Hunter reaches the castle and circles it slowly, searching for any signs Belos is there. He lands, tucks Clover under his clothes, and hides in the shadow of a building near the wall. He can see no movement inside; he whispers to Clover, "Can you take me to my window?"
Clover takes on her staff form and Hunter sits before pressing an invisibility glyph to his body. She flies him to the window and he opens it, hopping into the room. He looks around – the dust is disturbed, as though someone has recently been in it. He sighs and sits at the foot of the bed, dreading the idea of searching all the rooms.
"Well...it's not like I have a choice," he says to himself.
"Who are you?" a young voice asks.
Startled, Hunter looks up to find the Collector standing near the door, "Oh my Titan, I'm sorry! I'll leave!"
"Nah, it's OK. My friend's off on a mission. Do you want to play?"
Hunter thinks for a moment before cautiously saying, "I can't. I'm on a mission, too."
"Ooo, what's yours?"
"It's kinda a secret. Can you promise not to tell anybody who isn't on the same mission?"
The Collector nods, "I'll pinky swear."
"OK," Hunter says, shaking pinkies with them, "Well, I'm looking for Belos. My friends are coming to fight him and I need to find him first."
The Collector's face brightens, "My friend's on the same mission! King went to tell a bunch of people who are going to fight him where he is!"
Hunter smiles, "Yeah! I'm one of those people."
The Collector studies his face, "I remember you, but we haven't played before, have we? People kinda look the same...."
"No, we haven't. But we met – when King let you free. I was one of the kids on the bridge who Belos was trying to kill."
"Ohhh!" The Collector said, "You were one of the people who said I should try playing Owl House and you're the Golden Guard!"
"Not anymore, I'm not. And yeah, I was with them, but I kinda just squeaked. My friends were better at talking than I was," Hunter says, trying to avoid mentioning he was quiet because he'd just watched his only caregiver splattered on a wall.
"It's a great game. You sure you don't want to play right now?"
Hunter nods, "Sorry, but right now, I have to finish my mission. It's really important. Since I'm not there to hear from King, though, could you tell me where Belos is?"
"King said I'm not really supposed to talk about his mission."
"Not even with somebody else who's on the same mission?" Hunter asks, "Because if we're all doing the same thing, it makes sense to help each other out. Like when King gets back, you can tell him about my mission, because he'll already know."
The Collector shrugs, "I guess that makes pretty good sense. Belos isn't in the castle. He's at the Head. It's creepy there. Want me to get you there really fast?"
Hunter shakes his head, "Thanks, but no. I need to spend some time thinking while I travel. Mission related stuff. You're probably so fast I wouldn't have time to go over my plan."
"Yeah, that's true," they say, "King had to teach me a lot about how fast I could be and not hurt anybody. It's no fun to play games when people you need for them get hurt. Then they don't want to play anymore."
Hunter smiles, "Yeah, you get it. But you know what? Maybe later, when this is all done and I'm feeling alright, we can play something kinda calm. It won't be able to be a big game, or even a wild game, but I think I can handle something small."
The Collector beams, "You'll play with me?"
"Sure. But I have to make it through this first. So however King needs you to help, listen to him, OK? This isn't going to be easy."
"OK. I'll do my best."
"Great, thanks. I'm going to get going now, though – but I'm glad we had this talk."
They nod, "Yeah. Me too." Hunter turns to leave and the Collector asks, "Hey...what's your name?"
"Hunter," he replies.
"I was there sometimes when he was talking to you. I know about the Grimwalkers. I know how you were made. Do you want to know?"
Hunter pauses at the window, "Not right now. But maybe after this is all done, we can talk about it."
"OK. Bye now!" the Collector says.
Hunter sits on the staff and slides out the window, waving, "Bye – hope I get to see you later." He flies off toward the head, hoping he hasn't lost too much of the lead he has over his friends.
The Collector leans on the windowsill and looks after him, "I hope he makes it. he was nice."
***
When Hunter arrives at the head, he finds the entrance that will lead him to the cavern in which he last fought Belos; he takes Clover in his hands and lightly kisses her head, "Go back to Willow. She's probably heading this way along the same path. Keep her safe. And remind her how much I love her, especially if things go wrong."
Clover flits up to his cheek, nuzzles against it, and then flies off in the early morning light.
