"You couldn't find a tighter shirt?" Emira sarcastically asked her brother in a whisper. They had all crowded into Amity's room, the guards taking up the most space on the floor, rocking their legs back and forth as they listened, their hands cradling their heads in a very awkward scene. Amity and the hunky witch were on the bed, crosslegged as he told his story, while the twins and Amelia had brought in extra chairs.
"Trust me, I tried!" Edric whispered back. He had managed to find an outfit of their fathers as it quickly became apparent that Boscha's new physique was well out of Edric's size. They doubted Alador would miss any formal clothing from his closet as most of his time was spent in lab coats lately.
"So that's it." Boscha said in her strangely masculine voice. "Everyone outside of Grimgrub's Pub got body swapped, and it's all that human's fault!"
"Well, do you have any idea where your bodies are now?" Amity asked, trying to decide exactly what to do. She wasn't sure how Luz herself could be directly at fault, as body swapping wasn't just difficult to do properly, but highly illegal; especially if the Emperor's Guards were involved. And if they were, someone else's bodies would likely be going straight to their precinct to report it.
"We managed to get out of the fight when swords were drawn, but our bodies had flying boots! We could be anywhere!" Said one of the guards. So far, they had determined that Boscha was in the muscular witch; Amelia and Chadraham were in the pair of Guards' bodies, and Skara was in Amelia's body. Amity's first instinct had been to go to her parents, but with such illegal magic going on in their house, they may just decide to bury the problem. Going to the Owl Lady to fix the chaos she created might be an option, but Amity wasn't sure exactly where she stood with the residents of the Owl House after the debacle at the Covention; even with Luz, to be honest.
"Aren't there any other ways we can swap you all back?" Emira asked, already clearly bored with the situation.
"Well, I know there is a potion. But we still need our bodies back, and someone that can make it. I heard of some seniors that got some once, like last year. That's not the kind of stuff you can just pick up at Mr. Elixir's." Boscha explained. She was on, and enjoyed the Potion Track at Hexside, and actually performed well at it when she wanted to, and wasn't chasing down potential dates.
Amity nodded. "Okay, so first we need to gather up everyone else that was affected. What do you know about them?" She slid off of the bed and grabbed a notepad and pencil from her desk and started taking notes.
"There were those old ladies from the Kitty Cafe!" said one of the guards.
"And Lilith, the Emperor's Coven Head!" said the other guard. "I think I last saw her chasing a cat down the road!"
Amity paused and looked up at them in disbelief. "Lilith chasing cat. Right." She wrote. Lilith. Amity scratched the back of her neck at the memory of the woman that forced her to cheat unknowingly in a duel with Luz. Of the woman that had groomed her to be an Emperor's Coven chosen, and been her tutor for years. She heaved a sigh and put Lilith out of her mind for now. "Okay, so we can probably assume that the real guards would report back to the precinct, and that the owners of the Kitty Cafe would return to their shop. Should be easy enough."
"Okay, well have fun going off alone with all of these strangers." Edric said with a smile, standing from his chair. "We're gonna head out." He added as Emira stood next to him.
Amity turned to them. "Having your illusions would really help, you guys. You also still owe me…" she said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Emira held up a hand to stop her little sister. "Our deal is already made and agreed to, and we'll hold up our end." She said as seriously as Amity had ever heard her, then smiled. "Besides, you're going to need someone to cover for you when mom gets home."
"Okay, can we get this going?" Boscha asked. "There's still school tomorrow and as hot as this body is, I'm not sure Principal Bump is going to let me into the building like this."
Amity peeked out from behind an archway a block away from Police Precinct 128, with her entourage in tow. The building was built from white stone, with immaculate grey tiled roofing that kept the boiling rains from damaging it during storms. The Emperor Coven crests, a symbol of gold made up of an elaborate pyramid beneath a pair of wings spread out from a greatsword, were all over the outside of the building. The details were all embossed, barring a circle near the tip of the sword that was indented. The symbolism of the crest were hotly debated, but it was assumed one only learned the truth about its design once one joined the highly regarded coven. Street torches lined every corner of the building, and large eyeballs moved about in their cages connected to every odd lamp, surveilling the area around the precinct. Perhaps the most noticeable difference on this Precinct from most was the gaping hole in the wall that seemed to have been blown out from the inside.
