Chapter Eighteen
"Heya, Kevin," Eda said as she led Lilith and Hunter, all three of them shrouded in cloaks, into Grimgrub's Pub the evening after Luz, King, and Hooty had left. They'd spent the night at Dell and Gwen's, with Gwen doting over Hunter and trying to feed him as much as he could eat to "fill out that skinny frame of yours," which had amused Eda and Lilith to no end.
"Eda," Kevin said neutrally. "The usual?" Then he glowered. "On your tab?"
"Yes to the first," Eda said, digging into a satchel to remove a large purse of snails, "but I think it's time I pay off my tab." She winked. "And there's extra in there for your patience."
Kevin took the bag with shining eyes, rapidly counting the coins. "Someone's expecting you in the left dining room upstairs," he said distantly, most of his attention clearly on counting coins as he placed a box of apple blood on the bar for her. "A couple of youngsters dressed like bards."
"Thanks," Eda said, snatching up the drink box and leading the way up a narrow staircase climbing the far wall. Even as they moved out of view of the patrons, they didn't lower their hoods. Moving past the first door and to the far one, Hunter tried to keep his nerves under control. His plan to stay out of Belos's clutches still seemed to be working, but with the Day of Unity so close it was hard to tell if that would keep up. Thus his discretion.
Eda knocked and the door was opened by three young bards that Hunter recognized as the BATs from the Coven Day Parade. "Mama Eda!" the seemingly youngest — a Flaggermus demon with long, pale-blonde hair — shouted and launched herself at Eda in a bear hug.
"Hey, Amber," Eda grunted. The other two witches — a pretty, fanged young woman and a dark-skinned young man with pince-nez — ushered Lilith and Hunter in through the door before dragging their companion and the Owl Lady inside as well.
"Good to see you in person, Lilith," the woman said.
"A pleasure to meet you, too, Ms. Serdtse," Lilith replied formally.
"Oh, come on," the bard teased, "we're trying to grow a," she flicked her eyes to the door, "cooperative group here. Call me Katya."
"Very well, Katya," Lilith replied, her eyes glittering. "And hello to you as well, Derwin," she added.
"Ms. Clawthorne," Derwin greeted. "Or as Amber has taken to calling you, 'Auntie Lilith'."
Lilith chuckled as Hunter tried to slide in without being noticed … but Derwin caught him and held out a hand to shake. "You must be the old Golden Guard," he said. "Hunter, right? We were never formally introduced on Coven Day. I'm Derwin."
"Yeah. Hunter Wittebane," he offered, though his stomach twisted a bit at the surname he had chosen with the revelation of Belos's true identity. Both of them blinked at the feeling of eyes on them and turned to regard the rest of the BATs and the Clawthorne sisters.
"Is it just me or do they kind of sound alike?" Amber asked.
"It's not just you," Eda said.
"Pretty sure you're hearing things," Derwin said.
"Yeah. His voice is deeper," Hunter noted. "And not annoying."
"Hey, your voice is fine," Derwin said, clapping his hand onto Hunter's shoulder and leading him further into the room as he regarded the new arrivals. "Now let's get all of you set up," he said, gesturing at the large dining table. "The others should be arriving-"
At the far end of the room, a writhing mass of Abomination clay arose from the floorboards and parted to reveal Darius, Eberwolf, and Raine. Raine looked a little green for a moment while Eberwolf shook it off with apparently practiced ease.
"-Right now, I suppose," Derwin finished sardonically and gestured for everyone to take their seats.
"Good evening, everyone," Raine said, shaking off their brief discomfort. They nodded to the BATs, then to Lilith and Hunter, then finally to Eda, with the addition of a faint blush. Eda smiled back, her own cheeks pinking, and Lilith nudged her with a sisterly, teasing smile before they took their seats around the dining table. Raine summoned their viola and played a quick tune that covered the walls, windows, and door with a screen of carmine magic.
