Chapter 8 – Hate, fear and power

2015

"Is there another way?" Camilia asked her, both seated at a bench in front of a ring where Luz stood up in front of a very muscular guy, both ready to fight.

"Nope. She doesn't listen when I tell her she's not ready so, she will have to see it herself." She took a bell from the bench, ready to start the match.

"But look at him! He's ripped! He looks like he could send her flying with a punch! Where did you even find that guy?" The Latina asked with concern, making her sigh.

"He's a professional boxer, okay? He will stop once I tell him to. I've seen him fight and he's good. I just want to scare the kid a little." She pulled the trigger on the bell and, with a loud, piercing sound, both people on the ring started to fight.

Luz moved quickly to punch the man, but her punches were covered by his arms. After a couple of unfruitful attempts, the man saw an opening and connected a jab right on her cheek, sending her to the floor and then retreating, waiting for her to get back on her feet.

"You see? When I hired him, I told him not to go all out on her. On the streets, no one would stop hitting her once she's on her knees." Eda told Camilia without turning from the fight, her hand on the bell in case the match needed to end.

"Why didn't you do this? Why did you have to hire someone?" The nurse asked her, a hand on her concerned face.

"She thinks I'm the best fighter she has seen so, she doesn't believe me when I tell her that anyone else with a little more training would destroy her."

When Luz got up, she tried to hit him on the face again, but the man was ready for it and used his arms to cover himself. After her hit, the guy saw an opening and connected an upper cut cleanly to her chin, sending her to the floor, unconscious. As soon as Eda saw that, she rang the bell again, signaling the end of the match.

"There. Now she knows how much she lacks." They both stood up and walked towards the teenager, listening to the boxer apologizing for going too far.

2021

"We will enter through the back. There are only two floors so, we will go together, okay?" Viney told her as soon as they hopped off of the griffin.

"Yes. If Raventhorn is there, we need to be together." The witch nodded and put a finger on her mouth, telling her to stop talking as they approached the door.

Luz pushed the old door slowly, opening it just enough for them to go in. The inside of the building was dark, but there was enough light for both of them to see that there was no one else there. The whole floor seemed to be empty; no furniture, no garbage. There was nothing there.

They kept walking slowly until they reached a door and opened it carefully, finding nothing inside. Then they went for the next one, finding the same.

Once they finished checking the whole floor, they heard a noise coming from the next one. It sounded like someone had gotten hit with a metallic object so, as soon as they heard it, they both ran towards the stairs.

Luz's heart was racing with fear and her limbs felt cold due to her nervousness. She forced herself to breathe normally, trying to calm her feelings, but another sound prevented that, making her run even faster once she reached the second floor, rushing towards the room the sound had come from.

Without thinking it twice, she kicked the door, looking around the room.

"Eda!" As soon as she spotted the witch, she also saw her mom beside her, feeling another wave of fear through her body. "Mamá!" Without thinking it twice, she went towards them and hugged her mom tightly. "Are you okay? Where is Raventhorn?"

"We're fine, mija." Her mother said calmer than what she expected.

"Raventhorn's not here. They left us so that you could find us. I wanted to try and break this rope but, turns out, it is stronger than I thought." She let go of her mom and went to hug Eda too.

"The floor is empty, owl lady." Viney came through the door, incredulity on her voice.

"Who's your friend?" She broke her hug with Eda as she answered her.

"She's Griffin, from "the troublemakers". They helped me find you." The young witch just nodded to the older women and then approached them in order to help them get out of the ropes. "Why did Raventhorn left you here? Why did she kidnap you?"

"She's not working alone. More like: she's working for someone else." Eda answered quickly, feeling the rope disappear once the troublemaker casted a spell. "She kidnaped us to send you a message. He doesn't want you to mess with his business again."

"But, if they kidnaped my mom that means…"

"He knows who you are. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew who this girl is too. He seems to know a lot of things…" The white haired woman stood up and looked at Camilia with her brow furrowed in concern.

"There are a lot of things we have to discuss, but first, you need to call the cops." Her mom spoke, massaging her wrists now free from the rope.

"That's right. If they already have an ongoing investigation on Raventhorn, they have to know she's not working alone." Eda said as she offered her hand to help the nurse stand up.

"Ok, I'll call officer Willow and ask her to bring an ambulance too." Luz answered, taking out the burner phone from a hidden pocket in her suit.

"Why? We're okay." The older witch asked with an arched brow.

"Eda, King told me you fought Raventhorn last night. I just want to make sure you're really fine." The white haired witch rolled her eyes with a sigh as Camilia giggled at the scene. Apparently, her daughter just forgot that she's a nurse.

"Hey, I'm gonna go check up on my friends. I tried contacting them but they're not picking up." Viney told her before she dialed the number on the phone.

"I'll go with you in case you need help. I can make the call while we're on our way." They both nodded with determination and started making their way.

"So far, we've only found drugs in an old lady's suitcase, but she had a prescription for that pot so, we let her go. Other than that, everything's normal here." Amity spoke to the radio on her hand, waiting for an answer.

"I've got nothing here." Her sister answered quickly, boredom on her tone.

