A/N: And again, I couldn't help myself again with the title. Fear the Old Blood, everyone!
Luz was deaf to the noise around her, the sounds of two people talking. She was tired, dazed from the events of the previous day and the complete lack of sleep she'd gotten that night. Her feet were still aching from the walk, and her mind was dulled from the anguish as her hands ran over the fabric of the gift that had come for her in the mail this morning.
It had come from her Mom, Eda, sent the day before and arrived in the early morning at Camila's house. A witches cloak, in Luz's favorite shade of blue. Beside it was a note, meant for her from her Mom, saying just the words: "To my beloved daughter, for when I'm gone."
There had been another, identical cloak inside the box, with its own note for Amity, but the human girl hadn't touched it yet, instead she was busy exchanging heated words with Camila while Luz was numb to the world.
"You can't just go out and try to mount a rescue attempt! You're a fourteen year old girl who's been practicing magic for less than three months!" Camila argued.
Amity wouldn't listen to the other woman's argument, "Eda got captured because of me! I can't just not go after her! My first adventure with her was a jailbreak and we did fine then! I can do it now!"
Camila fumed, "Oh, we are going to have to talk about the jailbreak later, but right now you're not going anywhere except to your room, where you will be grounded until I say otherwise!"
Amity clenched her teeth, and screamed, "My room? This isn't my house, and you're not my mom!"
The living room was silent except for Amity's angry gasps of breath, which began to turn shaky as she trembled, glaring from wet eyes. "Eda isn't either… but she's the closest to one I've ever really had. So I'm going to go and save her."
In that moment Luz was standing beside her, cloak thrown over her shoulders. She scooped Amity's hand in her own, squeezing it tight, her expression grim and serious. "You're not going alone."
"Oh, Titán mio, not you too, Luz." Camila groaned, hand on her forehead. "You do realize Eda sent you two here so I could keep you safe, right? For me to take care of you? I can't just let you run off without a plan-"
"Then we make one." Amity insisted firmly.
"You said she had turned into the Owlbeast. What if she can't come back to us as herself?" Camila pleaded, desperate for them to give in already.
"We have Elixirs. Luz has a whole box she keeps here. We shove as many of them down Eda's throat as we can and hope for the best. If not…" Amity paused, exchanging a glance with Luz.
"We decide what to do with her then. Find a nice place far out into the wilds, maybe? Or… give her a quick end." Luz finished.
Camila felt a migraine coming on, "There is absolutely nothing I can do or say to make you change your minds, is there?"
Both girls shook their heads, faces determined. Pinching her brow, Camila gave up, then left the room. She returned a moment later, crystal ball in hand, setting it on her coffee table. "They just caught the most wanted criminal in the Isles history, and haven't mentioned a word of it yet. Meaning no one outside this room and the Castle know she's been taken. We plan out something until they make an announcement, then continue to plan until we can't any longer, do you understand?"
Luz and Amity glanced at each other, "We?"
"I'm not letting you do this alone, mijas. I'm either in, or we're all out."
Lilith approached her sister with caution, despite her still being inside her bubble. The Owlbeast, upon seeing her, thrashed wildly, clawing and screeching for her blood. Her dear sister, reduced to a raging animal, and if the Emperor didn't heal her, she'd never be the same again.
The witch kept a healthy distance between herself and her younger sibling. To say their fight had left an impact on her would be an understatement. Her sleeves were still shredded, arms bandaged and stained with her own blood. Her jaw had a nasty bruise that was already a mixture of black and yellow. Lilith had turned down an intensive healing session as it would take all morning, and her Emperor, and more importantly, her sister, needed her now. She could handle the pain long enough to have her sister cured, and initiated into the coven. Whatever she wanted to do to Lilith later, she could do, but first she needed to be cured.
Then Lilith would have to track Luz down and bring her to the castle next, even if she had to drag her niece kicking and screaming the whole way like she had Edalyne. She would fix this. She had to.
"Just a little longer, sister, and you'll be free again." Lilith promised, taking a step closer to the bubble, wishing to lay a hand upon it to reassure the beast inside that she meant it no harm.
That was just what the Owlbeast had wanted though, for her to come closer. The moment her hand touched the bubble, it lunged again, spreading its wings and forcing its claws out in every direction, overwhelming the bubble and bursting it. Lilith's eyes went wide as she realized she wouldn't have time to cast a shield spell, and had left her staff behind, so wouldn't be able to defend against the claws with it like she had last time. The Beast was going straight for her throat, when-
Eda was hurled across the room, slamming into a wall. Lilith, in shock, could only stand still as footsteps approached, and soon the Emperor was standing beside her, staff in his hands. "Now Lilith, it's unlike you to be so… open and trusting. You should have kept one hand armed when you outstretched the other."
With a single finger, not even a spell circle in sight, the emperor summoned forth bindings to keep Eda tied down. "I-I'm sorry, my Lord. Please, forgive her. She's still in her cursed form, I'm sure she'll be far better behaved once her mind is her own again-"
"We'll just have to see about that." Belos replied coolly, his voice as level and emotionless as ever. He raised his staff into the air, sending a beam forth that struck the Owlbeast in the head, causing it to wail and try its best to escape confinement.
Then Eda was back, in mind, at least, looking around, confused and disoriented. Her eyes landed on the Emperor, then Lilith, lips pulling back into a snarl, "Well, fuck. Thanks for nothing, you big feathered menace, you couldn't even fulfil my last wish right, could you? And now we're both caught."
Belos seemed almost amused by his captives' annoyance over not being able to kill one of his Coven Leaders, bending over to face her. "Edalyne Clawthorne. The Infamous Owl Lady, the Wild Witch of Bonesborough, Mother of Luz Noceda-Clawthorne, and Mentor of Amity… eh, No last name on record. Unfortunately, I suppose there are even gaps in my knowledge, eh?"
"I swear, if you lay one grimy finger on those kids, I will put a claw through each of those eyeholes," Eda warned.
"You have me all wrong, Edalyne. I don't intend on harming either of those children, nor that runt of a demon you keep as a pet. No, I just want the portal the human came through."
"Well, tough shit, you're not getting anything out of me." Eda literally growled. In that moment the Emperor backed off, standing at his full height.
"A pity to hear that, though I suppose I could always just ask the human herself. Or perhaps even your daughter." He raised a hand, summoning the guards by the door to take Eda away.
"Don't you dare. I won't let you touch them, you keep your hands off of them!" Eda fought, desperate to get out of her bindings even as she was dragged away. With no other options, she turned to her sister and with the last words she could get out before the doors closed called out, "Lilith, if I ever meant anything to you, you won't let him hurt my kids! Don't let hi-"
The doors shut, cutting Eda off. Lilith gulped, hands dangling uselessly at her sides, "You're taking her to be healed? Right? Like you promised?"
"I will not be healing her." Belos replied simply, as if those words wouldn't break Lilith like fragile glass.
"W-what?"
"You must understand, Lilith. She tried to kill you. She's expressed disappointment that she was unable to kill you. And she has even threatened me as well." Belos kept his tone even, if a little condescending as if he was explaining this to a child. "Your sister clearly has no interest in joining the Emperor's Coven, which was part of our deal. She clings to being a Wild Witch, and as the Titan's Will demands, she must be punished as one, as they all must be before the Day of Unity."