At least a dozen guards were walking about outside the building, some casting scrying spells while others did their investigations the old fashioned way, with cerberus hounds sniffing for the magic that was used for the destruction and where the assailants may have gone. The cells just inside the missing wall looked full from where Amity was watching from, with two older ladies in pink sweaters that were obviously frustrated with being behind bars, and another cerberus hound in with them, howling at the guards watching.
"Okay, this shouldn't be so hard." Amity said to herself, backing away from the corner of the archway. "Amelia, what do you think we should do?"
The heavy set guard that her old Grudgeby teammate was inhabiting looked at her with surprise. "You're asking… me?"
"I think we should just walk in and look around." Boscha, in the muscular witch's body interrupted. "We've got these two as guards. Let's just get them in there!"
Amity glared at Boscha. "I didn't ask. Amelia?" She said, turning back to the guard. "I ignored you once before and you got hurt. What's the play?"
Amelia took another look around the archway before retreating again. "Boscha's right. Chad and I could get in easy…" she began, causing Boscha to look smugly at Amity. "But we don't know our body's names, or any procedures. If we get questioned at all, we'll be in lock up too." Amity returned Boscha's look, and Amelia started drawing in the sand with a finger. "We're better off walking through this crowd here, and avoiding the Oracles. We're not sure exactly how this body swap spell works, but I'm betting the hounds won't be able to tell the difference. The real trick will be getting the old ladies to cooperate."
"How certain are you that they're the guards?" Amity asked, tapping her chin with a finger in thought.
"They were all about trying to arrest everyone during the big fight." Skara, in Amelia's body said, and everyone looked at her in surprise. "What? Bard track. I pay attention to what people say, alright?"
Amity nodded. "Okay. So we get Amelia and Chadraham up to the cell. Then what?"
"Then we somehow convince everyone that we're taking the prisoners to a more secure holding cell, like transferring them to the Conformatorium. That shouldn't be hard, considering there's a big hole in the side of this one." Amelia continued.
"Of course!" Amity exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Name drop Warden Wrath. That'll get their attention."
"Who?" Everyone replied in unison.
"The Warden of the Conformatorium?" Amity insisted.
"How do you know that?" Chadraham asked.
"She babysits his kid." Boscha answered for her.
Amity nodded. "Once. But that doesn't matter. His name should be enough to get them out of there, hopefully cooperatively." She said, then added, "You ready?"
Amelia nodded, and stood while Chadraham shook his head. "Yeah, I wasn't really listening to that first part.
Rolling her eyes, Amity continued. "Just let Amelia do the talking. We'll be ready with a distraction if something goes sideways." She watched as the pair of guards walked away, strolling through the crowd of guards and trying to avoid the Oracles casting their scrying spells. There were zones in the area that were glowing and sparkling, showing scenes of what all had occurred in the last day. Cylinders of dark blue energy showed normal day activity for the most part until one showed a glimpse of an older woman in a red dress and thick white hair being dragged into the precinct in manacles. Another cylinder showed the same woman, likely hours later, running from the collapsed wall downtown. Both images seemed to flicker though, as though it was imposed upon a second image of a short haired girl dressed in blue and white, and Amity recognized both of them. She sighed, "Luz? Oh, come on!" She whispered. Apparently Boscha was right, as much as it annoyed Amity to admit it.
Amelia and Chadraham were both looking incredibly nervous and conspicuous as they took a long walk through the crowd, and were sniffed by every multi headed canine they came close to. One was paying extra attention to Chadraham, causing the teenaged boy to fumble and stutter in fear. Amity covered her face with the palm of her hand, unable to watch as he started attracting attention from the other guards with his odd behavior.
Amity growled and focused, holding up a finger and preparing to conjure an abomination from the ground in an effort to distract the guards when Amelia steadied her companion. She was looking up at Amity, Boscha, and Skara, and shook her head. "You've got this, Amelia." Amity whispered.
The pair continued into the precinct, and Amity found herself frustrated with being out of control of the situation. She was putting her own reputation and even freedom on the line for these people. If any of them were caught being the subject of illegal magic, much less breaking into a Police Precinct to free prisoners… they'd be lucky if they weren't petrified themselves.
"With the way this day has been, what else could go…" Boscha whispered, bringing Amity out of her own thoughts.
"Do not finish that sentence." Amity interrupted with another glare.
