Chapter Text
Her feet pounded the wet pavement as she bolted down the sidewalk through the pouring rain. Behind her, she could hear voices calling her name- probably Edric and Emira, chasing after her.
Tears mixed with the rain sliding down her cheeks, both stinging and soothing the raised red welt she could already feel growing on her face. ~
~“ This is unacceptable, Amity. How could you do this?! Detention?! Do you really hate your father and I so much that you would tarnish the Blight name in such a way?!”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to!”
“I didn’t mean to,” her mother sneered. “Enough with the excuses, Mittens. I can’t stand to hear them anymore.”
A sudden burst of anger sprang to the surface and she exclaimed, “I can’t stand to hear this anymore!”
There was an icy pause before her mother spoke again. “Excuse me?”
She should have stopped then and she knew it, but something inside of her just…broke. A wave of bottled up emotion broke loose, releasing a pent-up storm of anger and hurt. “I can’t stand to keep hearing these…these awful things you say to me! About how much I disappoint you, and how I can’t do anything right, and how awful of a daughter I am. All you ever tell me is how much I disgrace the family name!”
Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Amity cut her off. “If that’s what it means to be a part of the Blight family, I don’t want to be-“
Her mother’s hand came down hard and fast against her face. She reeled, stunned, and fell back against the arm of the couch. Odalia glared coldly down at her daughter, clutching her cheek and staring up at her mother with a mixture of shock and horror.
“Very well. Then I suppose you won’t be.”
Amity’s heartbeat rose up to a crescendo, then dropped again. She hesitated, then spun on her heel before her mother could stop her and bolted out the door.~
Now she continued running through the pelting rain, ignoring the cries of her siblings. Impulsively, she took a quick turn into the forest bordering her neighborhood in an attempt to lose her siblings. Her foot caught on a root and she fell hard to her knees. But she got back up almost quicker than she fell and and continued running.
She wasn’t sure exactly why she was running, nor where she was running to for that matter. All she knew was that she had to get away, just for a little while.
Up ahead, she spotted a broken down old house- and maybe she hit her head when she fell, because she could have sworn that she saw a figure cloaked in white, slipping through the creaky door and out of sight.
Still, she didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go.
Ignoring the pain in her ankle, she picked up her pace and frantically slammed through the door. And then-
She was falling. ~
Amity tumbled head over heels down the hill that the house had inexplicably dumped her out into. Roots and branches scraped her face and her already aching ankle screamed in protest. She covered her head with her arms in an attempt to protect herself, with her efforts only earning her more scrapes on her forearms and elbows.
Abruptly, she crashed into something that’d she’d later realize was a tent. A wall of canvas swallowed her, effectively stopping her fall. Amity flailed about awkwardly, attempting to extricate herself from the dense fabric.
A deep, raspy voice froze her in her tracks. The words were unintelligible, but the tone sounded like nothing she’d ever heard before- a gravely, low voice that sounded almost… inhuman .
Suddenly, something large grasped her by the back of the shirt. She screamed and attempted to break free, but instead found herself face-to-face with some sort of…monster.
The creature was lumpy and bulbous, with papery yellowing skin and three large eyes. Its head was studded with empty eye sockets, and its long tongue occasionally swept up to lick at them. As she stared in horror, its tongue wrapped around the eyeball farthest up its forehead and, with a sickening squelch, pulled it free and popped it into its mouth.
Amity screamed again. She felt lightheaded, as though she was going to pass out. Please, please tell me this is a nightmare, please.
The creature raised one finger and touched her cheek curiously with the tip of a ragged fingernail. Amity whimpered a little. Then, a thought occurred to her. If I could just get them to drop me…
Ignoring the wave of bile that rose into her throat at the thought, she twisted her head and bit down hard on the monster’s finger. It wailed, dropping her instinctively in favor of cradling its injured hand, and Amity bolted out the door of the tent and down the street.
As soon as she cleared the tent flaps, however, she immediately regretted it.
The cobblestone street was lined with stalls, each with a merchant peddling odd wares. Amity could see one sign that advertised potions, another that sold amulets, and still a third that claimed to sell cursed objects of all kinds.
The truly horrifying part, however, was the merchants themselves. Not a one looked even remotely human, though they certainly didn’t all look alike. Some had several eyes, while others had none at all. Some had pink skin, some blue, and she even spotted one the color of freshly mowed grass. Many had awful, terrifyingly sharp teeth- perfectly for eating terrified human girls.
And almost all of their heads (or, in the case of a few, one or two of their multiple) were turned towards her.
Amity froze for a moment. Then, something small buzzed by her face ( a fairy?) , effectively snapping her out of her trance.
She fled, zigzagging around the many arms that grabbed at her as she raced down the street. Behind her, she heard voices clamoring over eachother. “Is that what I think it is?” “A human?” “A human girl!” “A human girl? In the Boiling Isles? How?”
Amity whimpered and forced her legs to pump faster. Whatever it is they wanted with her, an apparent oddity here, she was fairly sure she didn’t want any part in it.
Scanning the streets frantically for a way out, she spotted an alley to the side and dove for it. She leapt over a set of crates and ducked under a set of hanging laundry, feeling incredibly grateful for her years of rugby training. Behind her, multiple sets of footsteps thundered down the alleyway.
Then, ahead of her, she spotted something that made her heart drop. A brick wall, solid and unforgiving and looming directly ahead of her.
Amity felt her eyes fill with terrified tears. She’d run right into a dead end. Then, just as she was about to give up hope, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.
Through a gap in between buildings, she could see a tangle of bushes. Without stopping to think, she lunged into the narrow space, wriggling down into the brush. She curled into a ball, making herself as small as possible. In the alley she’d come from, she heard the footsteps stop.
Amity held her breath. Ahead, voices began to murmur.
“ Where’d she go? ” one creature growled.
“ Did she fly away? ” another chirped.
“ Don’t be stupid, humans can’t fly,” a third voice snarled. “ I think she ran into the forest . Come on, this way. If we hurry, we can still catch up to her. ”
The first voice gulped. “ No way. That’s where the Raven Lady lives. We don’t go there. ”
The third voice snorted. “ Seriously? You’re not willing to step foot in the entire forest because of that witch? ”
The second voice cut in again. “ I’m not. I won’t risk stepping onto her land, even on accident. You heard the rumors of what she did to those Coven Guards who came a’knocking, didn’t you?”
The third voice snorted again, but there was much less bravado to it. “ Whatever. Let’s go. ”
The footsteps faded away back where they came from, and Amity let out a sigh of relief. After a few minutes, she dared to get up and examine her surroundings- or what little of them she could see, anyway.
The forest was dark and gloomy. Above her, a twisted mess of branches and foliage blocked out the light- while beneath her feet, moss squished and squelched with her movements. She took a cautious step and to her surprise, the moss beneath her feet lit up as she walked.
Amity gasped. She took another step, then another. Each time, glowing pollen rose up to meet her footfalls. She giggled in amazement, daring to try a little hop. The pollen exploded into the air and she twirled in a little circle, basking in the warm glow.
She was jerked back to reality, however, when she noticed the pollen clinging to her shirt. Frantically, she tried to wipe it off, but the pollen refused to be brushed away.
“No, no no…” Amity muttered. She swiped at it again, but the glowing pollen wouldn’t budge. Amity groaned. “Mom’s going to kill me…”
Then, she looked around again and gulped. Now that the brief moment of euphoria was over, the forest looked a lot scarier than before.
Mom’s going to kill me if something else doesn’t get me first, she thought grimly.
Amity gritted her teeth. Like it or not, she had to find a way back.
Resignedly, she began to walk. At first, she thought she was headed vaguely in the direction of the tent that had taken her there. After about half an hour of walking, however, she tried a different direction. Then after another hour, she tried a third.
After several more hours and several more wrong turns, Amity had to admit she was lost. She sighed and sat down on a nearby log to rest, feeling hopeless. How was she supposed to find her way home from here? She had no idea what world she was in, much less where in the world she was.
But is home really any better? An ugly voice inside of her piped up.
She buried her face in her hands. Despite her best attempts to stop them, tears began sliding down her cheeks. When had this happened? When did a horrifying fantasy world become better than home? When did her own mother become lumped in with those demons?
A soft hiss interrupted her thoughts. Amity jumped, looking around for some kind of three-headed, viper-spitting snake monster. Then, as she swung her head around frantically, another drop of rain hit the log next to her, sizzling and hissing as it hit the moss.
She stared, stunned. Then, as she processed, a third drop fell and landed on her shoulder. She shrieked and jumped away in pain.
The rain was literally boiling hot .
Amity gasped. She glanced up and saw a layer of dark clouds above.
She started to run, covering her head in vain. Steaming drops splattered against her head and arms, water soaking through the holes in her clothes. Hot, sharp bolts of pain came from all over her body as she ran, desperately trying to get out of the rain.
She burst through a tangle of branches and found herself in a clearing. On one side, a cliff overlooked a roiling purple ocean. On the other, she could see a tower looming overhead.
Directly in front of her, there was a house, dead in the center of the clearing. It was tall and white, with a blue shingled roof and a blue-and-green stained glass window that looked uncomfortably like an eye. Amity bolted for it, desperate for some kind of shelter. Desperately, she pounded on the door.
The door opened its eyes.
“Ow! You didn’t have to be that rough. Jeez. Hoot .” The door complained. Amity stared, torn between hysterical screaming and hysterical laughter. What she’d originally mistaken for some sort of bird-shaped knocker was alive and talking . It slithered out like some sort of long, feathery snake, examining her.
“ Whoaaaa! A new friend, hoot hoot!”
It coiled around her like a python. Amity whimpered, trying to squirm away. “No, no no …”
The bird-worm thing gave what seemed like a weird, twisted version of a smile. “Woooow. Your ears are weird.”
It nudged at her face like a cat. Amity shoved uselessly at its feathery body. Suddenly, as she attempted to push it away, a drop of rain landed on her shoulder and she shrieked in pain. The bird creature noticed.
“Oh! You don’t like the rain!” It exclaimed.
Abruptly, the door swung open. The bird-worm swung her around and deposited her on the rug of a large, open living room. “There you are! Aaaaaaalllll better. You’re welcome, hoot!”
Before she could say anything (which may have been for the better), the door swung closed. There was no handle on the inside for her to pull open, even if she’d wanted to.
Amity went to sit up and observe her surroundings, but a sudden wave of exhaustion overtook her. She swayed dizzily, lowering herself back to the carpet. Her muscles ached, her ankle was throbbing, and the dozens of tiny burns peppering her body stung when they came into contact with the ground.
Maybe she could wait out the rain here. Maybe she was safe.
Amity closed her eyes. She didn’t want to fall asleep, necessarily, but surely it couldn’t hurt to just…rest. Just shut her eyes tight and try to block everything out, just for a little bit. Slowly, she felt her body beginning to relax a bit. Her breathing slowed and her mind began to sink into a dreamy sort of half-sleep.
And curled up there, drifting in and out of sleep as her body battled between exhaustion and caution, Amity Blight was much too far gone to hear the soft tap-tap-tap of footsteps approaching from upstairs. ~
“Hooty? What in the name of the Titan was all that racket?”
There was no answer from downstairs. She frowned, snapping shut the journal she’d been writing in.
“ Hooty? ”
Still no answer. Annoyed, she got to her feet and walked briskly down the hallway towards her stairs. Her cloak, which she’d absently wrapped around herself like some sort of blanket, unfurled at her heels, creating a rather satisfyingly dramatic air to her stride as she reached the staircase and headed down to her living room.
She paused cautiously as she reached the base of the stairs. After a quick scan of the room and the windows facing outside, she determined that nothing seemed to be amiss. A false alarm, then.
Lilith Clawthorne rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She loved Hootsifer, for certain, but honestly . Sometimes that bird got on her last nerve.
She sighed and headed for the front door, preparing to give her house demon a scolding. She’d been right in the middle of drafting a new potion recipe, and now she couldn’t remember it for the life of her . This, she couldn’t excuse.
However, halfway across her living room, her foot abruptly caught on something. She yelped, flailing her arms in a rather undignified way, and would have fallen hard on her face if Hooty hadn’t swung open just in time to catch her.
“I’ve got you, Lulu!” the bird demon crowed gleefully- a little too gleefully for her tastes. Never the less, Lilith straightened up and gave him a little pat on the head.
“Yes, thank you, Hootsifer. Now what in the Isles did I-”
She glanced down at her feet and yelped, staggering backwards so quickly that she nearly fell again. Her ever-loyal friend swung behind her to catch her again, using his body as a sort of sling to break her fall. This time, however, Lilith was far too preoccupied to thank him.
There was a skinny, unconscious teenage girl lying on her carpet. She looked to be around 14 or 15 years old, with chin-length brown hair and pale skin, and was soaked to the bone. Lilith could see several ragged tears in her clothing, with angry red burns peeking out from underneath.
She gaped for a second longer. Then, the realization dawned on her and she spun around to face Hooty.
“ Hooty!”
The bird-tube balked at her tone. “Is…everything ok, Lulu?”
She laughed in disbelief. “Is everything ok? Hooty, there’s an unconscious child on my carpet! Why in the world did you let her in ?! How many times have I told you never to let anyone into the house?! What do I always tell you?”
Hooty shrank back, hanging his head ashamedly. “My job is to keep my best friend safe, and that means only she gets to let new friends in. I’m sorry, Lulu. She just was knocking pretty hard, and I don’t like the rain either, and I liked her funny round ears so I thought…”
Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, Hooty, you clearly didn’t think. Get her out of my house.”
“But Lulu…” Hooty glanced pitifully down at the girl. Lilith gave him a dangerous glare and he sighed reluctantly. “Ok, hoot hoot.”
He drooped down the floor sadly and picked the girl up. Ignoring his attempts at making sad, put-out faces at her as he sulked towards the doorway, Lilith turned and nudged at the wet spot on her carpet with her toes. She sighed in annoyance. She’d have to get it fire-cleaned. And she’d just had it done too.
Suddenly, something on the carpet caught her attention. She frowned, bending down to pick it up. It must have fallen out of the girl’s pocket .
The object was a small rectangle of metal, with a funny little eye on the back. She furrowed her brow, poking at the eye with one long-nailed finger. She could have sworn she’d seen something like this before, but where…?
She turned it around and poked it again. Suddenly, the front lit up in a brilliant blaze of blue light. Lilith yelped and dropped it, startled. When it didn’t set her house on fire, she picked it up again cautiously.
“What the…” She nudged the smooth, glassy front again and the blue glow returned. Lilith squinted in the light, trying to place it in her memory.
Her eyes widened.
That blue glow. The thing was a human object.
Then the girl…
She wheeled on her heel. “Hooty , STOP !”
Her house demon whirled around delightedly, hovering in the doorway. “She can stay, hoot hoot?!”
Frantically, Lilith ran towards him. “Her ears, Hooty. What did you say about her ears?”
“Oh, that they were funny and round-”
She cut him off. “ Let me see .”
“Sure thing, hoot hoot!”
Hooty hauled the limp teenager towards her, stopping just above her. Before she could stop him, he uncoiled and deposited the girl right into her arms.
“ Hooty!”
Lilith stumbled back, awkwardly cradling the girl against herself and oh, her clean dress…
She sighed defeatedly. When this whole mess was over with, she’d definitely be making a trip to the fire-cleaner’s.
Carefully so as to keep her balance, Lilith knelt on her filthy carpet. She eased the girl down next to her, setting her head gently down in her lap. Cautiously, she brushed a lock of the girl’s hair aside to reveal one very round, very human ear.
Lilith inhaled sharply.
Hooty, hovering next to her, gave her a curious look. “What’s wrong, Lulu?”
She sighed regretfully. “What’s wrong, Hootsifer, is that this girl is a human. Meaning she came through the door. Meaning she’s my responsibility.”
