Lilith watched with wide eyes as, coming to a screeching halt, when her sister dropped her fist.

"No," Eda spoke firmly. "I refuse to battle my sister!"

The older witch's heart dropped into her stomach, her blood running cold. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. After everything she risked just the evening before, her sister was forfeiting the tryout. Eda walked to Lilith then, lightly punching her upper arm.

"I've decided that covens aren't really my style," her smile was huge, and her eyes lit up with pride in Lilith. "Hey! Don't forget me when you're a big shot, sis."

Lilith's limbs were heavy, her mouth painfully dry as Eda turned to walk the other way across the field. Her mind spun in circles, unable to fully digest what her younger sister had just done. Not only had the curse been for nothing, but Eda was damning herself to life as a fugitive with her decision. To make matters worse, she had just announced said decision in front of multiple Emperor's Coven scouts. There was truly no return from that moment.

Eda let out a sharp wail, piercing Lilith's ears and chest, before dropping to the ground. Lilith watched, her stomach flipping at the sight of her sister wailing and writing on the opposite side of the field. Ginormous, auburn feathers seemed to burst through Eda's skin and clothing, and her body rapidly morphed into something much larger. Her eyes glazed over, amber replaced with black, and her fingers grew into massive claws. She was no longer a witch, but an owl beast. The audience began to boo, throwing garbage and rocks from the stand. Eda let out a grumble before taking off.

"Edalyn!" Lilith called out, ready to run after her sister. She needed to tell her it would be no longer than a day. Something had gone wrong. This wasn't what the curse was supposed to do to her.

A hand wrapped tightly around Lilith's forearm, raising it above her head and effectively stopping her in her tracks. She looked up to see one of the coven scouts as they announced her victory to the crowd. Eda was long gone.

"Lilith Clawthorne! We welcome you to the Emperor's Coven!"

Lilith let out a shout upon waking from the same nightmare she saw behind her eyelids every night. Her eyes were wide and focused on the silhouette crouched in her stone window. She sat up, frantically pushing her glasses onto her face, and preparing to make a run for it. Before the witch could fling herself out of the large, wooden, canopy bed, the figure leaped into the bed beside her. She instantly recognized her younger sister's cackling and her rapid heart rate began to slow.

"Edalyn!" Lilith hissed, using a spell circle to create a small, luminescent orb. "What the hell? You can't be here!"

"I know, but I wanted to see my sissy," the younger witch's bottom lip jutted out, her hazel eyes glowing gold in the warm light. Eda's eyes widened as she took in Lilith's appearance. The witch had chopped off her voluptuous red curls to her chin, colored over it in a navy blue, and wore it straight. "What'd you do to your hair?"

"Ugh," Lilith pulled her knees to her chest, pressing her forehead into them. It had been almost a month since she last saw Eda. So much had already changed.

After declaring to withdraw from her coven track and pursue a life as a wild witch, Eda officially became banned in the Boiling Isles. There was technically nowhere else for the witch to go, which essentially meant she was to live in hiding. Before their father, Dell, left to pursue work in the Mandible, a sacred area in the isles, and Lilith left to move into the Emperor's castle, there had been a tragic accident that sealed the deal. Dell, wanting to leave "in style," set off a party popper, triggering the owl beast that had posessed Edalyn.

Lilith and her mother, Gwendolyn, watched in horror as Edalyn, in owl beast form, coiled backward before clawing directly through Dell's face. He fell over, letting out a cry of pain, and the owl beast quickly retracted. Eda, back in her human form, screamed before running out of the house. Gwendolyn was already tending to Dell's eye when Lilith ran out after Eda.

This is all my fault, both sisters thought.

"Do you even know what will happen if you're caught in the castle?" Lilith whispered and Eda shrugged. "Where have you been? Dad has bee-"

"I don't want to know," Eda shook her head. "I don't want to know what happened after I left, okay? I don't deserve an update."

"That doesn't even make any se-"

"Lily, please," Eda pouted, her expression darker.

"At least tell me you're taking care of yourself," Lilith moved to cross her legs, placing her hands in her lap. Eda mirrored her.

"I'm fine," Eda flipped her hand, smirking. "I'm living in the tower."