"Same. I've got nothing." Her brother answer just like her sister, making her sigh in annoyance.

"Same thing on my position. Report back in half an hour." Captain Lilith answered in a stern tone and, after that, she put the radio on her belt again, turning to look at the cops surrounding her, all of them talking or petting the dogs while they waited for the next flight to arrive.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her wrist watch. She was just as bored as her siblings, but she was not going to show it now that she had people at her charge.

Her eyes moved to find the screen in which the flight's schedule was, seeing that they still had over half an hour before a new plane arrived and letting out a defeated sigh while she walked towards one of the chairs to sit.

Figuring there was nothing else to do at the moment, she let her thoughts go to her new neighbor and the date she had accidentally made with her. Her cute, fit, clumsy neighbor that had invited her to a movie even when they hadn't even talked for more than five minutes since they met.

She would never dare to admit that with her siblings but, that would actually be her first date. Amity Blight's, rising talent in the BIPD, youngest detective on the force currently, always composed and cool 21 years old, first date.

While still living with her parents, she had never dared date anyone, fully aware of her sexuality and also aware of her parent's homophobia. They were always openly supportive of the LGBT+ community, but she and her siblings knew the truth. Especially Emira, who had been almost sent to become a nun the first time they found out she had a girlfriend.

Being someone who could learn from other people's mistakes, she repressed herself and her needs until she was no longer under that oppressive roof. Yet, once she was out, she could never find the opportunity to date someone, always focusing on her job.

And now, she had a date. She had been asked out by a cute, enthusiastic girl who liked the same childish thing she secretly loved too. Was her luck starting to change? She hoped so. Although, her inexperience made her feel uneasy too. She was scared to mess things up.

"Captain, you copy?" Her brother's voice coming from the radio took her out of her thoughts and she stood up as if someone had pinched her butt.

"I do. What is it, Detective Edric?" The woman sounded annoyed, as if she expected a joke from him, and she couldn't blame her.

"A plane just arrived here and the dogs started barking like crazy as soon as the suitcases started to go down. I think I've got something here." Hearing that, she looked around to her team, ready to put them to task if needed.

"Don't let the passengers go out and make sure to check everything on that plane. As soon as you find something, let me know." There was silence for a couple of seconds and then her brother spoke again.

"We just opened the first suitcase. Is full of cocaine. The dogs keep barking at some other suitcases. We will proceed." As soon as she heard what her brother said, she approached her team, ready to give orders.

"I want everyone ready to move to Detective Edric's location. Leave the dogs just in case." She put the radio back on her belt and gave the orders as instructed, unconsciously glad that the day hadn't dragged on at the airport so that she wouldn't have time to think about the thousand ways she could screw things up at her first date.

"We're live from the 'witching hour's' memorial where thousands of people have gathered today to remember those who died that awful night twenty years ago." Gus stood in front of the camera with a microphone close to his mouth; behind him, a monolith with names carved on it was surrounded by people carrying candles and flowers. "Being this early in the day, we still expect more people to come and give tribute to those who lost their lives during Raventhorn's terrorist attack to decimate the Boiling Isles." There was a piercing sound that startled everyone in the place, including him, making them turn to a stage that was being prepared. "It seems that everything is almost ready for the Boiling Isles' DA to give his speech, a thing widely anticipated for all those who fear for their safety after confirmation of Raventhorn's return."

"Captain! You're back early!" Willow said with surprise as she saw the woman enter the station, her face showing how tired she was. Behind her, a lot of people in handcuffs entered too, followed by Amity.

"Yes. As you can see, we found what we were looking for, Officer Willow. Did something happen in my absence that requires my attention?" The older woman stopped walking and, with a wave of her hand, she told Amity where to take the criminals.

"Yes, actually. Two women were kidnapped by Raventhorn. We were able to find them thanks to the owl lady, who called us to go and get them. I just arrived from that place and I was about to interrogate them." Her captain's face didn't change at all, as if two women being kidnapped was nothing. It was weird, especially since those women were kidnapped by the same person she's supposed to be looking for, but she thought that it could be because of how tired the woman was.

"I see… I need to go make a few calls but please, find Detective Amity and ask her to interrogate them. She has been keeping track of everything on this case so, it would be better if she does it. Good work, Officer Willow." They both nodded and parted ways to do what they had to.

She felt a little bad knowing that her involvement in the case was something minor but, at the same time, she understood that she still had to work hard to earn a better position to help people. Now she just needed to find the courage to speak to Amity again after almost a year of not doing so…

"We're back again at the 'witching hour's' memorial where the DA Bellos is about to give his speech..." Gus was interrupted by the screeching of a speaker, the cameraman turning quickly to look at the stand where the DA was.