As of late, she’d been daring to make more and more trips to the human realm. It was rather dangerous, for sure, but the people of the Boiling Isles paid handsomely for human trinkets. She didn’t particularly understand the allure, but she was of the mindset of preferring not to ask questions.
This, however, was not a human novelty. This was an actual living, breathing human being.
And this, she had no idea how to deal with.
She squeezed her eyes closed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Perhaps if she closed her eyes and wished, this would all be a dream. She’d wake up in her armchair upstairs, having dozed off while drafting recipes, and would wander downstairs to tell Hooty about her odd, travel-induced dream. Perhaps she’d take a break from her little underground endeavors, focus on her potions business for awhile. Yes, that would do nicely.
She opened her eyes.
There was still a human girl in her lap.
Lilith Clawthorne groaned, tilting her face to the sky. She yelped when instead of her ceiling, she found herself nose-to-nose (beak?) with a certain very long house demon.
“Can we keep her, hoot hoot?”
She stared at Hooty in disbelief.
This was going to be a very long, very tiresome affair. ~
Amity’s first thought when she awoke was that she’d overslept. She’d overslept, had an incredibly weird dream, and now her mother was going to kill her. Hastily, she scrambled out of bed, (and for some reason, her bed felt much larger than usual) leapt to her feet and-
She shrieked in pain and fell backwards. A stabbing pain shot through her from the ankle up. When she glanced down, tugging up the hem of her dress to get a peek at her foot, she saw that it had swollen drastically since she’d passed out. It hadn’t looked like that when she’d fallen, but then again, she’d done a lot of running around not long after.
But if that was true, then that meant…
Footsteps sounded down the hallway. Amity tensed, fear shooting up her spine. Memories of what the demons who’d been pursuing her had said flashed across her mind as the footfalls drew nearer.
That’s the Raven Lady’s territory. We don’t go there. You heard the rumors of what she did to those coven scouts who came a’knocking, didn’t you?
The door swung open.
“ HOOT HOOT! Look who’s awake!”
Amity yelped. The bird tube was back, diving through the doorway to swoop around her. “Hiya, hoot hoot!”
Amity batted him away, shrinking back onto the bed. “Wha- where- huh?! ”
A soft cough from the doorway got her attention. Both girl and demon turned to look at the source.
Standing in the doorway was a pale woman, with long, dark hair and startlingly green eyes. Her glasses- round-rimmed and pristinely polished- were perched on pointy, almost cat like ears. She wore a long-sleeved blue and black dress, with a covering of star-speckled fabric that shimmered as she strolled into the room, and Amity could hear the soft tap of house shoes, the kind her mother insisted on her wearing.
“I see you’re awake.”
“I- yeah, I- um- yes, I am.” Amity stammered. The woman raised an eyebrow.
“That was more of a statement than a question, but very well.”
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Amity blurted. She wasn’t sure why, but something about the woman commanded an air of respect. She felt ashamed of her outbursts, ashamed of her haste to speak. If she’d spoken that way to her mother…
The woman frowned. “Easy, now. No need to apologize.”
“Sorry! Er- sorry, I mean- I’m sorry for- augh! ”
The woman looked increasingly confused as the sentence went on. Amity buried her face in her hands. “Oh god, I’m sorry.”
“I…well, I’m sorry if I startled you,” the woman said cautiously. “Though you are in my house, after all.”
Amity peeked at her again. Now that she looked, she could see that the woman’s hair wasn’t black, but in fact a dark, glossy shade of blue. Sort of like…
The pieces clicked in her mind.
“So…you’re…the Raven Lady?”
The Raven Lady wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. Are the masses still spreading that nickname?” She sighed distastefully. “But yes, I suppose I am. My name, however, is Lilith. Lilith Clawthorne.”
“And I’m Hooty!”
Ms. Clawthorne sighed exasperatedly. “Yes, Hooty. We know.” She turned to Amity and gave her a wry smile. “This is Hooty, also known as Hootsifer and my personal house demon.”
She waited expectantly, and Amity realized she was waiting for her to introduce herself. “Oh, uh, I’m Amity. Amity Blight. Nice to meet you…?”
She trailed off awkwardly. Her mother had always drilled decorum into her mind, but there was no etiquette training on what to do when you’re talking to a strange elf-like woman in a realm full of demons. Lilith Clawthorne seemed to pick up on her hesitancy and nodded briskly.
“Yes, well. The circumstances are quite odd, I understand.”
She stood from the edge of the bed and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains. Amity stood, careful to keep her weight off her injured ankle, and hopped over to join her.
Outside, she could see the forest looming ahead. But for the first time, she became aware of a set of mountains peeking over the tops of the trees. When she peered closer, it almost seemed to resemble a great, horned skeleton.
“You,” Ms. Clawthorne said, “are in the Boiling Isles. Or, as you’ve probably already surmised, the demon realm. And I am not a human, but a witch. You came here through a magic door that I was using to collect human objects to sell at the Night Market. Why, I don’t know, but the fact remains that coming through my door makes you my responsibility until you’re healthy enough to go home.”
She turned to face Amity. “Now, I’m unsure how long your injuries will take to heal. A few weeks, perhaps, but-”
She cut herself off with a gasp upon finding the girl so much closer than before. “What are you doing?! You shouldn’t be up on that ankle!”
She reached a hand out and Amity flinched automatically. Her mother’s raised voice, her mother’s hand coming down against her face …
Ms. Clawthorne froze. Hastily, she pulled her hand back and lowered her voice to a much calmer tone. “I…apologize. I shouldn’t have shouted. You…should be lying down, that’s all.”
Amity nodded silently, still a little shaken. Cautiously, the sorceress put her hand out to her again. “Here, let me help you.”
Amity took her hand and let the witch help her back to bed. She settled down, curling up into a ball on the downy-soft mattress. Ms. Clawthorne stepped back and frowned.
“That dress is torn to shreds. Would you like to get changed? I’m sure I can find something that will fit you.”
Amity nodded. “Yes, please. That would be nice.”
Ms. Clawthorne nodded and turned, heading out of the room. Amity tucked her knees to her chest and tried to get ahold of herself.
What was wrong with her? Yes, her mother had hit her, but only once. What kind of overreaction was that?
Ms. Clawthorne returned a moment later. She handed Amity a pair of red leggings and a black tunic with a gray neckline, then turned respectfully to let her change (smacking Hooty lightly to get him to turn as well). Amity wrestled off her torn, stained dress and tugged on the new clothes gratefully. She rather liked the way they fit her, she decided, and it was a nice change from the pastel pink her mother always forced her to wear.
She cleared her throat awkwardly once she was done and Ms. Clawthorne turned back around. She gave the girl a quick once over and nodded approvingly. Then, there was an awkward pause before Amity broke the silence.
“So…I can stay here? Until my ankle heals, I mean?”
Ms. Clawthorne nodded, looking slightly confused. “Yes, it’s only fair.”
Amity couldn’t help a grin. Ms. Clawthorne tilted her head and Amity hastened to explain. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just…well, things at home aren’t great right now, and it’s kind of nice to get away for a few weeks.”
She sombered slightly, thinking of the fight that had driven her here. “My mom…well, it’s like she only sees what I do wrong. Everything I do, I try and do perfectly for her, and yet it’s never good enough for her to be proud. Or excited. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a that’s nice, dear , if I’m not…”
She trailed off, embarrassed. Here she was, sitting in a stranger’s house, and suddenly she was spilling her guts to her like she was in one of those life counseling sessions her mother forced her to go to. When she looked, however, Ms Clawthorne’s expression had strangely softened.
The witch perched on the end of her bed and placed a gentle hand on her knee. “I understand. Yes, you may stay here under my care until your ankle heals.”
Amity smiled. ~
Of course, it wasn’t exactly that simple. Before long, she was able to hobble around after Ms Clawthorne as she went about her business. Amity found it all fascinating to watch, to the bemusement of Ms Lilith Clawthorne, who seemed politely flattered that her newfound human girl loved to watch her make a simple shrinking potion.
After a week or so of Amity hovering eagerly over her work, Ms Clawthorne gave in and allowed her to assist in the process. Simple tasks, like chopping up herbs (with the exception of rehydrated mandrakes, which was a rather disastrous occasion) and boiling the draken tears. Amity took to the work with a vigor that surprised her hostess, and she slowly began including her more and more.
As the weeks went by, Lilith found herself growing fond of the girl. Her mannerisms were sweet and polite, and her enthusiasm for everything she considered fantasy (which, seemingly, was everything around them) was infectious. And then, there was the way Amity perked up whenever she offered the slightest bit of praise, the littlest bit of validation. If she didn’t know better, she’d say she reminded her of…well, herself. Many years younger and with much more zest for life, but much like herself nonetheless.
She frowned over the sudden rush of emotion and shook her head to clear it away. Amity glanced worriedly up at her.
“Did I do something wrong, Ms. Clawthorne? I’m sorry.”
Lilith frowned again. The girl’s penchant for apologizing was rather concerning. She thought back to what Amity had told her the day they’d met, and cursed the teen’s mother inwardly. Nevertheless, she attempted to force a small smile.
“No, child. Nothing’s wrong. I was just…lost in thought.”
Amity continued to look concerned and she continued hastily, annoyed at the way it tugged at her heartstrings. “I just have some errands to run tonight, that’s all.”
Amity perked up. “Can I come?”
Lilith pursed her lips. “Aren’t you supposed to be letting your ankle heal? Why would I bring you on an excursion that could potentially be dangerous?”
Amity pouted. “Please? My ankle’s feeling good, I promise.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow. “Does that not mean you should return home?”
There was a long pause. Amity lowered her gaze towards the floor, and Lilith could feel the sharp sadness coming from the young teen. She almost put her hand out to apologize, to tell Amity she could stay, but-
No. She couldn’t get attached to this human girl. She didn’t belong here, with Lilith.
She cleared her throat. “How about this, then. I take you with me to the Night Market tonight, one last magical adventure of sorts. Then, when we get back, you return home.”
Amity didn’t meet her eyes, but nodded. Lilith nodded as well. “Alright. Get your shoes, then- or wait, I suppose I haven’t given you shoes yet. Wait here.”
She strolled briskly upstairs to her attic, ignoring the ache in her heart as she did.~
Amity followed dutifully at Ms Clawthorne’s heels as she strode through the market. The candlelight illuminating the alley bounced off the crescent moon buckles on the boots Ms Clawthorne had given her as she walked. Despite the excitement of the secretive, mystical market, Amity couldn’t help but feel a dull sadness in her heart.
She didn’t want to go home. That was the long and the short of it. Home was full of pressure, of standards and expectations, of disappointment from her parents. Here was full of magic and wonder, and- despite the cold exterior she put up- a witch Amity had come to care for. She didn’t want to leave.
And of course, there was the lingering fear of her mother’s reaction to her weeks-long disappearance. Amity would have liked to think she’d be worried, but she knew better.
Odalia Blight would be absolutely furious.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she abruptly bumped into Ms Clawthorne, who gave her a funny look. “This is my stop. I’d rather not bring you in here, if you don’t mind. Wait out here, and try not to wander far.”
Amity nodded wordlessly. Ms Clawthorne frowned, looking as though she were about to say something, but changed her mind and disappeared into the tent.
Amity plopped down onto a stack of nearby boxes and sighed. She sat there for a moment, brooding over her thoughts, before a figure nearby caught her eye.
The person (or witch, she supposed) appeared to be a girl a few years older than her. She had olive skin and dark hair tied back into a high ponytail, and wore a deep purple dress that fell to about her knees. Amity noticed the journal she was scribbling in, as well as the shiny gold necklace that hugged her throat.
The girl seemed to spot her and looked up. “Need something, human?”
Amity felt her face flush at being caught. “No, I- er, I just- I- what are you writing?”
The girl perked up a bit. “Oh! I write fanfics about food falling in love.” She rolled her eyes. “Stupid boss doesn’t like it. I don’t see why though. I like food, I like love, just let me write about it!”
Amity giggled, nodding in agreement. Her mother had caught her drawing fanart once and had a cow . Before she could respond, however, the girl yelped, clutching her throat and stumbling backwards to meet the wall.
Amity gasped, jumping up and running to her side as the girl slid downwards to the ground. “Are you ok?!”
The young witch grimaced, rubbing her neck. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just this stupi- this collar the Warden’s got on me. Gives me a fun little zap when I get caught talking badly about him.”
Seeing the alarm on the other girl’s face, the witch on the ground hastened to explain. “Warden Wrath’s a former prison warden. Got fired from his job at the Conformatorium for stealing lunches. Now, he likes to pretend he’s a big bad mob boss.” She signed regretfully. “Course, his false bravado doesn’t change the fact that I lost a duel to him. I got cocky, made a bet I couldn’t back out of. Now I’m stuck here with a couple others as his ‘indentured servants’.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes bitterly. “Yeah, right. I doubt he even knows what that actually means.”
She winced and clutched at her throat again. “ Ow. Ok, ok. I’m sorry.”
Amity gaped at her. “But…he can’t! That’s got to be illegal! It’s practically slavery! Surely someone can stop him?”
The girl chuckled morosely. “Oh, hon. If you really think that, you’re too innocent to be here.”
Amity frowned deeply, considering. Then, she made up her mind and held her hand out before she could stop herself.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “What are you, nuts? I can’t just leave. Even if I wanted to try, this dumb collar stops me from going anywhere.”
“Then let’s get it off!” Amity exclaimed. The girl’s eyes widened.
Amity reached out to her, then paused, waiting for permission. The girl glanced around cautiously, then turned and lifted her hair up to allow Amity to access the clasp at the back of her neck.
The thin gold collar was locked with a tiny padlock. However, Amity remembered a trick the twins had taught her when she was younger, and her mother would lock her in her room without dinner as a punishment.
Just take the end of a hair pin, jiggle it around until you find the spot where it fits. Then, move until you feel a click.
Amity hadn’t picked a lock in years. Nevertheless, she fumbled about with the pin of her earring, moving it back and forth around the lock.
“ Hurry ,” the girl hissed. Amity nodded frantically and tried to force her hands to go faster.
A little more twisting, one more pull and-
There was a click.
And then a horrible screeching alarm.
Heads turned to stare at them from all directions, and the girl in the purple dress quickly shoved Amity away. “Shit. I didn’t know it did that. Get out of here, now. ”
Amity whipped around to face her. “No! I can’t just leave you here! We can’t just give up.”
The girl shook her head. “You’ve got to. Go enjoy your freedom, ok? Don’t waste it on a freak like me.”
Amity started to argue when a tall, lumbering figure appeared from the blackness out of the alleyway. She gasped at the sight. Standing over them was a huge, hulking demon, with a face that was all teeth and massive gloved hands.
“ What’s going on here?!” he bellowed. Amity looked to the fanfiction girl for help, but she looked equally as terrified.
Before she could say anything, the man raised one terrifyingly large fist and knocked her unceremoniously onto her back. “ Have you got a problem, little girl? ”
Amity found herself at a loss for words. Azura would know exactly what to do in a situation like this. Azura would deliver a dramatic monologue and launch a perfectly timed attack, taking out the bad guy in one magical and non-lethal swoop.
But then, she wasn’t Azura. She was plain old Amity Blight, the youngest child of the Blight family. She wasn’t special. She wasn’t inspiring. She wasn’t even all that loved.
She felt tears springing to her eyes when suddenly, a battle cry erupted from behind the warden. Abruptly, a wave of tiny, spiky dragon fruits appeared, running on tiny stemmed legs and attacking the demon. When he howled in pain and staggered to the side, two more creatures- each wearing a similar collar to the fanfic girl - charged him and began whaling on him like no tomorrow.
Amity found herself facing the outstretched hand of the fanfiction girl. Stunned, she let the girl help her up and was met with a fanged grin.
