By the time I made it to the kitchen, my awful headache had blurred my vision. My once golden eyes were stained red, the rheum making them shine in the sunlight. It would be easy to blame my pain on lack of sleep, my usual schedule having been ravaged apart years ago, but I knew there was more to it.
Stress is never kind to anyone, yet the toll it took on my aging body was unnaturally cruel. Though my hands were always freezing, I still left sweaty palm prints on my workbench. My back was forever hunched over. I never had enough energy to keep it straight.
My only solace was a particular mix of herbal tea with two drops of honey added in. Most of the time, my wife would bring down a pot when she came to see what I was working on. But she seemed to be busy that day, if evident by the sound of her pacing in the living room.
It was best to just leave her be. It was her job to always be on a warpath with our investors, not mine.
"It was a simple task, children" I heard my wife growl to herself as I waited for my tea to boil. She then let out a loud frustrated sigh. "I suppose this is my fault. I should've known those two couldn't handle it".
The mention of what I assumed to be our children caught my attention. I was mainly curious about what my wife had sent them to do, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also concerned. She often had a tendency to skim over certain details when handing out orders, things that you were apparently supposed to already know. I had a suspicion that what she was angry at our son and daughter for was something completely minuscule.
"Odalia" I called before entering the room. One of her ears twitched attentively before she quickly changed her anger to a feigned joy.
"Hello, dear. I haven't gotten to making your late-morning tea yet. I've been rather busy".
You mentioned Edric and Emira a moment ago" I went on, as if she had never greeted me. "Where have they run off to?".
"Oh, I've sent them to fetch Amity. I'm having her come home from her field trip early".
"You are? Whatever for?". I already knew that I wouldn't get an answer from Odalia, yet I still asked her anyway.
"Never you mind that. I'll handle it. You just head back downstairs and do your thing".
The sight of her white fanged grin was more painful than my aching head. I was no fool. There was something going on and it involved my daughter, and perhaps my other two children as well. I felt that made it as much of my business that it did hers.
Yet, I said nothing. Nothing I could've said would've made her tell me the truth. It was best not to try, avoid her inevitable wrath, and hope that she could manage whatever was going on.
A knock stopped my departure back to my workspace. One of the abomination golems cleaning the dining room began to walk towards the vestibule, but I signaled them to stop. I was close enough to the door to answer it.
The three faces that met me at the door were familiar but unexpected. The two older witches, sisters, were both former classmates of mine. Both seemed to be showing their age. The elder of the two sisters had a gray stripe running through their long raven hair while the youngest's hair was completely gray. The pair also had one eye that was a lot paler than the other.
That must've been new. I don't remember their eyes looking like that when we were all kids. Or perhaps it was my memory failing me again. It had gotten a lot worse over the years.
Then there was a smaller horned demon sitting on the younger sister's shoulder. He looked a lot like a bushy tailed cat, though the top part of his skull was exposed. I had never formally met him before, but I had seen him running around the marketplace.
"Edalyn. Lilith" I greeted with a nod.
"Blight" Edalyn growled back. That spawned a small glare from Lilith. She slightly elbowed her sister in the arm as a warning.
"We're sorry to disturb you, Alador. I'm sure you are very busy at the moment, but we need to speak with you about a very urgent matter".
"An urgent matter?".
"Yes. It's about your children" Lilith answered. "May we come in?".
Worry rose from deep inside of me as my ears went flat. Amity was a good friend of Edalyn's adopted human, who was currently with my youngest on the field trip the twins were fetching her from. I hoped to the Titan that they were all alright.
I simply respond by moving from the doorway. As the two sisters and the small demon entered, my wife poked her head in from the living room. When she noticed who our three guests were, she bared her white fangs in a fake smile.
"Edalyn. Lilith… you. What do we owe the pleasure" Odalia welcomed unwelcomely.
"Well, your two kids knocked on my door this morning asking for help" Edalyn began as she leaned herself against the wall.
"Asking for help? I simply sent them to pick up Amity. Why in the Titans name did they go to you?" Odalia questioned, her politeness instantly withering away.
"Well, they said you said that Amity's in danger".