Hunter takes a deep breath and, alone, walks through the entry, every fiber in his body telling him to run. But he doesn't, forcing himself to breathe steadily, even as his knees tremble. He has to force himself to only look forward, not down into the chasm. A part of him is shocked that the bridge is intact, given when they fled. But he also considers that the child-god he was just talking to took apart the world to play Owl House and could probably just as easily put it back together. He tries to force his mind to focus only on what he's going to say when he sees Belos instead of on the memories that surface as he walks toward the room at the end of the bridge.
When he finally reaches the great doors, he stops and tries to gather the courage to enter. Instead, the door creaks open just enough for him to enter without him ever touching it.
"I know you're out there," Belos says.
Shaking, Hunter enters the room. Belos has transformed into his human shape and instead, Philip stands in front of the platform that once held the portal door. Hunter walks partway across the room and is lowering himself to one knee when one of Belos' tendrils whips from behind Philip and strikes his shoulder. Hunter falls to the floor, slamming into the stone. He hears his knee pop as it strikes and he cries out in pain.
"Why are you here, Hunter?" Philip asks, disarmingly calm.
"I just want to talk," Hunter gasps, "Please, don't kill me yet – I have too many questions." He pushes himself onto his side and tries to straighten his leg. His knee pops back in place and he briefly sees stars before he can steady himself, lowering himself onto the other knee, bowing before Philip.
"I suppose you do. Ask them quickly and I'll decide if I want to answer."
Hunter nods and starts talking, "Why did you kill Caleb? Why did you make Grimwalkers just to kill us? Do I really not have magic? Why did you call Flapjack Evelyn? And if, by some miracle, I walk out of here, is it even possible for a Grimwalker to live a full life?"
"You won't be walking out of here," Philip says voice still steady, "I'll make sure of that. But yes, they can, at least according to what I've read. I made them because Grimwalkers are loyal to their masters, though it seems even loyalty for one's maker has its limits and betrayal is in your nature. I don't like killing them, but...it's necessary. As for Caleb, he betrayed me – we came here intending to do a job and he gave it up and chose that witch over our family, our work. And the only thing I called 'Evelyn' was her Palisman, so if you called it Flapjack, there's your answer."
Hunter nods, still staring at the floor, bowed, "I have two other things to ask. May I?"
Philip nods, "Quickly. I don't want to waste time."
"If I let you kill me, will you please not take out whatever anger you have for Caleb, for Golden Guards, for me, against my friends? Fight them, if you have to, but...just please, don't make it worse?"
Philip nods, "A noble request. It seems, while misplaced, you're still loyal to a fault. So yes. My disappointment in your kind will stay with you. Your last question?"
"Did you ever care about me? Or was that a lie, too?" Hunter whispers.
Philip doesn't answer. Another of Belos' whip-like appendages flies from Philip's side and slams down on Hunter's back, flattening him to the floor. Hunter tries to push himself up when another blow lands against the side of his head, dizzying him and knocking him to the ground.
"Unfortunately," Philip says, "We can't keep talking. I've been readying the materials for a new Grimwalker and they won't keep indefinitely. But stonesleeper lungs are rather hard to come by...you see, I've only ever encountered one. So I'll need to retrieve the ones in you. And the spell is stronger if they come from a living being."
Panic grips Hunter as one of the tendrils wraps around his injured leg and drags him toward Philip. He struggles to free himself, but the pain from his damaged knee causes him to black out for a few seconds. He opens his eyes to see Philip standing over him. A large spike rises from his back.
"I'm sorry, Hunter. I really did like you, to a point. But also...goodbye."
Hunter manages to turn on his side, curling in on himself. He can't stop his tears, so he hides his face in his arms and waits for the strike. Something wraps around his wrists and ankles and the spike descends, lifting the edge of Hunter's shirt. It gouges a guide line along his side and onto his back. Hunter whimpers, stifling any reaction to the pain he knows will pale in comparison to what's coming.
Hunter is shaking, terrified, blood already oozing across his skin, when something explodes, blowing the great doors off their hinges. Philip transforms into Belos the monster, releasing Hunter. One of the doors sails over Hunter and slams into Belos' chest, sending him flying backwards onto the platform for the portal.
He hears a voice he knows well loudly demand, "Get away from him!"