“What, you didn’t think I’d just let you get yourself killed after you tried to help me, did you?” She grinned in the direction of the fruit-covered Warden, howling in pain as his other two ‘servants’ beat him mercilessly. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure that would work. It’s been awhile since I’ve tried bringing a character to life.”
Amity gazed at her, stars in her eyes. “That’s so coo- ”
She was cut off by an angry roar from the Warden. He swung each massive fist in a haphazard arc and smacked each demon off of him, sending them flying. The fanfiction girl went to reach for her notebook, but the demon roared again and a ball of fire came flying at it. She yelped and dropped the now smoldering pages, and Amity grabbed her arm as the Warden slowly approached.
The girls backed away together until their backs hit a stall. Amity looked around desperately, imploring the other shopkeepers to help, but they just looked on with a mixture of trepidation and interest.
She closed her eyes as the older girl pushed her behind herself, bracing herself for the blow, then-
A jet of magic streaked through the air and struck the Warden directly in the back. He yelped and spun, falling down awkwardly as a figure appeared out of the gloom.
Lilith Clawthorne, her dress billowing behind her, stepped into the light. Her staff, which Amity now noticed was topped with a carved white raven, was pointed directly at the Warden’s head.
“Raven Lady,” he stammered, and Ms Clawthorne snarled at him.
“Call me that again and I blow your head off right here. What in the Titan’s name were you doing with my human?”
Her human, Amity noted, and she felt an odd sense of warmth all of a sudden.
“I- I can explain!” Warden Wrath sputtered hastily. “She tried messing with my servants, ma’am. Tried to free them. I couldn’t let that by.”
Ms Clawthorne frowned, looking around at the scene. “I see. Well, then, there’s only one thing to do.”
The Warden nodded eagerly. “Yes, ma’am. I knew you’d underst-”
The Raven Lady slammed the butt of her staff on the ground. A tremor shot through the entire marketplace, and the collars on each so-called servant shattered into pieces. The fanfic girl gasped, touching her throat in amazement, and the others did the same.
The Warden spluttered and stammered, but Ms Clawthorne cut him off with a wave of her hand. “We’ll be leaving now. Try and stop us and it won’t end well for you.”
She turned on her heel, gesturing for the others to follow her. Stunned, Amity tugged the fanfiction girl by the hand and led her after the older witch.
They had nearly made it out of the Night Market when a cry came from behind them.
“ Wait!”
All three newly freed servants tensed up, but Ms Clawthorne rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to ask me out again, Wrath, don’t bother. I don’t date.”
Then, without pausing to offer an explanation, she hopped onto her staff.~
Amity sat on the couch at the Raven House, sipping on a cup of cocoa. Ms Clawthorne stood in the doorway, talking with the fanfiction girl (who they’d learned was named Katya).
“And you’re sure they’ll be ok with me showing up and asking for a place to crash?”
Ms Clawthorne allowed the tiniest smirk to cross her face. “Of course I am. You have my letter of introduction, after all. And if they decide they aren’t, you can remind them that I know exactly what they’ve been up to behind Crane’s back.”
Katya laughed. “Alright then, Raven Lady. I trust you. After what happened tonight, I can’t thank you enough.”
Ms Clawthorne smiled, and Amity noticed a genuine warmth to it. “You’re welcome. Now you’d better get going if you want to catch them before their work day starts. From what I’ve heard, Raine’s a bit of an early riser.”
Katya grinned and nodded. She waved goodbye to Amity and the young human waved back, before straddling her staff and kicking off. Amity watched her fade into the distance for a moment before Ms Clawthorne closed the door with a snap.
Amity gulped. Ms Clawthorne crossed her arms, leaning up against the wall, and raised an eyebrow at her young human.
“You disobeyed me, Amity. I told you to wait, and you incited a riot.”
Amity nodded, head down.
“You decided to play the hero, diving in to save people from slavery. You were reckless and put yourself in danger in the process.”
Amity felt tears spring to her eyes. Then, she felt Ms Clawthorne’s hand on her cheek, tilting her face up to look at her.
“And I couldn’t be prouder of you for it.”
Amity gaped at the witch, stunned. The tears she’d been holding back began to fall down her cheeks, but this time for an entirely new reason. Before she could stop herself, she dove forward and threw her arms around Ms Clawthorne’s waist.
“ Thank you, Ms Clawthorne. Thank you, thank you. ”
Ms Clawthorne helped her awkwardly to the couch, the girl still clinging to her the entire way. “You’re welcome, dear.” Then, she smiled and cradled the girl’s cheek in her hand again. “And call me Lilith.”
Amity laughed and hugged Lilith even tighter, burying her face against her shoulder. Lilith hummed, her own arms coming around to hold her and one hand gently petting her hair.
Amity wasn’t sure how long she sat there, cry-laughing and hugging the sorceress. She was vaguely aware of drifting off to a sort of half sleep, feeling Lilith ease her down to lie in her lap instead. Above her, she heard the sound of Hooty approaching.
“So, Lulu…she’s, uh, not going home tonight, is she?”
Lilith ran a hand through Amity’s hair. “Hootsifer, I don’t think this girl is going home anytime soon.”
And with that, Amity Blight smiled and let herself fall asleep, in the arms of a witch and the land of magic and demons. And Hooty.
Notes:
Fun fact: you just read 21 pages. Holy cow. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I can't promise anything, but I intend on having a chapter two up before too long.
Thanks for the love and have a great rest of your day/night/whatever!
Chapter 2: Sneak Peek!
Summary:
This is a sneak peek at chapter two of my Raven House AU. The full chapter should be up sometime in the next week or so if I get things out on time.
Thank you to everyone who's been patient with me while I get my life together. I started school not long ago, which effectively halted progress on a lot of my fics. While you may have seen posts by me in the meantime, The Raven House is a much larger project and takes much more sit-down time, which isn't always an easy thing to come by. So far, I've drafted an outline and have started work on chapter two. Outline, as well as other TOH posts and updates, can be found here (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whotfelsewantedtobelynnyx) at my Tumblr.
Thanks again for being patient with me. This is a big project and I want to make sure I take the time to do it right, even if that means sporadic updates. I can't ever promise perfectly regular content, but it means a lot to me that people like my stuff to keep up with me regardless. Enjoy this preview of The Raven House Chapter Two: The Intruder, and have a great rest of your day/night/whatever!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
No, no, no…
She scrambled about desperately, searching for the little golden bottle. She nearly tripped over her own skirt when she dove for the dresser, shoving all the contents off and scrambling through the drawers. She knew she was making a mess, but in that moment, she didn’t care.
Where in the Titan’s name had it gone? It had just been right here.
A stabbing pain shot through her wrist. She glanced down and clenched her fist over the shiny black bumps bubbling under her skin, as if she could hold them in if she tried hard enough.
She couldn’t let it happen again. Not now. Not ever, if she could help it, but especially not now. With the forcefield she’d put up to fend off the rain, there would be nowhere to run.
Lilith dragged herself upright and flung herself into the bathroom, hoping in vain that she’d left it on the counter. She could barely find the strength to flick her wrist and magic the lights on, but managed it somehow. She tore through the contents of the cabinets and drawers, even upended the wastebasket to see if it had fallen.
Nothing .
Her head was getting cloudier now, the blackness at the edges of her vision beginning to encroach. Something hit her shoulder- the wall, she realized, she must have stumbled. She attempted to find her footing, but staggered as the world tilted like a ship on a stormy sea and fell to her knees.
It was agony. Agony all across her body as her skin strained and pulled against the monster rippling just underneath, as her flesh grew hot, too hot, and her bones seemed to melt into a malleable putty. She was floating on a tiny lifeboat in a choppy sea of black and red, every nerve in her body begging her to just black out , just let it take over and be done with it. And indeed, she nearly did, collapsing to the bathroom floor in a heap.
But then she heard something. A voice, crying her name.
“Lilith?! Are you ok?!”
There were footsteps rapidly approaching and a jolt of panic shot through her. “Amity, no! DON’T!”
The footsteps stopped and Lilith could practically feel the girl hesitating, deciding whether or not to obey. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to yell as loudly as she could manage. “ LISTEN TO ME. DO NOT COME UP HERE. RUN AND HIDE NOW, AS FAST AND AS WELL AS YOU CAN.”
“But-”
She groaned, feeling the sharp points poke at the tips of her fingers. “Amity, if you listen to me once in your life, let it be now.
Run!
”
Notes:
if anyone knows how to get the work notes to quit appearing at the end of each chapter, please tell me :/
Chapter 3: The Intruder
Summary:
A boring afternoon in the Raven House goes horribly wrong.
Notes:
OMFG THIS TOOK SO LONG. I’M SO SORRY GUYS. I’LL BE DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL AS AN APOLOGY, STICK AROUND FOR END OF CHAPTER NOTES FOR DETAILS.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
No, no, no…
She scrambled about desperately, searching for the little golden bottle. She nearly tripped over her own skirt when she dove for the dresser, shoving all the contents off and scrambling through the drawers. She knew she was making a mess, but in that moment, she didn’t care.
Where in the Titan’s name had it gone? It had just been right here.
A stabbing pain shot through her wrist. She glanced down and clenched her fist over the shiny black bumps bubbling under her skin, as if she could hold them in if she tried hard enough.
She couldn’t let it happen again. Not now. Not ever, if she could help it, but especially not now. With the forcefield she’d put up to fend off the rain, there would be nowhere to run.
Lilith dragged herself upright and flung herself into the bathroom, hoping in vain that she’d left it on the counter. She could barely find the strength to flick her wrist and magic the lights on, but managed it somehow. She tore through the contents of the cabinets and drawers, even upended the wastebasket to see if it had fallen.
Nothing .
Her head was getting cloudier now, the blackness at the edges of her vision beginning to encroach. Something hit her shoulder- the wall, she realized, she must have stumbled. She attempted to find her footing, but staggered as the world tilted like a ship on a stormy sea and fell to her knees.
It was agony. Agony all across her body as her skin strained and pulled against the monster rippling just underneath, as her flesh grew hot, too hot, and her bones seemed to melt into a malleable putty. She was floating on a tiny lifeboat in a choppy sea of black and red, every nerve in her body begging her to just black out , just let it take over and be done with it. And indeed, she nearly did, collapsing to the bathroom floor in a heap.
But then she heard something. A voice, crying her name.
“Lilith?! Are you ok?!”
There were footsteps rapidly approaching and a jolt of panic shot through her. “Amity, no! DON’T!”
The footsteps stopped and Lilith could practically feel the girl hesitating, deciding whether or not to obey. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to yell as loudly as she could manage. “ LISTEN TO ME. DO NOT COME UP HERE. RUN AND HIDE NOW, AS FAST AND AS WELL AS YOU CAN.”
“But-”
She groaned, feeling the sharp points poke at the tips of her fingers. “Amity, if you listen to me once in your life, let it be now. Run! ”
Several hours earlier…
“One, two, three, four, five, si-”
“Hooty, you only rolled a three.”
“Oh, ok. Let me try again, hoot hoot! One, two, three, one, two, three…”
Amity sighed. “That’s not- never mind. Just draw a card, ok?”
From her spot at the table, Lilith chuckled. “Good luck with that. I’ve tried teaching Hooty to play card games before, it never ends well.”
Amity ignored her. “Ok, my turn.” She rolled the dice and hopped the little cat four places. “Ok, I’m gonna buy a hotel- hey! Hooty, no! ”
Lilith didn’t even try to hide her amusement as Amity made a fruitless attempt to stop the bird-tube from eating the pieces.
“Hooty- Hooty, come on!”
Amity groaned and flopped back onto her haunches. “So much for that entertainment plan, I guess.”
She gave Lilith a pointed look. Lilith ignored her, calmly continuing to write in her potions journal.
Amity sighed and sprawled dramatically out on her back. “How long is this rain going to last? I’m so bored.”
Lilith gave her a glance. “I don’t control the weather, Amity.”
Amity, in an unusually surly mood, ignored the warning in her tone. “I know, but isn’t there something we can do?”
“ I am doing something. I’m working. I’m sure you can find a way to amuse yourself.” She finished the paragraph she was writing on and dipped her quill back in the ink (she refused to use a pen, a quirk Amity hadn’t been able to make sense of yet).
Amity pouted. She watched Lilith at work for a moment more, trying to think. Then, she perked up. “Wait! You’ve been teaching me how to do potions. Can you teach me how to do more than that?”
Lilith frowned at her, finally setting down her quill. “Excuse me? Amity, I-”
“Please! I want to be able to do magic. I want to summon fire, and lightning, and fight bad guys like Azura!” Amity got up and began pacing. “This world is full of all kinds of fantastical things. Fairies and demons, witches and wizards…they all thrive off of magic, and I want to be a part of it all. Please!”
“Amity-”
“Just one spell. Just teach me one spell and I’ll leave you alone.”
“Amity, I-”
“Please!”
“Amity!”
The human girl jumped. Lilith crossed her arms, annoyed. “Now that I finally have your attention…”
Amity lowered her head, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
The witch sighed. “Apology accepted. Now…” She stood up and crossed the room to the couch, perching herself there daintily. “As excited as you are to learn magic, I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Tell me, where do you think magic comes from?”
Amity sat up excitedly. “From the heart?”
Lilith gave her an odd look. “I…yes, but I don’t believe it’s the way you’re thinking. Every witch has a bile sac attached to their heart. It sits in our chests alongside our hearts and lungs. That is where a witch’s magic comes from.”
Amity felt her heart sink. “But…I mean, there’s magic all around us. It doesn’t all come from witches, right? Like the lights. You’re not powering that all the time.”
The door swung open and Hooty…slithered? (she still wasn’t sure how he moved) into the room. “Nope! Some of it comes from demoooooons, hoot hoot!” He wiggled playfully and Amity gave him an odd look. Lilith cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Yes, well…that’s true, I suppose. And some comes from the world around us. Witches can harness and activate the magic in the world around us, hence functioning systems like the lights and the plumbing. However, I’m unsure of how one would do that without some sort of magical blood.”
“So…I can’t do magic?”
Lilith sighed. “I don’t know. Once upon a time, there was a way witches could do magic without a bile sac. However, historians have barely any clues to how that was.”
Amity bit her lip, trying not to show her disappointment. The Raven Lady could clearly tell, however. Her face softened slightly and she touched Amity’s hand gently. “Don’t let it trouble you, dear. There are plenty of things that can be done without magic.”
The girl continued to pout and Lilith’s resolve trembled. She pinched the bridge of her nose, already regretting what she was about to say. “Alright. I’ll do some digging into what can be done.”
Amity perked up and Lilith raised one finger in warning. “Later.”
The brunette child immediately opened her mouth to protest, but her host cut her off with a wave of her hand. “On this, I won’t debate. I’m very tired already, and the forcefield I put up around the house won’t be nearly as effective if I drain myself more.”
And I can’t risk something getting in here and hurting you, she almost said. She cut herself off, however, shaking her head slightly to clear it. What in the Titan’s name had gotten into her lately?
You’re going soft, Lily, a familiar voice taunted at the corners of her mind. You’re getting attached, aren’t you? You can’t help it. But it’s going to end in heartbreak, you know. Just wait until she meets me .
“Lilith? Are…you alright?”
She started slightly. “I- er- yes. Yes, I’m alright, E- Amity. ”
Amity didn’t look convinced. Lilith sighed and gave the girl her best reassuring smile. “Truly, Amity, I’m fine. My cu…my age tends to affect me a bit more on rainy days, that’s all. I always end up feeling very achy and tired- and truthfully, I’m not always very pleasant to be around.”
“That’s not true!” Amity protested. “And what are you talking about, age? You can’t be older than what, 30?”
Lilith raised her eyebrows. “...flatterer.”
The teen batted her eyes. “Will flattery get me places?”
