Chapter Two

"And you agreed to this?" Lilith asked her sister over the crystal ball.

"It wasn't exactly my place to stop her, Lily," Eda pointed out from within the sphere, her tone resigned but decided. "Willow's a big girl and she can make her own decisions about who she dates. Her dads seem to like the guy, and that's as far as my say on the matter goes."

"Edalyn," Lilith sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "the Golden Guard is using her."

"How do you figure?" Eda asked wryly. "He's had Luz keeping an eye on him since day one, he told her the whole truth when it looked like she would dump his scarred face — hey, he even went along with lying to Belos to keep her safe." Eda sat back on the couch with her arms crossed. "Is that standard procedure for the Emperor's Coven, Lily?"

Lilith was silent for some time as she visibly tried to puzzle through the Golden Guard's intentions. "No, it isn't standard procedure," she admitted through clenched teeth. "But the Golden Guard was always crafty." She bunched up her skirt in her fists under the table. "And he was accustomed to getting his way."

"Oh yeah, you called him a brat when we first heard about him," Eda recalled. "Look Lily, as weird as it feels, those two have found love with each other. Or at least the beginnings of it." Her gaze grew distant before she blinked it away. "Not everyone can say that, y'know?"

Lilith's faint scowl smoothed into concern. "Eda, is this about-?"

"Just keep an open mind, eh, Lily?" Eda asked with a crooked smile. "I gotta head out and pick up some stuff. Tell Mom and Dad I said hi, okay?"

"Yes, of course," Lilith said with the faintest smile. "Be safe, Edalyn."

"You know me, Lily," Eda laughed. "I'm always safe." The crystal went dark as Eda broke the connection, and Lilith sat back against the couch cushions, rubbing her eyes.

"How long were you listening?" Lilith asked, and Gwendolyn Clawthorne stepped into the room from upstairs.

"The last few minutes," Gwen admitted sheepishly.

Lilith sighed and stood to stretch and pop her back with a groan. "And … your thoughts, Mother?" Lilith's voice sounded small, like a young girl asking for advice.

"Oh, Sweet Flea," Gwen said, padding closer and hugging her daughter. "I think this Willow girl has committed too deeply to retreat now." She laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think she and Luz were Clawthornes themselves with that stubbornness." Lilith's lips twitched upward before they settled deeper into a frown, her eyes looking haunted. "Lilith?" Gwen asked. "What's wrong dear?"

"I wronged Willow and Augustus nearly as much as I did Luz," Lilith admitted.

Her first night back in her childhood home had been a joyful reunion with her father and both elder Clawthornes welcoming her home. The second night … had been a confessional. She'd told both of them everything she could about her envy growing up, cursing Edalyn, the terrible things she had done in the Emperor's Coven, and everything that had led to her betraying the Emperor.

There had been tears to spare as Dell and Gwendolyn had held her close as she bared her soul in a way that she hadn't since she was a child.

"Luz and her friends were trying to steal the Healing Hat to try and cure Eda," Lilith started. "The Emperor had leveled his ultimatum less than an hour before and … I was desperate." Bitterness and regret all but dripped from her words as Lilith hugged herself. "They tried to protect Luz from me and I batted them aside, then sent them on Branwen to the Owl House to break the news."

Gwen grit her teeth from the moment her eldest mentioned Belos. That vile piece of trash had manipulated one of her little girls and hunted the other like an animal! But she forced down her outrage and focused on her Sweet Flea, like she should have done years ago. Lilith wasn't the only one who had much to make up for.

"You've made mistakes, Lilith," Gwen admitted. "But then, who hasn't?" She smiled and placed a comforting hand on Lilith's shoulder. "You don't have to feel like this is something to pay back, sweetie."

"But it is," Lilith said, her voice low and determined. "I will make sure the girl is safe," she added, her hands closing into fists itching to summon her staff. "It's the least I can do."

The Blight family carriage, a self-maneuvering luxury vehicle based upon Abomination magic, wove its way through the streets of Bonesborough with ease. Alador was focused on steering the creation while Odalia sat next to him and mediated, a spell circle between her hands as she focused on divining the future — a field of oracle magic that she had never been talented at. Telepathy and communications, sure, but not foresight. Not that it stopped her from trying.

