Trigger warning...hang on, once sec. *Grabs magic staff to draw a protective barrier around house*
Okay, now where is that glyph for invisibility...*Finds invisibility glyph* Don't hate me!
Trigger Warning: blood and some disturbing content.

After having spent so many hours in the company of a talking shadow that was quite possibly an actual Greater Demon, Amity felt it odd to be talking with a real ghost. The fact that it was Emilia's ex-fiance made it even stranger, considering Ghost Host had barely described Damien's part in the whole enactment of the curse. Though Amity was happy they had someone more, well, witch-like to talk to, she did find herself missing the shadowy trickster. Even if they were the Nowhere Demon.

Damien "sat" on his chosen chair and listened intently as each member of Team Owlet recounted what they had learned about the curse, the Pandor's history, and what happened after the Ghost Host had sent them off to the crypt. Amity expected Luz to jump at the chance to tell their side of the story, but the human had remained uncharacteristically quiet since they entered Damien's residence, only speaking with the occasional single-word answers, but mostly humming in response, preferring to stay by the cluttered desk. It bothered Amity to see Luz be so distant after how things had been progressing between them, but what she said about liking someone else? Amity did not know how to respond to that.

"Miss Blight?"

Amity jumped and turned to see Damien looking at her, clearly expecting her to answer whatever he had asked. "I'm so sorry, what was that? And please, call me Amity."

"Amity," the ghost nodded. "I was curious where you found Emilia's palisman? It's strange to see Artemis separate from his staff, even without his mistress."

"Oh, we found him in the family mausoleum after Gus and Skara were told by Madame Leota he was needed to break the curse."

Damian raised an eyebrow and looked at the duo in question. "Really? What did she tell you?"

Skara looked at Gus. "Find the black crypt with no name for the familiar that must be found and…" she frowned. "Something about the living having to dance? Two hearts for two souls?"

"Something like that." Gus nodded. "It was a little hard with the floating and spinning and the psycho band."

"Bloody Titan, even in death she's still a handful." Damien looked from them to Willow and Boscha, his gaze lingering on the silver hatchet. "Chiaro's ax. I never expected to see that again. He cared for that blade almost as much as he did for Emilia, saying it was his pride and joy. Even after he became a servant inside the household and no longer needed its use, he still made sure the blade never went dull and always stayed in pristine shape." He adjusted his cravat and shifted on the chair. "Mezzanotte wanted assurance that her little brother was protected. If any of the other servants or demons so much as looked at him in a threatening manner, she was quick to guard him." A distant look flashed across his eyes as if he were watching the memory unfold. "When Chiaro was found and declared dead, Mezzanotte and I did all we could to try to console Emilia. We knew she was distraught, but we never expected her to...take her own life. Chiaro's death was the destruction of the cornerstone that held the Pandor hierarchy together. Without him and Emilia, it all fell to ruins."

Boscha looked at the weapon in her hands and studied the smooth silver blade, no doubt thinking of the level of care its previous owner had shown it. "So then, if he cared so much about this thing, why was it in the greenhouse with a killer...hey, Luz? What was that thing called? A poop-kin?"

Luz glanced up from Rex. "Pumpkin,"

"Yeah, that. Why was it next to a giant killer poompkin?"

"Ghost Host called it Jack the Pumpkin King." Willow added. "There was some sort of smudge on the floor when we pulled out."

Damien was silent for a while, his cheek resting on his fist. "I'm not so sure you'll want the answer to that question. It's very…unpleasant."

"Trust us, Ghosty," King said from the nearby couch where he was curled up by Amity. "We've seen a lot of unpleasant things here tonight. And don't forget I'm the King of Demons, I've had my fair share of unpleasant acts. Nothing you say will phase us."

"If you insist." Damien cleared his throat and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I was murdered with that ax at the hands of the Nowhere Demon."

The hatchet slipped from Boscha's grasp and hit the floor, its blade lodging in the fine rug and polished wood. She backed away from the smooth handle as if it were one of the zombies from the crypt and hurriedly wiped her hands down the sides of her shirt. Amity instantly turned to see Luz's reaction, but her face had disappeared beneath her cat-eared hoodie, only showing her eyes. The glimmer of tears had Amity jumping from her seat and rushing over to the girl, awkwardness and confusion between them be damned.