"Mom?" he whispers, unheard above the noise.
"I'll do as I wish, he's mine!" Belos roars as he flings aside the door, a light spell blinding him as he attempts to stand, stumbling forward toward Hunter on all fours.
Camila runs across the room to put herself between Belos and Hunter, "NOBODY TOUCHES MY KIDS!" she yells, swinging the bat, covered in glyphs, at Belos. It slams into his head and the combination glyph explodes in flame, steam, and writhing tentacles of burning abomination matter.
At the same time, two more people run to Hunter, sliding to a stop beside him, as a protective dome of vines and abomination matter shields the four of them from Belos' rage as he attacks.
"Get him to the side!" Amity yells, "He's hurt!"
Another abomination dome appears beside theirs, connecting to create a passage between them.
Willow turns to Camila, "Get him out of here!"
Camila heaves Hunter up onto his good leg, wedging herself under his arm, "Just get to the side of the room, that's as far as you have to go."
"Mom?" Hunter asks again, dazed.
"Yes. It's me. Stay with me."
Alador meets them inside the other bubble, "You two need to stay out of sight. I see a spot. It's not the best, but it'll have to do." Once they're in the bubble, a layer of abomination matter slides from it's wall, "Lay him down, Camila. Let this do the work – save your energies." She lowers him onto the makeshift stretcher and he collapses onto it. Alador moves it to the wall and lowers Hunter to the floor. Camila stays with him as Alador returns to the fight.
Camila sits beside him and carefully gathers him in her arms, "Oh baby, I was so scared."
"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry," Hunter mutters.
"I swear, I'm watching that man die today, one way or another," she whispers to him as she cradles him.
"I was trying to protect you."
"I know. We read the note."
"I'm so sorry," he says again.
Camila kisses his forehead and helps him sit up and straighten his legs in front of him. He winces, leaning against the wall, hoping he can stay upright as pain shoots through his body.
"What happened?"
"He hit me pretty hard and landed on a knee – I don't know if I can walk. It hurts a lot now. And he did this," Hunter says, gingerly lifting his shirt on the side Belos started carving. "Kinda bleeding a lot. He said he needed my lungs back."
Camila mutters something under her breath in Spanish and Hunter looks confused, "I didn't learn those words, Mom."
"And I'm not going to translate, just know my rage is very very strong." She gently touches his knee and he whimpers, "You're going to need to stay hidden. You can't walk on this, not without causing more damage."
"The gash is kinda causing a lot of pain, too," Hunter says.
"Well, yes, but I don't know how to assess that, other than you're losing a lot of blood and I'm worried. I'll have to get one of our healers."
The floor shakes from the force of the fight they can't see, dust from the ceiling and wall raining down on them, "I can't just stay here while everybody else fights."
"You can, and you will. I have one cue I'm supposed to listen for a couple of times and that's it. The rest of the time, I'm supposed to stay with you to keep you from getting killed. I'm just human, Hunter. I can only do so much. And your sister is much more talented with glyphs than I ever will be."
Hunter leans against her and closes his eyes, "I'm dizzy...Belos hit my head pretty hard."
Worried, Camila shifts so she's facing him and he's leaning against the wall, "Let me see your eyes."
He opens them and she pulls a light glyph from her pocket, activating the small sphere. She checks his pupils and they respond as they should.
"What's that for?"
"To look for one of the signs you might have a concussion. Your eyes respond to light, so that's good. But you could still have one. So stay awake."
"I'm scared," Hunter says, "And I don't know if I want to see what happens next."
"Then keep talking so I know you're still awake, even if your eyes are closed."
Hunter nods, "OK. So...guess what horrifying thing he wants to do if he wins?"
"Does it have to do with your lungs?"
"Yeah. Apparently the stonesleeper lungs he uses when making Grimwalkers are the same ones over and over again. So...that's a fun fact I'm never going to forget.
Camila gasps, "What?!"
"Yeah. Can't say I didn't inherit anything from the last Golden Guard."
She shakes her head, "I'd ask if, once he's dead, I could kill him again, just for that, but right now, I'm pretty sure the answer would be 'maybe' or 'if he doesn't stay dead this time.' So that's just an additional level of terrible on top of an already awful thing."