"That will keep others from listening in, magically or otherwise" Raine explained, placing their viola on the table. "Now, just to cover all of our bases," they said, looking particularly at Eda, Lilith, and Hunter, "I was until very recently brainwashed by Pythus Mawe to keep me compliant with Belos's plans. That is until my students," they gestured to the BATs, naming them Katya Sertdse, Derwin Ebenos, and Amber Fladdra, "broke the spell binding my memories." Then they gestured at Lilith. "With the help of Lilith, who figured out the cause and cure."
"Wait, what?" Eda snapped, looking at Lilith. "You helped Raine snap out of it? Why didn't you tell me what was going on with them?"
"You were busy, and I wanted to make sure it actually worked before getting your hopes up," Lilith explained calmly, fingers laced before her in the picture of professionalism. Then she smirked and glanced at Eda from over her glasses. "But I have to admit, I also wanted to see your reaction, dear sister. And you surely didn't disappoint."
"The young man laughing there," Raine said, pointing at Hunter as he laughed at Eda's offended look, "is Hunter, the former Golden Guard and Eda's ward."
"That guy was the Golden Guard?" Amber whispered to her friends. "He looks like he just got over the fire flu."
"He can also hear you," Hunter groused, suddenly no longer laughing and glaring at the Flaggermus demon who blushed and smiled awkwardly.
"I'm certain you can figure out why we've asked you here," Darius picked up.
"Probably not Belos's orders, since you're conspiring with a longtime wild witch, two coven traitors, and three rebels," Eda commented darkly. It was clear that she was far from ready to forget Darius and Eberwolf's hands in capturing Raine for the Emperor.
"You assume correctly, Edalyn," Darius replied. "We're here to organize an attempt to stop the Day of Unity."
"When Darius and Eber tried to 'capture' me," Raine explained, "they were really trying to protect me. They thought I might know more about the Day of Unity in order to stop it."
"And why would two other coven heads attempt such a thing?" Lilith asked. "Raine wishes to overthrow Belos's stranglehold on the Isles, yes. But what about you two?"
"The coven heads were granted a glimpse of Belos's so-called 'utopia'," Darius explained, "and it was a merging of the human and demon realms." He paused to let those words settle on everyone. "And I cannot help but think that an entire realm of humans would react … poorly to such an incursion. Not to mention the general devastating chaos that would ensue with both realms." He arched an eyebrow. "Chaos far more horrific than your usual fare, Eda."
"Hey, I'm a free spirit, not a psycho," Eda admitted.
"It may run even deeper than that," Lilith interjected, her face ashen and eyes wide with sudden realization. "Belos has been aided in the design of his plan by a powerful and knowledgeable entity called the Collector. It is entirely possible that she will gain something from the union."
"How do you know this?" Darius asked.
"That's a story for another day, I'm afraid," Lilith said stonily.
"What's our first move?" Hunter asked, sliding right back into the familiarity of command-mode.
"It would be gauging which coven heads may be less devoted to Belos's cause," Raine said, "but with so little time we can't figure that out. We must assume that every other coven head will fight for him and his utopia."
"I wouldn't count Lady Feronia out just yet," Hunter interrupted. "Willow's been giving the impression that she's not exactly diehard for Belos's regime these days."
"Willow?" Raine asked.
"The Silver Belle," Lilith clarified.
Raine, Darius and Eberwolf glanced at each other in silent discussion. "We'll see what we can do about that," Raine decided. "In the meantime, we need to identify as many like-minded citizens and tell them what we can be sure of and where to flee before the Day of Unity." They sighed with a faint wince. "We're still not entirely sure of a plan to actually stop it, but we're working on it."
"Recruitment, then?" Lilith asked. "That sounds somewhat familiar."
"Not recruitment, per se," Darius corrected. "Most lack the necessary training and experience to make a difference in a true resistance. It would be wiser for the central force to maintain quality over quantity."
"Finding effective members could mean the difference between failure and success," Raine picked up, "but even stirring the populace into resisting can have a powerful effect." He looked at Eda. "The petrification ceremony comes to mind as an example."
"Just to get it out of the way," Eda said drolly, "why don't we just take on Belos and toss him into the Boiling Sea? If he's gone, no one can start up the Day of Unity."