In the seats across from the parents sat the children, Edric and Emira sitting on either side of Amity. The twins were alternating between looking out the windows and casting concerned glances at their baby sister. Amity, on her part, was brooding on the piece of paper in her hands, one printed on the back with the sigil for the Abomination Coven.

"Ms. Amity Blight, in recognition of your exceptional reputation within Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, you are hereby invited to the local headquarters of the Abomination Coven to meet with Darius Pilos on matters relating to the coven …" Amity had read the rest of the paper a dozen times and wondered what this could be about.

Even half a year ago, Amity would have been thrilled to receive an invitation like this. A personal invitation from the head witch of the Abomination Coven, her father's coven, in which she had been working for years to excel in the academic track of? Yes, please! And on some level it still made her feel accomplished, like her years of hard work were paying off.

But those feelings were kept in severe check by the icy pit of nerves resting in her belly. Much like with Willow and Gus, knowing Luz and Eda had shown her the darker side of Emperor Belos's coven system, and the idea that she was being observed by an individual of high rank within that system was concerning. This was made worse by her parents' report of the Golden Guard's visit to Blight Industries to purchase their stock of abomi-tons while simultaneously threatening them to remain in line, lest they provoke Belos's wrath.

Of course, now she knew the Golden Guard. But her parents didn't — and wouldn't — know that. Plus, that encounter had been long before the Golden Guard had truly met Luz during the palismen incident, much less met Willow and grown to love her and befriend Luz, Gus and Amity herself.

But back on her main line of thought, this invitation reminded her that her family was under scrutiny from the Emperor and his coven, and that this event may be closer to that than to any positive reasons to invite the family to the coven headquarters.

Finally, the carriage came to a halt outside the building, a swooping edifice that somewhat resembled a bank. Formed out of blocks of solidified Abomination clay, the building was rumored to be capable of being animated as a massive Abomination to protect the coven. Slats of purple shale lined the roof and gave the building a classy touch, and a row of dark marble steps shot through with veins of green like an Abomination's eyes led up to it from the street level, as did all coven houses.

The Blight family exited the carriage, Alador magically giving orders for the creation to stay put while Odalia fussed over her children and made sure they looked sharp. They had been forced out of their Hexside uniforms and into their still rather classy casual wear, on their mother's belief that they must treat this meeting as if it were a respectful but everyday occurrence.

When the fussing was done, the Blight family strode up the steps in perfectly-timed unison, as they had all practiced for moments much like this when an aura of power and discipline was a boon. Amity was front-and-center as the main invitee, with Edric on her left and Emira on her right. Odalia stood behind her daughters with Alador at her side behind their son and youngest, forming a neat pentagram formation.

As one, they entered the dark doors as if they belonged there; which, to be fair, Alador did. The main entrance hall was made up of more bricks of Abomination clay, polished to a shine in a swooping vaulted ceiling. Lines of fluid clay decorated the walls in intricate designs dotted with the green-irises of Abomination eyes that tracked them and occasionally blinked. Amity had no doubt that these designs could coalesce and peel off into fully-functional Abominations to protect the coven house.

A large, stone desk at the far end of the atrium was manned by two bureaucratic coven members — dressed in dark lab coats with orchid lining and the coven sigil sewn into the breast pocket; contrasting nicely against Alador's charcoal, double-breasted lab coat — who took one look and began rushing to accommodate. While one stayed to keep the front desk, the other guided the Blights to an audience chamber with a wide, almost painful smile and left without a word. The doors, composed entirely of Abomination clay, opened eyes of their own that blinked before expanding outward to allow them entry. 'Reminds me of Hooty,' Amity thought idly as they entered.

In the chamber, they found the head witch Darius standing upon a raised dais at the far end, flanked by two hulking Abominations. These variations were laden with stone plating and spikes at their joints and the ends of their appendages, achieved by adding stones to the mix during the creation process that acted as an exoskeleton and drastically increased the Abomination's toughness. Monolith Abominations.

The witch himself turned with a flourish of his orchid side-cape that accentuated his spike-shouldered dress shirt, purple leather pants, and his heeled shoes. His dark skin somehow complimented the purple Abomination matter that comprised his swaying hair bun, sideburns, and goatee while contrasting his bright green eyes and the pearly smile he flashed at the family.