The witch rolled her own eyes, trying to hide her smile. “Fine. Flattery will get you one spell.”
Amity pumped her fists victoriously. “Hang on!” She scrambled up and bolted into the other room, returning with a video camera. “Ok, now I’m ready.”
Lilith sighed and stood, stretching like a cat. “Very well then. The first spell most witches learn would be the light spell, summoned with a basic spell circle. Remember, the larger the spell circle, the more energy taken and the more powerful the spell.” She waited until she was sure Amity was watching, then raised one long-nailed finger and drew a circle in the air.
The air rippled in a loop of glowing golden light, parting behind her finger like she was cutting it with a knife. The room seemed to come to life around them, shimmering with magical energy.
The ring hovered for a split second, then collapsed inwards into a ball of light. Lilith gave a pleased hum, putting one hand out to catch the little orb as it hovered over her palm. She glanced down at Amity and preened a little at the starry-eyed look the girl was giving her.
“There you have it. The light spe-”
Abruptly, she felt a stabbing pain behind her eyes. She staggered to the side, grasping the nearest object to hold herself up. The light spell, tilting in her free hand, flashed across her vision and sent dizzying spirals across her vision.
She squeezed her eyes closed and held them shut until the pain subsided. Gradually, she became aware of a pair of hands squeezing her wrist, her fingers gripping something soft just underneath.
She opened her eyes and yelped, hastily letting go of Amity’s head. “Oh- oh dear, Amity, I’m sorry.”
Amity clutched at her hand, refusing to let go just yet. “It’s ok, it’s ok. I…guess you weren’t kidding, huh? I’m sorry.”
She sighed and squeezed her hand, attempting to calm her down. “I promise it’s alright. I just…have a headache. I should go lie down.”
She patted the girl’s head and extricated her hand. “Excuse me.”
And trying to ignore the pounding in her skull, Lilith headed up towards her bedroom. ~
Amity bit her lip, screwing up her face in concentration. She mimicked Lilith’s motion, drawing the circle in the air. For a second, she almost thought she saw-
Nothing.
“Ugh!” Amity collapsed back onto the carpet, completely stymied.
Above her head, a certain feathery house demon drifted into view. “You know, witches aren’t the only ones who have magic. You see, demons like me-“
Amity cut him off, waving him aside with a hand. “Thanks, Hooty, but not now.”
She sat up and began practicing the spell circle again, ignoring the sulking sentient door-plate behind her. “Come on, come on…”
The demonic sock puppet nudged at the back of her head like a dog begging for scraps. “Certain demons might even be able to help you learn magic, you knowwwww.”
Amity perked up instantly and swung around to face him. “Can you really?”
Hooty bobbed up and down excitedly. Amity leapt to her feet instantly. “Show me!”~
“Hooty, we definitely shouldn’t be up here,” Amity muttered. Hooty twisted around to look at her.
“Do you want to learn magic or not?”
“Of course I do, but this…this feels wrong. Sneaking into Lilith’s room while she’s asleep?”
In point of fact, Amity had never been in Lilith’s bedroom at all. If she wasn’t so nervous, she would likely have taken time to admire the cozy, firelit room. Lined with intricately carved wooden bookshelves, all stocked with vintage-looking leatherbound books. Several artifacts and knickknacks peppered the shelves on the walls. On her left, there was a golden hourglass filled with black sand that turned itself over every time it got close to running out and a small rack lined with jewelry. On the dresser- dark wood carved similarly to the bookshelves- abstract sculpture made of an odd purple sort of clay that sat on a small stone base, carved with an elegant cursive signature ( something demon? Except wait, there were several extra letters) and a makeshift mannequin head with an odd sort of key on a chain.
Wait. That was just a skull with a necklace.
Amity stifled a yelp. Worriedly, she glanced at Lilith, but the sorceress was fast asleep. She noticed that though the Raven Lady slept in a large canopy bed, she opted to curl up in a small pile of bedding right at the center, almost like a nest.
The girl heaved a sigh of relief and glanced back at Hooty. “So…what exactly are you planning here?”
Hooty wriggled in delight. “Welllll, you know Lulu is one of the most powerful witches on the Isles, hoot hoot! I mean, the only one who could ever beat her in a fight was-”
Lilith made a soft noise and flipped onto her side. Both intruders tensed, waiting.
The witch curled around a pillow, mumbling softly in her sleep. “ ...alyn, no. Please. M’sorry. Just leave her alone. ”
She sighed and settled back in. Amity gave the house demon a nervous look. “Hooty…”
“We’ll be quick, I swear,” the demon whispered (or at least, Amity thought he was whispering). “See that yellow bottle there?”
She turned around and spotted the glass flask he was…pointing, for lack of a better word, at. She nodded slowly and Hooty bobbed happily. “Well, I think that’s what makes Lulu so strong. It’s a potion, see? And look!”
Before Amity could stop him, he wormed his way over and plucked the potion up in his beak. He slingshotted his body back to her and dropped the potion above her head. The girl barely managed to catch it, her heart dropping when she fumbled it a little. Hastily, she gestured for Hooty to follow her back out into the hallway, where she turned it over in her hands and read the torn label on the front.
“An elixir a day…”
Hooty nodded excitedly. “Yup!”
Amity frowned, looking at the bottle in her hands. “I…I don’t know.”
Without realizing it, she headed to the living room and began to pace. Hooty followed her, looking confused. “What’s the problem, hoot? Don’t you want to learn magic?”
Amity gave him a troubled look. “I do, but…this feels wrong. What if it’s not for magic, or what if it’s not safe for kids, or- or what if Lilith needs it?”
She plonked down onto her rear and stared at the bottle in her hands. “Plus, I really don’t want to lie to Lilith.”
Hooty shrugged as best he could. “Your choice, hoot hoot.”
Still, Amity sat and stared. She could feel the potion humming inside the bottle, vibrating with magic.
This could be her chance. She could learn magic. She could be a true fantasy hero, like Azura, living in a magical realm with the power to bend reality at her fingertips.
But…what would the cost be? She knew, though she didn’t want to admit it. The ability to do magic at the price of Lilith’s trust. Lilith, who’d taken her in and given her a place to stay away from her family. Who could be so cold and closed off, but still afforded her an allowance of kindness, even a bit of tenderness here and there. Could she really betray her like that?
She sighed. No, she couldn’t. Looking disappointedly at the potion, she stood and headed for the stairs.
Thump.
Amity frowned, looking up the stairs. “Lilith?”
There was no answer.
Thump.
The lights were out upstairs.
Thump.
She felt her heartbeat beginning to quicken. Above her, a door slammed and a low, agonized groan echoed through the house.
A jolt of panic went through her and she cried out, “Lilith?! Are you ok?!”
She bounded up the stairs, but a distorted voice froze her halfway up.
“Amity, no! DON’T!”
She stopped in her tracks. Something about Lilith’s voice was…wrong somehow. It was as though someone had tampered with her vocal cords, warping them just enough to be disconcerting. The cry echoed in a way the house’s acoustics didn’t offer, as though she were shouting into a small microphone.
Yet despite all that, Amity could still hear the fear in her words. Something was very, very wrong .
She hesitated, deciding whether or not to disobey. As if she could hear her very thoughts, Lilith shouted down the stairs again. “ LISTEN TO ME. DO NOT COME UP HERE. RUN AND HIDE NOW, AS FAST AND AS WELL AS YOU CAN.”
“But-”
“Amity, if you listen to me once in your life, let it be now. Run! ”
She didn’t have time to protest again before a horrible, bloodcurdling scream, somewhere between the cry of a person and the shriek of a bird, rang out through the halls. She instinctively dropped to a crouch, covering her ringing ears with her hands.
There was another screech and a distant splintering of wood. Galloping footsteps of something heavy sounded on the ceiling above her, along with the heavy breathing of something big. Amity felt her eyes go wide, scrambling back on her hands and knees.
She dove into the living room and crawled under the couch. For a long moment, there was nothing. Tentatively, she lifted her head and glanced around, then whispered, “ Hooty ?”
A squelching sound behind her caught her attention. Amity turned to look and immediately regretted it. Where Hooty had been in the door, there was nothing but a gory hole, dripping with some sort of viscous substance. She gagged, immediately burying her face in her hands out of a mixture of horror and sorrow- then nearly shrieked when something touched her foot. When she looked down, there was-
“What the? Hooty, is that…a birdhouse?”
The bird tube waggled happily at her. “YUP! Porta-Hooty, reporting for Hooty! Say, what’re we doing under the-”
“ Shhh!” Amity hastily clapped her hands over his beak. “Shhh. You have to be quiet, Hooty. I think…I think there’s something upstairs. Something that’s not supposed to be here.”
Hooty gasped under her hands (she wasn’t sure how, since she was fairly sure she could see something resembling a lung sticking out the hole he’d left). Amity nodded, her eyes prickling with tears. “And I think Lilith’s up there with it.”
Hooty gave her a wide-eyed look. “What do we do then, hoot hoot?”
“I was kind of hoping you knew,” Amity muttered. “You’re the demon expert, right?”
Instantly, the owl-ferret-thingy perked up. “That’s right!”
“Great. So tell me what I need to do to help Lilith.” ~
“Hooty…are you sure I need these?”
The house demon huffed. “Hey, who’s the demon expert here?”
Amity glanced doubtfully at the large yellow gloves she wore. “I guess, but…ok. I understand these, Lilith uses them to take things out of the dish-flamer, but…”
She gestured to her head. “Do I really have to wear a saucepan as a hat?”
“Hey, you never know when a demon is going to just-“ he made an odd wriggling gesture. “Wham! Conk you over the head, just like that.”
Amity shrugged. “Ok then.” She hoisted the straps of the birdhouse onto her back. “You ready?”
“Affirmative, captain!”
“Alright…”
Amity took a deep breath and headed for the stairs.
Ascending the staircase, it wasn’t hard to see the intruder’s path of destruction. Several paintings lay smashed on the floor, and there were gashes along the walls from long claws.
Suddenly, she stopped. Labored breathing came from just around the corner. Hastily, she ducked behind the door into the nearest room- which happened to be Lilith’s bedroom.
Heavy footfalls padded down the hall, snuffling and growling accompanying them. Amity held her breath as whatever it was drew closer to her.
A hulking figure grew close enough for her to see with the limited lighting. She could see a large body, sharp, deadly talons and a long neck. Drool dripped from devastatingly pointy fangs as the creature lifted its head and huffed, its eyes an inky black.
It slunk closer to the door. Amity muffled a whimper into her hands. The creature sniffed the door, then nudged it with its head.
Amity squeezed her eyes shut. Carefully, she eased her shoe off. Being careful not to let the monster see her, she crooked her arm back. Then, throwing in a high arc that her rugby coach would have been proud of, she let it fly out into the hallway.
The ploy worked. The creature let out a shriek and bounded after it, and Amity and Hooty both let out a sigh of relief. Hooty scooted over to hover over her shoulder. “Did you see that, Amity? It has to be a-”
But Amity wasn’t listening. Instead, her focus was on a dark piece of debris on the ground. She knelt and picked it up.
“So you see, with the whoosiwhatsit and the obvious loping gait- wait, what’s that?” Hooty wriggled over to look at it. “Whoa! It looks tasty, hoot hoot!”
“Hooty, no!” Amity pulled the object away from him. She retrieved her camera from the pocket of her overalls and used the light up screen to illuminate the object. “It’s…a feather?”
She turned the large, shiny dark feather over in her fingers. “It almost looks like a….”
The realization hit her like a truck. “Oh no… ”
Ignoring Hooty’s questioning, she shrugged him off her back and crawled over to the nightstand she’d seen him pick the potion up from. “Come on, come on…”
Lilith had said something earlier about her age. But she had been about to say something else, hadn’t she?
Please don’t let Hooty have eaten it, please don’t let Hooty have eaten it…
Against all the odds, she found what she was looking for. A torn scrap of paper, probably ripped when Hooty’s beak had dug into it. She scooped it up and turned it over, holding it up to the camera to read what it said.
…keeps the curse away.
An elixir a day…
“My cu…my age tends to affect me more…”
An elixir a day keeps the curse away.
Amity turned the large, shiny raven’s feather over in her hand and gulped miserably. “Hooty…”
The bird hovered over to her and she turned to look at him. “I think I know why they call Lilith the Raven Lady.” ~
“So you think that thing is Lulu?! No way, hoot hoot.”
“What else could it be, Hooty?” Amity argued. “She put up a forcefield, remember? Nothing else could get in. Besides, it says here she takes medicine for a curse, and-”
Without warning, the door screamed on its hinges and crumpled inwards. Amity dove under the bed and turned to grab Hooty, but he dodged her.
“I’ll distract her! You figure out a way to bring her back, hoot hoot!
“Hooty!” She went to reach for him, but he was out of reach. Quickly, he began hacking and gagging. Just before he disappeared around the corner, the bird-worm coughed up an old, dusty book.
“Use this!”
And with that, her only ally was gone.
Ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach, Amity crawled over and opened the book. “Demon 10666? Hooty, what did you want to use this for?!”
She held up her camera to the book. “Jeez, I wish I had my phone…ok, what’s this? Demonic identification, demonic habitats, demonic breeding- ew, Hooty! Why is that bookmarked?- demonic magic…demonic weaknesses?”
Frantically, she leafed through to the chapter. She scanned the pages in a frenzy. “Garlic, sunlight, salt…ghosts? Mandrake’s cries? Reski- respli- what is that?! ”
She groaned and ground the heel of her hand into her forehead. This was completely unproductive.
She turned to the next page and gasped. The header at the top, in big, bold letters, read ‘Black Eyed Demons’.
“Yes!” Amity pumped her fist softly. “Ok, what’ve we got here…”
She read the paragraph up and down. It took her a moment to find what she was looking for.
Buried underneath a mountain of fancy words that she had absolutely no hope of understanding was the single thing she needed. Light. Black-eyed demons were sensitive to light.
“So if I could expose her to some kind of light, then…but my camera doesn’t give off enough light. Maybe if I could get the light spell to work?”
She blushed, suddenly remembering she wasn’t talking to anyone. Then, she frowned, realizing there was a major flaw in her plan. She had absolutely no idea how to get the light spell to work.
Amity flipped through her camera’s storage until she found the video of Lilith casting the light spell. She watched it over, then over again. Each time, she mimicked the witch’s movement. Each time nothing happened.
Frustrated, she groaned and tossed up her hands- then gave a horrified gasp as the camera went tumbling from her hands. Frantically, she tried to catch it, but-
Crack!
A spiderweb of fractures made their way across the camera’s viewing window, marring the video of Lilith. Amity grabbed the camera, desperately wiping at the screen as though the cracks would just wash away.
The cracks did not, in fact, just wash away.
“No, no, no…” Amity lifted the camera in her hands to assess the damage. She looked over the frozen frame, seeing if there were any chunks of glass missing.
She did a double take.
There, right in the center of the spell circle, was a glowing shape. Two triangles and a small circle, all stacked on top of eachother with a dashed line down the middle. It certainly hadn’t been there before.
Amity stared at it for a moment. Then, a thought occurred to her. She scooted back under Lilith’s bed and found a particularly dusty spot, then traced the shape in the dust with her finger.
Nothing happened. Heart sinking, she let her hand drop to the floor in defeat.
Poof!
The drawing lit up, the exact same way Lilith’s spell circle had. It glowed for a moment, then condensed upon itself and floated into the air as a glowing ball of light.
Amity gasped. Disbelievingly, she put out a hand and let the little ball of light hover over her palm. It was almost warm but not quite, like the phantom sensation that one got when they hovered their palms too close together. She stared at it, completely shocked.
“It worked,” she whispered to herself. “It actually worked!”
She giggled a little in spite of the circumstance. Then, just as quickly, her heart sank. The beast was MASSIVE. There was no way she could contain it with something as small as that.
