they had left the drawbridge behind and entered the castle itself. With every passing moment a little more humanity left Eda’s eyes, her body twisting and distorting as she shifted from bipedal to quad. Each second was another blow that shed a bit more Clawthorne blood onto the stone floor. The noises from Eda’s mouth grew less intelligent, until all that remained of Eda was the Owlbeast, faced with the one who had imprisoned it within its witchly form.

It seemed keen on fulfilling the last wish it’s host had expressed.

But Lilith refused to be bested by a monster, a demon of lesser intellect. Eda may have always been better than her, but this was just an animal, and Lilith was one of the strongest witches in the Empire. As the beast lunged, she raised her staff, wincing as the deep cuts that littered her arms and hands from her attempts at defense cried out in protest of her actions, and cast the same spell she’d used to imprison the human, encasing the Owlbeast into a magic sphere.

Lilith had succeeded in her task, but the fight and the guilt of all she had done had caught up with her. She fell to her knees, wet from a mixture of tears ladened with guilt, and blood that Eda had spilled. Before her consciousness could leave her from the lack of magic in her system, the blood loss, or even just the sheer exhaustion she faced, the last thing her eyes fell upon was her Emperor, striding over to her side to claim his prize, Eda’s staff in his hands.

Amity kept dragging Luz, even long after she herself wanted to collapse into a ball and cry. As they departed, even with the distance they’d managed to put between themselves and the castle, they heard the telltale roar of the Owlbeast, the sound tearing through them, rattling in their very bones, and something inside Amity told her that Eda wasn't coming back from it this time. If she had managed to succeed or not in ridding the world of her sister, only time would tell.

Luz didn’t seem any closer to regaining her composure the closer they got to Bonesborough, and Amity had no words to offer comfort. As much as she tried, she couldn’t think of anything to say. What could you say to someone who’s mother was gone, and whose beloved aunt had betrayed them?

It took hours without a staff to get to Camila’s house as Eda had instructed. By the time they had entered the front door, it was deep into the night and Amity didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing Luz in her state of hysterics as they went through the town. Soon after getting inside the Noceda household, the sound of steps coming down the stairs met their ears, and Camila’s voice greeted them.

“Titán mio, do you two have any idea what time it is? Why are you here so late, and- Luz? Luz what’s wrong?” Camila set her scolding aside at the sight of her daughter so distressed.

Luz couldn’t answer, collapsing to the floor in tears as she wept.

Chapter Text

Luz was deaf to the noise around her, the sounds of two people talking. She was tired, dazed from the events of the previous day and the complete lack of sleep she’d gotten that night. Her feet were still aching from the walk, and her mind was dulled from the anguish as her hands ran over the fabric of the gift that had come for her in the mail this morning.

It had come from her Mom, Eda, sent the day before and arrived in the early morning at Camila’s house. A witches cloak, in Luz’s favorite shade of blue. Beside it was a note, meant for her from her Mom, saying just the words: “To my beloved daughter, for when I’m gone.”

There had been another, identical cloak inside the box, with its own note for Amity, but the human girl hadn’t touched it yet. Instead she was busy exchanging heated words with Camila while Luz was numb to the world.

“You can’t just go out and try to mount a rescue attempt! You’re a fourteen year old girl who’s been practicing magic for less than three months!” Camila argued.

Amity wouldn’t listen to the other woman’s argument, “Eda got captured because of me! I can’t just not go after her! My first adventure with her was a jailbreak and we did fine then! I can do it now!”

Camila fumed, “¡Niña obstinada! Oh, we are going to have to talk about the jailbreak later, but right now you’re not going anywhere except to your room, where you will be grounded until I say otherwise!”

Amity clenched her teeth, and screamed, “My room? This isn’t my house, and you’re not my mom!”

The living room was silent except for Amity’s angry gasps of breath, which began to turn shaky as she trembled, glaring from wet eyes. “Eda isn’t either… but she’s the closest to one I’ve ever really had. So I’m going to go and save her.”

In that moment Luz was standing beside her, cloak thrown over her shoulders. She scooped Amity’s hand in her own, squeezing it tight, her expression grim and serious. “You’re not going alone.”

“Oh, Titán mio, not you too, Luz.” Camila groaned, hand on her forehead. “You do realize Eda sent you two here so I could keep you safe, right? For me to take care of you? I can’t just let you run off without a plan-“

“Then we make one.” Amity insisted firmly.

“Nada funcionará a menos que lo haga funcionar,” Luz reminded her mama, expression determined.

“You said she had turned into the Owlbeast. What if she can’t come back to us as herself?” Camila pleaded, desperate for them to give in already.

“We have Elixirs. Luz has a whole box she keeps here. We shove as many of them down Eda’s throat as we can and hope for the best. If not…” Amity paused, exchanging a glance with Luz.

“We decide what to do with her then. Find a nice place far out into the wilds, maybe? Or… give her a quick end.” Luz finished.

Camila felt a migraine coming on, “There is absolutely nothing I can do or say to make you change your minds, is there?”

Both girls shook their heads, faces determined. Pinching her brow, Camila gave up, then left the room. She returned a moment later, crystal ball in hand, setting it on her coffee table. “They just caught the most wanted criminal in the Isles history, and haven’t mentioned a word of it yet. Meaning no one outside this room and the Castle know she’s been taken. We plan out something until they make an announcement, then continue to plan until we can’t any longer, do you understand?”

Luz and Amity glanced at each other, “We?”

“I’m not letting you do this alone, mijas. I’m either in, or we’re all out.”

Lilith approached her sister with caution, despite her still being inside her bubble. The Owlbeast, upon seeing her, thrashed wildly, clawing and screeching for her blood. Her dear sister, reduced to a raging animal, and if the Emperor didn’t heal her, she’d never be the same again.

The witch kept a healthy distance between herself and her younger sibling. To say their fight had left an impact on her would be an understatement. Her sleeves were still shredded, arms bandaged and stained with her own blood. Her jaw had a nasty bruise that was already a mixture of black and yellow. Lilith had turned down an intensive healing session as it would take all morning, and her Emperor, and more importantly, her sister, needed her now. She could handle the pain long enough to have her sister cured, and initiated into the coven. Whatever she wanted to do to Lilith later, she could do, but first she needed to be cured.

Then Lilith would have to track Luz down and bring her to the castle next, even if she had to drag her niece kicking and screaming the whole way like she had Edalyn. She would fix this. She had to.

“Just a little longer, sister, and you’ll be free again.” Lilith promised, taking a step closer to the bubble, wishing to lay a hand upon it to reassure the beast inside that she meant it no harm.

That was just what the Owlbeast had wanted though, for her to come closer. The moment her hand touched the bubble, it lunged again, spreading its wings and forcing its claws out in every direction, overwhelming the bubble and bursting it. Lilith’s eyes went wide as she realized she wouldn’t have time to cast a shield spell, and had left her staff behind, so wouldn’t be able to defend against the claws with it like she had last time. The Beast was going straight for her throat, when-

Eda was hurled across the room, slamming into a wall. Lilith, in shock, could only stand still as footsteps approached, and soon the Emperor was standing beside her, staff in his hands. “Now Lilith, it’s unlike you to be so… open and trusting. You should have kept one hand armed when you outstretched the other.”

With a single finger, not even a spell circle in sight, the emperor summoned forth bindings to keep Eda tied down. “I-I’m sorry, my Lord. Please, forgive her. She’s still in her cursed form, I’m sure she’ll be far better behaved once her mind is her own again-“

“We’ll just have to see about that.” Belos replied coolly, his voice as level and emotionless as ever. He raised his staff into the air, sending a beam forth that struck the Owlbeast in the head, causing it to wail and try its best to escape confinement.

Then Eda was back, in mind, at least, looking around, confused and disoriented. Her eyes landed on the Emperor, then Lilith, lips pulling back into a snarl, “Well, fuck. Thanks for nothing, you big feathered menace, you couldn’t even fulfil my last wish right, could you? And now we’re both caught.”

Belos seemed almost amused by his captives' annoyance over not being able to kill one of his Coven Leaders, bending over to face her. “Edalyn Clawthorne. The Infamous Owl Lady, the Wild Witch of Bonesborough, Mother of Luz Noceda-Clawthorne, and Mentor of Amity… eh, No last name on record. Unfortunately, I suppose there are even gaps in my knowledge, eh?”

“I swear, if you lay one grimy finger on those kids, I will put a claw through each of those eyeholes,” Eda warned.

“You have me all wrong, Edalyn. I don’t intend on harming either of those children, nor that runt of a demon you keep as a pet. No, I just want the portal the human came through.”

“Well, tough shit, you’re not getting anything out of me.” Eda literally growled. In that moment the Emperor backed off, standing at his full height.

“A pity to hear that, though I suppose I could always just ask the human herself. Or perhaps even your daughter.” He raised a hand, summoning the guards by the door to take Eda away.

“Don’t you dare. I won’t let you touch them, you keep your hands off of them!” Eda fought, desperate to get out of her bindings even as she was dragged away. With no other options, she turned to her sister and with the last words she could get out before the doors closed called out, “Lilith, if I ever meant anything to you, you won’t let him hurt my kids! Don’t let hi-“

The doors shut, cutting Eda off. Lilith gulped, hands dangling uselessly at her sides, “You’re taking her to be healed? Right? Like you promised?”

“I will not be healing her.” Belos replied simply, as if those words wouldn’t break Lilith like fragile glass.

“W-what?”

“You must understand, Lilith. She tried to kill you. She’s expressed disappointment that she was unable to kill you. And she has even threatened me as well.” Belos kept his tone even, if a little condescending as if he was explaining this to a child. “Your sister clearly has no interest in joining the Emperor’s Coven, which was part of our deal. She clings to being a Wild Witch, and as the Titan’s Will demands, she must be punished as one, as they all must be before the Day of Unity.”

He put a hand on her shoulder, as if trying to offer comfort, though his tone implied no sympathy, “You understand, of course?”

Lilith didn’t. She couldn’t. Yet she obeyed, “Of course.”

Belos strode past her, happy, or at least satisfied with her response. He stopped suddenly, turning back to face her, “Oh yes, and could you dispose of the Owl Lady’s staff? Put it with the others, if you will. She won’t be needing it anymore.” With a snap of his fingers, Owlbert appeared before Lilith, falling into her hands.

No sooner had the Emperor left her in disgrace did she fall to her knees, clinging to her sister’s Palisman. What had she done?

“Perry Porter coming to you live from outside the Emperor's Castle. Edalyn Clawthorne, known commonly as-“

The half finished plans on the table were quickly abandoned by Camila and the kids as the Crystal ball burst to life with an emergency announcement. Gus’s Dad, who Amity hadn’t yet met, but Luz had plenty of times, and had even had dinner with the Noceda family on many occasions over the years, was speaking, announcing Eda’s capture.

“Took them long enough…” Luz muttered, wondering why it had taken until nearly mid-day for the announcement.

The camera panned to the Emperor’s Assistant, Kikimora, who announced that Eda had ‘attacked’ a coven leader’ and would be petrified as a Wild Witch. But more importantly, she had given a time and location, The Conformatorium at sundown.

That didn’t give anyone here much more time to make their plans. “I know a bit of the layout of the Conformatorium from when we broke in there. I’m sure I can get us inside.” Amity spoke, already altering the plan of attack from charging the castle to sneaking into the prison.

The news story focused next on Lilith, who had been the one the Owl Lady was charged for attacking, making Luz shake in anger. “She lied to us. For all these years, she lied! It was bad enough she’d bad mouth Mom about her curse when they would argue, but now knowing she’s the one who did it? How low can you get?”

Camila clenched her jaw, wishing she could get her hands on the bruja who had done this to Eda and her daughter. She was by no means a violent woman, but she hoped she could find Lilith and be the one to strangle the life out of her herself.

Seeing as Lilith was clearly not dead, Amity laid a hand on Luz’s shoulder, settling her down, “We’ll handle Lilith later. We need to focus on our planning now.”

Amity stood from her seat, moving over to the box Eda had left her, and taking her own cloak out. It was identical to Luz’s, the same shade of blue that the Witch’s wool had been before Eda had started it. Every fiber, every strand, knit with love and care. Beside it was a note left for Amity, saying “To my cherished student, who makes me so proud.”

Amity swallowed, her throat tight as she willed tears not to spill, taking the cloak out and putting it on her shoulders, then returned to the table to continue making their plans. “Where should we start?”

“Well, how did you get in to the Conformatorium last time?” Camila asked, turning the volume on the Crystal ball down.

“You know, I expected this would be a little better guarded by now,” Amity panted as she climbed up the side of the Conformatorium on a long vine she had used a plant glyph to summon.

“I wish we had Owlbert. This is just exhausting.” Luz grunted, climbing up right behind her.

With one final effort, Amity reached the windowsill, the same one she had climbed through all those weeks ago, and clambered inside the Conformatorium. The cell block that the prisoners she’d broken out was empty, barren of any guards, the only sound the clanking of chains that were hung from the ceilings of the cells drifting in the cold breeze that went through the building.

Amity offered her hand and pulled Luz up after her, the two blushing momentarily at the contact despite their predicament. “Okay, first things first, we need to go find a guard to interrogate so we can find your Mom. Then, we give her as many elixirs as we can,” Amity patted the bag she’d brought with her, stuffed with the glass vials.

“And then we skedaddle before we get caught.” Luz nodded, as they made their way deeper into the depths of the castle.

Camila brushed through the gathering crowd in the Conformatorium’s courtyard. A wide audience had gathered in the short time allotted before the petrification ceremony was to begin.

While the girls were sneaking through the main building, Camila’s job was to wait outside until either Luz and Amity pulled off their rescue, or to attempt to save Eda herself if they brought her out before the girls could find her. Camila hadn’t liked this plan, but knew it was necessary. The Conformatorium was large, and easy to get lost in. If the girls ran out of time searching, there wouldn’t be any way to save Eda from the inside.

All around her the people were nervous, questioning the petrification. One hadn’t happened in thirty years, after all, and some didn’t believe Eda deserved it. It wasn’t like she was a dangerous murderer, she was a playful crook and scam artist. An Icon of Bonesborough, beloved more than she was feared.

One of the people Camila brushed past was murmuring to another, “Did they even give her a trial? I didn’t hear anything about a trial.”

“This is all happening way too fast. What is the Emperor’s Coven thinking with this display?”

Camila pushed past the crowd, making her way towards the front where she’d be able to act if their plan came to its worst, but the sea of people was making that difficult. They were all pushing and shoving, everyone wanting a good last look at the famous Owl Lady when she was brought out, before she was forever turned to stone.

“Excuse me!” Camila cried, pushing past a few more people, only to lose her balance and crash into someone else. Both of them fell to the ground, scraped and bruised, rained down by pieces of paper.

Camila groaned as she pushed herself up to her knees, hand reaching for one of the papers, “Pamphlets?”

The woman she had run into quickly began to gather the rest of her scattered pamphlets, muttering under her breath before turning her attention to Camila fully. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t see you there.”

Camila balked at the woman, dressed in red and black, with a hairy bat mask on her face. The woman, younger and nimbler than Camila, was back on her feet first, helping the mother to her feet. “No, no, it’s alright. I wasn’t watching where I was going either.”

The woman politely waved Camila’s apology off, sending her a bright, if pointy toothed, smile. Gesturing to the pamphlet in Camila’s hands, she questioned, “Are you perhaps interested in joining the BATs? We could always use more like minded individuals!”

Camila looked down at the pamphlet, noticing the words ‘The Bards Against the Throne’ on it. “Uh, I honestly haven’t even heard of you, I’m sorry.”

The woman sighed, but accepted the answer, “That’s fine. We’re a newer, smaller movement. I came out here to try and recruit new members, but officially we’re here to protest the petrification ceremony as an example of Belos’ unjust rule.”

Camila’s ears perked at that, her interest peaked. “Well, now I’m curious. I don’t want this farce of an execution to happen anymore than you do. Think you can help me out? Is the rest of your group here?”

The woman grinned, offering Camila her hand, which the older woman shook. “I’m Katya, by the way.”

“Camila Noceda,” She introduced herself. Katya gestured for her to follow, and they moved through the crowd, moving away from the petrification stage and off to the far right wall of the courtyard, where a small gathering of tents had been set up. Many of them were selling merchandise or food, scavengers eager to make money wherever the people would be. Camila scowled as the vendors tried to get her to buy special petrification themed items from them as she walked by their stalls, until Katya motioned for her to enter one particular tent. Unlike the others that were open and exposed for business, this one had the flaps closed, keeping whatever was inside in the shadows.

Katya entered first, taking her mask off as she did so, “Hey, boss, I think I found someone interested in becoming a member!”

Inside the small tent, cloaked in darkness broken only by a single lantern and what light peeked through the flaps and seams of the tent, were three figures Camila didn’t recognize. One was a dark skinned man, standing off in the corner. The other was a short young woman, likely only a few years out of Hexside, or whatever school she had gone to. The last was bent over a table, looking at what looked like a map, or blueprints of some kind. Their hair was short, a faded mint green, and they appeared to be the one in charge.

Also, to Camila’s discomfort, they were all wearing the same bizarre, ugly bat masks that Katya had been wearing a moment before. It creeped the woman out, especially with the dim lighting of the tent.

Despite the intimidation they all had, the leader of the bunch seemed caught off guard to see a stranger in their tent, “Oh, uh, hello!” They spoke lamely, then immediately looked embarrassed, cursing themselves under their breath.

“Come on, get it together, make a good first impression.” The masked bard muttered, then cleared their throat, “Welcome! We are the Bards Against the Throne!”

“The BATs!” The other members hissed out, making Camila jump. She was regretting coming inside of this tent.

“Oh no, this is a cult, isn’t it?”

Their leader quickly shook their head, waving their hands in front of them, “No no! They’re just eccentric! We are bards, after all, haha!” They looked nervous, in a way that Camila was beginning to feel sorry for them.

Not wanting to lose Camila’s support, Katya gave the woman a little push forward, “Come on, as our newest member you should introduce yourself.”

Camila licked her lips, “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in joining you.”

The entire group deflated, none so more than Katya, though that might just be because Camila could actually see the disappointment in the girls eyes without the mask on. Before she could be kicked out of the tent, Camila continued, “I came here for help. You’re protesting the Petrification, right? I need your help to stop it outright.”

The Leader glanced to their partners, mouth open, before centering back on Camila, “I- I’m sorry, but this is a formal protest, not an active rebellion. I’m doing what I can, but we don’t have the numbers to go out and actively defy the Emperor. We usually stage smaller, more covert ops. Relocation of accused wild witches, food drops, that sort of thing-“

“Then why even come here?!” Camila exclaimed, “You should know better than anyone the Emperor doesn’t change his mind over mere words of disappointment. Eda will be petrified if we don’t stop this from happening.”

The BAT leader frowned, then carefully removed their mask. Fishing in their pockets, they placed a pair of glasses over their eyes, and gestured for Camila to step closer. “I-, er, I’m Raine, just so you know, and I’d like to help, really. We do have a greater purpose here, one that is important.”

They gestured to the map they had laid out on the table, areas of it marked with circles in red ink. “We came here to raid the Emperor’s stores of petrified prisoners. This may be the first petrification ceremony in decades, but it’s far from the only one ever to happen. There are hundreds of Statues of witches hidden in chambers throughout the Conformatorium, not to mention decorating the place as a sign of the Emperor’s power.”

They continued, looking Camila in the eye, looking just as tired as Camila felt. “We have come here today because we might not get a better chance. With this many people, we can sneak in unnoticed and… free these poor witches.”

Camila’s eyes widened, “Do you mean you’ve found a cure?”

The tent was quiet. Across from Raine, the dark skinned BAT silently shook his head, gesturing to a large metal mallet by the foot of the table. “Oh. You’re… going to...”

Their Leader nodded somberly. “Each of these prisoners are still alive. Locked in stone form, unable to die, but far from living. Conscious, and never able to sleep. We plan to break in and shatter as many of these statues as we can, and free them from their thirty long years of torment. That is the true reason why we are here. The protest is just the cover.”

They turned away from Camila, eyes downcast, “I’m sorry, but we can’t help you.”

Raine breathed out a heavy sigh, “This is hard, I know. Trust me, I’ve thought about it before. I… used to know Eda, back when we were kids. She was one of my best friends in school. I really looked up to her. She used to defend me from bullies after I transfered into Hexside, and here I can’t even do the same for her. I can’t save her from the biggest bully of them all. She used to tell me- She’d tell me ‘us weirdos-‘”

“‘-have to stick together.’” Camila finished quietly, to the surprise of the bard.

With a watery glance Camila’s way, Raine asked, “If it’s not too much to ask, how do you know Edalyn?”

Camila pressed her hands to the table, leaning her weight against it, breathing heavy, “She’s the mother of my child.”

Raine’s breath hitched in their throat, and they removed their glasses, pinching at the bridge of their nose. Steadying their shaky breath, they asked, “She has a kid?”

Camila nodded. “Three, really. A biological daughter she had with me. A tiny demon cub she’s basically raised before he could speak, and a teenage apprentice she’s all but adopted.”

Raine nodded, willing tears not to fall from their misty eyes. It was all too much for them to take in. They’d gone into this knowing they were going to lose a friend, and yet this woman was losing a member of her family, the mother of her children, and there was nothing they felt they could do but offer platitudes and apologies.

The shortest BAT member poked her head out of the front of the tent, then peeked back inside, “Uh, Boss? You might want to see this.”

Shaking their head and willing themselves to push forward, Raine stepped towards the edge of the tent, “What is it, Amber?”

Raine opened the tent flap, seeing the mob that had come to see the petrification chanting. Up near the stage, with the news crew, a commotion was happening. Eda had been brought out, high above the crowd on the execution platform, and yet despite that, the crowd was focusing on two children who had stolen the mic from the news reporter, Perry Porter.

Camila joined Raine’s side, watching as Gus and Willow riled the crowd, getting them to cheer for Eda’s release. “Let Eda go! Let Eda go!”

“It looks like children have taken over your job of formally protesting,” Camila breathed, passing by the bard. Eda was out, and she needed to be rescued. Whatever had happened with Luz and Amity had failed, and now she had to do her part.

“Wait.” Raine grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. They seemed conflicted, before finally finding their determination, storming back into the tent and back to their map with a face made of stone. “Amber, Katya, Derwin, I need you to hit here, here, and here. Be fast, be quick, and get out before you get caught.”

“What about you, boss?” Derwin asked, picking up his hammer.

Raine swallowed, “There are plenty of petrified witches out here in the courtyard. I’ll take care of them. I think you all know what this means. From this moment on, we’re not going to be a small time covert group. This will mean open rebellion. P-public attention.” They stuttered at the very idea, but didn’t falter.

With one more glance at each of their team, Raine added, “This isn’t what any of you signed up for. If you want to back out, now’s your chance.”

“We got it boss.” Derwin flashed a thumbs up.

“We’re with you all the way!” Amber bounced, throwing her fists into the air.

Katya gaped like a fish, before excitedly fastening her mask back on into place, “Finally! I get to recapture that feeling of revolution, and in the Conformatorium again of all places! Dreams really do come true!”

Raine picked up a hammer themselves, grunting at its weight, then joined Camila outside. “Thank you.” Camila uttered, heading off for the petrification platform.

“No thanks necessary,” Raine assured, “I’m just doing my job. I break these statues, and you get your distraction. And hey, if you see Eda again before I do…”

The witch bit their lip, then smiled, “Tell her she still owes me that Grom dance.”

Camila nodded, then raced forward, not having any time left to lose as the Petrification process began and the stage began to glow green.

Earlier…

Luz and Amity had found some guards. A lot of guards, actually. And the Warden. And Kikimora. They were pretty sure they’d run into everyone sans the Emperor himself and the one person they’d been searching for, but at least they had got directions after issuing some threats and nearly burning a few faces off with a fire glyph.

Eda was in one of the lowest chambers inside of the Conformatorium, right below the execution platform. It was quite the climb down from the tower they had started in, but with the element of surprise, a lot of spells from Luz and a ton of glyphs from Amity, the two managed to take down anyone who got in their way, moving in tandem in a way that made them almost a blur.

They broke inside the chamber Eda was supposed to be in with a well placed ice glyph on the lock, then made sure to close the door behind them. Unless someone was looking for it, they’d likely just walk by and never notice the lock had been removed. They were greeted by a dark room, full of chains and cages, and the sound of growling.

“Mom!” “Eda!”

The two teenagers raced forward, skidding to a halt at the sight of the monstrous bulk that was the Owl Lady in her cursed form. Neither girl had ever seen her like this before, her body various shades of grey and nothing but feathers and claws.

Luz let out a whimper, “Mom…”

Amity studied Eda’s body, amazed at the size. Luz had seemed large when she had transformed, but Eda was bigger by almost twice the size. A full grown OwlBeast was an intimidating sight to behold. Amity reached into her bag, palming the elixir within as Luz took a few steps closer, trying to get the beast's attention.

“Mom? It’s me. T-time to take your elixir…” Luz stuttered, reaching out towards the growling behemoth, then giving her feathered body a sharp poke with the end of her finger. “Come on, wake up!”

The Owlbeast snapped immediately, knocking Luz off her feet as she turned to face the girl, roaring as Luz tried to crawl back and out of her reach. “Ah!! It’s me, Mom, it’s Luz!”

Before Amity could chuck the elixir into the gaping maw of the monster, the Owlbeast’s black eyes blinked, returning to their white and gold. “Luz?”

“Mom!” Luz was back on her feet, arms around Eda’s neck, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. “You’re okay. And you’re… you, despite being all beasty.”

“It’s something Belos did to me. I don’t know how, but he did. Look, you and Boots, you can’t be here, you need to get out, now!” Eda spoke frantically, her voice laced with panic.

“Not until we’ve rescued you!” Luz insisted. Amity stepped forward, handing the girl a fire glyph which she applied to the chain, only for it to do nothing. They tried again with ice, only for the spell to dissolve. “This could be an issue.”

Eda shook her head, equally frustrated and endeared, “Why did you have to inherit my stupid recklessness? Now get out, your magic isn't strong enough to break through these chains.”

Luz and Amity exchanged glances, “Then it’s a good thing we planned for that.” Amity said, riffling through her hair and pulling out a Bobby pin, handing it over to her accomplice.

“Good thing you taught me how to pick locks when I was five, huh?” Luz waggled her eyebrows, and began to get to work on the cuff around Eda’s neck. “Stay still, this will be quick.”

Eda opened her mouth to argue, but Amity silenced her, “We’re not leaving until you’re free. All your yelling is going to do is alert the guards and make it harder for Luz to get you out.”

“You don’t understand, the Emperor never wanted me for his dumb coven. He wanted me for the door to the Human Realm. I didn’t give it to him, but he’s all but said he isn’t above using you guys for leverage.” Eda tried to explain, but at least did as Amity asked and kept still, letting Luz do her work.

Amity frowned, “Then why petrify you? How does that even make any sense. He can’t use us as leverage if you’re made of stone. Unless… He knew we would come here to try and save you, and this was…”

Amity groaned, pulling at her hair, “This is a trap! Of course it’s a trap! If you have the door and we come to rescue you, he gets the door by threatening us until you give it up. And if you don’t have the door, and we do, he threatens you with petrification so we’ll hand it over!”

“I know! You don’t need to tell me, I figured this out long before you showed up. Now you need to get out of here before he springs that trap.” Eda said sternly.

“There, I’ve got it!” Luz exclaimed, the clamp around Eda’s neck clicking and falling to the ground with a loud crash that made them all wince.

Eda cracked her neck, rubbing at the ring it made around her neck, “You wouldn’t believe how much that thing chafes.”

Amity paced, thinking. “Eda, do you have the door with you?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s hidden under all these feathers, but I never take the key off from around my neck. We need to destroy it before the Emperor finds that fact out.” Eda answered, using a talon to show the key in her possession.

“Then if we know it’s a trap, can’t we use this to our advantage?” Amity asked. “He’ll be expecting us to rescue you, after all. But he probably wasn’t expecting us to use the Bobby pin trick to unlatch you. Even free though, he could still use us against each other, unless we use that against him ourselves.”

Luz blinked, trying to wrap her head around Amity’s way of thinking, “Uh, does that mean you have a plan, or…?”

“Your apprentice is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for, Edalyn.” Lilith’s familiar voice came from the door. All eyes went to her, and in a flash Eda was charging, using her claws to pin Lilith against the door by her neck.

Lilith choked, gasping for air as Eda sneered down at her. “Did you really come all this way down here, just to mock me one last time before I became a statue, Lily?”

“Pl… please, Eda,” Lilith struggled to get out, her sister’s grip tightening with every syllable. “Le-let me explain.”

“Mom!” Luz ran to her mother’s side, tugging at her mother’s elbow. “You need to stop, please!”

“Why should I?” Eda snarled, her voice becoming deeper, more monstrous the longer she suffocated her sister. “After everything, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t break her neck right here for what she’s done to us?”

“Because she’s got Owlbert!”

Lilith’s face was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen, the owl Palisman slipping from her grip and clattering to the floor. It was the noise that snapped Eda out of it, shaking her head and reigning in her fury, making her release her sister who followed after the Palisman, falling to the stone floor on all fours, coughing and gasping for air.

Eda’s hands weren’t meant for holding something like her Palisman anymore. A fact Amity seemed to catch onto as she came around, scooping the staff off the ground and holding it close. As much as they all hated the woman in front of them, as much as they despised her for what she’d done, they couldn’t deny the fact that she’d come bearing Eda’s staff, meaning she’d come to help her sister escape.

Eda began to pace, looking much like a Lion eyeing her prey, “Fine, you keep asking for a chance to explain, so start. Maybe that will buy you another minute or two.”

Lilith struggled to speak, her throat already red and swollen, and would be bruised in the morning if her sister allowed her to live that much longer. “It was only supposed to last a day!”

Eda continued to pace, “What was?”

Lilith wailed, looking pitiful. Her mascara ran down her face as easily as her tears, caused by guilt and the pain of strangulation. “Your curse! And it wasn't ever supposed to change you! I just wanted to seal away your magic for a day so I could win, it was never supposed to turn out like this!”

“Win?” Eda questioned, stopping in her tracks, “Win what? What could have possibly been so important you’d curse your only sister, even for a day?”

“W-when we applied for the Emperor’s Coven together. When we were supposed to duel for a place in it.” Lilith cried. “You would have beaten me, because you were right, yesterday. You were always better than me, but then you-“

“- I forfeit. I refused to fight you and let you have the spot.” Eda finished, remembering that day, three decades ago. It was a bit of a blur, the only thing that truly stuck out in her memory before Lilith stirred them up being that’s when she had her first transformation.

“Please, Edalyn. Let me help you. Really help you. I thought he’d heal you, but you were right. The Emperor lied to me. He tricked me. All he ever wanted was your portal door.”

Eda sat on her haunches, glaring at her sister with cold eyes. “And why should I give you another chance? After all you’ve done?”

Amity laid a hand on Eda’s shoulder, a task that wasn’t easy when it was a foot above the girl's head. “Actually, Eda, this could work in our favor for my plan.”

Eda rolled her eyes, “Ugh, fine, but I had better love this plan!”

“Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?” Eda snarked, back on the platform that would elevate her to the petrification stand with the chains around her neck once more. “Because this is a terrible plan.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I picked the lock once, I can do it again.” Luz assured her from her hiding spot under Eda’s wing.

Amity held tight the portal door key in her hand, feeling anxious. “It’s only a matter of time before someone comes to check on us. You were supposed to go out a few minutes ago, but the enchantment to take you up was broken when we took the collar off. If what Lilith explained is correct, putting it back on is necessary for the platform to rise.”

“I know, it’s not exactly the most promising sounding idea, but we’ve already discussed it. We can’t all fight our way out of here. The hallways are too narrow, and you’re too big of a target, Edalyn. We’ll need to get out through the top.” Lilith spoke, earning glares from everyone in the room.

“Don’t think that just because you’re helping us that we trust you,” Luz muttered, face poking out from under her mother’s wing. “I’ll be watching you.”

Amity sighed, hoping her plan didn’t fall apart before it could even get started. “Just remember to signal me when you’re ready, Luz.”

Lilith stood by nervously, “Hopefully this works, and Edalyn can get free. We just need to-“

“Ah, Lilith. You chose the wrong side.”

There was the Emperor, right on time. With a blast of magic, Lilith was sent smashing into Eda’s body, which due to her bulk didn’t even make her flinch. The collar around Eda’s neck transformed and expanded into a cage, locking all three Clawthornes inside. No sooner had this spell activated did the platform under the cage begin to lift, transporting them to the petrification platform above.

“Boots!” Eda called down to her apprentice, “You’d better get out of there in one piece!”

Amity, for her part, tried not to feel too nervous. She was only going to have to fight against the most powerful witch to have ever lived, if you believed the propaganda at least. With a glance back towards Belos, she put the key around her neck, making sure he’d see it, and held Owlbert out in front of her, ready to fight.

Belos held out a hand, as if asking her to lower the staff, “If you’d like to obey your mentor's last wish, I’d suggest you lower your weapon, Human. After all, I’d merely like to talk.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told you really like to do that.” Amity challenged, keeping Owlbert raised but not yet casting a spell. “From what I’ve heard, you just love the sound of your own voice.”

The Emperor chuckled behind his mask, “Yes, well, it comes with the territory of being ruler. Could we perhaps be civil here? No one appreciates having a staff pointed at them.”

Amity kept her face blank as she began to lower the staff, only to give in to her anger at the man by lifting it back up and sending a blast at the Emperor, who melted into the floor before he could be hit, reappearing behind her. “That wasn’t a very bright move, human.”

As soon as the platform was raised to its zenith, Luz leapt from her hiding spot from under her mother’s wing, surprising the guards around the cage when another figure was in the cell. And that was on top of their surprise to see Lilith caged as well. Luz took a look around at the guards, sending a little wave, “Uh, hi?”

One of them waved back, only to have his hand smacked down by Kikimora, “Damn it, Steve, we talked about this!”

Luz didn’t waste any time, taking out her Bobby pin and rushing for the lock on the front of the cage, putting her hands between the magical bars while being careful not to touch them. The fabric of her sleeves singed and burned as it brushed against the energy that made up the bars as she slid the Bobby pin inside and began her work for the second time that day.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. “What do you think you’re doing, you little brat? Stop her already!” Kikimora exclaimed, swatting at her guards who began to ready spells to shoot at the teenager.

Of course, that’s where Lilith came in, using her own magic to fire back at them and provide Luz cover. “You’re one to call her a little brat, Kiki, you hardly reach her waistline.”

“You shut your mouth, Lilith! The emperor told me to expect you to join the Owl Lady! I know you’ve betrayed him, just like you’ve betrayed everyone else in your life.” The spiteful demon shrieked, snapping her fingers and summoning the Petrification device.

Eda knew she should be preoccupied with the whole turning to stone thing, but for the life of her she couldn’t focus on that right now. “What in the Titan’s name is going on down there?”

While Lilith was busy striking the Coven guards and Luz was picking the lock, Eda turned to look into the crowd, which seemed to be in full on rebellion mode. People were chanting her name, calling out for her freedom. Some were rushing the platform she was on, starting to scale it. There even seemed to be some nutter in a mask going around breaking statues and screaming viva la resistance.

All of this chaos, for her? It was enough to bring a tear to her eye.

Oh yeah, the petrification. She was wondering why she couldn’t feel her legs.

Turning her attention back to what was right in front of her, Eda positioned her own body so she took the brunt of the green rays of the petrification device, protecting her daughter. Luz did her best, tongue sticking out between her teeth as she worked the lock, and Lilith was still blasting the guards trying to stop Luz, so Eda may as well play her part in all of this. If it at least meant Luz got out of this okay, she’d be fine with that outcome.

Kikimora was barking orders, going full on mad, pulling more guards away from the lower levels to fight back Lilith, which only meant there were less guards to keep the mob below at bay. The entire tower shook from the weight of more bodies than it was built to sustain, until finally the one body who led the charge made it to the top.

“Keep fighting for your Emperor! She’s just one woman! Less than one, look at her, half of her is stone!” Kikimora screeched, only to be swiftly silenced by a fist to the head.

“¡Aléjate de mi familia!” Camila yelled, kicking the fallen demon in the gut. She almost couldn’t believe what she’d done, to a member of the Emperor's Coven even, but it almost felt freeing to take charge for once. If this feeling is why Eda was so rebellious, Camila was beginning to understand.

No sooner had Kikimora fallen did Luz finally crack the lock a second time, making the magical cage vanish into thin air. She raced to her Mama’s side, throwing herself into her arms, before they both remembered the device currently turning Eda and Lilith into stone.

One barrage of spells later, the evil statue crumbled, falling to pieces and its green, petrifcating light fading. Camila watched in anguish as the two women were now more stone than flesh despite her efforts to save them, laying her hands upon both of them. She wasn’t sure why Lilith had been in the cage with Eda, but even she didn’t deserve to be turned into a statue. “I-I’m going to try and heal you, okay? I don’t know if this will work, it’s a spell usually used on beasts, I’m not allowed to use this stuff on witches.”

Camila’s hands glowed as she placed them first on Eda, and then on Lilith, the glow spreading along their bodies and reversing the unfinished effects of the petrification. She breathed a sigh of relief to see their bodies returned, only to take in Eda’s state of being. “Ah, you’ve, uh, certainly gained some weight, Eda.”

Eda chuckled, picking herself up off the ground. “Oh, I know you still find me attractive.”

Eda spread her wings, giving them a flex, “Alright, I’m halfway sure I can carry all of us out of here. Get on and we’ll go.”

“Where is Amity?” Camila asked, looking around for the girl, ignoring the sight of Lilith beside her for now. “She isn’t with you. Did she get out?”

“I’m on it,” Luz answered, typing a message onto her scroll and hitting send. “Now let's go!”

Camila hesitated as the others climbed aboard Eda. When the cursed witch gave her a questioning look, Camila could only gaze out onto the courtyard below. “You go without me. I have something I still need to do down there.”

Eda opened her mouth, but Cam answered the question before it could be asked, “Yes, I’m sure. Go. I’ll be fine. I’m a nobody, just a small town Beast Healer. I’ll blend right back into the crowd.”

“Be safe, Mama!” Luz called, with Lilith just giving her a nod. Eda didn’t look happy, but she didn’t fight, just giving her ex one last look before preparing to bound off the side of the platform.

“Oh, and Eda?” Camila spoke, bringing the cursed witches attention back to her, “I met a witch named Raine today. They told me to tell you you still owe them a dance.”

Eda laughed at that, gesturing to her body with her head, “Yeah, good luck of that ever happening! I used to have two left feet, now I’ve got four!” and with that she took off, flying into the breeze.

Amity had used every trick in the book to fight back against Belos, but it seemed the Emperor was always two steps ahead of her. Every blow she sent he evaded, hardly putting up a fight himself. He’d sent a blast of magic out that could have destroyed her in an instant, only to purposefully miss and hit the ceiling, blowing a hole that let the last of the days light in, just to make her afraid. He didn’t want to damage his prize, after all.

That was all that kept Amity safe. That she had something Belos wanted. And he’d chase after it like a carrot on a stick.

Still, there was a method to Belos’s madness that Amity was picking up on. He especially liked to disappear and reappear behind her, looming over the human with his impressive height. An intimidation tactic. Just because Amity knew that’s what it was didn’t mean it wasn’t effective.

This was her plan, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified out of her mind. If Luz couldn’t get that lock picked, Eda was doomed and Amity had done this all for nothing. If Belos got serious, and Amity lost the door, then this again, was all for nothing. Just because she didn’t care about going back to the Human Realm didn’t mean she wanted to give Belos access to it.

Amity was scared, but she couldn’t afford to be. She couldn’t let him see her that way. She needed to be a bitch. No, she needed to be a Blight.

With his next disappearing act, Amity reacted, throwing up a light glyph behind her where she knew he was most likely to appear, blinding the Emperor momentarily when he did. Then she whipped out her secret weapon, one she’d kept hidden on her until the moment was right. Digging it out of her bag, she pulled a glass flask she’d stolen from the Relic Room the day before, uncorking it. “Abomination! Attack!”

A single Abomination burst from the bottle, quickly forming into a behemoth that matched Belos in size with the intent to smash the blinded emperor. Its hand formed into a large, spiked fist and sent it flying right towards the Emperor’s face. The Abomination’s aim was true, the fist landing dead center of Belos’ mask, sending a few shards flying as the man himself was downed.

For the briefest of moments, Amity was sure she’d killed him. She hadn’t meant to. That wasn’t the plan. She felt horror fill her, until he rose to his feet, bones and body creating loudly, limbs hanging like a puppet that had its strings cut. Once upright, Belos turned around, revealing a cracked, breaking mask, missing a large chunk around his right eye. Inside the once dark pits, the eye she had struck glowed with a sickly neon blue light. That was… fun.

To her surprise, Belos actually seemed fairly amused at her attempts to fight him rather than pained. She had expected anger, a short temper. Instead he treated the whole thing as a game, even as close as he’d come to losing an eye. With a wave of his hands the Abomination was torn to pieces, the goo returning to the bottle like it was being sucked into a vacuum.

“I'm just a humble messenger for the Titan. In the grand scheme of things, the Owl Lady's life is inconsequential.” The Emperor spoke, stepping towards Amity now that her bodyguard of goop was gone. “But then you showed up. If you want to save your mentor, give me the portal to the Human Realm. This is all I ask. A Fair trade, wouldn’t you say? Her life, for the portal?”

He went on to talk about how she probably thought he wanted to conquer the human realm, and that he and the Titan had no interest in such things, but honestly, Amity wasn’t listening to his garbage. Instead her ears were preoccupied by a chime that came from her pocket, indicating a message had been received. Meaning Luz had gotten Eda free, and they were leaving, so it was time for Amity to make her own exit.

“You really want that door, don’t you?” Amity asked while cutting the Emperor off mid sentence, and act that seemed to aggravate him more than the punch had. Pulling the key out from around her neck, she pressed the eye in the center and summoned the portal. She was going a bit off script here, but her fight with the Emperor had shown her just how powerful he was. The bait she’d used to keep his attention on her was too good, and he wouldn’t ever let her leave as long as she had the door on her. She needed to take steps to ensure he never got what he wanted from her, today, or ever.

“The Titan wants it more than anything,” Belos corrected, holding his hand out for her to give it to him.

“I’ve never really bought into all this Titan stuff you love to talk about,” Amity dismissed. She glanced at the door, folded into its briefcase form, and uttered a quiet apology. “Ed, Em, I hope you can find this. If not, I’m sorry. I won’t be able to see you anymore. If I don’t, I’m glad we at least got to make up before we parted ways.”

She expanded the door, opening the portal. The junkyard she and Eda would scavenge from was in plain sight, bringing forth fond memories of digging through trash piles. Turning back to the Emperor, she held out the key through the portal, her body in one realm, and her hand in the other.

“You want this so much, why don’t you go and get it?” Amity called out, then to the Emperor’s horror she pressed the button that could summon and vanish the portal, then dropped the key, letting it clatter to the ground of the human world as she yanked her hand back through to the other side just as the door collapsed, vanishing from existence.

Belos looked past Amity to where the portal had been, his hand outstretched, then brought his eyes level with Amity’s, seething. “You have made a very big mistake, human. Had you honored our deal, I would have let the Owl Lady free. Now you’ve doomed her.”

“You really must love thinking you’re the smartest guy in the room, don’t you?” Amity smirked, mounting Owlbert and beginning to drift up towards the hole in the ceiling. “But the truth is, you lost at your own game. You lost the moment you decided to go up against a Blight.”

“We are the best. We are the strongest. And we never, ever lose.” Amity narrowed her eyes at the Emperor below her, “I especially refuse lose to those who would hurt my friends.”

She had reached a hole in the roof that led outside, nearly out of the Emperor’s grasp, but couldn’t help just one more warning to add insult to injury. “So just remember next time you’re thinking about going after us, there is nothing you want that I’m not willing to take away from you.”

With a grin that would make Eda proud, Amity flew through the hole, chasing after Eda the Owl Lady as they both flew back towards the Owl House.

As Amity disappeared as a speck on the horizon, Belos arrived on the surface, taking the lift upward to the petrification platform. His form shook with unbridled rage, doubled when he realized he had in fact been tricked, the Owl Lady nowhere to be seen. Even then though, his rage stilled at the sight before him.

Below the platform a riot was breaking out. The tents that had been selling Petrification themed merchandise were burning, the statues of Wild witches that served as a warning to his enemies lay broken, and the ones still in one piece were being toppled by the masses. A mixed chant met his ears, half the courtyard screaming “Let Eda go!” While the other half cried out “Down With Belos!”

A full on rebellion seemed at hand in this moment, and he wondered exactly where all of this went so horribly wrong. All of this over the Owl Lady, a petty criminal? He needed to put this to rest. He needed to put the fear of the Titan back into these people. Standing before his subjects, he raised his hands to the sky, “Children of the Isles, The Titan has told me to spare The Owl Lady’s-“

A piece of stone, a part of a fallen statue, was thrown his way, narrowly missing his head. These savages were no longer listening to him. He ducked as yet another was sent his way, hissing as he did so. Before he could make his exit, Belos’s eyes locked down on the one figure amongst the crowd that wasn’t moving. A solid rock among a wave of people, staring right back up at him. A masked figure, dressed in red, white and black, daring him to act.

Belos turned, his cloak fluttering as he did so. “Come, Kikimora. We’re leaving.”

Eda had rougher landings in her life, but this one seemed especially bad. Whatever hold she had over her body was leaving, the Owlbeast fighting for control once more. She hadn’t had an elixir in over a day, and she didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to control herself even if she’d had one.

Amity landed beside Eda, just as Luz was hopping off her back. Lilith joined them on the ground, wincing as her wounds from the previous day caught up with her. She never did get that healing session in, her arms still wrapped in bloodstained bandages as proof of that.

“How’d it go back there, Boots?” Eda asked, blinking rapidly, trying to stay focused, to stay herself.

“I got rid of the door.” Amity responded, avoiding her mentor's gaze. “I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t part of my plan, but it was the only way to make sure he wouldn’t come after us again. If we left with it, he wouldn’t ever leave you alone, and we don’t have the luxury of Lilith’s mercy on our side anymore. I made sure he knew it was gone, and I hope he learned not to cross us again from the encounter. I might have just made him angry, though.”

Eda hummed, her mind full of cobwebs that made her feel so very tired. She tried to shake them off, “It’s fine, kid. Couldn’t be helped. Not like you wanted to go back there anyway.”

“I’m sure someone will find the key. I hope they do.” Amity replied, thinking of Edric and Emira. She hadn’t even got to say goodbye. With any luck they would find it when they came to the Gravesfield dump next week when they were supposed to visit her. Belos would never know, and she’d have doubly tricked him in the process if they managed to open the portal on their end.

Luz, noticing her mother’s struggles to stay in control of herself, reached into her bag and pulled out one of the bottles of elixir she’d brought with them, uncorking it and offering it to Eda to drink.

“I’m not sure any amount of elixir will fix her body anymore,” Lilith commented as Eda took a gulp of the golden potion. “I- need to make this right, sister.”

Lilith stepped forward, cupping Eda’s face in her hands and brought their foreheads together. Only to be roughly shoved aside before she could do whatever it was she’d been trying to do. “What do you think you’re doing, Lilith?”

“I- I was going to-“ Lilith began.

Eda’s face scrunched up, and like a small, petulant child refusing to eat their vegetables, she shrieked out, “No! Nuh uh!”

“Eda! This is the only way to fix what I’ve done!” Lilith protested, and beside them Luz groaned. This was just like every other one of their sibling arguments she’d put up with over the years.

“No! Nope. Not letting you.” Eda said stubbornly. “If you’re going to try any wackado magic to try and cure me, don’t bother. It’s not going to earn a speck of my forgiveness.”

She pushed Lilith towards her daughter, “If anyone, I want you to cure Luz. I’m old. I’ve had decades to make my peace with this. You have some miracle cure up your ass, you use it to save my daughter.”

The two witches looked up at Eda, unsure. “Are you… certain about this? You may never walk in your witchly body ever again.”

“I’m sure. Whatever it is you’re doing, you’d better do it for Luz.”

Lilith nodded, then got on her knees before her niece, holding her face towards hers like she’d done with Eda a moment ago. Luz flinched at the contact, looking very much like she wanted to shove Lilith away like her mother had a moment before, but held back the temptation. Lilith called upon an old childhood memory of herself and Eda, then spoke the words, “With this spell declared, let the pain be shared.”

A blue glow surrounded the two, growing brighter and brighter. Amity had to shield her eyes as it became too much for her to handle, making her feel like she would go blind if she stared directly at it. Beside her, Eda drank deeply from the elixir Luz had given her, feeling a sense of relief when her mind cleared, even if her body remained the same.

When the glow faded, the two witches looked much the same, the only difference being that Lilith now had a streak of grey running through her hair. Luz looked down at herself, curiously examining her hands. “I… I don’t really feel all that different.”

“Neither do I,” Lilith admitted, running a hand through her hair to get a better look at the greys, “Though I do think this worked. It’s not a full cure, Luz, but with the curse split between us, you’ll have a lot easier time handling the beast within you.”

Luz nodded silently, “And my Mom?”

Lilith frowned, “I’m pretty sure that’s all I could take in. If I have half your curse, and try to split that in half… it might not be pretty when that half goes to your mother. She might be dealing with two beasts instead of one. I’m… unsure how any of this even works.”

Eda stepped forward, taking the blackened gem from off her chest and holding it outstretched towards Luz. “Here, kiddo. I won’t be needing this anymore. It’ll help monitor your magic levels, and we can keep track of any changes. I probably should have gotten you one a while ago, honestly.”

Luz took her mother’s gemstone in hand, sniffling as she did so. “Oh come on, it’s not that big a deal!” Eda insisted.

Luz wiped her eyes, “Sorry, I just- I’m glad this cloak wasn’t the last thing you were able to give me, is all.”

Luz pinned it to her shirt, in the center of her collarbone, just as her mother had always worn it. The black faded, the gem returning to its amber color as a sign of Luz’s more healthy magic. Amity placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder, turning the girl around and opening her arms for a hug. Luz accepted it wholeheartedly, leaning into her girlfriend's embrace. Behind them, Eda gagged, then started making her way to her front door.

“Well, as much as this family reunion has been a time and a half… I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Lilith.” Eda called over her shoulder, doing her best to saunter when she had four legs. “And for your own sake, don’t come back. I mean it.”

Lilith gulped, stepping towards her sister, “B-but where will I go? I’m unemployed, I’m technically a traitor to the Empire, and I’m still wounded-“

“Not my problem to deal with,” Eda stated plainly. “If the kids weren’t here, Lilith, you’d already be in the dirt. Go live with Mom and Dad. Titan knows Mom doesn’t spend enough time at home, I’m sure Dad gets lonely. He could use the company.”

Lilith opened and closed her mouth, second guessing her urge to argue when Eda had plainly stated she still would like to kill her for what she’d done. “Very well. I’ll go. Take care of yourself, Edalyn.”

Lilith turned to her niece, pondering her next choice of words, “I may never get the chance to say this again, Luz, but I am so sorry. For everything.”

Luz frowned, then shook her head, “I don’t forgive you. But try and stay safe anyway.”

The older woman felt the barest semblance of a smile touch her lips, “I understand. Thank you.”

Turning towards Amity, the witch had very few words for the human in mind. “I owe you an apology as well. Please watch over them in my stead?”

“I’ll do better than you ever did,” Amity declared, crossing her arms. Lilith couldn’t argue against that, she hadn’t exactly done a good job keeping her family safe, not even from herself.

Eda just grunted at the farewells, turning away from Lilith and stopping in front of her door, immediately finding a problem. “Oh, Titan dammit. I’m too big for the door!”

Luz laughed as she and Amity watched Lilith go, the now covenless witch summoning her staff to fly upon and out towards the horizon, then turned to see Eda grumbling. “I’m sure we can squeeze you in there somehow, Mom.”

“Yeah, we’ll help you shave off a few pounds.” Amity smiled. She wasn’t sure how long Eda would last like this, but the Elixir she’d taken seemed to have at least helped a little, so for now the human wouldn’t worry.

“Hoot! Wow, Eda, you sure look different!” Hooty cocked his head as they approached. “Did you do something new with your hair? It looks amazing! I wish I had hair, hoot hoot!”

The group didn’t have time to respond to the House Demon before they were interrupted by the door he was attached to being thrown open, Hooty himself slamming against the wall of the house with a “hoot!” Of pain, as two familiar pairs of blonde hair throwing themselves out and on top of Amity at the same time a small demon latched onto Eda’s leg.

“Eda! You’re back! I was so worried when you didn’t come back last night!” King wailed, seemingly unconcerned that his mother figure was currently a giant beast.

Meanwhile, Amity’s ears were assaulted by the cacophony of noise her siblings were making. “Mittens! You’re okay!”

“Where have you been?”

“We were worried sick!”

“We waited all friggin’ day and night, with no word at all from anyone! Can we go home yet?”

“We had to obey that little twerp of a demon, and put up with the bird tube, it was awful!”

“We finally got to meet your girlfriend while you were kidnapped, Mittens. You were right, she is really cute-“

“What in the HELL happened to the mean witch lady?!”

“And why do I still find her so strangely attractive?”

“ED!”

“What? I’m just saying!”

Amity’s brain was fried as she processed that her siblings were right in front of her, and not within the confines of the Human Realm as she’d previously believed them to be. She’d said her emotional farewells to them and everything before casting the key through the door for them to one day find! “W-what? What are you doing here?”

“We came to see you, and then you got kidnapped is what happened!” Emira shrieked, her worry still clear in her voice. “First you run away, and then you get taken. I swear it’s like you’re cursed!”

“Oh, man, Mom is going to kill us when we get home!” Edric groaned, hand on his forehead. “I can already hear her yelling!”

Amity stared at them blankly, “Uh… yeah, about that…”

Eda started cackling, starting small and building until she was falling over herself. Beside her, Luz was blushing red at their comments about her being cute, and that Amity had apparently talked with them about it. It was hard not for the witch to feel pleased with herself over that, especially needing the pick-me-up after the last twenty-four hours she’d had.

Finally, Eda sobered, her face full of mirth until something finally occurred to her, “Oh, farts, they’re gonna have to stay with us, aren't they?”

Camila walked through the utterly destroyed courtyard of the conformatorium, her feet kicking through the stones of old wild witches, feeling morbid at the thought that these rocks were the broken remains of what had once been people. Almost everyone had left, leaving the previously packed place feeling like a ghost town, but a few dozen individuals remained. There were really only a few Camila cared about though.

Sitting on the plinth of one such shattered statue was just the person Camila had wanted to see, the one called Raine. They looked tired, their hammer lay abandoned at their feet, a fiddle in its place in the bard's hands as they played with the strings. “You really know how to put on a show.”

The Bard smiled behind their mask, “funny, I was about to say the same about you. I’ve been trying for months to accomplish something big, something that will inspire people to act out, and if you hadn’t spoken up, we may have missed our chance to find an audience. You inspired me to act out in public, and for once it seemed someone listened.”

“A lot of someone’s.” Camila commented. “I especially like the part where you told the crowd, what was it, ‘They’ll never mute the music of our hearts?’”

Raine became flustered, missing a note on their instrument, and making it squeak. “Please don’t bring that one up. I didn’t write the scripts. That’s all Katya. She told us she could write!”

The two chuckled, staring at one another. Around them people moved, townsfolk talking with the other members of the BATs, some looking to join the cause, others just trying to make a difference.

“I changed my mind.” Camila said finally, then upon Raine cocking their head in confusion, she specified, “About what I said in the tent. I want to join you. Make a difference. I- This can’t be the world I let my daughter grow up in. She deserves better than to have to fear her mother can be taken from her at any moment on a tyrant's whim.”

Raine’s lips perked up, “then we’re glad to have you on board.”

“Really? That’s all it takes?” Camila asked, a hint of humor in her voice. “I’m not even a Bard. You have a place for a Beast Healer in your little squad?”

Raine laughed, scratching at their chin, “Well, it still starts with a B. I’m sure we can make it work with the acronym.”

Camila took a look around, at all the dozens of faces still here, still helping the BATs, still working towards their cause. Faces young and old, asking what they could do to make a change. Katya was going to need more pamphlets. “I’m thinking you might have to make a lot of changes to that acronym. Your membership looks like it’s about to soar. How about… Covens Against The Throne?”

Raine’s nose twitched unpleasantly, “I’ll have you know, I’m highly allergic to cats. Just thinking about them makes me have to-“ they stifled a sneeze, readjusting their mask as they recovered.

“Ms. Noceda!” A pair of familiar voices called out, causing Camila to turn her head. Three figures she knew well were coming her way, making the woman grin.

“Gus, Willow! cariños, you’re okay! I was worried with how rowdy the crowds were getting.” Camila opened her arms, allowing both children to throw themselves at her and into her embrace.

“We did it!” Gus grinned, pride exuding from his every pore. “We helped stop the petrification!”

Willow nodded beside him, “We were so worried when we saw Eda on the news. We couldn’t just let her be turned to stone. We had no idea she’d look like that, though.”

Camila frowned, brushing a hand through Willow’s hair, “Eda’s been dealing with a curse for many years now. She’s always been very private about it. It’s such a shame most of the Boiling Isles know about it now.”

Behind her, Raine spoke up, “It was very brave, what you did today.”

Both children looked past Camila, to the odd person in a bat mask. Raine smiled at them, and continued, “You managed to do something that even most adults would have shied away from. Be proud, you very likely saved a life today.”

Gus and Willow exchanged awed glances at the praise as the third figure who came with them approached, microphone in hand. “Hello, odd bat person, I’m Perry Porter, reporter for the BBN-HXN news network. Do you mind if I have a word, or an interview about your movement and the events that transpired today?”

The smile ran away from Raine’s lips, quickly replaced by a quivering frown, “A-an interv-view? N-now?!”

Camila shook her head, trying to hide her smile, “And you’re the one who’s going to be running the revolution, huh?”

Deep within the Emperor's castle, Kikimora paced. “This is a sign of a full on Rebellion as the likes the Isles hasn’t seen in over forty years. We must act swiftly and put all of those traitors down!”

“Calm yourself, Kikimora,” Belos urged gently, hardly paying her rant any mind. “Such things are unimportant in the long run, and will only drain resources from where they are truly needed.”

With the door permanently out of his reach, they had to start from scratch. Not as simple a task as it would seem, as he’d been attempting to make his own for over thirty years, but Belos didn’t get where he was by giving up when things got… inconvenient. “I’ll have Hunter keep an eye on things for us, while we attend to business. Isn’t that right, dear boy?”

In the shadows, the Golden Guard nodded, offering his liege his support.

“In the meantime, the Day of Unity is nearly upon us. We will achieve our goals before then, the Titan demands it.”

Despite the work ahead of him with having to find a way to construct his own portal door, his mind went back to the little girl who stood before him. While Rebellion spelled trouble, he felt that she would be the far worse problem to deal with in the future.

“Nothing I want that you’re not willing to take away from me, eh Amity Blight?”

End of Season One

Chapter Text

The Human world was an amazing, wonderful place.

After Vee had taken that Bus out of Gravesfield, she’d gone as far as it would take her. It just seemed to keep going, and going, long after she’d given up trying to stay awake to see it all, and had fallen asleep. She’d woken to find they were still traveling, hours later.

The sheer distance was astounding, and yet a mere drop in the bucket for the Human world. They must have traveled the length of the Titan, with there still no end in sight. Vee was no stranger to travel, having spent the last year on the run. She’d seen every nook and cranny of the Titan, from the toes to the forehead. Yet as she learned more about the realm she now inhabited, she wasn’t sure if she could see everything the human world had to offer if she had a thousand lifetimes to do so.

After leaving Connecticut, a ‘state’ in this ‘country’ she found herself on, Vee headed west, to a state called ‘New York,’ that also had a city on its coast that had the same name. Curious about such a place, and why it had such a redundant name, she made her way there, taking another bus south-east, until finding her first real stop in this world. She wasn’t exactly sure what happened to the Old York, but it clearly didn’t hold a candle to the bustling city she found herself in.

It was big, for one, and incredibly magical(figuratively speaking). A dozen times larger than Bonesborough, easy. The buildings dwarfed her as she went down those concrete sidewalks, craning her neck up at them in awe at their splendor. When the first night fell, she was almost blinded by the majesty of all the lights that illuminated the streets. It was like the City refused to sleep, just as active in the late night hours as it had been during the day.

And the people! They came in all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. Vee had no idea there was so much variety in humanity before this moment. At first, it unnerved Vee to have so many people around her, making her watch over her shoulder, waiting for someone to notice she wasn’t one of them, but after a while she got used to the hustle and bustle, knocking shoulders with everyone else and the sheer level of noise the humans all made in their daily lives helped drown out the paranoia in her head.

She even managed to make a few friends while she was there.

The first kind stranger to greet her was an older man who had called himself Earl. Vee wasn’t sure what he was the Earl of, and he never gave her his true name, just his title, but he seemed very knowledgeable. Wisdom came with age, after all. Vee assumed he didn’t mention anything but his title because he was a very important Earl, as he disguised himself as a peasant to mingle with the common folk, dressed in clothes as unwashed as himself.

“You know, Vee,” He sniffed, leaning against the building they sat in front as the people passed by, some stopping to drop coins in a cup the man held in his hands, “Have I ever told you about the lizard people?”

Vee’s ears perked at the notion of such a thing, biting her lip and shaking her head despite knowing a lot about lizard people.

“You see, the world is run by them. They’re everywhere. They control everything. Shapeshifters who have the world in their pockets.” He whispered, a maddening look in his eye. “They’re poisoning the water supply, keeping us at each other’s throats, and filling our heads with lies, like the moon landing. Never happened. They made it up. The moon isn’t even real!”

He tapped his temple with a finger, “But they can’t pull the wool over ol’ Earl’s eyes, no. I see them for what they are.”

Earl leaned back, his attention back on the passerbys, cup lifted to take their offerings. Beside him, Vee felt a little spark of hope. Her people must have survived and come here, and were doing so well for themselves, too! She wished those basilisks well in their endeavors, even if she didn’t understand what faking the moon landing had to do with anything.

Earl also showed Vee where she could find the best free food, in the best trash cans, which is how she also met Sophie. Sophie was a young woman who worked at a coffee shop on one of the street corners Earl liked to sit at and do his begger routine, and at the end of her shift she’d make sure to wrap up any uneaten bagels in a plastic bag and set it beside the dumpster for Vee and Earl.

Vee munched into one, mildly stale, but still delicious. “Thanks so much!”

Sophie just smiled fondly at her, shaking her head. “No problem. I can’t have some kid starving in the streets on my conscience if I can help it. Just keep quiet about it, if the manager finds out I’ve been giving these out instead of throwing them away, he’ll freak.”

Vee didn’t know what kind of beast a Manager was, but she was certain it was some type of scavenger that would want to eat the bagels itself. She’d keep her mouth shut, especially if it kept her stomach full.

Then there were all the nice people at the Shelter, of course. It was crowded, often just as loud as it was outside, but it was a warm place to sleep in relative safety when night fell. While Vee had never seen any large and dangerous beasts, or even heard of any outside of the Managers, she assumed they still existed, and it was comforting to have a space for her to rest indoors when the sun sank below the horizon. Sometimes she even got to sleep on a mat instead of the floor.

Vee had never had any of these luxuries before. A full belly, decent company that wouldn’t try to kill her, or turn her over to the Emperor’s Coven, and a place to sleep that she was always welcome to return to? It frequently brought grateful tears to her eyes to have so much.

Then the rain came.

It had just been like any other day in the busy city, Vee sitting beside Earl and collecting coins under the awning of the small coffee shop Sophie worked out of. It had been a slow day, but far from a bad one, when a chill on the wind swept through, sinking its teeth into Vee’s flesh. Standing up and stepping out, the basilisk looked around, wondering what could possibly be up with the weather, when a large, wet drop fell from the sky, splattering against her cheek.

With a shriek, she flew back, under the protection of the awning. Earl laughed heartily at her reaction, the sound lost to Vee as the rain began to come down all at once, hard. The people around them searched for places to stay dry, others pulled out umbrellas, while Vee did her best to keep her shoes from getting wet in the puddles forming around her feet.

She pressed herself against the wall as the water pooled towards her, pulling herself as far away from it as she could, before giving up entirely and opening the door to the coffee shop, slamming it behind her in her attempts to seal out the rain. Behind the counter, Sophie giggled at her antics, “What, afraid of a little rain?”

Afraid? No. Terrified? Absolutely. Vee could remember the last time she’d got caught in the rain, back on the Boiling Isles. She’d been running, and found herself lost in the forests outside of Skull Creek, a town near… well, the Titan’s Skull. She’d bumped into an Emperor’s Coven foot soldier by accident, he hadn’t even suspected she’d been a basilisk at the time, but she’d panicked at the sight of him and had run anyway, only arousing suspicion of herself even more. Before she knew it, she had a squad of Coven Scouts trying to find her amongst the trees outside of town.

Then it started to rain. The coven members retreated in those moments, pulling up shields to shelter themselves until they could get back to town, but Vee had nothing. The splashes of rain burned against her skin as she searched for somewhere, anywhere to hide, a cave, under a particularly large tree branch, anything.

She had found a Snabbit hole. She’d changed her form back to her basilisk body, able to slither and crawl into tighter spaces than she’d otherwise have in a witch or demon’s form, and took refuge in the Snabbit’s den.

Snabbits, much like Earth rabbits, like to burrow. Unlike Earth rabbits, Snabbits also have large sharp teeth, and are carnivorous. She had had to fight the beast, suffering a copious amount of bites until she could drain it of enough of it’s magic to knock it unconscious, and spent the rest of the night curled up beside it, bruised, bleeding, and hoping there wasn't enough rain to flood the burrow and boil her alive.

All of that fear was still inside of her, coming back to her in the coffee shop. She hadn't realized she was shaking until Sophie was beside her with a worried frown on her face, pressing a warm drink into Vee’s hands and helping her find a seat. “You really don’t like the rain, huh?”

Vee silently shook her head, before realizing Sophie had brought her a coffee, “oh, wait-“ She reached into her pockets, to take the change she’d gathered as a beggar to pay, but the other woman brushed her off.

“It’s on the house, sweetie. Just don’t tell the manager.” Sophie gave her a pat on the head and headed back for the counter, back to the line of customers she had to ignore to tend to Vee, “Though you can’t expect freebies in the future, not when the rainy season’s just beginning.”

Rainy season? Vee gulped at the very notion. She had to get out of this city. She had to find some place much drier.

And that was how she found herself back on another bus, months after her arrival in New York, a bag of bagels in hand, fresher than the ones Sophie normally gave her, and a pocket full of change that Earl had gifted. She’d miss her new friends, but as the days had gone on, and the rains only got worse, she couldn’t stand to stay.

Earl had come to see her off, “A girl like you can do better than a town like this. Forget about ol’ Earl, go out there and be someone.”

The first dry place she’d looked into was called Phoenix, a city named after the firebirds. Apparently humans thought they were graceful, immortal creatures of rebirth, rather than jerks who dive bombed anyone who came into their territory, then blew themselves up in a ball of fire. Vee quickly struck that off her visit list.

Next was a desert called Death Valley, which Vee refused to visit for obvious reasons. She was trying to escape the rains to avoid a cruel death, thank you very much.

She’d heard of someplace called Las Vegas that hardly ever got rain. Maybe she’d head there?

As it turned out, Las Vegas was very far away. So far it was mind boggling for the little basilisk, who quickly realized that by the buses she normally took it would take weeks of travel time, and expenses, not to mention planning. If she went the way she was, she’d have to plan the trip state by state, city by city. It also wasn’t sustainable on the limited cash she had.

She’d have to take a bus that went cross country, rather than the ones that made lots of stops. It’d be more expensive, but it’d take only a fraction of the time and planning. Unfortunately, her first bus was taking her farther north, rather than westward like she’d wanted, putting her back in the border of Connecticut. It was there that she’d catch the cross country bus, though she had a wait time of a few hours ahead of her before it arrived.

Knowing this was her last chance to do anything that wasn’t sitting in a bus seat for the next few days, Vee took the opportunity to find something to keep herself entertained that was within her very strict budget. She’d snuck into a few Grudgby games played at schools during her days in the Demon Realm, wanting to see what the fuss was about. The crowds of witches meant hiding under the bleachers and peeking through the legs that sat in the stands, but it had always been fun to see despite that. To feel almost like one of the crowd. So she settled on that, a sports game. Schools usually had sports played at them for free.

It was just her luck that the local high school did, in fact, have a game that night. The one with the feet, and the ball, and the heavy pads the players wore. It seemed rather tame compared to Grudgby, and she didn’t understand all of the rules, but being able to sit in the bleachers, cheering for the teams with the fans, partaking in the festivities, all added up to being her favorite sports experience of her life thus far.

One thing the teams in both worlds had in common was the presence of Cheerleaders, doing short sequenced dances and cheers for their respective teams. When half time began, Vee watched with a bright smile on her face as they made pyramids and performed acrobatics and flips. As she watched though, she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched back. An old familiar feeling buzzed in the back of her head, tickling her paranoia that had saved her plenty of times in the Demon Realm. Still, she’d been safe now for months, there wasn’t any reason to fear anything here in the Human Realm.

The game was a close one, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The scores were tied, less than a minute left in the game, when the Gravesfield Giraffes star player managed to score a touchdown, winning their team the game. The stands erupted into cheers around her, Vee standing in her seat to join the rest of the humans. In that moment she caught a glimpse of someone, a flash of blonde hair and a pair of eyes staring her down on the side of the field, too busy looking at the basilisk to join in the celebrations with the other cheerleaders.

Vee lowered her arms mid-cheer, her expression falling alongside them, wondering who this person could possibly be. Those eyes spoke of disbelief and worry, and more than a little anger. A numbing chill flared up in Vee’s spine as she realized that this person, whoever they were, knew her. Or knew the body she currently was running around in, at least.

She needed to leave. Vee didn’t even know the name of the girl whose face she was wearing, and if there was one thing she’d learned while on the run from the Emperor’s Coven, knowing little about who you were impersonating was the worst way to blend in. Trapped on all sides by people in the throes of victory, Vee did her best to try and squeeze past them, avoiding elbows and almost tripping over feet as she did so, her eyes flickering over to the girl in the cheerleader outfit who was marching in her direction, filled with purpose and with a lot less bodies in her way.

Vee scrambled to get away, but the crowds kept pushing her back as she desperately tried to squeeze through. “Excuse me, pardon me, please move!”

Behind her, the other girls' dangerous aura made these same people part, eager to not get in her way or be on the receiving end of her bad side. “Amity!”

Was that supposed to be her name? She wasn’t a fan of it, it didn't suit her at all. Vee tried her best to ignore the girl’s calls. She was almost home free, just a bit farther and she would be through the gate and out of the stadium. She didn’t have enough magic to change her appearance, not after all these weeks, but if she could just get away, get free from the crowd, she could make a run for it and find someplace to hide until her bus arrived. Just a bit more and-

A hand grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her back suddenly. Vee felt her breath leave her lungs as she was forced to face the other girl, who’s hair was messy and frayed, face red and teeth clenched. For one horrible moment, Vee thought she’d be chastised in public for whatever this Amity character had done to this girl, but it seemed the human had enough sense to not want to make a scene and dragged Vee behind the bleachers and away from prying eyes.

Vee gulped as she stared into the fire that was in the Cheerleader’s eyes. She shook and seethed, anger in every pore, releasing her tight grip on Vee’s wrist to instead grab a handful of her shirt and shake the poor basilisk. “Where in the world have you been, Amity?!”

Vee’s mouth opened and closed, unable to answer, but she didn’t need to as the other girl continued to rant. “You ditched me, then you ditched school, and you ignored my texts, and my calls, and no one even bothered to tell me you’d run away for over a week! Then the twins vanished off the face of the Earth! Are they with you? Was this some kind of scheme to get away from home, or something?”

The grip on Vee’s shirt slacked a little, the anger leaving the other girl, tears pricking at her eyes and dimming the flames behind them, “Did you really hate me so much you couldn’t even tell me you were going?”

Vee finally found some words, blurting out, “I don’t hate you!”

And it was true, she didn’t even know this girl. But whoever she was, she didn’t seem to believe Vee’s words. “I’m not dumb, I know you kept trying to push me away, and off onto your siblings. But I didn’t care about them, Amity, you’ve been my best friend since second grade, you could have talked to me. I could have helped!”

Arms were thrown around her as the cheerleader embraced Vee in perhaps the single most uncomfortable hug she’d ever received in her life. As much as she tried to keep herself together, she couldn’t help but freak out under the surface. She tried to push the other girl away, to get out of her hold, but she was fought against, the cheerleader brushing a hand through Vee’s hair and uttering a soothing “ssshhh.”

“I, uh, that is-“ Vee sputtered.

“It’s just me, Amity. Just little old Clara. You don’t have to run from me, I won’t tell anyone I saw you. I just wanted to know you were safe. I was so scared for you.” Clara squeezed Vee tightly, “We’re things at home really that bad? I always thought you were exaggerating… are you sure you’re safe?”

“I’m good! I’m fine!” Vee broke from the hug, a little more forcefully than she intended. Hugs weren’t something she was used to, especially from some stranger who could possibly see through her disguise. “I’m- eh, thanks for worrying, but I’m perfectly safe right now, and-“

Clara frowned, reaching out and cupping Vee’s face with one of her hands, rubbing a thumb against Vee’s cheek. Vee gulped, wondering just what kind of relationship these two had for the other girl to feel so free to perform such an intimate gesture, until Clara spoke, “Amity, you’ve got something on your face.”

Vee’s eyebrow twitched, and she quickly removed the girls hand, slapping her own over her cheek to hide it from view, “I’m sure it’s nothing-“

“It’s… spreading to the other one, too.” Clara gaped, “Is that a rash, or something?”

Vee drew in a shaky breath. Her disguise was dropping from her building anxiety, a smattering of pale dots spreading across her cheeks, bleeding the skin dry of it’s color. “No, it’s- I gotta go!”

Vee gave the girl a shove, then tore off for a second time, abandoning Clara under the bleachers. By now, the football stadium had emptied a little, people still meandering on the sidelines, but there wasn’t anyone left to get in her way and congest the exit. She didn’t get far before the pattering of feet followed behind her, Clara giving chase just as she had the last time.

Vee had to get to the bus station. She could outrace the cheerleader. She’d been on the run from the Emperor’s Coven for months, she was used to long distance running. There wasn’t any hope of Clara catching her.

Titan, what kind of shape was that girl in?

Clara had dogged Vee’s footsteps the entire way to the Bus station, hardly looking put off at all from all the running, meanwhile Vee was huffing and puffing, desperately hanging on as much as she could to her current shape so that she still had legs to run on.

Vee weaved through the buses that sat empty, waiting for drivers and passengers, hoping to lose the other girl, but it seemed that Clara had considered that possibility, abandoning her chase to go around the vehicles and cut Vee off, making the basilisk skid to a halt before she could slam into the other girl.

Once more she was caught, by a teenager no less, who pinned her against the side of one of the empty buses, hands clenched tightly around Vee’s arms to keep her from escaping.

“What is wrong with you, Amity?!” Clara said loudly, not quite yelling so as to not attract attention from anyone in the area, even if her tone still made Vee feel like she was being shouted at.

Vee shut her eyes, alarmed by the volume and losing her cool. She couldn’t stay in one piece, and right before the girl's eyes she lost control of her ears and eyes, both morphing back to what they truly looked like without all the magic to cover it up.

She kept her eyes shut, waiting for shouting, for berating words. Instead, one of her ears were tugged on, “What even is this? Some kind of monster makeup or something? What are you trying to pull? Seriously, Amity, this isn't funny and I’m tired of it!”

Vee winced as both her ears were being pulled on, and she cracked open her eyes, seeing Clara right in her face. The human took one look into her inhuman eyes before scrambling backward with a gasp. “Wait, Clara, I can explain!”

It wasn’t that she wanted to, but her bus wasn’t here yet and she needed to come up with something to keep the girl from calling for help.

Clara’s mouth opened and closed as she struggled for words, “Yo- you aren’t Amity! What are you? What did you do to her?!”

“Nothing!” Vee raised her hands up in surrender, hoping against hope Clara would know she meant no harm.

Clara raised her fists in a defensive stance, “Don’t move! I- I’ll have you know, I took karate!”

Fear seemed to kick in as Clara began to ramble, “Well, I took two lessons when I was five, then got bored and quit, but that doesn’t matter, I’m still very athletic, and I’m sure I can throw a punch if I have to!”

Vee had seen the girl with her cheer squad during the game, and knew Clara to be acrobatic and strong, strong enough to support multiple other girls her size in a pyramid, so she took that threat very seriously. She’d rather get through this unblemished and unbruised.

Clara pinned Vee against the bus, pressing the basilisk’s back against the cool metal frame of the vehicle, “Now, no lies! Tell me where Amity is, monster!”

Vee covered her eyes in panic, “S-she’s in the Demon Realm! I think? I don’t know!”

“You dragged her off to Hell?!” Clara cried out in disbelief, fists tightening around Vee’s collar.

The basilisk shook her head and began back peddling, “No! I didn’t do anything, she came of her own free will!”

Vee was silenced with a solid punch to her stomach, making her cough as the wind was stricken from her lungs. The punch was far from the worst she’d taken, but Clara hadn’t been lying when she said she was strong. “No lying! Why are you trying to take over Amity’s life?”

Vee clenched her jaw, “I’m not lying! I don’t want your friend's life, I just wanted a way out! I didn’t even know Amity’s name before you showed up, I just saw a human come through a magic portal, and took my chance to escape.”

“How do I know you’re even telling the truth about that? Magic? Demon Realm?” Clara prodded, snarling at the Basilisk. “Why would you want to leave anyway?”

Vee quivered. She really didn’t want to talk about this with someone she didn’t even know. Her eyes darted to the side, wondering if she could make a break for it, but as it was she was hardly holding the form she still had together. Any more panic, and she’d lose her legs and everyone she slithered past would know she wasn’t human.

Gulping, she opened her mouth to try to explain her story, “I- I’m not like the other witches and demons in my realm. I shouldn’t technically even exist. I’m an experiment. I was tort-wasn’t treated well, and managed to escape, but there wasn’t anywhere there that I could run or hide for long. I needed to get away.”

“I really, really don’t know what happened to your friend. I don’t know why she’d want to stay in the Demon Realm, if she even did so by choice. I ran, and I didn’t look back. I didn’t even really care what happened to her as long as I could get away and be safe. I’m sorry.” And Vee meant it. She hadn’t really cared about this Amity girl, but now knowing she never came back home after Vee fled, she wondered exactly how well a human girl would be treated on the other side. Would she have been stuck, just as much as a lab rat as Vee had been?

“I- I swear, I thought she’d come back…” Vee uttered out quietly.

Clara’s grip tightened on Vee’s shoulder, the basilisk waiting to be hit again, clamping her eyes shut and scrunching up her face. Instead, the girl loosened her hand, letting it fall to her side and letting Vee go. “I think I know why she didn’t come back.”

Vee cracked open an eye, her face softening as she got a look at Clara’s face. Her brow unfurrowed, eyes downcast. “Why? This world is great. I figured she’d turn back eventually, and I’d be long gone, so what reason would she have to stay in my world?”

“Because Amity never got along well with her family. They were controlling, and demanding, and expected her to be perfect in every conceivable way. If she found some magical fantasy world to run away to, I don’t think she’d ever come back on her own.” Clara chuckled despite herself, swiping at unshed tears with her sleeve. “She may have put up a front of perfection, but she couldn’t exactly hide her love of those dumb fantasy books she always had her nose in. Like I didn’t know she was always blowing me off to hang out in the library. Studying, my ass.”

Vee didn’t really understand why that meant Amity would choose to stay in the Demon realm. At least she had a family, even if they were demanding, but she wisely didn’t argue about it. She just held herself, arms wrapped around her body tightly, wondering exactly where this left the two of them. “A-am I free to go, then?”

Clara frowned, “No. You can’t just go running around with Amity’s face. You think her family isn’t looking for her, or something? They’re the Blights! And I don’t want you pretending to be her, either. Get a new one.”

Vee bit her lip, wondering how to explain her situation “Well, see, about that, I can’t really do that without magic, and there isn’t exactly any here in the Human Realm for me to change-”

“Then find some!” Clara growled, slamming her hand past Vee’s head to hit the bus. Vee’s legs shaked, still frightened of the cheerleader, “You don’t get to go around with my friend's face. It’s not safe, and I don’t like it.”

“Alright, alright,” Vee conceded, “But I need to use it a bit longer. I- I don’t know how much longer, but maybe I can find some magic to eat somewhere, but I can’t go around looking like I do I now!”

Vee gestured to her face, covered in white splotches, reptilian eyes on display, and her floofy ears poking out from under her hair. Clara sighed, knowing the basilisk had a point. “Eating magic? Egh, fine. Do what you have to, then you can get out of my life, and away from Amity’s.”

Vee nodded, shifting her face back to being fully human with what little magic she had left in her system. She was lucky she hadn’t lost her shape fully, she’d never had been able to change back otherwise. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll go, and get on my bus. I’m going across the country, far away, and then you’ll never see me again. I’ll find some magic if I look hard enough. Maybe.”

The two stood awkwardly together for a minute, Vee wondering if it was safe to leave, and Clara still looking distrustful of the little demon beside her. Finally the cheerleader gestured with her head for Vee to go, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she could head to this Las Vegas place, and be free from the rain, and this crazy girl.

She hadn’t made it two steps before noticing Clara was marching beside her, face serious and intimidating. It was almost comical seeing her, still in her cheerleader uniform, walking like she was going to war. “Uh, what are you doing?”

Clara glared, then turned her gaze forward, “I’m escorting you. I’m making sure you’re on that bus, and never coming back. Come on.”

Vee opened her mouth to ensure the girl that wasn’t necessary, but wisely chose to keep her thoughts to herself. She’d still be feeling that sucker punch to the gut tomorrow, and didn’t want to evoke the cheerleaders wraith anymore than she had.

“You’re taking this all a bit well… aren’t humans supposed to not believe in stuff like this?” Vee asked, if just to fill the silence as they walked.

Clara grit her teeth, glancing over at Vee through the corner of her eyes, “If your face hadn't changed right in front of me, I’d have thought you were just a really bad liar. As it is, I’m probably going to spiral into disbelief and horror once all of this settles in, and you’d better hope you’re not there when it does.”

“Got it,” Vee meeped, deciding to shut her mouth the rest of the way.

The two made their way to Vee’s bus, the doors opening just as they arrived. A line of people were ahead of them, shuffling in single file, leaving the two teenagers to stand awkwardly while they waited for Vee’s turn to enter. Both girls did their best to ignore the other, avoiding their eyes, Vee with her hands stuffed in her pockets and Clara with crossed arms.

After a minute or so, Vee had made it to the front of the line, “So, I guess this is it, huh? I- I’ll do my best to keep my word, I promise… Though there isn’t really a way to prove that to you.”

“Whatever,” Clara dismissed, narrowing her eyes, “just get out of here, okay.”

Vee wanted to say something else, anything really, but couldn’t find the words. Instead she breathed in deeply and nodded, turning to step onto the bus when suddenly a hand clamped down on her shoulder. “Yes?”

Vee turned, expecting to see Clara, but instead found herself face to face with a man she didn’t know. He was tall, with broad shoulders and short black hair. Stubble lined his chin. “I need you to come with me, Ma’am.”

Clara gaped at the stranger who had butted in before her problem could get rid of herself, “Excuse me? What the hell do you want?”

The Bus driver stood from his seat at the commotion, ready to intervene, “Is there a problem here?”

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge, flashing it to the bus driver, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m a Private Investigator, and this here is a runaway. I’m just doing my job.”

“What?” Vee asked, eyes widening, wondering just how much worse this day was going to get.

With a sharp tug, Vee was pulled away from the bus, “Come on, Miss Blight, your parents have been worried sick about you, so just come along quietly, alright?”

Vee tried to fight back, but the man was too strong, pulling on her arm and dragging her away from the bus. The driver returned to his seat, closing the door behind him and getting ready for departure, and Vee could only watch helplessly as it left without her.

Clara chased after Vee and the detective, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking a girl back home, which is what you should be heading yourself, Miss Heartfield,” The detective grumbled gruffly, nonplussed about the tag along.

“How do you know my name, creep?” Clara demanded.

He didn’t even bother looking at her when he answered, “It’s just part of my job. Now get out of here.”

Clara looked ready to pick a fight, but Vee shook her head. It was everything the basilisk could do to not freak out, to not break character, because if she did, even just a little, she wasn’t changing back into a human anytime soon. Her magic reserves were completely drained from fixing her face, and the last thing she needed was the stress of a fight breaking out, with her in the middle of it. “Go, Clara. I’ll be fine. But thanks.”

Clara stopped in her tracks, watching with mixed feelings as the demon she’d only just met was taken away, likely to be forced into becoming a permanent fixture in her life just as the real Amity had all those years ago. Suppressing a groan, Clara cursed, knowing she’d have to get to the bottom of this herself now.

Chapter Text

“You had a Private Investigator stalk me?!”

Clara stood in the entrance hall of Blight manor, seething at the parents of her former friend. Alador Blight hardly seemed mentally present, hardly paying attention to anything the teenager had to say, his hands twitching occasionally like they wanted to go back to work in his lab with a tool in his grip. Odalia on the other hand, looked unimpressed with Clara, if slightly annoyed with her presence.

Crossing her arms, the Blight Matriarch responded, “Yes, and seeing as you did in fact have contact with Amity, this was the wisest move. I could be pressing charges against you for helping keep her away from me.”

Clara fumed, out of indignation, as well as to mask her own bubbling fear just under the surface. Her family was one of the wealthier ones in Gravesfield, but they didn’t have even half a percent of the power at their disposal as the Blights did, nor the better lawyers. “I didn’t even know Amity was going to be there, we bumped into each other by accident!”

“A likely story,” Odalia dismissed easily, clearly not buying it for a moment.

“Eh, actually, I can corroborate her side of the story. Miss Heartfield seemed just as surprised to see your daughter as I was during the game last night.” The investigator supplied from the side. “If anything, it was the opposite, Your daughter seemed to have contacted Miss Heartfield, not the other way around. Probably needed money for the bus fare.”

Odalia sent a glare his way, eyes narrowing, “Yes, and what exactly are you still doing here? Your services concerning Amity are no longer required, Mister Doyle.”

“I’ve yet to receive my payment. You offered quite the prize for your daughter to be brought back in.” He reminded her, no fear in his eyes as he held an outstretched hand for his money.

Odalia gave a curt nod, “Yes, We did. Alador, pay the man, will you?”

Alador blinked, as if his wayward mind was summoned by his wife’s words. Reaching into his breast pocket he pulled out an envelope and wordlessly handed it off to the investigator, who opened it up to inspect the bills inside. Satisfied, Doyle gave a nod, “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Just get out, and find the twins next, will you?” Odalia muttered, dismissing the man, who was quick to remove himself from the presence of the Blights, if just to not have to deal with Odalia.

He passed by Clara as he left, bringing Odalia’s attention back to the girl, “Are you still here? If you had nothing to do with our daughter’s disappearance, our business is done with you.”

Clara bit her lip to keep from cursing the woman who had violated her privacy with such blatant disregard. The Blight turned away, making to leave, heels clicking loudly against the tile floors, then stopped. “Oh, and whether or not you had anything to do with Amity’s new rebellious phase, I’d appreciate it if you kept away from my daughter from now on. Now shoo.”

Clara shook with anger as the two Blights left. Like hell she was going to leave. It’s not like that was Amity anyway, they had no right to keep Clara away from her.

Vee sat in Amity’s bedroom, anxious and uncomfortable. The room had been stripped bare, if the empty shelves were any sign, with most of the furnishings and items gone. Even the few posters that must have adorned the walls had been removed, if the pin holes in the walls were any clue. Vee didn’t know what the place looked like before she arrived, but even she could tell it had been robbed of its identity.

That, however, was nothing compared to the heavy lock on the door, and the iron bars that had been placed over the window.

No matter how soft the bed was, or brightly colored the walls were, this place was a cell, and Vee was trapped once more against her will. She’d thought these people had just wanted to see their daughter again, not keep her locked up, or else she’d have never come with that detective.

The room felt confining, like the walls were closing in on her, shrinking, collapsing. It was hard to breathe, the air refusing to stay in her lungs, and every moment was a struggle, a fight, to keep herself in human form as she tried to keep the panic at bay.

Especially when she had guests.

Amity’s mother and father were in the room with her, taking up too much of the already limited space, breathing Vee’s air, stealing it from her lungs with their presence.

“Really, Amity, control yourself.” Odalia scoffed as she watched what she believed to be her daughter struggle to contain a full on panic attack. “Blights are stronger than this- this- whatever this is.”

This horrible woman really wasn’t helping Vee feel better. She was entirely unsympathetic to her plight, even as Vee curled more into herself.

With a sigh, Odalia forced a smile onto her lips and sat herself on the edge of her daughter’s bed. She pat beside her, expecting Vee to scoot over and join her, her smile fading when the girl made no move. With a roll of her eyes, Odalia continued, “I know things will be difficult, and you’ll need time to adjust dear, but this is all only until you can earn my trust back. And do you want to know the best way to do that?”

Vee nodded shakily, wanting more than anything to get out of this room, and willing to do anything to please her jailers enough to let her out.

“You can start by telling me where Edric and Emira are, dear.”

Vee froze. She didn’t even know who these two people were, how could she possibly know where they could be? Thankfully, her surprise over the question was genuine enough that Odalia gave another sigh, “So you don’t know where they have gone either?”

Vee nodded again, mumbling, “Sorry.”

Odalia groaned, frustration in her voice as she spoke again, “And here I was, hoping you could redeem yourself after your little act of rebellion. They clearly took inspiration from you, and you can’t even help us clean up your mess.”

Vee flinched a little at her tone, the woman sitting up from the bed and brushing herself off. Vee uttered another small apology, not even sure what she was apologizing for, but hoping it would make her captors less angry with her. The weak way she spoke just earned another hard glare from the woman that was supposed to be her mother. “This is all for your own good, Amity. Be a good girl, and you’ll earn some of your freedoms back. You’re not to go to school, I’ll have tutors over to teach you, and you’re not to have any friends over either. Not that you have a way to invite them over, exactly.”

Without another glance, Odalia began to walk her way to the bedroom door, “One day, you’ll thank me for this, Amity.”

Before she left, she bumped her hips against her husbands, jostling the man out of his thoughts. Gesturing with her head, she beckoned the man to speak to his child, then sauntered out of the door, humming to herself.

“Ah, yes, this is all for your own good, dear.” Alador awkwardly restated Odalia claims, then straightened up a little as he looked down on Vee, “However, don’t worry about being too confined in here. You’ll be allowed some free time, though it will have to be chaperoned. I could always use a lab assistant, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Vee knew enough Good Coven Guard, Bad Coven Guard to know the Blights were trying to endear one of themselves to her. While the man in front of her didn’t seem to dislike the idea of having her in his presence while he worked, it was clearly his wife’s idea and not his own.

It wouldn’t have worked, if not for the fact Vee would do anything to get out of this room. She met his eyes, and gave another little nod, “sure, uh, Dad.”

Alador gave a pleasant smile, returning her nod. After a moment of internalized bumbling, the man spoke again, “I know this all seems a little harsh, Amity. I’ll talk to your mother about allowing you some kind of entertainment. A book, or something. You like books, right?” He scratched at his head thoughtfully, pondering under his breath if it had been Amity or Emira who liked reading, then turned and left the room, trailing after his wife. Any comfort or endearment he had earned was quickly lost as he locked the door behind him, trapping Vee in her new prison and reminding her that despite his offer and the kind, if absent minded way he’d delivered it, he was just another warden keeping her contained.

With them gone, she allowed herself to break, curling into a small ball and choking out a sob. She couldn’t do this. This was too much, too similar to her experience in the Demon Realm, and she just couldn’t handle it. Was she just destined to always be trapped? Should she just give up, and accept her fate, to be the toy of these new people?

She didn’t even bother to swipe away the tears that streaked down her cheeks as she cried, not knowing how to escape this situation.

She was so distraught, she didn’t hear the rapping of knuckles against glass at her window, until they became so quick and loud they drowned even her cries out. Lifting her head up and peeking through the bars she saw a familiar head of blonde hair looking at her, gesturing for her to come to the window. Vee did so, putting her hand between the bars and inching the glass panes open enough that Clara could speak through it and be heard clearly.

“Finely, I thought you’d never hear me- Hey, are you okay?” Clara’s tone went from annoyed to concerned, seeing the wet streaks down Vee’s face.

“I- I can’t! These people are horrible, and I can’t be stuck in another cage. I can’t be Number Five anymore! I need out, Clara, get me out!” Vee wailed, unable to hold her emotional agony back as her hands clenched on the bars and yanked at them with all her strength. Unfortunately, she had the strength of a fourteen year old girl, and the bars didn’t so much as budge as she tugged on them.

Clara watched as Vee continued to freak out, pity in her eyes. She understood from Vee’s brief explanation last night that she’d been some kind of freak experiment in the world she came from, but being told and seeing her reaction to being held against her will was far more visceral. She reached through the window, settling a cautious hand over Vee’s own, which were still fruitlessly pulling on the bars, and attempted to calm the creature before her down, “Hey, hey, it’ll be alright. You can change shape and stuff, right? Can’t you just turn into something thin enough to squeeze through?”

Vee sniffled, shaking her head, “I- I might be able to fit through them in my real form. I can slither through some tight spaces, as long as I can get my head through, but I don’t have enough magic in me to change back. I’ll be stuck looking like a monster, and hunted down by everyone in this world without a way to escape.”

Clara grimaced, “Slither? Like a snake?”

“Yeah, I’m a basilisk.” Vee nodded weakly, wiping at her eyes with one hand, keeping her other in Clara’s grip, feeling oddly grounded by her touch.

Clara shivered, her spine tingling in all the wrong ways, “Right, suppressing that fact. Look, I’ll go and find something to use that has magic in it, or something, and then you can get through the bars, and get a new face. You just have to tell me what I’m looking for.”

Vee’s expression drooped, and she leaned her head against the bars, “Why are you even helping me? You don’t even like me. They won’t even let me see anyone, so I won’t be in your life anymore than if I was halfway across the world. You could just walk away.”

Clara’s expression steeled into one of determination, “Because I don’t want you running around looking like Amity. You’re not her, and I don’t want some fake doppelgänger, no matter how removed from my life she is, to be taking her place.”

She tightened her grip on Vee’s hand, glancing away for a moment before meeting her eyes, expression annoyed, “Besides, I might not like you, but I’m not cruel. I wouldn’t just leave you to be locked up, even if you didn’t look like Amity. Now tell me how to help you.”

Vee felt tears pooling in the corner of her eyes again, and she nodded as she wiped them away, “Okay, here’s what I know. There’s this witch that had the door that led here, and I saw a lot of human stuff in her tent, so she probably comes here a lot. I’m sure she must have left something magical behind, so just… look around town for anything out of place? I don’t know, I can’t exactly sniff it out while stuck here.”

Clara frowned, knowing this was going to be a difficult task, “Alright, fine, I’ll find some weird crap and bring it to you, and you can decide what’s really magical or not. We do that no matter how long it takes until you’re free. So no more crying, got it?”

Vee did her best to keep her sniffles at bay. She had Clara, she was going to be alright. With as much effort as she could muster, she stuck her hand through the bars, offering it to Clara, “We never properly met. My name is Vee. Thank you, for even trying. It’s more than anyone else has ever done for me.”

Clara eyed the hand, then took it in her own, giving it a single shake, “I’m Clara Heartfield, and I’ll be your rescuer this evening.”

Clara walked around town, feeling like a total fool as she looked around for something magical. Peeking into holes in trees and finding nothing but a bird's nest, searching through bushes and finding nothing but slugs, and looking in trash cans for anything that screamed that it could have come from an Azura convention.

She’d found nothing, no magical coins, staves, or potions. She didn’t know what she expected, really, she’d gone fourteen years without finding a single magical item, how was she supposed to find one now?

She sighed as she threw herself onto the grass in the small Gravesfield park, looking up at the blue, cloudless sky. This was hopeless. Still, she had promised the little demon she’d get her some magic, and help her escape, she just wished she knew literally anything about the supernatural world to be able to do so.

Just as she was worrying about her failures, a soft voice drifted on the breeze, reaching her ears, “A past connection that left its mark on your soul has shown up again, and it's asking you to shed your old ways and enter a metamorphosis! Becoming a spiritual leader, you're meant to be.”

Sitting up suddenly, Clara looked around to find the source of the voice. Her eyes glanced around the park, until they landed on a girl, sitting beside a group of what had to be her friends, a deck of cards in her hands that she was doing a tarot reading of.

Vee’s words about witches in Gravesfield echoed in her ears, as she clambered to her feet. This was a lead! “H-hey, you!”

The small group turned to look at Clara as she sprinted over, then skidded to a halt. The tallest of the group, a boy with dark, shaggy hair that covered his eyes and a bit of scraggly hair on his chin, sat up, “Yeah, what’s up?”

Clara mostly ignored him, pointing to the girl doing the card reading. She wore dark clothes, and black lipstick, having a gothy atmosphere around her. She had to be one of the witches Vee had talked about, who came through to this side. “Sorry to interrupt… whatever it is you’re doing, but you’re a….”

She glanced around, seeing if anyone was listening in, then bent down and whispered, “You’re a witch, right?”

The girl seemed surprised, blinking up at Clara, before bursting into laughter, “Man, I wish! But I like that you can tell what I was going for, everyone else just thinks I’m really into goth culture… which I am, but still, I like it for the witchy vibe it brings.”

One of the teens, with glasses and short hair, and some fabulous makeup despite their overall casual appearance and clothes, joined in with a laugh, “I think she thought you were magic because of the card readings, Masha.”

“To be fair, she is scarily accurate, despite the lack of actual tarot cards.” The tall boy grinned, still relaxing on the ground.

Clara took a second look, and saw that the cards this Masha girl was using were in fact just normal playing cards, with the arcana names scribbled on in pen. With an embarrassed look, Masha scooped up all of the cards in her hands, shooting a glare at the boy, “See if I ever give you a free reading again, Tom!”

“Her Mom confiscated all her real tarot cards before sending her off to camp,” the bespeckled teen explained to Clara, a teasing grin on their face.

“You too, Sam, I’m charging from now on!”

Clara looked between them, fighting off her own embarrassment. She probably looked like an idiot, asking another teenager if she was an actual, magical witch. Still, it had been her best shot. Groaning and collapsing to the ground, she complained, “This is impossible.”

The other three teens looked at her curiously, then Masha spoke up, “Hey, come on, what’s on your mind? Want a free reading? I do more than cards, I do palms too!”

Clara shook her head, sighing, “No, thanks. And you’ll just think it’s weird.”

“We’re all weird,” Sam promised, a hint of pride in their voice.

“Yeah, it’s part of our Cabin Seven charm!” Tom agreed.

Seeing Clara’s cocked and questioning eyebrow, Masha filled her in, “We were all in the same cabin at a place called ‘Reality Check.’ It wasn’t an amazing place, but we survived, made friends, and stayed weird, despite our parents' best efforts.”

“I had a gaming addiction,” Tom admitted, “But now I’ve got a handle on it. I still play a lot, but I’ve got these guys to pull me outside to see some sunlight. Plus, co-op is so much better than playing alone all the time.”

Sam looked a bit embarrassed, but added their own two cents, “I spent too much time watching anime and reading manga. It really messed with my social life. And my sense of fashion. I was so cringe. After camp, I still love shows like Monster Slayer Academia, but I will never Naruto run during gym class again.”

“And my parents sent me to camp for trying to summon demons in my bedroom. Sure, I may have tried to sacrifice my pet bunny Toodles to the Dark Lord once or twice, but it’s not like I actually went through with it!” Masha explained, crossing her arms. “I totally could have done it, too, if that bun-bun wasn’t so dang cute…”

She patted her side, gesturing for Clara to join her, “Now that we’ve all told you our weird and embarrassing stories, how about you tell us all about yours, little Clara Heartfield?”

Clara scooted over beside the girl glumly, but her ears perked a bit hearing her own name, “Wait, how did you know-“

“We may have all been in the same cabin, but we’ve also been attending the same school, Clara, we all know the name of one of the most popular girls in class.” Sam clarified, making the cheerleader breath a sigh of relief that even more people weren’t stalking her like that investigator had.

Clara thought for a moment, considering her words. She couldn’t just tell them about Vee. They would think she was crazy. Still, she’d already gone off about witches already, so she could give them some half truth garbage, and hope they never, ever talked about it with anyone at school. If they did, her reputation would be in ruins. “Well, I’ve been doing some… research. On this town, and stuff, and I know we’ve historically had some witches and stuff around. I didn’t mean to call you an actual witch, Masha, I, uh, meant that I thought you were a descendant of one of the witches Gravesfield reportedly had! Yeah!”

The three teens looked at her, and for a moment it looked like they were going to call her out on her obvious, thrown together lie. Then Masha smiled, a light blush on her cheeks, “Oh, you think I could have been related to actual witches! You flatter me!”

The other two snorted at their friend’s blissful expression. “Careful, you might give her a bigger head than she already has,” Tom guffawed.

“Shut it, or I’ll lure Jeepers to your CraftMiners base next time we play!” Masha sang between her teeth, her smile never leaving her face even as she threatened her friend.

Turning her attention back to Clara, Masha continued, “Well, if you’re interested in witches, I find the best place to learn about them is the Gravesfield Historical Society. Mr. Hopkins is kind of the leading authority on that kind of stuff, even if he’s new. Come on, I’ll show you the place.”

Rising to her feet, and motioning for her friends and Clara to follow her, they all walked together out of the park and down the street, where a large, old building waited for them. Clara had never been all that interested in the town’s history before now, but she knew enough to know this was one of the oldest buildings around, almost as old as the town’s founding. Masha sprinted up to the double doors, a spring in her step, “Come on, there is so much witchy stuff to learn about here, it’s great.”

Sam rolled their eyes good naturedly, “You really got her going today. Thanks a lot for that.”

The group entered together, Clara feeling a little nervous. What if she found something here that screamed “magical!” Would she have to steal it? Would the others notice and try to stop her? But she couldn’t just say no and leave, either, this was the only lead she had.