"Welcome, family Blight," Darius said, opening his arms wide as if to embrace them while keeping his distance on the dais. 'A power move,' Amity thought with her usual stoic business expression. Darius moved to the edge of the dais and his eyebrows lowered a bit, his eyes flashing. "Alador," he said through a teeth-gritted smile.

"Hmm?" Alador responded, his gaze turning to his coven head and his brows lifting. "Oh, yes. Good evening, Darius," he said distractedly, his eyes flicking to the Abominations flanking Darius and his eyes narrowed in thought, dismissing himself from the situation to examine their quality.

"We are honored to be welcomed to the coven house," Odalia picked up with her typical charisma. She stepped around Emira to place a hand on Amity's shoulder. "Aren't we, dear?"

"Quite honored," Amity said coolly. "Though I must admit that I'm even more curious as to the 'why.'"

"As I would expect," Darius said with a restored smile, "from one so highly praised by Mr. Gaganan." He chuckled, the sound very theatrical to a family that had been around such false displays for their entire lives. "And we all know that he is not easy to impress."

'Willow's brief time with the top student star might prove otherwise,' Amity thought, suppressing a flickering smile at the memory. "It's always nice to be recognized," she conceded aloud.

"And that is exactly 'the why' you are here," Darius said, finally stepping down from the dais to approach the family. "Your grades are truly exceptional, as are the testimonies of your teachers." He stopped a few feet from Amity. "It is why I would like to offer … an apprenticeship."

Amity's eyes widened, her thin brows arching in surprise. An apprenticeship with a coven head? This … seemed familiar.

"Oh, my!" Odalia gasped, just as theatrically as Darius's laughter had been. "How very gracious." She clapped her fingers with a wide smile. "Of course, Amity would be overjoyed to-!"

"I would like to point out," Amity said, "that I've been previously trained by another coven head." She paused to examine Darius's expression, and found no surprise. "Madame Lilith Clawthorne, before she betrayed the throne." Amity was sure to place as much subtle venom as she could in those words, even if she wasn't nearly as concerned with such things as she might have been before becoming close with the "Bad Girl Coven."

"Oh, I am well aware," Darius assured her, "and I cannot in good conscience hold that turncloak's actions against you. In point of fact, it only offers more esteem for your potential."

Amity quickly ran over everything she knew about Darius in her mind, which was admittedly rather little. He was obviously powerful and skilled; one did not become a coven head by collecting stamps. He was a Glandus High alumnus, which made it odd that he would choose an apprentice from his old school's notorious rival. He also had a reputation for his towering ego, his sense of style, and a near-compulsive sense of cleanliness that had always seemed ironic given his vocation. And the only reason she knew most of this was because of his feud with-

Ah. There it was. The reason.

Darius had an infamous one-sided rivalry with her father. Alador had never put much effort into the relationship, preferring to study and improve his creations, on occasion spend time with his wife, or more rarely with his children. Darius, on the other hand, seemed to consider Alador's work an unstylish blight upon the branch of magic and rarely wasted an opportunity to express that opinion.

'He wants me as an apprentice to try and one-up Dad,' she thought. 'Great.'

But though the source was less than honest, Amity couldn't help but consider the benefits. The selfish part of her that she tried to keep under lock and key preened at the idea of having such a high place in her childhood second choice of coven, a far second to the Emperor's Coven — not that she wanted to join those white pheasants anymore now that she was with Luz and close to the Owl Lady. And Willow and Gus weren't the only ones who had been disillusioned to the Emperor's Coven thanks to those experiences.

On the side of her more recent brighter outlook, she thought of how this might help Luz and Willow. Willow had taken up her apprenticeship under Lady Feronia to spy within Emperor Belos's inner circle and inform Eda and Luz … and Amity could do the same under Darius. Of course, Darius was a more dangerous root in the system as a vocal supporter of the Emperor, but Amity had been playing games like this since she was four. She could handle it.

The thought of Willow then brought another thought to mind, and she gave a wry smile. "This taking on a teenage apprentice wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Silver Belle, would it?" she asked with a hand on one jutted hip.

"Ah, a sharp one, too," Darius chuckled. "Yes, I've noticed the trend. The honored Golden Guard, teen leader of the Emperor's Coven. And then Lady Feronia announces her teen apprentice and successor." He smirked. "They say once is happenstance and twice is coincidence."

"And you wish to establish this pattern," Amity surmised.

