Covention
Another day, another collection of human stuff to sell. Eda was cleaning up her Human Collectibles stand, while Luz was reading her book and Bijou was placing Eda's newly collected human stuff on the shelves. Luz had her Good Witch Azura book to King and Hazel.
"Emboldened by Hecate's dishonor, Azura lifted her staff to the cotton-candy skies and shouted, 'I challenge you to a Witch's Duel!' And look, I drew a flip book," she said, motioning to the bottom right corner, which had drawings of both Azura and Hecate. "Pew, pew, pew!"
Bijou laughed amusedly as she finished stocking the shelves.
"Show us the picture," King said as he held the book and looked through it.
"What?"
"Show us the picture!"
Luz turned the book so Hazel and King could see it.
"Wow! The book is great. The art, the narration, the characters. Seems like the author and the illustrator knew what they actually made." Hazel commented with a smile.
"Huh! I can draw better than that. You know, they once called me the King of Artists," King told her with a smirk.
"Wait, I thought you were the King of Demons," Luz said with an amused smile and he froze.
"Yeah. Are you making up things like that already?" Bijou asked.
"Doesn't matter," he said as he turned to face Luz. "What's important is that my followers would leave me offerings in fear of me."
Luz cast a glance at Bijou, who simply shrugged in response. "Well, I can offer you more of this tantalizing book, or Bijou could offer you more of hers."
Eda groaned nearby at the mere mention of it.
"Please stop reading that; its flowery language is an insult to witches and is driving away all of our serious customers!" she exclaimed, waving the filthy feather duster in front of Luz.
"Um, Eda?" Bijou looked around the empty street, as they were the only people there. "I don't see any customers."
"And there aren't even any other stands around." Luz added in before she asked, "What's going on?"
"Yeah, why set up this Human Collectibles stand here if there's no one to buy all of this stuff?" Hazel asked, raising an eyebrow at Eda, who glared. There are usually people out on the street, but not today, which can only mean one thing for the Owl Lady.
"This is a bad omen. There must be something horrible happening today."
"Luz, Bijou!" Gus exclaimed as he approached with Jackie and Willow.
"Something amazing is happening today!" Willow had a poster in her hand.
"Gus, Willow, Jackie, hello," Luz said with a wave.
"What's happening today?" Bijou inquired.
"It's the annual covention," Willow said, holding up a poster that mentioned a mystery guest. "Student witches get to see all the types of covens before they're placed in one."
"And look. This year, a mystery guest will show up." Jackie said as she excitedly pointed to the bottom of the page.
"A job fair for witches!" Luz exclaimed, "Eda, can we go?"
"Absolutely not," Eda replied, eliciting a groan. Bijou stood there, watching Luz slump to the ground in disappointment.
"Just let Luz have this one, Eda. You don't even have to go, the rest of us will be with them," Hazel went on to say.
"I'm still standing up for my opinions, Hazel; I never joined a coven for a reason," Eda countered. "Sure, it's like a fun club for witches, but you're also giving up your magical independence to be part of a crooked system."
Willow groaned as well, slightly offended by her response.
"Eh, but, you know, no judgment," she said, her eyes closed. "In any case, I haven't been to one since we were girls."
"'We?'" Luz asked, puzzled, earning Eda a wide-eyed look.
"I-I mean..."
"Who's 'we,'" the girl asked as she rose from the ground. "You have a mysterious past," she said, pointing to Eda. "Now we gotta go."
"No," Eda said emphatically, and Bijou rubbed her temple.
"If the system is as crooked as you say based on your experience, then how are we going to know what it's really like if you don't give us a chance to see it for ourselves?" she asked the woman, who stood tall.
"Nice try, kid, but I'm still older than you."
The girl narrowed her eyes in annoyance because, while Eda was technically correct, the girl was 16, about two years older than Luz. And two, she had no idea what Eda was trying to flee, but that shouldn't stop them from attending Covention.
"You know, the longer you wait to tell us about your past, the more curious we'll become, and you don't want that, do you?" Bijou smugly warned, earning a scoff and a raspberry in response.
"Okay, then you leave me no choice," Luz said to King, who had begun reading the Azura book.
"'You shall not shan't doeth no more harm,' Azura callethed out-"
"So flowery, so awful," Eda walked away, twitching an eyelid as he read it.
She was holding the briefcase.
"Hecate could only screech," King continued as Eda pushed open the door. "Screecheth did she, for the screeching did worseneth."
"Up you go," Bijou said, throwing King through the door to pursue Eda. The door closed and reopened immediately after. Eda marched out with her fists clenched, King sitting on top of her hair.
"Stop it. Stop it! I will literally do anything to stop this."
Bijou smirked and crossed her arms, fist bumping Luz.
"It is now official. We're looking into this Covention." Hazel said.
They were all standing in front of the covention center, Eda groaning as she pinched her nose. She simply had to say something...
She struggled to put on her hood because her hair was a thick mane. King and Hazel were standing on her back, assisting her in putting it on.
"Gotta keep a low profile," she grunted, struggling. It went over her head, but her locks remained visible. Luz attempted to assist by pushing it in.
"Is this cowl really necessary?" she inquired, the other four standing by.
"Do you think all my wanted posters are for petty theft?" As soon as she put on the hood, a slew of trash fell from her outfit.
"I'd say they are," Hazel said.
"Yeah, partly," Eda admitted. "But the big whammy is that I disobeyed the law and refused to join a coven," she said as she stuffed everything she owned into her hood. If I'm seen, I could go to jail. Again."
"Maybe this formative event will inspire you to join a coven," Willow suggested, holding one of the wanted posters.
In response, Eda waved her finger, causing Willow's hood to fall over her head. She quickly adjusted it, but she didn't appear to be upset.
"That reminds me, Hazel and I need to keep a low profile, too," Bijou said as she pulled her black cloak and mask from the bag she borrowed from Eda.
"How come?" Gus inquired.
"See that poster over there?" Bijou asked, pointing to a nearby wanted poster featuring her and Hazel. Jackie, Gus, and Willow turn around to see a wanted poster with a reward of 2,000,000 snails.
"Holy smokes!" exclaimed Jackie, surprised.
"You're wanted?!" Willow asked, shocked.
"But how?" Gus asked, perplexed.
"You see, Bijou here was caught by those guards and I helped her escape. If we're discovered, we'll be shipped off to prison along with Eda and King. Or worse," Hazel went on to explain.
Bijou pleaded, "We're begging you. Don't turn us in."
"No way. Why would we do that? You don't seem bad. And you're still gonna teach me more about humans." Gus replied.
"Besides, after you and Luz helped me back at Hexside, there's no way I could do that. You're our friend, Bijou, and we will always help you no matter what." Willow reassured her as Jackie nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. You're too much of a nice person to be arrested." Jackie chimed in.