"Like I said, magical spare parts, wood, and a dead guy," Hunter replies, gesturing down his body, "That's what made me."
She hears a whistle over the cacophony of spells and nods to Hunter, "That's my cue. I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."
"Even if I did, wouldn't be far or fast. And the trail of blood drops would make me easy to find."
She sighs as she stands, "Exactly, so don't move. Save your strength." Camila runs from her shelter, charting her path toward the door as she does, dodging spells and falling debris as she sprints through the shadows around the back of the platform to reach the doors. Once on the bridge, she draws Owlbert from a pocket in her sweater, "Come on, little friend, let's fly." He transforms into a staff, she sits, and they speed along the bridge to the entrance where Viney, Skara, Puddles and Eda wait.
"What's going on in there?" Eda asks.
"I don't even know how to describe it, other than I'm surprised the roof hasn't caved in from all the shaking and the noise is incredible. I also don't know how Belos isn't dead yet. They're hitting him with everything they have."
"He's a powerful man," Eda says, "But let's go in and cause some havoc so the people on the floor can get a break."
"And the third wave?" Camila asks.
"Is just around the corner," Eda says, gesturing to a slight rocky outcropping not far from the path, "Raine, Ed, Em, Skara, Harvey, Gilbert, Perry, Bump, and his Hexside staff are all ready when you hear the signal again."
"I need a healer soon – Hunter's badly injured. Alive, but bleeding a lot."
Viney says, "Get Skara – Puddles knows her and she can ride him as the distraction. I'll be your healer."
"No," Eda says, "we need you on Puddles – you know him better than anybody. Em's on the healing track. Get her."
"You know Ed's not going to want to let her out of his sight. He had enough trouble letting Amity come in the first round," Camila says.
"Then bring them both. But it's time to fly," Eda says. She turns to Viney, "You and Puddles ready?"
Viney nods, "Mission bite, scratch, and scream is ready for launch."
"Great – let's go!" Eda steps onto the bridge, Puddles wedging himself through after her. They take off, speeding to the crowded room full of flying spells.
Camila checks in with the third round of fighters, "We have a slight change of plans," she says, "Hunter's been injured and I need a healer. I don't want him losing any more blood. Em, Eda said to ask you."
Emira takes a deep breath and nods, "OK. Lead the way."
"Sis-" Edric says.
"You can come, too," Camila replies, "so long as it won't change your strategy too much."
Principal Bump looks to Skara, "Your advice?"
Skara nods, "They both can go. We'll talk." She turns to Camila, "Save Hunter, we'll be fine."
"Can Owlbert carry three of us?" Camila asks.
Principal Bump summons Frewin to his staff, "Here – he'll take you to the door."
Emira and Edric mount the staff and follow Camila across the chasm. They thank Frewin and he hurries off to reunite with his witch.
While Camila makes the arrangements, Eda shrieks into the room and dives for Belos, claws extended. Puddles needs no invitation to attack the strange creature in the middle of the room and dives, screeching, while spewing his spider breath over him. Belos turns his attention to these two new threats while those on the ground take a moment to regroup. They assume the distraction will gain them an opening, but the moment the attack on the ground resumes, Belos lashes out with multiple tentacles and whips as he fights back.
Camila gestures to Edric and Emira to follow her on the ground while Belos' focus is briefly above him, "Stay close. We stick to the edges, try to keep track of who's doing what, and try not to let Belos see us." They keep their eyes on her back, Edric's hand in hers, and let her lead them, trying not to focus too hard on the spells flying everywhere around them. Then, for a moment, the smoke and dust clears, and they get a glimpse of Belos. Emira nearly runs into Edric as the colour drains from his face and his step falters. Camila turns to see what's wrong. She pulls Edric behind a splintered heap of what she thinks was once a desk and Emira ducks down with her.
"Focus on me, Ed. Breathe. We're almost there."
"That's Belos?" he squeaks.
"Yes. He's no longer what you knew him as. When Amity and her friends told you they fought a monster, this is what they were talking about. I don't know how he's this strong – there's something worse about him now. He shouldn't be able to withstand all this."
"Ed, we have to keep moving. Hunter's hurt," Emira says.
"I feel like I'm gonna be sick," Edric replies.
