"And that's how the strangely-colored snail and the flute-loving pidgeon became best friends forever", Lily concluded. "Even though the world thought they were weird, they never felt lonely again as long as they had each other."

"Like us", Eda observed.

Lily laughed; she closed the book and placed a kiss on her sister's forehead. "Sure, like us."

Her name was really Lilith; but Eda rarely called her that, preferring the affectionate nickname that had stuck since when Eda was a baby and couldn't properly pronounce her sister's full name.

Eda hummed, turning around on her bed to lie on her back. She didn't technically need Lily to read her bedtime stories. Eda was eleven years old already. Of course she could read by herself. But Lily did it so well! She got really into the stories and could make all these voices for different characters. And anyway, what was the point of having an older sister if you couldn't get her to do stuff for you?

"More", she demanded.

Lilith smiled, looking fondly at her imperious little sister from behind her reading glasses. She reached out to strike Eda's hair – reddish and long like Lilith's, but paler and spikier. "It's really time for bed. Mom and dad already let us stay up later, to help us get used to the new house. Let's not push it."

Eda sat up and looked around her thoughtfully. "Do you like the new house?" she asked her sister.

"It's nice. A little smaller than the last, but that's fine. I don't mind sharing a room with you. And it's not like it's the first time we had to move."

"But it's the first time we actually plan to settle somewhere", Eda countered. "It's, like… permanent."

Lilith studied her. "And you don't like that?"

Eda considered the question. So far, her life had been spent traveling from place to place. Between her mother's beast keeping and her father's palistrom carving, it just made sense. There were lots of different beasts in the Boiling Isles, and a good beast keeper needed experience with them all. And palistrom wood was becoming rarer and rarer. Technically, daddy didn't need to travel to find it: he could order it to be brought to him. But he was particular about his craft and preferred to do things for himself.

The Clawthorne parents were both excellent witches, and had untertaken their daughters' magical education with efficiency and enthusiasm. Eda loved the freedom of their life so far: being taught any spell she wanted to learn, going from place to place and seeing new things.

Lily was different. She, too, liked to experiment with magic, but she also valued order and structure. She seemed to like the idea of settling in one place and learning magic at this thing called… a school. Hexside, or whatever its name was.

Eda had never been in a school, but she thought it sounded kind of stupid. Why study magic inside four walls, when real magic was everywhere in nature? And it sounded like the adults in the school would expect you to be quiet and do what you were told and control the intensity of your explosions.

Boring.

But Eda didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings. So she bit her lip, thinking about how to express her opinion tactfully.

She was spared by a knock on the door, followed by it opening. Dell stood on the doorstep and smiled at his daughters.

"Time for bed, girls", he said. "Big day tomorrow. You'll need your rest for your placement exams at Hexside."

"Yes, Dad", Lilith said respectfully. She didn't move, however, anticipating that Eda would try to negotiate.

She was proven right. "A few more minutes, Daddy", Eda coaxed. "Lily was reading to me. It's really helping me relax and get used to this new place." She looked at her father with her best puppy eyes. "Please?"

Dell didn't last two seconds. "Alright, then. One more story." He gave each girl a kiss. "Lilith, I trust you to enforce the bedtime."

"I will, Dad", Lilith said. She had felt a familiar twinge of jealousy, seeing how easily Dell had given way to his youngest. Eda was usually the negotiator whenever the sisters wanted a favor, simply because she was less likely to be told no.

Dell's request to Lilith had pacified her somewhat: at least she was trusted to be the responsible one. It wasn't quite the same, but it was something.

"Come on, Lily", Eda said after the door shut. She jumped on her bed a few times, not bothering to restrain her excitement. "Extended bedtime! New story! Anarchy and chaos!"

Lilith looked at her sister's smile, and the jealousy dissipated. How could anyone harbor negative feelings against someone so lovable?

"Very well", she conceded. Then she smirked. "But this time, I get to pick."

Eda stopped jumping. "Alright", she granted, a bit unwillingly. She had some idea of the type of story Lily liked. But Eda had chosen the last one, so now it was Lily's turn. Fair was fair. Eda could play fair… at least, where her sister was involved.

XXX

"And Belos cried 'Halt! Thou beast, who has terrorized the good people of this village! No longer shall they live in fear of thine monstrous form!'" Lilith accompanied the narration with wide dramatic gestures, her face flushing from effort and excitement. "And the might of Belos' spells struck forth with righteous fury; the earth trembled and split in two, and the skies opened and unleashed their thunder."