If only she had a way to draw a bigger one. But there was no paper big enough, and no more dust in sight.
Unless…
Amity glanced up at the shelves. An idea sprang to her head- a crazy, out of pocket plan, but it just might work.
She stood and crept over to the shelves, keeping one hand on the elixir in her pocket. Staring up at the trinkets, she winced.
“Sorry about this, Lilith.”
Then, without further ado, she grabbed the golden hourglass and smashed it on the ground at her feet.~
She was in a hazy fog of pain and fear. Running, running, the heavy footfalls of the beast behind her. There was someone (maybe her) screaming, someone calling her name. Then a blinding flash of light and-
She was slumped over on the hard wooden floor. Her body still felt too big, too unwieldy to be hers, but she was there. A hand cupped her face, tilting her head back.
And then she woke up.
Lilith stirred. She winced, feeling the familiar crackling ache in her bones that often accompanied her transformations.
Beside her, someone gasped. “Lilith?!”
Her eyes flew open and she sat up hastily. Beside her, a familiar teenage human sat in a chair at her bedside, clutching her hand. “You’re ok! You’re really ok, it really worked!”
The girl flung herself onto Lilith abruptly, and the sorceress was alarmed to find her crying. “Wha- Amity?”
The girl pulled away and gave her a teary look. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I just wanted to learn magic, and Hooty- Hooty thought that your medicine- but I didn’t take it, I swear! We just brought it downstairs and I was about to bring it back but you had already- already-“
“Transformed?” Lilith asked, grim but gentle. Amity nodded.
“Wha- Lilith, what- what was that?”
The witch sighed and sat up, gesturing for Amity to sit next to her on the bed. The teen did so, pressing a little closer than usual. From the window, Hooty appeared to poke his head in.
Lilith chewed her lip apprehensively. “I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you two. You see, when I was younger, I was…cursed. Someone tied the spirit of a raven-like demon to mine. In addition to other minor health concerns, there’s the occasional…well, for lack of a better word, possession.”
Amity nodded. “And…that’s what the potion is for?”
Lilith hummed, unconsciously putting an arm around the girl. “Yes. It’s a treatment of sorts. There’s no actual cure, but with elixirs, the beast can be kept in check.”
“An elixir a day keeps the curse at bay.”
“Precisely. I didn’t take my elixir today, hence…the appearance of the beast.”
She frowned. “Speaking of…how did you get me to take the elixir?”
Amity blushed. “Well…I kinda-sorta smashed that hourglass you have-“
“You did what?!”
“I’m sorry!” the girl protested. “I needed to be able to draw a big enough light spell. See, I found out that black-eyed demons like the Raven Beast are sensitive to light, so I set up a light…thing in the sand and set a trap. Then when I set it off, you-“
Lilith froze. “You…set off a light spell?”
Amity’s face broke into a grin. “Oh yeah!”
She picked up a pen and paper and drew a peculiar pattern on the pad. Lilith frowned, watching her. “A…glyph?”
“Is that what they’re called?” Amity shrugged and tapped the paper without waiting for an answer.
A glowing ball of light floated up from the paper.
Lilith laughed in disbelief. “Well, I’ll be! And here I was looking into getting you a pre-magicked staff, and you figured it out all on your own.”
She patted the girl’s head. “I’m proud of you. Very, very proud.”
And grateful, she thought, though she wouldn’t dare speak the words out loud.
Amity beamed and began sketching again. And slowly, all around them, the room filled with light.
Notes:
So hey! This came out super late! And I feel bad! So for followers of the series who’ve been so supportive of me, I’m doing a special feature. Simply follow the link to my tumblr and DM me, and I will feature your choice of an OC or a character based on you in an upcoming chapter.
Thanks for the love, leave me a comment if you liked, and have a great rest of your day/night/whatever! Tumblr is here, https://whotfelsewantedtobelynnyx.tumblr.com/
Chapter 4: Preview of IWATA!
Summary:
Sneak peek at the next chapter of TRH! Thanks for all the patience and support, it means the world. New chapter should be out in the next couple weeks or so!
Chapter Text
“The last of the gifts I’ve promised,” she murmured, stooping to a deep curtsy.
The creature in front of her leered down from behind curtains of stringy dark hair, taking the basket from her with one large claw. She peeled the soft mesh covering off the top and glanced at it curiously.
“Keep it,” Lilith said. “It’s handmade. For your children.”
The figure that loomed in front of her nodded appreciatively and carefully set the cloth aside. Carefully, she leafed through the rest of the basket’s contents, making approving hums. “The Call of Cthulu…Gashlycrumb Tinies…ah! Stellaluna!”
She nodded approvingly. “Yes, these will do nicely. Many thanks, she who flies with ravens.”
The Raven Lady sighed softly with relief. The list of tasks her benefactor had given her that day had seemed endless (particularly wrangling her three monstrous children).
But then again, it would all be worth it. She was doing this for Amity , she reminded herself.
As if the demon had read her mind, she set the basket of books aside and chirped, “Now, I have promised you reward, and I shall make good on my promise.”
She shuffled aside and gestured with one large wing. Lilith smiled.~
Twenty minutes later, she was back on her staff with her prize and a sack of snails ( For your troubles, she’d been told. You’re certainly owed it. ) She hummed to herself, observing the peaceful evening sky. This was a rather nice end to a rather stressful day , she decided. And after all, she’d gotten what she came for .
She couldn’t wait to see the look on Amity’s face when she found out. The girl would be over the moon with excitement. Lilith found that a small smile had crept across her face simply thinking about it.
“For Titan’s sake, I really am going soft,” she muttered to herself. This whole human ward business was taking a bit of a toll on her tough exterior.
Ah, well. So long as people still feared her, she decided she didn’t mind.
She touched down in her yard gracefully and patted Hooty hello, not stopping to pay much attention to him as he swung open to allow her inside. “Amity!”
No answer. She frowned. “Amity? Where are you?”
Finally, she glanced up and around- and nearly yelped in surprise. A group of witches sat around her kitchen table. A girl, maybe Amity’s age, with glasses and dark hair, and two men who must have been her parents, a young-looking boy sitting next to his bespectacled father ( was that Perry Porter? What was he doing here? ) and-
Lilith felt her eyes, if at all possible, go wider at the sight of Hieronymous Bump, sitting calmly at her table with his hands folded in front of him. He nodded politely to her, as though coming home and finding her old school principal at her dining table was a perfectly normal thing one could expect.
“Lilith. It’s good to see you. Do you have a moment to chat?”
His tone of voice sent flashbacks racing through her mind, reminding her that he didn’t at all mean it as a question. Immediately, she snapped her gaze to the abomination-covered, ( on her furniture, too, for Titan’s sake) very guilty looking human girl next to him.
Amity gulped and smiled nervously. “Welcome home?”
Chapter 5: This Is Not The New Chapter
Chapter Text
This is not a new chapter, and I’m sorry about that. But it’s Thanksgiving, and I wanted to say something to you guys.
Something you may or may not know about me is that I have diagnosed ADHD. I struggle every day with doing both what I have to do (school, work, ect.) and what I want to do, like my works here. Some days when I’m having a bad day, it feels like physical pain to sit down and actually do stuff. My grades have never and probably will never be equivalent to what I used to be capable of, and I feel that every day.
But here, I actually feel confident. Here, I never feel like I have to worry about deadlines, because I know you guys will support me no matter what. Even when life gets hard and I post maybe two weeks after I said I would, the friends I’ve made here always appear to cheer me on. I never have to stress about getting stuff done on time because I know you guys will appreciate it no matter what. Sometimes when I’m sad, stressed, or just in need of a pick-me-up, I scroll through the kind comments you leave and it always makes me smile. Hell, some days it makes me cry. I can’t express how happy it makes me when people compliment my writing. It’s so validating and fulfilling, and brings me so much joy.
So call me cliché, but I’m thankful for all of you. You guys mean the world to me, more than you could possibly know. I don’t care that our interactions are only on either side of a screen, you lift me up every single day.
Happy Thanksgiving. I love you guys.
Chapter 6: I Was A Teenage Abomination
Summary:
Amity makes a new friend.
Chapter Text
“Pleaseeeeee! Please take me with you?”
Lilith shook her head, a hint of crossness showing on her face. “For the last time, no. It’s not safe for you where I’m going.”
Amity pouted. “It’s just getting potion ingredients! Come on, how bad could it be?”
The raven-haired witch gave her a look. The girl bit her lip, considering. “Ok, it could be bad. But I can handle it! I’ve been helping around the house, and discovering new glyphs, and-”
“Yes, and you’re welcome to work on that,” Lilith interrupted. “But this is an errand that I will be running alone- no arguments. ”
Amity stopped mid-protest.
“Good,” the witch said calmly. “Now, I’ll be back towards the evening. I left food on the stove, you’ll just have to heat it up. If you can, try and get Hooty out for some enrichment. He seems to love that portable form of his.”
Amity shuddered. “Blgh.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”
“Sorry, Mother ,” the girl snarked playfully. She giggled when Lilith made an odd face. “I’ll take him out. Have fun on your errand!”
The Raven Lady shook her head, bemused. “Thank you, Eda.”
Amity frowned up at her. “What?”
“Hm?”
Amity’s brow furrowed. “You called me something else. Who’s Eda?”
Lilith paled immediately. “I…no one.”
She spun on her heel and headed out the door, hoping Amity didn’t see the pained look on her face. ~
“Ok, let’s see. We’ve got essence of apparition- isn’t that just ectoplasm?- mandrake hairs, mothstone powder, hellesine seeds, fire-bee honey…oh, shoot.”
Amity frowned, lifting the near-empty bottle up to the light. “Crud. Hey, Hooty?”
The bird-tube, who’d been unusually quiet that day, appeared next to the kitchen window. “Yeah, hoot hoot?”
“Do you know how to get more fire-bee honey?”
Hooty squawked excitedly. “You bet I do! You have to go to the nest and fight off the worker bees, then avoid their flaming corpses long enough to reach the queen, then-”
Amity shuddered. “Ok, do you know of a substitute for fire-bee honey?”
The house demon pouted. “If you want to be boring, hoot hoot…”
“Boring sounds great,” the girl interjected. “What do I look for?”~
“ Whoa! ”
Amity yelped as she nearly face-planted onto the dusty forest floor. She frowned, crossing her arms and kicking her foot out in a way not unlike a petulant child.
“Stupid rock!”, she grumbled. After a moment, she sighed and dropped her arms, slouching over against a nearby tree.
“Ugh. Maybe I should just…go home. I can teach Hooty to play Sorry! or something.”
“ You can do it! You can!”
Amity nearly toppled over, startled. She whipped her head around, trying to track where the voice had come from.
From a clearing several yards away, a girl’s voice echoed through the forest. Amity poked her head between the bushes to see a teenage girl- about her age- with dark hair, pale skin and glasses. She wore a black uniform with magenta sleeves, boots not unlike Amity’s, and an incredibly nervous expression.
“You can do it. Even if you get a bad grade, it’s not a reflection on you as a witch. And besides, my parents are right.” The girl took a deep breath and steadied herself, as if preparing to take a blow. “There are better opportunities in this track. Now get to school!”
She paused, and glanced at the wagon she must have been dragging behind her. A large clay pot sat on top of the cart, looking particularly ominous. “I guess one more practice try wouldn’t hurt.”
Amity watched, spellbound, as the girl turned to face her burden. She pointed a finger at the pot, her face screwing up in concentration.
“Abomination, rise !”
The lid of the pot trembled, and-
Amity covered her mouth to hold back a gasp.
Rising from the pot was a hulking, slimy monster. Its gaping maw dripped purple ooze as it groaned, twisting through the air as it grew and grew. Glowing green eyes opened and leered out at the girl in the clearing, who looked just as stunned as Amity. She staggered backwards, staring up at the thing she called an ‘abomination’.
“It worked! It- it actually worked!”
She pumped her fists triumphantly, doing a little dance. “It really worked! I did it! I-”
Splat!
Abruptly, the entire monster shuddered and then popped like some kind of giant zit. The girl yelped, startled, and made a futile attempt to cover her head, while Amity herself got a face full of the gooey purple muck.
“Ackpth!” The human girl reeled backwards, spitting purple clay out of her mouth. She wiped her eyes clean and blinked, regaining her vision just in time to see a group of people enter the clearing.
“Boo! Hiya, Willow!”
The girl in the lead- a tall, lanky witch of about Amity’s age with tan skin, a short, dark ponytail, and big, brown eyes- waved playfully as she strolled into the clearing. She wore a similar outfit to the girl she called ‘Willow’- with the exception of red sleeves rather than purple- and was trailed by a tall brunette boy, a pretty girl with spiky earrings and brown hair tied back with an orange scarf, and a …dog in a uniform? (Well, this was the Boiling Isles. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised.)
Willow sighed and tugged her hood up over her hair, looking sad. “Hi, Luz. That…was you controlling the abomination, wasn’t it?”
“Yup!” the girl named Luz exclaimed proudly. “Cool, huh?”
“Yep,” Willow mumbled. “Yep, it was cool.”
The newcomer clearly noticed her mood. “Oh, come on! Don’t look so glum. You’ll do it yourself someday, you’ll see! Today just wasn’t your day.”
“Mmhm.” The girl in the magenta uniform continued staring at the ground, gazing at the remains of the creature. Luz pouted.
“Dude, don’t look so sulky. You’re bringing me down. It was just a little joke!”
“I know, Luz,” the other witch muttered. “Just…never mind. I’ll see you in school.”
The girl shrugged. “Suit yourself!”
She turned and skipped away, with her friends turning to follow. Amity watched as the girl left alone in the clearing swiped frustratedly at her eyes, looking miserable.
Amity took a breath, then let it out. Then, she stepped forward into the clearing. “Um…hi? Look, I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but- agh! ”
The girl called Willow yelped and spun on her heel. A weed under her feet sprouted up as she did, which grew suddenly and massively, twisting into a thick vine and sprouting punishingly sharp thorns. One tendril wrapped around Amity’s ankle and lifted her up into the air, leaving her awkwardly dangling above the girl’s head.
“Oh no!” Hastily, the girl waved her hands and the vines set the human down. Amity shook her head, attempting to get her bearings. The witch in front of her dropped to her knees hastily.
“Are you ok? Oh no, I’m so sorry…”
The human girl gave her a weak grin. “It’s ok. I’ve always wanted to try wearing ripped pants.”
The witch giggled shyly. “My name’s Willow. Sorry again about grabbing you with a vine.”
“Amity.” The latter brushed a lock of hair behind her ear shyly. “Nice to meet you.”
Willow’s eyes flew open wide. “Wait a minute!” She grabbed Amity’s face in her hands and turned it from side to side. “Your ears! Oh my Titan, you’re human! This is astounding! A human on the Boiling Isles! How’d you get here? What are you doing here?”
“Well…” Amity began. “It’s a long story, but-”
There was a horrible screeching sound- somewhere between a mating panther and a screaming macaw- and Willow flinched. “Oh, dear. Sorry, new human friend, but I can’t stay. I have to go disappoint my teacher.”
She turned and began to trudge off. Hastily, Amity scrambled to her feet and trotted after her. “Wait! Teacher? As in, magic school?”
Willow gave her a small smile. “Yup. I go to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, but there’s a few others.”
“That’s so cool,” Amity sighed. “I wish I could go there. Lilith barely lets me leave the house.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “Yeah, because I’m so helpless. Just because I’m not the big bad Raven Lady…”
Her companion's eyes bugged out. “Wait, Raven Lady?! You live with Lilith Clawthorne?! ”
Amity blushed. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
“Sorry? What for?” Willow exclaimed. “That’s so cool. My dads say she’s a bad example, but I actually think she’s pretty awesome. Awesome, but scary.”