My anger was as strong as my surprise. Is that why Odalia wanted Amity home early? She knew our daughter was in danger and she sent our other two children to deal with it! And I hadn't heard a thing about it until right then!
"Odalia," I snapped. "What are they talking about? Our daughter is in danger?".
"And so are your other two children. All three of them are trapped inside of the hotel and Emira is…" Lilith could only stammer nonsense while she searched for the right thing to say.
Edalyn put her hand on Lilith's shoulder. The defensive glare she had been wearing since I answered the door softened as her eyes filled with grief.
"We don't know for sure, but it's very likely that Emira's dead".
The very idea made my entire world stop. My eyes and ears were working fine, but I couldn't see or hear anything. It was all so… sudden. For titans' sake, I had just spoken to her that morning as we were both eating breakfast and now, she was gone, just like that?
"Why should we believe you?!" Odalia growled, her rising denial lighting a blaze. "You aren't exactly the most trustworthy witches, criminals!".
"I don't think they'd lie about something like this, Odalia" I responded somberly. "Their human is our childrens' friend".
I silently plead to Lilith and Edalyn to forgive my wife's anger and focus on helping the kids. If Amity, Edric, and Emira were trapped in the hotel Amity's year was staying at, I presumed that Luz would be too.
"What happened? What do you know?".
I expected one of the older witches to answer, but instead, it was the smaller demon. He seemed pained by what he had to say but he didn't hesitate.
"The twins told us that their mom had read Amity's future. They said she had predicted that a tragedy would happen and that it would center around Amity". My wife nodded at that. "They had no idea what this "tragedy" was supposed to be so they wanted Eda and I to come with them. Eda sent the three of us up ahead to the hotel, to snoop around and see what was going on, while she contacted Lillith".
"I knew something suspicious was going on inside that hotel" Eda added, her voice slightly cracking in remorse and regret. "But I never expected it to be guarded, or that the guards would be so violent towards a couple of kids".
"There were two gargoyles there. They both went after the twins as soon as they spotted them. They said that their boss wanted their souls. We tried to fight them off but they caught Edric and placed him behind a barrier. Then one of them caught Emira and they just… wouldn't let go of her, even when she was screaming in pain".
The horned demon's yellow eyes filled with tears. They shone as bright as jewels.
"Then she passed out and, no matter how hard Edric tried, he couldn't get her to wake up again. But that doesn't mean she's dead! She has to still be alive! She's just hurt!".
"But Edric's alright? He wasn't badly injured?". Despite my flurry of anguish and desperate hope for my daughter, I couldn't help but greatly worry about my son. He was in the fight too.
"I don't know," the demon sighed. "He seemed ok".
"And you know nothing of Amity's condition?".
I could see the sheer terror brewing in my wife's blue eyes. When she wasn't speaking her fangs were gnashed together as tightly as they could be.
"No. But based on what the gargoyles said, someone in the hotel might already have her soul" Lilith choked. "They might have collected the souls of everyone in the building".
"But… but… they couldn't have! Luz can't be dead! She never got to see her mom, or graduate from Hexide, or read the next Aura book, or… or".
"I know, King" Edalyn cooed as she placed the young demon in her arms. "Luz is quite a fighter, and she's survived a lot, but everyone can die young, even Luz".
"We don't know any of this for sure. For all we know, the gargoyles were wrong and, even if the children are… if the gargoyles were right, we can still help their souls pass on". Odalia turned towards me, a fiery determination radiated from her.
"Your latest project is going to have to wait, dear. We need to get to the hotel right away" she growled.
She didn't seem too happy about the sudden delay in my endeavor. The first prototypes of my newest line of inventions were supposed to be done by the end of that month. But the children were more important than deadlines. I was so relieved to see that Odalia understood that.
Before I could raise my arm to summon my staff, Odalia was dragging me outside by my arm. She looked at me expectantly and began to get even more irate when I just looked back at her in confusion.
"The snake-horses will be faster".
Nodding in understanding, I summoned a large spell circle. Two large lumps of abomination matter began to rise from the ground, morphing into solid shapes in the meanwhile. A pair of sturdy snake-horses formed within seconds. Though neither of them were venomous like the breed they were based on, their legs were just as strong.
