The slitherbeast was surprisingly light on its feet for such a large beast, barely making impressions in the snow if not for its fearsome claws that were leaving slash marks; and likely only because it was carrying three people in one paw. It was also fast, and Amity was gasping by the time she reached the mouth of the cave that the claw marks lead to. "Okay, you don't have a wand, your abomination magic, or any back up. What do you do?" She asked herself, hiding behind a tree. The thought of becoming an only child and mentoring Luz herself did cross her mind for a moment, but she shook her head. "You can do this, Amity." She whispered. "You are a Blight. You need to stay calm. Just count to five, and…" she paused and held her breath as the slitherbeast trotted out of the cave, curling back its upper lip to see. Amity covered her mouth and bit down on her glove to keep from making any noise as the creature let out a huff of breath that shook the branches of the tree she was behind. She could feel its growl reverberate in her chest and she closed her eyes as tight as she could.
The soft footfalls of the beast began to diminish as it moved away, and Amity finally let out a breath, risking a peek around the tree to watch it wander off deeper into the forest. "OneTwoThreeFourFive." she whispered quickly to herself, running into the cave and diving behind a tall stalagmite. It was hardly the graceful move of a dancer like she had hoped for, and she couldn't help but look around out of reflex for anyone that might have seen her. "Forget it. You need to focus on rescuing your brother and sister." She told herself, peeking around the rock formation to spot her targets.
Eda, Emira, and Edric were bound to a stone wall by a thick, deep purple phlegm, seemingly resigned to their fate already. If she had a way to know the slitherbeast wouldn't return soon… the movement of something furry below her made Amity's heart skip, and she looked down in surprise. "Luz!" She exclaimed, recognizing the hazel eyes when they looked up at her.
"Hello!" Luz replied, a smile pulling at her lips. They ducked back behind the stalagmite, Amity still uncertain that she was even real.
"How did you get past the barrier?"
"Magic!" Luz exclaimed. "Literally. But forget that because you and I have to work together if we want to save everyone." Amity looked at her in surprise, seeing less fear and more confidence and determination than she had before; even during their fight with Otabin in the library. "Okay, here's what we're going to do…" she continued, leaning in to whisper into Amity's ear. "I'll distract the slitherbeast and lead it outside to a trap I have set up. You need to free the others quickly."
"Why?" Amity asked. "What kind of trap?"
"I mean, I've only managed to do this new spell once to get out of your barrier, so on the off chance it doesn't work, it would be great if all of you could come and save me." She said. Despite her words, her confidence in her plan didn't seem to waver, and Amity couldn't understand how.
Amity frowned. "Okay, fine. How am I supposed to free the others then? You used up the wand."
"I did, and I'm sorry, but right now, that's in the past. You'll figure something out. I believe in you." She said, and Amity's breath caught in her throat as Luz ran out from behind the formation, waving her arms. "Hey, ya big idiot! Over here!" She shouted at the slitherbeast, then turned to run as the creature spotted her.
The moment the slitherbeast moved toward Luz, Amity ran to the outcropping below where Eda and the twins were still bound, and now covered in what smelled like various spices. The constant climbing of the slitherbeast created enough of a rough stairway for Amity to climb up despite her sore arms and legs. "Amity!" Edric shouted as her face crested the shelf.
"Use that fire spell we taught you!" Emira added, clearly glad to see her sister.
Amity grimaced. "But I can't do it without the wand!" She replied. She couldn't, and it was because of those stupid power glyphs she had been forced to use.
"Yes. You can." Emira said, locking eyes with Amity. It was a clear signal that Amity felt that her sister was, for once, being genuine. "Just focus."
Amity nodded. "Okay." She drew the spell circle, concentrating on what she wanted it to become. The circle dimmed and warped, its glow fluctuating as she brought up both of her hands to cradle it. She ground her teeth as she felt her magic surge in her chest, protesting against its path. Her neck and wrist began to itch, as though complaining at having to do the work to allow her magic to flow without the help of the power glyphs or the wand. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the glowing ring in her hands as words from the past few months replayed in her mind.