"Of course," Darius admitted. "If you see a trend arising, best to get ahead of the curve. Wouldn't you agree?" Amity shrugged, as she couldn't fault his logic, even if his methods were questionable. "So, Ms. Blight," Darius said, "what do you say?"

"Well, naturally," Odalia spoke up again, hands wide with acceptance, "she says-!"

"May I think it over?"

At those words, everyone from Darius and Odalia, to the twins who had remained silent throughout the conversation while subtly trading illusions mocking Darius behind their backs, to even ever-distracted Alador himself turned their full surprise upon Amity.

"I beg your pardon?" Darius said.

"It's quite a lot to consider," Amity explained. "And not something to be agreed to in haste." She steepled her fingers and tried to look contrite. "Not to mention it could affect my schoolwork. And so, might I take some time to consider if I can best serve?"

Darius was silent for some time, his gaze appraising. He hummed in thought before giving the faintest nod. "All excellent points, young lady," he conceded. "Very well. I will grant you three days to cosider my proposal." He turned and took a few paces to the door before pausing. "Though I want you to know, Ms. Blight, that you are not at all my only choice for this mantle. Merely my first." He resumed his stride. "Good evening."

The doors opened to let him pass and then spiraled shut with a squelching thud. The room was silent for a few heartbeats before Odalia's mask of contriteness crumbled into exasperation.

"Amity!" Odalia screeched. "The head of the Abomination Coven — your father's coven! — just offered you a place as his apprentice and you say 'Maybe'?!" She snarled and rubbed her fingertips against her forehead. "He's offering you a ticket to the inner circle on a silver platter! Why would-?" Odalia froze and took her hands from her head, eyes wide, hard and cold as ice. "This is about your little human girlfriend, isn't it?" she asked levelly.

"What?" Amity asked. "No, Mom, it's not!" she snapped in sudden anger. "What, you think everything I do revolves around Luz?! I'm me! I'm my own person!" Amity bit back further retorts and visibly calmed herself. "I asked for time to think because it's a big decision. One that could have effects that none of us can see coming." She brushed her knuckles against her lips in thought. "I want to make sure I think it through."

Odalia's eyes narrowed and she raised an accusing finger with a breath to speak further, but Alador's hand on her shoulder from behind stalled her tongue. "Odalia, perhaps Amity was wise to ask for time to consider," he said reasonably. "As you pointed out, Darius is the head of my own coven, which means that if Amity takes the offer and, on the off chance, disappoints him … it will have consequences for the company and the family." He removed his hand and looked over his wife's shoulder at their youngest with just a hint of softness in his eyes. "Amity should be utterly confident in her choice if she is to agree."

Odalia glanced back at her husband with a pointed glare that slowly relaxed into a languid smile. "Well, well, Dear. You've been on a streak with wisdom lately. You- Oh for Titan's sake!" Alador had wandered off to chase a bug in the audience room. "Where did that even come from?!"

As Odalia went to chase down her husband, Amity sidestepped toward the door to bid a hasty retreat, her siblings close behind. They exited and made their way back toward the front door, Edric broke the silence. "So, Mittens, are you gonna do it?"

"Not now, Ed," Amity replied evenly. "The walls have eyes."

Edric lifted an eyebrow in confusion and glanced at Emira, who tugged at her ear. Ah, that got the message across. The walls might have ears, too. It was only after they made it to the outside of the coven house that they dared pick the topic back up. "So?" Edric prompted again, a little more quietly.

"Like I said inside, I'm not sure," Amity said, her arms crossed in thought.

"You don't want to help Willow out?" Emira asked slyly. Amity's eyes widened and she looked up at her sister in shock.

"What? Willow?"

"Oh, don't give me that act, Mittens," Emira chuckled. "Anyone who actually knows all of you could puzzle out that Willow's the Silver Belle."

"Willow's the Silver Belle?" Edric asked in clear surprise.

Both of his sisters stared at Edric with level, unimpressed looks. "Almost anyone," Emira amended.

"I've thought of that," Amity said, "and I do think it would be a good thing for a second source of information." She paused and pursed her lips. "But it also leaves two of us in danger instead of one." She shrugged. "Three if you count Hunter."

"Willow's little boyfriend?" Emira asked. "Why would he-?" Her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, wow."