My wife and I weren't even fully on them when they began to sprint towards the woods. Their backs were slightly slick, yet they were more than solid enough to support our weight. Their hooves were as hard as stone, kicking up an expulsion of dirt with each gallop.
I didn't know until we landed, but the Clawthorne sisters and King followed behind on their staff. As Odalia predicted they were going slower than we were, though I'm sure they could've flown ahead of us if they truly desired.
We all stopped by the edge of the forest. In front of us was a steep hill interrupted by a cliffside. A rugged old building sat on the very edge of it.
With a smaller spell circle, the snake-horses melted, lowering my wife and I to the ground, before disappearing. Edalyn and Lilith dismounted their staves and began towards the clearing ahead.
"Now let's try to keep this civil" Lilith said as we followed her. "We don't need someone, Edalyn, causing a skirmish".
"Don't worry about a fight. If things do get violent, Alador and I have things covered".
The way Odalia smiled at me after saying that sent chills down my spine. But she was right. Both her and my magical prowess were nothing to mess around with.
"They have a border around the hotel that drains magic, remember? If they end up knocking you in there, you'll be defenseless" King warned, still perching on Edalyn's shoulder.
"And that's why we need to avoid any physical confrontation. Let me do the talking. As a former head covenness, I have the most experience with keeping things rational" Lilith ordered.
I could see my wife scowl at her for a moment, but she thankfully didn't argue. Lilith had betrayed the emperor by trying to stop her sister's petrification, yet she still had far more experience being a diplomat then the rest of us.
At the side of the building ahead, a witch and a severely injured gargoyle stood in front of a pile of rubble. The gargoyle looked heavily distraught, his thick smooth talons leaving sloppy pug marks in the ground.
"Ya should let me maim that cerberus" the beast growled through his grinding fangs.
"From what I've heard, you've already done that".
"I just hurt her head. I wanna do more! Rip out those eyes of hers, then maybe smash her own teeth in'tah her chest, yah know?!".
I almost broke my promise to stay civil right then and there. How dare he even suggest harming my daughter after what he'd already done to her, especially when all she was trying to do was help her sister.
"Don't let that brute get to you" Odalia whispered to me once she noticed my anger. "One wrong move and he'll be joining his friend".
"You haven't spoken with her. Just the sound of her proves you'd done plenty of damage" the witch next to him replied with a shiver.
Said witch flicked his ear before noticing us approaching him. He walked towards us with vigor, meeting us halfway.
"Can I help you?".
"Yes, we've come to talk to you about the two elder Blight children" Lilith simply answered.
The old witch's eyes grew wide, an alarming realization striking him. He began to quiver slightly as he tried to rearrange his posture.
"Coven Head Lilith. It's an honor to meet you".
"Please. I no longer hold that title, and, frankly, I'm ashamed I ever had".
"You still have my respect. Loss of title or not—".
"Blights?!" the gargoyle yowled while he raced up to face Lilith. His gaze then fell on King. "You! Yer the rat that killed my brother!".
King clung to the side of Edalyns head. He grasped at her graying hair so hard it made her grimace.
"From what I hear" Lilith started once again. "It was an act of self-defense. I was told you attacked the two Blight children. Is that correct?".
"We 'r just doing our jobs. They said they wanted to come in an steal stuff".
"We didn't say that!" King suddenly shouted defensively. "We didn't have time to say anything! But you did! You said you wanted Edric and Emira's souls!".
"That younger Blight brats the most pricey thing we got here, and they wanted ta take her. Besides, they wanted ta be with their sister so bad. Why not complete the set?''.
"How do you know we were after Amity?" King snarled with a stomp of his foot. It was actually rather adorable despite the circumstances.
"Then what were ya here for?".
"We… we were after Amity".
"I sent them to inquire about my youngest child's well-being. Is that what you call a crime?". Odalia didn't seem angry, yet she snarled the question. How she could maintain a polished demeanor and sound so vicious at the same time would always baffle me.
"Why didn't you just send a crow communicator? Your daughter's principal has all my contact information" the senior witch, who I was starting to guess was the owner of the hotel, rasped.