He put a hand on her shoulder, as if trying to offer comfort, though his tone implied no sympathy, "You understand, of course?"
Lilith didn't. She couldn't. Yet she obeyed, "Of course."
Belos strode past her, happy, or at least satisfied with her response. He stopped suddenly, turning back to face her, "Oh yes, and could you dispose of the Owl Lady's staff? Put it with the others, if you will. She won't be needing it anymore." With a snap of his fingers, Owlbert appeared before Lilith, falling into her hands.
No sooner had the Emperor left her in disgrace did she fall to her knees, clinging to her sister's Palisman. What had she done?
"Perry Porter coming to you live from outside the Emperor's Castle. Edalyn Clawthorne, known commonly as-"
The half finished plans on the table were quickly abandoned by Camila and the kids as the Crystal ball burst to life with an emergency announcement. Gus's Dad, who Amity hadn't yet met, but Luz had plenty of times, and had even had dinner with the Noceda family on many occasions over the years, was speaking, announcing Eda's capture.
"Took them long enough…" Luz muttered, wondering why it had taken until nearly mid-day for the announcement.
The camera panned to the Emperor's Assistant, Kikimora, who announced that Eda had 'attacked' a coven leader' and would be petrified as a Wild Witch. But more importantly, she had given a time and location, The Conformatorium at sundown.
That didn't give anyone here much more time to make their plans. "I know a bit of the layout of the Conformatorium from when we broke in there. I'm sure I can get us inside." Amity spoke, already altering the plan of attack from charging the castle to sneaking into the prison.
The news story focused next on Lilith, who had been the one the Owl Lady was charged for attacking, making Luz shake in anger. "She lied to us. For all these years, she lied! It was bad enough she'd bad mouth Mom about her curse when they would argue, but now knowing she's the one who did it? How low can you get?"
Camila clenched her jaw, wishing she could get her hands on the bruja who had done this to Eda and her daughter. She was by no means a violent woman, but she hoped she could find Lilith and be the one to strangle the life out of her herself.
Seeing as Lilith was clearly not dead, Amity laid a hand on Luz's shoulder, settling her down, "We'll handle Lilith later. We need to focus on our planning now."
Amity stood from her seat, moving over to the box Eda had left her, and taking her own cloak out. It was identical to Luz's, same shade of blue that the Witch's wool had been before Eda had started it. Every fiber, every strand, knit with love and care. Beside it was a note left for Amity, saying "To my cherished student, who makes me so proud."
Amity swallowed, her throat tight as she willed tears not to spill, taking the cloak out and putting it on her shoulders, then returned to the table to continue making their plans. "Where should we start?"
"Well, how did you get in to the Conformatorium last time?" Camila asked, turning the volume on the Crystal ball down.
"You know, I expected this would be a little better guarded by now," Amity panted as she climbed up the side of the Conformatorium on a long vine she had used a plant glyph to summon.
"I wish we had Owlbert. This is just exhausting." Luz grunted, climbing up right behind her.
With one final effort, Amity reached the windowsill, the same one she had climbed through all those weeks ago, and clambered inside the Conformatorium. The cell block that the prisoners she'd broken out was empty, barren of any guards, the only sound the clanking of chains that were hung from the ceilings of the cells drifting in the cold breeze that went through the building.
Amity offered her hand and pulled Luz up after her, the two blushing momentarily at the contact despite their predicament. "Okay, first things first, we need to go find a guard to interrogate so we can find your Mom. Then, we give her as many elixirs as we can," Amity patted the bag she'd brought with her, stuffed with the glass vials.
"And then we skedaddle before we get caught." Luz nodded, as they made their way deeper into the depths of the castle.
Camila brushed through the gathering crowd in the Conformatorium's courtyard. A wide audience had gathered in the short time allotted before the petrification ceremony was to begin.
While the girls were sneaking through the main building, Camila's job was to wait outside until either Luz and Amity pulled off their rescue, or to attempt to save Eda herself if they brought her out before the girls could find her. Camila hadn't liked this plan, but knew it was necessary. The Conformatorium was large, and easy to get lost in. If the girls ran out of time searching, there wouldn't be any way to save Eda from the inside.
All around her the people were nervous, questioning the petrification. One hadn't happened in thirty years, after all, and some didn't believe Eda deserved it. It wasn't like she was a dangerous murderer, she was a playful crook and scam artist. An Icon of Bonesborough, beloved as much as she was feared.
One of the people Camila brushed past was murmuring to another, "Did they even give her a trial? I didn't hear anything about a trial."
"This is all happening way too fast. What is the Emperor's Coven thinking with this display?"
Camila pushed past the crowd, making her way towards the front where she'd be able to act if their plan came to its worst, but the sea of people was making that difficult. They were all pushing and shoving, everyone wanting a good last look at the famous Owl Lady when she was brought out, before she was forever turned to stone.
"Excuse me!" Camila cried, pushing past a few more people, only to lose her balance and crash into someone else. Both of them fell to the ground, scraped and bruised, rained down by pieces of paper.
Camila groaned as she pushed herself up to her knees, hand reaching for one of the papers, "Pamphlets?"
The woman she had run into quickly began to gather the rest of her scattered pamphlets, muttering under her breath before turning her attention to Camila fully. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't see you there."
Camila balked at the woman, dressed in red and black, with a hairy bat mask on her face. The woman, younger and nimbler than Camila, was back on her feet first, helping the mother to her feet. "No, no, it's alright. I wasn't watching where I was going either."
The woman politely waved Camila's apology off, sending her a bright, if pointy toothed, smile. Gesturing to the pamphlet in Camila's hands, she questioned, "Are you perhaps interested in joining the BATTs? We could always use more like minded individuals!"
Camila looked down at the pamphlet, noticing the words 'The Bards Against the Throne' on it. "Uh, I honestly haven't even heard of you, I'm sorry."
The woman sighed, but accepted the answer, "That's fine. We're a newer, smaller movement. I came out here to try and recruit new members, but officially we're here to protest the petrification ceremony as an example of Belos' unjust rule."
Camila's ears perked at that, her interest peaked. "Well, now I'm curious. I don't want this farce of an execution to happen anymore than you do. Think you can help me out? Is the rest of your group here?"
The woman grinned, offering Camila her hand, which the older woman shook. "I'm Katya, by the way."
"Camila Noceda," She introduced herself. Katya gestured for her to follow, and they moved through the crowd, moving away from the petrification stage and off to the far right wall of the courtyard, where a small gathering of tents had been set up. Many of them were selling merchandise or food, scavengers eager to make money wherever the people would be. Camila scowled as the vendors tried to get her to buy special petrification themed items from them as she walked by their stalls, until Katya motioned for her to enter one particular tent. Unlike the others that were open and exposed for business, this one had the flaps closed, keeping whatever was inside in the shadows.
Katya entered first, taking her mask off as she did so, "Hey, boss, I think I found someone interested in becoming a member!"
Inside the small tent, cloaked in darkness broken only by a single lantern and what light peeked through the flaps and seams of the tent, were three figures Camila didn't recognize. One was a dark skinned man, standing off in the corner. The other was a short young woman, likely only a few years out of Hexside, or whatever school she had gone to. The last was bent over a table, looking at what looked like a map, or blueprints of some kind. Their hair was short, a faded mint green, and they appeared to be the one in charge.