Amity laughed. “Yeah, that pretty much sums her up. She’s also a liiiittle overprotective.”
Her new friend sighed. “Yeah, I get that. Overprotective parents can be rough.”
“Oh, Lilith’s not my…actually, never mind.” It would be more difficult to explain. “So your dads are a bit over-the-top?”
“A little, yeah. They have me in the abomination track to make sure I have a better future, but…I’m really bad at it. I just wish I could do a little better at it, you know?”
Amity hummed contemplatively. “Well, maybe there’s a way for us to both get what we want. If I pretended to be your project…”
Willow frowned. “Would that work?”
“Sure!” Amity exclaimed. “That thing was just…gloopy stuff. Just cover me with it, and boom! You get a good grade, and I get to go to magic school. Win-win!”
“Ok,” Willow said, a smile beginning to bloom on her face. “Sounds like a plan.”~
Amity grinned as she sank back into the pot, doing a silent fist pump. Outside, she could hear the teacher happily praising her new friend on her performance.
Yes!
This day had begun so badly, but had ended up so well. Magic school was full of mystical creatures and magical people, with bells that screamed and lockers that bit. Around every corner was something waiting to explode in your face, shriek your eardrums bloody, or turn you into a jackalope.
Amity loved it.
As Willow wheeled her out of the classroom, she contemplated how she could convince Lilith to let her go here. Sure, she only had glyphs, but she was getting better at them. She’d uncovered three now- ice, plant, and light. Surely that could be used for something, right?
A pair of voices interrupted her thoughts.
“Willow, you would not believe humans,” a boy’s voice exclaimed. “Did you know they nail barbed wire to their kids’ teeth? But why? Maybe to make them magnetic…”
Willow laughed nervously. “ Humans? Psh. I haven't seen any. What?”
Amity peeked out from under the lid of the pot. In front of her stood a boy, about thirteen or so, with dark skin and curly black hair. His uniform had blue sleeves, and he held a magazine with a kid with braces on the front.
Amity lifted the lid slightly. “Actually, those are for cosmetic purposes. They kinda just…drag your teeth into straight lines.”
The boy did a double take and Willow sighed. “Ok, Augustus. I’m gonna tell you something, but you have to be cool.”
“I can be spool! I mean, uh, cool,” the boy stammered, still staring at Amity. Willow frowned, but nodded.
“Ok. This is Amity, my new friend. She’s a-”
“A human!” The boy exclaimed. Willow nodded, peeking over the lid to look at Amity.
“Augustus here is the president of the Human Appreciation Society. Most witches wouldn’t be able to recognize a human on sight, but he’s an expert.”
Augustus stared, enraptured, at the human girl. “Where are your gills?”
“Er, what?” Amity shrugged. “Never mind. Nice to meet you, Augustus. We had an Augustus at my school, but we always just called him Gus.”
The boy gasped. “Gus? Nickname? Human nickname? Gus? Call me it. Wow. Gus. This is the best day of my life.”
Willow snorted. “Ok, then. Come on, let’s go find a table.”
With Gus on her heels, she turned and wheeled Amity over to a table in the corner. She parked Amity slightly to the left of Gus, where she could see them both.
The boy lifted the lid of the pot, as if still in disbelief. Amity waved at him. Gus waved back. Then, he glanced at his lunchbox. “Oh, hey. You’ve gotta be hungry. Do humans eat PB&Js?”
Amity lit up like a match. “Yeah, I love them! I used to love having them for lunch, but my mom…” she trailed off. “Never mind. Yeah, if you don’t mind sharing.”
“Nope!” Gus broke the sandwich in half and handed half to Amity. Willow glanced around nervously.
“I dunno, guys. If anyone saw that…”
She gulped and jerked her head towards the other side of the cafeteria. Following her gaze, Amity noticed the same group of witches as she’d seen in the clearing, laughing and joking at their lunch table. The ringleader (the girl with the dark hair and the red uniform) was staring right at her.
Amity quickly retreated into her pot, peeking nervously out of the lid. She glanced over to Willow. “Who is that?”
Willow sighed. “That’s Luz. Luz Noceda. She…well, she’s kind of a lot. Her godmother is a huge deal, so naturally, she’s a huge deal.”
Amity frowned. “She seemed kind of mean.”
“No, not at all. She’s a prankster, for sure, but she’s not mean ,” Willow quickly corrected. “Just a little…oblivious sometimes. I don’t think she meant to upset me earlier, but…well, sometimes she and her friends just don’t entirely think stuff through.”
Gus frowned. “What happened earlier?”
“Nothing,” his friend assured him. “Just like what’s going to happen now. Nothing. It’s gonna be fine.” ~
It was not fine.
Amity yelped as a glob of abomination flew over her head, Willow dragging her down the halls of the school to the sound of wailing alarms and flashing lights. They ducked around a corner and crouched in a doorway of a broom closet, trying to catch their breath.
Willow groaned, dropping her head to her hands. “I can’t believe Luz told Principal Bump!”
“ I can’t believe your principal tried to dissect me!” Amity exclaimed. Willow frowned.
“You, uh…can’t just cut open a human, can you?”
The girls gazed at eachother, then burst into giggles. Willow wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing. “Still want to go to this school?”
Amity grinned. “I think it’s lovely, actually.”
The friends smiled at eachother for a moment before-
“Raargh!”
A large abomination appeared from around the corner, slumping menacingly towards the girls. Both shrieked and leapt to their feet, getting ready to run- then, abruptly, they smacked hard into a second set of abominations.
Amity gulped, backing up until she was back to back with Willow. “Uh…what now?”
Willow whimpered miserably. “I don’t know…oh Titan, I don’t know.”
Amity fumbled around frantically, turning her pockets inside out for anything to help. Then, she yelped as her finger caught on something. “Ouch!” She frowned, then did a double take and stared excitedly at her finger. “Willow, look!”
Her friend turned to peek at her. “What?”
Amity waved her hand in front of her. “Look! Look what stuck to my clothes!”
Willow frowned. “A seed pod?” Then, realization dawned on her face. “A seed pod! But…what if I can’t…”
Amity spun and pressed the seed into her friend’s hand. “You can. I saw what you can do. You’re an incredible witch, Willow. Just concentrate!”
Willow turned away, cradling the seed in her hands. “Ok…”
She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. “Ok, little seed. Please, please grow.”
Amity watched anxiously, keeping half an eye on the approaching abominations. “Willow…”
The witch gritted her teeth. “Come on, come on… come on!”
Suddenly, green tendrils burst out of her cupped hands. Vines spread across the hall, racing up the lockers and bursting into bloom. Amity gasped, stunned, as pollen rained down from the flowers that now lined the ceiling, coating the abomination guards. Ropes of green darted across the floor and wrapped around the gloopy creatures, wrapping around them and squeezing, squeezing, tighter and tighter until-
Pop!
For the second time that day, Amity found herself covered in abomination goo. Willow, similarly splattered in purple, stood stunned in front of her, gazing at her hands.
Amity let out a disbelieving laugh, then another. Willow spun back towards her, beginning to laugh as well. The human girl grabbed her hands and they danced around in a little circle, giggling in delight.
“You did it, Willow! You did…that!” Amity gestured excitedly at the newly formed foliage around them. Willow beamed at her.
“I did! I really did!”
“Yes, you certainly did.”
Both girls froze in their tracks. Slowly, they turned towards the voice coming from the end of the hallway.
The robed, stern-faced Principal Bump stood at the end of the hallway. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he wore an annoyed expression that promised a lecture.
Amity gulped. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”~
“The last of the gifts I’ve promised,” she murmured, stooping to a deep curtsy.
The creature in front of her leered down from behind curtains of stringy dark hair, taking the basket from her with one large claw. She peeled the soft mesh covering off the top and glanced at it curiously.
“Keep it,” Lilith said. “It’s handmade. For your children.”
The figure that loomed in front of her nodded appreciatively and carefully set the cloth aside. Carefully, she leafed through the rest of the basket’s contents, making approving hums. “The Call of Cthulu…Gashlycrumb Tinies…ah! Stellaluna!”
She nodded approvingly. “Yes, these will do nicely. Many thanks, she who flies with ravens.”
The Raven Lady sighed softly with relief. The list of tasks her benefactor had given her that day had seemed endless (particularly wrangling her three monstrous children).
But then again, it would all be worth it. She was doing this for Amity , she reminded herself.
As if the demon had read her mind, she set the basket of books aside and chirped, “Now, I have promised you reward, and I shall make good on my promise.”
She shuffled aside and gestured with one large wing. Lilith smiled.~
Twenty minutes later, she was back on her staff with her prize and a sack of snails ( For your troubles, she’d been told. You’re certainly owed it. ) She hummed to herself, observing the peaceful evening sky. This was a rather nice end to a rather stressful day , she decided. And after all, she’d gotten what she came for .
She couldn’t wait to see the look on Amity’s face when she found out. The girl would be over the moon with excitement. Lilith found that a small smile had crept across her face simply thinking about it.
“For Titan’s sake, I really am going soft,” she muttered to herself. This whole human ward business was taking a bit of a toll on her tough exterior.
Ah, well. So long as people still feared her, she decided she didn’t mind.
She touched down in her yard gracefully and patted Hooty hello, not stopping to pay much attention to him as he swung open to allow her inside. “Amity!”
No answer. She frowned. “Amity? Where are you?”
Finally, she glanced up and around- and nearly yelped in surprise. A group of witches sat around her kitchen table. A girl, maybe Amity’s age, with glasses and dark hair, and two men who must have been her parents, a young-looking boy sitting next to his bespectacled father ( was that Perry Porter? What was he doing here? ) and-
Lilith felt her eyes, if at all possible, go wider at the sight of Hieronymous Bump, sat calmly at her table with his hands folded in front of him. He nodded politely to her, as though coming home and finding her old school principal at her dining table was a perfectly normal thing one could expect.
“Lilith. It’s good to see you. Do you have a moment to chat?”
His tone of voice sent flashbacks racing through her mind, reminding her that he didn’t at all mean it as a question. Immediately, she snapped her gaze to the abomination-covered, ( on her furniture, too, for Titan’s sake) very guilty looking human girl next to him.
Amity gulped and smiled nervously. “Welcome home?”
The Raven Lady gaped for a long moment. “What…in… the Titan’s Name…”
Principal Bump stood. “It’s a rather long story. Why don’t you come sit down?”
Still stunned (too stunned, in fact, to comment on the fact that Bump had just invited her to sit in her own house ), she crossed the room, sat down, and shot her human ward a dangerous glare. “Amity. Care to explain?”
The girl gulped, then began to talk in a rush. “I- I wanted to make a potion, but we were out of fire-bee honey, so I went out into the woods and went looking for glowroots as a substitute and then I met Willow and we came up with a plan to help her with class by disguising me as an abomination but then we got caught because Luz she’sanotherstudent told the principal as a prank and we panicked and ran away and I’m sosorryIwasn’tthinking -”
Lilith cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Never mind. Principal Bump, could you give me the highlights, please?”~
Amity sat huddled between Gus and Willow on the couch, clutching each other’s hands as the adults discussed. Her friend seemed similarly nervous.
“What do you think they’re gonna do?” Gus whispered. “Put us in detention? Expel us from the school? Feed us to the bookworms?! ”
Willow shook her head. “Not you, Gus. All you did was tip over a couple of pots.”
Amity winced. “The two of us, on the other hand…”
Before she could finish the thought, the kitchen door creaked open. All three kids tensed as the adults (led by Principal Bump) entered the room.
The principal cleared his throat. “Let me start by saying that what happened today was unacceptable, and it will not happen again .”
Willow ducked her head. “Yes, sir…”
The other two quickly parroted her. Bump glared down at them all for a moment, before-
Breaking into a smile?
“However,” he continued. “You three have shown a tremendous amount of skill and gumption today. Miss Park, your fathers and I have agreed that it would simply be a crime to contain your talents to the abomination track. We’ll be switching you over to the plant track immediately.”
Willow gasped, sitting up straight. “Really?!”
Her bespectacled father stepped forwards and smiled. “Yes, really. It was wrong of us to force you into one track when you’re clearly much happier in a different one.”
Willow threw herself forward into her parents’ arms. “Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Papa! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
As they embraced, Lilith Clawthorne took a step around them and folded her arms ahead of her. “As for you, Amity…”
The girl gulped. Lilith and Bump exchanged a wry smile, before the former turned to her and said, “We believe it would be good for you to be able to continue furthering your magical education alongside your peers. It’s not good for you to be stuck in a house with this old lady all day.”
Amity’s jaw dropped. “Really?! I can go to magic school?!”
Lilith smiled. “Yes, you can. And I even have a present for you for your first day- though you don’t get to see what it is until then.”
The human girl leapt to her feet and threw herself into the witch’s arms, giggling joyfully. Lilith chuckled and ran a hand through her hair. “Glad you’re happy, dear.”
The pair broke apart, and Amity turned to hug Willow, pulling Gus in as well. The parents watched, looking amused, as the kids chattered excitedly at each other.
“I can’t believe it!” “We’re going to be classmates!” “And Willow got switched to the plant track!”
Gus frowned and pulled out of the hug slightly. “Wait a minute…Willow got switched to the plant track, Amity gets to go to magic school…what do I get?”
His father crossed his arms. “You get to not be grounded, young man.”
Gus paled. “Fair enough.”
Amity burst out laughing again, and pulled her new friends back into the hug.
“This is gonna be a fun school year, you guys.”
Notes:
thanks so much you guys. You're seriously the best. Love you all and thanks for reading, have a good night, I'm gonna go to bed.
Chapter 7: Sneak Peek of Convention
Summary:
SURPRISE BITCHES IT'S ACTUALLY THE FULL CHAPTER! I LOVE YOU GUYS! ENJOY!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Here, move to the left a little. Get right under his beak.”
Gus frowned and scooted awkwardly up with his scrub brush. “Here?”
“No, down a little,” Amity said. “He’s got a mouse bone stuck to his jaw.”
Hooty preened happily as Gus scooted around again and scrubbed the offending bone off. Willow, who stood at the other end ( end? ) of the bird-worm, wiped her brow.
“You really think this is worth it, Amity?”
Amity raised her eyebrows. “You want to go to the convention too, right?”
Her friend sighed. “Yes.”
“And your dads won’t take us, right? And Gus’s dad is working, right?”
“Affirmative,” Gus chimed in. Amity flashed him a thumbs-up before returning her attention to Willow.
“So our only other option is to get Lilith to take us. And the way we get her in a good enough mood to take us is…”
“Washing Hooty,” Willow finished. “Got it.”
She tossed another bucket of soapy water over Hooty and began to scrub again. Amity resettled herself on the bird-worm’s back, where she was busy plucking loose feathers away.
“So tell me again what goes on at this convention thing? Is it like Comic-Con?”
Willow frowned. “I don’t think either of us knows what that is, but-”
“I do!” Gus cut in.
“Ok, Gus knows what that is. Anyway, this convention is a chance for young witches to explore what coven they want to join when they’re older.”
“Coven?” Amity asked. “Like…a group of witches?”
“Exactly,” Willow said. “A group of witches who practice the same kind of magic.”
“Almost all witches join one,” Gus butted in. “That’s part of what makes the Raven Lady so infamous. There are other wild witches, but she’s the baddest of them all.”
Amity frowned. “Wild witches? What does that mean?”
“Wild witches are witches who refuse to join a coven,” Willow explained. “Emperor Belos tells us that the Titan’s will is that every witch should bind their magic to a single branch. He says that people who use every type of magic are dangerous and out of control. I’m not saying I agree,” she added, upon seeing the look on Amity’s face. “But that’s why the coven system exists. To create order out of chaos. It helps us create businesses, get jobs, and just build an orderly government.”
“Huh,” Amity said. “So why didn’t Lilith ever join one?”