Unlike the dark, hate filled, lavender eyes of the beast next to him, the owner's lighter blue eyes were vivid with genuine concern. He seemed worried that one of his guests, or more specifically the mother of one of his guests, had an issue. It was a stark contrast to his apparent nonchalant towards Emira's injuries.
He knew she was injured and he himself had admitted a few moments prior that he found the damage done to her disturbing. Yet she still seemed to be inside the building instead of visiting the healing coven.
"I expected Amity to be leaving with her siblings. If they were given the chance to speak, they would have informed you that there was a family emergency and that she needed to return home".
"A family emergency? What's the emergency?" the hotel owner asked, growing even more concerned.
"I believe that's between the Blight family".
Oh, was it? I had only heard about the family emergency that morning. And the ones who informed me of that emergency were two Clawthornes! Yet my wife still had a point. He didn't need to know any specifics.
"Well, I must inform you, Mrs. Blight, that I'm not planning to release custody of Amity anytime soon".
"And why the hell not" I growled. "You may be her guardian at the moment, but she is still a Blight. Her home is Blight manor, and any business of the Blight family is hers as well".
"I have gathered these children here to give them a chance at a new life. This period is a trial for them, a chance for me to see who will gain a new permanent residency here at the hotel, and right now your daughter is showing a lot of promise. She's very good at dying you know".
Dying?! Amity was dying, and he saw it as a good thing?! Who knew how much she was suffering, how scared she felt!
"And what if she dies while you're ''evaluating" her?! May I remind you that's what dying leads to!".
Odalia's voice was always laced with venom, a permanent warning not to go against her. But that venom was no longer a warning. She was out to kill the witch in front of her with her words alone.
I was one step away from tearing that bastard in half myself. Both of my daughters were slowly withering away in that decaying pile of bricks he called a hotel! I was not about to leave my children, my family, in the care of that sorry excuse of a witch!
"I'm hoping she passes. Then I can take her soul and move it to a new body. I would give her new abilities, make her immortal".
"So you're saying you're planning on killing our child!".
"Only so I can give her what she needs to–".
"What she needs is to live out her life as a normal witch!" Odalia interrupted, her voice just shy of a mighty roar.
"Why should she be a witch when she could be human instead? This realm is dangerous and chaotic, but she won't have to worry about that if I gave her a better body and a sliver of a much more peaceful realm! I would've killed to have an opportunity like that growing up!".
The older witch's switch from desperately trying to reason with us to yelling at us to stay away from Amity was unnervingly sudden. It seemed our outrage had finally broken his patience, or perhaps it was us suggesting that Amity leave the hotel. Either way, the witch looked as if he wanted to fight to the death.
Admittedly, so did I.
"If I decide not to bestow this honor to her, then she will be released. But I will not be letting her go now, especially if she's going to have to worry about a family emergency when she returns home!".
"And what about the twins?" Lilith called out, her voice now a vicious snarl too. "I have not read the papers that principal Bump signed, but I'm sure they only concerned Amity's year. The Twins are two years ahead of her".
"The gist of the contract that your child's principal signed is that I have temporary custody of them until the end of the week, but I have the right to extend that period if I feel it would benefit the children. That along with a list of other things, one of those things being extraction of the children's souls.
But you do have a point. The two other Blight children were not a part of that negotiation. Yet they had encroached onto my currently private estate and broken my property".
"Property?!" the gargoyle, who had been silently stewing in his anger until that point, barked. "My brothers no property!".
"They broke one of my statutes. Don't you think they should stay and work it off?". The owner addressed what the demon had said without acknowledging the demon himself.
"If you have an ideal price on your worker's life, then I'm sure we'll have no problem paying you back in snails" Odalia spat as if the hotel owner's behavior left a sour taste in her mouth.
"I don't want snails! I want those hours of labor those children wiped away!".
"And what makes you think Emira will be able to work in her current condition?".
"I will not force her to work until her injuries are healed, but I don't trust her to come back to make up for that work if I send her away. I will provide her healing patches and the most high-end strengthening potions. And from what I have seen, Emira is in the care of Luz's mother. I have never formally met her, but she seems to be handling things as best she can".
The deranged witch's words made Edalyn jolt. Ever since the human had left her own realm, she had acted as her mother. If the two of them didn't have such an interesting criminal history, Luz would've probably been a Clawthorne by then.