"You can find a corner and do that while I'm working on Hunter," Emira says. She hauls Edric to his feet and looks to Camila, "Let's go." Seeing the determination on Emira's face, Camila doesn't ask if she's sure.
Hunter is still exactly where she left him, quietly humming to himself, hands over his ears, eyes closed.
She sits beside him and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Hunter, I'm back." He startles, jerking away from her. "It's just me."
Hunter sighs as he sees who it is, lowering his hands, "Sorry. It's so loud. It hurts."
"I know. I brought one of the healers."
Emira stares at the blood soaking the side of his shirt, "Hunter, I'm going to need to see where that's coming from."
He nods and leans against Camila, twisting so Emira has a little better access to his side, "Go ahead and look."
She carefully lifts the edge of his shirt, sees just how deep the gash goes, and gasps, "Oh my Titan...I need to how far this goes along your back."
"Not too far, I don't think," he says.
Camila stands and helps him turn so his good side is leaning against the wall; she sits near his feet. Emira lifts his shirt, "This is bad. I'm going to have a hard time getting this fixed all the way, but I can get it started enough that the bleeding will slow down. We're going to need Viney if we want something better."
"I'd just like to not bleed to death while my friends fight my terrifying monster uncle," Hunter says.
"Let's take off your shirt – it'll make this easier." They help him remove it and Emira tosses it aside. She looks to Edric, "Remember that spell I taught you to get stains out of stuff so Mom never knew?" He nods, staring at the blood seeping from Hunter's wounds, "Use it on the shirt. It won't be perfect, but he'll have something to wear."
Meanwhile, in another area of the room, Luz steps back to take a brief break from fighting behind pieces of fallen stone. Amity joins her.
"How is he so strong?" Luz asks Amity.
Amity shakes her head, "I have no idea – it isn't magic I know."
"What about a potion?"
"We can ask Ed when he gets here – that's his thing."
They watch as Belos hits Puddles and the griffin screams, careening to the floor. Viney barely manages to control the fall, hopping off to heal her pet and to usher him out the doors, wrestling him down the bridge until she can get him to safety.
They hear another whistle, "That's for reinforcements. He's got to know that sound means trouble for him," Luz says.
Camila zooms by overhead on Owlbert, "Looks like your mom's off to get them."
"It's not going to do any good if we can't figure out why this doesn't seem to be slowing him down much," Amity replies. "It doesn't seem to matter how many people throw spells at him, he just keeps breaking through."
Luz thinks back to the last time they fought him, "We couldn't defeat him on the bridge, but he wasn't invincible, either. Gus managed to hold him in an illusion for a little bit, and we could each do something. Even in Gravesfield, he wasn't untouchable, we just didn't want to hurt Hunter. We've got so many people here now, some of the best of the best, and we can't stop him. What changed?"
"He was strong when he was possessing Hunter. But not like this. Maybe it would make sense if he was possessing someone like Darius. But he's in monster mode and none of this makes sense," Amity says.
"Something has to have happened between when he left the human realm and now, but he's been hiding most of that time. Do you think his allies really could have helped him with potions or something?" Luz asks.
Amity freezes as she has a realization, "They didn't have to."
"What?"
"Luz, they didn't have to. What was the last thing he did before he came through the portal?"
"Said something about this being for the good of our souls?" Luz asks.
"No, not said, did. What was the last thing he did?"
"He opened the portal with the Titan's blood."
"Exactly!" Amity says, "He did that by smashing a glass vial of Titan's blood against the stone with his bare hand. What if he cut himself, absorbed it, whatever? What if Belos is so strong because he is powered by Titan's blood now?"
Luz stares at her for a solid five seconds before she can speak again, "We've got to tell everybody. The plan's not going to work."
The next wave of reinforcements arrive and Luz jumps to her feet, running after her mother as she flies by on Owlbert, "Mom! Wait!"
Amity clambers to her feet and runs after Luz, "What the heck are you doing?"
Camila lands and Luz runs over to her, "We've got a problem. Amity figured out why we can't beat him."
"What's wrong?" Camila asks.
"The Titan's blood," Amity says, "that he used to open the portal. What if it got in him somehow? The glass broke skin, or he mixed with it, or whatever? I don't know, he's made of slime."
"If we can't beat him with firepower, how do we beat him? Will the Titan's blood wear off? Can he get tired?"