The place didn’t look as nice on the inside as it did on the outside. It was dusty, with a few stray boxes laying around, the exhibits visible from the entrance halfway put together. Seeing as Clara had seen a “Under New Management” sign out front, it was easy to piece together that the Historical Society was under renovations from whoever ran it now, that probably being the Mr. Hopkins Masha had mentioned before.

“Hey, Mr. H, you in?” Masha called out as they meandered about in the entryway, her head glancing around and trying to find the new owner.

A head popped up from under the welcome desk, a relatively ordinary man who had brown hair, a goatee and a pair of thick squared glasses over his eyes. Younger than someone Clara expected to see as the head of the Historical Society, but he looked friendly enough. “Oh, heya kiddos! How’s my favorite group of visitors?”

Tom brushed back his hair, a fruitless effort since it fell forward and covered his eyes again not a moment later, “Last I checked, we’re your only visitors.”

The man, who must be Hopkins, winced, then laughed, “Well, you’ll see, once I get this place up and running again, people will be flocking to it. I’m ready to show this town the truth!”

“And the truth would be…?” Clara questioned, crossing her arms, watching the overeager man.

He grinned, “Oh, you’ll see. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise. Until then, feel free to look around, I’m still moving things, getting new exhibits set up, taking old ones down. If you need me, just call.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Hopkins,” Masha smiled, grabbing Clara by the arm to pull her over towards some of the stuff she wanted to show her.

“You can just call me Jacob, being called Mister all the time makes me feel old!” He called back, lifting a box and heading in the opposite direction as the teens.

The Historic Society had a lot of just that, history. Most of it Clara found pretty boring, though even the rest of the teenagers seemed to agree, skipping over most of the exhibits about the town's founding, or some boring thing a mayor did, and skipping right to the witch trials the town had once held hundreds of years ago. Masha bounced on her heels, pointing them out, “See all this stuff? Jacob has been really leaning into the more supernatural side of this town's history, and I love what he’s done with the place. They say real witches lived here once, and used all sorts of magic, before being chased out of town when two of the town's founders, a pair of brothers, went missing, and the witches were blamed.”

Sam sighed, “That’s just hearsay. Plenty of places had witch trials, and no actual witches, it was just paranoia. I like a good story as much as the next person, but I think this was all just a misunderstanding that led to tragedy, and a lot of innocent people dying from a broken, primitive justice system that persecuted anyone who was different.”

Masha clamped her hands over Clara’s ears, glaring at her friends and hissing, “Don’t listen to the nonbelievers, Clara!”

If Clara hadn’t had a run in with an actual demon who had confirmed real witches existed, Clara might have joined her new companions as they descended into giggles, but instead she just let out a series of nervous laughs. “Yeah… nonbelievers...”

The group continued to look around the place, Clara paying close attention to all of the historic artifacts on display. Most of them weren’t behind any protective glass, easy to swipe, but nothing seemed to be magical to her poor, magicless eyes. Or maybe her nose? Vee had said something about sniffing it out. Then eating it. Clara didn’t want to think about how that worked.

She trudged behind the rest of the group, feeling less and less like she had any idea what she was doing or what she was looking for, until she’d seen everything the GHS had to offer, which in its current unfinished state, wasn’t a whole lot. Before long, it was time to leave, and she had nothing to take back to the basilisk.

With a mixture of frustration and anxiety, Clara did her best to try to find some kind of solution to this problem. As the quartet were about to head out the door, her eyes caught a glance at Jacob Hopkins, leaving the back room once again with another box in his hands, and a dash of inspiration hit her.

“You coming, Clara?” Masha called, seeing her stop in her tracks.

“Yeah, yeah, uh, just a second. I need to use the restroom. Don’t feel like you gotta wait up for me!” Clara excused herself, her new… friends(?) waving goodbye as they exited the door, wincing at the bright sunlight on the other side.

With them gone, and Jacob away and unloading another box of items somewhere else, Clara had free access to the staff room. With nothing but a quick glance around to make sure the coast was clear, she cracked open the door, gritting her teeth when the hinges squeaked, and slid through the gap, leaving the door cracked behind her. The room was dark, too hard to see anything, so turning on the light was Clara’s first move, and she blinked when everything was illuminated.

The room she was in was filled with boxes, as she expected, but also filled with swords, maces and axes. A suit of armor was on top of a cabinet, and along the wall there was a board filled with dated pictures and pins, filled with conspiracies about witches, and one in particular with wild grey hair.

Freaky obsessions aside, on the board was something more important that caught her attention, and she strode towards it for a closer look. There, attached to a piece of string linking her to the grey haired woman, was a picture of Amity, beside a girl around their age that Clara didn’t know. The picture seemed to be taken in a parking lot, and was dated over a week after Amity had vanished.

Clara tore the picture down, and put it in her bag. She’d ask Vee about that later, see if it had been her or the real Amity, but for now she had to focus on finding something magical, and not the disturbing conspiracy board.

Her eyes wandered to the desk below the board, and her eyes fell onto something and widened. Two something’s in particular.

The first was a small bin full of little, miscellaneous items. Under one of the corners of the bin was a note, listing it’s contents and where they had been found. The Dump, of all places, which in Jacob’s paranoid ramblings seemed to be the meeting spot of some kind of secret society of witches. The junk inside didn’t interest her, except for one particular item that was sitting on top of the rest.

A key. Old, bronze, looking a lot like the antique ones she’d see used in cartoons from her grandparents' childhoods. Except for the eye at the center of it’s handle, bright yellow and piercing through her, that was different, and really stuck out. The more she looked at it, the more she could swear it was looking back at her. Without thinking, she clasped it in her hands, surprised at its deceiving amount of weight, then along with the photo of Amity it joined her bag as an offering to Vee.

The next, sitting beside the bin, was more along the lines of what she had hoped to find. A wand. Or, at least, she hoped the stick on the table was some kind of wand. It was made of wood, had a little glowing green portion at its base that reminded her of a battery meter, and it was on a desk covered in stuff about witches, it had to be a wand. Clara picked it up, examining it, twirling it through her fingers like a baton. Smiling to herself for a job well done, she decided to give it a spin, mocking to cast a spell with it before she put it in her bag.

That wasn’t her brightest idea. She’d just meant to imitate the wand work of a popular film franchise, but the wand seemed to have other ideas. As soon as she made a circle with the tip, there was a loud bang like a gunshot that sent her backwards, knocking her off her feet and sending the wand clattering to the floor. Clara landed hard on her backside, and before she could recover a large cage that was suspended from the ceiling fell on top of her, sealing her inside, too heavy for her to lift it to escape. She was trapped.

“What in the world is going on in there?” The familiar voice of Jacob Hopkins asked, opening the door to see Clara inside of a cage, and his papers scattered around the place from the force of the bang. “Hey, you aren’t supposed to be back here-“

As he stepped forward, his shoe stepped on the wand, which had been rolling on the ground. Blinking, he bent down and picked it up, inspecting it, then Clara, his eyes widening. “I- I did it! I caught a witch!”

“What?” Clara exclaimed, unsure how he even came to that conclusion, “I’m not some dumb witch, now let me out of here!”

“And let you free? Don’t try to use your witchy mental magics on me, I had a metal plate installed in my head to keep those kinds of thoughts out!” He declared, pointing the wand at her. “Now, how did you get this thing to work…”

He jabbed with the wand, frantically jabbing and flicking it in her direction, making Clara flinch as she waited for something to shoot out, but nothing happened. “Dang. Must be busted…”

He set the wand back on his desk, then turned back to Clara, “So, now that I have you captive… want to hear all my theories on why demons and witches want to steal our teeth to power their time machines on Mars?”

Clara gaped, “Oh no.”

She threw herself at the cage, trying to knock it over so she could escape as Jacob opened his mouth to start his spiel, “Someone! Anyone! Help me!”

Despite Clara’s insistence that they not wait up for her, the Cabin Seven gang did, in fact, wait. Impatiently though, they were teenagers, so they weren’t exactly known for their patience in the first place.

“What’s taking her so long?” Sam mumbled, tapping their foot as they sat on the steps outside the building after a long twenty minutes. The sun was already beginning to set, slowly sinking below the horizon.

Tom shrugged easily, the most comfortable of the three, laying down on a nearby patch of grass because sitting seemed like too much work. “When you gotta pee, you gotta pee.”

As the minutes ticked by, their mild irritation was beginning to transform into full blown worry. “You know, I think I’m just going to go peek inside, make sure she’s alright,” Masha stood up, quickly followed by the other two.

They walked back up the steps, only to see the sign had been flipped from Open to Closed, despite it still being under normal operating hours. This was getting strange. “Maybe she left?” Tom suggested.

“While I totally get ditching us, because we aren’t exactly popular, and would absolutely begrudge her for it, there isn’t a way for her to have left. Not unless she climbed out a window just to avoid us.” Sam pointed out, as there wasn’t a back door to the building.

Masha stepped forward, opening the front door despite the closed sign, “Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Let’s go.”

They’d hardly made it more than three steps inside the building before a cry of anguish met their ears. “Make it stop!”

With a frightened gasp, Masha surged forward towards the front desk, “That was Clara! She’s still in here and she’s hurt!”

The others were on her heels, listening for where their newest friend could be. Another loud cry met their ears, and as a unit they made for the staff room door, ramming into it with such force they knocked the door right off its hinges and down to the floor.

They were met by the sight of Clara in a cage, hands over her ears as she tried to block out Jacob’s insane ramblings. The man himself was over by his conspiracy board, pointing at the various pictures and newspaper clippings with the tip of the wand as he explained in explicit detail why exactly the witches, demons and lizard people had tricked the humans who lived on Earth into believing it was a globe instead of being flat.

Seeing the three teenagers at his door, he gasped in shock, setting the wand down, “Hey now, that door is older than all of us combined! A part of history! What do you think you’re doing breaking it down like that?”

The teens clamored back to their feet, Masha pointing a finger at the head of the Historical Society, “What do you think you’re doing with Clara in a cage?!

Jacob pointed back at her, “I don’t know, what do you think you’re doing here after closing hours?”

Tom shook his head, a disappointed frown on his face, “Yeah, no, man, you kind of lose by having a teenage girl half your age stuffed in a cage.”

“Yeah, that’s really messed up, Mr. H. And here we thought you were cool!” Sam added, crossing their arms and leveling a glare at the man.

Jacob seemed to have enough common sense left in him to realize how this looked, and raised his hands in his defense, “Now, now, it’s not what it looks like, haha, see, this girl isn’t a girl at all! She’s a witch, who has invaded this world from the Demon Realm, located on the Red Planet, to concoct nefarious schemes!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Masha interrupted, “You’re saying you don’t like witches?”

The man looked at her like she’d grown a second head, “No! I want to hunt them down! Keep the planet safe from their evil magic, and more importantly, upload it all to my mewtube channel as proof of my greatness, and that I’m not crazy!! We’ll see who’s the laughingstock when I’ve-“

Anything he might have continued to say was cut off by a swift kick to the shins from Masha, who wasn’t having any of his anti-witch propaganda. Jacob hopped on one foot, clutching his leg in his hands as the teenagers descended upon him, knocking him to the ground and raining down kicks until he was unconscious and unable to harm anyone else.

As Tom and Sam tied him up with some spare rope they’d found, Masha checked his pockets, looking for the key to the cage. “I don’t see it anywhere!”

“The wand, on the desk, grab that!” Clara urged, eager to get out of this tight confining space, and out of the conspiracy cave of Jacob Hopkins.

Masha grabbed it, holding it in her hands with a look of uncertainty on her face, “Uh, look, I know I’m all about that magic stuff, but I really don’t think this is going to help here...”

Clara groaned, “just spin the damn thing while pointing it at the lock!”

Masha did as she was told, and another loud bang exploded from the tip, shattering the lock. The girl dropped the wand in shock, looking between it and Clara, “Oh my god, you really are a witch, aren’t you?”

“No!” Clara denied, because she was pretty sure just waving a wand around didn’t qualify someone for witchood. Pushing the cage door open, she scooped the wand back up, clenching it tight in her hands, “Come on, lets go.”

The Cabin Seven gang followed Clara’s lead, casting their eyes at each other in confusion as to what they’d just seen. Masha dogged Clara’s footsteps, wonder in her eyes as they made their way back to the spot they had met earlier in the day, the sun now below the horizon, the area illuminated by the glow of the moon.

“So, if you’re not a witch, does that mean I get to keep the wand?” Masha asked as soon as they stopped, practically vibrating with excitement over having seen real magic with her own eyes.

“Please don’t, she’ll try to take over the world or something.” Sam discouraged, still in disbelief about this entire day’s events.

Clara clutched the wand tightly to her chest, shaking her head, “I’m really grateful you guys came to my rescue from that creep, but I kind of need this for someone. Sorry.”

“Not a problem. Kind of a weird day, though,” Tom stuffed his hands in his pockets, and for once Clara could see his eyes through his hair, looking more than a little shaken by what he’d seen then he was letting on.

Masha, not ready for this to end, took Clara’s hands in her own, the wand between them, “Is there anything else we can help with? Who needs this thing anyway?”

Clara looked between the three, who, despite Tom and Sam not sharing the same enthusiasm as their friend, didn’t look like they were backing down either. Clara, and more importantly, Vee, could use all the help they could get. “Would you like to meet her?”

Vee was mostly ignored by the Blight parents and the staff that served them until she was fetched for dinner at sunset. Her so-called parents hadn’t even checked in on her since they had left her, leaving her to wallow in her thoughts and fears. She wasn’t sure what was better, being alone with herself, or having company with her captors.

Still, she understood that she could possibly be here for a few more days, weeks, maybe even months. It wasn’t like Clara could sniff out magic and find something for Vee to use, especially on such short notice. She’d have to get used to this, as much as she hated it.

She just wished there was something to do to keep her mind off of her confinement. There weren’t any books for her to read(not that she could read anything more advanced than children's picture books), no toys to speak of, not even a ball to bounce off the walls. Just a soft bed to separate her from the memories of the cold hard floor of her old cage.

When she was fetched for dinner, she was shuffled down the various hallways, which twisted and turned in a maze unlike anything Vee had seen before. This was a level of wealth she was unaccustomed to, and it made her feel very small to be in the home of people who had so much to their names.

She wondered if that was just because of who she was, or if Amity had felt similarly small, walking down these same halls.

The servant who had fetched her opened the doors to the dining room, and Vee was beckoned inside. With a gulp, the basilisk entered, flinching when the door was shut behind her suddenly, and she was left alone again with only Alador and Odalia.

Vee stepped forward towards the table, seeing a spot already set up for her at the end of the long table. She pulled out her chair, and slid inside of it, trying to keep the nerves settled in her stomach from flaring up, resisting the urge to squint just to see her new family on the other side of the table.

It was long. The room they were in wasn’t exactly small, nothing in the Blight home was when they sat in the lap of luxury, and the table took up a good chunk of the space. It stretched on, the burnt umber stained wood like an ocean of darkness between the child and the adults. Vee wondered exactly why she was sitting here, instead of by their side, but didn’t want to look a gift-snorse in the mouth by asking. This was where the Blights wanted her to sit, so she’d sit there.

On the other side of the table, neither Blight took the head. Instead they sat at the ends, across from each other. Odalia waited patiently for Vee to join the table before she lifted her fork and took her first bite, content to sit in silence. Opposite her, Alador was busy with a mechanism of some kind that Vee couldn’t recognize, tool box set beside him, screwdriver in hand, as he unscrewed parts in an effort to tear the thing apart.

“Alador, please, eat your supper. Leave your work for the workshop, won’t you?” Odalia reached out and swatted the man’s arm.

The man mumbled something about just trying to meet the deadlines she’d set, which Odalia ignored. Even Vee wouldn’t have heard it, if her ears weren’t a bit better than a humans. Vee must have been staring, because Odalia turned to her next, “You know how your father always is, tearing anything he doesn’t understand apart to see how it ticks.”

It wasn’t a threat, not in the slightest, but the way Odalia said it still made Vee’s skin crawl. There was just enough emptiness behind the man’s eyes that Vee was sure he wouldn’t hesitate to dissect her if he ever found out about her true nature, and just thinking about it made her feel clammy.

“Yeah, he’s… really good at what he does…” Vee spoke, not committing to any extreme with her statement, nor choosing a side. She wasn’t sure if Amity would have joined her mother in vocalizing he join them for their dinner, or encourage her father to work, and she was too concerned with making sure her clamminess wasn’t actually scales to comment more than that.

Vee’s stomach growled, alerting her to the fact she hadn’t eaten since she’d gotten here. She grabbed a fork from the table, one of many beside her plate, and stabbed it into the meat that sat there. Unlike Boiling Isles cuisine, it didn’t scream, or try to bite back as she brought it to her mouth, something she actually enjoyed very much about earth food. She'd caused enough suffering for a lifetime when she’d been forced to feed off of the magic of other beings.

Vee didn’t often consume meat for that very reason, preferring to stick with fruits and vegetables. That was beside the fact that stealing meat from markets was a lot more noticeable than a few plants. She knew better than to be picky though, and would eat whatever was put on a plate in front of her. Often it didn’t even need to be on a plate.

She tore into the meat with gusto, stifling a moan at the flavor. Like everything in this place, it was extravagant, with an excess of flavor. The meat practically melted in her mouth, and she came to the realization that something of this quality probably cost what it normally would require to feed her for a month, easily. She didn’t have time to enjoy it, though, as she was interrupted by Odalia.

“Amity, really, what has gotten into you? Where are your manners?” The woman criticized, gesturing at the girl with her own fork. “Sit up straight, for goodness sake. And are you using a salad fork to eat your entree?”

Odalia sighed heavily, “A few months away from home, and you’ve become a complete savage.”

Vee frowned, setting her fork down, suddenly not feeling very hungry. “But Ala- I mean, Dad isn’t-“

“That’s no excuse, Amity. Be better, even better than us.” Odalia scolded. Across from her, Alador had abandoned using utensils at all, and was instead eating the meat with one hand, the other scribbling down notes about his contraption. Beneath the table, Odalia kicked Alador, making him drop his food.

“Sorry, dear,” He uttered easily, as if this were an everyday occurrence, whipping his greasy hand against his oil stained shirt and then taking a fork in hand to eat, back to ignoring everyone at the table.

Vee tried to ignore the anxiety in her gut, looking over the various forks, knives and spoons laid out for her to use. She wasn’t sure which she needed to use in this situation, and didn’t want to draw anymore attention to the fact she didn’t have that knowledge, so instead opted to push the plate away, “I’m not very hungry.”

That was a lie, but Odalia was too far away to hear the gurgling of Vee’s mostly empty stomach. Instead the woman put her face in her hands in irritation, “Very well. You’re to return to your room until tomorrow, then. I don’t want to hear you complaining when you’re released again. And we’ll work on your table manners from now on.”

With a snap of her fingers, Odalia summoned a pair of servants to her side as if from nowhere, one taking Vee’s mostly untouched plate, illisiting a whimper from the hungry girl as the most delicious meal of her life was stolen from her, and the other guided her away, and back to her room.

The bedroom door was once again hastily closed and locked behind her, and Vee was alone. Or, at least she assumed so, until she heard rapping against the window again, the sound of Clara’s return as her knuckles tapped the glass. Vee breathed a sigh of relief, happy to see Clara even if the other girl didn’t like her. She was the closest she’d come to a friendly face since New York after all, and far more pleasant to deal with than the Blights. She opened the window from her side, unlatching and sliding it open enough for Clara to open it the rest of the way from the outside.

“It’s about time! I’ve been waiting here for you to show up again for twenty minutes! I think I found something.” Clara sent a cocky smile up at her, with Vee unable to resist the urge to smile back despite the girl's rough tone. Her smile fell a little when she realized Clara wasn’t exactly alone.

“Wow, the person we’re helping is Amity Blight?” One of the new people, the one with a pair of glasses on, said.

“Well, if anyone’s family is full of witches, its hers,” the tall dark one grumbled under his breath. “Probably a lot of black magic was cast to get that high up in society.”

Clara silenced them with a glance, then turned back to Vee, “Don't worry about them, Vee. They’re friendly, and really helped me out. You can trust them. I think.”

Turning back to the group, Clara introduced them one by one by name. Once that was done, she introduced Vee in return, “I know this looks like Amity, but it’s not. This is Vee, and she’s… well, she isn’t exactly normal.”

“Preaching to the choir,” Masha smirked, “Now why would she need a magical artifact in the first place?”

Clara held out her find, a wand, which Vee greedily took from the other side of the bars, “Magic!”

Then, like it were made of licorice, instead of magic infused wood, the human shaped basilisk took a huge chunk out of it with her teeth, noisily chewing and swallowing the wand bit by bit in front of the gobsmacked teenagers.

“Okay, that’s just gross,” Tom gagged, with the agreement of the rest of the humans watching.

When the last of the wand had disappeared down Vee’s gullet, she patted her stomach, feeling much better after having skipped dinner, “okay, I think I’m ready to change. Uh, try not to be too freaked out, okay?”

Vee closed her eyes and began to focus on removing her current form, and adopting her natural one. Skin turned to scales, legs formed into a tail, her ears and snout grew, until she stood in all of her basilisk glory, looking through the bars nervously, “So… uh, what do you think?”

Sam was the first to open their mouth to voice their disbelief, “I was not prepared for that. I was not prepared for any of this.”

Tom shrugged, shockingly indifferent for someone faced with a magical creature. “I don’t know, I mean, she’s still kinda cute? In a scaly way,”

Masha agreed, looking maybe a bit too into Vee’s new look, “She’s perfect.”

As much as Clara hated snakes and all things scaly, she could at least agree with Tom, that Vee at least looked kind of cute, in a non-threatening, puppy-dog kind of way. “You’re… fine. Can you fit through the bars now?”

Vee grabbed on to the iron bars, pressing her head against it. It took a little work, and a little magic to squish her skull's shape a bit, but little by little she managed to get through. On the outside, the humans lent a hand, pulling the demon through the bars and keeping her from crashing down onto the ground the second she was through.

Her shoulders were next, followed by her belly and her tail, and in no time flat she was out of the Blight’s cage, on the ground outside, free like she belonged. Free. That word meant something again, and in her thankfulness she flung herself at the cheerleader of the group, wrapping her arms and tail around her in a tight hug, wailing out her thanks.

Clara, excited to have completed her mission and to see the glum creature happy again, embraced her back, the two bouncing up and down together as they hugged until a sharp cough interrupted them. The two girls glanced over to their new friends to see them staring, Sam giving them a knowing look, “Should we maybe leave you two alone for a little bit?”

The human and demon broke apart, utterly embarrassed by the enby’s insinuations. “It’s not like that at all!” Clara shouted them down, even as the Cabin Seven crew laughed.

“Clara doesn’t like me like that! She doesn’t even like me at all!” Vee blushed, covering her face with scaly hands. She’d never received teasing of this type before, and as flustered as she felt, it was almost nice.

Clara reached out and grabbed the basilisk's hand, earning a few more “ooos” from their audience, which she ignored, then gave it a yank, “Come on, we all need to get out of here, or all of this was for nothing.”

The group traveled out of the Blight family homes' limits, eager to remove themselves from their property before they could all get caught. Clara knew all the security camera points, and how to avoid them, and one scaled fence later, they were out in the woods behind the house, the same woods Vee had first shown up in.

The basilisk slithered forward, glancing at each of the trees, until she found the path she first traveled and followed it, leading herself and her new friends until they found a broken down shack in a small clearing between trees. Even in the dark, they all grimaced at the state it was in.

“This is where I came through,” Vee told them. Slithering up the steps. “I should stay close. I don’t know how much more magic is in the area, but it's pretty clear I’m going to have to stick around in case my disguises fail again.”

“Speaking of, you need a new one,” Clara brought up, the others looking confused.

“I can change my shape as long as I have magic. I came through from my own world looking like a girl named Amity, because she’s the first human I saw.” Vee explained.

“So, who will you look like now?” Tom asked, scratching the back of his head.

Masha crossed her arms, “Personally, I think she looks fine as is.”

Seeing the looks the others were giving her, she came to her own defense, “Hey, cute snake girl! I know I can’t be the only one into that kinda stuff!”

She nudged Clara with her elbow, muttering at her, “Look, if you don’t date her, I just might, that’s your only warning.”

Clara chose to ignore that comment, focusing on the question at hand, “Got any ideas who you want to be?”

Vee taped her clawed fingers together, looking a bit put off, “I’m not exactly great at coming up with a unique look. It’s probably just a me thing, there aren’t exactly enough basilisks for me to compare myself to in that regard, but…”

She looked at the group in front of her, and realized she didn’t have to jump in blind. “Wait, I have an idea.”

Vee closed her eyes, and focused on what her new form should be. Masha, while a bit short, was cute, and just the right height for Vee’s purposes, as well as Vee’s preferred gender. Vee used her body as a template, picturing her in her mind's eye. Next, she looked at Tom, adding his dark complexion and hair color to the mix. She’d only got a glance at his eyes, but they were kind, so she added them as well.

Next, she took from Sam their hairstyle and smile, adjusting their features to fit on her new face. And lastly, from Clara, she took her nose and ears.

When she opened her eyes, she was seeing through her new body, back on two legs. She grinned up at her companions, a little shorter than everyone besides Masha, “how do I look?”

Tom flashed a thumbs up, while the others gave words of approval, Masha thanking whatever demons she worshiped that she got the chance to see Vee’s transformation with her own eyes.

Vee turned her eyes to Clara, not knowing why, but she wanted the girl's approval. “What do you think?”

Clara looked her up and down, then smiled, “You look very cute. So tiny.”

“Hey!” Masha protested, stomping her foot against the ground when she realized that comment applied to her as well.

Sam turned to the shack behind Vee, sizing it up as they peeked through their glasses. “This place is a hunk of junk. You sure you want to stay here of all places?”

Vee nodded, “I’ve got nowhere else to go. Believe it or not, I’ve lived in worse. Thanks for the concern though, it’s… nice to be worried about.”

Tom shook his head,” Well, we can always help you fix the place up.”

His friends all turned to stare at him, even Clara who had only known him a few hours. He looked back, then snapped back, “Hey, my laziness is a choice, I can break out of it to help a friend, can’t I?”

While the others playfully bickered and snapped at each other, Clara took the time to take the picture she’d stolen from Jacob and hand it over to Vee, “I found this while I was out. I wanted to ask, was this you, or Amity?”

Vee took the picture and looked it over, her eyes glancing at Amity, but ultimately fixing on the girl beside her, “That wasn’t me. And look, do you see those ears? This girl isn’t human. She came from the demon realm, and is a witch.”

Clara cocked a brow at that, “Witches have pointy ears?”

“Yeah, I thought that was obvious?” Vee raised a brow, not understanding how that was even a question.

Thinking back on how she met Masha and the embarrassment that came with it, Clara smacked Vee upside the head, “You could have thought to tell me that earlier?!”

Still, looking down at the picture, Clara was happy to know that Amity, wherever she was, seemed to be safe and happy, if the smile on her face in the photo said anything. She’d miss her best friend, but it was better that she stayed as far away from her parents as she could.

Even if that meant staying in place like the Demon Realm.

The new friends saw each other often, almost every day. The Cabin Seven gang hauled usable trash from the Gravesfield dump to the little shack in the woods to use for repairs, and they used what little knowledge they had of construction, following mewtube guides and trying their best to have fun together as they worked to make Vee a new and better home.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into a month. And before them, a livable little cabin in the woods had sprung forth. It wasn’t perfect, a lot of the parts not matching up with others, but it had its charms. Sam declared it quirky, and no one could deny the word fit, even if there were better, less kind words to describe it.

Vee loved it though, as they all gathered together to put the finishing touches on it. Tom held a stencil up, while Masha handled a can of spray paint, the front door to the shack emblazoned with a large, hot rod red number seven.

“The new and improved Cabin Seven is finished!” The friends declared, presenting it to Vee.

“And we’re ready to welcome our newest members!” Sam ushered Vee and Clara forward as Masha opened the door. Tom was the first one through, throwing himself onto the floor and declaring he wasn’t ever going to do anything productive again.

The inside had been cleaned of the animal feces, broken glass and splintered wood that had littered it, replaced with a tidy new floor made from wood salvaged from pallets and sanded down smooth. On top of the new floor were blankets and pillows, a large makeshift bed that took up a bulk of the room, with an old, salvaged CRT TV in the corner, antennas bent at odd angles.

Tom had donated a few old games and a console he never played anymore for Vee to use after they discovered that the place somehow still got power. They hoped the surge of use didn’t bring anyone's attention towards it at the power company, but until someone threw the off switch, they were using it to their advantage. Under the console was a beat up old DVD player from the dump, cleaned with it’s own set of disks, each of the teens contributing their favorites to increase Vee’s collection.

On the back wall, the door leading to the rest of the dilapidated shack had been sealed off, caution tape placed over the door. There was only so much the teens could do to fix the place, and one room had taken all this time. Standing beside the locked door, a small dresser and vanity had been donated by Masha and Sam respectively, a place for Vee to store her new clothes, and a place to do her makeup, an art form Sam was still trying to teach her.

A variety of outfits, makeup, as well as the blankets and pillows that furnished the place had been a gift from Clara, who insisted she didn’t want Vee to get cold out here all alone. That touched the basilisk’s heart the most, especially with how poorly the cheerleader pretended she still only tolerated her presence, despite how much time they spent together these days.

Vee took a look at all she now had, and wiped her eyes, “Thank you, all of you, so much. I’m so grateful-“

All of them, every last one of her friends, embraced her tightly in a group hug, “Shut up, we all love you, so no way were we not going to help.” Sam insisted.

“Can’t leave my new gaming buddy hanging. I still have so many new games to show you.” Tom ruffled her hair.

“We’re Cabin Seven forever, baby, and you’re part of that team now!” Masha laughed, arms wrapped around the basilisk’s waist, pressing a kiss to Vee’s cheek.

“Besides,” Clara added, feeling surprisingly more at home here with these new friends than she ever had with any of the popular kids at school, “We still need to teach you the art of the sleepover.”

Vee gave them all a wet grin, doing her best to stifle her tears. “Thank you, I’d love to.”

“I’ll get the games set up,” Tom threw himself down to the floor again, flipping on the game console and unraveling the controllers.

“I brought snacks!” Masha declared, reaching for her bag.

“We have got to do some stuff with makeup, while we’re at it. Can we really call it a sleepover if we don’t?” Sam took their own seat, ready for a night of no sleep and fun games.

“Think you can do my nails?” Tom asked, “I swear every time I do my own, they chip before the day is done!”

Clara just sat beside Vee, happy that, despite how they started, she managed to make a new friend. And when the first big rain of the year started that night, she was there to hold Vee’s hand, for as long as the basilisk wanted her too.

Deep inside the Cheerleader’s bag, long forgotten, lay the slitted eye of a familiar key, bidding it’s time until it could be found once more.

Chapter Text

‘Hello, diary. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. How have you been? … I’m asking a book I’m writing in how it’s doing, what is wrong with me? Ugh, anyway, things have been… eventful, since the petrification ceremony a week and a half ago.

For one, I kinda messed up and got Ed and Em stranded here with me…’

With Eda’s added bulk from her now permanent cursed form, squeezing her into her own front door had been difficult, to say the least. It had taken a bit of maneuvering to get her to fit, and she was thrown off by how small her living room now felt to her, constantly bumping into the furniture, knocking over a lot of her decour, ranging from lamps to vases.

“Luz, I’m going to be a bit useless until I’ve adjusted, so I’m going to have to have you help around here a lot more. Do you think you can find a place to put these new kids to sleep?” She grunted as she made her way up the stairs, taloned hands and feet clacking noisily against the wooden floors, leaving shallow gouge marks as she stepped.

Amity frowned, looking unsuridly at her girlfriend, “Uh, Eda, I don’t think we have any spare rooms left to put them in.”

“They don’t need rooms. Just put them on the sofa, it’s a pull out.” Eda waved a claw at them, disappearing as she ascended to the second floor, a small smattering of feathers drifting down, having been scrapped off from her body brushing against the staircase railing.

Amity blinked, then clenched her fist, “Wait, we’ve had a pull out mattress in there this whole time?!”

Luz tossed the cushion off the sofa, revealing said pull out mattress. She grabbed the handle, giving it a hard tug and it came out, uncollapsing into a usable bed.

Emira took one look at the thing and groaned, “Really? Man, we’re really roughing it, aren’t we?”

“I can already feel my back aching, and I haven’t even slept on it yet!” Edric complained, collapsing onto the mattress in defeat.

“I’ve been sleeping on the floor in Luz’s room all these months, you’ve got no right to complain!” Amity barked, glaring daggers at the two.

‘I understand that this is something they never wanted, and it’ll take time to adjust. I just wish they’d complain a little less. Everyone else has had to really pull their weight since all of this went down, and it’s not exactly cheap to feed all these extra mouths.

Eda hasn’t been able to make any potions lately, not with her hands as they are. She’s relearning a lot of her finer motor skills, and has mostly adjusted to walking on all fours but for now her brewing business is on hold. Not to mention that without a portal to the human realm, she can’t sell garbage to the other witches and demons. It kind of put her out of a job. She’s taken on a few odd jobs since we escaped the petrification ceremony, though. This week, she’s a bounty hunter. That’s going about as well as you’d think…’

Eda pounced on top of a small demon, all teeth and claws, growling like a ferocious animal until her prey surrendered.

“Alright, Eda, I think that’s enough for now…” Amity rushed to her mentor’s side, laying a hand on her shoulder. Eda turned her head to look back at her student, eyes black and teeth exposed.

“But he looks like a tasty rat!” She snarled, voiced deep and monstrous.

With a frown, Amity took an elixir out of her bag and offered it to Eda. The transformed witch looked down at it with irritation, before reluctantly taking it in her claws and downing its contents in a gulp, her eyes returning to their usual color.

“Ugh, you’d think after thirty years, I’d be used to the taste by now!” She gagged, voice back to normal.

Their bounty laid on the ground, hands raised in surrender, “I’d like to go to prison now, please…”

‘The elixir is doing its job, and she hasn’t lost it completely yet, but she’s got to take at least six a day to stay stable. That’s really putting a hole in our funds. I’m doing what I can to fill that hole myself. Here’s hoping we can find a better solution in the coming weeks, before we all end up utterly broke.

I’ll write in you later, I have to get to my own job soon.

-Amity’

“Come on, Kids, stick close.”

Eda moved through the town plaza with purpose, her latest catch tied up and strapped to her back, King annoying the criminal by mashing his paws against the demon’s nose and repeatedly yelling “boop!” As he did so.

Luz and Amity did as Eda asked, keeping close to the transformed Owl Lady, while Edric and Emira lingered farther towards the back, unheeding of Eda’s warnings. The rest of the town gave her wide berth, most looking like they wanted to keep out of Eda’s way now that she was in her more ferocious form. That, and her new bounty wasn’t doing her any favors.

Eda had been the happiest she’d been all week when she’d heard rumors they were giving her an increase, until the poster came in, that is. Not because of the amount, no, she was very proud of that. Her bounty, already the highest in the Isles history, had tripled after her escape, and that was something that had the owl lady grinning. No, it was the new art they used for her.

“I used to be so hot…” Eda had groaned, head in her talons as she saw her new beastial body emblazoned on the wanted poster. Even her epitaph had been changed from “the Owl Lady” to “the Owl Beast.”

Being wanted herself hadn't stopped Eda from turning to bounty hunting, though. If anything, she got a bit of a kick out of it. They couldn’t exactly turn her away when she brought people in for their bounties, or she’d just release them, and no one wanted to capture her. Half the town feared her new form, while the other looked at her with respect for what had happened at the Conformatorium, despite Eda not exactly getting why. She wasn’t one of the ones leading this weird rebellion that had popped up overnight, or anything.

Luz glanced over at a new statue of the Emperor that had been commissioned, sitting in the center of town. Despite being only a few days old, it already had a few chips in it, missing a horn, with graffiti layered over it. Namely the word ‘BATTS’ had been scribbled on over the plaque, the second T clearly having been crossed out by a separate person, using a different colored paint and crawled in a sloppier hand.

“The Emperor is really not popular lately, is he?” Luz murmured, feeling more than a bit vindicated after the whole ordeal, and after what Belos had tried to do to her mother.

“If anyone deserved to have their shiny new statue TPed, it was him,” Eda chuckled to herself as they approached a booth for Bounty deposits.

That was another thing that had changed in the past week. Open rebellion against the Emperor had sprung up during the petrification ceremony, and no one was entirely sure what sparked it, just that some organization or secret order calling themselves “The BATs”(or sometimes “The CATs, if the rumors were to believed that they were currently undergoing a name change) had been behind most of the chaos. The entire thing brought forth a new air around town, an aura completely separate from the one Amity had known since she arrived here.

There was excitement, and fear behind the eyes of everyone in the markets because of it. Things were happening beyond the control of the common folk, yet they felt the pull anyway. And it gave them all something to gossip about.

While Eda turned in their catch, Amity checked out the Bounty Board, checking for any new posters. Or a particular one. Hers. So far, despite Eda’s own massively increased bounty, Amity had yet to receive one herself. Neither had Luz, for that matter. Amity hummed to herself, glad to see she wasn’t a wanted woman yet, knowing it was likely only due to the Emperor’s pride that she didn’t already have a poster. They were the only two in this world who knew what went down below the Conformatorium, and it seemed he wanted to keep his loss private for now. His public perception was already at an all time low, he probably didn’t want to let the public know a child outsmarted him that day.

The supposed leader of the rebellion had one though, almost matching Eda’s former bounty. Their bat masked face stared back at Amity from their poster, and Amity wondered who exactly they were, and why they had done what they did.

“Come on, Mittens, should we really be wasting time here?” Ed asked, stepping in behind her as she looked over the posters.

Emira was quick to join in, “Yeah, shouldn’t we, you know, be looking for a way back home? This stuff can wait!”

Amity bit her lip, taking a moment to breathe in and calm herself. The twins had been on her case ever since that first night they had got trapped here, and it was beginning to get on her nerves. “Guys, I know, you want to go back to the Human Realm-“

“Home-“ they both corrected at once.

“-The Human Realm,” Amity insisted through her clenched teeth. Hissing out a bit of tension, she tried again. “I understand. You didn’t ask to be here, but we have more important things to focus on right now-“

“Like what?” Emira rolled her eyes, “What could possibly be more important than getting us back home?”

“Not starving to death before we can do that?” Amity suggested condescendingly. “I don’t know if you noticed, but Eda’s two primary sources of income are gone. Maybe forever. And she’s now got two more mouths to feed and shelter, and while Eda’s been working hard with her bounty hunting gig, you’ve both sat back and contributed nothing.”

That seemed to take the wind out of their sails a little. Edric deflated, but perked back up, a gotcha on the tip of his tongue, “Then why aren’t you helping her?”

Amity jabbed at her brother with a finger, “I am helping her! I got my own job at the library now! Not to mention I have to balance that with school, where I’m taking more than half a dozen more classes than everyone else, on top of training to join the Grudgby team when we return to school.”

She then turned to Emira, jabbing her in turn, “Meanwhile, you two have done nothing but lay around and complain for the past week. So, from now on, you two are going to help Eda with her new gig.”

Turning back to the wanted board, she looked around for a suitable bounty for her sibling's level of toughness, yanking it off and handing it over, “Here, go find this guy. Contribute, or something!”

The twins frowned at the idea of having to do an honest day's work. As much as they didn’t like their parents, they’d be the first to admit they enjoyed the benefits of being Blights, in that they had unfathomable wealth at their disposal. Working for their meals sounded beneath them. But they did like eating, so they couldn’t exactly worm their way out of it, either.

Ed reached out and put an arm around Luz, dragging her into the conversation, “Well, at least we’ll have your girlfriend to keep us company!”

Luz chuckled nervously, prying Ed’s arm off of her before Amity tried to remove it herself. “I’d love to, you guys, but, actually… I kind of volunteered at the library today. To spend some time with my awesome girlfriend, and read to some kids.”

Emira huffed, none too pleased about this news, “Great, so not only is she putting us to work, but Amity is taking the only piece of eye candy around. We’ll miss you, cutie.”

Luz blushed, flustered by the constant teasing the Blight twins forced onto her. It had been flattering at first, but now she knew that they really only did it to get under Amity’s skin, and… she still kind of enjoyed it. She wasn’t going to throw away free compliments, after all.

Amity grabbed Luz by the hand, giving it a gentle tug, “Come on Luz. We need to go, or we’ll be late. Eda, we’re leaving!”

Eda counted up her bounty, less than what she wanted, but more than what she expected. It was enough to feed everyone for the day, at least. The guy at the counter wasn’t going to short her when she had teeth and claws the size of his forearm. She was magicless, not powerless, after all. “Yeah, see you later kids. Be careful, and watch your backs! We don’t know if Belos will want retribution, and I’d rather you not die in some place as lame as the library.”

As Amity and Luz departed, Edric and Emira took a look at the bounty poster they’d been handed. “The Abominable Cutie Pie?” Em read aloud, unbelieving that this was an actual wanted criminal.

“She chose a baby bounty for us! Look, it’s the lowest bounty on the board by far!” Ed gestured, holding the poster up to compare it against the rest.

“We’ll just have to show her. If she thinks we can't contribute, we’ll just have to prove her wrong.” Em looked over the board, snagging the bounty with the largest number that wasn’t related to Eda or the BAT leader, and held it aloft for her brother to see.

Wanted: Selkidomus

Reward: 1,000,000 Snails.

“Do you think maybe you were a bit too hard on them, Amity?” Luz asked softly as they approached the library. She took a moment to bounce ahead of her girlfriend, opening the door for her and bowing lowly as Amity walked by her, both trying to stifle giggles now that they had to be quiet.

Amity, once she’d composed herself once more, lowered her voice as she answered, “Not really. Those two can be really smart, and they’ll work hard, but only on stuff they want to do. If they want to be able to eat at the end of the day, they’ll have to start pulling their own weight, and using the skills I know they have.”

“I don’t really mean about that,” Luz clarified, having trouble keeping her voice down as much as Amity could. “I mean more about their situation. They didn’t really ask to be here, Amity. How would you like being back in the human world against your will?”

Amity sneered just thinking about it, “I know, you’re right, I should be more sympathetic… but you don’t really get it yet, Luz. You didn’t have to live with them for fourteen years.”

Luz put her hands behind her head, lips pursed as she thought about what Amity was saying, “I don’t know, they seem okay to me.”

“Just wait until they get bored, or something,” Amity warned, “They’ll wind up making trouble, and it’ll be on all our heads when they do.”

King rode on Eda’s back as headed for the harbor. The diminutive demon stood on his legs, craning his neck around, realizing they were short two people. “Uh, Eda? I think we lost the freeloaders.”

Eda waved a claw nonchalantly, “Don’t worry about it. They’ll be fine. Unlike Luz or Amity, the Emperor and his covens have no idea they even exist. As long as they keep their heads down, they’ll be fine.”

King frowned under his bony skull, “Well, okay, if you say so. What are we going to do again while Luz and Amity bore themselves at the library?”

“We, my tiny partner in crime, are going to give Bounty Hunting a bit of a break. It just isn’t paying enough, not when we have to choose between my elixirs or putting food on the table. Instead, we’ll be bounty hunting.” Eda wiggled her brows, smirking at her own joke.

King, however, didn’t get it, “Wait, what? That’s the same thing, isn’t it?”

Eda rolled her eyes, “No, I mean, there is a bounty in place that we’ll be stealing. We’re going to rob the reward money! So, we’re hunting for the bounty. Get it?”

King blinked, then chuckled, “Oh, okay! … Yeah, no, still not getting it.”

Eda facepalmed, not an easy task with her sharp talons, but having to deal with the Blight twins for the past week had made her more or less an expert at it. “Look, see that ship over there? We’re going to rob it blind.”

King gazed out to the docks, looking at the biggest, grandest ship currently harbored there. “So, like pirates?”

The Owl Lady made a face full of disgust, “Egh, no. They don’t bath enough, and while I may be covered in fur and feathers now, I refuse to grow a beard. No, let's settle with… privateers, how about that?”

“King want a cracker!” The little demon demanded, already perching on Eda’s shoulder like a parrot.

“You can have all the crackers you can eat after the heist. I need you to get on that ship, and hide away. Find where they’re keeping the coins, and when I swoop in, you steal it and hop on. We fly away, and we’re rich by a million more snails.”

“Sounds almost doable to me!” King flashed a thumbs up, hopping off Eda so he could scurry to the boat.

“Good, now get on out there, you little sea rat.”

Unknown to Eda and King, Edric and Emira had already boarded that same boat less in a bid to prove they could bring something to the table, and more to prove Amity wrong and rub her face in it.

The Captain of the boat, a Salty Sailor named… Salty, strode out on the deck, looking at each member of the crew with an upturned beak-nose, glaring at them through his scar covered eye. “All Hands!”

The sailors lined themselves up, backs straight, to listen to their captain, Ed and Em joined, though their attention was on each other, rather than their new captain. Ed sized up Emira’s new outfit, letting out a whistle, “Wow, sis, you look great in pirate gear. Is that the new fall fashion?”

Emira curtsied, wearing a cute blue and white striped dress, with a pair of black boots that went up to her knees, and a bandana to keep her hair tied back. “Why, thanks for noticing. You look pretty decent yourself, for a sailor.”

Ed beamed with pride, fixing his sailors cap to make sure it was on straight. His getup consisted of a white sailors uniform, complete with handkerchief around his neck. He felt like he’d jumped right out of a cartoon, but dang if it looked cute and brought out the blue of his eyes.

“If’s you’re finished preening over one another’s dress sense, do you mind paying attention while ye Captain is speaking?” Salty boomed, threatening the two of them with his claw hand, snipping it near their faces.

“Right, right, sorry, cap’n!” The two quickly stood at attention, saluting him and hoping to keep their ears attached to their heads.

Salty narrowed his eyes, before returning his attention to the rest of his crew. “Alright, crew. The Selkidomus has been ravaging the coastline. It was last seen in the Simmering Shoals. You know the drill, Snag the quarry,” He dropped a fat sack of snails onto the deck, a few glimmering coins visible from the near bursting bag.

He gestured to their prize, and continued, “get the money galore-y. We all do the work, we all get a cut.”

The crew cheered as one, all eager to get their share of the cash when this was all over. The twins, on the other hand, frowned. They hadn’t been aware it would be split between them. That was less than a hundred thousand each after all was said and done.

“I thought we were doing this for a cool million…” Edric grumbled.

“Dammit, we’ll just end up being thousandaires. What can a hundred thousand snails even buy? Doesn’t exactly seem like a lot…” Emira muttered.

“What was that, you two? You already bellyaching before we’ve even left port?” Salty interrupted, snipping his claws at them once more.

“Nope! Can’t wait to catch us a demon whale!” Em snapped back to attention.

Edric was right behind her, not wanting to get yelled at by the mad sea dog anymore than his sister, “Not at all, we’re very much looking forward to the scurvy and seasickness!”

Their captain snarled, but accepted their answer. “Fine. ‘Til then, keep everything shipshape. This ain't no pleasure cruise.”

A broom and a mop were thrown at Edric and Emira, who looked like they didn’t know which way to hold it. “Don't be a burden, sea squirts.”

Ed grimaced, “I’m sure you can count on us!”

Before the day was through, the twins were back on the main deck, Salty before them. He eyed them up and down, before speaking. “Well, ye had me confront my own biases, and-“

The two looked at each other hopefully-

“You’ve only made them worse. You be the single worst sailors I’ve had the displeasure of ever sailing with, and I curse ye names to the bottom of the seven boiling seas!” The captain hollered, making everyone within earshot wince at his volume.

Both Blights flinched as he yelled, but wouldn’t just take this slander standing. Ed straightened his back, and stepped forward, “Come on, man, you’re being way too harsh! I thought we did fine!”

“Fine? Ye tore a hole in the mainsail, broke the broom I gave you, then broke the replacement broom too. Your sister lost one of the cannons on the starboard side, knocking it to the sea below, and broke the spokes of the ship’s wheel.”

He then gestured with his arms to the very sea itself, “Not te mention the fact you got us lost at sea, and set fire to the map!”

He jabbed at Edric’s chest with his clawed hand, “If’n you weren’t still good for one thing, I’d have you both keelhauled the rest of the trip, and serve ye boiled bones for broth!”

Emira took her brother’s arm and pulled him back, taking his place. This called for a more diplomatic approach. “So, we are still good for something, right? That has to count for something.”

“Aye, you’re good for one thing.” Salty nodded, stroking his chin with his clawed hand, “We’re gonna use you both as bait to lure the Selkidomus out! Tie them up, men!”

Emira’s eyes went wide as a lasso was thrown around her, and she was pulled against her brother, the two back to back as rope was spun around them until they were bound, then suspended into the air by the mast until the crew was ready to dunk them into the sea to lure in the beast.

Perhaps they’d been too hasty, tried taking on too much, all to prove their sister wrong. Perhaps they-

“Weh?”

All eyes fell onto a tiny demon, with a hefty prize in his paws. King had stepped out of the Captain’s cabin, carrying with him double his weight in golden snails, the sack so heavy he had to drag it behind him. It was just his luck that his sneaky skills were all for naught when he spotted a pair of faces he had least expected to find aboard this ship.

And in his surprise, he’d unwittingly alerted them all to his presence.

The crew of cutthroat pirates and sailors closed in on King, some brandishing knives, others curved swords, all capable and willing to slice him like a Winter solstices’ ham. With a nervous gulp, he gave a shout to the sky, “Eda, any day now!”

The sailors stilled, waiting for anything to happen. To their glee, nothing did, and emboldened they continued to close in on the self proclaimed King of Demons. “Wait! Stop! Keep away, your King demands it! Edaaaa!”

A roar tore through the sky as a large winged beast descended upon the crew of the ship, swiping at them with tooth and claw and scooping her partner in crime up and onto her shoulders. The bag of coins settled in one of her talons, heavy, but that was to be expected. Nothing she couldn’t carry.

“She’s stealing the loot!” Salty exclaimed, dashing to his men's sides, abandoning Ed and Em where they were and calling for the rest of the crew to fight beside him. The captain attacked the Owl Beast with sword and pincer, swinging wildly as he rushed her, only to be taken out with a single backhand strike from Eda.

“Dang, not having magic anymore might be a pain, but this body does have its benefits.” Eda smirked, flexing the mass of muscles she had under her feathers.

“Eda! Save us!” Emira yelled, her face turning green as she and Ed began to spin in the air from the rocking of the boat twisting the rope that held them suspended. Ed didn’t look much better, already having been seasick beforehand.

“What’s the dynamic duo doing here?” She asked King, who just shrugged from his position on her back. “Hey, were you guys trying to steal the treasure too? Nice effort, but your technique needs some work!”

“Just get us down, please!” Ed groaned, doing his best not to hurl all over the deck.

Eda took to the air once more, slicing the rope above their heads and grabbing it before it could fall. The twins now dangled even higher in the air, Eda gaining lift and leaving the ship behind.

“This isn’t exactly what we had in mind!” Emira shrieked, kicking her legs as she looked down on the boiling water below them. Edric would have protested as well, had he lost his internal struggle to not lose his lunch.

Eda was in agreement. Having people on her back was one thing. Having their weight pulling her down from a dangling rope a dozen feet below her was another. She batted her wings, attempting to stay up in the air, but it was a losing battle, “Hang on, kids. We’re going to need to land. Hold on tight!”

“Hold on to what?!” Edric cried as they began to lose altitude, his heart leaping into his throat as he and Em more or less fell from the sky.

Eda’s eyesight was tuned more for farsightedness in her new form, so she could just make out an island not far off. Redirecting herself, she spread her wings to glide the rest of the way, carrying herself and her cargo on the winds. King pulled at her hair like he was attempting to steer her, making airplane noises with his mouth, earning fond chuckles from the witch as they drifted to safety.

Ed and Em crashed into the soft sands of the beach, rolling and groaning until they came to a stop, still bound together by ropes. They spit out dirt that had gotten into their mouths, shifting their bodies as they tried to get out of their bindings, to no avail. With a pathetic whimper, Em called out, “Can someone untie us already? I’m begging here!”

Eda left her bag of gold in the sand, strolled their way, and with a swipe of her claws the ropes were shredded, releasing the two from their captivity. “So, what happened back there, anyway?”

“We don’t want to talk about it,” Edric groaned, picking himself up and out of the sand, which had already worked its way into some uncomfortable areas under his clothes.

“Suit yourselves.” Eda shrugged, turning to King. “Alright, Mr. Wiggles, let's see that gold. Should be a million in there. We won’t have to work for a while with that kind of cash.”

As Eda began to look over their bounty, a grin on her face, Ed and Em crumbled. They really were useless in this world. They couldn’t do magic. They couldn’t make potions. They couldn’t even sail on a ship, and Eda had to bail them out. They really were freeloaders.

“Maybe we should have stuck with the work Amity tried to give us,” Emira conceded, casting a sad glance to her brother.

“She was right. It was way more our speed.” Edric agreed, kicking at the sand with his shoe. “It was dumb of us to rush things. We could have been killed.”

In a flash of blinding red, a being appeared, cloaked in white and wearing a golden mask that hid his face, bearing a staff with a glowing red gem. “That can still be arranged.”

Amity wheeled her cart of books, keeping busy by placing them one by one on the shelves they belonged, by genre, then by author, then by title, all alphabetically. That was something she loved about the library. The order. Everything was categorized, everything had its place. As much as she loved the chaotic nature of the Owl House, it was nice to have something that was structured, that she could control.

Also, she liked the scent of the musty old books. It made her feel relaxed.

The idea of being a librarian was an impossible one back on Earth, no matter how much she might have enjoyed it. It was too low class. Amity wasn’t even allowed to converse with the librarians at her school beyond needing their assistance for something, because they were ‘the help,’ and as such, beneath the Blights.

Now that she was here, now that she got to work this job every day, and be around all these books that she loved so much, she hoped this could be the career she found herself in as an adult. Maybe as the head of her own grand library.

She placed the last book that belonged in this row of shelves, dusting off her hands and gazing up proudly to admire her work. She breathed out a happy sigh, grabbing the handle of her cart as she began to roll it to the next section, when a voice off in the distance caught her ear.

“'We're your friends and we wanna help,' said the Tin Boy with a yelp. Otabin smiled and paced the floor. 'I've never had real friends before.'" Luz’s familiar, energetic voice met her ears. Amity was near the Kids corner of the library, where Luz had volunteered to read today. It was a blatant way to spend more time with her girlfriend, but Amity didn’t mind in the slightest, and Luz was clearly having fun, if the bouncing cadence of her voice said anything.

Amity peeked around the corner, catching a glance of her girlfriend’s animated reading session. Even in the library, with a book in her hands, Luz couldn’t keep still, acting out the scenes from the book and bounding from place to place, puppets on either hand based on the characters. Amity giggled to herself as she watched Luz struggle to turn the page with both hands covered in felt, but she managed to do so, and continued the story.

“‘Then we'll be your first,' the Chicken Witch clucked. Otabin couldn't believe his luck. So, Bookmaker Otabin, surrounded by friends, bound a book of friendship and that's the end!’" Luz grinned from ear to ear as the children around her clapped, the witch taking a cartoonishly over exaggerated bow as she closed the book. “Thank you all so much! I really liked reading to you guys, I hope I can do so again really soon.”

The children swarmed her, begging for another book to be read. Luz opened her mouth, but before she could reply she caught a glimpse of Amity, and glanced over to her, a twinkle in her eye.

The two blushed a little, and unbeknownst to either a little check mark was scratched off in Amity’s mind concerning Luz that said ‘good with kids.’

Luz sent her a little wave that Amity was quick to return, then Luz turned her attention back to the small group of children, “Alright, you guys wore me down. We’ll do one more book, which one should we rea-“

“How to summon the Dark Lord!” A little girl suggested excitedly, shoving a book into Luz’s hands.

The witch gave a strained smile as she set it aside, and took the girl by the hand, “maaaybe next time, this one looks a bit too advanced for you right now. Come on, let's go find a more age appropriate one, okay?”

Amity let out a contented sigh, happy to see Luz in her element. She made a quick alteration to her plans for the future. She’d be the head of her own grand library, beside Luz, who would help out in their own kids corner, where they could read together to all the children.

A throat cleared behind her, and she jumped, turning to see the Head Librarian, Malphus looking down at her. His towering height made him look intimidating, but when he opened his mouth, his voice got rid of any such notion. He was just a librarian, after all, not some monstrous demon warrior. “I know, you two are still in your honeymoon phase, but you can’t doddle on the clock, Amity.”

The human blushed, brushing a lock of her brown hair back behind her ear, flustered over having been caught making eyes at her girlfriend during work hours. “Right, sorry, I’ll get back to it right away, sir.”

He sent her a well humored smile as she quickly grabbed her cart and pushed it forward, not knowing or caring where she was going, as long as it was away from all of that embarrassment.

She skidded to a halt in the romance section, cheeks red that she managed to somehow wander over here subconsciously. She still had Luz on the brain. Hoping to silence the voices in her head about how cute Luz looked, she quickly grabbed a book, looking for the right place to put it.

It was a synch to find where this book went, though Amity frowned when she saw there wasn’t a space for it. It was far too crammed to fit this volume on the shelf, and she soon found the reason why. Another book had been put in this one's place, one that clearly didn’t belong because, well, why else would a book by the author ‘Dana Terrace’ be among the H’s?

Amity grabbed the book to remove it, the title emblazoned on its spine to be “The Lonely Witch in the Secret Room,” only for the book to not want to move. Brow furrowed in confusion, Amity tried again, but the book didn’t budge. She set the other book aside, back on her push cart, and placed both hands on “The Lonely Witch in the Secret Room” and yanked, hoping this wasn’t someone’s stupid idea of a joke, and that this volume had been glued down or something.

Finally it moved, sliding out of place with a loud, mechanical creak, before slamming back into position. The grinding of gears met Amity’s ears, as the bookshelf itself began to move, revealing behind it a secret room.

Inside it was barren, empty of anything except a desk and a chair, but it seemed to have been abandoned for quite a long time. Dust had built up on every surface, thickly layering everything within, and making Amity’s nose tingle with the urge to sneeze. Pinching her nostrils shut, Amity stepped inside, her feet leaving prints in the dust on the floor. From the amount built up, she didn’t think even Malphus knew about this room. If he did, he certainly hadn’t stepped in it within Amity’s lifetime.

“Wow… I should… maybe I should go get him…” She thought aloud, voice echoing lightly off the walls. She took a step back, going to do just that when an idea sprang into her mind.

A secret room that no one but her knew about. She could use this for… What could she use this for? A secret hideout? What for? Maybe to get away from the twins? To share with Luz, maybe?

Her cheeks darkened, as the idea of sneaking off with her girlfriend to a secret room no one else knew about sunk into her mind. That… that was an incredibly tempting idea, one with a lot of promise.

She quickly left, shutting the door behind her. That was an idea for another day, when their relationship matured past hand holding and kisses on the cheek. For now, she’d keep this to herself.

“Hello, criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what I say.” The Gold masked individual said, keeping his staff trained on the residence of the Owl House.

“And why exactly should we listen to a word a dork wearing a bucket on his face has to say?” Eda asked, preparing to pounce on the newcomer.

“Because none of you can use real magic,” He explained cooly.

Eda narrowed her eyes, “Yeah, well, I can still slash you into meat chunks.”

The helmeted figure cocked his face, “Perhaps you can. So maybe I should just do this!“ He shot a beam of red light from his staff, making them all leap aside, except for King. The beam hit the demon, forming a cage around him that appeared to be made of flesh and bone, until it formed into steel, caging him inside. The trap then flew over to the Coven guard, who caught the handle in his hands and held King aloft.

The humans and witch were ready to attack, but the guard held his staff against the cage, the gem glowing a deep red and humming as power built up in the tip, “There, now if you want the little guy to go free, you’ll just have to listen to me.”

That stopped them in their tracks, Ed and Em holding their hands up, while Eda snarled, her inner beast reflecting in her eyes as dark pools of magic built behind them. “Let King go.” She growled.

“Ah ah ah, now, see, there are two ways this can go.” The Golden Guard said, before correcting himself, “Well, actually, three. The first, is you can give yourself up, Owl Lady, and accept your petrification. The humans will work the money you stole off, which, let's face it, will probably take a lifetime to do. The second, is one of you follows the Selkidomus and hunts it, for the glory of the Emperor, and you all walk free. At least for today.”

“And the third?” Ed asked, gulping. King was thrashing around in his cage, and he never liked watching anything cute have to suffer.

“The third, should be obvious. You try to fight, or flee, and your little friend here drowns in the boiling sea, if it doesn’t burn him to death first.”

Emira grimaced, not liking any of these options. The man before her was certainly cruel if he’d threaten to boil someone a quarter of his size alive. Still, the Blight twins were known for their schemes and their pranks, and for getting away free from any consequences, even under their strict parents, so all it took was a little planning and… she got an idea, glancing over to her twin and shooting him a wink, “Are you sure we can’t work something else out?”

Ed seemed confused, until Em’s expression turned flirtatious, and she took a slow step forward. “I mean, I don’t know about my brother, but I just love a man in uniform.”

The Golden Guard cocked his head, turning his staff away from King to point it in Emira’s direction, “Ah, you must be the human, Amity Blight, right? Odd, the reports said you were shorter… and had brown hair.”

Em smirked, placing a hand on her chest, which she puffed outward, “Me? No, no, I’m Emira, but you, handsome, you can call me Em, if you ask nicely.”

Eda watched with confusion and mild disgust, wondering just what in the world was going on, only for it to click when Ed followed up, grabbing Emira by the shoulder to pull her back while stepping forward himself.

“Em, I saw him first! You know I’ve been single longer than you have, that means I automatically get dibs!”

Emira stomped her foot, kicking up a bit of the sand from the beach, “That’s ridiculous, and you know it!”

The guard kept looking at them back and forth, unable to keep up with what was going on, or who to keep his staff trained on. Just as he switched his aim towards Ed, Em pounced forward, pressing herself against the guard seductively and trailing a finger over the chin of his mask, while keeping his staff wielding arm partially pinned and away from King or her brother.

“I bet he’s as gorgeous under his mask as his voice is.” She purred, cringing at the line because from what little she had heard of it, his voice was actually kind of annoying.

“What are you-“ The Golden Guard tried to struggle, to shake Emira off of him, but found himself trapped as Edric joined his sister on the Guard’s other side, pressing a hand against his chest, while also restraining the Guard’s arm that held King’s cage in such a way he couldn’t throw the demon into the water behind him.

“And he works out, too,” Ed smirked, trying to push his sister away, “Come on, why don’t we ditch the chicks, and have a guys night? You’re a wizard or something, you should know wands are better than a bra stuffed with crystal balls.”

Emira shoved him back, jostling the guard between them, who almost lost his balance in the loose sand. “God, why do I have to be related to such a manwhore?”

Ed struck back, “Oh, like you’re one to talk, you’ll makeout with anyone or anything halfway pretty that walks on two legs.”

The Guard’s temper began to boil over until he had had enough, and attempted to throw the two off of him, “Enough! You are both irritating, annoying, and not to mention making me wildly uncomfortable! Are all humans this infuriating?”

Ed smirked despite himself as he lunged for King’s cage, yanking it out of the guard's grip while he was flailing to shake them off, “Nah, we’re just special.”

“You want to see some really terrible flirting, you should see Amity with her little girlfriend.” Emira laughed, sweep kicking the guard's staff out of his hands, and over towards Eda.

The guard threw both the twins to the ground, then threw himself to the dirt with his arms outstretched to get to his discarded staff. His gloved hand landed right on top of it at the exact same time as a heavy, taloned claw, which kept it pinned down. Slowly looking up, he was met with the fang stuffed maw of the Owl Beast, a deep rumble of a growl in her throat.

“Well… farts.” The Golden Guard cursed, then activated his staff’s teleportation magic, bringing him out of Eda’s reach. He kept going and going, tearing through the air and getting as far away from those freaks as possible, orders to take down the Selkidomus be damned. He’d just send more sailors after it, they’d achieve the Emperor’s goal eventually for him as long as the bounty kept getting higher.

Eda’s snarling faded into laughter as she watched the guard flee with his metaphorical tail in between his legs. Ed, cage in hands, brought King to her and with a slash of her claws she cut through the lock, her tiny demon friend springing free. “Hurray! I’m saved!”

Rather than throwing himself at Eda, King instead latched onto Ed’s leg, making the boy’s lip tremble. He bent down, and threw his arms around King, squeezing him tightly like a teddy bear until the demon had enough, fighting back against the Blight, “Hey, hey, I didn’t say you could do this! Eda, save me! Again!”

“You know, that was some pretty smart thinking you guys did there. Good job.” Eda congratulated the two, feeling a bit surprised when the twins became bashful under her praise.

“Thanks… We‘ve been feeling kind of useless lately. It’s nice to have been able to do something helpful for once.” Emira smiled.

Edric nodded, dropping King into the sand. “Yeah. From now on, you can count on us to pull our weight more around here!”

“As much as I appreciate the thought, you really don’t have to. I mean, we got the gold!” Eda lifted the heavy sack up, jangling the coins inside. “We can all breathe easy for a while, no one needs to work!”

“Oh thank God,” The twins breathed out together in relief.

Eda laughed again, tossing the sack of gold their way. They caught it, almost succumbing to its weight. “Hold onto this, won’t you? I need to go have a talk with the Selki, tell it to move out to farther, deeper waters. They’ll send more ships after it, we haven’t stopped anything.”

The Twins and King waited patiently on the beach while Eda retreated into the cave behind them. When she returned, Eda was grinning, even happier than when she’d left. “You’ll never guess what I got in return for helping that giant excuse for a fish out!”

She gestured to a pile of golden goo beside her, “Selkigris! The bounty of the seas!”

The twins raced for the glimmering pile, pressing their hands into the warm, sticky gunk, “Wow, where did this even come from?” Ed asked in wonder.

“Well, the Selkidomus chucked it up before we went our separate ways-“ Needless to say, the twins joined the Selkidomus in emptying their stomachs as soon as those words left Eda’s mouth.

In the later afternoon, later that day, Amity walked home hand in hand with Luz, feeling more blissful than she had all this past week. A day away from the twins and the worries about the future of the Empire she found herself living in had done her some good, and the knot of stress that had been building between her shoulders this morning had long since gone.

And she had a nice pocket full of snails to bring home, to boot.

“Hoot hoot! How was work today you two?” The ever curious, ever boundary breaking Hooty inquired, pressing his face right up against Amity’s the moment she was in sight. Ah, there was the knot of stress. She must have only misplaced it.

“It was great, Hooty,” Luz supplied for her, pulling on Amity’s hand to guide her away from the house demon. “We’ll be sure to tell you all about it later, okay?”

“Well, okay! I’ll just be here, hooting it up!” Hooty blinked as he watched them go, then found himself immediately distracted by an insect.

Luz made a face as she watched him go, “Man, I feel really bad for him being alone all day. He needs a friend.”

“We should have volunteered Lilith as punishment,” Amity smirked, and Luz laughed along with her.

The two teens stepped into the house, and were immediately greeted by the sight of Ed and Em lounging on the couch together, while Eda was on the floor, far too large for any of the furniture. Em was flicking through the crystal ball, looking for something to watch, while Ed read a book, and Eda was casually flipping through a magazine, or as casually as she could with her talons, which kept piercing holes into the thin paper.

“We’re back!” Amity greeted, giving them all a wave. Her siblings looked up at her, sending her polite smiles, but turned their eyes back to their current tasks as if she hadn’t interrupted them at all.

Eda set aside her magazine, standing up on all fours to greet her daughter and student, stretching as she did so in a fashion that made Amity think of a dog. “So, how was your day?”

Luz beamed up at her Mom, grinning ear to ear, “It was amazing! I got to read to a bunch of kids, and they loved me!”

“Who wouldn’t?” Eda chuckled, nuzzling her daughter. She looked to Amity, “and how about you?”

Amity puffed her chest out with pride, “I did an honest day's work, and even got paid, see?” She held out the coins she had earned, offering them to Eda.

“Eh, keep ‘em. You can take Luz out on a proper date next time, since you’re clearly the moneymaker of you two.” Eda insisted.

Amity wanted to argue, to insist that she’d done this for the family, but Eda gave her a look and Amity’s challenge died in her throat. A date with Luz did sound nice… Besides, she didn’t have time to get uppity, or feel self important, she had to go and apologize to the twins for how she’d talked to them this morning. Luz had been right, she’d been a little too hard on them. She approached them from where they sat on the couch, neither looking up at her until she cleared her throat.

“Yeah, Mittens?” Ed asked, looking at her through his reading glasses.

Amity opened and closed her mouth half a dozen times before swallowing her pride. “I wanted to apologize to you for what I said this morning. I should have been more sensitive about your situation, and I didn’t mean to imply you guys weren’t contributing to anything by being here. That was really rude of me, and I’m sorry.”

Emira sat the crystal ball down on the cushion beside her, “Wow, that’s really mature of you, Amity, but you don’t have to worry, it’s water under the bridge.”

Ed nodded in agreement, “Yeah, besides, you were right, we weren’t pulling our weight. But we looked into that bounty hunting stuff like you recommended, and we managed to score some gold. How much did you make today?”

Amity smiled, happy for them, and glad they were starting to take their confinement on the isles seriously. “I made a good, even fifty snails. Not bad for a day at the library. How about you? Did you catch the Abominable Cutie Pie?”

The twins glanced at each other, unable to hold back their smug smirks any longer. Em opened her mouth to answer, while Ed reached behind the couch to grab their prize, “Well, about that, we went after a bigger target-“

“And made out with, what, a solid five hundred thousand snails each?” Ed finished for his sister, slamming the pile of stolen snails down on the coffee table, which buckled under the weight of the bag.

“Twice that, if you count the disgusting Selki vomit we’ve yet to sell,” Em added, elbowing her brother.

“But congrats on spending all day making only fifty snails, little sister. We’re all very proud of you,” Edric finished, folding his arms and leaning back in his seat.

Both of the Blight twins looked Amity in the eye, matching, mischievous grins on their faces as they tried desperately to hold back chortles as a vein began to bulge in Amity’s forehead.

The youngest Blight breathed out slowly, then calmly replied, “I’m going to devote as much time as I can to getting you two back to the Human Realm from now on-“

Luz smiled behind her, relieved to hear those words, “That’s great, Amity-“

“-Because I can’t stand living under the same roof as you two for one more Titan damned minute!” The brunette screeched, tugging at her hair.

That made Eda lose it, followed immediately by the twins, who spent the next ten minutes laughing at Amity’s expense.

Chapter Text

Today was the first day back to school for Amity and Luz after the petrification ceremony debacle. Both Eda and Camila had wanted to wait, holding them back from returning until they were sure it was safe, and now, after almost three weeks with no wanted posters of the two, nor bounties on their heads, they reluctantly gave the all clear for the children to resume going to Hexside.

The two walked hand in hand down the halls, ignoring the whispers that followed them. None of their classmates had seen them since that day at the Conformatorium, and rumors were abound. To say some were surprised to see them alive was an understatement.

Though nothing beat the surprise that the witch and human felt when they laid eyes on Gus. Amity looked the boy up and down, amazed at his sudden, astounding growth spurt that put him near the same height as her now.

Gus preened, looking proud of himself despite his growth not being something he could actually control, “I know, isn’t witch puberty amazing?”

“It really is, Gus. You shot up like a bamboo stalk!” Gus didn’t know what that was, but he took the compliment anyway as long as it compared him to something in the human world, and smiled brightly. Amity then leaned in towards Luz and whispered, “Are you going to spring up like that, too?”

“Titan, I hope so,” Luz answered back, hoping she wouldn’t be stuck with her Mama’s genetic shortness, and would instead get her Mom’s vertical gains.

Amity gulped as the mental picture of a seven foot tall Luz entered her head, tall and strong enough to scoop her up in her arms, and swing her around like a small child. Her poor heart could hardly take it. “Yes, I hope so too.”

Willow rolled her eyes at her friends, “Try to keep the drool in your mouth as you say that, please.”

The Plant witch's eyes wandered to the gem pinned to Luz’s uniform, the familiar warm amber color she associated with Eda drawing her attention. “I see you’ve picked up on your Mother’s sense of fashion, Luz. Is this some kind of Clawthorne right of passage, or tradition we don’t know about?”

“It looks good on you,” Gus quickly assured when Luz’s grin fell from her face.

Luz clutched the gem tightly in her hand, pressing it harder against her chest, “Um, well, about that… can we maybe go someplace private? There’s a lot of stuff that happened, and you need to be caught up for it to make any sense.”

The brown haired witch found her free hand wrapped up in Amity’s grip, a warm squeeze sending her good vibes. Amity nudged her shoulder slightly, and Luz felt a bit better about all of this. She hadn’t really put any thought about what she was going to say to Gus and Willow, about anything, really. Now that they were here, that they probably wanted answers, maybe it was time she came clean.

The bell screamed, calling them all to their classes for the day. Willow reached out, placing a hand of solidarity on Luz’s shoulder, “We’ll meet up at the secret room of shortcuts at lunch, okay?”

Luz gave a nod, feeling a bubbling in her stomach like she’d eaten dairy as she tried to prepare for the worst.

Amity focused on her history lesson, about the pre-Belos history of the Isles. A frown formed on her face as she took notes as she recognized some pretty blatant propaganda sprinkled through most of the lesson like a bad seasoning. She’d heard enough of this back at the castle, during the field trip.

She’d fought Belos herself, and while he was terrifying, and clearly wasn’t going all out, she was pretty sure he wasn’t the strongest witch on the isles like the history books claimed. He certainly wasn’t stronger than Eda used to be, even on her worst days of suffering the curse.

Why else would he have waited for so long to get Eda’s door? It seemed incredibly important to him, and yet he kept sending Lilith after it instead of going himself. Sure, he was the Emperor, and that might be beneath him, but he could teleport anywhere he pleased, or so it seemed. So what kept him from popping inside of the Owl House and surprising Eda with an ambush, and taking the key himself?

And Eda, while Amity would never deny she was a crook, certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve a trillion snail bounty on her head for being what amounted to a very showy petty criminal. She had a bounty higher than the Selkidomus had, and that beast had sunk ships that had gone after it, acquiring a body count in the dozens, if not hundreds.

So putting it all together, Amity concluded that Belos had to have given that bounty to her because he wanted her captured for the portal door, and she’d had that door for thirty years and he couldn’t take it from her in all that time.

Honestly, her opinion of Belos was at an all time low at this revelation. Not to say it was high in the first place, but he clearly liked stroking his ego to claim he was the strongest witch to ever live, while hiding away like a coward in his castle because he was too scared to pick a fight with a cursed, middle aged mother.

So Amity sat and took her notes, doodling a little on her page pictures of Luz, surrounded by hearts, as the teacher prattled on about the savage ages, and how terrible they supposedly were. How the demons were untamed and aimless without any leadership, and witches went against the Titans wishes by practicing wild magic. Nonsense to Amity’s ears.

The bell screamed, signaling lunch, and Amity slammed her book shut. She almost felt ashamed to have done so, she loved books, she worked at a library of all places, but her history book was clearly filled with lies, and deserved it. If she were feeling a bit more vindictive, she’d have slammed it twice, but she had places to be.

She needed to go and be by Luz’s side, if Luz was going to come clean about her curse to their friends. This was Luz’s longest held secret, and Amity had seen firsthand how it affected Luz’s own self esteem and how she believed her friends saw her. She knew Gus and Willow would never hurt Luz, but Luz, on some level, didn’t believe that at all. So she’d be there to help support Luz until she could see with her own eyes and hear with her own ears that she was loved.

There was a secret door near her locker that she took, entering the room of shortcuts. It seemed she was the last, as Luz, Gus and Willow were waiting for her, Luz fidgeting anxiously, while her friends waited patiently.

Amity sidled in beside Luz, offering the girl her hand, which the witch took gratefully with a tight squeeze. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, Luz exhaled and began, “Okay, so, you’re probably wondering all about what happened…”

Luz explained everything she could remember about the events that led up to the petrification ceremony, only stopping when she needed Amity to fill in some of the details that were still too painful for her to talk about in earnest. She explained her Mom’s curse, and how she’d come to be that way because of Lilith, and how it had all come out on the castle drawbridge.

When she finished, Willow bit her lip and held out her hand for Luz to take. She gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to send her friend all the comfort she could, “I’m so sorry you had to be in the middle of that, Luz. I know how close you were to your aunt.”

Gus nodded sadly, his expression drooping, “You didn’t deserve any of that. Neither did your Mom. What Lilith did was really terrible, and super wrong, even if she didn’t mean for it to last as long as it has.”

Luz shook her head, eyes downcast, “There’s… more. I left out a little, but… well, I kept a bit of a secret from you guys. The… the curse ended up hereditary, and I-“

Willow covered her mouth with her hands, “No… Oh, Luz, how long has this been affecting you?”

“…” Luz didn’t look at either of them when she answered, too ashamed of herself, “Since I was six.”

She wasn’t sure what would come next from her friends, but she hadn’t expected two pairs of arms to clamp around her neck as they pulled her into the single tightest embrace she’d ever been in. Luz sniffled, eyes watering, “You guys don’t mind? I lied to you for so long, I-“

“Shhh,” Willow brushed a hand though Luz’s hair, tears pricking at her own eyes, “We’re not upset with you at all.”

Gus buried his face into her shoulder, thankful that his new height allowed him to do so, “I always knew you were strong, Luz, but I never knew just how much. Thank you for being brave enough to tell us.”

Amity stood by her friend’s sides as they hugged it out, Luz choking back grateful tears as the dam inside her broke. Her friends didn’t think she was a monster. They loved and accepted her. Mixed in with the tears of her sorrow were tears of relief, and they stayed together long after the bell screamed and classes resumed for the day. They could afford to be a little late.

Later in the evening, back at the Owl House, Amity sat hunched over a piece of paper, pen in hand, as she tried her hardest to try and figure out another glyph. It had been almost a month since her discovery of the Light glyph, and despite her best efforts she couldn’t seem to find any other glyphs in nature. No patterns forming in the sea foam, no glyphs on rocks or inside geodes, no conveniently circle shaped clouds above. But there had to be more than this! She couldn’t just stick with four spells for the rest of her life. She needed more variety than that if she wanted to survive on the isles.

Well, five spells, really. Her eyes wandered from the paper to the large round vial of Abomination goo she’d stolen from the Emperor’s hall of artifacts. She practiced with it every day, finding it came to her naturally, even more naturally than abomination magic seemed to come to Luz. Despite her girlfriend being a natural born witch, and capable of summoning her own abominations, Luz had less control over her own, or even the ones summoned from the vial, than Amity did.

Still, that was kind of cheating. What Amity really needed was to focus. There had to be more glyphs, or something she wasn’t seeing. She just needed a breakthrough and she’d-

A stuffed animal collided with her face, falling to the floor beside her. Amity let out a huff, because as if it wasn’t hard enough to try revitalizing an entire dead branch of magic on its own, she had to deal with this mess as well.

King was convinced his once loyal follower, Francois the stuffed bunny, was trying to overthrow him. Edric, always a fool for anything halfway adorable, decided to play along with King, inciting the demon to start a civil war between his inanimate minions, while Luz and Emira cheered them on.

It was as infuriating as it was cute.

Eda had already turned in for the night, citing the Owlbeast’s nocturnal habits clashing with her own need to be awake during the day making her groggy and needing a nap. Between her frustration over the glyphs and the noise in the living room, Amity was just about ready to head to bed herself.

With one final throw of a doll, Francois' rebellion was ended, and King, the ever forgiveful, pardoned his former second in command. As they signed the peace treaty, Edric let out a whoop, “We won! Give me paw, little guy!”

King eyed the offered hand, but refused to high five the boy, instead folding his arms, “We? I won, minion, though you did serve your King loyally. Perhaps one day, you can stand in Francois' place as my favored Lieutenant, but today is not that day!”

Ed pouted, lowering his hand in defeat, “How come I come in second to a bunny who betrayed you?”

“Because, as King, I decide who’s who, that’s why!” King barked back, hugging his bunny tightly against him as he helped the doll sign the terms of surrender.

“You really take your role play seriously, don’t you?” Emira smirked, patting her brother’s arm to cheer him up.

King’s eyes glistened dangerously, “Role play? I’ll have you know I take my role as King very seriously, and I won’t stand for you bismerching my good name like that!”

Emira held up her hands, trying to placate the tiny terror, “Whoa, hey, it’s just a game little guy. And you won, no need to yell.”

A doll was thrown in her face, to her annoyance, as King huffed, “You guys never take me seriously! You Blights talk like this is a game, while your sister outright claims she doesn’t believe me!”

Luz picked the cranky demon up, coddling him, “I believe in you, my little prince!”

King growled, kicking his legs childishly, “King! And you aren’t any better! Constantly undermining my authority and treating me like a soft toy, rather than the fearsome ruler I am!”

Amity raised a brow, looking at her girlfriend, “Wait, Luz, you actually believe he’s the King of Demons?”

Luz nodded her head, “Well, yeah. My Mom told me that’s what he was, so of course he is!”

“… how old were you when she told you this?”

Luz blinked, then sheepishly responded, “I was seven. That’s when she brought King home, and introduced him. He was so widdle back then! Well, widdler.” She corrected, eying King’s small stature.

Edric and Emira giggled at Luz’s expense, earning a glance, “what?”

“Do you believe everything your Mom tells you?” Ed teased.

“S-she wouldn’t lie about this, it’s been almost eight years, after all. Come on, guys! I know I can be gullible, but I’m not that bad!” Luz defended, before her happy expression drooped, “Am I?”

Amity frowned, knowing that it was her job to defend her girlfriend’s honor, “Well, to be fair, the history books all say there wasn’t a King of Demons… and we all know those are worthless. He could be. Possibly.”

King pointed to Amity, as if she’d made a stellar point, “See! The Emperor fears me, and tried to erase my reign of terror from history!”

Amity sighed, already regretting her choice of words, “I said possibly, King. I still don’t buy you as the supposed ‘King of all Demons.’ Not without a lot of proof.”

“I can show you proof, I just have to take you there!” King insisted, earning a look from everyone in the room. They lapsed into silence, waiting for King to elaborate on where he would be taking them, but before he could a slinking House demon slithered in, pressing his face against King’s.

“Can I come too, guys? Hoot!”

Eda’s eyes cracked open at the first rising of the sun, wearily wiping the sleep from her eyes with her talons. She was more than a little surprised to have slept through the entire night, but as she sluggishly crawled out of her nest she could only assume the Owlbeast was as tired as she was and needed the rest as well.

She put a claw through the cork in the bottle of an elixir and pulled it out, carefully gulping the liquid inside down as she started her day. With a sniff to the air, she smiled, she could already smell breakfast cooking. Luz must have woken up already and started, such a good kid. Always ready to take care of her mother, she’d really stepped up when it came to household chores these past weeks. Even her cooking had improved, becoming mostly edible!

“Is that Griffon eggs and Moblin bacon I smell?” Eda called as she descended down the stairs, not minding the silence that hadn’t once overtaken her home since the twins had started living there.

As Eda stepped into the kitchen, she passed right by the stove and the table to get her apple blood from the fridge. Sticking her head in and grabbing a bottle between her teeth, eager to flush out the aftertaste of her morning elixir, she turned back to the table, seeing a plate already laid out for her. As she passed the stove again to get to her food she stopped, and did a double take at who was doing the cooking, her bottle of apple blood dropping out of her maw and smashing against the floor, “You!”

The humming figure jumped, startled by Eda’s tone and turned around, only to yelp at what she saw. “Oh, dear, it’s worse than I thought!”

“Gwendolyn…” Eda groaned, gritting her teeth. “Ugh, Hooty, you’re supposed to warn me when she shows up.”

Gwen waved Eda’s concerns off, “Oh, please, dear, I keep telling you to just call me Mom. As for your adorable little House Demon, he wasn’t here this morning. I assumed you gave him the day off.”

“The day off?” Eda asked, aghast at such an absurd notion, “He’s part of the house! He doesn’t get days off!”

She stalked back to the living room, taking a peek over at the front door, where Hooty was in fact missing, leaving behind a hole in the door that still had several of his still beating and pulsating organs.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind that I showed myself in. I thought I’d cook you up a nice, healthy breakfast,” Gwen gestured for Eda to join her at the table, a plate full of her own breakfast in her hand.

Eda grimaced at the plate, now weary of what could be in it, “I’m not sure I want to eat anything you taut as healthy. How do I know you didn’t lace it with another one of your bogus miracle cures?”

Gwen rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t put it in your breakfast, dear. At least, not after last time… I’d have put it in your cup of apple blood instead.”

Eda grit her teeth in irritation, before taking the entire plate of food and emptying it into her mouth in one bite. “There, I ate it, now leave.”

“I’m only trying to help you, you know?” Gwen sighed, sitting down to finish her own meal. “You haven’t even tried the cure I brought with me today!”

Eda’s eye twitched, her aggravation boiling over, “Help? Your last attempts to cure me almost got me killed. The time before that almost burned my house down, and the time before that I was so stressed from the experience I was sprouting feathers for a week!”

“Is that so much different than what you’re doing now?” Gwendolyn asked, gesturing to Eda’s new form. “You’re almost completely gone now, Edalyn. You need my help! You used to be so forthcoming about my solutions, I don’t know what happened…”

Eda had to bite down her rebuttal. She had been forthcoming, had even gone to her mother for help… because Luz had inherited the curse and she was desperate. Not that she ever told her mother about that. For a while she’d tried every last miracle cure her mother could force down her throat, all for her little girl, and none of them worked. That didn’t dissuade Gwen from still trying, even though Eda had lost her faith in her mothers abilities for a second time since she was a teenager.

The only good thing to come of it, the only one, was that by having to suck up her own issues for Luz’s sake, she’d been forced to look her father in the face for the first time in almost two decades while she lived in her parents house. It hadn’t been pretty, seeing what she’d done to him. The scars. He still couldn’t carve palismans, and never would again, but… it had been nice to talk to him. Even nicer to introduce Luz to him once she’d come back to be in her kids life after finding King.

Eda shook her head to refocus, this wasn’t the time to go down memory lane. She needed to deal with the present issue taking up space in her kitchen.

“You’ve been trying for thirty years, and it’s caused me nothing but stress, and made you go broke.” Eda instead spat, “So no, I will not be taking anything you have to offer me today, mother. So finish your breakfast, and please leave while I still have the patience to ask you kindly.”

Gwen stabbed at her eggs, expression guarded. With a sigh, she conceded, “Fine, but I want to see my grandkids before I go. I’m sure Camila’s parents get to dote on those two all the time, I need some granny time, too.”

She picked at her plate, both witches coming to a realization at the same time, “Where are Luz and King, anyway? They’re usually up and making some kind of racket whenever I come over.”

Eda’s ear twitched as she listened for her kids. Any of them, including the twins, and she couldn’t hear anything. You could hear a pin drop in this silence, and she wasn’t sure that had ever been the case with the Owl House before this moment. Between them being gone, and Hooty missing from his post…

Eda strode back into the living room, looking around the place intently. There on the sofa, pinned to one of King’s dolls was a note. Giving it a glance over, her eyes widened, “Oh no…”

Gwendolyn popped her head into the room, seeing her daughter’s worry reflect in her feathers, which were beginning to spike upwards, “What’s wrong, dear?”

“Why are we stuck with the bathtub boat?” Edric complained, shifting the porta-Hooty strapped to his back. When the House demon had asked to come, he’d been the one to ask how, and after all of them were forced to witness the grotesque task that was Hooty removing himself from his door, his siblings and Luz had burdened him with carrying the bird tube as a punishment for his sins.

Eda’s flying bathtub contraption wasn’t exactly built for high flying, and had trouble skimming over the water, especially with two people inside. Flying low beside Edric and Emira on a staff were Luz, Amity and King, King mounted on Amity’s shoulders, while Luz flew Owlbert. Amity yawned, feeling restless after hours of flying, the morning sun already on the horizon, “Well, do you guys know how to fly a staff?”

Amity had them there, but that didn’t mean the twins couldn’t be petty, with Emira firing back “No, can you?”

“Nope!” Amity admitted freely, “Only flown in a few emergencies. But Luz does, hence why she’s in the driver's seat. Flyers seat. Whatever. And as her girlfriend, I get the privilege of riding shotgun.”

“What’s a shotgun?” Luz asked, glancing back at Amity with innocent eyes covered by flight goggles.

She received a hair ruffling in return, “Nothing you need to worry about, Luz.”

King chose that moment to interrupt, yanking on Amity’s hair with one paw as he pointed with the other, “there it is! See, I told you!”

Amity grunted, not appreciating being manhandled in such a way and resisting the urge to shake King off. She couldn’t afford to drop him into the ocean below, not unless this was a waste of time. “This had better be it, we’ve been flying all night!”

They landed on the beach, the trees too dense to safely land and the flying bathtub unable to go any farther than the sand with its current number of passengers. Amity reached into her bag, shifting through the belongings she’d brought with her, from her glyph notebook, to her Abominable flask, until she found what she was looking for, a map of the known islands in the demon realm.

Pulling it out, she opened the aged parchment, blowing a layer of dust off it that had built up, and took a look. “I hate to admit it, but if I’m tracking our course right, this island shouldn’t exist. Either that, or we got really, really lost, since there shouldn’t be much of anything in this direction.”

King practically strutted past them, head held high, “See? I told you, my rule was covered up by Emperor Belos when my power was sealed and I shrank down to this tiny, impotent frame!”

“Your story would be a lot easier to believe if you didn’t constantly switch between ‘I am all powerful, fear me!’ And ‘it’s not my fault I’m a widdle, defenseless baby.’” Emira lightly mocked, but even she couldn’t deny that he’d led them to an island that rightfully shouldn’t exist.

The six began their trek through the jungle, trying their best not to trip over any branches and roots that littered their path. Hooty was having the time of his life on Edric’s back, spotting and eating many an exotic insect, while the Blight twins themselves, unused to such thick foliage, fought just to keep up with the other three. King was short enough to duck under most obstacles in his path, where Luz, used to the wilderness and forests of the Isles helped clear a path for Amity, who did better than the twins just due to her own limited exposure to the wilds of the Demon Realm.

Eventually the fog that surrounded the place began to thin as they got closer to the mainland, causing all but King to stop in their tracks when an imposing, mighty tower appeared before them. Gaping up at the sight, none could speak, except of course for the leader of the pack.

“Yup, pretty sweet place I got here, huh? This castle is where I, the King of All Demons, ruled with an iron fist!” He struck a victorious pose, arms outstretched, pausing only to correct himself, “Not a literal iron fist, but a fleshy fist that was strong enough to be compared to iron, because I was just that great!”

“Why don’t you still live here, then?” Amity asked, craning her neck up to look at the whole thing. “I mean, how did you even wind up in Eda’s care? You seem pretty attached to this place.”

He paused, tapping his chin, “Well, it’s the strangest thing. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I remember falling from a great height, shrinking from my mighty form. The next thing I can remember is Eda carrying me away in her arms.”

“I wonder how tall this thing is?” Luz spoke in awe, mouth still hanging open as she took in the tower.

“Oh, I know, I’ll see!” Hooty shouted, his voice startling the birds resting in the trees. The bird tube shot out of his portable birdhouse backpack that Ed carried, his head careening for the sky, climbing up the length of the tower until he was just a speck. The teens all looked at each other, exchanging glances and shrugged, then just as quickly Hooty returned like a spring that had its coils stretched, slamming into the backpack hard enough to send the blond boy toppling over and onto the ground.

“Well, I don’t know how big it is exactly, but I can say with one hundred percent certainty that it is very tall!” Hooty reported, nodding his head knowingly.

“Very helpful, Hooty, I’m sure,” Em droned, stepping over her brother as they continued down the path to the entrance.

When they arrived, the path forward was blocked, part of the entryway collapsed and the stones that made it up filled the gap. King excitedly clapped his hands together, “Hold on a sec, I’m sure I can wiggle inside and push a rock or two! Anything for my loyal minions. Well, anything to prove them wrong, that is.”

He took off on his little feet, clambering up a few rocks until he found a gap large enough to fit his small form through, and they could hear the grunts and groans he made as he made his way to the other side of the door.

While they waited, the group inspected the entryway. It was shaped like a giant keyhole, and was lined with runes carved into gold, one particularly large one catching Amity’s eye. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Luz, does any of this look familiar? Do any other places on the isles have markings like these?”

Luz squinted up at the marks, pursing her lips. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen them anywhere either. It’s so cool, though! I knew King was, well, a King! It’s like I told you, my Mom wouldn’t lie about that.”

Emira stifled a smile, hiding it behind her hands, “Oh, that's cute. I bet you still believe in Santa, too.”

“Who or what is Santa?” Luz cocked her head, unable to conjure up any mental image of what that was.

“He comes down your chimney during the winter and decides if you’ve been naughty or nice.” Edric helpfully supplied, still brushing the dirt off of himself from his fall.

Luz’s brow furrowed, “Do you mean Krampus?”

The twins paled, “Wait, is he real here?!”

Luz opened her mouth to answer, but didn’t get the chance to confirm or deny before the rocks behind them began to tumble down, King having found a weak point in their structural integrity. “What are we talking about?

Luz shrugged, smiling at the little demon, “Turns out humans don’t believe in the Krampus.”

King blanched, “Whoa, I mean, it’s one thing to not believe in me, that thing being really dumb, but it’s practically suicidal to not believe in the Krampus. What is wrong with you three?”

The Blight children all glanced nervously at each other, then followed the Demon and witch into the castle. The place was dark and dimly lit, and it wasn’t long until one of their feet brushed up against a set of stacked stones and toppled them over. Amity reached into her pockets to pull out a light glyph and passed an orb to each person so they could all see into the depths of the abyss, eyes widening as they saw the entire room was lined with small stone piles that resembled statues. These same rock piles appeared similar to the images on the walls, of various somethings resembling an insect crossed with a crescent moon.

King swelled with pride as he started to give them the tour, walking past a group of the stones. “This is the chamber where I would devour the hearts of my foes. The taste was cold and bitter, but I bet yours would be sweet, Luz.”

Luz cracked a grin, sending him a finger gun and ignoring the unsettling feeling in her gut this room gave her, “With all the sugar I eat, it better be.”

“I’m sure Amity think’s you taste very sweet, too.” Emira teased and made kissy noises, burying her own fears as she brought up the rear behind her brother and Hooty, raising her orb high above her head.

Amity and Luz blushed, beginning to protest, but a dark object zoomed past them, its shadow thrown onto the walls by the lights in their hands. The two girls gasped, Amity shining her lights behind them while Luz aimed Owlbert, ready to blast whatever it was with the staff as they turned to face it properly, only to find nothing there.

King, hearing their panicked gasps, turned towards them, none the wiser about the shadow they had seen, “Can't believe your eyes, huh? My castle does have that effect!”

As they stepped deeper and deeper into the chamber, the natural sunlight from the entryway growing dimmer as they grew more reliant on their light spells to illuminate the path, Hooty burst from his resting place, coiling his neck to look at one of the walls, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Edric looked over to the wall Hooty was pointing at with his beak, lifting his light and paling as he made out a large figure carved into the rock. Towering, fearsome, wearing armor and furs with a familiar skull adorned on his head. “Guys, I think I just found King’s deviantArt original character…”

Emira gulped as she joined him, pressing a hand against the stone, “I’m no archeologist, but I think I can say with some certainty that this is… old as dirt. Really, really old. I… probably shouldn’t be touching it, actually.” She quickly retracted her hand, unsure if the stone would crumble under her touch, or curse her for daring to lay a finger on it.

Edric glanced at his sister, then back to the mural, “You- you don’t think he might have been telling the truth, do you?”

Hooty craned his neck, eyes wide, “You don’t mean-“

“He could actually be the King of all Demons?” Emira finished in shock, the three turning to cast their eyes on the small demon, who stood majestically on a pile of rocks, wiping at his wet eyes that he denied were from tears, but rather bone dust from his enemy’s remains irritating them. Behind him was another mural of what they now believed his uncursed form looked like, posing just as triumphantly as he currently was.

Luz and Amity continued to look around the place, practically bending over backwards to see the large murals on the walls fully. It was then that Amity caught sight of another sealed area of the castle, a hole in the ceiling that had obviously been built, yet was filled with rubble. “What’s up there?”

King scratched at his chin, thinking hard, “I don’t really remember. I just remember some muffled roar, probably some minion or something praising my name.”

Neither human nor witch were able to respond to that before being knocked aside by Hooty, who started declaring himself King’s most faithful and loyal servant. As Amity laid flabbergasted on the ground, she became even more confused when Ed and Em joined the bird tube, throwing themselves at King’s feet.

“Spare us, o’ mighty conquerer! We did not know what we were saying when we doubted you!” Edric lowered his head, pressing a kiss to King’s clawed toes.

“We were totally joking about how small and pitiful you are, and never meant anything by it!” Emira insisted, giving a nervous chuckle. “I like my head where it is, so please don’t execute us.”

King was surprised, but delighted by this turn around, “Well…. Okay, but only after a little more groveling. And a pledge of eternal servitude! That second part is really important, my minions.”

Amity stood back up, a look of disgust on her face as she watched her siblings beg for forgiveness. She quickly helped Luz back to her feet, and went to scold her brother and sister for shoving them aside when a clicking sound caught her and Luz’s ears.

Turning, they looked as one behind them, to an empty corridor. “Did you hear that, Luz?”

The witch nodded, and gave a hum, “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

Seeing as King was too busy regaling the others with tales of his gory days, and wanting to show off his throne of teeth, the two girlfriends were left alone to investigate, walking hand in hand and trying not to tremble from the spooky atmosphere, or the chilling draft that came down the path they followed.

Stepping into the corridor, Amity felt her disgust come screaming back to her as she saw what appeared to be open tombs, sarcophaguses standing upright and each filled with one of the crescent shaped beings from the castle's murals.

“What are these things?” Luz asked, half in wonder, half in distaste as she eyed the almost skeletal remains covered in cobwebs, and dust from ages past.

Amity pressed herself to Luz’s side, gluing herself to Luz’s form and hoping that kept the goosebumps forming on her flesh at bay. It was a nice attempt, but they remained, her hair standing on edge, “I think these are the remains of King’s supposed minions...”

They came to the end of the hall, which opened into a small round opening, filled with more sarcophaguses. Squinting their eyes into the dark depths, wondering where that hissing noise could be coming from, they took catalog of the tombs contents, flashing their lights over each, until they landed on one that was barren and empty of any occupancies.

A thud sounded behind them, and the two yelped, quickly turning just in time to see the silhouette of one of the same creatures scurry off on all fours in the direction of the others.

A pit of dread filled the girls as they chased after it, only to lose sight, it vanishing just as they returned to the main hall where King was treating his captive audience to a history lesson about some of his dealings and how he ruled.

“We need to go, now!” Luz cried, putting a stop to King’s tyraid.

Ed and Em looked at each other, “but, we were just telling our new lord and master that we’re sure to find some way to reinstate his reign here. Then he can take down that Belos guy, and we can all live happy, healthy lives, not being tracked down by his guards!”

“This isn’t the time for your newfound sycophantic behavior!” Amity hissed.

“If we don’t get out now, we’re all gonna die!” Luz wailed, trying to get them all moving.

“Oh, they must have seen the hall of monsters! Don’t you two worry, nothing here can hurt you!” King assured, giving a wave of his paw to try and convince them, at least until the hissing that Luz and Amity had heard began to echo through the chamber.

They shined the light above them, cautious and quivering in the dark as the spotlight landed on the creature. A sickening monstrosity of what looked like stone and animated muscles hung from the ceiling like an insect, head cocked and beady eyes stalking them below. Its head twisted and cracked as it eyed its prey, and a clicking noise came from its depths.

Luz and Amity didn’t waste any time, Luz scooping up the tiny tyrant and bolting, followed behind by Amity, who had taken each of her siblings by the arm and started dragging them towards the direction of daylight, Ed and Em screaming their heads off the whole way.

They were forced to a skidding halt when the beast leapt, landing right in front of Luz and blocking the way out. Its thin frame towered over the girl, and its claws stretched and lengthened before taking a swipe, which she dodged, if just barely. Another swipe came down, but she deflected it with Owlbert, the force of the blow making her slide backward.

Amity came in next, furious to see her girlfriend attacked, and sent a series of spiked ice at the monster with her glyphs. The monster was pinned momentarily, but its wounds opened wider and allowed the spikes to pass harmlessly through its body, making the righteous fury leave Amity’s body, instead replaced by icy dread in her bones. With the creature's attention on Amity, Luz took that time to use Owlbert to summon fire, hoping to burn the creature to cinders, but any flesh the fire claimed was quickly regenerated, the creature simply too durable to stay down.

Amity took off her backpack, tossing it to Emira to hold so she could more easily scrounge through its contents. While she searched, Ed did his best to help, by means of siccing Hooty on the monster, the House Demon swooping in and distracting the beast, but unable to put a lasting dent in it any better than Luz’s fire.

Realizing that nothing they did was capable of hurting the monster, Amity, with shaking hands, pulled forth her Abomination flask, and uncorked it. “Abomination, rise!”

A large Abomination squeezed through the bottle's lip, fully formed and ready to obey. Amity pointed a trembling finger at the creature out of her nightmares, “Abomination, contain that thing!”

Quick to respond to its orders, the Abomination charged, tackling the creature with its gooey body and imprisoning it in its torso’s depths. The monster shrieked and thrashed, slashing at the purple Abomination that held it down, striking at it with a hand that was formed with an axe, but the Abomination kept regenerating itself much like the beast had against the flames. Even so, Amity could tell it was losing the battle, “Come on, let's get out of here!”

Daylight was so close, they could practically feel its warming rays, but that’s when hope ran out. The creature tore through the Abomination, escaping its hold and hurtling after the teenagers and King of Demons with inexplicable speed, putting itself in between them and the exit. It cast its eyes on all of them, landing back on Luz, who still held King tightly in her arms, and it raised its axe hand to the sky, ready to strike, far too fast for any of them to defend against.

Only for a large hunk of feathers to barrel into it before it could bring its hand down, knocking it aside as teeth and claws descended, sinking into the creature's exposed muscles. “You stay away from my kids!” A Beastial roar sounded, Eda’s growls making them all breathe a sigh of relief.

That wasn’t all, as another figure joined the teenagers, ushering them to safety, “Come on, lets get outside. We’ll be safe there!”