"What?"

"What Mom and Dad don't know won't hurt them," Eda smiled. "I'm building a house there. I'm going to fix the place up."

"That can't be safe, Edalyn," Lilith covered her face with her hands and removed her glasses, placing them on her end table. "How will you protect yourself?"

"Oh, I found a house demon!" Eda's expression glowed and Lilith grimaced. "I call him Hooty. He's like…thousands of years old. You should be grateful you'll never meet him. I think you'd honestly hate him!"

Eda's words landed heavily on Lilith's heart. You should be grateful you'll never meet him. She was positive Edalyn was correct in assuming she didn't want to meet her house demon. However, the prospect of never visiting her sister's house, or possibly even seeing her sister ever again, caused her stomach to churn. When she agreed to join the Emperor's Coven, it was under the premise that her sister would follow in her footsteps. They would move into the castle together, go on missions together, and save the world together. She never expected so much to change.

Now, sitting across from Eda in the middle of the night, Lilith resisted the urge to lock the window, trapping her. She wanted nothing more than to convince Eda to change her mind. Logically, she understood Eda changing her mind did not guarantee she would even be taken into the coven. By declaring herself a wild witch, Eda had essentially declared herself a wanted witch.

"Yoohoo!" Eda waved a hand in front of her sister's dazed expression. "Where'd ya go, Lily?"

"I miss you," Lilith's eyes shimmered with fresh tears. "I don't want you to leave."

"I know," Eda reached up to tuck Lilith's short hair behind her ear. Her sister looked so incredibly different. "I miss you too, Lils."

"You can't keep coming back here," Lilith whispered. "They'll take you in and lock you in the conformitorium."

"If they can even catch me!" Eda giggled.

"You have no fear," Lilith smiled sheepishly, shaking her head slowly.

"Move over," Eda crawled up to the top of the bed. Lilith scooted to the side, making room for her sister. "I'm staying until you fall asleep."

"No, that's not safe, Edalyn."

"I don't care," Eda stretched her arm out and Lilith leaned into her sister, resting her head on her shoulder.

The two witches sat in the silent darkness, neither daring to say another word. Eda wanted to stay up chatting, but she knew her sister had to be up as early as four to begin her daily tasks. She didn't want to jeopardize the girl's day like that. She let herself feel the weight of her sister's head on her arm, attempting to memorize everything about her. Lilith was right - Eda couldn't continue to stop in and visit her. The further up Lilith would move in the coven, the harder and harder it would become. Plus, it wasn't like the castle sat unguarded. Every visit would be incredibly dangerous.

Lilith, comforted by Eda's presence, fell asleep rather quickly. It had been a while since she had a proper night's sleep, between the nightmares, the change in scenery, and her sister's disappearance. Despite fearing for Eda's safety living on her own as a sixteen-year-old, it was a relief knowing she was alive and seemed generally well.

Eda, noticing the way her sister's breathing had slowed and steadied, carefully withdrew her arm and pulled the folded piece of paper she brought from her pocket. The witch pressed it into the bed beside Lilith, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and made her way to the window.

"See ya around, Lily," she whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat, before climbing out the window.


"Edalyn?" Lilith opened her eyes a few hours later, at dawn, to find the other side of the bed cold.

She sat up, looking around with tired eyes, in hopes to find her sister standing nearby. Eda had been true to her word and left while Lilith slept. The witch turned to begin getting ready for her day and the sound of paper crinkling caught her attention. She reached to pull the piece of paper from the black, silk sheets and turned it over in her hands. It was folded like an envelope with Lily 3 inscribed on the front.

The witch carefully opened the envelope, doing her best to avoid ripping it, and peered inside. She extracted a small, silver chain with a tiny aquamarine gemstone dangling from it. The piece of jewelry was dainty and simple, an instant favorite for the witch. She held the cool metal in her palm and unfolded the rest of the envelope. The witch was unsurprised to find a note written out inside it. The sisters had written notes to each other in a similar fashion in the past.

Hey Lily,

I'm glad I got to see you. I miss you. I want you to have this. I got it at the night market. The aquamarine made me think of your eyes. Know that I'll always be close to your heart, even if we don't see each other again.