"Thank you guys," Bijou said, smiling. She put on her cloak and gave Hazel the mask.
"Shall we go in?" Luz inquired.
"Let's just get this over with," Eda said as she led the way inside.
Luz was taken aback by the flags above their heads, as there were various booths for covens, with nine banners hanging from the ceiling in various colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, indigo, pink, and brown.
"Whoa! Was I even alive before now?" Luz exclaimed as she noticed several witches flying over their heads.
"I think I've seen those symbols in here." Bijou said as she took out a book about witch society and flipped thorough pages until she found what she was looking for. "Here it is."
She turned to Gus and asked, "May I?"
Gus nodded and motioned her to start.
"Covens are organization made up of witches that specialize in a specific form of magical skills. Potions, Beast Keeping, Abominations, Healing, Plant, Construction, Bard, Oracle, and Illusions are the main nine covens found here. Each color and symbol on the banners represents that specific coven, which corresponds to the tracks that students can study from Hexside in order to join permanently. Hence, the uniforms." She motioned to Willow, Gus, and Jackie.
"There are hundreds of other ones you can join." Gus continued
"There's Flower Coven, Artist Coven, Big Dog Coven, Small Cat Coven, Tiniest Cat Coven-" Eda groaned behind Willow, Luz's arm around her.
"Also the Grumpy Coven," she added quietly to the two.
"What was that?!" Eda yelled, scaring them away.
Hazel giggled, "You've proven Willow's point, Eda."
"Ah, please excuse me, ma'am, but you look rather familiar," a visitor said, glancing at the wanted poster of Eda nearby, making her nervous.
"Uhh, no, I don't. Distraction spell," she said as she tossed Hex Mix on the ground, which did nothing. She bolted, but as soon as he reached out to grab it, she returned. She threw his cowl over him and grabbed the Hex Mix before returning to the group. Luz excitedly looked around and then pointed forward.
"Ooh, what's that?" she asked, pointing to a dwarf standing among the bricks.
"That's the Construction Coven," Willow said, as they watched the dwarf throw up the brick pile. They stacked up when they came down to make a house. "One of the main nine."
The dwarf reached into his hat and extracted a piece of paper bearing the Construction symbol. "They use power glyphs to increase their strength." He placed a glyph on Tinella Nosa, the previous conspiracy theorist. Something ignited within her, and she screamed as she gained a massive amount of power. She snatched the dwarf and tossed him into the air.
"I am the destwoyer of worlds!" she yelled, hurling the sign around.
"Hey, that's the opposite of construction!" exclaimed a Construction witch as he and another Construction attempted to stop her.
"They can also create various tools from scratch," Jackie said, motioning to them.
"Yowza-wowza," Luz exclaimed in wonder, and a blue hologram appeared behind her.
"Yowza-wowza." She flinched and looked behind her as the other Luz walked by with a smile.
"Yowza-whaaaaa?" she exclaimed as it passed to two Illusionists and then vanished.
"Ah! You've been taken in by the allure of the Illusionist Coven," Gus said, motioning to himself.
"We like to magic with a hint..." He vanished and reappeared, bowing. The other two witches appeared and bowed next to him, saying, "Of showmanship."
Gus and the other witches made Bijou laugh.
"Illusionists can also trick people by changing appearances, imitate voices, or by showing you things that aren't there."
"Wow, you've really done your research," Gus said.
"Well, if I need to familiarize this world, I should add understanding witchkind to my studies," Bijou said with a smile.
"Wow! Acceptance? Camaraderie? A sense of belonging? Covens sound incredible!" Luz exclaimed cheerfully as she looked up at Eda. "Eda, why haven't you ever joined one?"
"Watch closely, Luz," Eda said to a kid wearing the same uniform as her. "When you join a coven, all your other magic is sealed away," the child was told as blue veins appeared on his skin.
"From now on, that kid will only be able to create illusions; since I never joined a coven, I can do any kind of magic," she demonstrated by creating a fireball and a water ball with her hands. "That's why I'm the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles."
"Wanting to use more than one magic type. That explains why Eda refuses to join a coven." Hazel commented.
"I understand you, Eda. Why would you be restricted by one type of magic, when you can diversify your magical skills." Bijou answered with a smile.
"I'm glad to see you agree with me, Bijou," Eda said as they all walked away.
Luz raised her head. "Another one!"
They followed Eda as Luz looked over at Bijou.
"You coming?"
"You go on ahead. I'm gonna look around for a bit and catch up in a minute. I just wanna look at the booths for the other covens."
"Okay! See you soon," Luz said as she ran after her friends. She walked away from King, who was about to leave when someone grabbed his shoulder. When he looked up, he noticed someone from the Oracle Coven.
"The tea leaves foretell that this will lead you to your destiny," she said as she spun a pen around in front of him.
"Destiny?" he scoffed, his brow furrowed. "I'm not paying for-"
"It's freeeee..." she said before slinking away.
"Are you...bestowing gifts upon me? Yes!" he exclaimed happily, pumping his fist. "I accept your offering. The King of Demons is back!"
While exploring the Covention and reading her book, Bijou noticed Tinella Nosa shouting and going out of control with throwing things everywhere. Surprised, Bijou dodged all of the incoming objects.
"Phew," Bijou breathed a sigh of relief.
"Move aside!" someone shouted.
Confused, Bijou got knocked to the side and drops her book as someone wearing the same clothes as the Emperor's coven scouts were wearing a while ago came by. He appeared to be around the same height as her. The young scout stopped Tinella Nosa with his staff as Bijou watched. After he stopped Tinella Nosa, Bijou found her book on the floor and picked it up. Then the scout from before approached her to apologize.
"I'm so sorry. Are you ok-" he stopped when he noticed whom he approached.
He could tell she was one of the humans who had arrived in the Boiling Isles just by looking at her, thanks to her face and her sandals because her cloak ended at her ankles. The news about them was still going around. And he expected her to be nothing special, but...there was something about her that piqued his interest because he hadn't met any of them until today. She looked up at him, intrigued by his appearance but still irritated.
Shaking his head, he snapped out of it. "You! You're that human who escaped the Emperor's castle. Where is that almiraj of yours?"
She cleared her throat as she awoke from her trance.
"Would you ever want to know?" Bijou joked, a hand on her head. "And aren't you going to apologize?"
"If we're being honest, I told you to move aside. You weren't listening, and that's a mistake you shouldn't repeat. But if you treat me with the respect I deserve, maybe I'll let you off with a warning."
He pointed his staff at her, which she noticed wasn't like Eda's already given by the mechanical wing and red tip from the front. She raised her gaze to him, already dissatisfied with his demeanor. Because she hadn't seen him before, she had no idea who he was or how to treat him. Despite the fact that his symbol appeared to ring a bell for Bijou...
