"At least once in a decade, in the season of Auburntide, a force of nature sweeps the Boiling Isles and terrorizes our residents, and with it, invites the tides of change. We call this day 'Valeween'"
- Valeween for Witchlings, Page 1, An Introduction
It normally only took Amity an hour or two to complete her weekend homework. Ever since her fourth year at Hexside, Amity made it a point to wrap up her assignments as soon as she got home. That way, the threat of late work no longer hung over her head, and Amity could concentrate on her personal plans or perhaps get in a few hours of private study, depending on her mood.
Right now, however, Amity was on hour four and no closer to finishing. The green-haired witch stared at the blank sheet on her desk, trying to piece together new ingredients for an Abomination.
"Maybe if I add more manticore venom, I can... No, no..." Amity muttered to herself, crossing out the ingredient on her notes. A thin frown crossed her face and let out a small growl from the back of her throat. "It shouldn't be this hard! Surely there's a better way to make Abominations talk?"
In truth, Amity knew which ingredients to use: a simple basilisk fang and a bezoar clump could make an Abomination sing like a songbird. She was the Top Student of the Abomination Track at Hexside, after all– She knew exactly what she was doing.
That only applied to regular witches though; for those without magic, wholly new ingredients were required. A new concoction, something that was never tried before on the Isles, due to a lack of necessity. Now Amity had that necessity, but no clue where to start.
Amity wasn't just doing homework for herself, but that of her friend, Luz the Human. Magic wasn't innate to humans, due to their lack in a bile sac, and as such Luz needed a new method for crafting Abominations. And while Amity would have helped any of her friends, Luz was...
...Very special to her.
"Oh, Luz," Amity slumped her shoulders as her cheeks burned oink. Just thinking of Luz's smiling face made her heart do jumping jacks. "Even when you're not around, you've got me wrapped around your finger."
Pitter patter, pitter patter.
Glancing from her textbook, Amity looked out of her bedroom window. Dark clouds were rolling in from the east, and a few stray droplets fell from the sky. When the droplets hit the window panel, they sizzled softly and evaporated on impact. There was the distant rumbling of thunder, and deep inside the clouds, blue-white lightning flickered, like the sky itself was ready to explode.
A storm had arrived, and just from a glance, it was clearly a large one at that.
"... Oh, for Titan's sake," Amity grumbled, snapping her notebook shut. The weather oracle predicted clear skies for the rest of the week. Yet the size of the thing was enormous – Even from her desk, Amity should have noticed the storm before now.
With a twirl of a finger, Amity cast a spell circle and summoned a brass bell, which was encrusted with an eyeball-like gemstone. She gave it a single ring, and after a few seconds, a knock came on her door.
"You may come in, Beckham."
With much grace and poise, a three-eyed butler entered Amity's room. The butler gave a respectful nod and said, "You rang, Ms. Blight?"
"Yes, thank you for arriving so quickly. As always, you're swifter than the wind, Beckham," Amity said, giving the butler a smile of gratitude.
"No thanks is required, Ms. Blight." The butler's shoulders relaxed. So often, he found himself acting stiff and formal inside Blight Manor, but around Amity, the butler found he could breath more easily. Out of all the Blights, Amity was the only family member who treated staff with total decency and respect.
Still, Beckham had to show some level of decorum, and thus spoke in a solemn tone. "Was there something you needed, Miss?"
Nodding her head, Amity said, "Yes. By chance, have my parents prepared a barrier spell over Blight Manor yet?"
The butler shook his head. "No, Ms. Blight. For what reason would they need to do that?"
Shifting in her seat, Amity pointed out the window. The Boiling Rainstorm was moving quickly now, rolling over the hills and forest like a tidal wave of sound and fury. In only a matter of minutes, it would be on their doorstep, and while it wasn't raining yet, surely the heavens would let loose a deluge. Boiling Rain was known to peel off the paint and roofs of buildings, if it didn't outright destroy small, unprotected houses, and while Blight Manor was better crafted than most, even it would suffer in a heavy downpour.