Also, to Camila's discomfort, they were all wearing the same bizarre, ugly bat masks that Katya had been wearing a moment before. It creeped the woman out, especially with the dim lighting of the tent.
Despite the intimidation they all had, the leader of the bunch seemed caught off guard to see a stranger in their tent, "Oh, uh, hello!" They spoke lamely, then immediately looked embarrassed, cursing themselves under their breath.
"Come on, get it together, make a good first impression." The masked bard muttered, then cleared their throat, "Welcome! We are the Bards Against the Throne!"
"The BATTs!" The other members hissed out, making Camila jump. She was regretting coming inside of this tent.
"Oh no, this is a cult, isn't it?"
Their leader quickly shook their head, waving their hands in front of them, "No no! They're just eccentric! We are bards, after all, haha!" They looked nervous, in a way that Camila was beginning to feel sorry for them.
Not wanting to lose Camila's support, Katya gave the woman a little push forward, "Come on, as our newest member you should introduce yourself."
Camila licked her lips, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in joining you."
The entire group deflated, none so more than Katya, though that might just be because Camila could actually see the disappointment in the girls eyes without the mask on. Before she could be kicked out of the tent, Camila continued, "I came here for help. You're protesting the Petrification, right? I need your help to stop it outright."
The Leader glanced to their partners, mouth open, before centering back on Camila, "I- I'm sorry, but this is a formal protest, not an active rebellion. I'm doing what I can, but we don't have the numbers to go out and actively defy the Emperor. We usually stage smaller, more covert ops. Relocation of accused wild witches, food drops, that sort of thing-"
"Then why even come here?!" Camila exclaimed, "You should know better than anyone the Emperor doesn't change his mind over mere words of disappointment. Eda will be petrified if we don't stop this from happening."
The BATT leader frowned, then carefully removed their mask. Fishing in their pockets, they placed a pair of glasses over their eyes, and gestured for Camila to step closer. "I-, er, I'm Raine, just so you know, and I'd like to help, really. We do have a greater purpose here, one that is important."
They gestured to the map they had laid out on the table, areas of it marked with circles in red ink. "We came here to raid the Emperor's stores of petrified prisoners. This may be the first petrification ceremony in decades, but it's far from the only one ever to happen. There are hundreds of Statues of witches hidden in chambers throughout the Conformatorium, not to mention decorating the place as a sign of the Emperor's power."
They continued, looking Camila in the eye, looking just as tired as Camila felt. "We have come here today because we might not get a better chance. With this many people, we can sneak in unnoticed and… free these poor witches."
Camila's eyes widened, "Do you mean you've found a cure?"
The tent was quiet. Behind Raine, the dark skinned BATT silently shook his head, gesturing to a large metal mallet by the foot of the table. "Oh. You're… going to..."
Their Leader nodded somberly. "Each of these prisoners are still alive. Locked in stone form, unable to die, but far from living. Conscious, and never able to sleep. We plan to break in and shatter as many of these statues as we can, and free them from their thirty long years of torment. That is the true reason why we are here. The protest is just the cover."
They turned away from Camila, eyes downcast, "I'm sorry, but we can't help you."
Raine breathed out a heavy sigh, "This is hard, I know. Trust me, I've thought about it before. I… used to know Eda, back when we were kids. She was one of my best friends in school. I looked up to her. She used to defend me from bullies, and here I can't even do the same for her. I can't save her from the biggest bully of them all. She used to tell me- She'd tell me 'us weirdos-'"
"'-have to stick together.'" Camila finished quietly, to the surprise of the bard.
With a watery glance Camila's way, Raine asked, "If it's not too much to ask, how do you know Edalyne?"
Camila pressed her hands to the table, leaning her weight against it, breathing heavy, "She's the mother of my child."
Raine's breath hitched in their throat, and they removed their glasses, pinching at the bridge of their nose. Steadying their shaky breath, they asked, "She has a kid?"
Camila nodded. "Three, really. A biological daughter she had with me. A tiny demon cub she's basically raised before he could speak, and an apprentice she's all but adopted."
Raine nodded, willing tears not to fall from their eyes. It was all too much for them to take in. They'd gone into this knowing they were going to lose a friend, and yet this woman was losing a member of her family, the mother of her children, and there was nothing they felt they could do but offer platitudes and apologies.
The shortest BAT member poked her head out of the front of the tent, then peeked back inside, "Uh, Boss? You might want to see this."
Shaking their head and willing themselves to push forward, Raine stepped towards the edge of the tent, "What is it, Amber?"
Raine opened the tent flap, seeing the mob that had come to see the petrification chanting. Up near the stage, with the news crew, a commotion was happening. Eda had been brought out, high above the crowd on the execution platform, and yet despite that the crowd was focusing on two children who had stolen the mic from the news reporter, Perry Porter.
Camila joined Raine's side, watching as Gus and Willow riled the crowd, getting them to cheer for Eda's release. "Let Eda go! Let Eda go!"
"It looks like children have taken over your job of formally protesting," Camila breathed, passing by the bard. Eda was out, and she needed to be rescued. Whatever had happened with Luz and Amity had failed, and now she had to do her part.
"Wait." Raine grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. They seemed conflicted, before finally finding their determination, storming back into the tent and back to their map with a face made of stone. "Amber, Katya, Derwin, I need you to hit here, here, and here. Be fast, be quick, and get out before you get caught."
"What about you, boss?" Derwin asked, picking up his hammer.
Raine swallowed, "There are plenty of petrified witches out here in the courtyard. I'll take care of them. I think you all know what this means. From this moment on, we're not going to be a small time covert group. This will mean open rebellion. P-public attention." They stuttered at the very idea, but didn't falter.
With one more glance at each of their team, Raine added, "This isn't what any of you signed up for. If you want to back out, now's your chance."
"We got it boss." Derwin flashed a thumbs up.
"We're with you all the way!" Amber bounced, throwing her fists into the air.
Katya gaped like a fish, before excitedly fastening her mask back on into place, "Finally! I get to recapture that feeling of revolution, and in the Conformatorium again of all places! Dreams do come true!"
Raine picked up a hammer themselves, grunting at its weight, then joined Camila outside. "Thank you." Camila uttered, heading off for the petrification platform.
"No thanks necessary," Raine assured, "I'm just doing my job. I break these statues, and you get your distraction. And hey, if you see Eda again before I do…"
The witch bit their lip, then smiled, "Tell her she still owes me that Grom dance."
Camila nodded, then raced forward, not having any time left to lose as the Petrification process began and the stage began to glow green.
Earlier…
Luz and Amity had found some guards. A lot of guards, actually. And the Warden. And Kikimora. They were pretty sure they'd run into everyone sans the Emperor himself and the one person they'd been searching for, but at least they had got directions after issuing some threats and nearly burning a few faces off with a fire glyph.
Eda was in one of the lowest chambers inside of the Conformatorium, right below the execution platform. It was quite the climb down from the tower they had started in, but with the element of surprise, a lot of spells from Luz and a ton of glyphs from Amity, the two managed to take down anyone who got in their way, moving in tandem in a way that made them almost a blur.
They broke inside the chamber Eda was supposed to be in with a well placed ice glyph on the lock, then made sure to close the door behind them. Unless someone was looking for it, they'd likely just walk by and never notice the lock had been removed. They were greeted by a dark room, full of chains and cages, and the sound of growling.
"Mom!" "Eda!"