"Belos is protected at all times by a score of coven scouts and a number of Abomi-tons," Darius explained. "And if any who bear a coven sigil stand against him directly, he can neutralize them." He looked at Raine. "Even coven heads." He looked back at Eda. "Not to mention the Emperor's not inconsiderable personal strength."
"Just so we're clear," Eda conceded, sounding unsurprised.
"Perhaps disrupting the rite could keep it from happening?" Derwin suggested.
"A good thought," Raine said, smiling at their most talented pupil. "But like I said, we need to focus on the people first."
"How about Hexside?" Hunter asked. Everyone looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Principal Bump has already allowed multi-tracking and the student body has had some bad experiences with the Emperor's Coven. It may be a starting point."
Before anyone could respond, a ringing caw sounded from Eda's mane of hair. She reached into her locks and removed a crow-phone to answer. "Yeah?" she asked, holding it's beak to her ear. Her eyebrows rose and she handed it to Lilith, "It's for you."
"Hello?" Lilith asked unsurely.
"Hey, Lilith. How's it going?"
"Steve?" she asked quietly, rising from her chair and moving into a corner for a bit of privacy. "Why are you calling?"
"Well, uh, funny thing," he said with clearly-forced ease. "I might need a little help … one turncloak to another?"
HOURS EARLIER
Steve watched in abject discomfort as a swarm of angry, drugged-up coven scouts smashed their way into the Owl House through doors and windows with reckless abandon. He and Severine, the only two scouts on the raid who had refused doses of Hextract, hung back as the maddened scouts rushed forward.
Then the shouts of rage sounded.
The scouts poured back out like beetles from an overturned log and began milling about, some headed for the tower behind the main house while others turned their aggression to random targets like trees or rocks, casting spell circles to burn off their excess power. Steve looked at Severine and motioned for her to follow him through the house-demonless front door and they entered the den to see … nothing. The walls were bare, the carpet clear.
It seemed the Owl Lady had expected them to come after her.
Steve ambled up the stairs and found much of the same. Faint smudges where pictures had hung, impressions in rugs where furniture had sat … but nothing else. He kept to himself the fact that he had a general idea of what the interior had looked like from Lilith's party celebrating her new job. The inside of the Owl House at the time had been cluttered, chaotic … and lived in, like a real home. This was barren and lifeless, a shell waiting for its rightful wonder to return.
Steve looked out a window at the chaos of the scouts destroying all they could and felt his stomach squirm. Then revulsion swirled in his gut and seemed to harden, and he gave a groaning sigh. "That's it," he said aloud. "I'm done."
"Done?" Severine asked. "Done with what?"
"This," he said, gesturing at the scouts. "The Emperor's Coven." He moved to take off his mask, but stopped and shrugged. Before turning to leave the empty house. "If it was ever great to start with, it certainly isn't now. I'm quitting while I'm behind."
"Steve, you can't quit the coven," Severine said, though it was more of a reflexive protest than something she truly meant. She lifted her helmet to look at him. "That's desertion. You'll be petrified as a wild witch."
"With all the preparation for the Day of Unity?" he asked wryly. "Nah, they won't even notice I'm gone if I don't raise a fuss." He shook his head and lifted his helmet, too. "Sev, this is madness. I'm tired of it, and have been for a long time." He shook his head again, his features set. "I'm leaving. When I get past the treeline, I'm dumping this damn uniform and running." His gaze softened just a little and he held out a hand. "Will you come with me?"
Severine looked at his offered hand with longing. Her own hand twitched and she started to reach for his … but then she looked sick and pulled her hand back to rest against her chest. "I can't," she whispered.
"That's okay," he said, and she could tell he meant it even if his eyes misted. "It's your choice that matters." He smiled sadly. "And I still consider you a friend, Sev. This doesn't change that." He flicked his mask back down. "Will you stop me?"
Severine flicked her own mask into position … and turned her back. "What kind of friend would do that?" she asked.