“No one knows exactly why.” Gus shrugged. “Especially since it’s technically illegal. I heard a rumor that it has to do with-”
“With what, exactly?”
All three young witches jumped and turned to face a glowering Lilith Clawthorne, who’d just appeared in the window. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. “Go on, Augustus. Pray tell.”
Gus gulped. “On second thought, I shouldn’t gossip.”
“A wise choice,” Lilith deadpanned. “To answer your question, children, I never joined a coven simply because I don’t trust them. The coven system is full of envious, power-hungry social climbers who follow mindlessly because it’s all they’ve ever known. I choose not to group myself in with them. And besides, why would I actively choose to bind myself to one style of magic when I can utilize them all? It’s simply illogical.”
Amity winced. “So, uh…it sounds like you wouldn’t be a fan of the convention today.”
Lilith visibly recoiled. “Oh Titan, no. I’ll be staying far away from that.” She frowned suspiciously. “Why…?”
The three teens glanced at eachother, as if begging the others to speak. Finally, Gus turned back to the Raven Lady and timidly spoke up.
“Weeeelll…neither Willow’s parents or my dad can take us, but we wanted to go, and we were sort of hoping you would take us?” He gestured at her house demon. “We even washed Hooty for you, see? So maybe you’d do us a favor in return?”
“Please, Lilith?” Amity chimed in. “I want to go too. I know you don’t like covens, but they sound interesting and I want to learn more. If I want to form an opinion on the coven system, shouldn’t I do the research myself instead of just taking your word for it? That’s like what you say the coven witches are- mindlessly following, or whatever.”
Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose. “Good Titan, when did this become my life?” she muttered, more to herself than the three young witches. “Three months ago I would have been brokering a deal with the most feared demon in the Night Market, or traveling to some undiscovered island to retrieve a deadly weapon and steal away hidden knowledge. Today I’m chaperoning other people’s children on an outing to a convention of all places?”
The three teens sat in silence for a moment before Gus piped up, “So…does that mean we’re going?”
Lilith spun on her heel and headed back into the house. “I’m going to go get dressed. Be ready in fifteen minutes.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You know, when you said you needed to get dressed, this wasn’t quite what I thought you meant,” Amity said.
Her mentor frowned at her, polished heels clicking against the pavement as she walked. “I changed clothes. What exactly did you think I meant?”
“Well, yeah, I can see that,” the teen clarified, glancing over the dress that the Raven Lady now wore. The underskirt and bodice were made of a light white fabric, while layers of flowy brown overskirt and a gray embroidered corset top met at a sleek leather belt. “And you look nice! I just wasn’t expecting…your hair?”
Lilith tugged on her braid, flushing slightly. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing!”, her human exclaimed hastily. “It’s really pretty. It’s just kind of a shock to see you go from midnight blue hair to…this!”
She gestured at Lilith’s long, shiny, and very red braid. “How did you even do that in like ten minutes?”
“Hmm.” Her mentor gave her a slightly suspicious look, as if doubtful that her words were sincere. “Well, the hair dye I use contains chameleon scales. I can change my hair when I please. It makes for an excellent disguise, since I am technically a wanted criminal in these circles.”
“Wait, you dye your hair?” Gus looked curiously at her, as if looking for traces of aforementioned dye. “What color is your hair naturally then?”
Lilith gave him a look and the boy gulped. “Never mind!”
“Can I dye my hair?”, Amity asked excitedly. The Raven Lady frowned at her, brow furrowing.
“Why do you need my permission?”
“Cause you’re the adult in the house, and I’m the kid?”
Lilith sighed. “That doesn’t make me your- never mind. We’ll discuss it when we get home. For now…”
She pushed open the large double doors. “Let’s get this over with.”
Amity gasped in amazement as the view hit her.
“Oh…my… wow… ”
The convention hall was huge , and packed to the brim with witches of every shape and size. As Amity watched, a pair of younger witchlings swooped by on floating broomsticks, leaving a trail of sparkles in their wake. The one in the lead nearly crashed into one of the large, colorful banners hanging from the ceiling- a gold one, embroidered with a glowing bottle. Eight others lined the halls above, each proudly displaying a unique symbol.
Gus caught Amity looking and grinned. “Awesome, right? Those are the banners of the nine main covens.”
“Of course, there are hundreds of others you can join,” Willow added. “The Flower Coven, the Artist Coven, the Big Dog Coven, the Small Cat Coven, the Tiniest Cat Coven…”
Lilith made a face. Amity giggled a little, then gasped. “Whoa!”
Over at another booth, a girl in purple robes stood surrounded by glowing crystals that floated through the air around her head. She waved her hand, and the crystals arranged themselves into the shape of a galaxy, sparkling constellations hovering around her head.
Amity stared, enraptured. The girl, who Amity noticed had three eyes- each a different shade of green- caught her eye and waved her over. “Enjoying the show?”
The human girl blushed and nodded. The older girl laughed and waved her over. “Come, come! What’s your name, young witch?”
“I’m- um- Amity,” she said shyly. The other witch grinned at her.
“Amity, huh? That’s pretty. I’m Sybil Montenegro, of the Oracle Coven!”
Amity tilted her head curiously as the rest of group approached. “The Oracle Coven?”
“Right!” Sybil exclaimed proudly. “We specialize in spirits, ghosts, and fortune-telling. My personal specialty is divination from the stars. Want to see?”
The human girl nodded excitedly. Sybil beamed. “Right then! I just need a volunteer…” She glanced around the little group. “Oh, here, how about I try your mother here?” She reached out and grabbed Lilith’s hand, ignoring her indignant spluttering. “Alright now ma’am, I just need your palm…”
Amity bounced excitedly in place as the fortune-teller tugged her guardian into the tent and under the crystal galaxy. Lilith, for her part, looked as though the only thing keeping her from slapping Sybil was sheer surprise.
“Ok, so now we hold your hand under the stars, and…” Face pinched slightly in concentration, the three-eyed girl drew a spell circle over her bemused subject’s palm. A glowing purple light grew from the circle, projecting across the crystals in sparkling patterns. Sybil gazed at the shadows flickering across the ceiling, humming in thought.
“Ok, so it looks like…hmm…” Lilith raised her eyebrows and the girl balked slightly. “Um, ok. It looks like the stars are telling me that today…you’ll stumble across some old friends, and those reunions will be bittersweet ones. However, you’ll also meet an old adversary today. I’m seeing…someone you used to be close to? Perhaps a good friend, or a maybe a si-”
Lilith wrenched her hand away. “That will be quite enough, thank you.” She whirled on her heel and stalked out of the tent.
Amity hastily grabbed a pamphlet and waved to the Oracle witch as she chased after her mentor. “Sorry! Thank you! Bye!” She caught up to Lilith, who wore a dark expression on her face. “Why’d you do that? Come on, she seemed nice.”
Lilith gave her a cross look. “I’m sure she did.”
“Then why were you so rude with her?” Amity complained.
Lilith crossed her arms. “It’s not her. It’s who she’s working for.” She glanced around and pointed. “Look there.”
Amity did. Across the room, a taller witch held a teenage boy’s hand in theirs. As she watched, the older witch lowered their hand- which Amity could see now was wrapped in a thick glove- and pressed it to the boy’s wrist. The boy winced, and as the witch lifted their hand, Amity could see a glowing purple eye etched into the skin there.
“You see? By joining a coven, that child just sealed away their magic. Permanently.” The Raven Lady gave her pupil a grim look. “For the rest of his days, he’ll only be able to perform oracle magic. That’s part of- that’s the reason I never joined one.”
Amity bit her lip. “Huh. That…ok, that’s a little messed up.”
Lilith glanced at her human’s downtrodden gaze and faltered. “Amity, I…I don’t mean to scare you. I just want you to understand the gravity of the situation. A coven can change one’s life, for certain, but…a coven can also ruin it.”
She sighed, expression bittering somewhat. “Take it from me.”
The human girl sighed. “I get it. Not everything is all it’s cracked up to be.”
They stood there in gloomy silence for a moment before Gus poked his head between them. “Weeeelllll….there is one coven where you can perform all types of magic.”
“Wait, what?” Amity asked, surprise coloring her face. “Which one?”
“The Emperor’s Coven!” Gus exclaimed. “They’re the best of the best, chosen especially to serve the Emperor. It’s every young witch’s dream to become one of them.”
Willow pointed ahead. “Look, there’s a couple of them now!”
Lilith jumped a little. Amity turned to see where Willow was looking. Sure enough, a pair of witches dressed in dramatic white capes and hooked masks stood in front of a large pair of double doors, topped with a large golden banner. Each had a golden clasp on the front of their shirts, and each carried a large, intimidating looking spear.
“Whoa.” Amity looked over the two witches, then up at the sign above the doors. “Wait, what’s that?”
Willow, standing at her side, squinted up at the banner. “Coven…presentations? Oh, wow! Looks like they’re having representatives from the main nine covens, plus a special mystery guest?”
She turned to Amity. “Should we go?”
Amity looked up at her mentor, who sighed reluctantly. “Fine. But after this, I’m done. If you wish to continue exploring, I’ll wait outside for you.”
The human shrugged. “Fine. Come on, let’s go!”
Together, they filed into through the double doors into a large, open space. The ceiling arched up into a high dome that looked impossible given the size of the building. A layer of fine sawdust covered the floor of the arena, surrounded by the ring of stadium-style seats that the group began to climb.
Amity glanced over her mentor’s face as they filed into their seats, trying to read her expression. Lilith caught her eye and raised her eyebrows.
“Yes?”
Amity blushed. “Sorry, I just…” She dropped her gaze, rubbing her arm awkwardly. “I was just wondering if you were ok, I guess. You seem…grumpier than usual today.”
Something dark passed over Lilith’s face and she turned her attention firmly away towards the stage at the back of the ring.
Amity sighed and fidgeted with her hands. She wasn’t entirely sure what, but something was clearly bothering Lilith- something beyond just the convention itself. She really did want to help, but she didn’t know how.
Before she could summon up the courage to ask again, the lights began to dim. Amity’s attention snapped to the back of the ring, where a stage was rising up from thin air. Floating spotlights twirled through the air and pointed at-
Principal Bump?
Well, she’d seen stranger.
“People of Bonesborough!” The principal boomed into a winged microphone. “I am Hieronymus Bump, principal of Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.”
There were a handful of obligatory cheers from around the room. Gus put his fingers to his lips and wolf-whistled. Lilith made a face.
Bump waved appreciatively, then gestured the microphone closer and began to pace. “As an educator, I have the pleasure of working with the young witches of our future. Students ask me one question all the time- what is the height of magical achievement?”
“ What is it?! ” The students around the gym parroted.
“Well, witches and demons,” Bump replied. “I’m here today to introduce you to it- or should I say to them ! People of Bonesborough, I give you- the nine Coven Heads!”
Whoops and cheers echoed throughout the room as, behind Bump, nine stages rose into the air. Each one had a single witch standing on it, rising up against a corresponding banner in the light of a bright spotlight.
The principal gestured grandly behind him at the first stage on the left. “From the Illusion Coven, Head Witch Adrian Graye Vernworth!”
A sleek-looking man with tightly curled blue hair and a long, tufted tail leapt down from the platform. Amity gasped in amazement as his image seemed to flicker, splitting into several identical copies of himself that danced around him in a graceful circle as he seemingly drifted to the ground.
“Head Witch of the Plant Coven, Terra Snapdragon!” Bump boomed. An older woman dressed in an oddly…organic looking dress twirled her finger in a lazy circle. A tall, thick vine drifted up from the ground, and she stepped daintily onto it, waving like a princess as it carried her down to join her colleague.
“Representing the Abomination Coven, Darius Deamonne!”
From the orchid colored platform, rivulets of abomination goo flowed down in a swirling fountain. They streamed across the arena and climbed the walls of the ring, darting up the stairs to pool not far away from the little group’s seats. A spotlight cut through the air to reach the puddle of abomination as it began to grow, transforming into the shape of what looked to be an enormous witch, with glowing green eyes and oozing, gloopy fingers.
The monster waved to the crowd, then twisted and collapsed in on itself. The goo cleared away to the cheering of the crowd, revealing a dark-skinned man dressed in a royal orchid uniform. His hair and beard bubbled and twisted on his head, and Amity realized that it was made of the same stuff as the abomination he’d just transformed himself into.
As Principal Bump continued introducing coven heads in the background, Amity focused her attention on Head Witch Deamonne. He strutted down the aisles, occasionally pausing for a photo or autograph. The very top of his hair had a bright green shape floating in it- one that almost seemed to blink when the human stared at it for long enough.
The Coven Head paused as he reached their row, catching Amity’s eye. He glanced at her and then behind her. Then, to her surprise, he strolled down into their row.
Willow and Gus both gasped. The Abomination witch glanced at them both coolly as he plucked the program from a startled Amity’s hand and conjured up a pen.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured out of the corner of his lips as he signed the pamphlet. Amity turned bright red.
“Um- I- uh, I know I’m not- but I-”
“Not you,” the Coven Head said sharply. He flitted his eyes upwards briefly, looking over her shoulder. Amity glanced behind her as well, now thoroughly confused.
Lilith raised her eyebrows, her face a relaxed mask. “And when has what I should or shouldn’t do ever stopped me before, Head Witch?”
The elegant man looked ready to argue with her, but cut himself off with a cursory tch! “Very well then. At least I can say that I tried.”
He reached past Amity and handed her mentor the program, who took it with a wry look. “ It’s good to see you too,” she whispered, giving his hand a little squeeze.
“Hmmph.” Darius made a face, but let his gloved fingers linger in hers for a moment before pulling away and stalking away down the aisle.
All three teens turned and gaped at Lilith, who allowed herself a little smile in return as she settled back into her seat. Gus, being the first to recover, tugged excitedly at her sleeve.
“You know the Head Witch of the Abomination Coven?! How? Are you guys friends?”
“How did he recognize you?” Amity blurted, a bit of worry beginning to creep into the edges of her mind. Lilith shooed away their questions, looking a tad bit amused.
“We’ve known each other a long time. Had I known he’d be here, I’d be surprised if he didn’t recognize me.” She flashed Gus a little smirk. “Ask your father about it sometime.”
Gus’s eyes, if even possible, seemed to get even wider. “My dad? My dad is part of the Raven Lady’s mysterious backstory?!”
Lilith snorted softly. “Pay attention.” She gestured towards the front, where Head Witch Deamonne had rejoined the rest of his colleagues- now a total of nine witches surrounding the stage in a semicircle. “It looks like they’re about to introduce your big ‘mystery guest’.”
All three kids immediately whipped around to face the front.
Down in the ring, Principal Bump was leading the room in a round of cheers and clapping. “Yes, yes! Truly, the most powerful witches in their covens. But you may wonder…who is the most powerful among them?”
“Who is it? ”, the audience parroted. Down in the ring, Amity could see several different coven heads make a face.
“Well, look no further!” Bump boomed. “Witches and demons, it is my pleasure to introduce to you to the best of the best, the greatest among the great! She’s the most powerful witch the Boiling Isles- and a Hexside alumnus to boot. From the Emperor’s Coven themselves, I give you…Head Witch Edalyn Clawthorne !”
Amity gasped. “Wait, Clawthorne?”
Down in the auditorium, a geyser of colorful flames erupted from the center of the ring. They twisted and grew, becoming a burning pillar of bright, vibrantly hued fire as the audience shrieked- though whether it was in excitement or fear, it was difficult to tell. The flames writhed like a infernal serpent and began to twist, forming the shape of a large owl. The bird swooped down and flew three tight circles over the audience, so close that Amity could feel the heat of its burning body rippling through the air above her.
The giant flaming owl soared into the air above the center of the auditorium. It hovered there for a moment, then tucked its wings against its sides and dove , straight down into the center of the ring.