The two teenagers raced forward, skidding to a halt at the sight of the monstrous bulk that was the Owl Lady in her cursed form. Neither girl had ever seen her like this before, her body various shades of grey and nothing but feathers and claws.
Luz let out a whimper, "Mom…"
Amity studied Eda's body, amazed at the size. Luz had seemed large when she had transformed, but Eda was bigger by almost twice the size. A full grown OwlBeast. Amity reached into her bag, palming the elixir within as Luz took a few steps closer, trying to get the beast's attention.
"Mom? It's me. T-time to take your elixir…" Luz stuttered, reaching out towards the growling behemoth, then giving her feathered body a sharp poke with the end of her finger. "Come on, wake up!"
The Owlbeast snapped immediately, knocking Luz off her feet as she turned to face the girl, roaring as Luz tried to crawl back and out of her reach. "Ah! It's me, Mom, it's Luz!"
Before Amity could chuck the elixir into the gaping maw of the monster, the Owlbeast's black eyes blinked, returning to their white and gold. "Luz?"
"Mom!" Luz was back on her feet, arms around Eda's neck, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. "You're okay. And you're… you, despite being all beasty."
"It's something Belos did to me. I don't know how, but he did. Look, you and Boots, you can't be here, you need to get out, now!" Eda spoke frantically, her voice laced with panic.
"Not until we've rescued you!" Luz insisted. Amity stepped forward, handing the girl a fire glyph which she applied to the chain, only for it to do nothing. They tried again with ice, only for the spell to dissolve. "This could be an issue."
Eda shook her head, equally frustrated and endeared, "Why did you have to inherit my stupid recklessness? Now get out, your magic isn't strong enough to break through these chains."
Luz and Amity exchanged glances, "Then it's a good thing we planned for that." Amity said, riffling through her hair and pulling out a Bobby pin, handing it over to her accomplice.
"Good thing you taught me how to pick locks when I was five, huh?" Luz waggled her eyebrows, and began to get to work on the cuff around Eda's neck. "Stay still, this will be quick."
Eda opened her mouth to argue, but Amity silenced her, "We're not leaving until you're free. All your yelling is going to do is alert the guards and make it harder for Luz to get you out."
"You don't understand, the Emperor never wanted me for his dumb coven. He wanted me for the door to the Human Realm. I didn't give it to him, but he's all but said he isn't above using you guys for leverage." Eda tried to explain, but at least did as Amity asked and kept still, letting Luz do her work.
Amity frowned, "Then why petrify you? How does that even make any sense. He can't use us as leverage if you're made of stone. Unless… He knew we would come here to try and save you, and this was…"
Amity groaned, pulling at her hair, "This is a trap! Of course it's a trap! If you have the door and we come to rescue you, he gets the door by threatening us until you give it up. And if you don't have the door, and we do, he threatens you with petrification so we'll hand it over!"
"I know! You don't need to tell me, I figured this out long before you showed up. Now you need to get out of here before he springs that trap." Eda said sternly.
"There, I've got it!" Luz exclaimed, the clamp around Eda's neck clicking and falling to the ground with a loud crash that made them all wince.
Eda cracked her neck, rubbing at the ring it made around her neck, "You wouldn't believe how much that thing chafes."
Amity paced, thinking. "Eda, do you have the door with you?"
"Yeah, of course. It's under all these feathers, but I never take the key off from around my neck. We need to destroy it before the Emperor finds that fact out." Eda answered, using a talon to show the key in her possession.
"Then if we know it's a trap, can't we use this to our advantage?" Amity asked. "He'll be expecting us to rescue you, after all. But he probably wasn't expecting us to use the Bobby pin trick to unlatch you. Even free though, he could still use us against each other, unless we use that against him ourselves."
Luz blinked, trying to wrap her head around Amity's way of thinking, "Uh, does that mean you have a plan, or…?"
"Your apprentice is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for, Edalyne." Lilith's familiar voice came from the door. All eyes went to her, and in a flash Eda was charging, using her claws to pin Lilith against the door by her neck.
Lilith choked, gasping for air as Eda sneered down at her. "Did you really come all this way down here, just to mock me one last time before I became a statue, Lily?"
"Pl… please, Eda," Lilith struggled to get out, her sister's grip tightening with every syllable. "Le-let me explain."
"Mom!" Luz ran to her mother's side, tugging at her mother's elbow. "You need to stop, please!"
"Why should I?" Eda snarled, her voice becoming deeper, more monstrous the longer she suffocated her sister. "After everything, give me one good reason why I should break her neck right here for what she's done to us?"
"Because she's got Owlbert!"
Lilith's face was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen, the owl Palisman slipping from her grip and clattering to the floor. It was the noise that snapped Eda out of it, shaking her head and reigning in her fury, making her release her sister who followed after the Palisman, falling to the stone floor on all fours, coughing and gasping for air.
Eda's hands weren't meant for holding something like her Palisman anymore. A fact Amity seemed to catch onto as she came around, scooping the staff off the ground and holding it close. As much as they all hated the woman in front of them, as much as they despised her for what she'd done, they couldn't deny the fact that she'd come bearing Eda's staff, meaning she'd come to help her sister escape.
Eda began to pace, looking much like a Lion eyeing her prey, "Fine, you keep asking for a chance to explain, so start. Maybe that will buy you another minute or two."
Lilith struggled to speak, her throat already red and swollen, and would be bruised in the morning if her sister allowed her to live that much longer. "It was only supposed to last a day!"
Eda continued to pace, "What was?"
Lilith wailed, looking pitiful. Her mascara ran down her face as easily as her tears, caused by guilt and the pain of strangulation. "Your curse! And it wasn't ever supposed to change you! I just wanted to seal away your magic for a day so I could win, it was never supposed to turn out like this!"
"Win?" Eda questioned, stopping in her tracks, "Win what? What could have possibly been so important you'd curse your only sister, even for a day?"
"W-when we applied for the Emperor's coven together. When we were supposed to duel for a place in it." Lilith cried. "You would have beaten me, because you were right, yesterday. You were always better than me, but then you-"
"- I forfeit. I refused to fight you and let you have the spot." Eda finished, remembering that day, three decades ago. It was a bit of a blur, the only thing that truly stuck out in her memory before Lilith stirred them up being that's when she had her first transformation.
"Please, Edalyne. Let me help you. Really help you. I thought he'd heal you, but you were right. The Emperor lied to me. He tricked me. All he ever wanted was your portal door."
Eda sat on her haunches, glaring at her sister with cold eyes. "And why should I give you another chance? After all you've done?"
Amity laid a hand on Eda's shoulder, a task that wasn't easy when it was a foot above the girls head. "Actually, Eda, this could work in our favor for my plan."
Eda rolled her eyes, "Ugh, fine, but I had better love this plan!"
"Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?" Eda snarked, back on the platform that would elevate her to the petrification stand with the chains around her neck once more. "Because this is a terrible plan."
"Don't worry, Mom. I picked the lock once, I can do it again." Luz assured her from her hiding spot under Eda's wing.
Amity held tight the portal door key in her hand, feeling anxious. "It's only a matter of time before someone comes to check on us. You were supposed to go out a few minutes ago, but the enchantment to take you up was broken when we took the collar off. If what Lilith explained is correct, putting it back on is necessary for the platform to rise."