'That symbol... Is he anything associated with the guards that captured me?' Bijou asked in her mind as she kept on staring at the staff tip.
He looked at the open pages of her fallen book. He scoffed when he saw it was a book about covens and then cast a brief glance at Luz. He could tell Luz was her friend just by looking at her nearby.
"Looking for a coven while hanging around kids, Ma'am?"
"Ma'am?! I'm 16!" grumbled Bijou.
"Wait, really?" the scout wondered as she stood up and snatched her book. "W-Well, you should still learn how to watch yourself! Especially when dealing with someone like me."
"Whatever," she grumbled as she brushed herself off. "And I have no plans on joining a coven yet. I'm just here to learn more about these organizations. I don't think I could choose just one if I really wanted to anyway."
In surprise, the scout recoiled a little. Maybe she'd like to learn more about wild magic? No way, no how. Even mentioning it in a public place like this would get you caught. And she has no idea what she's getting herself into.
"Well, then...j-just pay better attention next time! Got it?" he stammered as he walked away, and she watched him leave.
"Man, that guy is such a pain..." she grumbled as she walked away to find the others.
They had discovered a panel that was white and gold, with a winged shield and sword symbol, that was distinct from the others. The same symbol could be seen on some soldiers standing nearby, who were dressed in white cloaks and grey bird masks. It was also on the same person Bijou had encountered.
"That panel looks popular," Luz said, pointing to the symbol, and Gus gasped as Bijou approached.
"Hey, Bij! You okay? You came back pretty quick."
"Eh, I ran into this jerk and it kinda ruined the experience," Bijou grumbled, not wanting to think about him this soon.
"Who's this jerk?! I'll find him right now!" Luz clenched her fists and looked around.
"Relax, he's somewhere around here; we'll just avoid him when we see him," the girl reassured her friend.
"Here it is, everybody. The most well-known coven in the Isles," Jackie said, motioning to a panel booth that's bigger than any of the surrounding booths.
Gus exclaimed, "Guys, this is the Emperor's Coven! Do you think they'll sign my forehead?"
Bijou raised her eyes to the symbol. She rubbed her brows in puzzlement, having seen the same one before. Then she noticed the triangles and realized that the person she met had them as well, indicating that he was a member of the Emperor's Coven. And that it was the members who apprehended her on her first day in the Boiling Isles. But she hadn't had time to look into it as they are gonna see it all in person.
"Only one way to find out," Willow said as the three took off running. Luz was about to pursue them when she noticed Eda, Bijou, and Hazel behind her.
"Aren't you guys coming?"
"No way," Eda said, waving her hand. "Of all the covens, they're the worst. I'll wait out here."
"Hazel and I will wait here, too. After our last dilemma with those guys, I don't think we should be in there." Bijou chimed in.
"We can't risk watching their presentation up close. They'll spot us immediately." Hazel went on to say.
"I get it, Eda. Covens: bad. Individualism: good. And Bijou, Hazel, I understand if you both feel uncomfortable about this. If you don't want to come, that's okay with me. But I'm still figuring this world out as much as you do, so I'm going to go in there and make up my own mind, okay?" Luz said as she entered the room.
"I just saw her." Eda, Bijou, and Hazel turned to see a man conversing with a guard.
"She's over there. I think that's her!" the man exclaimed, pointing to Eda.
"On second thought, let's head inside," Bijou said as she, Eda, and Hazel dashed to the doorway.
"Luz, wait up," Eda said, making a dash for the panel.
Inside the Emperor's Coven booth, Eda, Luz, and Hazel found Luz, sitting beside her.
"All right, let's see this mess," Eda said.
"Look at this crowd," Hazel pointed.
Bijou nodded, "It's no surprise why this coven is the most popular. I'm gonna learn about this one while it's going on."
She took out her book again and flipped through the pages.
The Emperor's Coven's banner was displayed behind a podium. Principal Bump appeared on stage in a flash of light. People applauded, and he made a microphone with his finger.
"Hello, Bonesborough. Students ask me all the time, 'Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement'?"
"Is it this?" A student from Hexside's Construction track enlarges his head with a spell. However, his neck couldn't support it and it fell on a nearby beast-keeping student.
"...Wow! I've failed you as a principal," he said as he grabbed the microphone. "It's being selected to join the best of the best. And there are none better than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of his will, the Emperor's Coven."
Three soldiers in identical uniforms and masks moved across the floor. Bijou immediately them and remembered the same guard she had run into earlier.
Bijou stared at the guards before flipping a few pages in her book, until she finally found what she was looking for.
'I knew it. That guy I bumped into, he's in the same coven as those guards and the ones who caught me.'
"Whoa!" Luz exclaimed in awe as she and Bijou turned to wave to their companions.
"Guys!" they exclaimed, pointing to Gus' brow, and he apparently got the autograph.
"Feast your eyes on this elite force, each member handpicked to help usher in a new age of controlled magic."
They all held up their fingers in the air, each making a spell circle to showcase a different type of magic. They all combined to create fireworks and confetti. Luz excitedly grabbed some, but not before noticing Bijou clutching her book even tighter. Every sentence about them made her feel even more uneasy...
"When does that elite force get here?" Eda asked another person, laughing and slapping her knee. The stranger moved away from her.
"Members of the Emperor's Coven have access to all, yes, all forms of magic," continued Principal Bump. "Ooh. Aah!"
"Ooh. Aah!" the audience exclaimed in unison.
"But only the best of the best can ascend these ranks; someday, that could be one of you," he said, pointing directly at Amity, who squealed. Eda continued to laugh as Bijou blinked, finally noticing the girl.
Luz appeared perplexed upon seeing her. "Huh?"
"Amity?" Bijou asked quietly as she noticed her.
"That girl from Hexside?" Hazel inquired. Bijou nodded her head.
The soldiers then vanished into thin air.
"And now, I am pleased to introduced the esteemed leader of this coven and this year's mystery guest. You know her, you love her. Lilith!"
The audience gasped, and Eda burst out laughing as she processed the name. "Huh?"
A spectral bird swooped down from the ceiling and landed on the podium. A woman in a white cloak and a raven mask stood inside the spectral bid. The audience applauded and clapped as she removed both. The two girls were clapping as well, noticing Eda's frozen expression.
"You know her?" Bijou asked, nudging the woman.
"You... could say that."
Luz let out a sharp gasp. "Mysterious past."
"Thank you, all," Lilith said as she threw her robe and mask onto Bump, who took them away. "It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top. I also started from humble beginnings."
"Like me?" the big-headed boy asked, his eyes shining with admiration.
