Chapter Six: One Night Only


"Lilith? Is everything alright?" asked an Emperor's covensman, a troubled expression hidden beneath his mask. "You seem...tired."

Seated behind her desk, Lilith rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine," she said. "It's just...I haven't been getting much sleep, what with everything that's been happening recently." The issue was seemingly dropped, with only the sound of her quill scratching across her paper filling the room.

After a few moments of quiet, the covensman spoke again. "And what has been happening? Aside from this new branch, things around here have been-"

"There's your answer," Lilith said, her tone bitter. "You took part in the raid on Archoman manor, did you not? You of all people should know why I am worried about the Inquisition."

Again, the covensman was silent for a moment. Eventually, he broke the silence with another question. "...It's Mattias, isn't it?"

Lilith sighed. "You know, I think it would do wonders for my fatigue if I could be alone for some time. A bit of solitude can clear my head. Yes?"

"Y-yes," said the covensman. He glanced around for a moment before heading for the door. "Summon me if you need anything, a-as usual…"

"I know," said Lilith with a nod. She returned to her work as the covensman exited her study.

As his footsteps receded into the distance, Lilith made out several words of his before he was gone entirely: "Good evening, Inquisitor."

Lilith sighed. It seemed she had traded one nuisance for another. In spite of her insistence, Belos was going all-in on this Inquisition. But every time she made her feelings known, he just brushed her off, stating how this was a way to kill two birds with one stone-find Eda, and keep watch over nine dangerous individuals. His metaphors were no doubt deliberately chosen, worrying Lilith even further.

As her grip angrily tightened on her quill, a sudden voice snapped her back. "Knock knock, Lily." A dark, slender hand crept across the door, pushing it open to reveal its owner's sickening grin.

Lilith had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting. "You don't get to call me that, Inquisitor," she snarled. "What do you want?"

Mattias made his way into Lilith's study, looking just as comfortable as if he owned the place. "Oh, nothing much," he said, his voice darkly casual. "I just realized I've been here for several days, and I haven't formally said hello to you yet. So I came by to remedy that."

"Hello," Lilith said, scowling. "There. Now you can leave."

Mattias chuckled. "Always the studious one, Lily! We can talk for a while-your paperwork will still be there once we're done."

Sighing once again, Lilith put down her quill. She figured that since nothing short of several offensive spells in rapid succession would get Mattias to leave-something she would resort to in a heartbeat if it came to it-she decided to indulge him for the time being. "From common criminal to Emperor's enforcer. I'll admit, you have quite the silver tongue, Mattias."

"Why, thank you. You know, I've thought that for years now, but it's only now that I'm finally able to put it to real use!" He still seemed unaware that Belos was just using him. Perhaps he had been right: if one thing was irresistible to these sorts of people, it was power.

"So, why don't you put it to use?" said Lilith. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's indirectness. So please, tell me what it is that's on your mind."

"Oh! Lily, I'm stung!" Mattias placed a hand over his chest while wearing a mock pitiable expression. "Do you truly believe I have ulterior motives for coming to visit my dear old friend?"

"Yes," Lilith replied bluntly. "Mainly because we were never friends. And I'm not Lily."

"Never?" said Mattias. "Not even a little bit?"

"Get on with it!" Lilith exclaimed, barely managing to prevent herself from banging her fists on the desk.

"Oh, very well, very well." Mattias pulled up a chair, placing himself down before Lilith. "All work, no play...In truth, I wished to inform you of a lead we have regarding your sister."

"What sort of lead?" she asked.

"One of my Inquisitors has contacted a...shall we say, a friend of a friend," Mattias said. "Someone both of us are surely familiar with. Belos ordered Shrike to deliver the news himself. Yes, I'm sure young Miss Blight was just beside herself with excitement."

"Amity?" At the mention of her student, Lilith got to her feet. "What does she have to do with this?"

Mattias grinned, as though reveling in Lilith's concern. "I'm sure you remember. She was the one who took me down in the first place, remember? She and all her other little friends broke into my house, ravaged the place, assaulted me and my servants, and stole my guest!"

"Do not even try and make yourself the victim here," Lilith growled. She gripped the edge of the desk, her fingers turning even whiter than usual. "As I said before, you were nothing but a common criminal, and she brought you to justice."

"Yes, I suppose she did, didn't she?" said Mattias. The angrier Lilith got, the more self-satisfied he seemed to become. "And now, I'm the High Inquisitor. Now I'm the one bringing criminals to justice. Criminals like your sister, the Owl Lady...and her pet human. Remember her? She was there that day, too."