"Magic is reliant on our emotional state. If you wish to remain in control of the external, you must remain in control of the internal…" she heard Mr. Homunculus say, shortly after Luz and Willow had cheated on the abomination presentation. "Stay calm, Amity. Breath. You're not performing for anyone here." Lilith said, moments before she placed the glyph on her neck. While the experience was one Amity would like to forget, the words her own mentor said were still relevant. "Listen, whatever you're going through right now, whatever is keeping your song quiet, I suggest you get rid of it." came the voice of the bardic witch in Latissa. Finally, what Luz had just told her bubbled to the surface. "You'll figure something out. I believe in you." and suddenly she felt a warmth in her heart as her magic filled her system, breaking through the blocks caused by the power glyphs and warming her hands.
The ring in her hands condensed and glowed brighter before finally bursting into a bright pink flame, rising above her head. She could feel emotions welling up in her throat, and she smiled, watching it dance and flicker.
"Cool." Emira said, her earlier smile losing it's genuine appearance and reducing to her usual sarcastic expression. "I didn't think you could actually do it." While Eda was smiling knowingly at the pair's banter, Amity didn't care. She was riding high with having mastered her spell without the wand, and she moved the floating flame closer to the phlegm to soften it enough that Eda, Em, and Ed slid down off of the wall, still slathered in the ooze.
Amity was about to retort when Luz's scream echoed through the cave, grabbing everyone's attention. "Luz!" she shouted, sliding down off of the ledge while the other three got to their feet, brushing off the seasonings that the slitherbeast had sprinkled on them. She reached the mouth of the cave in time to see Luz be cornered against a tree, with the slitherbeast slowly stalking toward her. Before Amity could react, Luz stomped a foot onto the edge of a symbol that had been drawn in the snow that began to glow a faint blue. The sound of ice cracking flooded the area as a large pillar grew out of the glyph, launching the slitherbeast into the air, to land on its back in the snow.
Edric, Emira, and Eda raced up to meet Amity as the slitherbeast turned over, getting traction with its claws as it gave up on Luz and charged toward the four of them instead. Eda grinned and casually looked down at the Blight children. "You want me to teach you kids something cool?"
"Yes!" they shouted in response.
Eda began walking confidently toward the charging demon, moving her hands in an elaborate pattern, glowing golden lines following her fingertips as the multitude of spell circles formed a sphere that expanded toward the slitherbeast. "Sleep spell!" she anounced, and everyone waited for a tense moment as the sphere faded, before the creature finally fell at Eda's feet, snoring loudly.
"Now that's my mentor!" Luz called, approaching Eda as Amity and her siblings gathered around. "Did you see?! I learned my second spell! I made the connection." she said excitedly, looking up at the Owl Lady. She wore an expression that Amity hadn't worn for a long time. One that was hopeful for appreciation and approval.
"I saw." Eda replied, ruffling Luz's hair. "Nice work, kiddo."
Amity smiled at the interaction, silently wishing she'd had the same at some point. She'd had such approval withheld from her for her entire life without performing some perfect score or some task. Despite a hint of envy in Luz's mentorship, she still felt more accomplished tonight than she had in some time, and she turned to her siblings. "You showed some real bravery in there, sis." Emira said.
"Yeah…" Edric added with obvious sarcasm, running his gloved hand over her face and hair in an exaggerated mimicry of Eda. "Nice work kiddo."
Amity growled and pushed him away. "Stop!" she complained, fixing her hair as she turned back to meet Luz in front of Eda. "So it looks like we'll be in the same class." she said, feeling an odd anxiety that she couldn't identify.
"Azura book club?" Luz asked, her grin widening. "Azura book club?!"
Amity's cheeks reddened, and she leaned in close to whisper. "As long as it's a secret club."
"It's not a secret!" Edric said with a wave.
"We're gonna tell everyone!" Emira added, and Amity growled, blushing at the thought.
Interrupting the two girls, Eda let out a sneeze and hugged her arms around her chest, shivering as she sniffed in a snort. "Alright, your adorable banter is literally making me sick." She said, looking down at Luz. "Let's go home already!"