"I don't know," Luz says, "This isn't something I've ever read about. But Titan's blood is a power source. If he's got it in his blood...or his sludge, or whatever, I don't know how we're going to stop him."
Camila shrugs, "I could hit him with the glyph stick again – it seemed to get his attention last time."
"Yeah, it got his attention, but he's still not dead and everything seems to just be something he can shake off in a few seconds after he gets his balance back," Amity says. "We need to get the word to everyone."
Camila nods, "I'll fly around the periphery and share your theory."
"Just be careful, Mom," Luz says.
"You know I will be," Camila says, ruffling Luz' hair. She asks Owlbert for a lift and she speeds off to the different clusters of fighting witches.
Emira works as quickly as she can on Hunter, easing back together his damaged body as best she can. She uses nearly all her energy drawing the flesh back together. It still bleeds, but it isn't enough to run down his side. He can breathe without searing pain. She works on his knee after, barely able to stand on her own once she's done.
"Emira – take a rest. I'm good enough."
"I don't know if you can stand on it," she says.
"I'll help him test it – you stay down," Edric says. He gives Hunter back his shirt and after he puts it on, Edric crouches next to him, slings Hunter's arm under his shoulder, and hauls him standing. Hunter takes a tentative step and finds that his knee holds, even though it's wobbly and the pain is intense.
He takes another one, turning back to Emira with a smile, "Hey – I'm up!"
She nods, "Good! It worked!"
He takes a step toward some of the debris they're hiding behind and leans on it, looking out over the fight, "That's...a mess."
"Yeah," Edric says, "And I'm terrified of Belos. That's...not right."
Hunter sighs, "World full of demons and it's the four hundred year old human that turns out to be the real monster."
Hunter watches as Darius returns to his usual form for a moment to give directions to the latest group of fighters after Camila lands nearby. Darius is jogging back to a position near Raine when Belos slams one of his tentacles into Darius' side, sending him flying. He skids to a stop not far from their hiding place, limp, one arm at an odd angle underneath him, blood trickling from his temple.
Hunter can't help himself; out of instinct, he runs from the hiding place and shouts, "Darius!" Pain shoots up his leg, but he ignores it, willing his body to carry him to his fallen friend. Darius isn't moving.
He hears Belos' voice, "Ah...so there you are...."
Hunter freezes as he realizes he's given away his location. He knows he's about to die as he sees Belos twist his direction. He backs toward the nearest wall, panicking.
Camila drops from the sky, holding Owlbert's staff, and puts herself between Hunter and Belos, "I said, don't touch my kids," she says as she takes a defensive stance.
Belos' tentacle hits her hip and flings her into the fragments of a bookshelf. Hunter sees Darius start moving as his attention shifts entirely on Camila. She isn't getting up.
Both Hunter and Luz scream, "MOM!" at the same time and start to run toward her from different directions.
Hunter doesn't see the spike that Belos drives through his back coming. It pierces low, close to his side. He only realizes what's happening when the pain overrides his thoughts as he's frozen in place. He glances down to see it protruding from just above his hip. He tries to speak, but the words don't come before Belos flings him across the room. Hunter's body comes free from the spike and he nearly slams into a wall, a cushion of abomination matter hastily cast by Alador the only thing that keeps his body from shattering against the stone. There is a disturbing thud as Hunter hits the floor.
Darius pries himself up from the floor just in time to see Hunter hit the wall. He quickly shifts to his abomination form and roars, charging Belos as everyone with healing magic runs for either Camila or Hunter.
Willow screams and sprints to Hunter, Amity on her heels creating a shield over them as Willow disregards anything else happening around her. Spells fly and people duck to avoid the magic from their peers that misfires as Belos dodges, deflects, and somehow, still doesn't die.
Luz, crouching next to her mother, hears her whisper, "Hunter...what happened?"
Luz can barely breathe to tell her, "He's...I don't know...it's bad."
Camila eases herself up to her elbows as Emira reaches her, "Don't move too much – let me check." Camila sighs as Luz slips behind her to hold her.
"Please be OK, Mama," she says, tears in her eyes.
Camila smiles, "Don't worry, it's not that bad. My back hurts, but I don't feel like anything's too broken – maybe a cracked rib and a sprained wrist. I'm more worried about Hunter."