There was a crash and an explosion of smoke. The entire audience gasped, twisting and craning their necks to see into the center.
From the center of the plume, a figure emerged. They wore a dress with long, draping sleeves and a dramatically flared skirt that swirled in the ash left in their wake.
As the figure drew closer, Amity could see that it belonged to a woman. She was tall and pale, with thick, dark red hair and bright golden eyes lined sharply like a falcon’s. Her sheer black dress was accentuated with splotches of gold glitter, opening in the front to reveal black and gold patterned leggings underneath, and a matching gold breastplate covered her torso and shoulders. She carried herself with an air of importance, confidence oozing from the very tips of her long-nailed fingers to the heels of her metal-toed boots.
The stadium erupted in whoops and cheers as the woman strolled to the stage, waving playfully to the crowd and occasionally stopping to blow a kiss. After a good amount of galavanting and theatrics, she mounted the stage and retrieved the mic from Principal Bump.
“Thanks, Bumpikins!”, she purred, throwing him a playful wink. The principal rolled his eyes, which made the red-headed witch laugh before she kept going. “As our dear principal said, I’m Eda Clawthorne- head witch of the Emperor’s Coven and the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!”
The crowd cheered. Lilith rolled her eyes.
“Now, I wasn’t always the best, hard as that is to believe,” Eda continued. “Once, I was just a lowly Hexside student like you all. But I played it smart and clawed my way to the top, and just look at me now.” She waved her staff- which Amity could see was topped with a little carved owl- and a shower of sparks erupted in its wake. The crowd whooped in delight, and Eda bowed, grinning.
“So kids, if you want to be like me, don’t just sit there. Be more! We’re waiting!”
The crowd erupted in cheering as the Coven Heads all joined her on the stage, waving and occasionally sending small spells such as flowers and light spells into the audience. As she clapped, Amity snuck a glance at Lilith. A dark look had slunk across her face, a mix of anger and something else- sadness, maybe?- marinating behind her green eyes.
The human girl tugged on her mentor’s sleeve. “Lilith…Principal Bump said her last name was Clawthorne. Are you guys…do you know eachother?”
Lilith bit down on her lip so hard that it looked to be near drawing blood. “You could say that.”
Amity tilted her head like a curious cat. “You know, it seems like every time I learn more about you, your past somehow gets even more mysterious.” She brightened slightly. “You’re like a character in a fantasy book! Like Hecate from the Good Witch Azura!”
Lilith shot her a dangerous look and the girl gulped. “I’m gonna stop talking now.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” her mentor said, sounding annoyed. She stood abruptly and gestured for the kids to follow. “Let’s go. We’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” Gus protested. “But we haven’t even taken the quiz to determine our coven type.”
“We’re leaving, ” Lilith snapped. Gus gulped.
“Ok, leaving.”
The three teens followed her out of the stadium and through the building in silence, exchanging confused looks. They had just made it out of the double doors and turned towards the staff takeoff point when-
“Oh, Lily! Going so soon?”
Lilith tensed, but continued walking. Amity glanced over her shoulder, but her mentor quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her along- hard .
Suddenly, from behind them, a glowing owl swooped out of the sky. It flapped its massive wings, sending the little group staggering backwards and nearly knocking Gus off his feet. Amity straightened up and whirled around angrily. “Hey! What do you think you’re-”
She gasped and cut herself off mid-sentence.
Standing in front of her was Eda Clawthorne, the red-headed Head Witch from earlier. She was smiling, but there was something predatory about it, as if she were a spider who’d just caught a little fly. “Well, aren’t you a feisty one? Who’s this, Lily? Did you go and have a kid when I wasn’t looking?”
Lilith immediately pushed Amity behind her, putting herself between the kids and the other witch. “Leave her alone, Edalyn,” she hissed quietly.
The other witch feigned a pout. “Oh, come on, Lils. Don’t be so cold. It’s just your baby sister!”
“Sister?” Amity blurted. Lilith shot her a look and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. Eda simply laughed.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t told this lovely little girl about your favorite little sister, Lily? I’m hurt.”
“I only have one sister. The bar isn’t exactly high,” Lilith snapped. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we were just-”
“Leaving? But why?” Eda raised her eyebrows. “Come to think of it, why did you come in the first place? Not the smartest move, sis. Unless-”
Abruptly, the smug look on her face fell, replaced by a genuine look of…hope? She grabbed Lilith’s free hand in both of hers. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing, Lils? Are you finally gonna admit I’m right and join the Emperor’s Coven?”
Lilith wrenched her hand away, looking disgusted. “ Absolutely not. I really don’t know how to convince you that I won’t do it. My eyes are thoroughly clear of the rose-colored glasses, Edalyn. You can’t fool me with your glitz and glamour.”
The Coveness gave her an annoyed look. “It’s not just glitz and glamour, Lily. It’s power. It’s luxury. It’s fame.”
“It’s working yourself into the ground on a daily basis just pushing others down so you can be at the top,” Lilith said coldly. “It’s cutting yourself off from everything but your work.”
“I don’t do that.”
“Oh really?” The Raven Lady raised an eyebrow. “And pray tell, how is Raine?”
Her sister’s face darkened into something bordering on anger. “Don’t you dare go there.”
Lilith gasped, putting a hand to her chest in mock horror. “Oh no, sister. Don’t tell me I struck a nerve! It’s been nearly two decades, is the wound still really that fresh?” She perched her free hand on her hip. “Perhaps you should do some introspection as to why that is. Maybe because you know exactly why they left you and that you absolutely deserved it?”
The Coveness gritted her teeth, and the hand not clutching her staff curled into a fist. “You just make it so hard to want to help you, Lily. You really, really do.”
Her sister laughed- a genuine, surprised chuckle, but with no mirth behind it. “Help me? You want to help me ?”
“Yes!” Edalyn exclaimed. “Yes, I do, but you just have to go around acting like a prissy, stuck-up little bitch , don’t you?!”
A sudden, white-hot chord of anger hummed through Amity. Who did this lady think she was, coming up and insulting Lilith? What had she ever done to her?
She tugged her hand free of her mentor’s and ducked under her arm to face the other witch. “Leave her alone! And- and don’t call her that!”
Eda laughed. “And what exactly are you going to do about it, kiddo?”
Amity’s mind flashed through a whirlwind of thoughts. One, however, came to the forefront. A scene from the Good Witch Azura, where Azura had stood up for her father’s honor against the spiteful prince.
“I- I challenge you to a witch’s duel!” Amity blurted.
Gus and Willow both gasped. Lilith’s face drained of all color and she gave Amity an horrified look. Meanwhile, her sister’s grin widened. “You challenge me to a duel? Oh, this is too good.” She bent down to get a better look at the young human. “You can’t be older than what, fourteen or fifteen? Oh, and look at those ears ! Is she human, Lily? Where did you even find one of these?”
Lilith backed away, drawing Amity close to her side protectively. “Edalyn, please. Be reasonable. She’s a child, she doesn’t know what she’s saying. Surely this sort of challenge would be beneath you, anyways.”
The other witch laughed. “As much as I appreciate the compliment, Lily, I have every right to accept her challenge, and you can’t stop me.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I am feeling generous today, though. How about instead of dueling me herself, she duels my protogé?”
She clapped her hands. “Yes, that’ll work just fine! Oh Luz! ”
A very familiar dark-haired girl popped up from a nearby stall. “What’s up, Eda?”
Amity gulped. “Oh, crud.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amity’s heart pounded in her chest. Just an hour earlier, she’d been sitting in the stands of this very stadium. Now, she stood underneath the glaring spotlights, facing Luz Noceda- the girl who’d almost gotten her killed her first visit to Hexside, and the goddaughter of the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles.
She was definitely in trouble.
As the Coveness herself strolled to the center of the ring and began speaking, Amity snuck a glance at her mentor. She stood a safe distance away, brow furrowed and arms crossed. A look of barely perceptable worry adorned her pale features, which did not help Amity’s nerves in the slightest.
She took a deep breath. Just remember the plan, just remember the plan…
“If I truly can’t convince you to back down, we’ll have to take a more…illegitimate strategy,” Lilith had said earlier. “I can rig the arena with magical traps. The only thing you’ll have to do is step on them.”
Though she’d considered it, Amity ultimately hadn’t argued. She’d only seen Luz do a little bit of magic, but it was enough to know that she was strong. She only had three glyphs- light, ice and plant- and she didn’t have nearly enough control over them to hold a candle to the other girl.
Amity snapped back to focus as Edalyn Clawthorne stepped back between the teens. “Are you ready, girls? Good.” She grinned wickedly. “On my mark. One…”
Amity’s palms were sweating. She had to concentrate to stop herself from trembling.
“Two…”
She shot a glance back at Lilith, hoping for some reassurance.
“Thre-”
“ Wait!”
All eyes in the room shot from the girls to the Raven Lady, who stepped forward and lightly pushed her young ward behind her. “Enough of this, Edalyn. Are we really so childish that we fight through teenagers?” She opened one hand and her staff flew to her side. “Our quarrel is our own. If you’re truly the great witch you say you are…”
She flicked her finger. A bubble of blue energy scooped up Luz and Amity, tossing them awkwardly on top of eachother in a tangled mess. Lilith deposited them to the side, the bubble floating to her hand and forming into a ball of fire. “Then stand and face me yourself, sister.”
For a moment, Eda stood there, looking rather stunned. Then, her face broke into an even wider, sinister but genuine grin. “There she is.”
She twirled her staff in the air, tracing a golden circle. A beam of magic burst from the center and shot at Lilith, who quickly summoned a beam of her own. The spells crashed together, clashing in a sparking burst of light as the sisters each pressed forward, trying to force the other back before Lilith flicked her finger to the side. Her spell dissolved and she dropped to one knee, ducking under her sister’s spell as the latter staggered off balance.
Before Eda recovered, Lilith drew a quick spell circle under herself, dropping into a pit where she disappeared into, reappearing behind her opponent. She pointed her staff at the other and a blast of flames burst from the carved raven at the front.
The other witch barely managed to summon a shield over her head. The flames spilled off the top like a very viscous liquid, pooling on the ground. Amity gasped and tugged Luz away unconsciously. “Watch out!”
Lilith growled and leapt forward, slamming the butt of her staff into her sister’s shield. She ground down, spreading cracks across the magical aegis. Her sister backed away, looking for the first time nervous, then-
She smirked. Amity cried out in warning, but it was too late. Eda drew a spell circle and shattered the shield, sending explosive bursts of magic flying in every direction. Lilith yelped, stumbling backwards.
A bright golden piece of magical shrapel sailed through the air towards the girls. Amity gasped, arms instinctively coming up to shield her head when-
Someone’s arms were around her, scooping her up bridal-style and staggering back out of harm’s way. She made a little squeaking noise and instinctively wrapped her arms around the person’s neck as they whirled around and darted through the doors with her. She could hear the horrified shrieks of the audience behind them as the doors slammed shut.
Her rescuer ran around a corner and dropped down onto one knee in a corner behind some crates. Amity, still shocked, twisted to look at their face.
Luz Noceda gave her a surprisingly shy little smile. “You ok?”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lilith spared a quick glance towards the doors to make sure that the girls had made it to safety before returning her attention to her sister. Eda was grinning, barely even winded as she readied another spell circle.
“I think not,” Lilith hissed. She raised her hand to draw a spell circle of her own and Edalyn’s eyes flitted to her hand unconsciously. Quickly, she swept her staff in a low circle, smacking into her sister’s ankles and knocking her off her feet. Edalyn yelped as she crashed to the ground, sitting up only to be met with Lilith’s staff pointing directly between her eyes.
“Yield, Edalyn.”
Eda stared down the staff for a moment, looking stunned, and Lilith allowed herself a little smile at her victory. Then, her sister’s expression melted into a smug grin. Before Lilith could react, she drew a spell circle with one red-nailed finger and summoned a large, intimidating wooden owl.
Lilith gasped, darting out of the way, but a second head erupted from the owl’s wooden neck and knocked her off her feet. More heads sprouted from the hydra-like creature wrapped around her, squeezing her uncomfortably tightly.
Edalyn stood as her sister struggled pointlessly. She grinned, drawing a massive spell circle in the air.
“Say goodnight, sister.”
She slammed her staff on the ground and a beam of magic blasted from the center of the circle. Lilith gasped, her face twisting into an expression of horror, before the spell hit her dead-on. The Raven Lady flew backwards through the air with a cry of pain, hitting the wall with a sickening thud. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the point of impact and she slumped over, collapsing amongst the rubble.
Eda grinned. “I win, Lily!” She waited a moment. “Lily?”
Her sister didn’t stir. The Coveness’s grin faltered slightly. “Lils? You, uh…you ok?”
No answer. Frowning, Eda walked a few steps closer, craning her neck to see Lilith properly. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. She wasn’t moving, sprawled awkwardly out in the dust.
Edalyn’s eyes widened. “Oh shit. Lily? Titan, I didn’t kill ya, did I?”
She took another few steps closer. Her sister’s hand twitched and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh Titan, you had me scared for a second, Lil- ack! ”
Without warning, something smacked into the back of her head- hard. Eda groaned, staggering and clutching her head. Spots were darting across her vision as she dropped to her knees. Ahead of her, she could see her sister straighten up and catch the staff she must have summoned, the staff that had struck her on its way there.
As she knelt there in the dust, clutching her head, Lilith strolled around her and headed for the exit.
“It was good to see you, sister. Let’s do this again sometime.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amity flushed bright red, squirming in Luz’s arms. “Wha- put me down!”
“Ok, ok, sorry!” Luz carefully set her on her feet. “A thank you would be nice, you know.”
Amity stumbled to the side and sat down on a nearby crate, crossing her arms. “Fine. Thank you or whatever. A sorry would be nice too though, while we’re at it.”
Luz frowned. “What? What for?”
“For ruining Willow’s project! For turning her in to Principal Bump and almost getting me killed!” Amity exclaimed. “And the worst part is, you didn’t even do it for a reason. You just thought it would be funny, you jerk!”
The witch’s face dropped. A moment of silence passed before she plopped down onto the floor next to the human. “Do…you really think of me like that? Like I’m just mean?”
“Yes,” Amity snapped. “Willow wants me to give you the benefit of the doubt or whatever, but I don’t want to. I’ve known plenty of people like you, people who think they’re funny who say that it’s just a joke and expect you to laugh along with them. Well I’m not laughing, and neither is poor Willow.”
The witch next to her stared at the ground. “I…I’m sorry. I really don’t like people like that either. I…guess I just didn’t stop and think.” She glanced up at Amity. “I dunno if it makes it any better, but I teased you guys because I think you’re kinda cool. Especially you.”
Amity bit her lip, glaring at the ground. “That doesn’t make it better. We’re still not friends.”
Luz nodded sadly. “I understand.”
Surprisingly, Amity reached out and abruptly took her hands. “But we could be. If you try, and if I try, maybe we could be. You work on being more self-aware, I’ll work on being less defensive, and we both look out for Willow and Gus, ok?”
Luz’s face split into a smile. “Deal.”
She offered Amity her hand. After a moment, the girl grabbed it and shook it.
The pair shared a grin for a moment before Lilith Clawthorne came sweeping in from around the corner, followed by Willow and Gus. “Come now, Amity. We need to leave. For real this time.”
“Huh?” Amity let go of Luz’s hand as her mentor grasped her shoulders and began to shoo her towards the doors of the convention center. “What’s going on? What happened with Eda?”
“Never you mind, dear. Now come on, let’s go.”
Amity glanced over her shoulder as her friends and guardian ushered her quickly out the door. She caught a glimpse of Luz Noceda, standing amongst the crates with a little grin still on her face. She waved.
Amity waved back.
Notes:
Featured OC is from Mr_Spinner! Thanks for submitting her!
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