"If you are suggesting something even remotely close to what I think you are suggesting, I will-" Mattias held up a finger, cutting her off.

"At-dat-dat! Now, Lily, try to remember your allegiances. You, I, and young Miss Blight are one one side of the law...while Eda and her pet are on the other. Amity and...what did it call itself? Luzz? ...Regardless, Amity is friends with the human. Through her, we find it. And through it, we find Eda. Of course, considering young Miss Blight is associating with known fugitives…"

"Amity Blight is my student," Lilith said firmly, her rage growing quiet but no less hot. "You are not to harm her, or the human, or my sister. Understood?"

Mattias sighed, shaking his head. "Lily, Lily, Lily. Your heart is in the right place, truly it is, but you've got to commit!" He got to his feet, wearing a condescending expression. "You say you want your sister to join you, but aren't willing to take the necessary steps! You constantly try to play nice, and are refused time and time again. If you really want Eda to serve the emperor beside you, you need to stoop to her level. It's worked for you once before, hasn't it?"

"Actually, it hasn't," Lilith said. "If you were actually at that covention, you would know that-"

"Covention? Dear Lily, I was referring to the incident much earlier than that."

Lilith froze. Try as she might, she couldn't come up with a reply. "I...you…" was all she managed to stammer out.

Mattias grinned a smug grin. "No need to explain yourself, Lily. I already know you're the strongest witch in the Emperor's Coven. Just as I am the strongest witch in the Inquisition." He leaned in closer. "Funny how things work, isn't it? We are no longer of two different worlds. At last, we are...equals."

To this, Lilith had a definite answer. "Let me set one thing straight," she said, rounding her desk. "First of all: we may both work for the Emperor now, but in no way are we equals. Not in power, not in authority, and definitely not in morals." She began advancing on Mattias, gradually pushing him out of her study. "Secondly: you may lead the Inquisition, but I outrank you. I have been by his side for almost my entire life, so do not even think you can compare to something like that. And lastly: if you try coming onto me again, I will tear that mask off of your sorry face, smash it to pieces atop your head, and make you eat every last fragment. Understand?"

Mattias, who had been shoved out into the hallway, had only stared at Lilith with a glazed look for her entire outburst, wearing a small smile.

"Well?"

"I forgot how beautiful you are when you're angry."

With a snarl, Lilith shoved Mattias one last time before returning to her study. "If you or one of your thugs harms a hair on Amity's head, you are finished!"

Mattias' expression turned to one of remorse, again mockingly. "Lily, I'm truly sorry about what happened with me and Eda. Please understand, she was only my second choice. I never stopped loving y-"

He was cut off by Lilith slamming the door shut. Not only did a lock click, but several magical chains appeared in front of the door. Apparently pleased with himself, Mattias shrugged.

"Don't worry about a thing, Lily!" he called through the closed door. "We'll find your sister, get her fixed up, and have her by your side soon, you can count on that!" As Mattias walked off, his expression turned from smug satisfaction to spiteful anger. "And send her pet ollryn back where it belongs, one way or the other…"


"And then she just slammed the door in my face! After everything I've done for her!"

Fuming, Mattias stared out the window at the forests just beyond the Emperor's palace. Nearby was Shrike, perched atop the rim of a bubbling cauldron. He stirred the contents, which were turning a bright yellow, with his staff.

"I've never understood all the subtle intricacies of love," said Shrike, "but it sounds to me quite like you were rejected, as they say."

"No, it'll just take a bit more time," he said, shaking his head. "She'll come around, I just have to keep working at her. I'm sure she'll warm up to me a touch more once we bring her sister in."

"Mm." Shrike hopped down from the enormous cauldron in the center of the room, tossing in a handful of herbs. A blast of steam shot out of the boiling liquid, which darkened to a shade of orange. He dipped in a finger, seemingly uncaring about being scalded. "Ah. Not enough blisterroot."

"I can have someone retrieve some in the morning," Mattias said.

"No need," Shrike said, "I have plenty in my garden. No, it's terrorwort that I really need. Unfortunately, it only grows in one place on the entire Isles, and it's not exactly willing to give it up…"

"Can you finish this potion or not?" asked Mattias, growing impatient. "It will be far easier to bring Eda in if she can't cast spells."

"I've been brewing potions since before you were born. Of course I can complete it," Shrike shot back. "Instead, you should be asking yourself how you intend to have her drink some. I doubt she will fall for the same trick twice."