"Citizens from the Boiling Isles: It is a great honor for me to be able to tell a few words on such a special day." The man spoke fluidly without a script, showing his skills as an orator. "Twenty years ago, many of us lost someone on a night I'm sure none of us will ever forget. Fire engulfed the city, sirens echoed everywhere, screams pierced our ears and some of us knew fear for the very first time. My wife amongst the casualties is a loss that I yet carry with me, hurting deeply, as I know many of you are still hurt by the loss of your loved ones." He made a brief pause while everyone present agreed to his words. "Yet, I find it inspiring how, instead of tearing us apart, that awful night brought us together. Witches were never discriminated nor segregated; instead, we were embraced by our fellow humans who understood that, what one person does, cannot be used to blame their entire race or species." A round of applause interrupted him and, once they stopped, the man kept talking. "Today, the terrorist is back, as I'm sure all of you have heard. Although, instead of fear, we should feel happiness because, this time, our police department is fully prepared for such a threat. I have absolute confidence that they will capture the villain and, once and for all, we will find justice for our loved ones!"

"Mrs. Clawthorne, Mrs. Noceda…" When the green haired girl first heard that last name, she thought about another Noceda she knew, but she figured it had to be just a weird coincidence, like everything lately. "…I apologize for the wait. We have a lot of work today." Amity sat in front of the white haired woman and the nurse at the interrogation room. "I also apologize for bringing you here but, we have a bunch of criminals working for Raventhorn outside and I don't think it would be wise for me to let them hear whatever you can tell me."

"No worries, kid. I just want to go home; my back is killing me." The taller woman spoke dramatically, making her sigh.

"It will just take a couple minutes." She put the file Officer Willow had barely started to put together on the table. "Why would Raventhorn kidnap the sister of a police Captain? Did she mention it?"

"You're not asking the right question, Detective." The sassy tone in which the white haired woman spoke made her roll her eyes in annoyance. "Raventhorn kidnapped us, but she's not the one in charge." Her brow furrowed in confusion at her words.

"That's right. A masked man that calls himself 'The Emperor' is her boss. He said he has always been behind everything Raventhorn has done." The nurse said in a calm tone. Too calm for someone who had been kidnapped just a few hours ago.

"How come we know nothing about him? Why did he kidnap you?" More questions tried to get out of her mouth, but she had to stop there in order to not overwhelm the women.

"Raventhorn has always taken credit for whatever he did, that's why you don't know. He kidnapped us because he wants his existence to be finally acknowledged. He must be close to making his final move." She couldn't help but arch a brow at that explanation. It didn't make sense for her but, why would a kidnapped woman lie about that? Again, they both looked really calm for recently kidnapped women. Could they be working for Raventhorn, trying to mislead the investigation? That seemed unlikely, given how Edalyn was her captain's sister.

"So, why kidnap a nurse? I understand Mrs. Clawthorne since she's Captain Clawthorne's sister but, why did he kidnap you, Mrs. Noceda?" She looked carefully at the woman's expression to see how she reacted but, as soon as her question was out, the white haired woman answered, making her turn to look at her.

"Because she's my girlfriend. He kidnapped her to make sure I did what he wanted me to do." Her eyes moved quickly to look at the Latina, finding only a small blush on her face, but no surprise or anything that would raise suspicion.

"I see. What exactly did he want you to do, Mrs. Clawthorne?" Seeing the taller woman lower her head with a saddened expression surprised her. Up until now, Edalyn had been so calm that she didn't even think about the fact that she was dealing with two women who could still be in shock and dealt with it in a different way than what she has seen before.

"He wanted me to tell you that, if you stand in his way, he won't hesitate to hurt you." She nodded and sat there silently for a couple of seconds, trying to put the pieces together on that puzzle before she made her next question.

After a minute of not finding anything else worth asking at the moment, she stood up, telling them to go with her so that she could take them home.

That case kept getting weirder and weirder by the second. Vigilantes, secret villains, two gigantic shipments of drugs, the old files. It was as if, instead of working on a case, they were all just trying to watch a movie that gets cut every ten minutes, making everyone unable to understand what's happening. Yet, she was dead set on figuring it out.

Hey! I'm finally back after a while!

Like always, a few notes:

Number one: It's time to talk about the elephant in the room; why are detectives so young in this story? As you read, Amity is only 21 years old, which means her siblings are really young too. Well, the answer to that will be explained in detail later, I just want to let you know this is not a loose thread because of how unreal it seems. Also, speaking of Amity; she's panicking internally. Yes, the date is coming soon (not next chapter, but soon).

Number two: So, we finally see where Gus is on this story. Right now it was just a very unimportant character but, as the story keeps going, we'll be seeing him again quite a few times. Same thing with Willow (and we will address the "not talking to Amity" thing at the end of her POV). And I know, Gus is also too young for his position, right? Like I said, we will talk about that later too.

Number three: Bellos. When he firs appeared I told you there was a reason they just called him "The Emperor" and this is it. Bellos is the name he uses as a regular, "hard working" witch and "The Emperor" is like, his underground nickname. If I'm being honest with you, every time Bellos appears, is going to be a lot more interesting than when the emperor does.

And well, we've finished the first arch of the story with this chapter. Next week we start the second arch and, I'm not gonna lie, it's a lot of set up so, it might not be as interesting as this one but, on the long run, that set up will make the third arch a lot more entertaining.

Anyway; remember to follow me on twitter as gloomy_autumn to see the covers I'm drawing for the story!

See you next week!