"Now I have the highest honor of carrying out the Emperor's will, so be more. The Emperor's Coven awaits you," she said, summoning a larger spectral bird that exploded into small orbs.
Eda scowled at the woman, while Bijou looked concerned, given her encounter with one of them...
Eda stormed out the door, followed by Bijou and Luz.
"Eda, where are you going?" Luz asked.
"I'm going home to wash the con funk off my skin," Eda gently pushed Luz away.
"But we haven't even taken the quiz to determine our coven type," Luz said as she held up the magazine, and Eda spun a finger through it, blasting a small hole in it. While walking, she returned her gaze to the magazine. "Ooh, a punky potionist."
"Let's leave her alone, Luz. Being here isn't exactly optimal for her, and neither was seeing that Lilith woman. And let's not forget that they're after her because she does wild magic," Bijou said as she removed the hood from her head.
"I agree," Hazel said as he adjusted his mask. "Give her time to blow off some steam."
"...Yeah, I get it," she admitted with a weak smile.
They both walked away when they accidentally ran into Amity.
"Watch where you're—Oh, it's you two. Willow's... abomination thing and the visitor," Amity said, her eyes narrowed.
"Uh... Hey, Amity. Funny story. Not an abomination. Sorry for the confusion last week. I-I'm Luz. The human," Luz said, holding out her hand.
"My name is Bijou, and I'm also a human," Bijou said, holding out her hand.
"And I'm Hazel, her best friend," Hazel responded.
Amity gasped when she heard Hazel speak.
'An almiraj?' she thought before shaking her head.
"Ugh. Put those away. And apology not accepted." She slapped their hands away. "You two got me in trouble with Principal Bump and I never get in trouble."
She stormed away, and the two pursued her.
"Well, to be fair, you were okay with him trying to dissect me, so..."
"And you got yourself into trouble when you kept getting suspicious," Bijou pointed out. "All because you were being arrogant about the entire thing following the truth."
"You two can't be here," Amity said, turning around. "This covention is for witches only. Not to mention that hanging around your friend when you're what, 16? How lame."
Bijou scoffed, her arms crossed. It reminded her of her earlier encounter with the Emperor's Coven member...
"Well, I'm learning how to be a witch," Luz said, trying to be as polite as possible.
"And I'm learning how to control my abilities," Bijou added.
"We're receiving magic lessons from a friendly almiraj, a powerful witch and a ferocious demon."
Amity regarded Luz's shoulders with skepticism. "Is that your 'ferocious demon' there?"
The three turned to see King approaching, dressed in coven-appropriate garb and holding a cupcake. Two people in baker's uniforms were following him. "Cupcakes in my tummy-tum makes a king say yummy-yum."
"So will you join the Bakers Coven?"
King cast a glance behind him before stuffing a cupcake into his mouth.
"Mm...nope!" he exclaimed as he dashed over to the four. "Oh, hey, guys. Look at all these offerings!" He stepped on the scarf and tripped, dropping his cupcake.
"King! Are you okay?" Bijou inquired as the two humans bent down to assist him. Amity stomped on the cupcake as Bijou reached for it. This startled King.
"Oops. That was an accident," Amity teased them.
"Why are you being so mean, Amity?" Luz questioned.
"We've done nothing bad to you!" Bijou argued vehemently. "It really says something when you feel the need to hurt someone you don't even know."
"Because you two and your pets are giving witches-in-training a bad name," Amity replied flatly.
"We are not pets!" exclaimed King and Hazel, the former scratching his ear with his foot and the latter rubbing his face with his front paws.
Luz hugged King tightly. Bijou inhaled deeply and crossed her arms. It took everything she had not to slap this girl across the face right now.
"No one speaks to my almiraj like that," Bijou scolded Amity angrily, "Hazel is the best companion I could ask for."
"And King's a very good boy and the King of Demons! I'll tell you what, Amity," Luz stood up adamantly. "It's one thing to say I can't be a witch-"
"'Cause you can't," Amity stated once more.
"But it's another thing to bully my friends! Just like the good witch Azura said when facing down her rival Hecate at the Bog of Immediate Regret, I challenge you to a witch's duel."
Everyone around her, including Bijou and Hazel, gasped.
"Uh, could you please excuse us for a moment?" Bijou asked.
Amity narrowed her eyes as she nodded. Bijou took Luz's arm and led her a few feet away, Hazel still on her shoulder.
"Luz, what are you doing?" Bijou asked quietly.
"I'm challenging Amity to a duel. She just trampled on King's cupcake. I can't let that slide," she said.
"I admire you for defending Hazel and King, but I don't think challenging her to a duel is a good idea," Bijou worriedly said. "You only learned the light glyph and Eda hasn't had taught you any other spells."
"Yeah. You're still a novice. If you fight her right now, she'll wipe the floor with you before you even get a chance to fight." Hazel quipped.
"I have no choice, Hazel. I know Bijou has already used magic from her bangle but if she fights Amity, she'll risk exposing herself," Luz said.
Bijou realized Luz had a valid point. If Bijou fights Amity, her status as a wanted person may land her in prison.
"Hey, if you three are done talking amongst yourselves, I accept." Amity appeared before them and said, "Let's set the terms for this duel, shall we?"
"One, if I win, you apologize to King for squashing his cupcake!" she said, pointing to the two, King clutching the smashed cupcake.
"Goodnight, sweet child."
"And two," Luz added defensively, "you admit that humans can be witches as well."
"Fine by me. But when I win, not only do you have to tell the whole covention you're not a witch, you have to stop training forever. The same will be applied to Bijou."
Luz's stance wavered slightly after hearing her conditions.
"Do it, Luz! For my honor," King exclaimed from the ground.
"Hang on," Hazel said, hopping on Luz's shoulder and staring at Amity. "That's a bit extreme, even for the likes of you, Amity."
"That's just the reality of it," Amity said, crossing her arms and smirking.
"Fine. Let's shake on it," Luz said, holding out her hand.
Amity, for her part, drew a spell circle around it and they shook hands.
"The everlasting oath is sealed," she said smugly as she let go of Luz's hand and the spell circle vanished.
"That's probably fine."
"Meet back inside the theater in one hour," Amity said as she walked away, her hair flipping. "Let's see what kind of witch you are."
Luz flinched slightly as they watched her walk away.
"Guys, I-I can win this, right?" she asked, turning to face King, who was stuffing his face with a fallen cupcake.
"Hmm? Yeah. No," King replied flatly.
"I'm doomed... wait! Bijou, you've been reading up on spells, right? Is there a book dedicated to it?" Luz gripped her friend's arm.
"I hate to break it to you, but I haven't even started on reading spells just yet."
"Oh yeah. Very much doomed," Luz said, her eyes wide.