"On it, teach!" Luz shouted, excitedly extending a finger and racing to a blank area of snow. She invited Eda to stand with her as she drew another circle around their feet, with an intricate pattern within it. She then crouched to brace herself and slapped a hand within the circle, activating the glyph like she had her light spell. The symbol glowed light blue again, summoning a new pillar of ice that launched the pair into the sky, shouting with joy as they cleared the nearby trees and disappeared.
Emira turned to her siblings as they watched Luz and Eda vanish into the night sky. "I think we can take the normal way."
"Did the Owl Lady remember to take her staff?" Edric asked, still watching to try to see if they were going to take flight.
A heavy snort blew hot air past them, and Amity turned to see the slitherbeast still snoring. "I think we should probably teleport home now. That thing is going to be mad when it wakes up…"
With the start of a new week came semester exams, and Amity stood in line, waiting for her turn. Everyone from the homerooms were here; some studying their text books, others, pacing, and a few having full blown meltdowns by rocking back and forth on their heels while facing the wall. Amity stretched her shoulders, her thighs, and cricked her neck back and forth, feeling fully prepared for the first time in awhile. Each line moved forward slowly, one for every track of magic, and Amity let her eyes wander from line to line. Boscha was several lines over in the potion track, trying to look apathetic to the whole scenario, but Amity knew better. The girl was panicking, unable to decide what to do with her arms, and her three eyes darting to each student that passed by and issuing a mocking comment when it looked like they believed they had failed.
To the other side, she spotted Skara, plucking at the strings of a harp while carrying a viol case on her back. It seemed she was broadening her skills in various instruments for the exam. On the plant track line, she spotted Amelia enter the examination room as Willow exited, looking nervous, but not in an inordinate way that wasn't common for her. Willow had grown in leaps and bounds in her confidence since she had switched to the plant track, and Amity silently wished that her parents could see how far Willow had come. She quickly averted her eyes when Willow looked her way, trying not to reveal that she had been watching her, but turned back again when she noticed Augustus meet his friend with an outstretched, hand slap above their heads.
Amity looked down at her own hand in confusion, unfamiliar with the gesture, and quietly slapped her other hand with it. She shifted her eyes back and forth, noticing a few other students were watching her with confusion now as well, and she dropped her hands to her sides. Letting out a quiet sigh, Amity couldn't help but look longingly at the pair, turning away again when she caught Willow's eye. Her turn was coming up next, and she needed to focus if she was going to beat her sibling's score. She had taken the time to practice her fire spell, and focus on the motions and feelings that had allowed her to break through the blocks in her system, and charge her magic more than she had ever been able to before. She was ready.
Luz's gleeful squeal caught her ear, and Amity reflexively stood taller and looked about the crowd, trying to find the human girl. Spotting her blue and white hoodie exiting the exam room for new enrolments, Amity smiled for a moment, then frowned in confusion, then smiled again, realizing Luz must have just been accepted into Hexside. "Is that a good or a bad thing though?" she thought aloud, earning her an inquirement from the next student in her line. She cast them an annoyed look and turned away. It was something she would have to think about later, and she faced forward again.
She waited impatiently, rolling on the balls of her feet and casually clapping her hands together in an attempt to discover the purpose behind the gesture until the last student exited the exam room, his uniform soaked in sweat. He was one of the shyer demon students in the class, with a bulbous head with small spikes protruding at various angles and large eyes. "How'd you do, Solis?" she asked. The boy only walked by wide eyed however, barely acknowledging her question.
Taking a deep breath, Amity entered the exam room where Mr. Homunculus was cradled in the lap of his horned, sandy colored abomination in the front row of the multitude of bleacher seats. He was looking exceptionally irritable after having to grade so many students already, and Amity swallowed hard. "Ah, Ms. Blight. I hope you have worked on your studies since your last presentation." he chirped, the reminder biting at her. But she had worked hard, and learned even more than what she had been taught in class. She steeled herself and nodded, climbing the steps up onto the stage. "Now remember, I'm not interested in your skills in combat; not everyone is able to become an Emperor's Coven Scout and we don't want to burn down the school, now do we? Show me what you've learned that could place you in the world after graduation. Utility, skill, and practical applications are what I'm looking for at this stage in your schooling."
