Chapter Text
I remember clearly the day it all started. It was both the day everything fell apart, and the day everything fell into place. I had just been minding my own business – I was actually on my lunch break – when a coven guard officer walked up to my quarters and knocked three times. I was not the best person then. Quite bratty. So…
I frustratedly put my mask back on and walked towards the door. I was the Silver Sentry, second in command to Emperor Belos. Though that authority was shared with the Golden Guard as well. Hunter. If Belos was my father – which he was in many ways, he raised me since he found me on the Isles as an infant – Hunter was the closest thing I had to a brother. I didn’t know his whole story, only that it was very similar to mine. Hunter, similarly, could not cast magic despite the fact that, unlike me, he was a witch.
The Golden Guard title came to him first, back when we were fourteen. I was still a secret then, as I was still training to fight. It took time to make artificial staffs like ours, and besides I hadn’t been ready at that point. A year later, however, I was given my staff and my uniform. And my title: The Silver Sentry. While Belos was largely domineering and fear-inducing, I suppose he had a penchant for alliteration.
It’s not like the title didn’t fit, though. While Hunter was the face of the Emperor’s Coven, I was the sentry. The shadow. My missions were primarily to gather intel on the rebel group known as the BATS, as well as Eda the Wild Witch.
I opened the door to see a coven guard standing outside. “Yes?” I asked, annoyed. My lunch break was one of the few times I got to not wear my mask. And while the mask did feel amazing when I wore it, it became suffocating if I had it on for too long.
The guard cleared his throat, “Silver Sentry, Emperor Belos has requested to confer with you, as well as the Golden Guard, at the throne room in fifteen minutes.”
I nodded, “Understood.” The guard walked away as quickly as he could. I had to admit, though I was less known than the Golden Guard my presence was much stronger. I wasn’t quite sure why, but I’d overheard conversations saying that I put the “Fear of Titan” into them just by being near them. I didn’t mind much. Consorting with those lower than me would only end in a problematic situation anyways.
I sighed, and started to make my way through the castle. Fifteen minutes gave me just enough time to get there if I walked, so walk I would. Flying used to be absolutely exhilarating for me, but I did it so much that it had lost its novelty. Which was pretty much the only thing it had going for it in the first place.
There was actually one more notable difference between me and the Golden Guard. Actually, between me and every other legal witch on the Isles. I did not have a coven sigil engraved onto my arm. At first, I felt left out. Like I wasn’t part of the group I spent my entire life in. Then, Belos explained the reason to me. For one, I was human and therefore he didn’t know the – possibly disastrous – effects it could have on me because of that. Not to mention that it was impossible to use illusion magic to cover the sigil up, and I would be going on many undercover missions where having any sort of coven sigil, especially one of the Emperor’s Coven, would be extremely detrimental to said mission. If ever I needed to embark on a mission where a sigil was required, a simple illusion would suffice. While you can’t cover up a sigil, certain people could replicate an illusion of them. That group of people included the head of the illusionist’s coven, of course.
As I approached the massive doors leading to the throne room, the two guards outside cast a spell to open it. I walked into the room, where Hunter was already waiting.
“Ah, the Silver Sentry,” Belos’s smooth voice slithered down the room and into my ears, “Perfectly punctual, as usual.” He stood up and smoothed his robe, “Guards, leave us. I have something to discuss with these two. Privately.”
Everyone else cleared out of the room, leaving me alone with what passed for my family. “Hunter,” Belos walked down from the throne to stand in front of us, “You are here primarily to listen to my assignment for your sister.” The Emperor referred to both of us by our first names when we were alone. It was the closest he normally came to a show of affection.
“Understood,” Hunter nodded, taking a step back so that he wouldn’t be able to be accused of interfering with the conversation. Belos wouldn’t likely do that, but redundancies existed for a reason.
“Luz,” He said turning towards me, “As you have likely gathered, I have a new assignment for you.”
I nodded, “Yes, Belos. I have.” Nothing was rhetorical with the emperor. Either you answered him truthfully, or you answered to the boiling sea.
“Very good. What you probably don’t know is that this is likely your more important mission yet.” He walked over to the side of the room to retrieve something.