Steve nodded and opened a window to jump out and roll to the ground. He looked around at the milling, nearly-mindless scouts and rushed into the woods at a breakneck pace that, frankly, made him stand out less than if he'd walked like a civilized witch or demon. He ran through the underbrush and found a clearing before tearing off his cloak and burning it with a stray spell. Then he traced a spell circle as wide as his outstretched arms and pushed it forward, his motorbike appearing in its wake.
Steve snapped his fingers on both hands to summon some clothes, one of his shirts with his name appeared in his hand for him to slip on over his uniform and his leather biking jacket to slide on over that. He hopped on and gunned the engine before driving off through the trees.
As he drove, he finally confronted the next important question: Now what? Heading home would draw attention to his family. A decent idea would be to keep riding, maybe up the Knee where scuts tended to be in thinner numbers.
But then he thought of an old friend who had lasted months after abandoning the Emperor's Coven. He traced a small Beastkeeping spell to summon a crow-phone …
PRESENT
"And your first thought was to call me," Lilith surmised, somewhat flattered by her friend's faith in her.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you're the only person I know of who's defected from the coven and, y'know, lived to tell the tale. I was hoping you had some tips, maybe?"
"I think I have more than that," Lilith said with a faint smile. "The Emperor is up to some terrible things, Steve. Perhaps you would like a hand in stopping it?"
"We talkin' terrible like lousy or terrible like scary?"
"Terrible as in apocalyptic," Lilith said seriously. "For two realms."
"The portal, huh? Okay, you've got my attention. Where can I meet you?"
"Do you know Grimgrub's Pub in Bonesborough?"
"Do I know it? I'm like a minute away from there!"
"Second upstairs dining room," Lilith said.
"See ya soon!" The call went dead and the crow-phone shook its head with a croak. Lilith nodded and returned to the table, passing the bird back to Eda. Everyone else was silent as they waited for possible news.
"It seems we have a new recruit to the cause," Lilith said smugly. "Perhaps the Titan does indeed smile upon us."
"You handed out our location so easily?" Darius asked harshly. "He could be a spy!"
"No, he couldn't," Lilith said calmly. "I've known this man for years. We even had lunch a few times after I left the coven. He's an honest soul and one of the few in my lifetime that I would unreservedly call a friend." She shrugged elegantly. "And he just defected from the Emperor's Coven, which means that he is skilled in magic and may have further intel on the Day of Unity."
"He could still be a spy, Lilith," Darius maintained.
"Just as much as any of you three, Darius," Lilith said, her voice growing colder. "If you feel so threatened by a single ex-scout, feel free to flee with your sludge between your legs."
The BATs — and Eda — all gave a drawn out "oooh" at the bite in Lilith's words.
"Go, Aunty Lilith," Amber teased.
The tension roiling off of Darius was broken by a patterned knock at the door, one Lilith knew by heart. It was an old Emperor's Coven code knock that had been in place around the time Steve became a scout. So he really was close by; that was quicker than she'd ever expected. She stood and glanced at Raine, twitching her head toward the silencing spell cloaking the room. Raine nodded and plucked their viola to create an opening for the door to swing open without disrupting the rest of the spell.
Lilith opened the door and let in a figure in a coven scout uniform. But as he walked through the door, the uniform melted into smoke to reveal a motorbike jacket and a shirt familiar to several in the room that proclaimed his name. An illusion to keep up appearances, then.
"Hey, everyone," Steve said, lowering his physical hood. "Hope I'm not inter-" His eyes widened and he blinked. "-rupting anything …" he trailed off … as Katya stood from her seat in shock. "Katya?"
"Steve?" she asked. The young adults looked at each other in obvious surprise. "Steve, wow," Katya said distantly, as if thinking her words through even as she was saying them. "Everything about you just became so unbelievably clear."
"Yeah, I just realized a few things, too," Steve replied hesitantly, a blush crawling up his neck. "Is that good or … bad?"
"I'm … not sure?" Katya asked, her cheeks flushing too.
"Oh Titan, there's more of this nonsense," Darius moaned. "And I thought Raine and Edalyn were bad enough."
