Amity felt a great feeling of coldness when her mentor let go of her to fight her sister. She ached for her soft touches and protective nature. She had felt so safe a moment ago. She had been so confident until...
The human cheated.
But so had Lilith.
She had embarrassed herself in front of the Emperor's Coven.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and yell and hide. A great urge to break something. Her parents were going to kill her when they found out. The human not only threatened her place as top student, but made her look like a fool in front of what was supposed to be her future coven.
So Amity ran.
She ran and ran until she couldn't hear the voices anymore. Everytime someone whispered or laughed it felt like it was at her. Every noise or breath suddenly became incredibly loud and she wanted it to stop. She spotted an isolated corner and curled into a little ball of shame. The cool floor felt relaxing under her burning skin.
She was so tired.
Amity just wanted to be perfect. The perfect daughter. The perfect student. The perfect Blight. She tried so hard, why wasn't it enough?
She had been doing so well, until that human came along and ruined everything!
"Amity!"
Speak of the devil.
"I'm sorry." she said.
Sorry? Sorry?! She ruined her chances at the Emperor's Coven and all she could say was SORRY?
"Seriously? Just leave me alone." she demanded sharply.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you."
Oh sure, you didn't mean to. Sure.
"That's all you ever do! First and school, and now this!"
"Yeah bu-"
"You made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor's Coven. MY FUTURE!"
The human didn't get it and she never would. She wasn't a witch. She didn't stay up hours on end studying or break down in her mentor's arms from exhaustion. She didn't search the library for books on magic or spend weeks perfecting a single spell just so it was perfect. She didn't get it. She never would.
"You think it's so easy to be a witch. I have been working my whole life to get to the top!"
She got up and took a step forward. "You lost. You cheated! Say it! SAY YOU'RE NOT A WITCH!" she begged, failing to mask the desperation in her voice.
Surprisingly, the human gave in.
"I'm not a witch."
She then sank into the floor and pulled out a paper and pen. She drew strange runes and shapes. The human then gently tapped the strange symbol and from it emerged a single ball of light.
Fascinating.
"But I'm training hard to be one."
Amity was awestruck. A human that could do magic. That wasn't something you saw everyday.
"I've... I've never seen it cast like that." she says, biting back an insult.
"It doesn't come naturally to me, like it does for you. So... I've... had to improve." she explained.
Her voice was so soft. None of the awkward twists and spurs were there anymore.
She sighed as she drew a circle in the air. Grabbing her wrist she pulled it through. "The Oath is unbound."
The human looked like she was going to say something, but she stopped midway when they heard a loud voice.
"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?"
--x--
Willow is pretty much horrified by the entire duel that is taking place right in front of her. Not only were her two best friends trying to kill one another (okay maybe only Amity was trying to do that) but now so was her aunt and her criminal sister. So yeah, she was only a little stressed.
It didn't help that Gus was reporting of all things considered.
"BATTLE OF THE CLAWTHORNES!" he yelled as he summoned a microphone on his palm.
Eda drew a circle with her staff and a beam of fire emerged from the centre of it.
"Entering from the right, weighing in at- DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT BUSTER!" he bellowed upon seeing a child trying to get past the kill zone.
Clearing his throat, he brought the thing back to his lips. "Nevermind, ON YOUR RIGHT! The Lord of Calamity, the Master of Disaster, she who holds the title of strongest wild witch, THE OWL LADY!!"
Eda smiled proudly and winked at the crowd. Dodging a blue blast shortly after. Lilith summoned her pearly white staff, pointing it towards her sister. The cloak that hung on her shoulders blew furiously to the side.
"Entering from the left, the Shadow of Death, the Emperor's Second, the absolute Enforcer of Order, EMPRESS LILITH!"
The crowd cheered wildly as their empress was announced, but neither sister paid any mind to their chatter. A small smirk was visible on her face, though.
"These two titans are ready to tumble, LLLLET'S GET READY TO RRRRUMBLLLLLLLLE!!!!!!" Gus yelled, full of energy and enthusiasm. His dad would be proud. He thought as the two continued to fight.
Willow nervously clung onto her uniform as her two friends were out of sight. Where had they gone? Were they okay? The constant sound of blasts didn't really help either. She could hear fire, screaming, the breaking of wood and...
And laughing?
"Is that all the 'Empress of the Boiling Isles' has to offer?" she could hear Eda tease.
"You're one to talk, "most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles." her aunt jabbed back as she laughed, dodging an owl tube looking thingy (It looked like Hooty and that made her slightly uncomfortable).