"And who exactly is this witch trying to steal my kid from me?" she scoffed incredulously.
"Not a witch. I had summoned a human from the human realm with a rare substance. Luz claims that she is her mother, and I believe it. They have some striking similarities" the owner explained, his anger subsiding for a moment.
"You summoned them?" Lilith asked. "You didn't have a portal?".
"Luz asked the same thing. No. I summoned them, with a one-way spell".
"So, she's trapped here too," Edalyn sighed.
I broke the three's conversation by stomping closer to the hotel owner. My already fiery golden eyes were ablaze with a protective rage. I bared my sharp white fangs like a savage hellhound.
"Enough talk! I want to see my children!".
"I'm afraid I won't be allowing th–".
Panicked chokes filled the air, slowly going from full howls to squeaky breaths. I didn't usually use animal like golems in combat, the idea might've been due to summoning the two snake-horses earlier, but the large abomination serpent slowly crushing that monster's chest made my message clear. I wasn't about to take no as an answer.
"Let me see my children" I growled.
There was a moment where we all did nothing but watched the witch in my grasp squirm. He twisted and turned in attempts to shake himself free but all that did was allow the snake to grab a better hold of him. His eyes begged the gargoyle next to him for help, but all he got in response was an angry glare.
Finally, Edalyn spoke up.
"You keep going on about doing what's best for these kids. Do you think denying them from at least seeing the witches that raised them sounds fair".
There was another pause, though this time the witch wasn't writhing. He then tapped the ground in defeat, causing me to make the snake coiled around him melt into nothing.
He turned to the gargoyle. He seemed irritated at the demon, yet he held his temper.
"Escort the two Blight parents to their children. All three of them should be left of the lobby on the first floor".
As the gargoyle ushered us towards the door, the Clawthornes bid us farewell. They seemed hesitant to leave, but we all knew that they wouldn't be gone for long. They were going to do everything they could to break their human out of the hotel and, despite neither of us telling them so, they knew they had our support.
The hotel was as shabby on the inside as it was on the outside. Everything in it was covered in cobwebs and dust. There was a suffocating mustiness in the air. Had anyone been able to use magic there, I would've suggested having a bunch of abominations scrub the place spotless.
I summoned a spell circle just to watch it crumble. I just wanted to make sure.
Just as the owner had said, everyone was in the hallway left of the lobby. All of the children were huddled in front of a large pile of… honestly, I wasn't quite sure what was all there. It looked like there were some hardware tools and a few more obscure weapons in the heap, but the rest of it was foreign to me.
I spotted Amity within the group of her classmates holding what looked to be a scythe. She twirled it around in one hand then tossed it to the other. She then gave the air a mock swipe before smiling.
"Yeah" she purred to herself. "I like this one".
It took everything I had to stop myself from running forwards and flinging Amity into my arms. She was okay! Well… she wasn't mortally injured at least.
I scanned the rest of the crowd excitedly, only to slowly be filled with dread. Where were the twins? I didn't expect Emira to be wandering around the hallway and Edric was probably sitting with her. But it looked like everyone else was in the hallway. Were the two of them left alone?
As we got closer, we were being spotted by more and more witches. The news of our arrival spread through the herd of students like wildfire, soon making its way to my youngest daughter. Her eyes met mine before draining in color.
Her fearful reaction was painful. I guess I expected her to be as happy to see me as I was to see her. Though, I suppose that seeing even more of her loved ones inside this titan forsaken place was quite the scary sight.
Amity began to shove her way through the crowd but was then stopped by an older woman. The two shared a few words before the both of them met us farther up the hallway. Thankfully the gargoyle decided to give us some space.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?".
"Mittens," Odalia sighed in relief while she grabbed her daughter by her shoulders. "I'm so glad to see you're still alive".
"The owner of the hotel told us you were near death" I added before placing Amity's hands in mine. "We thought… at any moment you…".
"It's alright dad. I'm ok. I just had some trouble with some savagescent last night".
"Savagescent?! My titan, you were poisoned?!" Odalia yowled.
"I only got a large bruise and a few scratches this time".
