Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Amity was preparing to leave for her shift at the library. She was hoping for a stress-free day. She had been very busy lately with schoolwork, tutoring, and helping her friends.

She blushed as her thoughts turned towards Luz. Last night's letter from her had been the first she had heard from her in several weeks. It seemed that Luz had been stressed a lot lately.

"Of course, mother didn't help with her stupid Abomaton version 1. I can't believe she tried to kill my Luz!" she snapped to herself. She was lucky no one was home to hear her say that.

Picking up the letter from her dresser top, Amity reread the last lines once more.

According to Eda's mom, I'm the second human to have lived in Bonesborough. He left something at the library. I was hoping you could ask your boss if he knew anything about it.

Having my own way back to the human realm is vital with Emperor Belos controlling the original portal. I'm hoping by returning to Earth, my oath to him will fall apart because there's no magic there to enforce it.

If it does, it means I'm free to visit you and the others without worrying about the Emperor trying to force me back. Let me know what happens!

"I promise, Luz. I'll help you with your quest no matter what." Slipping the letter inside her bag, she went to work.


Arriving early, Amity went over to the crystal balls to look into the Owl Lady's mother's story. After refining her search parameters a few times, she found what Gwen had been talking about.

"The human, Phillip Witterbane of Bonesborough, has graciously donated his journal to the Bonesborough Library today. Since his arrival on the Boiling Isles five years ago, the human has been documenting the realm from his unique perspective.

The journal itself will only be available to read for a short time. With such a rare treasure, the journal will be moved to its permanent home in the Forbidden Stacks two months from now."

Knowing the item was in the Forbidden Stacks made the teenager shiver. The archives were not a safe place to be. Only the master librarian, Malphas, was allowed in there because he could safely navigate the dangers.

She went over to the front desk. "Hey Gary, do you know where Malphas is?"

The man replied in a monotone voice. "Where he always is at this time. Sorting through the Forbidden Stacks while keeping an eye out for any paper dragons forming."

"When do you think he'll be done? I really need to talk to him."

"He'll probably be there until the library closes. Word of advice, he doesn't like to talk after a long's day work."

Amity ignored her foot tapping as she inquired when Malphas would be available to talk with her.

"Maybe next week. He mentioned something about creating new shelves for the number of new books being relocated into the Forbidden Stacks."

Next week? What am I supposed to tell Luz? Sorry, I discovered a journal written by the human you told me about. Good news, I know exactly where it is in the library, bad news, you'll have to wait until next week for me to talk with the master librarian to see if I can even look at it.

Pouting, she headed to the kids' section for her shift. Entering the room the kids cheered. "Amity! Read us a story please," the little kids begged.

"Alright, everyone. Please settle down. Today, I'm going to read a few short stories from a new book." She showed them a big green book Eda had gifted her with.

According to the Owl Lady, the book contained what humans called, "fairy tales" from all over the Earth. None of the stories were accurate by the Boiling Isles standards, but that didn't mean they weren't fun to read.

"This book contains children's stories from the human realm," Amity said as the little kids' eyes grew in wonder. "Now, I was told these tales are based on what humans think magic and demons are like."

Braxas raised his hand. "Will these stories tell us what humans are like?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to ask one of my friends. She's an expert on humans because she is one." That made the kids gasp in amazement. They started whispering amongst each other.

Amity cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Can everyone hear me?" Getting an affirmative, she read the title of the story. "The Tortoise and the Hare" by Aesop."

A girl with blond pigtails raised her hand. "What's a tortoise or a hare?"

Amity showed the kids the illustration while pointing to which animal was which.

"Once upon a time, there was a brash hare who loved to race around all the other animals in the woods. He mocked the frog who had to hop instead of run. He mocked the fish who could only swim."

"Then he mocked the tortoise, "You are very slow and I am very fast. I can eat my meal and get away before a predator can catch me. Meanwhile, you barely get anything to eat and must watch out for danger."

"The tortoise had head enough. "You mock me for being slow and steady while praising your speed and brazenness. Let us race to see who the better animal is."

"The hare laughed at the tortoise but agreed to race. They decided the race would be from one side of the forest to the other. The animals of the forest gathered to watch the race."

"The owl counted them down to three. The hare took off running until he was a speck in the distance. Meanwhile, the tortoise walked slow and steady. The other animals wondered why he was smiling."