"Luz, Luz, I need you to take a breath right now. You look like you're about to pass out." Her heart stopped when Luz started to sag in her arms and she quickly guided her down to sit on the desk chair. Luz still was holding onto Rex, but now she was clenching the staff so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Amity crouched down when Luz folded forward, her head between her knees. The witch could hear her muttering under her breath and placed a hand on her leg to squeeze gently. "Breathe Luz, just breathe."

Luz shook her head. "Why? Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. Why would they do that? How could they do that? I...I thought…"

"The Ghost Host was a friend." Amity finished. She watched Luz hunch her shoulders and ran her hand across her back in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. Her parents had never been the type to comfort or console so it felt strange. Still, she was willing to try for Luz.

"How?" Luz sniffled and a few tears fell to the floor. "If all of this was true about the Nowhere Demon, how could it be so nice to us? And why? Just to mess with us for the whole night? It doesn't make any sense! I mean, sure, they had a mysterious, creepy entrance and looked like a demon, but how do we know they are really the Nowhere Demon? What if it's a coincidence?" She turned her head to look at Amity and the witch bit her lip at the mournful gaze.

How badly she wanted Luz to be right, that the Ghost Host and the Nowhere Demon were two different beings. That they were still their friend and caretaker to the happy haunts of the mansion. If only they could know who the Ghost Host had been in their past life…

"Do you remember what happened before you…" Willow clasped her hands together and swallowed. "Before you died?"

Damien stared at her curiously and nodded. "Yes, I do. Astor and Ophelia ordered Mezzanotte and I to do everything in our Titan given power to bring their daughter back. They could not accept she was gone, not even death could separate them from Emilia. You could say it was their twisted version of love, though I doubt they ever truly understood the meaning of that word."

Amity tried her best to not think too hard about the irony of those words and her own family.

"I think it was the last formula we created where Astor chose to take matters into his own hands. A spell that would combine the soul of a witch with the body of a demon. We were confident it would work, but Astor did not let us test it, and chose to enact it himself." Damien looked up at the team. "That is why he wanted to summon the Nowhere Demon, to have a creature that he could subject to his will should the spell go wrong. Unfortunately, it did more than go wrong, it was catastrophic. When he opened the portal for the summoning ritual, Mezzanotte was pulled in and all life in the manor became frozen in time. I barely managed to survive the blast radius, but when I tried to escape, the Nowhere Demon arrived. Mezzanotte had kept Chiaro's ax at the ready should the demon try to attack, but when I fought, it quickly overpowered me and…" he shrugged. "The rest is history. I can't say for certain how long I was gone, but in that length of time, the Nowhere Demon took full control of the souls trapped within the mansion and had begun to lure unsuspecting victims to feed off. Only recently did the Nowhere Demon begin to realize it needed the curse to be broken if it were to free itself of Astor's chains. But to do that, it would need two living hearts that matched Chiaro and Emilia. The heart of a human and a witch, together in love, to be what Chiaro and Emilia were denied." He sighed and leaned back to stare at the fire. "Chiaro was like a brother to me, even though he was a human who could not perform magic and spent all his time hiding away in the Pandor tunnels. When the shoggoth attacked him that night, after he was thrown out of the engagement party, he had already lost the will to live."

"Shoggoth?" Amity looked at the ghost.

"Yes," Damien nodded. "Aside from the Nowhere Demon, Astor had found a way to tap into the ancient eldritch forces to guard the family legacy from those who would deface it. Brutal monsters that could not discern friend from foe, they hungered for the blood of their victims, never showing mercy."

Something about those words made Amity's ears twitch and she turned to Luz. Ghost Host had said Damien was one of the first to accuse Astor and Ophelia of murdering Chiaro, but had never said how. Brow furrowed, Amity read the question in Luz's eyes and nodded. "I thought you said the shoggoth's only stayed in the Pandor tunnels?"

"Correct,"

"Wasn't Chiaro's body found in the woods on the estate?"

"He was."

"Then, how could a shoggoth have attacked him if he was on the mansion grounds?" Slowly, Amity stood and took a step forward, her gaze now locked on Damien. She would have taken another step, but felt Luz grasp her hand, making her stop. "And, I could have sworn it was two days after the engagement party that he was found. How could you know he was attacked by a shoggoth that night? Unless," her eyes narrowed. "You knew about it."