"Come on, let's go find Eda," Bijou said as they set out to find the Owl Lady.
Eda attempted to leave the covention hall when she heard someone said, "Sister?"
Eda came to a halt when she heard that word and looked behind her to see Lilith staring at her. She was signing autographs for various types, including the one that enlarged his head.
"It's been so long since I've seen you last," she said as she signed the paper and approached the Owl Lady. "What are you wearing? You look like some sort of trash collector. Oh, right. You are."
"Oh, Lily, I just had to see the leader of the Emperor's Coven," Eda waved off, bending down to the group. "You know, when we were kids, Lilith was so excited to see the Emperor's Coven, she peed a little," she winked, drawing laughter from the audience.
Lilith blushed in embarrassment and quickly changed the subject.
"T-that's all for today," she said softly, waving to them. She then turned to face Eda.
"You shouldn't even be here; you're a wanted criminal," she exclaimed, stunned. "Unless..." she exclaimed, her eyes narrowing.
"I don't believe it! You're here to join the Emperor's Coven!" she exclaimed, clasping Eda's hands.
Eda let go of Lilith and snickered at that statement. "In your dreams!"
The woman glared at her sister. "You think being coven-less makes you so much smarter than everyone else. But while you run from the law like a degenerate, I'm mentoring the next generation of powerful witch students into the world."
"Well, I have some students," Eda boasted. "And I bet they could wipe the floor with any of your prissy little blue bloods."
"Is that a challenge?" Lilith demanded.
"Oh, it's a promise," Eda said, pointing to her. Luz then appeared between them, easing the tension.
"Eda, I need your help. I accidentally challenged Amity to a witch's duel, and I think she's going to kill me all the way dead!" she slumped as Bijou and Hazel appeared.
"Luz! You're interrupting," the girl said as she struggled to get up.
"Mm, it appears your students have met my strongest protégé," she said, bending down and noticing their ears.
"And look at those ears," she said, pointing to them and reaching out to Bijou, who smacked her hand away.
"Wait... that pink shirt and that blonde hair... the almiraj on her shoulder" Lilith said before connecting the dots, "I know you. You're the Emperor's most recent captive. And that almiraj must be the one who helped you."
"Yeah. What do you want from us?" Bijou asked Eda's sister.
"Calm down. I don't want anything from either of you. Though, I am quite surprised that you were able to escape from him."
They exchanged a brief look before Lilith turned to Eda.
"Are they human?" Lilith scoffed, rising to her feet.
"Where did you even find one of these? Okay, Edalyn," she said as she spun a spell circle to remove all of the wanted posters.
"For one day, you and your fellow wanted criminals won't have to hide from the law, because I want to see how good a teacher you really are," she said as she walked away, her hands clasped together.
"Edalyn?" Bijou looked up at the woman, puzzled, and bowed down to them.
"Come on, kid. Time to prepare for bloodshed."
"But... whose blood?"
"Anyone's guess," Eda smacked her on the back, and Bijou sighed at the joke, Luz nervously smiling.
Hazel gulped, "I don't like the sound of that."
Eda wore a headband and turned to face Luz. Meanwhile, Bijou was keeping an eye out for whomever she ran into. She didn't even know his name, but she recognized him by his appearance. The woman clenched her fists.
"Alright, Luz. Let's start your training. Now, I'm coming at you with a blast of fire. What do you do?"
Luz simply put on her hood and fell to the side, her eyes wide with fear.
"Oh, that's right. I haven't taught you many spells, huh?" Luz made a shaky motion with her head.
"Which you just admitted right now," Bijou muttered to herself, Luz raising an eyebrow at her.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Uh, ah, nobody," Bijou said, nervously turning around and waving her hands. "Anyway, the only spell you taught her isn't exactly good for magical combats. Unless you really wanna blind Amity with a bright flash, that's the last thing we're gonna do."
Eda snapped her fingers. "Boy, I hope you didn't make an everlasting oath to stop learning magic or anything. You'd be toast."
"Funny you should say that, Eda," Hazel remarked.
Luz stood up, worried, "Is there a glowing hand thing that happens, or, uh..."
"Abomination, rise," Amity said. Luz turned to face her and Lilith.
Amity spawned a half-size abomination. It severed its own head and threw it at a member of the Baker's coven. Tinella Nosa snatched the baker's arm and threw him. She yelled, gaining even more strength.
"Oh, boy," Eda said knowingly.
"At this rate, this duel will be over before it could even begin." Hazel said worriedly.
"I can't believe I'm gonna have to stop learning magic!" Luz lamented.
"Listen to me, Luz. We're not gonna let those snobs win that easily," Eda said, glaring at Lilith. "We're not going to let them win at all. I've got an idea."
The headband popped out from her wild hair.
'I wonder what she is gonna do.' Bijou thought to herself.
Eda and Lilith were standing nearby with their students an hour later. Bijou and Hazel were in the front row, right above Luz.
"Beloved citizens," Lilith addressed the audience.
The Coven scout Bijou encountered suddenly stepped in through a back door. He stood in the back shadows, seeing Bijou behind her friend. When he noticed her, he flinched. He was only there to witness the duel and had no idea she'd be there. That's when he noticed Luz down there and realized she was in the duel.
"Wait, why am I even thinking about her?" he scoffed, snapping out of his reverie. That girl was just a regular person. But there was that thing she said about not wanting to join a coven earlier, and she did have a book about wild magic... 'No! She is outside the law because the Emperor is still after her...but why didn't I force her into the Emperor Coven's hands right then and there?'
"The Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the type of witch we seek every year," she said, motioning to Amity, who took a step forward. "Introducing Amity Blight."
The audience applauded, with one even raising a foam finger.
"Whoo, Amity!"
"Versus..." Lilith motioned to Eda, who stepped aside so Luz could be seen. "Some human girl."
"A human?"
"Humans can't do magic."
"She's not Amity."
"They shouldn't even be allowed here."
The scout flinched as he looked at some of the people protesting their presence. They were saying all of this, but he didn't make a move to get her or Bijou to leave, which was unusual because he wouldn't normally leave them alone. He took a step forward before retreating into the shadows. No, he's not going that far—yet. She may have appeared inept to him, but something told him he needed to learn more before doing anything drastic.
"Eda, what am I going to do?" Luz asked, panicked.
"Calm down," Eda said as she moved her hands away.
"You see those mounds?" she asked, motioning to the ground, where there were several bumps in the sand. "Get Amity to land on one of those and she'll set off my magic traps."
"That's cheating!" Luz exclaimed, frowning slightly.
"Nobody'll know," she said dismissively. "To all eyes up there it'll look like you're performing magic. Just trust me."
"But I will know in my heart," the girl said, motioning to herself. "Even if I win now, I lose."