Love you always,

Edalyn

When the witch brought in a breath, it hitched in her throat. Tears trickled out over her bottom eyelids as she began to cry. She clutched the small necklace to her chest, wishing for the hundredth time that week that she could somehow turn back time. Lilith swiped at her eyes, stood, and walked over to the ornate, golden full-length mirror in the corner of her room. She carefully placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it behind her head. Once it was in place, she brushed her hair out from under it and stood tall, taking in her appearance.

She glowered at herself, actively creating the most intimidating expression she could. The witch chopped her hair off and colored it dark blue the day she left home. She flattened it with heat several times a week. It was important to her that she separate her old life from this new one. The Lilith who played Grudgby with her sister and friends, read a new book each day, and counted each stone on her walk home was no longer allowed to exist. This new Lilith, the one who made irreversible sacrifices and was willing to do anything to succeed, stood in her place.

She began slipping into her coven scout uniform. It had been only a few weeks of working as a scout, her daily training coming to an end, and she was growing very comfortable in her new attire. Having attended Hexside, Lilith was very used to wearing the same thing each day. Donned in her charcoal gray undershirt, white cape, black pants, brown boots, and holding her mask, she was ready to face the day. She carefully tucked her necklace into her undershirt for safe-keeping before sticking the envelope it came in into her journal. Once the book was safely tucked into her armoire, Lilith made her way to the door.

As if on cue, a gentle knock came from the other side. Lilith opened the door to find her scout partner, Steve, waiting.

"Good morning," she lifted her chin, stepping past the witch.

"Mornin'," he grumbled, yawning and stretching his hands over his head.

She closed the door behind herself, raising an eyebrow he couldn't see at his display of exhaustion. It was unclear to Lilith whether or not her scout partner was going to bed on time or not. Regardless, he was expressing a lot of tiredness each morning and was very slow to warm up. Steve kept up with her, standing just a few inches taller, as she strode towards the main hall where they would meet with their commander.

"How'd ya sleep?" He asked her. Always a curious one, she thought.

"No differently than usual," she answered. Always the elusive one, she thought and smirked to herself behind the mask.

"I hear the breakfast is grits again," Steve moved on, picking up on her way of sidestepping the question. "Can you believe they feed us this stuff? Most elite coven in the Isles and we get nothing more than Granny's grits and a few griffon eggs each morning."

"I suppose I have not contemplated the value of the food, no," Lilith stepped up to pull the main hall's massive door open for Steve. He glided past her.

"Huh," he seemed stumped by her response. "It's all I think about."

The witches reached the end of the two lines of coven scouts. They stood on opposite sides of the long, velvet carpet that traced down the center of the hall. Each guard stood uniformly in an attention stance, their arms at their sides and their feet pressed together, not moving more than they needed to breathe. Lilith, once in place, stared directly at Steve.

Her scout partner was a bit of a dork. She couldn't be certain, but he had seemed like the type she would befriend in school if he had attended Hexside. It was challenging to determine what type of student each scout would have been. They were being trained to work uniformly, their differences washing away so they could be the very best at serving Emperor Belos. Steve seemed a bit slow to conform and was never overly afraid to speak his mind outside of the earshot of their superiors.

This aspect of his personality made Lilith itch with anxiety. She wanted nothing more than to disappear in the pack. It frustrated her to no end that she seemed to have been partnered with someone so deliberately tricky. Still, even though he evoked anxiety from her, she was also a tad grateful to be grounded in reality. He reminded her much of Edalyn with his commentary and banter. While Lilith had no intention of opening up to Steve, she gave herself permission to lean in and listen when he was talking.

Which was often.

Kikimora, the small, red, biped demon, stepped into the large hall then. She walked down the center of the aisle, her talons running down a piece of paper on a clipboard as she approached the end. As the assistant to Emperor Belos, she wore a white tunic with golden accents. The scouts were required to answer to her, but when she wasn't around they were often making jokes and poking fun at her shrill voice and childlike demeanor. Upon reaching the end of the line, she turned to face Lilith, who resisted the urge to startle.

"Miss Clawthorne, Emperor Belos would like to meet with you this morning before your first session," Kiki spoke flatly and Lilith felt her blood run cold.