"Yeah," Amity said, guessing the conclusions Emira had drawn.

"What?" Edric asked. "What?!"

"I'll explain it later," Emira promised, her tone a little dazed. "What do you think Luz will say about this?"

"I'll certainly ask," Amity replied. "But in the end, it's my choice." Her eyes hardened. "And Willow's my friend, too. I promised I would keep her safe." Not entirely accurate, as she'd promised to never let Boscha and her crew pick on Willow again, which was far less of a problem after her confidence boost and the famed grudgby game.

Emira's smirk returned. "Call me crazy," she drawled, "but it sounds like you've already made up your mind."

In the throne room of the Emperor's castle, the Silver Belle knelt in deference before Belos with her mentor Lady Feronia standing behind her with her head lowered with respect. The Golden Guard stood beside and behind the throne, his body shrouded in his cloak, and a pair of Abomi-tons flanked the base of the steps leading to the throne's dais. The beat of the Titan's bile sac echoed through the chamber.

"We are at your service, Emperor Belos," Lady Feronia said formally.

"That's good to hear, Feronia," Belos replied neutrally, lifting his fingers in a motion for the Silver Belle to rise, "because service is precisely what I require." He paused for a moment before adding, "From your apprentice."

The Silver Belle tensed at those words, as did the Golden Guard.

"Scouts have reported activity of wild witches in a set of ruins in the western foothills of the Knee." The beat of the bile sac sped up, though Belos's voice remained level. "The ruins were cleared of heretics during the ending of the Savage Ages, but it would appear that moths have returned to the embers of that flame." The beat slowed again. "I am requesting the Silver Belle accompany the Golden Guard to deal with the matter. They will bind as many wilders as they can to covens and destroy any artifacts that still function."

"By your command, my Emperor," Feronia said, her tone neutral. "Though I must inquire as to why you would send two witchlings to do the job of a squadron."

"These wild witches have escaped the closing net for some time," Belos explained. "They likely have oracles among their number. Two children will draw less attention than a platoon of my own scouts."

"Very well, Emperor Belos," Feronia said, her tone unchanged. The Silver Belle nodded, and a second motion from Belos dismissed the Golden Guard. His right hand nodded and descended the steps to lead the ladies from the throne room.

"Oh, one more thing," Belos said, as if just remembering. "Should any of these wilders offer too much resistance, it is imperative that those bound be … protected from insurgence." Another pause. "By any means necessary."

As they left, all three noted that the Titan's bile sac had sped its beat again. None of them dared look backward as they left and the tall doors to the chamber closed with a resounding boom.

And here's chapter two! Hope you liked it!

*I kind of headcanon that Lilith has developed something of a guilt complex after thirty years of trying to fix a terrible mistake.

*My take that Odalia isn't good at all at divining the future is, one: based upon her actions in canon; she rarely thinks ahead and just does what she feels is necessary in the moment - not a good head space for a literal oracle. Two, it makes it easier to write her as fallible as she can't see everyone's action in advance. Hehehe. On another note, I really hope we get more insight into Oracle magic in canon - it has so much potential with scrying and telepathy.

*Purple shale is a real thing! I found it in my research to design the coven house. And it was REALLY fun to make that up!

*In my mind, it is a viable career option to become a bureaucrat of your coven, doing the day-to-day work of maintaining the organization as a whole. They're well-respected within the system. And they're marked out by a uniform piece that is different between covens; examples are the Abomination Coven's orchid-lined dark labcoats and the Plant Coven's leather aprons with the coven sigil.

*Mr. Gaganan is my name for the Abominations teacher/professor at Hexside, the short, bird-looking fellow carried around by an abomination of his own. His name comes from a masculine take on the Gagana bird from Russian folklore with an iron beak and copper claws.

*I imagine that Alador could be a decent dad if he wasn't so hyper-focused and easily distracted - not that I can judge either of those faults. And the bug gag was too good to pass up!

*It may be possible that Amity has her own guilt issues, too. I really wish they had Amity and Lilith talk things out in canon - they have so many parallels and similarities! I actually dug into that in my story "Faith & True Colors." Give it a read if you like.

*The term "wilder" originates from the Wheel of Time franchise. I thought it fit here and it adds some variation to wild witch.

If you liked this, leave a review! I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on my stories. Until next time, may your inspiration flow freely!