"I know, it's not exactly the most promising sounding idea, but we've already discussed it. We can't all fight our way out of here. The hallways are too narrow, and you're too big of a target, Eda. We'll need to get out through the top." Lilith spoke, earning glares from everyone in the room.
"Don't think that just because you're helping us that we trust you," Luz muttered, face poking out from under her mother's wing. "I'll be watching you."
Amity sighed, hoping her plan didn't fall apart before it could even get started. "Just remember to signal me when you're ready, Luz."
Lilith stood by nervously, "Hopefully this works, and Edalyne can get free. We just need to-"
"Ah, Lilith. You chose the wrong side."
There was the Emperor, right on time. With a blast of magic, Lilith was sent smashing into Eda's body, which due to her bulk didn't even make her flinch. The collar around Eda's neck transformed into a cage, locking all three Clawthornes inside. No sooner had this spell activated did the platform under the cage begin to lift, transporting them to the petrification platform above.
"Boots!" Eda called down to her apprentice, "You'd better get out of there in one piece!"
Amity, for her part, tried not to feel too nervous. She was only going to have to fight against the most powerful witch to have ever lived, if you believed the propaganda at least. With a glance back towards Belos, she put the key around her neck, making sure he'd see it, and held Owlbert out in front of her, ready to fight.
Belos held out a hand, as if asking her to lower the staff, "If you'd like to obey your mentor's last wish, I'd suggest you lower your weapon, Human. After all, I'd merely like to talk."
"Yeah, I've been told you really like to do that." Amity challenged, keeping Owlbert raised but not yet casting a spell. She needed to buy Luz all the time she could to get Eda out of that cage, and if Belos wanted to help fill that time with petty chatter she'd let him talk.
The Emperor chuckled behind his mask, "Yes, well, it comes with the territory of being ruler. Could we perhaps be civil here? No one appreciates having a staff pointed at them."
Amity kept her face blank as she began to lower the staff, only to give in to her anger at the man by lifting it back up and sending a blast at the Emperor, who melted into the floor before he could be hit, reappearing behind her. "That wasn't a very bright move, human."
As soon as the platform was raised to its zenith, Luz leapt from her hiding spot from under her mother's wing, surprising the guards around the cage when another figure was in the cell. And that was on top of their surprise to see Lilith caged as well. Luz took a look around at the guards, sending a little wave, "Uh, hi?"
One of them waved back, only to have his hand smacked down by Kikimora, "Damn it, Steve, we talked about this!"
Luz didn't waste any time, taking out her Bobby pin and rushing for the lock on the front of the cage, putting her hands between the magical bars while being careful not to touch them. The fabric of her sleeves singed and burned as it brushed against the energy that made up the bars as she slid the Bobby pin inside and began her work for the second time that day.
Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. "What do you think you're doing, you little brat? Stop her already!" Kikimora exclaimed, swatting at her guards who began to ready spells to shoot at the teenager.
Of course, that's where Lilith came in, using her own magic to fire back at them and provide Luz cover. "You're one to call her a little brat, Kiki, you hardly reach her waistline."
"You shut your mouth, Lilith! The emperor told me to expect you to join the Owl Lady! I know you've betrayed him, just like you've betrayed everyone else in your life." The spiteful demon shrieked, snapping her fingers and summoning the Petrification device.
Eda knew she should be preoccupied with the whole turning to stone thing, but for the life of her she couldn't focus on that right now. "What the Titan is going on down there?"
While Lilith was busy striking the Coven guards and Luz was picking the lock, Eda turned to look into the crowd, which seemed to be in full on rebellion mode. People were chanting her name, calling for her freedom. Some were rushing the platform she was on, starting to scale it. There even seemed to be some nutter in a mask going around breaking statues and screaming viva la resistance.
All of this chaos, for her? It was enough to bring a tear to her eye.
Oh yeah, the petrification. She was wondering why she couldn't feel her legs.
Turning her attention back to what was right in front of her, Eda positioned her own body so she took the brunt of the green rays of the petrification device, protecting her daughter. Luz did her best, tongue sticking out between her teeth as she worked the lock, and Lilith was still blasting the guards trying to stop Luz, so Eda may as well play her part in all of this. If it at least meant Luz got out of this okay, she'd be fine with that outcome.
Kikimora was barking orders, going full on mad, pulling more guards away from the lower levels to fight back Lilith, which only meant there were less guards to keep the mob below at bay. The entire tower shook from the weight of more bodies than it was built to sustain, until finally the one body who led the charge made it to the top.
"Keep fighting for your Emperor! She's just one woman! Less than one, look at her, half of her is stone!" Kikimora screeched, only to be swiftly silenced by a fist to the head.
"¡Aléjate de mi familia!" Camila yelled, kicking the fallen demon in the gut. She almost couldn't believe what she'd done, to a member of the Emperor's Coven even, but it almost felt freeing to take charge for once. If this feeling is why Eda was so rebellious, Camila was beginning to understand.
No sooner had Kikimora fallen did Luz finally crack the lock a second time, making the magical cage vanish into thin air. She raced to her Mama's side, throwing herself into her arms, before they both remembered the device currently turning Eda and Lilith into stone.
One barrage of spells later, the evil statue crumbled, falling to pieces and it's green, petrifcating light fading. Camila watched in anguish as the two women were now more stone than flesh despite her efforts to save them, laying her hands upon both of them. She wasn't sure why Lilith had been in the cage with Eda, but even she didn't deserve to be turned into a statue. "I-I'm going to try and heal you, okay? I don't know if this will work, it's a spell usually used on beasts, I'm not allowed to use this stuff on witches."
Camila's hands glowed as she placed them first on Eda, and then on Lilith, the glow spreading along their bodies and reversing the unfinished effects of the petrification. She breathed a sigh of relief to see their bodies returned, only to take in Eda's state of being. "Ah, you've, uh, certainly gained some weight, Eda."
Eda chuckled, picking herself up off the ground. "Oh, I know you still find me attractive."
Eda spread her wings, giving them a flex, "Alright, I'm halfway sure I can carry all of us out of here. Get on and we'll go."
"Where is Amity?" Camila asked, looking around for the girl, ignoring the sight of Lilith beside her for now. "She isn't with you. Did she get out?"
"I'm on it," Luz answered, typing a message onto her scroll and hitting send. "Now let's go!"
Camila hesitated as the others climbed aboard Eda. When the cursed witch gave her a questioning look, Camila could only gaze out onto the courtyard below. "You go without me. I have something I still need to do down there."
Eda opened her mouth, but Cam answered the question before it could be asked, "Yes, I'm sure. Go. I'll be fine. I'm a nobody, just a small town Beast Healer. I'll blend right back into the crowd."
"Be safe, Mama!" Luz called, with Lilith just giving her a nod. Eda didn't look happy, but she didn't fight, just giving her ex one last look before preparing to bound off the side of the platform.
"Oh, and Eda?" Camila spoke, bringing the cursed witches attention back to her, "I met a witch named Raine today. They told me to tell you you still owe them a dance."
Eda laughed at that, gesturing to her body with her head, "Yeah, good luck of that ever happening! I used to have two left feet, now I've got four!" and with that she took off, flying into the breeze.
Amity had used every trick in the book to fight back against Belos, but it seemed the Emperor was always two steps ahead of her. Every blow she sent he evaded, hardly putting up a fight himself. He'd sent a blast of magic out that could have destroyed her in an instant, only to purposefully miss and hit the ceiling, blowing a hole that let the last of the days light in, just to make her afraid. He didn't want to damage his prize, after all.