Her mind began racing. She wondered if the Emperor had seen or heard Edalyn, or worse. The thought of Edalyn being captured crossed her mind then. She assumed the witch had gotten out safely as there had been no commotion.

"Yes, ma'am," Lilith nodded once, her mouth drying and her heart rate elevating.

"Once we finish here, I advise you head that way," Kikimora concluded before walking back to the other end of the line to delegate that day's assignments.

Behind her mask, Lilith's wide blue eyes landed on Steve again. She could see his green ones staring back at her, the look of shock apparent even behind his apparel. She was certain everyone in that room was thinking of her and wondering what she would face in the heart of the castle that morning. Not wanting to develop a full-blown panic attack, Lilith began counting each breath. Four counts in, four counts holding, four counts out, and repeat.

Upon their release, Steve jumped in front of Lilith to cut her off before she could exit.

"Whoa, what the hell? You're meeting Belos today?" He hissed, stepping to the side so he could follow her to the door opposite the one they entered in. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, knowing he needed to go the other way. "Do you know why?"

Lilith shook her head, unable to speak.

"Uh…okay. Well. I hope it is just because he wants to sing your praises," Steve's voice was shaking. He was almost as scared as Lilith was. "Catch ya later, Lulu."

It was nice knowing ya, Steve, she thought darkly to herself as he turned around and returned the other way. She hated when he called her Lulu, but at that moment she appreciated having a friend. Someone who would expect her return later. Lilith stepped out of the hall then, holding her breath to avoid gagging. Her walk to the heart of the castle felt long, but not long enough. Her mind turned over every possibility multiple times. While she knew it was most likely the Emperor had indeed known of her sister's trespassing, she had no idea what awaited her in response to this.

Lilith was impressed to find Kikimora standing outside the grand entrance upon her arrival. Two massive, floor-to-nearly-ceiling doors were framed by stained glass depicting Emperor Belos's triumphs behind her. The demon had very short legs but she knew how to move them. That, or, more likely, she knew of a shortcut. The scout nodded at her superior, who rolled her eyes and pulled the large door open. Kikimora, also unaware of what reason one of her newest scouts were being called upon, kept pace with Lilith as they walked up the long aisle to the throne. She was confident the scout had done something uniquely stupid and that they were both about to be grilled for it.

The young witch focused all of her energy on keeping her posture straight and her chin up. She wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor and disappear permanently, but she knew better than to show any signs of fear or weakness. The sound of the Titan's heart, being kept alive by a massive bypass contraption, thumped loudly in the room, echoing off the dark stone walls.

As they neared the throne, Lilith could finally make the Emperor out through her mask. She had only seen him in-person once, at the ceremony where she was sworn into the coven, and that was from afar. This would be the closest contact she had ever made with the old witch. He sat on his throne, placed directly under the Titan's red flesh, and watched her from behind his mask as she approached. His mask was made of wood, with two eye holes, and two long antlers of some kind making it distinctly different from the others' plain round white ones. The one Lilith wore looked more like an owl than an antelope, she had once observed.

The Emperor's fingers tapped impatiently on the armrest of his throne, his head tilting slightly to the side as the young witch finally reached the very front of the room. Lilith, having aced her etiquette training, promptly folded into a kneel and bowed her head. Kikimora surpassed her and stopped at the side of the throne, standing in an attention stance herself now. Emperor Belos was her only superior.

"Good morning, Miss Clawthorne," Emperor Belos' gritty voice purred and she felt a chill run down her spite. "You may rise."

Lilith stood, ignoring her shaky muscles, and mimicked Kikimora's stance.

"At ease," Emperor Belos spoke, standing from his seat.

The tall witch slowly stepped down the stairs that lead up to his throne, now approaching Lilith head-on. Her heart thumped so violently in her chest that it felt like a bird trying to free itself from a cage. She began counting her breath again, unable to think a coherent thought as fear overwhelmed her nervous system. She knew little of Emperor Belos outside of what was shared in her studies. She wanted to trust that he was the gentle, healing witch he claimed to be but Eda's past concerns seemed to echo in her mind instead.