They were laughing? It was a witches duel!
"I'll have you know that the rumours you heard are in fact true!"
"We'll see."
Eda continued to summon more horrifying owls and Lilith continued to dodge them with ease. She smirked as she destroyed them one by one. She later stopped going for them and aimed towards the other woman instead.
The younger Clawthorne was quick however and summoned a shield, which the white staff hit. Her aunt followed close behind and Willow doesn't know what to think of it all.
She shakes her head. Amity and Luz. She needs to find them. Gus would be here to report everything. She can just ask him how it goes later.
Willow made herself out of the tent with great difficulty as the crowds cheered and shoved one another. She tried not to think too hard about all that was going on at the moment. All Willow wanted was one peaceful covention. ONE.
She wanted one covention where Amity wasn't so uptight, or Gus trying to find a duel to report, or her aunt being stopped every 10 seconds for an autograph or picture. But this, this took the cake. Or at least that's what Luz would say. She hoped she was using that right (though she could've sworn it was pie).
Was that really too much to ask?
She ran around the empty hallways looking for her friends. Begged the Titan they didn't kill each other.
She ran past the halls looking for a patch of brown or green hair. Relief washed over her when she saw the two of them talking to one another.
That relief, however, was short lived and was quickly replaced with rage.
She was going to kill them.
"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!" she bellowed, louder than she intended.
The two yelped as they spotted her. She walked over and grabbed both of them by the ear, forcing them to stand up.
"Owowowowowow! Please let go." Luz begged.
"Willow! Quit it!" Amity interjected.
"You!" she said accusingly at Luz. "Challenging someone to a witches duel and cheating?"
Luz looked away sheepishly. Shame filling her brown irises.
"And you!" she snapped, turning to face the other witch. "Trying to fight a human when you know you have an unfair advantage?"
Amity's eyes dodged her judging glare. She sighed at the two girls.
"I want you to apologize to one another. And try to get along. For my sake at least." Willow said sternly, though she didn't yell or glare this time.
"Human-"
Willow interrupted her, not satisfied with the sarcasm. "She has a name Amity. It's Luz."
"... Right. Luz, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too... again."
She finally let go and they both rubbed their ears to soothe them from her death grip. Sometimes she forgot how strong she was.
Hearing a loud crash across the hall, she suddenly remembered the other two.
"Oh yeah and your mentors are tearing that place apart dueling each other."
"WHAT"
--x--
A giant owl swallowed Lilith whole and Eda beamed proudly. But it falls upon seeing a giant hole of blue fire from its side.
"This ends now." she hears a voice say from behind her.
Next thing she knew, she was being catapulted to the wall of the stage.
When she hits the stones behind her, she looks up to see Lilith towering over her. Her staff is pointed towards her and she casts a great shadow. Her teal eyes glisten in the light and for once, she sees how the rest of the Boiling Isles sees her.
An Empress.
"I win." she hears her singsong. Patting her hair with the head of her palisman.
The terrifying image dropped as quickly as it came.
Also, hell no.
"No you did not."
"Edalyn I just threw you to the other side of the arena, knocked away your staff and you're currently lying on the floor. What do you think that means?"
Edalyn did not appreciate the smug look on her sister's face. Not even a little.
She threw a bag of Hex Mix at her face. "DISTRACTION SPELL!" she yelled as she fled.
Her sister let out an annoyed groan. "THIS IS WHY MOTHER DOESN'T LET US HAVE NICE THINGS EDALYN."
She ran and spotted her sister's little apprentice, hers and the plant friend. Grabbing her, she yanked her kid towards the exit.
"Gotta run Kid!"
"Wait wha-"
She kept running. "IT'S BEEN FUN BUT LET'S CALL IT A DRAW."
Eda spotted him and yanked him from the ground. Sheesh he was heavy. Probably from all his "offerings" which was really just a cheap tactic of advertising. She should know, they can't beat her in her own game.
They all got on Owlbert and raced out of the covention hall. Soaring into the air as she howled and laughed.
She stopped promptly when Luz started giggling.
That laugh sounded so precious. It made her heart soar and her eyes water. It sounded like magic and she'd be damned if she heard anything other than that come out of Luz's mouth. If anyone ever made her stop laughing, smiling or singing she would promptly smite them in their sleep.
She doesn't know why she loves it so much. She doesn't know why it never fails to make her smile or why her chest feels so damn warm every single time. She doesn't get it.
Or maybe she does.
Luz is a child of light. Everything she touches turns into a being of hope and an embodiment of love. She tears down stone fortresses of the distant and heals the scars of the wounded. Luz holds a flame that does not burn but warms the cold and soothes the frostbitten. Luz is pure warm light dressed in chocolate hues.