That was all that kept Amity safe. That she had something Belos wanted. And he'd chase after it like a carrot on a stick.
Still, there was a method to Belos's madness that Amity was picking up on. He especially liked to disappear and reappear behind her, looming over the human with his impressive height. An intimidation tactic. Just because Amity knew that's what it was didn't mean it wasn't effective.
This was her plan, but it didn't mean she wasn't terrified out of her mind. If Luz couldn't get that lock picked, Eda was doomed and Amity had done this all for nothing. If Belos got serious, and Amity lost the door, then this again, was all for nothing. Just because she didn't care about going back to the Human Realm didn't mean she wanted to give Belos access to it.
Amity was scared, but she couldn't afford to be. She couldn't let him see her that way. She needed to be a bitch. No, she needed to be a Blight.
With his next disappearing act, Amity reacted, throwing up a light glyph behind her where she knew he was most likely to appear, blinding the Emperor momentarily when he did. Then she whipped out her secret weapon, one she'd kept hidden on her until the moment was right. Digging it out of her bag, she pulled a glass flask she'd stolen from the Relic Room the day before, uncorking it. "Abomination! Attack!"
A single Abomination burst from the bottle, quickly forming into a behemoth that matched Belos in size with the intent to smash the blinded emperor. It's hand formed into a large, spiked fist and sent it flying right towards the Emperor's face. It's aim was true, the fist landing dead center of Belos' mask, sending a few shards flying as the man himself was downed.
For the briefest of moments, Amity was sure she'd killed him. She hadn't meant to. That wasn't the plan. She felt horror fill her, until he rose to his feet and turned around, revealing a cracked, breaking mask, missing a large chunk around the right eye. Inside the once dark pits, the eye she had struck glowed with a neon blue light. That was… fun.
To her surprise, Belos actually seemed fairly amused at her attempts to fight him rather than pained. She had expected anger, a short temper. Instead he treated the whole thing as a game, even as close as he'd come to losing an eye. With a wave of his hands the Abomination was torn to pieces, the goo returning to the bottle like it was being sucked into a vacuum.
"I'm just a humble messenger for the Titan. In the grand scheme of things, the Owl Lady's life is inconsequential." The emperor spoke, stepping towards Amity now that her bodyguard of goop was gone. "But then you showed up. If you want to save your mentor, give me the portal to the Human Realm. This is all I ask."
He went on to talk about how she probably thought he wanted to conquer the human realm, and that he and the Titan had no interest in such things, but honestly, Amity wasn't listening to his garbage. Instead her ears were preoccupied by a chime that came from her pocket, indicating a message had been received. Meaning Luz had gotten Eda free, and they were leaving, so it was time for Amity to make her own exit.
"You really want that door, don't you?" Amity asked while cutting the Emperor off, pulling the key out from around her neck, pressing the eye in the center and summoning the portal. She was going off script here, but her fight with the Emperor had shown her just how powerful he was. The bait she'd used to keep his attention on her was too good, and he wouldn't ever let her leave as long as she had the door on her. She needed to take steps to ensure he never got what he wanted from her, today, or ever.
"The Titan wants it more than anything," Belos corrected, holding his hand out for her to give it to him.
"I've never really bought into all this Titan stuff you love to talk about," Amity dismissed. She glanced at the door, folded into its briefcase form, and uttered a quiet apology. "Ed, Em, I hope you can find this. If not, I'm sorry. I won't be able to see you anymore. If I don't, I'm glad we at least got to make up before we parted ways."
She expanded the door, opening the portal. The junkyard she and Eda would scavenge from was in plain sight, bringing forth fond memories of digging through trash piles. Turning back to the emperor, she held out the key through the portal, her body in one realm, and her hand in the other.
"You want this so much, why don't you go get it?" Amity called out, then to the Emperor's horror she pressed the button that could summon and vanish the portal, then dropped the key, which clattered to the ground of the human world as she yanked her hand back through to the other side just as the door collapsed, vanishing from existence.
Belos looked past Amity to where the portal had been, his hand outstretched, then brought his eyes level with Amity's. "You have made a very big mistake, human. Had you honored our deal, I would have let the Owl Lady free. Now you've doomed her."
"You really must love thinking you're the smartest guy in the room, don't you?" Amity smirked, mounting Owlbert and beginning to drift up towards the ceiling. "But the truth is, you lost at your own game. You lost the moment you decided to go up against a Blight."
"We are the best. We are the strongest. And we never, ever lose." Amity narrowed her eyes at the Emperor below her, "I especially don't lose to those who would hurt my friends."
She had reached a hole in the roof that led outside, nearly out of the Emperor's grasp, but couldn't help just one more warning to add insult to injury. "So just remember next time you're thinking about going after us, there is nothing you want that I'm not willing to take away from you."
With a grin that would make Eda proud, Amity flew through the hole, chasing after Eda the Owl Lady as they both flew back towards the Owl House.
As Amity disappeared as a speck on the horizon, Belos arrived on the surface, taking the lift upward to the petrification platform. His form shook with unbridled rage, doubled when he realized he had in fact been tricked, the Owl Lady nowhere to be seen. Even then though, his rage stilled at the sight before him.
Below the platform a riot was breaking out. The tents that had been selling Petrification themed merchandise were burning, the statues of Wild witches that served as a warning to his enemies lay broken, and the ones still in one piece were being toppled by the masses. A mixed chant met his ears, half the courtyard screaming "Let Eda go!" While the other half cried out "Down With Belos!"
A full on rebellion seemed at hand in this moment, and he wondered exactly where all of this went so horribly wrong. All of this over the Owl Lady, a petty criminal? He needed to put this to rest. He needed to put the fear of the Titan back into these people. Standing before his subjects, he raised his hands to the sky, "Children of the Isles. The Titan has told me to spare The Owl Lady's-"
A piece of stone, a part of a fallen statue, was thrown his way, narrowly missing his head. These savages were no longer listening to him. He ducked as yet another was sent his way, hissing as he did so. Before he could make his exit, Belos's eyes locked down on the one figure amongst the crowd that wasn't moving. A solid rock among a wave of people, staring right back up at him. A masked figure, dressed in red, daring him to act.
Belos turned, his cloak fluttering as he did so. "Come, Kikimora. We're leaving."
Eda had rougher landings in her life, but this one seemed especially bad. Whatever hold she had over her body was leaving, the Owlbeast fighting for control once more. She hadn't had an elixir in over a day, and she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to control herself.
Amity landed beside Eda, just as Luz was hopping off her back. Lilith joined them on the ground, wincing as her wounds from the previous day caught up with her. She never did get that healing session in, her arms still wrapped in bloodstained bandages as proof of that.
"How'd it go back there, Boots?" Eda asked, blinking rapidly, trying to stay focused, to stay herself.
"I got rid of the door." Amity responded, avoiding her mentor's gaze. "I'm sorry. I know it wasn't part of my plan, but it was the only way to make sure he wouldn't come after us again. If we left with it, he wouldn't ever leave you alone, and we don't have the luxury of Lilith's mercy on our side anymore. I made sure he knew it was gone, and I hope he learned not to cross us again from the encounter. I might have just made him angry, though."