To both of their surprise, Amelia and Chadraham walked out of the front door of the Precinct with two elderly ladies dressed in pink and blue sweaters with yellow aprons emblazoned with Kitty Cafe logos covering pink dresses. The taller of the two was slender, with swept back grey hair and angry blue eyes that never seemed to calm. The stockier woman was heavy set and wearing a yellow bonnet, glasses, had warty jowls, and jagged, pointy teeth that were constantly gnashing as she struggled against the magical manacles that bound them both. Amity could tell that Amelia was struggling to keep them secure, even though the manacles sapped their magical power. Chadraham on the other hand was having difficulty holding back the irate cerberus hound that was dragging him forward, trying to take in its surroundings despite each of its four head's heavy brow.
"Wrong?" Boscha finished, despite Amity's warning. As though on cue, the cerberus hound pulled Chadraham through one of the scrying zones, replacing the four headed canine with an image of Lilith on a leash and Chadraham's teen boy form in his school Oracle track uniform, and his greasy blonde hair that poked out from beneath his black beanie. Everyone froze in their tracks, and one of the glowing beams of oracle magic passed over Amelia and her two prisoners as well, revealing the two guards that were possessing the elderly ladies, and Amelia's green haired teen form holding their bonds.
Amity's glare turned to a look of disappointed disbelief. She began drawing small spell circles in the road, one after the other until a half dozen were glowing and awaiting her command. "Abominations! Rise!" She shouted, raising her hands before gesturing at the crowd of guards. Each circle birthed a knee high abomination that crawled out from the cracks between the cobblestones. They began to advance on the guards that drew their swords, leaping and clubbing uselessly at the officers, and Amity left them to their orders, waving for Amelia and Chadraham to run toward her. "Come on! Boscha, help Amelia!"
While the abominations ran amok of the guards, Boscha took hold of the stocky woman from Amelia and the group of them began running for the market, hoping to get lost in the crowds. As they started to scatter, Chadraham lost his grip on Lilith's leash and shouted for help. In the chaos, Amity managed to spot the four headed canine, but at first was confused that Lilith wasn't running back to the Precinct. "Follow the dog!" She shouted to her companions, and the lot of them wove their way through the market, losing the rest of the guards that had already been slowed by the abominations doing their best to stick their feet together and binding their legs before Amity's concentration finally waned.
Amity finally caught up to Lilith's tiny, four legged and four headed form in the darkness of an alley, her breathing coming rapidly. Had she really just ran from the Emperor's Guard after helping break out prisoners? If her future with the coven hadn't been decimated by her embarrassment at the Covention, it certainly was now. "You…" she said, looking down at the hound that was now sitting patiently and panting. "I'm betting you can't speak in a way that I can understand, but I have no doubt you can still understand me." She rasped, standing tall over the animal form. "I want you to know just how defenceless, how non intimidating, how small you feel right now. Because that is how you made me feel at the Covention. In fact, the only reason I am going to try to help you is to get my friends back. Do you understand?"
Lilith huffed with each head before reluctantly letting out a whine and trying to look away despite how many pairs of eyes she had to avert.
"If you mess this up, or get any of us in more trouble than we already are, I will personally make sure you never get in anyone's way of their dreams again, just like you taught me. Do you understand?"
The canine nodded, just as two guards rounded the corner into the alley, breathing heavily. Amity reacted instantly, drawing half of a spell circle before she realized it was Amelia and Chadraham. "Wow. These bodies are really out of shape." Amelia commented between breaths. Going from the body of a teen Grudgeby player to a pastry loving thirty something was harsh.
"Where's Boscha?" Amity asked. "And the old ladies?"
"They tried to make a dash back to the station, but they were like, super easy to run down." Came the boisterous voice of the body building witch, appearing at the other end of the alley.
"You kids are in so much trouble!" The taller of the two ladies said.
"Yeah, you are all under arrest for illegal magic use, and assault on Emperor's Guardsmen." Said the other.
Amity nodded at Boscha. "Great, now where's Skara?"
All of them looked at each other in confusion. "Figures. Leave it to Skara to mess everything…"
"Hey guys." Announced Amelia's voice. Skara was walking up to them nonchalantly, and casually tossing and catching a potion bottle. "I wasn't feeling overly useful at the break out, so I thought I'd stop by that potion shop we went to the other day and pick this up." She said, catching the small glass orb and holding it up. Inside the amber bottle was a thick mulch of ingredients with an orange tag around the mouth of the bottle. "I thought it might help." She said, tossing it to Amity.