King perked up in Luz’s arms, as quickly as Luz herself stiffened, “Gam Gam?!”

Luz forced a smile, showing off too many teeth to be natural, “Grandma Gwendolyn! What are you doing here?”

The old woman patted her granddaughter on the head, smiling brightly herself, “Oh, I was just making a social call to your mother’s house, and was wondering where my Grandchildren were. Edalyn was quite worried when she saw your note about where you’d left off to.”

King leapt from Luz’s arms and into Gwen’s, as once more she hurried them towards the exit. Leaping over the remaining rocks in the way, they climbed through the hole King had made when they arrived, waiting patiently and worriedly for Eda to join them.

“Shouldn’t we get farther away?” Emira asked, worried about Eda but unwilling to put herself in harms way if she didn’t need to.

“We’ll be safe here. Edalyn told me it can’t escape the tower, see, the magic symbols carved into the doorway?” Gwen pointed to the markings Amity had admired, with the others sighing in relief after hearing those words.

Inside, Eda tore into the creature, hoping against hope to put it down for good, but with each slash across its flesh, it recovered, tendons reforming as undamaged as if she’d never struck it at all. “It’s been a while since I was here last. You’d think you’d have got a hobby or something in all that time. I took up revenge myself, it was nice, you should try it!”

She slammed down the bulk of her form on top of the monster, then turned around, spreading her wings and taking to the air, putting as much distance between her and it as possible. If it wasn't going down, she’d at least get out of the building before it could cut into her itself. If she lost a wing, she wasn’t growing it back.

Below her, the creature had already risen to its feet and was racing her to the exit, hoping to cut her off. Eda growled, pushing herself to go faster, to push past her limits, only to realize at the last second she wasn’t going to fit through the hole with her wings spread out. Pulling them tight against her body, she dove instead of flew, barely making it through the hole unscathed and crashing fast first into the dirt outside.

“Ugh… whoever said any landing you can walk away from is a good landing needs to be strung up and zapped with curses…” she groaned, pulling herself off of the ground to look behind her and see the creature standing, glaring at her with its beady, emotionless eyes as it was unable to chase her past the entrance.

Amity was still recovering from their escape, breathing heavily, when Luz’s hand met hers, wrapping around it tightly and pulling her away. Getting some distance between them and the others, Luz stopped, looking jittery as she looked past Amity and at her grandmother. “Luz? Are you- no, asking if you’re okay is dumb, you’re not, we just got chased by a monster. Something else seems to be bugging you though.”

Luz leaned in and hissed in a low voice, “She can’t know!”

Amity blinked away her confusion, “Who can’t know what?”

The pressure on Amity’s hand tightened, Luz’s lips in a tight line as she answered, “My Grandma. She doesn’t know about my curse, and she can never know. So shhh, okay? Can- can you pass that on to the twins?”

Amity squeezed Luz’s hand back, taking note that this was an entirely different reaction than she had to the idea of telling Gus and Willow. Where she’d been emotional and afraid, here she was anxious and on edge. Amity didn’t understand what was so bad about the woman knowing, but she didn’t ask, not here at least, and just gave a simple nod. Luz’s shoulders sagged, and she gave Amity a grateful hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh my,” Gwen’s voice rang out, making the two jump apart. Luz quickly grabbed the gem pinned to the front of her chest and pulled it off, stuffing it deep into her hair before her Grandma could notice and call attention to it. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt you two dears, it’s just…”

Gwen looked between the two, the kiss, the hug, them still holding hands, “My little Luz got herself a girlfriend? Oh, I’m so proud of you! Let me get a look at you, sweetie.”

Amity could only describe what happened next as assault, Gwen taking Amity’s face in her hands and moving it around to get a good look at her, pinching her cheek and brushing fingers through her brown locks. Amity officially had enough, prying herself away from the older woman when she’d started tugging on Amity’s ears

Gwen laughed at Amity’s attempts to get away from her, and nudged Luz, “Oh, you’ve found a good one, Luz. She’s feisty.”

Despite her discomfort, Luz still looked pleased with herself that her grandmother approved. Amity, shaking off her own embarrassment from being manhandled by the old lady, held out a hand, “my name is Amity. It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Gwen cooed, clapping her hands together, before taking Amity’s and giving it a hearty shake, “And so polite, too! It’s very nice to meet you, dear, you can call me Gwen, or heck, Grandma if you want to, since you’re so, er, close to the family.” She wiggled her eyebrows, making the two girls blush.

Amity tried to calm herself, only used to this kind of talk when the twins were trying to tease her and not wanting to appear so flustered. Gwen continued, “And a human too! I haven’t heard about humans being on the isles in so long.”

“Other humans have been here?” Edric interrupted, stepping forward.

“Did they ever make their way back?” Emira asked, eager to find out the answer from this strange new person who stumbled into their lives.

“I think we have more important things to worry about, like what was that thing, and why was it in my castle?!” King butted in, pushing past the twins. “My Gam Gam is here, and I want to show her where I ruled from so she can be proud of me!”

He found himself scooped back up into Gwen’s arms, “Oh, I’m always so proud of my little man!”

King flailed in her grip, “No, wait, not in front of my minions! They must fear me!”

He was promptly set back down, where he began to brush himself off, “Alright, first things first, we need to go back in there and kick that monster out! I will not be treated like an intruder in my own castle!”

“King-“ Amity interjected, not sure how to say this next part without crushing the little guy, “That thing has a magic spell that keeps it inside… It’s very likely that you are the intruder.”

King looked up at her, hurt and confusion in his eyes, “W-what do you mean? This is my castle!”

She bent down to his level, “King, I’ve always been straight with you that I never bought your King of Demons thing, so I’m going to keep being straight with you. Those runes, the murals, they’re old. Very old. Old enough that I doubt they could have been made about you.”

“You- you think I’m lying?” King’s voice broke as he looked up at her in disbelief, “I take you here, show you all this proof, and you still don’t believe me?”

“You aren’t lying, King,” Eda spoke sadly, her large form entering his frame of vision. “You just… you don’t know the truth, is all.”

He looked up at her with wide eyes as she sat on her haunches. With a sigh she began, “It’s time I told you how we really met…”

Eda explained everything. How she’d been on the run from the Emperor’s coven and needed a place to lay low. How the boiling rain drove her into the castle when she’d stumbled onto the island. How upon stepping foot inside the tower she’d almost immediately run into a baby King, who built all the little rock statues they had seen inside of the ruins. How she’d rescued him from the same creature that attacked them today and took him home with her, but that his horn had been broken in the escape.

How everything in his life was a lie that Eda had helped perpetuate, because it had made him happy.

Eda pulled out the half of his broken horn he’d lost all those years ago and handed it to King, a series of early childhood memories flooding back to him. “My armies… my feasts… my life…”

He chucked the horn away in a panic, backpedaling as tears pooled in his eyes, “Keep that thing away from me! It’s messing with my head!”

Luz looked at her mother in disbelief as her story wrapped up, not knowing what to do with the emotions that bubbled inside of her at this reveal. Instead she focused on King, reaching out towards him, “King, it's- it’s gonna be okay.”

King’s voice was broken as he tried his hardest to hold back dry sobs, “Y-You're all just making fun of me, like usual, right?” When none of them could answer him, he began to hyperventilate, repeating a mantra of “No, no, no,” before turning away and sprinting into the growth of the surrounding jungle.

The others called after him, but he gave no reply, even the sound of his sobbing disappearing as he put distance between them.

The group sat in despondent silence for a long moment, the events of the day catching up to them. Amity had no idea what to do, caught in her new family's drama with no solutions to fix it popping into her mind, while the twins stayed quiet beside her. Gwen’s lips were pursed, and eyes downcast, while Eda sat, unable to look at any of them.

When Luz turned back to them, forcing her eyes off the spot King had last been visible, there were furious tears in her eyes and she pointed an angry finger in her mother’s direction, “you!”

Amity unconsciously took a step back at the fire in Luz’s eyes, only ever having seen Luz like this once before, the day after Lilith was revealed to be the one who cursed her mother and they were planning Eda’s rescue. This time though, that fury was directed at her mother herself, who didn’t back down, and could only hang her head in shame as Luz stomped over to her, getting right up in Eda’s face.

“You lied to him! For his entire life!” Luz yelled, making Eda flinch, “And you dragged me into it as well! You made me complicit in your lies!”

Her jaw clenched so tightly Amity could hear it creak, “How could you, Mom? What kind of person does that?”

Eda didn’t defend herself, couldn’t even meet her daughter's eyes, “I know, Luz. I know, I screwed up, big time. This is probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done, and the worst part is I did it to the two people I care about most. But you can yell at me later, right now, we have to find him before he gets himself hurt. He’s a small little demon in a very dangerous jungle right now.”

Luz’s cheeks puffed up angrily, like she wanted to continue fighting, but Gwen laid a hand on her shoulder, “She’s right, Luz. King is more important right now. Let’s focus on that first.”

It took a moment for Luz to stop trembling and nod, and together they began their search.

Hooty was weeping, and Edric was right alongside him, “I feel terrible for teasing him about this so much!”

“Is this what regret feels like? I HATE IT!” Hooty wailed, collapsing his neck over Edric’s shoulder.

Emira couldn’t find it in herself to mock them for crying, feeling awful herself, “Come on, you two, the faster we find him, the faster we can apologize.”

Amity pushed through the branches of the jungle, trying not to get caught in any vines, “It’ll be alright, you guys. We’ll find him eventually.”

They fanned out, searching every inch of the jungle, calling out for King as they went and received no reply. Eventually, all paths led back to the beach, where finally King was spotted, sitting by himself on a log, sniffling and wiping at his face with his claws.

Luz stepped forward to talk with him, but a taloned hand held her back. “I’ve got this, kiddo.”

Luz looked at her mother skeptically, anger still bubbling just under the surface, but Eda shot her a look, “I mean it. I’ll take care of this. I haven’t always been the best mother, and… it’s time I remedied that.”

Eda walked past the others, who took a step back to give the two some privacy as Eda tried her best to sit beside King on the log, it sinking deeper into the sand under her weight. The cursed witch and the demon sat there, looking out into the ocean, until Eda breathed out, “I’m so sorry, King.”

King’s voice cracked from shed tears, “So it’s all true? I was never the King of anything, was I? I’m just some nobody.”

Eda pursed her lips, and jostled him with her paws, “Hey, don’t ever talk about yourself like that in front of me. Just because you’re not a King doesn’t mean you’re a nobody. I think you’re pretty damn important, just by being in my life. You’re way more important to me than any old king could ever be.”

Taking her claw, she carefully wrapped it around King, bringing him closer to her, “When I took you in, I had no idea how important you’d become to me. You’re a part of my family now, and I never should have made up that story about you being royalty. It just made you so dang happy, and I couldn’t resist your adorable face.”

She sighed, “That doesn’t excuse any of it, though. What I did to you was wrong, on so many levels. I always told myself I’d be a better Mom than my own, and yet here I am, screwing my kids up in new and inventive ways she could never have thought up herself in my attempts to never be her. Isn’t that funny, in the worst way?”

King wiped at his tears, “You lied to me, and you had Luz lie to me, and I got so angry at the only people who ever bothered telling me the truth because I didn’t want to believe it. I don’t know what to do, I’m so mad at you, and I can’t tell what’s real or what’s fake anymore. I’m so confused, Eda!”

Eda scooped King into her arms, doing her best to support him and herself while sitting on her haunches, “I know. And for what it’s worth, I’ll be there to help you figure everything out, if you’ll let me. Because I love you, King, and I want to make things right after hurting you so badly.”

She hugged him tightly, and let him cry until he got everything out. “Come on, how about we head home, and I make you some of your favorite fairy pie?”

King nodded shakily, “I’d like that. No more secrets or lies between us from now on, right?”

Eda smiled, gently raking the back of a solitary clawed finger down the side of his skull, “I promise. Only the truth from now on.”

Their tender moment however, was ruined by a roar on the horizon.

As Eda walked away, the small group of teens, bird tube, and old woman stepped aside to give them some privacy. Gwen gave a happy hum to see King was safe, “I’m glad those two are talking things out. It’s healthy for a relationship between parents and children.”

Luz didn’t bother to point out the hypocrisy of her statement, instead sitting on a stump as she tried to get a handle over her emotions. Deep inside she could feel the Owlbeast acting up, and while she was still mostly safe from transformation, having taken an elixir a few days previously, high emotions, particularly anger or panic, could tip the scales in favor of the Owlbeast acting up, and she couldn’t exactly wear her gem right now to detect when an attack might flare up.

With everything calming down, Gwen addressed the oliphant in the room, the twins, “I’ve been meaning to ask, but who exactly are you two? Are you two friends with Luz?”

Thankful for any change of conversation, especially one where they might be able to liven the atmosphere, the twins brightly answered, “Yes we are!”

“We’re also Amity’s older brother and sister!”

“We’re kinda stuck here at the moment, seeing as the door back to Earth doesn’t technically exist in this dimension anymore-“

“-But Eda has been nice enough to allow us to live with her, along with our sister!”

Gwen glanced between both of them, who talked in sync, then laughed, delighted, “Oh, did you two practice that, or is that just a talent?”

The old woman paused, placing a finger on her chin, “Wait, did you say your sister lives with Eda? Isn’t that a little inappropriate for her and Luz’s ages?”

Amity didn’t want to give her siblings any ammunition, and hurriedly interjected, “Yes, we live together, but we were like that before we started dating! I’m Eda’s apprentice, you see, and uh, well, I can assure you we’re not doing anything we shouldn’t be, and-“

Gwen pat Amity’s shoulder, amusement on her face, “Well, as long as I don’t become a great grandmother anytime soon, things should be fine.”

Ignoring Amity’s sputtering and red face, Gwen turned her attention back to the twins, “You know, I might be able to help with some information. I mentioned earlier that I’ve heard a bit about humans on the isles before, and I might be willing to trade what I know for a favor or two…”

The old woman grinned slyly as the twins' expressions lit up, “Anything! We’ll do anything!”

Luz’s ears perked up as they spoke, her own face burning at some of Gwen’s comments, but she was too busy stewing to interject. But she knew her Grandma, and it seemed like-

Gwen pulled some rope out of her hair, tossing it to the twins, “Okay, so, first I need you to tie this to a tree, and help me set a trap!”

The twins were confused at the statement, but were too desperate to argue, tossing the rope above them and around a tree branch. Luz, however, knew exactly what was going on. Standing from her seat on the stump, she stormed over to her Grandma, just as enraged with her as she had been with her own mother a few minutes prior, “What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

Gwen turned to face her granddaughter, a smile on her face, “What I’ve always set out to do! Cure your mother of her curse, which really, if she’d just let me help her she wouldn’t be covered in feathers right now. See, I met a new healer, named Wortlop, and he can perform miracles-“

“I don’t care about whoever is scamming you this time!” Luz hollered, marching over to Ed and Em and yanking the rope from their hands, winding it up and tossing it into the bushes, “You’re really going to do this here, and now, while we’re on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, right after King has had a breakdown?”

Gwen’s smile was forced this time, now that Luz put it like that, “Well, you see, your mother is very wily, and I’ve been having trouble pinning her down. She’d never expect this here, and-“

“Wait, shouldn’t you be happy with a cure, Luz?” Ed asked.

“Yeah, aren’t you also- mmmph!” Amity made a cutting motion across her neck for them to stop talking, something they missed but Hooty caught, and the ever faithful House Demon quickly covered the twin’s mouths before they could finish that thought.

Seeing how wrathful Luz appeared with her actions, Gwen tried to play another card, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, dear. I’m just doing what any mother would do, Luz, you’ll understand when you’re older, and-“

“Enough!” Luz cried, her fists clenched tight to her sides, body shaking, “I don't want to hear any more excuses about being mothers to excuse things! My Mom just showed that she screwed up big time, but at least she isn’t covering for her actions! She’s owning up to it!”

The witch thrust a finger in her grandmother’s face, “You say you’re trying to be a good mother, but you haven’t once mentioned Lilith since you got here! An entire other child, who lost her job and is on the run from the law!”

Gwen’s mouth twitched, too shocked to stick to one expression. She’d never seen Luz act like this before. “I- I’ve no idea what you mean. Lilith is a big girl. She doesn’t need my help anymore. Your mother does, with her curse-“

“She’s supposed to be living with you!” Luz cried, “She took half of the curse before she left, and Mom sent her to your house, and you haven’t even checked on her? You haven't checked in on Grandpa once, in all these weeks, either?”

Luz’s feelings on Lilith were complicated, to say the least, but for Lilith to be mostly alone during this tentative time, waiting for her first transformation, Luz didn’t want that even for her worst enemy, much less her once beloved Tia.

Gwen gaped at Luz, who wasn’t backing down, “Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself? Mom doesn’t want your help! We don’t want your help!”

“Luz!” Amity called out, trying to snap the girl out of her rage induced shouting match.

Luz shot her a glance, eyes maddeningly angry, but ultimately ignored her, turning to stare Gwen down, but Amity tugged on her sleeve, pulling the full force of Luz’s attention onto her girlfriend, “Luz! You’re arms!”

Luz looked down, staring with wide eyes at the feathers that were beginning to sprout from her exposed skin, and the anger faded into something far worse. Panic set in, and she began to yank at the growths, which only started sprouting faster until they covered every inch of her brown skin, “No, no, nononono, not now! Not here! Not in front of her!”

Gwen covered her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief as Luz began to lose more and more control, her body twisting and changing, bones cracking as they morphed into entirely new shapes and positions. Amity had already faced this particular Owlbeast once, and knew exactly what they needed to do. Run.

“Come on, we have to go!” Amity yelled, scooping Owlbert up off the ground and grabbing Gwendolyn by the arm, pulling her with all her strength, the older woman nearly tumbling to the ground, legs wanting to give out as she watched her grandchild turn into a monster before her.

The twins needed no further direction, turning and bolting in the opposite direction as quickly as possible, putting some much needed distance between themselves and the creature that had taken their friend’s place.

Amity cursed herself for not bringing any elixirs on their journey, as Luz let out a mighty roar.

Eda galloped as fast as her four legs would carry her, King clinging to her back, riding her like a noble steed. The two burst into a clearing, almost colliding head first into the twins, Amity, and Gwen, with Eda looking frantically for Luz’s head of short brown hair in their little group.

“Where is she? Where’s Luz?!” Eda demanded, and their silence confirmed her worst fears. “Alright, fine, don’t panic, I always keep an elixir on me, just in case, we’ll be fine, just give me a mome-“

Eda stuck a clawed hand into her hair, digging through it and pulling out articles of junk and random trash she’d stored, but no elixirs. She kept searching, until her hair was empty and the jungle floor was littered with various items, yet still no golden potion was among them.

“I don’t understand, I always keep a few on me for emergencies, what could have-“ Her eyes narrowed, and she turned her gaze to Gwen, “What. Did. You. Do?”

For once in Eda’s life, Gwen had the decency to look guilty, flinching before she answered, “I- I may have… removed your elixir stash while we were mid flight on the way here… and dumped them into the ocean.”

A bestial growl emitted from Eda’s throat and she bared her teeth in frustration, “Do you have any idea what you have done?!”

“I was just trying to help!” Gwendolyn argued, “Don’t you know what they put into those things? The Potion Coven makes a mint pushing those things on people like you, instead of properly healing them, and I just-“

“Just what? Wanted to force me into accepting another of your cockamany cures?”

Gwen cowered under her daughter's biting comments, “I- I didn’t know Luz would be like this! Why didn’t anyone tell me she had the curse as well?”

“Why? How about I ask you this instead? When was the last time you came over just to visit her? When was the last time you didn’t try to rope her into one of your hairbrained schemes that make her uncomfortable because she’d rather you just left it well enough alone? How many times have you said in front of her that you wanted to cut this thing out of me, and haven’t taken no for an answer?” That last one was aimed at a particular moment in Eda’s own past, one that Gwen knew well. The Clawthorne matriarch clenched her eyes closed as Eda spit out, “I ran away from home at her age, and you’ve only gotten worse as I’ve got older. You just don’t learn anything, and now we’re hours away from the mainland, with no way to turn Luz back because of your own Titan damn selfishness and refusal to believe in modern magic!”

Gwen stood shaking, having gone through her second tongue lashing in only a few minutes, the harsh reality of how much she’d pushed her daughter and her family away in her single minded pursuit and denial. Eda huffed, fine with this outcome if it meant Gwendolyn would stay out of the way. Once more, the Blight children were caught in the middle of a family feud that had existed for longer than any of them had been alive, and could only watch.

Amity didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t leave Luz here on this island, but she couldn’t cure her either. Her glyphs were too limited, her Abominations too frail, and her siblings couldn’t help either, but she was still the first to stand on her own two feet and be by Eda’s side. She trusted her mentor to come up with a plan. “What do we do, Eda?”

“I don’t know, Boots.” Eda admitted, making the girl's heart sink. “But we have to try something.”

“We’re right with you, Eda.” Edric volunteered.

“Right behind you.” Emira agreed, walking past Gwen’s prone form, nose turned up at the old woman.

“Porta-Hooty reporting for duty!” Hooty announced, peering over Ed’s shoulder.

“We’ll bring her back,” King spoke softly, running a claw through Eda’s hair from his place on her back

It wasn’t much, and they didn’t have a plan, but Eda had worked with less before. “Thanks, you kids. Now let’s go save Luz.”

“Edalyn, wait-“ Gwendolyn called out, her back turned to them as they started to walk away from her.

“I don’t have time for your apologies, Gwen,” Eda cut her off, but Gwen fought to be heard.

“You’re right. I haven’t always been the best mother, nor the best grandmother, and it’s time I remedied that.” She turned to face the others, expression determined, but her eyes worried, “If you’ll allow me to help fix my mistakes, that is?”

Eda’s feathers ruffled to hear her own words used against her, and she couldn’t really turn down the help. “Fine. But if I see one bottle of snake oil, I’m leaving your ass here on this island with only that giant unkillable cockroach for company.”

Gwen agreed to those terms, “That’s fair. I’m a Beast Keeper by trade, I’m sure with my knowledge and your experience with the curse, we can work something out to capture and contain your daughter until we can get her some elixir. The Owlbeast is nocturnal, correct?”

Eda scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Well, duh. Owl is in the name. What gave it away?”

Amity seemed to catch on to what Gwen was trying to say, “It’s still bright out. It’s got to be what, midday? Hours away from sunset, at least. And she didn’t try to follow us after she transformed, so she isn’t hunting us like last time.”

Edric mouthed ‘last time?’ at Em, his face dumbfounded. Emira could only shrug back, equally disturbed to hear that piece of information and wondering what else their sister hadn’t told them about her girlfriend.

Gwen nodded at Amity’s observation, “She’ll want to get someplace dark, as quickly as she can.”

“And someplace high up.” Eda added, flittering her wings. “It’s a bird thing. We like trees, but being so huge, the Owlbeast will settle for the tops of buildings, or anything else it can find that’s tall. It’s just instinct over preference.”

“Maybe like the top of the castle?” King suggested, looking over and past Eda’s head to the main tower, visible from almost every point of the island.

Eda paled, “And to get to that, she’s going to have to go through that thing inside of that place.”

Amity mounted Owlbert, her feet already hovering a few inches off the ground, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go save my girlfriend already!”

The Owlbeast slunk in the darkness, her excellent eyes giving her an advantage over most other creatures. She sniffed at the air, moving slowly, silently, not making a sound. There was something else in her territory, something other than the other, older Owlbeast, and she wouldn’t stand for either of them.

The entirety of these ruins smelled like death and decay, masking the other monster, but she knew it was here, waiting for her. Luz had seen it, and through their connection, strained as it was, the Owlbeast had learned of it too. She just needed to be quiet, and hunt like she always did. She would find it, then she would kill it, then she would eat well and sleep until night came, and hunt some more if it suited her.

Unbeknownst to her, her presence had already been detected, no matter how quietly she stalked these halls. Slinking up in the ceiling, just out of sight above her head, the insectoid creature hunted her in turn, watching for a moment of weakness, when the Owlbeast’s guard was down.

She sniffed, black eyes narrowing, and with a snarl she turned her face upward at the creature above her, who pounced.

She slashed with claw, tearing through muscles like a hot knife through butter, while the creature slashed at her face, leaving a shallow cut across her cheek. The creature healed, the Owlbeast did not, drops of blood dripping down her face. Angered by her wound, the Owlbeast surged forward again, biting down hard onto the creature's shoulder, hoping to draw and taste blood of its own.

The monster before her refused to bleed, no matter how deep her teeth sank, but neither could it remove itself from her jaws. It formed its free arm into a crude cudgel, and began hammering against her side, bruising ribs and whatever else it could reach in an attempt to free itself, yet the Owlbeast sensed no panic or fear emanating from it.

Her prey was more like a rock and less like another beast. She got nothing from it, and that was beginning to frighten her.

Releasing her grip on its shoulder, she sprung backward, putting distance between them while she had the chance, wincing as her sides protested the movement.

“Now, while they’re apart!”

The Owlbeast screeched and clenched her eyes shut as the room was suddenly illuminated, a bright wall of fire appearing between her and her prey, keeping them away from each other. Orbs of light joined the fire, further blinding the Beast, who flapped her wings to try and bat them away.

Eda flung herself forward, once more tackling the protector of the castle to keep it away from her daughter, “Try and get Luz contained, quickly! I’ll hold this thing off!”

Before the Owlbeast was a familiar head of brown hair, one her host cared deeply for, but she cared nothing about. The human was just going to cage her again. Amity tossed her staff to her sister as she rushed at the beast, glyph in hands.

Emira caught Owlbert, holding him stiffly in her hands, “What am I supposed to do with this?!”

“Just keep the wall of fire going! Focus on that, and Owlbert will do the rest!” Amity yelled back, reaching for a plant glyph so she could attempt to wrap Luz up in vines.

“What about me?” Edric argued, his hands empty.

“You have Hooty!” Both his sisters shouted back.

Edric sulked, “Right, I have Hooty…”

“I could use some help over here!” Eda called out, the creature using its superior speed to keep out of her reach. It was bad enough her slashes weren’t causing it permanent damage, but now she was hardly touching it.

“Hoot hoot, on it!” Hooty called back, dragging Edric along with him as he answered the call to action, wrapping himself around the guardian.

Amity activated her glyph, sending vines shooting out from the ground and around the Owlbeast, “I’m sorry if this is uncomfortable, but it’s for your own good, Luz!”

Gwendolyn was at her side, King dogging her footsteps, “Very good, Amity! Hold her still and I’ll try and cast a sleep spell on her. That should knock her out long enough for us to get her some help.”

The old woman summoned her staff, the large Hawk sitting on top cawing as they began their spell. From the circle they created a noxious gas began to form, filling the air around the Owlbeast’s feet.

The Beast’s eyes widened, intelligent enough to understand what was happening to her as drowsiness set in. She thrashed, throwing herself against her bindings, screeching loud enough everyone had to cover their ears, until she managed to free a single paw.

“She’s going to escape!” King exclaimed, rushing towards the beast, ignoring the calls of the others for him to stay back.

The tiny demon climbed up on top of Luz’s cursed form, gripping her feathers tightly, “Luz, come on! We’re just trying to help you! You have to calm down, and-“

Luz began to thrash, trying to knock King off of her back, but the demon held on tightly. With one claw free, she tore into the vines holding her back, roaring freely as her wings broke their restraints, and with a flap she started sending the sleeping gas away from her, dissipating it. She was outnumbered still, and so drowsy, she needed to escape and they all knew it. They all tried to stop it. Amity tried more of her glyphs, but the Owlbeast was ready, cutting down any vines sent her way before they could tangle her up. The wall of fire was easy to ignore, once she took to the air, and there was nothing the others could do to keep her from flying away as she ignored their calls.

Her eyes blinked tiredly as she flew upward, trying to spot the entrance to the tower above her. She could be safe there, they couldn’t get her there. The entrance was crumbled, stones blocking the path, but she was too tired to care, careening right towards the rubble.

“Luz! Luz, you’re going to crash!” King bellowed from on top of her back, yanking on her ears in an attempt to steer her away, but she wouldn’t be swayed. His cries could be heard far below, the Creature battling Eda and Hooty craning its head up to follow the sound of his voice. With a ear splitting shriek, it abandoned its fight, leaping onto a pillar and taking off after the Owlbeast.

“Oh no you don’t!” Eda growled, chasing after it herself, while the others tried mounting the palismans available to them.

The Owlbeast’s body crashed into the stone with enough force to shift the rock. The delicate balance keeping them in place was broken, and the rubble came loose, crashing to the ground below with a thunderous noise that shook the entire castle down to its foundation. King barely managed to hold on, jostled by the crash as the Owlbeast began to fall with the stone, only to find her second wind, and pushing forward she flew back up into the hole in the ceiling.

Her strength was leaving her though, wings injured from the crash. As she flew vertically up the tower, she drifted to the cylindrical walls, sinking all four claws into them and choosing to climb the rest of the way up, a task that wasn’t easy with all the injuries she’d sustained.

The Owlbeast reached the top, panting and tired, from the gas or from the crash, no one could tell. She had made it to the tower, and that was all. She could rest here, and recover.

“Luz!” King’s voice echoed off the walls as the Owlbeast collapsed, falling unconscious on the cold stone floor. The demon hopped off her back, shaking her shoulder, worried tears in his eyes, “Come on, Luz! Tell me you’re okay. You just hit your head, or something, right?”

Behind him, a figure leapt from the hole, landing hard on the ground and tearing King’s attention away from Luz. The castle’s guardian was here, its arm already forming into an axe before King’s eyes. It seemingly ignored him, only having eyes for the Owlbeast, stalking forward as if it hadn’t spent the better part of its day repeatedly being torn to shreds.

King felt dread clinging to his heart. What could he do to stop something like this? It shrugged off even the most powerful spells his friends could throw at it, recovered from Eda’s mighty claws. He was powerless, not even a king, how could he hope to stop it?

Still, Luz was depending on him, so he threw himself directly in the creatures line of sight, arms spread wide to protect Luz, even as the axe was being brought back to swing, “Stop! I- I won’t let you hurt her! I won’t let you hurt anyone!”

His eyes shut tight as he waited for the blow that would end his life. Even if it only bought Luz a handful of seconds, those seconds would ensure the others got here to save her, and he made peace with that trade. His life, for hers. She was always the one who believed in him, it was time he repaid the favor. A King laid down his life for his subjects.

Death, nor pain came, though. King cracked open an eye, just in time to see the guardian lower his weapon, and get down on one knee, bowing before King, much to his shock.

“I- well, an hour ago I’d have loved this, but now I’m just confused…” He admitted, tapping his claws together.

No sooner had the creature lowered his arms did the others make it up from the bottom of the pit, landing beside the still guardian, who didn’t move, flinch, or otherwise acknowledge their presence. Eda tapped at its head with a claw, eyebrow raised, “Well, this is… weird.”

With that threat taken care of, her first order of business was taking care of Luz, “How is she, what happened?”

King explained that she’d just collapsed, as Gwen fretted, examining Luz for any harm. The old woman sighed in relief, “I think she just inhaled just enough of my sleeping spell. We should have her looked over when we get back home, but I think she’ll be fine.”

Amity pushed herself past Eda and Gwen, sitting on the floor and lifting Luz’s large head to sit on her lap. Her cursed girlfriend snorted in her sleep, Amity brushing the ruffled feathers out of her face. When she saw the other staring down at her, she blushed, “What? The floor is hard and cold, I don’t want her to have to lay on that.”

“You are so whipped,” Edric chuckled, at the same time Hooty said, “that’s so considerate of you!”

Emira looked around the empty, circular room, out of breath and tired of yet another day of almost dying multiple times, “I can’t be the only one disappointed that this place is empty, right? Like, I was hoping this would be the treasure room or something.”

“Yeah, for a castle, this didn’t have a whole lot in it,” King agreed, “Which just goes to show it couldn’t have been mine. If I was the King of Demons, this place would have been full of treasure!”

He casually leaned against one of the walls, which rippled with magic the moment he touched it. A crack appeared, a door opened, and he stumbled and fell as the wall he was leaning against was no longer there, sending him tumbling into a new room, one with a light shining through a hole in the roof, and plant life growing, forming cracks in the walls.

At the center of it all, was the remains of a shattered eggshell.

When Luz woke, it was in her own bed. Her body was sore all over, and she couldn’t remember how she’d got that way. At least, not until the fog in her mind began to fade and she sat up, remembering how she’d transformed in front of the person she wanted to the least.

“Ahhh!”

Amity heard Luz’s cry and raced into their shared bedroom, a box of medical supplies in her hand, ready to take care of any pains her girlfriend was going through. Instead, she found Luz staring and pointing at a motionless figure that loomed in the corner, Amity breathing a sigh of relief.

“Luz, it’s okay, it’s just Jean Luc.” She tried to calm the other girl down, but realized Luz likely had no idea what had happened after she’d transformed, or why the guardian of the castle was in her bedroom.

“Where’s King? Is he okay? Why is that thing here? Oh, Titan, Grandma Gwen saw me transform, my life is ruined!” Luz spoke frantically, Amity having to physically restrain her.

“Luz! You need to lay down! King is fine! Jean Luc is harmless right now, and I swear we’ll explain everything, but Camila will kill us both if you get out of your bed right now.”

Luz froze up, tensing at that name. “Mama’s here?”

“Si, mija, I’m here.” Camila’s voice came from the doorway. She invited herself in, stepping beside Amity to inspect her daughter's wounds. “When you arrived, you were pretty beat up, and still in your other form. Thankfully you were out like a light, so I could help heal you a little, but your ribs are still bruised, and you have a minor concussion. You’re lucky my Beast Healing magic works on you.”

Luz was even more confused, looking between her Mama and Amity. Before she could ask what had happened though, Camila reared up, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at her child, “I don’t know what in the world you were thinking, Luz. You leave to go to an uncharted island, without your mother or I’s permission, nothing but a note, and not thinking to take any of your medicine with you? And on a school night? You could have been hurt, or killed, or got someone else hurt or killed!”

Luz shrank, slowly hiding herself under her bedsheets at her mother’s tirade, “I’m sorry, Mama, it’ll never happen again-“

“You’re right, it’ll never happen again. You are going to be grounded. So don’t even think about leaving this bed, because you aren’t leaving your room for the rest of the day!” With that all out, Camila breathed, then wrapped Luz up in her arms, giving her a gentle hug. “I was so worried about you when they called me. Never do that again, you hear?”

Luz nodded, hugging her mother back, “I won’t. I promise.”

Their hug was interrupted when Camila’s scroll poofed into existence in front of their faces, alerting the witch to a new message. Camila sighed, and took the scroll, reading through it once, eyes widening, then rereading it twice.

“Is something wrong?” Amity asked at the concerning look on Camila’s face.

“No!” Camila replied quickly and unconvincingly, “No, it’s just, there’s an emergency I’m needed for back at the Beast Healing clinic, I’ll need to head out immediately. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer.”

“That’s okay, Mama, I’ll see you soon, right?” Luz smiled up at her.

Camila looked a bit guilty, “I’m sure you will. I’ll let you know, okay? You may need to stay here for a few more days longer than usual, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Both teens frowned as they looked at each other, wondering what kind of medical emergency required a few days of Camila’s time, but didn’t question it. Camila quickly bid them farewell, pressing a kiss to both of their foreheads, earning a bright smile from Luz and an embarrassed, if pleased, blush from Amity at being included.

“You’ll take care of her while I’m away?” Camila asked Amity, who gave a nod and lifted her medkit. The Beast Healer nodded, trusting Amity to stay by her daughter’s side in her absence.

Camila opened the door, only to see Gwendolyn on the other side, one hand raised to knock, the other arm holding King to her chest. The two women stood awkwardly, mouths agape, before Camila gave a polite, if cold, greeting. “Gwendolyn.”

Gwen’s lips formed a thin line, and she avoided Camila’s eyes, “Camila. It’s nice to see you again.”

Camila didn’t respond to that, clearly not sharing the sentiment, simply brushing past the woman that had nearly been her mother-in-law without another word. Gwen stepped into the room with a sigh, “I suppose I deserve that, after all the years I spent dismissing healers as money grubbing scammers…”

Luz gulped as her Grandma stepped closer to her, doing her best to smile down at the bedridden child, “Luz, I’m happy to see you’re awake.”

Luz frowned, hands tightly clenching her bedsheets. Amity stood protectively by her girlfriend's side, watching Gwen like a hawk. Gwen breathed in through her nose, and set King down, then sat at Luz’s feet. She took a moment to think about what she wanted to say, then, “I’ve been a pretty terrible Grandma, haven’t I?”

Luz bit her lip, but let Gwen continue, “I was so obsessed with fixing something that couldn’t be fixed, that instead of supporting you and your mother, I only made you both feel threatened, uncomfortable, and ashamed. And I am so, so sorry, my dear, because that was never my intention.”

She reached out gently, slowly, and took Luz’s hand, giving it a pat, “I want you to know, I love you. All of you, even the cursed parts. And I’m done falling for every scam in the book chasing after fake cures. I’m done hurting my family when I should be here helping them. I hope someday, you can forgive me for what I’ve done to you.”

Luz felt her throat tighten, and she threw her arms around Gwen’s neck, fighting back sobs. The old woman wrapped her arms around her granddaughter, smiling through her own wet eyes as Amity breathed out, giving King a thumbs up.

Gwen spoke to Amity this time, “And don’t you worry, I’ve told your brother and sister everything they wanted to know about getting you three home. About Titan’s blood, and a book you might be able to find at the Library.”

Amity nodded in acknowledgement, not bringing up that she herself had no intention of ever returning to the human realm at this moment.

Luz broke the hug after a few minutes, wiping at her eyes, “Okay, I’m still so confused. Can anyone tell me what happened while I was out? How long was I out? And… King, did you grow a new horn?”

King shook his head, pointing to a shallow crack where his horn had originally been broken, “Nope, I had Amity help me glue the old one back on! And while it turns out I’m not a King, I might be a prince!”

He took off his collar, showing off the carving work he did on the surface of the tag, the symbol he’d seen repeated all over the castle’s interior, “See, I found this chamber that only I could open, with my old egg in it, and Jean Luc obeys my orders, so of course I brought him back home, even though he doesn’t work here… But I might have a Dad out there somewhere, and this carving might be my name!”

Luz blinked, mouth hanging open as she looked at Amity, hoping any of this made sense to her, because it certainly wasn’t making sense to Luz. Amity however, was busy looking at the collar, face scrunched up in concentration, just like it had at the castle’s door. Finally, something clicked in her brain, causing the gears to turn. “Circles… inside of circles…”

“What?” The other three asked at once, looking at the human as if she’d lost her mind.

Amity gestured at the collar, “Circles inside of circles! Glyphs! Inside of other glyphs! Maybe that’s how I can make new spells! Combining them to make newer, better, stronger spells! This could change… everything!”

Amity dashed away from Luz’s side and over to the desk, grabbing a pen and paper as she began to frantically and messily write down her ideas and how these glyphs could be bound together. Luz stared at her, then looked to her other companions, who looked just as lost as she was, “Oh, good, now we’re all on the same page, I thought I was just missing something again.”

Gwen landed in front of the little cabin she called home, which she hadn’t set foot in in nearly a year. She’d been so busy, scouring every inch of the isles for a cure in that time. Time utterly wasted, when she should have been here at home. To her delight, the house looked exactly as she left it, not a flower out of place in her garden, not a rock moved. Dell was always good with the yard care.

As she approached her own front door, something inside of her tensed up as she remembered Luz’s words. That Lilith had come to live with them, and that she too suffered under the curse. Would Lilith have told her had she been here to welcome her? Or would she have kept it hidden, as Luz had, until she couldn’t any longer?

She had done her girls so wrong before, she had so many years to make up for. More years than she had left, if she were honest. Still, it was never too late to start, to try to make right by her children. So she opened the door and stepped inside.

Sitting at the table they all used to gather for dinner in better days, sat her eldest daughter, Lilith, just as Luz had told her, as well as her own husband, Dell. The two looked up at her as she walked in, and she felt more than a little guilt as she saw her husband's face again. His once bright orange mane of hair had long turned grey, and the scar over his eye had faded with age. He’d taken care of their home in her absence, like he always had, never a complaint to be heard despite how lonely he must have been waiting for her to come back from gallivanting across the countryside looking for any cure she could get her hands on.

Lilith didn’t look her best, grey in her hair, glasses on her face, with clothes that hung off her frame in a way that suggested she’d recently lost weight. Her body trembled, and the empty vial of elixir on the table in front of her told a story that she too had transformed today, or at least partially underwent the process before she could drink her medicine.

Dell had a hand tightly gripped on his daughter’s shoulder, helping keep her steady in her chair, only reinforcing that fact in Gwen’s mind. She took a hesitant step forward, then another, until she was in full stride and beside her daughter, cupping a cheek with her palm and lifting Lilith’s face to meet Gwen’s own eyes.

“Oh, sweet flea… You don’t need to worry anymore, Mama’s here, and… I’m going to do right by you. I’ve learned my lesson, and we’ll make sure you have as much elixir as you need, okay?”

Chapter Text

Hunter bleakly exited his Emperor’s chambers, glad to have his expression hidden behind his mask. That was the last of their Palisman stock they had from confiscated stores. Not a single wooden pigeon or slug remained, and that spelled trouble for the leader of their country, who due to the stress of ruling, combined with the rebellion, and the trying to work on making another portal door, had gone through their stock faster than he normally did.

The Coven Heads gathered for today's meeting were quickly dismissed. They weren’t needed here any longer, having duties to prepare for the upcoming day of Unity. Whenever that day even was to happen. They were facing a considerable setback without a portal door.

His fist clenched as he thought of that human girl. Amity Blight. He hadn’t had the chance to meet her, to repay her for what she’d done, despite his best efforts to entice her into a trap. No, those other two human buffoons had irritated him instead.

As the Coven leaders left one by one, he thought and schemed. He needed to find a way to ensure his Emperor would remain healthy for the foreseeable future, and he needed to do it fast. He had an inkling of an idea, of a plan, but all he had were rumors to go on, and even then it was risky.

“Kikimora,” He uttered, much to the surprise of the short demon.

The older woman narrowed her eyes, craning her neck up at him. Not an easy task when she hardly met his waist. “What is it, Golden Guard?”

“The Palisman stores are empty. We’ll need to run a mission for emergency restock.” He stated plainly, gloved hand gripping his staff tightly.

Kikimora eyed him suspiciously, “And I suppose you just expect me to sit here while you claim all the credit? Is that it?”

She bared her teeth at him, her small tusks hardly visible under her collar. Their rivalry was well known, a constant battle for their Emperor’s trust and affection. However, the mission Hunter had in mind was bigger than either of them.

“No,” he broke the silence that lingered after her question, “I expect you to be ready to go by nightfall. Rally your men and meet me at the front gate in an hour and we’ll discuss the mission in more detail.”

He stalked past her, taking a slight bit of joy to see the shock in her eyes from his statement, even if the idea of working together with her made his skin crawl something fierce.

Amity floated in between the waking realm, and the land of dreams. Her blankets were warm and toasty, the pillow beneath her head like a cloud. Her pajamas clung lightly to her skin from the perspiration that came with sleeping through the humid weather that accompanied the early autumn of the Boiling Isles.

Her mind flitted through dreams, on the edge of reality as the sunlight peek through the window and landed on her spot on the floor beside Luz’s bed. It was there that a weight pressed itself to her chest, sitting just above her heart.

“Mmm, Luz,” She murmured sleepily, a smile gracing her lips, unsure if this was real life, or simply fantasy, “You're such a cuddle bug…”

Any bliss she may have felt shattered along with her dreams as a sharp pain slashed across her cheek. Her eyes flew open as she held in a cry, sitting up and knocking whatever had been on her to the floor. Her hand slapped over her wound, and while it was shallow she still felt the tell-tale dampness of blood oozing from the cut. “What the he- hey!”

“Meow!”

Before her, looking unconcerned with the damage she’d just caused, was a small white cat, licking her paw, likely the one she’d just cut Amity with. Amity took one look at her, and did what any other sensible person would do in her situation. She freaked out, “Cat!”

Blankets and pillows were scattered as she tried to put some distance between herself and the likely rabid beast. She scrambled to her feet, climbing up into Luz’s bed and cowered behind her girlfriend's weary form, the witch wiping sleep from her eyes at Amity’s outburst.

Below them on the floor, the cat just looked up at the two blankly, unconcerned with Amity’s freak out.

“Uhh, what time is it?” Luz groaned, blinking, then realizing Amity was in her bed with her. Any chance to be flustered was thrown out at the look of raw panic on Amity’s face, “What is it?”

Amity pointed past her and down onto the ground, the cat unmoving. Luz lit up like a Christmas tree(or perhaps the Demon Realm equivalent), immediately psyched to see the animal in her room. “Ooh! Gato bonito!”

While Amity cowered on the bed, Luz lowered herself to the floor, calling out to the kitty, hand outstretched, “pssppssppsspp!”

“Luz, you need to get rid of that thing, right now!” Amity begged, even as the cat eagerly climbed into Luz’s arms, purring up a storm and rubbing her head against Luz’s chin.

Luz’s brow furrowed in confusion, “But why? Look at this little baby, she’s harmless!”

Amity stared at the little demon, glaring daggers, “I’ll have you know, I’m highly allergic to cats! They make my eyes all red and puffy, and I sneeze, and my throat gets all swollen, for days at the slightest whiff of their fur!”

Luz continued to pet the cat, staring at Amity as if she’d grown a second head, “You’re not doing any of those things now.”

The human girl opened her mouth to argue, only to realize Luz had a point. Amity felt fine. Not even a hint of sniffles even after it had been on top of her. Still, she knew better than to trust cats, no matter how cute they were. No, this one was just deceptive, that was all.

Seeing as Luz didn’t seem to have any intention of putting the cat down, but at least respected Amity wanting to keep her distance, they were at an impasse. Luz just smiled brightly, holding the cat tight to her chest, “Come on, let's go see if we can find some breakfast! I’m sure the kitty here wants some grub, too!”

The strangeness of the morning didn’t stop at that though, because as soon as Luz opened the bedroom door, a honk greeted her, and a goose with a bell in its beak waddled in through into the room, looking up at both girls with glossy eyes. “Uh… weird,” Luz uttered, sending a glance at her girlfriend. Amity just shrugged. Together they slide past the goose, who upon seeing Amity’s blankets strewn across the floor decided to build a nest with it, pulling it around itself.

The hallway wasn’t much better, hosting a variety of animals that wandered about as if they owned the place. Many of them were unlike anything Amity had ever seen. A crab-like creature with eyes on its claws walked sideways on its spindly legs, then toppled down the stairs it couldn’t see coming. Down the stairs the living room had a herd of creatures, ranging from plants with faces, to a thing that looked like a dog, all gathered together on the couch.

Even the kitchen had been taken over, a tiny chimera and a large bumble bee flying around and getting into everything.

“When did we open a pet sanctuary?” Luz wondered aloud, looking around at them all in awe.

“I don’t know, but my money is on Edric being behind this,” a disgruntled voice echoed from the kitchen table. Emira sat there, still in her nightgown with her hair a mess of bed head, a half eaten bowl of sugary cereal in front of her that was being eaten out of by some kind of chameleon.

“Totally not me this time,” Ed’s voice answered from outside, ringing in through the opened kitchen window, “Not that I’m complaining!”

Taking a peek outside, Luz and Amity paled as they saw the entire yard was crawling with animals, Edric racing around and trying to give each and every one of them his undivided attention. The two girls gazed at one another, Luz opening her mouth first, “Let’s go find my Mom!”

The witch sat the cat down on the table, it joining the chameleon in drinking the milk from Emira’s bowl, much to the girls irritation, and together Luz and Amity bounded back up the stairs, hammering on Eda’s door and then opening it without waiting for the go ahead to enter.

“Mom!” “Eda!”

“Shhh,” Eda replied, her back turned to them both. She was out on her balcony, sitting in a ray of sunshine, a claw extended. In her palm sat Owlbert, hooting up a storm, the cursed witch giving the occasional nod or grunt in reply.

Amity flinched as something rubbed against her leg, and looking down she suppressed a grimace as the cat once more was at her side, rubbing its body up against her leg. It took all her effort to hold back the tingling in her spine over the action, her entire being wanting to kick the cat away before it could send her into a sneezing fit that lasted a week.

Eda and Owlbert appeared to have finished conversing, prompting Luz to step forward and ask, “What’s going on, Mom?”

Eda turned to face them, her expression grim, “Owlbert here has explained as best as he can, but it would seem these are refugees from the Bat Queen’s forest.”

It took Amity a moment to remember who that even was. Eda had watched her kids once, weeks and weeks ago, and had been rewarded richly for it. “What do you mean? How are a bunch of small animals refugees?”

“These aren’t just animals, kid. These are Palismans, like Owlbert.” Eda explained, taking a step forward and lifting the cat up in her claws carefully. She lifted one of its paws, showing a slot that was infixed into it, “they’re made of palistrum wood, a rare and powerful substance that’s heavily regulated these days due to it almost going extinct a few decades ago. These guys all used to belong to someone, as a staff.”

The cat evidently didn’t like being held by Eda, thrashing around to get out of her grip until the witch placed her back down on the floor, where it began to nuzzle Amity’s leg again. Amity glanced down at it again, realizing that since it wasn’t an actual cat, that would explain her lack of reaction to it. Its fur couldn’t irritate her if it was made of magic wood.

“Alright, so, these guys are all magical pets made of wood. What does that have to do with the Bat Queen?” Amity asked slowly, still not happy to have a cat, even one made of wood, all over her.

“The Bat Queen is an incredibly powerful entity. You should at least know that by now. She’s been rumored to use that power to harbor damaged, wronged, unwanted or just plain orphaned Palisman.” Eda explained, “No one really knows why, but she keeps them safe, takes care of them.”

“So, what’s going on that has turned these guys all into refugees?” Luz asked, not masking her worry over what had driven these adorable creatures from their homes.

Eda frowned, “that’s what we’re going to go find out. I’ve had to make Hooty cough up three of these guys already, so they aren’t safe here, and while this is just a pit stop, things might get worse for them the next place they find to rest.”

Eda looked away from the kids and back to the cat, “Hey, you, Furball, think you can lead us to the Bat Queen?”

Amity thought it was kind of ridiculous they had to ask a cat to be their guide, but this was the Demon Realm. She looked up at them with her big blue eyes, Her tail flickering as she opened her mouth and gave a meow of affirmation.

Or, at least, they all assumed it meant yes.

The Bat Queen’s forest wasn’t far from the Owl House. All of these Palisman had to walk through the night to reach them, after all, and their legs were a lot shorter than Amity’s. Still, the walk was just long enough for her feet to start to become sore.

“Do you think we can trust Ed and Em to keep Hooty from eating any more of these little guys?” Luz asked as they trudged along, stepping into the forest proper and under the shade of its trees.

“Em, not so much, but I’m pretty sure Ed would die before letting any of them get hurt. He really loves cute animals. Besides, they have King there to boss them around.” Amity assured her. Edric’s joy that morning hadn’t been exaggerated in any way, her brother was likely in his own version of paradise. Their parents never did let him keep any pets as a boy, and he seemed to be taking this as an opportunity to make up for that.

The cat in front of them looked behind at those words, as if filing them away for later. With another meow she bounded forward, leaving the girls and Eda to speed up, trying to keep the cat within their sights.

Eda glanced up at the branches above them, lines of worry creasing her face, “I don’t like this. It’s way too quiet here. Whatever has happened is driving away more than just the Palismans, the normal animals are all scattered as well.”

They continued to travel deeper into the forest, the branches and overgrowth beginning to blot out the morning sun above them. Despite it being day, visibility was as poor as night in the deepest parts of the forest, perfect for someone like the Bat Queen and her children.

Suddenly, their guide stopped in her tracks, fur on end as her back arched, a hiss escaping her feline throat. Tensed, Eda lowered herself to the ground in a pouncing position, while Luz gripped Owlbert in her hands, her pointed ears twitching for any sounds.

Amity herself was armed with a glyph in either hand, one ice, the other a plant. Fire didn’t seem the wisest when the trees were growing so thick, which sorely limited her already small list of options. The cat Palisman continued to hiss, yet the group saw and heard no one. Until a twig snapped just to their left.

Luz swung her staff, shooting a crackling wave of energy out of Owlbert’s eyes, while Amity slapped the plant glyph against a tree, animating the branches above and making them swoop down to entangle their target. A flash of white was all they needed to see before she placed the second glyph, pulling up a wall of ice between her and the Emperor’s Coven goons, who seemed to be sprouting up like mushrooms from behind the trees, silver masks and empty eyes threatening them.

Eda snarled, turning her head to their right and finding another small group of soldiers heading their way. Her feathers flared upward, making her appear even larger, a few of them falling back at the fearsome sight alone and she charged, trusting her kids to watch her flank.

Taking care of the goons wasn’t a particularly difficult task, even with their numbers. Despite supposedly being chosen as the best of the best, the Emperor's Coven was mostly filled with the offspring and other relatives of higher ups, the nepotism making them far below usual standards. Amity was almost thankful for the sheer level of corruption that had sunk its teeth into the Empire, if only because it made the troops enforcing it’s might incompetent and unable to stop literal school child.

These guards seemed to sense they were on the losing side, being blasted left and right by spells from Amity and Luz on one side, and tossed aside like rag dolls on Eda’s, and they began to retreat, but not before one of them dove forward, after the cat of all things. She mewled and hissed, making her distaste known and scratching at her captor, but her claws couldn’t make it through the guard’s uniform despite her best efforts.

Amity, while not liking cats, was certainly not going to stand around and watch the poor thing get manhandled, especially since they needed her as a guide to the Bat Queen. While her hands were busy with her glyphs and the other guards, she thankfully thought far ahead enough to strap her Abomination flask to her hip for this trip, wanting to prepare for any type of situation. Taking a moment to uncork it, she summoned forth one with her words, “Abomination, fetch that cat!”

As the guard struggled to keep the absolutely frantic cat still as it struggled, he was completely blindsided by the golem of goo that stumbled up slowly beside him, until he face planted right into the towering Abomination’s chest. He looked up at the Abomination, mask covered in purple sludge, while the Abomination looked down on him. They continued to stare at each other for a moment, as it sunk into the guard’s head just how screwed he was. That was soon proved when the Abomination slunk a fist back, then slammed it into the guard’s face, sending him and the cat flying into the air, the cat gracefully landing on her feet while the guard fell face first to the ground, crumpled in a heap with his rump in the air.

The cat seemed just as displeased to be picked up by the Abomination, though she at least didn’t try to claw its eyes out. When the fighting ceased, the cat found itself placed at Amity’s feet, goo caught in all the fibers of her fur, which no amount of shaking got rid of.

Amity snorted at the pure indignation on the feline's face, “Just, wait a second, would you?” She laughed, opening up her flask again and absorbing the Abomination, plus any of the goop still remaining on the cat, leaving her fur pristine and white as snow once more. The cat still licked a paw, rubbing it against her face to groom herself, as if Amity hadn’t done a good enough job or had missed a spot, earning another amused huff from Amity.

Luz looked at her girlfriend with glimmering eyes, earning a flat, “What?”

“You’re getting along so well now, it’s just so cute!” Luz insisted, smiling brightly.

Amity puffed up her cheeks in mild annoyance, “Nope, nu-uh, no way. We’re not keeping this cat, Luz, stop getting attached.”

Eda rolled her eyes, “I second that statement, in case either of you forgot, you live under my roof. I’ve already adopted enough strays, I’m not adding another.”

The cursed witch gestured for the cat to continue leading the way into the forest, and she did so with a strut in her step. Amity suppressed a groan, not understanding how Luz could fall for such a pompous, self important creature as a cat.

It was at least another twenty minutes of weaving through trees in almost pure darkness before they arrived in a clearing. Though calling it a clearing was probably a bit too generous. The trees were spaced out more, but the canopy above them was still thick enough to keep out any sunlight, the group having to rely once more on the ever trusty light glyph to be able to see into the depths of the forest.

The cat scampered to the center of the clearing, sitting down and clearly waiting for something, while Eda, Luz and Amity nervously shifted, waiting to see when this Bat Queen would show up.

And show up she did, her large form sweeping in from the shadows before slamming heavily into the dirt below them, her weight making the ground shake. Amity and Luz nearly toppled into one another, while Eda did her best to steady herself on all fours.

“Who are you being? Why have you come here?” The Bat Queen demanded in her thick accent, Amity gulping at the ferocity in her voice, resisting the urge to back away. She could see why the being before her was called the Bat Queen, if her mere presence made Amity want to bow her head and beg for mercy.

Eda held up a clawed hand, trying to signal they meant no harm. “Whoa, whoa! We came here with a guide! It’s me, Eda Clawthorne? The Owl Lady? I babysat for you once?”

The Bat Queen narrowed her eyes, but did take in that the cat Palisman was with them. She lowered herself a little lower to the ground, speaking directly to the cat, “Little Ghost, you have returned? So soon? Things are still not safe, but you may wait with the others if you wish to remain.”

It was at the mention of others that made Luz realize they weren’t alone. Nudging Amity, she gestured with her head to the darkness that surrounded them, and all the eyes that glistened in the light of their orbs. Dozens of small figures were watching them, likely what remained of the Bat Queen’s palisman friends she protected.

Turning her attention back to Eda, the Bat Queen spoke once more, “You be looking very much different than I remember, Owl Lady.”

Eda nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious, “Yes, well, that’s what happens when your body has been overtaken by a curse. Sorry I can’t be my usual beautiful self.”

“Don’t be, I prefer you this way,” the Queen stated plainly, “Much more suited to your name. Strong, too. Almost as big as I. Now, why are you here? This is my domain, and I have not called for you.”

Eda continued to speak on all of their behalf, and for once Luz and Amity had no objections. “Well, all your little buddies ended up trying to crash at my place. I just came to figure out what was going on before even more of them showed up. I’m not running a bed and breakfast, you know?”

The Bat Queen seemed to ponder over Eda’s words, then accepted her answer. “Late last night, many of the Emperor’s guards appeared at the forest edge. They came for the palismans under my protection. They have stolen many, keep them in cages. I order many to leave, the ones who stay want to fight.”

The answer was curt and to the point, with Eda rolling her eyes at the obvious response, “Yeah, we figured they were after them already. We were ambushed shortly after entering the forest ourselves, and they were more focused on getting their hands on your little pussy-cat there than fighting us. What I’d like to know, is why?”

The Bat Queen looked down on the three of them, as if judging their trustworthiness. Beside her, the cat, who she had called Ghost, meowed, and despite it meaning nothing to the witches or the human, the Bat Queen listened intently, before heaving a sigh large enough to make the trees shake. “This is just rumor, but…”

The three inhaled as one as the Bat Queen bit her lip, then explained, “They say the Emperor, he requires the palismans. Not to arm troops, or give to citizens, but to consume.”

The two girls made faces of disgust, while Eda scowled. The Queen continued, “I am no stranger to consuming the life essence of creatures. Am Bat, as are precious babies. I feast on blood of many things. Yet not kill, not if can be helped. Life too precious. Belos is different. He consumes with no regard to life. Palistrum wood has grown rare under his reign, staffs not passed down in families as they once were. He eats them, and people must make more. Then he eats those as well.”

Luz paled at the very idea of someone eating a palisman, much less so many they were quickly becoming endangered. At the end of her staff, Owlbert gave a unsettled hoot, and she was quick to lower him into hugging distance, brushing fingers over his feathers to provide comfort to her friend.

Another snap of a branch alerted them, their small party twisting around to attack whatever Coven Scout had been foolish enough to set foot in this place. A thousand tiny eyes glared at the newcomers, the branches the palismans rested on rustling dangerously. These were the ones who had elected to stay behind to fight, after all, and they wouldn’t go down quietly.

“Those aren’t just uninstantiated rumors, they’re all very much true,” A voice spoke from the trees, hidden in shadow, “We have our sources that confirm it to be so.”

“Come, show yourselves,” The Bat Queen ordered, spreading her wings, “Let me see the faces of those who would enter my woods before they are to perish.”

The figure remained silent, but stepped out from behind the tree with their hands raised. They were garbed in a black and red uniform, a masked affixed to their face, hiding their identity, but their figure gave away they were a woman. Dark skinned, with brown hair, face covered in a mask, she was flanked by two more figures in the same outfits. The first was another woman, smaller by a hair and clearly the younger of the two, while the second was a man, who’s beard awkwardly poked out from behind his own mask.

“We mean no harm, Bat Queen, we are the-“

Said royalty narrowed her eyes, “Yes, yes, I know who you are. I admit, I liked you all better when you resembled my namesake better. Now you be more fitting for Ghost.”

The woman grimaced, which wasn't hidden behind the open mouth of her cat mask. Whereas the older Bat masks had been eerily realistic and creepy, these were more cartoonish in their design, making the group look a lot less threatening than the BATs they had started out as.

These were the CATs, the Covens Against The Throne, if Amity guessed correctly. They were a subdivision of the BATs, and now made up the main bulk of the rebellion that was sweeping through the Empire, following the orders of the mysterious leader of the BATs that had made their public appearance on the day of Eda’s petrification.

The woman in charge of this squad grimaced, “well, we’re-“

She seemed to see who exactly was in the clearing with herself and the Bat Queen and coughed, before resuming again with a suspiciously deeper voice, “We’re currently in the middle of rebranding, and it’s left us all in this awkward middle stage.”

“It’s like witch puberty, but for our public image,” the younger woman of the group spoke up, barely hiding her smirk, while the man beside her just frowned and elbowed her to keep quiet.

“What matters-“ The leader interrupted, speaking over her subordinates, “is that we’re here to help, in any way we can.”

The Bat Queen didn’t seem impressed, but was not ungrateful for the offer either. “Three witches are not much in the face of dozens of Empirical Guards. But is more than I had minute ago. I accept your offer of assistance.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and her aura was deadly serious as she spoke her next words, “But if you harm one hair on palisman friends, I will feed you to my babies, and you superiors will know the wrath of true Bat.”

The message seemed to be received, the woman gulping nervously at the threat. With a side glance at each other, Luz and Amity as one lowered their staff and glyphs respectively, allowing the CATs to enter the clearing fully. The three newcomers approached slowly, hands visible for all to see, until they were standing beside Eda in front of the Bat Queen.

“So,” Eda asked, fighting to keep her expression plain, “What do I call you three?”

The leader tensed, a bead of sweat forming under her mask, “You can call me… Milly.”

It took all Eda had to not snort in amusement. The younger girl behind Milly grinned excitedly, “and you can call me Puddles!”

The nervous bearded man clasped his hands together in thought, “Just call me Beard.”

At the looks the others gave him, he faltered, “What? It’s no worse than any of you chose!”

“Enough,” The Bat Queen silenced them. “We not have time for silly games. Not while Emperor’s Scouts are in forest. We make plan of attack now, yes?”

“Yeah, sure,” Eda shrugged, “Just… give me a sec.”

Turning back to the kids, Eda called out, “Luz, Boots, why don’t you guys go out a ways and keep an eye out for anyone trying to ambush us?”

Luz pouted, holding Owlbert to her chest, “but I wanted to help plan stuff!”

Eda smirked, “Just go on, this will give you two a chance to test out that new glyph combo stuff Amity was putting together.”

The two girls glanced at each other, then back to their mentor and gave a nod, “Alright. Give us a call when you’re ready to share the plans, okay?” Amity said, before taking Luz by the hand and leading her away, their backs disappearing into the web of trees. After a moment of deliberation, the cat palisman, Ghost, trotted after them, returning to Amity’s side, much to the girls' bemusement.

“That was not necessary,” The Bat Queen insisted, “Have many palisman on watch duty, they alert us of danger from high up in trees.”

“And yet, both us and these guys managed to make it here without you knowing first,” Eda pointed out, the Bat Queen conceding to her point. “Besides, I really just wanted them out of earshot for this.”

Eda turned her back on the Queen, narrowing her eyes at ‘Milly.’ “Really? You think going with your least favorite pet name was going to keep me from finding out it was you? I knew the second you were in eyesight, Camila.”

The witch winced, then grabbed the edge of her mask to pry it off her face. Camila Noceda had the decency to look sheepish under Eda’s gaze, “Do you think Luz knows?”

Eda rolled her eyes, “The kid wouldn’t know if you asked her how her day was, and if she was keeping away from the dairy, as long as you were wearing the mask. And speaking of kids…”

Next to get a glare was Puddles, who tensed, but forced a playful grin to mask her dropping confidence, “You’re that griffon girl that’s in Luz’s friend group at school. Didn’t think the rebellion was taking literal children into their ranks.”

Viney took off her own mask, peeved to have been found out, but not masking the fury in her eyes, “I’m not a child! And if you think I’m just going to sit back while any animal needs my help, I’ll, I’ll-!”

“Call for your mommy?” Eda suggested.

“Like you have any right to speak about children, Eda,” Beard interrupted sharply, “While I agree that Viney shouldn’t be out in the field, that isn’t my call, but you brought your daughter and your ward out here? Volunteered them to help fight?”

Eda had to bite her tongue, because as much as she hated to say it, he did have a point. Still, she looked him up and down, squinting as she tried to figure out just who exactly was speaking to her. “Wait a minute… Harvey? Harvey Park?”

The man seemed surprised she recognized him, and like the others he took off his mask. His cheeks were red and flustered to have been found out as he brushed his fingers through her beard.

“Wow,” Eda breathed, “I mean, wow! Don’t take this the wrong way, Harv, but I never expected to see you being rebellious. Your husband, maybe, but-“

“I did it to keep Willow out of this,” He snapped. “She was in the middle of it all at your petrification ceremony, and I knew the seeds had been planted. So, I joined to make sure she couldn’t. I get to help make this country a better place, and keep my daughter safe at the same time.”

Eda could understand him snapping about her kids being here now, if the only reason he’d put on the mask was to keep his daughter safe. Still, she didn’t like her parenting being questioned, but she could drop it for now. Instead, she turned her attention back to Camila, “So, what about you? You were never the particularly rebellious type. And why the secrets?”

Camila rubbed her arm nervously, biting her lip, “Well, We’re not really supposed to advertise that we’re part of the rebellion, of course…”

“Cut the crap, Cam,” Eda stated plainly. When the woman stayed silent, appearing flustered, something clicked in the Owl Lady, who began to cackle. “Oh, I see, you didn’t tell me because you were afraid I’d approve. And then it would feel wrong because if I’m on board, it must be a bad idea!”

“I joined to make the world better for Luz!” Camila insisted through clenched teeth.

This just made Eda laugh even more, “oh, I never called into question your motivation for joining, just why you didn’t say anything! And that isn’t a denial!”

The Bat Queen, tired of these games, flapped her wings and sent a gust of wind that nearly swept the entire party off their feet. “Enough chit chat! Planning! Strategy to overcome forces threatening my forest just be put in place, yes?”

The two witches at least had the decency to look sheepish, having forgotten the entire reason both of them were there. “Right, planning, we can do that.”

As the Cat masks were placed back over their faces, Viney was glad it hid her eyes, she was rolling them so hard at her superior.

Luz tried her best to not make it obvious she was staring, hiding her grin behind her free hand as she watched Amity and Ghost interact. As much as Amity pretended to still dislike the palisman, she was clearly growing fond of her enough that she let her walk by her side without further complaint. The fact the two wore almost identical resting expressions was the icing on the cake for the witch girl.

Still, they came out here to do a job, and it looked like they were working beside the BATs/CATs now, which was an incredibly exciting prospect for both of the girls. They were helping to assist the largest rebellion to spread across the Isles since Belos’s reign had first been established. It made Luz want to bounce on her heels, to finally have her calls to adventure answered.

Beside her, Amity stood still and held out a hand to stop Luz in her tracks, putting an end to Luz’s internal squees of joy. Together the two stood still, waiting for a sign of movement. “Someone is watching us,” Amity warned, and Luz responded by tightening her grip on Owlbert’s shaft, prepared to strike. They still weren’t far from the Bat Queen’s lair, so if the Coven Scouts had managed to breach this deep, they risked losing the forest entirely.

The sound of tweeting met their ears, and their eyes were cast upwards. A single red cardinal, missing an eye, was looking down on them from a tree branch, singing a little tune in their direction, making both girls breathe a sigh of relief. That’s who had been watching them.

The cardinal spread his wings and swooped down, settling in Luz’s messy hair. It looked at them both, and continued to chirp. Owlbert opened his eyes on the head of his staff, and listened intently, before hooting to Luz, who did her best to translate. “I think Owlbert is saying that this little Rascal is one of the lookouts for this area.”

“You think?” Amity asked, looking a bit confused.

Luz shrugged, but did her best to clarify, “Owlbert is still my Mom’s. She carved him, and cared for him, and while he’s kinda come into my care since she can’t really use him as a quadruped, we’re still not bonded. I speak a little bird, but I’m just not fluent like someone who’s really bonded with their Palisman has. Still, I’m mostly sure that’s what Owlbert was trying to get across, right little guy?”

Owlbert gave a hoot, and a nod of his head. He continued to softly hoot at his fellow avian, who tweeted back, a conversation neither the witch nor human could make out. Luz did her best to keep up with Owlbert’s side of the conversation, but only caught every other word at best.

“Slow down, slow down,” She insisted, muttering something in Spanish under her breath. “Okay, I think what our new friend is trying to say is he spotted some scouts heading back to camp a little while ago? And he can point us in the right direction?”

“Their camp? Amity breathed, “That’s a good thing, right? If we know where they’ve made their base, we can make a plan of attack to drive them out, right?”

Luz seemed to come to this realization as well, “You’re right! That’s something we can totally do!”

Amity smirked, feeling cocky now that everything seemed to be going their way. “And I think we have just the thing to help us out.”

She held up a piece of paper, her newest glyph emblazoned on it. Directly inspired by King’s symbol, the paper had a set of circles, one smaller and inside a larger one. At the center of the inner circle was a solid ball of ink, while the outer circle had two filled in circles in its orbit. The glyph granted the user invisibility, for as long as they could hold their breath, a kink Amity was still trying to work out.

Luz glanced up at the red bird perched on her head, “You heard her, you rascal, lead the way!

The enemy camp was closer than either girl was comfortable with. Less than fifteen minutes away from the Bat Queen’s grove, with the only reason it hadn’t been directly attacked being how much of a dark and twisted maze the forest was for someone who didn’t have a guide to lead the way.

The Emperor’s Coven seemingly hadn’t been able to find their own clearing in the forest, and so decided to make their own. Trees had been haphazardly chopped down in a circular area, then turned into logs to be burned, or transfigured with plant magic into makeshift cages. A variety of tents filled the area, all temporary shelters that spoke of long term goals. A war room was one thing, but a mess hall and a line of tents for resting in were another, which only proved to Amity that these troops had no intention of leaving any time soon. Not until every last palisman had been found and taken.

Her air was running out, so she quickly darted behind a nearby tree, familiar footsteps following her and stepping beside her as she gasped for air as quietly as possible. Luz appeared beside her, the spell ending as the fresh air hit her lungs.

Amity leaned against the tree, poking just enough of her face over the side to keep an eye on the camp, and carefully whispered, “This isn’t looking good, Luz.”

The witch nodded, a worried frown distorting her usual grin, “They already have so many palismans. It’s awful seeing them all caged up like that…”

Amity had to agree. Her eyes were glued to the wooden cages the magical animals were contained in, some still fighting to escape, others having given up hope of rescue, hopeless and despondent. “Don’t worry, Luz. We’ll save them.”

Luz tightened her jaw, and shook her head, “We can’t. I hate to say it, but we can’t be reckless about this. If we free these guys, we won’t be guaranteed a chance to free any others. We need to take this place down entirely.”

Amity nodded, proud of Luz for seeing the bigger picture, “Exactly. Which is why we need to get to their war room. We take a look at their plans, and report back to Eda, and take them down in a crushing victory. That will drive them out, and free these guys all at once.”

Both girls looked at each other, lifting a pair of identical glyphs at once. They inhaled deeply, lungs full of fresh air, then activated their papers, vanishing once more from sight.

Kikimora only had eyes for the fire in the center of camp, throwing a fresh log onto the flames, kicking up cinders as it landed heavily. While she’d been surprised for the Golden Guard to come to her, to set aside their differences for the good of the Empire, she’d found working with him no less annoying than any other dealings she was forced to undergo with him, and wished deeply for the chance to set him alight in a similar fashion to the logs.

Still, she had business to attend to, if they were to take the Bat Queen down before nightfall. Stepping away from the heat of the campfire, she made her way to the War Room, eager to put the final plan into action.

Her footfalls were light as she approached the tent, grabbing it by its flap and stepping inside. She stopped in her tracks as she noticed the swinging of the lantern above the planning table, and the shifting of papers and plans despite the lack of breeze, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

She slowly made her way towards the table, beside a little step stool beside it that allowed her to stand at a normal height while using it, and cast a spell circle. She walked around the area, eyes flickering from place to place, looking for something, anything out of place, for any signs of intruders, when-

“What are you doing?”

She jumped, nearly firing off a blast at the origin of the voice. She let out a growl when she realized who it was, and considered firing anyway when she saw the Golden Guard himself, laying casually on top of the planning table, head proper up by one arm, his staff in the other, likely having teleported to that exact location not a moment before.

Instead she lowered her finger, dispelling her attack for the moment. “I thought I saw something suspicious. Instead I heard something annoying.”

The Golden Guard cocked his head, “Oh yeah, and what is that?”

“Your voice.” Kikimora stated plainly, folding her hands behind her back, the picture of poise and dignity.

The tent flap opened once more, and in stepped one of the Emperor’s Coven Captains, who gave them both a salute. The Golden Guard briskly hopped off the table to return the gesture, and with everyone gathered they could finalize their plan of attack.

“Have you put any more thought into what I’ve suggested?” The Golden Guard asked, leaning against the table, looking down at a hand drawn map of the forest. The last and most important piece had only just been added, the location of the Bat Queen’s lair, and more importantly, her stock of precious Palismans she guarded with her life. Their scouts had performed admirably, having gone undetected and managed to bring this information in only minutes beforehand.

Kikimora seemed to consider her words carefully, “Now that we have the current location of the Bat Queen, it does seem prudent to strike fast and hard before she has time to realize what we know. I have considered your proposal of attacking from both sides in a flanking formation, and find this… acceptable.”

The Golden Guard almost seemed to be in disbelief, elbowing the Coven Scout Captain beside him, “Did you hear that? She almost gave me a compliment right there.”

“Yes, sir, I heard,” The Captain replied cooly, not making her thoughts known any further than that.

Kikimora clenched her eyes closed tightly, trying to keep her temper under control. In a short while, it wouldn’t matter anymore. “Yes, very good. If we are to strike, we need to do it now. Prepare yourself, and travel around to the backside of her grove. I’ll use a callbird to contact you when we’re ready to strike from the front.”

The Golden Guard gave a mock salute, having nothing snarky to say when it was his plan being approved, and vanished in a flash of red light. This left Kikimora and the Guard Captain alone, and the two stood in silence together until Kikimora was sure the brat wasn’t coming back.

“Captain Wollf, as soon as his back is turned, I want you and your men to arrange an accident that he won’t be coming back from, just as we planned. Is that understood?” Kiki asked, voice maddeningly serious. She had no intention of sharing any credit for this mission, not when bringing a lifetime's worth of Palisman to her Emperor would have her in his favor forever.

Her loyal guard gave a bow of her head, “of course, Ma’am. We’ll dispose of him, and make sure it looks like the Bat Queen took him out. Are we continuing the flanking strategy once he’s been eliminated?”

Kikimora paused, then gave a single nod of her head, “Yes, as irritating as he may be, his plan is solid. She’s one single demon, she can’t protect herself from two fronts. We’ll eliminate her, right after you take care of that pest once and for all.”

Coven Scout Captain Wollf gave a salute, taking that as her cue to leave. Kikimora waited a moment for her favorite captain to leave, eyes turning once more over the entire area of the tent before she stepped out herself, satisfied that whatever she thought she’d seen was simply her paranoia.

Not a moment after the small demon closed the flap behind her, two loud gasps sounded, Amity and Luz appearing from thin air and blue in the face. “I- I thought… we were totally goners!” Luz panted, skin pale from what she had overheard.

Amity choked, coughing at the worst time as her lungs cried for air, “We almost suffocated!”

She was really going to have to focus on working that breathing kink out of these glyphs. She couldn’t take another mission like this. When she finally caught her breath, she turned to Luz, grasping her hand tightly, “We need to warn Eda!”

Her girlfriend nodded her head quickly, “They won’t stand a chance if their backs are turned away from the real threat. We really lucked out that we overheard that.”

They prepared another set of glyphs to hide themselves from prying eyes once more, but Luz lingered, “Amity… They’re going to kill him.”

The human girl hesitated as well, frowning. As horrible as it all sounded, there was a small part of her that whispered, asking her if that was so bad. After all, he nearly killed King a month ago. Threatened her siblings, and Eda. He worked as the lead enforcer for a corrupt Emperor, and even his own allies seemed to be chomping at the bit to get rid of him.

She closed her eyes, hoping Luz couldn’t see those dark thoughts that flickered behind them. “I know Luz-“

“We need to warn him, too.” Luz spoke determinedly, no hesitation, not even for a moment, even to save one of her enemies. Amity couldn’t help but smile at her stubborn words, even with her own dark thoughts of leaving the Guard to his fate, Luz remained a guiding light.

“You’re right, Luz. We can’t leave him to die like that.” Amity spoke softly.

Luz grinned, happy to hear it, only for it to fall away at Amity’s next words, “Which is why you need to go give the others the warning about the attack. I’ll go save the Golden Geek.”

“Wait, but-“ Luz protested, but Amity silenced her with a finger pressed to her lips.

“Luz, only one of us can go. I know you want us to go together, but someone has to warn Eda and the others.”

“Then why can’t you do that, and I’ll go-“

“It’s just something I need to do,” Amity said firmly. She couldn’t call herself an awesome girlfriend if she’d have been willing to leave the man to die, and yet she considered it. A part of her had wanted to leave him to his fate. So she’d go and save him, and prove she was worthy of this girl who brightened every aspect of her life. She’d cast that light into the darkest corners of her mind.

Luz bit her lip, clearly unhappy with this turn of events, but her resolve wavered when the thought occurred to her that every second they wasted was another second her mother couldn’t prepare, and another moment closer to the Golden Guard’s demise. “Fine, but I’m going to try and make it to you after I warn the others.”

“No arguments here,” Amity assured, then the two activated their glyphs and vanished once more.

Hunter squinted behind the slits of his mask, the dark of the forest blinding enough as it was. Still, he couldn’t remove the mask, he had orders not to directly from the Emperor. It was to stay fixed on his face any time he was on duty. It was an honor to wear it, it showed his Emperor’s trust and faith in him, that he would get any job done, and he would.

Still, it was irritating to keep almost tripping over tree roots he couldn’t see. He’d have liked to have just teleported to the rendezvous point and avoid all the extra effort, but today was one of the rare times he would be leading troops into battle, and as their leader he had a duty to guide them.

They traveled in a pack together, going in a large circle around the Bat Queen’s hidden grove, giving it wide berth so as to not alert the Queen of their plans. She’d ruled over this forest for longer than Hunter had been alive, but today that reign would come to a swift end. There was only room on the Boiling Isles for one ruler, and it would be Belos.

The trees were beginning to thin ever so slightly because of their distance to the center of the forest. The occasional ray of sunlight managed to peek through the branches overhead, much to Hunter’s wonder. It was hard to tell time here, in the dark. It had felt like he’d been trapped in this forest with Kikimora for days, and yet it was still the early afternoon. If things went right, they’d be done here before tomorrow, with the exception of hunting down the many palismans that littered this place.

Hunter held up a hand, signaling the half dozen Coven Scouts following him to stop, “This is good. We’re in position. Captain Wollf, alert Kikimora of our status, everyone else, prepare to launch the attack on her orders.”

The Guard Captain nodded, a smirk under her own mask at the way he’d worded his order. Reaching into her surcoat, she pulled out a callbird, a standard crow model and held it to the mouth of her mask, “This is Guard Captain Wollf, Ma’am. We are in position, and awaiting your orders.”

Hunter turned his back to the captain, looking around the trees, just in case they had been spotted. It also gave him an excuse to drown out Kikimora’s voice when she responded. All seemed to be clear, until a flash of red filled his vision, and he stumbled back, only to realize it was a palisman, a single red cardinal with a scratched out eye.

“Hello there, little guy.” He spoke calmly, holding out his palm, hoping to lure it close enough in to be in his grasp, “Why don’t you come with me for a little bit?”

The palisman tweeted loudly, and frantically, Hunter not understanding a word it was trying to convey, and not really caring what it had to say. It’d be the Emperor’s next meal, anyway.

“You may proceed with your mission, Guard Captain. Make it swift, but painful.” He faintly heard Kikimora’s voice, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. And she called his voice annoying.

The bird was in his grasp now, though, and he lifted his staff to magic up a cage to contain it, the gem glowing red. But it wasn’t the only glow that filled the darkness of their hollow. Craning his head to look behind him, he found a spell circle pointed point blank at his head, with none other than the Guard Captain being the one to cast it. Around him, many other circles were being spun, all pointed in his direction. He didn’t have time to act, and hardly had time to speak. His last words better be good ones, and he begged his brain to say something cool. “Oh, farts.”

Captain Wollf’s spell activated, blasting Hunter’s mask clean off his face and into the air. It hit the ground in two pieces, split cleanly down the middle, but it did its job and protected his life. He raised his staff, prepared to teleport behind his foe, only for the next circle to activate, a small fireball grazing his hand, scorching his knuckles and forcing his staff out of his grip.

The next blow hit his back, catching his cape on fire. Forced to tear it off, he at least flung it at one of the witches who hadn’t managed to send a spell his way, breaking their circle. He wasn’t so lucky with the next, a fist forming in the dirt under him that slammed into his chest, between his ribs. The air was knocked out of him, and Hunter collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

Hunter didn’t have a chance to recover, by the time he looked back up he was already surrounded, six spell circles tracked on him and ready to blast. The only sound he could hear in this cold, dead forest was the pounding of his heart, and the mad tweeting of the bird, who had ascended up into the branches ahead at the first sign of trouble. Six expressionless masked faces stared down at him, silver masks that were supposed to be loyal to him, to his Emperor, and yet he was going to die with that being the last thing he’d see.

These weren’t the masks he’d expected to die under. He’d always expected it to be gold. He grit his teeth and clenched his eyes, too cowardly to look death in the face as he awaited his fate, only to hear a third sound meet his ears.

“Ahhhh!” A cry sounded, and his staff descended on top of Wollf’s head with a crack. An out of breath girl appeared before his eyes, turning the staff on the Coven Scout beside him and blasting him with a way of light, while a cat palisman attacked the face of the next one until he too was blasted. Three guards down, three to go.

Hunter’s staff was tossed back to him, and in his surprise he almost let it hit the ground instead of catching it. The girl, fiery eyed and with bared teeth, took out a paper and sent it at the next guard, who had re-trained his spell circle off of Hunter, and instead at the girl, only to find himself frozen solid in a block of ice before he could do anything with it.

Hunter himself was back on his feet, sweeping the legs of the last two guards in one fluid motion, knocking them on their asses. With a glow of the red crystal, the dirt underneath them formed into a mass of flesh and bone, wrapping around the soldiers like arms, then forming back into solid ground, keeping them contained and unable to attack.

With the last of the traitorous guards down, Hunter let out a breath. But there was no time to rest, as he quickly swung around and aimed his staff at his rescuer, who just as quickly had a glyph in her hands pointed at him, and her other hand on a vial on her hip. He recognized both.

“Glyphs... Wild magic. As well as the Abomination Flask from the Hall of Relics.You must be the infamous Amity Blight.” Hunter snarled, keeping his staff tracked at her head.

“Whiny voice, short stature, and a dumb outfit, you must be the Golden Guard.” Amity snarked right back, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Hunter sidestepped, trying to circle around the girl, but she had other plans, moving in tandem with him. Neither fired, both tense. “Why did you bother saving me?”

Amity paused, but didn't falter, “It was the right thing to do.”

Hunter wasn't buying it, “Right. So you just want to save all your enemies, or am I special?”

“Neither. You’re not special, you’re a dork.” Amity smirked. “Look, can we quit the circling already? All it’s doing is making us dizzy.”

Hunter stopped in his tracks, conceding the point, “We’re at a standstill. What exactly do you propose we do? Because I can’t just let you go, and you can’t let me go on with what I’m doing here, if you even know what we’re doing here in the first place.”

“I know a lot more than you might think. I had to, to save your worthless life,” Amity stated plainly. “But you’re right, I can’t let you continue hurting the palismans in this forest, or the Bat Queen. However, that doesn’t get to be decided by me.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Hunter narrowed his eyes.

Amity was silent for a moment before answering. Slowly, she lowered her glyph, “I’m saying, we may be on different sides, but we currently have a common enemy within these woods. Kikimora.”

Hunter was intrigued, but didn’t lower his staff in turn. Not yet, “Go on?”

Amity held out her hand, “I propose a temporary truce. Kikimora wants both of us dead, and she currently has a stockade of palismans. If she decides to cut her loses and run with what she already has, she wins against both of us. If we part ways, she still has a chance to call in more troops to kill you, and take down the Bat Queen, meaning she still wins. Together, we can take her down, and settle our own score when the dust has settled.”

“The enemy of my enemy…” Hunter pondered, “Now that is an idea. We take down Kiki, then fight over the palismans she already has. I win, I get to keep my campaign here up, get to take you in, and have all the glory, and if you win, well… there is nothing stopping me from coming back later to finish the job.”

The glow on Hunter’s staff faded as he lowered it, then clasped Amity’s hand, “You have yourself a deal, Blight.”

A circle enveloped both of their hands, cast by Hunter’s staff, “And an Everlasting Oath to seal the deal. Now neither of us can betray the other until Kikimora is taken out.”

“Paranoid, much?” Amity asked, not liking being bound by magic she didn’t understand.

“A necessary precaution. I can’t exactly trust a criminal to watch my back, and not stab it, can I? Besides, it’ll keep me from doing the same to you, won't it?”

Amity sighed, and gave a sharp nod, “Fine. Let’s go, then.”

Above them, the red cardinal chirped, flying back down to land on Hunter’s head, treating it like a nest. Amity just smirked again at the look of annoyance that passed over Hunter’s face. “Good job, Rascal. Couldn’t have kept up with them if you hadn’t followed after them.”

“Ugh, you had your bird track me?” Hunter already didn’t like this partnership, or where it might be going.

“Mom!”

Eda jolted as her daughter called for her, still in talks with the CATs and Bat Queen about their objectives and how to defend against the Emperor’s Coven. As the mother of a teenager, she knew when she was called out in that kind of voice, it meant trouble. Beside her, Camila tensed as well.

“What is it, Kiddo? Where’s Amity?” Eda quickly asked, immediately noticing that her daughter's girlfriend wasn't attached to her hip like usual.

Luz skidded to a halt, huffing and puffing, having run the whole way from the Coven encampment, “She’s taking care of something, but I needed to warn you, the Emperor’s Coven, we found where they’re hiding-“

Eda perked up, even the Bat Queen seemed pleased about this news, but that all came crashing down, “They know where we are too, and are on their way right now to attack us!”

“This is no good!” The Bat Queen frowned, “Where will they be attacking?”

“They plan to attack from the north and south at the same time. Amity went around to the southern end of the forest to head them off, so we shouldn’t need to worry too much, but the main bulk of the forces are currently marching towards us as we speak.”

‘Milly’ stepped forward, aghast, “And you just let her go there alone? What were you thinking?”

Luz normally wasn’t one to shrink away from strangers when they tried to scold her, but she couldn’t help it with this woman for some reason, “I didn’t have any choice! Someone had to warn you guys, and if we both came along, we’d still be pincered! Don’t worry though, I’m going to go and help her!”

Camila clenched her fists tightly, “Oh no you will n-“

“Go, and hurry up, Luz. We’ll handle things here,” Eda interrupted, earning a glare from Camila. Eda was not looking forward to the talk later about Eda undermining and overriding her parental authority, but right now it was more important that someone go and make sure Amity is safe.

Luz didn’t wait any longer, already sprinting to the other end of the grove and disappearing into the trees, calling out breathlessly, “Thanks Mom, be back soon, save some Coven butt for me to kick, byyyye!”

“Eda,” Camila hissed, “What do you think you’re doing letting her run off alone like that?”

“Cam, I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’m a big target right about now. I’d just be a liability in any place with denser trees, so I can’t go after Amity. As for you, Viney, and Harvey, you’re all here for a mission. It’s be irresponsible for you to send one of them after her. That’s something I’d do.” Eda sighed, but did her best to smile at her ex, “Look, I trust Luz to be smart about this, she’ll find Amity, and bring her back safe.”

Harvey, who’d been nervously watching the trees as soon as he’d heard they would be under attack, whispered loudly in their direction, “I don’t think we’ll have time to argue about this anymore. They’re coming!”

Viney grimaced, but summoned a spell circle. Most of the animals had fled the forest by now, which she hadn’t counted on when she volunteered for this mission, so her ability to fight was hampered beyond basic defense spells, and a slicing spell for making incisions she’d learned in her Healing track courses. Beside her, Camila wasn't much better, her own Beast Healing coven knowledge limiting her attacks.

That left most of the heavy lifting to Harvey, who had been in the plant track, like his daughter. He had the most opportunity to be a heavy hitter here in the forest, but…

The man was shaking in his boots, “H-how could Willow stand up against these guys so easily?”

The Bat Queen sighed, “Is this truly the best your leaders could send?”

Camila straightened up, taking incredible offense to that statement. “Viney, keep on Harvey. Make sure he’s got shields covering him while he works. Eda, stay near me. If you’re such a big target, they’ll gun for you first. I’ll do the same and provide you with cover while you close the distance and take them down physically.”

Eda grinned, showing off her fangs, “Sounds simple. I can dig it.”

The Bat Queen spread her wings, ready to fight, “I shall provide cover from the rear, then. If any of the south flank makes it past the little ones, I will be ready for them.”

And with that, the battle for the Bat Queen’s grove began.

Luz tore through the forest, an ache in her side from all the running. As much as she’d like to ride Owlbert, the trees were just too dense to safely fly through, and the last thing she or Amity needed was for her to crash into a tree and get too injured to help with anything.

She was so busy running, she hadn’t been watching her step, and almost tripped over something, only not landing on her face because Owlbert was there to catch her before she could faceplant. Breathing heavily, feeling like that’s all she’d been able to do today, between the running and the use of her girlfriend’s invisibility glyphs,

“Ugh, what even was that-“ Luz looked down at her ankle, then freaked out, “Oh my Titan, it’s a corpse!”

“I’m not a corpse!” The Coven Scout groaned, half buried in the dirt and stone the Golden Guard had swallow him up. “Can you get me out of here, so I can arrest you as a traitor to the empire? Pretty please?”

“Uh, no, sorry.” Luz backed up, realizing she’d made it to wherever it was she had been going. That guard was just one of many, the entire platoon was down on the ground, beaten and bruised. “Amity must have been here…”

When she didn’t see her girlfriend in the immediate area, she poked the scout with the end of her staff, “Hey, uh, you didn’t happen to see a girl around here, did you? Beautiful brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, skin as white and pale as the first snow on the Knee?”

The guard seemed to ponder his response, “No, I don’t think I saw any babe like that, but I did see this dorky human kid running around. She beat the crap out of us, then left with the Golden Guard.”

“Ah! That’s her!” Luz celebrated happily, glad her girlfriend completed her mission. Maybe she’d just barely missed her in the woods, and she was on her way back to the Bat Queen’s grove? “Did you happen to see where they were going?”

“Uh, yeah, I heard them make plans to team up and kick Kikimora’s ass, then they’d kick each other’s ass to see who was better, or something? I dunno, I was only half conscious at the time.” The scout supplied helpfully.

Luz’s face fell, “Uh, thanks, but I need to go, like, now.”

The scout understood, “Yeah, I get that. Gotta go save your girlfriend.”

“Yup!” And just like that, she was back to sprinting in the direction of the enemy camp, the familiar pain returning to her ribs as she huffed and puffed, and decided that after today she was never running anywhere ever again.

Amity trudged alongside the Golden Guard through the dark woods, their paths equally illuminated by a bright glyph, and a red glowing staff. Neither had spoken since their alliance had been sealed, nor had they looked at each other, though Amity could feel the occasional glance sent her way and grimaced every time.

“What?” She grumbled, finally looking at him with dark eyes.

“Nothing!” He insisted, but after a moment of deliberation, he continued, “It’s just… I’ve never seen magic done like that before.”

“It’s a glyph. I don’t have a bile sack, so I have to get creative.” Amity said simply, hoping the conversation could just end there.

“… May I see one?”

“No! Didn’t you call this wild magic? The kind of stuff you outlaw?” Amity snapped testily, glaring at the boy, “besides, I am not going to let my enemy get a chance to look over my spells! Now, let's focus on taking out Kikimora so we can go back to trying to kill each other, okay?”

At Amity’s feet, Ghost continued to walk, looking up at Hunter’s shoulder, where the rascal of a cardinal had parked himself. They both seemed to shrug at the human and witch’s behavior, and carried on.

They were closing in on the camp now, and extinguished their lights. Inching forward and staying hidden behind the trees, even at a distance they could hear Kikimora screeching. Amity poked her head out, watching the demon as she shouted into her callbird. “Wollf? Come in, Guard Captain Wollf! I command that you answer me! Did the operation go smoothly?”

Kikimora seethed as all she got back was radio silence, then threw the bird into the air, where it quickly recovered and landed on a branch. Fuming, the small witch growled, “This is all the Golden Guard’s fault…”

“Wow, she really doesn’t like you…” Amity observed dryly, raising a brow at the unmasked guard, “What did you even do to her to make her hate you this much?”

“I exist in a place where power is everything,” He muttered back, keeping his voice low as he watched the glorified tantrum Kikimora was throwing, “and I have a bit of power she craves. She’s just trying to take what she believes is hers.”

“Yeah, that’s totally not a messed up work environment. Join the Emperor’s Coven today, where your fellow workers may try to murder you for your position. We have dental, so that makes it a-okay!” Amity chimed in with sacherine laced sarcasm.

“… No, we really don’t,” The Guard commented back, running his tongue over his tooth gap self-consciously.

“Alright, I’ve got a plan, so unless you have something better, here’s what we’re going to do…” Amity began, whispering her idea into the Guard’s pointed ear.

A moment later, The Golden Guard stepped out from the safety of the tree, his staff clenched tightly in his hands. He marched right into the camp, empty of troops except for Kikimora, the fire at the center of the encampment casting shadows that covered his eyes. “Kikimora!”

The demoness turned to face her opponent, a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes to see him alive. “You! What are you doing here?”

“You tried to have me killed!” He shouted her down, raising his staff and firing before she could do or say anything.

Kikimora managed to bring up a shield just in time, deflecting the spell, and preparing her own. The circle was half spun, almost ready to fire when a ‘thunk!’ Sounded, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Amity appeared in a shimmer of light behind her, one of the logs being used for firewood in her hands. She’d used a glyph to turn invisible, and clubbed Kikimora over the head with it, ending the fight before it could start. “That… was almost too easy.”

The Guard shrugged, “That’s the brilliance of the pincer move. If the enemy isn’t expecting to be flanked, they can’t defend against it.”

Amity scoffed, “Don't act like you came up with this plan.”

“Only if you stop acting like you didn’t steal it from me in the first place.” He shot back.

The two glared at once another for a moment, Ghost coming up to brush Amity’s leg, fur raising in the human’s defense, while Rascal perched on Hunter’s shoulder, blinking his one good eye at the two and chirping softly.

“Just… hand me that rope so I can tie her up, okay?” Amity demanded, pointing to a bit of rope beside one of the tents. The Golden Guard did so eagerly, awaiting the end of their partnership with building glee if it meant getting away from such a bossy human.

The rope was tossed over, Amity grabbing it from the air and turning to the unconscious demon, quickly wrapping her up with the bundle, tying the rope just like Eda taught her how to when taking a hostage. She was sure the Owl Lady would be so proud of her if she were there to see it.

As soon as the ropes were bound around Kikimora’s limp form, a glowing ring appeared around Amity’s wrist, then quickly shattered. Behind her, she could see a faint light coming from the Guard’s direction. Their truce was over. They’d met the requirements to keep their oaths, and were now released.

Amity stilled as she realized what that meant for her, with her back turned. Beside her, Ghost started hissing violently, spitting at the Golden Guard’s form as his shadow approached. A red glow appeared, and Amity’s eyes widened as she realized that for all of his talk about her stabbing him in the back the moment she could, he fully intended to do the same to her. The hypocrite.

She dove aside, the spell he sent blasting her way singeing a few of her hairs as she hit the ground. She didn’t have time to pause, instead forced to scramble on all fours as he sent several more energy blasts at her.

She reached for her flask, but with pinpoint accuracy he blasted that away with some kind of concussive shot. It landed in the dirt behind her, out of reach. Instead she was forced to search her pockets, unable to even look at the glyphs she was pulling out, but with a sweep of his staff the ends of the paper caught fire, rendering her glyphs useless.

She had nowhere to go, nowhere to run, no way to hide as he set upon her, his face full of grim determination, “You’re coming with me to see the Emperor, criminal.”

She could only gape as he prepared another spell, blasting a ray of energy at her. She closed her eyes, raising her hands to protect herself as best she could, only for it to rebound off a shield that sprung forth at the last second.

Cracking her eyes open, Amity was surprised to see Ghost standing defiantly between the witch and the human, eyes glowing with magic as she projected the magical shield. Realizing that Amity was no longer cowering, the cat leapt into the air, transforming into a staff and falling into Amity’s waiting hands.

Amity had used Owlbert several times, each time filling her with a sense of empowerment and confidence, but this? This blew all of those times out of the water. With Ghost resting in her palms, the staff fitting in her fingers as if it had been made for her, she felt invincible.

Hunter tried again to blast her, but Amity swing her new staff, literally batting the blast back at him, forcing the Guard to poof and vanish to avoid it, teleporting to her right. He lunged at her, anger worn naked on his face with the intent to smash a fist into her face, but with another flick of her staff the flask on the ground picked itself up and returned to her side, fixing itself to her hip and flying open, a whip of goo lashing out to grab his arm and stopping the blow.

Another red flash of teleportation, and he was behind her. She swiped with her staff, but he vanished again, and the cycle repeated, until she spotted a pattern. Much like his master, he liked to appear directly behind her, so with a quick spell she formed a glove of hardened Abomination goo over her left hand, then when the next flash of light shown, she threw it behind her, her augmented fist slamming right into his gut.

He let out a cry, clutching his ribs and cursing under his breath, “I refuse to lose to a teenager!”

“Yeah, well, you’re just a slightly bigger teenager!” Amity shot back, already panting.

The Golden Guard sneered, tightening his grip on his staff and looking just as mad as Kikimora had been when she laid eyes on him. “That’s it, I’m done playing nice! I’m going to-“

‘Bonk!’ With another loud thud, the prone body of the Golden Guard collapsed to the ground in a heap, sporting a large, red goose egg of a bruise. Behind him, Luz smiled brightly at Amity, leaning against Owlbert, her makeshift club, as she flashed her girlfriend a thumbs up. “Pincer attack! Never fails!”

“I don’t even want to count the number of concussions we’ve caused today…” Amity groaned, almost collapsing with relief. As powerful as she’d felt, she had so little practice with a staff she hadn’t been confident she’d have been able to win this fight. Craning her neck up, she looked at the still form of Ghost at the end of the staff, giving her a grateful smile, “Thanks for jumping in back there, you really saved me.”

Ghost’s eyes popped open, and she let out a meow that Amity could have sworn was a smug, “I know.”

Both girls, ragged and dirty from their day trip to the forest, quickly tied the Golden Guard up, pressing his still body beside Kikimora’s, then turned their attention to the plethora of cages filled with Palisman, all of whom had watched the fight that decided their fate.

“We need to get them out of there, and then get back to the grove.” Amity’s shoulders sagged, just thinking of how much work there still was left to do.

“After this is done, we’re going to need a vacation.” Luz groaned, clutching the stitch that still stabbed at her side from all the running she’d done. “You know, crazy stuff like this didn’t happen as often before you came along.”

“How often did it happen, then?” Amity asked, amusement in her voice as she tiredly leaned against her girlfriend.

“Eh, only once or twice a week. Three times though is starting to push it, Blight.”

“Man, you two really missed out! You should have seen us!” Eda bragged to her daughter and Amity when they returned to the Bat Queen’s grove. “Ol’ Beardy over there was an absolute monster! And Puddles was no slouch either.”

“Aw, thanks, Eda” Viney seemed genuinely pleased with the compliment, if a little flustered that her troublemaking hero was praising her. Beside her, Harvey was trying not to look too proud of himself, glad his mask covered his blushing, bashful cheeks.

Camila crossed her arms, “I feel like you left someone out.”

Eda nodded, expression serious, “You’re right… Bat Queen, you kicked some serious ass! You ever need someone to have your back, I’ll be there.”

Camila buried her masked face in her hands, fighting back irritation as Eda looked smug to have gotten a rise out of her. “That’s not to dismiss anything you kids did, because, wow. Without you, I’m pretty sure we’d be done for.”

Leaning against a tree, still knocked out, were the Golden Guard and Kikimora, dragged here by Luz and Amity until they could decide what to do with them.

The Bat Queen agreed, “Yes. You cut off the head, or heads in this case, and without their orders we were able to beat the opposition back. They will think twice before they strike again.”

“But they will strike again,” Camila stepped forward with a warning. “They’ll be back to gather more palismans. Emperor Belos will never be satisfied, never sated, and he will send more troops after you.”

The Bat Queen knew when she was being offered something, and was intrigued, “What is it that you suggest we do?”

“Our organization is used to dealing with displaced witches. We help move wild witches around the isles, get them new identities, find them better lives away from the Emperor’s prying eyes. We can offer the same for these palismans.” Camila explained, her voice curt and professional, even though she was hiding behind a layer of fear about how the Bat Queen would react to parting with her beloved friends.

And, in fact, the Queen was not pleased with the suggestion, “Many of these palisman have been deeply hurt by witches and demons. I am their protector. You would suggest I send them back to the very same people they ran away from? For what purpose?”

