Chapter 16

Odalia was furious, to put it mildly. Not only had her plans to kidnap her granddaughters been foiled, but now she could not find her daughter anywhere. What was worse was that she just learned from another spy that there was now a plant trap around Camilla's house. "That stupid turnip! Turning against me!" She said, knowing the trap had been Nabo's doing.

She needed more power too. Lately the spies had been only able to find small bits of power and a search in the forests had proven unsuccessful in finding palismans. She had been hoping if they could be found, she could drain their powers just enough to where the palismans would still be alive, but in her power.

Her shields hiding her from prying eyes were failing too, which did not help her mood at all. A spy soon came up to her and sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lady Odalia," he said. "There are no palismans around and there is less magic now."

She growled, turning to him and her appearance seemed to take the spy by surprise. Odalia's once well-kept hair was indeed messy with tree branches and leaves sticking to her hair while her clothes were getting a bit muddy. She was looking a lot less like her old self and starting to look like she was perhaps starting to go insane.

"Search again!" She snapped. "Do not return unless you find me what I want!"

The spy departed, gagging at the foul smell Odalia's magic barrier was letting off. He knew that was bad because if the barrier fell, the foul-smelling magic would affect anything nearby it. It was the backlash of using magic for both selfish reasons and for protective reasons.

He was beginning to regret agreeing to help her and decided to head far away to take a break. There were no palismans or magic to be found anyway and she had told him not to return if he didn't find those things. So he was going to do just that.

Back in Odalia's hideout, she furiously gathered what magic she had, still pursuing her own goal. "I'll find you, Amity, and your daughters will be under my control," she said, a crazed look coming to her face as she thought about how Amity would do as her mother ordered for fear of her daughters being punished. She laughed. "Soon," she hummed to herself. "Soon."

At Alador's home...

Bootstilla was watching Mila and Solana play with the palismans, who were more than happy to do tricks for the girls and chase after toys, making the girls laugh. String Bean then became a staff and took the girls for a spin around the living room, making them giggle with glee.

The bounty hunter fell into thought and nodded, coming to a decision. "Batty," she called to him and he flew up to her. "I have to run an errand. Do you want to come with me or stay here with the girls?"

The bat squeaked his answer and she smiled. "Okay," she said with a nod. "You can stay, but if something comes up, come find me at once."

Batty nodded and the bounty hunter headed out, traveling to a place nearby. She knocked on the door and it was opened by a young man with blonde hair and scars on his face. "Bootstilla," he said, surprised to see her.

"Hello, Hunter," she said, smiling. "May I come in?"

He let her in and Willow gasped at seeing her, calling up Clover and glaring at the bounty hunter. But suddenly, Clover flew over to Bootstilla, buzzing happily. The bounty hunter smiled and held out her hand, to which Clover landed in her hand, nuzzling her palm and buzzing happily. "Hello, Clover," Bootstilla said. "I was wondering if you had gained a new owner when I didn't see you in the forest in my last few visits."

Willow came up to her. "How do you know my palisman?" She asked.

"I'm a friend of the Bat Queen," the bounty hunter replied. "Have been for years after rescuing my palisman from a fire trap."

Hunter nodded to Willow. "It's okay, Willow," he said. "Bootstilla is a bounty hunter, yes, but she's not evil. She won't hurt us."

"Far from it," Bootstilla replied. "But that does bring me to why I'm here." She looked around. "Is there someplace we can talk without being spied on?"

Hunter nodded and pulled up a trap door in the floor. "In here," he said.

Once they were all inside the room, Hunter made sure the trap door was secure on the inside. "The rumors are true, aren't they?" He asked. "That woman is looking to become Belos, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so," the bounty hunter said.

"Why?" Willow asked.

"To get control of not only her daughter, but her granddaughters too," Bootstilla replied.

Willow was shocked. "Granddaughters?" She asked.

The bounty hunter nodded. "Luz and Amity adopted two very sweet little girls, who Odalia is after."

Hunter glared. "Looks like it'll be time to help our friends again, my love," he said.

"Right," Willow said with a firm nod.

Bootstilla smiled. "I'm glad you both are on board to help, which was part of the reason I had come to visit, but I do have a request as well, Hunter."

"If it's something that can help our friends and our nieces, you name it and I'll do it," Hunter said.

The bounty hunter felt relief fill her at that and smiled again, knowing Luz and Amity would be thrilled to know that two of their friends thought of the two children as their nieces. "If there is a battle that comes up, Mila and Solana are going to need to get out of it quickly," she said. "Can you carve them two palismans, Hunter?"

He nodded. "Do you have an idea in mind for their palismans?"

She nodded and showed him a drawing of something she had been working on. She then held up a keychain with something on it. "Can you carve these two?" She asked.

The blonde-haired man got to work right away while Willow asked Bootstilla questions about her nieces, which the bounty hunter answered with a smile. Willow, wanting to make a good impression as an aunt, was debating on giving the girls plants or bring cookies, to which Bootstilla suggested the cookies might be best at first and the plants wait until the girls were a bit older, which Willow agreed was best.

In two hours, Hunter came up to Bootstilla. "They're ready," he said.

The bounty hunter grinned at seeing the two palismans. "They're going to love them," she said. "In fact, this would be a great way for you two to meet your nieces."

"She's right, Hunter," Willow said, gathering up some cookies on a plate and putting some in bags for her nieces.

"You sure?" Hunter asked.

Bootstilla nodded. "Trust me. It'll be great. And I know Amity and Luz will be thrilled to see you two again," she said.