A log in the fireplace popped, sending sparks flitting up into the air as every single pair of eyes fixated on the ghost lounging in the armchair. Slowly, the members of Team Owlet who had situated themselves within close proximity to Damien began to inch towards Luz and Amity. Hands clasped tightly, Amity felt a light tug on her arm when Luz got to her feet and lifted Rex to set the butt of the staff on the floor, her eyes hardening. Taking another step forward, Amity glared at the ghost's rippling form.

"You killed Chiaro, didn't you?"

Resting his cheek on his fist, Damien looked at Amity with a bored expression.

"Didn't you?"

Sighing, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "You know, for a moment there I truly thought I had you all fooled. It would have been so much easier to just simply keep you all here for the remainder of the night and let you leave in the morning to rejoin the living, but I guess that's no longer an option, is it?" Lifting a hand, Damien placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Barking quickly filled the air and the team shot back as the door burst open and a massive grizzled hound with grey fur and three snarling heads lumbered into the room. A glowing green ball was clenched in the main head's mouth, while the other two snapped at the shocked witchlings.

"This is my palisman, Basker," Damian said as if the creature were a docile pet. "I'm sure you remember her from earlier in the tunnels when she tried to return Artemis to his proper owner?"

Amity held up her hand to block the fox from view, feeling the palisman duck behind her neck.

"Now, Basker here has kindly brought a friend to me to help answer a few questions I have regarding the matter of breaking this bloody curse and freeing Emilia's soul from her self-inflicted purgatory." Damien watched the beast drop the glowing green orb at his feet and leaned forward. "Basker, guard the witchlings if you please? We don't want them wandering off to places where they shouldn't."

The hound growled and launched its hulking body over the furniture to plant itself between Team Owlet and the open door, its three heads snapping at them with fangs made of silver. Gus and Skara glanced over Luz's arms at the orb in the middle of the room and gasped.

"Madame Leota?!"

The glowing orb flickered and Damien grinned at the floating head. "Good evening, Madame, it's been far too long. I would certainly say that even in death, you are still quite the vision."

"And you're still the same conniving little necromantist brat who could never have enough. I thought your spirit was trapped in the greenhouse. What do you want with me?"

"Quite simple, really," Damien nodded to the team. "It's about those children over there. This 'Ghost Host' gave them the clues needed to break the curse, and you told two of them the information on freeing Chiaro and Emilia's souls. I'd like to know what those clues are and what to do to break it myself. But, only enough to free Emilia. That human can stay trapped in purgatory for all I care."

Luz blinked. "Whoa, talk about flipping sides there. You went from him being like a brother to lower than dirt."

Madame Leota huffed and rotated to look at Luz. "Oh, it was true at first. He and Chiaro were the best of friends, but when he realized Emilia would rather be with a magic-less human than an all-powerful witch, his fragile little ego couldn't take it."

"Be quiet!" The flames in the fireplace erupted. "Tell me what you told the witchlings, and I won't shatter you."

"Ooooh, I'm so scared." The oracle stared up at the witch through half-lidded eyes. "I'm already dead, you idiot. You can't threaten me."

"But I can make you tell me, remember," Damien leaned over the crystal ball. "My mother was a noted fortune-teller, your old partner I believe?"

For a moment it looked like Madame Leota tried to retreat within her ball, but a dark eyebrow arched. "Last time I checked though, you don't have a corporeal body and that's kind of important if you want to use your magic on an oracle."

Damien leaned back, growling softly. "Yes, you're quite right Madame. I do need a corporeal body in order to cast my magic, and to regain that, I'll need the blood of the living. Preferably," he slowly turned his head and Amity's blood went ice-cold when his eyes fell on Luz. "From a powerful witch."

Amity saw him nod to Basker and the hound lashed out to grab hold of Luz's arm. Instead, it closed on Amity's as she shoved Luz to the side and threw up her arms for a shield, feeling the knife-like teeth grasp hold and pull her down. Screaming, Amity tried to draw a spell circle, but the hound was quick to yank her off her feet and towards its master.

"Amity!" Luz yelled, but one of Basker's heads peeled from its side, becoming a separate hound on its own that snapped at her when she tried to attack. The second head split off into another hound to flank the team on the opposite end, growling as it fixed its glowing red eyes on them.

Hissing as she was dragged across the room, Amity tried to pull herself free, but the jaws clamped over her arm were stronger than anything she had ever fought before. Jerking its head, Basker flipped her around so Amity was sitting next to Madame Leota's crystal ball and looking up at Damien's ghostly visage.