"That's why. Please instruct Mr. Elliot, Ms. Thornton, and everyone else to prepare. Come find me when everyone is informed. Er..." Amity paused for a moment, then said, "I don't suppose you've seen my brother or sister around? They'd be a big help."
"I'll double check if Mr. Edric and Ms. Emira are home, but they may be off cavorting with their friends. You know how they are."
"Tch. Of course they are. Ed and Em always hang over my shoulder when they wanna play, but when I actually need them? I'd have better luck trusting a Slitherbeast to guard a goat." Amity clicked her tongue in annoyance and rubbed her temple, but she nodded back to the butler. "Thanks again, Beckham. I really do appreciate your help."
"Any time, Ms. Blight. I'll inform you once the staff is prepared." Said the butler, who gave another nod before whisking out of the room.
Once Beckham was out of the room, Amity swivelled in her seat, rose from the chair, and stalked over to the bedroom window. She stared outside, her golden eyes narrowed. With a slow and steady hand, Amity pulled the bun out of her hair and shook her head, letting her green-and-brown locks fall down in a messy bush.
Normally, Amity preferred her neat-and-orderly look, but whenever a boiling rainstorm swept through the Isles, her hair grew uncomfortably hot. Put it down to the magical electricity that floated through the air and the humidity the storm brought with it. Besides, it's not like her mother was around to tell her off right now.
Not that Mrs. Blight had ever needed much of an excuse.
Her eyes on the encroaching storm, Amity muttered to herself, "Where did that thing even come from anyways? It just appeared over the horizon..."
Pretty soon, the chorus of running feet filled the halls of Blight Manor as people ran to-and-fro, preparing for the imminent storm. In the laundry room, maids brought damp clothes from the drying racks outside, while the stablehands brought the griffons back into the barn. Windows were snapped shut, and potted plants were taken from balconies.
To be perfectly honest, however, Amity didn't care one lick about the Manor. For generations, Blight Manor stood tall and proud, unchanging in the face of emperors and conquerors, madmen and bloodheart tyrants. So long as the winds of fate were favorable to them, and money and magic still had power, the Blights always found a way to crawl and cheat their way to the top, standing on the peak of society as noble gentrymen and talented witches, even if they had to step on people in the process. The family Manor was simply an extension of this immutability, of their solid character, of the decades of vice and corruption they mired in.
Maybe once upon a time, it had been well deserved. A testament to how their ancestors contributed to the development, improvement and security of the Isles– at least, Amity liked to think so. Now it stood as a testament to everything wrong about the Isles nowadays
If Amity had her way, she would sooner tear this whole place to the ground, or better yet, set fire to Blight Manor and burn it all to naught but ash. For this place was as much a prison as a home to her, and Amity wanted nothing more than to wipe the slate clean, to pull her family name out of the muck and take true pride in being a Blight.
The main reason Amity sounded the alarm was to spare the servants from her parents' wrath, for Mr. and Mrs. Blight thought nothing of throwing them out on the street. Beckham, Mr. Eliot and the rest were relatively new hires, for it was 'in fashion' now for every well-to-do family to have servants, even though magic rendered most of their duties redundant.
Before their arrival a few years back, the Blights had only a few servants in their employ– a chef to cook, a maid to clean, and a family tutor for Amity and the Twins' early education. In reality, the Manor staff were more akin to fashion accessories, or decorative furniture– something to show off at a fancy tea party, and someone to Mr. and Mrs. Blight to bark orders to impress their equally snobby socialite friends.
Honestly, the whole concept disgusted Amity to her core, but over time, she had grown close to a few of the servants, and just like them, she knew the fear of disappointment.
And for a fleeting second, Amity remembered a pair of unfeeling eyes, of cold words spoken by black lips, of a flash of blue light, and the shattering of glass.
Amity shook her head and groaned under her breath.
" What am I doing, thinking of that memory now ?" Amity thought. " The past is dead and buried. It's better that way. "
Delusions were cast aside, and it was better that they were. At least Amity knew where she stood in the grand scheme of things, and didn't hold out hope for something that would never be given to her.