Amity frowned at the mention of the Emperor's Coven, but pushed it from her mind. It wouldn't be enough to simply conjure fire. Mr. Homunculus needed to know she could control it, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. She reached the top of the stage and stretched out her arms to either side and whispered, "Abominations: Rise." To either side of her, a thick puddle of ooze formed on the stage, each growing into an adult sized creature composed of the mud of the Titan; drawn out of every surface constructed from its body. She turned to face the nearly empty seating, allowing her legs to cross in a croisé pose, both abominations matching her moves. She bent down at the waist, easily reaching far enough to touch the floor, and began a spell circle large enough to encompass her. Once the circle was complete, she reached out and grabbed the shimmering ring, tossing it onto the back wall of the stage. The circle expanded and glowed, transforming into an illusion of the outside of Hexside as a backdrop, with fluttering dragons passing over the battlements and tiny specks of students bustling about at the foot of the steps.
She could feel beads of sweat start to form on her brow with the concentration she was having to keep, but she proceeded to begin a classical dance that each abomination followed along to in synchronicity. While her skills as a ballet dancer certainly weren't what was being judged, her ability to concentrate on multiple spells while performing athletic feats would likely earn her extra points on her grade. Amity and her fellow dancers pirouetted to one end of the stage, and she leaned down to touch the floor and draw a quick circle that condensed into an orb of barrier magic that floated a few inches above the floor. She and her abominations then moved to the other end, and she created another orb before moving back to the center of the stage.
One abomination kneeled down, lifting the other up into the base of a triangle before hefting Amity up to the top where she snapped her fingers, igniting a bright pink flame in each orb and finishing in a flourish, struggling to hold her concentration on each abomination, the backdrop illusion, and each flame contained in barrier spells as she drew one more circle above her head. A larger copy of the circle appeared behind the triangle, and she winced against a growing pain in her chest as a tree wound its way up out of the floor to wrap around the abominations. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she held her pose. The flames flickered, the abominations began to sag, and the leaves of the tree began to curl and change color, but she continued to hold steady until Mr. Homunculus's tiny hands began to clap. "Well done, Amity! I must say, I am not easily impressed, but if I could award a score higher than a hundred percent, I would!"
Amity let the illusion fade first, then let the flames die before dropping the orbs that had kept them contained. Finally, the tree wilted and the abominations sank slowly back into the floor as they lowered her back down to the stage. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes felt droopy from the heart pumping exercise. She wobbled on weak knees for a moment, trying to steady herself before answering. "Th… thank you, Mr. Homunculus."
"I dare say your performance today rivals even your father's at this stage." The professor said, marking down his notes on a clipboard. Even the writing surface looked impressed. "I'll be seeing you in advanced classes next semester, I'm sure."
"Thank you, sir." Amity nodded, all of her effort suddenly catching up to her. She shuffled down the central isle until she reached the door and the professor spoke up again.
"Ms. Blight, if I may have a further word?" Mr. Homunculus asked, his abomination standing up and carrying him in its arms. "Principal Bump has requested the Emperor's Coven to send an inspector in the hopes of securing funding for some of the repairs required for the school. I would like you to represent the Abomination Track in a presentation to impress them." he said, approaching her at the door.
Amity looked at him in shock, her hand on the crash bar of the exit. "Oh, uh, of course, sir."
The professor reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a familiar piece of gold metal in the shape of a star, handing it over to her. "I believe that you have earned this back." he said with an appreciative smile. She held out her hand to receive the reward and looked down at it when it was dropped into her palm, the words 'Top Student' printed clearly on its face. She smiled awkwardly as thanks, and Mr. Homunculus turned away back to the first row of seats. "Please send in the next student!"
"Thank… you?" she replied slowly, still unsure. "I will." She pushed against the door and stepped through, still looking down at the badge. She passed by the line as the next student entered the exam room behind her, and she contemplated pinning the gold star badge to her cowl like the last one was, bringing it home to show her parents and rubbing it in Edric and Emira's faces, or… she stopped walking toward the school exit, still staring at the badge. Finally, she clenched her fist around the star, crumpling it into a foil ball and pitching it into a nearby garbage can with a smile.