"So, you would sacrifice yourself for the safety of another? I wonder why?" Damien leaned in close and Amity felt the air around her drop in temperature. The way he was looking at her, how his eyes were trailing over her face, her eyes, her hair, felt like he was doing more than just studying her. From the other side of the room, Amity heard one of the Basker clones snarl and Luz snarl right back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willow and Boscha had hooked their arms under Luz's shoulders to hold her. Damien glanced her way as well and his grin turned into a vicious leer.

"Well, well, well, young love in the air. How absolutely touching."

Amity stiffened when she heard Luz whisper to Willow. "Young love? What's he talking about?"

"Oh," The word was drawn out when Damien turned back to Amity. "Unrequited. What a pity. I understand your pain, my dear."

The witchling looked away from Damien, but that only made him chuckle, and she clenched her fists.

"Seriously, what's he talking about?"

"Hmph, clearly not the observant type."

"Shut up!" Amity snapped, her eyes burning holes in the ghost's face. Basker's hold on her arms was not giving, but if she could just get enough freedom to rotate her wrist, then maybe she could draw a spell circle. "You don't know everything about what we've done here, we're so close to breaking the curse. When the Ghost Host finds us, they're going to make you pay for what you've done." The fangs holding her arms pricked at her skin and a few drops of blood dripped onto the rug.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that, Miss Blight." Getting up from his chair, Damien slowly paced around the palisman, not bothering to look at the rest of the group. "You see, there is no 'Ghost Host', only the Nowhere Demon, and it doesn't care about you or your friends. Besides, in order to free both Emilia and Chiaro, you'll need two living beings, a witch and a human, in love with each other."

Amity froze and her eyes went straight to Luz. Boscha, Willow, Skara, Gus, and King all looked at each other with realization and dread. Damien did not know Luz was a human, either because she still had her hoodie up and he hadn't seen her ears or he did not see her use her glyphs to cast magic. From behind Skara's hair, Artemis peeked out to look at Amity, having leapt off her shoulders when Basker attacked.

"However," Damien continued, stopping to crouch at Amity's side. "Since you have so heroically offered yourself in place of your clueless, unrequited love, I'll just have to accept your blood instead."

"Hey! Who said it was unrequited?"

The only thing keeping Amity from face-planting the rug was the literal death-grip on her arms as she stared, wide-eyed and pink-faced, at Luz. What the Titan did she just say? Basker yanked her down when she tried to stand, causing her to cry out as its fangs sank deeper into her arms, which only made Luz pull harder in Boscha and Willow's hold.

"Leave her alone!"

Snarling, Damien looked over his shoulder. "Be quiet witchling! I spent centuries held in place by that blasted silver blade, too much time in this purgatory, to let a group of meddlesome children such as you get in my way!" Behind him, Amity whimpered as Basker pulled at the bandage around her shoulder to expose the gash from the shoggoth's claws. Fresh, bright-red blood pooled up between the torn fragments of skin from the fang tips pricking at the tender flesh. Luz lunged in the grip holding her back, tears burning in her eyes, as Damien rotated around and knelt beside Amity. Opening his mouth, Amity watched in sick horror as his top fangs grew to become needle-thin and sharp. "I hope you're not squeamish, Miss Blight."

When his mouth closed over the wound, it felt as if all the warmth was being drained out of it. Amity couldn't even find the strength to scream, her body was instantly overtaken by a frigid cold that locked all her muscles into place. Pain spiked through her chest in the spot where her bile-sac resided while her heart pounded against her rib-cage. She couldn't move, she couldn't even blink, all her strength was being sapped from her body. Her throat burned as she fought to breathe, but only one word was able to escape from her mouth in a gasp that was a whispered plea for help. One single name.

"L...Luz…"

A howl ripped through the room, an agonizing bellow of pure rage, that had Basker releasing its grip on her arm and turning its head. Bright purple light flared and Damien lifted his head to turn around, just in time for the twin beams of lavender magic to crash into him and his palisman, sending them both flying back into the fireplace. Ash and sparks burst from the spot to fill the room, obscuring Amity's already wavering vision. She heard the Basker clones barking and growling, but a flash of silver swung through the clouds and the sound of metal against metal rang in her ears, followed by two heavy bodies collapsing. Trying to sit up, Amity sensed a figure drop to her side and warm arms slide beneath her legs and back.