No, what Amity really cared about was that this storm put a damper on her plans with Luz. Even after all the time she spent on the Isles, Abominations was Luz's worst subject at Hexside – She could barely make her Abominations rise from the ground and stumble around, but they only accepted the simplest of commands and couldn't speak a word. And as Luz's friend, Amity took it upon herself to tutor the human. They had made plans today to practice in the forests not too far from Blight Manor, but it seemed fate had other plans.
With a sigh, Amity pulled out her Scroll and shifted through her contacts until she found the Human's details. She then brought it to her ear and waited. Mercifully, she didn't have to wait long before a warm, dulcet voice filled her ears.
"Hello?" said Luz, her voice on the other line. "Amity, is this you?"
"Yes, Luz. Hi!" said Amity. She put a hand to the glass as the Boiling Rain hit the opposite side of the window, which was specially designed to resist this type of weather. It would turn into a downpour any second now, and she needed to help with the barrier sooner rather than later. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cancel our study session today, there's a– "
" Boiling rainstorm outside? Yeah, I know." Luz let out a weak chuckle. "I just got inside myself. Eda had big, big, big plans for the Marketplace today, so she's pretty miffed. At least we got enough barrier glyphs around the Owl House to keep us safe!"
"Oh, good! I'm glad you're safe." Just listening to Luz's voice made Amity relax, and while she was still disappointed about today's cancelled lesson, at least Luz seemed fine with it. "Shall we reschedule then? I already finished my homework, so my weekend is wide open."
Luz let out a mock gasp. "You're done already? Gosh, no wonder you're the Abomination Track's Top Student!" The human giggled softly. " You're so smart, Amity! I could never challenge your throne."
Amity shook her head. "I keep telling you to not sell yourself short, Luz. You only started learning magic a few months ago. With some more practice, I'm sure your Abominations will be the pride of Hexside."
"You think so?"
There was a note of genuine hope in Luz's voice. While Luz didn't have some great and nebulous dream about being the 'Best Witch who ever lived,' she did ardently wish to be good at magic, to make everyone proud and stand as equals alongside the likes Eda and Lilith. It was part of what Amity appreciated about the human, and with a smile, she nodded her head.
"I do. There's nothing you cannot accomplish, not if you put best foot forward." Amity looked down at Blight Manor lawn, where the staff were forming a circle around the premises. She took a hard gulp; She really needed to get down there, like, right now. "So anyways, Luz! What day is good for you? I should imagine the storm will blow over by tomorrow, so– "
"Tomorrow works! After I help out at the Marketplace, I'll drop by! So, does four o'clock work?"
"Four is fine! I'll see you then, Luz."
Luz chuckled. "It's a date then!"
With that, Luz hung up. Amity was left staring at her Scroll in dead silence, her cheeks glowing red hot. Her hand trembled a bit, and with a groan, Amity smacked her forehead.
"'A date?' A date?! What did she mean by that?" Amity dragged a hand across her face. Why did this Human have to torment her so? "How deeply am I supposed to read into that? Is she flirting with me, or are all humans that oblivious?"
Then again, this was nothing new for Luz– she would always say things like that that gave Amity pause. The last few months in particular had been hell, trying to figure out if Luz's Human expressions were here actually flirting with her, or if she was looking far, far too deep into something that wasn't there.
"Oh, Luuuuz... You are gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."
Sadly though, there was no time for Amity to reflect on her crush, as the Boiling Rainstorm began to cross over the gates. Tossing her Scroll onto her bed, Amity moved and opened the door, only to find Beckham reaching for the door handle.
"Oh, Ms. Blight," the butler said, a tad startled. He composed himself quickly, adjusting his bedazzled bowtie. "All the staff have been informed, and we're underway with preparing the barrier."
"I saw." Amity nodded. "Good work. I'll assist with the spellcasting and any other jobs that need to be done."
"That... Really isn't necessary, Ms. Blight."
"I'm aware. I still want to help."
