Amity Blight always followed the path others chose for her. But when the opportunity of a lifetime comes in conflict with her feelings for Luz, she has to make a choice.
At approximately 4:57, Amity reached the Coven building. Right on time, as any good witchling. Kikimora met her at the entrance and led her through the golden, pipe-laden halls of the Coven. "You know," said the stout little demonic lady, "not many witches your age get this opportunity. You must be very talented." Her mouth was obscured by her collar if it existed at all, but Amity could tell she was beaming with excitement.
Amity looked down, not willing to accept the compliment. "Not really, I just have good connections." She paused. "And some pretty strict parents."
KIkimora scoffed, "Oh, you're just humble. I'm sure your parents must train you hard because they want the best path for you." The demon wasn't the easiest to trust, but it was easy to see that this advice was, at least to her, very kind and genuine.
"Yeah," Amity chucked solemnly, "the best path." As the pair reached the door to the throne room, she once again thought about Luz's question: Is this what she wanted?
The massive door opened, and Kikimora announced Amity's arrival to the Emperor. "Let her in," boomed an unsettling yet regal-sounding voice. Amity could feel her heart beating at an extreme pace as her footsteps echoed through the tall, open room. It had an offness to it, even ignoring the enormous bile sac exploding with pipes that sat above the throne, which made Amity nearly gag at the sight of it. The other defining features were the excessive amounts of gold decor, even more than was already present in the halls of the castle. Even the lighting, everything lit from below by golden fire, made the room feel both unwelcoming and oddly beautiful at the same time. She had never seen any part of the building before, let alone this most sacred room, or the Emperor himself. Her mother, however, stood comfortably yet domineeringly at Emperor Belos's side. Amity felt a sense of unease, adding to her nerves, that would not go away no matter how calmly she kept her breaths and outward appearance.
The witchling stopped in the center of the room and knelt in a bow. "Your Highness, thank you for this opportunity."
"Good, Amity," noted Odalia, "You may proceed."
Amity stood up nervously, took a deep breath, and began her spell demonstration. She dashed forward and ran low to the ground in a circle, drawing a large spell on the floor. When the circle completed, she leapt back, and a ring of magenta flames sprouted up. A spell circle appeared around her wrist as she raised her hand in a commanding motion, summoning a twirling abomination that towered over everyone in the room, almost reaching the ceiling. Amity smirked with pride as the abomination split down the middle and melted down into two abominations, who danced for a brief moment before colliding. At this moment, Amity's fist closed, and a light shone from between the abominations. The muddy purple monsters imploded, releasing beautiful balls of brilliant pink light into the room. Finally, an out-of-breath Amity stepped forward and took a bow. That actually went well, she thought. Maybe I do deserve this.
Mrs. Blight grinned with pride, and turned to the Emperor in anticipation of his judgement. Belos stayed silent for a moment, before carefully delivering his response: "Very good indeed, Miss Blight. I am impressed with your prowess for such a young witch." Amity let out a small sigh of relief, which was immediately cut short. "However, that is not why I agreed to audition you." He leaned forward and linked his arms in a triangle balancing between the two armrests. "You are close with the human, Luz, am I correct?"
Amity froze, her face turning a bright red. Why would he ask that? Then she remembered: Luz is a wanted criminal. She invaded the coven, fought the Emperor himself, and aided in the escape of other criminals slated for execution. She has a bounty. But how did he know she was friends with her? Did he know-? No, she decided he didn't. That would be too far. Still, she did not want to collect that bounty and tried her best to lie. "No, your Majesty, I am not, sorry. I just see her around school sometimes."
"Yes, my Lord," Mrs. Blight interrupted, "Us Blights have a very limited, specially curated social circle. If Amity was associating with this human, we would have put a stop to it by now." Amity had never been so relieved to hear her mother spout such classist rhetoric.
The Emperor was displeased with this answer. "I know you are lying, Amity."
"Sir, are you sure?" Odalia gasped. She didn't want to believe it, but trusted his judgement enough to turn an enraged eye towards her terrified daughter.
"I am certain, Mrs. Blight. Your daughter may be able to keep secrets from you, but I know all." Belos stood, walking slowly and menacingly towards Amity. "Now I will ask you again, young witch, and do not attempt to let your feelings obscure your loyalty. Do you associate with the human?"
Amity dared not to look up at the Emperor, who now stood directly in front of her. Her eyes were wide open, and she shook subtly in fear. Never in a million years would she want to hurt Luz, but her future, her entire life rested on her answer. Which answer would yield success, however, was the question. She could feel the pressure either way; if she said yes, she would either be imprisoned for association with a criminal, or be forced to give her whereabouts to the Emperor's coven and aid in her capture, or worse. If she said no, she had a chance of getting into the Emperor's Coven, but knowing how omnipotent the Emperor claims to be, she would most likely get imprisoned for lying. It was a lose-lose situation. But despite the outcomes being more extreme, something compelled her to tell the truth.
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"Well, Miss Blight?"
Amity sighed and shakily admitted, "Yes, I am friends with Luz."
"Amity!" her mother screamed in shock at this revelation. "I cannot believe you would-"
"Mrs. Blight, please!" bellowed the Emperor, "You may have input when I am finished."
She began to protest, but decided it would be better to let her boss handle it for now. "Sorry, your Majesty."
"Now, Amity, in order for you to complete your audition, I need you to do something for me."
The color drained from Amity's body, as she knew exactly what was required of her now. "Anything, your majesty."
"I need you to get rid of her. By any means necessary. Do you understand?"
"Get... rid of her?" Amity choked. Oh Titan, she thought, someone get me out of this.
"I need her out of the way for the Day of Unity. You are the only one close enough to her to lure her in. And as your reward, if all goes according to plan, you are sure to make a great asset to the Emperor's Coven."
"But- but I-"
"Do not worry, young Blight. All has been planned. Odalia?"
Mrs. Blight returned from her stew of anger at her daughter's behavior and turned to Emperor Belos. "Yes?"
"Bring the girl to the conformatorium. I have some arrangements to make before we discuss her role. In the meantime, she is not to leave the supervision of the Coven, is that clear?"
"Yes, my lord."
"What?" Amity stepped back in terror. She almost considered making a run for it, but she knew that not only could she not make it far, she had nowhere to go that wouldn't lead the Emperor right to Luz. Her mother rushed over to her, grabbed her arm roughly, and dragged her out of the room. She didn't fight, just followed her mother like a good witch.