"Aaaand, scoop!"

Weak as she felt, Amity yelped in surprise when Luz lifted her off the floor and raced out the door into the hallway. Over her shoulder, she could see Boscha holding the ax as Willow, Skara, and Gus ran out, and slammed the door shut, casting a spell that covered the door in a barrier of light. Gus was cradling the shimmering orb of Madame Leota in his arms, the oracle looking far from pleased at being jostled about.

"Please don't drop me! I'm fragile! Very fragile!"

"Don't talk to us about being fragile!" Gus snapped. "We're the ones feeling fragile right now!"

King hung onto Luz's fallen hoodie as she ran, Rex's staff tucked under her arms, Artemis held in King's grip.

"Luz!" Amity clutched the front of her torn hoodie. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Luz turned a corner without even looking and shot off, her eyes focused on the route ahead. "I'm getting you out of here! We have to find somewhere safe to keep you and hold Damien off! I don't know what drinking your blood will do to him but," A darkness flitted in her eyes that sent a shiver unrelated to the cold down Amity's spine. "I'm not going to let him touch you again."

"Luz, please stop! You're not thinking clearly! We're going to get lost if we don't know where we're going!"

"I don't care! I just want you as far away from that - that monster as possible!"

Amity wanted to argue against that, but a wave of dizziness hit her and she felt her grip on Luz's shirt weaken. Luz must have felt it too because she tightened her hold around her. Somewhere behind them they heard the sound of wood shattering and the baying of a hound.

"Hang in there, Amity," she whispered in her ear. "Everything's going to be okay."

The only response Amity could give was a soft whimper and she hated that, but Luz seemed to accept it and hurried off in whichever direction she chose. They continued running, turning corners and ducking into rooms, but the sounds of pursuit from Damien's palisman always seemed to follow them. Skidding to round another corner, Amity felt Luz lurch to a stop and a silvery light shimmered through her half-lidded eyes. A soft trill tickled her ear and, slowly, Amity opened her eyes and rolled her head to see a spirit orb hovering eye-level with her.

"Little ghost friend!" Willow was at their side in an instant, holding out her hand for the orb to settle on. "It's okay," she looked at Luz and Amity with a reassuring smile. "This one is a friend. It helped us find Chiaro's journal and his hatchet."

Luz looked from the plant witch to the ghost ball. "Can you help us find a place where we'll be safe?"

The orb bobbed up and down, trilling eagerly, and shot down the hall. Tightening her grip on Amity, Luz jogged after it, their friends close behind. Amity felt the muscles in Luz's arms shaking from the effort of holding her up and she tugged at the girl's shirt.

"Luz, you can't keep carrying me! I can walk myself!" She squealed when Luz's hold tightened even more and the human shook her head.

"No! I'm not letting you go just for you to be hurt again! Besides," she glanced down at Amity with a lopsided grin. "We promised each other we wouldn't shove the other out of harm's way, and you broke that promise in probably record time. Now I owe you for three things! I'm not going to let that happen again!" Her foot snagged a wrinkle in the rug and Luz stumbled, but caught herselt and pushed on.

Groaning, Amity tried to pull herself up so she could be closer to Luz's face. "Now is not the time for the fearless champion act, Luz! I don't want you to wear yourself out just because of me!"

"And I care about you too much to see you hurt!" Luz bit her lip and quickly looked away, but not enough for Amity to miss the bright red blush swarming her cheeks. A loud hiss from her shoulder made them jolt as Rex reared back and tugged himself free of Luz's grip to lightly tap her side, his hood flaring open. His eyes darted from Luz to Amity back to Luz and the staff bounced up and down in the air. Blinking, Luz glanced at Amity and to the staff. "Oh, that's actually a good idea…" Stopping, Luz carefully set Amity down on the staff, only to climb on behind her, her arms keeping her in place. Rex needed no command and darted after the spirit orb, but managed to maintain the same speed as the rest of Team Owlet, staying low enough to the floor without their feet dragging.

The warmth from Luz's arms on either side of her helped chase away some of the cold clinging to her body and Amity could not help but lean into it as they followed the spirit through the mansion. Had it not been for the fact they were once again fleeing for their lives, she would have enjoyed the sensation of it all.

"Hey, Amity?" Luz's warm breath tickled the tip of her pointed ear, making it flick. "I know this may not be the best time right now to talk about it, since you know, we're running away from some psycho vampire-witch-ghost, but, what did he mean when he said unrequited love?"