Eda hummed, her mind full of cobwebs that made her feel so very tired. She tried to shake them off, "It's fine, kid. Couldn't be helped. Not like you wanted to go back there anyway."
"I'm sure someone will find the key. I hope they do." Amity replied, thinking of Edric and Emira. She hadn't even got to say goodbye. With any luck they would find it when they came to the Gravesfield dump next week when they were supposed to visit her. Belos would never know, and she'd have doubly tricked him in the process if they managed to open the portal on their end.
Luz, noticing her mother's struggles to stay in control of herself, reached into her bag and pulled out one of the bottles of elixir she'd brought with them, uncorking it and offering it to Eda to drink.
"I'm not sure any amount of elixir will fix her body anymore," Lilith commented as Eda took a gulp of the golden potion. "I- need to make this right, sister."
Lilith stepped forward, cupping Eda's face in her hands and brought their foreheads together. Only to be roughly shoved aside before she could do whatever it was she'd been trying to do. "What do you think you're doing, Lilith?"
"I- I was going to-" Lilith began.
Eda's face scrunched up. "No!"
"Eda! This is the only way to fix what I've done!" Lilith protested, and beside them Luz groaned. This was just like every other one of their sibling arguments she'd put up with over the years.
"No! Nu-uh. Not letting you." Eda said stubbornly. "If you're going to try any wackado magic to try and cure me, don't bother. It's not going to earn a speck of my forgiveness."
She pushed Lilith towards her daughter, "If anyone, I want you to cure Luz. I'm old. I've had decades to make my peace with this. You have some miracle cure up your ass, you use it to save my daughter."
The two witches looked up at Eda, unsure. "Are you… certain about this? You may never walk in your witchly body ever again."
"I'm sure. Whatever it is you're doing, you'd better do it for Luz."
Lilith nodded, then got on her knees before her niece, holding her face towards hers like she'd done with Eda a moment ago. Luz flinched at the contact, looking very much like she wanted to shove Lilith away like her mother had a moment before, but held back the temptation. Lilith called upon an old childhood memory of herself and Eda, then spoke the words, "With this spell declared, let the pain be shared."
A blue glow surrounded the two, growing brighter and brighter. Amity had to shield her eyes as it became too much for her to handle, making her feel like she would go blind if she stared directly at it. Beside her, Eda drank deeply from the elixir Luz had given her, feeling a sense of relief when her mind cleared, even if her body remained the same.
When the glow faded, the two witches looked much the same, the only difference being that Lilith now had a streak of grey running through her hair. Luz looked down at herself, curiously examining her hands. "I… I don't really feel all that different."
"Neither do I," Lilith admitted, running a hand through her hair to get a better look at the greys, "Though I do think this worked. It's not a full cure, Luz, but with the curse split between us, you'll have a lot easier time handling the beast within you."
Luz nodded silently, "And my Mom?"
Lilith frowned, "I'm pretty sure that's all I could take in. If I have half your curse, and try to split that in half… it might not be pretty when that half goes to your mother. She might be dealing with two beasts instead of one. I'm… unsure how any of this even works."
Eda stepped forward, taking the blackened gem from off her chest and holding it outstretched towards Luz. "Here, kiddo. I won't be needing this anymore. It'll help monitor your magic levels, and we can keep track of any changes. I probably should have gotten you one a while ago, honestly."
Luz took her mother's gemstone in hand, sniffling as she did so. "Oh come on, it's not that big a deal!" Eda insisted.
Luz wiped her eyes, "Sorry, I just- I'm glad this cloak wasn't the last thing you were able to give me, is all."
Luz pinned it to her shirt, in the center of her collarbone, just as her mother had always worn it. The black faded, the gem returning to its amber color as a sign of Luz's more healthy magic. Amity placed a hand on Luz's shoulder, turning the girl around and opening her arms for a hug. Luz accepted it wholeheartedly, leaning into her girlfriend's embrace. Behind them, Eda gagged, then started making her way to her front door.
"Well, as much as this family reunion has been a time and a half… I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Lilith." Eda called over her shoulder, doing her best to saunter when she had four legs. "And for your own sake, don't come back. I mean it."
Lilith gulped, stepping towards her sister, "B-but where will I go? I'm unemployed, I'm technically a traitor to the Empire, and I'm still wounded-"
"Not my problem to deal with," Eda stated plainly. "If the kids weren't here, Lilith, you'd already be in the dirt. Go live with Mom and Dad. Titan knows Mom doesn't spend enough time at home, I'm sure Dad gets lonely. He could use the company."
Lilith opened and closed her mouth, second guessing her urge to argue when Eda had plainly stated she still would like to kill her for what she'd done. "Very well. I'll go. Take care of yourself, Edalyne."
Lilith turned to her niece, pondering her next choice of words, "I may never get the chance to say this again, Luz, but I am so sorry. For everything."
Luz frowned, then shook her head, "I don't forgive you. But try and stay safe anyway."
The older woman felt the barest semblance of a smile touch her lips, "I understand. Thank you."
Turning towards Amity, the witch had very few words for the human in mind. "I owe you an apology as well. Please watch over them in my stead?"
"I'll do better than you ever did," Amity said plainly, crossing her arms. Lilith couldn't argue against that, she hadn't exactly done a good job keeping her family safe, not even from herself.
Eda just grunted at the farewells, turning away from Lilith and stopping in front of her door, immediately finding a problem. "Oh, Titan dammit. I'm too big for the door!"
Luz laughed as she and Amity watched Lilith go, the now covenless witch summoning her staff to fly upon and out towards the horizon, then turned to see Eda grumbling. "I'm sure we can squeeze you in there somehow, Mom."
"Yeah, we'll help you shave off a few pounds." Amity smiled. She wasn't sure how long Eda would last like this, but the Elixir she'd taken seemed to have at least helped, so for now the human wouldn't worry.
"Hoot! Wow, Eda, you sure look different!" Hooty cocked his head as they approached. "Did you do something new with your hair? It looks amazing! I wish I had hair, hoot hoot!"
The group didn't have time to respond to the House Demon before they were interrupted by the door he was attached to being thrown open, Hooty himself slamming against the wall of the house with an "hoot!" Of pain, as two familiar pairs of blonde hair throwing themselves out and on top of Amity at the same time a small demon latched onto Eda's leg.
"Eda! You're back! I was so worried when you didn't come back last night!" King wailed, seemingly unconcerned that his mother figure was currently a giant beast.
Meanwhile, Amity's ears were assaulted by the cacophony of noise her siblings were making. "Mittens! You're okay!"
"Where have you been?"
"We were worried sick!"
"We waited all friggin day and night, with no word at all from anyone! Can we go home yet?"
"We had to obey that little twerp of a demon, and put up with the bird tube, it was awful!"
"We finally got to meet your girlfriend while you were kidnapped, Mittens. You were right, she is really cute-"
"What in the HELL happened to the mean witch lady?!"
"And why do I still find her so strangely attractive?"
"ED!"
"What? I'm just saying!"
Amity's brain was fried as she processed that her siblings were right in front of her, and not within the confines of the Human Realm as she'd previously believed them to be. She'd said her emotional farewells to them and everything before casting the key through the door for them to one day find! "W-what? What are you doing here?"
"We came to see you, and then you got kidnapped is what happened!" Emira shrieked, her worry still clear in her voice. "First you run away, and then you get taken. I swear it's like you're cursed!"