Eda groaned and buried her face in the pillow. She knew letting Lily pick the story would be a bad idea. Of course she'd chose something about Emperor Belos.

"So flowery", she complained. "So boring."

"Boring?" Lily stared in utter shock. "Are you kidding? The adventures of Emperor Belos in his youth, boring? It's one of the greatest epics of modern literature!"

"But the language is so pompous", Eda protested. "And Belos is always made out to be some kind of invincible badass. There's no way he always wins so easily! It's not realistic!"

"Edalyn! Emperor Belos is the most powerful witch of our time. Perhaps of all time! He discovered the proper way to use magic and he shared his knowledge with everyone. He is kind and wise, and everyone in the Boiling Isles owe him a great debt of gratitude for all he's done for us."

Eda scrunched her nose doubtfully. "But why is it bad to mix magic?"

"It's not always bad", Lilith explained with the superior all-knowing air of the older sibling. "Emperor Belos can do it, and so can the members of his coven: the Emperor's coven. But only they can do it, because they're the best witches. Emperor Belos selects them and teaches them the right way to do it. It's the highest honor to be in his coven. But he can't teach everyone, because he's very busy ruling the Boiling Isles. So it's best for everyone else to specialize in one kind of magic. It's more efficient and it prevents improper use."

"But why does anyone's magic have to be sealed? Why is it that only the best can learn all kinds of magic?" Eda insisted. "And anyway, why does one guy get to decide who the best are in the first place? Mom and dad are really good witches, but they both had to get sigils. And I know they're sad about it. They don't say anything, but I know it. Mom was doing beast keeping just fine before – it just wasn't called a coven. And she could use all kinds of spells to help her with her work, but now she's limited and it's harder for her. And dad… he always said he could talk to the palistrom trees: he could sense the magic flowing through them. But ever since he was branded, it's harder for him. I notice how, when he tries to listen to each tree, he takes longer. And afterwards he looks sad, like a part of him is missing."

Lily looked upset. Eda hated that, but she wanted to understand. "Eda… sometimes, people struggle to adapt to change, but that doesn't mean change is bad. I'm sure Emperor Belos knows what he's doing. Our parents just need some time to adjust. But they don't think the new system is wrong. They are enrolling us to Hexside instead of continuing to teach us themselves. Why would they do that if they thought the changes are bad?"

"It's literally the law now", Eda pointed out dryly. The establishment of the coven system had come with stricter regulations on the training of young witches. The Clawthornes had gotten away with homeschooling while the new system was still at its early stage. But under the newest regulations, several schools had been closed for not meeting standards, and enrolment of young witches at one of the remaining government-sanctioned educational institutions had become compulsory.

"Well… yeah, okay", Lily conceded. "Still, give it a chance. You might like it. I'm older, so we'll probably be in different classes. But we'll still have a lot of time to hang out. We can do it between classes. And maybe we can make some new friends, too." Eda stayed silent. "Hey", Lilith continued, a little more firmly. "Look. You won't have to pick a coven for a long while. Not until graduation. And…" She cupped Eda's pouting face in her hands and smiled. "You're really, really good at magic. Maybe you can get into the Emperor's coven, and then you'll still have access to all kinds of magic! And if we can both get in, we'll be working together. Won't that be nice?"

Eda wasn't quite convinced, but she forced herself to smile. "Alright. I guess I can give it a shot." She looked thoughtfully at her sister. "You really think I'm that good at magic?"

"Are you kidding?" Lilith said. "You can perform magic at the same level as me, even though you're two years younger. It come naturally to you. And you have a really good mind for it, too. You remember details that seem unimportant and you use them to get the most out of each spell. You're totally going to kick Hexside's ass." It was not Lilith's custom to swear, but if it cheered up her little sister, it was worth it.

Eda smiled brightly. "Thanks, Lily. You're the coolest." She got under the covers and closed her eyes. "I don't need new friends", she added sleepily. "I've got the best big sister."

Lilith turned off the light and got under her own covers. She stayed awake for a while, thinking. Eda's sentiment was touching, but Lilith couldn't quite share it. She adored her little sister, but Eda always outshined her at home. Everything Lilith could do, Eda did better at a younger age. Lilith was happy her little sister was so talented, but... sometimes, it was hard to be compared to her, even if the comparison was only in her own mind. It might be nice to be in a different class than Eda, have different teachers, and build her own circle of friends. Maybe that would give her a chance to be the special one for once.