Yeah, this was not the best time to have this conversation. Amity's grip tightened on the staff and she heard Rex hiss in protest. Swallowing, she stared ahead while trying her best to keep her eyes open. "Well, what do you think it means?"

"Do you want the dictionary definition or the fan fic explanation?"

"Luz, do we really have to talk about this right now?" She chanced a look over her shoulder at the human and was met with a perplexed look.

"Well..I mean...considering he said all of that right before he started drinking your blood like fresh Kool-Aid because you jumped in front of me, yeah, I think so." Luz leaned to the side so she could meet Amity's eyes, and sighed. "Look, I remember that, when we fought Grom, you had a note you wanted to give someone to ask them to the dance. I never saw who the note was for, and, I wanted to support you as a friend for whoever it was and not pry, even if they would be some boneheaded idiot to reject you."

Rex swerved around a corner and Amity nearly fell off the side, or so she told herself that was why she about toppled off. If not for Luz's arms keeping her steady, though Amity was honestly not sure if that made it any better.

"But, there's something I want to tell you." Taking a deep breath, Luz closed her eyes as if to brace herself, and met Amity's widened gaze. "I know this is going to sound crazy and, you're probably going to laugh at me, or maybe even hate me, but I, well, the thing is, you and me, yeah we're friends and all. See, I was wondering if,"

This was getting too painful to take. Growling, Amity reclined so her back was pressing against Luz's chest, cutting off the human's tirade of words with a choked squeak. "It was you, Luz." When all that she heard was a sputter and a wheeze, Amity turned her head so her nose brushed the soft skin of Luz's cheek. "The boneheaded idiot I was afraid of rejecting me was you. That's what I wanted to tell you in the tunnels, but I was so scared you would hate me that I couldn't make myself say it."

Luz's mouth opened and closed like the bright orange carp that she had seen flopping about the docks, their long white whiskers and golden crowned head splashing in the waters. Only, because it was Luz, it was adorable and made her want to giggle.

"I-I-I-you-me-Grom-note-ohwowsports...que?!"

Sighing, Amity reached up, wincing at the bite of pain in her shoulder, and pressed a finger on Luz's face to turn her eyes to her. The feeling of their noses brushing sent an electrified mix of fear and excitement into her stomach, but Amity wanted to look into those deep brown eyes to see what they were hiding. This was not the way she had imagined confessing her feelings to Luz, no doubt it was not how anyone would have imagined it, but considering the circumstances they were in, what more could she do? She was tired of running from her feelings, tired of trying to bury them deep down where they couldn't be found, tired of telling herself she was never going to be worthy of something childish and naive as true love. Ever since Luz had smashed into her life like a gorenado, she never felt anything so overwhelming and warm as the human's overeager desire to befriend her. Maybe she was fooling herself and, if Luz told her that she did not feel the same way and would want to remain friends, she would accept that. It would be painful, to see someone else be so lucky to have the love and affection from the quirky human, but she would respect her choice.

"I don't know if you feel the same way for me," Amity said, relaying her thoughts as Rex continued to carry them through the maze of halls. "And if you don't I'll understand. But, I just wanted to tell you I - "

The staff beneath them was flung to the side and they slammed into the wall, knocking down a trio of portraits. Amity gasped as a fresh bout of pain stabbed through her bleeding shoulder and she struggled to pull herself to her feet, glaring at the single-headed Basker clone that had managed to intercept their path. The hallway swam in her attempt to stand upright, her eyes watching the hound lean back in a pounce, the muscles in his legs bunching. A battle cry from the side made them both turn just as Boscha plowed into the clone, swinging the hatchet with the might of a star grudgby captain that sent the hound soaring.

"Come on!" She yanked Luz to her feet and shoved Rex's staff into her hands before pulling them both after the spirit orb.

Seeing the end of the hallway fast approaching, Amity felt her legs wobble beneath her and allowed Willow to support her by the arms when she stumbled. She didn't recall entering the room or collapsing to the floor, but Luz's arms wrapping around her shoulders was a welcome revelation. A door slammed shut and Amity looked up to see four very familiar portraits looking down on them and a cracked mirror hanging over an empty fireplace. They were back in the Portrait Room.

Pushing off the door, Skara turned to the ball of silver light hovering in the center of the room. "Okay little ghost ball, where to next?" The door to the room shuddered as something heavy rammed into it from the otherside, making everyone jump back.