That old tyrant? Please, Lilith, he's probably an actual psycho, Eda had once said in response to Lilith hanging a poster of the Emperor up in her room. She had brushed her sister's snark off at the time, but now, standing before him, she couldn't shake the thought of it being possible that he had a darker side.

"Please," he spoke slowly. "Why don't you remove your mask and hood? I want to see you."

With a cold, gloved hand, Lilith carefully reached up to peel her mask off and pull her hood back. Now, unsure of what to do with her hands, she gripped the mask behind her so tightly she wondered if she was strong enough to snap it. The material was meant to be durable and protective. However, she was also very strong from her training. Emperor Belos walked in a circle around her, watching the witch very closely as he did so.

She stared into Kikimora's alarmed eyes, for once feeling as though she was on the same page as the demon. They'd never particularly gotten along, and Kikimora thoroughly enjoyed harassing Lilith. However, even the Emperor's assistant had no idea why he'd called upon the seventeen-year-old witch that morning. She was used to being in the loop on everything.

"You have worked very hard to earn your spot in my coven, have you?" He asked in a way that implied he already knew the answer. Lilith's jaw slackened as she tried to formulate an answer. He continued before she could find words. "I hear you even cursed your little sister? Is that true?"

Lilith blinked rapidly, feeling unsure of how to answer. Curses were very illegal on the Isles and at this point, she was becoming increasingly confident the Emperor already had her sister captive. The witch's stomach was twisted in many knots, and she was grateful to not have eaten breakfast yet. She would have thrown up on Emperor Belos had she done so already. Not wanting to make the Emperor wait, she finally spoke.

"Yes. It is true," Lilith could see Kikimora's jaw drop before promptly snapping shut. "You once said that one must make sacrifices. I saw no other way."

Kikimora's face twisted into a grimace.

That is not good, Lilith swallowed again and wondered if she could puke on an empty stomach.

"What is this I hear of you seeking a cure for the curse then?" He finally ended his circling, now standing directly in front of her.

"I…I thought…" Lilith stammered, unable to find the right words.

"Now, now, dear sorceress," the Emperor chuckled. "No need to fear. I am simply asking a question."

"I believed the curse would do nothing more than temporarily deplete her magic," Lilith finally answered. "I was incorrect and I am responsible for healing her."

"I see," he nodded.

The young witch watched with wide eyes as the Emperor pulled his mask from his face then. It was very rare for someone to see the witch without it. His face, wrinkled with old age and scarred from some form of blunt force trauma, watched her intently. She could no longer take in a full deep breath as he reached up to remove the hood that covered his long, ashen-colored blonde hair. It was pulled back into a low ponytail, a few loose strands hanging limply around his face. Lilith glanced past him, at Kikimora, who no longer hid her shock, before looking back to meet his dark eyes.

"I would like to propose a deal, Miss Clawthorne," he spoke and she continued to force her best poker face. "The Titan has spoken to me."

"Yes?"

"I will help you and heal your sister's curse," he began and she felt her eyes widen in disbelief. "That is if you do me a favor."

"I will do anything, Emperor," she nodded curtly, wondering if this was all an elaborate ruse to distract her from her crimes the night before so he could pull the rug out from underneath her.

"That is what I thought," he smirked. "Marry me, Lilith. Become my wife, prove your value as my right hand, and I will cure Edalyn Clawthorne of the curse you have damned her with."

Lilith, unable to resist the urge, reached one hand over to pinch her forearm. She was, at this point, absolutely positive she was existing in a new nightmare. The Emperor was no spring griffon at the age of sixty-two. She was fairly certain she was not old enough to legally marry him, but then wondered if, as the Emperor, he retained special privileges. The knots in her stomach twisted even tighter, threatening to explode.

He was the most powerful witch in the Isles. Not only in position, but also in magic abilities. If anyone could cure Edalyn of the curse, it would be him. Even if he didn't know how, surely he could track down its source and find answers. Lilith had been desperately spending her every free moment away from scouting searching for a lead. She came up empty-handed every single day and was rapidly losing hope.

