Edric was able to avoid an interrogation from his mother about what exactly happened on his excursion with Gold only due to him telling her that if he divulged any information about it, he would literally burst into flames.

He wasn't entirely sure she bought it, but he knew she also wouldn't want to risk it. Burning children tended to make a mess, after all. Also, he was her only son.

He passed by his sisters' rooms on his way to his own. A tiny, cramped space Ralfred used to use to do the laundry. But one day, he and Em had the bright idea that they each needed their own room, and instead of giving one of them one out of the three guest rooms, their parents decided to let them each choose a room.

Em picked their shared room, and he chose the laundry room. The laundry room made more sense to him when they were eight. He might regret it sometimes, but he didn't spend much time in there, anyway.

Emira opened her door as he walked by, peeking out expectantly.

"So, what did happen?" She asked, following him down the hall when he didn't stop to answer.

"Hey, come on. I'm not buying that 'burst into flames' stuff. You can not tell Mom, but you can't not tell me."

She overtook him and stood between him and his doorway.

"It was nothing, really," he answered. "He just wanted some help with something." He yawned dramatically, affecting a sleepy demeanor.

"But I am really beat from all that helping, so I'm gonna just go to bed." Edric walked under her outstretched arm she'd been using to block him and nearly had the door shut before he saw her face.

"You're really not going to tell me? Me?"

Despite her efforts to become more of an individual, he and Emira were still as close as twins could be. So she still looked hurt over his avoiding her.

Edric sighed, darned brotherly affection making him feel guilty.

"Okay, I'll tell you tomorrow at school," he said. "I'm gonna need some help anyway. Can you cover for me with Mom and Dad in the morning? I need to go to school by myself."

If Emira was still skeptical, she didn't show it. She nodded enthusiastically, frown gone completely.

"Deal."

"And don't tell Mittens," he added before closing the door.

"Of course," Emira replied.

With that, Edric closed the door and flopped down on his bed. He was tired but also strangely giddy about what tomorrow had in store. Any hijinks afoot brought that out of him. But then there was also something about helping out this particular fellow witchling that caused him to pause. Gold didn't seem so bad, especially for someone under the Emperor's tutelage. A little stiff, but Edric sensed that was out of necessity than how he actually was.

Of course, there was also his captivating eyes, voice, and the allure of the mysterious concealment of his features. Those were definite pluses in Edric's book.

In any case, tomorrow would be fun, whether or not helping him turned out to be a good idea or not. He definitely wouldn't regret it.

The illusion copy Edric had made for him was still in his room when Gold managed to sneak away to the eastern wing. There was a chance - he'd said - that he would need to recharge the spell, but Gold was impressed with his magical stamina all the same.

There was a secret passage behind a portrait in the east wing, which only a select few knew about. There were several depictions of noteworthy coven members or those that had served the emperor in some capacity. If only Gold could remember which one.

"Sneaking out again, are we?" A small voice much too close for comfort startled him. A voice he recognized immediately. The small demon may have been several heads shorter than him, but her aura of complete confidence in her position made up for her stature.

"The secret passage is behind Azomath the Accursed," she added.

"Kikimora," Gold said in surprise. "What do you mean, 'sneaking out'? I'm merely… admiring the hall of portraits." He tried to sound calm and collected, as he usually did when dealing with subordinates or citizens. However, Kikimora was not just some other coven member. His mind halted as he realized the full implications of her question.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'again'?"

Kikimora tilted her head, her finger hair twitching but remaining over one eye. "Using another witch's spell to hide your magical signature was clever; I shall give you that much. But an illusion, really? How long did you think this would fool anyone?"

His stomach dropped along with his hopes. If Kikimora knew what he was up to, she must have already informed the emperor. He managed to keep his composure, even if inside he felt the frustration and grief for a plan unfulfilled.

"Well, you were partially right. It was successful in fooling most of the coven, but not me. I doubt it would fool Emperor Belos, either."

He sighed in resignation, head lowering. "So you've caught me. What happens now?"

Kikimora blinked at him. "Why should anything happen?" She asked. "You are the emperor's golden child. Even if you were going against his wishes for you to remain here, I might be in just as much trouble as you if I told him of your disobedience."

"So then, you're saying you'll… let me go?" He asked, uncertain he could believe it.

"Under some conditions," Kikimora replied.

Ah, he should have known there would be a catch.

"The boy you brought here to do this for you, he is friendly with the human, yes?"

"I suppose," Gold said warily. "She's close with his sister, but I've observed them all together on some occasions."

"Excellent," she said, bringing her clawed hands together. "We've been watching the Owl Lady and the human for some time, but Emperor Belos has not given us word to capture or even so much as touch them."

Gold wasn't sure he liked where this was going. This was supposed to be a fun excursion for him. A time to go out into the world and experience a normal teen witch's life for a change. Kikimora now wanted to use this as an opportunity for - what - more recon?

"We need to find out the girl's methods for performing magic and see if there might be a weakness we can exploit," Kikimora said. "I shall allow this only for today. I shall also cover for you with the Emperor and the rest of the coven if--" she raised a tailored finger. "you can find such a flaw in the human's armor."

Usually, he'd be all too willing to comply, but the fact that she was turning this into a mission-- and the fact that Edric was also doing him a great service. Luz the human was his friend. How would he feel if he knew Gold would now have an ulterior motive for doing this?

It appeared there was nothing he could do. The demon was offering him his chance in exchange only for information. She didn't want to capture anyone for the moment, and it was reasonable. Logical, even.

With a nod, he agreed, although he still wasn't sure it was the right move.

"Even more excellent," Kikimora chirped. She then drew a spell circle, and the portrait concealing the passage moved aside.

"Now run along. Don't want you to be late," she said as she waved him goodbye.