"The hare continued racing and came to a stop a short distance from the finish line. "I'm so fast that I can win this race with ease. I'll take a nap then zoom across the finish line."

"So the brash hare took a nap right there instead of finishing the race. Meanwhile, the tortoise continued to move slow and steady. Gradually he got closer and closer to the finish line."

"He passed the sleeping hare and continued towards the finish line. The animals of the forest started cheering him on. This woke the hare from his nap and was startled to see the tortoise ahead of him."

"The hare dashed for the finish line but was too late. The tortoise crossed first to win the race. As the hare moaned his loss the tortoise gave him some advice."

"Being fast and brazened may help you in the short run, but being slow and steady will ensure you win every time. The end."


The little kids looked at one another with slight confusion. They didn't understand the moral of the story.

"Ms. Amity, why did the hare not finish the race? Couldn't he have taken his nap after he won?" the kid King dubbed Usurper asked.

"Because he was overconfident. He didn't think he had to work hard to win."

Another little kid raised his hands. "Races are about speed. If you're slow you're not going to win. So why is the storytelling us to go slow?"

Amity giggled. "If you were doing a long race, you would need to be slow to keep up your energy. The moral is a metaphor for life." Seeing the kids' confusion Amity explained what a metaphor was.

"A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance. In this story, being slow and steady is a reminder that you need to pace yourself when you try to accomplish something."

"Like learning to read?" Braxas suggested.

"Exactly. You can accomplish a lot if you take your time to learn things. Now, who wants to hear another story?" All the kids raised their hands.

"Okay, two more stories. I'll pick a different author this time. Alright, this story is called "Thumbelina" by Hans Christian Anderson."

The children enjoyed the tale of a girl no bigger than a thumb having several adventures while avoiding marriages to toads, moles, and beetle. The kids were surprised she ended up with a fairy prince because he wasn't described as a real fairy.

The last story that was read to them was "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Joseph Jacobs. The kids laughed believing it was supposed to be a comedy instead of an adventure.

The kids were very sad when story time was over. Amity promised that they could hear crazier human fairy tales next time. Putting the book back in her bag, she turned to leave.

"Ahh!" she shrieked, dropping her bag as Malphas materialized in front of her. "Mr. Malphas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream in your face."

"It's alright, I surprised you. I heard through the vents that you were reading human fairy tales. It's rare for human books to be found in our world. Is that the only one you have?" he asked pointing to the book that had fallen out of her bag.

"No, my friend Luz found several books from the human realm when she started organizing the Owl Lady's human possessions."

Malphas scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Do you think your friend would be willing to part with those books? I've been trying to create a section on human books for a long time now."

An idea popped into Amity's head. "I know Luz would be happy to donate all the books her mentor has, but she'll want to trade for it."

Seeing she had Malphas's attention, she pushed ahead. "There's a journal in the Forbidden Stacks written by a human who lived in Bonesborough centuries ago. Now, I know you can't give her the journal because of how rare it is."

"I was hoping at the very least, you could make a copy of the journal for her to look at. With it, she hopes to find a way to get home to her mother."

"If the journal is still intact, I can make a copy. If it's not, then I'll need help tracking down the echo mouse who ate it. Are you willing to assist me?"

Amity nodded in delight. She couldn't wait until she told Luz the good news.


At the Owl House, Luz was badgering Eda for magic lessons. "Eda, you promised once you mastered the basics of glyph magic, you would teach me more about construction magic. How am I supposed to get back home if I don't know how to construct a portal?"

Eda talked over her shoulder as she started packing a large bag. "I intend on keeping my promise Luz, but right now we're running low on snails to pay for items we can't get in the forest."

"What do we need that you can't find here?" Luz asked in vexation. If she wanted to be able to hold her own against Belos, she needed to know witch magic asap.

"For starters," Eda replied in a snippy tone, "If you want to learn how to do construction magic, you need to have enchanted tools. Power glyphs are useful for big jobs and are a hazard when trying to do something small."

"That's why you need to have enchanted tools to help you when creating your portal. We also need to get you an instrument if I'm going to teach you any bard spells. The right instrument can get you out of a jam."

"Does every track has special tools?" Luz asked sarcastically.

"No, but if you want to stand a chance against the Emperor's Coven, you'll need to be prepared for anything." Eda heaved her bag over her shoulder and nearly tipped over.