"That's the spirit!" Eda exclaimed cheerfully.
"Eda!" Bijou yelled back. "I know she wouldn't get far, but those traps you set won't make this a fair fight."
"Fairness isn't in my vocabulary, Bij," she muttered as she crossed her arms. "She'd get creamed without 'em."
"Yeah, but what if Luz gets hurt if she sets the traps on herself," Hazel said, motioning to the arena. "And you wouldn't want that to happen to her or anyone else, right?"
Before Eda could respond, the bell rang, or screamed. Amity and Luz took a step forward, with Bijou frowning in concern. Amity cracked her knuckles as Luz waved nervously, hoping Amity wouldn't go as far as to cream her. Amity cast a large spell circle into the earth.
"Abomination, rise," but the abomination appeared to be at least twice as tall as before. Luz whimpered as it towered over her.
"What the...?!" Bijou almost jumped up in surprise at the sight of it. None of Amity's abominations had ever been that large. Even the ones she made at school to chase after her, Luz, and Willow weren't huge.
"Whoa!" Amity exclaimed, surprised, but then smirked proudly. "Show me what you got, human.
"I'm not good under pressure!" Luz yelled as she ran away, and the abomination stepped on its own head.
It then hurled it at Luz, nearly hitting her. She panted and walked over to the wall directly beneath her sister. Bijou let out a worried gasp. The head grew back on its own, approaching her. She slid to the ground as she noticed one of Eda's traps directly in front of her. As the abomination lifted its foot and stepped onto the trap, she closed her eyes. It set fire to its foot, shocking Amity.
From his vantage point, the young scout's eyes widened.
"Well, how about that?" he murmured to himself, but when he looked at Bijou, she appeared concerned. That was his first indication that something was wrong.
"How did you do that?" Amity questioned Luz.
"I, uh...magic?" Luz inquired, her face tense.
King scatted to himself, drenched in more free stuff. "Things that are! People are giving offerings to me!"
He came to a halt behind Jackie, Willow, and Gus. "I love offerings! What'd I miss?"
"Luz is in a witch's duel," Willow replied.
"Yeah! And she could win it all. Yeah, yeah!" Gus exclaimed.
"See for yourself," Jackie said, motioning to the arena fight.
"Wha...?"
When the abomination stepped on another trap, a wind tornado erupted. It blew the abomination and Amity away. She came to a safe stop when she landed next to her abomination on the ground.
"I saw you that time! You didn't use your hands. What are you getting at?"
"Not dying!" exclaimed Luz. Amity clenched her teeth as the abomination rose to its feet. Luz yelped and dashed away.
"This I gotta see," King began climbing down the stairs, but paused when he noticed a child waving the foam finger with Amity's name on it.
"Go, Amity!"
"Hey, you root for Luz or nobody!"
He stepped forward to grab the foam finger, but tripped over his scarves. As he began to tumble down the seats, he screamed. The abomination stepped on another trap, causing it to explode. King flew right over Bijou and Hazel's seats, causing her to whip their heads to him in surprise.
"King?!"
Looking at where he's falling into, Bijou realized he's gonna get hurt if he lands on the trap. She glanced at her ring and realized what she needed to do.
Hazel noticed this, "Bijou, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to save King. I don't care if I get exposed. I'm not letting him get hurt." Bijou said.
As she concentrated, her bangle glowed and a sigil appeared above it. Only this time, the sigil is red. Suddenly, her hand becomes engulfed in a small fire.
"Ah! Hot! Hot Hot!" Bijou shook her hand and tried to put the flame out.
"How are you doing that?" Amity approached Luz, eager to learn more. She was about to step on another trap, though.
"No, Amity. Don't step any closer," Luz cautioned, and her foot came to a halt right over it. She looked down, becoming more suspicious by the second.
"Why, Luz? What happens if I take a step closer?" she gritted her teeth.
As if to answer the question, Bijou launched a fireball on the trap, perplexing them both. Spikes appeared, and when King fell on them, he was unharmed because all the stuff he was wearing saved him.
"Mm? I'm okay." King said.
'Huh?' Lilith thought as she noticed Bijou blowing her hand, smoke emanating from it, 'How could a human like her conjure up a fireball like that. Humans can't do magic. Unless...'
"Oh my goodness!" Hazel exclaimed as he and Bijou leapt over the seats to land between the two.
"Spikes?!" Luz exclaimed to Eda, who nodded and gave her two thumbs up.
"That's it, Eda! You'll never do that spell in public again," the older girl said, pointing up at her.
"Dang it," Eda sighed, sagging her shoulders.
"I knew it!" Amity exclaimed angrily at Luz as Lilith approached. "You were cheating!"
"Amity, no..."
Luz was mortified as Lilith bent down and poked the spike. She appeared dissatisfied.
"Oh, Eda, I do believe this means you lose!"
Eda grunted slightly, and the groups turned to face each other now that the truth had been revealed.
"It wasn't my idea to cheat," Luz defended herself. "And when I found out, I tried to stop it, but-"
"Who could believe anything you say?" Amity scoffed.
Bijou gave her a stern look and scoffed, saying, "Hey, Luz might not be as experienced as you, but she's not a liar or a cheater."
"Whatever," she said as she turned around and walked away, but something on her neck caught Eda's eye.
"Wait a second, Ms. Protégé," Eda said as she walked over to her. Eda lifted up the back of Amity's hair... to reveal a power glyph, similar to those used by the Construction Coven.
"Hey, what are you-"
Eda yanked it away from her, and the Abomination shrank down, the head destroying the rest of it.
"A power glyph from the Construction Coven," Eda said, drawing gasps from the audience.
"I mean, I knew it," said an Oracle Coven member.
"She cheated," Willow said in disbelief to Gus, because Amity never cheated. She was mean and looked down on them, but they never expected her to go that low.
"That explains why Amity's abomination was so big," Jackie realized.
"Aha! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Eda exclaimed to her sister.
"You cheated. Perfect, prissy Lilith cheated. Hot dang, I love coventions," she said, mockingly dancing around Lilith.
"I only did it because I knew you'd cheat!" Lilith argued back, Bijou looking surprised. Lilith had just framed Amity and didn't care. Ultimately, all she wanted was defeating Eda, and when she considered it, it kind of disgusted her.
"La, la, la, la. Still cheated. Welcome down to my level!"
"But...I didn't know," Amity said, rubbing the back of her neck as Luz approached.
"Amity, wait." the girl said as she watched Amity flee.
"Luz! Bij! Hazel!" the two said as they turned to face King. "Help me!"
The two girls grabbed one arm each and pulled, but his belongings were ripped from his body. "My offerings!"
"You'll get more offerings, King," Luz said. "Bij."