It took a moment, but Beckham's eyes brightened up just a bit – Like he was surprised someone at the Manor still treated him like a person, and not a machine who was only good for folding clothes or scrubbing the floors. Even though this wasn't the first time Amity acted like this, it still seemed to surprise the butler every time.
Beckham nodded and smiled. "Very well then. If you'll follow me."
The pair of them rushed down stairs, threw open the front doors, and ran onto the lawn. Spaced out every three meters or so was a staff member, who were all crafting magical orbs, much like a potter shaping clay or a witch crafting an abomination by hand. Younger or less powerful witches ran between them, laying down a chalk circle.
While laying down chalk between the family chef and a stablehand, a young witch no older than Amity herself tripped and fell on the grass. Amity recognized the girl from school: Her name was Bo, a student in the Healing Track who attended Gus' Human Appreciation Society. As far as Amity knew, Bo's father had come down with a case of Ivory Fever, and to help pay the bills while he recovered, Bo worked in the Manor as a scullery maid.
To say Amity felt awkward in employing a fellow classmate was an understatement: She was utterly ashamed, and normally she couldn't string two words together around Bo without feeling the crushing weight of her social status. Amity imagined Bo felt even worse, so Amity avoided the kitchens like a plague whenever Bo was on shift, and they both stayed out of each other's way at Hexside, which led to more than a few awkward run-ins.
There was no time to worry about any of that though, so with a feeble smile plastered on her face, Amity picked up the chalk liner and pulled Bo to her feet. The brunette Witch dusted herself off and stared at her feet, her face red as a tomato.
"Uh, thanks, Am– I mean, Ms. Blight. I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time. I– "
Bo stopped when Amity put a hand on her shoulder. The green-haired witch shook her head slowly.
"Please, Bo. You never have to apologize for needing help." Amity gave a small shrug. "And you can call me Amity. I... I know this whole thing is stupid and awkward and I hate it , but I don't want you to treat me any differently here than you would in school. Okay?"
The brunette Witch nodded her head automatically. Disbelief peeked at the corner of her eyes, as if Bo feared Amity was pulling some trick or ruse on her, but when she only saw sincere compassion on Amity's face, her expression softened.
"... Sure thing, Amity. Thank you."
Taking her chalk liner, Bo finished her job and ran back inside the Manor. Taking a spot between the butler Beckham and Mrs. Madison the Housekeeper, Amity wove a spell circle in the air before moulding her hands around it, weaving her purple magic into the circle until it turned into a magical orb. The orb glowed brightly, and once the last of the chalk was laid down, it shimmered as powerful magic connected everyone in the greater circle.
In a chorus of voices, Amity and the Manor staff said, "One... Two... Three!"
Together as one, the Witches of Blight Manor tossed their magical orbs into the sky. When they reached the peak of the Manor, the balls connected with a magical crackle, and in an explosion of light, a rainbow barrier expanded over the whole property. The lower clouds of the dark thunderstorm were pushed aside, and not a few seconds later, the heavens opened up and boiling rain ensued, the droplets hissing as they fell on the multi-colored barrier.
From the Manor came the cheers of multiple Witches, and while the Manor staff patted each other on the back and collected themselves from the draining spell, Amity went through the crowd, thanking everyone for their hard work.
"Thank you, Mr. Elliot. Your hard work is truly appreciated."
"Daw, it's nothing, Ms. Blight! Happy to be of service!"
"You have my thanks, Ms. Thornton. I dare say we couldn't have done this without your knowledge of spell circles."
"You're welcome, Ms. Blight. As you know, chalk with a concentration of limestone, salt, and ground up animal bones makes for powerful circles ideal for weather spells like this."
"Beckham, thank you for rallying everyone in time. You really are fast on your feet."
"Hah. Perhaps you are right, Ms. Blight. Perhaps you are right."
Once Amity congratulated everyone on their hard work and the Manor staff returned to their duties, the green-haired Witch noticed a pair of familiar faces hanging out in back. Edric and Emira Blight waved at their sister with playful expressions, and with a frown on her face, Amity stormed up to them.