“We could use their help. More and more of the Emperor’s Coven Scouts are being equipped with these mechanical staves, and your palismans could help turn the tide back in our favor.” Camila urged, paling when the Bat Queen’s claws began to churn and gnash the dirt beneath her feet. “Some of them stayed behind today to fight. We won’t take any unwilling, but if they can help us even the odds, we can use their help.”

Before the Bat Queen could issue her own response, a flying squirrel palisman descended from the trees, gliding down to land on Camila’s shoulder. It gave a little squeak, speaking to the Bat Queen directly, a look of concern shadowing her majesty’s face.

The squirrel was not alone. A Fox followed behind, then a small deer fawn, and a toad. Soon half the prying eyes that watched over the hollow were beside Camila, each offering their support. While their words were lost to the witches around them, their message was clear. If the Emperor insisted on hunting them, then they weren’t going to sit around like woodland creatures waiting to be hunted. They were going to fight, even if they had to bring it to Belos.

The Bat Queen looked over them all, all their small, frail forms, many of them cracked and damaged from their previous owners, yet still willing to fight beside and for witches. “I see. My friends, if this is what you wish…”

Her eyes turned to the others, scattered among the trees who had not stepped forward, “But what should be done with the others? The Emperor’s men will still come for them…”

Eda looked on, at Viney cuddling a chimera palisman, who leaped into her arms, to Ghost, who sat beside Amity, and to the other remaining palisman, who didn’t wish to fight, but still needed to find new homes if they wanted to survive. “I think I have an idea about what we could do about that…”

As Eda explored the idea of a palisman adoption day for the students of Hexside and the other surrounding schools, Amity leaned up against Luz, stifling a yawn. “Today was exhausting… the second we get back home, I’m taking a nap, and you’re snuggling with me.”

“I certainly won’t say no to that,” Luz chortled. “Here’s hoping this next week won’t be as brutal.”

Amity sighed happily, “All I have planned outside of school is helping Ed and Em find their dumb book at the library. Gwen mentioned something about a human who lived here once, and that any information he might have to get them home could possibly be in a journal or something. They’ve been pestering me about it all week, I’m not sure I can put it off much longer…”

Luz gave her a playful nudge, “Oh, come on, it’s a library trip, how bad could that possibly be compared to all of this?”

Behind them, leaning against a tree, Hunter’s eye twitched, the barest sense of consciousness tingling in his brain.

“He is a traitor to the Empire, and I demand justice!” Kikimora shrieked before Belos’ throne, pointing an accusing finger in Hunter’s direction.

Hunter snarled, lip curling back and showing teeth, “She tried to have me killed! If anything, she’s the traitor. Our mission would have gone perfectly had she not interfered with her petty jealousy!”

Belos sat back in his throne, unamused with either of his minions, and entirely not in the mood to deal with their squabbles. He did, however, know the importance of mediating, if only to keep his side from fracturing from within. “Kikimora, with age comes beauty, as they say. Give me your report, and then Hunter shall give his.”

Kikimora straightened up when she heard her name, silently cheering inside of her head that she got to go first. She’d enthrall him with her retelling, “I was minding my own business, giving orders to scouts to send to the front lines. Once I was alone, I tried to get in contact with the second team, led by the Golden Guard, but they were silent!”

She dramatically raised her hands to the ceiling, “Then, out of nowhere, the Golden Guard appeared, and without any warning, fired spells on me! He abandoned his post, and attempted to assassinate me where I stood, ruining the entire operation and ensuring your highness wouldn’t get a single palisman.”

She bowed low as she finished her tale, shooting a side glance and an evil grin at Hunter, as if to brag about how screwed he was.

“I see,” The Emperor drawled, his voice betraying neither if he believed her or not. “And Hunter, what is your side of this story?”

Hunter fell to one knee, and bowed his head. “I had advised a pincer attack on the Bat Queen’s flank, and was instructed to take a group of Kikimora’s men around to the back, where we would await further orders. Shortly after arriving, I had the Guard Captain let Kikimora we were in position.”

He took a breath, knowing this would be the point he’d have to start making things up. Kikimora hadn’t seen him and Amity work together, and he’d rather not profess that. “The guards attacked me, all of them, on Kikimora’s orders. They tried to take me by surprise, but I managed to outsmart them, and take them down.”

“Alone?” Belos asked calmly, leaning his head against one of his propped up hands.

“Yes,” Hunter lied, gritting his teeth, “Alone. Afterwards, I went after Kikimora in the camp. I managed to take her down, but with our forces thinned, our plan ruined, and me exhausted from the attempts on my life, I was unable to continue the campaign, and had to return here.”

Another lie. He’d been tied up, and dropped off at the castle gates. He hadn’t regained full consciousness until after whoever had left him there was gone.

“Hmm,” Belos took a moment to think, then turned his head to address Kikimora, “And you, Kiki, what do you have to say about these orders to kill my Golden Guard?”

“Preposterous! I would never order them to do something so sinister!” Kikimora fibbed, trying to make herself appear as innocent as a schoolgirl. “It was those nasty, rebellious BATs, sire! They must have stolen some uniforms and masqueraded as members of our fine coven.”

Hunter wanted to call her out on that lie, mouth already opening to shout her down even if he hadn’t been given permission to speak, but then Belos raised a solitary hand and he fell quiet. His Emperor raised himself from the throne, and walked between them, slowly casting his eyes from one to the other.

“You’re both lying.” Belos said simply, and in that moment a wave of red energy wrapped itself around the two accusers, immobilizing them. Hunter couldn’t even scream as the air was being forced out of his lungs from the pressure the energy exerted in his body.

“You have both failed your mission, and will be equally punished. I’ll find something suitable, something unpleasant, to remind you of your place. Your place at my side.” His calm tone did nothing but inspire fear in his subordinates as he laced his fingers together, squeezing the bindings around them even tighter.

“Perhaps in the future, this will incentivize you to work together better, and not fail your mission. Because when you fail that, you are failing me. And I do not tolerate failures.”

The Emperor took his seat again, and the energy dissipated, allowing them both to gasp for breath, shaking and gasping on the floor. “Y-yes, my Emperor.”

“You are dismissed.”

The two quickly removed themselves from his presence, not daring to look at one another as they exited the throne room. Today, they would act as if nothing happened, as if the other didn’t exist, if simply to spare themselves from their Emperor’s wrath, and disappointment.

Hunter made his way to his quarters, hands shaking and trembling the entire way. Slamming the door behind him, he collapsed on his bed, trying to think of some way, any way, he could make things up to his Emperor for his failings today. Scouts had already reported back that the forest had been emptied of all Palisman, the creatures vanishing into thin air as soon as the troops had retreated from the forest, so that was a lost cause.

A tweet from his window alerted him he was being watched, and he rolled over to see the Red Cardinal palisman who had followed him around in the forest. “Come to rub it in?”

The bird cocked his head, then fluttered from the windowsill and over to the bed, his body forming into a staff and falling into Hunter’s hands. “…what?”

Sitting up, he ran his hands over the smooth pole, and found no imperfections. It even felt right to hold, the magic inside of the palisman resonating with him in a way unlike anything he’d felt before.

He briefly considered giving this bird over to his uncle, as an apology, but a selfish part of him declined the idea. For whatever reason, this Cardinal trusted him, and he couldn’t bring himself to betray that trust. Instead, his mind went to a faint, half forgotten memory from the forest, something he had overheard before he’d awoken, something about…

“The library…”

That’s where he would go, to find something to bring to his Emperor.

That night, Amity laid her tired head on her pillow, limbs weak from the day's many battles. The house had fallen quiet once more, and was once more empty of the dozens of Palisman, minus Owlbert, and one other.

“Good night, Luz.” Amity bid, throwing her blankets over her, snuggling into their warmth. Her girlfriend, already snoring, shifted in her sleep at the sound of Amity’s voice.

A familiar weight laid against her chest, and Amity smiled, cracking one closed eye back open, “Good night to you, too, Ghost.”

Laying up on Amity’s chest, Ghost let out a yawn, and settled in for the night, finding comfort in her new owner. She had a feeling that the two of them were going to have very exciting lives, and as a cat, she needed her beauty sleep to face it all.

Chapter Text

Amity had really enjoyed having her natural brown hair again after living with the blonde her mother forced onto her to ‘match’ with the twins. Waking up every day, seeing physical proof that her mother’s hold on her was permanently broken, it was like having a heavy weight lifted off her shoulders.

It was too bad she only kinda tolerated the brown. While she had a lot less negative feelings towards Alador, it was only because he’d been absent as a parent, having little to no meaningful interaction in the lives of his children, and now that was what she was associating with her new ‘do.

Thankfully, it hadn’t taken any convincing to get Luz to help her change it. A quick trip down to the markets for some magical dye, and she’d be golden. Or, in this case, lavender. Though it was nice to know gold was an option.

Magical hair dye was so much better than the human variety. For example, you didn’t need to bleach your hair first. The color always came as advertised on the label, so even using a lighter color on darker hair worked right as rain. That meant a lot less damage caused by the bleaching and dying process, which Amity was all for.

Amity now sat in a stool in the bathroom, melted into Luz’s touch as her scalp was massaged, loving every moment she was under Luz’s fingers. “You’re really good at this.”

Luz beamed at the praise as she gave another squirt of the dye bottle, spritzing Amity’s hair with the lavender colored liquid. “Anything for my awesome girlfriend.”

It still made Amity’s heart go pitter-patter to hear those words, her cheeks turning pinker than her hair currently was. Luz was just about finished applying the dye now, when Amity spoke up, “Maybe I can return the favor, when you want to dye yours again?”

Luz stiffened, and Amity worried that maybe she’d touched too sensitive a topic. Luz had told her how she dyed her hair every few months shortly after Amity had found out about the curse, which seeing as the Owl House’s bathroom was filthy from old dye bottles covering the counters, Amity wasn’t sure how she didn’t already pick up on it. Despite knowing that now, Amity had never brought Luz’s hair up before.

“Uh, actually, I think I’m good,” Luz commented, tossing the empty dye bottle towards the trash can, missing spectacularly. The bottle ended up on the floor with all the rest of the trash that had missed over the past week, and where it would remain until someone got fed up with the mess and actually took it out, or Hooty ate it.

Amity fidgeted, believing she had overstepped, “I- I’m, sorry Luz, I shouldn’t have-“

Luz quickly shook her head, reassuring Amity she hadn’t done anything wrong, “No, no, it’s fine Amity. I’d be happy to let you dye my hair, but… I’m actually thinking of… not doing that anymore?”

Amity blinked, having not expected that answer at all. She cast a questioning look at her girlfriend, and Luz tried her best to smile. “What I mean is, everyone I care about knows about the curse now. There isn’t much of a point in hiding it anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean you can't still dye your hair, Luz, “Amity responded softly, grabbing Luz by the wrist to avoid her dye stained hands to offer support. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Luz gave a short nod, “Yeah. I’m done hiding from it. This curse is a part of me, and it’s time I accepted that. So what if I have a few gray hairs? That’s not going to change who I am.”

Amity reached out, gently herding Luz closer so she could kiss her cheek, “That’s very brave of you. I think you’ll look beautiful no matter what.”

Luz grinned cheekily, “Here’s hoping I pull it off as well as my Mom does. Titan knows Mama has been dreading and cursing the few grays she gets.”

Amity rinsed out her hair, patted it dry, then used a hairdryer(or whatever the Demon Realm equivalent was called. It got the job done like a normal hairdryer, but it… screamed a lot while it did the task), until her hair was dry. A quick inspection showed Luz had got every last inch evenly, and Amity smiled to herself before pulling her hair back up into its usual half ponytail. It was a little longer and messier than when she had arrived, and her undercut was starting to show, meaning she’d have to get a trim sometime soon. She then wondered what a demon barber looked like, and shuddered, instead taking the time to consider trimming it herself at a later time.

She stepped out into the hallways and down the stairs leading to the living room. There everyone else waited. “How do I look?”

“Oh my gosh,” Emira sat up from the sofa, meeting Amity at the steps and pinching both of her cheeks, “You look so adorable!”

King only took a glance then gagged, “kinda girly, don’t you think?”

Edric chortled at the demon, “Big talk coming from someone who plays with Malibu Stacy dolls.”

King held up the feminine doll, dressed in a summer gown and hat, “I like them for the fashion, something a plebeian like yourself just doesn’t understand!”

Eda joined Emira and Amity, taking a lock of Amity’s hair in her talons and inspecting it, “Looks like a good job to me. If being a wild witch doesn’t work out, Luz could open a salon. You won’t see me complaining, my current hairdresser costs me a fortune.”

“Don’t you do your own hair?” Amity asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, and you should see what I spend on hair care products, especially now that I’m an owlbeast. Feathers are hard to take care of! It’s going to drive me into bankruptcy.” Eda chuckled. “Now, I think you look great, but we both know there’s only one person who’s opinion really matters-“

“I know, and I think it looks great as well, Eda.” Amity smiled up at her mentor.

Eda snorted, “Oh, did you think I meant you? Your opinion doesn't matter, honey, and you’ll see why in just a second. Luz, get over here.”

Edric gave Luz a shove, the girl having been stock still since Amity had come downstairs. At first Amity had been offended by Eda’s statement that her opinion on her own hair didn’t matter, but when she saw the look in Luz’s eyes, she realized Eda was absolutely right.

There were stars in Luz’s wide eyes as she drank Amity’s new hair in, seeing it all dry and done up, making the human girl feel like the most beautiful person on the planet. Whatever Amity had thought about the color faded into the background as the words “cotton candy haired goddess…” Escaped Luz’s lips.

Amity felt like she was going to burst into flames as the rest of the group burst into laughter, “Luz, can we keep the pet names to ourselves… this is embarrassing.”

Chapter Text

Amity breathed, trying to steady the racing of her heart. Before her, her opponent grinned, baring her teeth in anticipation of Amity’s next move. She had to keep her hand hidden, literally, the glyphs she planned to use were too valuable to show off to the enemy, even if they could only hazard a guess as to what it was she was about to cast if they saw it.

Her time was up, she had to move. Now!

“Woo! Go Amity!” Well, there went her attempts at keeping her heart rate steady.

The crowd roared as she was tackled by someone with a head full of purple hair. Amity hit the Grudgby field hard, but not bad enough to break anything at least. To the sidelines, hopping around in a cheerleader outfit of all things, was Luz, who stopped her jumping with her hands clamping over her mouth in worry to see Amity on the ground, but the human couldn’t begrudge Luz one bit. It felt amazing to know she had her own cheer squad, even if she found the way Luz jumped around to be incredibly distracting. Curse her hormones.

Still, if the sound of the buzzer going off meant anything, she hadn’t been taken down in vain. At the other end of the field, standing in the Glandus in-goal, Grudgby ball spinning on the tip of her finger and a sinister, dominating grin plastered on her face, was Boscha. She’d managed to score the final point of the game just as time was called, winning the game for Hexside.

Amity allowed herself to fall limp on the ground, breathing hard and taking in the soreness that pervaded every inch of her body. Between all her adventures and willingly joining the school’s team, she was beginning to wonder if she was an adrenaline junkie who lived life on the edge and just hadn’t realized it until now.

Boscha strutted across the field, tossing the ball over her shoulder as she approached Amity and offered her a hand up. “You did good today, human. When you’re not dominating the field, you make a great distraction for the other team to chase down.”

Amity took the hand, lifting herself up off the ground and easing herself to her feet, which she was sure were covered in blisters by this point. “Thanks, Boscha. I did my best, and I’m glad it paid off.”

She received a hard shove for her comment, almost sending her sprawling back to the ground, “You call that your best? You missed an easy goal halfway through, and completely whiffed it right now. If I wasn’t making up for your slack, we’d have lost.”

Despite her harsh words, Amity knew Boscha meant well. The triclops sneered, “We’re just going to have to train you harder. I’m adding an extra hour to your training every day next week.”

Now it was Amity’s turn to scoff, “You know I can’t do that, I have my job at the library. I’m pushing it as it is.”

“Excuses, excuses.” Boscha grumbled, crossing her arms. “Alright, we’re done here. Go hit the showers or something. Captain's orders.”

Amity was just going to assume the ‘or something’ part of that order also covered going to talk to her girlfriend, because that was absolutely next on Amity’s gay agenda.

Amity brushed the grass off of her uniform, and strolled over to the edge of the field, doing her best to look suave, cool, and casual despite the bruises that littered her body and the fact that she could hardly walk straight. Luz beamed at her, setting her pom-poms down, looking like an utter dork in her homemade cheer outfit. Not having made the actual cheer team wasn’t putting a damper on her plans to cheer Amity on in the slightest. The poor human girl’s heart pounded in her chest as she drank in the sight of her girlfriend’s adorable nature.

Luz wasn’t doing much better. Amity’s uniform was clinging to her body, and her lavender hair was wet with sweat, sticking to her forehead, having come undone from its usual half-ponytail long ago. Luz had never really wondered if she had a thing for jocks, but after seeing Amity rip and tear her way from goalpost to goalpost, she had her answer. The lights from the stadium glistened off of her girlfriend’s skin, making her appear to shimmer, and Luz was the one who felt like she’d just sprinted from one end of the field to the other as her heart skipped a beat.

“Hey,” Amity said lamely, suddenly feeling too flustered to put together a sentence.

“Right back at you,” Luz stuttered, avoiding making eye contact.

Both were insanely grateful their friends couldn’t see them now. They’d been dating for over two months now, and yet they still turned into messes around each other in situations like this, and no one in their friend group would be willing to drop ammunition like this. Luz brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her face, cheeks red as she searched for anything to say. “You really know how to kick a ball.” Nailed it.

“Only because I had my super awesome girlfriend here to have my back,” Amity replied instantly and almost regretted saying something so corny, except that it made Luz happy to hear if her bashful smile was anything to go by.

Luz herself was feeling daring, “Seeing as you were absolutely the star player of tonight’s game, I’d say you deserve a reward, don't you?”

They were so close now, both leaning forward, lips puckering. This was it, they were finally going to kiss. On the lips. Right after the big game. It was everything Amity literally dreamed of, so much so she had to pause and pinch herself, if just to make sure she wasn’t actually asleep.

Amity could feel Luz’s breath on her lips when the witch snorted, pulling back and covering her mouth to try and hide the sound. Luz’s eyes reflected a mixture of amusement that refused to be restrained, and horror that she’d actually laughed in Amity’s face, but she just couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry!” Luz chuckled, “The mood was just so right, but you reek!”

Amity made a face, then lifted her arm and took a sniff, gagging. Yeah, she’d been sweating out on the field for several hours now, and her sweat had gone sour in its scent. She couldn’t blame Luz though, as soon as the fact was made clear to her, her own nose wrinkled up and a chuckle escaped her throat.

Behind her Boscha walked by, giving a brief shout their way, “This is why I ordered you to take a shower!”

“Come on, Gus, you’re perfectly awesome just the way you are!” Luz assured him as the group made their way to the library the next day. Beside her, Willow gave an encouraging nod.

“I think your illusions are wonderful. And you’re great at them too, it’s why you’ve managed to move up two years.” The Plant witch put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Gus seemed unsure of himself, eyes downcast as he walked, “I don’t know guys… I mean, I feel kind of useless compared to the rest of you.”

The young boy was having some confidence issues regarding his chosen skill set since shortly after the petrification ceremony. While he’d been praised by the masked leader of the rebellion for helping save Eda’s life, he’d had to do that without his powers, and when push came to shove, all of his friends could take down threats, while he just… couldn’t.

Gus was afraid to voice those concerns, though, seeing as if the others thought he might be thinking about joining the BATs, they’d want to talk him out of it. Well, Willow and Amity would try to talk him out of it, Luz would probably want to join as well, and that might just be worse, since she was, well, Luz, and was a trouble magnet.

Walking just behind him, steps in sync, were Amity’s siblings, who Gus hadn’t had much time to interact with. They’d made it pretty clear that they weren’t going to answer any of his questions about the human world truthfully, much to his disappointment. Em tapped a finger to her chin, “I’m not really sure what you’re complaining about-“

“Yeah, if we had your powers, can you imagine just how many tricks and pranks we could pull?” Edric finished his sister’s thought, both grinning at the possibilities.

And that was exactly why they hadn’t been forthcoming about human world stuff. They just found it too funny to mess with Augustus, his last question session ending with Amity yelling at them and throwing things until they apologized, and he had to erase hours of notes. If sabotaging academic research was what humans considered funny, Gus thought they needed to rethink their sense of humor.

“Nothing’s stopping you from trying to change tracks!” Luz nudged him, “You could always use my secret room and learn more?”

“That might be my only course of action at this point, but it’s too late for me to completely change tracks” Gus sighed. “This isn’t like with Willow, who could do plant magic really well while stuck in abominations, this is more the opposite. This would be like taking her from plants and moving her to abominations, despite her being terrible at it. Do you really think she’d be able to do anything halfway advanced before we graduate?”

Willow frowned, seeing his point, “No, I don’t think I could.”

Luz kicked a rock at her feet, “Yeah, you’d have to start from the bottom… I could probably tutor you a bit…”

“Thanks Luz,” and despite Gus’s melancholic tone, he did mean it. His friends didn’t need to try and pick him up when he was down in the dumps over a problem he knew was silly from their perspective, and yet they still tried.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Ed spoke up, using his height to peek over their heads at a bit of commotion below them, on the street under the bridge they were walking on.

All eyes widened as what looked like a Slitherbeast was wreaking havoc in the street, barreling down the road. Everything in its path was destroyed as the monster rampaged, ramming carts and stalls and anything else that got in its way. Its claws narrowly missed several passersby and vendors, who only just ducked in time to avoid the swipes.

To make matters worse, Braxas, one of the children Luz liked to read to when she visited Amity at the library, was directly in the path of the beast. Luz grabbed onto the railing, intent on throwing herself down there to fight and distract the Slitherbeast herself, only for three other students her age, proudly wearing their Glandus uniforms, to step in before she could. Using a combination of abomination, plant, and construction magic the trio of newcomers managed to halt the demon in its tracks, earning applause from the onlookers.

Luz breathed a sigh of relief, glad her littlest buddy hadn’t had so much as a hair on his bald, wrinkled head harmed, with Gus beside her looking just as starstruck by that act of heroism. Without another word, Gus took off down the nearby steps, skidding to a halt in front of the Glandus students.

Luz chuckled and gave chase, followed by Willow, Edric and Emira. They caught up with them just as Mattholomule suddenly appeared, huffing and puffing, and calling the Glandus girl’s name. “Bria!”

“Mattholomule?” Gus asked, raising a curious brow to see his fellow Hexolio and club member here of all places.

“Augustus? And Luz?” The newcomer frowned at seeing his classmates there.

“And co!” Edric grinned, throwing up some jazz hands, oblivious to the boy’s icy mood.

Matt didn’t bother acknowledging him, simply grimacing. “Back off, this is Glandus business only.”

Bria held up her hands, offering it as a sign of peace, “Relax, Matty, it’s all good here. You got that map you told us about?”

Matt pulled out a map, and started to hand it over to Bria when something clicked in Luz’s mind, “Oh, you were at the game last night, weren’t you? On the Glandus Grudgby team!”

Bria blinked, map half opened and in mid explanation about what it led to, then smiled brightly, “Yeah, that’s us!”

The Glandus girl took a good hard look at Luz, recognition in her own eyes, “Hey, you were that cheerleader! I thought I recognized you. Sorry about your girlfriend, but you know, games a game.” Bria shrugged, with a ‘what can you do’ expression on her face.

Luz realized now that this was the same girl who tackled Amity the night before, and forced a smile. It wasn’t that she begrudged Bria for what she did, it’s part of the game, but at the same time there was a part of Luz that didn’t like that this girl had hurt Amity.

“Luz, later,” Gus quickly said, turning his eyes back to Bria, curiosity burning behind his eyes, “What were you just saying about that map?”

Bria explained, with the help of her friends, Gavin and Angmar, that the map led to a mysterious treasure called Galdorstones, which many a witch had heard legends about. Luz herself had always thought they were a fairy tale, but her Mom seemed to believe in them, even if she could never seem to find one of her own.

“You said you were Hexside students, right? We could always use the extra strength, especially if Luz here is half as tough as her girlfriend.” Bria offered, her face friendly as she extended an offer to let them join, looking hopefully in Gus’ direction.

Gus was in the middle of shooting the offer down, his expression a little nervous. Between the stars in his eyes when he’d seen Bria work, and how the girl seemed to look at Gus like she was talking directly to him instead of explaining what was going on with the group, Luz, certified matchmaker, could see the potential spark of awkward teen romance in their future.

“We should go!” Luz spoke over Gus, clamping a hand on his shoulder. On Gus’s other side, Willow looked just as surprised, with Mattholomule seeming livid with the intrusion.

“But Gus is just an illusionist!” Mattholomule argued, pointing an accusatory finger at his rival.

“I thought we were going to help Ed, Em and Amity at the library today?” Willow asked, pointedly glaring at Matt for daring to disrespect Gus for his magical prowess.

Luz faltered, a faint blush on her cheeks when thinking about seeing her girlfriend. They hadn’t spoken about the failed kiss from the night before yet, both making an effort to avoid the discussion out of embarrassment. So maybe she was still wanting to avoid the subject, and in turn, Amity, if just for a few more hours to get her head on straight? There wasn’t anything wrong with that.

But she didn’t need to come to her own defense, or find an excuse. Em gave her a nudge forward, “Go on, have a fun treasure hunting adventure. We’ll be fine!”

“Yeah,” Edric added, throwing a friendly arm over Willow’s shoulder, “Besides, it’ll just be a boring library trip. Amity knows that place like the back of her hand, we’ll be in and out before you know it.”

Luz grinned at her friends, “See? We’re all good!”

She leaned forward, whispering into Gus’s ear, “Besides, this will help you discover just what kind of magic you might want to study, and be really good at it if we can get a Galdorstone!”

Gus seemed to happily accept that answer, beaming at his friends. “Alright, we’re in!.

Bria beamed, “That’s great! Now come on, we need to get a move on if we’re going to make it to the Forearm Forest before it gets too late into the day!”

The Hexside students bid farewell to Ed and Em, waving cheerfully as they parted ways. Luz, eager to get a move on, started to jog beside the group, only to bump into a familiar redhead, knocking both of them to the ground.

“Looks like someone’s a bit clumsy,” Bria chuckled, her friends heartily joining her.

Luz, flushed with embarrassment, jumped to her feet and offered a hand to the girl she’d knocked over, doing nothing to mask the surprise on her face at who it was. “Boscha?”

The grudgby captain sneered, brushing herself with her hands to get the dirt that ended up covering her letterman jacket off. “Yeah, what of it, Luz-e… um, Luz.”

Boscha stilled when she saw the group of newly acquainted friends. Her face became an expressionless mask upon seeing the same team who she had faced in Grudgby the night before, hardly paying attention to Luz as she apologized to her. “I am so sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

“It’s no problem. I’ve taken way harder falls on the field,” Boscha assured, not taking her eyes off the Glandus students. “What’s going on here?”

Bria smiled and answered coyly, “Oh, just a little adventure!”

“Top secret!” Gavin added.

“Couldn’t tell ya even if we wanted to,” Angmar finished.

Gus nodded along seriously, while Matt just kept his arms crossed and mouth shut. Willow looked a bit put out, sensing the tension radiating off of Boscha.

“Is that so?” Boscha narrowed all three of her eyes, then nodded her head casually to the side, gesturing for Luz to join her for a moment.

Luz did so, feeling a bit confused. This was the longest she’d ever had to interact with Boscha since Grom. She’d even stopped calling Luz names, thanks to Amity, but she’d never wanted to hang out with Luz before. Still, if Boscha was putting her best foot forward, Luz would meet her halfway there.

Once they were far enough away, Boscha finally took two of her eyes off Bria and her group, keeping her third on them. “Watch yourself, Noceda.” She warned, vaguely.

Luz frowned, feeling a bit put off, “Of who? Bria?” The brunette cast her eyes back at her new friends, Bria giving a small wave in her direction, which Luz returned with a smile. “What could possibly be wrong with her?”

“…” Boscha was silent for a moment, then shrugged, keeping her expression neutral, “It might be nothing. But I thought I’d let you know. Bitch can sense bitch.”

She didn’t keep Luz any longer, stuffing her hands into her letterman and stalking off, Luz unsure if she should trust Boscha at her word, or continue with Bria. In the end, Luz shook her head and went for the latter. Everyone deserves a chance, and Luz wasn’t going to throw Bria’s away on the word of an ex bully.

Ed and Em sat at a desk in the library, browsed through the crystal ball. The relic was an older model, constantly taking time to load up their search queries.

They thankfully didn’t need to search long, the results for ‘human’ pulled up a short list, composed mostly of Eda’s exploits before her curse took over, when she sold stuff at her stand. A few articles about human stuff washing up on the beach, then finally they found one, from almost four hundred years ago.

“Human resident donates personal diary to library…” Emira read aloud, looking to Ed with a grin. “I think this is it!”

Ed peeked over his reading glasses and gave a nod, “Must be, how many other humans could have been here? But damn, look at that date. That diary must be ancient.” He spoke that last bit with uncertainty, something not missed by Em.

“No more so than this crystal ball,” Emira joked, hoping to keep her brother’s spirits up. Something that old might not be around anymore, but they couldn’t just give up.

“You’re more right than you know,” Amity’s voice greeted them from behind, their little sister pushing a cart full of books that needed to be returned to their shelves. “Most of the crystal balls here are pushing four to five hundred years of age.”

Edric pursed his lip in thought, “you know, I can’t be the only one who thinks that’s kinda weird, right? These things act like computers, yet have been around for centuries. You’d think the demon realm would be, like, super high tech by now, right? Colonies on Mars, time machines powered by teeth kinda stuff?”

Amity perked up, a bright smile on her face as she began to excitedly talk, “I actually have a theory on that! See, you’re thinking in terms of technology, not magic. Technology gets better, more advanced, but spells just… don’t? Sure, you can make new ones, or find new ways to use them, but a spell to make a crystal ball work like that has been fundamentally unchanged for millennia. You can’t just make it work better, outside of refreshing the spells once they start to degrade.”

Emira thought it over for a moment, “So, what you’re saying is, magic can’t change or evolve the same as technology, so it’s left these guys stuck in renn-faire times?”

“Not quite, but close, it’s more lack of innovation to drive them forward, if you can even measure it that way,” Amity replied, talking faster the more she went, “It’s so fascinating to see how their society has changed and developed compared to the human realm, I’m honestly thinking about writing a research paper on it someda-“

“FFFFPPPPPPPTTTT!” The twins both made loud fart noises with their mouths, interrupting Amity’s spiel, and earning an offended gasp from their little sister.

“You two are so infuriating, and immature!” Amity scolded angrily, “And keep it down, this is a library!”

“Only you would want to write a paper about the stagnation of a magical society, Mittens.” Edric laughed, but did do as she asked and kept his voice lowered.

“Always an overachiever, even in fantasyland.” Emira chortled quietly behind her hand.

“You do realize you still need my help, right?” Amity asked with a deadpan expression, wiping the smirks off of both her siblings' faces.

“Sorry,” they both murmured, not looking very sorry at all.

Amity sighed, brushing her fingers through her still freshly dyed lavender hair. “Whatever. Just show me what you’ve found, and I’ll see if I can locate it for you.”

She seemed to pause, as if noticing someone’s absence, “Where’s Luz, by the way?”

Emira gave a wave of her hand, warding off her sister's worry, “She went with Gus and Willow someplace with some new friends. We told her we’d handle this today, and to go have fun outside of a stuffy library for once.”

It took all of Amity’s effort to keep the relief off of her face. Not that she didn’t want to see her awesome girlfriend, but after last night… She was in a mental tug-o-war over if she should just kiss Luz and get it over with, giggle-fits be damned, or curling into a ball from the sheer awkwardness the idea filled her with. The last thing she wanted was to be a flustered mess in public, at her job, with the twins around to tease them and make it worse, so she quickly filed her feelings away for later.

“I see,” She instead said, keeping her response simple. “Well then, let's just get this over with.”

Amity sat at the desk, taking a look at the entry on the glass. Checking the date for the entry, she made a face, “Oh, dang. I realized this happened a while ago, but something this old…”

“It still exists, right?” Edric pleadingly asked.

His little sister nodded, “Yeah, but everything from this era was more or less purged when Belos took over. Not burned, thankfully, but it’s been moved to the Forbidden Stacks with the rest of the banned knowledge that only those permitted by the Emperor are allowed to read.”

“So, it might as well be destroyed,” Emira groaned, burying her face into her arms as she collapsed onto the desk.

“Don’t be so sure,” Amity spoke, making both Ed and Em look up at her distraughtly, “My staff card should be able to access the stacks, but, and I need to stress this, I can lose my job for doing so.”

Emira wrapped Amity up in a tight hug, leaving the girl gasping for breath, while Ed threw himself at her feet, “You’d really do this for us?”

Amity rolled her eyes, “Yes, but you need to listen. I’m going in there alone-“

“But we can help!”

“No one but the Head Librarian is supposed to be in there,” Amity hissed, “I’m not going to risk getting caught by taking in the two loudest, most obnoxious people on the Titan. It’ll only take me a few minutes.”

Seeing their whimpering faces, Amity facepalmed, “Look, just, keep an eye on the door. If Malphas comes by, distract him until I can get back out. That will help, alright?”

That seemed to perk them back up, Emira smirking, “We can totally be distracting!” She bragged, giving her braid a seductive swish.

“Yeah!” Ed added, trying to give a smoldering look, before dropping it to ask, “Wait, you did mean in the hot way, right? Not the annoying way Amity keeps implying?”

The youngest Blight rolled her eyes, then wheeled her cart off to the side of a nearby shelf. Giving a discreet look around to make sure no one else was looking her way, she abandoned the cart and moved on to the back wall, where the entrance to the stacks were. She turned and gave one last look at the twins, who flashed her each a thumbs up as she used her staff card to open the seals on the door, and quietly slipped inside.

Edric leaned back in his chair, immediately bored. “I’m sure she’s got this. Wanna see if they have a magical version of Mewtube on these crystal balls?”

Emira gave her brother an amused smile, ready to type into the ball when her eye caught something suspicious, drawing her attention across the library, where someone familiar just walked in.

“Ed, get down!” She whispered, grabbing her brother by the arm and dragging him to the floor and under the desk with her.

“What?” He hissed back, Emira ignoring him to peek over the edge of their table. He quickly did so as well, suppressing a curse under his breath. “Not this guy again…”

The Golden Guard, standing tall, face hidden behind his iconic mask with his red jeweled staff gripped tightly in hand, was marching with a sense of purpose through the library, leering at anyone who happened to cross his path. The twins gulped, wondering what he could possibly be doing here, as he made his way to the front desk where Malphas was helping someone check out a book.

The elderly woman in line was picked up by a crimson beam and moved aside, the Guard brushing past her so he could speak to the librarian himself, “Malphas, correct? I’m here on official Coven business. I need a pass to enter the Forbidden Stacks.”

Malphas eyed the young man hesitantly, but knew better than to deny him. He simply reached under the desk and pulled out a pass, sliding it across the smooth wooden surface to the guard, “And what are you looking for today? I may be able to guide you to the correct section. The Forbidden stacks are quite a large area to traverse, if you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

The Golden Guard stilled, as if considering if he should mention it here or not. He eventually gave a little shrug, figuring no one would really care, it had been centuries since this book had been last checked out anyway, “I’m looking for a human diary, a few centuries old.”

Ed and Em gasped from their hiding spot. Malphas merely scratched his chin, eyes misted over in concentration, “I believe you’ll find that in the Deadwardian Era donations shelf in the lower east wing of the stacks, though I’m afraid I cannot narrow it down any further. It’s where banned knowledge from the Human Realm of that era is normally kept.”

The Guard gave a nod of acknowledgment, then swiftly turned around and walked away. Emira gave Edric a nudge, gesturing for them to follow after, and with some reluctance he moved, his sister right behind him. They dove from shelf to shelf, hiding from sight as they followed the Golden Guard to the Forbidden Stacks entrance, which opened for the guard as soon as he displayed his card.

Once the doors were open, the white cloaked man stepped forward, his footsteps echoing down the dark corridor, the shadows swallowing him as he disappeared down the path. With a creak, the heavy doors began to shut behind him, but not before the twins dashed, barely making it through before it slammed shut.

It was just them, alone, in the dark, when Edric muttered, “Amity is going to kill us…”

Wandering through the woods wasn’t how Willow had expected her day to go, but all in all, she couldn’t complain. She loved being around nature, feeling the magic of the plants growing around her. It was soothing, even if the company around her was more than a little frantic.

“And then Gus, with his quick thinking, as always, I mean, I mentioned he is the top of his class despite skipping two grades, right? Yeah, well, he managed to-“

Willow gave a fond roll of her eyes as Luz prattled on about one of their adventures together, clearly doing her best to put in a good word for her friend to Bria, but just trying way too hard that it was a little ridiculous. For what it was worth, Bria did seem to be hanging on to Luz’s every word, shooting the occasional impressed look at Gus.

Gus didn’t seem to mind Luz speaking for him, if the faint dusting of pink on his cheeks said anything. Willow did suppose he was at that age, and with his bout of Witch puberty, he finally was going to start getting crushes and wanted to look impressive. She supposed that meant she should start inviting him to her and Luz’s girl talk sessions, which was going to be a major relief. Those had been dominated by Luz gushing over Amity lately.

Not that Willow was jealous, or anything, because she really wasn’t. She was so happy for her friends, she just hadn’t really found anyone that she hadn’t found just kinda cute. No one she wanted to chase after yet, like Luz had for anyone who was pretty or had ripped abs since she was like, nine.

While not a crush in the slightest, she did like hanging out with Angmar so far. He really knew his plants. “I’ve always found that griffon dung worked as the best fertilizer for the Isleium Praereptor. It really takes to it, the ones in my greenhouse love the stuff.” The boy said, his blue eyes bright as he spoke. It seemed pretty clear he appreciated Willow’s company about as much as she did his, seeing as he seemed to be the only plant witch in his friend group as well.

Willow’s own eyes lit up in wonder and a bit of envy, “You have your own greenhouse? I have a small garden, but I have to stick with the greenhouse at school for the plants that need that environment. I’ve been trying to talk my parents into getting one for ages.”

“It was my grandfather’s, actually. He set it up way back when he was just a bit older than we a-“ The demon boy cut off as a butterfly fluttered by, his eyes immediately entranced by it. His course changed, veering to the left, both eyes locked onto the insect, hands outstretched as he followed it blindly.

The snapping of fingers met Willow’s ears, the sound pulling Angmar out of his trance. “Huh, oh, sorry. I’ve always wanted to make my own butterfly sanctuary, these guys are my passion.” He mumbled bashfully.

Willow giggled, but Bria, the one who had snapped her fingers, just cleared her throat, “Just focus on the path ahead, Angmar. We don’t need you getting distracted now, do we?”

The boy chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, hearing the hidden threat the others missed underneath the soft, caring tone. “Of course, Bria. I’ll keep focused.”

They continued to trudge along through the forest, which was beginning to grow thick with thorny vines, Willow and Angmar helping clear a path and moving the plants, while Bria used a machete to chop her way through. Nothing slowed that girl down, which Willow admired, though she wished she’d leave the plant life alone and let the witches she’d brought along handle it.

Very soon, they came upon their first real obstacle, aside from sore feet. A giant tangle of thorns and vines blocked their path, stretching out from tree to tree in a complicated knot. Even Bria couldn’t chop her way through.

Mattholomule, intent on making his worth known, stepped forward first, powered either by confidence or arrogance, but sure of himself either way, “Stand back everyone, I’ll make quick work of this and we can be on our way.”

While Willow, Gus and Luz were willing to give Matt a shot, it was pretty clear the Glandus students were a bit less believing in his abilities, if the eye rolling and mocking expressions were anything to go by. Still, he volunteered, so everyone took a step back to let him work.

Matt eyed the large amount of plant growth in front of him, side stepping around the area and sizing it up, trying to take it all in. It was becoming abundantly clear he was trying to buy himself time to come up with a plan. Bria scoffed, and called out, “Any day, Matty!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Matt called back, then gave a nervous spin of his finger. The ground started to shake a little, then pillars of earth erupted, slamming into the mass of plants and… didn’t do much of anything. A few vines were broken and snapped, falling to the ground, but otherwise the giant tangle was unmoved and unharmed.

“Aw, better luck next time, Matty,” Bria cooed, giving the boy a pat on the back. Beside her, Angmar and Gavin laughed, at least until Bria turned her eyes to them, “Well, who wants to go next?”

Both boys quieted down immediately, neither wanting to be called on to perform. Willow sighed, and shook her head at how quick they were to cast judgement when they themselves didn’t think they could accomplish the task.

Her pointed ears twitched as she picked up Luz speaking in a hushed tone to Gus, and she turned to see her, “Come on, you can use this, and it’ll look really cool!”

In her hands was one of Amity’s glyphs, probably a fire spell if Willow had to guess. Gus seemed unsure, taking the paper in his own hands, “I don’t know, Luz. Couldn’t you just cast a fireball or something? You’re pretty powerful.”

“Yeah, but this way, you’ll be able to look good for Bria.” Luz waggled her eyebrows, and Gus turned scarlet, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Willow pinched her brow as they schemed. It wasn’t just that she didn’t have faith in Luz’s plans(they did tend to backfire, but at least this one was simple), but she wasn’t going to stand by and let a bunch of plants be burned in a flammable forest when there were two capable plant mages right here. Turning back to the Glandus gang, Willow smiled brightly, if a little forced, “Angmar, why don’t you give it a shot?”

The demon boy seemed surprised to hear his name being suggested, pointing at himself just to be sure, “Wait, really? I don’t know, that’s pretty big-“

“I think you can do it.” Willow assured him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Hearing Willow’s words, Gavin joined in with his own words of encouragement for his friend. “You’re the best plant witch I know! If anyone can move it, you can, you’ve got the Glandus strength and guts!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Willow could see Luz’s plan rapidly dissolving as Angmar, now with two people voicing their belief in him, stepped forward, ready to get rid of the massive amount of thorns in their path.

“Alright, I- I can do this!” He roared, then made a large spell circle. The vines started to glow in front of them, filled with his magic as they began to shift, trying to untangle themselves under their new master's will. Angmar grit his teeth, trying to focus, but it was becoming clear that he wasn’t strong enough to get the job done. Not alone, at least.

Behind her back, Willow made her own spell circle, subtly assisting the butterfly obsessed boy. The vines began to unknot, pulling away from one another, and moving back into the trees as it did so, until, with a gasp, Angmar finished the task, collapsing to his knees in exhaustion as a narrow passageway between the vines was revealed.

“You did it!” Willow beamed, standing beside him and offering a hand up, while trying to hide her own weariness, “I knew you could.”

“I did, huh?” He grinned back, taking her hand and picking himself up and off the ground, “I really did it! I proved how powerful I am!”

Gavin laughed joyously, giving his friend a high five, while Bria just gave him a tight, polite smile, “That was great, Angmar! Who knew you’d gotten that strong!”

“He might even be stronger than you!” Luz teased playfully, elbowing Bria.

The girl’s smile fell at Luz’s words, but she recovered quickly enough. “Oh, please, he wishes.”

Gus breathed out an impressed sigh, “Dang, Matty, I didn’t know these Glandus friends of yours were such major leaguers. Is everyone like that over there?”

Matt grimaced, “You have no idea. And don’t call me Matty.”

Ed and Em followed the Golden Guard, carefully stepping in tune with him to mask the sound of their own steps from echoing down the long, dark hallway. Not an easy task when his feet weren’t visible with his cloak in the way, but they managed.

The corridor seemed to stretch on and on, the twins wondering just how much farther the place could possibly go, when finally it opened into an enormous room, larger than the Bonesborough library itself. The Guard stepped into the main room, seemingly unphased by how massive it was, then turned the corner, vanishing from their sight.

Emira just looked out into the expanse, hardly able to see the other side of the building with how large and dark it was. That wasn’t even hiding the fact that at the center of the room was a pit that seemed to go down forever, with only a staircase that led to the many underground levels below. “Just how many books did the Empire ban?”

Edric shook his head, unable to believe his eyes, “I’m going to take a wild guess and say he banned anything that went against his word about how the world was before his rule, which was more or less everything.”

“Why didn’t he just burn it all, then?”” Em pondered, tapping her chin, wondering what use a giant hidden library underneath the regular library could possibly have.

“Maybe he did? These are just the books he needed kept? Like, one copy of each book, the rest destroyed, since well, this place is filled with magic. What if they needed that information? He did send his head cheerleader down here to fetch our book…” Edric shrugged, no closer to an answer than she was.

They stepped out into the main room, and were almost immediately blasted by a ray of red energy. Just around the corner he’d vanished behind, was the Golden Guard, “You two were really smart, hiding the sound of your footsteps like that. It’s too bad you’re really noisy mouth breathers, I might not have heard you otherwise.”

He cocked his head, “Also, the fact you started blabbing the moment I was out of sight wasn’t the smartest move, either. Voices carry in a big empty place like this.”

The twins were both caught like deer in the headlights of a kareening truck as the Golden Guard began to charge another blast with his staff. It was only at the last possible moment that Edric came to his senses, shoving his sister to the ground and following after her that the beam missed. “Go, we need to get to that book before he does!”

Em scrambled back to her feet, jumping to dodge another magical blast that tore a chunk out of the floor, “On it!”

“Oh no you don’t,” Hunter growled behind his mask, taking his staff in both hands and sending a wave of magic at the floor, powerful enough he could feel the pressure it exerted pressed against his back teeth. A large wall of stone appeared, blocking Emira off and forcing her to skid to a halt, “We still need to talk about that assault you put me through back on the island!”

“If it makes you feel any better, it was meant to make you uncomfortable!” Emira squealed, ducking as the staff swung right where her head had just been.

“Yeah, goose stepping fascists aren’t really our type!” Edric taunted in an attempt to get the Guard’s focus back on him.

The twins managed to break away, running for what they assumed was the east wing of the Forbidden Stacks. “He can’t chase both of us,” Edric pointed in one direction, which Em took, while he went the other, both of them weaving through the bookshelves until they were well and truly lost, but at least away from the Golden Guard.

Hunter stalked the twins from the shadows, listening closely with his pointed ears for the clattering of their footfalls on the stone floor. “You can’t hide from me forever!”

Edric breathed heavily, already feeling a stitch in his side from his lack of athleticism. Sure, he’d been on the track team back at his human high school, but that was mostly to keep his mother off his back, and because being seen as sporty got the attention of babes and dudes. He wasn’t actually built for running anymore than the average couch potato. Still, remembering how the guard had known they were there before, he clamped a hand over his mouth to silence his breathing.

He pressed himself against the bookcase, sidling along as quietly as he could and trying to keep from being seen. It was dark enough he had to strain his eyes, feeling each step before committing to it on the ancient, uneven stone floor so he didn’t accidentally trip and fall on his face. Ed reached the end of the aisle, carefully peeking his head out so he could check the corners for any sight of either his sister, or the guard, and suddenly he felt something on his shoulder.

He screamed.

The next leg of their journey brought them to a swampy area of the forest, which was overgrown with bubbling mud pits. Moving through it was easy enough when they stuck to the rocks that sat above the surface, but they came to a crossroads when the space between rocks came to be farther than half a Grudgby field.

Bria took one look at the pit, and crossed her arms, “I’m not so sure plant magic is going to solve this like last time…”

Gus stood beside her, rubbing his chin as he tried to come up with a way forward. His first thought was that Luz might be able to do something, maybe freeze the mud, but the more he looked at the bubbling bog in front of him, the more it reminded him of that flask Amity had taken from the Emperor’s artifact room. That let her make abominations, and what were those if not magical mud monsters?

Besides, if he did this, it’d prove he got along well with Bria’s friends, which was a total in.

“Hey, Gavin, think you could make a bridge using this mud?” He turned to the taller, purple dressed boy.

Gavin pursed his lips in thought, bending to his knee to put a finger into the muck, and testing the consistency. He eyed the color, even gave it a lick to try the taste, only to spit it out because it was still mud. With a sigh, he looked back and gave a shake of his head, “No can do. While there might be enough stuff here to animate it, I’m not sure I can make a solid bridge. This swamp is too deep, it’d collapse the second we stepped foot on it like thin ice.”

Luz bounced in behind Gus, peeking over his body, “Well, if you can’t make something to walk on, why not make something that can walk across?”

Everyone looked at her, then back at Gavin, who gave a shrug, “I mean, it could work? All the ingredients are here, but it could get messy.”

Everyone took a step back as Gavin got to his feet again, and made a circle, tongue clenched between his teeth in focus. From the swampy waters ripples began to arise as the mud under the surface was disturbed.

Gavin’s brow began to sweat, but a supportive hand clamped either of his shoulders, Gus and Luz, each chanting their belief in him, “You can do it!” He clenched his eyes shut, focusing everything he had on forming an abomination large enough to carry them across, and from the muck it arose.

An arm slammed down on the stones around them as the Abomination pried itself from the surface of the swamp. It stank of death and decay, and was covered in various plants that grew under the murky water it came from. Despite being waist deep in the swamp, it still towered over them, just large enough for all of the children to climb onto its back, which they wasted no time doing as Gavin was struggling to keep the spell going.

Bria and Willow helped everyone else get on with vines and earthen pillars before climbing on themselves, and being carried slowly but steadily across the large distance between the stones. Any wonder they had at experiencing this miracle of magic was dampened severely by the fact that they would reek something fierce long after they were back on solid land, but at least they’d be one step closer to the Galdorstones.

Gavin stood tall, held in the abomination’s hand, fists raised to the sky, “I did it! Take that, dad! And you said I’d never amount to anything!”

The abomination held together just long enough for everyone to climb off of it and onto the stones, it quickly losing its shape before sinking back into the swamp. Gavin puffed out his chest as his friends whooped and cheered, surrounding him.

“You were amazing!” Gus exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an abomination that big before!”

Gavin seemed bashful for a moment, trying to wave them off, “Come on, you don’t mean that.”

“We do!” Luz insisted, “Trust me, you might be stronger than most of the people in Hexside’s abomination courses.”

Bria’s own smile seemed a little strained, “We couldn’t have made it without you, Gav. Now, Matty, where are we on the map?”

The smallest of the group pulled out the map, just happy to be acknowledged by his former schoolmates, “According to the map, we should be getting close…”

Mattholomule took the lead, brushing past the others with his nose buried in the parchment of the map. With his eyes occupied, he couldn’t see where he was going, and stepped on the tail of a snake demon, who wrapped his leg up and dragged him into the air, Matt hollering the whole way up.

It was Luz who acted first, used to the people around her getting into life threatening danger. She used a Beast Keeping spell she had learned from her time in the Secret Room of Shortcuts to calm the snake, making it drop Mattholomule to the ground with a thunk, the snake slithering off in the branches ahead to find greener pastures while Gavin and Angmar grabbed Matt by his arms and started to drag him to safety.

“I’m not surprised that you couldn’t handle Glandus,” Angmar muttered as they moved on ahead, leaving Gus, Willow and Luz with Bria.

“What did they mean by ‘couldn’t handle Glandus?’” Gus asked Bria softly as they trailed behind, feeling a little worried about how Matt had needed to be carried around.

Bria took a moment to respond, another forced smile on her lips as she responded, “Things work… differently at Glandus. Weak students are pushed around by the strong. But if I had a Galdorstone, I might be able to change things for the better.”

Willow frowned, “doesn’t sound that much different from Hexside, though we’re trying to be better. Especially when those perceived as weak start pushing back.”

“But it sounds like you have your heart in the right place, so we’re absolutely going to help!” Luz assured, especially after seeing Gus’s smitten smile. She would see this ship sailed, no matter what!

Matt, back on his feet and leading the group despite his injuries, called to those in the back, “We’re here.”

Before them was a large, decrepit gate made of stone, above hung the words “Looking Glass,” with the final word crumbled off, which is how it must have got its name. Carved into the double doors were two faces, one smiling, the other frowning, which put Gus on edge. That was an old illusionist icon, before the Coven system was introduced. Before the Bard and Illusionist covens were considered separate entities, Illusionists had a guild of respected actors and playwrights. Illusionist used to be synonymous with theater, so to see that symbol here told Gus two things:

One, this place was ancient, which was obvious by the state of decay it was in. And two, it was somehow tied to illusionists of old, who wouldn’t even have been able to make use of the Galdorstones.

“Whoa,” Luz breathed, impressed with what they had found.

Willow nodded, “I know. I half expected that map was a dud, but it was the real thing after all.”

Bria quickly recovered from her own slack jaw, and put Angmar on guard duty. Unfortunately the boy wasn’t paying attention, not because he’d been transfixed by the ruins like everyone else, but because he was once more wandering after the butterflies.

“Angmar, I said you’re on guard duty. And if I catch you playing with any more bugs, I’ll make you eat them, okay?” Bria warned, her voice as sweet yet threatening as a fire bee’s honey.

The boy stilled, standing ramrod straight. Willow raised an eyebrow at the thinly veiled threat the other girl had issued, and with a twirl of her finger summoned up a flower that had sweet nectar in its buds at Angmar’s feet, which the butterfly slowly floated towards. “There, now you won’t have to guard the place alone.” She said with a small smile.

Angmar flashed her a thumbs up, but kept his back to her, unwilling to look away from his watch duties and disappoint Bria.

Inside the ruins was a circle of statues, each figure imposing and cloaked. The faces, though veiled, were passive and wise, looking down on the students that invaded their sanctuary. Mattholomule gazed at them in wonder, quietly murmuring, “I can’t believe we found it.”

Luz looked up at one of the faces and suppressed a shiver, “Whoa. Welcome to downtown creepsville, am I right?”

Bria let out a squeal as she saw a glimmer of light reflecting off of something in one of the statues hands, and quickly used her magic to help her scale it. Tearing the crystal from the statue, whose hands crumbled under her touch, she hopped back down, rejoicing. “We did it, everyone! The power of the Galdorstones is ours!”

She demonstrated the power by slamming her palm into the ground, sending a pillar thicker and taller than any of the surrounding trees of the Forest high above them, making everyone’s mouths drop at the casual display of power.

The others were quick to snag their own stones from each of the statues, but Gus, still feeling like something was off since setting eyes on the place, approached one of the statues and peeled back the ivy covering the epitaph and read it aloud. “Mari the Phantom Bringer?”

Then another, “Aleta the Vision Creator?”

And another, his tone filling with more disbelief, “Khari the Mirage Maker? But, those are titles for..”

He turned to his friends, Willow already testing out her Galdorstone to make a field of flowers with little more than a thought, not even needing seeds to make them sprout, while Luz was juggling a small handful in the air, barely just catching them before they could hit the ground. “Guys! Stop that! We need to put them back!”

That made Luz lose her concentration, sending the stones crashing to the ground and making Gus wince, “Why's that Gustonemo?”

“These aren’t ruins, this is an Illusionist graveyard!” Gus cried, feeling very much like he was stepping on someone’s grave. Because he was, and what was going on around him was so much worse. They were defiling this cemetery and grave robbing it of its artifacts.

The disrespect didn’t stop as Mattholomule quickly discarded his own Galdorstone, a look of disgust on his face as if it’d been pried from the hands of a rotting corpse instead of a stone statue. The sheer disrespect these artifacts were being handled with made Gus’ skin crawl.

Bria scoffed, tossing her own stone up and down in her hands, “Of course you’d say that like it’s a bad thing. You’re just an illusionist yourself, it’s not like you can use these to power up your own abilities.”

Gus’s face fell at those words, slicing through him like a dagger in the back, “W-what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that, while you’re kinda cute, you’re the same as every other illusionist. Weak, and no good for anything but party tricks,” Bria shrugged, the words coming out of her mouth as if they were the simplest truth of the world. “I was disappointed to hear your magic was basically worthless when Matty mentioned you were an illusionist, but your friends seemed like they could be useful, so I didn’t retract my invite.”

Luz frowned, gripping one of the Galdorstones tightly in her hand, “Power hungry, and not very nice. Apologize to my friend right now!”

Willow, likewise glared, using her powers over plant magic to scoop up any of the Galdorstones laying on the ground with vines, and moving them behind her, “Gus is right. This is wrong, and we’re going to put these back now.”

Matt glanced between the two groups, unsure what to do or who to side with. Bria sneered at the three of them, and gave a snap of her fingers, and out of the fog her friends joined her, Angmar on her left, and Gavin on her right, each armed with a Galdorstone of their own. “I don’t think you get it. We’re playing by Glandus rules now, and you only keep what you’re strong enough to tak-“

Her sneer vanished in a burst of surprise as vines burst from the ground and wrapped around her legs, followed by her arms and mouth being bound by abomination slime. Behind her, Gavin and Angmar smiled smugly to themselves, then walked past her.

“Nothing against you, Bria, but you did say we were playing by Glandus rules, and it turns out we’re strong enough to no longer need you.” Gavin informed her, talking over her muffled screams.

“We’re done taking orders from a so-called friend who only ever bosses us around and threatens us,” Angmar agreed, holding his stone close to his chest, the flower Willow grew for him turned into a crown that still had the butterfly nested on it.

Gus breathed a sigh of relief, while Mattholomule simply inched away, not hiding the worry on his face about what this adventure had become. The illusionist stepped forward, “I’m so glad you two sided with us!”

Luz nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, you guys have great timing!.”

Gavin wiped at his eyes, “My dad never says I have great timing for anything!”

“Aw, shucks, guys, you’re too kind.” Angmar grinned cheerfully, chuckling to himself.

Willow stepped forward with her hands outstretched, ready to take their Galdorstones, “Now that that’s taken care of, let's put these things back and head home.”

Angmar’s laughter died in his throat, and he glanced at his dark skinned friend, “No, I don’t think you get it. You’re too kind. You can go ahead and leave your Galdorstones behind, but we’re keeping ours.”

Luz’s smile fell as she looked at the two in disbelief, “Oh, come on guys, I thought we were all friends here now?”

Gavin shrugged, not looking too broken up about the turn of events, “We are. Just turns out we value power more.”

“Well, at least they’re honest…” Gus grimaced.

“That’s just how the world works,” Angmar said, “If I want a butterfly sanctuary, a couple heads might need to be cracked in.”

“And with this, my dad might finally look my way for more than two seconds!” Gavin exclaimed, holding his stone aloft. “We won’t stop you from leaving. But these two stones are ours now.”

Luz and Willow looked at each other, and then at Gus. They sent a questioning look, with Luz outright asking, “What do you say, Gus?”

Gus looked conflicted, knowing that if it came to blows, he wasn’t going to be able to help his friends. He could compromise his beliefs, and allow Gavin and Angmar the opportunity to walk away with their Galdorstones, but that was grave robbing and it was just so wrong in his mind.

As if sensing his thoughts, Willow reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Do what you think is right, Gus.”

He looked down at her hand, then back up at the Glandus students. What he thought was right? He remembered Eda’s petrification ceremony, and how despite just being a kid in front of an audience of hundreds, he hadn’t hesitated to stand in front of them all and stand up for what he believed in. It was different now, knowing that Willow and Luz would be the ones fighting on his behalf, but they made it clear that wasn’t a problem for them, so he’d put his trust in them.

With a gulp, he steeled his resolve, “I’m sorry you two, but I can’t just let you walk away with those. They don’t belong to you.”

Gavin and Angmar’s eyes flickered to each other, and their stones glowed as they prepared for a fight. Gus tightened his hands into fists, ready to strike if he had to, despite the shaking in his legs, but before anyone could make their move plants burst from under Angmar’s feet, and a blast of magical energy narrowly missed Gavin’s head.

Luz and Willow stepped forward, putting themselves between their friend and their opponents, both looking very cross with the boys. Gus, seeing the fury in their eyes, leapt to the side and behind a grave, ending up beside a shaking and panicked Mattholomule, who seemed to want to be anywhere else.

“You really want to do this?” Angmar asked, body practically radiating with energy as Willow stepped towards him.

She didn’t respond, lashing out with another vine that he quickly dodged, before sending his own in response, twice as long and thick.

That left Luz and Gavin, the boy grinning haughtily, “You said it yourself, I’m strong. What chance do you have when I’ve got this stone with me?”

Luz sent her own wicked grin, the kind that would make her mother proud, waves of magical energy fluctuating off of her body and making her hair wild and crazy, “What chance do I have? I was about to ask you the same thing. Let’s see how you deal with the Daughter of the Owl Lady!”

Emira paled as she heard her brother let out a cry. She wasn’t sure if the Golden Guard had found him, or if some monster that lived in the darkness had, but she wasn’t just going to leave him to suffer.

Following the general direction of his scream, she didn’t bother trying to be quiet, her footsteps slapping against the stone as she ran as fast as she could to his side. She cursed herself silently for not thinking to bring a weapon with her. Eda seemed like the kind of woman who had a taser, or maybe even a gun, she should have asked, and now she was defenseless against an idiot in a mask in a dark, forbidden library.

“Ed!” She hissed, traveling between a pair of bookshelves, straining her eyes in the dim torchlight, “Where are you?”

Her breathing turned shaky when she received no reply. This wasn’t good. She couldn’t face the Golden Guard alone! She needed her brother here with her! Despite being the weaker of the two, most people assumed he was big and strong and macho because he was the guy, and she couldn’t use that to her advantage if he was gone!

She stilled at the sound of footsteps right behind her. Hands trembling, she slowly turned, peeking over her shoulder, only to let out a shriek at what she saw.

“Isn’t this little guy just adorable!” Ed cooed, holding a rat of all things up to her face.

She nearly slapped the thing out of his hands as she bared her teeth at him, “You let out a scream like that because you found yourself a new pet? Are you crazy?!”

He quickly shook his head, trying to dispel that notion, “No, no, no, no! The little guy surprised me. I mean, I wasn’t expecting to find him crawling on my shoulder. He must have climbed on when my back was pressed to the shelves…”

“Ed, you need to get rid of that thing. It could have magic rabies for all you know!” Emira insisted, trying and failing to keep her voice down as she scolded her brother.

Edric pouted, giving her his best puppy dog eyes, “Come on, Em, he doesn’t have a home!”

“He’s a wild animal, he doesn’t need a-“

A ray of red light shut both of them up as they remembered where they were. The bookshelf beside them exploded in a burst of paper and wood, spraying them everywhere. The twins were once again separated, each on either side of the now gaping hole that existed in the middle of the aisle they’d been hiding in.

“Can either of you two take anything seriously?” The Guard’s condescending voice met their ears, “You’re being hunted, and you can’t shut up even then to save your actual lives?”

Emira grunted from where the blast had sent her on the ground. She began to crawl to the end of the aisle, nursing an injured knee that had gotten pretty battered in the fall. She’d live, and it wasn’t broken, but it certainly was going to be bruised by morning. “Have you ever thought that maybe you’re the one we can’t take seriously?” She taunted, feeling spiteful to deal with the pain. She grabbed a bit of paper from one of the destroyed books as she pulled herself to the end of the aisle, and took a burnt bit of wood, and began to draw with the ash laden tip.

“My sister basically rediscovered an entire branch of magic with her glyphs, and you haven't seen half of what we can do!” Emira called, the Guard marching over towards her, staff in hand. She knew he could see her scrawling on the paper, and just as he readied himself for an attack she held the parchment up, tapping the circle she’d drawn.

Hunter gasped, not recognizing the symbol, and switched to a defensive spell mid cast, pulling a barrier of crimson energy between them. He waited for the attack, but it never came, the paper not even glowing. Instead it fluttered uselessly to the floor.

“Oh, come on!” Emira shouted out in irritation, slapping her palm against the hard stone floor, “I was sure it looked something like that!”

Hunter lowered the barrier, glad his mask hid his flushed face. He’d really expected to be blasted back by that, but he should have known better when fighting against these incompetent morons. “You’ve been here for how long again? And you haven’t even bothered to learn one, measly glyph?”

“Magic is overrated! Do I look like some fantasy obsessed nerd? I mean, look at you, you’re a badly dressed cosplayer, why would I want to have that in common with you?” Emira sneered. “Besides, Mittens, er, Amity to you, didn’t need glyphs to beat you last time! She told me all about it!”

“Of course she needed them!” The Golden Guard barked, “She barely kept up with me, that magic was all that kept her in the fight! … and my uniform is not nerdy, either!”

Emira lay splayed out on the floor, uncaring and casual for someone about to have her face fried off, “That’s not how I heard the story. From what I heard, you just need a good-“ she mimed swinging something, “Bonk! Now, Ed!”

Hunter cursed under his breath, as for a second time in a row against a Blight, someone bashed him on the back of the head, sending him to the ground. Edric stood over his crumpled form, a heavy book in his hands and the rodent he’d found perched on his shoulder. “Stay away from my sister!”

He dropped the book, and hurried to Emira’s side, offering her a hand, which she took. Wincing, she pulled herself to her feet, careful about putting weight on her bad leg, “Come on, before he wakes up.”

“You assume too much, a book isn’t going to knock me out.” Hunter growled, already pulling himself to his knees. A hand was clenched around the back of his head, nursing the goose egg that was likely growing under his hood.

The twins once again took off, slowed down by Emira’s limp, but with no less urgency to get away from their pursuer than before.

Gus flinched as another explosion rocked the graveyard, and he gripped the statue he was hiding behind. Beside him, Mattholomule quivered, fear in his eyes as he realized just how powerful his fellow Hexolios were if they were still in the fight after all this time against people armed with Galdorstones.

“I- I’m sorry about all of this,” Matt uttered out, sounding sincere, if fearful, “If I’d known they were going to do this, I’d have never brought them the map.”

“It's not your fault,” Gus assured, trying to stay calm as more and more of the ruins around him crumbled, “You couldn’t have known Bria and her friends would end up like this.”

“But I did know!” Matt cried, burying his head in his arms, “This is exactly how it was at Glandus. I was nothing more than her stooge then, and it's the same now.”

“Better a stooge than a clown. What am I good for, other than a bunch of party tricks?” Gus sighed, his dreams of joining the BATs at an all time low. Why would they ever want to have him fighting beside them?

Mattholomule stared at him like he was the dumbest person he’d ever met, “You really think you’re useless? I’d kill to even be good enough to make decent party tricks! You’re the top of your class, and you skipped two years! My parents have to pay for tutors and I’m still only scraping by, and I’m giving it my best.”

“You’re so insanely talented that- that… I feel jealous sometimes. I wish I could be the best at what I do, but nothing I do changes that. Even with a Galdorstone, I don’t think it’d put the two of us on even footing.” Matt sighed, finally admitting it aloud, “And look around you! We’re in a creepy cemetery full of dead illusionists, who were some pretty powerful people! They weren’t people who did simple parlor tricks, Augustus, and neither are you. You’re one of the strongest witches I know.”

Gus’s lip was a bit wobbly, and maybe he had to rub at his eyes a bit, but he wasn’t crying. “You’re right, Matt. And you know what? I think you’re better than you give yourself credit for. Next time we have an HAS meeting, you have my vote for president!”

That seemed to brighten Mattholomule’s mood, a small smile gracing his lips at the thought of finally overtaking Eileen after she had claimed the crown. Gus crouched down below the statue they hid behind, peeking out the corner to get a look at what was going on, “I think, maybe if we team up, we could help our friends out. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea!” A new voice responded, making both boys jump and scream as an old man appeared before them in a puff of smoke. He was tall, and crooked, his outfit worn and faded from use. He had an almost maddening look in his eye that screamed that he’d been in solitude for much too long.

“Who the actual Hell are you?” Matt demanded, scrambling to put a bit of distance between himself and the man.

“I am the keeper of the Looking Glass Graveyard, of course! Normally, I scare away intruders with my powers, but well, in this case they’re kinda scaring me!” He laughed at his little joke, though the boys didn’t join him as yet another deafening explosion went off.

The man’s laughter died as his face went deathly serious, “But really, with those Galdorstones, they’d have no issue tearing through my illusions. Why fear any monster when you have the power of the Titan in the palm of your hands? It’s a good thing your friends decided to listen to you, and tried to do the right thing.”

“Yeah, they’re the best, aren’t they?” Gus said proudly, not hiding his smile.

“Indeed they are, doing my job for me!” The old man nodded exuberantly, “But they might need some help.”

Mattholomule reached out with a finger, poking at the man's robes as if half expecting his finger to go through them, “Okay, so, not a ghost… You got any ideas, old man?”

“Nope!” The Keeper of the graveyard admitted freely, a carefree, if not entirely sane expression on his face.

“Well, I just might have one…” Gus admitted, looking around at his surroundings, finding all the things that could be of use like any good illusionist would.

Meanwhile, while Gus planned, Luz and Willow were busy taking on Gavin and Angmar, each of them putting up the fight of their lives. Plants against plants, it was all Willow could do to stay ahead of the roots that tried to entangle and crush her.

She had a plan in place though, one rooted in her brain since the start of the fight. All she had to do was dodge, and focus on using her own vines to deflect anything sent her way.

“Just give up!” Angmar panted, a wild grin on his face as he summoned more and more plants to do his bidding. The ground beneath them was torn open and uneven as they thrashed and flailed, each root a tendril wanting to drag Willow to her doom. But the bespeckled girl refused, dancing on her two left feet for all they were worth.

Vine against vine twisted against each other until a mass much like the one Angmar had untangled on their path here was formed, and it was only then that the boy let out a sharp gasp, clutching his chest painfully and falling to his knees.

“Wh-what did you do?” His eyes looked fearful, “Did you make me breath in pollon, and have your plants grow inside of me?”

Willow looked disgusted at the notion, “No! While you’d make good fertilizer, I’m not trying to tear you into chunks!”

She pointed at where he clutched at his chest, “You burned a lot of magic earlier, untangling those roots. Your Galdorstone may increase your power, but it’s not giving you more bile to burn. All I had to do was wait until you ran out.”

She stomped on over to him, and he flinched, expecting a blow, but instead she pried the stone from his stubborn hands and put it with the others, leaving him to wallow in the loose dirt he’s kicked up with his roots. “Maybe you’d have realized that, if you hadn’t gone mad with power. Now stay down, if you know what’s good for you.”

At the same time as Willow was finishing up her fight, Luz was having trouble with hers. Gavin was using his abomination goo like a whip, trying to strike her with it, and he was incredibly fast. Luz, however, was faster, and used to sparring with Amity by now. “Is that all you’ve got? My girlfriend’s better than you and last I checked she doesn’t have a magic rock to make her strong!” She taunted, then ducked out of the way of another blow.

Gavin grit his teeth, but before he could attempt another strike, Luz cast a spell, sending an explosive orb of energy at the boy. It rattled the battlefield and crumbled one of the statues, making her grimace, “Gus is gonna kill me.”

Still, Luz was confident she could win this. Her Mom had taught her every trick in the book, and she absolutely had an ace up her sleeve.

Energy crackled around her, lifting her body a few inches off the ground. Her eyes glowed gold, and she sneered down below at the boy who dared to challenge her, the magnitude of magic dancing at her fingertips blindingly bright and leaving her as hardly more than a silhouette to the eyes. “Under my mother’s tutelage, I have become one of the most powerful witches on the Boiling Isles!”

Gavin could hardly see, it was so bright. He covered his eyes with one of his hands, squinting through his fingers as Luz glared down at him, not a hint of mercy in her eyes.

“I am respected, feared, and-“ Luz suddenly pointed behind Gavin, the energy framing her form fading instantly, “Oh my gosh, is that your dad?”

The boy quickly turned his head, “Dad? Did you come all this way to see me win-“

A fist quickly met the side of his head and he went down, body falling limply as his galdorstone fell from his grip and rolled along the ground near where he lay. Luz winced, shaking her limp hand as pain soared through it from the hit, “Ooh, ouch, okay, future reference, don’t punch the head, it’s got big strong bones, my hand has tiny fragile ones. Youch!”

Luz and Willow turned to one another, smiling brightly as their fights were finished. “Good job, Willow!”

“You too, Luz.” Willow congratulated, “I have to admit, that was a bit of an uphill battle. We’re lucky we only had to deal with two of them, instead of three.

Luz laughed, “Yeah, good thing they turned on Bria, huh?” She chased after Gavin’s rolling galdorstone, bending over to pick it up as it came to a stop, only for another pair of pale hands to get it first. Luz gulped, looking up slowly as her eyes met Bria’s, fierce and angry, and more importantly, free now that her captors were knocked out.

Neither of the Hexside students had time to react before they were encased in stone prisons, the rock wrapped so tightly around their bodies they could hardly breathe. Bria scoffed at them, her lips forming into a cruel smile, “Thanks for taking care of my former lackies for me. I never really liked them anyway. And seeing as they couldn’t even take down two weak Hexside witches while infused with the power these stones grant, they were clearly too weak to be worthy of them.”

Luz tried to speak, but couldn’t form the words, the stone crushing her torso too much to do more than draw in shallow breaths. Bria continued, walking towards the pile of galdorstones that had been collected, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking these. All of them. I really only need one or two, but I could make a mint selling these to the Emperor’s Coven. I’ll be rich, and powerful, and no one can stand in my way ever again.”

She let out a gleeful giggle, though Willow thought maniacal laughter might suit her better. Luz was beginning to wish she’d taken Boscha’s advice and kept a closer eye on Bria, she really had ended up a bitch.

As Bria reached for the rest of the stones, a shadow fell onto the entire graveyard. Bria slowly stood back up to her full height, eyes cast over every detail of the place, searching for the cause .

“Oh Gus,” She called out in a sing-song voice, “It’s a little late for you to grow a spine and help your friends. Why don’t you just drop the illusions, and maybe I won’t beat you into a pulp? If you do that, I might even leave you with a chisel so you can save your friends when I leave!”

The shadow that fell over the place receded, Bria snorting, “Can’t believe that worked…”

She began to turn to gather the stones again, only to feel eyes upon her. Many eyes. Her gaze turned upward, and she let out a cry as she realized all of the remaining statues that made up the graves were looking down at her, eyes glowing red, black, blood like liquid dripping from the sockets. Behind her, one of the collapsed statues dragged itself along the ground, scraping the surface of the dirt as it pulled towards her, moaning noisily.

Bria shook off her fear, even going so far as to bark out a laugh, “You can’t fool me, Gus, I know this is just an illusion.” She held out a hand to cast a spell, but the ring of light kept vanishing as she tried to call upon her construction magic. “What’s going on? Why won’t my magic work?”

That was when Matt made an appearance, frantically stumbling out from behind a grave with a cry, “Bria! This place is cursed! Help me!” He called out, reaching out to her, only for his body to petrify, turning to stone, then crumbling and fading away, little more than dust in the afternoon breeze.

Luz and Willow watched, horror in their eyes as the dust that was Matt blew by them, both clenching their eyes shut as they screamed. Bria herself felt sick, her blood running cold when she realized her hands too were turning to stone.

She shook her head, chanting to herself, “It’s just an illusion, it can’t even hurt me. It can’t even touch me!”

Then the statue pulling itself across the ground reached out, and latched its hand around her ankle, making her shriek. She kicked the hand away, turning around and bolting, disappearing into the thick fog outside the cemetery gates, “This place is cursed!”

As soon as she was out of eyesight, a blue glow enveloped the graveyard, before being blown away like a cloud in the breeze, Gus laying on the ground in place of the statue, and Matt looking fine, rolling on the ground and laughing. “Did you see her face?”

The stone holding Luz and Willow cracked and shattered, freeing the two girls, who gasped for air now that they weren’t being squeezed between immovable rock. Luz choked, glaring at the two, “You couldn’t have thought to warn us? That was incredibly messed up, my dudes!”

“Can we go home now?” Willow groaned from her place on the ground as she rolled over onto her back, feeling as tired and dead to the world as the illusionists buried there.

Amity hummed to herself as she searched through the book stacks, not understanding why she couldn’t find this Titan damned diary. She could have sworn it’d be somewhere in this aisle, in the Deadwardian section, but as hard as she looked, she wasn’t seeing it.

Maybe it was the dark, messing with her eyes. If there was one thing she was glad for, it was that Malphas was the only one who was supposed to be back here, normally. If her job required her to spend more time in the Forbidden Stacks, she wasn’t sure she’d enjoy it nearly as much.The atmosphere was just too dark and gloomy for her tastes.

There was something wrong about this place. Despite how large it was, the dark combined with how tight the shelves were packed against each other left her feeling claustrophobic. This was a literal literary graveyard, and that made her skin crawl.

She sighed heavily as she stuffed yet another ancient, crumbling book back onto the shelf in front of her, when suddenly she heard a sound. Ears perked, she listened. That almost sounded like an explosion off in the distance.

She strolled to the end of the aisle, looking out into the more open areas, narrowing her eyes out into the horizon. She could see something coming her way, something familiar, and blonde.

The twins practically crashed into her, Amity latching her arms onto the shelves to keep from falling to the ground. She stared at her siblings in disbelief as the smell of smoke met her nose, “What. Did. You. Do?”

Edric opened his mouth to explain, “Look, we know you didn’t want us coming down here-“

“Didn’t want you down here? It was literally the only thing I asked of you!” Amity seethed. “And you couldn’t even do that?”

“It’s not our fault-“ Emira interrupted, only for Amity’s piercing eyes to land on her next.

“Not your fault? I can smell the smoke- I can see the fire! Do you have any idea how valuable these books are?”

“We were just trying to help!” They sputtered, twisting their heads behind themselves to see if the Golden Guard was following, not feeling any relief when they couldn’t see him, only dread that he could pop up at any time.

“I didn’t ask for your help!” Amity shouted, shaking with anger, “Do you have any idea what you did? I’m going to lose my job because of you!”

Emira writhed under Amity’s glare, a half mixture of wrath and sorrow. “I mean, the diary, it’s more important for us to get home than your job-“

“And that gives you the right to storm in here and wreck the place? I love this job! It’s a part of my life now, and you’ve ruined it, just like you always do!” Angry tears streaked down Amity’s cheeks, “Couldn’t you have just listened to me for once? Trusted me to get this done?”

Edric wanted to clear up this misunderstanding, warn Amity of what was coming, and why this all happened, but instead all that escaped his lips was, “We’re sorry-“

“Sorry doesn’t cut it! Not this time!” Amity stomped her foot. “If you guys want your dumb diary so bad, then you can find it yourselves!”

She turned away from them, storming off, her siblings reaching out for her, “Wait, Amity, where are you going?!”

“I’m going to go and beg Malphas to not fire me!” She called back, voice cracking, “just leave me alone!”

Amity disappeared into the darkness, heading back to the entrance of the Forbidden Stacks. The twins wanted to chase her down, wanted to apologize, wanted to explain everything and how it wasn't safe for her to leave them, but before Ed could run after her, Em pulled on his sleeve, and pointed down the aisle Amity had come from.

Standing there at the end of the shelves, was the Golden Guard, staff flaring menacingly with red light that soaked the corridor between them. He took a slow, steady stride down the corridor of books, looking very much like a villain ready to strike them down, and everything inside of the two siblings screamed for them to get away, but fear rooted them to the spot.

Down the aisles he came, moving ever closer, until suddenly the Guard stopped in his tracks, like he’d been petrified. He slowly turned his head, raising his staff and illuminating the shelves, and there, for all three of them to see poking out, was the diary they’d all been looking for. Keeping his eyes on the book, he turned his staff to point at the twins, keeping them from lunging for it themselves as one of his gloved hands clasped the spine and pulled it from the shelf.

“The Diary of Philip Whittesbane…” Hunter breathed, then let out a chuckle. “Looks like I win this time, humans.”

Ed and Em’s eyes danced from the book to the guard, each mentally calculating how they could retrieve it from him and not get blasted for their efforts. As one they dove, hands outstretched, only to collide into a wall that burst from the floor, cutting them off from the half of the aisle the Golden Guard was on.

The sound of heavy footsteps reached their ears, and they cursed. “He’s going to get away, that bastard!” Edric yelled, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him.

Only to skid to a halt when he heard a crash. Twisting around, the sight of Emira sprawled on the floor sent him into a panic, thinking she’d been hit by a spell, until he saw her clutching her knee. “Go! I’ll only slow you down!”

Ed looked at his sister, then back where he could hear the guard’s fading footsteps. He turned back, his sister staring at him, begging him to leave her. He was torn, but eventually muttered out an apology, turning his back and walking away.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Emira cried as he bent down to help her to her feet.

“He’s gone, Em. I’ve got nothing left to give, and he’s too far ahead of us. We’ve lost.” He grunted as he hoisted her arm around his shoulder and lifted her up. She limped along as they walked, defeated and beaten, trying to keep off her bad leg. “Besides, I’ve already got one sister pissed at me, I’m not abandoning the other.”

Emira buried her face in the arm not wrapped around her brother’s shoulder, forcing her eyes to stay dry, “Ed? What do we do now?”

Amity fiddled with her badge, wondering if it was better to beg for Malphas’ forgiveness and hope to keep her job, or save both of them the trouble and resign in shame. She watched as her boss stamped another book with a return date, a pleasant smile on his face, and dreaded when those eyes would cast disappointment down on her.

With a heavy heart and a sigh, she took a step forward, ready to close the distance and admit what she’d done, and the damage it had caused, when the doors to the Forbidden Stacks opened. She expected to see her siblings bumbling out, embarrassing her and shouting for forgiveness, or something stupid that would both humiliate her, and ruin the quiet atmosphere of the library, but instead, to her horror, the familiar white and gold of the Golden Guard stepped out of the shadows, the same diary she’d been searching for clenched tightly in his hands.

She hid behind one of the book carts, crouching out of sight as he passed her, stumbling towards the desk with a slight limp in his step. He’d been in a fight. Reaching under his cape as he approached the front desk, he slammed a visitors card onto the table and slid it over to Malphas.

“I hope you found what you were looking for?” Malphas asked pleasantly, all business when it came to book checkouts.

“I did,” the Guard spoke triumphantly. “I had to take care of some vermin while I was down there though, I hope you don’t mind.”

Amity gulped, realizing he could only be talking about Edric and Emira. They hadn’t gone down there on a whim like she’d thought, and she hadn't given them any time to explain, either. She’d yelled at them, insulted them, all while they had likely saved her life by keeping him off of her. And now that he had the book…

Amity clamped a hand over her mouth to silence a shaky gasp. The Guard had come out, but the twins hadn’t, and if he had the diary…

“I’ll take care of it,” Malphas sighed in response to the guard. “I do hope you didn’t destroy any of the library's property while exterminating them?”

“The library's property is the Empire’s property,” The Golden Guard reminded, a warning in his tone, “As an agent of the Empire, it really doesn’t matter what I’ve destroyed, as long as my mission is complete.”

“I’ll just take that as a yes…” Malphas wasn’t pleased with this answer, but couldn’t argue, either. “Very well. I hope you have a nice day, sir, give the Emperor my regards.”

Amity watched as the Golden Guard left, diary held tightly in his grasp. She considered attacking him while his back was turned, prying the diary out of his grip triumphantly, but the staff card in her own hand was a burning reminder that he’d left her siblings in trouble deep in the bowels of the Forbidden Stacks, likely seriously injured.

She had to go back and find them, make sure that they were alright. What had she been thinking? They were so much more important to her than some dumb job, and she hadn’t even listened to them before stomping off in a huff. Tightening her grip on the staff card, she turned around and headed back for the chamber that led to the Forbidden Stacks, intent on finding Ed and Em and getting them to safety, damn the consequences.

Amity opened the door, ready to start sprinting, when none other than Edric and Emira stumbled out, looking a lot worse for wear, beaten and tired, especially in the full light of the library which made their bruises known.

Amity surged forward, helping Edric drag Emira to a nearby chair, the older girl wincing as they made the last few steps, “I am so sorry, you two. I know what happened now, I saw the Golden Guard. I should have listened-“

“You think?” Edric replied angrily, slumping into a chair himself. “We tried to tell you, but you just had to keep making it about you and your job!”

“I messed up, really, really bad-“

“Messed up?” Emira scoffed, clutching her injured leg, “Amity, if you had listened to us for five seconds, we could have fought him together. He’s got our only way home now, and it’s your fault!”

Amity reeled back like she’d been physically struck, as it sank in that yes, this was her fault. She’d assumed the worst from her siblings, like she always did, and in doing so left them to fight alone against someone far out of their league. “I-“

“Just go home, Amity.” Edric murmured, “We really don’t want to see you right now.”

Amity’s lip trembled as she turned her back on her brother and sister. She refused to cry, even as tears beaded up in the corners of her eye. Instead, she did as she was asked, walking away and giving them the space they craved, trying to think of any way to make up for this and coming up blank.

When Luz arrived home, it was to the sight of her girlfriend slumped over on the sofa, looking incredibly lost, with Ghost curled up in her lap, trying her best to comfort her owner. Luz’s grin from her day full of harrowing adventure faded, and she sprinted to Amity’s side. “What’s wrong?”

“I really messed up today, Luz. And it’s not something I think I can fix, either.” Amity sighed. “The Golden Guard came for the diary at the library today, and attacked Ed and Em. When I saw them, they were alone, and they had left a mess, and I yelled at them and stormed off. I didn’t listen to them, and, well… The Guard got away with the book.”

Luz clasped Amity’s hand, the human girl gripping it tight like a lifeline, “Which means, not only did Ed and Em get hurt when I could have helped them, but now they can’t get back home, and the Emperor has the only book on the Isles that can get him what he wants.”

“Oh, Amity,” Luz pulled her into a hug, pressing Amity tightly to her chest, “I’m so sorry. I should have been there. I shouldn’t have gone on that dumb adventure. The whole thing could have been avoided if I’d just listened to Boscha…”

“It’s not your fault, Luz, it’s all of mine,” Amity sniffled, “Ed and Em are so mad at me, and there’s nothing I can do to make it up to them.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something. I mean, you’re Amity! You always figure things out. You’re the smartest girl I know.” Luz spoke softly and comfortingly, grazing her fingers through Amity’s lavender hair.

A little squeak interrupted their talk, coming from Amity’s book bag beside her on the couch. Both girls turned to see what the sound was, and from under the flap a little mousy face appeared, looking curiously around the room, a scrap of torn paper in its mouth.

“Hey there, little guy,” Luz cooed, placing her hand out for the rodent to step onto. “How’d you get in there?”

Amity wiped her face, trying not to feel too grossed out by the idea of a rat hitchhiking in her bag and invading their home, and putting a hand on Ghost’s back to keep the cat from doing what all cats do when they see vermin, “I think I saw that with Edric, earlier. Must have gotten into my stuff when I helped him carry Emira.”

Speaking of the twins, the door opened again, both of them glumly walking in. Em still had a limp, leaning on her brother for help, but at least she was walking again. The three siblings’ eyes locked, the twins clearly not in the mood to see their little sister, until Edric’s eyes landed on the mouse in Luz’s hands. “Oh, the little guy tagged along. I’m glad to see he didn’t get stepped on or something during our escape.”

Luz gave Amity the mouse and helped Ed get Emira to the couch, “Here, let me help you with that,” She motioned to Em’s leg, casting a spell circle and calling on her knowledge from spying on the Healing Track lessons.

Emira let out a breath as the pain in her knee lessened, feeling like it had been dunked into a bucket of ice. The swelling lessened, and the black and blue color faded to its usual pale skin tone, until he knee was back to perfect condition. She bent it experimentally, giving Luz a grateful smile, “Thanks, Luz. It’s so much better now. You’re the sweetest, cutie.”

Edric took the mouse from Amity’s hands, cuddling it close to his chest, “At least one thing went right today, I got a new pet.” He tried to be optimistic, but even he could tell it was forced.

His twin frowned, crossing her arms, “We are not keeping a gross rat as a pet.”

“Echo Mouse,” Luz corrected, earning a glance from both of the Blights. She smiled, then continued, “It’s not a rat, it’s an Echo Mouse.”

Amity felt a memory stir in her head as she sat up, “I think Malphas mentioned them once. Don’t they eat books and then play them back?”

“Play them back? How? Do they hire a script writer, a camera crew, and act as director, or something?” Edric asked, inspecting his new friend.

Amity held out her hand, gesturing for the mouse. Edric held his hands out, but kept the echo mouse in his grasp, unwilling to part with it. So Amity stretched out a single finger, scratching the top of the mouse's head, just like Malphas had shown her once.

Immediately the rodent’s eyes lit up, casting a light onto the wall. Like a film reel, a snippet played, showing a humanoid figure who began to narrate, “My journey through the Demon Realm is far from over. But today I humbly donate my journal to the ages. Entry one: May 21st... I think. My name is Philip Wittebane, and I found myself in a world so horrid, yet so fantastic, few minds could have dreamt it…”

The three humans sucked in a breath as they watched the rest of the narration. Edric peeked down at the Echo Mouse in his hands, expressing his wonder, “You ate the diary!”

He was quickly hushed, Amity taking out a notepad and writing everything she heard down word for word. When the Echo Mouse finished, the lights faded and it returned to skittering in Edric’s grasp. The boy turned to his twin, “So, we agree we’re keeping him as a pet now, right?”

Emira nodded, expression dumbfounded, “Yeah, yeah… just make sure Hooty and Eda don’t eat him and we’ll be golden.”

The four started making plans, Amity already trying to decipher any hidden meanings in what Philip had to say, and how to get the echo mouse to keep playing back the words it had devoured. The mood had eased since the twins had arrived home, but looking into their eyes, Amity knew she still had to work for their forgiveness. She’d really hurt them today, but she’d do better from now on, and get them back home.

Luz reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of Amity’s face, making the human girl look up. Their eyes locked, their proximity so close their noses were practically touching. Luz and Amity’s eyes both flickered down to the other girls lips, and in that moment the events of the grudgby match last night, and how they had avoided each other this morning came roaring back.

The two girls leapt apart as if they’d been bitten, faces red, and as unable to look at each other as they had before. “I, I’m just gonna,” Amity gestured to her notes, quickly burying her nose into them.

“Yeah! And I’ll just, be over here…. Gonna heal up the twins a bit more. Come here Ed, you’ve got a split lip.”

His eyes bulged, “that’s not good, I makeout with those!”

They’d talk about it tomorrow.

Hunter bowed before the throne of his Emperor, mask removed and set by his side on the ground. “I have brought you a great boon today, Uncle.”

He was unable to hide his grin as he reached into his cloak and pulled out the worn, crumbling tome that was Philip Wittesbane’s personal diary, holding it out to his liege. “This book is supposed to contain the secrets of how to create a portal to the human realm.”

That made Belos’ shoulders perk, his attention fully captured. He rose from his throne, towering above his nephew and strode down to join him at the foot of the steps Hunter had been kneeling before.

The Emperor grasped the book in one hand, gently pulling it from Hunter’s possession and cradled it like a child. With one armor covered finger, he slowly pried open the cover, seeing the name of the previous owner inscribed upon the inside of the cover, nostalgic proof of what was brought to him. Useless in the end, containing no information he did not already possess, but it brought forth many fond memories.

His blood went cold, and the Heart hammering above his throne stilled when he saw the state the pages were in. Scraps, hardly a legible word on them, and covered in tiny teeth marks. Belos snapped the book shut, turning to Hunter, and with none of the grace his position offered, chucked it at the boy's head.

“You imbecile! Did you not even bother to check before bringing this to me? It is destroyed, beyond any form of restoration.”

Belos collapsed into his throne once more, wishing he had a Palisman to devour to calm the thunder in his veins, Hunter wincing as he rubbed yet another goose egg caused by a book for the second time that day.

“Remove yourself from my sights,” Belos ordered, Hunter scrambling to do as he was told, “And do not fail me again!”

Decades of information, lost. More importantly, all his written accounts of his brother, Caleb, were gone. The last existing record of his existence in this world, destroyed. Belos gripped the arms of his throne so hard they cracked.

It was like losing him all over again.

The blindfold was removed from Gus’ eyes, and he smiled as the Bat masked individual he had seen all those weeks ago looked back at him. “It’s really you!”

The leader of the rebellion smiled, “Yes, I was surprised to see you again as well. You’ll have to forgive the way you were treated, but we had to make sure the path into our headquarters was hidden, hence the blindfold.”

“No, no,” Gus held up his hands, “I totally get it. Though, I’m pretty sure you’re hiding in the sewers. At least, it smells like you are, ugh.”

Raine Whispers grimaced being their mask, “Yes, well, you get used to it after a while. What made you want to get in contact with the BATs, young man?”

Cutting right to the chase, Gus could understand that, they had to be a very busy person, “I want to join you! See, I was thinking, illusions aren’t all that useful, and I was looking into other fields so I could join the rebellion one day, but recently, I managed to use my magic to really help some friends out in a top secret mission of my own!”

Gus bounced excitedly on his heels, “So, since I’m already a prodigy in illusions, not that I’m bragging or anything, I figured I don't need all those extra years of practice in other fields, so I might as well join up now!”

Raine pursed their lips, looking down on the young man before them, “I’m sorry, I- I really do want to thank you, for being so brave and reaching out to us, but, and there isn’t any way for me to say this gently, no. No you cannot join the BATs.”

“Of course, I’ll settle for the CATs, I’m not a bard by trade…” Gus tried, feeling a bit desperate.

Raine shook their head, “No, what I mean is, you’re just a child. I admire your dedication to the cause, but I refuse to let you try and lay your life down for it when you’ve hardly even begun. I refuse to put a child in harm's way, and believe it or not, we do get in harm's way. Rebelling against an empire is a very dangerous job.”

“So, as much as it pains me to turn down a talented illusionist, and we can always use more illusionists, I can’t take in a child. I can’t have that on my conscience.” Raine finished, tone gentle and kind, but firm.

Behind him, mopping the floors and wearing her CAT mask was Viney, whistling nervously as she listened in, knowing she’d absolutely lied through her teeth about her own age and hoping her boss never found out.

Gus swallowed his disappointment, refusing to break away from the bard’s eyes, “I- I understand! I’ll train hard in school, and, if the rebellion is still around when I’ve become an adult, and I hope you aren’t, I hope you’ll have taken Belos down by then, I’ll be ready to join!”

Raine nodded, their smile returning to their face, “And we’ll welcome you with open arms. Until then, stay safe.”

Gus laughed, rubbing the back of his head, “No promises, I’m best friends with a Clawthorne, after all!”

Raine understood that a bit too well.

Chapter Text

Luz watched in abject horror as Hooty gluttonously ate away at a pile of trash in front of him. He’d been at it for a while now, days, really. Everything they could spare ended up in Hooty’s gullet, from the spare trash in the basement, to the boxes that were crammed into the closets. Every last remaining item from the human world was used as an offering, as well as whatever else Eda had hoarded over the years.

“I- I can’t!” Hooty groaned as he collapsed by the small, remaining pile of items, looking sick, “I’m full!”

Luz cast a disturbed look at her mother, “Is this a sign of the end times? He’s never said those words before.”

“No, Luz, it means we’re ready.” Eda grinned victoriously, nodded her head to the house, and the two stepped inside. The living room had been rearranged, all of the furniture pulled into corners so that the center of the room was clear. And in the center, drawn in red, was a pentagram inside a circle, with candles lit at each point.

Luz joined the others inside the circle, offering them her hands while Eda squeezed into the door with a grimace. The Owl Lady was really getting sick of doing that, but there wasn’t much she could do, unless she wanted to start sleeping in her tower in the back of the house.

“Alright, everyone, hold hands, or claws in mine and King’s case, and we’ll get this demonic ceremony on a roll!” She took a set near the center of the circle, holding her talons out. “And remember, if you feel the need to chant in tongues, that just means the spell is working!”

The Twins and Amity cast dubious glances, all recalling a few horror movies that started with scenes like this. Still, they joined hands, and when they felt the urge to chant, they let themselves do so, letting the magic flow freely.

Around the rim of the circle a red light grew, blinding the occupants of the room. The living room creaked and stretched, the floorboards bending in protest. The entire foundation of the house quaked, shaking from the basement to the roof shingles, which began to stick up like a porcupine’s quills. As the walls rattled, many of the items Eda had hung up over the years started to fall to the ground, earning a grimace from the beastly woman as she hoped nothing valuable broke.

Outside the house, Hooty wailed, flailing around like a demon possessed, causing everyone inside to wince.

Then as quickly as it happened, it ended. The blinding light faded, the house settled, and the dark deed was done.

“Is it finished?” Edric asked, peeking open one of his eyes.

Eda looked around the room, then gave a shrug, “Should be. I haven’t done this spell in years, and technically I just oversaw Luz performing it, but it should be fine.”

Emira’s fist pumped, and she quickly left the circle to run up the stairs, “Finally! New rooms!”

The front door of the Owl House opened, Hooty poking his head inside and giving a loud burp, looking very relieved, “My body has been stretched and mutilated, and now my belly is empty, hoot hoot! When’s dinner?”

King rolled his eyes, “Oh, quit being so dramatic. It was a simple house expanding spell to give us all a little more room. You’re fine! I think…”

Amity glanced around the living room, not noticing anything different. Well, except for the doorways. They were just a little wider, to account for Eda’s body, but outside of that she couldn’t see any noticeable differences. Then again, most of the changes were new rooms for Ed and Em, since they’d been stuck on the couch for weeks upon weeks.

They’d had to feed Hooty a lot of stuff for the expansion. They couldn’t make something from nothing, after all. Even with magic, that just wasn’t possible. With Hooty as the house though, they just had to stuff his mouth full of garbage until he was ready to burst, then transmogrify that into wood, glass and metal while it was inside of him. All non-essential items that couldn’t be sold off had been given to Hooty to devour. Amity had to fight to keep her bike from being swallowed by the bird tubes maw, arguing that just because she had Ghost now didn’t make her bike a useless piece of junk.

It was a useless piece of junk, she hardly even ridden it since Eda’s potion business went defunct, but it had been a good and loyal bike. She wasn’t going to allow it to be used to fuel a black magic ritual.

The spell’s ritual was likely going to scar Amity for life, but dang if it wasn’t handy. She quickly chased up after the twins, a little thrown off by the now elongated hallway upstairs. It was twice as long as before, stretching past Luz and Eda’s rooms to accommodate the two new additions. Ed and Em were already at their individual doors, taking in the space.

Amity stepped in beside her brother, whose room was the one nearest to Luz’s, and peeked her head in. The layout was more or less the same as Luz’s room. A single bed and a desk as its only current furnishings(Where Eda had found the mattresses for Hooty to devour, Amity wasn’t going to ask.). “It looks great, Ed! I bet you’re glad for a bit of privacy, huh?”

Ed gave a blissful sigh, “I can now lounge around in my underwear, and no one can complain!”

Amity grimaced, resisting the urge to gag. She hadn’t needed the image of Edric prancing around in his tighty whities in her head, and yet he’d take the initiative and shoved it in there anyway. A room over, Emira was looking a lot less happy, having just stormed out of her new door. “Does someone want to explain why there are two beds in my new room?”

“Because it’s not just your new room,” Eda’s voice sounded, making the Blight’s jump. With the expanded space, Eda could move a little more freely around the house without brushing up against the walls, and she’d become accustomed enough to her beastly form to prowl around as silently as a cat despite her size and weight. “And the single isn’t Ed’s, either. It’s Amity’s.”

Amity’s ears perked, “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, what?” Luz and Ed asked at the same time, both ready to protest this change.

Eda sighed, and pinched her brow carefully with her taloned fingers, “Look, I know, you and Luz like rooming with each other. And it was fine, and appropriate when you were just friends, but you’re dating now.”

“We’ve been dating for a while, Eda, so why now?” Amity asked, face flushed with embarrassment at what her mentor was insinuating.

“Because I didn’t have anywhere else to put you? And you were, and are, still so young that I felt I didn’t need to worry,” Eda explained gently. Meanwhile, Emira had long disappeared, with Edric holding up his hands and sidling his way over to their shared room, not wanting to touch this conversation with a ten foot pole. “You’re still young, but you two won’t be that way forever. It’s only a matter of time, and I don’t need grandbabies running around this place. I’m not that old.”

Amity, despite feeling incredibly awkward, couldn’t help but find that funny, “Eda, we’re both women. It doesn’t work like that, and you know it.”

Eda blinked, then realized who she was talking to, “Oh, honey, you’re thinking way too much from a human’s perspective. Witches are so much more versatile. We have to factor in stuff like magic, rather than just physical stuff when it comes to conceiving. I mean, look at me and Cam, we had Luz!”

Amity paled, realizing Luz had mentioned that before. She had two biological moms and no father involved. Luz’s hair was ruffled by her mother at the mention of her name, Eda giving a chuckle, “The happiest little accident to ever happen in my life.”

Luz was stone faced and looking like she wanted nothing more than to die, when Eda put a claw on both of their shoulders, “You know what you guys need? To be told all about the Owls and the Fire Bees. Come on, let's head downstairs. I have a picture book that’ll make this easy to explain.”

“What’s that Edric?” Luz called out suddenly, trying to pull herself away from this conversation and save herself, even if it meant abandoning her girlfriend, “You want to show me your cool new room? I’ll be right there!”

The claw on her shoulder tightened, and the girl was forced to look at her mother, whose face was split into a twisted grin, “Come on, you two, it’ll be educational! And I know how much you two like to learn.”

And that was how Amity and Luz were horribly scarred for eternity, doomed to never feel clean again.

The next morning things were a lot less weird, and far more relaxed. Eda lay in the corner, in a large demon dog bed, feeling particularly lazy and in the mood for a nap. King had joined her, already snoozing while leaned up against her form, while Edric sat at the armchair with his feet propped up against the coffee table, reading through his notes he and Em had been taking when they could get the Echo mouse to show them flashes of Philip’s journey to make a portal door.

Em joined him in this endeavor, her own stack of notes in front of her as she sat at the center of the couch. Meanwhile, Luz and Amity sat on either end of the sofa, having not been able to look each other in the eye since Eda’s talk the previous day, nor even sit beside each other due to the massive amount of awkwardness that filled their small, teenage bodies to the brim.

Emira lowered her notes, and breathed out a happy little sigh, “you know, I think this just might be the longest we’ve ever gone without something happening. It’s been more than a week since the library, and I haven’t almost died even once!”

“Yeah,” Edric agreed, leaning back in the armchair, feeling content for the first time in a while, “It’s like the world is giving us a break.”

“Don’t jinx it, you two,” Eda growled from her corner, “Just you watch, now that you’ve said that the world is going to realize it forgot about us and come screeching down with a week’s worth of agony.”

“Come on, Mom, it can’t be that bad, can it?” Luz asked with a nervous chuckle.

Then, as if to mock the girl, there came a knock on the door. Eda glared at the twins as if to say “I told you so,” then rose to answer, King tumbling to the floor and blinking awake now that Eda wasn’t acting as his pillow anymore. The Owl Lady practically tore the door off its hinges to see what was on the other side, and instead of a giant monster, or coven guards, or even the dreaded Milkman, there was instead a pint sized demon that resembled a pig.