Amity was begging for us to believe her, believe that we didn't need to worry about her. But just the word "savagescent" made my heart want to stop. Our entire family had been poisoned by savagescent before. Amity had suffered some serious injuries to her head and Edric had almost bled to death!
"This time?" the woman standing beside Amity asked. "Have you been poisoned before?".
"Never mind that '' Amity shouted frantically. "Mom? Dad? Emira's really hurt! She–".
"We know," Odalia shushed. "The owl lady has informed us of everything".
"Can you take us to Emira, Mittens? We'd like to see if her and Edric are ok too" I asked, trying to mask my worry.
"I can lead you there," the woman answered. She held out her hand in polite greeting. "My name is Camilla Noceda and I've been watching over your daughter today".
As I took her hand and introduced myself, I finally started to connect the dots. She was the other human, Luz's mother. You know, I didn't really catch the round ears until right then, but the owner did say the woman taking care of Emira was human, didn't he?
"Your daughter has a severe concussion and is currently suffering from delirium" the human explained while she walked us past the kids and to the very end of the hallway.
"She is very confused right now and she may become violent towards herself or towards you. Please be very quiet and gentle when speaking to her and try to be patient".
The older human waited for us to signify we understood then opened the door. She called out to my daughter, announcing our arrival while we all filed in.
Edric spotted us before Emira did. He sat up as straight as he could as he went rigid in surprise.
"Mom? Dad?".
"Quiet!" Emira snapped.
Hearing that one word hurt me more than if Emira had struck me. The hotel owner was right. Her voice sounded haunting. She spoke way too slowly and the tone of her voice made it sound like her throat had been shredded from the inside.
"Emira" Odalia called, her strong and confident tone being shoved into a whisper. "It's us, your parents".
For an agonizingly long moment, my oldest daughter didn't respond. But then she finally noticed the two witches in front of her and she brought her attention towards us.
"Mom and Dad?" she asked as if she were guessing. She looked over at her brother for confirmation, which he gave with a nod.
"Are you looking for Amity too? I found her but now she's gone again".
"I'm right here, Em," Amity said sorrowfully. Her sister didn't seem to notice.
"We actually wanted to come check on you" I uttered as softly as I could. "How are you feeling?".
"My head hurts and everyone keeps being loud" she whined. "They keep saying the same stuff over and over again, it's super confusing".
"Saying things? What are they saying" my wife questioned, a realization lighting up in her eyes.
"Things like "death will give you solace" or "you will be freed by a fire lit by grief". I heard them the first time. They don't have to keep saying it".
"Who's saying it?" Odalia pressed.
"Mrs. Blight, please don't push her. She's not cognitively healthy".
"Stay out of this, human. This concerns magic you know nothing of".
"Magic? But there's a barrier around us that stops us from using magic" Edric piped in. "And what type of spell would make a witch hear a bunch of voices?".
"Emira?" Odalia asked again, ignoring her son
"I don't know. I can't see them, and they don't tell me" Emira frustratedly snap.
"And have you seen anything strange?".
"No… well" My daughter stammered. Her gaze then slowly moved across the room until it found her younger sister.
"Amity set the room on fire earlier today. She's gotten really good at that fire spell" the sick witch laughed.
"She did? Did something else happen while the room was on fire?".
"Yeah. All the smoke turned into this shadow witch with long hair and orange eyes. It talked to me too. Said, "Death will give me solace" over and over again".
"Spirits are talking to you. That's very interesting, but also very worrying" Odalia murmured in response.
"Spirits? She's hearing spirits without oracle magic?" I asked, all the while searching my mind for anything that could've explained the phenomenon.
"It's very rare, I have never seen it before myself, but it is possible for spirits to use witches with traumatic injuries as a non-magical means to communicate with us. From what I'm hearing, they had a few more things to say about Amity's future".
"About my future? How do you know that was all about me?".
"It fits in with the other things they've said about you when I read your future. I was told that light will turn into a flame and that a large tragedy will come. Apparently that flame will be the key to escaping, and the tragedy will involve death". Odalia explained, thinking aloud and responding to Amity at the same time.
"But death bringing "solace", how is that a tragedy?" Edric jumped in once again.
"Death is always tragic, Joven, even if it's for the best," the human sighed.