"Oh, man, Mom is going to kill us when we get home!" Edric groaned, hand on his forehead. "I can already hear her yelling!"
Amity stared at them blankly, "Uh… yeah, about that…"
Eda started cackling, starting small and building until she was falling over herself. Beside her, Luz was blushing red at their comments about her being cute, and that Amity had apparently talked with them about it. It was hard not for the witch to feel pleased with herself over that, especially needing the pick-me-up after the last twenty four hours she'd had.
Finally, Eda sobered, her face full of mirth until something finally occurred to her, "Oh, farts, they're gonna have to stay with us, aren't they?"
Camila walked through the utterly destroyed courtyard of the conformatorium, her feet kicking through the stones of old wild witches, feeling morbid at the thought that these rocks were the broken remains of what had once been people. Almost everyone had left, leaving the previously packed place feeling like a ghost town, but a few dozen individuals remained. There were really only a few Camila cared about though.
Sitting on the plinth of one such shattered statue was just the person Camila had wanted to see, the one called Raine. They looked tired, their hammer lay abandoned at their feet, a fiddle in its place in the bard's hands as they played with the strings. "You really know how to put on a show."
The Bard smiled behind their mask, "funny, I was about to say the same about you. I've been trying for months to accomplish something big, something that will inspire people to act out, and if you hadn't spoken up, we may have missed our chance to find an audience. You inspired me to act out in public, and for once it seemed someone listened."
"A lot of someone's." Camila commented. "I especially like the part where you told the crowd, what was it, 'They'll never mute the music of our hearts?'"
Raine became flustered, missing a note on their instrument, and making it squeak. "Please don't bring that one up. I didn't write the scripts. That's all Katya. She told us she could write!"
The two chuckled, staring at one another. Around them people moved, townsfolk talking with the other members of the BATTs, some looking to join the cause, others just trying to make a difference.
"I changed my mind." Camila said finally, then upon Raine cocking their head in confusion, she specified, "About what I said in the tent. I want to join you. Make a difference. I- This can't be the world I let my daughter grow up in. She deserves better than to have to fear her mother can be taken from her at any moment on a tyrant's whim."
Raine's lips perked up, "then we're glad to have you on board."
"Really? That's all it takes?" Camila asked, a hint of humor in her voice. "I'm not even a Bard. You have a place for a Beast Healer in your little squad?"
Raine laughed, scratching at their chin, "Well, it still starts with a B. I'm sure we can make it work with the acronym."
Camila took a look around, at all the dozens of faces still here, still helping the BATs, still working towards their cause. Faces young and old, asking what they could do to make a change. Katya was going to need more pamphlets. "I'm thinking you might have to make a lot of changes to that acronym. Your membership looks like it's about to soar. How about Covens Against The Throne?"
Raine's nose twitched unpleasantly, "I'll have you know, I'm highly allergic to cats. Just thinking about them makes me have to-" they stifled a sneeze, readjusting their mask as they recovered.
"Ms. Noceda!" A pair of familiar voices called out, causing Camila to turn her head. Three figures she knew well were coming her way, making the woman grin.
"Gus, Willow! Carinos, you're okay! I was worried with how rowdy the crowds were getting." Camila opened her arms, allowing both children to throw themselves at her and into her embrace.
"We did it!" Gus grinned, pride exuding from his every pore. "We helped stop the petrification!"
Willow nodded beside him, "We were so worried when we saw Eda on the news. We couldn't just let her be turned to stone. We had no idea she'd look like that, though."
Camila frowned, brushing a hand through Willow's hair, "Eda's been dealing with a curse for many years now. She's always been very private about it. It's such a shame most of the Boiling Isles know about it now."
Behind her, Raine spoke up, "It was very brave, what you did today."
Both children looked past Eda, to the odd person in a bat mask. Raine smiled at them, and continued, "You managed to do something that even most adults would have shied away from. Be proud, you very likely saved a life today."
Gus and Willow exchanged awed glances at the praise as the third figure who came with them approached, microphone in hand. "Hello, odd bat person, I'm Perry Porter, reporter for the BBN-HXN news network. Do you mind if I have a word, or an interview about your movement and the events that transpired today?"
The smile ran away from Raine's lips, quickly replaced by a quivering frown, "A-an interv-view? N-now?!"
Camila shook her head, trying to hide her smile, "And you're the one who's going to be running the revolution, huh?"
Deep within the Emperor's castle, Kikimora paced. "This is a sign of a full on Rebellion as the likes the Isles hasn't seen in over forty years. We must act swiftly and put all of those traitors down!"
"Calm yourself, Kikimora," Belos urged gently, hardly paying her rant any mind. "Such things are unimportant in the long run, and will only drain resources from where they are truly needed."
With the door permanently out of his reach, they had to start from scratch. Not as simple a task as it would seem, as he'd been attempting to make his own for over thirty years, but Belos didn't get where he was by giving up when things got… inconvenient. "I'll have Hunter keep an eye on things for us, while we attend to business. Isn't that right, dear boy?"
In the shadows, the Golden Guard nodded, offering his liege his support.
"In the meantime, the Day of Unity is nearly upon us. We will achieve our goals before then, the Titan demands it."
Despite the work ahead of him with having to find a way to construct his own portal door, his mind went back to the little girl who stood before him. While Rebellion spelled trouble, he felt that she would be the far worse problem to deal with in the future.
"Nothing I want that you're not willing to take away from me, eh Amity Blight?"
End of Season One
A/N: Hey, remember when I said this wasn't going to be a full rewrite of season one, and then I basically went ahead and did just that?
God dammit. Why am I like this? This was supposed to be a short highlight reel of sorts, with a focus on what I felt would be majorly different, not an entire epic story!
Right, so, season is over, and right now my plan is to take a short break, and write some chapters I'm calling "Intermissions." These will be focused on Vee, who we haven't heard from in a loooong time. I've mentioned this plan before, but who knows how often you guys actually read the author's notes.
This is of course to buy me time to write season two. Because I have now reached a point where the fic is so different, that it's kinda hard to come up with allegories for events that happened in season two.
Ed and Em are now stuck on the Boiling Isles. Raine gets an early public start with the BATTs/CATTs. There is a hell of a lot more open rebellion against the emperor. Amity and Luz are already dating. Eda is trapped in her cursed form. Lilith is cast out by her own sister. Camila is a rebel. The Emperor is pretty damned pissed. The portal key is on Earth. And Boscha is trying to be a better person.
I have no clue where I am going with any of this. At all. I'll pull something out of my hat of ideas though, and try to tie it all together, even if season two is basically unrecognizable.
Or maybe I'll get those Vee chapters up, panic, write a few things from the seat of my pants, then promptly abandon the story. You know, to keep things fresh! I've had way too many successes lately anyway. Gotta mix things up and throw a failure in there somewhere!
With that in mind, if you have any questions other than "what will happen to x in the future," or anything with Vee in it, feel free to ask in the comments. I didn't spend much of this explaining plot details like I normally do, and I don't feel like making this longer than it already is. Love you all, take care!
(Oh, also, I didn't add Luz and Lilith getting a grey eye each, since I figured that might be an effect of the curse being so far gone when Lilith took it. If you guys want, I can add the eye color change, it's a small detail, wouldn't take long to add, but I want to hear what you guys think.)