"I have a few plans," said Mattias, going back to his spot on the window. "Just worry about making the stuff for now."

Shrike regarded Mattias for a moment, before going back to stirring his brew. "I can certainly understand why Belos placed you in charge," he said.

Mattias knew he was likely being sarcastic, but grinned anyway. "As can I," he said.


"Alright," said Luz, placing her lunch down on the table next to her friends', and took a seat next to them. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you all here today."

"Is it about the Inquisitors?" said Willow immediately. Gus and Amity both nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I-wow, how'd you know?" Luz said.

Willow gave her a look. "Because I know you, Luz. When you set your mind to something, you tend to see it through. ...For better or for worse…"

"Alright, I'll give you that," she said. Luz pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, placing it on the table in front of her. "Bam. Here we go."

"Another list?" said Gus. "How many boyfriends did Eda have!?"

Luz shook her head. "No, no, this isn't about that. I made this list."

"Is it a list of your exes?" said Amity with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Luz giggled. "No, it's not a list of my exes! It's a list of all the Inquisitors, or at least the ones I know about." All of them leaned in to read it. "It looks like there's nine of them; one for each big coven."

"Makes sense," said Willow. "Belos likes to be organized like that."

"So anyway, I figured that if we can find out more about them, we could learn their weaknesses and stuff," Luz continued. "I mean, each coven has to have its own strengths and weaknesses, right?"

"Wait...just hold on a moment," Amity said, holding up her hands. "Luz, you know I lo-care about you, but let me just tell you, as a friend, that this is a terrible idea."

Luz cocked her head to the side. "Eh? How so?"

"I have to agree with Amity on this one," Willow said. "Remember what happened last time? With Mattias?"

"Uh, yeah I remember!" Luz said. "The four of us teamed up, stormed his mansion, and sent him packing!"

"Buuuut, only after you and Eda got kidnapped, you only barely escaped with Lester's help, and he almost got away with everything," said Gus. "We won, sure, but it wasn't easy."

Luz took a moment to reflect on this. "Okay, you're making some good points. But last time was different! This time, we'll do our homework before we go in! We'll do some digging on each of the Inquisitors, come up with a way to beat them, and with Eda's help, we'll win again!"

"Last time, Mattias was just one man, and he was acting alone," said Amity. "Now he has eight other people who are likely just as powerful as he is, not to mention the full support of the Emperor's Coven. We're only four kids, we can't-"

"Four kids plus the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles," corrected Luz. "Oh, and do you think I could get Edric and Emira to help out, too?"

Amity sighed. "Even with six kids plus Eda, we can't just take them on directly. I mean, what are you expecting to happen? We beat them up, one at a time, and they just magically leave us alone?"

"...Something like that," said Luz. "It tends to work like that in video games. You take the bad guys on one at a time until you get to the leader, and then you beat him up, and then you win. Pretty straightforward."

"Hang on," said Willow. "Amity, what did you mean when you said 'leave us alone?'"

"Oh, that," Amity said. "It's nothing. I just...I think one of them knows about how close I am with Luz. I told her about it yesterday-I think he wants to use me to get to her." She looked much more solemn than usual.

"You didn't mention that part!" said Gus. "How did he know? How did he find you? Are they coming after us next!?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that," she said. "He came to visit the other day to tell my parents about my progress. But he also…" Her face went pale. "Mattias. That's how he knew. Luz, Mattias probably remembers all four of us! That's how he knows!"

"So then what's stopping him from just invading Hexside!?" said Gus.

"I doubt Principal Bump would just let the Inquisitors march into his school and make off with one of his students, wanted or not," said Willow. "But still, that's...concerning."

"Yeah it is," Luz said, her voice grave as well. "This is worse than I thought. If Mattias remembers all of us, then it's not just me and Eda who're in danger. It's you guys, too." She looked all of her friends dead in the eyes. "Which gives us all the more reason to stop the Inquisition."

"I still don't like this," Willow said. "But if that's how things are, we might not have a choice…"

"See, there you go!" said Luz. "We beat Mattias once, we can do it again!" She picked up the list, quickly reading over the names. "Nine Inquisitors, nine covens. Willow, you're in the plant track. Do witches specializing in plant magic have any weaknesses?"

Willow thought for a moment. "...Well, plants tend not to like fire," she said. "That could come in handy."

"Now we're gettin' somewhere!" Luz added 'Fire?' next to Mandrake's entry on the list. "And Gus, what about illusions?"