She worriedly looked up at her friend. Bijou tapped her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, go on and talk to her," Bijou said softly.
"I'll come along." Hazel said as he followed Luz.
"Hey, wait for me!" King yelled.
As for Bijou, she decided to go check out the other covens because she hadn't had a chance to do so before. As she walked away, the coven scout followed her. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
"Knock it off. You're making a scene," Lilith yelled at Eda, who was still dancing.
"You cheated! Hey, where's the Rhyming Coven? What rhymes with cheated?"
"Stop acting like a child!" Lilith yelled, growing angrier by the second.
"You were defeated, don't get heated. Get your stank face treated," Eda mocked her, earning a glare from her sister.
"Rhyme one more thing. I dare you."
"Oh, it's okay. I'm done," Eda said, waving her hand. "Because my rhymes are depleted!"
"Oh, that's it!" snarled Lilith, summoning her white staff. She then launched blue fire at Eda, knocking her into a wall. Lilith's actions shocked the entire audience, including Willow, Jackie, and Gus. Eda, on the other hand, was unfazed, smirking.
"There she is," she said, pulling out her own staff and dropping it. But then she picked it up again and fired her own shot. Lilith stopped it with her own strength.
"Witch's duel!" yelled a beast-keeping student as they were evenly matched, resulting in an explosion.
Luz and Hazel ran out the door, panting because she couldn't find Amity... until she noticed her hiding near the restrooms.
"Amity..." she said as she approached the green-haired girl. "I'm sorry."
Amity simply scoffed in response.
"Seriously? Just leave me alone," she said, turning away from the girl.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"That's all you ever do!" she exclaimed angrily. "First at school, and now this!"
"Yeah, but-"
Amity abruptly rose to face Luz.
"You made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor's Coven. My future! You think it's so easy to be a witch," her voice cracked slightly as her words couldn't express how she felt. "I have been working my whole life to get to the top! You lost! You cheated! Say it! Say you're not a witch!"
"...I'm not a witch," Luz admitted to Amity as the girl sat down. She then took out a small notepad, and Amity sat down to see what she was up to. Luz drew and pressed her finger against the glyph she had learned. It glowed and became a ball of light.
"But I'm training hard to be one."
Amity was taken aback.
As she looked around, Bijou sighed quietly to herself. She couldn't help but sympathize with Amity. She still despised the girl, but Amity didn't deserve to be used as a scapegoat for Lilith just to gain some pride. And that just went to show how little she cared for Amity, which was unfortunate given that Amity had to have been her best student... she couldn't imagine being let down by someone she looked up to while also being accused of cheating.
"Hey, you!"
She flinched as she turned around to see the coven scout she had run into earlier standing right behind her.
"Is it true? You...can't learn magic?"
"No," she said, looking away because she had to be cautious around him this time. "You saw me accidentally released that fireball onto the spike trap, right?"
"Yes. Wait, did that mean-"
Bijou replied, displaying her bangle, "I use an item to emulate magical spells? Then, yes, I do."
"I...didn't know," he said, looking down at the ground. "Back there, if I had known, I would've-"
"Would've done what? Actually apologized?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder. "I know you're from the Emperor's Coven. Your organization forced a lot of witches to conform to the rules at the expense of their individuality."
"We encourage people to... stay in the right direction, if you will." He imagined that when she saw his uniform and then the symbols, she connected the dots. And it did change his opinion of her slightly. Granted, she had been rebellious towards him previously, but he felt bad now.
"You mean turn them into people who would only obey his every whim. You shouldn't even be talking to me, anyway. I'm the human, remember?" she said slightly bitterly, storming off, leaving him staring after her. The girl looked away sadly, because she didn't want to use that card, but that was the reality of the situation right now...
To counter Eda's attacks, Lilith spun her staff and fired a large beam of magic by hand. Eda spun around and built a wooden pillar to block it off, transforming it into Hooty. Lilith cast a spell circle around herself to teleport herself out of harm's way. As some of the blows were flying into the stands, the audience screamed and fled.
Eda twirled her fingers around, causing several Hooty effigies to attack Lilith. She spun around and teleported away from everyone who came her way. She then used her magic to fly into the air and destroy all of the wooden effigies.
Eda spun her staff around to create a bubble around herself, dodging Lilith, who attempted but failed to pierce her staff into the bubble. Eda smirked, and Owlbert's eyes glowed as he smacked her across the face. He then yanked Lilith's hair.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
"Say goodnight, sister," Eda said as she spun around her staff and tapped it against the wood.
Owlbert flew away as a giant Hooty devoured her sister. She smirked as Owlbert returned to the top of her staff. She thought it was over until she saw a blue flame. Lilith reappeared behind her, and she gave a startled expression.
"Enough of this."
Eda turned around, gasping, and didn't have time to react as Lilith slammed her into the wall, hard enough to make a hole. Eda stood up and grabbed Lilith's arm as she spun around her staff, about to finish her off.
"Lily, wait. The curse." When Lilith saw Eda's face, she came to a halt, her expression softening.
"Look at me. Look at my face. The curse is worsening and I can't keep up with it. I don't know how much time I have left."
"I'll admit it, I was surprised when I first saw you today," Lilith admitted. "I just had to see my sister for...possibly the last time."
"Eda, I-" She was hit in the face with a bag of Hex Mix.
"Ahh!" She growled as she saw Eda fleeing, looking at the bag.
"It's been fun, but let's call it a draw!" Eda exclaimed quickly, drawing an angry yell from her sister.
Bijou walked over to where Hazel, Luz, and Amity are. From where she is, she saw Luz showing a small light orb that she made to Amity.
Amity examined the light orb before dismissing it. "That's nothing. A child could cast a light spell."
Luz then dissipated it, looking down at her notepad.
"But I've never seen it cast like that."
"It doesn't come naturally to me like it does for you, so I've had to improvise," Luz explained.
"You really think that it's easy for her learn such spells? Luz still had more time to learn more spells as she had recently learned this. Amity, I understand you worked very hard to be the best, but that doesn't give you the right to treat others like garbage. Willow, for example, may not be as skilled at creating Abominations as you are, but she is skilled at creating plants." Hazel assuredly stated.
Amity inquired, "What are you even saying?"
"What Hazel is saying is that everyone is different. That doesn't mean you have to treat people so poorly because of that." Bijou replied.
Amity inquired, "How do you know so much about this?"
"Let's just say that he didn't have things done easy before I met him. And I didn't have an easy life myself in the town where I came from. It's true that humans like me and Luz cannot perform magic, but we are learning. I even tried that same light spell Luz learned, and it's not that difficult. All thanks to this." Bijou said, as she displayed her bangle.
"A bangle?"
"Yes. I found it a few days ago and I only recently learned that it was imbued with magic. You saw me fire that ball of fire at the spike trap, right?"