Amity blinked, a thought perforating her brain that wondered if that’s where the bacon she ate this morning had come from, before she quickly filtered it out. If that was the case, she didn’t need to know.

The pig demon was dressed in a fine black suit with a tie, and in his hands was a briefcase. Eda took one look at the guy, then flatly said, “Whatever you’re selling, we’re not interested.”

“Oh ho ho!” The demon chuckled, “You must have me mistaken for my brother, Tibbles! He runs a stall in the night market, selling dubious items for absurd prices. I, however, am a well respected lawyer, Pibbles Grimmhammer, attorney at law!”

Pibbles held out a tiny business card that Eda took in her enormous claws, the paper getting absolutely shredded before Eda could even take a look at it. “A lawyer, huh? Between you and your black market dealing brother, I can’t tell who’s more evil.”

She shrugged, stepping aside and allowing the demon into her house, “Alright, who is suing me this time?”

Amity mouthed “this time?” At Luz, who poorly stifled a giggle behind her hands.

“On the contrary!” Pibbles laughed, in only a way that a snooty lawyer could, “I’m actually here on business regarding something you sent in a few months ago. My client, Miss Camila Noceda, sent some paperwork you filled out to my firm, your last will and testament to be exact, and while it has taken time to process, I’m here to tell you that, as your new lawyer, it’s ready to be read!”

Eda looked incredulous, “Read? I’m right here, obviously alive! Is there something wrong with your brain, pork chops?”

Pibbles wagged a hoofy finger, then set his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it. The children gathered around, curiously looking as the demon shifted through papers and pulled out a sealed envelope, “Your instructions were to have your belongings split up if you ever permanently became the Owlbeast. Those were the conditions of your will. I don’t make the rules, Miss Clawthorne!”

“You just enforce them, blindly and without hesitation,” Eda mocked, stepping in beside the pig and slamming his briefcase shut, “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to remove yourself from my home-“

But Pibbles ignored her, already opening the sealed envelope and pulling out Eda’s will, “I don’t believe this is actually your home anymore, Miss Clawthorne. According to your will it now belongs to a…”

He trailed his little piggy hooves across the paper until he found the spot he was looking for, written in Eda’s chicken scratch writing, “Ah, here it is. This home, the ‘Owl House’ as you have dubbed it, belongs to one Miss Amity the Human.”

You could hear a pin drop in the living room as the words were announced, everyone aside from Pibbles craning their necks to look at Amity, who’s mouth had dropped open.

“Ah, you must be the human,” Pibbles smiled cheerily, “I’ll see to it that you receive the keys in no time flat. As for all of the possessions inside of the house, they are to…”

He squinted at the paper, trying to make out Eda’s handwriting, “I see, they’re to be split between You, Amity, as well as a Miss Luz Noceda-Clawthorne, and a Mister King of Demons.”

King wiped away a single tear that had built up in his eye, “she remembered to use my full title! Even though it’s more prince these days…”

“She is right here, so please stop talking like I’m dead and gone.” Eda growled at the little demon. She turned back to Pibbles, teeth bared, “Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but if you’re trying to take my home and my stuff from me-“

“I don’t know, Eda, I think we should maybe listen to what he has to say,” Amity butted in, unable to hide a sly smirk, “I kinda want to see what else you left me.”

“She got the house? Really Mom?” Luz groaned, “Does this mean I have to move?”

“You little- no one is moving, and she isn't getting the house!” Eda cried out exasperatedly.

“What are we, chopped liver?” Emira leaned forward, looking offended, but her eyes twinkled humorously.

“Yeah, we didn’t even get a mention!” Edric tried his best to hide a grin behind a look of disgust.

“You aren’t my kids, and weren’t even living here when I wrote that!” Eda shouted them down, feathers starting to get ruffled as everyone teamed up on her.

“So you do admit this is your writing then?” Pibbles interrupted, making everyone go silent. They’d almost forgotten he’d been there. “Well, that definitely seals it then!”

With a snap of his hoofs, the keys to the Owl House appeared from thin air, floating in front of Amity, Eda looking aghast as to how they got pulled from her mane.

Amity looked at the floating keys with awe in her eyes, hands reaching out to grab it. Beside her the twins and King cheered her on, while Luz giggled up a fit. Amity’s nose was scrunched up, suppressing a snort of her own as she wondered how much longer this joke could last before tormenting Eda got tiring, and despite the Owl Lady’s protests snatched the keys out of thin air.

She’d just give them back later, no harm, no fowl. Until then, she’d enjoy poking a little fun at her mentor. It wasn’t like Eda wouldn’t do the same in her situation.

“Excellent! We’ll send you a copy of the deed within the next business week,” Pibbles clapped his little hands together, “Until then, why don’t I give you the tour of your new home, and we can begin the legal split of the former Miss Clawthorne’s assets.”

Eda emitted a low growl, hearing herself be spoken about that way yet again, but could tell when she was the butt of the joke and figured the best way to get this over with was to give as little reaction to everything as possible. They’d get bored eventually.

“Dibs on the sofa!” King hollered, making Eda’s face scrunch up in irritation. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to get under the Owl Lady’s skin. King had got his hands on a stack of sticky notes and had split them between himself, Luz, and Amity, and each armed with a pen to mark them with their names, they went around to place them on what they wanted.

It was the worst when they pretended to argue over a particular item.

“I think I should get the framed wanted poster of my Mom. She was my mother, after all.” Luz spoke, placing a hand over her chest and pretending to be tearful.

“But it looks so good on my wall, in my living room!” Amity grinned, putting the emphasis on her ownership of the house.

“But she was my own flesh and blood! Isn’t it bad enough you’re taking my home away from me!” Luz argued back while trying not to crack and fall into another giggle fit, a fight she was badly losing.

“I don’t know, guys, I mean, I think Eda would want me to have it. She practically raised me!” King crossed his arms as he spoke.

“You can all go to hell!” Eda barked, resisting the urge to slash the wanted poster just so they’d stop their fake fight over it. Despite her best efforts to ignore them, something about this ruffled her feathers in all the wrong ways. The Owlbeast inside of her was territorial as is, but today was just… it all made her so snappy.

Turning back to the source of today's problems, she stifled the urge to take a bite out of the walking pork chop and instead asked, “How is all of this legal again? I’m clearly within my right mind!”

“You never specified the right mind, just the transformation.” Pibbles reminded her with a tut, “while you and I know better, in the eyes of the law you’re little more than a dangerous animal.”

“Please, Belos considered me that before I ever changed,” Eda huffed, but with a small note of pride. It seriously took an oversight on some paperwork for her to lose everything, despite all her years of criminal activity, which just proved the incompetence of Belos’s system.

After every conceivable item in the living room had been “claimed” by her kids, the tour went upstairs, King waddling ahead of everyone else to put sticky notes with his name on them on all of the pictures hanging in the hallway while he cackled with glee. The first stop of the second floor was Luz’s room, with Pibbles stepping forth and opening it.

“And here we have the first of many bedrooms. While the paperwork has this down for two bedrooms, I see an extension was added recently bringing it to four. That raises the property value. You know, you could sell this place for a mint.” Pibbles spoke, handing Amity yet another business card, “I happen to have a cousin in real estate, if you’re interested.”

Amity glanced over at Eda, judging her expression, “Oh, I’ll consider it. This place is kind of a dump.”

Eda sneered at the human girl, who just smiled back brightly. Eda would make her pay for this. She still had grounding privileges, after all!

Amity stepped inside the room as if it was her first time, oohing and awing, then placed her hands on her hips, “You know, I really like this room. I think I’ll use it as my bedroom once I’m all settled in.”

“Wait, but this is my room!” Luz interjected, for once her objections seemed true if the sad expression on her face meant anything.

“Well, I can’t see why we can’t share it.” Amity clapped a hand on Luz’s back, and the witch got the hint, eagerly nodding along. Behind them, Eda seethed as Amity called back, “Hey, Ed, you wanted your own room, right?”

The Blight boy perked up from in the hallway, sticking his head in the room, “Do I?”

“Well too bad, dork! King, you’ve been upgraded! No more having to sleep on the couch or in doggy beds.” Amity patted the little demon on his head as he clapped his hands.

“Finally! It’s about time someone around here started to acknowledge my need for space!” He cheered.

“You’re a little cuddle bug and will go mad from the isolation in an hour,” Eda snarked, rolling her eyes.

The next room they perused was Eda’s own. The cursed witch took a moment, wondering which items the kids would try to claim with their notes, only to find them surprisingly silent as they instead pondered out in the hall.

“Honestly, there’s nothing I want in there. I vote we trash it.” The lavender haired girl spoke up after thoughtfully rubbing her chin for a minute.

Luz gave a solemn nod, “So many tacky items in such a small space…”

“Guys, we can’t just throw away Eda’s things!” King insisted, climbing on top of Luz’s shoulders. Eda beamed, hoping he’d finally put an end to this joke, since it was getting stale quickly, but her face fell when he instead exclaimed, “We can give her nest to Hooty!”

“Okay, that is enough!” Eda barred the way through her bedroom door, stopping the sham of a tour in its tracks. “You can pretend I’m not alive, you can pretend to take over my home and claim ownership over my stuff, but nobody, and I mean nobody tries to give my things to Hooty. Have some class, people!”

Pibbles sighed, hands behind his back, “I can see you’re having a tough time of this, Miss Clawthorne. I’d hoped things would go more smoothly, but I suppose I’ll have to speed the process up a bit.”

Eda glared at the little man, sick of his condescending attitude, “What are you even talking about?”

“Well, I was going to give you a bit more time to say goodbye, but seeing as you’re so insistent about getting in the way, I have no choice but to call in Demon Control early.”

The joking atmosphere in the house quickly ended, the kids all looking at the pig demon with wide eyes. Emira stammered out, “Okay, uh, this is taking the joke a little bit too far.”

“You can’t just do that!” Amity insisted, being familiar enough with the way the Isles worked to know this wasn’t Pibbles getting in on the prank. He’d been nothing but business since he’d walked in, perfectly astute and taking everything in stride.

“What in the Titan’s name happened to “I know you’re not a mindless beast,” huh?” Eda demanded, prepared to pounce on the demon’s head at a moment's notice.

“I may know, but like I said, in the eyes of the law, you’re a wild animal with no rights.” Pibbles spoke calmly, straightening his tie. “And as a lawyer, I follow the law-“

“Blindly, and without hesitation,” Eda finished with a literal snarl. Pibbles just shrugged his shoulders in a “what can you do about it?” Kind of way.

Luz stepped forward, putting herself in between the two, arms outspread, “I’m not just going to let you take my Mom! You can’t call Demon Control, I won’t let you!”

“Oh, you poor girl,” Pibbles shook his head in mock sadness, “I already called them hours ago. Did you think I’d come here alone? They’ve had this place surrounded before I even stepped inside, they’re just waiting for my word.”

With a whistle from the pig demon, chaos erupted in the Owl House. One of the Demon Control members came in behind Eda, entering the house from her balcony. Another burst through the window at the end of the hall, raining glass down on the floor. The last barreled up the stairs, before almost collapsing at Pibble’s feet, gasping for air.

“Dammit, Tom, you’re making us look bad!” The eyepatch wearing leader of the group facepalmed.

The green skinned, butt chinned demon continued to pant, holding up a finger, “Come on, guys, it’s a longer run than it looks!”

The purple haired witch who burst through the window just looked embarrassed, “I’m sorry for our partner’s unprofessionalism. Titan, I miss when we were badass Demon Hunters.”

“Enough of that,” Pibbles scolded them like they were children. “You have a job to do, so I’d suggest you get to it, posthaste.”

The occupants of the Owl House weren’t going to stand for that, and quickly put themselves in the way of the Demon Control group. Luz and Emira blocked Tom, while Edric and King prepared to fight against the purple haired witch, Edric holding his hands out like he was going to karate chop the woman. Meanwhile, Amity pushed past Eda and slipped into her bedroom, parking herself between the eye patch wearing demon so he couldn’t attack Eda from behind, summoning Ghost to her hands with a whistle.

In the corner of Eda’s room, resting against the wall as a staff, Owlbert twitched restlessly, waiting for his mistress to call upon him once more.

Even after the expansion, there wasn’t a whole lot of room for a fight to break out, the hallway feeling incredibly claustrophobic to Eda all of a sudden. There was a pounding in her chest, her heart racing a mile a minute as that feeling she’d had since Pibbles announced her home belonged to Amity had increased tenfold. The territorial instincts of the animal inside of her were clawing their way out, and Eda, try as she might, was losing the struggle to contain the Owlbeast.

Pibbles was talking, but Eda couldn’t hear him. The sound of her own breath was deafening, and even as a fight started to erupt around her she found her surroundings hazy and undefined. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to focus, trying to stay in control.

When she opened them again, they were black as the night sky.

When she opened them again, Eda found herself not in her home, but thrashing in a seemingly endless ocean of inky blackness. The shock of finding herself in such a place caused her to gasp, inhaling some of the water and making her choke on the liquid.

As she kicked and paddled, trying not to drown, it occurred to her somewhere in her mind that she was back in her normal, bipedal witch body again. Not that it meant anything. This wasn’t real, this was all in her head. She’d lost her mental battle with the Owlbeast, and it was likely wrecking everything around her.

That’s what she thought, at least, until she felt a tug at her ankle, pulling her back under the water again. She couldn’t see, couldn’t tell up from down, couldn’t breathe. Then it ended. When she opened her eyes once more, she was on a beach, empty and alone, except for herself and the creature of her nightmares.

If her own thrashing in the water was anything to go by, it was nothing compared to the beast tied to the end of the red string that connected them. The Owlbeast pulled, flying in the air, desperate to escape, longing to be free with a ferocity Eda rarely had seen in her life. Despite all of its effort, it only seemed to tire the beast out, sending it crashing back into the water, where it tried again, and again to gain control, to take to the skies and fly away.

As she watched it struggle, Eda felt no animosity. It was not a common occurrence for her to be able to see the Owlbeast with her own eyes. Usually when they struggled for dominance over her body, it was either one of them inside, one of them out. She supposed she’d just barely managed to keep it from escaping out of sheer determination to keep her kids safe, and passed out in the process.

Eventually, the demon tired itself out, swimming to shore where it promptly collapsed, gasping noisily for air. In that moment, Eda could only feel pity towards it. The Owlbeast wasn’t some controlling, all consuming monster. It was just an animal, as scared to be here as Eda was.

In an odd way, the parental side of her wanted to comfort the beast as it lay there, panting in the dirt. As a child, the rare glimpse of it before it had taken her body made the thing look huge and intimidating, but now? It looked small, frightened, and… old. So very old, and haggard. It’d been trapped inside of Eda for thirty years, and hadn’t asked for this anymore than she had, had probably been no less a child than Eda had been as well.

With a sigh, Eda heaved herself out of the dirt, and approached the demon, reaching out to gently pat its head, like she would with King. It gave a pathetic roar, but she pressed on, whispering a few kind words its way. Eventually it gave in, rubbing up against her hand, craving the only comforting touch it had felt in decades.

The black ocean now glowed gold, like the elixirs Eda drank to keep the curse at bay, and as she sat there beside the beast, she wondered who was the more cursed of the two. At least when she drank her elixir, she had a body to go back to. A bottle drifted up on the tide, close enough for Eda to reach out and grab it, the Owlbeast looking at it spitefully as the witch inspected it.

“Hey, I know you want out. So do I. Neither of us want to be here, but… we are, and there isn’t a way to change that. If I let you out, there’s no telling what you might do, but it’s… not fair for you to be stuck in this place either.”

She poured the bottle of elixir into her cupped hand, the golden liquid pooling into it. “They’re going to take us away. Both of us. If we can’t work together on this, we won’t have a home anymore, and if we can’t accept each other, this nightmare will never end. So, what do you say, can we have a truce?”

The Owlbeast weakly eyed the liquid, before carefully picking itself up off the sand, giving it a lick. Eda chuckled at the sensation, patting its head until all the elixir was gone. The Owlbeast surprised her next by wearily climbing into her nap, trembling with exhaustion. She allowed it it’s rest, as the black of the ocean faded into a bright light.

When she opened them again, they were black as the night sky, with a pair of golden moons hanging in the cosmos.

Eda reared up on her hind legs- realizing after a moment they were her only legs, and towered over everyone in the hallway. Sleek and powerful arms were at her side, while she flexed hands clad with claws at her fingertips. She had hands again!

A pair of grey wings spread out, and despite her situation, despite Demon Control breathing down her neck, Eda couldn’t help but stop to admire them for a second. Her eyes fell to the mirror on the opposite wall, and she twisted, posed, and flexed, getting a good look at herself. “Whoa momma, do I look good or what?” She snorted, grinning, and happy to see her mouthful of teeth had returned somewhat to normal, minus the elongated fangs.

The fighting around her had stopped just as it was getting started, the Demon control team taking a step back as they witnessed Eda’s transformation. The Leader blinked his one good eye, and spoke, unable to take his eyes off of the woman in front of him, “Uh, Boss? We agreed to take in a beast, not a sexy harpy lady.”

Eda snapped her fingers and pointed at the man, “A Harpy, now that is good. I think it’s a good rebranding, don’t you think? Eda the Harpy Lady!”

Before anyone could bother to respond, Eda held out her hand, and from his corner Owlbert burst to life, sailing through the air and into her grasp. She breathed out an exhilarated sigh at the nostalgic feeling, relief flooding through her as she realized she’d missed this, and had gotten used to the idea of never being able to use her palisman again. She never thought she’d be so happy to be proven wrong.

With one single swing Eda brought her palisman down like a club, hitting all three of her would-be kidnappers and sending them unconscious onto the ground. With a laugh she twirled her staff then slammed the butt of it into the ground, turning to face the kids. “Well, what do you think?”

Edric’s eyes were popping out of his skull, while Emira was fanning herself off, face flushed. Even Amity looked a little uncomfortable, tugging at her collar. King, unbothered by teenage hormones, just threw himself around Eda’s leg, wrapping both his arms and legs around his caretaker, “Eda, that was amazing!”

Luz, on the other hand, was beside herself. “You’re so… hot!” She exclaimed, pulling at her hair. “Can I do that? Did splitting my curse mean I can’t do it anymore? Can Tia Lilith do it? I’d better be able to do that, I wanna be that cool and sexy looking too!”

Eda had to laugh as she ruffled her daughter’s hair. Of course Luz would be all about the looks, though Eda wasn’t sure if she should take it as a compliment or not that this was to Luz’s tastes. She’d seen what those Azura characters wore, and damn if it wasn’t tacky as all hell to Eda’s eyes.

“Calm down, I think those are questions for another day.” Eda urged, finishing her hair ruffles with a pat. “I’m just glad to be on two feet again. Now, let's focus on getting these goons out of my house, shall we? We can start with porky pig himself and-“

Eda turned to face the lawyer, only to find the space empty, and he was long gone. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to let out a calming breath, “okay, kiddos, you tie these guys up, while I go make some bacon, okay?”

She didn’t wait to hear them as she entered her room, spreading her wings and diving out of her balcony. Her animal instincts, combined with her enhanced senses made it child’s play to find the pig demon. As did the fact that Hooty was already trailing him, asking many, many questions as Pibbles tried to make his escape.

“If you have any questions, you can call my office!” The pig demon insisted, batting at the House demon with his briefcase, “though I’ll have you know I charge an exorbitant fee per hour! I ought to be charging you right now, now that I think about it.”

Before any bill could be charged to her house, Eda sailed down, dropping from the sky in a flash and landing on her feet right by the pig. “Alright Hooty, I’ve got this. Why don’t you take five?”

“Five?” Hooty exclaimed happily, “That’s four more minutes than you gave me last time!”

Eda chuckled darkly, “Oh, trust me, I won’t need more than one.”

Eda waited for Hooty to slink back to the house before turning her attention back to Pibbles, who cowered at the sight of her, “s-surely you don’t intend me any harm? I was- I was just doing business! But, seeing as you’re not the Owlbeast anymore, all that nasty business with the house and the will, it’s settled! Null and void, trust me on this!”

“You expect me to trust a lawyer?” Eda scoffed, crossing her arms, “Pull the other one!”

Pibbles backed away slowly, sweat beginning to bead down the side of his face, “Now, look, how can I make it up to you? Surely we can settle this like reasonable, responsible adults, right?”

Eda grinned, showing off all of her pearly whites at the idea of anyone thinking she could ever be a reasonable, responsible adult. She bore down on the pig, who shrank back in her shadow, “You know, I think I can think of a few ways you can repay me…”

The next morning, Eda hummed cheerfully to herself as she cooked everyone in the house a nice, healthy breakfast. “I am never taking cooking for granted again,” She smiled as she spoke, flipping the eggs in the pan.

Luz beamed up at her from the table, a knife and fork already waiting in her hands, “I’m just glad to get a break from it myself!”

“So, do you think this is a permanent change?” Amity asked curiously, gesturing to Eda’s everything.

Eda was still in her harpy form, even after almost a day, something everyone in the house was delighted at, especially in Ed and Em’s case, if their leering eyes and dreamy looks said anything.

“I think so,” Eda nodded, “The Owlbeast and I found some common ground, and this way, it can see and interact with the world in its own way, rather than being stuck in an abyss inside of me. So, get used to the new and improved Eda Clawthorne.”

“At least until you undergo yet another transformation in a few months,” Ed smirked from his own seat. “I mean, we’ve only known you for about two months and you went from a witch, to a beast, to a harpy. I figure you’ll turn into a chimera at some point next.”

“You wanna bet on that?” Emira asked, slyly placing a few snails on the table.

“No gambling before noon, kids” Eda scolded, placing a plate full of breakfast at the center of the table, “now, eat up.”

“Ooh, Bacon!” Amity exclaimed, reaching for her fork so she could scoop some of the delicious smelling meat onto her plate.

“It’s nice and fresh, and we have plenty of it!” Eda patted her back, already shoveling a small mountain of the stuff onto her own plate, only to have to put it down when there was a knock at the door.

With a groan at yet another intruder, Eda went to answer it, only to bump her head against the doorway between the kitchen and living room, “dammit. I went through all that trouble to make the doors and hallways wider just yesterday, and now my problem is height…”

Eda grumpily opened the door, narrowing her eyes at the sight of yet another pig demon on the other side.

The demon held his nose up, trying his best to look down on her despite being a fifth of her size. “Hello, I am Tibblet-Tibblie GrimmHammer the third. I shall allow you to call me Tibbles. I’ve come looking for my brother, Pibbles, who has gone missing. I hear he last had business in this area?”

Eda blinked, then grinned slyly, “Why, I think I saw him around here just yesterday.”

She flashed her sharp claws, eyeing the pig demon hungrily, “We’re just having breakfast, why don’t you come in and I’ll serve you?”

The pig demon blinked, “That’s very kind of you, yes. Thank you.” As Tibbles stepped inside, he had no idea Eda had every intention of serving him, not breakfast, but perhaps as pork chops for dinner.

Chapter Text

Odalia narrowed her eyes distastefully at the empty, practically barren room her daughter had been in only the night before. Somehow, someway, she’d found a way out, though Odalia had no clue how she had accomplished it, much less in such a short amount of time. Only a single day, and Amity was already missing once more. Despite herself, Odalia felt a small glimmer of pride inside of her at that fact. With little to no time to plan, Amity had managed to escape their clutches, and somehow outsmarted both her, and her husband. Truly, a Blight can never be held down.

However, as proud as she was, Odalia also felt slighted. A Blight never loses, either, and in this case she had, to a fourteen year old no less.

Alador mumbled something or other under his breath as he inspected the bars on Amity’s window, while scratching at the stubble that had built up on his chin in the days since Odalia last made him shave. With a shake of her head, Odalia joined him, arms folded behind her back. “She had to have help of some kind, I’m sure of it.”

Alador gave a nod, his inspection of the room finished. “Someone who knows how to get past our cameras without being spotted. And somehow is able to fit a half grown teenager through bars smaller than the circumference of her head.”

“It has to be the twins,” Odalia concluded sharply, earning a murmur of agreement from her husband. “As much as we wrote them off as lost causes, we can’t deny they are a brilliant pair when they desire to be.”

“It’s a shame they use their intelligence for petty tricks rather than applying it to the family trade,” Alador concluded softly, turning away from the bars.

Odalia sighed and sat down on Amity’s empty bed, “I don’t think we have much of a choice left, Alador. Somehow, they’ve outsmarted us, not once, not twice, but three times now. And we’re back to square one.”

She locked eyes with the tired looking man, “We’ll have to make some kind of public announcement. They won’t be able to hide if they have half the country actively looking for them. We’ll offer a large sum for any information, and we’re sure to find something.”

While the rumor mill in Gravesfield had already assumed such a thing, that either their children had run away or been kidnapped, despite their best efforts to keep it quiet, the Blight family had made no official announcements or acknowledgments of their missing children publically. A few investigators had been hired in private, but it was all very hushed deals, each signing a nondisclosure agreement before they’d even been considered for the case. It seemed the time for subtlety had ended, though.

Alador frowned, knowing this was going to bring public attention to the family, as well as likely start a nationwide search that would probably cause more harm than good towards his children. He however didn’t object, “I’ll start making the necessary calls and arrangements.”

Odalia gave a chuckle and a dismissive wave of her hand, “Nonsense, dear, I know you hate being in the spotlight, and your social skills are atrocious. Leave it to me. I’ll address the public. Everyone loves to see a mother in despair, after all. You go back to your lab, I’m sure you have work to get done, deadlines to meet.”

Alador’s lips curled downward, but he didn’t stick around, gone as soon as he was allowed. Meanwhile, Odalia pulled out her cell phone and prepared to start a nationwide manhunt.

Weeks passed, with no word. Nothing, not even a whisper of what had happened to Amity, nor the twins, despite Odalia having a town meeting, getting on national television, and even skipping work so she could put up posters.

It was for the publicity of the act, but it had still cost her a precious workday, and that was infuriating in its own right.

“There has been nothing. Not a scrap of DNA, not a credit card purchase, not even a blurry photograph from a security camera!” Odalia seethed to her husband, pouring herself a cup of tea that might have had a little something slipped inside to soothe her nerves.

“Those brats better be grateful when we find them. I have gained five pounds from all this stress eating,” The woman collapsed into her armchair, wondering where she possibly went wrong with her children.

Alador understood his wife’s frustrations, if from a different perspective. Where she wanted them back for the sake of the family business, he’d be happy just to know they weren’t dead in a gutter somewhere. Still, he knew better than to voice his thoughts out loud, despite how loudly Odalia liked to voice hers. “I’m sure something will turn up eventually, dear.”

Odalia rolled her eyes in a fit of childishness brought on by the booze she’d slipped into her drink, “Yes, I’m sure someone will come knocking on the door with all the answers any moment now!”

It was then that a knock came at the door, Odalia cursing under her breath at the interruption, “Yes, what is it?”

One of the maids opened the door, bowing her head as she entered, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Ma’am, but there is a Mr. Hopkins here to see you.”

Odalia and Alador glanced at each other, mentally going over a list of clients and other important people they knew who could show up unannounced at their door. “I don’t believe we were expecting a Mr. Hopkins. What is his business here?” Alador asked, his tone level.

The maid allowed herself the smallest of smiles, “He says it’s very urgent, and that he has news about your daughter, the Young Miss Blight.”

Now there was the single best news Odalia had heard all day. She stood to her feet, taking a moment to catch her balance as she realized maybe she put a little too much alcohol into her tea, “Well, don’t just stand there, send him in!”

With another quick bow, the maid left, and a moment later the door opened once more and a rather average looking man stepped into the room. He was the kind of man who rarely had the privilege of stepping inside of Blight Manor, his clothes reeking of lower-middle class, and Odalia eyed him with distaste. Oh, the things she put up with for her daughter's sake.

Still, Odalia forced a smile onto her face and welcomed the man with open arms, “Mr. Hopkins! I hear you have news about my daughter?”

The man blinked, then without thinking spoke, “Oh, please, just call me Jacob, my father was Mr. Hopkins-“

He winced as he realized who exactly he was yammering on at, then cleared his throat, “What I mean to say is, yes, I do have some information. It’s a little outdated, but if it’s at all useful-“

“I can assure you, Jacob,” Odalia had to force herself to not spit the name as it left her mouth, “any information you have is exceedingly valuable.”

That’s just what Jacob had needed to hear. After the incident with the witch he’d captured, those kids had beaten him senseless. He’d tried to go to the police to explain things, to get a squad to help him, maybe even call in the national guard, but they’d taken the news about him locking a teenage girl up against her will very poorly, especially after the news came out that Amity, Emira and Edric Blight had all gone missing a few short days later.

He’d lost basically everything. While he still owned the Historical Society building, all of his artifacts, armor, and weapons had been confiscated by the police while they launched an ongoing investigation over his actions. He’d put so much of his savings into those items, and without them he couldn’t open the place up and make a return on his investments. He was utterly broke, and if he didn’t get his bills paid soon, the bank was going to repossess the GHS and leave him homeless.

Then, as he was browsing through his computer’s documents, he stumbled upon a single video stream taken from one of his video cameras. He had remembered screenshotting it and printing it out for his board because of the witch girl he’d seen in the footage, and had completely missed who had been beside her. But now that Amity Blight was all over the news lately for being missing, with a big reward for any information, he realized this could be his payday.

“By exceedingly valuable, I assume you mean the reward money, right?” He asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together with a nervous grin plastered on his face.

The Blight matriarch’s deadpan expression wasn’t promising, but she still replied, “Yes, of course.”

“Good. Also, you see, I may not have acquired this piece of information… in a legitimate manner, you see,” Jacob gave an anxious chuckle, “I can’t disclose why I have this footage, that’s classified, but-“

Odalia’s eyes widened at his phrasing, “Ah, I see. Yes, that won’t be a problem, I’ll be sure to keep this hushed up. Any employers you work for won’t find out you have this from me.”

Jacob’s eyes twitched, unsure what she was talking about. Meanwhile, in Odalia’s sloshed mind, Jacob’s mangy features were becoming sharper as the image of a government agent formed in her mind. One who was high enough up to have classified information no one else had access to, willing to share it for a fee and her silence.

As Jacob fished in his pocket for his phone, Odalia gestured for Alador to join them. The quiet man did so, standing beside his wife as Hopkins fumbled with his phone before opening up a video file and displaying it for the two of them.

The footage was from high up, likely on a street lamp, cementing it further into Odalia’s mind that his man worked for the government. This was clearly security camera footage from Gravesfield shopping center. She watched for a moment, keeping her eyes peeled and wondering when Amity was supposed to show up on the grainy footage, only to realize that one of the people in the couple walking by hand in hand was her daughter. It was hard to recognize her, wearing some sort of hood with ears on it, while walking hand in hand with what looked like another girl, or possibly a boy, it was hard to tell between the short hair and the quality of the footage.

She watched the footage with a discerning eye as Amity and her partner walked together hand in hand into the Mal-Mart, Odalia’s nose scrunching up in disgust at the sheer idea of her daughter entering one of those foul stores. The footage then ended, Hopkins looking at her expectedly.

“This has been very… informative, Mr. Hopkins,” Alador spoke, “Tell me, do you know who that other person was?”

“Yes! Er, well, no, but I have my suspicions!” Jacob spoke with an underlying note of excitement.

“They seem close…” Odalia observed, “Though I’ve never seen them before in my life. Still, this is a potential lead. You have our thanks.”

Jacob beamed at them like a puppy dog, and it was all Odalia could do to resist rolling her eyes at the pathetic man. Still, he was useful, and had brought them their only clue. “How would you like a job, Jacob?”

“A job?” Jacob asked eagerly.

“Yes. We’ve been so focused on finding our daughter, and we have the whole country looking for her. But this person, obviously they’re connected with Amity somehow. I’d like to ask that you use whatever… resources it is that you have at your disposal to find this teenager, and question them. We’ll of course pay you a handsome fee.”

“It’s a deal!” Jacob said without hesitation, grabbing Odalia’s hand and giving it a hardy shake, before doing the same to Alador.

Odalia grimaced, wiping her taken hand on the leg of her pants in an attempt to clean it. “Very well. If you’ll take a seat we’ll discuss payment, and other details…”

When Jacob left the Manor, he felt more giddy than he had in a long time. He had funding, and a mission. He was going to get to hunt a witch, save a billionaire’s kids, become famous, and finally get his Mewtube channel verified! And he knew just where to start. After all, he’d caught a witch before, had her in a cage, he’d just need to find and keep an eye on her until he could find the rest of her coven, which would surely lead him to the witch he was looking for.

Vee sat still, keeping her hands steady as Sam painted her nails in a multitude of colors. Apparently, this was what a rainbow looked like, and it wouldn’t turn her inside out like the painbows back in the Demon Realm would. Vee found them to be a lot prettier here anyway.

Beside her, Tom sat and played one of the many games he’d brought to the cabin, the clicking of the controller rattling through the room. “Are you guys gonna hurry up and finish that so Vee can play with me? I really want to introduce her to Vagabondia Chronicles now that her reading comprehension is getting better.”

“You can’t rush art,” Sam insisted through grit teeth.

“I don’t know, didn’t take long for me to get this killer guyliner on,” Tom fired back.

“I’m the one who put it on you, and you covered it up with your stupid shaggy hair,” Sam rolled their eyes.

“You’re just mad it looks better on me than it did on you.” Tom sassed back, fighting another enemy on screen.

Sam made a face, “Oh yes, green with enby over here.”

Tom turned back just so he could scoff in their direction, “making an awesome pun doesn’t mean you win!”

Vee grimaced as her friends bickered, a common occurrence these days. They hadn’t descended into actually fighting, but Vee didn’t really get what this was if not an argument. Leaning over to Masha, who was carefully blowing on her own black nail polished fingers to help them dry, she whispered a question, “Why are they arguing so much?”

With a small smirk, Masha answered, “UST.”

That didn’t make things any clearer to Vee, who was far too innocent to know what that acronym stood for, “What does that mean?”

“You should ask Clara that,” Masha said slyly, with just a note of teasing in her voice.

“Ask me what?” Clara voiced as she stepped into the cabin, nose wrinkling at the strong smell of nail polish that filled the air. “Can’t you guys open a window or something?”

“And done,” Sam said proudly as they admired their handiwork on Vee’s fingernails. “Now you just need to wait for it to dry. Try not to touch anything for a while.”

Vee gave a nod of her head, holding her hands out awkwardly with her fingers spread so they didn’t touch each other. She could have just shapeshifted her nails to be any color she wanted, but she liked being included, everyone else having had their own nails done.

Even Tom wore a powder blue color on his own nails, having let Sam apply it earlier, red faced as the enby held his hand while doing so. He’d put his foot down about getting his toes done, though.

Masha seemed satisfied with her own nails now, testing to see if they were dry. Standing up and brushing a few crumbs off her clothes from a bowl of chips she’d devoured earlier, the goth girl smiled at the cheerleader, “Finally, moneybags is here, we need more snacks and refreshments, and I don’t get my allowance until Friday. Let’s go shopping!”

Masha looped both of her arms around Clara’s, already dragging her out of the cabin despite her protests, “I literally just walked in the door! And why do I need to buy the snacks, you’re the glutton!”

Still, she didn’t resist, allowing herself to be pulled along. Halfway out the door though, Vee’s voice rang out like adorable little bells, making both girls still, “Can I go too?”

“Aren’t your nails drying?” Masha asked, not unkindly. Vee glanced down at her freshly painted fingernails and nodded.

“Well, yes, but I just have to not touch anything. I’d still like to go!” The basilisk sent them her best puppy dog eyes, which she’d fast learned neither the goth nor the cheerleader could resist. “I’ve been cooped up, I want to get out of here for a bit.”

The two other girls glanced at each other, then both sighed, “Sure you can, Vee. You can help pick out something for us to eat.”

“Yay!” The snake girl beamed and carefully stood up from the floor, the sheer act of cuteness making the two girl’s hearts flutter at the pureness personified in front of them.

As the three left, leaving only Sam and Tom alone in the cabin, the enby snickered and cracked open a soda, “Simps, am I right?”

Tom rolled his eyes hidden under his hair and unpaused his game, “I’m so glad we’re not like that.”

Vee was always a delight to join on walks. Her worldview, as someone not native to the human realm, was fascinating, if a little naive. She still didn’t understand that cars weren’t living things, even after having ridden in buses so often. One of her most endearing traits was her bug collecting hobby, something brought on by just how different the insects were compared to the Demon Realm.

“They’re so small, and not one of them has told me it wants to eat my skin!” The picture it painted for Clara and Masha of the demon realm wasn’t pretty, even when they factored in everything else the basilisk had told them about the place. Clara shivered at the idea that Amity’s home life was so terrible she’d seemingly chosen such a place to live rather than return to Earth.

Greater still was Vee’s reaction to the snack aisle of the Mal-Mart. No matter how often she was taken there, she’d acted like she’d never seen so much food in one place in all of her life. Vee was especially fond of salty chips, and gummy candies, but only after making sure the gummy octopuses were not actual octopuses, her time being forced to devour magic from unwilling animals in the Empire’s care making her take on a more or less vegetarian lifestyle now that she was on Earth. The last time she’d had meat was at the Blight’s as Amity, just another thing to turn her away from it all, even if it had been delicious.

“Go ahead and pick whatever you want,” Clara gave in before Vee could even begin to beg for whatever it was she wanted on the shelves. The basilisk gave a squee and took off down the aisle, leaving the Cheerleader alone with the Goth, just like they had wanted.

“Still not making a move on her?” Masha asked slyly, “You’d better hurry up, someone might steal her away.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Clara dared, giving the dark haired girl some side eye.

This was an argument they’d had many times by now. Despite both of their warnings, neither girl actually made a move, calling the other’s bluff. At this point it was almost like a game where they both continued to lose. They stayed in a precarious balance with one another, knowing that if neither of them confessed, neither of them could get hurt, by Vee should she reject them, or each other should she accept their feelings.

It certainly kept their friendship interesting, to say the least.

Masha bounced on her toes, running her tongue over her tooth gap, “I’ve been thinking… one of us eventually has to make a move, right?”

Clara stuffed her hands in the pocket of her jeans, cheeks flared red, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, you know, the school dance is coming up. Prom and everything…” Masha trailed off.

Clara hummed, “Yeah, that is coming up. Got a dress picked out already?”

Masha made a sour expression, lips turned downward, “Not really. I know I look good in all the ones I tried, but nothing seemed to scream out to me. I’m thinking maybe I’ll ditch getting a regular old dress. Maybe a suit? Or a combination of the two? But that’s not the reason I’m bringing it up, and you know that.”

“Yeah, I know. We were talking about Vee, so… you want to score yourself a date?” Clara raised her eyebrow.

Masha shrugged, “Not all of us are popular cheerleaders with their own dedicated fan clubs.”

Clara snorted at the over exaggeration of her popularity, “Don’t kid yourself. Goth girls are a valuable commodity these days. You’ve probably got plenty of admirers.”

“Yeah, but none of them are cute demon snake girls,” Masha pouted, crossing her arms in a sulking manner. “How about I ask Vee out to prom this year, and you can ask her out next year?”

“I thought you were making a romantic move, if it’s just going to be platonic, why bother making a big fuss? We could just both dance with her.” Clara argued, wanting to put an end to this discussion already, but not willing to budge on the issue either.

Masha considered that, but shook her head stubbornly, “No, I wanted a romantic slow dance. Erg! What do you even see in her, anyway? I at least like her true form. Can’t you just let me have this?”

Clara crossed her arms defensively, “I think she’s plenty cute as a snake, even if I don’t get off to it like you do, freak. What’s wrong with appreciating her human form? She’s the one who chose it. She’s so small, and cute…”

Clara’s cheeks darkened, and beside her so did Masha’s. They meandered at the end of the aisle, taking in that, because Vee had modeled her body after Masha’s, Clara had more or less admitted she considered the goth girl to be her type as well.

They fell into an awkward silence, not looking at one another until Vee joined them, arms full of bags of spicy chips and gummy candies, held awkwardly in such a way that she didn’t touch them with her nails. The basilisk wore a bright grin, not even minding the stomachache she was bound to receive after a night of binging on junk food, though that smile faded as she looked over her friends. “Are you two arguing?”

“What, no!” Masha scoffed playfully, brushing the demon’s worry off.

Vee looked between them, gears churning in her mind as she thought back to a previous conversation. Something clicked, “Oh, is this that UST thing you mentioned before?”

Masha clamped her hands over her mouth to cover the loud snort that escaped, while Clara looked scandalized. The blonde turned to the brunette, nostrils flaring, “What have you been teaching her while I’m away?!”

“Nothing, nothing!” Masha cackled, her innocence unconvincing to Clara. The cheerleader snatched the items out of Vee’s hands and went to pay, steaming over how Vee’s purity was being corrupted by that little wannabe witch.

The items were bagged and paid for, Clara tossing one of the plastic bags over to Masha to carry while she gripped her own. Together the three migrated out into the parking lot, though Vee still seemed unsure about what was going on between her friends. “Are you sure you’re not fighting?”

“I’m not so sure now,” Clara glared at Masha, much to Vee’s discomfort.

Masha just shook her head, and pat Vee on the shoulder, “would it make you happy if we do this thing my Mom used to make me and my little brother do when we’d fight as little kids?”

“What did she make you do?” Vee cocked her head as she asked.

“We’d have to say three nice things to each other.” Masha smiled fondly at the memory, “oh, we used to hate it. The second her back was turned we’d make faces at each other so we knew we still hated one another.”

“That sounds pleasant,” Clara commented sarcastically. Still, Vee seemed to think it was a good idea from the look on her face, so she didn’t argue. “How about you start, then?”

“Hm, okay.” Masha took a moment to think, perhaps a little longer than she needed to, just to mess with Clara, “I like that pink stripe in your hair. Not many people do their roots like that, you pull it off well. Really nails the perky cheerleader ascetic you enjoy.”

Clara brushed a hand through her hair. It was a lot of work, between the pink and the blonde hair dye. But it was a look she liked seeing in the mirror. “Thanks.”

“Okay, now your turn,” Vee gestured for Clara to contribute. The girl stood there silently for a moment, feeling this entire thing was a bit juvenile, but Masha had already given her one compliment, she may as well return the favor.

“I admire that you stick to your beliefs, even when no one else believes you.” Clara said slowly, feeling the words on her lips, “It couldn’t have been easy to openly believe in the supernatural. I mean, it turns out you were right the whole time, but most people won’t know that. Even you didn’t until Vee came into our lives.”

“To be fair, I had no clue how off base I was compared to actual fact, but it was a relief to know I wasn’t crazy or something,” Masha grinned, showing off her tooth gap, then threw herself into her next compliment. “For what it’s worth, I was wrong about something. You. You’re a lot more cool than I thought, when I used to see you in class. When we met at the park, I was mostly just being nice, but you turned out a lot better as a person than I thought.”

Vee inspected her nails, confirming they were dry, then reached into Clara’s grocery bag for the chips she’d picked out. Seeing as they were in the parking lot, she settled her rump down on the wheel stop of an empty parking stall as she pried the plastic of the bag open, munching on a chip as she watched her friend’s compliment each other.

Clara chuckled, knowing the goth girl wasn’t that far off she was in her perceptions. “I had to learn to be a better person. I wasn’t terrible, but I was… elitist, I guess. You, and by extension, the others, are an incredibly kind group of people. I’m happy to be a part of Cabin Seven.”

Two nice things down, they each had one more left to say. Masha didn’t hesitate now that it was her turn, throwing out a finger gun, “You’re super pretty. There, done!”

Clara’s cheeks darkened with a flush to get such a straightforward compliment, even if it was just teasing. Still, she wasn’t one to lose, “Same, I think you’re… pretty cute.”

There, they were done. Argument over, niceties exchanged, and they could go back to the cabin in the woods and have fun. Or, they could if both of them weren’t glued to the spot, faces warm and unable to look at each other. The awkwardness was breached by a loud ‘cronch cronch’ as Vee watched on, very entertained with this outcome.

“That was very sweet, you two.” Vee smiled up at both of them from her seat. “I’m glad we’re all friends.”

“Yeah, friends…” Clara rubbed her arm, still unable to look at either girl.

“What even led to this, anyway?” Vee asked curiously, polishing off her snack and sticking the crumpled up bag into the trash can beside her.

Clara and Masha glanced at each other, wondering if this was something they should come clean with, or keep to themselves for now. Eventually, Masha shrugged. She was always an open book, and a little awkwardness wasn’t going to stop her, “Well, Vee, if we were to ask you out to prom, which one would you go with?”

“Prom?” Vee asked, an eyebrow raised.

“It’s a school dance,” Clara clarified.

“Oh! So like Grom back in the Demon Realm?” At the questioning look she received, Vee rolled her eyes, “I never went to it, I was on the run, of course. But they did have something similar that I heard about plenty. It’s a big deal, I guess?”

“It’s a pretty big deal for teenagers here, too,” Clara commented, thinking of how many of her peers acted like it was the make or break for their high school lives, especially regarding romance. “So, who would you pick?”

Vee glanced between the two anxious teens, and scratched the back of her head in confusion. “Can’t I just dance with the both of you?”

“Well, yeah. I’d be offended if you didn’t!” Masha laughed, “But what we mean is… uh, hypothetically, if both of us had asked you out on a date, who would you choose?”

Vee pondered the question seriously for half a moment, then blinked, “What if I don't want to choose?”

“Then you don’t have to. You don’t have to go with either of us, you can say no.” The goth cleared up, even if it saddened her that Vee wasn’t interested.

“No, that’s not what I meant, why can’t I be both of your dates?” Vee asked innocently, as if the answer really was that simple.

The two other girls looked at each other, unsure how to answer that. Clara fumbled for her words, eventually settling on, “Well, I- I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that.”

“Oh,” Vee pondered, “I guess that makes sense. Can I ask a question though?”

Clara nodded, feeling very exposed. Then again, she was discussing a polyamorous, lesbian relationship in the parking lot of a Mal-Mart in the middle of the afternoon, and you couldn’t get much more exposed than that. Vee continued with her question, “Does it make you uncomfortable knowing that I’d be dating Masha, and not you, or that Masha would be dating me, and not you?”

Clara choked, having not expected such a question. Masha, taking pity on the cheerleader, asked in her place, “What do you mean by that?”

Vee kicked her feet adorably, “Well, it’s just, you’ve been pretty… clear on where you stand, Masha-“

“I like what I like,” The goth winked.

“-but Clara has been more tight lipped.” Vee finished her thought, “I thought maybe she was interested in me, but now I’m thinking she isn’t? So maybe she was picking the fight about who was going to this ‘hypothetical’ dance, because she wanted to go with you? She did say you were cute.”

“Because we were saying nice things! And she said it first!” Clara hissed, her face crimson up to her ears.

Vee seemed confused, “So, you do like me? Or do you like Masha? Or do you like us both? Why would me dating the two of you make you uncomfortable if you also want to date both of us?”

Masha continued to take pity on Clara, who was busy combusting, “Vee, I think you’re getting a little mixed up. Clara hasn’t said she likes either of us, maybe she’s just not into either of us, outside of this, uh, hypothetical situation?” Sure, Masha knew better, but this was something Clara should be open to talking about, not dragged into.

“Still, uh, if we’re being honest, I wouldn’t mind dating both of you.” Masha had to admit, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear and trying not to look too shy.

“R-really?” Clara sputtered.

Masha shrugged, trying to stay casual, “Yeah, I mean… I’d get to date a demon, and have a girl my parents would be happy to see me bring home? Best of both worlds, right?” She gave a nervous chuckle.

Clara was awfully quiet, twiddling her fingers, her grocery bag of snacks long abandoned by her side. Masha startled, pressing a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “Not that Vee and I are pressuring you, or anything! Just, if the idea of it makes you uncomfortable, we can stop and talk about something else, or, uh, just shut up.”

Vee was the one avoiding everyone’s eyes this time, not just because of the blush over hearing that Masha wanted to date her as well, but also because of the shame that she was making Clara feel out of sorts. Her mind grappled with trying to find another subject, anything, really to change the mood. She could always talk to Masha about… feelings and stuff later.

Clara on the other hand, had her head bowed and her hair covering her face. She’d just had two different girls confess to wanting to date her back to back. Not only that, they wanted to date each other as well. A boiling, rolling feeling was in her stomach as she analyzed her emotions, trying to sort them all out before things got even worse.

Honestly, the idea of someone, anyone else dating Vee bothered her. She’d admit she was a bit smitten with the basilisk. Vee was just so sweet and innocent, who wouldn’t fall for her awkward charms? But ever since Vee had asked the question about why Masha dating Vee would bother Clara, she’d come to realize that the same jealous feelings filled her when she thought about anyone dating the goth girl as well. That was… new. Sure, Masha had always been kinda cool, and nice, and cute… and a really, really good friend, but she never thought she’d feel like this when the thought of her dating someone else was brought up.

So, if she was uncomfortable with Vee and Masha dating, was it because they’d only be dating each other, and not dating her as well? If she and Masha both dated Vee, it still meant there was someone dating Masha other than Clara, and that thought made her stomach twist and churn.

“I- I guess… if you guys want to date each other, and date me…” Clara fumbled, once again very much away they were in a public parking lot when the sound of a car door slammed and a moment later someone passed them by, clearly staring at the small group of teens that were loitering in a parking space.

“You mean, like, we can all date each other?” Vee spoke up, voice a little hopeful.

Clara’s hands clenched, her skin pale, “I mean, if that isn’t weird? I mean, it’s weird, right? I- just ignore me. This is dumb, and we’ll screw it up, or-“

Hey, hey,” Masha laid a hand on Clara’s shoulder, smiling calmly at her, “It’s okay. Yes, it’s weird. We’re all weird. But weird is a good thing. Normal is boring and overrated anyway. And if you’re afraid we’ll mess it up, well…”

Masha shrugged, her expression carefree, “We’re teenagers, you’re probably right.”

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and the goth girl turned to Vee, “Uh, you are a teenager, right? I know you look like one, but you’re not like, eight or thirty or something, right?”

Vee pondered the question, eyes focused on the sky, “I don’t know my exact age. I’d likely need the secret files the Empire made when they created me for that. But if I had to estimate, I’d say I’m between fifteen and seventeen-ish?”

“Dammit, so I’m also the youngest, and the smallest?” Masha groaned, before turning back to the issue at hand, “ What I’m trying to say is, maybe this whole thing doesn’t work out, and we crash and burn, but that’s what these years are for. Figuring stuff out, and making messy mistakes. Or, alternatively…” She turned her eyes to Vee with a smile, wanting her input.

“Um, we- we could work things out, I’m sure. Things don’t have to go wrong. We’ll just have to be careful, and be considerate, and- and stuff.” Vee added, hoping that’s what Masha had expected of her. The goth girl gave the basilisk a reassuring nod.

“You’re right,” Clara straightened up, head held high despite the crimson that radiated out under the surface of her skin, “Maybe it won’t work, maybe it will. But, I kinda want to find out, with the both of you. Still, that’s… gonna be a shock to my parents.”

“They don’t know?” Masha asked with raised eyebrows, while Vee just looked confused.

Clara pantomimed her coming out, “Hey Mom, hey Dad, nice to see you, how was your day? Work okay? School was fine for me. Oh, by the way, I like girls, emphasis on the plural. Meet my two girlfriends, one is a goth girl who wants to be a pagan witch, and the other is a demon. No, the first one didn’t summon the second, also I’m not bewitched, thanks for asking.”

“Is it really a big deal here?” Vee asked, cocking her head, “On the Boiling Isles, it always seemed like everyone just assumed you liked all genders, unless you went out of your way to specify.”

“God, that’d be so much easier,” Masha breathed out, with Clara nodding beside her. “My Mom had to assure me that no, that summer camp she was sending me to was not a conversation camp, and me being pan had nothing to do with going there. The monster fetish might have had something to do with it, though... Also the attempted animal sacrifice to the Dark Lord, I suppose.”

“So, we’re… really doing this?” Clara questioned, wanting to make sure everyone was on board. Vee stood up from her seat on the wheel stop and marched right up to the other two, placing a kiss first on Clara’s cheek, then on Masha’s, making the two girls melt.

The basilisk then smiled at the two, “Okay, now your turn!”

Clara suppressed the urge to bury her face in her hands as she was overcome with bashfulness. Clenching her eyes shut, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the shorter demon. At the same time, Masha did the same to Vee’s other cheek, finding that while the cheerleader had to bend down, Vee was just the right height for her.

Vee let out a happy little squeal, clapping her hands together excitedly, “okay, now each other!”

Masha and Clara turned to each other, sucking in a breath, then placed a kiss on each other’s cheeks as well. Clara was right, it felt weird, but so very right. As soon as they were done, Vee vigorously and enthusiastically embraced them both, squeezing them tight in her arms. Any attempts for them to return the hug was in vain, since the girls’ arms were pinned to their sides.

The sound of sniffling made Clara’s ears twitch, and she realized Vee was shaking. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Vee insisted, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she pulled away from the hug. “I’m just… back in the demon realm, I never thought I’d have friends. Now here I am, with four amazing ones, and not only that, but I get to date two of them? The most beautiful girls in the world? It’s… I’m so thankful, and overwhelmed by it all.”

It was Clara and Masha’s turn to embrace the basilisk, each settling into either crook of Vee’s neck since their arms couldn’t move, “We’re thankful to have you in our lives as well.”

“I love you guys,” Vee whispered, slinking her arms around their waists and pressing their bodies to herself.

Clara inhaled sharply, unsure if Vee meant that as in love, or Love with a capital L. Masha didn’t hesitate though, “We love you too, Vee. We all do. I’m glad I get to be your partner.”

Clara shifted, pressing another kiss just above Vee’s ear, “You’re being silly. Now, why don’t we go back home, and tell Tom and Sam the good news?”

Vee nodded, and they let each other go. Clara and Masha picked up their grocery bags, each taking up one hand, and Vee stepped between them, offering up her empty ones to both her new girlfriends, which the girls eagerly took. Together they walked step in step, all smiles and happy feelings as they made their way out of the Mal-mart parking lot, to the relief of the half dozen people who had eavesdropped on the whole thing.

Above them, attached to a light pole, a hidden camera zoomed in, tracking their movements.

Chapter Text

They were running. A blur of trees whizzed by them, the pounding of their hearts in their eardrums as they all tried to ignore the fatigue clawing at them, how even with every lungful of air they pulled in, they couldn’t breathe.

One of them looked back, eyes widening in terror as they saw the beasts chasing them, following the orders of their white cloaked commanders. They weren't going to make it. They couldn’t escape.

One of the hellhounds pounced, its jaws locking down tight onto the fleshy arm of one of the witches it had been sent to hunt. The poor man cried out, crying hopelessly for one of his fellows to fight the thing off, to free him. He couldn’t blame them when they left him behind, despite his horror that they would do so, even as the Coven Scout who was pursuing them pinned his bloody form down and started to pull on his branding glove.

The witch could only watch, terror in his eyes as the gloved hand descended down to his own arm. They weren’t even giving him a choice of which magic he’d get to keep, yet another thing they intended to take away from him.

Just as the glove’s spell was activating, the Hellhound by his master’s side let out a whimper, before being blasted aside by a shockwave of magic, accompanied by a sharp musical note. The Coven Scout’s head moved, hardly getting a chance to see what was going on before he joined the mutt, sent flying into the air before crumpling violently into a heap on the ground, unconscious, if not outright dead.

The wild witch let out a shaky breath, unbelieving of his luck. Carefully he twisted his body, going from his back to all fours, his bleeding arm protesting as he tried to push himself off the ground. That’s when a pair of leather boots appeared in the witch’s vision. Slowly his eyes moved upward, ascending up the legs, then the torso, until he got a look at the being looking down on him.

He gasped, the fear returning to his eyes momentarily, until he realized just what he was looking at. Not a fearsome face, but a mask in the shape of that of a Bat. The witch wearing it smiled at him warmly, before offering their hand, and the wild witch took it eagerly, tenderly being helped back to his feet.

No sooner had he arisen did someone in a cat mask approach, gingerly taking his arm and casting a circle, the warm light of a healing spell grazing his skin and patching it up. “Thank you, all of you.”

The forest was soon filled with many masked individuals, but the first in the bat mask never left his side. He was soon rejoined with his companions, also saved by these brave interlopers, and they had a tearful reunion, with apologies for leaving him being.

Together, the group was escorted through the forest, any resistance from the Emperor's hordes swatted aside by the numbers of the red and black garbed, masked heroes. Finally they made it to safety, and the wild witch turned to the leader who had helped them. “Please, you have helped us so much. Allow me to join you, I want to help!”

The BAT leader smiled kindly, and with open arms declared, “Then, welcome to the Resistance.”

“-And eight, and nine and ten!” Luz grunted, finishing her set and sitting up on top of Owlbert, wiping a bead of sweat that dripped down her face. “Okay, King, what is the first thing you’re going to do when you meet your Dad?”

Amity, in the middle of her own workout, was too distracted to focus on counting her own reps. Luz’s hanging sit-ups were… impressive. Despite the chill of the fall breeze, Amity couldn’t help but feel very warm under her collar. Though that may be the pushups. Yes, it was definitely the pushups.

Her arms gave out, having pushed her limit, and she collapsed into the dirt, completely missing King’s answer.

Her ears twitched as she heard Luz giggle at her, her girlfriend hopping off Owlbert to give her a hand up, which she readily took. “Don’t push yourself too hard there, Amity. We need you in working condition for the Gland prix.”

“I’ll be fine, Luz.” Amity assured, brushing herself off, “Ghost and I are an amazing team. Besides, I’m not the one who’ll be saddled with the upchuck champion.”

“Hey! I have a very sensitive tummy, and even more sensitive feelings!” King yelled, shaking his fist from his seat on the back of Owlbert.

The girls snorted, Luz giving Amity a reassuring pat on the back. “I’m sure we’ll both do fine. Besides, this isn’t a competition… well, it is, but not between you and me, Ams.”

Amity raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me? It absolutely is. I’ll have you know I plan on kicking your butt at the race. Dating me doesn’t save you from your fate in second place.”

Luz’s eyes widened at Amity’s declaration, then she smirked, “Oh, I see I struck a competitive nerve. Well, I hope you’re ready to eat those words, because King and I will be taking home the gold!”

“No gold, Luz, just a really ugly trophy.” King reminded, “but don’t let that stop you guys from tearing each other to pieces over who gets to win for my glory!”

“We’re not going to tear each other to pieces, King,” Luz rolled her eyes, patting his bony head, “buuuut, I don’t think that means we can’t make a friendly wager.”

“I was thinking it’d be more than friendly,” Amity wiggled her eyebrows, earning a chortle from Luz and gagging noises from King.

“Come on you two, I’m already sick enough from the flying, I don’t need your flirting on top of it!” The demon protested, shaking his fist their way.

“You’ll just have to get used to it,” Amity said calmly, turning her attention back to her girlfriend. “What do you have in mind?”

Luz looked thoughtful for a moment, then snapped her fingers, “Whoever wins the race gets to ask for something from the loser!”

Amity’s lips turned upward, and she held out her hand, “Deal.”

Amity already had something in mind for this little wager. A kiss. On the lips. Because it was well past time, and she was (mostly) over her embarrassment from the near kiss at the grudgby game almost two weeks ago. She’d win this race, prove her superiority, and ensure that she and her girlfriend hit their next relationship milestone, all in one fell swoop. Oh, and help King, she supposed.

“Wait, you can’t just shake on it,” King protested, hoping off of Owlbert, “I’ll go get the wager book that the family uses for all of our bets! It’s only legally and magically binding if it’s in writing, remember?”

With that, the little demon scurried into the house, his paws pattering against the wood floors as he searched up and down to find the thing. It wasn’t under the couch cushions, nor in the kitchen cabinets, or buried in any of the potted plants.

After making a mess with the pots and pans, and leaving a trail of soil on the floor, he raced up the stairs, practically kicking down Ed and Em’s bedroom door, walking in despite their protests.

“Would it kill you to knock?” Emira scoffed, glaring at the tiny fiend. She looked tired and frazzled, going over all of the papers they’d written down with the information taken from Philip’s Diary for what must have been the hundredth time.

“Not now, freeloaders. I’m looking for the Clawthorne bet book, and I know you guys have borrowed it before.” King crossed his little arms.

“Yeah… last time we make a three way bet with a witch.” Edric shuddered. “I did not look good with a mullet.”

“You think you looked bad, what about me?” Emira groaned. “We couldn’t leave the house for a week, or we’d be the laughing stocks of Bonesborough. I’m so glad that spell wasn’t permanent.”

“You humans come up with some of the worst fashion,” King agreed gleefully. “But your humiliation isn’t what’s important right now, and wow did I never think I’d say that. Where’s the book?”

“We gave it back to Eda,” Edric stated flippantly, throwing himself onto his bed spread eagle.

“Yeah, like we said, we’re done making bets. I think she’s in her room?” Emira shooed the demon out of her room, complaining under her breath about how she’d need to start over with the notes since he’d made her lose her place.

King took off again for Eda’s room as soon as the door was shut behind him, knocking on the door. He’d learned that Eda valued her privacy enough to hand out time outs if he just burst in all willy-nilly, and he wasn’t messing with that level of black magic.

“You may enter!” Eda’s voice rang out, deep and commanding, only to crack into a snort at her dramatics. Her moment of humor ended when King opened the door, her expression falling. “Oh, King! I thought you were outside training with Luz… to, uh, get on the news and send a message out to your Dad?”

“Oh, I still am doing that!” King spoke proudly, paws on his hips, “but I just need to get our betting book to help Luz and Amity settle a deal they’re making over who can win the race!”

Despite herself, Eda’s lips did curl upwards a little to hear that, “Oh, so there is a little trouble in paradise between those two now, huh? Let me just-“ Eda took one of her hands and shoved it into her hair, quickly pulling the book out. The cover had many addendums made to it over the years, and especially these past few months, originally saying “Eda and King’s One Sided Wagers,” before receiving a now peeling, faded sticker that Luz had added with her own name on it years ago, followed alongside Ed and Em’s own stickers just a few weeks prior.

Well, what was one more? Almost the entire cover was overtaken by the dang things, Eda was sure she could fit one more sticker with Amity’s name, really get the whole family on there. “Go crazy, and make sure I’m there to laugh, point and mock the loser, won’t you?”

“Absolutely!” King cackled, clutching the book to his chest and heading for the door. He stopped in his tracks though, parking himself at the entrance as another, important thought he’d been meaning to discuss with Eda on his mind. “Um, Eda. There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about before I go. You see, I think it’s time for me to le-“

“Leave the talking for later.” Eda quickly interrupted before he could finish. “If you want to win that race with the others, you don’t have time for chit chat. Go back outside and practice, dumby.”

King contemplated this, tapping at his bony chin, then shrugged, “Okay, we’ll talk later, before the Gland Prix! See you later, Eda!”

With that, he closed the door, and Eda collapsed onto her vanity, groaning loudly.

“I know, I know, I haven’t always been the best Mom,” Eda sobbed onto the hard surface of the bar top, much to the irritation of the handful of other patrons who were day drinking on a Tuesday. They came there to get away from their problems with the help of alcohol, not listen to someone else’s. “But I just don’t want my little boy to leave, you know?”

The bartender rolled his eyes, as he had for the past half hour as Eda continued to wail, “I mean, I’ve raised him since he was small enough to fit in my hands, and he doesn’t even call me ‘Mom’, but he can’t wait to meet with this new guy who helped sire him, already calling him ‘Dad,’ and it just tears me apart.”

“I know exactly what you mean, it tears me to pieces every time you leave here without paying your tab,” Kevin, the bartender replied, unsympathetically.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Eda sniffled, “You must have me confused with someone else.”

“Eda, you’re a regular, I’d know your face anywhere!” Kevin argued.

“Eda? The Owl Lady? I heard she was cursed to be an Owlbeast. I also heard she was still amazingly beautiful, even as a monster. I’m clearly a harpy, mister, and while we both have feathers I think it’s real telling you can’t tell the difference.” Eda sucked the last of her drink through a straw, slurping loudly, then tossed the alcoholic juice box aside. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now. Maybe I’ll find a bar that’s less racist to do all my day drinking in, thank you very much!”

“Eda, get back here and pay your damn tab!” But the harpy woman was already gone, stumbling out the door and into the sunshine, breathing in the fresh air of the markets. She dried her eyes, admittedly feeling a bit better to have got everything she’d been holding in out and off her feathery chest, even if it was to a bunch of drunken strangers, and began to meander around the streets.

She got a lot of looks, many people taking in the sight of her new, more powerful form. She even got a few wolf whistles, which were as flattering as they were annoying. Okay, maybe she didn’t miss those as much as she thought, but she wasn’t going to let that put a damper on her joy to be bipedal again.

As she walked through the streets, she took time to admire the statue of Belos, which couldn’t go more than a day without being vandalized in some way, shape or form since it had been put up. It was a mixture of pride and disgust that filled Eda when she realized it also faintly stunk of urine, and she saluted all her inebriated fellows for their misdemeanors.

The statue wasn’t the only thing in the town square that stunk though. Eda let out a disgruntled sigh to see one of those bards in front of the statue, waving around pamphlets and calling out to the crowd. “Join the revolution! Fight against the tyranny of the Titan’s false prophet! Together we can beat him, together!”

“You said together twice,” Eda grumbled under her breath, turning her back to the animal masked weirdo. As much as she loved a good rebellion, she couldn’t get behind the tacky costumes and the general goody-two shoes-ness of the entire operation. What was even the point of rebelling if you weren’t going to be bad boys and girls? Well, that, and they had terrible tastes in public speakers.

“There’s the traitor! Get ‘em!” A voice rang out through the markets, making the Owl Lady freeze. In front of her had to be a half dozen guards, each looking ready for a fight. Eda took a step back, eying her opposition, ready and willing to defend herself, when as one the group rushed forward…. And right past her.

“Eek!” The BAT shrieked, dropping her pamphlets and running, only to meet a second squad of goons. Eda slumped, rolling her eyes. Looks like she had to step in and help someone. At least she got to beat up some guards, and she could always shake down the bard for spare change, or get a promise of a favor. Nothing like having an entire rebellion owe you something.

“Alright, break it up, you’re scaring the poor girl,” Eda grabbed one of the guards by the shoulder and threw him behind her like he weighed nothing. His body crashing into one of the many fruit stands in the area, alerting the rest of the cronies to her presence, and with a sinister grin she looked back, towering over all of them. She cracked her neck and knuckles and spread her wings for maximum intimidation, making a few of the greener recruits shrink back in fear.

The ones directly in front of her were short work, easily smacked around before they could even think to start casting spells. Their offense crumbled before it could even start to build as they fell to her might. All the strength of the Owlbeast, in such a slim, speedy form led to a satisfying smackdown.

The back row, however, was far enough away to prepare lobbing spells, “What is that thing?!” One of the guards questioned, backing away to put more distance between them and Eda.

“I don’t know, but she’s hot!” Another of the guards commented.

“Damn it, Steve, we talked about this when Lilith left!”

Eda weaved between the spells, wishing once more that she had some of her magic back, but the Owlbeast still devoured what little she could recover while in this form. The bard she’d rescued was hiding behind a statue, not even having as much as a kazoo on her to help in the fight, but as it turned out, she didn’t need one.

The guards were blasted away by a handful of spells from behind, more red, white and black uniforms filling the square as a handful of CATs joined the fight, making quick work of what remained of the Emperor’s forces.

“Come on,” a familiar voice said as Eda’s wrist was grabbed, dragging the harpy woman along with them as the rebels fled down the streets, “We need to get out before more reinforcements arrive.”

“Oh, come on, ‘Milly,’ I could totally take them.” Eda smirked, allowing herself to be pulled along, at least until Camila slammed to a stop.

Looking back with a bit of disbelief in her eyes, Camila looked the harpy up and down, “Eda? Is that you?”

All it took was for a smug look to appear on Eda’s face for Camila to deadpan, “Yeah, it’s you. When did this happen?”

“Oh, you know, a few days ago. I’d have told you, if you’d been around at all lately.” Eda commented casually, inspecting her nails, “You’ve been so busy with the whole rebellion thing that Luz and I hardly ever see you these days.”

Camila sighed, a mix of sadness and frustration sounding out, “I know, but this is important. I thought you liked it when people rebelled, anyway.”

“I like it when I rebel,” Eda corrected, then appeared thoughtful, “Though, I won’t lie, it does look good on you. You make this outfit work, girl.”

“You can be a terrible flirt later, we need to get out of here, Eda,” Camila insisted, as her Fellow CATs opened up a sewer manhole and started going down single file. Camila waited until the others made it through, then took a step back, “Are you coming, or…?”

Now it was Eda’s turn to sigh. This wasn’t the first time she hadn’t been entirely sober and ended up in a sewer pipe, but she’d hoped the first time would have been the last, “Alright, alright.”

By the time more guards had shown up, Eda and the rebels were long gone.

“So, uh, thanks for saving me back there,” The bat masked woman said sincerely as they travelled down the sewer paths. “That’s twice I owe you.”

Eda eyed the dark skinned woman, but unlike the last time she’d run into members of this organization, she couldn’t place a name, “Do, I, uh, know you?”

“Oh, um, forget I said anything,” The woman sped up her stride, brushing past her fellows to take the lead to take them to their headquarters.

Eda shook her head, careful to keep it low so as to not brush her hair against the grimy sewer’s ceiling, then turned her attention back to her ex. “So, these are the guys you’re staking your life on, huh?”

“They’re good people, Eda,” Camila scolded. “And we’re sticking it to the Emperor, and as much as you might act like you don’t care, I know you’re all about that.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll admit, I like that you’re sticking it to the masked moron,” Eda confessed. “I’m just wondering where all this rebellious spirit was back when we were dating, is all. You never wanted to stick it to Belos back then.”

Camila scoffed in Eda’s face, “Eda, that wasn’t rebellion, that was just straight up criminal activity. I’m sorry that my idea of a romantic date didn’t involve bank robbery.”

“How could you possibly know if you’ve never tried?” Eda argued playfully.

Something flashed in Camila’s mind, and she poked at Eda with a finger with a grin on her lips, “Oh, I get it now, you’re jealous. You spent all the years we were together trying to get me to… rob the Emperor’s ships, TP his property, and undermine his authority, and yet here I am, swept up into something that I think matters that happens to include those things, and you can’t stand it, can you?”

Eda’s lip twitched and her feathers ruffled as she quickly turned away, refusing to look at her ex-baby-mama. “I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

Camila laughed openly, the sound echoing off the curved walls of the sewer, “I’m right, aren’t I? You really hate the idea that some mysterious, masked person swept me up and into this craze. I’ll admit, our leader is very charming, and not bad in the looks department, but I assure you, Eda, Bats as a motif have never done anything for me. I’m here because I legitimately want to be.”

Eda covered her ears with her hands, “Lalalala, I’m not listening!”

Camila slapped her hands down and shushed her. Eda crossed her arms, still avoiding her ex’s eyes as she commented, “I doubt your dear leader is that good looking under that mask. Why else would they wear it? And that’s not jealousy speaking, that’s just common sense. You don’t see me hiding this perfect mug, do ya? Besides, what good are these guys doing, anyway?”

“We’re making the world a better place, Eda.” Camila assured her, patting Eda’s arm. “I know, you’re perfectly fine with keeping out of it. Belos being in power was never a big deal to you as long as you stayed one mocking step ahead, but I don’t want Luz growing up in this kind of world. She shouldn’t have to be forced to be a criminal, branded a wild witch like you are, just because she wants to be herself. So, please, could you give us a chance?”

Eda bowed her head, understanding what Camila meant. Luz had made it clear plenty of times that she had no intention of joining any coven, and following in Eda’s footsteps, and while that was a lifestyle Eda enjoyed, she didn’t think Luz would last long alone in that position. If Eda had been petrified like Belos had planned… “Alright, fine, I’ll hear you guys out. What’s the worst that could happen? I get brainwashed into the cult and go from a bird to a bat? Or eugh, even worse, have to wear one of those cat masks?”

They had finished weaving through the tunnels until they finally came across a door that looked more like it belonged to a bank vault than inside of a sewer. The metal bulkhead door looked tightly locked down, with a slot at around eye level. The Bat masked Bard gave a cryptic, rhythmic knock, and a moment later the slot slid open and a pair of brown eyes appeared.

“We’re back, and we brought a guest, so masks up.” The BAT woman spoke, earning a barely visible nod from her compatriot on the other side of the door. The slot slid back closed, and Eda, Camila, and the other nameless CATs waited a minute or so before the door opened, allowing them entrance.

“Welcome to our HQ, Eda,” Camila said warmly, stepping inside the bulkhead. Eda of course had to duck as she entered, the only thing she was quickly growing tired of in her new form. When Eda was inside properly, the same man who’d answered their knock shut the door behind her, locking the entrance back down, and Eda took the chance to get a good look at where she was.

Eda had been expecting tunnels, and instead found herself in some kind of antechamber. An inspection of the walls showed that this section of the sewers had been heavily modified, probably by construction magic, to be larger. She could even see the remains of the large pipes on the walls, the curve still there in the stone. The rest of the area was spacious, areas having been knocked down, and construction was clearly still going on as more expansions were added, if the amount of wreckage and tools in the corners of the room were anything to say.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the people. Eda had known the rebellion was gaining momentum, but there were easily three dozen people in the HQ, all bustling around, wearing their identity concealing masks. She couldn’t imagine how many were off duty, living their civilian lives up above if this was how many were here on a Tuesday at midday.

There were even a few palisman running about, some perched on shoulders, others on shelves. In the corner there appeared to be a makeshift area made of stacked empty wooden boxes turned on their sides with names imprinted on them, with what looked like pet beds on the inside. A Palisman hotel of sorts.

“All right, all right, let me through,” Eda pushed through the masked faces to follow after Camila, who was going into the next room, “Important, wanted criminal here. Just giving you all a safety inspection. Making sure everything isn’t up to code, since, well, we’re rebels and all.”

That managed to get a few chuckles among the curious faces. Camila continued to push ahead, Eda trailing after as they entered the next room, a smaller space with a table with a map of Bonesborough displayed on top, areas of importance circled and various other maps laid around the place, “Alright, where’s the leader, I gotta meet this guy. I need to see what everyone else here is seeing with my own eyes.”

A person stepped through the entrance on the opposite side of the war room, and Eda’s eyes narrowed, claws extending, “You.”

Camila dove between the two, using all of her strength to push Eda back, which didn’t even seem to affect the harpyfied witch, who marched as if unimpeded. Eda let out a snarl, “Don’t tell me she’s the one leading this damn thing?”

Lilith stepped back as her sister stalked her way until her back was pressed against the wall, the rolled up maps she held in her arms falling out of her grasp and onto the floor, “N-no, Edalyn, I- I’m just-“

“She’s one of our informants!” Camila spat out between her teeth, still pushing against Eda’s form, which thankfully stopped in her unrelenting warpath at her words.

Eda’s eyes flashed in recognition, having heard of an informant before in the Bat Queen’s forest. “She’s how you knew about the palisman stuff?”

“Yes, she told us everything she could about the Emperor’s reliance on them,” Camila spoke softly, no longer pushing against Eda, but still holding her hands up in defense of Lilith.

“So you knew?” Eda’s glare returned to her sister’s eyes, “You knew what he was doing to them, and you still tried to get me to join his joke of a coven? You did nothing, when Dad spent his life carving them, and doing what he could to combat their declining numbers? I oughta-“

“Yes, I know.” Lilith confessed, “I knew and I did nothing. I would have done anything to get you to join the Emperor’s Coven, sister, because he promised to erase my mistakes if I did, and I was too blinded to see anything else but that.”

She straightened her glasses, Eda only now realizing she’d gone back to wearing them, and continued, “but I’m here now. I’m trying to fix all of the mistakes I made, the proper way. Without having to sacrifice innocents who happen to be in my way. I couldn’t continue to remain blind to my misdeeds, and these people were willing to take my assistance.”

Eda clenched her fists and bared her teeth, “Well maybe I don’t want to meet with the same people who’d take your help, then. What kind of moron could they be?”

“That would be me,” a new voice spoke, stepping through the same doorway Lilith had come through. Eda recognized the figure, the person on all the wanted posters who had been at her petrification ceremony. Up close they weren’t much to look at, thin and a little scrawny, but they held themselves with a stern energy. In a way, Eda could see why people would follow them. Even if the bat mask made them look like a dork.

“And I was the one who recommended we reach out to her,” Camila spoke up. Eda felt a stab of betrayal at that news.

“After everything she did? To me? To Luz?” She questioned.

“I haven’t forgiven her, Eda,” Camila kept her voice level, but hard as steel, “I don’t think I’m capable of ever doing that. But at least this way she is contributing something positive to the world instead of sitting at your parents house feeling sorry for herself.”

“And I thank you for the chance to do some good,” Lilith said quietly from her wall, busy scooping up her dropped papers. “I hope, dear sister, that my contributions won’t hinder your decisions on if this is a worthy cause to join or not.”

Eda could feel three pairs of eyes on her, and knew this was a losing fight. If Camila was vouching for Lilith, she’d leave her sister’s throat intact and where it was. Instead she turned to the boss, the leader of the BATs, and did what she did best. Deflect with humor. “You know, the humans have this hero they call Batman…”

Behind their mask, the BAT huffed, though they seemed to find some humor in what Eda had said, “Please, I prefer more gender neutral pronouns myself. Now, if you’ll step this way.” They extended their hand, gesturing to the back room they and Lilith had come from.

Eda stepped through the curtain that divided the room and into what looked like an office, joined by Camila and her boss. As soon as they were alone, Camila took off her cat mask, and reapplied her glasses over her eyes. It made Eda wonder if the masks they wore were enchanted to let the wearer see properly, seeing as Eda knew Camila was half blind without her glasses.

“Alright, down to brass tax, bucko, because I’m not listening to a word you have to say until I can see your face for myself. What happens from there, we’ll see.” Eda didn’t hesitate to lay down the law, ironic for someone with a record breaking bounty and mile long criminal record.

The BAT leader chuckled softly, leaning against their desk. “You haven't changed a whole lot since I last saw you, huh Eda?”

Eda frowned, cocking her head, “Great, another bat masked weirdo I don’t recognize. This is becoming a bad habit. Don’t tell me, I saved your life at some point too?”

They hummed, reaching for the straps that kept the mask in place, “Something like that.” The mask dropped, revealing the face of the teal haired witch who ran the rebellion. It was thirty years older, more mature, with wrinkles in places Eda wasn’t used to seeing them in, but it was a face she couldn’t ever forget.

“Raine…” She breathed, taking in the sight of her former best friend and crush from her Hexside days. She hadn’t seen them since the two of them were only a little older than Luz was now. With a laugh she rushed forward, a blur with her enhanced level of speed, and swept the bard up in her arms, crushing them in a hug, “Raine! You spawn of a witch! How have you been?”

Raine struggled in her arms, face red from a mixture of embarrassment and general fluster to be pressed against their former high school crush’s chest. “Eda, need… to… breathe!”

“Oh right,” Eda remembered her strength and dropped the bard, who managed to catch their balance as their feet hit the floor. Behind them, Camila was trying to stifle her laughter over the enthusiastic reunion. Hearing her ex’s laughter, Eda turned to Cam, then back to Raine, a memory clicking into place, “That’s how Camila met you at the petrification! You were the wackadoo with the mallet!”

Raine smiled as they straightened their uniform back out, “I see you got my message. But a Grom dance isn’t what’s important right now, there are some things I wanted to discuss-“

“Same here,” Eda interrupted, “Before we begin all that secret agent talk, I need to know, how’d tiny little Raine Whispers, who I had to defend from getting swirlies back in high school, become a big time rebellion leader?

“You know, I never used to get swirlies back at St. Epiderm… No one at Hexside respected the new kid, much less one in the bard track who was best friends with the class clown,” Raine sighed, looking back on those memories, pushing their glasses up their nose. “And a lot can change in thirty years, Eda. As for how… For a while, I just stuck to my track. Kept my head down for the rest of my time at Hexside, avoided the bullies and Faust’s beady eyes. Eventually they both found someone else to torment.”

Raine reminisced for a moment, then continued, “When I was an adult, I started out small. A local record label got in contact with me, and I spent over a decade writing and producing music. It was amazing work, even though I could never bring myself to play in front of a live audience.”

“My kid grew up on your tunes, Raine.” Eda smiled brightly, her dark eyes locking with theirs, “I even paid for them all legally. Okay, fine, I did rob a pirate ship for one of the rare exclusive albums you put out, but I supported your career. Doesn’t surprise me that you never gave any live shows, though, you always did get bad stage fright, at least since Hexside put on that school production of RATS!”

Camila nodded, “Our daughter Luz is a big fan of your work, she would probably fangirl all over you if you two met.”

Raine chuckled, feeling rather bashful, “I’ll make sure to keep my mask on if I ever have a chance of bumping into her, then. I always had a hard time meeting fans. Just standing in front of my fellow rebels has put all of my acting skills to the test so they don’t see I’m sweating talking to the whole group. And thanks, Eda, for supporting my music. That means a lot.”

Eda gestured for them to continue, and after clearing their throat, they did, “Anyway, that’s how it was for a while. Then I was approached by the Head of the Bard coven, Scooter Crane about a decade ago with a job opportunity.”

Eda whistled, “the head of the Bard Coven himself came down to hire you? That’s a pretty big deal, even to someone who isn’t a bootlicker like myself.”

Raine nodded solemnly, “I know. I felt I couldn’t say no, so I took the job. Told myself this was a chance to change things from the inside. Make the Empire a better place. I quickly found out that wasn’t the case. I was a cog in a wheel of an oppressive machine, unable to change anything. I was frustrated, angry, and no amount of songwriting or poetry made me feel better. None of that mattered if it wasn’t going to change anything.”

The bard was looking worked up, pacing the place, “The Emperor was cracking down on anyone not in a coven, using force. He started coming to the bards to use our magic to force people into joining, to turn us into some twisted Pied Pipers. That was the final straw for me. Music is meant to inspire emotions and creativity, not to be used to- to brainwash the listener!”

Raine slammed their hand on the desk as they spoke, cold fury in their voice. “The BATs started small. Shortly after I decided I couldn’t sit back any more, I met my second in command, Katya. Eda, you helped break her out of prison, and in a way, this entire organization only exists because of that. With Katya’s help, we started slowly recruiting new members, up until our membership exploded after your Petrification ceremony.”

Raine finished, crossing their arms, “And that's just about everything. The important bits, at least.”

“Huh,” Eda looked a bit stunned after hearing her old friend’s life story, but quickly shook her head, clearing it, “So, what you’re saying is, I’m amazing, and everything cool that’s happened to you is because of me? Sounds about par for the course.”

Raine shook their head in bemusement, “I have to say, Eda, I have… missed that sense of humor of yours. Anyway, that’s my story. Care to tell me yours?”

“What’s to say that isn’t likely on public record?” Eda shrugged, but continued anyway, “I got cursed, left school, but you were there for that. I spent the next few years running scams in the Human Realm, then got bored because damn, if they’re just too easy to trick. Came back here, met Camila, we were hot and heavy for a while-“

Camila kicked Eda’s shin, not looking amused. Eda just gave a grin, “Oh, come on, those are some good memories! Ugh, fine. Anyway, we popped out a kid, but she inherited my curse, so I left, spent a long time looking for a cure and the person who did it, never did, settled back into my life of crime, then took in a human as my protege, then found out my own sister cursed me and have kinda wanted her dead ever since. The end.”

“Sounds like you’ve led an eventful life.” Raine murmured, rubbing their chin, “We’ll have to catch up sometime, so I can hear it in more detail. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. If I’d known, I’d have done something about Lilith to keep her out of your way.”

“It’s alright. As for catching up, I’ll be happy as long as you’re bringing the Apple Blood,” Eda chuckled, elbowing Raine in the ribs hard enough to jostle them. “Oops, sorry about that, still getting used to the new strength.”

Raine straightened their glasses and recomposed themselves, “Now that you’re here Eda, and have heard what I’ve had to say, would you consider joining us? I’ll admit, as big as the BATs have become, I still often feel I’m only playing a role you were born for, being as natural a rebel as they come. I could honestly use the help.”

Eda’s smirk faded a little as she looked down at her childhood friend. Sure, they’d once been thick as thieves, and Eda had a bit of a crush way back when(and Cam was right, Raine had grown to be pretty good looking), but still, this was a lot to ask a woman with kids back at home to do. She glanced over at Camila, who gave her a sympathetic look and short shake of her head.

“I understand what you’re thinking, Eda. Trust me, I still think about it every day, every mission I have to go on. But this is something only you can decide.” The other woman said softly.

Eda supposed that made sense. Of course the first thing on Cam’s mind would be their kids. Not just Luz, but King and Amity as well, and to a lesser extent, the twins. And how if something went wrong, those kids would be alone in the world, with no parents to guide them.

A part of Eda wanted to immediately dismiss the invitation, go home, and wrap those damn rugrats in her arms in a hug so tight their heads popped off. But the part of her avoiding home, avoiding wanting to face the truth that King was going to leave her soon, well, it teamed up with her rebellious spirit and with just a smidgen of hesitation she gave her response, “Sure, I’m in.”

Raine smiled widely, jubilant to be working alongside the harpy woman, “Excellent news! Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the people you’ll be working with.”

The next few days passed in a flash. Between Eda joining the rebellion and being sent on missions, sometimes multiple ones a day, Luz and Amity prepared for the race, while King did his best to train his stomach not to empty while in the air, and even the twins researching and putting together the parts needed for a portal back to their home, it seemed everyone had something on their hands.

Eda hadn’t thought she’d fit so well into the BATs, expecting eccentric theater folk, and well, some of them were, but most of them were just normal people. Sure, she avoided one or two she’d scammed in the past, but for the most part they were a good motley crew of people, and she even learned all their names, for the most part.

Okay, she messed all their names up, but she got it in the ballpark. She’d known Goops for years now and still couldn’t get the boy's name right, as he often reminded her.

Of course, there were some weirdos in the bunch, but that’s what you got when you had a big group of people who wanted to overthrow an Empire. The one who stuck out to Eda the most was a dark skinned man who refused to take off his cat mask around anyone, convinced at least one of the others might be a spy, including Eda.

Eda often found him sitting in a chair in the corner of the war room, sharpening an odd dagger, and decided to see what his deal was about two days after she’d joined. His sharp eyes watched everyone else in the room, including her as she approached.

“What kinda blade is that supposed to be?” Eda had snorted when she’d seen it. It didn’t have a singular blade, rather it had three different edges that were combined on their backs and twisted into a corkscrew shape. “Looks kinda useless for slashing up anyone if you ask me.”

“It’s for stabbing, and stabbing only,” Was his rough voiced response, his voice like sandpaper. “A dagger like this gouges a hole in anyone it’s stabbed into, and if you know where to hit, it can make someone bleed out in minutes. The way it cuts into someone ensures only healing magic could possibly heal it enough to slow the bleeding, meaning that unless they have someone on hand who’s a healer, it’s almost assuredly a kill.”

Eda took a nervous step back from the weirdo, wishing she’d never tried to make conversation, “Okaaaay, so, I can see you really hate those Coven Scouts-“

“I do, but it’s not for them,” The masked man insisted, an edge as shape as his blade in his voice.

Camila had ushered Eda away after that. “Don’t mind Dos, he’s… especially paranoid, but he’s got a good heart.” She assured Eda quietly.

“Sounds like a wack job to me,” Eda replied back, still feeling Dos’ eyes on her.

Then there was working alongside Lilith of all people. Eda hadn’t been happy about that, especially since Lilith helped put together the missions that concerned anything revolving around the Emperor's Coven, but she begrudgingly would admit that she could see how Lilith had risen up in the ranks when she’d been with the baddies. The witch knew what she was doing, and could plan around any and all of the guards patrolling.

That didn’t mean that Eda was happy about it, but after dealing with Lilith for almost a week, the animosity she felt for her older sister had begun to lessen, if just a little. Eda now didn’t glare daggers at her the entire time she spoke, and they’d even held a few conversations where Eda only issued one or two thinly veiled threats, and only several bitingly sarcastic comments.

“I know I have no right to ask this,” Lilith asked halfway through the week, having cornered Eda before she could head home after a late night mission where they helped relocate a few wild witches the Emperor’s coven were transporting to the Conformatorium, “but I’ve been wondering… How is Luz doing? Mother mentioned she transformed last time she visited, and…”

Lilith trailed off, clearly feeling overwhelmed by her guilt. Eda was usually happy to have Lilith suffer, but took a bit of pity on her sister this time, “Luz is fine. Still happy-go-lucky twenty-four/seven, still dating her little human girlfriend, and yeah, still cursed. She doesn’t need her elixir as often as before, and has only transformed the once because Mom and I were stressing her out.”

“That’s… that's good news, thank you, Edalyn.” Lilith bowed her head, then brushed her grey strands out of her eyes when she stood back up.

Eda didn’t know what compelled her to ask, but she did anyway, almost biting her tongue as the words escaped her lips, “And you? How are you dealing with having half of the curse?”

Lilith’s lips formed a little ‘o’ to hear Eda sound almost concerned for her, and allowed herself a little smile before answering, “I’ve done well to keep it contained. Only partial transformations, though I need my elixir at least twice a week. Often times the Owlbeast is… violent, like she’s thrashing against the metaphorical walls inside me, trying to get out.”

There was a glimmer in her eyes that Eda recognized as Lilith entering study mode, “I have been trying to parse out exactly how you managed to become one with your Owlbeast, dear sister, so that I may too have access to this harpy form you currently use. Would you mind passing along any tips, or…?”

Eda snorted, half a sneer on her face, “Yeah, not happening. You can figure it out yourself. Maybe when you’ve struggled for thirty years and lost all of your magic in the process, I might be willing to lend a hand, but not a moment before.”

Lilith frowned, but accepted that answer, “That’s fair, I suppose.”

“Damn right it is.” That had been the end of the only conversation they’d had that didn’t involve Eda fantasizing about stabbing Lilith with Dos’ dumb knife, and it figured it was one that started with Luz.

Speaking of her kid, she’d hardly seen Luz since she joined the rebellion, having been out of the house for most of the week. Of course, that was on purpose, she was hiding from King, but still, she supposed she should check on her kids more often.

Eda stood up from her vanity and headed out of her room, hearing grunting and groaning in the living room almost as soon as she’d opened her door. Making a face, she carefully stepped down stairs, and raised an eyebrow as she watched Luz and Amity. “What are you two doing?”

“Push-up contest!” King filled her in from on top of Luz’s back. “I’m keeping count!”

“I should win just for having the extra weight to begin with,” Luz muttered, struggling to keep her arms pumping, sweat dripping down her face.

“You’re only saying that because you know you’re losing!” Amity panted, a competitive grin on her lips.

“You just watch, Blight, I’m going to be so strong when we’re done!” Luz insisted, looking ready to drop herself.

“You’d better be. Become so strong you can carry me in your arms!” Amity roared, then continued her push-ups with renewed vigor.

Eda looked at both with a deadpan expression, “You know, this is exactly the reason I put you in different bedrooms. You could cut the tension with a knife in here, Titan.”

Luz collapsed, her arms finally giving out as she let out a whine, “Moooom, please don’t get all gross and weird.”

King hopped off her back, patting her head, “Twenty pushups! That’s a new record!”

“For her!” Amity spoke through grit teeth, still going, “I’m pushing fifty over here! Boscha makes us do at least that as our warm up exercise for Grudgby practice.”

Eda let out a whistle, “Look at the guns on little miss human. Come on, Luz, you’re making my bloodline look weak. Why are you so sweaty and out of breath over such a light workout?”

“Weak nerd arms…” Luz pouted, rolling over onto her back. “I’m going to be so sore tomorrow…”

Amity let out a breath, finishing her set at sixty and joining Luz by laying down on the floor, “You’d better not be, we’ve got our race tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah, the Gland Prix! I almost forgot,” Eda struck her palm with a fist, now having the full context of why her kids had been so work out crazy.

“You’ll be there, right?” Luz asked, eyes shimmering with hope.

Eda scoffed, and put her hands on her hips, “Of course I’ll be there. What kind of overbearing sports Mom would I be if I wasn’t there, bragging about how my kid was going to curb stomp all the other brats to the other parent’s faces?”

“Overbearing sports mom?” Amity raised an eyebrow, sending a look Eda’s way.

Eda beamed with pride, “of course! Sure, Luz didn’t exactly have much of an interest in pursuing Grudgby like her dear old Mom did back in her Hexside days, but I’ll always be there for what she does decide to do. Same for you, kiddo.”

“Aw, thanks, Eda.” Amity bashfully replied, playing with a strand of her hair.

“Speaking of being there,” King segued, bounding over to Eda, “Do you think you have time to talk? I really need to-“

“Go! I need to go, really busy lately King,” Eda quickly spoke, voice stiff and louder than her usual indoor voice. “I’m really sorry, but I need to head out, take care of some stuff before the race tomorrow! Don’t wait up for me, I’ll be back after all of your bed times.”

With that, Eda excused herself, making for the front door and slamming it behind her once she’d left. She slumped against it, feeling awful, but she still wasn’t ready for King to tell her he was leaving. “Hooty, watch over them for me, won’t you?”

“Hoot, you can count on me!” Hooty assured, sending the witch a wink. She gave him a small crooked smile in return, then stalked off into the night, hoping that Raine would have something to give her to do so she wasn’t entirely a liar.

Pulling out her callbird, she rang their number, tapping her foot as she waited. After a moment and more than a handful of rings, Raine answered, their voice echoing over the line, “Eda?”

“Hey, Rainestorm! I’ve got some time to kill, wanted to know if you had any missions lined up?” She lied through her teeth.

The other line was silent for a moment, but not the tense kind. Eda could imagine Raine smiling, eyes twinkling in amusement before they responded, “Actually, no, I don’t. We just finished the last on tonight’s agenda, I was actually taking a few of the crew out for drinks. Would you be interested?”

Eda grinned, “That’s even better. You still owe me that Appleblood.”

Eda laughed, clinking her bottle of booze against Raine’s before taking a swish. “You really know how to throw a party, Whispers!”

Raine chuckled, looking around at the relatively quiet venue, “I’m not sure what you mean. Hardly anyone is here!”

“Exactly my point!” Eda took another drink, “it’s quiet, we got a jukebox, and there are just enough people here that I don’t hate.”

As it turned out, Raine had only brought along those they’d been working with on the last mission, that being Katya, Derwin, Amber, and Camila. The four had claimed a booth in the corner, chatting amongst themselves, while Raine and Eda sat at the bar, occasionally looking back at their friends.

“Is Amber even old enough to drink?” Eda questioned, watching the girl down her own bottle like the world was about to end and she didn’t want to face it sober.

Raine groaned, burying their face in their hands, “I don’t even know… but if she’s old enough to fight against tyranny…”

“It’s hard to be a rebel, and enforce the rules,” Eda patted their back, chuckling to herself. “I’ve had to learn the hard way as a parent.”

“How are your kids doing, by the way?” Raine asked, a smile on their lips as they watched Eda slump in her seat.

“Ugh, don’t even get me started!” The Owl Lady gave an exaggerated groan. “Luz is in the middle of puberty, and lives in the same house as her girlfriend, who is like an extra daughter to me. I know it’s only a matter of time before I walk in on them making out together, and that is not something I want to mentally scar me!”

Propping an elbow on the table, she continued, “Then there are the humans. Amity, my apprentice/adopted kid is… she is a great kid. Smart, orderly, when we were struggling after my near petrification she even went out and got a job!”

Raine took a sip of their drink, “Then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing! I just feel like at some point, I’m going to be the one who screws it up, is all.” Eda played with her hair, staring into her Appleblood, “You ever feel like that sometimes?”

Raine looked back at the table, full of people whose lives depended on them leading them all properly, “All the time.”

“And then there are the twins. They aren’t my kids, not really, but I’m in charge of them until they get home. Little troublemakers. If they had magic, they’d get into about as much trouble as I did when I was their age. I never thought I’d sympathize with my Mother, and I hate that they make me feel that way.” Eda continued to ramble, gesturing for another drink to the bartender.

Finally, the harpy slumped, “Then there is King. King’s looking for his biological dad, and… and he’s gonna leave me. And I’m not ready for that. He’s my baby, the littlest of the bunch, and I’m just not ready to let him go yet.” Eda sniffed, wiping at her nose.

Raine reached out hesitantly, and patted Eda’s back, between her wings and hoping that wasn’t an inappropriate gesture, “There, there. Have you tried talking about it with him?”

Eda shook her head, “No! Titan No! I’m terrible at that kind of stuff. I’ve been avoiding him all this time, even called to take on a mission to distract myself from it tonight. I just want to live in denial a little bit longer. Is that so bad?”

Raine sighed, shaking their head, “You’ll have to face the music at some point, Eda. For what it’s worth, I’m sure he loves you, he just might be caught up in some new feelings.”

Eda didn’t want to talk about this anymore, taking a big gulp of her drink and standing up. “Oh, I’ll face the music, alright. You, me, jukebox, now”

Raine’s cheeks flushed as Eda held out a hand to them, “Wait, what?”

Eda rolled her eyes and tapped a talon against the ground, “I know I’m being a buzzkill, so let's have some fun. You keep saying I owe you a dance, so let's dance!”

Raine wasn’t given much of a choice, Eda using her superior strength to yank them out of their barstool by their arm and taking them over to the jukebox, which was already playing some pop beat both were feeling too old to recognize. Eda began to dance her troubles away, laughing as she watched the bard try to keep up. “For someone who made music their whole career, you really do have two left feet!”

“I’m just not used to having an audience!” Raine insisted, trying not to trip over themselves. From across the bar the rest of the BATs were taking notice, egging Eda on and cheering obnoxiously as they did so.

“You need to put your hips into it, here, like this!” Eda chortled, placing her hands on Raine’s hips and guiding them, making them mimic her own movements. Raine’s face was crimson, though from dancing in public, being in close proximity to a beautiful woman, or just flushed from the alcohol, no one could tell.

The song ended soon after they started dancing, with Raine both gratefully to stop making an embarrassment of themself and sorry it was over. The next song was beginning to start, a slower song, and Eda held out her hands for Raine to take, giving them an eager look, “One more.”

Raine was about to agree, but became mortified as they recognized the song playing, “No, oh no, I am not dancing to something I wrote, thank you very much!”

Eda laughed as Raine backed off, and she continued to dance in place, “Are you sure? Guess I’ll need to pilfer another dance partner.”

Raine returned to their seat, watching as Eda glided across the floor and over to the booth the rest of the BATs were sitting in, craning over everyone with a smug look on her face. Raine couldn’t hear what they were saying, but somehow Eda had convinced the others to join her, all of them piling out of the booth to boogie the night away.

It didn’t take long for Raine to realize all of them had done so as a joke to mock them, as they jammed out to Raine’s song. Amber and Katya weren’t exactly subtle about it, locking eyes with Raine as they did a little jig together. Raine resisted the urge to bury their face in their hands, instead taking another drink and continued to watch them.

Eda danced close to Camila, the two laughing as they went, with Eda offering her hands to the smaller woman. They danced through that song, and then the next, trading partners on occasion, but always returning for another dance together.

Raine joined a few more dances themself, feeling like if everyone was making a fool of themselves, they might as well too. As long as it wasn’t their music, at least. Eda had been ecstatic when they pulled themselves back to the dance floor, swaying her hips to the beat. “Since you’re a bard, I assume you still play?”

Raine stifled a chuckle, “Yes, I, a bard, who’s entire vast repertoire of magic requires music, still play an instrument. I think the better question is, can you?”

They poofed their violin into existence, playing a short flourish of chords to ensure it was still in tune, then passed it over to Eda, grinning and waggling their eyebrows at the chance to get back at the harpy for everything she’d pulled so far that night. Finally it was the Eda’s turn to look embarrassed, as everyone around her clapped and cheered for her to play something, “Oh, come on, I haven’t even touched one of these things since Raine and I were still students together!”

“If we can laugh at Raine’s dancing skills, we can laugh at your music skills, Eda” Amber cackled, the other’s agreeing with the statement.

With a nervous look around the room, Eda shrugged, knowing the only people outside of her friends to hear her play would be the bartender. Lifting the violin to her chin, she ran the bow across the strings to test the sound, then scraped out a simple tune she hadn’t played in decades, thinking back to her time at Hexside, when Raine had gotten her really into bard magic for a semester before her transformation.

Closing her eyes and focusing on that memory, a bit of how to play came back, as she focused on the sound of a younger Raine’s voice in her mind guiding her on how to move the bow. The notes came out uneven, without the ease years of practice would bring, but that didn’t matter as around her the BATs began to clap their hands to the beat, emboldening her to play more.

“Eda, open your eyes!” Camila’s voice sounded, and Eda almost stopped playing. Doing as she was asked while focusing on her task, she looked around in wonder as the bottles around the bar began to float around the room, swaying with the tune.

“My magic?” Eda breathed, looking hopeful. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to do anything like this again, and yet here it was. That joyous feeling didn’t last, as the bottles began to burn black, the glass corroding the more she played. Her cheerful expression fell as the black magic ate away enough of one bottle to make it leak all over the counter, which was the final straw to get her to cease the music.

“That was certainly… something.” Derwin spoke, awe in his voice at such a unique and beautifully twisted display of magic.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Eda sighed. She handed the violin back to Raine, “Guess we’ll just have to stick with the jukebox for the rest of the night. Unless Rainestorm here wants to put on a show?”

She flashed them a mischievous grin, immediately making Raine flustered at the thought of performing, “No, no way. Not only have I not had nearly enough to drink, if I do that and the next thing you know, those four will be asking for an encore.”

As the night was coming to an end and last call was being announced, Eda joined Raine back at the bar, taking her half finished bottle and chugging the last few mouthfuls. “Wanna know the best part about being a harpy? I can drink like I’m twenty again, and not have to worry about the hangovers like I’m my actual age. I think the booze gets split between me and the Owlbeast, or something.”

“Oh, if only I were so lucky,” Raine chuckled, polishing off their own bottle. Glancing over at Eda, who was watching the others gather their things and leaving, they couldn’t help but ask. “You know, I asked about your family before… but about Camila…”

“Is she single?” Eda asked, eyebrow cocked, “I mean, I think so? I try not to think about it. You, uh, interested?”

Raine shook their head, earning an exhale of relief from the harpy beside them, “That wasn’t what I was going to ask. I wanted to know… and you don’t need to answer, but… do you still have feelings for her?”