"I'm meeting with members from the red market to negotiate for their help in selling my collection in exchange for the items we need." Eda wagged her finger at Luz before she could speak. "The red market is equivalent to your human black market. We call it red because you got to bleed a little to make a deal."

Luz shuddered at the thought. Blood magic was the one thing she never liked when reading the Azura series. It was gross, messy, and evil. "I thought you told me to not do anything involving blood."

"That's right you shouldn't. I didn't mean bleed as in blood. I meant that you have to lose a large portion of your earnings for a long time until you can keep all of them. It's the price of getting help."

"But if you're not going to make a profit to buy items for us, then what's the point?"

Eda paused before looking at her foster daughter. "Luz, I know I won't make a lot of money. It will barely cover the cost of the items you need, but it's worth it. You sacrificed your future to protect me. Let me make the same sacrifice for you."

"Okay," Luz said dejectedly. She hated how once again she was upending Eda's life again.

She knew that Eda was right about her having access to the tools for every kind of magic. At the same time, she wished that Eda could stay and train her instead.

"Are you taking King with you?"

Eda nodded. "He's going to keep an eye out for danger. Plus, there's a chance someone at the red market might have information relating to his father Now, I'll be at the eastern border for most of the day. Take care of yourself okay. Bye."


Luz waited ten minutes to make sure everyone was gone before slipping out the backdoor in her uniform with her schoolbag. It was five minutes to noon and she was keen to get started. She ran through the tree grove before climbing the hill and sliding down the other side.

Hunter was waiting for her. "You're on time, I'm impressed. I thought you would be late because you might want to drag along everything related to magic with you."

Luz stuck her tongue out of him. "I brought my school textbooks on each of the nine tracks. I thought it would help with understanding the basics when using the magic from a bile sac."

"Smart thinking. Come on, it's a long trek and I want to quiz you with what you know so far." Luz nodded and followed the boy back to the watchtower.

By the time they reached the watchtower, Hunter had confirmed to himself she had mastered the general information about magic. She had the basics of most of the tracks she studied at Hexside.

Inside his temporary home, Hunter had done his best to spruce it up. He had found some furniture that was in decent condition and moved it to the base of the tower where he had been sleeping.

There were pictures of different places on the Boiling Isles hung neatly next to the table.

He even found a decent rug so they would be sitting in the dirt again. "So, put your backpack on the table and join me over here." Once she was next to him he asked to see her form.

Luz took her stance. Her legs were spread slightly and slightly bent. Her casting arm was out all the way and her other was halfway out. She made sure her upper body was perfectly straight.

Hunter looked her over. "Are you comfortable like this? You seem to be trembling in place."

"No, I'm not, but this is the standard stance beginners are supposed to use."

"Well, it's not working for you. Any time you perform a spell, it's important that you feel comfortable when you use your magic. Show me how you cast one of your glyph spells."

The teenager pulled out a paper with the wind glyph on it. She held it above her head and quickly tapped it with her pencil. She lowered the pencil in time, and a small gust of wind blew through the base.

The sticks and leaves on the floor were lifted into the air and dropped back down. "How was that?" Luz asked only to become crestfallen.

A lot of the leaves and sticks got stuck in Hunter's hair and clothes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" She moved to help him, only to trip over her own feet before landing on top of him.

Luz and Hunter frantically pushed apart from each other. The teenage girl was babbling apologizes to the teenage boy. In turn, he was trying to tell her it was okay and accidents happen.

"Maybe, we should try again," Hunter suggested as he picked himself up. "Why don't you show me how you're trying to cast your spell circles?"

This time, Luz decided to cast a water spell. She made the pattern and then the circle around it. The spell backfired on her, leaving her face wet and clenching her stomach.

Hunter questioned her why she made the glyph in the air instead of making the spell circle.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not just because using glyphs is a habit. I actually have tried before with just casting the circle while thinking of what spell I want to perform."

When Hunter didn't interrupt, Luz went on a told him how any spell she tried to cast either never happened or they did the opposite of what she wanted. Then the pain from casting the spell circle was twice as bad.

"Did you picture the glyph for the spell or just what you wanted the spell to accomplish?"

"The second one. If I thought about the glyph, I would reach for a piece of paper that wasn't there."