She did not want to marry the Emperor. Lilith had always been fairly certain she never wanted to marry at all. Her sister, Edalyn, had dated over the years at Hexside. She even went steady with a member of the Bard Coven named Raine Whispers. Raine was in Lilith's graduating class and broke up with Eda just a few weeks before the ceremony. Having witnessed the highs and lows, Lilith simply couldn't fathom why Eda put herself through any of it.

Still, Lilith knew she would likely face grave repercussions should she decline the proposal. Not only was the Emperor the literal Emperor of the Boiling Isles, but he was her superior. Between the knowledge that he could make her life in the castle a living hell, assuming he didn't execute her on the spot, and the possibility of him healing Edalyn, she knew she had no real choice in the matter.

"Yes," she finally spoke, her voice slightly raspy. "I accept your offer."

"Wonderful," he smiled darkly. "Then so it will be."

He turned then, walking back to the throne. Lilith's wide eyes landed back on Kikimora, whose red skin had paled dramatically. It was clear to Lilith that the demon had not expected this outcome either. Emperor Belos spoke once he had returned to his throne, carefully sitting down.

"Kiki, why don't you take my fiancée to breakfast now? I can hear her stomach from here," his eyes were locked on Lilith. "You don't want your newest superior going hungry, do you?"

"No, sir," Kiki began walking towards Lilith, her expression not changing.

Lilith bowed one last time for him before turning to follow her superior. The two walked back to the door in complete silence, the sound of the Titan's heart reminding both of them to breathe.

Upon stepping into the hallway, Lilith sprinted towards the lavatory. Kikimora silently followed, waiting patiently outside the door as Lilith dry heaved over the stool. She too wanted nothing more than to toss her breakfast after witnessing that exchange, though she'd never admit it to Lilith. Once Lilith was done, she slid to the floor and scooted back to the wall. She placed her mask on the floor beside herself and pressed her head into her hands. She couldn't comprehend what she had just agreed to.

"Lilith?" Kikimora finally poked her head in when she realized it had been quiet for a while. She worried the witch had passed out.

"What the hell just happened, Kiki?" Lilith's voice was hoarse and Kikimora sighed.

"If I had any idea…I probably wouldn't share it with you," Kikimora's words were snarky, as usual.

"I'm supposed to simply go back to breakfast now?"

"No, the others have moved on, I'm afraid," Kikimora shrugged. "You will be eating alone."

"Can I even marry him? I am seventeen!" Lilith hissed, keeping her voice low.

"Emperor Belos gets what he wants," Kikimora's expression betrayed her flat tone. She had no clue. "Can we please move along? I have meetings to attend today."

Lilith's hand shook as she pushed herself from the floor and picked up her mask. She placed it over her ghostly face, grateful for the disguise. The witch combed her long fingers through her hair before placing her hood back over her head. She pulled each brown glove over her hands, she had taken them off during the dry heaving, before inhaling a long, shaky breath. She could not have felt more afraid, and yet she knew she had no choice but to move forward.

"Good girl," Kikimora's voice bordered condescending as she praised the witch. "Come along, now."

Walking the empty halls of the castle with Kikimora, Lilith allowed her mind to wander. She was greatly relieved to know Edalyn had indeed not been caught the night before. However, now she wished Edalyn would return. There was absolutely no one Lilith could trust to process this information. There was no one she wanted to process it with. As they walked, she found herself regaining her composure. If nothing else, she could move forward for Edalyn.

As they walked, they passed none other than Edalyn's former partner, Raine, who was striding confidently towards the library. Raine was dressed in a black button-down tunic over a white shirt and red leggings. Their hair, always colored to look like a pastel mint, was combed to appear more in place than it ever did at Hexside. Their bright green eyes met Lilith's through her mask, narrowing just slightly at the sight of their former girlfriend's older sister leaving the Emperor's throne room.

Lilith, watching the bard closely, didn't miss the small silver chain that hung from their neck. Her heart stopped in her chest. Not unlike her gift from Edalyn, a tiny jade stone dangled from the necklace. She found herself stopping in her tracks, her head turning as her eyes followed the witch. They watched her as well, only looking away once they reached the library door. Not wanting to clue Kikimora into her observation, Lilith quickly turned and caught up with the demon.

The witch had a lot to think about.