Amity nodded.
"Like Luz, this spells don't come naturally but I am getting the hang of them. I still need more time to train and I do this one step at a time." Bijou continued.
Amity sighed and spun a spell circle around herself. She took Luz's hand and drew it through the circle. Their hands briefly glowed before going dark.
"The oath is unbound," she said as she stood up and began to walk away.
"Did it work?" Luz asked, concerned. "Can I still learn magic?"
"Humans have no magical ability, but I doubt that will stop you two," she said as she walked away, Luz, Bijou, and Hazel staring after her.
"Guys!" exclaimed King. "You all left me."
"Yeah. Sorry. Your legs are just so tiny. Should we get you more offerings?"
"Nah. That stuff just weighed me down. But I have something for you, guys. And it's the best thing, because it's free, comes from my heart and I always have more than I need."
She exclaimed joyfully. "Is it love?"
"Ugh! No," he exclaimed, holding out a Covention Tote bag.
"Tote bags! And they have so many uses," he said, jumping into the one he'd given Luz. "Away, fair chariot. Away!"
"Okay, King," Bijou chuckled as Luz patted King on the head, Hazel jumped on her shoulder, and Eda approached them.
"We gotta go."
"How'd you get away from Lilith?" Luz inquired of the woman.
"Let's just say she had a real snack attack! Ha," she snorted, walking away. "Wait, I got a better one."
"Eda..." Luz began, Eda looking at her. "Do you ever think I'll be a true witch?"
"What? I don't know. Who's a true witch? These suckers? According to them, that means being in a coven, but I never joined one and I'm better than all of them combined. You gotta be your own witch."
"My own witch," Luz replied, smiling.
"Now, let's go before my sister realizes I tied her pointy shoes together."
Lilith let out another rage-filled yell.
"And that's our cue," she said as she led them to the exit.
"Wait, hold on," Bijou said, raising her hand.
"Sister?" Luz inquired as to what she was thinking. "Now that's a mysterious past payoff."
"Oh, you think that's all the mystery I got? Wait until you hear about my parents," Eda shocked the girls.
"What?! You've got parents? I need to know more."
"Yeah? What were they like when you were our age?" Bijou asked.
"You very much don't," King stated emphatically.
"Come on, King, everyone loves a good origin story," Hazel joked, winking.
Back to Lilith...
Lilith entered her dressing room, tripping face first, thanks to Eda. As she stood up, she grunted. "You make it so difficult for me to want to help you, Edalyn."
Suddenly, her compact mirror opened, and she gasped as she saw another member of the Emperor's Coven, dressed similarly to the member Bijou met.
"Lilith, I see you let the Owl Lady get the best of your temper. Just remember what Emperor Belos has promised you." Lilith averted her gaze for a moment.
"I will capture her, ma'am. You have my word. But I need to speak with the Emperor right now," Lilith told the assistant.
"You think you can just demand to know where the Emperor is?" scoffed the little demon."
"It's critical. I discovered the lost item previously owned by one of Belos's old aversaries."
Kikimora exclaimed in surprise, "B-but, how is that possible? All evidence related to her is destro-"
"Kikimora," said Belos as Kikimora flinched. "Who are you talking to?"
"I-It's Lilith, my lord," she said to the emperor. "She said that she had found a...a..."
"I'll take it from here."
Lilith stood there watching as the screen moved away from Kikimora. Then he displayed Emperor Belos himself.
"Lilith," said the emperor. The witch knelt quickly before her ruler.
"Emperor Belos, I'm honored to be speaking to you. I've encountered a child that I know will be please you-"
"I don't have time for you speeches, Lilith. Speak what you have to tell me, now."
Lilith gulped the lump in her throat nervously before telling him the news. "I've encountered that human girl your guards have captured, and now she is in the care of my sister. And you would never guess what I discovered. She was wearing the bangle previously old by an old foe of yours."
After those words left her mouth, there was probably the longest and most tense silence she'd ever experienced from Belos. Sweat began to accumulate on her face as she attempted to maintain a professional demeanor in order to conceal her anxiety.
"Lilith. For your sake, and for the sake of your sister, I do hope you're not lying to me," Belos said with a smile.
"I'm not, Emperor," Lilith said with a bow. "I've seen her wearing that gold bangle decorated with multicolored gems."
There was another moment of silence before he turned his head to the right.
"Then it finally happened. At long last, the missing item connected to my enemy is found," he went on to say. Belos then returned his attention to Lilith. "You are to find this girl and bring her to me."
"And if I capture her, will you still keep your promise to heal Edalyn?" Lilith asked, her face hopeful.
"Bring me the girl and your sister, and I shall," Belos told him. "Am I clear, Lilith?"
Lilith slightly bowed her head. "Clear as crystal, my lord."
"Good," Emperor Belos said as the screen reverted to a mirror.
Lilith raised her head and looked in the mirror. She then looked at a book on a shelf. She opened it and skimmed a little until she found the pages about the bangle.
"Your days are numbered, Edalyn. And so are the days of your student."
Bijou was pacing around her room, reflecting on her encounter with him. She was actually turning the pages of a book that detailed the ranks of the Emperor's Coven. She flipped quickly as her eyes darted back and forth, finally stopping on a page and gasping. There was a drawn picture of the guy she saw in the book.
"The Golden Guard...the enforcer of the Emperor's law, with smarts impressive enough to leave school and join the Coven at the young age of 16..." She closed the book slowly, trying not to pull her act together. "Okay, Bijou. Calm down. You just...happened to meet someone from the Emperor's Coven, the highest one in a group where they can arrest me and Eda and probably Luz too just by association..."
However, by their second encounter, he seemed much...nicer and a bit more sympathetic to say the least. Almost as if he were...a good person. But she couldn't fully trust him either. Despite this, she couldn't stop thinking about him. His voice won her over the second time, as did his sympathy, even if she didn't show it...
She came to when she realized she was thinking about him.
"Right. I can just ignore him and I'll never have to talk about him again."
Though he was still on her mind...
Similarly, the Golden Guard shut the door to his room behind him. The human was stuck in his head as he tried and failed to get rid of her image. She was certainly intriguing for a human. Though he thought it was odd for her to appear out of nowhere, along with the revelation that she couldn't do magic. In retrospect, it makes sense because she lacked the necessary biology.
"Hmm..." He tapped the side of his cloak near his ears lightly. "No pointed ears...And that bangle I could do without—well, no...they might actually suit her. And maybe she'd like it if we could talk about wild mag—No! What are you doing? She's just a human..."
As if they were ever going to cross paths again...
A/N: Part of this is inspired by the fifth chapter of Angelxoxo8's Learning How to Be a Witch.