"According to the theory of magic, a witch's magic is a combination of their intentions, strength, and lastly, emotions. You wanted to perform a water spell and tried to access that particular bile, but you didn't because you were conflicted in how you wanted to cast it."

Seeing the utter astonishment on Luz's face, Hunter grinned. "The pain is the result of a blow-back from not using enough of the correct bile and that your system isn't mature enough of yet to handle so much. We can train it, though."

"You mean, I'm not a hopeless case? I can get better?"

"Indeed. All you need to do is focus your mind better when you make a spell circle. Picture the glyph already inside the circle as you make it. As you're finishing, think of your intention to get the right bile flowing. As the spell is happening, make sure your emotions are in check."

Luz nodded with determination. She could and would do this. She was not going to fail again. "I'm going to try one more time. Please stand behind me. I don't want to hurt you again."

Loosening her body up, Luz centered herself. She stopped distressing about everything in her life. She felt a calmness settle over her. Picturing the light glyph in her mind, she created the circle and what she wanted to happen.

Hunter watched wonder as the teenager created a body-sized spell circle. Hundreds of tiny lights burst out and dispersed through the watchtower, lighting up the entire building.

Opening her eyes the teenage girl was astonished by her accomplishment. "I did it. I controlled the magic inside me," she whispered to herself. She then realized something else. She didn't feel intense pain only a few aches.

Hunter didn't want to admit how impressed he was. Instead, he told her it was an improvement. "You need to keep practicing until your body doesn't hurt at all when you cast a spell."

Luz gave him a grin and told him to stand by to be impressed. She was going to show him what she could do.


For the next hour, she created spell circles for half her spells. Each time, it got a little easier to do. After each spell casting, Hunter would give suggestions on how to improve.

At the end of the hour, Hunter forced Luz to take a break. "You used a lot of energy up with all those spells. It's important to build up your stamina so you don't exhaust yourself."

"How do I do that, Master Hunter?"

"Exercise, of course. You can try running or swimming. There's also doing basic exercises such as pushups and sit-ups. I would suggest hiking trails because of where we live."

Luz raised a single eyebrow. She had been living in the forest for a few weeks now.

She hadn't seen any trails before. Maybe she should ask Bat Queen about it.

While she was contemplating this, the boy pulled her schoolbag on the table and took out her textbook on bard magic. "We know you can properly cast spell circles. Now, where were you with studying the different tracks?"

Luz told him about the classes she had taken along with what she had independently studied. That bard magic was using musical instruments to cause the world around you to become enchanted.

She also knew advanced bards could use their voices along with their instruments to cast more powerful spells. Bard magic was used for entertainment or advertising.

Hunter asked if she knew how to play an instrument. Luz shook her head and explained why Eda wasn't home that day. Once more, she didn't realize that she was giving him information to use against her mentor.

"I'm not much of a singer either. I can sing with a group. On my own, I sound awful, according to the music teachers I've had."

"Are you off-key?" Hunter inquired.

He could relate to that. He couldn't sing to save his life.

"No, I'm not off-key. My voice doesn't sound as nice as others. I'll show you."

Luz started humming before singing a popular country song, "She Be California" by Rascal Flatts.

"She's got the long blond hair. Got the red sports car. And you know she's got the top laid down."

She stopped singing and waited for Hunter to tell her what he thought. Judging by his expression, it was likely he agreed with the teachers.

Hunter looked at Luz thoughtfully. "Human music must be very different. You don't sound dreadful, and while you're not fantastical, I say you have a decent voice."

Luz blinked at him, surprised by what he said. She couldn't have heard right. "You think I'm decent?"

The boy nodded. "Trust me, I've heard worse. Has your mom ever heard you sing?"

Luz twiddled her fingers and muttered, "Not since I was six." Pushing those thoughts away, she asked what he thought would be a good instrument for her to play.

He replied that with a little breath control she would be good with the clarinet. It wasn't the most popular instrument on the Boiling Isles, but that would make her extra special.


They moved onto the next track, beast keeping. Luz admitted all she knew was the different classification for beasts. She wasn't sure if the magic was to tame or train the creatures.

"It's a bit of both. Wild beasts need to be tamed for short periods so the coven members can capture and relocate the beasts. For domesticated beasts, they need a lot of training so they'll follow your commands."