Cradling the glass bottle in a catch, Amity inspected the label. "Decoction of Discourse." She read aloud. "Provides speech to all manner of creatures. CAUTION: Not responsible for annoyances resulting from providing speech." She said, looking down at Lilith again and growling. "Fine." Reluctantly, she popped the cork on the bottle and kneeled down to allow the canine to lap at the liquid in the bottle, it's little tail wagging happily. "How long does it take to…"
"Ugh! Finally!" Came Lilith's smooth voice. "Thank you, Amity. I understand how… difficult this must be." Amity held up a hand to stop her. She wasn't interested in pity or sympathy from this woman, only her cooperation, and hopefully a pardon from the Emperor's Coven once everything was sorted out. "Now that I have a voice, we can return to the Precinct and contact the coven to swap ourselves back."
"Great!" Boscha exclaimed.
"No." Amity said.
"Wait, what?" Lilith and Boscha asked in unison.
"We don't even have everyone back, yet." Amity explained. "You, and everyone else here are still breaking coven law, right? That means you and your guards are sticking with us until we have everyone back." She wasn't certain just how accurate that statement was, but she wasn't going to waste this chance to help her friends, or to make Lilith suffer just a little longer for what she did to her.
"Amity, don't be a child. The Emperor's Coven are the only ones that could possibly reverse this!" Lilith argued.
"Not until we find everyone again." Amity glared back.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes as everyone shifted uncomfortably after Amity talked back to the transformed coven leader. "Fine." Lilith finally said when it was clear that her former protégé wasn't backing down. "If you insist on leading this little band of fugitives in a useless quest to assert your teen dominance, my guards and I will not get in the way." She said, looking up at the two Kitty Cafe ladies. "However, when you inevitably fail, keep in mind that this will wind up on your records at Hexside."
It would seem Lilith had already forgotten her current predicament now that she was able to speak, and Amity's confidence in herself and her decision wavered for a moment before she nodded. She knew full well that having a criminal record at her age; especially with charges against the Emperor's Coven, would mean her future on any path would be done. "You really think we can get through this?" Skara whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.
Amity nodded and stood. "We're all getting through this." She said stubbornly.
Two guards, a pair of elderly ladies in pastel colors, a cerberus hound, a young beefy man, and two young girls were drawing an inordinate amount of attention on their way across Bonesborough. Fortunately very few citizens of the city were averse to asking many questions when the Emperor's Guard was present. Still, they had to be discrete, knowing that other guards would be looking for them, and getting to the Kitty Cafe had taken time.
Amity had also taken a round about route to the little shop, knowing full well where it was when no one else seemed to. Teens weren't welcome in the shop, as per the owner's; the pair of elderly women that travelled with them, request. Apparently, teenagers were messy, disrespectful, lazy, and moody with their faces focused solely on their scrolls. With the amount of land that the Abomination Coven owned in Bonesborough however, it provided Blight Industries, and by extension Amity, certain privileges. While she kept the information to herself and away from her friends, Amity spent on average an hour a week in the Kitty Cafe, visiting with the cats and feline demons that were pampered and protected by Rosette and Dottie, the owners. While her secret study at the library provided a refuge from her family and school pressures, being able to sit and read with a cat on her lap, even for brief moments, was invaluable.
The Kitty Cafe was a quaint little shop of pale pink and green with a large picture window where the aforementioned kitties could lounge in luxury while passively advertising for their owners. A closed sign hung on the wooden door, though Amity could see two figures moving about in the darkness inside; small enough to be a pair of teens, male and female.
"That's my body!" Boscha growled, obviously recognizing her own figure.
"I think that's my body, too." Chadraham noted. "I'm not wearing my beanie though!"
"Oh Titan, if they made me look like some thirty plus old lady, I will literally die."
Amity rolled her eyes at Boscha's whining. "Okay, we can probably assume they're as confused as all of you. Maybe I can talk to them."
Lilith seemed to sneeze, shaking her heads with a muffled laughing noise. "Amity, don't you think you should let the adults interact?" She asked, the tone of smugness fairly evident, if comical coming out the canine.
"No." Amity said plainly. "Besides, I doubt that they're dog people." She stepped forward, looking either direction for any guards that might be watching the shop, then crossed the road. They weren't far from the Precinct, and would have to keep a low profile to keep from getting arrested. Knocking on the door, Amity waited for a few moments before pressing her face close to the large window and shielding her view from the reflection of setting sun. Several small demon creatures were still inside, some wandering around on the furniture while others continued to lounge about. Blocking out the sun's light was enough to catch some of their attention, and Amity could see them stare back at her.