"It's in the name," Gus said in a scholarly tone. "Most illusions are just that: tricks made to mimic the appearance of the object in question. Once you realize that, all that's left is to deal with the witch him- or herself."

"...Wow," Luz said.

"I do my homework," added Gus. Luz jotted that down next to Caelano's name.

"Okay, and that leaves...Amity, any tricks about abominations?"

Amity seemed caught off-guard. "Oh, well, the thing about abominations is that...it's really a...sort of like...okay, I don't know. I try not to focus on my weaknesses, I work more towards improving my strengths. But I could ask Lilith if-"

"Oh, that's right, you're Liilth's student!" exclaimed Luz. "She's in the Emperor's Coven-I'll bet she knows a thing or two about the Inquisitors! Next time you see her, you could ask her about them!"

"I-I could," Amity said. "I have a tutoring session with her this friday, I could talk to her about it then."

Luz nodded, looking down at the list. "Alright, that's two down, maybe more soon. Now, who else could we ask?" She glanced around the lunchroom. "Hmm...healing track, bard track, oracle track...Boscha's in the potions track, maybe we could-nah, she wouldn't tell us anything. And I don't know anyone in the construction track. Do we know anyone in the beastkeeping track?"

"Hey Luz!" Luz turned around at the voice, and was greeted by a tall, skinny girl in the beastkeeping track. She had light pink skin and a pair of tiny horns. "You guys scheming again?"

"Hi Tia, long time no see!" Luz said. "You could say that. You know those Inquisitors that came into town a little while ago?"

"Yeah, I heard," said Tia. She was holding several papers under her arm, one of which she was trying to stick onto the wall nearby. "You gave 'em the run-around, huh? Glad you made it out of there!"

"Yeah, me too," Luz said. "Anyway, I was wondering, since you're-do you need some help there?"

Tia's attempts at putting up the poster one-handed were not going well. "Yes, please. They gave me like, twenty of these things to put around the school, and this is only the third!"

Luz got up, taking the sheet of paper and sticking it to the wall. "There we go, that should…" She trailed off once she saw what the poster was for. Underneath the image of a wild-looking witch with red skin, a mohawk, and a guitar were the words 'LOXTON: LIVE in Concert, One Night Only!' Two and two clicked immediately.

"Thanks a bunch!" said Tia. "I'd love to stay and chat, but that extra credit won't earn itself! We can talk later." She leaned in a bit closer. "Oh, and if things with the Inquisitors go south, you're always welcome to hide out at my place."

"I'll remember that," Luz said. Tia waved goodbye as she walked away. "See ya!" Luz took her place back in her seat. "Did you all see that?" she asked.

"See what?" asked Amity. "Who was that, anyway?"

"A friend," Luz said. "But look at that poster!"

They did. "Loxton?" said Willow. "As in, Grel Loxton, the rockstar?"

"You know him?" said Luz.

Willow nodded. "He was pretty big back in the day. My dads have a ton of his albums. What's he doing as an Inquisitor now?"

"A better question is, why is he putting on a concert if he's an Inquisitor?" asked Gus.

"Isn't it obvious?" Amity said dryly. Celebrities like that will do anything to feed their ego. I wouldn't be surprised if he joined the Inquisition just for the publicity."

In Luz's head, an idea was forming. "So, let's see here...one of the Inquisitors is going to be putting on a show in the middle of town in a few days. He'll probably be alone, too, only maybe with a few guards. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Tell me you're not thinking about ambushing Grel Loxton during one of his concerts," said Willow. "The last time someone tried to upstage him, an entire block was leveled in the crossfire."

"I'm thinking we ambush Loxton during his concert!" said Luz. "I mean, all he does is make music, right? It's not like he's some sort of legendary warrior. How bad could this be?"

Willow stared at her. "What part of 'an entire block was leveled' didn't you get?" she asked.

"But this could be our best chance to catch an Inquisitor without backup!" Luz said. "And Amity said he has a big ego; we can probably use that against him. We'll just have to try and keep collateral damage to a minimum."

"That's not exactly what I was-" But Luz didn't hear Willow's words, instead focusing on drawing checkboxes next to each Inquisitor's name.

"Got it! Watch out Loxton, here come the party-crashers!"

Gus shot a nervous glance over at Amity. "So, this is a terrible idea again, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

"Probably," Amity replied. "But better a terrible plan than no plan, right?"

Willow sighed. This wasn't going to end well.