"I've never trained any animal in my life. Mom didn't think I was responsible enough for a pet. The only wild animals I've encountered are squirrels, bunnies, and birds," Luz moaned as she dropped her head a bit.

Hunter laughed at her antics. "I've never had a pet either. Beast Keeping is an intimidating track. I suggest starting with something small. So tell me about the other tracks."

Luz started ticking off her fingers. "Originally, I was assigned potions for a track, but I got bored quickly. I think it was because I was forced into it instead of picking it myself. I hate being forced into things."

Hunter pointed out when she first saw him she seemed okay with doing potions. Luz said that was different because she wanted to try to impress her mentor. After reading more about the subject, she liked it a lot better.

"I learned a lot about plant magic from Willow. Her parents put her on the abomination track, thinking she would get a good job in the coven. Willow hated it a lot. It was a relief to see her blossom in plant magic."

"As for illusions, I've never actually made one. I know the theories behind them, as well as their limits. Gus sent me a bunch of notes about how to perform the magic."

Hunter asked if she had tutors in other subjects. The girl responded that her friend Viney taught her the basics of healing while Barcus had given her pointers for using oracle magic.

"Amity is very helpful when it comes to explaining the basics of creating and using abominations. I pretended to be one just to get a glimpse of the inside of Hexside."

"I was scheduled to take entry-level construction magic, but I had to leave Hexside before I had a chance too."

"Which means you have no foundation to start using that magic. We'll have to work on that."

Hunter peeped outside the window and was surprised to see that it was nearly dusk. He hadn't realized how long they had been talking for so long. "I think that's it for today."

"I haven't taught you a thing about being a good friend yet," Luz protested.

"Sure you have. A good friend listens to others so they can help them," Hunter remarked while realizing it was true. He couldn't believe she taught him something by being herself.

"I need a few days to help plan your lessons. Maybe I can even scrounge items to help with your lessons."

Luz was unsure what he would find in the wood but refrained from saying anything. She said she would return in three days continue the lessons. She waved goodbye and headed home.


When she returned home, she was shocked and overjoyed to see Amity waiting for her by the front door. "Amity! What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

Amity shuddered at told her she didn't want to know. "I wanted to tell you what I found at the library." She also reached into her bag and pulled out a small cage.

Inside the cage was a mouse with a mouse school for a face. Amity held out the cage for Luz to take. Amity was practically bouncing on her toes.

"You got me a pet? How thoughtful." Luz took the cage and held it close to her chest. She really hoped nothing tried to eat the little critter.

"It's an echo mouse. They can playback information from books they ate including the book you were looking for."

Luz looked at Amity in confusion. Realizing this, Amity promised to explain things once they were inside.

Eda and King were still out, so Luz pulled some leftover soup out of the fridge. Still exhausted from earlier, she used a fire glyph to warm the bowls up. After they cooled a bit, the two girls sat at the table.

"Okay, Amity. Explain what this little guy has to do with what I asked about?"

Amity twirled a strand of hair with her finger. "I found the journal written by the human Eda's mom mentioned. It was in the Forbidden Stacks, and no one but the head librarian is allowed in there."

Luz nodded, "You didn't want to lose your job. I get it. So, how did you get Mousy then?"

Amity explained the trade she sent up with her boss. "When he went to check, this little mouse had eaten the journal. He honored our agreement by giving the little guy to me."

"Thanks, Amity, I'm extremely grateful. After we're done eating, I can show you the storage room. I made a big dent in ordering that mess."


The girls had fun picking books to add to the collection at the library. Once Amity's bag was full, she had to go. She promised her siblings she would help them prepare for a double date.

When Luz asked how she was getting home, Amity once again insisted she didn't want to know. Waving goodbye, Amity headed to the border, ready to ride a slimy snail back to the other side.

"I hope the Bat Queen comes up with a better method for friends to visit soon. I hate getting slimed."

The teenager suddenly stopped and looked behind her. Then right to left. Up to down. She was certain she felt the sensation of someone watching her. Shaking it off, Amity hurried home.

Hunter watched her go. He would need to keep a closer eye on Amity Blight. He couldn't let Amity distract Luz from her lessons with him. He needed to complete his mission so the Day of Unity could proceed on schedule.

"Watch your back, Ms. Blight. The Golden Guard doesn't like meddlesome teenagers."