The orb bobbed up and down, trilling loudly, and shot over to the fireplace, its light falling on the burnt out ashes.

"He's telling you to go into the fire pit." Said Madame Leota from Gus' hold. "That's the only way to safety."

"What?" Boscha yelped, running to the door to plant her shoulder against it when it shuddered. "That doesn't make sense!" Another hit sent her stumbling back and she jammed her body to the door.

The spirit orb trilled again and shot into the fireplace, disappearing down into the ashes. Willow looked up at the group and shrugged.

"Nothing about this place makes sense, but at least we've got someone who knows what to do!" Squaring her shoulders, Willow charged at the fireplace and, pinching her nose, jumped in. The moment her feet touched the pile of ashes, she vanished.

Scrambling to his feet, Gus tucked Madame Leota beneath his arm. "You sure about this?" He looked at the oracle.

"Kid, I've been in this mansion for a long time. If it seems like a wacky, stupid idea, you take it!"

"Wacky and stupid?" Luz grinned, hoisting Amity up in her arms as Gus vanished into the fireplace. "That's what we do!" She looked down at King who was holding Artemis like a stuffed animal. "You ready, bud?"

"The King of Demons fears nothing!" Pumping his fist into the air, King let out a high-pitched rage squeal and charged at the fireplace, disappearing headfirst into the darkness.

Hands fisting in the fabric of Luz's ruined hoodie, Amity felt the human brace herself and ran at the fireplace, yelling in the loudest voice possible.

"For the honor of Grayskull!"

Strange thing to yell before diving into a portal. Darkness rose up around them in a swirling mass of shadows that whispered and tugged at them, seemingly buoying their bodies in a silent gust of wind, until they were spat out and dumped on the cold, unforgiving floor. Groaning, Amity sat up, holding her head, and looked up, recognizing the expansive interior of the ballroom. Only now, it was completely devoid of the ghosts who had been partying hours before, nothing more than a large empty room. Faint screaming quickly grew in volume as Skara and Boscha were tossed out from what seemed like nowhere and landed beside Luz, who was situated just behind Amity. Moaning, the human rubbed her head and looked around to her friends.

"I think we lost him!"

A gutteral snarl rolled through the room, followed by the sound of metallic claws clicking on the finely polished floor.

"Don't be so sure about that, witchling."

Slowly, Team Owlet turned to see Damien crossing the room from what must have been the main entrance; two grand doors that slammed shut when he drew a spell circle, the magic a dark rust- colored red. A faint glimmer of green light silhouetted his now-corporeal body, the colors of his clothing, skin, eyes, and hair now opaque in the faint glow. The only detail that appeared wrong was the smoke trailing from the charred burn slowly closing shut over his chest where Luz had hit him with Rex's magic. Basker walked alongside him, all three heads snarling as the palisma stalked towards the party.

"You've put up a good fight, I'll admit that, but I'm afraid you've run out of mansion. Now," Damien held out his hand. "Give me Emilia's palisman, and I'll let you choose who can be her new host body." Between Gus and Willow, King tightened his grasp on the fox. "Or, I'll have to choose for myself. Why don't we go with Miss Blight?" He ran his tongue over the blood still coating his lip and Luz pulled Amity to her chest, holding Rex out before her.

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged." Damien raised an eyebrow, taking out a long, oiled black walking stick from behind him, Basker's interlock flashing from the top. "You're a brave one, girl, and I admire that in you. But, you can't beat me, none of you can! You have no way!"

"Wrong,"

A low groan came from the double doors and the many candles in the chandeliers and lining the walls sprang to life with bright green flames. Wind rose up from the floor and swirled into a galeforce around Team Owlet that pushed them to huddle into a tight group. Shadows hissed to form a large circle that traced around them, shoving Damien and his palisman back. Laughter echoed through the air, a deep, unapologetic laugh, and the vortex around them stopped, plunging down into the floor as the shadows rippled out like waves, until a single shape remained. A tall, silhouette rippling like flames, wicked horns growing out from its head, and wide wings spreading out from its back, the shadow crossed its arms and a pair of golden and red eyes slid open. For the first time since Team Owlet had met them, a mouth split to reveal dagger-like fangs, and the Ghost Host grinned.

"There's always MY way."

Did you really think I was going to have Ghost Host as the villain?