Eberwolf scoffed and growled something at Darius, who looked offended.
"I happen to be aromantic, Mutt. You know this."
Eberwolf yipped and snarled.
"So what if I have a son?" Darius argued. "Again, I'm aromantic, not asexual. And Elena was a remarkable woman."
"Can we put a pin in this and get back to the matter at hand?" Derwin asked pointedly. "Head Witch?" he added with light mockery.
"Yes, we can," Darius said with utmost dignity. "Does anyone have an idea of where to start digging for allies besides Hexside?" No one spoke up. "Then it seems our esteemed ex-Golden Guard is in charge of leading that front." Steve whirled around at that in pleasant surprise to look at Hunter.
"We'll be considering anything we can to disrupt the actual plan," Raine said, "but we three need to get back to the castle before someone gets suspicious. We'll meet back up at sunset in three days at this location to discuss the base plan." They passed around a card with an address for each of them to memorize, everyone passing it along until it got back to Raine, who whistled and turned it to ash.
"If there are no other immediate concerns, this meeting is adjourned," they said, knocking their knuckles onto the table like a gavel. "Though you should leave in small groups to avoid suspicion of your own."
"Three days," Darius warned, "sunset. Don't be late." With that, he snapped his fingers and a swirl of Abomination clay rose up to engulf the head witches and send them back to the castle. The silencing spell faded from the walls with Raine's disappearance, and everyone left looked at each other.
"Well, I've never been one to follow suggestions," Eda said, cracking her knuckles before opening one of the shaded windows and summoning Owlbert. "Lily, Hunter, head back to mom and dad's. I'm gonna talk to a few contacts to see about other allies." She looked at the BATs. "See ya, kiddies," she said, then hissed their little rallying call and hopped out the window to fly off into the night.
"Always has to have the last word," Lilith sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Let's go, Hunter. You'll need your rest for school tomorrow."
"Sure," Hunter groused.
"And to see your lovely lady," Lilith added smugly, to which Hunter glowered as his ears reddened. "Katya, Derwin, Amber," she said to the BATs, then turned to her fellow turncloak and shook his hand. "It's so good to see you, Steve."
"Good to be here," Steve said and ushered Lilith and Hunter out, actually hugging Hunter as he left and trading "Good to see you's." Then he turned and faced the BATs with a strained smile. "Uh, hi," he said with a wave. "You must be the friends Katya talks about."
"You're the guy she went out with that she really likes," Derwin said simply.
"You went out with a coven scout?" Amber asked Katya. "I mean, I know you've got nerve, but that's a new high!"
"I didn't know at the time," Katya stressed, then focused on Steve. "So, friends in the Emperor's Coven, huh?" She pursed her lips. "A job you really hate?"
"Not anymore," Steve said. "Left this morning." He smirked and gestured at their uniforms. "And it seems you weren't completely forthright, either."
"Sounds pretty even to me," Derwin said, arms loosely crossed.
"Keep him around, Katya," Amber teased, nudging her shoulder. "He's really hot!"
Katya flushed and stepped closer to Steve. "Do you have a place to stay?"
"Nope," Steve said.
"We have a hideout," she offered, slowly taking his hand in hers.
"That, uh," he stammered and cleared his throat. "That sounds pretty girl- Pretty good! Yeah, g-good to me. Yeah."
Katya laughed and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead right next to his horn. "Then let's go before any of your 'friends' show up at the bar."
"Well done, Alador," Odalia said, her voice tired. "Why don't you head home for the day, hmm?" She typed some information on the tablet of light projected from her brooch — a spell of Oracle magic for recording information — before dismissing the spell and walking off, her perfect posture tense like a string about to snap. "You've worked enough today."
Alador slumped against his workbench and removed his goggles to watch his wife walk away, the usual swing in her hips gone. He sighed and traced a spell circle that summoned a device shaped like a witch made of metal, its innards made of Abomination clay with its outer shell keeping it from dripping — it would clean the lab so that Alador could leave.
"Sir?" Gavin asked, and Alador stiffened as he realized his intern was still here. "Is Mrs. Blight … okay?"