Her sillouhette eventually also caught the attention of the pair of teen witches, who glared at her for a moment before recognition set in. "Can I come in?" She mouthed, knocking on the window. Whomever was in Chadraham's body came to the door and opened it, peering through the space. "Hi. Uhm, Amity, remember? I think I forgot my book last time I was here. Could I come in and check?"
"Amity? Ah, yes… the youngest Blight. I remember. I didn't see your book here, deary. We're just having some… issues… with the… juicer…"
Amity was certain she was speaking with Roselle, the far more talkative of the pair of owners, as Dottie seemed to have more of a cleaner or enforcer vibe that intimidated the youth far more effectively. "If I could just have a look around for it? Good Witch Azura, Book 5. I know what I'm looking for." She insisted, drawing a small spell circle out of Roselle's sight, that conjured a subtle stream of purple mud that drew up from the floor and crawled up the inside of the door, pinning it in place.
Roselle attempted to pull the door closed again, but started to panic when it wouldn't budge. The small abomination forced the door open and Amity stepped in, forcing Roselle back into the building. "Stay back!" Roselle said, backing away to stand next to Boscha's body, which had crouched down into a feral looking stance, baring her fangs.
Amity raised her hands, frowning. "I'm not looking for trouble." Amity assured them. "My friends, and some other people are all having the same issue you are. I've heard you met them a few hours ago in the market. We're trying to get it all sorted out, but we need your help."
"We don't help teenagers!" Roselle shouted. "Dottie, show Ms. Blight out!"
"Abomination! Seize!" Amity didn't hesitate to call upon the abomination at the door, and it formed into a mass of thick sludge that intercepted Boscha's body. Whatever sort of demon Dottie had been likely had more physical strength than Boscha did, and the abomination wrapped her up easily, condensing into a ball and pulling her limbs close to her body. Boscha's face pushed out with a loud 'pop', snarling at her. "You are teenagers!" She shouted at Roselle, rotating a finger in the air as she traced her spell circle until the abomination hardened in place. "If you want your bodies back, you're going to have to cooperate."
It took a minute for Dottie to tire from struggling against the orb she was encased in and stop screaming before Roselle spoke again. "Fine. But all of our little snookums need tending to. When you have what you need, come back. We'll help." She said, scowling.
Amity sighed. She supposed it would be easier having somewhere to return to once everything was ready than to drag two more around, as she still needed to find Lilith's and Skara's bodies, and it was already getting late. "Fine. Just don't get too comfortable in those bodies."
"You needn't fear, deary. I'm sweaty, and having more than one mood is terrifying. We can't even sit in our rocking chairs for more than a few minutes without getting fidgety. It's horrible!"
Amity left the shop and Roselle's complaining became muffled through the door. She unconsciously pulled at the hem of her shirt as she crossed the road, knowing what Boscha and Chadraham were going to say once she returned without their bodies. "Okay, so Roselle and Dottie are going to cooperate once we have everyone ready, but otherwise they are going to stick around here. We still have two more bodies to find, and the potion to set everything right."
"You just left my body in there?" Boscha asked, the look of a raging elf being surprisingly intimidating. "What were you thinking…"
"Leaving your bodies with a couple of old ladies that just want to look after kittens?" Amity suggested with a glare. "They'll be fine. Do you know where to get the potion to turn everyone back to normal?"
Boscha frowned, clearly unsatisfied with the hierarchy of leadership and not being in charge. "Yeah, whatever. I know where to get it."
"We're going to have to split up if we want to get this done before the market closes. Lilith, Chadraham, and Skara, try to find Lilith's body."
"A wise choice, Amity." Lilith said. "Splitting up will cause far less suspicion, and…"
"Actually, I'm just assuming those noses of yours will help you find yourself." Amity interrupted, wearing a smirk. She still didn't trust Lilith, but if she did try to run from Chad and Skara, they were probably paying attention to the overall plan the least. "Amelia and the guards, look for Skara's body. We don't know much about this guy," Amity nodded to Boscha. "But someone must have noticed him from day to day." Having a guard and two sweet looking old ladies looking for a young witch might be advantageous. "Boscha and I will get our potion and meet up here at the Kitty Cafe, got it?"
"We have names, kid." Said one guard.
"Yeah. Rude much?" Asked the other.
Amity ignored them, watching for the eventual nods from everyone. "Okay. Let's get this done."