Her voice sounded like music and silver bells. Like snow and fairy lights. Like honey and tea. Like roses and old books. Of candles and waxed seals and everything in between. Her hugs were made of plush and her eyes were brown like the dirt that hid gold beneath its feet.
Luz finds the weeds that the others try to pull away and waters them. She finds the unwanted strays and feeds them. She finds the light in those who sought to destroy it and brings it out. She finds the broken shards of glass and shines on them so they can sparkle and bring out all the colours of the rainbow. Luz is the child of light.
She cracks through the stone walls and invites you to play. In her game, everyone had a place. Everyone had a role and everyone took turns. Luz was perfect in every shape or form.
Edalyn can't believe that she was sent away to get rid of that light.
Everyone had a bit of light in them. Everyone carried a spark, a flame, anything. Luz just chose not to hide it.
She chose to display her light. To let it shine and share it's beauty with the world. She offered it all it had to offer, to anyone who needed it.
If anything ever tried to diminish that light ever again, she would plague their lungs and break their shins. No one would touch her child of light again.
As long as she breathed the air of the island and walked on it's hardened grass, no wind would blow on her fragile flame.
No one.
She relishes her laughter and her beaming smile. Luz doesn't need magic if that's what she is. Luz was magic. She didn't need some stupid bile sac to perform it.
Her presence alone was a blessing. And she sometimes lies to herself that she was going to stay. That Eda was allowed to have the child of light all to herself. That she would have the precious warmth all to herself.
But she's going to live that lie for as long as she needs to.
For now, she hugs the child close as she leans onto her figure. Almost like she belongs there.
Almost.
--x--
Amity sniffs as she pushes her face onto the puff of her mentor's sleeves, just like she's always done.
She lets her tears fall and lets the hands of the older woman wrap around her. She allows the bitter hollowness in her chest to stay and she reaches out for her mentor's earrings to touch.
When Amity had been younger, she'd yank them on impulse. Lilith never yelled despite yelping every time she did. Amity would apologize and Lilith always reassured her that it was fine.
No longer a little girl, she knew better now. No longer did she pull or yank at them. Instead she would run her hands through the chain and the charms and Lilith allowed them to stay. She allowed the girl to cry and to scream and to be imperfect. She allowed her to make mistakes or stim or laugh.
"I HATE YOU!" she had said hours before. She can still hear it and she wants it to stop.
She didn't mean it. She didn't.
"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT."
She didn't mean it.
"DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT OUR IMAGE?" she remembers yelling at her.
"I'D THROW AWAY MY IMAGE A MILLION TIMES IF IT MEANS YOU WON'T GET HURT." Lilith had bellowed. It was the first time she had seen Lilith cry.
It was the first time Lilith had actually yelled at her.
It then had gone silent for a good minute before Lilith had said "What good is an image if you get hurt? What good is an image if there's a scar on your skin?"
Amity regrets the horrible things she's said to her hours beforehand. She regrets it all and she wishes to take them back. She remembers running off before coming back and practically begging to be forgiven. She remembers her mentor bringing her close and letting her cry.
"I'm sorry." she whispered for the 35th time that evening.
Lilith hugged her closer. Nuzzling her head and caressing her cheeks. "It's alright my darling."
"I didn't mean it."
"I know, my dear."
She sobs harder. "I'm so so sorry."
Lilith wipes away her tears. "It's okay. All is forgiven."
"I don't hate you I promise."
"I know."
"I didn't mean it." she says desperately. She didn't. She didn't mean it. She loved her, despite what she said.
"It's okay."
Lilith kisses her forehead and Amity tenses at the action. "Was that not alright?" Lilith asks fearfully.
Amity doesn't answer, instead she whispers a small "Can you do that again?"
Lilith complies and pecks the top of her head lightly. A small smile tugs at her lips and she immediately relaxes. Amity hugs and holds onto her like if she lets go then she was going to die. And sometimes she felt like she would.
"I love you my darling." she whispers, like she's afraid someone will hear. Like if she says it too loudly, she'll be taken from her.
"I love you so much." she says again.
Amity lets out a sob and clings onto her tighter. It feels so euphoric. So beautiful to hear someone say that to her. It wasn't teasing like when her siblings said it. It was soft and gentle and so much like Lilith. It felt like a punch in the gut and a warm embrace all at once. It's so overwhelming but she manages to choke out a few words through her tears.
"I love you too. So much."
And they meant it.