"Ed, Em. Where were you two?" Amity said with a scowl. "We could have really used your help! What would have Mom and Dad said if the rain melted off the roof, huh?"
"Woah woah woah, chill out, Mittens!" said Edric. He put his hands up defensively. "Who said we didn't help out? We totally chipped in, right Em?"
"That's right! We just joined the circle on the other side of the house, is all." Emira put a hand across her cheek, as if Amity had slapped her two siblings. "Oh, to think we'd see the day our own sister would doubt us so! What is the world coming to, Edric?"
"Nothing good, nothing good. Have more faith in us, huh Mittens?"
Edric playfully poked Amity on the nose, but she slapped his hand away. While Edric gasped in mock shock, Amity rubbed the bridge of her nose. Titan help her, her two siblings were positively maddening.
"Fine, yes, I'm sorry for doubting you. Thanks for helping out." Amity raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. "I don't suppose either of you know when Mom and Dad are getting home?"
The twins shook their heads with thin frowns across their faces. While Edric and Emira were happy to tease Amity into oblivion any day, it was hard to make light of any situation involving their parents.
"You know how they are," said Edric. It was all that needed to be said. Indeed, she did.
Amity simply clicked her tongue and looked skyward. Above them, the rainbow barrier faintly flickered as thousands of boiling raindrops fell from the sky and beat on it like red-hot needles. Once again, the image of cold, crystal blue eyes drifted unbidden to the forefront of Amity's mind. Ages ago, Amity remembered those eyes staring so dispassionately at her not long after a storm like this, and whenever it rained, Amity couldn't help but remember that dark, grim day.
"I hate the rain," Amity said to no one in particular. She bowed her head and gave it a shake. "At least I can look forward to tomorrow. I wonder if Luz would be interested in hanging out after her Abomination lesson? Perhaps we can go to the Marketplace, or..."
A thought suddenly occurred to Amity. The Boiling Rain... Boiling Rain was rare enough on its own, but... What time of year was it again?
Quickly, she made her way back into the Manor and into her room. Once she had her Scroll back in her hand, Amity checked the date. She gulped hard.
It was that time of year again. Auburntide was here. And this time, the Boiling Rain had arrived. The first sign.
" How long will it stay ?" Amity thought. She glanced out her window again and watched the rain fall. Maybe it was just a coincidence – There was no guarantee...
...But all the same, Amity felt a tension grip at her throat.
"...Please don't let it be Valeween." Amity whispered, like she was praying to the Titan. "Not this year. Not now."
Authors notes
Because this is a joint project, we'd both like to thank you all for reading the prologue and we hope you're looking forward to this story coming out as we are - Chapter 1 will be released at some point in the next few days once we've had the chance to go over it, but we're both proud of the work we've put into this story : D We both have very different writing styles so it's a bit of an interesting mixture for both of us that we're still trying to figure out (and have had more than one argument over, if we don't die on our own we'll probably kill each other) but we've reached a point we're happy with on this prologue and will be working to make sure the next few chapters are as solid as this!
Individual Notes
- Yep, I'm somehow still not dead! (And I'm in the North of England so God knows how) This story pretty much started as a joke between me and Raphael, and we just decided to make it into a story and here we are– So far I'm responsible for the rough drafts of Chapters 1, 2, and 4, and the art that the fic will be utilizing. This has become quite the project for me because I think we've really got something good here and we've put in a ton of effort into it, and have been rushing to get it out for the season while not letting the quality drop, so I'm hoping that you'll all enjoy :D
- Likewise, it is a miracle that I am not dead. I haven't given nearly as much love to my Ao3 account as QuirkQuartz, and I want to apologize to my "Luz Appreciation Society" fans for the delay. When this story came to life, however, QuirkQuartz and I knew that we couldn't dawdle with the Halloween season upon us. I've been responsible for the rough drafts of this prologue and Chapter 3, as well as the chief editor of these stories. I do hope to contribute more to the story in the future, so look forward to that!