My eyes widened slightly, “More important than apprehending Eda and the turncoats?” That had been the top priority of both me and Hunter for years. What could trump that?”
“Indeed,” the reply came, “You are aware that a certain Amity Blight just recently joined the ranks of the Emperor’s Coven?”
I nodded, “Yes, after all you did command me to keep tabs on that family.”
“And you have done that admirably. As you know,” Belos said as he paced back towards me, “The Blights still refuse to share their entire technological knowledge with us. I need you to get that information from the youngest blight. Make friends with her, whatever you need to do. As usual, you have the full power of my authority on this mission. However, do not under any circumstances let Amity know that you are anything except another cadet. Understood?”
I nodded, “I get it,” a laugh, “After all, how difficult can it be to manipulate a spoiled brat like her?”
Belos nodded in satisfaction. “Precisely." He turned around to look me in the eye. At least, as best he could with that mask on. The tone of his next words made the words themselves redundant, but he still said them anyways. So that there could be no miscommunication. "Do not disappoint me, Luz.”
I rolled my eyes. A punishable offense for almost anyone else, but we were in private, and pretty much family, plus I had my mask on so it was quite possible he didn’t even see the roll. “When have I ever done so in the past?”
“Never, which is why I’m trusting you with this.” Belos said. He turned to Hunter. “You, Hunter, will take charge of training the battalion that Blight is in, that Luz will be joining. Every day, you will individually call every single cadet to talk to you privately. It will be a performance debrief, as well as an opportunity for them to talk to you as a person. You will let down your guard slightly, and are allowed to take off your mask during these times. It is during these debriefs that Luz will report to you anything that she has learned from the Blight.” He looked at both me and Hunter in turn. “Am I understood?”
“Yes sir,” We answered in unison.
Belos nodded. “Good. Luz, you will be planted tomorrow. You will be just another recruit. However, do not underplay your powers. Hunter’s training will consist of physical challenges, not magical ones, so that no one questions you. We will have our illusionist give you fake ears and a fake sigil. You are dismissed.”
As we exit the throne room, Hunter pulls me aside into a spare room. “Are you okay with this, Luz?” he asks. His tone is neutral, and he still has his mask on, so I can’t discern the intention behind the question.
I sigh, “Hunter, even if I wasn’t – Which I am, just so you know – There’s nothing either of us can do about it.”
Now it’s Hunter’s turn to sigh. “I know, it’s just… undercover missions like this can mess with the mind. I’d know.”
My eyes widened in bafflement, “Are you insinuating that I might betray the Emperor?” I asked angrily, advancing on Hunter. “Really?”
Hunter held out an arm to stop my advance, “I am insinuating no such thing,” he growled, “I just want you to-” he stopped, then sighed. “You know what? Never mind. Just…” He took his mask off, holding it to his side. “Be safe?”
I did the same thing in order to face-palm. “Titan, Hunter,” I laughed, “It’s not like I’m infiltrating the rebellion or anything. You will literally see and talk to me every single day starting tomorrow. That might actually be more than we talk right now.”
Hunter opened his mouth as if to say something then just sighed and wrapped me in a hug, which I accepted. We were all each other had, really. Sure, Belos was a surrogate father/uncle figure to us, but he was still the Emperor of the Boiling Isles and our superior. Me and Hunter, however, were in the same extremely unique situation, and total equals at the same time. Not to mention we grew up together.
We step away from each other and don our masks again. “Just don’t go doing anything too impressive while I’m undercover,” I tease, and while I can’t see Hunter’s face I know he rolled his eyes. We leave the room and go about our separate business for the rest of the day.
Hunter makes common appearances in public, promoting the Emperor’s coven and such. I, meanwhile, have a network of spies that runs all through Bonesborough. Unfortunately, my vast network seems to pick up absolutely everything except for information on the Owl Lady. Still, though, it needs to be kept up and running. The Owl Lady, while up until now my top priority, is not my only priority, and The Web, as I like to call it, is vital for keeping us three steps ahead of anyone else who would dare defy the Emperor.