Eda blinked, setting her empty bottle down quietly, mouth moving silently as she searched for her words. “It doesn’t matter what I feel, Rainestorm. I left them. I left her.”

Raine sniffed, biting their lip, “That’s not exactly an answer.”

Eda shook her head, lips pursed tightly, “I know.”

The Owl Lady sighed, stretching as she prepared to leave, “Thanks for the drinks. I’d put them on my tab, but I don’t think Kevin would appreciate that.”

Raine bid Eda farewell, waving as she left. Raine straightened their glasses, wondering if it had been right to ask that or not, if they had a chance or not. After all, the song of theirs that had played on the jukebox, the one they’d been too embarrassed about to dance with Eda, had been about her, made early in their career when they were still pining over a school kid crush.

For now, they put that out of their mind. Tomorrow was supposed to be a big day, and they needed to prepare for it.

The next morning, Eda woke bright and early at the crack of noon, wiping her crusty eyes. The trip to the bar last night had gone on late, not that Eda was complaining, she wasn’t called the Owl Lady for nothing, but it had put a hamper on her morning plans. Still, she crawled out of her nest and prepared to take her kids to the Gland Prix like she promised.

She cooked them all a very late breakfast, making sure that King’s was something easy for his sensitive tummy to handle, a simple bowl of Oatmeal, when a knock came on the door. Luz’s ears perked up, and with a grin she announced, “I’ll get it!”

The sound of the door opening and then slamming shut, followed by excited voices greeted the kitchen as Luz returned, side by side with Camila. Eda gave her ex a toothy smile, scooping her a bowl of oats to go along with the kids’. “I wasn’t expecting you to show up.”

“I wasn’t going to miss my daughter’s big race.” Camila said good naturedly, taking a seat just as Eda put the food down. “And breakfast? Eda, it’s lunchtime.”

“It’s eight’o’clock somewhere,” Eda shrugged, “You gonna eat it or not? And I meant I wasn’t expecting to see you in the house, not that I didn’t think you’d come for the prix.”

Camila grabbed a spoon, and took a bite as her answer. After she swallowed, she continued, “I figured it would be fine to stop by. I know I don’t do it often, but since we’ve been seeing so much of each other lately-“

Luz’s spoon clattered to the floor, and all eyes landed on the teenager. With crimson cheeks and a sheepish smile, she ducked under the table and grabbed her fallen utensil, her voice trailing out from below. “So, wait, is that where you’ve been going so often this past week? You and Mama have been hanging out?” She directed towards Eda.

Eda’s mouth hung open as she searched for an answer that wouldn’t rob the joyful expression from her daughter’s face. It wasn’t like she could just tell Luz that no, they’d been doing secret missions for the resistance against the empire, and not rekindling their old romance together. “Uh, yeah, we’ve been hanging out a bit. Just catching up, trading parental tips and such.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, not that she wasn’t above telling a little fib to Luz, but she’d promised to try and do better after the entire King not being a king debacle. Luz looked like she was visibly radiating happiness, a living ray of sunshine blinding everyone at the kitchen table, but Camila, always the responsible one, put a hand over Luz’s.

“Really, mija, it’s not what you’re thinking.” The woman said in a calm tone of voice, letting the girl down easy. “Eda and I just have had some recent business opportunities that we’re working out together. Boring adult stuff, that we’ll explain better later. You have a race to get to today, after all.”

Luz deflated, Amity patting her back supportively. Eda let out a sigh, hoping that would be the end of that conversation.

Throughout breakfast, King seemed like he wanted to broach the subject he’d been wanting to talk about for the past week, but Eda always came up with an excuse, until they were out of time and had to leave. Eda, King and Luz mounted Owlbert, while Amity and Camila took Ghost, and together they flew to the Grand Prix, careful to go slow enough to not make King lose his breakfast before it could be halfway digested.

As they settled down on the ground, Eda made sure to hand Owlbert over. “Take care of him Luz. You know, you’re getting to be the age where you’ll need your own palisman soon. We should see if your Grandpa Dell would like to make the trip over some time to give you some pointers. I carved Owlbert with him back when I was your age, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to help you with your own.”

Luz grasped Owlbert’s handle, smiling up at her Mom, “That would be amazing, Mom. Thanks for letting me use Owlbert today. I know you only just got him back, so I appreciate it. And I’m so glad you and Mama will be here to see me win, too!”

Amity coughed into her hand, “That’s still undecided. They could have come to see me win. Which I will.”

Camila chuckled, ruffling both of their hair playfully, “Now now, mijas, we’re here to root for you both. It doesn’t matter who wins today, Eda and I will be proud of you either way.”

“That sounds like loser talk to me,” Amity pouted, mocking Camila good naturedly, and making the older woman roll her eyes.

“We’ll do our best, Mama. I promise. Come on, Amity, let’s get to the starting line!” Luz held out her hand, and the human girl took it, both girls racing off to find their places.

King remained behind, his posture nervous, “Eda, there’s something I really need to tell you before the race starts.”

Eda bent down and placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing another smile, “Well, if it’s so important, we can talk about it after the race. Once you win, okay? Which you will, ‘cause you’re my kid.”

King conceded, “Yeah, uh, okay.” He waddled off, looking back sadly over his shoulder, making Eda feel terrible, but she still wasn’t ready to face the music.

“Eda, is everything okay?” Camila asked carefully, glancing between the two.

Eda’s lip trembled pathetically, “No, it’s not, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. Come on, let’s find some seats so we can watch our kids kick all the other kids' butts.”

Camila looked like she wanted to pry, but thankfully let it drop, the two walking side by side up into the bleachers. After pushing past various excited and overbearing parents, they managed to squeeze into two spots between a giant demon who hardly fit into the bleacher seats, and a rambunctious mother who immediately had to point out her kid and ask about Eda’s own.

Perry Porter was the event announcer, and within a few minutes of claiming their seats, the race began, Luz and Amity taking to the air and flying off and out of sight, the only way to follow them being the viewing screens, which used a large crystal ball to track the students.

“I know I’m rooting for Luz and Amity, but there is a part of me that hopes someone from St. Epiderm lands in third,” Camila admitted, making Eda roll her eyes. “What, I can’t have some school pride? It isn't like you have any for Hexside.”

Before Eda could reply, there was a cawing in her hair, the callbird Raine had given her to alert her to missions going off. Beside her, Camila’s own bird also started chirping up a storm, both witches looking at each other and cursing the BAT leader’s timing.

“What is it?” Eda answered, holding her crow between herself and Camila, “Cam’s with me right now, and we’re kind of in the middle of something.”

“Oh, I- I’m sorry, would you like me to call back later, or?” Raine’s flustered voice answered back, causing Eda to facepalm.

“Not that kind of ‘in the middle of something.’” Eda hissed. “We’re at our kid’s Gland Prix.”

“I see. I understand you’re busy, but we got a tip about another raid recently. I know this is likely important to you, but you and Camila are the closest other operatives in the area, and we could use the help. I can’t promise you’ll be back in time for the end of the race, but it shouldn’t take long.”

Eda looked to Camila, silently asking her what she wanted to do. The other woman looked torn, but eventually sighed, “we’ll be there soon, Raine, just tell us where to go.”

Eda wasn’t sure how it had gone so wrong.

They’d met Raine and a little under a half dozen others at the place Raine had designated. Eda recognized that Derwin, Katya and Amber had joined the mission, the members of the original BATs, which meant this had to be important. Among the other figures, Eda knew Harvey and Dos, The unmistakable beard on the former and the shady glances of the latter making them stick out.

It was supposed to be easy. Another wagon of wild witches was being transferred from a holding cell in Bonesborough and through a hidden path in the forest to reach the Conformatorium. Belos had seemed to be getting desperate with how he moved his prisoners about, taking abandoned and hidden routes, but with Lilith’s help they had access to every trail the Emperor could use and it had been easy to deduce the location of the hidden road from what info they had.

The first sign that something was up was when Raine used their fiddle to let out a note, using the wave of magical sound to echolocate the prisoners wagon, only to come up empty. Nothing was in the immediate area. No wagon meant no prisoners.

The second thing to stick out to Eda was that the bridge that the wagon should be passing over was out, and seemed to have been for a while. Weeks at least, long enough that no one in the Emperor’s Coven would use it. Meaning in this case, Lilith’s data was out of date, and useless.

And finally, just when Eda was sure she was smelling a con about to go bad, the trap was sprung. Half of the BATs had leaped over the broken bridge to carry on the trail ahead, hoping to find something, but no sooner had their boots landed on the broken, mossy stone did a wave of purple ooze wrap around their ankles and suck them in.

Raine quickly guided what few of them remained, Eda, Camila, Dos, and Harvey, away and behind some leftover debris from the bridge, hiding behind it before the abomination’s head, and more importantly, its eyes, could form. Raine let out a gasp, “That’s the Head witches Eberwolf and Darius!”

Sure enough, Eda peeked over the stones and could see the towering man that was Darius form out of the goop, and the little monster hardly any taller than King at his side. With a muttered curse, she put two and two together, “So that means this was a trap.”

The remaining rebels could only watch as Eberwolf sniffed out their captured compatriots, then gave a shake of their head, indicating none of them were who the two Heads were looking for. With a disgruntled expression Darius snapped his fingers and Darwin, Amber and Katya, vanished, teleported someplace else.

Darius took a few steps forward, looking around the area below from the bridge above, “I was promised some me time today, so hand yourselves over before things get nasty.”

The man’s proper appearance shattered in an instance as his short fuse on patience ran out, snarling out, “I know you can hear me!”

Behind the rocks they hid behind, Raine seemed to be trying to come up with a plan, but they didn’t get far before one of their members began to freak out. It was to Eda’s surprise that it wasn’t Harvey Park who snapped, but the gruff Dos, who looked on the verge of a panic attack.

“No, no, I- I won’t go back. I won’t let them take me!” The man spoke shakily, with no control over the volume of his voice. Camila tried to clamp a hand over his mouth, but he jerked away, taking a few steps back. “I won’t spend my life in a cage! Never again!”

Any chance they hadn’t been heard already was gone, and Eda seriously considered grabbing the others and taking off to leave Dos to be captured, except the madman pulled out his bizarre knife, with every intent to stab himself through the heart with it. “I’ll die before I go back!”

Eda and Camila surged for him, wrestling the man to the ground. He was a lot stronger than he appeared, fighting both women at once, desperation in his eyes. The fight only left him when Harvey kicked the knife out of his hand before he could hurt anyone with it, sending it skidding across the dirt and stones of the forest.

“We need to restrain him, and get out of here before they get down here,” Raine hissed, violin in hand and prepared to fight to give their friends time to run. As they said that, vines wrapped around Dos, keeping his arms and legs pinned, “Good thinking, Harvey. Eda can carry him easier that way.”

Eda was about to argue about why she had to carry the crazy person, when Harvey gulped, “I didn’t do that…”

The four barely had time to glance at each other before more vines burst under their feet, sending them sprawling onto the ground. A short series of cackles met their ears as yet two more figures approached from behind. Raine blinked, unbelieving, “Terra Snapdragon of the Plant coven… and Scooter Crane of the Bard coven.”

“In the flesh,” Terra smiled, waved, wiggling her fingers as she did so, a smile on her face that showed she hardly considered this a fight. She bent over, scooping up Dos’s fallen dagger and inspecting it. “What a curious blade…”

Beside her was a frankly decrepit, grumpy looking old man who supported himself with a cane that had a series of holes in it, “Yes, yes, we all know who we are. Do you whipersnappers have any idea how much trouble you’re all in?”

Raine was the first to pick themselves up off the ground, readying their fiddle and blasting out a note. However, as they were doing that, Scooter lifted his cane to his mouth, revealing it to be an elaborate flute of some kind, and played his own tune, cancelling the effect of Raine’s spell in an instant with a single sharp note.

One of Terra’s vines reached out, wrapping itself around Raine’s leg. The old woman gave an unimpressed smile, “All this trouble, and you go down so easy. Weeks of Kikimora begging Emperor Belos for the chance to help end this pathetic rebellion, for it to take only five minutes of my time.”

“The Emperor was most displeased when the monthly reports on the number of people not joining a coven came in.” Scooter said, tsk tsking them, “He couldn’t have that. He keeps putting off my retirement because of you troublesome vampires, or what have you.”

Eda slashed at the vines wrapping around Raine, dropping them back to the ground. “BATs, we’re BATs!” She corrected furiously, spreading her wings and striking a battle stance.

Scooter squinted at her, adjusting his thick glasses, “My eyesight must be getting worse than I thought. You look like a bird to me.”

Eda rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean that literally!”

“It’s of no matter, you’re matched in numbers, but clearly outmatched in talent,” Terra stated, just as footsteps sounded, Darius and Eberwolf joining them down in the muck.

“Ugh, you are all paying for my new boots. This is beyond disgusting!” Darius spat, looking beyond displeased. His eyes landed on Raine, “Ah, so you must be the leader of the vermin we’ve been ordered to bring in. I look forward to unmasking you, if just to rid the world of such a tacky accessory!”

Things weren’t looking great. They had five members, one of them down and in no mental state to fight, while Harvey was shaking in his boots. That only left Camila, Eda and Raine to do the heavy lifting, against four of the greatest minds of their fields as they brought the hammer down upon their heads. Raine wasn’t sure how to get them out of this.

Luckily, they didn’t have to come up with a plan. Eda took half a step closer, and breathed out through her lips, “When I give the signal, hold your breath and run.”

Raine gave the barest semblance of a nod, while Eda turned her attention to Camila, gesturing slightly with her head in Darius’ direction. Carefully as she could, Eda reached into her lower locks of hair, pulling out some of her emergency glyphs she had Amity lend her, then shouted “Now!”

Harvey looked confused, Eda forcing his head down as Camila used her boot to kick a splatter of mud up and onto Darius’s perfectly groomed face, sending the man into a rage of disgust. He sent a tidal wave of abomination goo their way, but being blinded by the dirt in his eyes, his aim was off, hitting his companions opposite him, rather than the BATs in the middle. Eda quickly slapped a glyph onto each of her friends to turn them invisible and pulled them along, racing through the area and out of their enemies reach.

Raine grit their teeth as they were forced to leave Dos behind, still tied up in Terra’s vines. They hoped the man could forgive them, and prayed they’d be able to get back to base soon enough to plan a jailbreak to rescue their captured allies. They couldn’t let this assault stand.

The group didn’t get far before they all needed to breathe again, and it looked like it was a futile effort anyway, seeing as Eberwolf was right behind them, having tracked the BATs numerous footsteps in the mud. The Beast Keeper was down on all fours, mouth full of vicious looking teeth as he hunted them down, while the other Coven Heads were right behind them.

But it meant they weren’t surrounded anymore, so Eda thought this was the better deal. If they could just outrun them, they’d be dandy.

She considered flying, but refused to abandon Camila or Raine. Harvey… well, fine, she didn’t want to abandon him, either, but only because he was Luz’s friend’s dad, not out of personal attachment. Leaving her friends behind gained them nothing, they were too far away for Eda to find backup at HQ and bring them here before everyone would be long captured and sent to the Conformatorium, if not worse.

Looking back behind them, the Emperor’s goons were gaining, especially Darius, who’d gone full Abomination, blade in his hand with the intent to kill in his eyes. He wasn't limited by the speed of his legs, nor any other limb, racing ahead of the others and swinging his blade as soon as he was in striking distance.

It was to Eda’s horror that Camila, trailing behind in last place, just happened to be the man’s target. “You’ll pay for that nasty trick, you wench!”

Eda dove, attempting to tackle Camila out of the way. She collided with her ex, ready to take the blow herself, but she was too late, Darius’s purple sword meeting flesh and Camila let out a scream.

Eda was used to seeing limbs pop off. It made a funny gag at parties, using that particular side effect of her curse to take a hand off and see who among the crowd was woozy enough to faint at the sight. It was a lot less funny here.

Camila’s right forearm was severed,a few inches above her wrist. A splash of red met Eda’s eyes as the wet thud of flesh hitting the ground met her ears. Camila clutched at the bleeding stump, cries of pain and disbelief escaping her lips. Eda could only stare blankly until Raine was in her face, yelling something.

“Eda, we need to go! Get her out of here!” Eda was half aware of something being pressed into her hands, and had to resist the urge to puke when she realized Raine had placed Camila’s severed hand into her own. Right, healing spells could reattach it. It wasn’t too late. They just needed to get out of here. Get out of her and they could fix this.

Eda bent over, hunching considerably so she could help Camila limp along, trying to put some distance between them and the Coven Heads. Raine was doing their best with their violin, they really were. Darius was a struggle already, but Eberwolf had caught up, with Scooter still at a distance, his age keeping him from chasing them down as rigorously as the others. And Terra… Eda couldn’t see Terra, but she had to be somewhere nearby.

Eda did her best to focus on Camila right now, and getting her away from this. They’d get her patched up, they’d go back to the Gland Prix, and they’d see Luz and Amity win. And King could send out a message to his Dad, and Eda would be happy for him, because at least he’d be healthy, and not have a bleeding stump soaking Eda’s dress, and-

Eda found herself pushed by Camila, almost losing her balance as well as nearly dropping Camila’s hand. There was Terra. There was Terra in front of Camila, where Eda had been just a moment before, a familiar dagger sticking out of Camila’s gut.

The world around Eda froze as she watched the former love of her life be wounded yet again, and this time Dos’s words were ringing in her head, about how a dagger like that was meant to make someone bleed out as fast as possible, nearly impossible to stop the bleeding without access to healing magic.

There wasn’t a proper Healer among them, and there wasn’t a chance of getting out of this forest in mere minutes.

“Hm,” Terra muttered as she pulled the blade out of Camila, the Beast Healer dropping like a puppet that had its strings severed, her body hitting the ground hard, “A very curious blade indeed…”

It was Harvey of all people who snapped Eda out of it, the man rushing at Terra like a demon, eyes glazed green like she’d seen only in Willow a handful of times before. Plants all around them bent to his will, even the trees seem to drift his way like a magnet as he roared, sending the elderly woman back, summoning an army of plants to do his bidding. “Eda! Take Camila and get out of here! Fly her to a Healer!”

She opened her mouth to protest, that she couldn’t leave Harvey and Raine here, but Harvey shouted her down, “Just take her and go! I’ll hold this witch back!”

Eda snapped out of it, shaking her head and grabbing Camila in her arms, careful to not lose the severed arm in the process. Her wings spread and flapped, lifting the Owl Lady into the air and she scanned the horizon, looking for Bonesborough out in the distance so she could fly in the right direction.

Her powerful wings shook the skies as she soared, racing like a bullet through the air. The wind blazed past her, but the trees underneath didn’t seem to thin, and she worried she was too far away from civilization to make it.

That didn’t matter though, as a blast of bard magic clipped her wing like a cannonball, knocking Eda out of the sky. It was all she could do to stead herself, and make a landing that didn’t end in a crash that left both her and Camila as mangled corpses on impact.

Back where Harvey and Raine fought, the two BATs could only look in horror at Scooter, still far enough in the back to have not been considered a threat, lowered his flute from where he’d aimed at the sky.

Eda didn’t know what to do. Once she’d recovered from their landing, she’d tried to make Camila comfortable, leaning her up against a tree, and tried to do her best to stop the bleeding. Camila’s red, white and black uniform was now just red, a monument to Eda’s failure.

The woman’s CAT mask was gone, had gone missing during their fall from the sky, and her brown skin now looked pale and sickly. Sweat ran down Camila’s brow, but she felt cold and clammy to the touch.

“You’re going to be fine, Cammy, just hold on,” Eda cried, trying to keep her tears at bay. “We’re going to get you home, and you’ll be right as rain in no time, I promise.”

“Eda-“ Camila fought to get the words out, clasping one of Eda’s hands in her own, “Eda, I- look after.. please watch over the kids-“

Eda shook her head frantically, squeezing Camila’s hand like a lifeline. “No, no, you can’t make me promise that. You’re not going anywhere. You can’t leave me alone to take care of them, I’m a terrible mother.”

She choked, looking for reasons to make Camila stay, “I- I never get them into bed on time, and- and when was the last time I’ve even seen a vegetable, much less made Luz eat one? O-of course she’s short, like her Mama, I get it all wrong…”

She bowed her head, lifting the hand she held and pressing Camila’s knuckles to her forehead, “Please don’t leave me.”

“Ed…a…” Camila choked out, wet tears streaming down her cheeks.

“No,” Eda denied the reality before her, “No, no, nononono… you can’t leave me. I won’t let you leave me. I haven’t made up for being such a crappy partner yet. We- we were supposed to be a family. You can’t just-“

Eda let out a sob, cupping Camila’s face and pressing a desperate kiss to the dying woman’s lips. “Don’t leave me. Stay. We still have a beautiful daughter to raise, and a grumpy baby demon, and our weird, adopted human.”

She wished more than anything she had her magic back. She wished she’d brought Owlbert, but he was so far away he’d never be able to make it in time, off with Luz at the prix. She had nothing, and couldn’t even postpone the inevitable by more than a minute or two.

“Please.” She begged, feeling the world around her collapse right out from under her.

A hand fell down on Eda’s shoulder, squeezing tightly. She laid a clawed hand over it, looking up to meet Raine’s eyes. The bard looked drained, body littered with bruises and cuts. They’d likely only just got away from the Coven Heads. “Eda…”

Eda wanted to be angry. Wanted to scream, to shout and beat every part of Raine that wasn’t already beaten for how wrong this simple, easy mission had gone. Instead she cried, clutching Raine’s hand like a lifeline, and uttered out, “Please help…”

Raine removed their mask, and got down on their knees, looking Camila over. She was still alive, but barely, her breathing shallow and outfit bloody. Raine had no idea how to save her, or even how much longer she had left to live. If they were frank, they didn’t even know how she was even still alive.

They had no plan. They never knew any healing magic, and even if they did, it would be locked away by their Bard Coven seal, never to be used again.

A flash of an idea came to mind, and as morbid as it was, Raine reached for Camila’s severed hand that was laid by her side, inspecting the half of the forearm attached to it. Half of Camila’s Beast Healer seal was plastered on there, sliced down the middle, just like her arm.

Raine let out a breath, resisting the urge to be ill, then reached out and gently placed a hand on Camila’s shoulder, “Camila? Can you hear me? I need you to listen to me very closely. What I’m about to say might save your life, but we don’t have a moment to spare. I don’t think anything vital has been hit, you’re just losing a lot of blood and we can’t stop the bleeding. Your coven seal is broken, meaning you should theoretically have full access to your magic. I know you were in the Healing track, meaning the only person capable of saving you right now, is you.”

Raine breathed, then turned back to Eda, “Help her along, and keep her conscious as long as you can. I’m going to go buy you two some time. Whatever you do, don’t come back for me, as soon as she’s ready, fly as far away as possible.”

Camila made a sound of protest at Raine’s words, turning Raine’s attention back to her, “Camila, listen to me. You have a family. You both have a family that needs you to return home. If you make it through this, and I know you will, you need to get a message back to HQ and tell them what happened here. Even if you manage to heal yourself, you’ve still lost a lot of blood, and who knows how much bile it’ll take to close these wounds. You won’t stand a chance against the Coven Heads. But the Resistance needs you. Katya, Amber and Derwin are gone, and that means…”

Raine took off their glasses, looking Camila dead in the eye, “Camilla Noceda, if you don’t hear from me by this time tomorrow, as the longest serving and highest ranking member remaining, you will become the de facto leader of the Bards aga- No…

Raine shook their head and corrected themselves, “The Covens Against The Throne. The CATs. So I’m giving you an order, don’t die, and don’t follow me.”

Raine didn’t waste another second, putting their mask back on. Before they could take off into the forest again, Eda called back, “Raine… Thank you. Next time, the Appleblood is on me.”

Raine just flashed Eda a smile, “I’ll hold you to that.” They could already hear the sounds of people moving their way, so raced off into the trees, hollering and calling, pulling their enemies away from Eda and Camila’s position.

“You heard the boss,” Eda scooted back into place, trying her best to keep her expression positive, and suppressing a wet hiccup from her tears, “you can’t die now, so please, try and cast a spell. I wish I could do it for you, but I can’t, but I know you have it in you.”

Camila was too weak to answer, but tried lifting her left hand, trembling at the effort. Eda was there to help, gently forcing Camila to extend a finger, and helping trace a circle with Camila’s fingertip in the air.

A gold beam of light emitted, as weak as its caster, but still there. Camila winced as she called upon magic she hadn't used in decades to stitch the wound in her gut together, willing it to stop bleeding. She let out a painful gasp, coughing violently but refused to let the light fade even through the pain. A part of her wanted to just give up, accept the blackness at the edge of her vision and give in to the temptation to close her eyes, but all she could think of was her daughter, bright and cheerful Luz, sobbing when she’d receive the news, and she redoubled her efforts.

She couldn’t have given up if she tried, Eda having a vice grip on her wrist and keeping the circle intact. As long as Camila stayed conscious, as long as she stayed focused, she’d persevere.

Eda lifted Camila’s shirt just enough to see the wound slowly closing, enveloped in the same light of Camila’s magic, and closed her eyes, praying to the Titan this worked and that it wasn’t too late.

The moments ticked by as new strands of flesh weaved, creating scar tissue over the gorged flesh. It wasn’t as pretty as a professional healer could have done, but that didn’t matter as long as it did its job. The bleeding slowed, then eventually stopped as the last of the hole was patched, Camila letting out a grunt when the spell faded and slumping up against the tree. Eda slapped at her face, trying to keep her awake, “Come on, stay with me, you’ve still got a hand to attach.”

“‘M tired, Eda,” Camila insisted, but Eda was already pressing the two bloodied stumps together. If Eda was confident she could do this, who was Camila to argue? With another weakened spell circle, Camila cast, doing her best to reattach her arm like it had been before.

Eda watched as a ring of flesh encircled the point where the arm had been severed, another thick patch of scar tissue forming over Camila’s skin. When it seemed attached, Eda let go, only to panic when the arm flopped and Camila let out a hiss.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Eda grabbing the arm again by the hand, trying not to panic as she set it back into its proper place..

“The bone,” Camila groaned, feeling more awake after the new shock of pain, “Bone takes longer to heal. I’ll need a cast. But the skin and muscles are all back… as are the nerves.”

“Well, at least this could be considered a clean break,” Eda tried to break the tension, tearing off a strand of the CAT uniform to wrap around Camila’s arm, “Can you use a spell to change this into a proper cast?”

Camila made a face, feeling drained of her magic, but nodded. With yet another spell circle, she transformed the material into something stiffer, ensuring the arm wouldn’t flop around and injure her even more. Much like her healing job, it was shoddy, but it would work until she could get some real help.

Eda let out a shaky breath. Camila was weak, pale, and more than half dead, but she’d stopped bleeding out. She took a moment to look at her, tracing her fingers over Camila’s cheek and wiping away the tears she’d shed, and the ones still dripping from her eyes, the two just savoring the moment and how it felt to be alive. Finally, Eda pressed a kiss to Camila’s forehead, followed by one on her cheek, and another placed tenderly on her lips, before pulling back and wiping at her own eyes. “You look like a hot mess right now. You should really see yourself.”

Camila chuckled, then groaned in pain, “No, nope, hurts to laugh.”

Remembering how they got here, Camila sobered, “Eda, can you tell me… Harvey, is he?”

Eda solemnly shook her head, “He’s gone. Captured. Maybe dead. I- I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

Camila nodded slowly, closing her eyes tiredly. “Titan, I hope he’s okay. The others as well.”

High above them, the whizzing sound of palisman’s being ridden at breakneck speeds was heard, bringing their attention back to where they were supposed to be today. It seemed so long ago that they’d been sitting in those bleachers, waiting for Luz or Amity to cross the starting line.

“The kids…” Camila said, shifting and trying to stand, letting out a gasp as the pain hadn’t receded yet. “We need to go,”

“Go? No, no, no, the race can wait. First things first, we’re getting you some new clothes, and some meds. I have some potions back at the Owl House that’ll patch up the minor wounds, and some others that will help you speed up blood replenishment.” Eda bent over, carefully scooping Camila into her arms and spreading her wings, wincing as the one that had been hit was unfolded.

“My house is closer, and I can get a fresh set of clothes that actually fit. Here, let me get that for you,” Camila offered, casting yet another healing spell. It started the job, but sputtered out halfway through, both witches looking confused.

“I know you were pushing it, but I didn’t think you’d be completely out of bile yet.” Eda commented.

“I’m not.” Camila cast a glance at her repaired arm, eyeing the barely visible coven seal beneath her makeshift cast, “I think something’s up with the seal. It’s damaged, but…”

Eda inspected the arm, looking at the damaged seal, “It’s on the fritz? Can you do any magic at all?”

Camila shrugged as best she could in Eda’s arms, “I’m not sure. I’m glad we started with healing the stab wound first, though. Will you be able to-“

“Fly, yeah. It’ll sting, but you patched it up enough.” Eda flexed her wings, ready to take flight. “Come on, if we’re quick, we might still make it to the Gland Prix before it ends.”

With the power of flight on their side, the two adults had managed to get to Camila’s house, stuffing her with as many blood replenishment potions as the woman could stomach, and cleaned her off. A change of clothes and a proper cast were also necessary. By the time they were ready to leave, Camila was back on her feet, though she needed to lean against Eda so the owl lady could support her weight enough that her legs wouldn’t give out. Another quick flight later and they made it just in time to see the end of the Gland Prix, initially believing that Luz was winning and in the first place spot, only for it to turn out she made fifth.

“What happened?” Eda asked, aware that Luz was watching her Mommas with suspicious eyes now that Camila was leaning against Eda’s side, “You were racing like the wind!”

Luz, dirtied and bruised, took a glance at Owlbert, “Well, the strangest thing happened. About halfway through the Gland Prix, Owlbert started acting up and jerking around. Kept trying to go somewhere, said you needed him. Did- did something happen, you two?”

Eda knew exactly when it was that Owlbert had tried to come to her, and was glad he hadn’t. Luz wouldn’t have taken Camila’s state well if she’d been dragged into the forest to see it. Casting a look over at Camila, Eda internally frowned as she realized she’d have to break her promise and lie to her daughter once again, “No, no, just… a bit of an overreaction on my part.”

Camila grimaced and showed Luz her broken arm, wrapped in a cast, “Just a bit of an incident in the bleachers, nothing to worry about. Another rowdy parent just got too overexcited. A trip to the nurses office and they patched me right up!” She wisely left out that she was only standing because Eda was practically holding her up.

Luz frowned, having the feeling there was more to this story they weren’t telling her based off of Owlbert’s reaction, but didn’t pry further, “Well, with all of Owlbert fighting my control and bucking around, King’s tummy couldn’t take it, and he… er…”

“I puked my guts out,” King admitted, looking downtrodden. “I shot it all over, and hit a few kids behind us, and we all crashed.”

Eda snorted, then clamped a hand over her mouth before she accidentally offended King. After clearing her throat, she realized they had a noted absence, “So, where’s pinky? Did she manage to beat you like she kept saying she would?”

“No,” Amity’s voice came from behind them, and the girl stepped forward, toweling her face dry, “Who do you think King puked all over that was behind Luz? I just had to go wash it off.”

“Well, I’m sorry you couldn’t win, you two. But what is most important is… my kid did technically beat you, ha, in your face, human!” Eda cheered, earning an elbow from Camila.

Camila shook her head at Eda’s behavior, then smiled warmly at Amity, “You did well, we’re both very proud of the both of you.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t win, King.” Luz patted her companion’s head, the demon looking thoroughly depressed over their loss.

He sniffled, taking out the note he’d written to read over the crystal ball, “It's okay. I'll just throw my message into the garbage where it belongs.”

Eda, who had been dreading this moment all week, had enough. She clenched her fists, and decided she was going to do right by her baby boy. “No way, this isn't over yet.”

She summoned her scroll, already loaded onto her penstagram account and set it to record, “Alright, King, go ahead and read your message, okay?”

He looked doubtful, holding his message in his claws, “I don’t know, Eda, I mean, who’d even want to watch this.”

Eda snorted, “Don’t worry about that. You should know I’m very penstagram famous. I’ve got at least a hundred followers. Besides, no one watches crystal balls anymore anyway. It's all about streaming these days.”

“All right.” King gave in, uncertainty in his voice. Suddenly nervous, he started to read what he’d written down, “Hi Dad. If you're out there watching this, I uh, want to introduce myself. I like cheesy foods and conquering kingdoms. Though I haven't conquered any of my own yet. But maybe you have, and we can compare notes?”

The more he talked, the more confident he became. Eda tried not to tear up as she recorded, Camila placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to give her some comfort. “You’re doing the right thing, Eda.”

King continued on, telling his unseen father figure a little about his life, “I live with my favorite three humans, and I have a cool older sister, and a cranky old witch who takes care of me.”

Eda was half offended by that statement, even if her heart melted to hear King call Luz his sister. King kept going despite her protest that she wasn’t old, nor cranky. “But cranky or not, she's the one who raised me, which is why I am le-gally changing my name to King Clawthorne!”

King pulled out a handful of papers, holding them aloft, “Surprise Eda! Now we're connected for life and there's nothing you can do about it!”

Eda was so stunned, she almost dropped her scroll. “I- is that what you wanted to tell me this whole time?”

Luz, in on King’s plan, and having helped him acquire all the right paperwork down at city hall, handed her mother a pencil, “And, if you sign here, it be official.”

Eda felt her eyes water up, streams pooling out from her blackened eyes as it hit her that King did in fact love her like a mother, even if he’d never called her that. “M-my baby boy!”

King was scooped up into Eda’s strong arms and spun around, making him burst into giggles, at least until Eda started hugging him too tightly, “Eda- Eda, that’s too tight! Mom! Put me down!”

“You called me Mom!” Eda wailed, wanting to squeeze him tighter, but did as he asked, setting him back onto the ground. “I thought you were going to leave me!”

“I could never do that, Eda- er, Mom… it is alright if I call you that, right?” Eda nodded, wiping away messy tears, “Good, ‘cause I’ve wanted to for a long time. You’ve always been my Mom, and I love you, and I want to make it official. You’re the best wanted criminal this tiny demon could ever ask for!”

Eda was already signing the paper with her messy handwriting, noisily sobbing as she did so. Luz smiled, teary eyed herself, and took the papers away before her mother could accidentally use them as a tissue to blow her nose. “Alright, everyone, I think it’s time we headed home. We should throw a big party to celebrate!”

Camila sighed, “You already invited everyone, didn’t you, mija?”

“Can’t say no to a crowd of people, can you?” Luz finger gunned.

Eda vanished her scroll and nodded, trying to compose herself, “This does feel like something we should all celebrate, as a family. Come on, let's get home.” She sniffled.

The two adults walked step in step with each other, King holding Eda’s hand as they went and talking about how excited he was for this to finally be happening. Limping beside them, Camila let her false cheer leave her, finally felt the full blow of the day hit, and accepted the responsibilities that would fall on her should Raine have been captured.

Eda looked at her, studying her face, then bumped shoulders, “Do you want to stay with us tonight? You don’t need to go home.” She murmured, quiet enough that King couldn’t hear.

Camila gave a shaky nod. In the moment, she’d accepted her death, but now that it had passed, and she was still alive, she realized just how much she wasn't ready to go yet. She still had things to do, a family to support. People she loved who she wanted to be beside. “Thank you. I- I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

Eda offered her her free hand, which Camila tightly grasped, letting the Owl Lady lead her home.

Behind them, Luz and Amity walked hand in hand, Luz nudging her girlfriend playfully and gesturing to Eda and King with a hand, “You know, I’m pretty sure my Mom wouldn’t object if you asked to be adopted. Wanna make her cry a second time? It could be fuuun!”

Amity considered it, she really had multiple times in the past week since she’d heard of King’s plan, but, well, that would technically make her girlfriend her adoptive sibling, and she wasn’t ready to face that level of weirdness in her life. Instead she just shook her head, and gave Luz a sly smirk, “No, I’m good. I can think of a better way to get your last name, anyway.” She said with a wink.

Luz was reduced to a blushing mess, covering her face with her free hand and looking away, “Amity, you can’t just say stuff like that without giving me some warning!”

Back in the forest, the sounds of Eda’s sobs of joy filled the air, coming from the speakers on Eberwolf’s scroll as they watched the event unfold. It was kind of sweet to see, even if they didn’t particularly care about the Owl Lady, and had come so close to bringing her in.

Nearby, Darius massaged his temples, feeling a growing headache building, “Would you shut that damn thing off? You should be focused on tormenting the prisoner, not me.”

Eberwolf smiled to themself as they cranked the volume to max, earning a scowl from his companion as the Owl Lady’s crying reached new levels of grating. That is, until a blast of bard magic blew Eberwolf’s scroll to pieces.

Scooter lowered his flute, sending Eberwolf a level glare, “Do you want to attract more rebels to this area? We have no idea if they had backup on the way, and sound can carry farther than you think. You can trust a bard on that.”

Bound up tightly in a flurry of abomination goo and hanging upside down from a tree, Raine watched and waited for their chance to escape, breaking from their bindings while the Coven Leaders bickered with their backs turned and falling to the ground, immediately sprinting as fast as they could despite their injuries. The bat mask was still tightly wrapped around their face, concealing their identity, if they could only just get away the Emperor’s Coven would be back to square one and-

Terra’s vines burst from the trees, snagging the bard up once more The elderly woman stepped out of the shadows, Kikimora at her heel, and tut tutted, “I leave to fetch Kiki and am gone for five minutes, and they let you escape? Really, my fellow Coven Heads should all be demoted for such incompetence.”

Kikimora disregarded Terra’s comments, instead focusing on the person before them, ensnared in plant matter and unable to move. As the other three caught up to them, she spoke, “So, this is the mighty leader of the Bards against the Throne, is it? I’ve been looking for you for quite some time. Now, let’s see exactly who is behind that despicable mask!”

She gestured at Terra, who brought Raine to their knees, allowing the small demon to pry the bat mask off of Raine’s face. There were a handful of gasps as Raine was revealed, while Kikimora simply deadpanned, “Alright, what’s with all the shock, I have absolutely no idea who this even is.”

Eberwolf chittered excitedly, Darius rolling his eyes, “That would be Raine Whispers. They were a rather famous, if reclusive, musician for a few years about a decade ago.”

Terra chuckled, “Not quite the comeback tour any of us were expecting. I haven’t seen this little sprout since our day in HECK!”

Scooter sighed in disappointment, “I had recommended them as my replacement. Then they up and vanished months ago, postponing my retirement until Belos could find someone more suitable.”

Despite their predicament, Raine couldn’t help but look smug. “Heh, isn’t it kinda funny? The soft, quiet person next in line for Coven Head ends up being the rebel against the Empire, standing in the spotlight for the first time at a petrification ceremony. I suppose I can look forward to meeting my end at one of those as well?”

Kikimora kept composed, only allowing herself the smallest of smiles under her collar, “No. You have far too much valuable information to be disposed of so quickly.”

Raine snarled, narrowing their eyes behind their glasses at the small woman, “I’m not telling you anything.”

Terra chuckled, patting the bard on the head before leaning in to speak into their ear, “Oh, but you will. We have ways of making you talk…”

Later that night, after the killer party Luz had thrown to celebrate King officially becoming a Clawthorne, everyone was getting ready for bed. For some reason, Camila had decided to stay, not that Luz was complaining, she loved having her Mama around, but it was kind of weird. In a good way.

Now however, Luz was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth before turning in, her bedsheets calling her name. Rinsing her mouth and wiping her face, she took a moment to inspect the greys coming in, the dye job she’d done before her mother’s petrification ceremony was fading. She allowed herself a melancholy smile, her resolve to let it show not wavering, even if she’d miss the brown.

As she tiredly stumbled out of the bathroom, she almost immediately bumped into someone coming through the door. Amity, clad in her own pajamas and looking just as tired as Luz, blinked wearily at her girlfriend. Together they stood in the hallway, both looking a little awkward.

Amity tugged on the bottom of her shirt, “Hey.”

Luz smiled back, leaning against the doorframe, “right back at ya.” The two giggled, realizing they were unintentionally calling back to when they’d talked at the Grudgby game.

“Soooo,” Amity began, swaying back and forth on her heels, “Neither of us won today, so I guess our bet is null and void?”

“Yeah, it’s too bad. I had a killer reward I wanted to go after,” Luz admitted, scratching the back of her head.

“Oh really?” Amity asked, eyes lighting up, “I had a pretty good reward picked out for myself as well.”

There was a moment of silence between them, Luz gulping before shyly begging the question, “Should we tell each other what we were wanting, then?”

Amity blushed, wondering if Luz by any chance had the same reward in mind that she had, and nodded, “At the same time? On three.”

Luz nodded, and together they counted, “One, two… three!”

“I wanted to have you kiss me!”

“I wanted to dye Ghost’s fur the same color as your hair!”

Both voices met each other, becoming a jumbled mess as the words left their mouths. Amity stared at Luz, mouth hanging open as she realized that, no, Luz had something entirely different in mind for her bet, and that she’d just said something embarrassing out loud.

Luz, likewise was gaping like a fish, then facepalmed, “Titan, why didn’t I think of that? Your bet is so much better!”

Amity tried to recover from her fluster, but was failing miserably, unable to look Luz in the eye while fighting back a smile, “I don’t know, I think it’s kind of sweet. Glad you like the lavender I picked out enough to want Ghost to match.”

They lingered, just existing in the hallway together, until Luz worked up the courage to offer Amity her hand, “Do- do you still wanna?”

“K-kiss?” Amity stumbled over the word, swallowing her saliva and almost choking on it in the process. “U-um, only if you want to…?”

She looked at Luz hopefully, and the witch gave a squeeze of her hand, “Yeah, I- I really do, if that’s okay?”

Amity nodded a little too quickly, and they scooted closer together, inching closer and closer, closing their eyes as they were about to meet. No gross sweat to kill the mood, just the two of them in a dark hallway in the safety of their own home. Their lips met, noses brushing against each other, and Amity swore she felt a literal spark shoot between them and wondered if there was actual magic in the air tonight.

The two cracked open their eyes at the same time as they broke apart from their first kiss. They were breathing heavily, like they’d run a marathon, and Luz could feel Amity’s heart pounding through her hand, still held in Luz’s own. “That was… incredible.”

Amity gave a swift nod, looking drunk on bliss and her words escaping her. It took a minute for her to fully recover, “yeah, that… can we do that again?”

Luz snickered, grinning ear from ear at Amity’s eagerness, “As much as you’d like. Starting tomorrow. It’s late, mi amor, and we both had a very big day.” Luz pressed a kiss to Amity’s cheek and made to head for her bedroom, but Amity’s hand refused to let her go.

The human girl shyly looked down at her feet, giving a slight tug on Luz’s fingers, “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

Luz blinked, before her whole face turned crimson. She realized that despite the fact they’d shared a room until only recently that with their relationship upgraded to kissing, that came off a lot more intimate. Still, she could never deny Amity anything. “Sure, just… maybe don’t tell either of my Mommas?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Amity smiled, and allowed her girlfriend to lead her to her bedroom, looking forward to a night full of cuddles.

Chapter Text

King grumpily crossed his arms. He wasn’t sure what kind of Demon he was supposed to be, and he just had so many questions. But Hooty’s tests to find a placement for him on the categories of demons hadn’t given him any answers.

He’d insulted Hooty’s mother with his dance, and couldn’t make a cocoon out of anything but blankets, which apparently didn’t count, so that ruled him out as a bug type demon.

He failed at magic as well, unable to cast even one spell, even as the tiny, giant nosed demon Hooty had corralled into helping him out threw spell after spell at him. Those had hurt more than just his pride.

And to make things worse, Hooty and Tinella Nosa had taken a blood sample, using a very big needle on King’s tiny hiney.

And now they were telling him they didn’t have any answers for him, which put him back at square one.

He was just so tired of no one having any real answers for him. He was tired of not having any way of knowing who he was, or what he’d grow to be. And he was upset that, because he’d gotten no responses to that video Eda had posted, that maybe, if his Dad was out there, he didn’t want to meet him. Didn’t want him at all. “He left me ALONE!”

With one yell, King exploded, literally letting out a burst of magical energy. Around him the balloons Hooty had set up and the cake he had made were destroyed, and Hooty left in a tearful fit, making King feel terrible. The House Demon had just been trying to help.

With a sigh, King plopped down onto the floor of the tower, with only Tinella to keep him company. “Why do I always mess things up?”

“I dunno!” Tinella replied, eating what remained of the cake, then holding out a handful of the smashed confectionery, “Do you want swome?”

“I’m good.” He replied, downcast.

A few minutes into his pity party later, the flapping of wings was heard and Eda landed down by his side. She took one look at Tinella Nosa, raising an eyebrow, “Uh, don’t I know you? Aren’t you that crazy conspiracy nut from the Conformatorium?”

Nosa stared up at Eda with big blank eyes, then shoved what remained of the cake into her mouth. Swallowing hard, she took off for the stairs, yelling as she left “Weawity is an iwwusion, da univewse is a howogwam, bye gowd, byyyye!”

“What is it about my house that attracts the weirdest people?” Eda pondered, before turning her attention to her adopted son. “Hey, kiddo. You doing alright? I heard Hooty crying, and he said you were both having a hard time, and I should check on you.”

King lowered his gaze, wiping his eyes, “He did? Even after I yelled at him?”

“He’s a good house,” Eda smiled, sitting down beside King. “Wanna tell me what this is all about?”

The demon sighed, “Okay… I wanted to know what kind of demon I was, so I could learn more about myself, and… maybe it would have helped find my Dad. But it kept going nowhere, and I got upset, and I may have yelled…”

Eda wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into her lap, “So, this was all about finding that deadbeat, again? I know, it’s frustrating, but you’ve just got to be patient, King. He’ll come.”

“But- but what if he doesn’t? What if he doesn’t want me?” King sputtered out, trying not to cry again.

Eda squeezed him into a hug, “Hey, don’t say that. Don’t even think it. You want to know how I know he’ll find you? Because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t love having you in my life. No one would ever purposely abandon you.”

“Then, what if he’s… gone?” King asked quietly.

Eda took a second to respond, thinking of an answer. There wasn’t an easy one to come to, after all. “If he’s… gone, then he probably went down fighting. For you, to keep you safe in that egg. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t there. I’m sure he loved you, so much, you were worth protecting, no matter the cost.”

“You think so?” King whispered.

“I know it.” Eda responded, not a trace of doubt in her voice.

“I hope he’s alive,” King squeezed her back, “Just so I can introduce him to the best Mom on the Boiling Isles.”

“Just the Boiling Isles?” Eda teased with a snort, “Here I am, taking care of a kid from another dimension, but you think I’m just the best on the isles, okay.”

While King was laughing at her joke, Eda took a look around the place, at the remains of the cake on the floor, to the popped balloons. It looked like a small bomb had gone off. “I know you’ve had tantrums before, King, but this is a little excessive, even for you.”

King perked up, “Oh, yeah! I did something, just before Hooty left! I think I activated a power, or something?”

Eda turned her head back to him so fast, she risked whiplash, a wild look in her eyes and a grin on her lips, “Think you can do it again?”

The demon nodded, hopping off the Harpy Lady’s lap and looking at a loose rock crumbling near the edge of the tower. He tried thinking back to what he felt when he’d used his ability, and closed his eyes. Squirming, he decided to abandon the negative emotions he’d been experiencing, and instead focus on what it felt to draw forth and use whatever it was that he’d done.

He breathed in, and let out a yell from his mouth, a shockwave of energy coming out and smashing into the stone, sending it off the side of the tower and slamming into the ground below.

King turned to his mother, expecting a word of praise, an impressed whistle, or some clapping. Instead, he found himself scooped back up in her arms and tossed into the air. “My little boy's first spell!”

King couldn’t help but laugh as Eda kept tossing him higher and higher into the air, feeling like this was where he truly belonged.

“Are you all set?”

“Yes, Mom,” King replied, shifting uncomfortably in his new, stuffy uniform, backpack strapped to his back. He tugged at the collar for what felt like the millionth time that day, “Do I have to go?”

Eda bent down on one knee, fixing the tiny Hexside tunic that was part of the school’s uniform. “Well, no, I won’t make you go. Titan knows I encourage Luz not to go. I never liked school, but Camila would kill me if I didn’t at least make the offer.”

“And you’re just gonna let your ex keep controlling your life?” King asked, his voice unimpressed.

Eda opened her mouth, but didn’t correct the part about Camila being her ex. Honestly, she wasn’t sure where they stood right now. They’d kissed back in the forest, but that had been in a moment of desperation and then relief. Then Camila had stayed over for a night, but that was days ago, and with Raine missing in action, Camila had been too busy running the CATs to have a moment to breathe, much less discuss their relationship status with Eda, if they had a relationship to discuss at all.

Instead, Eda settled for shaking her head, “Hey, she’s basically your Mama too, remember? Just because those papers only had my last name on them doesn’t mean she didn’t help me raise you. You’d talk like a cave demon if I was the only person in charge of your learning.”

She finished fixing his uniform, “Besides, King, don’t you want to go to school like your ‘cool big sister’ does, huh?”

King fidgeted from foot to foot, “Yeah, I kinda do…”

Eda gave him a pat on the shoulder, “There you go. So, go out there, have some fun, and make sure to punch the biggest, strongest kid in the lunchroom to establish dominance, okay?”

“I’ll deck them right in the face!” King promised, pumping his little fist.

Eda wiped away a tear that was leaking from her eye, looking forward to the inevitable trip to Bump’s office in the future, “You make me so proud, son.”

As King prepared to leave for his first day of school, he completely missed the large figure leaving a message with Hooty before walking off into the distance. The Bird Tube lasted a whole five seconds before devouring the letter, as well as the insect that had landed on top of it.

Chapter Text

Deep under the castle, below the heart of the Titan, was a secret chamber. One that Hunter had been inside many times, but this time it was different. This time, he had snuck in to watch his Uncle work.

Belos had long wanted a working portal door. He’d tried many different attempts over the years, each a catastrophic failure in their own right. He’d drained nearly the entirety of Eclipse Lake decades ago using the Titan’s Blood there to fuel his experiments, and now only the barest of puddles had remained. He was still without a door, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t work to be done for the Day of Unity.

A large device filled the center of the chamber, a circular ring with wings, where, once he’d laid claim to a working portal, would house a door between dimensions. The door was a separate entity, with this gateway needing its own calibrations for it to function properly. Everything was seemingly in place, but without a door he couldn’t properly test his creation, which was a mounting frustration.

The Emperor tightened a bolt down, only to drop his wrench as a coughing fit overtook him. He’d need to confiscate more of his Coven’s palismans at this rate. Not an easy task with how low recruitment had been lately.

His concentration was broken at the sound of his nephew, who he’d known was watching this whole time. Holding back a frustrated sigh, he got back onto his feet, to his full height and called out, “Are you curious to see how this works, Hunter?”

The boy stumbled out of his hiding place, bowing his head sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to hide, Emperor Belos.”

Belos ran his hands over the ring he’d constructed, and beckoned Hunter closer, “Every piece is in place, but without a portal, it might as well be a decorative piece to put on display in the throne room, wouldn’t you say?”

Hunter was caught between nodding to agree with his uncle, and shaking his head, so as to not insult the man’s work. He wasn’t sure which was the correct response. Belos’ lips formed a thin line, growing impatient with the teenager, “Why is it that you have come here, my dear nephew?”

Hunter gulped, “The operation at the Knee… why did you switch me out with Kikimora?”

Belos closed his eyes, and took a steady breath. Of course it would be about that. “Everyone has a use, Hunter. Kikimora has her intricate little plans. Not to mention she managed to capture the leader of the rebellion, Raine Whispers. She’s been working quite hard to make up for the loss of the battle at the Bat Queen’s forest.”

Hunter bit his lip at the mention of that defeat. Belos continued, “I needed someone I can rely on for such a task. Someone useful. I believe the Titan has big plans for you, and it would be such a hassle to find a replacement now. So, you can be useful by staying safe in the castle.”

The Emperor began to guide Hunter out of the room, the teenager sputtering, looking disappointed in himself. “I- Kiki hardly stopped the rebellion, Uncle. The Covens against the Throne are still out there, fighting against us just as hard, if not harder, since the capture of Whispers. I’m sure if you sent me on a mission, I could stop them, I can do better-“

“Cut off one head, and another will just grow in its place,” Belos said gently, “We will take care of the resistance eventually, when we can burn the entire thing to the ground. Until then, Kikimora’s victory deserved to be rewarded, and she got that. I’m sure you will not fail me in the future, but for now…”

He opened the door, gesturing for Hunter to take his leave. “Good night, Hunter.”

Luz clicked her pen anxiously, then readjusted the helmet on her head. It was something Amity called an “army” helmet, from back on her world, and was several sizes too big, but it filled the young girl with a sense of authority. “Hooty, what’s your status!”

The bird tube burst through a nearby window, sending shattered glass everywhere, “The perimeter’s secure! Nothing’s getting past me!”

“Very good!” She took a cookie from her pocket and tossed it to the house demon, who happily munched on it. “Now we just need to work on you not breaking the house. I’m worried this counts as some kind of self harm, or something.”

“I’ll work on it, Ma’am!” Hooty cried out in his usual tone of voice, ten octaves too loud.

As Luz passed over Hooty, who’d begun to clean up the mess and devouring the glass when no one was looking, Luz stepped into the kitchen, seeing Willow sitting at the table beside a few bags. “Willow! Thank you so much for coming over. I’m sorry to drag you away, I know things aren’t going so well for you right now.”

Willow let out a glum sigh, “It’s okay, Luz. Honestly, I needed the distraction…”

Luz frowned, biting her lip then opened her arms and offered the plant witch a hug. “You let me know if you need anything, okay, Wills?”

The girl snorted, her heart not entirely in it, but glad to have someone like Luz in her life to cheer her up, “That kind of goes counter to why I’m here. You need all the help you can get.”

Amity’s palisman passed by in that moment, chewing on a dead bug she had captured, “Ah, Ghost.” Luz smiled, scooping the cat up and placing her in Willow’s arms, “There, no one can be sad with a kitty. It’s impossible.”

Willow allowed herself a small smile, one that finally reached her eyes, “Thanks, Luz.”

“Anytime, girl!” Luz inspected the bags of supplies Willow had brought, then scratched that off her list. A few days ago, the day after the Gland Prix, news had reached Luz’s ears that one of Willow’s dad’s, Harvey, hadn’t come home. As a beloved member of his community, it of course had everyone in a bit of a panic, but it affected no one worse than Luz’s best friend. Willow hadn’t been dealing with her father’s disappearance well.

Eda watched as her daughter went around, ensuring everyone and everything was just right, welling up with guilt on the inside. She’d talked to Camila about Harvey’s husband, Gilbert, and if he knew what had happened in the forest, and Camila had ensured her that he knew, but was keeping Willow in the dark, at least until they could track down where the BATs and the CATs had been taken off to, or even if Harvey had been taken prisoner at all. Terra hadn’t hesitated to use lethal force once they knew who the leader of the group was, after all.

Eda prayed to the Titan Harvey was alright. Will-o-wisp sure didn’t deserve to lose a parent, and Harvey didn’t deserve to die just because the Emperor had his panties in a wad.

Luz checked in on Gus next, while Eda was going through her guilt trip. The boy and King were together, listening to some tunes from some old CDs Eda had found. She’d let the two kids go crazy with them, as long as Raine’s records were left untouched. Thankfully, Gus only seemed interested in her human music collection, which was on brand for the boy.

Luz checked off another mark, awfully structured for how she usually acted. Eda followed after Luz, swiping the clipboard she carried and took a look at the items listed, “What’s up with all of this stuff? I’d have expected you to be all about hanging with your girlfriend and feeding her homemade soup, or something, not… prepping battle plans like we’re going to be attacked at any minute.”

“Well, I was going to do those things,” Luz admitted, “But Amity was worried something would go wrong, so made an extensive list of all the things I should do while she’s out of commission, before she got too, you know, loopy.”

Eda lifted the page to reveal another extensive list that got more and more incoherent as it went on, eventually just divulging into doodles of Luz as a princess. What little Eda could make out were items like “make sure the mirror clone doesn’t try to attack anyone.”

Eda grimaced as she handed the clipboard back to Luz, “Are you sure she wasn’t already loopy when she wrote all of that? Half of it doesn’t even make sense.”

Before Luz could respond, a timer on her scroll went off, “Oh, time for a wellness check! Let’s go see how they’re all doing.”

Eda sighed, but joined Luz in heading up the stairs, passing by both of their rooms and to Edric and Emira’s room, cracking the door open and peeking in. Inside they were met by the insane ramblings of madmen, as all three Blight children were laid out, the twins in their beds, while Amity’s mattress had been moved temporarily to the middle of the floor.

“How are you guys doing?” Luz asked, voice full of false cheer and hesitation. The second they heard her voice, their mumbling stopped, and all eyes were on Luz and Eda, creeping the pair out.

“I think I can see my bones through my skin,” Emira spoke in awe, looking at her hands and arms with her mouth hanging open.

Edric has his eyes transfixed on the ceiling, “It’s watching me. The house is watching me. But I- I won’t let it win, it’ll blink first.” Contrary to his words, he blinked several times during his sentence, too zoned out to notice.

Amity was busy drawing up more pictures and lists of things for Luz to do, humming to herself cheerfully despite the bags under her eyes. When she spotted them in the doorway, she waved Luz over, the girl doing as her girlfriend asked, and was handed a handful of papers. “Uh, thanks, Amity.”

Luz added them to her clipboard, looking to her mother who mouthed the words “loopy” at her. Luz couldn’t argue that Amity wasn’t all there anymore.

Eda straightened up and crossed her arms, “I’d hate to admit it, but it probably was a good idea to have a few other people on hand. The common mold isn’t much of a big deal normally, but get a whole group together who have it and…” She shivered, unable to complete her sentence.

“Do you think they’ll be okay? I mean, they’re human, so maybe it won't affect them too badly? Luz asked hopefully.

A passing bird tweeted, alerting the occupants of the room to its presence. Immediately afterward, Edric fell out of his bed, scrambling to the window to open it up, “I’m a little birds, gotta flap my wings and fly!” He sing-songed, barely being stopped in time by Eda and Luz, who clamped their arms around him and dragged him back into the room.

“Bad Edric! No flying!” Luz scolded.

“But I wanna be like the bird lady!” Edric pouted, looking put off as Eda guided him back to bed, and Luz locked the window down tightly with a spell.

“Alright, maybe having a list of stuff to do to keep them safe isn’t so bad an idea,” Eda admitted, tucking the sick teen boy back under his blankets. “I really hope this isn’t a full day of nothing but us trying to keep them from killing themselves.”

Eda had hardly finished her task when the Echo mouse, who was beside Edric’s bed in a glass cage, lit up, shining its light upon the walls for everyone to see. The entry it read back had to do with a place called Eclipse Lake, and the Titan’s Blood there. How with nothing but the blood and a little water, it could make a temporary portal to another world, and that was how Philip had arrived on the isles.

No sooner had it finished playing back, did all three Blights try to go for the door. Well, Amity and Emira did, Edric tried to throw himself out of the still locked window again. Panicked, Eda went after Edric while Luz did everything she could to keep the sisters inside, “Gus! Willow! A little help, please!”

“We- we need to get… we need to get the door so we can… what were we going to use it for again?” Emira uttered out feverishly.

“Home!” Edric wailed, slamming his clammy palms against the glass of the window, “I want to go home!”

“Gotta send them away…” Amity muttered miserably, “Twins always in my hair. Don’t wanna share a room anymore.”

The sound of footsteps racing up the stairs rumbled throughout the house as Luz’s friends came to her aid, each of them grabbing one of the human girls and forcing them back into their beds. Their bodies were hot and sweaty, each of the humans panting for air as if they were deprived of it, still fighting against the witches just trying to help them.

“Alright, alright already!” Eda shouted, firmly pressing Edric down against his mattress, “If we go and get your stupid Titan’s Blood, will you all calm down?”

At once the three stopped fighting, falling into fatigue, bodies becoming like limp noodles. “You’d really do that?” Edric said, voice filled with emotion.

It took everything in the harpy woman to remind herself that the boy was incredibly sick, and so she shouldn’t roll her eyes at him so hard they rolled out of her sockets. “Yeah, sure. Fine.” She said firmly, clearly not happy about any of this.

“You mean it?” Emira’s weak voice drifted over from her own bed, where Willow had her tied up in vines so she couldn’t escape.

“Yes,” Eda gritted out through her teeth, “I’ll go right now, if you all be good boys and girls.”

All three sick children happily sighed, giving Eda the creeps. With that handled, she ushered everyone out of the room, turning off the light behind her and giving out an order, “Now, get some sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

She turned back to the healthy children around her, each looking unsure about Eda leaving. The Owl Lady scowled, “What?”

“Do you think it’s for the best that you go today?” Gus asked gently, not wanting to irritate the harpy anymore than she was.

“Yeah, they already seem to be pretty in sync with each other…” Willow uttered ominously.

Eda gave a frustrated sigh over their worry, “They’ll be fine. Sure, the mold can be a lot more dangerous the more people have it, but they’re not going to overpower you or anything. You’re witches, and they’re humans who aren't in their right minds. As long as they don’t get too upset, things should go buttery smooth.”

Eda marched past them and to her bedroom, searching through her things to find anything that would keep her warm on the Knee, where Eclipse Lake was said to be located. Unfortunately, between her growth spurt, and having fed many of her clothing she wasn’t absolutely attached to to Hooty for the house expansion ritual when she’d still had the body of the Owl Beast, her closet was looking pretty bare. With a scowl, she grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around her neck, hoping her feathers would help fight back the chill.

As Eda stepped out of her room, Luz came out of her own room at such a speed she ended up sliding and slamming into the opposite wall, making a picture frame rattle and fall to the floor. Luz was dressed in her winter clothes, a thick jacket thrown over her lanky frame, making Eda cock an eyebrow, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“With you!” Luz exclaimed, wrestling to put one of her snow boots on while hopping up and down on one foot.

“Don’t you want to stay here and take care of your ‘awesome girlfriend’ or something?” Eda asked, trying not to gag as she said the words.

“I do, I really do, but this way, it will go way faster!” Luz slipped her other boot on, then beamed up at her mother with a knowing look, “Besides, I’ve been wanting to ask you about some stuff…”

Eda paled, then whistled, “King, you’re coming with us. We’ll make it a family trip!”

That didn’t make anyone happy, Luz frowning that she wouldn’t get her Mom alone, King disgruntled about having to be in the cold, and Gus and Willow exchanging nervous glances.

Willow, ever the Mom friend with the brain cell, stepped forward, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We have no idea what will happen, and we might need the backup. Honestly, I think no one should go yet, and we should wait until those three are better-“

“They’ll just keep throwing tantrums until we do, and we need to keep them calm,” Eda cut Willow off.

“Can’t you just lie to them and say you went already? They’re really out of it, I’m sure they’ll buy it!” Gus insisted quietly, casting nervous glances at the door.

Eda rolled her eyes, “Come on, it's not like this will take all nigh- no, wait, it probably will. But I’ll be in and out.”

“We’ll be in and out!” Luz insisted, lifting King up into her arms, the little demon kicking his legs as her arms wrapped around his belly.

Eda herded the teens downstairs, fingering a book on her shelf then pulling it out, “Here, this has everything you could want to know about the common mold.” She said, pulling a book on sicknesses out and finding the proper page.

“Eda, we know about the common mold. Everyone gets it. What I wanna know is, shouldn’t we be, I dunno, separating them? Willow and I could take one of the twins to our places each.” Gus said, ignoring the book.

Eda poked his forehead, “And if you knew everything about the common mold, you’d know that wouldn’t work. They’ll be fine!”

Eda set the open book on the coffee table, gesturing for Luz and King to join her outside. On the top of the page, in big bold words, was: “Agaricus rhinitis, otherwise known as the common mold, is a simple and benign disease that ravages the mind as it does the body. Relatively harmless in one host, but grows more dangerous with the more infected, as the spores link and communicate between their hosts. Once infected, the spores can communicate over vast distances, and will do anything to keep the host safe until the gestation period has ended.

The threat level depends upon how many hosts have been infected, and how much danger they perceive themselves to be in, as the mold becomes more intelligent the more minds it links. Keep the ill in dark, calming places for a day or two until the sickness passes.”

The noise of the mining site was extensive, loud enough a magic soundproof bubble had to be kept up at all times to keep an avalanche from happening deeper in the mountains and burying them all, but even the idea of suffocating under the snow wasn’t going to stop Kikimora, who eagerly prodded her troops to keep digging deeper.

Old mining equipment roared to life, not having been used in decades, blasting at the petrified stone flesh that made up the Titan’s knee. Kikimora rubbed her hands together as she watched the hole get bigger and bigger, “Come, my scouts, dig faster! Deeper!”

Guard Captain Wollf hunched down and placed a hand on her leader’s shoulder, “Kikimora, the tunnels below are incredibly unstable. Maybe we should slow down?”

The hand was smacked away, “No! Never! We keep digging! This mission is a boon from the Emperor himself, and I will fulfill it! You should have seen the Golden Guard’s face when I took it right out from under his nose!”

She cackled gleefully to herself, then stopped, sneering, “Not that I got to see his face, with his stupid mask always on.”

Wollf tried not to take offense to that statement as she lifted a hand to her own mask. “If the Emperor has so much faith in you, maybe we should slow our pace and ensure this gets done properly? Ma’am?”

Kikimora grabbed the Guard Captain by the collar, “And give the Guard a chance to steal my glory? You don’t know him like I do, he might already be here, in disguise, waiting for the chance to take what is rightfully mine!”

Wollf conceded, holding her hands up until Kikimora released her grip on her collar and allowed her to stand back up. Kiki turned and left, shouting orders to another batch of scouts while Wollf’s shoulders slumped. Behind her another guard walked by, patting her back encouragingly, “Don’t worry, some day, she’ll see that you’ve always been there for her, and have so much to offer.”

Wollf growled like her namesake, “I don’t remember asking you anything, Steve. Why don’t you go back to simping for that traitor?”

Steve slumped, walking off in dejection, “I was only trying to help…”

Behind a tree nearby, Hunter gulped. Kikimora had already seen through his plan, and he hadn’t even started it yet. Here he was, outside of the castle walls, dressed in a standard scout uniform, ready to sneak into the mining facility so he could steal the Titan’s Blood under her nose, and she’d figured it out before he could put the silver mask on over his face.

He took off the mask, looking at his reflection in the polished surface, and frowned. This was a bust. He’d need to rethink this. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance, a series of tweets sounding above his head as the same palisman who’d been following him lately had decided to show up. “Shoo! You’ll ruin the disguise! Coven Scouts can’t have Palismans anymore. The Emperor confiscates them to… make up for the lack of his own supply.”

The bird cocked his head curiously, but Hunter didn’t have the heart to explain why his Uncle needed so many palismans. He’d never questioned the morality of it before now, but seeing as this palisman seemed to have claimed him, he wanted to keep him safe from what was happening to the others.

“Come on, we need to find another way in before we get spotted.” Hunter got up from behind the tree, brushing the snow off of him while resisting the chill that ran down his body. These uniforms weren’t exactly great, but he’d faced worse. Like that time he’d been stranded on the Knee and had to survive when he was in basic training. Those were good times, an utter classic.

At the same time as Hunter was looking for a new way in, Eda, Luz and King were landing. The Owl Lady flew on her own set of wings, touching down gently with her taloned feet, while Luz and King rode Owlbert. Eda shivered, neither her, nor the Owlbeast happy to be out in the cold, but at least the feathers were doing their job. She’d make sure to eat some rats or something when she got back home to keep the beast inside happy.

“So, Mom, I’ve been meaning to ask-“ Eda had been hoping that between the mission and King being there, Luz wouldn’t start asking questions. Eda didn’t have any answers she was ready to give.

Instead, Eda forced a grin, “What was that, Luz? I can’t hear you over this howling wind!”

Luz looked perplexed, seeing as there was hardly even a breeze right now. “Uh, are you okay, Mom?”

“Let’s just get this over with…” Eda grumbled. It figures the weather wouldn’t be as poor as the last time they were here.

King bounded around on all fours, inspecting some old mining equipment, “What’s up with all this stuff, anyway?”

“It’s mining gear.” Eda explained, eager to latch on to any other conversation right now and taking a closer look herself, “Titan’s Blood is one of, if not the most powerful source of magic on the isles. Used to be considered pretty sacred stuff, only mined for rituals and the like, but that all changed when Belos took charge and began mining it all for himself. That old bastard used a lot of it up in the early days, and now there isn’t a whole lot left.”

“How’d he use it, anyway?” Luz asked curiously, not having heard much about Titan’s Blood. Eda couldn’t blame her, the mining operation had been shut down longer than Luz had been alive.

“Carelessly. A lot of the blood had crystallized since the Titan died, and those crystals were given as gifts to Belos’ supporters. Of course those supporters would use it, draining it of its ability, until all that was left was a hunk of pretty rock.” Eda explained. “Some say Belos used it to power a lot of his experiments, but well, you’d have to ask someone like your Aunt Lily for the truth about that. Of course, he can’t use all of it. There are trace amounts everywhere that can’t really be mined.”

“There are?” King looked under his feet, as if he just expected to find Titan’s Blood under them.

“Yeah, there are trace elements of it in stuff like what makes up abomination goo. It’s where that purple color comes from.” Eda grinned, “There might be as much as a full drop of the stuff in that flask your girlfriend stole, but extracting it is basically impossible. You need to get it from the source, or it's useless.”

“If Belos mined all of the Titan’s Blood years ago, there probably isn’t much left here at all, is there?” Luz frowned, thinking about the twins.

Eda nodded, “Yeah, if it’s gone, it’s gone. Like I said, Belos used it carelessly. He must be pretty desperate if he’s sent troops here, looking for the barest hints of what he might have missed…”

It was at this time both Eda and Hunter’s paths crossed, though not willingly on either end. Upon spotting the three below, Hunter had planned to follow them inside the mines, but the Red Cardinal that followed him had other ideas, tugging on his cowl until he lost his balance and fell face first into the snow at the Owl Lady’s feet.

No sooner had Hunter landed did he have the Owl Lady glaring down at him, her palisman pointed at his head, while her daughter had a spell circle cast, ready to fire, and the demon looked ready to scratch his eyes out if he twitched the wrong way. The Owl Lady prodded him with the staff, “Don’t call for help, and we’ll make this easy for you.”

Hunter slowly raised his hands, realizing this might be his way in. If he let them capture him, while they thought he was a nobody scout, he could easily escape later! “I, nothing more than a humble scout, do surrender!”

King lowered his paws, almost disappointed he didn’t get to punch their hostage in the face, “That was easy…”

Eda narrowed her eyes, “Too easy. I think I recognize that voice… That annoying, grating voice…”

“My voice isn’t annoying!” Hunter protested, but realized the jig was up and tried to take off. The snow underneath him protested his departure, turning into shackles of ice and wrapping around his ankles, making him fall on his face once again, this time the mask falling off and revealing his face.

Luz walked around his body and took a look, “Yup, that’s the Golden Guard!”

Hunter spat a bit of snow that had ended up in his mouth, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d- I mean, the Golden Guard never shows his face to anyone!”

“I saw it before I clubbed you over the head in the Bat Queen’s forest.” Luz answered simply.

Hunter’s eyes bulged out of his head in indignation, “That was you?! I knew I didn’t lose to that human!”

“Hey, that human is my girlfriend, and she was kicking your butt!” Luz pointed down at him, voice raised.

“That’s enough for now Luz. Let’s just tie him up for now,” Eda quieted her daughter, and within a few moments they had the Golden Guard bound, Eda carrying him under one arm as if he were as light as a sack of potatoes. “You’re kinda scrawny, kid.”

Hunter could only groan, and pray to the Titan that he’d have the chance to escape.

The group searched around the area for a little bit, Eda looking for a secret entrance that wouldn’t alert the rest of the coven guards to their location. “I know it’s here somewhere…”

“How could you possibly know where a secret entrance is?” Hunter asked, feeling snarky if he was going to be treated like this anyway.

“I snuck in here once or twice, looking for Titan’s Blood on my own. Hoped the boost in magic would help me overcome the curse back in my late teens.” Eda answered.

“Ah, the ancient times,” Luz nodded sagely, earning a cackle from King.

Eda ignored Luz, speaking over her and King’s laughter, “Anyway, that didn’t work. Never found the stuff, and didn’t exactly have the mining equipment either. Ah, here we are.”

Eda ran a hand over a wall of thick ice, “Seems it got frozen over since last I’d been here. That’s why I couldn’t find it!”

Hunter was set aside, once again feeling like he was little more than a sack to the harpy woman, who reared back and rammed her body into the wall with a “Hoot!” The ice shattered against her body with ease, clearing the way through, and just as quickly as he was set down, Hunter was scooped back up and tossed over Eda’s shoulder.

“This is demeaning.” He deadpanned.

“Which is exactly why I’m doing it!” The Owl Lady replied cheerfully, stepping into the cavern.

Luz and King admired the hole for a moment, oohing and awing at Eda’s strength. “Seriously, when can I unlock harpy mode?” Luz asked, bounding after her mother.

“When you’ve accepted your inner Owlbeast, not as a curse, but as someone who doesn’t wanna be there anymore than you do. Find an inner balance between you. Like roommates, forced to stick with each other due to economic circumstances.” Eda replied, taking a step closer to one of the mining drills her eyes landed on when she’d entered.

“Ooh! Instead of something boring like that, maybe if we put you in danger you’ll be able to do it!” King suggested, hoping on top of a nearby piece of mining equipment.

Luz, who had seemed bummed about her Mom’s idea, brightened over King’s, “Yeah! That could work! What could it hurt to try?”

Eda didn’t think they’d actually be dumb enough to try it, sarcastically replying, “You-” Before she realized that yes, they were dumb enough to try it as the drilling laser activated, preparing to send out a blast. Her and Hunter both yelled out “Wait, don’t-!

Too late to stop it, the beam activated. Eda tossed Hunter aside and dove, forcing Luz to the ground and covering her with her body. The beam shot out, ricocheting around the covers, bouncing off the walls with no signs of stopping, until it hit the ice between Hunter’s legs, too close for comfort.

“You idiots! This isn’t some regularly old cave we’re standing in! We’re inside the Titan’s veins! Any magic you cast with bounce right back!” Hunter shouted, realizing he truly was surrounded by idiots. He turned to Eda, giving her a look, “Surprised you’d know that, though.”

“I didn’t!” Eda insisted, “I just didn’t want my kid to have her face melted off!”

She gave him a look like he was the idiot among them, then turned to Luz, “No more of that! Listen to what I say instead of throwing yourself into needless danger! You could have gotten really hurt, or put this entire mission in jeopardy.”

Luz shrunk in on herself, knowing she had earned that scolding, “Sorry, Mom.”

“And you!” Eda turned to King, “No shooting you sister with mining lasers without my permission!”

“Sorry Mom.” King echoed, quickly getting off the machine.

Eda sighed, “Look, I get it, you’re impatient and you want to look cool. In another life, I’d probably have done the same thing. So instead of thinking like me, think like your Mama, and know that would be reckless and stupid, okay?”

Both children nodded their heads, which they kept low. Luz peeked up at the mention of Camila and raised a finger, “Speaking of Mama-“

“Let’s get out of here, we have a maze to get through before the Emperor’s coven does, if we want to see if there is any Titan’s Blood left!” Eda said quickly, striding forth on her long legs towards the cavern’s exit.

“Hey, aren’t you forgetting something!” Hunter called from the floor, unable to get up from where he’d been thrown to the floor without the use of his hands.

Back at the Owl House, Willow and Gus sat nervously on the sofa, keeping their ears open as they listened for any sign that something was wrong in the room above them. The silence was seemingly getting to Gus, who was rocking back and forth in his seat. “Are you sure we can’t listen to that underground Korean Hip-hop? Just to kill the time?”

Willow shook her head, expression serious, “Maybe if it was just one of them, but I’d rather not get overpowered while my back is turned and my ears are covered.”

“You’re being too paranoid! Besides, only one of us has to listen for them. I could listen to the music, while you’re on lookout.” Gus suggested, almost desperately.

“And miss out on this thrilling conversation?” Willow’s voice was set in a deadpan tone, and Gus quickly fell back into silence.

At least for a minute or two, “I wonder what Hooty is doing?”

Willow sighed, “You must really be desperate if you’re wondering what Hooty is up to. Fine.”

Gus stood from his seat, victory plastered onto his youthful face, and he ran for the door, opening it to see Hooty had the music player with the headphones on, jamming to… the CD case beside it said Whale noises, which didn’t seem particularly harmonious to Gus. The bird tube was so entranced he didn’t even notice the door had opened, bobbing his head to the sounds of whales and completely oblivious to the witch beside him.

With a groan, Gus shut the door again, joining Willow back on the sofa. “This is taking forever for them to get back.”

“Gus, it hasn’t even been an hour yet,” Willow reminded, looking up at the clock.

“Foreeeever!” Gus slouched in his spot, looking miserable.

Willow let out a breathe through her nose, trying to remain patient. Finally, she settled on a compromise, “How about we put something on the Crystal Ball, then? See if there is a movie or something we can watch?”

“Oh boy!” Gus exclaimed, sitting up in his seat while Willow prepared the ball, browsing through the channels available.

“What do you want to see?” Willow asked, not too picky herself.

“I dunno! Maybe… something horror related?” Gus suggested, conjuroring up a bowl of illusionary popcorn for the two of them to pretend to eat together.

Willow looked at him over her glasses, “You really think that’s wise, Gus?”

The boy shrugged, “I’m twelve, age comes with wisdom. You tell me.”

Willow let out a long suffering sigh, “Fine, a horror movie it is.”

Getting through the mines was as confusing as navigating an actual set of veins would be. There were many paths, but only one led to where they needed to go. Eclipse Lake was at the very top of the Knee, at the peak of the petrified Femoral Artery that ran under the kneecap, so sticking to the largest path should get them there. Unfortunately, due to the age of the caverns and the haphazardous mining operation from decades back, there had been plenty of cave ins, meaning alternative paths needed to be navigated.

The quartet of Eda, Luz, King and Hunter made their way through these tunnels, Hunter now on his own feet, but tied to Luz so he couldn’t wander away, all of them doing their best to avoid the Emperor’s scouts. It seemed that while Eda had found her own way in, Kikimora had successfully blasted through her own makeshift entrance.

“You know, I heard about what you did in the forest,” Eda said quietly, carefully to keep her voice from echoing down the cave walls. “Heard you waited until Amity’s back was turned to try and stab at it. Didn’t think you’d be such a dishonorable coward, but, well, that’s the Emperor’s Coven for you.”

“She would have done the same to me,” Hunter defended himself. “She’s a low class criminal, why shouldn’t I be prepared to double cross her first?”

“Because she saved your life?” Luz hissed, “And Amity is far from low class! She’s way classier than someone like you could hope to be.”

“Yup, saved your life, and you stabbed her in the back the moment you could. Not exactly selling yourself here, buddy.” King shook his head, letting his disapproval be known.

Hunter opened his mouth to argue, but clamped it shut when he heard voices nearby, specifically Kikimora’s. “Shhh!”

“Do you hear that?” Kikimora’s voice rang out, “That is the sound of no Golden Guard! I think I really did it, I’ve beaten him! I’m the Emperor’s favorite! I can practically taste the promotions now!”

“Congratulations, Ma’am,” Wollf replied, standing tall, “But perhaps we should keep our voices down? This area is dangerous, and if we’re not careful we’ll cause a cave in.”

“You’re too worried! We’ll make it! I can smell that Titan’s Blood, see it in my mind's eye! We’re so close, we have to keep going, no matter the danger! Don’t you dare slow me down, Guard Captain, or I’ll feed you to the… wolves!” Kikimora let out an unhinged cackling, racing ahead of her Scouts, much to Guard Captain Wollf’s protests.

“Why do I even bother, she’ll never notice me…” The dejected guard cried, picking up her pace to try and keep her superior in line.

“This doesn’t look good,” Luz frowned, “They’re all on the right path ahead of us, and we should be getting close. At this rate, they’ll make it before we do.”

Hunter had other issues on his mind, “My mask! Where’s my mask? The silver one you caught me with?”

“Why do you care?” King asked, “I say we use Goldie over her as a hostage to keep the guards at bay until we can get what we need!”

“I care because, if you recall, Kikimora tried to kill me in the forest!” Hunter tried not to scream. “If she sees me with you, she won’t hesitate to take her shot, especially when I can’t fight back.”

“Damn, so our only hostage is useless.” Eda groaned. “Figures, you’re not good for much, are you?”

That surprisingly shut the teenager up, his mouth in a tight lipped frown. Eda gave the teen a shove, pushing him towards Luz, “Alright, here’s the deal. I’ll take Owlbert and make some noise, fight a few guards, have a bit of fun. Luz, King, you take our favorite guard here with you, and try to keep him from dying.”

King whined, “Do we have too?”

“Why bother even taking me? You said it yourself, I’m useless.” Hunter bemoaned, eyes downcast.

“I’d cut you free and send you on your way, except that you’d just gun for the Titan’s Blood yourself. And as much as I don’t like you, I’m not having a kid’s blood on my hands, either, so I’m not using you as bait for Tiny and Mean down there.” Eda explained. “Luz can keep an eye on you, and King is petty enough to take out his aggression on you if you try anything.”

“Hey, I can do that too!” Luz protested, hunching over and trying to look tough, “I’m full of teen angst and anger!”

All of them, Hunter included, snorted, making the witchling pout. Eda recovered, shushing the others, “Alright, I’m going out now. When you see your chance, take it and go.”

Without another word, Eda spread her wings and took down the same shaft Kikimora had gone down, Owlbert gripped in her talons. Luz nudged Hunter along, the two trailing after in the shadows and waiting for the chance to sneak by while the Guards were distracted.

“So, once she’s gone, I guess we can take the Titan’s Blood for ourselves then, huh?” Hunter said smoothly, as if Eda wasn’t going to come back.

“My Mom isn’t going to be gone. And just because we’re a team now doesn’t mean you’re getting any, for whatever you need it for.” Luz corrected, while King scouted ahead.

Hunter kept his face even, “Don’t play coy, we both know what we need it for. You’re making a portal. We both have a stake in this, unlike your rat or the criminal.”

“I’m not sure what steaks have to do with anything, but you won’t distract me with food,” Luz put her foot down, tugging on the rope that kept Hunter bound, pulling him forward.

Hunter scowled, “I mean, you need a door for your little girlfriend, right? Can’t afford to disappoint her, can you? I certainly can’t disappoint the Emperor, either. Neither of us can afford to fail, because there is nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you’re special.”

Luz looked at him with pity in her eyes, “It’s not like that at all. Amity doesn’t need a portal, but her siblings do. I volunteered to do this, and I know, even if I come back empty handed, even if they’re disappointed they won’t have the Titan’s Blood, they won’t be disappointed in me for not being able to get it for them. We’ll find another way, like we always do, and we’ll do it together.”

Hunter flinched as if physically struck by her words, and turned his head away. Luz stopped in her tracks to inspect him, “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hunter muttered out, his tone bitter, then marched on his legs forward, intent on finding the lake even if he had to leave his captor in the dust.

Up in the twin’s shared bedroom, Amity laid in the dark, squinting through the blackness of the room in an attempt to make out the drawings she planned to give Luz once she came to check in on her again. She hadn’t been happy with the last check in, it had just been Willow and Gus, and had chucked one of her pens at them for the crime of not being Luz, which they rightfully deserved.

Taking her finished papers in her hands, she rolled on her back, clutching them tightly to her chest, unknowing or uncaring that they were being crumpled and torn as she squeezed them to herself.

The dark was interrupted by the Echo Mouse’s eyes lighting up, making all three Blight’s wince, covering their eyes as the sudden burst of illumination stung. On the wall, Philip’s journal began to narrate itself, as it always did.

“My journey to Eclipse Lake has been a success, and yet a tragic failure. The tunnels were filled with a substance known as Fool's blood, signifying a decaying vein. I was lucky to get out alive, my companions... were not.”

Amity’s fuzzy mind struggled to comprehend what was being said, and wrestled even harder with its meaning, before her eyes widened. From their beds, Ed and Em gasped, coming to the same conclusion as their sister. Amity flailed around in her bed, grabbing her pen and paper to write Luz a message, but somewhere in her illness addled mind, she realized that wouldn’t go through. Instead, she reached for her scroll, typing frantically and hitting send.

Amity squinted at the message she’d sent, making sure it covered everything, only to groan when the scroll sent her back a message saying it couldn’t get the message to Luz’s scroll, because of Luz’s poor signal.

Amity kicked off her blankets, crawling out of her bed. As she did so, Edric and Emira joined her, stiffly following every move their sister made as if it were their own. “Gus? Willow?” The three cried out together, reaching for the knob.

Downstairs, Gus was regretting his decision to watch a horror movie, wherein the undead came back to life to hunt down the living. The boy spasmed and held himself as he looked at the crystal ball with eyes covered by his open fingered hands, while Willow sipped loudly from her drink, looking unimpressed with the show of gore.

“I don’t know what you’re so afraid of, Gus.” Willow said, setting her cup aside, “Zombies like this would be way too weak and decomposed to do any real harm. They’re muscles would be too decayed to stand up after rotting this much! See, the director had to use strings to puppeteer the corpses he animated back to life. It’s a fairly common trick in the film industry down near the Pelvis. Movie magic and all that.”

“I don’t care, it’s really gross,” Gus responded, turning a little green at the sight.

“Then maybe we should just turn it off?” Willow suggested, and Gus looked torn between wanting to agree, and wanting to prove his manliness by powering through it.

Any answer he could have come up with was drowned out by the sounds of his name being called, “Guuuuus…”

“What is it, Willow?” Gus asked, but the girl looked confused.

“I didn’t say anything…” She responded, brow furrowed.

“Willloooow!” Both kids turned to look to their right, up the stairs, where the Blight siblings could be found descended, arms outstretched and moaning, making clawing motions with their hands.

Both friends screamed and clung to each other, Willow quickly spinning a spell circle to bring one of Eda’s potted plants to life and bar the way. The plant parked itself at the first step, then outstretched its roots, keeping the three from getting to them. At least until Amity grabbed onto one of the roots and began biting down on them, tearing through them with her teeth.

“Willow, what do we do?! They’re totally zombified!” Gus cried, tugging on Willow’s shirt as Ed and Em joined their sister and started making their way through the plant.

“I- I don’t know, Gus!” Willow admitted, cowering away from the stairs. “We need to hide!”

“Basement!” They both shouted together, racing for the basement door, opening and slamming it shut behind them, clicking the lock.

Eda was providing quite the distraction, zooming past the Emperors Coven's spells and disrupting their forces, blasting plenty of the troops back with Owlbert. They were all so distracted that Luz, King and Hunter were able to sneak by, almost entirely undetected, minus a guard or two that Luz quickly shut up with a spell to the face. They hid behind old mining carts and machines, moving quickly from place to place under cover, until they reached the end of the tunnel ahead of Kikimora.

Luz silently waved at her mother, signaling they were through, and with a grin and a flourish of spells from Owlbert, Eda swooped through the tunnel and over the guard’s heads to join them, landing on her feet.

“Well, that was a blast and a half!” Eda cackled like the witch she was as they ran further down the cavern. “If we’re lucky, we’ll just need to go down this path, and then we’ll be home free! Eclipse Lake, here we come!”

King skidded to a halt, looking at a vein of bulbous, purple rocks that seemed to grow from the Earth, “Wait, is this the stuff?”

Eda looked it over, then grinned, “I think it just might be!”

Luz frowned, “I thought Eclipse Lake was further up, and would be, you know, a lake?”

Eda waved her off, “Psh, don’t take the name too literally. If this is what we came looking for, we might as well grab it and split.”

King was pulling at one of the bulbous crystals, trying to pull it free, while Eda started banging on it with her staff, trying to dislodge a particularly large stone. Hunter stared at them, mouth open and aghast, “Stop! That’s Fool’s blood! If it breaks, you’ll kill us all!”

Eda stopped long enough to look back at the teen, cocking a brow, “And how am I supposed to believe that when you’ve made it clear this is what you’re after as well?”

Eda raised her staff again, Luz worriedly looking back and forth between the two, “Wait, Mom, what if he’s telling the truth?”

Eda sighed, lowering her palisman, “Can you give me one good reason why he wouldn’t be lying?”

Luz pursed her lips, but couldn’t answer. Eda gestured with her hands as if to say ’I told you so,’ then turned back, “You’re entirely too trusting, Luz. I love you, but we need to work on that.”

Before Eda could bring her staff down again, the sound of footsteps caught up to them, Kikimora looking furious and backed by half a dozen guards, “Stop them! And… The Golden Guard? Double stop them!”

Eda’s staff went to better use in that instant, batting the spells being flung at her back at their casters, while Luz took cover behind some rocks and fired her own spells back. King sucked in a breath, and let out a mighty roar, which knocked a few of the guards off their feet, but didn’t keep them down. Hunter did his best to keep his head down, backing away from the fight as much as his rope would allow while still tied to Luz.

Kikimora spun her own circles, then noticed her surroundings, “Wait, stop, you idiots! That’s fool’s Blood, do you want to get us all kill-“

Too late, one of the spells Eda deflected with Owlbert was sent slamming into one of the crystallized bulbs, which began to fizzle and crack. The crack traveled upward, linking and shattering other bits of Fool’s blood, and the entire cavern started to shake.

King was knocked off his feet, Luz held onto dear life to a rock, and Eda plunged Owlbert into the ground and clung to him, while Hunter toppled over. A series of cracks spiderwebbed their way above them, sending rocks falling from above as the floor itself began to crack open. Eda reached out and snatched King, throwing him in Luz’s direction, just in time to dive herself as the ceiling came down above them, blocking Kikimora from going any further, and the Bad Girl coven from going back.

The bad news didn’t stop there, as the fissures continued to travel, bringing another set of rocks down, nearly crushing Luz and King. On the other side of the tunnel, another wall of crumbled stone blocked their path forward to Eclipse Lake, trapping Eda, Luz and King i between two walls of rubble.

“Guard!” Luz cried, realizing the rope tied to her waist had been snapped when the sharp rocks had fallen on top of it. She hurried to the stone wall, pulling back what she could, “Golden Guard guy, are you alive?!”

There was a bit of quiet, and for a moment Luz lost hope, her shoulders sinking. But a cough met her ears, then a voice, “Yeah, yeah, I’m… I think I’m okay. Nothing crushed me, at least.”

Luz peeked through the cracks to get a good look, and could see the Golden Guard on the other side, covered in dirt and rock dust. “That’s great news! Alright, we’ll dig our way out of here, and then together, we’ll go to Eclipse Lake, alright?”

Hunter didn’t reply, instead spotting a sharp, jagged rock in the pile that blocked the tunnel, and walked over, grinding and rubbing the ropes that bound him against it. Luz could see, and cheered him on, “Good idea! You get out of that rope, and you can help us get out of here even faster! Teamwork makes the dream work!”

“Luz…” Eda began, trying to get her daughter’s attention.

Luz watched as the teen freed himself, “I knew you could do it. Now, just start lifting some rocks, and, hey wait, where are you going?!”

Hunter turned his back on them, racing down the tunnel by himself, despite Luz’s protests, “And he’s going, leaving us to die, and he’s… gone. Yup, he’s gone.”

“Ugh,” King sighed, “The Emperor’s Coven is just the worst.

“Sorry to say it, kiddo,” Eda put a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder, “But we’ll get out of here eventually, and he’s got nowhere else to go with his only exit blocked. So he won’t get the blood.”

“I know, I just hoped we’d bonded enough for him to not stab us in the back,” Luz sighed, grabbing a stone and pulling it aside, wincing when that just made more stones fall into its place.

“It just gives us a chance to kick his butt properly,” Eda flashed a thumbs up, stepping beside Luz to help with the heavy lifting.

They continued to move the stone as best they could, without causing the rest of the tunnel to collapse on top of their heads. As time went by, the silence was starting to kill Luz, who had been burning to have this conversation with her mother for the past few days, “So, uh, Mom…”

Eda gave a tired sigh, “Really, Luz? Here of all places?”

Luz wasn’t afraid to admit that she was losing her temper, “Well, if you won’t talk to me about it while we’re trapped in a cave with literally nothing else to do besides move rocks, when will you talk to me about it?”

King looked awkwardly between the two, then gestured to the small hole they’d made with their progress, “I’ll, uh, just help dig from the other side. Call if you need me?”

He scurried through the tight hole, kicking his little legs until he was through. Eda exhaled, letting go a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, then nodded, “Alright, fine, that’s… fair. I’m sorry, Luz. Go on.”

Luz opened her mouth, then closed it, choosing to take a moment to really ponder her next words. Finally, she settled on, “What’s going on with you and Mama?”

Eda bit her lip, an action she hid by turning her back to Luz to pick up another rock, “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Luz grunted, pushing a particularly large boulder aside, “That you two have been closer lately. You hung out for a week, spending almost every day together, and then after the Gland Prix she even stayed over for the night. She has never stayed over, ever, not since you two… I just, I can’t be seeing things, right?”

The unspoken sound of Luz begging her mother to tell her, please tell her she was right buzzed in the cavern, and Eda shook her head. After a moment to collect herself, Eda responded, “I… Luz, I can honestly say I don’t know what’s going on between us right now. It’s confusing, and you probably think I’ve been avoiding the question because I don’t want to get your hopes up, but…”

Eda parked herself onto one of the rocks, hunching over, “The truth is I’m trying not to get my own hopes up.”

Luz blinked, then took the rock next to her mother’s. “Really? Have you guys… talked about it, or anything?”

Eda shook her head, “Not so much in words, no.”

Luz patted her Mom’s shoulder, “Then why don’t you? I’m sure if you just make some time, and talk things out together, things could have a chance to work out again.”

Eda shook her head, “Luz, this isn’t something that can be fixed so simply. We didn’t separate from a lack of love, kiddo. We were crazy about each other. But I lied to her for over a decade. Ileft her, and you. I abandoned you both for five years. And it turns out there wasn’t even a reason to. All I did was throw the best thing to ever happen to me, the two best people to ever enter my life, into the trash so I could get my revenge. I don’t know if I can fix that. I don’t know if your Mama can forgive that.”

“Would you do it again?” Luz asked seriously.

Eda looked baffled, “What, no! I regret leaving every damned day.”

“Then go and tell her that!” Luz smiled, leaning against her mom, “For what it’s worth, I forgive you.”

Eda huffed, but put her arm around Luz in a one armed hug, “of course you forgive me. Weren't you listening to me a moment ago? You’re far too forgiving and willing to look past people’s faults. Even if you do forgive me, I still need to make it up to you, and I promise I will someday.”

“Then you can start by talking to Mama.” Luz looked up at Eda, sending her a shaky smile, “You did kinda break apart the family. So you can make it up by fixing it.”

Eda sat up, brushing the dirt off herself and grabbing another stone, “Fine, I’ll… I’ll talk to her,” She swore, though she grimaced at the thought of going to Camila now, with everything that woman had on her plate. Between her civilian job, and having to run the rebellion, she’d probably turn Eda down just over being too busy, without having to factor in the years of neglect.

With that final rock, there was a gap just large enough for Luz to fit through, “All right, talk is over. Get through there, and go kick that sad emo boy’s butt. I’ll be right through to join you, alright?”

“Finally!” King’s voice greeted them, the former King of Demons letting out a tired breath, “I could hear you guys, you know, and you weren’t moving your fair share of the rocks!”

Luz made it through to the other side, Eda putting Owlbert through the rocks as well for Luz to take, “King will stay with me, and we’ll get these rocks out of the way. Then we’ll come to back you up!”

“Can’t I go with Luz? I’m tired, and wanna watch her beat up the idiot!” King whined, but Eda shushed him.

Luz raced up the path, going as fast as her scrawny legs could carry her. While she was fairly sure there wasn't another way out of Eclipse Lake but the way they had come, she wouldn’t put it past the Golden Guard to make his own escape route, or use his magic to teleport out.

When she arrived at the lake, she was more than a little surprised by what she found. Namely, a dried lakebed, barren of even a drop of blood or shard of a crystal, and the Golden Guard busy digging a hole. “Uh, whatcha doing there, buddy? Trying to dig a blood well, or something?”

“No point,” was the teenager's resigned response, “There isn’t a single drop of the stuff left.”

“Then why make a hole?” Luz asked, clutching Owlbert close to her in case he was trying to trick her.

He just gave a slightly unhinged laugh, “Well, you see, it’s simple. You can’t make a portal without the blood, and Belos needs a portal, therefore, he needs the blood and I have failed yet another mission.”

Luz gulped, the Guard continuing to dig as if his life depended on it. “And since I’ve failed my mission, like I have all the others, I can’t go back. I can’t return empty handed, again.”

He pointed to the hole in the ground, “So, long story short, this is my grave! I’d offer to make you one too, but apparently things are peachy keen in the Hoot House, or whatever you call it.”

Hunter put his face into the dirt, though that didn’t stop him from talking, “If I don’t have a use, I might as well save everyone the trouble of burying me.”

As soon as he was quiet, a familiar red palisman flew down, pecking at his head and tugging on his cloak, “Hey, leave me alone! Go find a better witch to be with!”

Despite the situation, Luz couldn’t help but chuckle to herself seeing how, even though he was part of the Emperor’s Coven, he seemed to have gotten at least one person on his side. “I didn’t expect to see you again, little Rascal.”

Luz took a few tentative steps towards the Emperor’s ward, “If I can ask, before you try burying yourself alive, why is what Belos wants so important to you? I mean, normal people just, you know, quit their jobs, find better ones? You and Kiki seem kind of… unhinged with how devoted you are to him. No offense.”

Hunter spit out a mouthful of the dirt he was laying down in. “I… He’s my uncle.”

Luz raised an eyebrow, “Who’s your uncle?”

“The Emperor. Belos. He’s the only family I’ve got left in the world.” The Guard admitted, because if he was gonna die, he’d prefer someone at least know what to put on his epitaph. ‘Here lies the Emperor’s Nephew, the most worthless Golden Guard in the land.’

Hunter wasn’t sure what to expect next from the Owl Lady’s daughter after admitting that. Maybe a kick to the ribs, some spit on the face. Instead, she got down in the dirt next to him, laying on her back. They stayed there quietly together, until Luz let out a sigh. “You know, we kind of have more in common than I expected.”

Hunter let out a hum, but didn’t argue, wasn’t even sure how to argue when he didn’t know where this was going. Instead he just let Luz talk. “My Aunt… Mi Tia meant everything in the world to me. A lot like your Uncle probably does for you. She wasn’t the only person in my family, of course, but she was a constant in a rocky life after my Mom and Mama separated.”

Luz lightly kicked her legs, clutching Owlbert to her chest, “then, after years of her being someone I loved and trusted, she ended up being the person who was responsible for my Mom’s curse. For my curse. And suddenly, I can’t find it in myself to see or talk to her anymore. Because, even if she didn’t mean it, she was responsible for most of my hardships. She hurt me so badly that I’m not sure I can really call her family anymore. Even though I miss her, and want to talk to her sometimes.”

Luz reached out, and grabbed Hunter’s hand, squeezing it in her own. “Sometimes, family sucks, a lot. So, it’s important to find people outside of it to lean on. People you can trust, and be friends with. Instead of laying there in the dirt, over another failure, maybe it’s time to take a step back, and spend some time with your friends. Who knows, maybe your Uncle is just under a lot of pressure, and doesn't really blame you for your losses?”

She mumbled something that sounded like, “I mean, I doubt it, he’s pretty evil…” to Hunter’s ears, which despite being an insult towards The Emperor, his beloved Uncle, caused the Golden Guard to snort. Still, while he appreciated the girl's attempt to cheer him up, there was one major issue with her suggestion, “You know, you kind of need friends to be able to hang out with them.”

Luz let out a gasp, rocketing up into a sitting position, “You don’t have friends?!”

Hunter shook his head in the dirt, smearing it over his cheeks. On his head, his palisman protested, pecking his scalp as if to let him know he took offense to not being considered a friend.

Luz chortled at the action, then gave a gentle tug on their still linked hands, Hunter’s fingers still loose and limp rather than returning the gesture. “Well, do you want some?”

Hunter looked into those sparkling eyes filled with hope, and sighed. How could he say no to that? He finally tightened his grip on Luz’s hand, making the girl grin, “Fine, what else do I have to lose?”

“That’s the spirit!” Luz encouraged.

Eda grumbled under her breath about taking in yet another freeloader, especially irritated when Luz suggested Amity give up her room so Hunter could have it, and Amity could move back in with her. “I don’t remember volunteering my house to yet another person…”

“And yet you’re letting him come anyway!” King pointed out as they opened the front door.

They were met by the sight of Amity, Edric and Emira sitting on the couch, a cornucopia of mushrooms on the floor and in their hair as they picked them out, while watching some kind of B-movie about zombies on the crystal ball. “Oh, there you guys are!” Amity smiled, happy to see her friends return.

“Yeah, we had a bit of trouble down at Eclipse Lake. Sorry to say, but there wasn’t any Titan’s Blood,” Eda responded, crossing her arms. “How are you feeling?”

The three blinked, brows furrowed, “Eclipse Lake?” Emira asked.

“Titan’s Blood?” Edric pondered, confused as to why that seemed familiar.

Eda facepalmed, “So, we went out to get that, and you don’t even remember sending us there? It was an ingredient for your portal door!”

The twins looked at each other and deflated, “oh, darn. That… really sucks. I wish we could remember sending you guys.”

“Where are Gus and Willow?” Luz asked, stepping in, flanked by Hunter, who had ditched the cape and cowl of the Emperor’s coven uniform he’d borrowed.

“We have no idea. We just kind of woke up down here, and they were gone,” Emira shrugged, then her eyes widened to see their new guest, “Oh, wow, aren’t you going to introduce us to your new friend, Luz?”

Edric sent Hunter a wink, “I may not be the one with the boobs, but I am the one with the sparkling personality, so keep that in mind.”

Hunter shivered, backing towards the door with a look of panic in his eyes, “Oh no, not this again.”

Amity, meanwhile, was beginning to steam, “What exactly is he doing here?”

The twins tore their eyes from Hunter’s form to look at Amity, which wasn’t an easy task for them to do. “You know this hunk, sis?”

“He’s the Golden Guard, you know, who tried to kill all of us at some point?” Amity grimaced, wishing she could take pleasure in seeing her siblings' expressions falling in realization, but she was currently too busy fuming to pay much attention.