She couldn't help but look over at Emira. She didn't say anything aloud, but her guess as to who would die was obvious.
That would be a tragic loss for Amity, wouldn't it? Having to watch her sister slowly succumb to her hellish injuries was nothing short of traumatizing!
I silently begged Odalia to share her opinion. All the warnings of death and tragedy couldn't have involved her, right?
I don't think I'd ever seen Odalia so dejected. Her intimidating posture nearly disintegrated, while her stunned stare wouldn't leave…Amity? Why was she looking at Amity?
Was there something I was missing? Emira was the one in such a sorry state. What made Odalia worry for Amity instead?
My youngest daughter caught her mother's worry like a disease. She also deflated. Her eyes filled with a surprised but understanding form of agony. She couldn't stop one of the tears beginning to form from straining down her cheek.
"Now hold on, Mittens" Edric said once he noticed Amity's reaction. "Nobody said you're the one who's going to die".
"It doesn't happen often, but Edric's right," Emira rasped.
"Em, why are you like this?".
"Your future is the one thing no one will shut up about, so you've gotta have one. You've got to become the ama..malga.. whatever of beauty, remember?".
Emira's garbled words gave both Odalia and Amity some comfort.
"Your right, sweetie" the elder witch praised. She sounded sickeningly condescending even though she seemed genuinely pleased. "You never know what a premonition means until it happens".
Amity suddenly left out an amused huff. What she found so funny; I don't think anyone else in the room knew.
"Mom?". The quiet squeak nearly gave me a heart attack. That "mom" didn't come from any of my children. It came from a smaller serpent creature sitting in front of the partially opened door.
Serpent? Was that… They were a basilisk! How did a basilisk stay hidden from me in plain sight?!
"Luz is at the door. She says the gargoyle wants the Blights to leave now".
I had to take a moment to process what the basilisk had said. No! Our time couldn't have been up yet!
As soon as she heard the news, Odalia instantly headed over to the twins and, carefully, pulled her daughter into a hug. It left Emira in shock. Hell, it left the whole family in shock. Grabbing shoulders and pinching cheeks, sure, but Odalia never gave hugs. I supposed desperate times called for desperate measures.
She then turned towards Edric and began to speak to him, all the while she lovingly held both of his hands.
While my wife was saying goodbye to our other two children, I turned towards Amity. She looked meek and strong at the same time. I couldn't help but smile at her.
"Just hold on a little bit longer, Mittens. I know you'll make it through this".
"How can you be so sure?" she murmured.
"Because you are a very strong witch, Amity, even without your magic. I know you can do this".
Amity couldn't respond. She could only stare up at me with her shining golden eyes.
Once Odalia was done saying goodbye to Edric and Emira, the two of us traded places. I paused for a moment to see if Amity would get a hug too. She did, and she was twice as shocked about it as the twins were.
I grabbed one of Emira's hands then touched my forehead to hers. She flinched for a moment, her wound crying out in protest, but she soon relaxed.
"Rest as much as you can. The hotel owner has said he'll provide some things to help you heal. Don't forget to use them".
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I'm sure Mrs. Camila will make sure I heal. She's a human healer" Emira reassured as she jokingly shoved my face away with her hand.
"Edric," I continued. I rested my hand on his shoulder and made sure he was looking me straight in the eyes. "I know you're going to do everything you can to help your sisters, but make sure to take care of yourself".
"I will dad. I'll be careful".
"Careful? You can be careful?" Emira… I believe it was a laugh though it sounded like she was wheezing.
"I can" he hmphed defensively. "I just choose not to be careful sometimes".
"Sometimes? What do you consider sometimes?".
Reluctantly, I left the two siblings to their teasing and met Odalia at the door. I took one last look at my children then thanked Luz's mother one more time for taking care of Emira.
"What are we going to do now?" I asked Odalia as we walked down the hill and back into the woods. "Are we really just going to leave them there?".
"Of course not," she spat. "But, for now, let's head back home".
I drew another spell circle, relieved to have the ability to use magic back, while Odalia thought to herself for a moment.
"I hate to say it" she finally said. "But we should get back in contact with the Clawthornes very soon. We have a lot of things to discuss with them".