Never attacking the groups directly, of course, but changing the time or contents of shipments, moving the locations of certain artefacts mere hours – or occasionally even minutes – before they’re meant to be stolen. Enough to make sure that the groups know that we’re on to them and that they are completely powerless, but not something so drastic as to reveal the undeniable existence of these groups to the public. Most people were happy under the rule of Belos, but doubts were easy to seed. I know that more than anyone; I plant them everywhere I go.
As I enter my office, I gather up my things and put them in a secret safe that no one knows about. Then, I call up the second in command of the Web.
“You summoned me, Silver?” she asks, kneeling in front of my desk. I preferred to be called Silver instead of Silver Sentry when spoken to directly. The full title always sounded way too corny to be used in direct address to me.
“That, I did,” I nod, motioning for her to stand up. “As you have probably been informed, I have a new mission.”
“Yes, turning the Blight heiress.”
I smile. Even within the castle walls, The Web stretches far and deep. “Yes. Of course, you know that this means that you will be in charge for the foreseeable future. However, the circumstances of this mission are, as you again likely already know, different, as I will be on the palace grounds at all times.” She nodded for me to continue. “When the mail comes, I would like two to five bogus letters from friends and family, though they should be fully and thoughtfully written out in different handwriting depending on who it is. In fact I want backstories for the people writing them as well. They don’t need to be full fledged identities, but they should be passable at a glance. Mixed in with these letters, I would like a letter from my mother detailing all the gossip and hot topics around Bonesborough that’s occurred recently. Of note or not.”
The Emperor’s Coven Cadet Training Program, or the ECCTP (Though people always call it the EcTrap), collected any and all mail, sorted it, checked it, and distributed it to cadets Sunday afternoon. Of course, the Web could bypass those security protocols if needed, but no need to work outside the system if it wasn’t explicitly warranted.
“Understood,” the woman said, “Is there anything else you need from me?”
I shake my head. “Not at the moment, no. Though I will need to be planted tonight, with the cover that I was so dedicated to the program that I camped the night in a tent. Other than that, you’re free to go. Have a good night, Lilith.”
The witch nodded in gratitude, “And you the same, Silver.”
As the witch left, I finished gathering up my things and preparing for the plant. Lilith had once been the face of the coven. However, after the escape of the Owl Lady from the conformatorium some five years back she was blamed. There was no evidence, but everyone was sure it was her. She was to be kicked out of the coven and labeled a traitor. But I had taken an interest in the witch. After all, she had managed to pull off that little stunt without a shred of evidence pointing towards her, barring the fact that she is the only one who even was capable of pulling such a thing off.
So, instead of public disgrace, Lilith quietly stepped down as coven head and Hunter took her place. I had an everlasting oath with the witch that would prevent her from betraying us ever again, and making her my informant as well. Together we built the Web, and she is the only other person who knows its full scope. And luckily, she answers to no one but me.
Not even to Belos.
As I finish my preparations, which include sealing away my Silver Sentry uniform, I make my way to the palace entrance and the barracks (Though they’re pretty much just a collection of two-person dorms), as well as the training yard. The yard has a commoner’s tent set up in the middle. The tent where I’ll be sleeping tonight.
I entered the tent and got myself situated, taking out my notepad and quill. I started to draw. My staff had been sealed away along with my uniform, as an artificial magic staff would be way too obvious. So there really wasn’t any way for me to perform any kind of magic whatsoever. However, as I finished the drawing and tapped the piece of paper with my pen, it crumpled off of the page and morphed into a small, glowing ball of light.
Wild magic. Or at least that’s what I thought it was. That was the only explanation for me being able to cast a spell without a bile sack. Though it was very much a spell. As in singular. I laid back on my sleeping bag and sighed. It had taken me sixteen years to figure out this spell. Who knows how long it would take to find any others. Or if I even should find any others. Wild magic was forbidden, after all, and if that’s what this was then I would be in huge trouble if I was ever discovered. But… A part of me didn’t care. And another part of me said Luz, you have had this conversation with yourself every night since you discovered this sixteen years ago. You’re not coming to any sort of grand revelation tonight. Go to bed. And so I did. I drifted off to sleep, my light slowly drifting off with me.