Something explodes nearby as Emira heals some of Camila's wounds, "I don't see anything seriously wrong anymore – let's get you moved before things get more intense."
"Get me to Hunter," Camila says. Luz nods. She and Emira help her up. Owlbert flutters to her from the rubble, "Good job staying safe, little friend. Can you take me to him?"
"I'm coming, too," Luz says. "And I can protect us on the way."
Emira turns to run toward someone nearby, moaning on the floor, "I've got work to do, but I'll meet you there as soon as I can."
Luz and Camila fly around the edge of the room, hoping they can still find him amidst the chaos. There is a glowing shield ahead and they drop to the ground and hurry toward it. Amity and Alador stand together creating a massive dome to protect Hunter, Viney, Willow, and Eda from the falling rock, dust, and flying spells.
Viney frantically tries to stop the bleeding and repair the worst of Hunter's wounds while Willow cradles him, sobbing. Eda sits beside her, her arm around Willow's shoulders.
"Willow, it's gonna be OK, Viney's got him, sweetie," Eda says, unconvinced.
Luz sits beside Willow, crying. Camila settles in next to Eda, numb.
"Is there anything you need us to do?" she asks Viney.
"Just...keep this space safe. Alador and Amity have the shield up, make sure nobody disturbs this. I'm trying to figure out how to stop this much bleeding and to heal from the inside out. It's hard. I have to work in two directions at once, because it went right through him." Viney looks up at Camila, "I don't know if I can do this," she whispers, a brief look of fear in her eyes before she looks back at her patient and it is replaced with sheer determination.
"We can't win this," Luz whispers, "And I know why."
Eda nods, "Titan's blood. Word's getting around. I don't know what to do."
Camila looks at the battered, bleeding child in front of her and the two girls grieving him and she sets her jaw, "I don't know. But we have to do something. This has to end now. I'm going to find a way."
Eda nods, "I know. For our kids. We have to end this."
"So...any ideas?" Camila asks, leaning in to whisper to Eda, "I don't want to make them worry, but we have to come up with something."
"Have you seen Lily? She was supposed to go to King before coming here. She said she'd find me, and she hasn't," Eda says, "I'm losing one of my kids, I'm scared, and my sister's missing...." There's an edge of panic in Eda's voice. Camila puts her arms around Eda, "I'm sitting in Hunter's blood, Camila," she says softly as she meets Camila's eyes, "What in the name of the Titan are we doing here? How did we think we had a chance?"
"Because it shouldn't be possible for this beast to still be alive. We have how many incredible witches in this room? How much firepower? And he won't die? Luz and Amity have to be right. There's no other explanation," Camila replies, "The only hope I have right now is that I can get to King and convince him and the Collector this has to end or we're all going to die."
"Even Titan's blood shouldn't make him this strong, should it?" Eda asks.
"I don't know, I'm just human. It was a small tube, only this big," she holds up her hands to show how big the vial was, "And he crushed the glass against the top of the stone archway in the graveyard to open the portal."
"That's a lot more blood than was in the key," Eda replies, "And if she's right and it ended up in him...I don't know what it's going to take to get him to quit."
Something slams into the wall not far from them and rubble rains down on the shield, the sound inside it thunderous. Viney swears in frustration as she loses concentration. She takes a few deep breaths and starts again.
Emira slides into the shield and scrambles to Viney, "What do you need?"
"I don't know. I'm doing things I've never been taught. I'm trying to stop the bleeding from too many places and pull him back together from the inside out, both front to back and back to front. I can't, Em. I'm draining my energies and I'm nowhere near being able to keep him from dying and I'm scared...." Viney's words trail off and she sniffles, trying to keep from breaking down. Emira puts her hands on Viney's shoulders, "Stop. Take a break. Let me help."
"No offense, but you can't do this. You're not the one who's called the 'most gifted healer at Hexside' and told you're the only one learning the more advanced healing...."
Emira shakes her head, "I know I'm not. But I have some skills, and I have energies you can divert. It's not much, but...we can at least keep him alive until we get help, together."
Viney nods and turns back to Hunter, "He looks so small...."
"Let's get to work, Viney. Show me what to do."
Viney takes another deep breath, lets it out slowly, and focuses on Hunter, Emira's hand in hers.