Luz came to his rescue, “He didn’t have anywhere else to go!”

“I’m not a wild animal…” Hunter muttered, sending his savior a glare. Luz just shrugged, trying to do her best to vouch for him.

“So he’s just going to stay here?” Amity asked, pointing at Hunter, “I’m not sure that’s the best move. How can any of us even sleep in the same house as the Golden Guard without worrying about a backstabbing?”

“Hunter,” He corrected, finding all eyes on him as he spoke. He fidgeted nervously, not liking all of the attention. “My name is Hunter.”

A flapping of wings sounded and the red cardinal palisman landed on his shoulder. “And this is… Flapjack. My friend.” Hunter gestured to the bird, who sent everyone a tweet of greeting.

Before anyone could protest, the basement door opened up and a disgruntled Willow and soaked to the bone Gus stepped in, water dripping from his clothes and soaking the floor. Everyone looked at them in shock, and they stared right back.

“Uh, hey, guys. Where have you been?” Luz asked hesitatingly.

Willow glared behind her glasses, “Did you know that Hooty has a functioning Tunnel of Love under your Basement? And that he forced Gus and I to ride in it?!”

Gus shivered, from the memory, or the cold from his wet clothes, no one could know, “I tried to swim to safety, but he forced me back into the boat…”

Willow shook her head, a thousand yard stare in her eyes, “And the singing… there was so much singing.”

“I like you, Wills, but not in that way.” Gus said in a shaky voice, “You’re buff and beautiful, and I’m sure you’ll make a partner very happy someday, but can we please, please just forget about what we saw down there?”

“I agree.” Willow stated curtly, “I think I preferred being eaten alive by mushroom zombies. Oh, hi by the way, Amity, Edric, Emira.”

The three humans awkwardly waved, and Willow turned her attention to the newcomer, “So, uh, what did we miss?”

Chapter Text

Edric and Emira were done putting together the list of items they would need to recreate Philips door. They were sure of it. They’d gone over every rewritten diary entry twice over, combed for any mention of anything else they could have missed, and had scoured the markets for everything they didn’t already have in Eda’s basement, and were ready.

Except for one small thing.

They still didn’t have Titan’s Blood, which acted as the key which was needed to bridge the gap between worlds.

“Are we sure there isn’t a Titan’s Blood substitute we could use?” Edric pondered, tapping his chin, which had begun to grow a little bit of fuzz in his time here in the Owl House.

“Do you mean like an egg substitute? Because I don’t think this counts as baking, Ed,” Emira sighed, going over the list one more time, if just because she didn’t have anything better to do.

“Yeah, there isn’t anything like that. If there was, do you think I’d be here right now?” Hunter said from the couch, scooping a spoonful of ice cream directly from the tub and eating it, still in the pajamas Eda had lent him and looking thoroughly depressed.

“No one asked you, pretty boy,” Emira spat, glaring at him.

Ed fixed his glasses on his nose, having gotten used to wearing them more since arriving in the Demon Realm, “Why is it that all the good looking guys end up being evil?”

“I don’t think Todd from tenth grade counts, Ed.”

“Well he should,” He grumbled back at his sister.

Giving up, the two sighed, falling down to the floor beside the coffee table together. “What do you think even happened to the old key? Think anyone found it, or think it got junked?” Edric asked, staring at the ceiling.

“My Money is on junked,” Emira bet, resting her arms under her head.

“Doesn’t matter anyway, it's out of all of our reach,” Hunter reminded them, sitting back on the sofa and enjoying his fifth day off in a row. He’d started to sleep in until six in the morning when he realized no one was up at four. It was beyond bizarre to him that all of this was considered ‘normal’ for other people. He was still wrapping his head around there not being any group meetings held in the Owl House. How did anyone coordinate anything in this place?

“Maybe someone found it already, and is going on all sorts of adventures we have no idea about?” Edric suggested, trying to pull them out of their pit of depression, all in vain. “Think about it, if one or two people came through, and didn't draw attention to themselves, who’d even notice?”

Emira and Hunter considered the idea, looking at each other as they mentally calculated the odds of Edric of all people getting something right.

“Nah.”

“No way.”

“Utterly impossible.”

“I’ll believe it when Pigs don’t fly.”

Clara hummed as she raced up her stairs, eager to change out of her school clothes and into something more casual. She counted her blessings that she at least got to spend the school day with one of her girlfriends, Masha, but that meant she had to make up for lost time with Vee as well, and she preferred to have clothes that were more comfortable to lay around in at the cabin.

She tossed her school bag onto a chair beside her desk, stopping only when she remembered that she needed to get her homework out. She’d take it with her, and she and Masha could do it together, and maybe teach Vee a thing or two. It wasn’t that Vee was stupid, but she was born and raised in a cage, so hadn’t had many opportunities to learn new things, and Clara didn’t think that Tom’s video games counted as reading time no matter how often the boy insisted it did.

‘Heartbeat Afterschool Book Association’ didn’t count as an actual piece of literature, even if it was in a genre called ‘visual novels,’ and Clara was sticking to that assertion.

As she dug through her backpack, looking for a pen or pencil to take along with her, her fingers brushed against the cool surface of metal, the sensation unexpected, sending a chill down her spine. Gripping the surprise inside her bag, she fished out what looked like a bronze key, with a memory associated with it coming to the forefront of her mind.

Clara had taken this from Jacob Hopkin’s back room at the Gravesfield Historical Society. The same society that was currently closed and under investigation after the moron more or less admitted to kidnapping Clara all those weeks ago. In everything that had happened, Clara had forgotten about this little key, escaping mind and memory until this instant, where it weighed heavily in her hands, its solitary eye gazing upward at her.

Clara ran her finger over the eye, gently brushing the glass surface, wanting to press it down for whatever reason like it was a button, but quickly shook her head. This could be important to Vee, something she could eat, and gain power from. If it was magical at all in the first place.

Clara set it on her desk, and finished getting ready. Once she had ditched her skirt for a pair of jeans, she grabbed her things and stuffed them into a smaller book bag that she hung over her shoulder, grabbed the key, and considered putting it in her pocket. Instead, she gave it a squeeze, and decided to carry it out in her palm, just in case she forgot about it and sat down, and broke the glass cover over the eye, or something.

She stepped back out of her house, whistling a jaunty tune as she walked. She couldn’t wait to surprise Vee with this key. And Masha, as well. Both her girlfriends loved magical stuff, after all, if for very different reasons. Masha was a dork about it, while Vee liked to eat it, but she was glad the two shared a hobby at least.

She passed by a light post, ignorant of the hidden camera attached to it, watching her every move. Watching as she left the streets behind and instead entered the forest behind Blight Manor, where she disappeared beyond the trees.

Clara made it to the cabin, giving a knock but receiving no answer. That wasn’t too uncommon, Vee liked to go and explore the town while the rest of her friends were at school. That just meant that Clara was the first to arrive, so she helped herself by opening the door and stepping inside, taking a moment to really take in the atmosphere of the place that had become a second home to her.

The New Cabin Seven(patent pending), was as small and cozy as ever. Sure, the floorboards didn’t all match up in color or size, and the roof only didn’t leak because of the waterproof tarp they’d put over it, but it was the people that helped make it what it was. The rescued furniture from secondhand stores and the dump, the futon Vee slept on and cuddled with anyone willing, the TV older than any of them that still somehow worked set up next to a game console and Vee’s slowly growing collection of movies.

Being here really made Clara happy, feel like she belonged. She had a friends group that was more than just an excuse for MyFace posts and parties, who gathered outside of school hours for good, wholesome fun.

The key in her hand weighed her down, bringing her attention back to it. She fingered it, rolling it around in her hands, thinking once more about how Vee and Masha would be happy to see it if it was actually magical. As much as she liked to think that was a happy thought, a bit of doubt gnawed at her mind.

Vee was an actual shapeshifting demon, a magical creature. Masha could read people’s fortunes, which while they didn’t seem magical, were scarily accurate a lot of the time. Both of them had a deep connection to magic in a way Clara just didn’t. She was just a cheerleader, after all. An otherwise normal human, no powers, nothing.

Would they get tired of her, then?

The key rolled in her hand, and Clara could swear she could feel the magic inside of it pulling at her. Her fingers twitched as they wrapped around the handle. If she used it, however that even worked, would this give her powers? Would she become some kind of magical girl, like in Sam’s animes, or Tom’s video games?

She briefly wondered if these thoughts were because this was some cursed, magical item, like that Ring from that movie based off that book everyone but her had seen and read. But she knew that wasn’t true. Sure, this felt magical, and heavier than a key this size should be, but these thoughts were all her own. The only thing tempting her was herself, and her need to be special.

Clara frowned, her finger once again settling on the center of the eye, which just begged to be pressed. Was it so wrong to give into that little bit of temptation, just to see what would happen? Maybe this would give her magical powers, and maybe it would do nothing and Vee could still eat it, and Masha could gush over having seen another magical artifact. She lost nothing either way.

She gave into her desires, pressing down on the key, then leapt back as a light appeared. From that light came a briefcase, unfolding to make a door, ornate and decorated with its own eye, staring at her, asking her to open it.

With a trembling hand, she settled her grip onto the brass knob, and with her other hand inserted the key, hearing the telltale click as it unlocked. With a twist of the handle, she opened the doorway, and let out a gasp at what was on the other side.

A market, straight out of a renn faire. The place was lively, pointy eared people moving everywhere, bumping into one another, buying and selling and meandering about. It was loud, and brightly colored, and there was a demon looking right at her!

Clara remembered what she was doing, remembered how Vee had ended up here in the first place, and came to her senses, grabbing the edge of the door and preparing to slam it shut, when a voice rang out behind her.

“I’ve got you now, you witch!” Clara didn’t even have the time to turn around before she was knocked off her feet, tackled by a man twice her size. The key fell from her grip as they went through the doorway, the two humans landing onto the hard dirt. The sound of metal hitting wood met Clara’s ears before it silenced, and as she struggled under the man on top of her to peek behind her, she realized that the door was gone, having shut behind them.

They were trapped in the Demon Realm, the place that scared Vee so much she didn’t ever wish to return.

A hand forced her back down onto the ground, Jacob’s voice crowing, “I got you! Now, all I need to do is make you take me to… the rest… of… your coven…”

Jacob looked around him, seemingly realizing where exactly he was, mouth falling open in surprise. He stopped forcing Clara down, rising to his feet and looking around in disbelief, and Clara took that chance to bolt, taking off before Jacob, or any of these witches and demons, could lay another finger on her.

She weaved between the crowds, ignoring Jacob’s calls for her to come back and ‘face his justice,’ only thinking about getting away, on finding someplace safe, if something like that even existed here.

“Excuse me, pardon me, I need to get through!” She cried as she pressed on through the busy market, almost running headlong into a demon who was a head shorter than she was, minus the horns, which were twice her height. She gasped, turning away from them and instead slammed into the back of someone dressed in white, who turned to face her with a mask of silver covering his face.

“Uh, um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, I’m just… lost.” Clara stuttered, knowing more than anyone alive how true that was.

The man looked her over, but shrugged her off before offering her a hand, speaking in English of all things, “Don’t you worry, kid. Steve here doesn’t mind being knocked around a little. If you need any help, you just ask, it’s what us Emperor’s Coven Guards are here for!”

That name rang familiar to Clara’s ears. This man worked for the same people who had hurt Vee. She backed off slowly, “That’s alright, I’ll find my way around, I’m sure-“

Steve paused, then seemed to notice something, “Hey, you’re ears… you wouldn’t happen to be-“

“Sorry, I gotta go, bye!” Clara didn’t stick around to hear what else he had to say, darting off and running as fast as her legs would carry her. Great, now the guards of this world knew a rare specimen was running around their town. She was going to be dissected at this rate.

She continued to run, going wherever the wind took her, until she found herself running up the steps of a building, too frantic and worried to care what it was, just that it had a lot of people going in and out, so might be a decent place to hide for a bit. As she raced up the stairs, she glanced behind her, making sure she wasn’t being followed, and almost immediately ran into someone else the second she wasn’t looking in front of her.

“Ouch!” The person cried out, falling backwards onto the steps, cringing as the edges dug into her. “Can you watch where you’re going, please?”

“I’m sorry!” Clara apologized, offering the poor girl a hand up. She was met by a head full of lavender hair, and a familiar face as she gaped unbelievingly at who she’d run into.

The girl stared back, eyes wide as she took in her clothes, her hair, and even her ears, “Clara?”

“Vee?” Clara asked, then felt incredibly stupid when she saw the look of confusion appear on what was of course Amity’s face. It was just that the last time she’d seen that face, Vee had been wearing it, and she wanted very much to see the basilisk right about now. “I’m sorry, I mean, Amity. What- how-“

She stopped speaking, and closed her eyes until she could center herself, “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

Amity seemed touched by the sentiment, then smiled, “How in the world did you even get here?”

“I found this stupid key and used it!” Clara admitted, not bothering to keep her voice down while venting her frustrations. Amity let out a gasp and put a hand over Clara’s mouth, shushing the girl.

“Come here, I’ll explain in a little bit, alright? Right now, let's get you inside, and someplace private where we can speak without being overheard.”

Vee laughed along with her friends, walking hand in hand with Masha as they made their way to her place. She’d run into the three while exploring the neighborhood, something Sam had just been scolding her about. “You should wait until school is out, or you’ll get a truant officer called on you!”

That had made Tom comment that they’d be called in on an actual demon child, and they’d need all the luck they had to take Vee in. “She’s literally as slippery as a snake.”

They walked in good humor and high spirits, Vee making sure to ask how each of their days went. Masha checked her phone halfway back to the clubhouse to let them know Clara would meet them there, which put an extra bounce in the basilisk’s step. She never got tired of being with her favorite people in the world.

As they weaved through the trees, Vee took a sniff of the air, “I think Clara’s already passed through here!” She grinned, excited to see her other girlfriend.

Tom grimaced, “Wait, you can smell us?”

Sam lifted their arm and took a whiff of themselves, “I hope I don’t stink…”

Vee laughed away their worry, “Don’t worry, guys, I promise, it’s not as weird as it sounds. Basilisk’s just have strong noses. Helps us sniff out that magical goodness.”

“So, if you took to me so fast, I must be magically delicious,” Masha joked, elbowing the blushing demon.

Together they strolled up to the door, unconcerned to find it already ajar. Stepping inside, Vee blinked in confusion to find the place empty, no Clara in sight. Funny, Vee could still smell her like she’d been here just recently, but no scent of her leaving. Not to mention the other scents she was picking up. One smelled human, the other, the strongest, distinctly not.

“Maybe she stepped out to make a call? Cell service isn’t the best this far into the woods…” Tom suggested, stepping by the others and throwing himself down onto Vee’s futon.

Vee shrugged, ready to join him in relaxing, until her foot kicked something that slid across the rough wooden floor. The strange scent followed it, and Vee sent a glance back at Masha, who shrugged.

Sam went for it, walking over slowly and bending to pick it up from where it had slid under the vanity. They raised a brow curiously at the key in their hands, before turning to offer it to Vee, “When did we put a lock on the door-“

Everyone jumped as Vee hissed viciously at the sight of the key, her usual cute features fading to become more snakelike, fangs bared at the offending object. Vee recognized it, that was the key to the portal she’d taken to get here, the thing that had rescued her from her old life, but could just as easily take her back.

The key hit the ground again as Sam’s grip slipped when they jumped in surprise at Vee’s reaction. The key laid there where it fell, having the audacity to stare up at Vee, peering into her soul. Vee didn’t break eye contact with it until a hand fell on her shoulder, and she realized Masha was calling her name.

“Vee, what’s going on?” The goth girl asked carefully, worry worn freely on her brow.

Vee didn’t know how to answer, but tried to relax, her basilisk features smoothing out, skin replacing scales, fangs receding, and her eyes returning from yellow to blue. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she didn her best to respond, “Th-that’s a portal key. It opens a portal between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm.”

“Oh.” Masha breathed out, realizing now why Vee reacted the way she had. She opened her arms, offering a hug, which the basilisk took. It wasn’t until Vee was in her girlfriend's arms that she realized how tense her body was, how every fiber of her being was screaming to get away.

Sam carefully scooped the key off the floor, and gently set it on Vee’s vanity, beside her makeup kit. Tom himself had risen from his spot on the futon, once more looking around the place. “Uh, not to be a total buzzkill, but… why is that even here?”

Sam looked troubled, something not missed by their friends, “I think the better question is; why is it here, while Clara isn’t?”

Vee gasped, and beside her Masha was already taking out her phone, speed dialing their girlfriend’s number, setting it to speakerphone. “Come on, pick up, pick up…”

The phone rang once before going to an automated message, “The number you’re trying to reach is not available…” Masha stomped her foot, wanting to throw the phone across the room, but settled for pressing the end call button really hard, “oh, come on!”

Vee was trying not to hyperventilate, the cabin going from cozy and comfortable, to incredibly small and confining. Around her, her friends were panicking, trying to figure out what to do, which wasn’t helping her try to keep a hold on herself. Masha kept dialing Clara’s number, hoping aloud that this was just a signal error on her side, Sam was worrying about Clara’s safety, and what could happen there since she was human, and Tom was pacing back and forth, his footsteps echoing and adding to the cacophony of noise.

“Can everyone please just be quiet!” Vee shouted, clutching her head. “I-I need to think! I can’t hear myself think!”

Her friends all stopped what they were doing. Tom stopped in his tracks, Masha hung up the phone, and Sam shut their mouth, all eyes on Vee. Somehow, the silence and the stares were even worse. Vee wasn’t able to handle it as she turned and raced out of the cabin and out into the woods, putting a good few yards distance between herself and the building she called home.

Being out of the cabin and among the trees did help Vee feel like she could breathe again, taking in deep , shaky breaths as she bent over, hands on her knees. The others thankfully didn’t come out after her, crowding her, and stayed inside. Inside with the key that started and may just have ended everything.

Vee’s breathing slowed, and she looked to the sky in thought. There was no Titan on the horizon looking down on her for her to ask for answers. It was just her. Her and her thoughts that formed dangerous ideas that she knew she was going to regret. Clara was in the Demon Realm now, for whatever reason, and couldn’t get back if the key was on this side. Meaning someone on this end had to do something about it. Biting her lip hard enough it nearly bled, she slowly turned back to face the cabin, trying to find her courage.

The others were sitting in glum silence when she returned a few minutes later. Masha leapt to her feet at the sight of her, but didn’t touch Vee, for which the basilisk was grateful. Everyone was looking at her for answers, and as much as she hated what she was about to say next, she at least had some. “I’m going to go and rescue Clara.”

The wall of noise was back as soon as the words left her lips, all of them having something to say, mostly protesting it. Vee clenched her eyes shut, “I’m going! This isn’t a discussion, and the longer we stay here, the more trouble Clara might land herself in.”

“Are you sure about this,” Masha asked hesitantly. “You don’t have to go. I’ll go, I can bring our girl back.”

Vee shook her head, “You don’t know that place like I do. It’s easy to get lost, and I can track Clara’s scent. I need to go.”

Tom was beside her, offering his support, “Then I’ll be right there with you.”

Vee shook her head, “No, I can do this alone, I don’t need to put you guys in dange-“

Sam spoke next, silencing Vee with a hand on her shoulder, “We said we’re coming. We’re not letting you go back there alone.”

“We’re right beside you, Vee.” Masha said softly, taking Vee’s hand in her own, “We can’t lose while we’re all together. We’re cabin seven, the best of the weirdest.”

Vee gulped, still wanting to protest, but the looks of determination on everyone’s faces stopped her in her tracks. Her throat tightened and she nodded, feeling tears leak from her eyes, “Thank you, everyone. I know we’ll be able to bring her home.”

Tom grabbed the key from Vee’s vanity, holding it out to the basilisk, “You said we need to go now, right? What are we waiting for?”

Vee took the key in her hand, inspecting it, then let out a breath when she realized what was inside, and why it smelled so strongly. “I- I think this is powered by Titan’s Blood…”

“And that is?” Masha asked curiously.

“I’ve only ever heard stories about it. I tried to find some for myself, but the only place where it could be reliably found was the Knee, which is… it’s really cold. Didn’t really make for a good visit, since I’m cold blooded.” Vee whispered, squeezing the key tightly in her hand. “This stuff, it’s powerful. Like, a drop of it could keep me fed for a year or more kind of powerful.”

Sam gulped, “That’s… pretty potent. I could see why you wanted it so bad.”

“It comes from the Titan itself, the progenitor of all magic on the Boiling Isles. You can’t get any more magically potent than that.” Vee clarified. She fiddled with the key, finger settling over the eye, “once this is done, at least something good will have come from it. I’ll have a lifetime supply of an all-you-can-eat magical buffet.”

She pressed the button, calling forth the portal door. It opened, revealing the markets that looked oh so familiar to Vee, making her heart freeze over with dread. She was really going to have to go back.

“We’re right here,” Masha reminded her, squeezing her hand. “Let’s just take this one step at a time. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Vee didn’t answer that. Masha was better off not knowing the worst that could happen. They stepped through the door together, and with another press of the key it vanished. While Vee shook in her boots, her friends openly stared around them at this new world. Despite their fear and Clara’s predicament, there was still wonder to be felt, Masha looking around at all the various demons, hands clasped and a sparkle in her eyes. Tom cleared his throat, wondering in his mind if all his experience in fantasy RPGs was about to pay off, while Sam seemed the most suspicious, sticking close to Vee in case anything went wrong.

Around the market, the witches and demons whispered and pointed. As Vee took a precocious step forward, she could hear some whispering about guards, and another set of humans that had come through. That didn’t sound good.

Masha looped arms with Vee, who kept her head low as they made their way through the market. The Basilisk kept her eyes peeled, giving a quiet warning to her friends, “If you see white cloaks, we might need to run.”

“We’re not getting anywhere just walking around and staring,” Tom said back, puffing out his chest. “I’ll go get some information, see what happened.”

The teenage boy walked away, trying not to appear frightened of the people around him, while muttering under his breath, “Just imagine you’re a dashing rogue, just imagine you have dialogue options, just pick the best ones and don’t fail the persuasion check…”

Sam helped usher their friends under the shade of a nearby tent within eyesight of Tom, all of them nervously watching as he conversed with one of the shopkeepers. They couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was an animated one, lots of gestures on either end of the conversation, until Tom shook the witch’s hand and uttered his thanks and returned to the group.

“Well?” Masha asked, motioning with her hand for him to spill the beans.

“They saw Clara, alright,” Tom clarified, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “Not only that, but someone followed her through the portal. Or knocked her through it, from the sound of it. Some human dude. She bolted away from him, and he tried to chase after her, but then the guards showed up and carried him away. He was ranting about conspiracies and… oh, dang it.”

“Hopkins,” Sam seethed, fists clenched and trembling at their side.

“I’m gonna beat the snot out of him if he hurt one hair on Clara’s head,” Masha snarled, looking angrier than Vee had ever seen her before.

“Forget about him for now, Tom said he got dragged away by the guards. That couldn’t have been long ago, there might be more around looking for Clara, or even us at this point,” Vee reminded them all, and they all nodded at the demon’s words.

They continued their search, and emboldened by Tom, Masha and Sam started asking around, speaking with various shopkeepers and passerbys, looking for their lost blonde. Vee couldn’t bring herself to approach anyone, wishing desperately that she’d thought to change her ears before coming through the door so she’d stop getting odd looks that made her skin crawl. Her human disguise was worthless here.

As luck would have it, Clara had been seen by plenty of people, leaving an impression by almost slamming into several demons and witches, each person they talked to kindly pointing in the direction she’d gone. Their trail however started to run cold outside of the Bonesborough Library, no one able to tell the group of humans anything else about Clara, or where she’d gone, with Vee even unable to pick up her scent among the many others anymore.

“I think we need to stop, regroup, and rethink the situation,” Sam said once it was clear they’d hit a dead end and gathered into a group again. “She didn’t go beyond this area, so she might still be around here. She was running, so that means she’s probably hiding now.”

“Hiding where, though,” Tom inquired, gesturing to all of the surrounding buildings and tents, “It’ll take forever to search.”

“But that won’t stop us from doing so,” Vee argued, putting her game face on. If she was going to be stuck here for the time being, so be it, she wasn’t leaving without her girlfriend.

“I think we’re all overthinking this,” Masha chimed in, a sly grin on her face as an idea came to her. “If she’s in the area, she might be in earshot. We don’t have to find her, we just need her to know we’re here.”

“It could attract unwanted attention,” Vee warned, shifting uncomfortably at the idea.

Sam pondered the idea, “So will a bunch of human kids meandering about one small area of town, clearly looking for something. I say we go for it.”

That was all confirmation Masha and Tom needed as they raised their hands to their faces and cupped their mouths, shouting, “CLARA! CLARA! IF YOU CAN HEAR US, COME FIND US!”

Vee clamped her hands over hear ears, hissing at how loud they were. Still, if this was the plan they were going for, she’d lend her voice, even if it made her feel apprehensive, “PLEASE, CLARA, COME HOME!”

Sam’s was the last to join their chores, doing their best to ignore all the looks they were getting from all the surrounding demons. The group stayed close to one another, moving through the crowds and hoping not to lose each other, shouting their heads off and getting more than one person shouting back for them to be quiet, which was soundly ignored.

It only took a few minutes for their voices to be hoarse, and their spirits to fall as they realized Clara wasn’t coming. Vee deflated, looking hopeless, “It isn’t working…”

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted them, and as one the group turned, fear filled them as their eyes fell onto a white cloaked, silver masked man. “Yeah, hi, friendly neighborhood Emperor’s Coven, and I’m here about some noise complaints. Came by to ask you all if you could kindly keep it down, and well-“

He looked them over, seeing their ears and clothes, then snapped his finger, “Hey, wait a minute, you’re all humans! I swear, you guys are just coming out of the woodwork today. Hold on just a second.”

He spun his fingers, and before any of them could react they were bound in interlocked chains. Vee gasped as she realized they weren’t just shackled, but even their hands were bound and covered by domes of steel, so she couldn’t reach into her pocket and use the portal key to help them escape.

“What’s the big deal, man?” Tom demanded, “You just said you were a friendly neighborhood dude!”

The guard shrugged, “Well, yeah, but after reporting the last human sighting earlier with that blond kid, I received orders to take any humans I saw in. Apparently another one was making a public disturbance, and needed to be arrested, so everyone’s been on alert? I don’t know, Steve just follows orders.”

Steve the Coven Guard gave a yank on the chain, lurching all the teens forward, “Come on, now, it’s a bit of a walk to the Conformatorium. Don’t worry, though, I’m sure you’ll get a good public defender, and you’ll be out in no time! 6-8 months, at the minimum, isn’t that nice?”

Clara watched in interest as Amity grabbed a book in the romance section, pulling it back, which made the shelf retract and reveal a secret, empty room. Amity gestured for Clara to join her inside, and the two entered, the shelf closing behind them to give them some privacy. Clara observed the place, and how freshly cleaned it was, even smelling strongly of cleaning chemicals that irritated her nose.

“Sorry, I recently found this place. I haven’t used it yet, but I was thinking I could use it as a- er, you don’t need to know that,” Amity blushed faintly, brushing a bit of hair out of her face.

“So,” Amity offered Clara the only chair, sitting on top of the small, solitary desk that was the room's only occupant herself. “You mentioned a key, but I’m going to need to hear the full story.”

“I got it from some guy named Jacob Hopkins. He’s this paranoid nut job who is obsessed with witches. Don’t know how he found it. I guess that’s how you got here, right?” Clara quickly explained.

“I did. You don’t happen to have it with you, do you?” Amity asked, worry showing on her face, “If you do, you need to get out of her, fast. Well, maybe take Ed and Em with you. Someone very bad wants that key, that's why I got rid of it.”

Clara swallowed, filing away the bit about Edric and Emira being here as well for later, “That bad guy, he wouldn’t happen to be named Emperor Belos, would he?”

Amity’s brows raised in surprise, “How did you know that?”

“You’re not the only one to come through that portal, Amity,” Clara replied vaguely.

The lavender haired girl rolled her eyes at the dramatics, “Well, don't just keep me waiting in suspense. Now I have to know everything! What happened while I was away?”

Clara did her best to explain everything she could about Amity’s absence. How her parents tried to keep it quiet, but everyone in school already knew, especially when the twins disappeared as well. How her chance run in with a demon wearing Amity’s face led to a friendship, and an adventure, and breaking her out of Amity’s old home with another, even newer set of friends. How they’d built Vee a home, where they spent all of their time together as Cabin Seven. How she’d rediscovered the key in her bag after it had been forgotten, and how she’d found her way here.

Clara struggled and tried to tell Amity about her relationship with Masha and Vee, but kept her mouth shut, unknowing about how Amity would take the news. Everything else was spilled, Clara not sparing any details.

“That sounds amazing,” Amity commented, reaching out and taking Clara’s hands as she wrapped up her story. “I’m so glad you found so many people to lean on. Something similar happened here for me.”

Clara smiled at hearing that, but shook her head, “Alright, I spilled my guts, now it’s your turn. Why did you end up staying here? I get running away, but here? In this creepy town? Don’t think I didn’t notice the giant skeleton!”

Amity laughed, “that’s the Titan. It’s hard to explain, but magic more or less comes from it. As for why, that’s its own separate story that would take all day to explain. To sum up, I just… didn’t want to live in the human realm anymore. I have a family here. A real one. And more than that, I…”

Amity blushed, a fond expression on her face, “I found someone I love. I have a girlfriend, named Luz, and she’s-“

Amity paled, realizing who she was talking to, and tried to backpedal, “I mean, that’s, it’s fine with you, right? You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

Clara blinked, almost having to hold in a laugh. She’d been so worried about Amity judging her, she’d never even considered Amity herself might have an interest in the same sex as well. Chuckling, Clara shook her head, “only if you don’t mind that I’m dating girls, too.”

Now it was Amity’s turn to look shocked, “Really? Clara Heartfield, heartbreaker of Gravesfield High, who had all the guys wrapped around her finger, has a girlfriend?”

Clara raised two fingers, wiggling them with a grin on her face, “Two, actually. Vee and Masha. We’re… all dating each other. Together. We’re- we’re still kinda working things out, but I… I really like them both.”

“I’m glad,” Amity smiled, putting her hand on Clara’s shoulders. “You look a lot more genuinely happy. I’m glad that you’re living your best life.”

“Same to you,” Clara replied, returning Amity’s smile. She realized that, unlike the Amity she’d known, this Amity practically glowed, free from the stress of being perfect all the time, and being around the people she loved the most. A thought clicked into place as she looked around the room, “Wait a minute, is this your secret makeout spot?”

Amity’s cheeks darkened, and she removed her hand from Clara’s shoulder as if she’d been bitten, “No! I mean, not yet! I mean, we’re not at that stage, but I-“

Clara laughed, openly and freely, clutching her gut from how hard she was belting it out. It felt good to laugh like this, to not hold anything back. The last of her fear regarding this realm faded as she watched Amity try to hide her mortified face in her hands, and her jubilation increased twofold.

Once Amity composed herself, she huffed, then took out her scroll to check the time. “Alright, it’s starting to get late. We should probably head back to the Owl House. It’s better if you’re not seen, if Belos finds out there are more humans here, he might think you have a portal and try to take you into custody… I’ll introduce you to everyone at home, and we can work on getting you back tomorrow. Ed and Em have been working on their own portal door, so…”

She paused when she thought of the state of their progress, and grimaced, “We can always hope they’ve made a breakthrough.”

Clara nodded, “Alright, one quick question though? What’s the Owl House?”

Amity grinned, and offered Clara her hand, “I’ll show you.”

Under the cover of darkness, the two humans easily made it to the Owl House without being spotted by any of the guards. The pair exited the city limits, and shortly afterwards made it to the cliff side where Eda made her home.

“I should have brought Ghost with me,” Amity sighed, “That would have been much faster. But she likes to scratch up the bookcases at the library, so I’m not allowed to bring her anymore.”

“There are ghosts here too?” Clara asked, taking a step closer to Amity, who rolled her eyes.

“Ghost is my palisman. Sorta like a witches broom from stories, but more like a staff, but also an animal? It’s complicated, it’s easier to show you. She’s a cat.”

“But you hated cats!” Clara sounded scandalized, as if this was the most alarming information she’d received since arriving.

Amity chuckled, “Because I was allergic! But Ghost is magical, and made of wood, so no cat hair.”

“Hoot!” A familiar bird tube shot from the front door, right into Amity’s face, “How are you doing today, best bud? Oh, and who is this? Did you bring a new friend over?”

Hooty immediately moved over to Clara, with no sense of personal space as he put his beak right up to her nose and continued to talk, “ I’m Hooty, what’s yoooour name? Hoot! Ooh, can I guess? I like to play the guessing game! Is it Bill? Or Steve? Steve is a popular name for visitors!”

“Hooty!” Amity growled, batting at him with her arm, “Get away from Clara, you’re going to mentally scar her!”

“Too late for that,” Clara mumbled, trembling from her close encounter.

“Clara? Oh, you ruined the name game for me, Amity!” Hooty deflated, “Oh well, there’s always next time!”

Hoot returned to the door, cracking it open as he did so. Clara turned to Amity, who shrugged uneasily, “Hey, no home is perfect. But that’s the worst part out of the way. Come on, let me introduce you to the rest.”

Amity pushed open the ajar door, and was immediately greeted by everyone else, who were all gathered in the living room. The twins were sitting on the floor, surrounded by their notes, which also took up a majority of the coffee table, Eda was currently in the middle of what seemed to be a heated argument with Hunter, who Amity frowned at realizing was still there. King was playing with his dolls, and last but farthest from least, was Luz, scroll in hand, looking up at Amity with her lips formed into an o.

“I was just about to call you!” The witchlet beamed brightly, “I was worried you’d be late for dinner, or maybe needed a ride. Glad you got home safe.”

Luz blinked, realizing at about the same time that Amity wasn’t alone, cocking her head sideways, “Who’s that?”

Eda narrowed her eyes, “Blonde hair, round ears, prissy clothes, rigid posture… Don’t tell me, you have yet another sibling you need me to house? Where did you even find this one, Boots?”

The twins gaped like fish about to bite down on a line, “What- How-“

They flew from their seats, papers flying everywhere and crushed underfoot as they bum rushed the younger teen. Amity had to put herself between them to keep the girl from being torn apart as she was questioned.

“She found the key!” Amity shouted over them, silencing the others. Ed and Em’s eyes popped out of their skulls, and behind them Hunter’s pointed ears perked, with Amity shooting him a look, “She doesn’t have it anymore. The key was left behind and the door got shut behind her. She’s as stranded as Thing One and Thing Two.”

“So, not only is she not a relative, she’s still going to have to stay at my place,” Eda sighed. “Lovely. Squeaky, you can take the floor, like a gentleman, and this Clara girl can have the couch tonight.”

Hunter was torn between protesting his place of sleep, and the nickname Eda stuck him with due to his voice. He settled on pouting, crossing his arms like a small child. Flapjack tweeted, and pulled on his ear with his beak, making the teenager crack, chuckling at the ticklish sensation. “Fine, fine… it’ll be like basic training. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground… ah, classic.”

Amity put a hand on Clara’s shoulder, guiding her over to Luz, “Clara, this is Luz, my girlfriend. Luz, this is Clara Heartfield, a friend of mine from the Human Realm.”

Luz offered her hand, and Clara took it, the two shaking, “Amity mentioned you a few times before! It’s great to finally meet you.”

Clara returned Luz’s sentiments, the pureness from the girl reminding her a lot of Vee, “It’s nice to meet you as well. Sorry I’m taking up some space for the foreseeable future.”

“You should be apologizing to me, you’re taking my space,” Hunter grumbled from his spot on the sofa.

“Don’t worry, and if you’re worried about the foreseeable future, I might be able to solve that!” Luz held out her hand, and snapped her fingers, a crystal ball appearing in her palm, “My divination skills are a little lacking, but we might be able to see how long you’ll be staying, if you’re really curious?”

“Masha would kill for one of these,” Clara said as she took the ball, inspecting it closely. It just seemed like any old glass orb to her, if a little heavy. At Luz’s curious expression, she clarified, “Masha is my girlfriend. One of them, at least.”

It felt really good to be able to say that. Vee had mentioned no one in the Demon Realm really cared about stuff like this, and just to prove it, Luz didn’t bat an eye. Instead she smiled even wider, “Well, maybe we can send one back with you. I’m not sure if it’ll work in the Human Realm, but it’ll still make a nice gift.”

Meanwhile Edric was giving Clara an approving look, sending the younger teen a thumbs up, “Nice. A girl on either arm? I always knew you were a playa.”

That recieved a punch to the arm from his twin, “Edric, shut up.”

Eda put her hands on her hips, shaking her head, “Alright, alright, ease up everyone. I’ll get started on dinner, since we have an extra mouth to feed. Clarice here needs to get settled in, so don’t crowd the kid, alright?”

She pointed to Luz, “Don’t drag her on any dangerous adventures, not for at least the rest of the night.”

“I make no promises!” Luz flashed a mischievous smile.

Next was Hunter, “No doing anything evil.”

The teen gave a disgruntled scowl, “I’m not evil! I was never evil.”

“Let’s agree to disagree,” Eda said flippantly, then turned to King, “And King… eh, you’re fine. You haven’t got into any trouble lately at least.”

“Wait, the thing with the bone head isn’t a doll?!” Clara gasped.

As Eda stepped into the kitchen to prepare dinner, she paused, then as quietly as she could slipped out the back door, pulling a callbird out of her hair. As she dialed the right rune, she continued to walk towards the cliff edge, putting a bit of distance between herself and the house, just in case anyone came out.

The bird rang, and the Harpy woman tapped a talon impatiently, until finally someone picked up a few moments later. “Eda? Is something wrong?”

Eda smiled softly at the sound of the voice on the other line, “Hey, Cam. And no, nothing’s wrong. So, no huge emergency, or anything, but I do have some news. Someone found the portal key on the human side of things, and is over here now. The key didn’t come with them, but-“

“But Belos won’t know that.” Camila finished for Eda. “I understand. I’ll keep my ear to the ground. If news gets out about this, he’ll likely be on high alert and looking for them.”

“Thanks,” Eda said, then remembered her conversation with Luz. About her promise to speak with her daughter’s Mama, and try her best to fix the family she helped break. “And Camila?”

“Yes, Edalyn?”

Eda’s breath caught in her throat. Fear gripped at her heart, stopping any words she could conjure. This wasn’t a conversation to have over long distance, anyway, if she was actually going to put any effort in. “Nothing important. Uh, I’m going to be starting dinner soon, would you maybe… like to join us?”

“I’m grateful for the invite, but I really can’t. At this rate, I’m thinking it’ll be another all nighter.” Camila chuckled tiredly on her end.

“Yeah… alright, I’ll see ya another time then.” Eda ended the call, stuffing the bird back into her hair and turning to walk back to the house, kicking herself for being such a coward.

The trip to the Conformatorium, as well as their processing and imprisonment took most of the rest of the day, none of the teens having much to say to their captures, at least not since Sam blew up at them when Steve kept trying to make small talk. “I know my rights! I don’t have to say a word to you, or anyone else! I want to see a lawyer, right now!”

“Rights? What in the Titan’s name are those?” Steve asked curiously, receiving no answer except glares and bared teeth from the enby.

It didn’t take long for them to be finger printed, have their mugshots taken, and be thrown into a cell, though at least the four took solace they weren’t separated from each other. That solace ended when they realized they weren’t exactly alone in their cell, either. Several other prisoners were inside with them, and the cells next to them were full as well.

“Looks like they’re putting a lot of people away…” Tom observed, disbelief to see so many people stuffed into cells. Around him was a constant wall of noise, the other prisoners murmuring, fighting, arguing over the little personal space they had. It was all a bit much.

“How are you doing, Vee?” Masha asked, gripping the basilisk’s hand tightly. Unfortunately for them all, the key and their other belongings had been confiscated when they’d been brought in, before their hands could be unbound. Any chance of escape was looking slim, and Vee was looking a little green in the cheeks after being confined once more.

“I- I’ll be fine. We’ll come up with a plan,” Vee tried to remain hopeful, despite the clawing dread. “I won’t- I won’t let us rot in here, okay?”

Masha did her best to smile, to encourage her girlfriend, “As long as we have each other, I’m sure we’ll be fine…”

“You’re all woefully optimistic for being stuffed into a cage,” a dry voice at the back of the cell commented, drawing their attention. A young man with wild eyes and brown skin greeted them from his corner, eyeing them like fresh meat. “I’d give up hope myself if I were you. It’s just another thing they can take away from you.”

The teenagers did their best to ignore him, turning their backs on him. The man’s eyes still pierced through them, each of the Cabin Seven members feeling them on their backs. The man opened his mouth again, “Any of you have any belts you can spare? I’ll only need it for a minute…”

“Don’t listen to him,” another man, this one middle aged with a beard on his chin and a balding head, said. “And for the Love of the Titan, don’t give him anything. He’s done nothing but try to kill himself since they put us in here.”

“Not that I blame him,” another woman, with long dark hair and complexion said. “They even took away my notebook. I can’t even write anything anymore. I’m utterly bored to death.”

“And now we’re all stuck with your oral fanfiction about food, which brings us back to the conversation of suicide,” a smaller woman who was splayed on the cold stone floor said, rolling her eyes as she groaned.

Sam took a step back from all of them, “Okay, I can see you’re all very familiar with each other, so we’ll just leave you alone and be over here…” they backed away towards the opposing wall, beckoning their friends to join them.

Vee on the other hand, was sniffing the air, a familiar scent filling her nostrils. “Number two?”

Tom’s nose scrunched up, then he covered his mouth and nose with his hands, “Oh, God, is that what that smell is?”

The first man to speak however, had a dangerous flash in his eyes. He glowered in his corner, sneering in the basilisk’s direction, “What did you just say?”

Vee’s eyes were alight with recognition, despite the stranger’s cold shoulder. “You’re Number Two!”

In an instant he was on his feet and in front of Vee, a maddening anger overtaking every inch of his expression. Masha tried to put herself between Vee and the man, but he knocked her aside as if she weren’t even there, his hands clasping around Vee’s throat as he began to shout, “Don’t ever call me that again if you value your life! Never again!”

Vee choked, fighting against the prisoner, Tom and Sam attempting to come to her rescue, but each was swatted aside like flies. Even the other prisoners attempted to save Vee’s life as it was strangled out of her, but the wrath of the witch wouldn’t be sated as he kept screaming and shouting. “I have a name! I am a person!”

Vee smacked the man’s hands with her palms, gasping for air and getting none. Her mouth worked, desperate to speak, to get words out, “I…. A- am… Num…ber F- ech… five!”

No sooner had the last syllable left her lips did the grip slacken, the man taking a step back in shock as Vee fell to her knees, gasping for air. Her friends didn’t hesitate to join her side, forming a human wall between Vee and the stranger, who looked at his hands as if they were snakes, biting people out of his own control. He sniffed at the air, “Nu-number five?”

“Vee, who is this guy?” Masha asked, fists raised and ready to strike, but Vee put a calming hand on her shoulder, showing no anger towards him herself despite the bruises rapidly forming on her throat.

“I- I am, I was-“ The man began, unable to form a coherent sentence. He looked desperately at Vee, looking for answers, looking for what to say.

“He’s a basilisk, like me,” Vee choked out, keeping her voice low enough the other cells couldn’t hear, but not quietly enough, as the others in the cell inhaled sharply, murmuring among themselves.

Despite the assault mere moments ago, Vee approached her fellow basilisk, slowly so as to not startle him. “What do I call you now, since you have a name, brother?”

“Dos,” He said quietly, “My name is Dos. And you are?”

“Vee.” Vee responded, laying a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Dos, can you tell me, what has happened to the others? Have you heard anything since our escape?”

Dos shook his head, “Most of the others disappeared. One said she wanted to see the Knee… I don’t believe she intended to come back from the cold. Six and Three left together, if they are still free, captured, or dead, I don’t know. Four… is dead.”

Vee lowered her head and sighed, “I’m sorry to hear that, Dos.”

The older basilisk shook his head, “Don’t be. Four couldn’t handle her freedom. She started targeting schools, draining the students of their magic. I’m not saying she deserved to die, but she was bound to be recaptured at some point… I think death was preferable.”

Dos seemed to remember he wasn’t alone, looking to his companions, “Forgive me. These are my compatriots. Harvey, Katya, and Amber. We have another who shares this cell, but he’s being ‘questioned’ now.”

“I’m glad to see you’ve made some friends,” Vee attempted to smile. Dos returned it, but it didn’t meet his eyes.

“Less friends, and more that we have a common goal. I joined the rebellion, eager to take down the empire that tortured me and my siblings our whole lives. Unfortunately, we were all captured on a mission.”

Harvey massaged his temple, “Wait a minute, wait a minute, I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this. Outside of the one who attacked the school, I thought they all went extinct hundreds of years ago. The Emperor’s Coven said it had been frozen in a block of Ice for all that time and managed to escape!”

Katya rolled her eyes, “Do you really believe everything the Emperor’s Coven tells you?”

Harvey paused, realizing exactly who he worked for, and facepalmed, “Alright, sorry, that was dumb of me. That was back before I joined, sorry.”

“Our people were revived, in small numbers,” Dos explained, leaning against the back wall of the cell, “We spent our lives in cages, poked, prodded, experimented on. We were treated like animals… and some of us, like Four, became animals. We eventually managed to escape, and finally we were free to live our lives. Except the Emperor’s Coven knew we were on the loose, and were on the lookout.”

With a confused glance at Vee, it occurred to him he had no clue where the youngest basilisk had been all this time, “Where have you been hiding, Vee?”

“Found a portal to the human world.” She admitted, fingering one of her round ears for them to see. “I only came back when the same portal took one of my friends. We could all escape, if only we could get the portal key… they took it when they jailed us.”

Realizing she had her own introductions to make, Vee grabbed Masha by the shoulders and ushered her forward, “This is my girlfriend, Masha. We met in the human world. And those two over there are my friends, Tom, and Sam.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Tom tried his best to be polite to the incredibly strong snake creature that had almost killed them.

“Touch Vee again, and your head comes off,” Sam warned, dragging their thumb over their neck in a cutting motion.

“So, you’re Vee’s… older brother?” Masha asked, unsure about all of this, and still not liking the other basilisk.

“Technically, no relation. Each of us are basilisks, but entirely different species. Four was a Greater basilisk, for instance,“ Dos explained, then pointed to himself, “I am a Fringed Basilisk. And Vee is a Fat Tailed Basilisk.”

Vee’s face blushed crimson as her friends chortled at the name, “H-hey, stop it guys! I can’t help it, it’s where I store all the excess fat in my body!”

“So we should help you lay off all the snacks,” Sam snorted, covering their nose to hide the noise.

Vee covered her rump with her hands, before realizing she was still in human form, “You- you can’t even tell! I’m not getting fat!”

Masha put an arm over Vee’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, babe. I don’t mind if you get a bit husky in the rump.”

Vee tried her best not to look utterly humiliated as that made her friends lose all control and let loose their laughter. Even some of the BATs weren’t free from a fit, Amber giggling childishly along with them.

Katya rolled her eyes, exchanging a glance with Harvey, who simply shrugged at the immaturity of teenagers. “Alright, come on, have all of you forgotten something? Like where we are?”

Turning to Dos, Katya crossed her arms, “Why didn’t you mention you were a basilisk? We probably could have had you transform and get us out of here.”

Dos shook his head, “Just because I work alongside witches, does not mean I trust them. My secrets are my own, and kept for my safety.”

The others looked like they wanted to argue, but couldn’t say anything against the man. “As for transforming? Wouldn’t work. It would blow my cover, exposing me for what I am. They’d have dragged me off, to a fate worse than any death you can imagine. Besides, I need magic to transform, and I’m drained enough as it is. Being in a cell again… has not been good for my mental health. It takes everything I have to keep the form I have now.”

Vee nodded, “Same, I’m running pretty dry myself. I could maybe do a partial transformation, but…”

Katya groaned, “Are you two forgetting something? You have access to magic, right here!” At their confused looks, she gestured to herself and the other witches in the cell.

Vee and Dos glanced at each other apprehensively, Vee turning back to the witch, “I, I don’t like to take magic from living things anymore. Not after what the Emperor’s Coven made us do.”

“You are my allies, I can’t do that to you.” Dos agreed, swallowing down a bit of bile that built in his throat.

“I’m giving it freely!” Katya argued, “I’m sick of being behind bars. We have a way out, and all you need to do is suck a tiny bit of magic from me, and we’re done. So get over yourselves. The Rebellion needs us!”

Harvey nodded, joining Katya’s side, “Take as much as you need from me as well. I have a daughter out there, and I’d do damn near anything to see her again.”

Amber jumped up, adding her voice to the choir, “And I just wanna see what happens! Do your thing, we’ll be fine!”

Masha placed a hand on Vee’s shoulder, giving her a gentle shake, “We’ll be right here. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get Clara, and go back home.”

Vee licked her lips nervously, “You’re right. We’ll take what we need, and then get out of here.”

Derwin was beaten and bruised, but not broken. The Guards had tried to get him to spill anything about the BATs, but he’d refused to give them anything, and eventually they had given up their interrogation attempts for the time being, dragging him back to his cell.

Literally dragging him. A guard on either side, supporting him at the shoulders and pulling his limp feet across the ground until they made it to the cell block he and the rest of his team were being kept at. There, the three were met with an odd sight.

Two coven guards were inside the cell, along with the unconscious bodies of Katya, Harvey and Amber, along with a few newcomers. These guards were pulling on the bars, and calling for help.

“Thank the Titan you’re here!” One of the guards cried out, “We came in to take one of the prisoners in for questioning, when they tried to attack us. We managed to subdue them, but were locked inside. Can you get the door?”

One of the guards holding Derwin up looked to the other, then shrugged, pulling out a key ring with a group of large, iron keys and shifting through them until they found the one they needed. Carefully positioning themselves so they could unlock the door and bare half of Derwin’s weight, they stuck the key in the lock and twisted, opening the door and allowing the captured guards out.

“Thank you! We have no idea what we’d do without you.” The second guard said in relief, taking and pumping the arm of their savior. “Here, why don’t we help you with that prisoner?”

“Well, we’ll never turn down free help,” The key wielding guard laughed, spinning the keys on his ring.

The two captured and now released guards took Derwin away, heaving him up and onto their shoulders like the guards who had him before, then took a step back, “Alright, guys, we’re ready!”

“Ready for what?”

“We weren’t talking to you,” The new guard said, and back in the still open cell the prisoners quickly rose to their feet, rushing the two interrogation guards, making them drop their keys and shoving them into the cell in their place.

“Guys?” Derwin asked confused, looking through one swollen eye, “What’s going on?”

He jerked when he realized the guards holding him had changed shape, now looking like an unfamiliar teenager and Dos, and his confusion doubled. Amber quickly took Vee’s place, removing Derwin’s weight from the girl’s shoulder, while Katya grabbed the keys off the floor.

“We’ll explain later, we need to get out of here,” Katya responded, then grinned wildly as she realized these keys could be used on the entire cell block full of jailed, covenless witches, “Preferably after we cause some chaos.”

She turned to the members of Cabin Seven, “There should be a prison storeroom nearby that has your stuff in it. You handle that, while I let everyone else out of here. After that… I’ll take you to see my boss.”

Dinner at the Owl House was quite the event. The small table could not hope to contain everyone who called the place home, but they tried anyway. A menagerie of chairs from around the house had been pulled up to the table and squeezed where they could fit at the cramped space. Everyone’s elbows bumped, you couldn’t reach for any of the food without reaching over someone else’s dish, and the chatter was hard to follow as three different conversations seemed to be going at all times.

Clara could see why Amity loved it, even if it was a bit overwhelming. Amity took the cheerleader’s plate, piling on food from various bowls before handing it back with a smile, “You have to be careful what you eat here. Stick to the griffon eggs and the vegetables you recognize if you don’t want the worst stomach ache of your life.”

“Why would I recognize any of the vegetables?” Clara asked, eyeing a bowl of what looked like spike covered zucchini. As her plate was placed in front of her, she poked at what looked like a baked potato, with her brow scrunched as she eyed it suspiciously.

“Because I grew them.” Amity answered, “Well, sorta. They’re from the Human Realm, but I used plant magic to grow them with a friend. If you’re going to be here a while, I can introduce you to Willow. Gus, too, now that I think about it.”

Clara blinked, the idea of Amity having her own vegetable garden that she took care of was so far and away from the person she saw in her mind, that it almost made her laugh that Amity doing manual labor shocked her more than her learning magic. Then again, how Amity was perceived was exactly why she had stayed here in the first place, so perhaps Clara shouldn’t be too surprised in the end.

The food was good, but the company was better. Everyone sort of melded together, like a big, happy, adoptive family. All except for one, the newest aside from Clara, the one named Hunter, who was rather quiet compared to everyone else.

Seeing as they were both the newbies, Clara took it upon herself to try and start a conversation, “So, you were once a part of the evil Empire here, huh?”

Hunter grit his teeth, inhaling through his nose in annoyance as he picked at his plate, “Yeah, I suppose I was.”

Clara bit her lip, swirling her own fork around her half eaten vegetables, “You know, I’m dating a basilisk back home. She escaped from the Empire’s clutches, and made it through the portal door before Amity got rid of it. You… didn’t have anything to do with that, right?”

Hunter side eyed her, analyzing her before answering, “I knew about the basilisk program, if that’s what you’re asking. Not that I had anything to do with it, I only attained the mantle of the Golden Guard about a week before their breakout. Since then, all experimentation on Basilisk’s has come to an end.”

“Because The Emperor learned his lesson, and realized it was incredibly wrong?” Clara asked.

“Because it was increasingly costly, and we couldn’t risk another breakout.” Hunter stated plainly.

Clara frowned, spearing her potato with a fork, “That’s horrible. Vee is just as much a person as anyone at this table.”

Hunter looked uncomfortable, shifting in his chair, “I’m not saying that this ‘Vee’ isn’t as much of a person as I am. Just that the Emperor doesn’t share that opinion.”

“Geez, do we have to talk about politics at the dinner table?” Eda chided, “Back in my day, you’d just go outside and pummel each other over your differing opinions.”

The two bickering teenagers lapsed into silence, Hunter bowing his head and not meeting the human’s eyes. “Sorry.”

“Sooo,” Eda decided to guide the conversation away from anything that could start a fight, settling on the most boring and safe thing she could think of, “This might be a bit early to spring on you, since you just got here, but I’m heading into Hexside tomorrow to get Broody over here signed up for classes, you interested? Or are you like the twins and want nothing to do with school, like a real bad girl?”

Clara opened her mouth, only to close it, not having expected schooling to already be on the table. Across from her, Hunter’s brow furrowed, “Wait a minute, when were you going to tell me about all of this? Why don’t I get a choice?”

Eda cut into her meat, taking a bit before answering, “Because you’re like Boots, you need structure. You’re ice cream binging and lying about on the couch are reminding me of some issues we had to work out a few months ago, and I’m nipping this in the bud before you get into my booze.”

All eyes fell on Amity, who lowered her head, “Can we not bring up that dark period in my life, Eda?”

Eda waved her hand, “It’s all in the past. Not even the biggest screw up anyone here has done.”

Turning her attention back to the ex-Golden Guard, she smirked, “Besides, why wouldn’t you want to go to school? Rigid rules seem right up your alley.”

“Because my Uncle might find me there? I’m not ready to see him.” Hunter asked, teeth clenched as he leaned across the table to glare at the Owl Lady.

The harpy woman shrugged, “I mean, Luz and Amity and even King now go, and they’ve never been bothered. Would it even occur to him to check?”

Hunter opened his mouth, then slammed it back closed when he couldn’t come up with a retort, instead crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “Fine, I’ll go.” A moment later, hand covering his mouth, he uttered out a quiet, “Thanks.”

Eda gave a small snort, “No need for that. You need all the social interaction with kids your age that you can get.”

Clara’s mind was still on her fellow humans, though, so she turned to Edric and Emira and asked what was on her mind, “Why aren’t you two going to school then?”

Emira shrugged, “Lack of interest on my part. Magic just doesn’t really appeal to me, I guess?”

Edric played with his food, taking a bit longer to admit his own reasons, “I think… it’d feel too permanent. Like, I already sleep here, eat here, do everything here. If I go to school, then that means I’m living here, and it makes me feel like I’ll never get back home, you know?”

Emira seemed surprised by her twin's answer, reaching out and putting a comforting hand on her brother’s shoulder, “Wow, Ed, that’s… I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Edric shrugged, “It’s nothing, just… something that’s been on my mind. It’d be like I was giving up, and I’m not ready to do that yet.”

Emira shook him, smiling brightly, “And we haven’t given up. We’ll get back, some day, you just wait and see.”

Back to the question at hand, Clara clicked her tongue, “If it’s all the same, I… think I’ll turn it down, too. I am actually interested in learning, but I think my efforts are better spent trying to get us home. I’ve got people waiting for me there.”

Eda gave another nod, “I can respect that. As long as you know the option is open. I have faith you’ll figure out a way home eventually, but it could be a while.”

Luz raised her hand, bringing the table's attention to her, “While we’re on the subject of school, can I ask what Amity was like at her old school?”

Amity kicked Luz playfully under the table, “Come on, Luz, you’ve asked that already with the twins.”

“Yeah, but they’re your siblings!” Luz argued, “I wanna hear about you from your friend!”

Luz looked to Clara expectantly, kicking her feet under the table as she waited for the blond to talk. Clara cast an amused glance over to Amity, who rolled her eyes, and she began, “Amity was basically my best friend since second grade. Our parents were the richest in town, though hers blew mine out of the water in comparison.”

The cheerleader closed her eyes as she pictured herself back in her early childhood, “We did everything together. We ruled the school, and were the popular girls. I think only Edric and Emira were better known among the student body, since Amity was a bit more antisocial.”

Luz cocked her head to the side, “How do you mean?”

Clara shrugged, “Well, as we got older, Amity would spend less time with me and the rest of the group we had at school. She’d study in the library, which was her way of saying she was reading her fantasy books.”

Amity looked away, avoiding Clara’s eyes, “Don’t think I didn’t notice. I know you weren’t studying, you already had the best tutors at home, why would you use the school library?”

Clara took a bite of her food, looking back at Luz, “But, you should know by now, that’s just how Amity is. Not much of a people person.”

“I… wasn’t aware she was like that.” Luz said slowly, glancing over to her girlfriend. “We always hang out, and she spends plenty of time with our friends.”

Clara blinked, looking back at Amity who was still not looking back at her, “Really? I know for the past few years it was a struggle to get her to do anything with me….”

The table was quiet as the words left her lips, the atmosphere awkward. Clara came to a silent realization, and the faces of Amity and her siblings made it clear they knew exactly what she was thinking. She quickly set her fork down, suddenly no longer having an appetite. “Oh.”

The human girl slid out of her seat, eyes downcast, “Um, excuse me. I’m going to go and wash up…” She didn’t wait for anyone to respond, turning away from the table and marching into the living room and up the stairs to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She turned on the sink, and gripped the counters, squeezing her eyes tight as she realized just exactly why Amity was so happy here, so open. She glowed here, and maybe it wasn’t just because her parents stifled her back home. Clara was almost embarrassed she hadn’t put it together before.

A knock sounded on the door, and Clara did her best to ignore it. Unfortunately, that just meant whoever was on the other side went for the knob, jostling it until it opened, and Clara was met with a pair of bright blue eyes and a head of lavender hair. “Can we talk?”

“Will you even take no for an answer?” Clara asked bitterly, turning off the running water. Amity pursed her lips, and shook her head no, “That’s what I thought.”

The blonde sat down on the closed lid of the toilet seat, sniffling. She might as well get this over with, and went with the first thing on her mind, “You know, I suspected as much… back when I first met Vee, and she was wearing your face, she was so closed lipped about why ‘you’ had run away. I thought maybe ‘you’ hated me. I was almost relieved to hear you’d been sucked into another dimension.”

She gave a hollow laugh,” But it turns out it was true… Were we ever even really friends? Or did you just hang out with me because of your parents for all that time?”

Amity stood there with her mouth open. She leaned against the counter, then let out a sigh, “My parents made me hang out with you. Your family was influential, you were ‘going places.’ And I hated that. I never hated you, just the situation. They never gave me the choice.”

“So what, you just tolerated me?” Clara shook her head, “No, you didn’t even do that. You started avoiding me as soon as we got into high school, and you had less supervision.”

Amity didn’t deny it, “Clara… I did avoid you. I was so caught up in hating how little control I had, I didn’t really take the time we were forced together to get to know or appreciate you. I was too wrapped up in my own problems… When I got here, I admit, I didn’t even think about you until-”

“Until what?” Clara asked.

“I met this girl, named Boscha.” Amity started, breathing in through her nose, “She was… a lot like you. Popular. Beautiful. Got away with whatever she wanted. And a bit judgemental about anyone below her on the social ladder.”

“I’m flattered she made you think of me,” Clara deadpanned, more than a little upset to be compared like that.

Amity cut her off before she could say anything else, “Believe it or not, after talking with Boscha, we settled our differences, and I learned she was a lot more than that. Someone I can actually call a friend now. And when we buried the hatchet, I thought about you again, and how I never gave you a fair chance.”

“I wondered if you missed me on the other side, because… I was starting to miss you,” Amity admitted. “As I got closer to Boscha, I realized that, maybe I threw away someone who could have been a really great friend, if I’d just made the effort to talk. And I was sad, because if I was never going back to earth, it meant I’d never get the chance to see if we could have been friends. Real ones.”

Clara bit her lip as Amity took her hands in her own, “If there is one upside to you being trapped here, it’s that I got to see you again, and try. I wasn’t a good friend to you before, Clara. I honestly wasn’t a very good person in general. So, if you’re willing to try, I want to ask, will you give me another chance?”

Clara’s eyes stung as they grew damp, “You know, I missed you while you were gone. So much. And not just when you were away, when you were avoiding me too. You really were the person I considered to be my best friend, and being ignored really hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” Amity whispered, kneeling down so she was eye level with the sitting blonde, “I’ll make it up to you if I can.”

Clara nodded, “Okay. You’d better. I’m talking- gossip, and girls' nights, and everything you avoided doing with me, until I get back home.”

“Absolutely,” Amity smiled, “Anytime you want.”

The pinkette opened her arms, and the two embraced, squeezing each other tight. “I look forward to us getting to know each other as real friends now.”

“Same.” Clara nodded, resting her chin on Amity’s shoulder as they continued to hug it out in the Owl House’s small restroom. “I’m ready to know the real Amity Blight.”

“Okay, I know we were breaking everyone else out of there, but did we have to take him?” Sam scowled as they walked through the streets, borrowed white hoods thrown over their heads as Katya led them through the night, avoiding any guards and any prying eyes at the night markets.

Trailing behind them, gag in his mouth and hands tied, was Jacob Hopkins, who had been found a few cells over, borderline catatonic. His cheek sported a swollen bruise, a special gift given to him by Masha the moment they’d opened his cell for what he’d done to Clara.

Vee sighed, knowing exactly where her friends were coming from, “It’s better we take him now. I don’t like him any more than you guys do, but we couldn’t just leave him in there. We’ll take him home with us, and dump him off to the cops, and that will be that.”

Tom shook his head, “Don’t see why we can’t just open the portal door and throw him through now. We have the key again, that’s an option.”

“And give him a chance to flee?” Vee asked, feeling the weight of the reclaimed key in her pants pocket. “No way. We take him in with us, and give our testimony to the cops when we get back, so he can’t ever bother us again.”

Jacob tried to talk, but the gag muffled anything he tried to say in his defense. Masha pushed him forward, “Keep walking. We have enough rope we could hog tie you and drag you in the dirt if we wanted, so consider yourself lucky you’re allowed to use your legs.”

“Shhh,” Katya shushed them, gesturing for the group to follow her. The quartet from the Human Realm, followed by Amber and Dos, who helped carry Derwin, rounding a corner and nearly bumping directly into someone new.

Katya balled her hands into fists, ready to strike, only to realize she knew this person, “Lilith?”

The woman pulled back her own hood, revealing a head of black, wavy hair and a face covered by thick glasses. “Katya? What- I thought you were in the Conformatorium?”

“We were,” Katya nodded, motioning to her companions, “But we managed to escape, along with a few new friends. We’re heading back to HQ, figured we can repay the favor these kids gave us and help them find a missing friend.”

Lilith’s eyes traveled over the group, landing on the humans, her eyes widening, “I see. Right, I was heading there myself. Follow me.”

The group moved towards a manhole, and they carefully and quietly made it down the pipes. Derwin had to be carried on Dos’s back as he went down the ladder, the man still too weak to walk or climb down himself after his brutal interrogation.

Together the group made their way down the pipes that made up the Bonesborough sewers. The humans all held their noses as they traveled, groaning at the smell, but the older witches kept their complaints to themselves, moving quietly until they came to a split in the path. Katya went to go down one way, while Lilith started to go down another, the older witch pausing when she noticed.

“Oh, right. You’ve been imprisoned for the past few weeks, you wouldn’t know.” Lilith realized, folding her hands together, “There was a change in the location of the headquarters after your capture-“

“Right,” Katya nodded, Amber joining her. Turning to the confused humans who were feeling out of the loop, Katya explained, “Way back when we first formed, our leader, Raine, had all of us come up with a backup location in case one of us was captured or compromised. We were to keep the places we found from each other to keep them secret, so no matter what happened the Emperor’s Coven couldn’t get us all. Since we were all captured, that means there must have been a rush to get everyone out of the old HQ and moved in case the Emperor’s Coven came knocking.”

Turning back and following Lilith’s lead, Katya exhaled a sigh, “It’s a good thing we ran into you, then. I’d have led us right back to the old HQ. We didn’t give their location away, but the rest of the BATs likely boobytrapped it by now.”

Lilith motioned for the group to follow her to wherever the new headquarters were located, but Vee remained rooted to the spot, fiddling with her hands. “How can we trust that this new location isn’t the trap?”

The others looked at her, wondering where this was coming from. Vee gulped, but continued, “She just shows up, coincidentally at the same time as we’re heading to the same place, and tells us we need to go somewhere else without a chance to verify that ourselves? That sounds suspicious to me.”

Masha took her girlfriend’s trembling hands and gave them a squeeze, “Vee, I don’t mean to sound rude, but that’s a bit much, isn’t it? These bat guys know her.”

“B-but she’s Emperor’s Coven!” Vee hissed, “I know she is. I’ve seen her face before.”

And Vee had, though it had been many months. Almost a year, but she knew the Head of the Emperor’s Coven anywhere. Lilith Clawthorne had to make yearly inspections on the Basilisk programs the Emperor ran, and while she’d never raised a hand to Vee or any of her siblings like the guards had, this woman contributed to their suffering. She signed the paperwork that kept the cruel operation going.

Lilith’s mouth gaped, her eyes showing her confusion, “What would a human-“

Shaking her head, she tried again, “Yes, I’m the ex-head of the Emperor’s Coven. I’m not sure how you came upon that information, but I can assure you, this is no trick, or trap. I staked my life with the rebellion, and have been working to erase my past misdeeds.”

Vee’s nostrils flared, wanting to ask if she counted as one of the things Lilith was trying to erase from her past, but it was Dos who spoke next, putting a hand on Vee’s shoulder and giving her a gentle shake, “I’ve watched her closely since I joined. I wouldn’t use the words trustworthy to describe her, but I know the Emperor will never take her back. Her word is good, as long as it’s going to keep her safe. If she says she’s trying to atone for her sins, she means it, even if there are ones she will never be able to fix.”

Vee conceded with a sigh, gesturing for Lilith to lead the way She didn’t have to like the woman, nor trust her, but as long as Dos would vouch for her she’d continue to follow Lilith down the new path. She just made sure to watch the witch’s hands as they went.

By the time they had arrived at their destination, the teens' feet were tired and aching, “I feel like I’ve walked twenty miles today, easy,” Masha whimpered, dragging her heels as they went.

Amber looked around the tunnels, her own sense of direction from years of living above this area tickling her brain, “Isn’t this…”

“Just a bit more,” Lilith assured them, casting a light onto what at first appeared to be a stone, brick wall, until they noticed the giant hole, large enough for any of them to crawl through. On the other side of the bricks was a block of wood patching the hole up, which Lilith rapped her knuckles against.

Someone on the other side pushed the board out of the way and peeked through, someone who didn’t look much older than Vee or her friends. “Lilith? And… oh my gosh, Harvey, is that you?”

Harvey let out a happy gasp, “Viney! I never thought I’d be happy to see you again!”

“I know, right?!” The Hexside student exclaimed, spreading out her arms. Her expression froze, as what he’d said hit her, “Hey, wait, what does that mean?!”

“We can celebrate this reunion later, may we come in?” Lilith interrupted, clearly not happy to still be surrounded by sewage. Viney nodded, pushing the rest of the wooden barrier away and beckoned them to all come inside.

Lilith went first, followed by Harvey, who held his arms out through the hole so Derwin could be passed to him. Each of the resistance members went next, except for Katya who brought up the rear, allowing the humans and Basilisk to go ahead of her. What awaited them inside was something none of the teens were expecting.

“Are we in a library?” Vee asked, looking around at the shelves upon shelves that lined the place. Looking back, even the wooden barrier that blocked the hole in the brick wall was a bookshelf, old and heavy and covered in dusty tomes.

“I knew it!” Amber grinned, “We’re somewhere under the Bonesborough library!”

“The Forbidden Stacks, to be accurate.” Lilith supplied. “This is one of the older, less visited wings. We’ve blocked off the entrance to the rest of the Stacks, hiding this area of the library behind a false wall. With any luck, Malphas the Librarian won’t notice a small wing has disappeared.”

“How did you even find this?” Dos asked, picking up one of the books from the shelves and flipping through it, coughing as the dust inside the pages got all over him.

“I didn’t,” Lilith responded simply.

“I did,” Another voice said, stepping forward, Lilith giving a bow of her head and strolling past her to do whatever business she had here. “Though, I admit, I only stumbled on it when I got lost in the tunnels looking for our old HQ.”

Camila Noceda, clad in her CATs uniform, sans the mask, had approached, looking at the recovered BATs in wonder. “I was hoping to mount a rescue in the next few weeks, after things got settled… I’m so glad you’re all here.”

However, she noticed someone missing, not among the new faces Katya had brought with her, “Where is Raine?”

A silence enveloped the group, as Raine’s first companions all glanced at each other, not understanding what Camila was talking about, “What do you mean? We assumed Raine was here, with you? Who’s been running things if not them?” Katya asked.

Camila breathed a sigh, then beckoned to Viney, “Could you show our new guests around while I debrief the others?”

The student did her best to smile, “Sure thing, Ma’am. I’ll show them around the stacks, and where they can and can’t go.”

Turning to her peers, Viney gave them all a smile, “Follow me.” Without much else of a choice, Vee, Masha, Sam, and Tom all followed after Viney, pulling Jacob Hopkins along for the ride. Camila waited until they were out of earshot to continue with the BATs.

“Raine was captured in the forest, shortly after you all were.” Camila told them, her lips forming a grim line, “I was injured, almost lost my hand and my life. While Eda stayed with me, Raine went out, and distracted the Coven heads. They said…”

Camila swallowed, “They told me that if they weren’t back by the next day, that I was to assume command as the next senior officer in line with you all gone.”

“I see,” Katya murmured, bowing her head sadly. “Raine wasn’t with us. We all assumed they were here, holding down the fort.”

They lapsed into silence, Camila biting down on her lip. The Beast Healer gave a short nod, “Well, now that you’re here… I’m sure Raine would want you to take command. You were their second, after all. You helped start this whole thing.”

Katya put her hands up, expression strained, “Whoa, I can’t do that! I- I’m just the pamphlet girl! Sure, I have ideas, but- well, you’ve been running this for the past few weeks. You have a better handle on it than I would. Or Amber or Derwin, for that matter. Raine chose you, and you’re the best to lead right now.”

“I’m not exactly in the best condition to lead right now, even if I wanted to,” Derwin grunted, gaining Camila’s attention.

“Oh, you poor-“ Camila stepped closer, spinning a circle with her finger, “Here, let me help you with that.”

His wounds began to close, stitching together, while the swelling that blotted out his eyesight began to recede. Unfortunately, the spell fizzled out not even halfway through, making the young man hiss and Camila frown as she inspected her coven seal.

“Okay, what was that?” Harvey demanded, pointing at Camila, “I’ve known you since Willow was in her first year of Hexside, and you couldn’t do that before.”

Camila held out her arm for him to see, and he winced, seeing the scar running over it, “Back in the forest, when they took my arm off, they damaged my coven seal. Since then, I’ve been able to access all of my magic again… or none of it at all. It’s a total crapshoot, like a bad Crystal Ball reception.”

“I’m sorry, Camila, I know that has to be rough,” Harvey said sincerely, knowing Camila made a living and supported her daughter off the use of her Beast Healing magic.

“It’s fine. I’ve had to put my day job on the back burner, but I have more time to run things down here.” Camila assured him. Turning back to Derwin, she gave his shoulder a gentle pat, careful not to touch any of his wounds, “I’ll have Viney look at you when she gets back.”

“If it’s not too much to ask, Camila,” Harvey spoke carefully, understanding this woman was now technically his superior, “I’d like to cut this short. I need to get home, see my husband and daughter.”

Camila nodded, “of course. Take care, and keep out of public for a while.”

Harvey gave a nod, then took his leave, exiting out of the hole in the wall so he could ascend back up to the surface.

Dos watched him go, and took his own time to speak, “Camila, I need to apologize…”

The woman looked at him, head held high, gesturing for him to continue.

“Harvey told me that after I was captured, the knife I tried to use on myself was instead used on you. The fault for that lies on me.” Dos explained, head hung low in shame. “You have always been a kind witch to me, you didn’t deserve that pain.”

Camila eyed him evenly, and replied “You weren’t the one who stabbed me. You aren’t responsible for that. They are. The Empire that employs them is. You don’t need to bear the blame for that.”

Leveling her gaze at him, she crossed her arms, “With that said, you’re being removed from field duty for the foreseeable future. You may not have stabbed me, but you did endanger the mission. I can’t have a liability on mine or anyone else’s teams, is that clear?”

Dos bowed his head in response to that, but Camila was done with this conversation, “If you’ll excuse me, I should go check in on our guests. I’m sure all of you have families you wish to contact, you should do so now.”

With that, she left, looking for wherever Viney had taken the other children. The new base wasn’t as large as the previous one, consisting of one large open room made of stone. It was full of tables and chairs that used to be for reading in, though now those same tables were dusty, pushed up against the walls, with the chairs stacked on top. Instead of rooms, Camila and the other resistance members had lined up various bookcases, joining them up and forming makeshift areas. It was in one of these that Camila found Viney.

“And you'll never believe what’s stored in this area. Books!” Viney lifted both of her arms, showing off the collection of literature, likely for the tenth time since she started giving the tour. There wasn’t exactly a lot to show off at the moment.

She noticed Camila coming in, and sent her a smile, “Well, I think that’s all the time we have for the tour. Seems the boss lady wants to talk to you now.”

Camila glanced her eyes over all of the teenagers, noting their ears all being round, a detail she’d missed in her excitement to see her companions again. “Before we discuss anything, I have a question for you all.”

They looked at her with large eyes, and she pointed to the oliphant in the room, “Why is that man bound and gagged?”

“He knows what he did,” Sneered Masha, looking very much like she wanted to reach out and smack the man again.

Vee shook her head, “He’s the reason we’re all here. He kidnapped one of our friends, and we came to rescue her. Katya actually brought us to you to see if you could help us find her.”

Camila frowned at Jacob, but didn’t have him untied like she’d originally planned. Instead she refocused on the children in front of her, “As luck would have it, I might be able to help. I’ve already received a report that another human has been sighted and found here on the Isles earlier this evening.”

“You’ve already found Clara?” Vee breathed out in a mix of delight and disbelief. Beside her, Masha clapped her hands together, while Tom and Sam silently cheered.

“I wasn’t given her name, but yes. She’s…” Camila glanced towards Viney, who was giving her an amused look, eyes twinkling mischievously, “She’s with my ex right now, okay?”

“You’re… ex?” Tom asked carefully, making sure he had heard that properly.

“Why is our friend hanging out with your ex?” Sam inquired as Viney snorted.

“That’s a difficult question to answer, let's just say things between us are complicated right now.” Camila sighed, rubbing her brow. She wasn’t going to discuss her love life with a bunch of kids. “The good news is, I can contact her, and get you to her tomorrow. You should rest up, and we can head out in the morning.”

Masha tugged on Vee’s sleeve, “Should we head home for the night, then? You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah, with the key, we’ll be able to jump right back here, right?” Sam agreed, not liking the idea of sleeping on the hard stone floors of the CATs HQ. “We can drop Jacob off with the police, and sleep in our own beds.”

Camila blinked, paling, “Wait, you have a portal key? As in, here, now, on your person?”

Vee nodded, slipping her hand in her pocket and bringing out a key more than a little familiar to Camila’s eyes. The witch’s eyes widened, “Okay, change of plans. We’re going tonight. Right now. We’re not sure what Belos is planning in that castle of his, but I’m not risking keeping that key in this universe one minute longer than I need to for as long as he wants it.”

“That’s fine with us,” Vee answered, slipping the key back into the confines of her pocket. “Just lead the way.”

The lights were off, the house quiet, and all that Clara could hear outside of the rustling of wind were Hooty’s snores from her spot on the pull out couch. On the floor, in a nest of pillows and blankets, was Hunter, drooling and occasionally murmuring in his sleep, and at the foot of the mattress was King, snoring softly.

Clara kind of envied them. Having to sleep in a strange new place in a strange new world was difficult. Her mind could hardly grasp it. She’d been laying on her back, clad in pajamas Amity had lent her, and staring at the ceiling for almost an hour now, feeling tired enough to collapse but entirely unable to sleep.

She wondered what was happening back on Earth, if the others were looking for her, wondering where she had gone. She probably wasn’t going to see them again for a long time, which she better get used to. It was kind of funny, she’d tried using the key to get closer to magic, so she could be closer to her girlfriends, and yet here she was, as close to magic as humanly possible, an entire universe apart from them.

Clara let out a sigh, then rolled on her side, trying not to think about that too much. She already missed them so much. Not just Vee and Masha, but Tom and Sam as well. There had to be some way back. Any way back.

Then she and Hunter jerked upward as a pounding landed on the front door, King unbothered by the noise. Voices sounded on the other side, muffled, except for Hooty’s, who spoke at a volume anyone could hear. “Camila? Oh, yeah, Eda’s asleep by now. You want me to wake her? Okay, but if she’s grumpy, that on yoooou.”

Clara clutched her blankets, eyes wide with panic. Beside her, Hunter put himself between her and the door, not knowing this Camila anymore than Clara did, and not trusting anyone who’d demand to see Eda in the dead of night. The woman was a wanted criminal, after all. In Hunter’s hands, a staff formed with a red cardinal at the end, around the same time there was a shattering of glass from upstairs and a loud “HOOT!”

All the lights flickered on, illuminating the living room. From upstairs the sound of a door being opened echoed, and the clacking of talons on the hardwood floors rang, until Eda was downstairs, wiping at her eyes groggily.

Hunter turned his eyes back to her, narrowing them, “Eda, who’s Camila, and why is she here?”

Seeing the staff in his hands, Eda rolled her eyes, “Calm down, and put that away. I don’t know what she wants, but at worst it's a booty call from my ex, so please don’t threaten her while she’s here.”

Both teenagers looked disgusted, but Hunter did as Eda asked, the staff disappearing, with Flapjack settling down on the boy’s shoulder. As Eda bared down on the door, Hooty took initiative and opened it on his own, revealing a short woman garbed in red, white and black, flanked by a group of teens.

Eda blinked, tired and confused, “Uh, Cam, I know I’ve taken in a lot of kids lately, but I can’t be everyone’s Mom. I think it’s about time you adopted a few yourself, and stopped saddling me with being the parent.”

Behind the Harpy, Clara let out a gasp, “Guys!”

On the other side of the door, without waiting for Eda’s permission to enter, the others Camila had brought rushed inside, hopping up onto the bed and wrapping their arms around their friend. Clara squeezed her friend back, laughing her heart out as Vee and Masha laid kiss after kiss on her cheeks. That is, until the bed creaked from all their combined weight, startling all five teens. “Let’s get off of this thing.”

“Good idea,” Sam agreed, each of the cabin seven crew sliding off the side and back onto the floor, minus Tom, who threw himself against the mattress and breathed a happy sigh.

“I’m never walking anywhere again,” The slothful boy groaned, feet tired from being on them all day.

“How did you guys even get here?” Clara asked, grabbing each of her girlfriends by the hand, still in disbelief they were here, and that she wasn’t just having a wish fulfillment filled dream.

“Wasn’t hard,” Masha shrugged, “Same way you got here, we just didn’t drop the key like you did.”

“You did leave a pretty powerful magical artifact just laying on the floor, one of us was bound to notice,” Vee joked, squeezing Clara’s hand. As tense as she was, a sense of relief filled her to see the human girl safe and sound.

Clara seemed to realize that Vee was there, in the one place that scared her the most. She let go of her grip on Masha’s hand so she could cup Vee’s face, “You came here? For me?”

“It was her idea, we practically had to beg for her to take us along for the ride,” Masha teased gently, putting her now empty hands on Clara’s shoulders.

Vee looked prepared to downplay her role in this turn of events, but didn’t get the chance before Clara pressed her lips to her cheek, close enough to capture the corner of Vee’s lips with her own. Anything the basilisk was going to say before left her brain as steam coming out her ears as her brain boiled and turned to mush.

“That was very brave of you, Vee.” Clara said quietly, trailing her fingers across the basilisk's red tinted face. Vee opened and closed her mouth, but was unable to form a word, only capable of choking out a few syllables.

Masha crossed her arms, pouting, “And how come she gets all the credit? I’m here t-“ Clara shut her up with an identical kiss, leaving two sputtering girls standing uselessly in the middle of Eda’s living room.

Eda turned to Camila, gesturing at the group with her thumb, “And where did you manage to find these four?”

“Five, actually,” Camila corrected, motioning behind her to the still tied up Jacob Hopskins outside the house, “and they broke out of the Conformatorium earlier this evening, along with several of our captured members, including Harvey Park.”

“So he’s alive, good,” Eda breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m glad to hear that. I’d hate for the Plant girl to lose her dad.”

As Camila and Hopkins joined the other’s in Eda’s house, the sound of more footsteps coming down the stairs met everyone’s ears, and the tired faces of Amity, Luz, and the Blight twins joined the rapidly filling living room. Luz took a look around the place, confusion worn for everyone to see on her face, “What’s going on down here? Mama?”

Camila waved to Luz, then froze, a thousand yard stare on her face as she realized what she was wearing. In her rush to get the residence of the Human Realm back where they belonged, she hadn’t changed out of her CATs uniform, still wearing it proudly for everyone to see, sans the mask that hid her identity.

Luckily, Luz seemed too tired to realize, even as Amity beside her raised a brow. The twins were all far too focused on the other humans who were inside the living room to care, gaping in awe to see so many. Emira took a step forward, mouth hanging open, “How did- where did you all come from?!”

That drew a few of the teens attention, with them recognizing all three of the Blights as the missing kids from their town. While Amity had been known to reside in the demon realm, where the twins had disappeared was still up in the air. Tom, being the oldest, and having gone to school with the twins, looked them over, “Uh, we have a key, and this door-“

“Do you still have it?!” Edric shouted, bounding forward and grabbing Tom by the collar of his shirt, nearly pulling the poor boy off the bed and to the floor below.

Vee slipped her hand in her pocket, pulling the bronze key out for everyone to see. Edric let out a small cry, blinking away tears that formed at the sight of it, “It’s really here. We’re actually going to go home!”

He collapsed onto the bed, a blubbering mess, sobs of relief escaping his throat. Emira rubbed his back, biting her own lip to hold back her own happy tears, “Come on, you dumbie, don’t cry like that. You’re making us look lame in front of the newbies.”

Amity smiled and shook her head fondly, happy for the twins, and for Clara. She could recognize these people as Clara’s friends from the story she’d told earlier that day in the library, from the glasses on Sam’s face, to the gap in Masha’s teeth as she smiled wide. These people came to Clara’s aid in her time of need, and Amity was glad to know her human friend had people like this in her life.

Still in his place on the floor, half covered in blankets, Hunter raised a finger, “Sorry to interrupt, but… could I see that for a moment?”

Vee, who he’d been speaking to, turned to the teenage boy, not knowing who he used to be, or what his past was. She just knew this was someone who’d helped her girlfriend out, and that was good enough for her. Before anyone could object, she nodded, and dropped the portal key into Hunter’s waiting hands. “Sure.”

The tension that overtook the room could be cut with a knife as all eyes fell onto the ex-Golden Guard, who now had the key his emperor needed in his grasp. He twisted and turned the key in his grip, looking over every detail of its make with a discerning eye. “So, this is the thing he’s been after for so long…”

He seemed to realize everyone who knew who he used to be was holding their breath. Eda’s clawed hands clenching and unclenching at her side, Amity fingering a paper with a glyph on it, Luz gulping and reluctantly readied to cast a spell circle. Even the twins looked ready to tackle him, and pry the key out of his hand. The Cabin Seven crew were starting to pick up on the distrustful vibes, looking around them in confusion about what the big deal was.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Hunter held the key back out, with him giving a grumpy look around the room, “I was just taking a look at it…”

“Eda,” Camila started hesitantly, “Why is the Golden Guard in your home?”

Vee nearly dropped her reclaimed key, scrambling to get it back in her grasp before clutching it to her chest, and taking a good few steps away from Hunter. Eda rolled her eyes, and turned to her ex, “He kinda decides to take a break, and didn’t have anywhere else to go-“

“So you decided to adopt the Emperor’s right hand man?” Camila asked, utterly bewildered, “And you didn’t even tell me about it? A random human, you call me up for, but not the fact you have one of the biggest sources of information we could ask for in the palm of your hand?”

Eda paused, then raised her clawed hands in her defense, “Now, I don’t really think he counts as the Emperor’s right hand man… more like his right hand boy. And I’ve been busy, you know, raising all these kids! I also didn’t want to overwhelm him, or make him think we’re using him…”

She coughed, then under her breath added, “It might also have slipped my mind to mention it…”

Camila facepalmed. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, something clicked in Luz’s head. “Wait a minute, Mama, how did you know Hunter was the Golden Guard?”

Something else clicked, and Luz’s eyes bulged out of her skull, “Wait a minute! Mama, you’re Milly?! From the Bat Queen’s Forest?!”

“Nice of you to catch up with the rest of us, kiddo.” Eda slow clapped.

“But-, What-, How?!” Luz sputtered, her mind desperately trying to cope with the image of her Mama, a mild mannered Beast Healer, with the badass image of her fighting in the forest.

Camila rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on from more than the lack of sleep she’d been getting, “I’ll explain tomorrow, mija. Needless to say, this is why I’ve been so busy lately.”

Luz’s face scrunched up, as she was clearly feeling torn up about this revelation. “It’s… so cool, but- why didn’t you tell me?” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her tone as she asked.

“Later,” Camila insisted. “We have more important things to do right now.”

Hunter finally untangled himself from his blankets, and seeing Camila tense at the action he held up his hands, “Look, I can see I’ve made things weird, so I- I’m just going to go. I’ll, I don’t know, get everyone a hot drink, or something. That will wake everyone up.”

“Come on, Kid, you don’t have to-“ But Hunter was already out of the room, stepping into the kitchen. Eda sagged, casting her eyes over at Camila, “You’ve made him uncomfortable. I’ve been trying my damndest to get that boy to open up… ugh, oh well, at least he’s keeping busy.”

“Okay, this is everyone who’s come in through the human realm, right?” Camila asked, ignoring Eda for the time being. Around the room, the kids from the human realm nodded, “Good. We need you to go through soon. The faster you leave, the faster we put off Belos’ plans for the ‘Day of Unity,’ whatever that is.”

Vee nodded, a small smile on her face, “Don’t worry, I plan on eating the key when I get back. It should be all the magic I need for a lifetime.”

Amity, Luz and the twins looked confused and disturbed, until they remembered that Vee was a basilisk, like Clara had mentioned. Hearing Vee’s plan, Ed and Em stepped forward, “Hey, wait a second, can’t we talk about this?”

The basilisk shook her head, “No, not really. We go home, we stick it to Belos, and I never get magic cravings again. What’s there to discuss?”

Emira gestured to Amity with both of her arms, “Uh, the fact our sister is staying here? And we need a way to visit her!”

“I agree with Vee,” Camila spoke, crossing her arms. Her lips pursed as she realized this would be a difficult decision for them to accept, and it was hard for her to demand, but she’d started getting used to making these kinds of calls since she’d had to take over for Raine. “The Key is just too dangerous to keep in this realm.”

Edric stared, slack jawed at Camila, “And why do you get to make that call? We barely even know you, outside of you being Luz’s mom, and now apparently you’re part of some rebel cell? It’s not even your key, it’s Eda’s.”

Eda frowned, not liking to be pulled into the middle of this, but Edric had a point. Besides, she’d gotten a bit attached to the twins. Between her own feelings, and Amity’s should she never get to see her siblings again, she did have to put her foot down, “they’re both right, Cam. We can’t just destroy it.”

Camila shot Eda a stern look, “I’m not asking, Eda. If you’re protesting this, then you can take it as an order from the CATs.”

Eda wasn’t sure where Camila got the nerve to order Eda around in her own home, and crossed her arms, eyes flashing dangerously, “So, you’re trying to pull rank, now, huh? You become the head of a rebellion for less than two weeks, and you think you can try that on me, of all people?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Luz shook her head in disbelief, “Mama is running the rebellion now?”

“Later, Luz!” Both her mothers shouted, turning to face their daughter.

Around the living room, fights were beginning to break out. Vee’s friends, for the most part, sided with her that the key should be destroyed, except for Clara, who had only just rekindled her friendship with Amity, which splintered the recently reunited group. The rest of Cabin Seven didn’t take the news well, having spent the better part of the day inside a prison cell, and wanting never to have to deal with the Boiling Isles again. Even Masha, despite her love of magic and witches, had to side with Vee ever so reluctantly, just because of the dangers the isle presented.

Meanwhile, the entirety of the Owl House were urging for the key to remain, and that it would be safe here with them. The loudest among them were the twins, who were even threatening to stay behind and finish their own door if it meant being allowed to keep seeing their sister. The volume had risen enough that King had finally awoken from his slumber, looking very lost as to what a whole new group of people were doing in his home.

The level of noise and chaos came to an end when a voice shouted down all the rest, “Will everyone just calm down for a minute!?”

All faces in the room turned to land on Hunter, dressed in one of Eda’s frillier aprons that said “One Bitch of a Witch” on the front and carrying a tray of steaming mugs. He glared at all of them, from Luz and Amity near the stairs, to Eda and Camila by the front door. “Alright. That’s better. Now, why don’t we all settle down, have a nice drink of cocoa, and talk over the very obvious third option.”

“If it’s so obvious, why haven’t any of us thought of it yet?” Eda goaded, but just earned a pair of narrowed eyes in response. Hunter held out his tray, indicating he wasn’t going to talk until everyone took their mugs, and appreciated the hard work he’d put into them. Once everyone had a cup, sipping awkwardly at their drinks, Hunter set the tray aside, and began, “The Rebel Traitor is right, you can’t keep the key here if you want it out of the Emperor’s hands.”

That made the pro-key side open their mouths ready to argue, but Hunter held up his hand, “Let me continue! You can’t keep the key here, but that doesn’t mean it has to be destroyed.”

He looked around the room, “the third option is that you keep the key in the human realm, away from prying eyes and hands. When you-“ he gestured to the twins, “- need to visit, you have someone on that side open the door for you, and close it behind you. Keep track of your time, and synchronize when your business is done here, and they can open the door again from the human side. That way, it never has to enter this realm again.”

Everyone around him sipped at their mugs, feeling embarrassed they hadn’t come to a similar conclusion themselves. “Well?”

“That’s… an acceptable idea,” Camila admitted. “As long as the key doesn’t come back, at least until Belos has been removed… I’m willing to go along with it.”

“Good,” Emira nodded, “And… thanks, Hunter.”

“Yeah, maybe you aren’t as evil as we thought,” Edric grinned.

Luz grinned brightly, flashing her friend two thumbs up, and even Amity was giving an approving nod. Vee meanwhile clung tightly to the key, but eventually gave a slow nod of her head, “I’d still prefer I eat the damn thing…”

“But you can still get access to plenty of magic,” Masha soothed, squeezing Vee’s shoulders.

Clara nodded, reaching out for Vee to take her hand, “I’ll make sure to bring something tasty back for you anytime I visit Amity.”

“We will too,” The twins swore, placing their hands over their hearts.

“I'm just glad the yelling stopped,” Tom stated plainly, still laying down on the couch.

“Weh?” King croaked, still confused but not complaining that the shouting had ended, downing most of his own mug of cocoa before smacking his lips.

“Mmmff mmmff mmm!”

The rest of the crew turned to see Jacob, standing where he’d been left near the door, tied and gagged. Used to odd sights like this, Amity didn’t bother questioning why an adult human man was being held captive in their living room, and instead inquired, “What’s he trying to say?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll shut him up,” Sam stepped forward, ready to kick the man in the shins. That just made him protest more, grunting louder as he tried to have himself be heard.

Luz winced, and decided to intercede, “I don’t mean to be rude, but it could be important?”

Sam grimaced at the girl, before rolling their eyes, “Fine, fine, I’ll let him talk.”

The gag was removed, Jacob giving a sigh of relief to have his mouth free for the first time all night, “Finally!”

“Make it quick, before we decide to shut you up again,” Masha warned, shooting the man a death glare.

He paled, shifting a little under the ropes that bound him, “I- I don’t want to go back!”

Everyone around him blinked in confusion, with Vee openly gaping, “E-excuse me?”

The man's eyes glistened, “I want to stay here, with the demons and witches! I can see now, I was wrong! So wrong about everything. This isn’t Mars, and while they do seem to have a corrupt government, they aren’t evil! They’re just people, like you and I!”

The Cabin Seven crew couldn’t believe what their ears were hearing, as they cocked their heads, “What?”

“Besides, I have to help fight against-“ Jacob began, everyone, even Camila leaning in to hear his next words, “- The higher beings that have tricked everyone into believing this world is anything but a simulation! They can’t silence an agent of free expression!”

Everyone deflated, “Oh, yeah, still a conspiracy nut,” Tom sighed, knowing it was too good to be true that Jacob had suddenly become sane.

Amity shook her head, bemused, “Don’t worry, I know someone he’ll get along with great. I’m sure he and Tinella Nosa will be good friends.”

The grown human cheered, happy he’d be able to stay in this world of magic. That, however, was Cabin Seven’s cue to leave, Vee breathing out her nose in irritation, “okay, I’m ready. Let’s get out of here before I change my mind about eating that key.”

She pressed the button to summon the door in the center of the room, setting aside her still steaming mug, and gestured for everyone who was going with her to come. Tom reluctantly removed himself from the bed to stand beside his friends, while Clara took a step closer to Amity, who met her halfway, wrapping her in an embrace. “I’m glad we got to see each other again.”

Amity chuckled, patting her friend on the back, “You’re saying that like we’ll never see each other again. You’re free to visit as often as you like.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that!” Eda hollered from across the room, ears twitching as she picked up their conversation.

“Ignore her,” Amity grinned, pulling away.

Behind her, Edric was speaking to Luz, “You’ll take care of Echoric for me, right? He needs a good home, and I can’t bring him with me, no matter how much I might want to.”

“That’s surprisingly mature of you, Ed,” Emira smirked, figuring he’d have thrown caution to the wind and brought the Echo Mouse with him.

“I’ll do my best, Ed.” Luz promised.

Edric wiped away tears that were beginning to build in his eyes, “He needs his cage cleaned at least once a week. And he likes to be played with. I know he can eat whatever books he can get his paws on, but he likes eating handwritten notes about how much you love him the most, and-“

Emira groaned, grabbing her brother by the collar, “Come on Ed, we don’t have all night.”

She dragged him over to Amity, “We won’t bore you for long. This isn’t goodbye, and we’ll be around tomorrow to get our stuff. But take care, Mittens. We’ll miss living with you, and we love you, right Edric?”

Edric sniffled, nodding his head. “So much! Almost as much as Echoric!”

His sister rolled her eyes, then cast her gaze over to Eda, “Hey, Owl Lady! Thanks so much for looking out for us while we were here!”

The harpy waved a clawed hand, brushing her thanks off, “Don’t mention it. You two are always welcome back, as long as it’s not for any more overnight stays. Make sure to visit me when you’re drinking age, we’ll get hammered together.”

“We will!” Emira agreed, at the same time Edric asked under his breath, “didn’t we already drink a lot of her stash?” He was quickly shushed.

“It was nice to meet you all,” Amity said in closing to her fellow humans, plus Vee. “Please, look after Clara for me. I’m glad she has all of you in her life.”

“We will,” Vee promised, looking them all over one last time. “And thank you all for your help. I’m grateful to have met some genuinely kind witches, and I wish you all luck in taking down the Emperor.”

And like that, they began to walk through the door, one at a time. First was Tom, who threw himself through the door and onto Vee’s futon on the other side. He was joined by Sam, who gave a backwards wave, not looking back to see who returned it. Next was Edric and Emira, the sister dragging the brother along as he continued to cry emotionally about missing his pet. Next was Masha, who blew everyone a big kiss.

Finally, Clara went, turning around and standing on the other edge of the door, beckoning for Vee to do the same.

The basilisk blinked tiredly, feeling the weight of the day hit her now that she was so close to home. Even Tom was exhausted, if the fact he was already snoring audibly enough to be heard a universe away. Vee took a step, only to gasp as her legs wobbled, sending her toppling to the floor, and that was when she realized something was very, very wrong.

Around her, the others fell, one by one. On the other side of the door, Vee had front row seats to her girlfriend’s eyes rolling in the back of their skulls as they collapsed unconscious to the ground. Vee’s limbs felt heavy, every breath a task in itself, and the basilisk desperately tried to drag herself through the door, clawing at the wooden floor, only for a hand to reach out, grasp the handle, and slowly close the portal in front of her face. Vee could only watch as her friends, passed out in the human realm, were unable to stop the door from closing, clicking shut as a pair of boots entered Vee’s vision.

“Why?” Vee choked out, barely hanging onto the edge of her consciousness through spite and sheer willpower, “This was… your idea…”

Above her, Hunter frowned, getting down on one knee and prying the key from her tight grip. “As brilliant a plan as it was, I only suggested it to give me time for the sleeping nettles I put in all your drinks to kick in.”

He laid a gentle hand on her head, which she attempted to bite, letting out a hiss as she did so. She even tried to suck up his magic, drain him dry and force him into the same state she was in, but to her horror he had nothing to take. He was an utter abyss, lacking a single drop of magic for her to steal. He pulled away from her, and gave a slow shake of his head, “I’m sorry. Truly I am. But I can’t let a basilisk escape back to the human realm. Don’t worry, I have no plans to turn you in tonight, but… I can’t just let you go, either.”

Vee growled, too tired to fight it any longer as sleep overtook her. Hunter took one last glance around the room, seeing all the sleeping bodies that had fallen to the floor, except for Jacob Hopskins, who was still too tied up to be any threat and cowering in fear in the corner. Hunter folded the portal door into its briefcase form, then took a breath, making peace with his decision. Stepping over Vee’s body to head for the exit, he suddenly let out a gasp as a hand wrapped tightly around his ankle, pulling him back.

“Hunter? Why?” Luz asked, looking up at him with indescribable hurt in her eyes. He swallowed tightly as he looked down on her, feeling a stab at his heart for having to do this. He’d hoped she’d be asleep before discovering his treachery.

“Because,” He answered in a small voice, “Some things can’t be stopped by a feel-good attitude, or an extended hand of friendship. My Uncle has a plan for me. The Titan has a plan for me, and he needs me by his side. He isn’t evil, Luz, and I hope you’ll see that one day.”

Luz’s hurt turned to anger as she glared up at him, and he had to fight to get her grip to release, kicking and pulling until finally she lost her mental struggle and fell asleep, allowing him to leave the Owl House unabated.

Outside, Hooty couldn’t stop him, having been his first target, getting his drugged cocoa before Hunter had left the kitchen. The House Demon was limp in his socket, face in the dirt, and didn’t wake even as he was dragged against the ground as the door was opened and closed behind Hunter.

The magicless witch wandered into the night, a bird flying down and perching on his shoulders. He glanced at Flapjack with tired eyes, “You think I made the wrong decision, don’t you?”

The bird tweeted, yanking at his ear with his beak to try and make him go back, but Hunter kept trodding forward, ignoring the pain. “It’s better this way. You’ll see.”

Eventually the palisman gave up, setting down on Hunter’s shoulder, looking forward and past the boy. For a moment, Hunter thought Flapjack was going to leave him, but the bird refused to take flight, staying by him even as he chose to return to his Uncle’s side.

Vee awoke to the sound of arguing voices. Wincing, she tried to cover her ears, but that didn’t block enough of the sound out. Were Tom and Sam arguing again? She never did learn what UST stood for…

Cracking her eyes open, she stared at an unfamiliar ceiling, and everything came rushing back. Jerking wide awake, she came to two realizations, one being that it was day already, the morning light pouring through the windows, and two, at some point she’d lost her human form, as she no longer had feet to pull herself up onto.

Ignoring the still sleeping demon on the pull-out sofa, as well as the missing presence of Jacob Hopkins, who must have vanished into the night, Vee slithered into the kitchen of the Owl House. She grimaced, seeing the source of the shouting. Eda was seated at the table, while Camila paced the room, and they were yelling at each other. It wasn’t hard to figure out why.

“How could you have trusted him, Edalyn? He’s worked for the Emperor his entire life!” Camila hollered, and Vee had to agree with her there.

Eda buried her face in her hands, “Yeah, all, what 16 years of it? Look, I made a mistake, Cam, but he was just a kid. Luz was right that he deserved a second chance, I gave it to him. It was his choice to blow it.”

“And now Belos has everything he needs for the Day of Unity!” Camila pointed out.

“I know!” Eda shouted back, standing from her seat and spreading her wings, “I’m just saying, what else was I supposed to do? Leave a teenager who was having a mental breakdown to rot in a caving in mine when he had nowhere else to go?”

