Chapter 17
"Okay, girls. Focus on me."
Both Mila and Solana stood before Amity, who was holding Ghost while the two girls held their palismans. "So your palismans can transform into staffs at any time, but you can also ask them to. One way is with a soundless ask."
"A soundless ask?" Solana asked, looking confused.
"This is when your palisman is on your person, but not out where others can see them," the mother explained as Ghost vanished into thin air. Rainbow and Star, the girls' palismans, did the same. "How this works is that you stretch out your arm and your palisman will appear in your hand as a staff."
She stretched out her arm and sure enough, Ghost appeared in staff form. Mila stretched out her arm and Rainbow appeared, also in staff form. The same happened for Solana, her hand catching the staff that Star had become. "Good job," Amity said with a proud smile. "This is why you keep your palismans with you at all times."
"Will the staffs break?" Mila asked in worry.
"No," Amity said soothingly. "But your palismans can get hurt if you're not careful or if an enemy attack hits them."
"How can we keep an enemy attack from hitting them?" Solana asked.
"Hold on tight to your staffs and do your best," the purple-haired woman said. "As long as you never betray your palismans' trust, they will always stick by you."
"Can our palismans be used by someone other than us?" Mila asked.
"No, but if the palismans know you are someone their owner trusts, they then will at least try to help out where they can," Amity said. "For instance, say I get knocked down and you two start falling from a hanging cage. Ghost would immediately transform into a staff to help save you two. String Bean would do the same if your mama gets knocked down too."
The girls nodded and tried to call up their palisman staffs again, succeeding. Luz smiled proudly at her two daughters and stepped forward when Amity motioned to her. "Okay, girls, now we're going to try calling your palismans when you are running," the brown-haired woman said.
Bootstilla smiled as she saw how well the two little ones were doing. "I think they'll catch on pretty quick, Batty. What do you think?" She asked him.
He squeaked and nodded. Just then, a flap of huge wings sounded behind them and the bounty hunter turned to see Bat Queen coming up to her. "Bat Queen," she said, bowing her head in respect to the palisman guardian.
"Hello, old friend," Bat Queen said with a smile before joining her in watching the two young girls. "Who are those young witchlets?"
"Mila and Solana," Bootstilla said, gesturing to them. "Luz and Amity adopted them nearly half a year ago."
"Ah, much like how Eda took in Luz when she first arrived," the large palisman said, smiling. "And they are learning with palismans already? They seem a bit young to have reached that part of their training so quickly."
The bounty hunter nodded. "It's more a necessity they learn right now," she said, her face looking worried.
Bat Queen saw her face and it hit her. "Odalia," she said. "She's after the two girls?"
"In an effort to get Amity back under her control, yes."
The large palisman shook her head sadly. "To be so young and yet need to be ready for dangers," she said. "Do we know where she is at the moment?"
"No one's been able to find her yet," Bootstilla said. "Wherever Odalia is, she's hidden for now, but she did attempt to kidnap the girls a few weeks ago, which is why they're here now. Calabaza and Nabo got all of us to Alador's home and he took us all in. He's been preparing to go up against Odalia too, as are Emira and Edric."
"I can't imagine how they feel, having to go up against a family member," Bat Queen said. "Though didn't they essentially have too after Odalia tried to side with Belos?"
"Not completely, since Odalia didn't dare act out with the Collector able to turn her into a puppet while they were all fighting Belos, but still, it seems she's trying to become like that horrible man."
The large palisman sighed. "How far she has fallen," she said sadly. "How is Amity holding up?"
"She's mostly angry at her mom, but I think she's also scared too, because she knows it's a possibility that we may have to banish Odalia for good," the bounty hunter said. "I'm hoping we can just put her in a maximum security prison instead because, though she's turning evil, she is still Amity's mother."
"The whole wanting someone to go away but not be destroyed dilemma," Bat Queen said understandingly. She then turned an ear to listen. "I must go now. I'll keep an eye out for in case I see Odalia. The moment I do, I'll alert you all."
"Thank you, Bat Queen."
Watching her fly away, Bootstilla sighed because she knew how Amity felt. She had never told anyone, but a few years after she had become a bounty hunter, she had had to face her foster parents in court and her testimony had resulted in them losing their licenses to be foster parents and she had watched them be taken to prison. It had been hard for her to face them but she didn't wish them any harm. Though the prison sentence had brought Bootstilla peace of mind that they could never bother her again. Still, for a few nights after the trial, she had cried due to the stress and wishing she hadn't had to do what she did, but had been left with no choice. Nabo had held her protectively as a father holds his child to protect them from whatever was bothering them. Calabaza had also comforted her, which she had been grateful for to both of them.
She was glad that Amity had Luz in her life because Amity would need all the emotional support she could get when they finally faced Odalia. She knew Edric and Emira would too and was glad Alador was with them too.
"Auntie Boots?"
The bounty hunter jumped, having not expected that. She looked up to see Mila looking at her in worry. She then saw Luz and Amity looking at her in worry and Solana was even looking worried. "Were you sleeping?" Luz asked apologetically.
"No, sorry," Bootstilla said. "I was just deep in thought."
"What were you thinking about?" Amity asked.
"I'll tell you later," the bounty hunter promised. "For now, are you girls ready to learn about how to make your palismans staffs appear even if you are falling in the sky?"
The girls nodded and Bootstilla called up Batty. "Ready, Batty?" She asked and he squeaked, nodding. He became a staff and Bootstilla flew upwards for a bit before she took a deep breath and purposely fell off her staff, which vanished as she began falling, spreading out her arms.
Mila and Solana looked in awe and worry while Luz and Amity held hands in worry for Bootstilla's safety, but then, the bounty hunter suddenly turned on her back while falling and held out one hand, to which Batty appeared and become a staff, to which Bootstilla turned back so she was falling face first and she angled her staff carefully to be in line with her body and she soon sat on her staff, to which it angled upwards slowly and she was soon flying around the tree tops, having just stopped above them.
Amity and Luz sighed in relief while Mila and Solana cheered. Bootstilla landed and smiled. "So it'll be just like if you're on the ground, except you might be falling in the sky," she said.
"Can we try?" Solana asked.
Bootstilla looked towards Amity and Luz, who looked worried. The bounty hunter then smiled. "If you do want to practice that, you should do so with your mom and mama," she said. "That way, they can catch you in case something goes awry."
Luz was thankful that Bootstilla had suggested that. "Yes, but we'll teach you that tomorrow," she said. "Right now, it's nearly dinner time."
"You're right," Amity said, having checked the time. "Dad's going to wonder where we are."
The five of them flew back to Aldaor's home, but Bootstilla looked over her shoulder. Batty had told her he sensed a dark storm coming from Odalia's magic, though he couldn't pinpoint where she was. But if he could sense it, it meant that at any day now, Odalia could strike.
She could feel it in her gut. Time was beginning to run out.
Yes, they will have to face Odalia soon.
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GoldGuardian2418