"No, I'm afraid she's not," Alador said, too tired to lie. "She … had a nasty emotional shock and some upheavals in how she perceives herself. She's …" He hesitated before admitting it aloud. "She's not handling it well. Throwing herself into her work. I can only assume to avoid making things worse."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Gavin asked.
"I don't think so," Alador said, though he held a tired smile. "I've tried everything I can think of and she just …" He shook his head. "Why don't you take tomorrow off? You've been working hard."
"Thank you, sir, but I'd rather be here," Gavin said with pride. "Even with the crazy expectations, I … I like it here."
Alador sniffled and brushed his hand across his eyes. "I'm sure your father is very proud." He cleared his throat. "I would be."
"Thanks, Mr. Blight," Gavin said, his eyes watering as he smiled.
"You understand your objective?" Kikimora asked kindly, though there was an undercurrent of malice in the words.
"Two targets," Angmar repeated, thumbing through dossiers. "They look like twins to me, but that just makes it easier to remember. Witches, light hair, fair skin, hooked noses. One has a gap in his teeth and a large scar on his face." As if Angmar hadn't tailed this witchling enough to pick him out from a crowd. "Both of them are traitors to the coven." He scratched his forearm where a newly-applied Emperor's Coven sigil rested.
"Excellent," Kiki praised, delicately clapping her hands in praise. "And the last of it?"
"Bring them to you alive," Angmar reported, and he smiled viciously. "Alive being the only necessity."
"Indeed," Kiki snarled happily. "Now go. Find them and bring them here!"
Angmar, dressed in dark-grey tactical clothes and a green cloak, raced from the Emperor's Coven precinct. He traced a spell to summon a direwolf the coven had trained — one of the few Beastkeeping spells the various instructors on Kikimora's staff had taught him; one of the two or three for most branches of magic he had learned! — and raced to find his quarry.
"Oh, Hunter, Jasper," Kikimora purred, "I almost feel sorry for you." She lowered her high collar to reveal her tusks and a terrifying grin. "Almost." And then she laughed with all of the madness hidden behind her smile.
Chapter eighteen is here, everyone! A lot of catch-up and set-up, but I really enjoyed this one. ***Also, HERE'S TO THE SEASON 3, PART 1 COMING LATER TODAY!
*Derwin and Hunter's interaction is inspired by the fact that they share Zeno Robinson as a voice actor.
*Katya's surname is Russian for "heart," making her full name roughly translate to "pure heart" - something I've used for another series. Derwin's surname is the Ancient Greek word for ebony, a rich black or very dark brown wood prized for decorations, or musical instruments. Amber's surname comes from the Swedish for flutter, referring to her tiny wings.
*Katya's line from Felicity in "Arrow," s1, ep14.
*Perhaps in subconscious rebellion to the pervasive Alador/Darius ship, I've come to headcanon Darius as aromantic. I would say asexual and aromatic like Lilith, but I've already given him a son - plus, they're not necessarily convergent. For the sake of this story, Gavin came about from a mutually respectful friends-with-benefits relationship between Darius and Gavin's mother, Elena. Elena raised Gavin until she died from … let's say a gorenado, and Darius took him in.
*Steve's verbal backspace is straight from Milo Thatch in Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire."
*Direwolves are actual ancient animals that were basically much larger wolves, contemporaries and competitors of the smilodon or saber-toothed cat. The term has been used in more modern fantasy fiction to indicate powerful, often darkly magical wolves. Eberwolf's canon Penstagram handle "Raisedbydirewolves" indicates they exist on the Boiling Isles.
***Katya and Steve's reunion and surprise at each others' identities parallels a scene in Secretlyofcourse's fic "Friendship (And More) Across Battlelines." this wasn't planned, per se, but it is a perfect trope for these two. *Check out her work! It's amazing!*
^EDIT: I had forgotten that I vaguely introduced Luz and HUnter to the BATs on Coven Day, and so made a few small edits to reflect that.^
As always, I hope you've enjoyed it! Leave a review if you like! And may your own works be fun to read and to write!