Camila sputtered, gesturing angrily, “I- I don’t know!”

From her own seat, Luz looked up, her eyes red from tears that had been shed all throughout the morning. Leaning against her was Amity, looking as miserable as everyone else felt, knowing that once again she was separated from her brother and sister, maybe for good this time, and on top of it all she’d likely never see her friend again.

The two girls locked eyes with Vee, who seemed uncertain about her position here. The basilisk lowered her gaze, nervously twisting her hands within her own grip, unable to call attention to herself to the adults without her friends beside her.

Luckily, she didn’t have to. As Eda and Camila were about to launch into it again, the kids called their attention, gesturing over to Vee. Both adults looked to the side, seeing the basilisk, and sagged in their spots, unsure how to proceed.

“Sorry, kid. We came in here because we wanted to talk without waking you up. Guess we got a little out of hand, and ended up doing so anyway,” Eda muttered apologetically. Across from her, Camila nodded in agreement.

“Wh-what’s going to happen now?” Vee asked quietly, feeling more lost than she ever had before.

Cam and Eda glanced at each other, and for now, decided to put aside their differences. Camila turned and stepped towards Vee, putting a hand on either of the girl’s shoulders, “Right now, we look ahead. We’ll do everything we can to stop Belos. I know we can get that key away from him, but… we’ll have to work together.”

Eda nodded, “Besides, we haven’t exactly been sitting around all this time with our thumbs up our asses. Before you came along, we were working on our own door to the Human Realm. You can use the groundwork that the twins left behind.”

“We’ll do it,” Amity agreed with a nod, knowing that someday, she’d see her siblings again.

“And we’ll kick the Golden Guard’s ass while we’re at it,” Luz added, receiving a glance for her uncharacteristic use of a curse word, though she tellingly didn’t receive any condemnation from her Mama for using it, the woman agreeing wholeheartedly.

“You can stay with me in the meantime,” Camila offered, sending the basilisk girl a smile. “I can tell everyone you’re my niece, or a cousin, if you’d like?”

Eda raised an eyebrow, “Wait, you’re not making her room with me this time?”

“You did make a good case last night. It’s about time I started adopting some of the kids thrown your way,” Camila smiled, trying to inject some humor into the room after their morning conversation.

Vee nodded, “Can- Can I see the door?”

Eda stood from her seat, gesturing for Vee to follow her. Everyone gathered, stepping out through the back door and behind the house, where a haphazard door made of scrap sat, notes taken from Philip’s journal tacked to it in various places. The rickety door creaked in the wind, looking ready to fall to pieces at any moment, but for now, it was all Vee had.

It would have to do.

End of Season 2A

Chapter Text

‘Dear Diary

Things… haven’t been going well since the last time I’ve written in you. Hunter The Golden Guard betrayed us, and just as we got the portal door back to Earth, too. I can’t even be happy that Ed and Em are gone, seeing as now I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again.

We haven’t given up hope entirely, though. Before the door was taken, Ed and Em were working on their own way back. Vee, a basilisk that’s been living in the human realm, is trying to unlock the secrets that will get the thing working. ‘

Amity paused, her pen freezing in place as she looked up from her diary to check on the newcomer. She and the basilisk were outside the Owl House, in the backyard, where Vee was busy hammering away at the boards that made up the door. She seemed entirely focused on trying to keep the shoddy construction stable enough that it wouldn’t collapse on itself. “How’s it going, Vee?”

That unfortunately broke the basilisk’s concentration, making her miss the nail and instead hammer down on her thumb, and she let out a yelp. Amity winced in sympathy, offering an apologetic smile. The basilisk hissed and sucked on her wounded thumb, glaring back at the human who had interrupted her, “Things will be so much better when I’m back home.”

Amity apologized again, sucked in a breath, then turned her attention back to her diary, her scribbles being drowned out by more hammer strikes. ‘As for everyone else, Eda is doing her best to keep our spirits high, but it’s pretty clear even she isn’t taking this backstabbing well. Not to mention Luz. She isn’t talking to me right now. Not like she used to, at least. She’s closed herself off, and I can't tell if I should give her space, or try breaking down her walls.

Until she’s ready to open up again, we have other things to do. Today is the Coven Day Parade, after all.’

Amity closed her diary, picking herself off the ground and headed inside the Owl House, where Eda was cooking breakfast. As the harpy did that, Luz and King sat at the kitchen table, the demon desperately trying to get his sister to engage in bread puns with him, and getting nowhere. He looked over to Amity, giving her a hopeful look, “I think Luz thinks my puns are getting stale. Maybe you won’t be so sour, dough?”

Amity did her best to force a smile, her eyes glancing past King to check on Luz, who’s glum face didn’t brighten over the awful jokes. Instead her eyes were downcast, hands gripping the table tightly while her mouth formed a line, and it was all Amity could do to not let out a whine that her girlfriend was still in such a funk. Looking back to King, she kept up her false smile, “I don’t think I’m bread-y for that level of rye-sponisbility.”

Both looked hopefully in Luz’s direction, but her downturned lips didn’t so much as twitch upwards. Downcast, King let out a soft chuckle that lacked any mirth, “That- that was a good one, Amity. Didn’t know you had it in you…”

Any attempt at further bread or yeast based puns was interrupted by Eda’s tall form towering over them as she set their plates of food in front of each for the children, noting the absence of one snake girl. The wings upon her back twitched as she looked at her kids, then out the window to Vee still trying to get the door to not fall to pieces. “She’s been at that for days…”

“I made her take a break earlier,” Amity assured her, setting her diary on the kitchen table. “I can’t exactly blame her for wanting to get home. If things were reversed, I’d be working myself to death to get back here.”

Eda gave a fond shake of her head, “And we’d be working just as hard to bring you back.”

Despite the circumstances, Amity allowed a warm feeling to fill her at her mentor's words. “Thanks, Eda.”

The harpy woman drew herself to her full height, “Well, enough about that. You guys have a pretty big night ahead of you. King said you’re all going to the Coven Day Parade? Gonna egg some of the floats as they pass by, or something? If so, count me in!”

The human shook her head, “No, we’re not going to egg anything. Though I’m sure if you wanted to, you could provide your own supply.” She gestured to Eda’s feathered form, making the witch give her a crooked grin.

“I think I’ve laid enough bad eggs, don’t you think? She smirked, ruffling her daughter’s hair.

“We’re going to protest the coven system,” Luz spoke, finally entering the conversation and batting Eda’s hand off of herself. Her eyes were dark and her tone was flat as she continued, “Viney invited us. Some of the students from school are going to formally protest having to join a coven, and they figured Belos’ big, dumb, ego stroking party was the best place to do it.”

Eda laid a supportive claw on her daughter’s shoulder, giving her a gentle shake, “Gonna go stick it to the man, huh? I knew I raised you right.”

Luz gave a noncommittal grunt, brushing off her mother's hand off of her and standing to her feet, and walking out of the room with her hands stuffed into her pockets. “I’m going to go get ready… call me when it’s time to go.”

Eda grimaced as she watched Luz go without even touching her breakfast, “Geez, and here I thought she’d never hit her moody teenager stage. Kinda miss the constant optimism now that it’s here, though.”

“So do I,” Amity agreed, “She’s just taking things really hard right now.”

“Hopefully being around her friends tonight will liven her up again. She can’t keep stewing at home.” Eda sighed.

“Like you haven’t been stewing?” King asked mockingly, standing up on the table to gain a little height.

“Planning vengeance is not the same as stewing!” Eda insisted. “Someone’s got to teach that Golden brat a lesson, and since he made my kid sad I’m first in line.”

The parade didn’t start until sundown, giving everyone ample time to prepare. Their definition of prepared of course meant making signs to carry around at the protest. Amity had busted out her and Luz’s shared arts and crafts kits(Luz’s section having a lot more taxidermy tools than Amity was comfortable with), and together she, Eda and King had made a few handheld signs together as a family.

“Hey, check mine out,” Eda lifted her finished sign, which was composed of large letters formed by streaks of purple glitter that said ‘Belos sucks!’ She gave a prideful grin, giving the sign an excited shake that dislodged a bit of the glitter, getting it into her feathers.

Amity shook her head, suppressing a chuckle, “It looks great, Eda, but that’s not exactly protesting the covens as much as it is dissing Belos himself.”

“Which is an incredibly valid reason to not join a coven! Titan knows I despise that son of a witch, why should I have to conform to his system?” Eda challenged. “Now come on, show me yours. Let’s see if you’re shooting spells in a glass house or not.”

Amity picked up her own sign, featuring the main coven symbols at its center, with a shackle around them. Under that were the words “Don’t chain me down!”

Eda whistled, “Alright, I’ll concede that your art skills are better than my own, even if I feel my message is more to the point.”

She turned to King, “and how about you, squirt? You almost done?”

King’s tongue was poking out of his mouth as he concentrated on his drawing. A little more glitter and a little more glue, and he held it aloft for all to see, “Behold my masterpiece!”

The entire sign was painted in flames, looking like something out of a death metal album cover. The bold letters, drawn in a shaky, unsteady hand proclaimed, “Vive lah reesistanze!”

The human and harpy took one look at it, then glanced at each other. Eda gave a fond shake of her head, “As over the top as that is, we’re going to have to work on his spelling now that he’s going to school.”

“You can say that again,” Amity laughed, standing to her feet and wiping stray glitter off herself and onto the floor.

“What about meeee? Hoot hoot?” Hooty asked, looking up from his own half finished sign, a colored marker handing out of his beak as he tried to talk around it before giving up altogether and swallowing it whole.

“Uh, sure, Hooty. Show us what you did?” Amity answered, uncertain of what kind of artistic skills the bird tube could possibly have, but willing to humor him for the time being.

No one was prepared when he held up the poster board, revealing the scribblings of a madman. There was no obvious artistic skills on display, the entire thing appearing to be random loops and circles spiraling into each other, but in the depths of those scribbles, embedded in between each line, was a madness the likes of only one who had looked into the abyss unflinchingly could have come up with.

The human, witch and demon shuffled back and away from Hooty’s drawing, scrambling to put a bit of distance between them and it, “alright, I think that’s enough, lets get Luz and head out.” Eda insisted, swallowing a bit of bile that was building in her throat.

“Don’t you like it?” Hooty asked with exuberance, his head bobbing as he tried to keep the paper between his beak as he spoke.

King covered his eyes, “I-it’s great, Hooty! Maybe you should stop waving it in our faces though, and uh, finish it?”

Amity couldn’t bear to see the finished product, and instead cried out in desperation, “I bet it tastes twice as delicious as it looks!”

“Hmmm, you think so?” Hooty asked, considering the proposition. With what passed as a shrug for a being with no shoulders, he screeched out, “Guess there’s only one way to find out!”

The trio continued to step back and put distance between themselves and Hooty, who had begun to devour his drawing, tearing it to little bits and then swallowing those bits whole. A few more markers and colored pencils went with it, along with what Amity hoped was a bottle of non-toxic glue, not that she believed the toxicity would do anything to Hooty’s iron stomach.

“Way to go, Boots. Quick thinking there,” Eda praised, ruffling her adopting kid’s hair. “Now why don’t you go and get Luz, see if she’s ready? I’ll go see if the new kid wants to join us.”

As Amity and King bounded up the stairs, thankful to put more distance between themselves and Hooty, Eda strolled into the kitchen and out the back door, peeking her head out to check on the basilisk hard at work on the home made portal door.

“Heya, kiddo. You’ve been at that all day, wanna take a break and come with us? We’re going to go protest the parade to his big-headedness, could be fun.” Eda tried, leaning against the side of her house as she spoke.

Vee turned back, not a drop of sweat on her brow despite the warm sun that captured the awkward change between summer and fall. If Eda had to guess, it was probably because of the basilisk’s reptile nature, and wondered how the poor kid was going to fair come winter time. She’d speak with Camila and Dos about that later.

Vee seemed to consider Eda’s offer for a moment, but quickly dismissed it, “I’m good. I can still get some more work done here, and I wouldn’t be comfortable being there, anyway.”

Eda nodded understandingly, “Yeah, I understand. Not a fan of crowds? Personally I love ‘em, lots of people to pick-pocket, plenty of ways to hide, but I get it.”

Vee looked a bit uncomfortable, “It’s not just the crowds, it’s the wi- …Nevermind.” She shook her head, turning away from Eda to refocus on what was in front of her.

Shrugging, Eda turned back to the house, opening the back door, “Alright. You ever need an ear though, you’ve got plenty. We’ll be back later tonight, and if Cam hasn’t picked you up by then, I’ll drop you off at her place.”

Vee waved her off, frowning when one of the supports she’d nailed to the door fell, making the entire construction collapse behind her.

Together they went to town, Amity on Ghost, with Luz and King flying on the back of Owlbert, while Eda flew on her own two wings, making sure to show off with a sick trick or two as she sailed through the air. Her attempts to get the others to do a few loops with her fell on deaf ears, Luz not being in the mood, and King resisting the urge to hurl at the very thought.

“I raised a pair of buzzkills,” Eda complained as her feet hit the ground. Beside her, Amity landed, her palisman’s staff retreating so the cat could join her, rubbing against the girl’s ankles, while Owlbert returned to Eda’s hand himself.

“We just ate dinner, Mom!” King whined, clutching his weak tummy as he sent glares Eda’s way.

“And you could have experienced the joys of my cooking a second time!” Eda grinned, making Luz and Amity grimace, shivering at the picture forced into their heads.

“Why are you like this?” Luz asked, disgust plain on her face.

“Because I’m the fun mom!” Eda snorted cheerfully, giving her staff a spin in her hands, then resting it on her shoulders. “Now, let's go find the rest of your dorky friends. They should be around here somewhere, right?”

“Viney said to meet her by the Not-Dog stand,” Amity answered, gesturing with her head for the others to follow while holding her hand out to her girlfriend. Luz took it, giving it a tight squeeze that reassured Amity that despite her current dour mood, at least Luz wasn’t outright ignoring her.

The four weaved through groups of people, passing a variety of floats that were still being prepared on the closed off streets. The various witches and demons were adding last minute additions and mendings to their parade floats, each doing their best to outdo the others around them. Had it been for anything else, Amity would have loved to have stayed and watched, even join in with the festivities, but as it was, she couldn’t stomach the idea of celebrating something as restrictive as the coven system.

They had almost arrived to the meet up point when Eda’s ears twitched, the call of her name on the wind. The four stopped and turned their heads, seeing Luz’s other mother pushing through the crowd, her short form struggling to fit past the bodies of demons and witches alike. “Eda, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” She huffed and puffed as she stopped in front of them.

“I could say the same about you. I know I’m not exactly fond of these things, buuut some kids from Hexside are doing some kind of protest. I brought eggs!” Eda grinned, pulling a carton out of her hair.

“I told you, we aren’t doing that!” Amity insisted, even as King took the carton from his mother, checking the expiration date and then holding them far from his nose.

“Ah, it’s good to see you, hijas, hijo,” Camila greeted them, giving each a look over. Amity filled with the same warmth that came over her every time Luz’s mother called her the familiar term, glad to have the chance to see the older woman. After the portal door had been taken, Camila has been busier than ever trying to figure out Belos’ plans for the Day of Unity, and hadn’t had the time or opportunity to check in on the Owl House, leaving them in Eda’s care. The only exception was Vee, who when she wasn’t sleeping in Luz’s room at the Noceda household, was either working on her portal door at the Owl House or down under Bonesborough at CAT headquarters, “Is Vee not with you?”

“I offered to bring her, but she declined,” the Noceda woman frowned at Eda’s words, and gave a shake of her head.

“I’d hoped she’d be up to trying to make more friends now… Titan knows the girl can use some right now.” She sighed.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the faces in front of her, “How are you all holding up?” Camila asked the children, eyes glancing worriedly over each of them.

Amity felt Luz give a squeeze of her hand, her eyes clearly avoiding her Mama’s, as downturned as her lips, so answered in her girlfriend’s place, “We’re doing as well as we can, with the circumstances.”

“That reminds me,” Camila turned to Eda, “I might need your help with something, if you don’t mind?”

Before Eda could respond, Luz interrupted, “is this for the CATS?”

Camila turned back to her daughter, whose steely eyes finally met hers. She looked tired, and stressed in a way Camila had only ever seen after Luz had transformed, but there was something hard behind her eyes that those other times lacked. Camila didn’t respond immediately, still unsure about how much to fill Luz in about her double life, but after letting out a heavy sigh she replied, “Yes, it is.”

Luz didn’t seem to register what was said to her at first, until she turned away, pulling Amity’s hand and the girl along with it. “Fine. Just… go.”

“Luz,” Camila tried, but Eda just shook her head.

Instead the harpy tried, “Hey, kiddo, here.” She held out the sign she’d made for the protest, which Luz reluctantly took with her empty hand, “You didn’t make one of your own, and doesn’t look like I’ll get the chance to use it.”

Luz glanced from the sign to her mother’s face, then let go of Amity’s hand so she could hold the sign up for a better look. Seeing the words “Belos Sucks!” On the sign brought the closest thing to a smile any of them had seen on Luz’s lips in days as the corners twitched upward, and she gave both her Moms a nod. “Thanks.”

“Take care of your brother, and no making-out with your girlfriend in public,” Eda told her, receiving a nod of confirmation in return, Luz taking a moment to stuff the sign under one of her arms so her hands were free for Amity and King to take.

The two adults watched the teens leave, Camila biting her lip as they did so. “She’s mad at me.”

“She’s mad at everyone and everything except her girlfriend right now,” Eda corrected, patting Camila on the shoulder. “Welcome to being the parent of a teenager. When I was her age, I wanted to light everything on fire, so it could be worse! Now, you said you needed my help for something?”

Camila pushed up her glasses and nodded, turning in the opposite direction that the others had gone and walking away, Eda right beside her, “I’ve exhausted every lead I have on where Raine might have been taken, or what the Emperor might have done with them.”

Eda’s expression fell, silently cursing the news. Even with everything that had happened in the past few days, Raine’s sacrifice and disappearance still weighed on her hardest, but she had held out hope for news on the CATs end of things. Heaving a heavy sigh, and trying to keep it together, she asked, “Then where does that leave us?”

“It leaves us with only one other option,” Camila answered, weaving through the crowd. She paused, making sure no one could listen in, “We’re going to have to question one of the people responsible for taking them. We’re going to use this opportunity to swipe one of the Coven Heads from their own float.”

Eda’s eyes widened, an impressed look on her face, “That’s ballsy. I like it. Who are we aiming for? I’d like to go after goop head, but Snapdragon and I have some history and I wouldn’t mind a trip down memory lane, for Raine’s sake.”

Camila dismissed both options with a shake of her head, “We need to be sure we can take them out quickly, and both Darius and Terra are powerful opponents with physical attributes. Same with Eberwolf and their beasts. That leaves us one option, Scooter Crane. He’s old, and his spell work without an instrument is sure to have slowed over the years. We swipe his flute and I’m sure we can capture him for questioning.”

“He did hang back a lot during our fight in the woods.” Eda remembered, tapping at her chin with one of her taloned fingers. “Who else is in on the plan?”

Camila approached a nearby tent, opening the flap. Inside the tent were the familiar faces of Amber, Derwin, Katya and Dos, the last one crawling out of a manhole in the ground the tent was parked above. As soon as Camila stepped inside they handed her her CAT mask, which was quickly fashioned to her face. “We’ve already got the plan in motion. We just need you to help be the distraction.”

Eda cackled menacingly, “The role I was born to play!”

“Oh, there you guys are!” Viney’s voice greeted the three as they approached. Despite the school day having been over, even being cut short because of the parade that night, Viney was still clad in her uniform, proudly showing off her dual track status with the light blue and orange colors of the Healing and Beast Keeping tracks.

The Troublemaker finished off her Not-dog, brushing off her hands and met them halfway, taking a look at the signs in each of their hands. Her eyes lit up when she saw Luz’s, and she let a chuckle, “Now there is a sign we can all agree with!”

Luz allowed herself a smile, rubbing the back of her neck, “My Mom made it.”

“Lord Calamity? And here I thought you were supposed to be the Queen of arts and crafts.” Viney nudged Luz, then held out her hand for a high five from King, “And I see you brought the life of the party!”

The little demon eagerly slapped hands, having to hop up a bit to do so. Lastly, Viney turned to Amity, the two exchanging smiles, “And my favorite off and on again classmate. How have things been?”

The smiles on their faces faded from sincere to strained as the question was asked, and the mood brought down as quickly as it was raised. It was clear by her expression that Viney understood she’d said something wrong, so Amity was quick to rectify it before she could blame herself, “We’ve had a bad week. I think we should leave it at that for now.”

The Beast Keeping Healer nodded, “Say no more. Hopefully the protest livens things up. Come on, the others are waiting.”

As Viney led them away and down the street, they each had to jump over a lump laying in the road. On a second look, Amity realized it was Kikimora, laying in the middle of the street, rocking back and forth in the fetal position and mumbling under her breath about something or other, eyes looking like they were about to pop out of her head from the stress of it all.

Amity paused, her eyes glancing over to Luz, who had noticed the demoness’s wallowing, and she mentally prepared for another whirlwind adventure to help Kiki solve her problem. It was just the Luz thing to do, to help anyone who seemed in need, even someone working directly under the Emperor.

Luz’s expression seemed conflicted as she bit her lip, her eyes filled with some kind of inner conflict. Then, in the exact opposite of what Amity expected of her, Luz stuck her nose up in the air and turned her back on Kikimora, striding away and trailing after Viney again, leaving the demoness to lay crying in the dirt.

“Uh, I’m not the only one who thinks that was wildly out of character, right?” King asked Amity, worry in his voice.

Amity shook her head, and continued following after Viney and Luz, King at her heels. Wanting to turn the subject away from Kikimora and what just happened, Amity tried to focus on the positives, “It’s really cool of you to plan this whole thing out. Must have been a lot of work.”

Viney looked back at the human with a smirk, “Oh, I didn’t plan it. I just figured you’d want to come. I’ve been too busy, between taking two classes and the CA- uh, the after school activities I’ve been doing.”

“Then who-“

“It’s about time you showed up. We’re all ready to start, and you were out doing what?” A familiar bossy voice sounded as the speaker stomped towards the four.

“Boscha?” Amity questioned, eyes going wide. Sure enough, garbed in her Grudgby jacket and fiery temper, the triclops was surrounded by her fellow students, most of the grudgby team, as well as Gus and Willow, many of them with signs of their own on a street corner where the parade floats would be passing by. Even a few adults had joined in, with Amity not making eye contact with Jacob, who’s sign clearly showed he thought this was a Flat Earth rally.

“Chill, chief. I was just making sure the last of the OG Junior Bad Girl Coven knew where we were,” Viney said cooly, a laidback smirk on her face.

“I had no idea you were interested in dual tracking,” Amity, still astounded, spoke up, patting her sports partner on the arm in support.

Boscha eyed the action, breathing out before shaking her head, “I’m not. I’m perfectly happy with my bottles and cauldron, but I absolutely intend on going pro in the Grudgby Titanational League. While Hexside is willing to overlook a few spells outside of my track as long as I’m winning games, that all goes out the window once I’m officially forced to join a coven when we’re adults.”

The jock jerked a thumb over her shoulder to the people behind her, “So, if it means I gotta rally the losers to keep some of my moves, I’m going to do so.”

“We’re all very flattered that you’re here to help us out.” Viney snarked back, passing the redhead to join the rest of her friends, Barcus and Jerbo.

“… Also, Skara and Cat were talking about dual tracking, and uh, I want to support my team.” Boscha added quietly once Viney was out of earshot. She blushed at the smile on Amity’s face and coughed into her hand, “And you, too, of course.”

“So, just helping out us losers?” Amity continued to smirk.

“Whatever. Just, hold up your signs, make a lot of noise, and don’t cause any trouble. There are bound to be a lot of people who aren’t happy with what we have to say, so keep your tempers in check, otherwise we lose legitimacy in the public eye.” Boscha turned her back on them, marching off over to the rest of the Grudgby team as they prepared to start their protest.

“Did- Did she seriously tell us to watch our tempers?” Luz asked incredulously.

Finally it was time to begin. Scooter Crane stood atop his float, breathing a sigh of relief to see the one in front of him begin to move forward, finally signaling that the event was underway. He tapped his flute turned cane against the floor of the float, signaling to the driver to get moving, and with a slow lurch it began to drive forward, matching the speed of the other floats.

“It’s about time. Let’s just get this over with.” He muttered under his breath, forcing a smile as he waved to the crowd of people below.

Boredom quickly set in as he continued to wave to the crowds, with the occasional playing of his flute to show off a little bard magic. As he observed the people, he took notice that, while far from empty, there were less people in the streets than last year. Appreciation for the coven system had been at an all time low, as was the membership rate for all the covens, especially among the younger generations who were getting them later and later. Between the botched petrification of the Owl Lady, and the rise of the CATs, there had been a large spike in Wild Witches opposed to the systems in place.

This became especially apparent as they were passing by a street corner occupied by protesters to the current system, something entirely new that he’d never seen appear at any Coven Day Parade before this one. A group of high schoolers, all gathered in one place, with signs and raised voices.

“This is an unjust system that rewards dogmatism!” A redhead with a megaphone was screeching. “Anyone who practices more than one branch of magic that doesn’t submit to the Emperor is labeled Wild, while those that do submit are given membership to his personal Coven, to hold the rest of us down!”

Cheers from her fellows followed, though some of that was shouted down by opposition, those in favor of the Coven system who had come to the parade to celebrate and have a good time. Crane, however, wasn’t paying them much attention, instead his focus on one individual in the crowd of protestors, “Ma-?“

He nearly toppled over as his float came to a sudden halt, and his attention was turned away from the crowds and back to what was in front of him, “What’s going on? Why have we stopped?” He demanded, slamming the end of his cane against the float to get the driver moving again.

Scooter’s eyes widened when he heard a throat being cleared, and he slowly looked back up to the road ahead, seeing the Owl Lady in his path. She had parked herself right in front of the float in the middle of the parade, and had one taloned foot pressed against the front, keeping the entire thing from moving forward from her leg strength alone. A shiver went down his spine as the woman glared at him, eyes narrowing, “We need to talk, gramps.”

Scooter hammered down on the float again with his cane, “Get us out of here. Get us out of here!” He hollered, and the driver listened, putting the float in reverse and taking off in the opposite direction, veering to the other side of the road to squeeze between the floats behind them and the crowds on the sidewalk.

The Owl Lady of course wouldn’t let them go that easily, taking to the air and quickly following after them. Scooter lifted his cane flute to his lips and sent out a note that formed into an arcing slash, trying to clip the harpy’s wings, but she quickly avoided the hit, baring her teeth down at him as she readjusted her angle of ascent.

Gulping, Scooter tried again, each blast he sent out missing their target, who just kept bearing down on him at every opportunity. Stomping his foot, he called to the float driver, “Can’t this thing go any faster?”

With a vroom of the engine and a jolt of speed that nearly knocked him off his feet, the float picked up speed. The Owl Lady danced through the air, summoning her staff so she could send blasts down in an attempt to blow off one of the floats tires. She wasn’t having any more luck hitting Crane than he was with hitting her though, their little duel getting neither of them anywhere.

Out of nowhere the float swerved, this time succeeding in knocking Scooter off his feet, making him roll against the float’s platform and almost topple off the edge if he hadn’t managed to cling to the side. The driver pulled into a dark alley, hidden from the view of the public, making the blood in Scooter’s veins pound in his ears, “What do you think you’re doing? This is a dead end, we’re stuck!”

The old man jumped down off of the float, fully intending to book it as fast as his legs could carry him, but out of the shadows of the alley four masked figures came, surrounding him. “What is the meaning of this?!”

The side door of the float opened, and a woman stepped out, revealed to be a cat masked woman, her face drawn into a severe expression as she closed in with a demand on her lips. “Where is Raine Whispers?”

Scooter stared at Camila in shock, now realizing this had been a set up the entire time. Quickly, he raised his flute, only for Derwin to close the distance between them and kick it out of his elderly hands. It went skidding down the alley, the bodies of Katya and Amber between him and his weapon of choice.

With his flute gone, he next attempted a spell circle, getting one out faster than the CATs thought possible for someone of his age, but to no avail. Stepping between Scooter and the others, Dos opened his mouth and inhaled, sucking the magic right out of the ring before it could be cast. Weakened even further, Scooter collapsed to one knee, trying to scramble backwards to put more distance between himself and his attackers.

Only for a loud thump and a flurry of feathers to surround him, Eda having arrived, falling feet first from the sky and landing in the alley with enough force to crack the stone beneath her feet. The gold iris’s of her eyes glowed in the dark, filling the small man with a primal fear as he raised his hands in surrender. Eda still remembered the pain of having one of her wings clipped back in the forest, and how such a blow almost led to Camila’s death, and continued to glare down at the Coven Head, letting out a snarl, “I believe you were asked a question. Where. Is. Raine. Whispers?”

“I don’t know!” Scooter cried out pitifully. The wrong answer, as Eda lifted him up by his shirt and dangled him off the ground.

“If you don’t tell me exactly what I want to hear, I’m going to carve your-“ Eda began to warn, only for Scooter to vanish in a puff of smoke, replaced by an Emperor's Coven Scout.

The surrounding CATs watched with mouth’s agape at the turn of events as they realized their Coven Head had been nothing more than an illusioned scout, with Amber gesturing at the man with both hands, “Who the heck is this guy?!”

The Coven Scout continued to sputter and hold his hands up in surrender even as Eda dropped him on his ass. Camila stepped forward, and even with her short height she towered over the Scout as he cowered on the ground, “What is your name?”

“S-Steve!” He explained, “please don’t hurt me, I’ve got a family! … okay, I have a little brother, but that still counts!”

Camila crossed her arms, giving a look down at Steve that Eda immediately recognized as her stern mother glare even through the mask, “Where is Scooter Crane? Why wasn’t he here for the Coven Day Parade?”

“He- He’s dead!” Steve answered quickly. Everyone around him stilled at the words, and he continued, “The Emperor wasn’t ready to make any announcements, and I was the only Scout available who was good at illusions and could play the flute convincingly enough.”

“How did he die?” Camila questioned, holding back a sigh of disappointment that her last lead was gone. The Coven Heads would be more wary of future kidnappings, not that they would have the same opportunities drop in their laps like they had today.

“Old age? I don’t know, I don’t get paid enough to ask questions like that!” Steve was frantic now, knowing he wasn’t exactly providing them with what they wanted to hear and hoping the Owl Lady wasn’t going to eat him.

“And you have no idea what has happened with Raine Whispers?” Camila asked again, putting the pressure on Steve.

“T-the musician? I thought they stopped making music, like, a decade ago?” Steve asked nervously, earning a flat expression from his interrogators. “No, I- I have no idea why you’re even asking about them!”

Camila looked down at him, pondering everything he’d said silently. Closing her eyes, she gave a short nod to herself, then gestured with her head, “Get out of here.”

Steve didn’t need to be told twice, scrambling back up to his feet and barreling down the alley as he put as much distance between himself and the others as he could. The CATs watched him go, disappointment etched on the facial features their masks didn’t cover. Camila looked at them all, giving a shake of her head, “I’m sorry everyone. This didn’t go as we planned, and ended up wasting your time.”

Katya shook her head, stepping forward, “No, boss, it went perfect! Everything you could have accounted for worked exactly as you wanted it to. It’s not your fault some old crusty guy kicked the bucket and was replaced.”

The others gave a choir of encouragement, Derwin clamping a hand of encouragement onto Camila’s shoulder. Eda watched, amusement worn openly on her face despite her disappointment that nothing had come from this when it came to information, as Camila tried not to appear flustered over the kind words sent her way.

Coming to her ex’s rescue, Eda spread her wings, ruffling up her feathers as she stepped forward, “alright, alright, give the gal some space, people. If she gets any more praise it’ll make her head explode.”

“Thank you everyone,” Camila spoke, ignoring Eda, “You were all a big help, and we couldn’t have done this without you. Take the rest of the night off, we’ll have a brainstorming session at the HQ tomorrow. We’ll find Raine, we can’t give up hope yet.”

The CATs agreed, each pledging their support and fresh ideas for the next day before taking off their masks and leaving the alley one by one, so as to not be noticed. Dos kept his mask on, instead climbing into the now abandoned float, slowly driving it back out of the alley, taking it somewhere where it could be more easily abandoned.

Camila slid her own mask off, as well as the concealment stone that put up the illusion of her CAT’s uniform, revealing her normal day clothes. Stuffing them into her bag, she turned to Eda, “This was a bit of a bust. How about we go find Luz and the rest of the kids. I’m sure the protest could use a few extra hands.”

Eda grinned as she stepped in line beside her ex, “Even in your off hours, you wear bad-girl well.”

“You’re a terrible flirt.”

Steve pushed through the crowds, frantically trying to fight back the tides of people as he moved, trying to remember where he’d seen his little brother. Of all the places he’d expected, the Parade wasn’t out of the ordinary, but joining the protest against the Coven system had not been one of them.

Steve couldn’t remember the street corner he’d seen them at, but it wasn’t hard to find them. All he had to do was listen for the noisy girl with three eyes, still talking into her megaphone. The droning of how she “Wasn’t going to participate in a broken system” was still echoing through the streets for all to hear, though it soon cut out just as he was within eyesight of the group.

Steve shuffled past the girl, who now seemed to be in an argument with another three eyed woman. He didn’t pause, forcing his way past them and other Hexside students, disappearing into the crowds.

Luz, King and Amity weren’t as lucky, getting a front row seat as Boscha got into a very public argument with her own mother. “I’m not leaving, Mom! I organized this whole thing, and I’m staying right here until it’s finished!”

Mrs. Boscha’s Mom, a bright pink haired woman who towered over everyone else at the little rally with height that almost rivaled Eda’s harpy form, was absolutely aghast, “Boscha, you asked permission to come to the Parade with your friends, not to start picking fights with the Emperor!”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t support me!” Boscha argued back, hands clenching tightly into fists. She wasn’t the only teenager whose parent had come to try and pull them away from the protest, nor was she the first, but she was going to hold her ground, “Our Grandparents generation might have rolled over to Belos’s demands, and you may have sat on your thumbs instead of fighting back, but I refuse to give up a single drop of my magic because some old guy said I have to!”

“Dear, that’s the Emperor you’re speaking about. You can’t go up against him and win, and you can’t become a wild witch for something as silly as your sports!” Her mother put her foot down, literally stamping her heel into the dirt.

“I will, and I relish the challenge!” Boscha fought back, teeth grit and face red with anger. “And this is for more than just me! I’m not leaving my friends behind, either!”

Amity winced as their words got more vicious towards each other. It was reminding her of some of the fights she had with her own mother, though with two major differences. Boscha actually fought back, instead of dropping everything like Amity would have to fulfill her Mother’s desires, and beneath it all, Amity could tell this wasn’t about being controlling, but out of a genuine worry for a child’s safety that brought Boscha’s mother out here.

Luz looked like she was biting back her own words, trying not to put herself into the argument with Boscha and her Mom once the woman started defending the Emperor, when a white cloak bristled in the corner of her eye. Turning her attention towards the suspicious sight, her eyes narrowed when she recognized a Coven Scout harassing one of her classmates.

“Come on, Mattholomule, it isn’t safe out here tonight,” Steve urged, pulling on his younger brother’s arm.

Matt tried to pull his arm away, but his older brother’s grip was too tight, “Hey, what do you mean? I’m not leaving!”

“I said it’s not safe!” Steve insisted, looking over his shoulders in case any other resistance members were following him, but his younger sibling kept fighting back against his attempts to make him leave, “What are you even doing here anyway?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Matt asked, finally breaking Steve’s hold, “I’m protesting the Coven system!”

“But why are you doing that!?”

“Because I have friends in the dual track! But maybe you’d know that if you were ever home!” Matt snapped, backing away. He turned to meet Gus’s eyes, the illusionist in just as heated an argument with his own father who had shown up to take Gus back home himself. Gus didn’t seem like he was going to back down, so Matt kept his resolve up as well, refusing to give in.

“I’m sorry, I know the Emperor’s Coven keeps me busy, bro,” Steve kneeled down, putting his hands on his brother’s shoulders, “but you don’t need to do all of this, if they want their magic, they can just join the Emperor’s coven like me-“

“No!” Matt protested, knocking his brother’s hands off him, “You and I both know not everyone is good enough for that. I’m not even good enough for the Construction track as it is, even Dad knows that. And no one should have to become the Emperor’s lackey just to keep what magic they might be good at!”

Steve recoiled like he’d been physically struck, “Lackey? I- I am not a lackey!”

“Hey, lackey!” Luz’s voice cried out, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Steve’s head turned to see a furious witch marching up to him, rolling up her sleeves and looking ready to pick a fight. Steve normally considered himself a patient man, but today had been trying as it was. “Nothing you need to be concerned about, citizen. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find that it does.” Luz snarled, even as Amity and King joined her side. “We have enough going on without a Scout trying to harass one of us!”

Amity reached out to grasp Luz’s arm in an attempt to calm her down. “Luz, I think you need to take a moment to-“

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve snarled back, rising to his feet. “I’m not the bad-“

Luz, fuming, didn’t bother to listen to what Steve had to say. The moment he was on his feet, she jerked out of Amity’s grasp and reached for the egg carton Eda had left in King’s hands, grabbing one of the rank eggs, and pelted the man’s cape with one. He didn’t even have time to process what had happened before Luz reached for another egg, this time nailing the dead center of his mask.

Before Luz could throw another egg, a hand crashed down on top of the carton, pushing it closed. Boscha, two of her three eyes twitching, had abandoned her fight with her mother to descend down onto Luz the moment one of her eyes had caught on to what was going to happen.

Steve stood, shocked, sticky, and covered in rotten egg. “- guy…” he turned to his brother, who wouldn’t look at him, “I’m- I’m not the-“

“Just go,” Matt sighed dejectedly, turning his back on Steve and moving further into the crowd of protesters.

“I’m not the bad guy…” Steve murmured, head bowed in defeat, before slowly turning and walking in the opposite direction.

“Are you trying to start a riot?” Boscha snarled, taking the eggs away from Luz’s clutches. A flash of guilt settled in Luz’s eyes, but that didn’t stop Boscha from laying into her, “I told you not to make a scene like this! This kind of stuff makes us look bad and brings the movement down as a whole!”

“B-but he was trying to take one of us away!” Luz sputtered, trying to defend herself.

“Then you should have let me know, and I would have handled it!” Boscha viciously butted her head against Luz’s argument. “We can’t have people here throwing eggs at people over verbal disagreements. Even the ones who deserve it.”

Luz swallowed, Boscha’s meaning hitting her. She was being asked to leave. Seeing Luz’s face fall, Boscha breathed in and exhaled sharply, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on in your dumb nerd brain, but you need to cool. Your. Head. I know that’s rich coming from me, but we’ve hardly even started to fight back. Save your rage for the third quarter onwards, where we’ll need it most. If you can promise that next time you won’t lose your temper, you can come back, but until then… you’re done here.”

Luz nodded sadly, understanding perfectly. “I- I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

“Don’t be sorry, be better.” Boscha demanded, then shoved the carton of eggs back into Luz’s arms, “And get rid of these, they reek.”

Boscha turned back to where her mother waited, stalking past Amity and King, pausing only to address her teammate, “Go get a handle on your girlfriend, or something,” she hissed.

“And you,” Boscha addressed her mother again, “We’re tabling this until later. If you weren’t distracting me, I could have handled that before it happened. Go home, Mom.”

Amity crouched down to be eye level with King, “Why don’t you stick with Boscha for a bit. I’m going to go and find Luz. I think she and I need to have a talk.”

“Okay,” King agreed, nodding slowly, “but don’t leave me alone with the mean girl for too long. She scares me.”

He whispered that last part, Boscha’s ears twitching the only indication she heard it. Amity giggled, giving him a hug, then picked herself up again to go find her girlfriend, who in the short time she’d had her back turned had completely vanished.

Luz leaned against the side of a building in an alley not far from where the protest was, sniffling back tears that boiled with unspoken anger. She slumped down, curling her arms around her knees as she tried her best to hold them back, a fight she was quickly losing as they streaked down her face and dripped down her chin.

She didn’t say anything when Amity’s familiar form joined her, sitting with her legs crossed. Amity didn’t speak either, letting Luz cry, the act bringing enough comfort to the witchling to finally let her tears wrack her body, her sobs escaping her lips.

Amity let her cry, simply taking her hand and squeezing it, until Luz’s tears subsided. The witch wiped her tears away, though the streaks still stained her face, and the human hummed, finally opening her mouth to speak, “Penny for your thoughts?”

Luz wiped at her leaking nose with her sleeve, “What’s a penny?”

Amity blinked, then immediately answered, “It’s sort of like a snail, but worth even less-“

“And you can buy thoughts with them?” Luz asked, a note of disbelief in her tone.

“No, it’s just an expression, and- and you’re messing with me to avoid the subject,” Amity caught on, her expression turning stern.

Luz grimaced as she was caught, tightening her grip on her knees. She sank even lower into herself, but Amity reached out and cupped her cheeks, making her look into Amity’s blue pools, “Luz, please, talk to me. It’s not like you to act like this. I know that you’re angry at Hunte- at the Golden Guard, but closing yourself off like this isn’t the answer.”

“I’m not angry with Hun-him!” Luz spoke sharply, voice momentarily catching in her throat as she avoided using Hunter’s name. She shook her head, and hastily corrected herself, “I mean, I am! But I’m even angrier at myself!”

“How come?” Amity asked softly, brushing her knuckles against Luz’s cheek.

“Because! Everything that happened that day is my fault! I trusted him! I let him into our home, and because of that, everything is ruined. You can’t see Ed and Em anymore, and Vee got stuck here, and we all got betrayed because stupid Luz messed up again by not being able to see that the bad guy was using her the whole time!” Luz finally exploded, unable to hold back her feelings any longer.

“If I hadn’t let him come with us, none of this would have happened. I screwed things up, like I always do, like I did tonight, too! I can’t do anything right!” Luz pulled her hands out of Amity’s gentle grip, covering her face with them to hide her shame.

Amity’s mouth hung open as she watched Luz begin to sob again. Biting her lip, she found her resolve and reached out, pulling Luz into her arms and cradling her to her chest. “Luz, Luz, no. You didn’t mess up. You did everything right. You were good, and thoughtful, and offered your hand to someone desperately in need of it.”

She rocked Luz, pressing a kiss to her temple, “It comes so easy to you, to be so good. I have to try my best to be half as forgiving as you, it’s something I love and admire about you. And it’s not a- a character flaw! You didn’t mess anything up, Hunter did. You made the choice to help him, and he’s the one who made the choice to spit in our faces. But never, ever regret offering that hand of friendship.”

Luz sniffled, holding onto Amity tightly. Amity held her until the witch started to calm down, the human using her own sleeve to clean Luz’s messy face and straighten her hair out, trying to put her back together again.

“Look at me,” Amity requested softly, and Luz’s eyes blinked open, peering into Amity’s own. “We’ll handle Hunter when we have to, together. But I want you to stop beating yourself up about this. Don’t forgive yourself, because you’ve done nothing wrong to begin with. Don’t try to be less of a good person, Luz, because I’ve missed you since you’ve been gone.”

Luz nodded, pressing her forehead against Amity’s, “I promise. I won’t lose myself like that again. I’m sorry, this week has already been bad enough, I just made it worse for you.”

Amity playfully smacked Luz upside the head, “What did I just say? There is nothing to forgive, so no apologies. Now kiss me, so we can go back to waving our signs around and being dorks together.”

Luz didn’t hesitate to meet Amity’s request, pressing her wet lips against her girlfriend’s, finally smiling fully for the first time since that night. She pressed another kiss, then another, until she felt a little heated and flustered, reluctantly pulling away and leaning back up against the wall with a happy little sigh.

“You good now?” Amity asked, teasingly.

Luz just flashed her teeth in a grin, “I feel much better.”

Her expression fell, and her pointed ears drooped a little as she spoke her next words, “I, uh, do still feel bad about one thing, though.”

“What’s that?” Amity asked curiously, wondering what else was on Luz’s mind even after all of that.

“I, uh…” Luz flushed, a bashful look on her face.

Amity blinked, then realized what was bothering the witch. She pulled herself to her feet, wiping the dirt and dust from the street off her pants, then offered her hand to Luz, “You want to help Kikimora now, don’t you?”

Luz nodded, embarrassed, “Yes please. It’s been bugging me the whole day that I just left her there on the ground.”

“Then let’s go, I’m sure we can help her out before the end of the Parade.”

“Oh, Captain Wollf, I can’t believe that I spent so long agonizing over pleasing the Emperor or my family when the only person I really needed in my life was you!” Kikimora exclaimed, bounding into the tall captain’s arms and being twirled in the air.

“I’ve waited so long to hear those words, ma’am!” The Guard Captain squeezed back, hugging the small demoness to her chest.

“Ma’am? Oh, that won’t do, please, from now on, call me ‘dear,” Kikimora corrected, reaching for the Guard Captain’s concealing mask, “Now, take that thing off and kiss me!”

Amity and Luz stared, disgusted and aghast respectively, at the scene before them. Both quickly turned away from the open, public displays of affection the two were about to engage in, with Luz raising a finger, “… I feel like we missed out on something important, and are missing some context.”

“I don’t think we missed out at all!” Amity shivered.

“I don’t know, I think it’s kind of sweet.” A new voice added from beside them, making both teenager’s head spin as they faced the older woman. “It’s just too bad I’m going to have to break them apart.”

“You’re going to what now?” Luz asked, eyes hardening at the very idea of breaking up two people in love, no matter how icky and open they were about showing it.

The woman turned to look down at her, a smile on her face as she let out a little laugh, “Oh, I’m sorry, I must have misspoken, silly me. I just meant break them.”

Recognition entered Luz’s eyes and she took a step back on instinct, “Terra Snapdragon? What are you doing here?”

Amity paled when she realized she was in the midst of a Coven Head, one of the most powerful witches on the isles. The older witch didn’t seem powerful, at least, not in the same way Belos had commanded it with his very presence, rather, if not for her odd choice in head gear, she would seem like a normal, unassuming older woman in her mid-to-late seventies. Yet there was a dangerous sparkle in her eye that promised pain, the only part of her that seemed to stand out to the human’s eyes.

With her intentions revealed, Terra stepped forward, bridging the gap between herself and Kikimora, who was too caught up in her new whirlwind romance to notice. Wollf was the first of the new couple to see the approaching figure, breaking away from Kiki and quickly fixing her mask back to her face, saluting to her superior, “Terra Snapdragon! Ma’am! What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be at the parade?”

“You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Terra replied cheerfully. “I do believe this counts as an abandonment of your post, wouldn’t you say?”

“Uh,” Wollf stuttered out, setting Kikimora to the ground and holding her hands up, “I- I didn’t, Kiki and I were just-“

Terra ignored the other woman, turning her eyes downward at Kikimora, who knew her best, and knew when this particular flytrap was playing with her food, “Ah, and here the Emperor had such high hopes for you, Kiki.”

Before either woman could reply, Terra begun to spin a spell circle, only for a pair of abomination tendrils to wrap around each of her wrists, pulling her backwards. Kikimora didn’t have a chance to thank her saviors before Wollf was scooping her up and bolting, the Emperor’s assistant quickly restoring her facilities and hollering, “Quickly, to the docks, we’ll flee to Palm Stings and live with my mother!”

“Meeting the parents already?” Wollf blushed under her mask, “Things are moving so quickly!”

“Just run faster, you dolt!” Kikimora insisted as the long-legged Guard Captain sprinted away, having already forgotten about the teenagers.

“They left us!” Luz gasped in shock, “I can’t believe Kiki would just abandon- oh, who am I kidding, we all saw that coming…”

“No regretting a helping hand, Luz!” Amity reminded her as the two each pulled on one of their summoned tendrils. Amity had summoned one from her ever present bottle, while Luz, whose Abomination magic was admittedly a bit sloppy, was forced to rely on one as well once she thought it over. Any vine Luz could summon would be useless to hold down a master of plant magic.

Terra glanced over her shoulder to look back at them, seeming amused by their efforts to restrain her. With strength that was outlandish for such an elderly woman, she tugged on the two goo bindings, yanking the two teenagers forward and closer to herself. “As commendable as your bravery is, sprouts, I’m afraid your stupidity far outweighs it.”

The earth under their feet began to quake, Amity realizing what was about to happen before Luz did. Recalling her sludge back to her bottle, Amity dove, shoving Luz and herself to the ground and out of the way of a large, flowering bud that burst out from where they had just been standing, it’s petals covered in teeth that snapped down on where they had been.

“Snapdragon really wasn’t an exaggeration, was it?” Amity panted, picking herself off the ground to try and fight back, only for the elderly witch to be ready with her next spell.

Another body put herself between Amity and Luz, and Terra, the plants summoned stilling as Terra raised a brow at the woman who had her arms spread to cover the children, baring her teeth at the coven leader, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Mama?” Luz exclaimed, peeking around Camila, who stood her ground and protected her children. “What are you doing here?”

Camila ignored her daughter for the moment, continuing to lecture the Coven Head before her, “These are children! You can’t just go attacking them!”

“Children? Children…” Terra stroked her chin thoughtfully, as if trying to recall something important. With a snap of her fingers, it came to her, “oh, yes, I suppose I’m not supposed to kill them and make them mulch for my garden… those terrible restrictive laws!”

Terra’s posture resumed her casual form from before the fight as she strolled over to the three as if she hadn’t just been trying to kill them all, reaching out with a hand and pinching Luz’s cheek. “I suppose it would have been a shame to put down such adorable little pests as these. Oh!”

She looked back up to Camila, looking her entire body over, the dangerous glint back in her eyes, “You seem familiar… have I threatened you before?”

Camila’s scars ached just thinking about their last meeting, and she gulped, knowing if the plant witch recognized her there would be no winning the day. Instead, Terra shrugged, the suspicion leaving her as she did so, “Oh, well, I do that to a lot of people. Happens all the time! No need to get so worked up about it, sprout.”

Her eyes fell on to Amity, and a bit of recognition lit in her eyes, “Ah, and the human is here as well? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The color left Amity’s face as Terra chuckled to herself, “I do have a message from the Emperor. He says he’s looking forward to meeting you. Until then, Happy Coven Day! In the meantime, I still have a little traitor to track down.” With that, Terra sent them all a bright smile and left, slowly walking off in the direction Kikimora and Wollf had gone.

The kids let out a sigh, Luz reading out and gripping her mother’s hand, “How did you find us?”

“Eda and I finished our business, and went to meet you, only to find King. He said you wandered away, so I volunteered to find you while Eda stayed with him. From there, I followed the sounds of chaos.” Camila answered, shakily turning to face the two. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“We’ll… explain later,” Amity offered, leaning against the older woman, “I think I’m done with the parade for today. I just want to go home now.”

Meeting back up with Eda and King on the street corner, the first thing Luz did was throw her arms around her mother’s waist and hug her tightly, “I’m sorry I’ve been in such a bad mood, Mom.”

Eda carefully raked her clawed fingers through Luz’s hair, “Hey, it’s alright, kiddo. Remind me to tell you about all the trouble I made for my parents, you’ll see you’re practically a saint. I can handle a few days of angst.”

“I think we’re ready to leave,” Camila ushered a tired King into her arms, scooping him off the ground. The others agreed, ready to pack it up and head home after the long night.

Just as they were ready, however, the voice of Terra Snapdragon greeted them, at first making Amity, Luz and Camila jump after their close encounter, only to realize it was over the speakers that had been put up for the parade, which was at its end. A final message to the isles. Kikimora was notably absent from her side, though if that meant she managed to get away or not, Amity wasn’t able to tell.

”Thank you all for coming out tonight. It always warms this old heart of mine to see so many of you lovely sprouts gathered here to celebrate the day this Empire came to be!” Terra addressed the crowd, earning more than a few cheers. “Before you all head home, however, there are two very special announcements to be made, by none other than your Emperor, who has chosen to speak to you all today.”

Before the witch, an illusion was projected of the Emperor, towering over all of them, even above the buildings of Bonesborough. His masked face hid his expression from view, his dark eyes covered. “Thank you, everyone. The first announcement of the night is a change in staff among the main nine Covens. I am happy to announce that, as of today, Scooter Crane, our hard working master of music, has joyously retired from his position as Head Bard. May he find rest and relaxation for the rest of his days.”

Camila squeezed King tight against her chest, leaning in towards Eda, “Didn’t that scout say Crane was dead? What’s with this retirement business?”

Eda hummed, not tearing her eyes away from the projection, “One of the two are lying to us, and I’m more inclined to believe it’s the big guy. Crane’s likely ‘retired’ on a farm very far away, where all the people Belos thinks knows too much go.”

Belos continued his speech, unbothered by the chatter among the people, “As for his replacement, a name many of you may be familiar with, the respected, if reclusive, musician, Raine Whispers shall be taking his place. They were handpicked by their predecessor, with years of experience behind them, I have faith they will serve well. They have already been initiated, and even have something prepared for you this evening.”

The feed was temporarily cut, before being replaced with an image of Raine, standing on stage and surrounded by their fellow heads, minus Terra. “Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the day of uni-bee. Uh, I mean, uni-ly! I mean, uh- oh no, this is going all wrong. Get me outta here!”

The feed cut as Raine bolted off the stage, to the annoyance of their fellow Coven Heads. Eda and Camila paled, suddenly feeling very sick at the sight even as others in the crowd began to chuckle at the antics and idea of a bard with stage fright. “What did they do to you, Raine?” Eda asked, unbelieving of what she had just witnessed.

“Whatever they’ve done, it’s not good,” Camila responded, shaking her head. “I’ve failed them. I can only hope the Emperor didn’t get any important information before they broke. Like names.”

They weren’t given any more time to mourn, as the Emperor’s masked visage appeared once more in all its golden glory. “Our second announcement is just as important. Together we are perfecting the Coven System as the Titan intended. The Day of Unity will be in exactly one month, when the tide is at its lowest and the moon obscures the sun. At that time, we will journey to the head of the isles, and there, the worthy shall inherit a utopia free of wild magic.”

The Emperor let that statement hang in the air for a moment, before continuing. “However, something has occurred to me lately, as that day quickly approaches us. There has been a vast decline in Coven membership, and I feel that I, personally, am at fault.”

“I have always kept my face covered, hidden away from the world. In that way, I have seeded distrust, and put a wall between myself and my people. That ends today.” Slowly, the Emperor removed his mask and hood, revealing his aged face, wild hair, and a sickening green scar of rot that traveled diagonally across his face. “With your support, I hope we may achieve our goals. Thank you, Boiling Isles. Happy Coven Day, everyone!”

Eda shook as she watched the man disappear, the man who had taken her childhood friend from her. She grit her teeth, snarling, only to be startled from her anger when a hand took her own. Looking down, she found Amity by her side, gripping her tightly. “We’ll stop him, Eda.”

The harpy gave a sharp nod of her head, “Yeah. We will, kiddo.

Camila trudged home, feeling more tired from the day's events than she’d felt in a long while. Behind her, Luz and Vee trailed, her daughter catching the basilisk up on everything that had happened that day.

Camila didn’t know what she was going to do tomorrow, when she had to look the other CATs in the eye and tell them they’d need to move forward without Raine. She let out a shaky breath as she fumbled for her keys, and with trembling hands stuffed them into the lock on her front door.

As the door opened, the sound of something hitting the floor met her ears, and she instinctively bent down to pick up whatever had fallen. A letter, wedged into the gap of her door, with her name on it.

Her eyes widened when she saw the initials of the sender on the front of the envelope, written in smooth, curvy script.

“R.W.”

Chapter Text

Vee looked over the finished door with something akin to pride. Sure, it wasn’t exactly pretty, with lots of ugly knickknacks dangling from it, ranging from mutilated dolls to coat hangers, not to mention all of the wires, but that was just a part of the process.

And okay, it still looked like it would tip over and crumble under its own weight if the cinder blocks behind it weren’t supporting it, but the important thing is that the physical construction was done.

“You sure this thing isn’t going to fall to pieces the moment you try to use it?” King asked, a note of worry in his voice.

“If you can use it at all, you mean.” Eda corrected, taking a long sip from her mug of Appleblood. Her favorite set of pjs were stretched over her harpy form, making the normally loose clothing look two sizes too small, with the shirt needing holes cut into the back for wings. “There is still the major issue of us not having any Titan’s Blood to actually use the damn thing.”

Vee slumped, knowing that, ultimately, Eda was right. It didn’t matter that the rest of the door was finished, if it was missing the final ingredient that actually made it work. But that wasn't a reason to give up yet “Then we’ll just need to find some. I’ll… I’ll put on the warmest coat I can find, and scour every inch of the Knee if I have to!” She determinedly insisted.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that,” Luz spoke up from her spot on the ground by the door. Everyone looked over to her, Amity raising an eyebrow.

Impatiently, Eda gestured for Luz to continue, “You going to expand on that, or…?”

Luz blinked, “Oh, sorry, I was pausing for dramatic effect! Way back when we visited Eclipse Lake, don’t you remember? You said that Abominations have trace amounts of Titan’s Blood.”

“They do?” Amity asked, leaning forward at the news.

Eda rolled her eyes, “Well, yeah. Abominations are made from ingredients that can be found in nature. Stuff like clay powder that’s used in the process used to be part of the Titan’s petrified flesh, so of course it has Titan’s Blood in it. Just not nearly enough to do anything with it.”

“Except,” Luz raised a finger to object, “You also mentioned that there might be a drop or two in Amity’s flask. It’s a pretty old, powerful artifact, made when the stuff was more plentiful. And those Abominations pack a punch!”

All eyes fell on Amity, who’s hands instinctively fell on her flask. Luz seemed to realize she’d made her girlfriend uncomfortable, “I’m sorry, Amity, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot there. I should have brought it up in private first…”

“No,” Amity raised a hand, while the other unlatched her flash from her waist, “No, it’s… it’s fine, Luz. I’ve learned a lot of glyphs now, that I can survive without my Abominations if I have to. And this is more important. Vee needs to get home, and… I’m starting to miss the twins. If this can get them back…”

“Honestly, I’d be happy if it was just a one way trip back home.” Vee muttered, then flashed Amity an apologetic look, “Sorry, that was… insensitive. I do hope the door works, and stays working, for your sake and theirs-“

“But you’ll be happy to be home, either way,” Amity finished, giving a little nod, “I understand. If I was stuck on the other side, I’d feel the same way. This is my home, as much as Earth is yours.”

With those words, she uncorked the flash, “Abomination, rise!”

The purple golem came forth, Amity putting extra effort into summoning one as dense as possible, until the bottle, for the first time since she’d opened it, was empty. Amity looked to Vee, who nodded, and together they walked side by side to the portal door, Amity directing her Abomination to lay a hand upon it.

Luz quickly hopped on top of her Mom’s old flying bathtub contraption, which had been converted into a makeshift generator, cycling its pedals to provide power as the Abomination held its place. The power cables strapped to the motor of the bathtub flared with electricity, lighting up the rest of the door's makeshift components.

The moment it began to light up the golem lurched forward, head hanging like a robot who had its batteries removed. Its color began to pale, taking on a greyer hue for a moment as some of its Titan Blood was sapped, transferring to the door that needed its power. It stood there lifelessly, while the door that Vee constructed warped and changed, sucking the various items into an abyss at its core before reemerging into a twisted version of a portal door, angled in at its center, crooked in its very existence.

Vee gasped as it took form, clapping her hands together excitedly, “It worked! It really worked!”

King looked to Eda, then back to the door, “You sure? Your door looks… sick.”

“Sick just means awesome in the human realm! That’s what Sam taught me, at least!” Vee continued to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Amity sized up what was left of her Abomination. It lost an arm, the one that had been pressed against the door having been sucked into the vortex, and with its unusual thick density, had a rather large chunk of its overall form taken in the process. Now separated from the door, the color began to return to it, as chunks of dried, grey clay broke off its outer layers and shed to the ground. Its arm reformed, the Abomination flexing its fingers before turning to its master for new orders.

“Abomination-“ Amity started, then grit her teeth as she tried to find a way to ask if it was okay without asking. Abominations did not answer to questions, only orders. “Give me a status report!”

The Abomination curled its index finger and thumb together, making an “OK” symbol. Amity breathed out a sigh of relief, clutching her chest. While she could deal with the loss of her abomination, she would rest easier at night knowing she was still able to call upon its power, even if it had been clearly weakened from this experience.

Vee ushered beside Amity, who continued to examine her goo golem, grasping the door’s handle. She hesitated to open it, the handle cool in its grip, then turned back to the others who all looked at her with bright eyes and fond smiles. “I just want to say, thank you. All of you. And if this does end up being a one way trip, please tell Camila that I will never, ever forget her generosity for letting me live with her.”

Eda folded her arms, standing tall, “and if it's not one way, you can tell her that yourself.”

Vee opened the door, and instead of green trees and blue skies greeting her on the other side, there was a black abyss, filled with rippling rings of light, pulsing, as if the very air of the Demon realm was disturbing an inky puddle.

Eda frowned, “On second thought-“ She grabbed a nearby length of rope and began to tie it around the basilisk’s waist, “give this a tug if you need us to pull you out. If you find safety, take it off and tie something to the end so we know you got there safely, got it?”

Luz smirked, elbowing her mother, “Look at you, such a mom.”

“Remember when she used to claim she was the biggest criminal on the isles?” King teased, hopping on Luz’s shoulder so he could prod at his mother as well.

“I am still the biggest criminal on the isles!” Eda insisted, growling, “My bounty is enormous!”

“Yes, yes, you’re very fearsome,” Amity pat her shoulder, her tone and attitude dripping with condescension.

“Fine, you know what, she can go without a safety harness if she wants, see if I care!” Eda threw up her arms in irritation, which only made the children around her laugh harder. Rolling her eyes, she gave Vee a nudge, “Go, get. You have people waiting for you.”

Vee grinned, turning back to the portal. With nothing but a wave behind her to the others, she ran, leaping into the air and cannonballing into the portal, breaking the surface of the inky abyss within the doorway, and vanished from sight.

When Vee opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by darkness. She floated in a black void that seemingly had no end, no bottom, and no air.

She lifted her head, gasping for breath. Despite the endless expanse under her, her hands found solid ground only a few inches into the dark waters that surrounded her, giving her hold. She tried not to think about this contradiction, and managed to pull herself to her feet, once more finding purchase under her shoes despite knowing there was no true solid ground beneath them, and gazed upon her surroundings.

She appeared to be in some kind of cavern, one that had no top, no bottom, and while there were jagged walls on either side of her, the path forward and back seemed to stretch on endlessly. The stone, carved by hand or erosion, Vee couldn’t tell, glowed an eerie green under a pale light source emanating from what appeared to be cubes that floated in the air, each housing countless stars and galaxies.

“What is this place?” She breathed, hand reaching for the rope. This wasn’t the Human Realm. She needed to go back.

Her grip tightened around the fibers of the rope, ready to pull it as frantically as she needed for Eda to pull her back out, but stopped. “This isn’t the end. It can’t end here. I need to at least look around. I- I can’t just give up. Amity took a risk and almost lost her Abomination, and Eda gave me all this stuff I needed, I can’t just give up and go back empty handed now.”

No sooner had she finished speaking did one of the glowing cubes rise from the waters, making her breath catch in her throat. The light at it’s center twinkled, beckoning her closer to inspect it, and with shaking hands she took the cube, the moment she laid them upon it she felt light headed, closing her eyes tightly as the world spun.

When she opened them again, she was looking out one of the windows of the Owl House, looking down on her companions. “What in the- How did I?”

The wind picked up, making the window flap open, and Vee tried to cling to the sides to keep from falling, realizing now that she wasn’t looking out one of the windows, she was inside the reflection of the glass pane. Only in her haste to find something to hold on to, she let go of the cube still in her hands, returning back to the void in a flash of light.

“These… let you look in between the realms? I’ve never heard of magic like this before.” Vee spoke in awe, watching the cube float higher into the air, joining the rest that filled the cavern. “I wonder if I can-“

She inhaled, attempting to suck the magic out of the cubes before her, but all she recieved was oxygen. She took an experimental sniff, and while these smelled magical, it was unlike any she’d seen before. Certainly not something that came from the Titan, which was what she was evolved to subsist on.

She took a few steps, searching for more cubes, “I wonder if any of these can look into the Human Realm?” She grabbed another cube, peering into its depths, but saw nothing but starlight within and frowned, releasing it.

“There are so many, and I don’t know how they work!” Vee cried out, kicking up a splash of the inky water. “How in the world would I even narrow it down to one that can talk to Clara and Masha?”

She stepped forward, and tripped over yet another cube rising from the water that met her foot. She once again found herself face down in the watery abyss, flailing wildly until she was back on her hands and knees, glaring at the awful thing. “You’re going to pay for that!”

She put her hands on the cube, intending to throw it as far as she could, but unlike the last one, when her fingertips met the surface she found herself looking through glass once more.

Blue skies, green grass, beautiful trees whose leaves were just starting to change color with the seasons. This was the human realm. She just knew it. She even recognized this place as the park she and the others would hang out at after they were done with their classes, when they weren’t hanging out in Vee’s cabin.

“Are you doing alright?” The voice that met her ears made tears well in her eyes as she recognized it as Clara, who towered above her. Taking a look around, Vee realized she was projecting inside the reflection of the crystal ball Luz had been kind enough to give to Clara for Masha back when they had met, with the ball currently situated in Masha’s lap.

Her beautiful goth girlfriend sighed, a pout on her lips, “Not really. I’ve got nothing. I haven’t been able to get this to turn on at all, much less get in contact with Vee in the Demon Realm. I’ve tried everything I can think of, and no amount of hand gestures or magic words seem to work on this thing. I think it’s because there’s no magic in the air here.”

Clara frowned, looking dejected at the news. With a shake of her head, she forced her frown away, instead putting on a mask of strength, and kneeled down in the grass beside her girlfriend, “We can’t give up yet. Even if the ball doesn’t work, we’ll find another way back. We’ll bring our girl back home.” Clara pressed a kiss to Masha’s temple, finally making the dour girl smile again.

Vee blinked the tears out of her eyes to see the two, not just together, but trying their best to comfort each other, and hold on to hope.

Masha nodded in agreement with Clara’s statement, “We’ll see her again. I’d just do anything to talk to her now…”

“Anything?” Vee asked, hoping against hope that this wasn’t just a one way mirror.

Both of the girls jerked in shock, the crystal ball toppling from Masha’s lap as she sat up. Vee rolled along the grass, feeling like she was going to be sick as the world spun around her, fighting the urge to drop the cube and risk losing her only connection even if it meant losing her lunch.

“Vee!” Both girls scrambled after the crystal ball, pulling it into both their hands and holding it aloft for them to see. Masha bounced on her heels, “It works! I finally got the ball to work! Eat that, lack of bile sac!”

Vee grinned through the dizziness, so happy to finally see her girlfriends again. Even if it wasn’t in person, this was the best thing to happen to her since she’d been stranded back on the isles. “I’m sorry to break your heart, Mash, but this is coming from my end. Magic cube, not crystal ball.”

While Masha began to pout again, Clara put her face right up against the ball, “Where are you right now, Vee? Are you safe? Have you found a way back yet? Is that how you’re getting a signal through?”

Vee shook her head, “calm down, Clara. I’m fine. Right now, I’m currently in some sort of middle dimension, a space between spaces, or something. But I’m safe. Camila has been sheltering me, and Eda’s been helping me build a new portal door using all the stuff Edric and Emira left behind.”

She smiled sheepishly, “Though, it looks like I’ll need to work at it some more. I could have sworn I did everything right that was in those leftover journal notes, but the door came out looking wrong, and this place is just an endless black expanse filled with cubes.”

“Can you get back safe?” Masha asked, worry in her eyes.

Vee nodded, “I think so. I came in with a harness around me, and it’s still holding, so I’m sure they can pull me back out to their side. This isn’t exactly what I wanted, but I’m so glad to see you two. How are the others?”

Clara and Masha glanced at one another, with the Goth answering, “Well, Tom and Sam are fine. We actually went and raided Jacob’s place together the second we woke up and realized you weren’t with us. It’s not like he’s living there anymore, so I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“We found diddly squat,” Clara said preemptively, seeing the question already forming on Vee’s lips. “Nothing magical that we could pick out, at least. We don’t exactly have your nose, either.”

“Since then, we’ve kinda split up to try and find ways back to the Demon Realm from here. I’ve been trying the crystal ball to get a hold of you, while Tom and Sam have been going through the library together. Gravesfield has a history with witches, or at least witch trials, so we have plenty of books on the subject.” Masha continued.

The Cheerleader nodded, “And I’ve been on the lookout for anything magical. Still haven't found anything outside of some magical talking rats that live in an alley beside one of the coffee shops, though. And they weren’t willing to share any info, no matter how many croissants I threw their way.”

“We’ve all seen a surprising amount of evidence that the Owl Lady used to come around here, though. She’s banned from so many stores, it’s actually kind of funny.” Masha giggled.

“I’m glad everyone is alright, and that you’re all working together.” Vee smiled, pressing her hand against the surface of the glass.

Masha reached out and pressed a finger over Vee’s miniature sized palm, returning the smile with her tooth gap freely showing. “Cabin Seven forever, baby.”

Clara leaned in, her face taking up a lot of Vee’s vision, “Uh, while we’re at it, think you can pass word onto Amity that the twins are okay?”

Vee nodded, “Absolutely! How have they been?”

“Gloomy, mostly,” Clara responded, shoving her hands in her jean pockets, “They’re avoiding home, and have been living in your cabin since we arrived. We have to bring them stuff, because they don’t know how to explain where they’ve been to their parents, and well, I don’t know how eager they are to face them after we told them what they did to you when they thought you were their daughter.”

“Those bars were really not necessary, or appreciated,” Vee shivered, glad to at least not be there anymore.

“Until they can come up with something that doesn’t sound insane, they’re trying their best to live off the grid. They don’t want Mommy and Daddy Dearest finding them before they’re ready.”Clara finished.

“I’ll pass it on,” Vee swore. Her smile left her face in a rush when she felt a tug on her waist, and realized she was begging to be pulled back, “Oh no.”

“What is it?” The two human girls gripped the crystal ball tightly, seeing the anxious look on Vee’s face.

“They’re trying to bring me back. This is too soon, I’m not ready to say goodbye again!” Vee cried, holding tight to the sides of the cube even as the rope pulled against her. Her eyes frantically went between her two girlfriends, trying to paint this last image of them into her mind's eye before she was dragged away, for however long it would be until she saw them again.

“It’s okay, Vee. I know we’ll see each other again soon. If you don’t figure it out, we will.” Masha spoke words of encouragement, even as tears began to leak from her own eyes at this farewell.

“We have faith in you,” Clara agreed, her throat tightening.

Vee still wasn’t ready to let go, pulling herself closer to the cube with all the strength her thin frame allowed, “Guys… I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll make your school dance.”

“It’s okay, Vee, we understand.” Clara assured

Masha nodded in agreement, “We don’t need a stupid dance anyway-“

Vee shook her head, cutting in, “No, please. I want you to go. I want you to wear your best, prettiest dresses, give each other flowers, dance the whole night together, and kiss under the spotlights. Don't be sad that I’m not there to celebrate with you, just love and support each other like we always have.”

“We will, Vee” the two humans promised. Clara gripped Masha’s shoulder tightly, adding with a wet smile, “We’ll take lots of pictures for you.”

“I love you two,” Vee whispered, feeling the last of her strength leave her. She was pulled from the cube before her companions could respond, and dragged into the depths of the icy black pools beneath her feet.

Just when she felt like she couldn’t breathe again, she was pulled back into the light, hitting the ground hard and rolling in the dirt. The orange grass and purple skies told her all she needed to know, she was back in the demon realm.

She pulled herself to her hands and knees with the help of Luz and Amity, King racing around them in frantic circles. “Are you alright?” Amity spoke, doing her best to keep her tone soothing.

Vee gave a slow nod, and looked up just in time to see the portal she’d spent the last few days slaving over starting to melt into black goop and collapse in on itself. The twisted remains of the portal pulled the door frame into the realm between until nothing, not even a piece of scrap wood, was left to prove it had ever existed.

“I’m sorry, kid. I really hoped when we started pulling, we’d have brought back a cool souvenir you tied to the other end, but it looks like you didn’t make it through like we’d hoped.” Eda sighed, placing a comforting hand on the basilisk’s shoulder.

“I didn’t make it through, but I made contact,” Vee reported, her expression far from hopeless. There was a fire that burned in her eyes, “I got to talk to them. I haven’t given up. Not yet. There has to be something I missed in those notes!”

Keen on redoubling her efforts, Vee brushed Eda’s hand off and made her way to the chalkboard covered in papers, pulling a few of the journal entries down for further review and striding into the house, slamming the door behind her.

“Well, say what you want, the girl doesn’t give up, does she?” Eda chuckled, feeling impressed with the young basilisk’s gumption.

Vee poured over the pages and pages of diary entries, looking for answers, looking for anything she needed. “The Collector, the Collector…” She murmured under her breath as she tore through the writing.

She slammed the page she was on down against the table, giving a growl of frustration and looking to the ceiling, as if begging the Titan for help. “This is infuriating! He says he needed to seek the Collector with the pieces he had, but doesn’t once mention this person in any of these other notes!”

Camila trudged into the kitchen, already dressed in her bathrobe and pajamas, with a warm cup of tea cradled in her hand, bags under her eyes. “Vee, Cariño, please. You have been at this for days now, and it’s getting late.”

Setting aside her mug, she began to pull Vee from her chair, the basilisk fighting back, stubbornly gripping the table with her pitiful amount of strength. Despite Vee’s protests, the witch was right, she was tired, and stressed. She could recite every last bit of the Diary entries by heart at this point, and it hadn’t gotten her any closer to understanding where she went wrong.

A yawn escaped her lips, sealing her doom as she used one of her hands to stifle it. Camila used that opportunity to pry her other hand away from the table. “It’s time for bed anyway, Cariño. A night of rest will do you some good, and you can tackle this with a level head in the morning.”

Vee finally gave in, slumping her head and letting Camila lead her upstairs, where Luz already waited, teeth brushed and pajamas on. In place of Luz’s old, beaten up bed, covered in pock marks and scratches from her childhood transformations, now there sat a bunk bed, fresh and newly built now that Vee was living here and needed a place to sleep. Luz took the bottom bunk, insisting that Vee get the top, which was apparently the “better” place to sleep.

Vee tiredly climbed the steps and collapsed into bed, “Sorry I’m still taking up space in your house, Luz.”

Luz waved her off, a grin on her lips, “Taking up space? Psh, please. I like having you here, Vee. I’ll miss you when you go back home. Having you here has kinda been like a crash course in having a little sister. I always wanted one of those.”

Vee laid her head back, breathing out slowly, “Really? Don’t you already have a little brother?”

“That’s different!” Luz insisted with a wave of her hand, “King likes to dress up and play with dolls! But a sister? We could go on all sorts of adventures together! Like my Mom and my- … not a great example, sorry.”

Luz kicked her feet as she looked at the mattress above her, “I kind thought Amity was going to fill that role when we first met, but boy, am I glad that didn’t happen! Talk about awkward.”

That got a chuckle out of Vee, which made Luz smile wide, “There you go. It’s good to laugh and get loose after a night full of research, isn’t it? Find anything interesting tonight?”

Vee snuggled up close to her pillow, “Not really, no. Not unless you can tell me if you know someone called the Collector. Not that it would help, whoever that is is probably as dead as Philip… I wish I could go back and talk to them, that would be so much simpler than trying to parse through all of these notes.”

Luz blinked, “You know, I think I might have a possible solution to that… maybe. It’ll, uh, be a bit weird, though.”

“Weird how?” Vee cocked an eyebrow, only to lower it as the only thing that could see her emote was the ceiling.

“Not for you, for me.” Luz sighed, “I think I’m going to have to talk to my Tia tomorrow…”

The next day, Luz, Vee and Amity stood in front of the Clawthorne family home, which had been where Eda had grown up, and where Lilith still lived after being sent away all those weeks ago by her sister. Luz frowned as she eyed the front door, the only obstacle in her way.

She hadn’t spoken to her Aunt Lilith since the Petrification ceremony. She didn’t feel ready for this, didn’t think she would ever be, but Vee needed her to be strong. If she was going to be a big sister like she said she wanted to be, then she needed to do this.

Amity gripped her hand, a not-so-subtle reminder that she was there for her girlfriend, and with a final gulp, Luz raised her fist and knocked. At first there was no answer, the silence on the other side of the door lasting long enough that the group briefly wondered if they had come when no one was home. Just before they could give up and head home, ready to try another day, the door creaked open.

“Oh, Luz! How is my favorite Granddaughter?” Gwendolyn’s enthusiastic voice rang out, and too quick to react Luz found herself in the incredibly swole arms of her grandma, squeezed tightly against her chest.

“Can’t… breath!” Luz choked out, trying to escape her Grandmother’s grip. Eventually her flailing succeeded, and she managed to wiggle out of Gwen’s arms.

“And you brought some friends over, how sweet,” the older woman smiled, unconcerned that she’d nearly suffocated her granddaughter.

Amity, weary that she would be next to be crushed in a hug, quickly spoke up, “Uh, we’re, um, here to see Lilith, actually? Is she home?”

Gwen blinked in surprise, but her smile quickly returned, “Of course, I’ll just go get her, please, come inside, make yourselves at home.”

The three teens stepped inside, Amity walking stiffly, hoping that she didn’t do anything to offend the matriarch of the Clawthorne family while she was inside of her home. Manners drilled into her by her mother made her back stand straight as a rod as she shuffled beside Luz and Vee, sitting at the table that waited for them at the back of the cabin.

Vee looked around, taking in the cozy home. Her eyes wandered to several pictures on top of the fire place mantle, her eyes trailing and following the growth of a young girl with red hair and enormous glasses, alongside someone who could only be Eda, with each progressing picture having the two get older. Then the pictures stopped being of the duo, and just of the girl with glasses, who must be Luz’s Aunt. Then pictures of Luz joined the mantle, all of them much younger than the teen who was with them today, before Vee’s eyes landed on one of the last pictures, and her face fell.

Black hair, stern face, and glasses. She knew who that was, and recognized this woman as the girl, despite the hair color change. When Luz had said she had an Aunt Lilith, Vee never guessed that she meant…

Light footsteps came down the stairs, capturing Vee’s attention. Sure enough, the woman coming down them was exactly who she suspected, the former head of the Emperor’s coven. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other again since the day Vee arrived, as she’d spent much of her research time with Camila down in the CAT’s headquarters, but the two had not spoken to one another again in that time, Vee doing her best to ignore her.

Lilith looked just as surprised to see Vee there as Vee was to see her, but didn’t linger on the basilisk, instead sending a nervous smile to her niece. “When Mother told me you were here to see me, I almost didn’t believe her.”

Luz didn’t match her smile, trying not to let it show that she couldn’t quite meet Lilith’s eyes, “Uh, yeah… We kind of need your help with something, and you’re the only one I could really think of that might have a solution.”

“Of course, anything you want!” Lilith’s volume rose, making both Luz and Vee flinch. Lilith immediately bit her tongue, wincing, and when she spoke she had rediscovered her inside voice, “I’m sorry, I’m being overeager. Please, tell me what you need my assistance with?”

Luz couldn’t find her words, and looked towards Amity for help, the girl quickly hopped into the conversation, “We need help getting our friend, Vee, back to the Human Realm.”

Lilith looked confused, “I’m not quite sure if I’m up to the task. If I knew how to do that, I’m sure Belos would have commissioned me long ago.”

“Vee already made a portal, but it wasn’t a complete success,” Amity filled her in, “However, she’s come across a bit of a problem that Luz seems to think that only you can solve.”

Amity turned to Luz, wondering if she’d found her words yet or not. The witch hadn’t exactly filled her or Vee in with the full details about why Lilith was needed, so it was up to her to talk to her Tia.

Luz scratched at her nose, “The human who wrote the information down for portal creation did so four centuries ago. Vee wanted to know if there was a way to talk to him, and I remembered when you used to tell me about when you and Mom would go on adventures together as kids, looking for Time Pools.”

Lilith’s eyes wandered as she momentarily looked back on those memories, but a shake of her head brought her back to the present, “Yes, I remember those days. If I recall, there was a theory about coagulated Titan blood becoming intermixed with magical algae that grew in the waters of the Boiling Sea that could create a temporary hole in time that someone could travel through. Eda and I could never find them though.”

Luz sank in her seat, and Lilith quickly tried to rectify her mistake, “What I mean is, we never found one yet! I did create a device capable of detecting their locations in theory but I never could nail down a power source strong enough to run it.”

Amity’s hands ran over the smooth flask at her hip, “Don’t worry about that for now. If you’ve got something, I’m sure we can run it.”

Lilith gave a short nod Amity’s way, “Alright, then let me just go and find it. It should be among my old things, just give me a few minutes.”

With an astonishing lack of grace, Lilith threw herself up the stairs that led to her room, taking them two by two and leaving the children alone again. Luz breathed out a stress filled sigh, and buried her face in her hands, “I can’t do this.”

Amity was by her side in a flash. Vee followed right behind, pulling herself away from the mantle to stand by the chair Luz was sitting in. Luz was shaking her head, biting at her lips, “I-I can’t be here with her. It’s too much, and I’m not ready.”

Vee gripped the arms of the chair, squeezing them, “Luz, I need you here. I can’t do this with her alone.”

“Why not?” Luz asked, teeth clenched tightly together.

“Because she was the Emperor’s Coven Head, Luz, and I was an experiment. We’re acquainted, and I’m no more ready to be alone with her than you are.” Vee responded, desperation in her voice.

Amity’s hand met her shoulder, “Then I’ll stay with you. Luz can stay here until we get back, and we’ll head out to look for the time pools. That way, neither of you have to be alone with Lilith.”

Both girls looked at Amity as if she’d hung the stars in the sky. Their expression fell again as the sound of Lilith returning sounded, the woman barreling down the stars with a contraption in her arms. “Here it is! Mind you, it is a bit old, but as long as we can get it the power it needs, it should work.”

Amity took the reins again, giving Luz a reprieve, “That’s great. We can get started right away, if you don’t have anything else you need to do today?”

“My schedule is clear,” Lilith answered, “And even if it wasn’t, I’d make the time for my Niece and her friends, of course.”

Luz grimaced, “Actually, I’m gonna hang back, if you don’t mind. I’m feeling… under the weather. Not really up to a big adventure today.” Try as she might, her voice wasn’t convincing, and she forced a smile as she spoke, hoping Lilith wouldn’t question it.

Lilith paused, her lips turned downward. It was clear that she could see through Luz’s deception, but she forced her own, identical smile onto her lips, “That’s… understandable, Luz. I’ll make sure your friends are taken good care of while under my wing.”

Vee coughed into her fist, drawing attention to herself, “So, shall we… go?”

“Of course!” Lilith answered, giving Luz one last glance before walking for the door, and opening it, beckoning the two teens accompanying her to follow. The Basilisk and the human each gave Luz a final wave goodbye before the door shut, and the witchling was left alone, in her Grandparents house.

Luz sighed, wondering what she should do to kill the time. She supposed she could spend time with her grandma, now that their own relationship wasn’t as strained as it used to be. Gwen hadn’t made an appearance since she’d let Lilith know they were here, so she was probably somewhere upstairs, giving them their privacy and unknowing that Luz was even still here.

Luz stood from her chair, the legs scrapping against the wooden floor. No sooner had she risen to her feet did the front door open again, and in walked a grey haired old man, face hidden behind a long, braided beard that helped cover some of the scars on his face. A yellow Cardinal palisman sat on his shoulder, and he walked with the aid of a staff, taking careful steps as he entered the house.

He looked at her with his one good eye, which lit up once he realized who she was, “My, My, how’s my Little Light doing today?”

Despite her encounter with Lilith putting her on edge, Luz felt all of that fade away, a warm grin stretching from ear to ear, “Grandpa Dell!”

He gave a hearty laugh and spread out his arms, allowing Luz to wrap her own arms around him in a hug. She was careful of his left side, which still bore marks from when Eda’s Owlbeast had attacked him, the arm that snaked around her to return the embrace trembling.

“I came to see Tia today. A couple friends needed her help.” Luz told him as she broke from the hug. At the mention of Lilith, Dell’s beard twitched in understanding, taking note that his daughter wasn’t here, nor were the friends Luz had brought with her.

“I see,” He masterfully sidestepped the issue, which Luz was grateful for, “I’m glad that you came today, anyway. I have something for you.”

“Presents? For me?” Luz beamed, always happy to be spoiled by her grandfather.

The old man laughed, holding his staff out for her to hold while he worked with both hands to reach into his bag. “I hear you recently had a palisman adoption day at your school. Very good, very good. I’m glad to hear so many have found a new home. I was so very proud to hear your Mother had a hand in that.” He spoke as he searched.

“I will admit, I feel guilty. I heard you didn’t receive one yourself, and that made me… not happy, but relieved, in a way.” Dell spoke slowly, and Luz frowned at his words. With the CAT’s taking on so many of the palismans to help the cause, it had put a dent in the number available for Hexside students. Luz had ended up the only one in her friend group lacking one, with Willow getting a Bee and Gus getting a Chameleon, though Eda had been adamant they would carve her own someday.

“Now, now, don’t give me that look,” Dell teased, “I only felt that way, because I wanted to be there when you carved your own.”

Finally, he fished out what he’d been searching for, pulling out a small, cleanly cut log, with blue bark that Luz immediately recognized, “That’s- that’s palistrum wood! How did you get your hands on that? It must have cost a fortune.”

She quickly took the weighty package from his hands, which had begun to shake under its weight, and inspected it, “It’s fresh, too…”

Dell hummed in amusement, “I’ve taken to planting seeds in the Bat Queen’s forest, with her permission, of course. The trees are so rare nowadays, which is a shame. I took this log from a branch of one I grew shortly after your mother started speaking to me again. I grew it for you.”

Luz set the piece of wood down so she could wrap her arms around her Grandpa again, “I love it! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to start carving!”

He ruffled her hair with his good hand, chuckling, “Hold on, I’ll go get the tools. I bought a new set for you, just for the occasion. You go and find your Grandmother, and ask her to get you the crystal ball so you can call your Mother. She should be here for this, like I was with her.”

Luz nodded her head, rushing up the stairs on all fours like a snorse and calling for Gwen, eager to finally get her own staff.

Amity was admittedly skeptical of time travel, but had been around and seen enough in the past few months to keep an extremely open mind when it came to what magic was capable of. She also very much hoped these Time Pools existed, otherwise the worry over her Abomination would be for nothing, as after using it as a power source once more for Lilith’s device it had shrunk it to a third of its size that it had been in its prime.

“I’m not sure you can take another draining,” Amity spoke softly as she patted the bottle at her side, filled with what remained of the goo, which had lost much of its purple hue.

Vee nudged her, nodding towards Lilith who was certain she’d found the exact location of the time pool after a days worth of quirky montages to get them here. The witch was pulling back two large ferns, ready to bask in the glory of their literally historic find, “Here it is!”

Both girls peeked on to a plain, ordinary beach, then looked back at Lilith, “Uh, where exactly are we supposed to be looking?” Amity asked, suddenly regretting using her Abomination for this adventure.

“Is it like, really tiny, or something?” Vee looked uncertain, squinting her eyes to try and find a microscopic pool of water that could be used for time travel.

“I- I don’t understand…” Lilith muttered to herself, “Is something wrong with my equipment? Is it not algae blooming season?”

Her eyes were flooded with disappointment, “Have I been chasing nothing but a pointless dream this whole time?”

While Lilith was in the middle of a mental crisis, Vee began to explore the beach, not entirely ready to give in like the older woman was. Amity watched her as she began to scour the beach, looking for the sign of any type of pool on the surface of the sands, only for the basilisk to take a misstep and completely sink into the dirt, vanishing from sight.

Amity rushed forward, throwing herself onto the solid dirt and thrusting her hand into what she presumed to be some kind of Boiling Isles equivalent to quicksand, hoping it wasn’t too late to get a grip on Vee before she sunk too deep. She searched frantically, blindly hoping to grab onto the girl, only for something to grab her first.

Lilith was too absorbed in her own perceived failures to notice when Amity was dragged into the sand after Vee, disappearing from sight and time.

Amity gasped as she was pulled, not down, but upwards, flying into the air and landing on her rear end with a heavy thud. She quickly checked herself over, patting her arms, legs and head to make sure they were all there, only to let out a scream and start back peddling when she noticed what was around her.

The entire world had changed in a blink of an eye after being pulled through the sand. The air was sweltering hot, the sky red and filled with gray clouds of ash and smoke. The culprit for both was off in the distance, as what appeared to be the still decaying corpse of the Titan had a volcano erupting on one of the isles it had landed on upon death.

To add even more urgency to her situation, there appeared to be a large creature on the horizon, roaring up at the sky.

“It worked! We found a time pool!” Vee’s excited voice met her ears, and Amity realized the girl was beside her, having been the one to pull her through the ground. “Isn’t this great?!”

“There is a demonic dinosaur not a hundred feet away!” Amity cried back, yanking on the cuff of Vee’s shirt. “We need to go!”

Vee waved her off, “Don’t worry about it. That’s a Stone Sleeper!”

Amity glanced back over to the beast, then back to the Basilisk, “And they’re gentle?”

“Heck no!” The basilisk corrected, “Incredibly dangerous, and extremely territorial. But it'll never catch us when we can just hope back into the future. Come on, let's go back and show Lilith!”

Amity didn’t argue as long as it meant she didn’t have to stay in a place that looked neck deep into an apocalyptic event, diving back into the Time Pool obscured by the sands and sighing in relief when she surfaced back in the present, Lilith still having not noticed their absence.

“I’m sorry, children. This was a waste of our time, and I don’t think I can help you.” The ex-Coven Head sighed, even as Vee took her by the arm and dragged her over to the pools location. “I’ll have to make things up with Luz another way… what are you-?”

Vee gave Lilith a shove, earning a cry and a look of shock as she was knocked down with her knees to the ground and plunging her head into the Time pool. A moment later, Lilith resurface, her shock replaced by pure adoration, “Oh Titan, was that the Hecktaceous period I just saw? Did we actually succeed in finding a time pool?”

Amity watched as Lilith let out a girlish squeal, hugging herself, “Think of how many lost historical artifacts we could find!”

“Wouldn’t that mean we would be the cause of them becoming lost?” Amity asked, making Lilith pause.

“Perhaps it’s best we leave them alone, then,” Lilith changed her tune, standing to her feet. Come on, lets see if we can find the Deadwardian Era. There is a lot of time, and not a lot of beach, so it must be here somewhere.”

“Alright Kiddo, now what you want to do is-“

“I got it, Mom!” Luz laughed, bumping Eda away with her hip and grasping the craving tools in her hands. “You’re being such a helicopter parent!”

“I am not!” Eda insisted, hands on her hips and lips curled in indignation. The look on her face twisted into one of confusion, “At least, I don’t think so. What’s a helicopter?”

“Gus says it's something from the human world,” Luz answered easily, “I think it’s an underwater vehicle of some kind? Like a weird boat?”

“Focus, Luz, focus,” Dell chuckled, ruffling her hair, then turned to lightly chastise his daughter, “Little Bird, you’re distracting her.”

“I am not!” Eda argued back.

Dell scooted behind Luz, grasping each of her wrists in his hands and guiding them, “with your carving knife, you always want to carve with the grain, Little Light. Do you know which way that is?”

Luz blinked, looking down at the round log settled on the table. It lay on its side, so she quickly stood it up, “like this, right?”

“Right,” Dell affirmed, then guided the hand with the blade down and helped Luz cut off a chunk of the bark. “You’ll want to strip it of all of the bark before we start any further carving. Once you’re done with that, we’ll start sketching on the clean wood, so you can see what you’ll make. Do you have anything in mind yet?”

Luz pursed her lips in thought as her Grandfather let go of her hands, letting her work on her own. “I’m not sure yet… I think it’ll come to me when it’s ready, though, I’m sure of it.”

“Take your time, dear, you have all the time in the world.” Dell assured, taking the seat next to her.

On the other side of Luz, Eda sat, a nostalgic smile on her face, “Now that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

Dell clapped a hand on Luz’s shoulder, whispering conspiratorially, “Your mother doesn’t know the meaning of patience. She tried whittling Owlbert so fast, I was sure the friction from the blade was going to start a fire.”

“If I didn’t light one myself first,” Eda cackled.

Luz beamed as she watched the members of her family tease one another freely, the quiet awkwardness that pervaded her childhood and the distance between father and daughter long gone. Her Mother no longer flinched everything she saw Dell’s hands shake, nor did she avoid looking into his bad eye.

Time can’t always heal all wounds. Scars remain, but with love and effort, some fade to nothing but a bad, if distant memory.

Amity fastened a helmet she’d taken from a skeleton to her head, hiding her ears from the world. Lilith’s warnings about the “Bloody Fly” effect rang in her ears that history recording a second human in the same time period as the first could make things very icky in the present, and that they must be careful to change as little as possible while in the past.

Lilith stole a hat from a line of laundry, holding it out to Vee, only to freeze. “Your ears…”

Vee ran a finger over them, remembering that she’d been wearing them as pointed since she’d become trapped here. They’d been round when Lilith had first met her in her human disguise, but the witch must not have noticed the change until they had to be covered up. “It’s, uh, makeup. Yeah, Camila and I thought it best to keep them covered, so Belos didn’t try anything.”

Lilith blinked, then nodded, taking the hat she intended for Vee and placing it over her own head. “Yes, that makes perfect sense. A good idea, who knows what he’d do if he heard another human was around. I’ve heard of practical effects used like that, but I never knew they could be so convincing before.”

Vee forced herself to smile at the compliment, having no intention of having Lilith discover her nature as a Basilisk if she could help it. “It’s just a little human trick. Now come on, let's go find us a human!”

“Yes, indeed. You must be excited to see another of your own kind.” Lilith observed, and Vee winced. She was excited to see another human again. As much as she hated it, witches still got her on edge. A lifetime of fearing them, of running away, had done things to her, and even among others she knew wouldn’t hurt her she still felt a level of dread and paranoia. Amity brought her some peace, especially when she was forced to pal around with Lilith in the meantime, but she was still only one person out of thousands.

Yes, another human to talk to would be great about now, even if it wasn’t exactly “her own kind.”

“Now, remember children. We’re still technically in the savage ages, way before Belos banished wild magic. These denizens may be dangerous!” Lilith warned as they made their way closer to town. They left the outskirts, entering Old Bonesborough proper.

The three’s eyes opened in surprise at what they witnessed. The chaotic, dirty streets of Bonesborough were clean. The buildings were new and well taken care of, with a sense of order in their construction. The grime that perforated the place in every nook and cranny was missing, and the people seemed friendly, well dressed, and good mannered.

“When you said the Savage Ages, I was expected something a bit more… savage.” Amity commented as they walked through the streets together. “This place looks more civilized than present day Bonesborough. Not to mention less diseased.”

“Yeah, this is… actually kind of nice,” Vee agreed, looking at one of the stalls that was obviously not a front for illegal magical artifacts, and was instead just a normal fruit stand.

Lilith frowned as she looked around the town herself, “I suppose this can be added to the list of lies Belos has told over the years. This place is gorgeous. I mean, do you see the thatch work on those roofs!” Her voice began to get excited, “each segment is looped by hand! And just look at those balusters!”

Seeing the odd looks the girls were giving her, Lilith flushed, pushing up her glasses, “Sorry. Studying Deadwardian architecture is a bit of a hobby of mine…”

“Let’s just… get to finding Philip, alright?” Vee suggested, backing off, leaving Lilith and Amity alone.

“Di- did I say something wrong?” Lilith asked the human girl, who just shook her head.

The Human, the Witch and the Basilisk weren’t having the best time tracking down Philip. Despite all the adventures he had written about in his journal, it seemed no one had ever heard of him. Not a single shopkeeper or passerby could tell them anything about him, despite the fact he had been living in Bonesborough for nearly a decade, according to his notes.

Vee kicked a rock, stuffing her hands in her pockets, “Maybe we have the date wrong? He didn’t seem to know what decade he was in, and he was working with human years, rather than Boiling Isles calendar.”

Lilith pursed her lips, stroking her chin, “That could be a possibility. Though I hope that isn’t the case, we might have caused damage to the timeline by speaking about him before he’s even arrived.”

Amity’s ears perked up under her helmet when she heard something on the wind, and she quickly shushed the other two, “Do you hear that? I thought I heard someone say the word human.”

They paused, and sure enough, the sound of an argument could be heard. “Dance, human, dance!”

The three raced around the corner, looking frantically for any sign of the fight, only to see two large demons, one with a prominent red tooth, another with a green one, picking on a much smaller figure, one with unmistakably round ears. The demons seemed to have something of his in their hands, a book, holding it away from the man that could only be Philip Wittebane, who was in the middle of an attempt to take it back.

Every time Philip would get close to getting his possession back, one of the demons would throw it to the other, and his struggle would start anew. “After all the bonds of fellowship we forged-“

The Red Fanged demon glared down at him, tossing the diary to his brother, “Bonds? You still owe us!”

With his hands free of the burden of keeping the diary away from Philip, Red Fang gave him a hard shove to the ground, the human crying out in pain as he landed on his leg. Pulling himself together, Philip tried again to reason with the demons, “When I have accomplished my mission, I promise you, you’ll have your snails. All the snails you’ll ever need!”

The demons soundly ignored the man, Green Fang reading from the diary, before handing it over to his brother. Red Fang grinned, spinning a spell circle to summon a bit of fire, “These pretty little words should make good kindling.”

Amity acted, placing down an ice glyph that sent forward a pillar to knock the diary out of the demon’s hand. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!”

Lilith stepped forward not a moment later, rings of magic around her hands as she prepared a spell. The act was unneeded, as while Red Fang seemed ready to fight, Green Fang held out his arm, stopping his brother. “Don’t bother. It’s a waste of time. We should keep looking.”

Red Fang gave him a look, but conceded, only giving Amity a passing glance. “You should ask your ‘friend’ there what happened to our brother, Blue Fang, and his palisman.”

As they walked past Philip, Green Fang gave a kick to the diary, dislodging a few pages, while Red Fang spit at Philip’s feet. Lilith didn’t drop her spell circles until they demons were gone, turning around the bend to continue the search for their brother, leaving the three women alone with Philip.

Amity bent over to pick up one of the scattered pages, and saw it was the entry for Eclipse Lake, as well as drawings of what appeared to be another human. Nothing Vee didn’t already know and study in earnest, so Amity held it out for Philip to take. The man hmphed, quickly snatching the page and stuffing it into his battered journal, “That’s very much private, thank you.”

Amity frowned at the reception, but attempted to brush it off. The man had just been shaken down, and clearly wasn’t in a trusting mood. “You’re Philip Wittebane, the human, right?”

The man gave her the stink eye, further cementing a dislike in Amity. “Here to gawk? I may not have a bile sac, but I do have my dignity.”

Fighting back her frustration, and wondering why the task of talking to the man had fallen to her, Amity tried again, “Hold on a minute. It’s nothing like that, We’ve come a long way just to see you, can’t we talk?”

Philip eyed her up and down for another moment, before giving a shake of his head, “No. I’m much too busy.”

He began to limp away, his leg clearly aching after his fall. Amity grit her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to think of anything she could say, any story she could weave to keep the man from just leaving them. Clenching her eyes shut, her mind went back to her first attempts at writing self-insert Azura fanfiction back in fourth grade, and she uttered out, “Wait! I- I’m a… magicless witch. I’m desperately looking for a way to get my powers. I hear that the… Collector can do some amazing things, and I heard you’re looking for them as well!”

That put a pause in the man’s step. Amity felt a blush of humiliation over thinking about her first story, having hastily changed some details. She’d written about how she was secretly a witch who was spirited away to Azura’s world, and away from her parents, and needed to find a way to awaken her magic with Azura’s help. Even back then she had known the story was cringe worthy, even if her life had ended up replicating a few odd instances of her old story.

Philip stopped again, and this time had a bit of intrigue in his eyes, “The Collector, you say? But if you can’t use magic, how did you accomplish that ice spell?”

Amity stuck her hand in her pocket, and when she removed it, she was fingering an ice glyph. “Like this.”

Now she had Philip’s attention. He gave her what seemed to be a genuine smile, and when he turned away this time, he gestured for them to follow him, “Another picto-glyph user? Astounding! Come this way, then.”

Amity breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have gotten through to the man. Perhaps he wasn’t so unreasonable after all? Lilith clapped a hand on her shoulder, looking proud of Amity’s quick thinking, and for once, Amity let herself relish the feeling instead of immediately brushing the witch aside.

Lilith trod after the human man, leaving Amity to turn to Vee, who had hung back the entire exchange. The basilisk had her hands clenched together and pressed against her chest, a seemingly nervous energy around her. “What’s the matter, Vee? I thought you were really looking forward to meeting another human?”

Vee looked at Amity, and the human girl froze. Vee wasn’t just nervous, or starstruck. She was afraid. Her body was stiff, shaking slightly now that Amity was looking for it. In her eyes was a primal fear, and the girl gulped as the human inspected her. “Vee? Vee, what’s the matter?”

Vee’s mouth parted, and Amity had to lean in to hear her as she spoke, the words coming out broken, “H-he sme-smells- wrong.”

Amity glanced down the road, where Philip and Lilith were waiting. Lilith was talking excitedly about something, and while Philip appeared to listen, his eyes were glazed over, every nod simply one of courtesy and disinterest. He looked plain, not the evil Vee was seeing, but Amity knew to never take things at surface level. Whatever was going on behind the man’s eyes, she couldn’t read.

“ask your ‘friend’ there what happened to our brother, Blue Fang, and his palisman,” had been what those demons had told her, and now Amity had a creeping feeling this wasn’t just a case of someone being bullied.

Philip’s eyes settled on Amity’s as he waited for her to join him, and he sent her a smile, and with the Fang brother’s words and Vee’s warnings buzzing in her head, Amity couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine to have the man’s attention fixated on her.

Gulping, Amity turned back to Vee, “We get what we came for, and we get out. Don’t trust him, don’t listen to him, don’t ever be alone with him. Alright?”

Vee nodded, though still didn’t move from her spot. Amity held out her hand, and though she hesitated for a moment, Vee slowly took it, the two walking forward together.