Thrilled was an understatement. Luz and Amity hugged their friends tightly when Bootstilla had returned with the two in tow. The girls were a bit unsure, but once Willow gave them the cookies, they warmed up to their new aunt and uncle right away. "What kind of cookies are these, Auntie Willow?" Mila asked. "They're really good."

"Strawberry and chocolate," Willow replied.

"So how have things been with you two?" Hunter asked. "Aside from you-know-what."

"Things have been great," Luz replied. "We got our new house."

"And in doing so, met our two daughters," Amity said. "I found them after they had run away from an orphanage. They were uncertain about trusting us at first though, since we were witches."

"Oh, the old 'witches eat kids' stories from the human realm?" Willow asked, giggling a little. "Humans do have some funny stories to tell sometimes, no offense."

"None taken," Luz said with a smile, knowing some stories from her world would seem silly to those in this world.

Bootstilla chuckled. "I recall that some people here create some funny stories to tell too," she said. "Like to beware pumpkin vines because Calabaza is hunting."

Calabaza groaned while Nabo laughed. "Oh, that rumor took a while to dispel," the latter said. "Especially when someone made it look like Calabaza was attacking her."

He looked up at Bootstilla, who looked surprised. "Well, it was only way to get those bullies off my tail!" She shot back without heat, though her face turned red.

The group laughed warmly before Batty suddenly squeaked, going up to Hunter and tugging on his bag that he carried, squeaking again. Hunter laughed. "You can sense them, huh?" He asked, making the others, minus Willow and Bootstilla, look at him in curiosity. "Well, I can't think of a better time."

"A better time for what?" Amity asked.

He smiled. "Mila. Solana? Come stand before me," he said.

"Yes, Uncle Hunter?" Solana asked as she and her sister stepped towards him.

"I've heard that you two have been learning about palismans and have been not only respectful of your moms' and Bootstilla's palismans, but you also treat them as part of your family," he said.

"Well, yeah," Mila said. "Ghost and String Bean are family to us."

"It's like owning pets, in a way," Solana said.

Hunter smiled. "What would you two say if I told you there are two palismans with your names on them?" He asked. "And they're in my bag."

The girls were surprised, as was Amity and Luz, who glanced up at Bootstilla, who smiled and nodded, silently telling them she had been the one to find Hunter and ask him to make palismans for the girls. "In case Odalia decides to strike while the girls are with you, they have a means to escape quickly," she said.

"She's got a point, you two," Willow said with a nod. "According to the rumors, Odalia is...well, not doing too good."

Amity nodded. "You can say it, Willow," she said understandingly. "My birth mother is going crazy with gaining power and now we need to stop her like we stopped Belos."

"And we will stop her," Luz said, placing a hand on Amity's shoulder. "And hopefully before it's too late."

Amity nodded again and looked at her girls. "If you girls accept the palismans as your own, you will need to look after them just like how Mama and me look after String Bean and Ghost," she said.

"We'll show you how to properly look after them," Luz promised. "And the same rules for our palismans will apply to your palismans too. Do you both understand?"

The girls nodded and Hunter gently pulled out two palismans, holding them up and smiling. "Mila and Solana, meet your palismans," he said.

The two palismans flew upwards and the girls watched in awe as one flew nearer to Mila, who reached up to accept it, eyes wide with wonder.

Her palisman was a beautiful butterfly with iridescent wings that shone in the light. It landed on her hand and nuzzled her hand, smiling up at her. "She's mine?" She asked softly.

"She's yours," Willow said. "You can even name her."

Mila smiled. "Rainbow," she said.

"That's a fitting name for her," Amity said, smiling.

Solana's palisman was a dolphin, which she was excited about as dolphins were one of her favorite animals. And she had what looked like stars on her too. "I'm going to name you Star," the little girl said, to which the palisman chirped happily.

Luz smiled. "Mommy and I will show you two how to ask your palismans to become staffs so you can fly," she said.

"Keep them close to you at all times, even at school," Amity said.

"Always treat them well and they'll be loyal to you," Bootstilla said.

Mila looked worried right then. "What do they eat?" She asked.

Hunter smiled. "Palismans can eat foods we can eat too," he said reassuringly.

"We have to make sure they don't get hurt, right?" Solana asked.

"That's right," Willow said. "But if your palismans do get hurt by accident, your uncle and I can help them heal."

Hunter nodded reassuringly and the girls smiled before hugging their new palismans. Luz and Amity hugged their friends and hugged Bootstilla for thinking ahead. She hugged them too. "Sorry I didn't discuss this with you two sooner," she said apologetically. "But I was worried that something might happen."

"We had been considering having the girls have their own palismans, so actually, you doing this is perfect," Amity said.

"And puts our minds at ease," Luz said.

Mila and Solana ran up and hugged Bootstilla. "Thank you, Aunt Boots!" They both said.

The bounty hunter froze in surprise, having not expected that. She looked at Luz and Amity, but they were just as surprised, yet smiled. "Well, that's official," Amity said, giggling.

"Another member of the family," Alador said with a smile.

Bootstilla smiled and hugged the two little girls. "You two are just the sweetest," she said.

As the girls began playing with their palismans, Luz gave Bootstilla an apologetic look. "We'll work with the girls on pronouncing your full first name," she said.

"It's alright," the bounty hunter said. "I don't mind being called Aunt Boots. When they're a bit older, they'll be able to pronounce my name better."

The two women smiled, but none of them noticed Batty looking out the window in worry, sensing the beginning of a magical storm on the way.

One made from Odalia's magic.

The girls now have their own palismans and it looks like Bootstilla is now an aunt. You can be sure she'll protect those girls fiercely. :)

And it looks like Odalia might strike again soon. We shall see. :)

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418